38 miles, La Manga Pass
Saturday, July 11, 2009
OK, so you ask why dinner was so good in Platoro?
First, we sat down in front of a welcoming fire. We went directly to this lodge when we escaped the pouring rain atop Stunner Pass, concerned that they might close early. Since the restaurant at the Skyline Lodge was our only food option, we couldn’t risk taking the time to clean up. The big fire felt wonderful on our wet and stinky selves.
The waiter was quirky and witty. My favorite example is when he explained something slowly in detail, and then said to Richie (who was wearing his NE Patriots cap) ‘I had to explain that slow because I see you are a Patriots fan.’ He had us laughing throughout dinner, while at the same time giving us insights about what life in Platoro is like.
The first thing I asked for was lemonade. I was expecting something powdered like Kool-Aid or Crystal Light, but I got a delicious glass of genuine lemonade with lots of fresh lemons, water, and sugar. Now *that* is a good sign!
Mom ordered fresh trout from the local waters. Richie got a double cheeseburger. I opted for a chicken fried steak--embarassingly unhealthy, but on a bike tour I allow myself these indulgences. All meals were large, fresh, and great. If you find yourself in Platoro, I highly recommend you dine at your single option—the Skyline Restaurant. (Readers of this blog now know where to eat in both Hartsel and Platoro…valuable info for sure.) We returned the next morning at 7:00 sharp for breakfast, and were all happy to see our server again. The breakfast was also fantastic, as was the good-natured wise-ass service.
Leaving Platoro, fond of our short visit
New Mexico or bust! Our route today promised to be the easiest day of 3GenDivideRide2. We started with a long 23-mile downhill cruise on a pretty good dirt road (finally the payoff for our climb up Indiana Pass.) This was a treat…easy and scenic riding down a valley with lots of interesting terrain. It shows how far out of the way Platoro is…visitors must drive up this long dirt road to get to town. We ultimately spilled out onto CO Highway 17. As mentioned in yesterday’s report, this was our first glimpse of pavement since the spot where Indiana Pass turned to dirt over 60 miles ago.
Platoro Valley scene
Of course no day is without challenge on the Divide ride, so once we turned south on paved Highway 17 we were immediately faced with our final named pass of the trip. La Manga pass climbs pretty steeply from the spot where we hit the welcome pavement for 6 miles to its summit. It is the 9th and final named pass along the Colorado route. We tackled Lynx, Ute, and Boreas last year. This year we climbed over Marshall, Cochetopa, Carnero, Indiana, Stunner, and La Manga. We resigned ourselves to the climb, sometimes steep, and were psyched to get to the top. I make it sound like a grind, but it was a very scenic pass with little traffic.
From our snack break on the summit, we continued 5.5 rolling miles along CO 17 to our final turn of the trip on to the dirt fire road 117. We had only three miles to go on this road to get to the New Mexico border. It started with a big downhill into a very scenic basin, crossing the narrow gauge Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. Sagman saw the train, but we managed to miss it, only hearing it lumber by once we crossed the tracks.
Big downhill, 3 miles to go!
Naturally the final 3 miles threw a few more challenges at us, with some short steep climbs. Fortunately the scenery was grand, and we all were riding the high of approaching the border. The border tricked me by not emerging at the first two or three spots where I expected it. However, we were not to be denied and eventually we pedaled to the cattle guard crossing marking the end of Colorful Colorado and the start of the Land of Enchantment. Fortunately there is a sign here for a photo op.
Riding across the border to New Mexico
We have ridden the divide in Colorado, and it is truely special to have shared this accomplishment with Mom and Richie.
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Awesome, Rich! Now I know what a blog is:) And Grammi is an animal!!
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