CO L O R A D O H I G H - CO U N T R Y G O L D Colorado is our home and without a doubt we have a bias. In the course of the 28 years that we’ve been exploring the West, from Alaska south through the Canadian Rockies, to the shores of the Pacific, through the deserts of the southwest, Colorado, in our hearts, is the best. Everything that we do is measured against the utter thrill of cycling in the San Juans in southwestern Colorado or climbing to the other-worldly summit of Trail Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park. In the season ahead, our Colorado programs will reflect our pride and
passion for our home state. This year’s San Juans of Colorado retains all of the substance of its 7-day predecessor, including Durango, Mesa Verde, Telluride, Ouray and Silverton. Colorado Rocky Mountain High is a cyclist’s fantasy that offers the greatest concentration of high country adventure to be found in our entire program. New for 2010 is Vines and Vistas: Colorado’s Western Slope, which combines Colorado’s surprising wine country with the awesome challenges of the Colorado Monument and Grand Mesa.
COL OR A DO ROCKY MOU N T A I N H I G H
Date: (6 days, 5 nights; Sun-Fri) July 18-23; Sept. 12-17 Assembly Point: Gunnison (airline service to Gunnison or Denver; Timberline van shuttle between Denver and Gunnison prior to and following tour) Tour Cost: $1,995 (includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, support van, shuttles between Denver and Gunnison, leaders, tour maps & narratives)
SA N JUA N S OF COLOR A DO
Date: (6 days, 5 nights; Sun-Fri) June 20-25; Aug. 29-Sept. 3 Assembly Point: Durango (airline service to Durango; timberline van transfers to and from airport) Tour Cost: $2,095 (includes lodging, breakfasts and dinners, park entrance fees, support van, transfers, leaders, tour maps & narratives) Extravagant rhetoric is unavoidable as we consider our San Juans program—there is just no other way to describe the awesome and singular beauty of Colorado’s San Juans Range. Their jagged, snowclad peaks rise dramatically from the valleys and their lush stands of evergreen and aspen are reminders of the snowfalls that can isolate this alpine region during the depths of winter. And, as though this array of natural beauty needs further enhancement, both dates are timed to capture the peak of wildflower bloom in June and the beginnings of fall color change in the San Juans high country. The San Juans of Colorado assembles in Durango and we’ll ride westward early morning of Day 1 to Mesa Verde National Park. National Park
2010
Service regulations require that we not cycle within the park and we’ll van shuttle to the high mesa setting of the beautiful Far View Lodge, where we’ll overnight. We’ll spend the remainder of that first day and the morning of Day 2 exploring the ancient Anasazi ruins of Mesa Verde. We’ll van shuttle from the park mid-day of Day 2, and it’s back on our bikes to Dolores and an overnight at the Dolores Mountain Inn. Along the way, we’ll visit the fascinating Anasazi Cultural Center north of Cortez. We’re headed for the heart of the San Juans early-morning of Day 3. We’ll tour the old mining towns of Stoner and Rico and then begin a moderate ascent up Lizard Head Pass (10,222') on our way to the magical mountain paradise that is Telluride. Following our overnight at the Viking Lodge, we’ll ride from Telluride along the San Miguel River, climb the Dallas Divide and ride on to charming Ouray. We’re up and out early Day 5 as we challenge imposing Red Mountain Pass (11,008') in the context of one of North America’s classic alpine experiences. From Red Mountain’s summit, it’s downhill to the quaint 19th-century mining camp of Silverton and our final evening at the historic Wyman Hotel, a restored Victorian masterpiece. Our final day includes ascents of Molas and Coal Bank Passes and a long downhill for our return to Durango. Total mileage – 266
TIMBERLINE ADVENTURES
Believe it or not, the least significant criteria that we consider as we develop our new programs is whether or not that program will “sell.” If saleability was the controlling criteria, we likely wouldn’t be sitting here writing about Colorado Rocky Mountain High. For us, it’s all about content. If our wild ideas coalesce into something that we absolutely can’t wait to be a part of in the season ahead, we then feel that we’ve created something that has to become a part of our program. Colorado is our home and in our utter arrogance, we believe that we know every “nook and cranny” in this state. Who, other than Coloradans, has heard of Taylor Canyon, Taylor Park, the Collegiates, Poncha Pass and South Park, Slumgullion Pass or Lake City? None rise to the level of familiarity as do Vail, Breckenridge, Aspen and Telluride. But make no mistake, these relatively obscure, off-the-beatenpath locations become the components of an incredible cycling experience for anyone who craves a high-alpine cycling adventure to remember. Colorado Rocky Mountain High assembles in Gunnison on Colorado’s Western Slope in the heart of the Gunnison River Valley. We’ll ride north out of the valley on Day 1 to exciting Crested Butte, one of Colorado’s many historic 19th-century mining camps that has been transformed into a modern-day, worldclass ski resort. We’ll arrive early enough to hike near the historic ghost town of Gothic that afternoon. We’re headed back to Gunnison the following morning, but yesterday’s 30-mile warm-up becomes a 72-mile adventure as we turn up Taylor Canyon and trace the 16-mile course of the beautiful Taylor River to it’s source among the high peaks that surround Taylor Park. For us, we’re coming back to Taylor Park following an absence of more than 15 years, to an area that we have always thought of as one of the most beautiful locations we have ever experienced. At some point, we’ll have to turn around, descend through Taylor Canyon and on to
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