Colorado Trail Recap: Day 2

Our first night is over and it's time to get the weirdest day of riding out of the way. This day included a ride-around of the Lost Creek Wilderness area, where bikes are not allowed. It was a 70 mile route made up of well manicured gravel and some pavement. The roads hid a surprising amount of elevation gain. Our target was the Tarryall Reservoir. 

We got a nice start, filtering water right by the campsite and getting on the road. Moving a little slow after a tough day 1, but eager to get some miles behind us. 

Loading up for Day 2

Early on we rode by Wellington Lake and campground. The ride here was a lot of up and down, and the road was in pretty good shape, and the lake was really pretty.

Wellington Lake

Taking a breather in the shade

Ralphie, maybe

The last part of the dirt road section was a lot more exposed, and had some really pretty views of the surrounding area.

Big wide road!

Stopped for a little lunch picnic in the shade

One of the many rolling hills

All the climbing along the road ended up adding to be a lot of climbing. Luckily, there were not a lot of real sustained climbs, so after a few miles, we had a rest. It was also really pretty which was a nice distraction from the climbing.

Pretty great rocks out here

Lots of room for 3 abreast riding

we stopped at this awesome little creek and filtered water and had a snack. the water was really cold and we all soaked our jerseys. The rain clouds were coming in, and we were trying to get off the dirt before it got too wet.

Filtering more water

Lucky for us, the afternoon rain held off until we hit pavement. But when it started, it was intense! We rode another 18 miles or so on the pavement until we got to the Reservoir. 

Then the rain came

Finally stopped raining

The waterfall at the end of the reservoir was very underwhelming, but it was a good place to filter and look for a place to stay. The problem was that it started raining again.

Last water filter for the day

The Res had these day use shelters and even though they said no camping, the rain forced us to hunker down as long as we could. While we were cooking dinner where it got pretty cold, but thankfully the shelter kept us dry and then decided to just sleep under the shelter.

Our spot for the night

I cooked up some pretty tasty mac and cheese, and then was still hungry and broke into the emergency ramen. It was great to have some extra food for this part. The long day paired with the cold weather really took it out of me. I would actually have the best night sleep this night (including the hotel on night 4). 

Cooking dinner (note warm clothes)

It was a pretty spectacular sunset, and it finally stopped raining. It was too dark to relocate, so we tried not to feel bad about breaking the rules and sleeping int he picnic shelter. 

This day was a bit of a drag because it wasn't any singletrack, but it was a pretty cool area to ride through, and ended up being a great place to spend the night. 

 

Map

Elevation

Stats