Biking Crested Butte

After three weeks in South Fork, it was time to move north to new adventures.  But on the way out of the area, we stopped at a local shop to pick up a variety of those beloved Amish fried pies.  We bought one of every kind they had that morning--blackberry, apple, cherry, lemon, strawberry rhubarb, peach, and raspberry.  We showed enough restraint to put some into the freezer, and we only got two in this picture. 

We moved a couple hours down the road toward Gunnison, Colorado.  But on the way we had to go over the 10,149 feet North Pass, and down thru a national forest canyon with a daunting sign announcing curvy roads for the next 15 miles.  Also, notice that the state of Colorado wasted no asphalt on this narrow road.  Mark did a great job driving this road that looked like a snake had designed it.

We finally arrived at Blue Mesa Recreation Ranch--12 miles west of Gunnison, Colorado.  We have never been in this part of Colorado so we are anxious to explore new territory.  The first place we decided to visit was Crested Butte, and the majestic mountain that welcomes everyone to town.

We had heard that this was a beautiful little mountain town, and we would have to agree.  We stopped by the visitor center, and got great advice for a ride that was perfect for bikers that love the mountains but don't like to tackle those inclines on two wheels.  This trail took us beside mountain lakes,

and we always had mountain peaks right in front of us.

Soon we were riding beside a mountain stream.  Could this bike ride get any better?

The name of this bike trail is "Lower Loop" and is listed as a beginner trail.  We saw families of all ages on the path.  The further we got from town, the more narrow the bike path became, as we rode through mountain meadows and forests.  You can barely see Denisa on her bike, pedaling down the single track trail in the bottom center of the picture.

 We had beautiful blue skies ahead of us as we pedaled further out of town.

But when we turned back towards Crested Butte, we saw that a storm was building.  

It was a quick glance at Slade River before we had to race to get back to town before we got wet.

Crested Butte is a town at the end of a highway.  Highway 135 literally ends in town, and the only other way out of town is a gravel road.  So we are amazed that so many people were in Crested Butte on this Wednesday afternoon.  Maybe some were still visiting because of the Wildflower Festival last weekend.  Crested Butte is the "Wildflower Capitol of Colorado" and the fields outside of town were beautiful.

If you throw in a mountain peak and a lake, you realize that you are blessed with another of  God's wonders.

Just north of Crested Butte is Mt. Crested Butte, home of the ski resort.  You can see the ski runs and the chair lifts that make their way down the face of the mountain.

The rain storms had already dumped their afternoon showers that keep these mountain meadows so green, and we had blue skies once more.

We had a beautiful day in Crested Butte, but it felt too crowded and expensive for a long stay in the summer.  We couldn't find a place to park in historic downtown, and we saw too many $16 hamburgers on the menus of the restaurants in  town.  It's a nice place to visit, but we're not sure we could afford to live there.