Day 4 (Wednesday): Mirror Lake to Silverton
Mirror Lake: 11,000'
Mileage: 159
I sent Shannon a message last night on the inReach to meet us in Tin Cup. It didn't make any sense for him to ride all the way to Mirror Lake to turn around and back track. So, we were up early to meet Shannon in Tin Cup at 9:00.
Unfortunately, Frechy's Cafe was closed. It would have been nice to had a coffee and maybe even some town food. While we waited for Shannon we checked out the the town.
Tin Cup is a cool little historic mountain town. It's another old mining town that is now mostly summer homes with a few tough year-round residents. In 1878 lode deposits were discovered and in 1879 Virginia City was established with a population of 1,495 (1880 Census). Due to confusion with Virginia City, NV and Virginia City, MT the town was renamed to Tin Cup in 1882. An interesting bit of history for Tin Cup is it's violent past. In 1882 town marshal Harry Rivers died in a gunfight and in 1883 marshal Andy Jameson was gunned down.
Mileage: 159
I sent Shannon a message last night on the inReach to meet us in Tin Cup. It didn't make any sense for him to ride all the way to Mirror Lake to turn around and back track. So, we were up early to meet Shannon in Tin Cup at 9:00.
Unfortunately, Frechy's Cafe was closed. It would have been nice to had a coffee and maybe even some town food. While we waited for Shannon we checked out the the town.
Tin Cup is a cool little historic mountain town. It's another old mining town that is now mostly summer homes with a few tough year-round residents. In 1878 lode deposits were discovered and in 1879 Virginia City was established with a population of 1,495 (1880 Census). Due to confusion with Virginia City, NV and Virginia City, MT the town was renamed to Tin Cup in 1882. An interesting bit of history for Tin Cup is it's violent past. In 1882 town marshal Harry Rivers died in a gunfight and in 1883 marshal Andy Jameson was gunned down.
After about an hour and a half we started to wonder if Shannon was having an issue. Did he have a navigation error that took him a route that would be no good on his bike? Did he take a spill somewhere and couldn't get going again? Did he have a mechanical breakdown? We debated heading out to look for him but didn't want to miss him. So, someone have to stay in Tin Cup. Before heading out in search of him we thought it would be best to try to message him again on the inReach. The messages finally went through and we learned that Shannon decided to head back to his truck in Rawlins. With this info we quickly got on our way, already behind a couple hours.
We left Tin Cup over Cumberland Pass at over 12,000' to Pitkin. Pitkin sits at just above 9,000' and is literally in the middle of nowhere. This is a little rural town that seemed to be based around seasonal recreation and tourism. We were there late enough in the year that the one restaurant was closed for the season. Fortunately, the Silver Plume General Store was open. We were able to buy some lunchmeat and cheese to go with chips I'd been carrying and had a nice little lunch.
While in Pitkin we were able to text Shannon and suggested he meet us in Silverton where we planned to spend a few nights. Hopefully he's up for it.
While in Pitkin we were able to text Shannon and suggested he meet us in Silverton where we planned to spend a few nights. Hopefully he's up for it.
After a nice little break in Pitkin we continue on over Waunita Pass and Los Pinos Pass through the Gunnison National Forest. This was a more open section with fun easy roads. We were able to cruise and make decent time into Lake City.
Jim took a little spill somewhere in this section and tweaked his ankle. I cam around a downhill switchback and found him under his bike. I helped get his bike up and sorted. Thankfully he came out of it in good shape. I could see where his bike had slid a decent ways.
Somewhere in the Gunnison National Forest we rode into a rancher and his wife trying to push cattle down the road. His horse had thrown a shoe so they were trying to use the truck and on foot with the dog. We didn't do them any favors coming down the road. But, we also wasn't the only traffic. We felt bad but not much we could do given the circumstances.
In Lake City we planned to get a quick bite to eat before heading over Engineer Pass or Cinnamon Pass. But, the place we stopped was not serving food. So, we just had some snacks and decided which pass to take to Silverton. Cinnamon Pass should be the quicker route so that's what we went with.
Jim took a little spill somewhere in this section and tweaked his ankle. I cam around a downhill switchback and found him under his bike. I helped get his bike up and sorted. Thankfully he came out of it in good shape. I could see where his bike had slid a decent ways.
Somewhere in the Gunnison National Forest we rode into a rancher and his wife trying to push cattle down the road. His horse had thrown a shoe so they were trying to use the truck and on foot with the dog. We didn't do them any favors coming down the road. But, we also wasn't the only traffic. We felt bad but not much we could do given the circumstances.
In Lake City we planned to get a quick bite to eat before heading over Engineer Pass or Cinnamon Pass. But, the place we stopped was not serving food. So, we just had some snacks and decided which pass to take to Silverton. Cinnamon Pass should be the quicker route so that's what we went with.
Cinnamon Pass was a taste of the coming days hanging out in the San Juans. We headed out past Lake San Cristobal and into the Alpine! We navigated the switchbacks up to the crest at 12,640'. I don't know where Cinnamon Pass ranks in difficulty of Colorado passes but, I would say for an experience rider it is no problem. With decent line selection and commitment there should be no problems. And, I never felt there was any real exposure to get in your head. I think Ophir Pass was more challenging because of the loose shale from avalanche debris and more exposure.
Coming off the pass toward Silverton was fun and the views were beautiful. At some point you just have to quit stopping to admire it and take pictures and just ride and enjoy it. Cinnamon Pass drops in near Animas Forks. We followed the Animas River into Silverton where we had a room reserved for a few nights. We checked in at Red Mountain Motel & RV Park a little after 6:00, cleaned up and walked downtown for some BBQ. It was a bummer losing Shannon but it was another great day.