Day 6 (Friday): Silverton Passes
Silverton: 9,318'
Mileage: 33
Today was another beautiful day to be on a bike. Today was a day of passes: Hurricane, Corkscrew and California, capped off with the Frisco Mill and Animas Forks ruins. After breakfast we grab sandwiches from the Silverton Grocery again.
We head up Corkscrew Pass first. Corkscrew Pass pass sits at 10,338'. From the top of Corkscrew Pass you can see Black Bear Pass to the west. Some jerk-off had stolen the pass sign. So, no pic. No sign but lots of great views in every direction. We back-track to hit Hurricane Pass.
Mileage: 33
Today was another beautiful day to be on a bike. Today was a day of passes: Hurricane, Corkscrew and California, capped off with the Frisco Mill and Animas Forks ruins. After breakfast we grab sandwiches from the Silverton Grocery again.
We head up Corkscrew Pass first. Corkscrew Pass pass sits at 10,338'. From the top of Corkscrew Pass you can see Black Bear Pass to the west. Some jerk-off had stolen the pass sign. So, no pic. No sign but lots of great views in every direction. We back-track to hit Hurricane Pass.
Part way up Hurricane Pass we had to stop for a Jeep coming down. When we stopped Jim started sliding back and dropped his bike. We got him back up and pulled off to a side track to regroup. Jim decided he had enough and was going to head back. We watched for him to make his way down until he was past the turn to Corkscrew Pass. With Jim safely down we continued up Hurricane Pass.
At the top of Hurricane Pass you are perched above Lake Cumo at 12,730'. We had lunch as we sat looking over the lake toward Poughkeepsie Gulch. From the top of Hurricane Pass you can also see the road up to California Pass. After lunch we made the short ride over to California Pass.
At the top of Hurricane Pass you are perched above Lake Cumo at 12,730'. We had lunch as we sat looking over the lake toward Poughkeepsie Gulch. From the top of Hurricane Pass you can also see the road up to California Pass. After lunch we made the short ride over to California Pass.
California Pass was the highest pass at 12,960' and an amazing panoramic view. The shot looking east down California Gulch is really cool with the road snacking its way toward the Frisco Mill and Animas Forks. Another great view of Lake Como too.
After taking in the views we rode down California Gulch. This little section was fun.
After taking in the views we rode down California Gulch. This little section was fun.
We stopped at the Frisco Mill which sites just outside the 7,500' Bagley Tunnel. The Frisco Mill was completed in 1912 and was rare example of a prefabricated early 1900s concentration mill. You can see the number/letter coding on a lot of the structure. Concentration mills that retain a significant portion of their superstructure are rare and this is the only known example of this design.
These old ruins fascinate me. It's crazy to think of the effort it took build some of these structures and how quickly they ended up abandoned. And, it's amazing that they're still standing with little to no maintenance.
These old ruins fascinate me. It's crazy to think of the effort it took build some of these structures and how quickly they ended up abandoned. And, it's amazing that they're still standing with little to no maintenance.
Just a short ride down the road is ghost town of Animas Forks. Animas Forks was a mining town that survived the boom and bust of mining until the 1920's when metal prices dropped worldwide. Not many people braved the harsh winters when mining pretty much stopped. The winter months brought winter storms and with those storms five feet of snow and months of sub-zero temperatures. In the 1880's avalanches following major snow storms isolated the community for months.
I walked all of the remaining buildings to get a glimpse of the harsh life they scratched out in these mountains. You could spend hours at these sites. But, we had to get back to Handlebars Saloon!
Another epic day!
I walked all of the remaining buildings to get a glimpse of the harsh life they scratched out in these mountains. You could spend hours at these sites. But, we had to get back to Handlebars Saloon!
Another epic day!