July 9

 57 miles to Idaho Springs.  

Today was the day we had been anxious about for some time.  Again, woke up before 6am, ate breakfast and on the road by 7am.  Today would be our last crossing of the Continental Divide on this trip.  Our mountain pass today was Berthoud Pass at an elevation of 11,307 feet.  The top of the pass was 32 miles from our breakfast point and took 5 hours to reach.

On our way up the mountain we passed through the town of Fraser which looked quite nice and was a hotbed of construction.  Condo's and townhouses going up everywhere.  Then we rode through the Winter Park ski resort where they were getting ready for the USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals this weekend.  Guys and girls on mountain bikes were everywhere.  I'm sure it will be an exciting event.

After Winter Park the slope of our road really increased.  It was a bit distressing how little shoulder (when there was a shoulder) there was to ride on.  Fortunately there were two lanes for cars and trucks going up the hill so they could often move over and give us a little space.  Of course we stopped several times going up the hill to catch our breath and gaze at the terrific scenery.  It was really stunning.  Again, we reached the peak in almost exactly 5 hours.

From the peak it is essentially downhill all the way to Missouri!!  We had a great downhill ride to the town of Empire where we stopped for ice cream.  We both ordered a small shake and couldn't believe what we got - it was enormous.  I complemented the owner on one of the best shakes I have ever had.  Then the final downhill to our destination of Idaho Springs where we will take a rest day tomorrow.

A quick water break early in the ride today.

A rest stop about half way up the hill.

The Peak: 11,307 feet above sea level.

Beautiful view from the top.

You can see some of the switchbacks we just rode on.

Our reward for making it over the mountain.

Thank goodness we ordered the small size!!