The road to Leadville is a very nice drive. Really didn't stop at all but it is nice to be in some mountain riding. The plains are nice for speed but it is nice just to see some different scenery. There isn't much to Leadville other than some shops and nice views. We spent about an hour walking around but felt the need to get going again so we could get to our final stop for the evening.
Leadville Main Street
Other direction
Looking west to the mountains
Another street
Back on the road again we were on our way to Buena Vista and then to Poncha Springs. We would cross Monarch Pass which has a nice stop at the pass with a system that will take you to the top of the mountain. Well we needed to stop for a short break before we hit Poncha Springs. This was a nice valley at one time but the water had been sold away to Pueblo.
There are some beautiful mountains in the region but the valley without the water is a desert. After the break we were back on the road again. We stopped for fuel in Poncha Springs. Krystal's Burgman averaged 77 mpg on that stretch. Beat my 42 mpg. Off to Monarch Pass. Part way up we knew that we would be running into some rain. It didn't look that bad and we had our jackets on. Yep, we hit the rain on the rest of the way up and over the pass. The rain didn't stop until we were about 1/2 way down the pass. On the way down, Krystal claimed there was hail in the rain. I didn't feel any and told her she must be imagining things. Well just then one hit my helmet and then another slipped between my visor and nailed me on my lip. Well I guess it showed me. Never was really bad but it definitely hurt when it hit. On to Gunnison for lunch. We still had some left over grapes, carrots and pretzels so that is what we had. Gunnison had a very nice park. Someone had done a bunch of wood carvings for the park.
Who does this look like?
A bunch more carvings.
After lunch, on to the next and final stop, Lake City. Well, I have passed the turn to Lake City many times but never though much of it. It looked like it would be more of the same boring ride as it was to Montrose. Well I was fooled. After you get 15 or 20 miles down the road it turns into some gorgeous mountain riding. Definitely fooled me. It was definitely a must do again road.
Outside our motel
Our motel for the night
Well, we made it to Lake City and it was a nice town. Very much dependent upon tourism. We did find our motel which was really a bed and breakfast. It was a little different as it is run by a religious organization but they were very friendly and greeted you like family. The location was very relaxing. Then night finished with a bon fire and roasting marshmellows and making smores. Brought back memories of being a kid. It was getting late and we hand no service for wifi so I had to do this on Day 3. Tomorrow we head to Glenwood Springs and meet up with Yvette and Mal.
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