colorado trail again

New Colorado trail bike touring adventure for me this holiday weekend. Started in Fairplay, rode the highway to Kenosha Pass (not fun and too much traffic). Started the singlerack of the Col. Trail there - some of the best singletrack I have ridden ever! The trail is smooth and curvy - reminds me of Doctors Park in CB, large grained sand and aspens. The climb to Georgia Pass is enjoyable and all rideable. I really loved popping out above treeline to the view of Guyot Mountain. The descent into Tiger Creek/Swan Road area goes on for an hour 3,500 vertical feet down or so - a complete giggle fest! The Colorado trail then continues past the road to wind up and down these small hills and ridges on the way to Gold Hill near Breckenridge. That section lasts a bit longer than you would expect it to - took us about 3 hrs with breaks, but the trail could hardly be more perfect. Reminded me of riding in Flagstaff, Arizona. We then road the bike path into Breckenridge, finishing in 9 hrs or so. We immediately crammed some pizza down our throats before continueing to the Hostel. Our room, shared by a 17-yr-old low-IQ Kansas boy and a 60 year old woman in town for the Arts festival, was about the size of a large closet. None of us got a good nights sleep, even with earplugs. After a good breakfast, we hopped on the bikes again, riding the rec path to Copper Mountain and getting on the Colorado trail again there. The climb to Searle Pass took 2 hours, but was completely blistful. From there, it only got more spectacular to Kokomo Pass, as we were traversing at 12,000 feet for 45 minutes in alpine heaven. A 2,600 foot descent awaited us from Kokomo to Camp Hale, site of the 10th Mountain Division Ski training area for World War 2. The CO trail then winds its way up to Tennessee Pass in two sections - the first being very much like the Rainbow Trail section of the Monarch crest. The last section is surprisingly mellow - a welcome relief from a long day. We then took the road into Leadville and stopped at the yummy Mexican food trailer across from pizza hut. We sat on stools in the parking lot and enjoyed some Adovada and Barbacoa burritos - by far the best food in Leadville that I have ever discovered. We walked through town and grapped a pint of mint chip at the Cum and Go, and sat in the Hideaway B+B in big comfy chairs. The last leg took Dana and I up and over 13,000 foot Mosquito Pass - the highest driveable pass in Colorado. We luckily didn't see too many jeepers or ATV-ers on the 3 hr uphill. The top was gorgously scenic with views of snow on Treasure Vault Mountain, but cold and windy, so we crammed in some more burrito and brownie, and hit the epic rugged bumpy downhill to Alma and Fairplay.