July 14th: Granby – Walden: 97km, 806m climbed

Autor: Tim Goodall

After having relaxed and spread our kit out in the condo for 3 days it was a slow operation getting everything together and the bikes fully loaded, so it was just after 10am when we set off. It was a couple of miles into Granby where we had a quick stop at the railway museum and then headed off to the railway crossing. Before we got there, a goods train came by of the usual length that is impossible to get in one picture, hence three. After a few miles heading west out of town we turned north onto CO125 which follows the Willow Creek to the pass. Normally, it would be a picturesque valley but the fire of 2020 had killed every tree for as far as we could see. The undergrowth had recovered but the rest will, presumably, take many years to grow back.

Now, somebody in the group, from Wisconsin, who wishes to remain anonymous, suffered a wardrobe malfunction. After several attempts to get comfortable on his saddle he  discovered, after 15 miles, that a certain piece of underwear was on wrong way round. He managed to rectify the situation at the side of the road and nobody got arrested.

Eventually, we reached the top of the pass and crossed from the Pacific side to the Atlantic side of the divide. The difference in the scenery is remarkable because the Pacific side of the divide is covered in trees while the Atlantic side has none, simply because the divide causes most of the precipitation to be on the Pacific side leaving too little to support tree growth on the Atlantic side.

We rode on from the pass until we reached Rand and stopped at the Rand Yacht Club. It has nothing to do with yachts and is just somebody’s mad idea for a name in a „town“ of about 6 houses!! At least the place was open and we sat at the bar with ice cold ginger ale while we talked to the landlord. He showed us a picture of the road outside, taken yesterday, completely covered in hailstones from the storm that only rained on us. I guess we had picked the right day for this stage.

From Rand we had to ride 36km on a badly maintained road that was straight, constantly went up and down,, in rising heat against the wind. We were glad to get the ride over with. Walden isn’t a place where you would want to spend your holidays but the River Rock Cafe did serve cold beer and a decent meal.

Granby Railway Museum
4engines pulling…
this lot….
followed by this lot.
One of two helicopters working on reseeding the ravaged landscape.
A nice setting if you like living in the countryside.
Dead aspen and birch …
but the undergrowth is doing well.
Made it!
It’s for sale in case you are interested.
Look back….
and looking forward from the same spot.

 

37 Gedanken zu „July 14th: Granby – Walden: 97km, 806m climbed“

  1. Paul Gibbins Antworten

    Morning Tim, firstly ‚Happy Birthday‘, hope you have a grand day and you have time for a wee dram or two.
    From your pictures there are some interesting & stunning views, presume you are heading for the Colorado Mountains.
    You and your friends stay safe and again enjoy your day……Best Wishes, Paul

  2. Karlheinz Scheer Antworten

    Happy Birthday Tim. Great sites, great pictures, exciting and funny stories. I look forward to more of this. I wish I could be there, just like in the wild years together in the 80‘s. Have a lot of fun together and Take care of yourselfs. I‘m already looking forward to the next Blog-Chapter – Liebe Grüße, Karlheinz

  3. Philip Antworten

    Hi all, have read all your posts with interest. Some great scenery, hope the weather doesn’t get too hot for you and that the gradients aren’t too steep. Next time you burn the toast be eco friendly and recycle it by leaving it by the mail boxes to use as packers to level them up!
    Take care Philip and Linda

  4. Helga Antworten

    Beste Wünsche zum Geburtstag Tim. Bleib gesund. Wenn einer eine Reise tut dann kann er was erzählen – sehr kurzweilig euer blog. Viele Grüße aus Gengenbach – Helga

  5. Helga Lautenschlager Antworten

    Beste Wünsche zum Geburtstag Tim. Bleib gesund. Wenn einer eine Reise tut dann kann er was erzählen – sehr kurzweilig euer blog. Viele Grüße aus Gengenbach – Helga

  6. Goodalls from Mettmann Antworten

    Hello and happy Birthday,

    Hope you are getting on well today and find time to celebrate!

  8. Orest Kocij Antworten

    Hi Tim, happy birthday from Tina & l.
    I’ve altered the web settings on your site for my phone and can now see and post comments.
    Fabulous pics, Keep them coming, have a great day. Orest

  9. Teresat Antworten

    Fantastic perspective! The points you made are thought-provoking. For additional insights, check out this link: FIND OUT MORE. What do others think about this?

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