Road Trip #4 Day 3 - Dad thinks we are lost

August 19, 2013
Colorado USA

After paying our respects at The Vietnam Traveling Wall we rode out of Cripple Creek on Teller Road 1. We have never traveled it before. The last time we even thought about traveling it, we discovered it was a dirt road. That was many moons ago.

Teller road 1 was a great ride. Once we hooked up with Hwy 24 we rode with a gusty side wind while we traveled west. By the time we rolled up on the junction of Hwy 285 (the usual way north for us) the day had warmed considerably, the donuts had worn off and ice cream was on our minds so we decided to visit Buena Vista to the southwest and a little burger joint called K's. We love the scenic ride into Buena Vista with the spectacular view of the Collegiate Peaks around every curve. When I spoke with the Folks later Mom said Dad thought we were lost. By the end of the day he was sure of it. Ha! The Ride's mileage rolled over 39,000 s'miles just before noon and we were having a blast.

The scenic road to Buena Vista

Ice Cream at K's in Buena Vista

Slide show of the ride from Cripple Creek to Buena Vista = 60 photos

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After our refreshment we traveled up Hwy 24 to Leadville. This was cold riding so back in our jackets we went when we stopped in Leadville. Leadville (known as The Cloud City) sits at 10,200 elevation. Aside from its history, Leadville bears the distinction of being the highest city in the USA. We have camped near there. It can get a bit frosty any day of the year. We decided to travel Hwy 24 for another 30 some odd scenic miles through Red Cliff, Minturn and on to Vail. We haven't traveled that route in a long time and we fell in love with it all over again. The mountains along this stretch of road were home to the Army's 10th Mountain Division who trained for winter survival during World War II at Camp Hale. Not much is left but foundations of buildings at Camp Hale but there are interpretive signs in the area. There's a memorial at the Tennessee Pass Continental Divide scenic pullover. This is a high scenic ride along a great road... one of the best in Colorado we think. We love the high bridge that crosses the Eagle River along the way. Just before the road descends into Minturn, the ghost town of Gilman, an abandoned mining town can be seen near the Eagle River bridge. We traveled east on I-70 as far as Hwy 9 and turned north. Hwy 9 is also a great, gently winding road that skirts Green Mountain Reservoir.

Slide show of the ride into Kremmling = 102 photos

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Kremmling is where we hung our helmets for the night. We rode the main drag and decided to give the historic Hotel Eastin a shot. It doesn't look like much from the outside. Just a little long plain building sitting on a corner. It is painted pink. We are so glad we stopped! We were greeted by our hostess Maryann who was sitting in a corner doing needlework when we walked in to the cozy parlor near the front desk. Our hosts Maryann and Walt are friendly and full of information about the hotel and the area. The hotel was built in 1906. A sarsaparilla plant occupied the lower floor while the upper floors were operated as a rooming house. The building housed a barber shop, shoe shine shop, drug store and a dress shop through the years. The Eastins acquired the building which they converted to a modern hotel catering to traveling salesman in the early 1900s. The Eastin family ran the hotel until mid-1990s. Being a book lover I found one bit of history about the hotel extremely interesting. According to our hosts, Zane Grey the western author, inspired by an image of a horse and rider seemingly chiseled into the cliffs on the edge of town wrote a book called the Mysterious Rider (1921). Maryann showed me the small room overlooking main street and the cliffs beyond which they were in the process of remodeling as the Zane Grey room. They were also trying to acquire a first edition of the book from the Grey's heirs to display.

Artwork by western artist Charles Russell is displayed throughout the hotel which has a very Victorian/Old West atmosphere. The halls are long and narrow, the stairs steep, the deeply colored floral carpet plush. The doors all bear a western name. Our room was clean, cozy-comfortable and decorated with western charm. Our room had a nice private bath. There is no a/c at the Hotel Eastin but a/c is rarely needed at elevations above 7000 in Colorado. The fan on the desk and an open window were more than sufficient for our needs. Hostel rooms which Maryann was kind enough to show us, are located on the lower floors, very popular with hunters and fisherman as well as rafters she says. I bet. They are sparsely appointed but look clean and comfortable.

We had a great supper at The Quarter Circle Saloon just a few steps away. My fried shrimp dinner was fantastic and Tim says the same about his steak. We strolled through the town after supper and found the mysterious rider in the cliffs that inspired Zane Gray to write the book of the same name. Unfortunately, the photos are not clear enough for me to point it out. Oh boy! I guess that means a trip back sometime for better pics. If the Hotel Eastin is at the end of the trail - no problem!

Slide show of the Hotel Eastin and Kremmling CO = 36 photos

Alternate link to this slide show

Today's ride = 272.8 miles