Cycled from Frisco to Keystone, riding through Dillon and along the Dillon Reservoir, and then back to Frisco today. I needed to find a place to park Dr. Zeus near the beginning of the ascent of Loveland Pass in Keystone.
The ride along the Dillon Reservoir, also called Lake Dillon was beautiful. Dillon Reservoir has over 26 miles of shoreline. Dillon Dam is earth-filled, over a mile long, and rises 231 feet over the Blue River stream bed. Dillon Reservoir provides 40% of the water used by the residents of the city of Denver. The reservoir is on the west side of the continental divide and Denver is on the east side of the continental divide. The Harold D. Roberts Tunnel was completed in 1962 to transport water across the continental divide.
I cycled to the ski resort of Keystone today so I could find a place to park Dr. Zeus next week. Keystone is located at the beginning of the climb to Loveland Pass. I am going to try to ascend Loveland Pass next week, and thought I would have a better chance if I start at the bottom of the pass instead of riding 16 miles to the pass, and then have to ride another 16 miles back to Frisco when I come back down the pass. Loveland Pass crests at 11,991 feet. The Keystone Resort area is 9,280 feet above sea level. Loveland Pass is 8.8 miles from Keystone. The road rises 2,711 feet in nine miles, or 308 feet/ mile, an average of a 6% grade. Starting at the base of the climb will give me more time on the pass. If I make it to the summit , I can descend a ways on the other side of the pass for more spectacular views. This trip is more about not being rushed to grind out the miles to the next destination, and instead taking my time to enjoy the views and take photographs.
I have climbed Loveland Pass twice before, first in 1999, and the second time in 2007. Both times the pass was just a segment of a much longer ride and day. I was younger and lighter then. If I have a tailwind, I will probably make it. If I have a headwind, I probably won’t. Trying Loveland Pass this early in the trip is probably not the wisest move, but I want to have time to try again in case I don’t make it. I do plan to stop often to take a lot of pictures which will help keep my heart rate down. I am not on a tour schedule, so it doesn’t matter how long it takes me to get to the top, except to make sure I get off the pass before potential afternoon thunderstorms develop and roll in.
If I do make my way to the summit, I promise you that you will see some of the most spectacular mountain photos you have ever seen. This area of the Rocky Mountains is simply beautiful. Loveland Pass is located on the Continental Divide. Along the continental divide, water on the east side of the great divide flows to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico. Water on the west side of the divide flows to Pacific Ocean.
If you read this far, you are probably wondering about why the word “Dog” is in the title of this blog post. Actually the word does not does not apply to the post at all. While riding past the reservoir today, the name of movie popped into my head, “Reservoir Dogs,” directed by Quentin Tarantino, his debut film. I don’t exactly recall the details of the movie, except that all the characters (including Harvey Keitel and Steve Buscemi) were each named a color, Mr White, Mr. Pink, etc, to protect their anonymity. I really liked the movie.
So are you going to spent the night in Keystone and then attempt Loveland Pass starting the next morning in Keystone? Are you riding up along Route 6? Maybe on a bike path part of the way? Looking at Google Maps along that route and if this is your plan, any place to stay at Arapahoe Basin looks like it is just before the climb gets really steep.
BTW, looking at Fisco on Google Maps shows a more complicated layout than your “I’m an idiot” post would lead one to believe. Story makes more sense to me now. I guess using Google maps on a smartphone is pretty close to “asking for directions”, to be avoided at all costs as an admission of defeat and requiring interaction with others.
Looking at the terrain on Google Maps – I’m getting impressed.
Ron
I am going to drive to Keystone in the morning,its only 15 miles from here, and park in a free parking lot I found yesterday that is primarily used for skiers. From there, the beginning of Love Pass can be seen. Yes, the road is Route 6. The road is well maintained and kept open all year because all the hazardous material trucks have to use it since they are not allowed to use the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70. The road is lightly traveled from what I remember before, with mostly gas trucks and tourists. Most folks use the Eisenhower Tunnel. I too have been studying the mountain terrain here, a lot of mountain chains with narrow valleys between them, with several mountain passes between the valleys. Easy to see why there are so many ski resorts here. As for Frisco, I really did think I was always just street away from finding a way back, until the angle of the mountain on the west side of town seemed to look different. That is when I realized that something was wrong.