Day 11: Wolf Creek Pass

After watching a perfect sunrise over our campsite, it was time to conquer the Rocky Mountains.  Based on advice from a good friend who lived in Colorado for a few years, we chose to take US Route 160 which is the lowest route through the mountains.  Still, this is the Rockies and the road took us over Wolf Creek Pass which is at an elevation of 10,856 feet!  That thin air meant the bikes were running pretty rich, but a few clicks of the high speed needle cut out most of the backfiring...

Our timing for the trip couldn't have been better as we reached the Rockies just as the aspen's were starting to turn yellow.  They added a nice splash of color to the already breathtaking landscape.  

If you've been following along with our journey, you've probably noticed that all the pictures are nice and sunny.  We've had great luck with the weather and I guess we were bound to hit some rain sometime.  I just wish it wasn't when we were climbing the highest mountains of the trip.  The rain wasn't too heavy, but even a little rain when riding an 80+ year old bike isn't ideal.  We still took a quick stop at the Great Divide for a photo, even with the wet conditions.

As we started to descend towards Pagosa Springs, the rain quit and the sun came out.  The view down into the valley was spectacular and even though the overlook was closed for repairs, we found a spot to pull off and take some pictures. 

After riding down into the valley, we pulled into the Pagosa Springs Campground which was located directly on the San Juan River.  

We only put in 145 miles today, but we planned ahead for low mileage days so we could cross the Rockies without putting any undue strain on the bikes.

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