Day 5

Coming into Ouray. 

We hopped on the bikes early Wednesday morning for a beautiful loop up HWY 550 from Durango into Ouray, CO. This is the route we took. Day 5 Loop: Day 5 Route
 We had taken 550 south out of Ouray on our way into Durango on Monday, but if you choose to ride it, the ride going north is, in my mind, well worth the trip. The combination of scenery, twisties and sunrise is undoubtedly, one of the most amazing rides I've had. We left early in the morning to avoid traffic congestion and did run into a 12 mile stretch of construction on the way. Breakfast was at a local cafe,where we joined 2 fellow riders on dual sports, who's focus was riding from peak to peak on gravel and single track trails.

After breakfast, we headed north through Ridgeway to Noel and on to Placerville. We made a pit stop at a small road side creek for some photo ops, between Placerville and Sawpit. 

The next stop was the old mining town (now ski town) of Telluride. Another fantastic point of interest. This is a one way town, meaning there is only one way in and one way out on SPUR 145. I've added a video for viewing which shows the view as you enter the valley. 

In Telluride, you can take a free gondola ride the the summit Coonskin Mountain. From there you will see the surrounding peaks with ease, and you have the option of riding over to Mountain Village via gondola if you wish. The best part, is its all free!

                                                   

The summit offers mountain bike runs during the summer months, and ski runs during the winter. I will need to plan on bringing the bike next time!

  As the temperature warmed and we continued south on HWY 145, the elevation slowly declined. By the
 end of the day we stopped in Dolores for some hydration, and ended our day at the Tomahawk Motel in Cortex where it was a scorching 95 degrees. We slept well!