Our Colorado RZR Adventure was about to begin!
Sitting around the fire the night before, our fabulous camp host Ray stopped to ask where we were going the next day. Mark grabbed our guide book and they went over the route. Our plan was to take the famous Alpine Loop over to Lake City for lunch and back over two different passes and Ray was just the guy to make sure we were doing it right.
We set out a little early the next day for our fun-filled adventure. We all had plenty of snacks, water and for this trip, rain gear. Afternoon thunderstorms were in the forecast and riding in the RZR during a rain storm is a wet and sometimes painful ride. Ray said to make sure we brought a tarp with us in case it started to hail. We may need to cover the passenger compartment (and us) with the tarp if a thunderstorm got bad. This could turn out to be a real adventure!
We slowed as we went by the beaver ponds in case the mamma moose and her baby were there. No luck. Shortly after that I could see the ruins of a mine up ahead. We stopped to take a few pictures and I walked over to where the South Fork of the Animas River comes through Eureka Gulch. It was pretty narrow and reminded me of our hike in the river at Zion National Park. Back in the RZR and onto Animas Forks we went. We drove along the river as it cascaded over rock formations, old makeshift dams and small waterfalls. Even the dust of the dirt road couldn’t tamper the beauty of the water show on our right.
Animas Forks is a peek back into how the miners and their families lived during the silver and gold rush of the late 1800’s. At 11,500 feet, the winters could be harsh and in 1884 the townspeople had to dig themselves out after a 23-day blizzard. These hardy souls weathered the boom and bust cycle of mining until the early 1920’s. Walking through the remaining buildings, I wondered how I would have fared during that time.
We walked into the Gustavson House, which was built in 1906-1907. The Bureau of Land Management takes care of all of the remaining buildings in Animas Forks and are in the process of restoring them. Charles and Alma came to Silverton from Sweden and had four children, one of which was born in a tent while the house was under construction. They insulated their home with newspapers, some of which are still there. Can you imagine? Insulating your home at 11,500 feet with yesterday’s newspaper.
The fanciest house still standing is the William Duncan House. It’s a tall two-story house with lots of Victorian style tall windows throughout. Walking through, we named off where we pictured the different rooms were. Downstairs was easy as the giant bay window in the front was obviously the main living room. Upstairs, we counted off bedrooms. All the rooms were interconnected and we picked the one in the middle as the master bedroom. The fireplace in the center of the home is still intact along with holes punched into the chimney shaft so heat could escape to the upstairs bedrooms. The views from the Duncan house were amazing and aside from the heavily trafficked dirt road, I bet it hasn’t changed much since the Duncan’s lived there.
Animas Forks is the starting point for the Engineer Pass trail that would take us into Lake City. At this point the trail gets steeper, more narrow and rockier. We were above the treeline with views for days. I hung my camera out and tried to get pictures of our group at every switchback. Some came out, a lot didn’t. I ended up with lots of pictures of rocks. While we were climbing we saw an RV way up on the trail. When we got closer, it was one of those “off the grid” type of campers and while slow, he was navigating the trail quite well. And of course, we saw more sheep grazing in high mountain meadows. Those moving rocks were going to be a running joke this trip.
We reached the stop of Engineer Pass and got out for a snack and the view. 12,800 feet elevation is pretty high but we were on a mission. A mission for lunch so our stop wasn’t too long. I was a little disappointed at the lackluster signage. We were crossing the Continental Divide yet there was no mention of it anywhere. Surely they could have fabulous signs like the ones we saw on our Breckenridge trip.
The way down the other side was a fun one. This side was more lush as we wound down through the trees. We came upon a house that had a long bridge for access. It must only be a summer house as I’m sure the snow piles up. Of course we found a creek to cross. Click here for the creek splash: Creek Crossing Day 1
Lunch was at the Packer Saloon in Lake City courtesy of a man Mark talked to at the top of Engineer Pass. It was a fun little place with a nice patio and really good food. The bacon in the BLT was amazing. I should have taken a picture of my BLT but I ate it way too fast. The man who recommended this place also told Mark to have their Grilled Chicken Sammy. He said it was the best chicken sandwich he’d had in a while.
The clouds were getting a little thicker so it was time to leave and hopefully beat the rain over Cinnamon pass on the way back. We didn’t make it very far before the light drizzle turned into full on rain. We stopped and put our rain gear on and within a couple of minutes the rain stopped but that wasn’t the end of it. We encountered rain off and on most of the way back to camp. It was a gear on/gear off type of ride but fun just the same.
The drive to the top of Cinnamon pass sure was a pretty one with random wildflowers along the way. I had to put my camera away for much of it because of the rain. We reached the top in between rounds of sprinkles.
We made our way down the rocky shale slopes back into the valley along the Animas river. I was sad to see so many dead pine trees killed by the pine beetle. We did find lush green meadows, groves of my favorite aspen trees, and more old mining buildings as we made our way back.
Once back at the campground, our fabulous camp host Ray came by to ask about our adventure. After dinner we sat around the fire laughing through stories of the ride. I love these kind of trips, the ones that end with great stories that will last a lifetime. Moving rocks, anyone?
Check out the fabulous campground we stayed at here: Red Mountain Motel & RV Park
Check out other rides on this trip: