DAY 3
On this day, the GORC vacationers opted to ride from GORC HQ at Mount Crested Butte up Gothic Road to the 401 Trail. We rode the sweet downhill back to the house and never stopped smiling. Matt and Lisa headed out earlier than the group so I don’t have any group shots in this photo set.
Lisa heading up Gothic Road to Schofield Pass. Emerald Lake is just ahead on the left.
Beautiful Emerald Lake as seen from the road.
Schofield Pass, right at the 401 trailhead
The final ascent just before the epic downhill.
The mighty Maroon Bells tower over the lands. The Maroon Bells Wilderness is just a bit up more up (literally) the mountain. After that, no bikes allowed.
Where we’ve just ridden. The descent hugs a mountainside with a view of the valley everyone climbed off to the right.
Some of the wildflowers in bloom on the mountainsides.
Lisa heading into a patch of skunk weed. The drought conditions had prematurely burned out the wildflowers for the season.
Ridiculously beautiful view of the valley. That tiny scratch in the image? That’s the road you have to climb from Mount Crested Butte to get to this vantage point.
Nothing to fear here… except the exposure and bobbling your front wheel at 20mph. Lean left…
Matt heading into the Aspen themed level of the 401 reality game. Way better than a video game!