Earache

Once out of the burn area, we crossed the Continental Divide again. This area didn't burn, but you can see why other areas did. Look at all of the dead trees lying on the forest floor - all killed by the pine beetle infestation. Lots of fuel on the ground ready to burn...

Named "The East Troublesome Fire", it was a doozy....

Could still smell the smoke as we rode...

Todd, ever the animal lover, tried to resuscitate a deer but it was too far gone...

We rode for 25 miles through a huge burn area. Really sad. Flowers are making a comeback this year...

Saturday morning dawns and we're headed north to some off road areas that I know of. We ended up just south of the Wyoming border. This used to be one of my favorite areas, but last year's huge forest fire took care of that. Nothing but burnt trees everywhere...

Dunno what these are either, but they looked pretty cool...

Ahh. That's an ore chute. Gold ore was loaded into the top of it from up the mountain. When the wagon arrived, the chute door was opened and it filled the wagon with gold ore. The ore was taken to a stamping mill where the ore was crushed and refined to extract the gold. Narrow gauge train rail was laid to the top of the ore chute and ore carts (pics below) brought the ore to the top of the chute. They tipped the cart to pour ore into the chute. Once the chute was full, the horse drawn wagons picked it up.

Today we are headed northwest from here towards Steamboats Springs, CO. Lots of off road riding on National Forest roads (fire roads) around Rabbit Ears Pass. Pics to follow.....

Good rides are close by and in every direction. Only have a couple more months to hit them all though before the snow starts again

We have extremely low humidity, very little rain and dry snow here. It never has gotten wet! So not much rot going on.

Which one?

Dunno what it is but it grows at 12,000' of elevation....

Not sure where we are headed tomorrow, but more pics as they happen!

Blew through Breck and headed home...

May have posted this on a previous report, but here it is again. Water tower that they filled steam locomotives with....

Old abandoned railroad houses at the pass and some good scenery...

Heading up and over a dirt pass (Boreas) towards Breckenridge, CO ....

I was sooo hoping he'd fall in. Would have made a great pic...

Some artsy nature shots....

Top of the pass....

Interrupted the local's breakfast time...

Back to some pavement on the next mountain south of us...

Onward and down the hill....

Todd just had to climb to the top for a look....