Day 137 - Glenwood Springs - Rio Grande Trail - Two Far 2023 - Oranges to Apples

August 30, 2023

Day 137 - Glenwood Springs - Rio Grande Trail

This was an out-and-back ride on the Rio Grande Trail, yet the elevation profile is not a mirror image. Go figure!

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Today I did an out-and back ride, from Glenwood Springs to Snowmass, on the Rio Grande Trail. While the scenery is not as awesome as that found on the Glenwood Canyon Trail, I enjoyed it much more that the Canyon Trail. With just a few short exceptions, the trail has an excellent surface with even better sightlines, allowing you to rubberneck at the surrounding mountains to your hearts content. The trail goes from Glenwood Springs to Aspen for a distance of 42 miles, although I turned around at Snowmass. As the elevation map shows, the trail has a constant, but gentle (1-2%), uphill grade as you head south out of Glenwood.

The Colorado River and red mountains. The Roaring Fork River is at the extreme left of the photo.

The source of today's trail name. This is also the mouth of the Roaring Fork River.

Soon after starting the ride, I met Judi & Bill, and we rode together until we reached Carbondale. Judi & Bill split their time between Glenwood Springs and Maryland. They provided lots of information about the trail and surrounding area, which I enjoyed very much.

Fishing in the Roaring Fork River. Bill told me that you can tell where there was rainfall, based on the color of the water. It will either run brown or red, depending upon which mountains the rain occurred.

Shortly after turning around at Snowmass, I met up with another couple and rode with them back to Carbondale. Julie & Bill are from Grand Junction, CO, and come over to ride the trail several times a year. Bill is a former professional bike racer, and we wasted no time on the downhill run to Carbondale. Julie, on an e-bike, kept right up and we all had a great ride.

Today's ride: 56 miles (90 km)
Total: 5,697 miles (9,168 km)

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