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Day 7 - Durango-Montrose

By Mike Ingram

Today pegged the fun meter for PAC Tour.

We left Durango and its 3-block-long Pro Rodeo arena and bumper stickers that said "Ask About My Grandog" with some anticipation--after all, today was the most climbing of any PAC Tour day. But the forecast of a clear day buoyed everyone. After six days of hills and wind, we are going strong and gaining confidence.

Our day took us over 3 long climbs. Before lunch, there was Coal Bank Pass, elevation 10,640, followed by a 3-mile, 1100-foot descent, and then on to Molas Pass, elevation 10,910. All this occurred in 45 miles. These climbs are nothing short of spectacular. Grandiose wouldn't be too exaggerated a term. Around each bend, wooded mountains covered the near landscape and just beyond them, sheer barren rock faces reached even higher. Unmelted snow fields were everywhere. Above these peaks were royal blue skies, some so dark as to seem violet.

We dropped 1700 feet like little guided rockets from Molas Pass to the town of Silverton, a Victorian-era mining town. Silverton is the end point of the Durango-Silverton narrow-gauge railroad, as well as our lunch stop, which was set up in the city park next to the White Woman Store. Our last big climb started just after lunch. We rose steadily for 2000 feet over 10 miles to Red Mountain Pass, elevation 11,118 feet. This was followed by a 13-mile descent where we lost 3500 feet. This wasn't the best of roads, however; it featured many potholes and cracks, sheer drops, 180-degree hairpin turns, and 2 tunnels. Brief glances let us look across deep canyons to even more incredible mountains.

The steep descent ended in Ouray, where many of us stopped for snacks and drinks. All along Ouray were more Victorian architecture and signs for hot spring soaks. But we still had 34 miles to go. Our route took us from 7700 feet in Ouray to 5800 feet in Montrose. Despite a slight headwind, we made 20+ mph into the hotel. The most repeated phrase at supper seemed to be "Great day."

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