Uraling with Martha to Freemont Pass and the Clinton Gulch Reservoir

Saturday, May 30

Another good day of camping and Uraling.

Martha and I rode out on Fiona, my '99 Ural Patrol with the Beemer engine soon after a sumptuous breakfast.  We headed towards nearby Leadville with temperatures in the low 50s but bearable with our riding gear and layers underneath.

Gassing up in town, then we headed north on Colorado Highway 91 towards Fremont Pass and the Climax Mine located near there.

We spotted and checked out an exhibit by the Climax Mine Company, showing a series of information signs about the mine and its history.  Pretty new exhibit as the signs didn't show signs of wearing yet from exposure to the sun's rays.  We are, after all, more than two miles up from sea level at this point!

 photo courtesy of Martha

I liked these small posters hung up on the inside of the metal scoop device by which one enters the exhibits area:

 Note the 1950's poster....think it inspired someone who

later had a hand in designing the B2 Stealth Bomber?

 The locomotive engine depicted in the top photo

of the poster above, is the same one that we saw

at the Leadville Train Station yesterday

 Martha by one of the exhibits

 Posing Fiona a bit north of Freemont Pass

From Fremont Pass, we continued north on CO Hwy 91 for a few miles until we got to the south parking lot of the Clinton Gulch Reservoir.  We elected to hike across the dam to the other parking lot and traveled a bit towards the mountains see in the photos below.

The view from about the middle of the dam

 photo courtesy of Martha

Very nice pic by Martha, good use of a foreground anchor object eh?

 Martha on the trail

We didn't go all the way to the end of the reservoir, things got a bit muddy with the melting snow.  We returned to the southern parking lot and got a few more pics:

 My favorite photo of the day.....Martha suggested the angle.

photo courtesy of Martha

Saturday's sunset was pretty good, I almost missed it but Martha noticed the colors in the sky in time for me to rush out to get one good shot before the light faded.