On a fine and brisk day, an ascent/descent of a fine and special Kenosha Pass is made for a tour of the high meadows of Colorado's South Park. This gem of a lonely and sweeping riding area is well covered in the Colorado Book, but there is something special, if not magical, by spending time on a lonely early winter's day, on a lonely road carving through a lonely and removed place. So, a few words, a few pics, and an onboard ride vid at the end to tell the tale. First, the map link... http://maps.google.c...&sz=11&t=m&z=11 Here's the first pause on the southern slopes of Kenosha Pass. A spur of the Mosquito Range is in the distance with its 13,000 ft. sentinels standing guard on this side of the park.... The first pause is at Jefferson at the base of Kenosha Pass. Back in 1937 the only motorized means into the park was by narrow gauge train... Today, instead of two rails transporting travelers, it is two wheels delivering the rider... Before venturing down the mesmorizing and time-hasn't-changed Tarryall Road, there is a quick scoot west to pay homage to the closer Mosquito Range... Now we venture south on the Tarryall/County 77 Road. About five miles down this county road, the expanse of South Park, with the big blue above and the big tan below, presents itself... A fine setting, with the curving road wrapping around a 19th century homestead, with Mt. Silverheels providing the backdrop. The tales this place could tell... This County 77 trip through time is loaded with tales of the times. Here's one... at the ghost town of Bordenville a tragic story is told. Rancher Benjamin Ratcliff upset with rumors and gossip directed towards his daughters shows up at a late 1800's school board meeting with a loaded gun. With the outcome falling short of Ratcliff's expectations, and with board members fleeing, his gun is emptied into their backs, with three succumbing to their wounds. After a frontier trial, he is subsequently hung, but is not considered worthy to be buried in the pioneer Bordenville Cemetery... Here is what is left of Bordenville, 70 years ago and today... The Tarryall Reservoir at the end of this ride report is a popular ice fishing destination, but the ice needs a little more "curing" before the hardy fishermen show up with their ice augers and huts. For sure, this VFR doesn't need any more "curing". It is still an amazing bike eager to deliver rides and memories... Through the above landscape... An onboard ride video.
