ADVENTUREMOTO "LIFE SHOULD BE AN ADVENTURE" MOSQUITO PASS COLORADO  AUGUST 2006

WHEN IT COMES TO DUAL SPORT RIDING, MOST WOULD AGREE THAT COLORADO HAS TO BE ONE OF THE BEST STATES TO EXPLORE.  WITH AWESOME SCENERY AND SOME OF THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN PASSES IN NORTH AMERICA, THE CHOICES ARE LIMITLESS.  MOSQUITO PASS, LOCATED NEAR LEADVILLE COLORADO, IS ONE OF THOSE AMAZING AND CHALLENGING AREAS THAT GIVES TRUE MEANING TO ADVENTURE RIDING.  AT AN ELEVATION OF 13,185 ft., IT IS THE HIGHEST UNPAVED PASS IN NORTH AMERICA AND ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR RIDES YOU COULD EVER TAKE.

I TRAILERED MY DRZ400 DOWN TO LAKE GEORGE COLORADO AND MET UP WITH FELLOW ADVENTURE RIDER MIKE HOUSTON.  FROM HIS 35 ACRE PIECE OF PARADISE, WE RODE THE 80 MILES TO THE SMALL TOWN OF ALMA, WHERE WE STOPPED IN AT THE SOUTH PARK SALOON FOR SOME HOT COFFEE AND PIE.  THE OWNER TOLD US THAT HE WAS DOUBTFUL THAT ANYONE COULD GET ACROSS THE PASS BECAUSE OF THE HIGH WINDS AND SNOW DRIFTS.  AS USUAL, MIKE AND I SHRUGGED OFF THE WARNING, FINISHED OUR COFFEE, AND HEADED OUT.

MOSQUITO PASS RUNS BETWEEN ALMA COLORADO AND LEADVILLE.  MIKE AND I HAD BEEN WATCHING THE WEATHER PATTERN FOR WEEKS AND HOPED WE HAD PICKED THE RIGHT DAY.  THE TEMPERATURES IN COLORADO CAN DROP 20-30 DEGREES IN  HALF-AN-HOUR!  AS  USUAL WE WERE PREPARED WITH LAYERED CLOTHING AND EMERGENCY SUPPLIES.

ONCE YOU LEAVE THE MAIN HIGHWAY, YOU ARE TRULY ON YOUR OWN.  WHILE THERE WERE A FEW INHABITED CABINS WITHIN THE FIRST MILE OR SO, THE REST OF THE RIDE WAS WILDERNESS.  THE DEVICE ON TOP OF MY HELMET IS A WIRELESS OREGON SCIENTIFIC ACTIONCAM.  I RECOMMEND IT TO RECORD YOUR ADVENTURES.

AS WE GAINED ELEVATION, MIKE AND I CAME ACROSS ONE OF THE OLD ABANDONED GOLD MINES THAT DOTTED THE LANDSCAPE.  A WATER CROSSING  MADE IT ALL THE MORE FUN TO EXPLORE.  WHILE THE WATER WAS COLD, WET CLOTHING DRIES QUICKLY IN COLORADO'S LOW HUMIDITY.  THE CREEK WAS DEEPER THAN FIRST THOUGHT.

EVEN AFTER 16 YEARS OF LIVING IN COLORADO, I AM STILL STRUCK BY HOW BEAUTIFUL THE SCENERY IS.  MIKE AND I ENJOYED THIS WATER CROSSING SO MUCH WE MADE ABOUT 6 PASSES ACROSS TO GET PHOTOS LIKE THIS.  HAVING A FELLOW RIDER ALONG ALLOWS YOU TO DO THINGS YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO TRY BY YOURSELF.  A DISABLED MOTORCYCLE COULD MEAN A LONG HIKE OUT.

MIKE AND I SPENT ABOUT AN HOUR TAKING PHOTOS AND EXPLORING THE OLD MINE BUILDING.  BUILT AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, THE STRUCTURE WAS LIKE WALKING THROUGH A MUSEUM.  I THINK THE BUILDING SURVIVES ONLY BECAUSE IT IS SO ISOLATED AND THOSE THAT TAKE THE TIME TO PASS THROUGH RESPECT IT'S HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE.

AFTER DRYING OUT, WE LEFT THE MINE AND HEADING WEST TOWARDS THE PASS.  THE TRAIL WAS PRETTY CLEAR, BUT SOMEONE HAD INTENTIONALLY MOVED SOME PLASTIC MARKING FLAGS, AND WE ENDED UP THE WRONG PATH.  AFTER ABOUT HALF-A-MILE, IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT WE MISSED THE TURN-OFF.  THIS WAS ONE OF THE "SMOOTH" PARTS OF THE TRAIL.

AFTER A FEW VERY ROUGH MILES OF STEEP CLIMBING, WE CAME ACROSS ANOTHER RIDER WHO HAD STOPPED TO TAKE PHOTOS OF THIS MINE SHACK.  HE SAID HE HAD JUST RIDDEN UP FROM DENVER ON HIS BRAND NEW V-STROM 650.  AFTER A BRIEF DISCUSSION ABOUT DUALSPORT RIDING, HE BID US FAREWELL AND DROVE OFF, SAYING HE WOULD SEE US AT THE TOP OF THE PASS.  WE WATCHED AS HE GOT ABOUT 50 YARDS UP THE INCREASINGLY ROCKY ROAD, WHERE HE STOPPED AND TURNED AROUND.  HE CAME BACK BY TO TELL US THAT THE ROAD WAS TOO DANGEROUS AND THAT HE WAS GOING BACK TO DENVER.  AS USUAL, MIKE AND I SHRUGGED, FINISHED OUR TRAIL MIX, AND HEADED UP THE PASS.

I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS OF THE V-STROM RIDER.  IF I WERE A YOUNG MARRIED GUY WITH A BRAND NEW MOTORCYCLE, I WOULDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO GO HOME AND EXPLAIN TO THE WIFE THAT I HAD DROPPED MY SHINEY NEW TOY WHILE TRYING TO RIDE ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT PASSES IN THE ROCKIES.  BUT ME?  BEING SINGLE AND A LOT MORE ADVENTUROUS, I CLICKED MY DRZ 400 INTO GEAR, PICKED A LINE, AND HEADED UP THE TRAIL.  MIKE WAS CLOSE BEHIND POWERING HIS WAY THROUGH THE ROCKS ON HIS KLR.

ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT ARE COPYRIGHTED BY RON PETITT AND CANNOT BE USED WITH HIS EXPRESS CONSENT

This page was last updated on: January 26, 2007

EVERY FEW HUNDRED YARDS WE WOULD RUN ACROSS A FAIRLY LEVEL SPOT WHERE WE COULD STOP AND TAKE A FEW PHOTOS.  MOST OF THE PASS WAS COVERED WITH LARGE ROCKS, AND THE ELEVATION SO STEEP THAT STOPPING WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A LIKELY TIP OVER.  THE NIMBLE DRZ WAS A GOOD CHOICE FOR THIS RIDE, BUT I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT TO MIKE AS "THE MAN" FOR KEEPING HIS KLR UPRIGHT THOROUGH SOME VERY HARROWING AND TECHNICAL RIDING.

RON AND MIKE POSING FOR THE TRADITIONAL, "I CAN'T BELIEVE WE MADE IT IN ONCE PIECE" PHOTO.  WHILE IT WAS VERY WINDY AT THE TOP OF THE PASS, THE TEMPERATURE WAS PRETTY NICE.  I HAVE SEEN WHITE-OUT BLIZZARDS AT THIS ALTITUDE IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY.  BUT HEY, THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT AN ADVENTURE.

AFTER SPENDING A HALF-HOUR TAKING PHOTOS, WE HEADED DOWN THE WEST SIDE OF THE PASS TOWARDS LEADVILLE.  WE BEGAN TO SEE A FEW 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES AND SOON DISCOVED THAT THE LEADVILLE SIDE OF THE PASS WAS FAR EASIER TO ACCEND THAN THE ALMA SIDE.  I'M GLAD WE CAME UP THE TOUGHER PATH.  IT MADE THE ADVENTURE ALL THE BETTER.