June 29, 2013, Boreas Pass

You pass through the town of Como when you take Boreas pass from highway 285 to Breckenridge.  The main road through Como is the road to the pass.  Not too well marked but if you keep your eyes open there are signs to follow.

Boreas pass is another one of those Colorado mountain passes that is passable in virtually any vehicle.  It is dirt all the way from Como to Breckenridge and rises to 11,481 feet.  It's also another one of those Colorado mountain passes that server the gold and silver miners of the 1870s.  Originally it served as passage from the South Park area to the gold mining area around Breckenridge.

It's actually quite amazing that a narrow gauge railroad once climbed the pass to the town of Boreas at the summit where you can still see the remains and then down again into the valley where modern day Breckenridge sits.

Now days Sunday afternoon drivers, bicyclists and ,in the winter, cross country skiers are the visitors to the pass.

What's left of the town of Boreas at the top of the pass at 11,482 feet.

 Heck, the trees don't even like to live up here.  It would be God awful cold her in the middle of winter.

 

I suppose the steam engines of the time got pretty thirsty by the time they reached this summit.  I wonder what kinds of things this old water tower saw it its day.

Looking down toward the city of Breckenridge.

June 29, Como Colorado

Still on our way from home to Breckenridge we made it over Guanella pass from I70 to highway 285 in just a couple short hours.  Headed south on 285 it is not too long before you go over Kenosha pass and down into South Park, Colorado.

I don't know if there is any truth to it but I have heard the cartoon television series 'South Park' got its inspiration from South Park, Colorado.  Maybe someone who is knowledgeable can tell us all.

At any rate, as you enter the South Park area there is a very old, almost abandoned, town just off to the north of 285 called Como.  If you blink an eye you will miss the turn off.  I guess the town sprang up during the gold and silver mining rush of the late nineteenth century.  You would almost think the place was totally deserter but there are people who live there.  According to Wikipedia there are 20 people that live there.

This is one of the houses in Como.  Como is a very interesting place and definitely worth stopping in to take a look.  This house caught our eye because of the colors and the window.  I wonder if they just decided they needed some light in one of the upstairs rooms and happened to have a window lying around in the yard so they cut a hole in the side of the house big enough to fit the window and stuffed it in there.  No matter how crooked they had to make the hole to get the old window in.  Heck, if there is a need and you have the spare window lying around and a saw to cut the hole why not!

Very interesting place indeed.  It doesn't look to me like they have to put up with any of the silly rules about keeping you lawns trimmed or painting your house a particular color or any other outrageous rules you might find in the big city HOA's.  If the kids would be so far away I'd live here in a minute.

You wouldn't know it if you were simply driving by but you are looking at a very good restaurant here.

There isn't a sign anywhere that would give you any hint that in this old railroad depot building is a place to eat a pretty good burger.  They call it 'The Depot' because the building served that purpose in the late 1800's.  The day we stopped by they had fish and chips for a special that wasn't on the menu anywhere.  Mighty tasty I must say.  Fresh fish and cooked just right.  Beat the dickens out of McDonalds!

Inside the place is clean, the food is good and the owner is extremely friendly.  We spent quite some time chatting with the owner and chief cook and bottle washer while we ate.  We were impressed.  We left a tip larger than normal and you can bet the next time we pass by we will grab a bite

What is really neat is that not only is it a restaurant but upstairs there are four rooms for rent.  When the owners were talking to us they called it their Bed and Breakfast.  It even has indoor plumbing in two of the rooms!  You can bet I'll be stopping by again.  We might even rent a room and spend the night.  Just for the fun of it.

Como is a wonderful little town.  Don't ever let it change!  Long live Como!

June 29, 2013 Guanella Pass Colorado

Just up the road a piece west of here, either via Highway 285 or Interstate 70, is Guanella pass.  You can get to it on highway 285 just past the town of Grant or you can take the interstate to the city of Georgetown.  Either way it is an awesome Sunday drive that you can take with pretty much any vehicle.

The wife and I were headed to Breckenridge to spend a romantic night and decided to make a scenic road trip of it.  We decided to take a loop to get to Breckenridge by taking Interstate 70 to Georgetown, cross over Guanella Pass into Grant, turn south on 285 and travel over Boreas pass into Breck.

Not too many years ago Guanella was a dirt road pretty much all the way over.  If you took the drive you could do it in pretty much anything but it was slow and bumpy and you usually didn't run into too many other people.

It has certainly changed since it was paved.  I honestly don't remember how many years ago that was done but I do remember that it was a big thing.  There was a lot of controversy between opposing sides.  The four wheel community thought it would destroy the fun of taking the pass.  The tourist community thought it would be good for the economy.  I was on the for wheeling community's side of the line.  I thought the pavement would ruin the experience.

Now that it is done though I'm really impressed.  They built  a very nice, beautiful road over the top and they did a great job.  I have to hand it too them.  What used to be a slow bumpy ride is now quite pleasant.  And I don't mind seeing all of the people there.  Cars, bicycles, motorcycles, hikers, the whole lot.

If you're ever in the Denver area and have an afternoon and want to take a nice road to 11,669 feet so you can experience the Rocky Mountains this little trip might be for you.  If you want to take on a '14er' then Mt. Bierstadt which rises to 14060 feet is just off of the summit of the pass.

This is a view into Georgetown as you head up the pass from the I70 end

 

 

Wild flowers are abundant all the way along the road during the spring.

 

A nice place to stop and take a look as you near the summit of the pass.

 

I actually took this photo of the Aspen when I took a drive up the pass last autumn.

 

If you want to explore some old gold mining relics there are a couple on some of the side roads that lead off of the main Guanella pass road.

 

Another photo of some autumn Aspen taken last year.