Today started with blue skies at my camp on the Delores River, but by the time I hit the road clouds and rain were setting in. I was about 3 miles into the ride when the first raindrops began to fall. I had my rain cape ready to go and put it on before anything heavier hit. I began mulling over the idea of stopping in Rico, a dozen or so miles down the road, to get a hotel room. As the rain fell harder, that became the new plan A.
The rain was steady but did not have thunderstorm intensity, so it was not too uncomfortable to ride. I could tell I was steadily climbing but since the road was following the Delores River, it was not too steep. Around me the forest was getting thicker with more conifers and the traffic was light. After beginning at about 8,000′ at Priest Gulch, I was a little over 8,800′ when I arrived in Rico at 11:30. So where yesterday was a relatively long day on the road, today would be a short one.
As always, the first thing I looked for was a place to eat – and I found a perfect little cafe along the main strip of town. After a very good hot roast beef sandwich, the next thing was to find a room for the night. I had noticed the Rico Hotel (see picture above) on the way into town and it so happens their number was included on the Adventure Cycling Association map I am using. A quick call to check availability and I was there.
I found out the Rico Hotel was built in the 1920’s to house miners that worked in numerous silver and other mines in the area. The place has a natural feel with old timbers and creaky wooden floors. I like it.
After checking-in, moving my panniers and bike into the room, and cleaning up – I decided to go out in the light rain for a walk about town. I had read that they had a library and so the nerdy thing to do was find it. It was housed in the old county courthouse that was built in the 1890’s and occupied only a couple of rooms of the building. The librarians were very friendly and helped me find what there might be on Rico history. As it turns out there was such a volume – a masters thesis written in the early 70’s by a UT Austin graduate student. Small world. While there it began raining much harder and the library (and the rest of the town) lost electricity from a lightening strike or tree falling (the conjecture of the locals in the library).
Established in 1879, Rico – like a lot of other mining towns – has seen periods of boom and bust. Peak years were probably the late 1800’s when there were over 3,000 residents. Today it’s down to just over 200. I’m not sure how much (if any) mining is going on in the area – but I’m sure it benefits from the close proximity to Telluride (which, after all, began as another mining town but has better ski slopes). My impression is that Rico welcomes tourists but is not “touresty” (sp?).
Tomorrow is the big climb over Lizard Head Pass. I had planned to be about 6 miles further down the road today at a campground, but am glad with the decision to stay in Rico rather than huddled in my small tent waiting out the rain. The plan is still to meet Kathy at the place we have reservations near Telluride by mid afternoon. I did tell her to keep her eye out on her drive for a weary and waterlogged cyclist by the side of the road.
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