Departing the cabin at 11 o’clock Tuesday morning, we drove into Creede and began traversing the Bachelor’s Loop in a counter clockwise direction.

The route preferred by most is the more challenging east route that follows East Willow Creek for the majority of the terrain, then turns to the west in a steep climb to converge again with the main road of the Bachelor’s Loop. While it is open to non-4×4 vehicles, it is a hard pack gravel mine road that can be a little rough and has several very steep points just past the north end of Creede.

The main route follows West Willow Creek to top out with the aged forests of Bristle Cone pine trees. It climbs gently for four miles to slightly over 11,000 feet before traversing gentle ups and downs and then weaves its way up through the canyon north of Creede descending under ragged cliff sides.

The drive took us past mine locations from the 1890s and abandoned ghost towns that once rivaled Creede in size.

Wednesday was a “down” day for rest and catching up on social media. We began the day playing pickleball in Creede, and the last couple of matches were among the most competitive in which I’ve played—fun!