We will visit the Royal Gorge and take a two hour train ride traveling in the elite vista dome car and have lunch served to us on the Royal Gorge train. Also, we can walk across the bridge on one of the world's highest suspension bridges, which is 600 feet above the Arkansas River.

Other scenic attractions on this trip include the Great Sand Dunes National Park, with sand dunes rising over a thousand feet above their base, and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, which is the longest of the three narrow gauge trains in the U.S. still transporting passengers today. In the 1800's, the narrow gauge trains were constructed in the mountains to transport ores from the mines. The narrower track enabled trains to maneuver much tighter turns which allowed the cutting of cost for train construction. We will ride this train to the top of Cumbres Pass and eat our lunch there with a scenic view from the top of the pass.

Our bike route in the San Luis Valley takes us across the Rio Grande river, which in the U.S. is surpassed in length only by the Mississippi/Missouri River system. We will cross the San San Luis Valley, of which the floor exceeds 7,500 feet. This valley is the driest area in Colorado. The San Juan Mountains, which is the wettest area of Colorado, are on the Western border of the valley and drain all the moisture from the atmosphere before it reaches the San Luis Valley.

We bicycle through the historical town of San Luis, Colorado's oldest town, which is situated 7,900 feet above sea level. Here you may opt to visit the interesting San Luis Museum.

Our cycling route takes us along the vertical walls of the Arkansas River Canyon. Then we climb over Poncha Pass at 9,010, La Manga Pass at 10,230, Cumbres Pass at 10,022, Brazos Summit at 10,507, which is the second highest highway in new Mexico, and La Veta Pass at 9,413. We cycle across the bridge over the awe inspiring Rio Grande Gorge. This is the second time we cross the Rio Grande River on this trip.

On our off day, you may want to visit the Village of Taos Pueblo, which is situated on the edge of the town of Taos. The Taos Pueblo multi-storied adobe buildings have been continually housing the inhabitants for over 1,000 years. Today, these buildings still house the descendants of the original inhabitants. For a small admission fee, you may walk around the houses and other buildings of this village on a guided tour. Some of the other interesting sites in Taos are the Kit Carson Museum and Park, the San Francisco de Assi Church just south of town (now more popularly known as the Rancho de Taos Church) the Spanish and Native American influence of the architecture of the area, and the abundance of art museums for which Taos is probably the most famous.

This is a trip only for those cyclists who are looking for great scenery, very challenging routes which feature both interesting and important historical events in the great Southwest.