Day 202 – Rocky Mountain Ramble, Part 3: Georgetown to Keystone

Beth Bankhead

15 years ago

Day 202 of Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

After stopping at the local bakery in Grand Lake for breakfast, I headed south toward Keystone where I planned to see Cat again for her July 4^th weekend BBQ. On the way, we passed through Tabernash and Winter Park and crossed the Continental Divide once more at Berthoud Pass.

Georgetown

After taking a brief stroll around the parking lot at the pass, we continued to Georgetown, a silver mining town built in the 1870’s. When America adopted the gold standard in 1893, the boomtown went bust. Fortunately many of its historical buildings were saved from “the wrecking ball of modernization,” and now the charming town attracts visitors from all over.

Petey and I strolled around town taking in historical sites, including old churches, miners’ homes, a school building and a firehouse. The Old Missouri Firehouse was constructed in 1875 for the Georgetown Fire and Hose Company No. 1. The company served the lower part of town where there was no piped water and where they could quickly reach mills that were prone to fire.

The town also features several restaurants and retail shops making it a great place for lunch after hike or a lovely place to visit on a daytrip from Denver.

Keystone

From Georgetown, we arrived in Keystone a few hours before the BBQ. Cat and her boyfriend Zeke are avid mountain bikers, so the majority of the group was mountain bike racers. We all congregated in the public area of the lodge’s back deck where Cat lives, taking advantage of the public grills, chatting, and eventually watching the fireworks. A good time! Off to Steamboat Springs tomorrow to visit family. ETB