13 WINTER 2024 VOL . 05 / ISSUE 02
SNOWGOER . COM 14
The second ghost town we visited , Tin Cup , featured signs inviting visitors to stop into Katie ’ s for coffee or a snack .
Cup . We checked out the old Town Hall , circa 1903 , and later went via snowmobile to the incredibly scenic town cemetery , where miners , prospectors , cowboys and others from more colorful eras are buried in knolls that separate them by religion – Catholic , Protestant , Jewish and Boot Hill , for the uncommitted . A creek of melting snow was running between the knolls during our visit ; who would have thought a quiet cemetery full of long-past strangers could be so interesting ?
Yelling for attention in Tin Cup , however , was something called Katie ’ s – about a half-dozen signs throughout town beckon snowmobilers to stop by and visit . We followed the signs around the side of a building , and ended up enjoying hot chocolate and snacks with the colorful Katie and her man in a ramshackle workshop . This couple makes up two-thirds of the winter population in Tin Cup , they told us , then shared endless stories of what it is like living in such serenity . At one moment they were saying how much they loved the privacy and isolation of their town , but their hyper-talkative nature with us strangers , plus all of the signs up around town imploring riders to stop in for a visit , told another story .
We resaddled and headed for other interesting territory . At a fork in the trail , Scott asked us if we wanted to head south toward Pitkin or north toward Taylor Park . Not knowing anything about either place , we said , “ Just take us to your playgrounds .” So he led us north , deeper into the Gunnison National Forest . Scott had brought along sandwiches that were enjoyed deep in the woods , next to a long-abandoned , collapsed cabin . The path to the cabin was delightfully narrow and surrounded by more tall coniferous trees , with a few hardwoods mixed in , that provided partial shelter from the falling snow .
The path stayed narrow for awhile , until it opened up into a massive playground called Union Park . This monstrous meadow was full of deep , powdery snow that begged us to etch it up , all while being mindful of the Willow Creek that carved its own serpentine path throughout the base .
We did our best to goof off in the powder , but with 550 fanners spinning 136- inch tracks with 1.25-inch lugs at more than 10,000 feet , it was clear we brought a fast-food-style plastic butter knife to this gunfight . There ’ s a reason so many turbo and supercharger systems are sold in Colorado – when you ’ re riding this high , you need power ! We floated where we could ,