Darn! Valygrl took my suggestion! Well, part of it anyway.

I was going to suggest Denver to Durango, via 285 to Monarch pass, to Gunnison, to Lake City and Creede, over Wolf Creek and to Durango. It's a one-way trip, but maybe you could drop a car off or take a bus back or something. I did this trip last fall, and it was fantastic. Easy 50-mile days, and the only time you do two passes in one day is over Spring Creek and Slumgullion, which are conjoined. Some of the passes on the route could hardly be considered such. Red Hill pass was much smaller than some of the hills we went over.

I thouroughly enjoyed it. We went from Durango to Denver, but my favorite part is definitely between Pagosa Springs and Monarch pass. Well, between there and Denver is really fun too though. The whole thing is great. Watch out for wind North of Fairplay! The only time I've seen a loaded touring bike riding sideways and not falling over was as a storm was blowing in next to us right outside of Fairplay.

This post got me all excited! I love touring in Colorado, I hope you guys find a really cool trip to go on. Post whatever route you end up taking, and let us know if it was good!