Mac Pass Roadie

After slacking a little on the saddle time lately, it was time to try to make a concerted effort to get some ride time in during the weekend.  The weather was clearing and warming and the bike was begging to dish out some abuse.
I had heard that they had started to plow Mackenzie Pass beyond the gate where cars are not allowed access.  Someone told me last year that you could ride beyond the gate up to the pass until they officially opened the pass to cars.  For bikers it is downright dreeeeaaammmmyyyy....no cars on the road to compete with (or more importantly share the road with while fearing for being run over).
The big unknown was how far up they had plowed and just how much riding/climbing was possible.

I parked in town at the park and rolled out past the school and made my up the road.  There were not many cars prior to the gate (no through traffic) and as a result it made for a pleasant ride up.  Soon enough the angle pitched up and it was time to work.  As the grade increased, so did the work rate and soon enough we were at the aforementioned gate which was closed and blocking off the road.
A quick pedal around the gate and the climbing continued.  So far, so good....the road was mostly melted relative to snow and the higher I got, the snow started to stack on the side of the road.

The climb just continued to give but the scenery was amazing.  Unfortunately it was overcast and the views were somewhat limited but having a road like that to yourself is pretty dang sweet!  The snow banks continued to get higher and higher until I reached a point right by the observatory where the machines had not yet broken through.
Ride Summary:

The weather was a little less than ideal towards the top and I could see fresh snow about 1000 ft above me on the trees.  The wind picked up and a couple of menacing looking clouds hovered as they got blown in.  The descent was a little chilly and I took the sights in and rode carefully as there was some debris on the road in a couple of spots (not to mention the snow melt water trickling across the roads.

Soon enough, the temps started to warm back up as the altitude ticked away...all too soon it was back at the car.  I did not ride as long as initially planned (weather played a little role) but it was good to get a flavor of the climb and the status of the plow/road.

some pix: