On Day One of our 2018 Rocky Mountain Rib Rally, we break into the routine gradually.

Today’s ride will be beautiful, but short: fifty-six miles, about an hour and a half in the saddle.

No giggling or scoffing, please. Dave’s been riding hard the past few days, and we need to ease him into Colorado slowly.

Our destination is Marble, home to Slow Groovin’, where we’ll be having ribs for lunch. Slow Groovin’ may be the best ribs in Colorado. It’s a nice place to kick off our rib-fest.

As you may have learned on this blog last year, the Town of Marble got its name from the stone that is quarried there: Yule Marble. It’s the only place on earth where Yule Marble is found. This beautiful white marble from Marble provided the stone for the exterior of the Lincoln Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Marble is located in a valley of the upper Crystal River, surrounded by the tall peaks of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass and Raggeds Wilderness Areas.

There are about 100 full-time residents of Marble. Fifteen to 20 of them work at the quarry. It’s believed that the remaining operational quarry has enough marble to last for several hundred years.

Slow Groovin’ probably has enough ribs to last through at least the end of June.

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One Fifty Sopris Mesa Drive, our Carbondale home, sits at 6,388 feet above sea level. Before the day’s out, we’ll end up nearly 2,000 feet higher.

We leave our Cozy Carbondale Cottage, in the River Valley Ranch development and head south on Colorado Highway 133. Slow Groovin’ is exactly 27.6 miles from our front door to their smoker.

Soon we follow the Crystal River, and pass Avalanche Ranch, a secluded hot springs with 18 cabins and views of the valley. While at Avalanche Ranch, you can fish, hike, bike, and canoe on the Crystal River. In the winter months, snowshoeing, sledding, skiing, and tubing are popular. Year-round, it’s a popular wedding destination.

On our left is Mount Sopris, larger than life. It’s the dominant feature in almost any photo of the Roaring Fork Valley. At 12,953 feet, it’s the view everyone in the valley wants to have. Sarah and I are fortunate enough to see Mount Sopris from most rooms in our Carbondale home.

From Carbondale, it’s about 16 miles south to the nearest town, Redstone. By the time we roll past Redstone, we’ve already climbed about 1,000 feet. Redstone sits at about 7,200 feet.

Redstone is a cute little village, home to about 130 residents. Here you’ll find the Redstone Castle, an opulent 42-room Tudor-style mansion that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

We’re on the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway, which begins in Carbondale, and runs for more than 200 miles through the West Elk Mountains, along the Gunnison River, to Crested Butte, over world-famous Kebler Pass, and back to Carbondale. We’ll save most of the West Elk loop for another day.

Today is a leisurely ride primarily designed to get in a few miles, eat a few ribs, and catch a few fish.

About five miles past Redstone, we turn left onto Pitkin County Road 3, which takes us the remaining six miles to Marble. The elevation in Marble is 7,992 feet; the Yule Marble Quarry is another 1,500 feet up.

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For some, Marble is all about the marble.

For others, like me (and Dave), Slow Groovin’ is the main attraction.

After lunch, we wander around Marble before heading back to Carbondale. Everywhere you go, there are hunks of marble, some carved professionally, some by hobbyists.

Every year since 1989, the town has hosted three week-long Marble Symposiums, providing opportunities for ordinary people to learn about, and expertly carve, marble. The event is run by the Marble Institute of Colorado, a non-profit whose goal is to educate, train and develop stone carvers.

For $950, you can work with up to 500 pounds (about three cubic feet) of Colorado Yule Marble, enjoy unlimited use of power tools, air hammers and chisels, and have what many consider a life-changing experience. 2018 Symposiums are scheduled for July 2-9, July 15-22, and July 29 to August 5.

Yes, I know – technically, the plural of symposium is symposia. But that sounds so stuffy. So we’ll go with symposiums, and beg for grammatical forgiveness.

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We leave Marble, and head down valley, in search of more food. This time, we’re looking for a fishing spot.

The Crystal River is running quite fast, at least for fishing. And it’s hard to find a place to park two Harleys on the side of the highway anywhere near a fishing spot.

But eventually, about a mile north of Redstone, we find a place to pull over, get out the fishing gear, and give it a shot. I appreciate Dave’s bringing all the gear from Southern California — enough for him, and for me.

So, I get to try out my new Colorado fishing license ($1.00 annually!).

I’ve never fly fished before; my entire fishing history is limited to a day of salmon fishing in Resurrection Bay, near Seward, Alaska — and a day of halibut fishing, near Homer, Alaska. Along the way today, Dave teaches me to roll cast, and to mend. Maybe next time, he’ll show me how to darn?

Day One Summary: Easing into the Rocky Mountain Rib Rally with a short ride and lunch at Slow Groovin’. Marble carving, anyone?

Click here to see today’s complete route from Carbondale to Marble and back to Carbondale.

Glad you’re along for the ride.

Vroom, vroom.

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Today’s Colorado Fun Fact: Colorado is the only state in history to turn down the Olympic Games. In May 1970, the International Olympic Committee awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics to Denver. But two years later, 62 percent of all Colorado voters chosenotto host the Olympics, because of the cost, pollution and population boom it would have had on the State of Colorado, and the City of Denver.

Today’s Rocky Mountain Rib Rally Fun Fact: On our way to Marble today, we rode along the Crystal River, full of Rainbow and Brown trout, and world-famous for its fly fishing. The Crystal is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, and is often overlooked because of its proximity to the Roaring Fork, the Fryingpan, and Colorado Rivers.

Today’s Colorado Food Fun Fact: Colorado hasn’t declared any official state foods. Yet. OK, fine. In honor of the 2018 Rocky Mountain Rib Rally, I’m declaring Ribs the official Colorado state meal.