Great trip, and super pics. We had a trip planned in that part of the country last week. Had to change plans, but will try it again next year. Jim
Your location is close to some really nice riding, like maybe up to Cloudcroft or over to Silver City via 152 and then Mule Creek. But you would definitely enjoy riding in Colorado. It's probably a little cooler than around Las Cruces.
Today we rode out to see Monument Valley. I've seen many pictures but you have to see it in person to really appreciate its grandeur. Those monument formations are huge because when they first come into site, you ride for miles and miles before you actually reach them. After we got to them we continued a few miles to the Arizona border where we did a U-turn and headed back toward Colorado.
Here's our route for the day.
Headed south toward Arizona.
The monument coming into view now.
There it is.
A zoomed-in shot.
Parked at one of the pull outs.
Being a runner myself, I remember well the scene where Forrest Gump stopped running. It was fun to see it in person.
Back on the bikes and getting closer.
Past the main formations, there are still others.
About to enter Arizona.
After we entered Arizona, we did a U-turn and went back into Utah and headed toward Colorado.
Looking at the opposite side of the main formations.
This is on the edge of the main formations that are to the right.
Coming back in to Mexican Hat. You can barely see our motel to the left of the road.
The next couple of pics are somewhere on the road up to Monticello where we turned east toward Colorado.
If you try real hard, you might be able to see the Colorado sign.
A little north of Dove Creek, we ran into a really fun 6-8 mile stretch of road where it goes down the plateau. Lots of curves on the decent.
Those are the San Juan mountains in the background at the Dallas Divide. Looks like I picked up a bug on the camera lens.
Coming in to Ridgway, only another 10 miles or so to Ouray.
Our destination in Ouray. This was a really clean, well kept motel and it's only one block off the main street where all the restaurants and bars are.
I saw this just around the corner from our motel as we walked to eat dinner.
That's it for the day. We saw a lot of variance in terrain today. What a country!
Day 8, Ouray, Imogene Pass, Telluride, Ouray Loop - 67 Miles
Today we had planned to ride what I call the Grand Mesa Loop. It goes from Ouray up to Ridgway, then west to Hwy 141 following the Dolores River up to Gateway. From Gateway you go up to Grand Junction, then follow Hwy 65 over the Grand Mesa and then back down to Ouray. This is a great ride which we've done several times.
So instead, we rented a Jeep and drove over to Telluride via Imogene Pass. This is the 3rd highest pass in Colorado that can be traversed via automobile. It's quite a trip and you get to see the scenery from a different perspective than from the major highways. You're right in the middle of it. It's gorgeous country up there. I could have burned my camera up on this trip. Everywhere you look is a photo in waiting.
So here's our route for the day.
Mark in front of the Jeep we rented.
As soon as you're off the paved road, the scenery is gorgeous.
This pic speaks for itself.
Here's what the camp area looks like today.
The road gets pretty tight in places.
We're still going up, but we're above the tree line now.
This is me in front of the Jeep. Caught in the shade of a cloud, I don't show up very well except for my running shoes.
We made it! What a view from up here. I don't know the temperature but it was pretty cold. There was still snow on the ground in places and some fresh snow was around.
Not sure why anyone would want to get their mail here, but there's a mailbox just waiting.
On the way down now toward Telluride.
That looks like a fun road the zig-zags it way up to the top of a waterfall. Wish we had enough time to drive up there. This is located at the end of the box canyon where Telluride is just below.
That's all the pics for the day. We're back on pavement at Telluride and drive the highway back to Ouray. It took almost 4 hours to drive over the pass and less than one hour to get back. This is a really fun thing to do in the area and I'm not disappointed we took the day off from riding.
Awesome write up Robert. I've seen some of your previous posts. Love the pics. I've been through some of what you are showing and have plans to do some more next summer. Thanks for ruining it for me... LOL
Awesome write up Robert. I've seen some of your previous posts. Love the pics. I've been through some of what you are showing and have plans to do some more next summer. Thanks for ruining it for me... LOL
Sorry 'bout that.
It's gorgeous country up there. I need to look you up the next time we go to Arkansas. We usually leave here around 4:00 in the afternoon and make it to Broken Bow for the night. It's a little head start without taking off a whole day.
It's gorgeous country up there. I need to look you up the next time we go to Arkansas. We usually leave here around 4:00 in the afternoon and make it to Broken Bow for the night. It's a little head start without taking off a whole day.
Sure enough. Just let me know anytime your coming. would be nice to meet you.
and i was just kidding on the ruining it part. actually i like seeing stuff like that so i know what to expect or see something you saw that I may not have known about or would be missing.
Today's ride was short, but spectacular. The Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton. We rode to Silverton, ate lunch then bought a tee shirt at the highest Harley dealer in the world. The dealer there is just a clothing dealer and is part of the Durango dealership. It closes during the winter.
Here's the route:
Just as you leave Ouray, the sign informs you of the type of road you're about to encounter; steep grades, sharp curves and no guard rails.
This tunnel is not too far from Ouray. It's the beginning of a great ride.
I think the snow slides down the hill in this area and this tunnel helps keep it off the road.
A random shot along the way.
Just coming in to Silverton.
This is the main street in Silverton just before downtown. We rode down the street, made a U-turn (there's only one way in and out of town on pavement) and stopped at the Harley store.
We looked around a bit in Silverton and headed back to Ouray. Here we're about to go back through the snow tunnel.
This is the beginning of the slowest part of the ride because of the tight turns and steep drop-offs.
This is a good example of the drop-offs. You can't tell in the photo, but it's at least a thousand feet to the bottom of the canyon.
Back through the first tunnel and almost to Ouray.
After we got back, we cleaned up and walked downtown for dinner. We were sitting in O'Brien's Pub having a beer and noticed the setting sun shining on the mountains to the east.
I zoomed in for this shot. The sun sure made a pretty picture.
That's it for the day. We've made that ride several times so I didn't take many pictures. I think it's time to plan a trip to a different part of the country. We've been here so many times that I don't take pictures which means I'm getting too familiar with it. Maybe we'll go east next year to the Smokies. Tomorrow we start the ride home.
10-04-2016, 06:53 AM
