Saturday had finally arrived. I had everything ready, and it was just a matter of strapping it to the bike and going. The weather was great; warm, sunny, gentle breeze, and not a cloud in the sky. But I was not to be fooled. I have never taken a road tripe where I had not been rained on. Usually the first day, in the first few hours. And usually only for about 20-30 minutes. Can't complain really, just the way it is. So the rain was in the saddle bag ready for quick deployment.

Kissed the wife, patted the dog, fired up, geared up, and off I went. Alone. Solo.

As I heade west and up in altitude, it quickly became colder, and uglier. Sure enough, as I headed into South Park it began to look like rain. Out came the rain gear for a short rain storm. Not long, only about 15 minutes. Then a few little sprinkles for a while longer. Oh, well. Fortunatly, I didn't need the rain ger the rest of the trip. It stayed gray and cold all the way through Buena Vista, Salida, and up Monarch pass.


Going up Monarch pass was a treat. The aspen have all started to turn, and the colors were amazing. Monarch pass was cold and windy, but it usually is at that altitude. I stopped in the little cafe there for some coffee and warm air. Plenty of coffee, not much air.


Down in the Gunnison valley, it was still cold, gray, and very windy. I picked up CO-114 about 10 miles east of Gunnison. It turns SE over North Pass, and down in to Saguache. Yes, it's a little bit of back tracking. But this was a bit of road I've never been on before. The west side of the pass is filled with sheer cliffs, deep cuts, and tight narrow roadway. Just beatifull. The east side is full of grand vistas and long fast roadway. Well worth the side trip. I'll do that again.


I stopped in the city park in Saguache for lunch. A light snack, a little coffee, and a good book. Sitting in the sun, protected from the wind, felt really good. South of Saguache the road is straight as a string line. The westerly wind was a bit brutal; those cross winds are always fun to ride in. At Del Norte I turned west for South Fork and Wolfe Creek Pass.


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I ran out of room for picture. So I'll do a Pt2.