Colorado Trip 2021

[draco_1967]

I am thinking of making this a late-September tradition. Those Rocky Mountains are beautiful at any time, but add in the blaze yellow of Aspen leaves turning, a pinch of red here and there, and perfectly pleasant temperatures, and I'm in heaven!

I have been struggling getting my riding buddies to commit to any solid ride plans this summer. I have a 6-month-old, which doesn't help either (but she's worth it). Fortunately, my wife is amazing. She supports me in my two-wheeled addiction, and is willing to give me some time for moto-therapy.

I decided to just put something on the calendar and go. I decided to go see a few things that I haven't seen before in the Rocky Mountain NP area (couldn't get into the park with their timed permit system), then head south and west toward Gunnison and then the San Juan Skyway. 

This would be a fairly fast-paced 3 day excursion. I just fitted my Givi panniers, so I was excited to see how they did (they did great up to about 90mph, then the front end gets a little light and unstable...the owner's manual does say not to use both panniers and a top case.). I packed up my gear and was ready to head out Saturday morning!

Preview:

More to come...

 

[micah2074]

We went through Colorado in July. Lot's of fun and fantastic scenery.

[betoney]

@draco_1967  good to hear that you had a great trip, we rode through the same area as well as Utah and Wyoming 2 years ago around Labor Day and got stuck in terrible rain storms a few times each day.  We still loved riding in both Utah and Colorado and can’t wait to go back - when it’s sunny. 

[draco_1967]

Utah and Colorado provide some excellent riding, both for the quality of roads, and for the vast array of geological wonders to see! @betoney Also, make sure to avoid the now regular smoky season. That will ruin the vistas just as much as the rain!

This trip started out early (it wasn't bright, as it was quite cloudy and raining lightly) on Saturday morning. I suited up, checked tire pressure, and rolled out of the garage. It is hard sometimes balancing the desire to ride good roads with the need to keep a trip to a bit of a schedule. I had about 1500 miles to ride in 3 days, so I knew I would need to ride some of the boring roads too. 

I-80 just east of Salt Lake goes through Parley's Canyon, which is full of high-speed sweeping turns. It's also full of traffic most times. Early Saturday morning is not one of those times, but the rain made me keep my pace pretty sedate. Then I headed toward Kamas and Wolf Creek Pass, which is one of my favorite roads in this area. Again, things were wet, so I took it easy. Next came the long slog on 40 between Duchesne, UT and Dinosaur, CO. I have ridden this section several times on my way out toward the Rockies. Thank goodness for cruise control!

I pointed toward Steamboat Springs for a couple of potential photo tags for the 2021 Mileage Mania rally. Sadly, I got skunked on the one I was really after: a picture of a road sign that shows both miles and kilometers. Google Street View showed the signs were there, but apparently that view is outdated. The signs were gone 😪

Here is what I did get. The rally is to support Freedom Service Dogs, and the bonus tags always have an animal or military/veteran theme.

Anyone know of a place with mile/km signage that isn't across one of the borders? My passport expired, and it won't be renewed before the rally ends in October...

I continued on my way East. The roads became more interesting as I ventured into parts of the Rockies that I hadn't seen before. I didn't take a ton of pictures on this first day. I guess I was just in the mode of getting as far as I could on this first day, so I could enjoy the even more interesting roads over the two days. 

There were plenty of campgrounds, but also plenty of people out and about. I wasn't too surprised, but I was hoping people would be less likely to swarm the mountains now that school had started. I found a campground with a few open spots. I set up my hammock, and started cooking dinner. After dinner, I took a stroll along the river by camp. I have needed this outdoor therapy for a while!

My wife says I don't take enough pictures of myself on these trips, so here is me. Hello Internet Strangers!

I still need to pull a few pictures off of my camera and edit them. I'll add those later.

Summary:

• Rain
• Heated gear is da bomb
• 468 miles (753km)
• No metric signs

A map:

 

 

 

[koth442]

Very cool, I miss real mountains. 

[draco_1967]

Those mountains out east have their own beauty about them. They may not be as grand vertically, but I love the seemingly endless choices of curvy roads that wind through them! I need to head back that way again. 

[draco_1967]

I never sleep well on my first night camping. This time was no different. I woke up early and started packing up camp. I ate some breakfast (oatmeal, jerky, and trail mix), brushed my teeth, and hit the road at about 7:30. The early bird gets the worm!

As I headed further east, I encountered something interesting. There were signs indicating that a road ahead was closed, and an alternate route is needed. Fortunately, that alternate route is the one I planned on! There was some kind of run going on. The opposite lane of travel from me was coned off for the runners. It was a little bizarre riding right next to runners for several miles. 

Soon after, I entered the area around Rocky Mountain National Park. The road wound through a ravine with steep, rocky cliffs to one side, and steep, grassy slopes on the other.

The roads meandered pleasantly through the mountain gorges. There was a fair amount of weekend traffic heading home, but not too bad. The Tracer is great at passing when the opportunities arise, and I was there to enjoy the scenery and the roads. 

I wound my way down to Estes Park, then further south to Idaho Springs. At one point along the route this day, I climbed to around 10k feet, and wound up on this huge, high plain. It seemed to stretch for 100 miles. The altitude hung around 9-10k feet the whole time.

Eventually, I made it down to Poncha Springs to hit US-50 over Monarch Pass toward Gunnison and Montrose. From Montrose, down US-550. The stretch between Ouray and Durango is known as the "Million Dollar Highway". Million Dollar is one of the greatest roads ever. It's not great just because it is a beautiful road that winds through the mountains. No. When you get to the good stuff on that road, you are balancing the fear of falling 2k feet to your death and the breathtaking mountains towering above you at 13k feet. The steep mountains are littered with old mining structures, stunning colors of earth, and alpine forest. In late September, those trees are just beginning to change color. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Ouray

 

Million Dollar

 

Red Mountain:

I made it to the area I wanted to camp, just outside of Silverton, at about 6:30pm. It was much busier than I anticipated on a Sunday evening. I found a decent spot and started setting up camp. One of my neighbors stopped by to say hello. He rides dual sport a lot, and lives somewhat close in Pagosa Springs. He and his wife invited me over for a dinner of home (camp?) made vegetable soup. It was delightful to eat with them and talk for a while. 

Summary:

• Western Colorado is Beautiful
• BIG mountains
• There's silver in them thar hills!
• 481 miles

Map:

 

[2and3cylinders]

Very nice. I hope to hit CO next year and visit a friend in Boulder, but I start n finish from much farther than you.

What size and weight are your Givi panniers and top case, they look huge and heavy?

Your wife may want more of you in your pics but spare us.  LOL

Where's your return leg report and map?  Still working on it?

[knyte]

Great pics, looks like a fabulous ride!

[draco_1967]

25 minutes ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Very nice. I hope to hit CO next year and visit a friend in Boulder, but I start n finish from much farther than you.

What size and weight are your Givi panniers and top case, they look huge and heavy?

Your wife may want more of you in your pics but spare us.  LOL

Where's your return leg report and map?  Still working on it?

The top case is an E55, and the side cases are the Trekker Dolomiti 35L. They are large, but not super heavy. I did notice that the front end gets light when I hit speeds above 85mph. The top case is light stuff (heated liners, extra gloves, clothes. The heaver stuff is in the panniers. The bike still handled great at normal speeds, and I hardly knew they were there. 

I'll put the last leg of the trip up tomorrow. And I promise, no more selfies for y'all 😄

[2and3cylinders]

Which I could get a .gpx route of your middle leg...

[draco_1967]

Although the second night was much colder at ~9k feet, I slept toasty warm in my bear burrito. I was up early, but took my time cleaning up camp before hitting the road. I didn't mind waiting a little for the sun to peak over those massive mountains.

I hit the road about 8:30, and rolled into Silverton. Well, I rolled by Silverton. I've been in the town, and I didn't feel the need to go through this day. I did stop for a few pictures. The mountains and trees were ablaze in the morning light!

I wanted to stop at every little pull-out and overlook on the road, but I knew I had a lot of miles to cover to get home. 580 miles to get home!

Continuing south on 550 brought me to Durango. I rode by a mural on the wall of a laundromat, and decided I needed a pic!

The first half of the way home was the least direct, but most fun. I headed West toward Dolores, then Northeast toward Ophir and Telluride to complete the "San Juan Skyway" scenic byway. The road up to Telluride is almost as amazing as Million Dollar. Then I headed Northwest again toward Naurita.

There is a sublime road between Nuarita and Gateway that wind its way beside the Dolores River through the canyon carved by the river over a few millennia. The canyon walls are beautiful red rock, and the valley floor is lush and green. The road slowly descends in altitude toward the desert floor. This was my 3rd time through this road, and I have never once stopped for pictures! Smooth pavement, sweeping corners, and long sight lines makes me want to just flow through that gorge like the river itself. I just got into a rhythm and kept on rolling. If you are out this way, it is a must-ride road. Here is a shot from Google Street View:

From Gateway, I turned Northeast again toward Grand Junction. Then the miserable 4-hour slog along the highway to get home. It was worth it though! I want to do this trip (or something similar) every year around this time. One of these days, I need to get the Dirt Ninja out here and ride some of the passes that crisscross the mountains between the mining towns.

Summary

• Beautiful roads
• Lame highways
• Perfect temperatures
• 580 miles
• ~1500 total trip miles

Map

 

Epilogue

Many bugs were killed in the making of this trip

[draco_1967]

20 hours ago, 2and3cylinders said:

Which I could get a .gpx route of your middle leg...

PM sent!

[betoney]

10 hours ago, draco_1967 said:

I headed West toward Dolores, then Northeast toward Ophir and Telluride to complete the "San Juan Skyway" scenic byway. The road up to Telluride is almost as amazing as Million Dollar. Then I headed Northwest again toward Naurita.

There is a sublime road between Nuarita and Gateway that wind its way beside the Dolores River through the canyon carved by the river over a few millennia. The canyon walls are beautiful red rock, and the valley floor is lush and green. The road slowly descends in altitude toward the desert floor. This was my 3rd time through this road, and I have never once stopped for pictures! Smooth pavement, sweeping corners, and long sight lines makes me want to just flow through that gorge like the river itself. I just got into a rhythm and kept on rolling. If you are out this way, it is a must-ride road.

The scenery around Telluride is indeed spectacular though when we went through we were greeted with rain and hail. ☹️ 

The road you are referring to is CO-141 and it is sublime!!  Miles and miles of sweeping curves through red, rocky canyons... and we didn't encounter another vehicle the entire way to Naturita. 👍

[whisperquiet]

12 hours ago, betoney said:

The scenery around Telluride is indeed spectacular though when we went through we were greeted with rain and hail. ☹️ 

The road you are referring to is CO-141 and it is sublime!!  Miles and miles of sweeping curves through red, rocky canyons... and we didn't encounter another vehicle the entire way to Naturita. 👍

I’ve ridden CO 141 numerous times and first found it on a dual sport ride from Moab to the Gateway Resort via John Brown road about 15 years ago.  Four of us rode out of Gunnison in early August this year for a week.  It was hazy, but I did not smell much smoke as I did the last two years in CO.