Through the Rockies in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana

We started today in Pinedale, Wyoming and headed north on US 191 toward Jackson, riding on gorgeous sweeping mountain roads.

The Hogback River criss-crossed the highway and then we rode through the narrow canyon and steep cliffs carved out by the river.

We then turned onto WY 22 which twists and winds over Teton Pass that tops out at 8431'. There were a lot of vehicles traveling both directions on the highway which meant riding more slowly and giving us more time to look at the scenery.

We then rode straight throgh Teton Valley on ID 32, marveling at the bright gold fields of grain as far as we could see.

We've had clear skies since we left Colorado three days ago but today the effects from the numerous wildfires in Oregon made everything a bit hazy, especially the usually clear long views to the mountains.

The landscape changed agaiin as we rode through Island Park on US 20N, passing fields of pine trees, dirt roads that snaked off the highway toward camping areas, and distant views of mountains.

We then turned onto US 287 North, riding along the Madison River and then stopped for a few minutes to walk around downtown Ennis MT and sit at a shady picnic table before riding the last few miles to Three Forks.

Merriweather Lewis named the Madison in 1805 after then US Secretary of State Madison, who succeeded Thomas Jefferson as President.

We're staying at the Sacajawea Hotel in Three Forks. Built in 1910 and recently refurbished, it's a grand old 3-story hotel with a large, inviting covered front porch. After riding 290 miles today, we're ready for an easy evening before meeting up with our kids tomorrow at Flathead Lake.

Riding from northwest Colorado through Utah and into Wyoming

 Today is the second day of our ride to Flathead Lake, Montana and we rode 326 miles from Craig, CO to Pinedale, WY.

We started off west on US 40 through rolling hills covered with sagebrush with almost no other vehicles on the road and nothing to see as far we looked around us.

Mike kept noting that we were riding through 'the big empty' - it's amazing how far you can see to the horizon and how little manmade objects there are.

We rode past signs for Dinosaur National Monument and remembered when we visited here 18 years ago. The Colorado welcome center just over the line into Utah was a great bathroom stop, and then we continued on US 40 past Blue Mountain that displays different levels of sandstone, rock and fossils first deposited 290 million years ago when a shallow sea covered this part of the western United States and has been eroded by wind and water ever since.

This is a prime hang gliding and paragliding spot with some people able to fly 100-150 miles on the thermals. We didn't see anyone today, but it's amazing to imagine. It's a perfect spot for a photo of Mike on the BMW:

Every town we rode through in this area plays up the dinosaur theme, and after we passed the huge pink dinosaur in Vernal, UT we turned north on US 191.

US 191 goes through the Flaming Gorge and the reservoir formed by the dam on the Green River. Signs along the highway point out the wide variety of geological deposits as the road twists and curves through stupendous rock formations.

Most of the time we've been riding at over 7000' elevation and today we dipped down below 6000' before ascending once again to over 8000'. Once again we couldn't see anything manmade except for fences and sometimes electric lines as we rode from Utah into Wyoming.

We're in Pinedale Wyoming and tomorrow continue north into Montana, looking forward to riding through more of the Rocky Mountain peaks.

First day riding to Flathead Lake, Montana

 It's been a busy year and this is our first longer motorcycle trip in the US. We're headed to Flathead Lake, Montana for a long weekend with our kids and today rode 361 miles from our home in southwestern Colorado to Craig, CO.

We rode over three high mountain passes today:  Wolf Creek, Poncha, and Tennessee and loved winding our way through the Rocky Mountains.

US 24 from Buena Vista to Leadville CO

downtown Leadville

Leadville was part of the 1860's gold rush and the population reached it's peak of 30,000 people in 1877 with the combination of gold and silver mining. Currently about 2600 people live in Leadville at 10,119' which is the highest incorporated town in the US.

We continued north on US 24, twisting through the hairpin turns and curves through the Rockies.

As we descended Battle Mountain on US 24 we passed by the abandoned mining town in Gilman. The EPA closed down the mine and the community in 1984 because of mining related toxins in the ground water.

US 24 ended and we crossed the Eagle River on CO 131 continuing north past the high peaks around Vail.

Continuing north we rode through a wide valley around Yampa, named by the Ute tribe for an edible plant along the river. The Flat Top mountain range rises in the west.

We ended the day in Craig in northwestern Colorado, midway between Denver and Salt Lake City in an area of rolling hills covered with sage brush.

Tomorrow we continue northwest to Pinedale, WY looking forward to more Rocky Mountain riding.

Mountains and aspens in New Mexico

 We woke up this morning to fog covered streets in Taos, NM so we took our time getting started. By the time we rode out of the city of Taos, the fog and clouds were clearing.

We decided to ride some out-and-back routes into the mountains, hopefully avoiding long delays for road construction that we encountered yesterday. We first rode to the Taos Ski Valley, founded in the early 1950's by Swiss skiing pioneer Ernie Blake and his family. It's mid-September, so no snow yet, but we kept spotting stands of aspens turning bright gold.

NM 150 curves and twists through canyons about 15 miles from Taos to the ski area, making for a fun and beautiful morning ride.

Back in Taos, we rode north on NM 522, a straight road with long roller-coaster hills with long views toward the mountains. This section is part of the New Mexico Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway and the Old Spanish Trail northern route.

The Old Spanish Trail was a trade route connecting Taos, Sante Fe, and other northern New Mexico towns with southern California. The area was explored by the Spanish in the late 1500's, and then used by traders until the 1850's. It's a lot of fun on a motorcycle, and we can't imagine covering this high alpine, dry area on horseback.

We turned east in Questa on NM 38 toward Red River, once more winding and curving through the mountains. 

Instead of continuing southeast and circling back to Taos on US 64 since we rode much of that route yesterday, we turned around at Red River, originally founded as a mining town and today home to a small ski area and lots of outdoor activities.

 As happens to us frequently on motorcycle trips, it was too early for lunch when we got back into Taos, and the 2 hour ride home offers no places to stop and eat. We settled for an energy bar and a bottle of water from a gas station and headed home on US 64 north. We crossed the Rio Grande River gorge, and then stopped at the beautiful rest area on the north side of the river.

The bridge was built in the 1960's and at 650' above the river, it's the second highest bridge on the US highway system (the highest is 700' over the Glade Creek in West Virginia) and the 5th highest bridge in the United States. This area is also part of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. We walked a short way from the rest area to look out over the gorge and the river below.

We were glad it was sunny with just a few clouds as a colder Fall wind picked up as we continued north on US 64 toward home. This is a very low traffic road that climbs over 10,000' in the Sangre de Cristos range of the Rocky Mountains. 

As we continued toward Chama, NM we had wonderful views of the Brazos Cliffs that tower over 11,000'.

Chama is only about 25 miles south of our home in southwestern Colorado, and as we got closer to home I was able to take a photo of the view we see from our windows: V Rock, Navajo Peaks and Banded Peaks.

We enjoy long motorcycle trips where the days develop a rhythm and we see something new around every turn, and yet these short, 2-day trips near home give us a welcome break from work and daily life plus the opportunity to experience more of the area where we live. We're already planning our next trip!

2-day trip into New Mexico

 We're on our first day of a quick, 2-day trip into New Mexico. We live only 2 miles north of New Mexico in southwestern Colorado, and decided to ride through the mountains in the Taos area, hoping to see some aspens starting to change colors.

Most of the trip we rode on US 64 heading southeast through the mountains, topping off at over 10,000' elevation where we saw our first aspens changing into their Fall, bright cold colors.

This is such a fun ride - twisting, winding, climbing 2-lane paved highway with almost no traffic. We rode through the Kit Carson National Forest which covers 1.5 million acres in northern New Mexico with parts of the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains and the San Juan Basin.

US 64 goes past the Taos Earthships, 600 acres of off-the-grid homes built into the earth that use solar, wind, recycled water, old tires, car batteries, glass bottles, and every type of technology available.

There is a circular route in the Taos area that winds through the Sangre de Cristo mountains, part of the Rocky Mountain range. We planned to ride part of the route each day, and today rode on US 64 East into Angel Fire, catching glimpses of colorful aspens along the way.

We stopped in Angel Fire, a small town at the base of a ski area east of Taos, for lunch and then continued south on NM 434 through a beautiful valley. Riding at about 8500' elevation, the mountains around us don't look very tall, but they're all over 10,000'.

The skies were cloudy and threatening rain all day, and as soon as we turned northwest onto NM 518 toward Taos, we stopped to put on rain gear. It was a great decision because about 5 minutes later it started to rain, and rained the next hour until we got to our hotel in Taos. The temperature dropped to 48 degrees at the highest elevation but we were prepared.

Tomorrow we'll ride through more of the mountains in the Taos area before we head north and back home. The weather is promising sunny skies - a perfect motorcycle day.