On the road again

 Today is our first day of a 3-week trip into the Canadian Rockies, down through Glacier National Park, and back home. We originally planned this trip right when COVID hit, which meant we couldn't cross into Canada or west through Glacier. A lot has happened since then - we moved from Arizona to Colorado - and now have the opportunity for this trip.

It's hot this summer so we left home at 7:30am for a 6 hour ride northwest to Grand Junction, CO. On the way through Pagosa Springs we saw four hot air balloons - a fun start to our morning.

The ride on US 160W to Durango is one we make often, and we enjoyed the cool air with temperatures in the 60's. Once in Durango we headed north on US 550, climbing into the San Juan National Forest on one of the most beautiful and incredibly fun motorcycle roads we've ever been on. We passed the Durango & Silverton narrow gauge train along the way.

After a quick stop for gas and a snack in Silverton, established in the 1870's during the Colorado mining boom, we started on the 25 mile section of US 550 known as the Million Dollar Highway. Built in the 1880's for supposedly 1 million dollars to connect the two mining towns of Silverton and Ouray, it's a motorcyclist's dream. 

The 12 mile section from Red Mountain through the Uncompahgre Gorge is downright scary - no guardrails, lots of twists and hairpin turns, rocks on one side and a sheer drop-off (remember there are no guardrails) on the other. Mike doesn't get to look around and take in the gorgeous views so I take photos to share with him later.

Once through Ouray - another 1870's mining town - the ride becomes very tame although still beautiful, riding past Ridgway State Park and the park's 5 mile long reservoir as we continued north to Montrose.

We stopped at Backstreet Bagels for lunch on one of the best bagels we've had since we left Vermont 12 years ago, then continued on US 50 west along Colorado's Western Slope through Olathe - famous for fabulous sweet corn.

The temperature was in the mid-90's as we rode along the divided 4-lane highway between the Grand Mesa, West Elk Mountains, and Uncompahgre Plateau. The landscape here is completely different from the jagged mountain peaks in the San Juan mountains.

We were hot and thirsty when we pulled into our hotel on Main Street in downtown Grand Junction, named because it's where the Gunnison and Colorado rivers meet in the Grand Valley. We'll cool off and enjoy the evening before starting Day 2 of trip as we continue north toward Canada.

Tour of the San Juans - Day 2

 We woke up to a clear, crisp morning in Montrose, Colorado and enjoyed breakfast at the Backstreet Bagel Company. Having lived in Vermont for several years we love excellent bagels, and they're extremely difficult to find in the West. Backstreet Bagels is a huge hit!

The first day of our 2-day Labor Day weekend ride in the San Juan Mountain range in the Rockies was filled with twisting roads complete with hairpin turns up and down the mountains with so many amazing mountain vistas. Today was even better!

We started off south on US 550 and almost immediately saw the high, jagged mountain peaks in the distance ahead of us. Yesterday we rode north on CO 149 on the eastern side of this same mountain range.

We rode past Ridgway State Park and reservoir, built in 1978-1987 for flood control and irrigation.

We turned southwest on CO 62, riding into the mountains past irrigated fields.

We turned south onto CO 145, riding along the San Miquel River toward Telluride.

Our route today didn't take us into Telluride, although we caught glimpses of the ski runs. CO 145 continues it's winding way through the San Juans complete with hairpin turns as we climbed and then descended over and over, always with one amazing view of the high mountains that rise above the treeline after another.

We stopped at the Sunshine Mountain scenic overview where we saw Wilson Peak (14,017'), Sunshine Mountain (12,930' where it really does look like the sun shines on it even on a day with lots of fluffy clouds) and several other peaks that were first protected in 1932 as the Wilson Mountains Primitive Area, and then expanded in 1980 as part of the larger Lizard Head Wilderness.

Soon after the stop we rode over Lizard Head Pass at 10,246' through open meadows. This area must be even more spectacular in the summer when the wildflowers bloom.

CO 145 dropped down out of the mountains as we neared Dolores (Spanish for 'sorrows' and named for the river where it's located).

We picked up CO 184 south in Dolores, riding past small clusters of houses and ranch land to US 160 in Mancos, just outside Mesa Verde National Park. 

Until now we saw only a few cars and motorcycles, but once on US 160 heading east to Pagosa Springs there was a lot of traffic and larger groups of motorcycles.

We rode 251 miles today on roads perfect for motorcycles, traveling the San Juan Byway through southwestern Colorado.

Tour of the San Juans Day One

It's Labor Day weekend so we decided to hop on the BMW and do a circular loop of the San Juan Mountains, part of the Rockies located in SW Colorado and NW New Mexico. There are over 28 peaks in this mountain range, and 6 of them are over 14,000' high. The San Juans are the largest mountain range by area in Colorado, covering 13 different counties - including our own Archuleta County. 

These mountains were created as the continental plates slammed into each other, and then volcanic activity and glaciers carved the steep mountains and U-shaped canyons. The Ute people lived here for hundreds of years, and the Spanish were the first Europeans to explore this area, naming many of the mountains and rivers.

It's an absolutely gorgeous spot for motorcycle riders and we took full advantage of the opportunities literally in our back yard.

We started our trip heading northeast on US 160 from Pagosa Springs, riding once again over Wolf Creek Pass on the Continental Divide at 10,857'. On the eastern side of the pass we turned north onto CO 149 at South Fork, at the confluence of the South Fork and Rio Grande rivers.

South Fork is start of the 117 mile Silver Thread Scenic Byway and we thoroughly enjoyed winding our way along the Rio Grande river. We passed through Creede, which bears the distinction of being the town with the most people (257 in the 2020 Census) AND the county seat of Mineral County. It's hard to believe that in 1891 more than 10,000 people lived in Creede due to the silver mining boom.

Our first stop of the day was at Clear Creek Falls, where the water shoots over the plateau down the rocks of the 100' canyon. From the highway you have no idea that the canyon or the waterfall is just a few hundred feet away - so be sure to stop.

 Not long after riding past the waterfall we started climbing up the first of two passes:  Spring Creek Pass at 10,898' along the Continental Divide.

The 2-lane paved road winds and twists, complete with some U-shaped hairpin turns up Slumgullion Pass at 11,530'. Some of the climbs are 9% grade, and we had a lot of fun zooming along, looking at the mountain peaks in the distance.

Our second stop of the day was at Windy Point overlook where we could clearly see several high peaks of the Umcompahgre Wilderness only 15 miles away.

The highest peak (the pointy one that leans to the right) is Uncompahgre Peak, at 14,321'.

We could also see the Slumgullion Earthflow Natural Landmark that started 850 years ago when a huge chunk of rock, dirt and forest broke off and slid 4 miles down the side of the mountain.

The earth continues to move about 20' each year, and as we rode past the 'toe' of the earthflow, I wondered when it will slide over the highway.

 

CO 149 took us into Lake City, another town that grew during the mining years to 5000 people, and today is home to about 430. In 1978 the Lake City Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and the town is gorgeous. We stopped for lunch and then rode through the original downtown area, now home to galleries and shops.

We continued north on CO 149, riding through a gorge formed by the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River.

The landscape opened up as we rode through grasslands with far off views of more of the San Juan Mountains.

The Silver Thread Scenic Byway ends at Blue Mesa Reservoir, where CO 149 meets US 50.

The Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest body of water in Colorado, 20 miles in length with over 96 miles of shoreline. It's impressive to ride for miles along the lake, and we were surprised that there weren't more boats on the water on a beautiful Labor Day weekend. 

We've ridden on US 50 several times over the last 10 years, and there is always construction. This year was one of the only times we didn't have to stop and wait for several minutes as the traffic was reduced to one-way only for a few miles - but there was a section that was loose gravel, always challenging on a motorcycle.

We finished the day in Montrose after riding 241 miles through the stunning San Juan Mountains, looking forward to another day as we continue our 2-day ride.

First ride of 2023

 A lot has happened since we last were on a BMW trip: we moved from Arizona to Colorado! We live in the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado, and are thrilled to watch the deer, elk, chipmunks and birds all around our home.

Today we started a 2-week trip, first heading to Bozeman, Montana to visit our youngest son. We rode 255 miles for the day, first riding west on US 160 out of Pagosa Springs to Durango. 

                                     

Pagosa Springs

In Durango we picked up US 550 north, one of our favorite rides through the San Juan and Uncompahgre national forests. I've never ridden south to north, and this is the earliest in the year we've been on this route. There's still a lot of snow after one of the snowiest years on record, and the aspens at the higher elevations haven't yet started to leaf out.

This narrow, 2-lane highway is famous for tight hairpin turns and sheer drop-offs with no guardrails. There wasn't much traffic and we had a lot of fun zooming down the road.

550 goes through Silverton, one of the highest towns in the US at 9,318' and our entrance today to the Million Dollar Highway that runs between Silverton and Ouray. These were originally gold and silver mining towns and today are more famous for the astounding scenery and remote backcountry adventures. 

I had on my raingear from the beginning of the trip to stay warm (temperatures in the 50's and low 60's) but when we spotted rain clouds ahead, we stopped so Mike could put on his rain gear.

I love how small the BMW and Mike look in this photo against the huge mountains!

It was raining as we rode through Ouray, and then the sun came out as the valley opened up. We stopped in Montrose for lunch, and then continued on US 50 west and north toward Grand Junction. It's amazing how quickly the landscape changes in Colorado. We were out of the snow-capped mountains and at lower elevations riding through the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area. 

We rode through the Uncompahgre Plateau where red-rock canyons and sandstone bluffs dominate the landscape.

As we headed into Grand Junction, Mike had some fun at a stoplight with a guy on a Ninja. They both did wheelies, and Mike accelerated ahead. The power of the BMW!

We're spending the night in Grand Junction on the Western Slope of the Rockies and looking forward to sunny skies and fun riding tomorrow as we continue north toward Montana.

Exploring Colorado's mountain passes on the BMW

We've been riding around Colorado for the past few days, discovering new roads that we haven't been on before and riding favorite roads for a second time. We started off heading east from Pagosa Springs on US 160 East, riding past green fields and ranches bordered by the mountains.

Soon we started climbing up in the San Juan mountains, heading up Wolf Creek Pass. 

The steep road winds and twists up to the top of the Pass at 10,857' where we crossed the Continental Divide for the first time today before we descended down the eastern slope past the Wolf Creek ski area.

In South Fork we turned north onto Colorado 149, the first time we've been on this road and what a find! 149 is the Silver Thread scenic byway that traverses remote parts of the state that were once important in silver mining, and today is an outdoor lover's paradise. The Rio Grande River flows along the highway, which twists and turns to match the river's path.

We followed the Rio Grande through the mountains to the small town of Creede, which in the late 1800's was home to over 10,000 people due to the booming silver mining in the area.

As we continued north past Creede, we stopped at a scenic overlook and discovered we were looking at the headwaters of the Rio Grande where it starts at an elevation of over 13,000' in the San Juan mountains before it travels 1,885 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.

A couple also stopped at the overlook told us about a waterfall just a couple of miles further north, so we turned off the highway to see North Clear Creek Falls, a 100+ foot waterfall formed by volcanic activity 27 million years ago.

Back on the highway, we continued north, climbing up Spring Creek Pass and crossing the Continental Divide for the second time today at 10,889' before we descended down toward Lake City.

The mountains weren't done with us yet as we quickly ascended up the even higher Slumgullion Pass at 11,530'. 

The descent down the north side of Slumgullion Pass at times is a 9% grade, and the sweeping turns made this section a fantastic motorcycle ride. We descended down into Lake City at 8,661'. Much of the town is part of a historic district with many of the original homes from mining days restored to promote tourism. We stopped for lunch at the Lake City Cafe and enjoyed one of the best meals of our trip.

149 continues north along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River and through Independence Gulch.

149 ends at US 50, just past the Blue Mesa Reservoir.

We turned east onto US 50, our final leg for the day. We rode through Gunnison, then retraced our route from 3 days ago up and over Monarch Pass - at 11,312' our last crossing of the Continental Divide for the day.

We're spending the night in Salida and planning an earlier start tomorrow with a goal of riding to the top of Pike's Peak - 14,115'.