Travelin' Man Joe: 2013

June 5

Departing Hotel Columbia, Telluride. June 5th

When I last wrote we had entered the town of Telluride on day 10, June 4th. The next day, Dennis and I departed for Canon City, Colorado, via the Black Canyon of Gunnison and then over Cottonwood Pass into Bella Vista. When I think back and try to decide which day I liked the best, this one surely ranks high amongst them and maybe it was the best. Everyday was unique. Everyday gave us lasting memories.

Elaine and Linnea decided to head back to NW Arkansas that morning and pretty much take the most direct route. Dennis and I would have another 3 days on the road. We all were so lucky not to have to deal with the fires which rage out there now, nor did we ever see any smoke or fire and each of us traveled through areas under siege.

Remember, click on photos to enlarge or to see slide show.

Our ride to Gunnison, CO and the Black Canyon began with probably the most clothing I had worn the entire trip. It was brisk and I had on upper long underwear, several shirts, sweat shirt and jacket, along with leather chaps. Dennis was in full leathers. Though it was chilly it was comfortable. As we rode through the canyon from Telluride on hwy. 145 and then 62 over to Ridgeway, CO to pick up highway 550 to Montrose , you could see the sun shining over the mountain tops, but not warming the road we rode on. Well it wasn't until we got about halfway along cutting east to Ridgeway did the sun finally have a path to shine down on us. Time to stop and shed a few layers, not to mention pictures of the incredible Colorado Rockies.

As we turned on highway 550 north to Montrose we spotted a local café and stopped for a nice bit to eat and for me a cup of good coffee. Had we turned right on hwy. 550 we would have run through the town of Ouray and over to Silverton and then into Durango, taking the famous Million Dollar Highway, but time wouldn't allow that ride on this trip. (see photo below.)

Highway 550 , Million Dollar Highway. Ouray, to Durango, CO. (Photo from internet.)

From Montrose we rode US Highway 50...yep, the same one that goes from Ocean City, Maryland to California. Not far down Route 50 was the turn for the Black Canyon. As we rode along I tried to remember my last visit a few years back and then I recalled what I would soon see again to my right. The grass flat land, what you would think carried on for miles, did not. In a sudden shift the land fell off, and not a gradual fall off either. If you weren't paying attention running around on this farm land you'd be shocked when all of a sudden you were falling 2,000 feet STRAIGHT down! I can't imagine how many people have had to have walked right off that cliff. http://www.nps.gov/blca/index.htm

As you travel along back into the park towards the Visitors Center you have no idea of the "sheer" beauty that lies only a few feet off the road. I often think about how hundreds of years ago, just how difficult it had to be to get around. Or when the first settler or Indian came upon this area, as well as others. Traveling west in covered wagons must have been extremely difficult. Think how much we take for granted.

"Black Canyon of the Gunnison though is one of the newer national parks, which was created in 1999. President Clinton called it "a true natural treasure" when he signed the bill that designated the 30,000 acres of canyon and desert as national park territory."

Here is a picture taken from a viewing area just behind the Visitors Center. Years ago when I traveled this park with Elaine, she wouldn't even get close to walking down to the view. I tried to dare Dennis into standing on one of these rails but he wasn't going along. In the photo below you can see how the land atop the cliff just drops off. This was true in much of the park area we were in, but as you follow the Gunnison River west, in the second photo below, you can see how the Canyon becomes more gradual. We learned the Gunnison river erodes in a year's time the width of a human hair, from the stone. Think how many millions of years it has taking to where you see the river now. http://www.ohranger.com/black-canyon-gunnison/geology

The following photos are those of the "Painted Wall" in the Black Canyon.

http://www.nps.gov/blca/planyourvisit/rockclimbing.htm

The Painted Wall is the highest vertical wall in the state of Colorado.

Dennis walked over to get a picture of sitting on this rock, which literally hung over the canyon floor. He said to me in all his dare devil stunts on this trip, this one made him the most nervous. Yet, it is the only one you can't really see from a photo just how precarious the rock sits.

Walking out and back to the bikes the paths wound their way through sagebrush and trees. I was always keenly aware of any reptile which may be lurking in the under brush. Earlier on this trip we came across a squished rattle snake.

These yellow flowers grew all about the rim of the canyon.

Below our two great rides which performed without any trouble.

We continued our ride up and around the south rim and worked our way back to the entrance of the park. As you come into the park is a road which takes you to the East Portal. The road has a 16% grade and numerous switchbacks, and is quite narrow. It looked pretty steep going down is all I know! We both agreed to give it a shot and ride down to the East Portal Diversion Dam. Whoa...what a view going down. AND, oh what a project to build. http://www.nps.gov/blca/historyculture/eastportal.htm

As we rode towards the dam we came upon some guys fly fishing and enjoying the serenity of the area. Incredible.

WARNING!!!

Grizzly Bear Warning from the Department of Fish and Game

In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear conflicts, the Department of Fish and Game is strongly advising Scouts, hikers, hunters, and fishermen to wear little noisy bells tied to their clothing while in the field so as not to startle bears that aren't expecting people to be walking in their habitat. It has also been strongly advised for Scouts and outdoorsmen to carry non-lethal pepper spray with them in case of an encounter with a bear.

The Department states it is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity such as fresh tracks and scat. How a person responds to a black bear encounter can be different from a response to a grizzly bear encounter. Therefore, recognizing the type of bear frequenting an area is very important. Anyone spending time in the backcountry should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

Black bear scat is smaller and contains lots of berries.

Grizzly bear scat has little bells in it and smells like pepper.

Fortunately, Black Bear Scat... and not a city bear either.

Whoa... got away with that one. :)

Riding back up and out of the park we stopped to get a picture at the entrance and ran into two guys who rode up from their home country of Mexico, ("Mejico", as they pronounced it.). They had been on the road for sometime and had a good bit of touring yet to do.

What a great visit to the Black Canyon. I highly recommend a stop there should you be in the area of Montrose, Colorado. It was time to move on and we headed to Gunnison, CO. Between Montrose and Gunnison a gas station is rare. Turned out to be good we had been riding in elevations of around 7,000 feet which helped increase our fuel mileage. However, I was on fumes when we arrived. A quick fuel up for the ride to Cottonwood Pass, and over into Buena Vista, Colorado.

COTTONWOOD PASS

12,126 feet

Continental Divide

This has got to be one of my all time favorite rides and riding area. How can you not enjoy the craziness of riding a Harley Davidson up or down, a 14 mile dirt road! If you ride to the Pass from the west, or Taylor Reservoir side, Crested Butte, it's dirt. Coming from Buena Vista it's 20 miles of asphalt. BUT... ya gotta ride the dirt, one way or the other! Couple of links to understand:

http://cottonwoodpass.net

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonwood_Pass

As we left the Black Canyon we rode US 50 east to Gunnison, turning onto CO hwy 135 towards Crested Butte. If you are ever n the Gunnison area, Crested Butte is a definite to check out. It's a pretty cool winter skiing town that reminds us of a Colorado Key West. http://www.visitcrestedbutte.com During the summer the Cottonwood trees release their seeds, commonly referred to as "fluff". http://www.mnn.com/local-reports/illinois/local-blog/airborne-fluff-the-cottonwood-tree I remember a few years back when we stayed in town , looking out the window, the air was filled with the fluff. Quite a site.

As we rode on highway 135 we saw signs of a detour ahead. To get to the Pass we would have to turn off at Almont and take state road 742 towards Taylor Reservoir, which ran along the Taylor River. I had told Dennis from my previous trip out that the ride to Cottonwood Pass was very scenic and the river ran along the road for most of the ride out. Turning onto 742 I stopped at a local store and asked about the detour and was told the road we were on was closed and we would have to go back to the main road and ride about 5 miles turing onto a dirt road that would connect us back to Taylor Resovoir. We did so,, having to ride along a hard packed dirt road, which really wasn't too bad and as I remembered it, this was exactly how climbing to Cottonwood Pass would be... not too bad. Dream on Joe.

Connecting back onto 135 we rode along the river, stopping to look at our surroundings and take some photos. It was so peaceful and you could hear the river run by...In the entire ride to the Pass only one vehicle passed us. (photo right) In the picture below Dennis is thanking me for such an incredible job of navigation and showing him the world outside of NW Arkansas.

As we slowly climb towards the reservoir we passed numerous fly fisherman. What a perfect day to be on a motorcycle. No traffic, fresh Colorado air, crisp temperatures, a crystal clear river running along the road and having me by your side.

Soon we came upon Taylor Reservoir and the colors of Colorado exploded in our windshields. Absolutely incredible scenery.

Ok... we found our way up, now I just have to find the entrance to Cottonwood Pass. Years before when I rode the area I came in from Buena Vista from the east and exited at the reservoir. We must have ridden for about 30 minutes trying to find the road up. I even turned into a campsite thinking maybe that was the way in...nope. Stopping to asked some campers I was pointed in the right direction and off we went...still lost. One more attempt to asked for help and we were on our way. I was like a child in a candy store. I was so excited and wanted to share my excitement with Dennis on what I thought was going to be the highlight of the trip. AND I wasn't wrong!

Look at us above. So excited we didn't even see how crummy the road was ahead of us. Just ready to ride up 14 miles of dirt to the top of the mountain.

Ok, so we are now poised to ride up. It's the event of the trip I have been telling Dennis about for the past couple of weeks. I tell Dennis to go ahead of me so I can take some pictures of him riding and off he goes, like a bullet! I start out slowly and right away I am banging and bouncing so hard I think my Harley is going to come apart under me. The road is a total wash out. Nothing but washboard conditions and I mean serious washboard conditions.

For these who are not familiar with the term washboard. You might remember your mom or grandmother washing clothes and using her washboard to scrub them... Or maybe you've heard someone talk about me and my "washboard" abs. Well here is a picture of a washboard.

Dennis pulls over ahead and when I catch up to him I say, "This isn't how I remember the road. It's terrible, I thought my bike was coming apart under me." Dennis says if I want to turn back he's fine with it, but I have been looking forward to this for a long time. He tells me the best way to ride it is to with SPEED! Are you kidding? Well sure enough I ran the bike up to 30 to 40 mph and the wheels just hopped from one hump to the next. Now the switchback corners in the road were another matter. Full of gravel and loose dirt the bike would fishtail in the corner. Back tire sliding in the direction of the momentum... I must have been nuts... my Harley is now a dirt bike! Speaking of dirt and dust, you can only imagine what it looked like after 14 miles.

Above is a photo of the washboarding and me giving the thumbs down prior to learning about the "need for speed".

Nine miles up we come across this sign. Seriously, after nine miles you tell us?

Below are a series of photos of the trip up and as our views progress.

Here I am making the final climb. Nice muddy rough road. BUT, I made it.

We made it! 12,126 feet!
After reaching the top this movie comes to mind. Some of you may have seen Jim Carey in the movie, Dumb and Dumber... If the video does not display below just click on this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnkefjCES-4

So after spending some time on Cottonwood Pass, Dennis decides he will take it a step further and begins his climb up a bit higher. Along his trek he stops to lay down and catch his breath. Finally reaching the top in celebration.

The ride down to Buena Vista was so much nicer, but then not as exciting. In the photo below, I am looking back up the mountain and enjoying the feeling of asphalt under my boots.

Arriving in Buena Vista I take Dennis straight to K's for a burger and he becomes a celebrity. With every order placed, a celebrity's name is printed randomly on your receipt. When your order is ready they call you by that name. While we were waiting I heard Jimmy Hendricks called, Shania Twain, Tom Hanks, and of course Dennis was called... Babe Ruth. Yeah, an appropriate name for him. The Babe.

From Buena Vista we high tailed it out of town and begun our official trip home to NW Arkansas. Leaving on highway 285 we connected with US Route 50 and road the canyon to Canon City, CO.(No "y" in the name.) As we got on route 50 it was obvious our weather was about to change. Low lying clouds were moving into the valley and the mountains were shrouded in fog. I knew at some point we would be in that fog and we were. Although we didn't get rained upon it did create a mist about our windshields and damp conditions on the road. We arrived in Canon City about 8:00 p.m. and called it a night.

June 6

On June 6 we headed out of Colorado and into Kansas. The last time I rode through Kansas it was about 100 degrees and threating storms. This trip it barely hit 70 and the sky was as blue as blue could be, with those nice white puffy clouds. Couldn't be better. The only thing I remember about Kansas and worth taking a photo of were the feedlots/feed yards full of cattle being fattened up for slaughter.

I told Dennis if I was a cow I surely wouldn't lay on the ground. That is a clear indication in my mind that you're "fat and happy". Some of these feedlots are just huge and you can smell them way before you arrive. At this one the slaughter house was across the road. The parking lot was full of refrigerated trucks and beyond the building I could see a caravan of cattle trucks moving into the facility. Business must be good.

As you can imagine with all this cattle feeding and lots, the bugs are thick! Here is my view by the time we reached Wichita, KS for the night.

Did you ever see Wild Hogs?... they may have been riding across Kansas as well in this movie scene. Click on link if video does not display below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrIG-jf1Sz4

June 7

On the morning of the 7th of June we headed out for our LAST day on the road. Day 13. Man, it was hard to believe it was over in a few hours. We rode most of Kansas 400 east and I remember at one point along the way when we entered the corner of Missouri and picked up hwy. 171, that the road became what I might call, "The Turtle Highway". I saw numerous turtles trying to make it across the road with their heads out stretched and many others that didn't make it. Not sure, but maybe there was some migration thing going on? Or they were all trying to get out of Missouri. Anyway... didn't take any pics. Dennis had a conference call he had to make at 1 p.m. that day so he broke the sound barrier on he way home and I tried to keep up.

3400.5 Miles

As hard as it is to believe the ride and month's time away from home, is over. How time really does fly. We arrived back in Maryland, June 13 ahead of the predicted storms. Leaving a day earlier from Tennessee than planned got us back without having to travel 650 miles through heavy thunderstorms. (I stopped in TN on the way out to Arkansas and back to visit my mother.)

I think about how fortunate Dennis and I were to ride so many miles through Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri without a drop of rain and mild temperatures for most every day, with only the exception of Oklahoma. Although when riding motorcycles you know you will eventually be ridding in fowl weather and it is just part of the experience. However, if I can get mild, crisp unlimited visibility days then, "I'm In!".

When we rode through Oklahoma we did so a few days after the deadly tornado that hit Moore, OK and before the next tornado came through and did more damage. It was the hottest 2 days of the ride going though Oklahoma and the night we stayed in Guymon, OK the temp was 95 degrees. Not to mention the wind was blowing a 40 knot gale in our face of sand, bugs and plain old grime. We were so fortunate. Even if we had encountered weather, spending time with a long time buddy would be worth it. Well...

Dennis and I met during our 10th grade school year, 1966/67, we both were 15 years old and of all the guys I hung with, I was the first to get a drivers license. As you can imagine, it was all down hill from there.

It was a great ride Dennis. Let's do it again.