In case you missed the last issue, after being laid off, I decided to take the opportunity to see the Rockies on my new Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic. Part I recounts my adventures and misadventures with my friend Pete Puccio through Washington State and up into Canada. Pete headed back to work and I made my way back through Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming to see Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons before turning south for Denver where we pick up the tale...
After a few days off in Denver (including servicing the bike and arranging for a job interview back in San Francisco). It was time to turn south to Phoenix to catch my flight out for the interview. With four days to burn, I just had to figure out how.
I've long wanted to see the Silverton, Durango, and Mesa Verde areas of Colorado. My dad has been out at least twice to this area and I know it's one of his favorite destinations. With that in mind, I charted a course for Montrose, CO.
The route was Interstate 25 to Colorado Springs and then Highway 115 turning to Penrose to catch Highway 50. It was about six hours in total with much of it on Highway 50 riding along the beautiful Arkansas River.
A good portion of the ride is bounded by San Isabel National Forest to the north and San Juan National Forest to the south. It is a climbing, winding road along the Arkansas and it is a joy to experience.
A new front moved in as I crossed the Continental Divide at Monarch pass. But it held a rather pleasant surprise; for the first time on the trip it was a warm rain--even at over 11k feet of elevation.
The rain lightened up on the other side of the pass and I found a great spot to stop and smoke a cigar at Black Mesa Lake. Despite the rain I made excellent time into Montrose.
By 5:30 PM I'd found a hotel, searched out dinner and a local brew pub, and kicked back to blog about the trip.
Silverton To Durango
My 20th day on the road I awoke to mostly sunny skies and the ability to get off to an early start without having to worry about all the rain gear.
The first stop was Ouray, a former mining town that is now a National Historic District. Ouray is a destination spot for anyone that enjoys the outdoors and features some perfect country for hiking, mountain biking, four-wheeling, and of course, motorcycling.
Highway 550 goes from Ouray, through Silverton, to Durango. It is 70 miles of heaven on a bike--spectacular views, intense twisties, and a multitude of pullouts to enjoy the views. Most of the pullouts have markers which add a great historical touch to this ride.
Even taking my time, I was in Durango by lunch and the urge to turn around and do the same ride again was only squelched by the knowledge that I had a plane to catch on Monday (it was Saturday). So after lunch I turned onto Highway 160 with storm clouds gathering, I had no other thought than to head toward Four Corners and find a hotel by dark.
Mesa Verde National Park
After lunch in Durango, I began seeing signs for Mesa Verde National Park and decided that I had plenty of time to stop and see a place I had been meaning to get to.
Some events in life become life lessons. Once such for me was on a family vacation as a child to the East Coast. Before we left we decided that as a family we wanted to see the Biltmore Estate and Gardens in Asheville, North Carolina. However, when we arrived at the front gate, it was raining and rather than just see the inside of the house, we decided to come back a few days later so we could take the full tour. Vacations being what they are, we never made it back--and to this day I've never seen Biltmore.
So, life lesson learned, when I arrived at the turn off to MVNP with the lighting flashing and the thunder rolling, I never hesitated. I wasn't going to miss this one.
Mesa Verde is another worthy destination. Less so for its rideability (the road was under repair and very rough), but for its beauty and historical nature. While the storm had forced the closure of the guided tours, I was still able to wander through some of the cliff houses on my own. The side benefit of the rain was that it kept all the tourists indoors and I practically had the place to myself.
Leaving MVNP, I received the biggest surprise of the day. Riding in the desert at sunset, following on the heels of a thunderstorm was one of the highlights of the trip. The air was clean, the clouds were breaking up, it was about 75 degrees, and the moon and Venus were visible for the entire ride.
Unfortunately, hotel and camping options in that part of the country are scarce, so I ended up spending the night in Kayenta, Arizona in a trailer that passed for a hotel room.