Turd on the Run

[dbarkdoll_imp]

So here we go...!!

Me leaving my sisters place in Taos Monday, August 5th.



The night before was a bit stressful. We were hanging out in the house when all of a sudden her roommate yelled,"Holy s#!t, your bike fell over!"

My heart sank. Hadn't even started yet and the whole thing could be ruined. I was real worried that the clutch lever was snapped in two which would have postponed leaving substantially. We got it upright though and to my absolute surprise, the only scratch on the bike was on the left mirror. I had parked it in the gravel underneath their carport and it rained pretty much all night. I guess most of the runoff from the roof went right towards where the bike was parked and turned the ground to mush. Kickstand sank right into it. But, everything seemed to be fine so I was beyond relieved.

Headed out towards Colorado for the start of everything. Couldn't have asked for better weather.



Rode through Chama NM, ate some lunch there. Really cool place, home of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

Made it across the state line shortly after, Was feeling really really good.



Rode around the Conejos Valley area, so stunning. Elevation was starting to climb here.





Rode through Pagosa Springs, CO for a beer and short hangout. Was getting time to start searching for camp which wound up being a National Forest campground near Chimney Rock Monument. Couldn't have asked for a better first day!


Day 2 I headed out towards Durango, CO. Didn't have a real plan other than I wanted to end up in Fort Collins by Saturday, plenty of time to wander around the western slope. Met two bikers at a gas station, one was on a gorgeous Suzuki GS with a nice paint matched Windjammer and some luggage. I told them I was thinking about heading towards Mesa Verde National Park, they said it's way too hot there right now. Asked if I had been up Highway 550 yet towards Silverton and Ouray, I said no. They highly recommended it and I was in the position to receive recommendations so off I went. What a phenomenal choice, was very glad I ran into them. Later found out 550 is The Million Dollar Highway, which I had heard of but didn't put 2 and 2 together til I was on it. Should be on every motorcyclists bucket list for sure.

This is south of Silverton I believe. Hard to remember for sure. It gets better.





Molas Pass, 10,912 ft. Impossible to get it all in a photo. Truly stunning panoramic overlook.









Silverton, CO. 9,318 ft.













Really cool place, hung out there for a bit, went to some shops, grabbed some lunch. Would go back in a heartbeat.
Highway 550 from Silverton to Ouray. This is the stretch that gave it it's name.











Absolutely stunning piece of road. And quite hair-raising too. You can see the utter lack of guardrails.

Ouray, CO. 7,792 ft. Another really cool old mining town.



After all this amazing riding, I kept the ball rolling and headed towards Telluride.



Found a National Forest campground nearby and met a couple who were riding all over on a KTM 1290. Real nice and gave me some pointers on where to head next.

Woke up to this view. Sunshine Peak, which has the dubious distinction of being Colorado's lowest 14'er. Sits at 14,007 feet. I wasn't complaining!!