Mike, I sure am enjoying watching this adventure unfold and you are doing a great job documenting it. We took a picture of the same bridge on the Natchez Trace, but from different angles; pretty wild! I am intrigued by the bracket next to the front brake reservoir. I’m guessing it is an electronic device of some kind, but it looks like a great place to strap a portion of a map. I jammed my map for the day between the seat and gas tank. Pretty crude, but it worked. Your bracket has given me an idea for a way better option. The spittoon on the left handlebar is also something I never thought of. I’ll keep an eye out for one of those. I kept spitting juice on the saddlebags and tourpak, nasty. You are obviously keeping a diligent eye on the weather. There were plenty of violent storms out your way, so stay up to speed on what the forecast is predicting. Best wishes on your continuing adventure and keep us posted.
Colorado Bound now with Pics
- Thread starter bikemikewcr
- Start date
bikemikewcr
Active Member
Hi Pru,
Thanks for the kind words. The bracket on the right by the front master cylinder is mount for my Ipod and sometimes I will just write down some directions and place them in front of the Ipod. The thing on the left is a kruzer kaddy for holding drinks but I guess you could keep a cup in there and use it as a spitoon.
On to day 5
Day 5 - Easy riding to Durango
Today started off with a nice breakfast at the hotel and from there we were off to Harley Davidson of Santa Fe. We had to go here so I could buy some new parts for the bike. As mentioned in my post for day 4 I needed to repair my tour pack since one of the latches has gone missing. When we got to the dealer I went directly to the parts counter on a mission to get the parts I needed. What I needed to get was the spacer on the outside of the tour pack, a latch, screws and washers. While I was there I ended up getting a complete set for both latches just to have a spare for future use if needed. I also picked up one of the jiffy stand discs because I knew I would need it for parking where we were headed in the next day and for future use. After I completed the repairs on the tour pack it was off to Taos, NM for lunch at Michael's Kitchen. On the ride there you cross a long span steel bridge over the Rio Grande. There are a few shots of this below. After we crossed the bridge you go through some nice scenery along a river and this is where part of the film Twins was shot. The part is where Arnold and Danny are arguing by the river. We came around one bend and there was this little stand where a guy was selling home made jerky. This stuff was expensive ($35.00 for a small bag) but real good and one of the guys on the ride, Leo bought some. That was a nice snack here and there on the rest of this trip. Once we reached Taos we were all ready for some grub so off to Michael's we went. This is the third time I have dined here and should not be missed if any of you find yourself in Taos. Two of my friends who were riding with me, David and Christian are chefs and raved about the food, that has to tell you something. After a great meal it was back on the road at around 2:00pm and the temps were nice and hot again but I will take that over the wet stuff any day that I am riding. We headed out for Chama, NM en route to Durango. I have to say that one of my favorite parts of this ride was through Carson National Forest, the scenery is just great as this is a working Forest and there are lots of farms inside the forest. There are a few pictures below of going through this section and one of the best parts is we only saw a few cars the entire time we were going through the forest. From here it was off to Durango, CO for the night. We arrived a bit later than we wanted to but that is ok considering the ride we just went on. After we checked into the Holiday Inn it was off in search of dinner and a beer or two. Well it was already after 9:00pm on a Sunday night and a lot of the places were closed so we were walking around and someone told us about a brewery called Steamworks Brewing Co. that would still be open so we made a b line for the place. It happened that they had their microbrews going for $8.00 a pitcher, so we indulged in a few of those and had a fantastic meal. From there it was off to clock some Z's for tomorrows journey.
Now for some pictures from the day.
Pic 1: At the hotel in the morning
Pic 2 - 5: The long span steel bridge
Thanks for the kind words. The bracket on the right by the front master cylinder is mount for my Ipod and sometimes I will just write down some directions and place them in front of the Ipod. The thing on the left is a kruzer kaddy for holding drinks but I guess you could keep a cup in there and use it as a spitoon.
On to day 5
Day 5 - Easy riding to Durango
Today started off with a nice breakfast at the hotel and from there we were off to Harley Davidson of Santa Fe. We had to go here so I could buy some new parts for the bike. As mentioned in my post for day 4 I needed to repair my tour pack since one of the latches has gone missing. When we got to the dealer I went directly to the parts counter on a mission to get the parts I needed. What I needed to get was the spacer on the outside of the tour pack, a latch, screws and washers. While I was there I ended up getting a complete set for both latches just to have a spare for future use if needed. I also picked up one of the jiffy stand discs because I knew I would need it for parking where we were headed in the next day and for future use. After I completed the repairs on the tour pack it was off to Taos, NM for lunch at Michael's Kitchen. On the ride there you cross a long span steel bridge over the Rio Grande. There are a few shots of this below. After we crossed the bridge you go through some nice scenery along a river and this is where part of the film Twins was shot. The part is where Arnold and Danny are arguing by the river. We came around one bend and there was this little stand where a guy was selling home made jerky. This stuff was expensive ($35.00 for a small bag) but real good and one of the guys on the ride, Leo bought some. That was a nice snack here and there on the rest of this trip. Once we reached Taos we were all ready for some grub so off to Michael's we went. This is the third time I have dined here and should not be missed if any of you find yourself in Taos. Two of my friends who were riding with me, David and Christian are chefs and raved about the food, that has to tell you something. After a great meal it was back on the road at around 2:00pm and the temps were nice and hot again but I will take that over the wet stuff any day that I am riding. We headed out for Chama, NM en route to Durango. I have to say that one of my favorite parts of this ride was through Carson National Forest, the scenery is just great as this is a working Forest and there are lots of farms inside the forest. There are a few pictures below of going through this section and one of the best parts is we only saw a few cars the entire time we were going through the forest. From here it was off to Durango, CO for the night. We arrived a bit later than we wanted to but that is ok considering the ride we just went on. After we checked into the Holiday Inn it was off in search of dinner and a beer or two. Well it was already after 9:00pm on a Sunday night and a lot of the places were closed so we were walking around and someone told us about a brewery called Steamworks Brewing Co. that would still be open so we made a b line for the place. It happened that they had their microbrews going for $8.00 a pitcher, so we indulged in a few of those and had a fantastic meal. From there it was off to clock some Z's for tomorrows journey.
Now for some pictures from the day.
Pic 1: At the hotel in the morning
Pic 2 - 5: The long span steel bridge
Attachments
bikemikewcr
Active Member
bikemikewcr
Active Member
Fastwalkin51
Member
Very cool trip with great pictures..I'm enjoying the ride. ! thanks..
bikemikewcr
Active Member
Jaceddie,
I am sure some of them are familiar not just for you but for a bunch of people on this forum who have taken some great trips this year.
I am glad everyone is enjoying this thread, I know I enjoyed the ride and am enjoying reliving it. Anyway, here we go.
Day 6 - The day of crazy weather
Today started off with packing the bikes up and heading for a good breakfast. After breakfast the old steam engine coal train that runs from Durango to Silverton as getting ready to depart so we had to stick around to see that. I must say, it was real interesting watching this classic train get moving. There is a pic of this below. After this we headed out of Durango on 550 making our way to the Million Dollar Highway and it was a great feeling being back on this road again. At this time it was around 60 degrees out and the sun was shining bright but that all changed in just a few miles. As we started climbing the mountain you can see the dark clouds rolling in and starting to cover the mountain tops and creeping down towards us. The temperature had now dropped into the low 40's so we pulled over to throw on the jackets, over pants and some warmer gloves. As we were doing this it started to spit a bit so we decided to put on our rain gear as well per the recommendation of Leo. Leo grew up in Montrose, CO and knows how fast the weather can take a turn for the worse. Good thing we listened to him as it started raining pretty heavy not even 5 minutes later. As we continued our ascent of the mountain that rain turned to some light snow and after that is when the sleet started coming down pretty hard. I almost forgot what it was like to be out in sleet on two wheels but that all came back in a hurry as my face, ears, and the top of my head was getting pelted with sleet. The sleet stopped after a few minutes so we pulled over in a few spots for some photo opportunities and the people that were in cages all thought we were out of our minds for riding over this pass today. My response was that we just needed to be aware of our surroundings and watch out for those crazy people in the cars and everyone had a good laugh. When we reached the top of Molas pass we pulled into the rest area and as we did the sleet made its return. I tried getting some pictures but they did not come out to good. I did manage to get one of a few small pellets on my seat. After a little break and some nice pictures we continued out journey to Silverton and up over Red Mountain. At one place that we stopped on Red Mountain we were looking over the edge and there were three vehicles that had gone over the edge and were smashed beyond belief. My buddy Christian got some shots of them but I do not have a copy of his pics. yet. As we were coming through Bear Creek the temps dropped yet again to right around 28 degrees and there was black ice on the road but that did not stop us continuing our journey or me from taking pictures on the fly. I can tell you that I do not remember a time that I was stuck to my seat so hard since I used to road race and had one of those oh #$%^ moments. We finally made it out of the rain as we were heading towards Pagosa Springs. As we neared there the sun came back out and the temps started to climb a bit again so we decided to stop for a refreshment and pick up some coldies for later in the evening. Once we saddled up again it was off to the Telluride area where we were going to stay with one of Leo's sisters and her husband on Trout Lake. The ride through this area was fantastic and we even saw a guy that travels around the country with three horses and a wagon. That is something that you do not see every day. As we started our way up the mountain the temperatures were dropping again and the sleet made its return again. All in all we got sleeted on 7 times today. When we arrived at the cabin there was some nice hot food awaiting our arrival as well as some cold beer and some very fantastic hosts. After we went in and warmed up for a bit it was off to take a Gondola ride in Telluride. This was really neat as you could still see the half pipe with snow on it, the airport runway that would scare the heck out of almost anyone, and some really cool views. The runway is about 1/2 way up the mountain and if you run long you drop down into the abyss. After this we headed back to another cabin for some appetizers and some adult beverages. On the way there we saw some Elk on the side of the road and managed to get a few pics of them. After apps it was time for a fantastic dinner that 4 guys on the road on filthy bikes were not worthy of and man was it good. After that it was a few cocktails and time for bed. I would like to thank our hosts again for going above and beyond and for welcoming three strangers into your home and treating us like family. Leo, thank you so much for setting this up as it was one of the highlights of the trip. Plenty of photos to recap the day to follow.
I am sure some of them are familiar not just for you but for a bunch of people on this forum who have taken some great trips this year.
I am glad everyone is enjoying this thread, I know I enjoyed the ride and am enjoying reliving it. Anyway, here we go.
Day 6 - The day of crazy weather
Today started off with packing the bikes up and heading for a good breakfast. After breakfast the old steam engine coal train that runs from Durango to Silverton as getting ready to depart so we had to stick around to see that. I must say, it was real interesting watching this classic train get moving. There is a pic of this below. After this we headed out of Durango on 550 making our way to the Million Dollar Highway and it was a great feeling being back on this road again. At this time it was around 60 degrees out and the sun was shining bright but that all changed in just a few miles. As we started climbing the mountain you can see the dark clouds rolling in and starting to cover the mountain tops and creeping down towards us. The temperature had now dropped into the low 40's so we pulled over to throw on the jackets, over pants and some warmer gloves. As we were doing this it started to spit a bit so we decided to put on our rain gear as well per the recommendation of Leo. Leo grew up in Montrose, CO and knows how fast the weather can take a turn for the worse. Good thing we listened to him as it started raining pretty heavy not even 5 minutes later. As we continued our ascent of the mountain that rain turned to some light snow and after that is when the sleet started coming down pretty hard. I almost forgot what it was like to be out in sleet on two wheels but that all came back in a hurry as my face, ears, and the top of my head was getting pelted with sleet. The sleet stopped after a few minutes so we pulled over in a few spots for some photo opportunities and the people that were in cages all thought we were out of our minds for riding over this pass today. My response was that we just needed to be aware of our surroundings and watch out for those crazy people in the cars and everyone had a good laugh. When we reached the top of Molas pass we pulled into the rest area and as we did the sleet made its return. I tried getting some pictures but they did not come out to good. I did manage to get one of a few small pellets on my seat. After a little break and some nice pictures we continued out journey to Silverton and up over Red Mountain. At one place that we stopped on Red Mountain we were looking over the edge and there were three vehicles that had gone over the edge and were smashed beyond belief. My buddy Christian got some shots of them but I do not have a copy of his pics. yet. As we were coming through Bear Creek the temps dropped yet again to right around 28 degrees and there was black ice on the road but that did not stop us continuing our journey or me from taking pictures on the fly. I can tell you that I do not remember a time that I was stuck to my seat so hard since I used to road race and had one of those oh #$%^ moments. We finally made it out of the rain as we were heading towards Pagosa Springs. As we neared there the sun came back out and the temps started to climb a bit again so we decided to stop for a refreshment and pick up some coldies for later in the evening. Once we saddled up again it was off to the Telluride area where we were going to stay with one of Leo's sisters and her husband on Trout Lake. The ride through this area was fantastic and we even saw a guy that travels around the country with three horses and a wagon. That is something that you do not see every day. As we started our way up the mountain the temperatures were dropping again and the sleet made its return again. All in all we got sleeted on 7 times today. When we arrived at the cabin there was some nice hot food awaiting our arrival as well as some cold beer and some very fantastic hosts. After we went in and warmed up for a bit it was off to take a Gondola ride in Telluride. This was really neat as you could still see the half pipe with snow on it, the airport runway that would scare the heck out of almost anyone, and some really cool views. The runway is about 1/2 way up the mountain and if you run long you drop down into the abyss. After this we headed back to another cabin for some appetizers and some adult beverages. On the way there we saw some Elk on the side of the road and managed to get a few pics of them. After apps it was time for a fantastic dinner that 4 guys on the road on filthy bikes were not worthy of and man was it good. After that it was a few cocktails and time for bed. I would like to thank our hosts again for going above and beyond and for welcoming three strangers into your home and treating us like family. Leo, thank you so much for setting this up as it was one of the highlights of the trip. Plenty of photos to recap the day to follow.
Attachments
bikemikewcr
Active Member
bikemikewcr
Active Member
