First A Dilemma, then the Colorado National Monument....

It was a dilemma.

The road was wonderfully twisty. The sort of road you don’t ride very often. There was another bike pushing up behind me, tempting me to keep riding.

Or should I stop and take pictures of the wonderful mountains I was riding through.

This was the road....



















I cranked the throttle open a bit more. The bike behind me dropped back a bit. I leaned left, then right, hard on the brakes, then a hairpin, throttle wide open as I came out of the bend and rode hard. The bike behind me was still there. Close. I could almost see the smile on the riders face in my mirrors.

I really should stop. That view that just rushed by was spectacular. Too late!

But just look at this road! I kept going. The other bike and I were having great fun. Almost like playing tag.

I couldn’t stop now. I had to keep riding. We were both riding hard and it was fantastic!

I rode on, up the mountain, over the pass and down the other side.

We slowed down coming into Loma. The other bike pulled alongside as we rode. His face was beaming and he was giving me the thumbs up. He obviously enjoyed it as well. But wait – he had a pillion! He was obviously a good rider to do what we had just done, two-up!

I pulled over to get a coffee and to let my pulse slow down a little. The other bike pulled into the gas station as well. I had just ridden my first Colorado Pass! At speed. Almost no cars about. What great fun!

The other rider, Bill and his wife Jo Ann came over and said hello. They were from Omaha, Nebraska. Smiles all round....





















Standing there in the gas station, I realised I would have to go back and take pictures.... It was 34 miles in each direction, but it would be worth it. I said my farewells to Bill and Jo Ann and set out back along the road I had just ridden.... Here are the photos I took....

The long road back to the mountains....





















Getting nearer....





















The Leading Ladies among the foothills....





















Enlarge this photo by clicking on it to see the road going through Douglas Pass....



















I had just ridden down from up here.... wow.... see the yellow arrow,,,,



















If this is what Colorado was going to be like, then I might be here some time!

I didn’t really know what to expect, but I then went to the nearby Colorado National Monument. This was a late addition to my route, but I am really glad I added it. It is one of those places that is understated and I hadn’t heard of before I was nearly finishing my tour planning.

As I rode up to the park entry point, it seemed that I wasn’t going to be able to see the monument on this day, as a huge sign proclaimed the park to be closed today. But then the sign scrolled round and the next screen said... until 2pm. Well, considering it was now 1.50pm, I didn’t have long to wait. In fact, as I rode to the gate, the park magically re-opened early, just in time for my arrival.

I pulled over and fixed my GoPro camera to the bike to film the ride in the “Monument” as it is known locally. This is the result..... enjoy the video.....



So, the video will have given you a taster of the views. Here are the photos I took....

Note the road in the bottom of this canyon in the first photo. I had just ridden on that road on the ride up to the top.....



















The erosion carves such dramatic shapes and forms canyons that would be great to explore on foot if there was time.

I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Another fantastic place to visit and ride through....













































































































































































I was tired at the end of this day and I stayed at a motel with a great name – the “Rusty Cannon”, in Rifle. I rode some of the way on I-70. More about that road tomorrow!

America, It’s Just Not Fair....

Yesterday I saw some spectacular sights. Today was even better!

It’s just not fair that America has all of these great places. Why can’t they be spread around more evenly so other countries get some as well.

In the past two days I have seen the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area and Colorado National Monument. If we had just one of these in the UK, then that would be fairer, but oh no! America also has Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Arches national Park, Bryce, Zion, the Tetons, and the list goes on.

That of course is very tongue-in-cheek, but seriously, we have nothing like these places in most of Europe, so to the people of the USA I say you are very lucky to have them. When I was riding today through parts of Colorado, I had to pinch myself to keep looking at what I was seeing with fresh eyes. I rode along I-70, the Million Dollar Highway and I was amazed. What a road! What scenery! It goes on for so long that even I, seeing it for the first time, became far too accustomed to its majesty because there is so much of it.

Talking of roads, I made a video of riding through the Flaming Gorge and part of Dinosaur National Park.... I hope you enjoy it....



When riding on these roads, I find it a challenge to keep concentrating on the road. The scenery is calling me to divert my eyes and look around me....





















Look at this road down in the valley....





















I am not sure, but I imagine the Gorge gets its name from the red rocks...



















Looking down into part of the gorge....



















How about this for a hairpin bend!....



















How does this tree survive?....



























More terrific views looking down into the gorge. This view was hard to find and meant climbing over some rocks....







































I visited Flaming Gorge Dam and the engineer in me just had to go on the tour. I was told that before 9/11 anybody could tour the dam, including the inside of the turbine halls, the tunnels and anywhere else, on their own. I imagine that the dam is now considered a high risk threat and so there is much tighter security now, including a full time police officer that uses a metal detector to scan all visitors. Personally, I have no problem with such measures and indeed living in London, I am very used to such necessities of everyday life.

Here is the dam. It is 425 foot / 130m tall and the water behind the dam took 12 years to fill to its full working level....





















It is an impressive structure.... it took 6 years to build....



























This is looking down from the top of the dam on the downstream side....



























Looking down the lift (US = elevator) shaft, 425 feet!.... (sorry Dan)....





















In the turbine hall. There are three 10 foot diameter turbines....





















This is Dinosaur National Park....





























































Blue Mountain, where a lot of para-sailing is done, but not on the day I was there....





















I have been looking forward to seeing Colorado for about a year....



























I liked the shape of this wooden fence....



















I am saving todays pictures and video of Colorado for my next post....

10,000 Miles and Some Very Nice People

I hit a big milestone today. I went passed the 10,000 mile point on my tour!!!!

As usual, I stopped to take a picture of what the road was like at this thousand mile point, but I thought it was time I included myself in the picture....

Having reached this point, I suspect I am going to do more than the 15,000 miles I previously predicted. Maybe more like 16,000 or maybe 17,000? Anyway, it felt good reaching the 10,000 mile point and it doesn’t feel like I have ridden that far.

In a comment on yesterdays posting on my blog FLHX Dave mentioned a very good road he knew that was close to Heber in Utah that went up to Mirror Lake, near to where I would be riding today. I changed my route so that I could ride the road he suggested and Oh Boy, am I pleased I did – the road was superb! It climbs up to over 10,000 feet and has some gorgeous bends. The views are spectacular too!

Here is a short video I took from part way up the road....



Thanks Dave – it was a great suggestion!

I soon reached Mirror Lake and the scenery was beautiful....

There was a lady painting a picture of the lake and I stopped and chatted to her for a while. Her name is Susette Gertsch, a retired school teacher who now has a new career as a painter. Although we only talked for a short while, I could tell that Susette and an interesting and very nice lady. She has made a “contract” with herself to paint 300 paintings in one year. Today she was painting number 294 and she invited me to contribute a few strokes on the painting, which I was glad to do. Her one year finishes at the end of August, so she has just a few more to paint in the next few days. She has painted all year round and has a special suit that allows her to paint in the cold weather. The lowest temperature Susette has painted at during the last year is 17F / -8C. Wow, that is cold.

I showed Susette the Leading Ladies and she was appreciative of the skill the painter of my bike had with an airbrush. Susette has sold some of her paintings and I am tempted to buy the one she was painting today. Maybe I will ask if it would be for sale.

Susette’s website and blog can be found here

Here is Susette at her work....

I had no idea just how much you have to bring with you when you paint....

Here you can see the view that Susette was capturing....

I hope that she was pleased with her painting today. I was certainly very pleased to have met her.

I continued riding and at the next lake saw people fishing. Now, if you had a whole lake to use like this....

Would you all cram together like this?....

I saw a field with tree’s that was very reminiscent of a scene I know in England....

Now I need some help from my US readers. I passed many wooden structures at the side of the road today that looked like this....

Can anyone tell me what they are for and what they do? I think it may have something to do with snow, but I am not sure. If it is snow related, and in some way they help to stop snow from getting on the road, who builds and pays for them?

I wanted to see the Flaming Gorge National Recreation area as my map told me two things. I would have to ride 60+ miles on an interstate (groan) and I would have to return to Wyoming to get there. I got to Green River in Wyoming and had a decision to make. I had been playing “dodge the rain” (I am now an expert at this sport) for the past two hours but it seemed a might just get rained on for the 3rd time on my tour if I carried on riding. I check at the local information center and realised I would be short of time if I tried to see the Gorge today, but I having seen the delights that Green River had to offer, I decided to press on anyway, hoping to find somewhere to stay that was better than at Green River.

Soon, the chances of me staying dry looked very slim as I was riding into this....

I even took a video of this strange weather....the quality is rubbish as I took it while riding with my point-and-shoot camera.....



Remarkably, I found somewhere to stay before I got rained on – the almost brand new R Hideout (website) at a place called Manila, in Utah, very close to the Gorge.

I was able to park my bike right outside my room....

I got chatting to the owners of the motel, Brent and Elaine Stewart who have had the dream of running such a place for a long time and who have been building the place for the last three years. It opened just this summer and I have to say it is one of the best motel type places I have stayed at. They have done a great job. This is them.... very nice people....

As it looked like rain, I moved my bike under the shelter of the overhanging roof and this then became the centre for the other guests to meet and talk....

From left to right, here are Deter and Monica from Germany, Candy and Gary from the USA, Rose and Bill, originally from the UK. We were comparing road stories, sharing a drink, which then led to sharing a meal. More nice people.

It was a day for meeting nice people!