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Colorado Adventure V. 2.0

_RG_

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The Wilson Mesa trail. Near Telluride. Reportedly a scenic and milder single track with little elevation change from end to end. One way is about 12 miles. I started from the Telluride (east) end.

It can be ridden to the end (an intersection onto a nice gravel road - west end) which can be messed with for most of the long ride back to Telluride - OR, you can turn around there and ride it backwards. Anybody want to guess which way I went?

The road going up the valley to Ophir is where we start. A right turn not far down that road takes us up high.

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It gradually decays into a jeep trail that eventually leads to the WM trail
head.

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First impression is not so favorable but then the WM trail splits off from the path and gets interesting pretty quick.

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This is not a really technical trail - by Colorado standards. It would make a fine trail for just getting into single track. There are indeed some up-hill gnarly rock climbs, gnarly roots and gnarly rocks and roots climbs and descents. There are several tight right-hand downhill switchbacks that'll have you tippytoe a bit. There are stream crossings but very easy and brief. I don't want to make it sound like a cruise down to Starbucks. This is not a KLR trail.

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On the way back my legs got a little tired. I cleaned this thing going down and then promptly dumped it going back up on the return trip.

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Pretty:rider:
Your lungs must be getting used to the altitude by now. Too hot here, keep enjoying the mountains .
 
Looks like the smoke has cleared out a bit compared to when we were there. I really like that last shot of the bike!
 
Smoke comes and goes. Yesterday morning was clear (when the pix were taken) and by sunset I was riding the gondola into the west while watching the sun sink into a solid smoke layer on the horizon. Just depends on the wind.

Radio says we have some close fires going within 50 miles of Telluride. It's getting seriously dry up here. I watched three folks get baptized in the San Miguel river this morning and the preacher had to hunt around for a spot deep enough to avoid banging their heads on the river bottom. More like the San Miguel creek at the moment.

We may have turned the corner on crowds today... hoping.

Next up is riding the Adobe's at Peach Creek just north of Montrose. There are some really cool vids out there in videoland. More later... :sun:
 
The run up Divide Road (FS 402) West of Montrose was a really nice big bike road! Not technical at all, but very scenic and relaxing... except for the nutter with the big RV hogging the whole road and making me think I was going to fall and be run over by the logging truck riding his back bumper! Other than that though...
 
RG, I'm sure your pictures don't show all the challenges but that trail looks like something I might enjoy! Thanks for sharing.
 
Nice. We just got back from our Colorado family vacation. We spent the night Friday in Telluride and it was our first visit there. We enjoyed it and I was standing on the street basking in the cool temperatures while looking at the trees and mountains wondering how the dirt bike riding was there. I didn't expect to come home to find such a fantastic answer to my question here so quickly. Thanks for the pictures and report.
 
Thanks for sharing. Great area. If I remember correctly much of that moto-single-track directly west of Telluride is only open June 1st through Sep 1st. Is that still the case?
 
Thanks for sharing. Great area. If I remember correctly much of that moto-single-track directly west of Telluride is only open June 1st through Sep 1st. Is that still the case?

Quite so. The closer to town, the more such signs appear. Further down 145 life is way better for the single track crew.
 
Ran up the hill to Alta - the old ghost town and to Alta lakes. On the 1190 early but it seems to be a really popular dispersed camping area. Pretty high up and the road is not RV friendly (least not with me at the wheel). Great tent camping area - cept for the cold.

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You're the man to write a guide book for those trails .:clap:
 
...and we'll post it here and send you some CO ADV stickers. Examples of past ones I've done at the link.

I did that loop back in 2005 on my 1150 GS. We came down into Sawpit from Last Dollar Highway, did the loop counter clockwise and came back out just North of Rico. Then we dropped South to Scotch Creek Road and ran that up over to Hermosa Creek Road. From there it was back up 550 to Montrose, where we were staying at the time. The NW corner of the loop is where the infamous picture of my GS resting upside down on its Jesse bags was taken...

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Scotch Creek was rough and did not appear to be much used at the time. It was quite challenging, but I was a real noob at the time on a giant heavy bike, so my perspective on that might be different if I rode it now ;-)

Near the bottom on the Rico side
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Worth the effort to get to the top!
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I wanted to hit that loop on our trip out there a few weeks ago but we just ran out of time and energy. It is really nice and nowhere near as crowded as the stuff closer to Imogene, Black Bear, and Ophir.
 
OK, a week in Telluride is quite enough for me. Left early and made it to Montrose little before lunch. After pulling the RV from Silverton to Ouray (550) last week, this trip seemed effortless. Stopped to resupply, take on water and headed on out to Peach Valley. Found it right where it was supposed to be.

Not anther soul in sight... very quiet.

Getting acquainted with the Adobe Badlands -

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DIRT, DIRT and ,yes, more DIRT. The traction is way better than it looks like it should be. Going up the steepest hill is fine except for a whole line of smallish woops near the top that do all kinds of fun stuff with the rear. Stay on the gas, dude! :dude:

Coming down the steepies is just dragging the rear and grabbing some front every chance you can get away with it. :eek2:

Home -

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RG, you are killing me with all of these fabulous posts of yours. That is so differnt from just a little bit south, amazing country.

Thanks again for showing all of us some killer rides, that single track kicked my butt. At least I only fell once and it was within 50 feet of the trail head, so I say it doesn't really count.

Turns out I was fighting a virus the whole time I was in Ouray, luckily I didn't kiss any of you all, so nobody else should have caught it. I am sure I would have been much faster if I was feeling 100%

Thanks again RG. Somewhere I have some pictures and even a little GoPro video I will post up too. I think since my GoPro was pointed forward, it may have caught some glimpses of you in front of me :)
 
Awesome pics, thank you for sharing.
Scott: I don't believe I have ever seen a GS completely inverted before, that's amazing! lol
 
Still playing on the Adobes near Olathe, Colorado. Crazy as it seems, I can look south and see Mt. Sneffles so clear it seems within 22 range. Considering beautiful Ouray is just on the other side of it - and here I am in the desolate moonscape badlands. Like Michael said, amazing what a difference just a few miles makes.

Lot of local folks come to play here. This place is nothing more than one giant dirtbike playground. It's the wild west of riding. Anything goes. Want to climb that hill? Do it! Local folks are exceedingly friendly to visiting motorcyclists. Turns out there is forest single track out the wazoo just outside of Montrose - ride all the way to Delta if you're so inclined.

Another revelation is the Adobes ain't all dirt... Eagle Valley trail.

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See the line here? It's subtle but most surely there.

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Local friend Steve on his new Yamaha 250 (in third gear). He throws that thing around like it's a 20" stingray. Amazing how much HP they're getting out of these engines nowadays.

http://youtu.be/u9uoyrAFTA8

I was feeling pretty cocky about doing this until Steve showed up a made it look like the bunny slope.

http://youtu.be/jIzJ8iNS1cQ

Not a place to get off the track...bad juju.

http://youtu.be/8UhaVK3zWcg
 
Wow... looks like you have the whole place to your self!
 
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