The Great SW Colorado Mountain Pass Adventure of 2010

[_RG_]

Re: Ouray, CO Dual Sport Ride, Aug 27 - Sept 2

Day 4

Ophir pass to Red Mountain Mining District

We've been very fortunate... weather couldn't have been custom ordered any better and our few mechanical issues have been routine. Best of all, no one has gotten hurt.

Today was a great ride with some challenges on the pass and lots of beautiful scenery along the way.

Got started early with the temp about 51...air's dried out and it feels cooler.

The dash out Million Dollar Highway... no guardrails because they'd block snow removal. Wanna see how fast you can play run the twisties?

Headed for the hills...

Over the river and through the woods...

Some of this is just plain easy to look at.

Getting up there where trees start to thin out as does the air.

Coming down from on high...pictures simply don't reveal the angles you see over your handlebars while both tires are sliding.

There really is a "town" of Ophir...an eclectic collection of houses way out in the mountains...even has a U.S. Post Office.

We stopped in Silverton for lunch. Many buildings there go back to the mining days of 18xx. The cafe was one of them and had lots of really cool antique features. I thought this old heater was a work of art. The bar is straight out of the wild west and is a woodworkers masterpiece. Only thing missing was William Bonney or Wyatt Earp perched near the end and a nervous piano player over by the door.

The train was there.

This was parked out front. Figured our own M38A1 could appreciate it.

I made a sweep through the back streets while some of our group refueled. Ran across these...

Hot Rod snowmobile...hey, I'm from Texas. Such things rank as unusual around here.

And an earlier version...

Back on the trail toward Bolam pass. This was some really loose stuff and it was one place where crowding the feller in front of you resulted in getting blasted with all kinds of Colorado...all the way up. Fun...

It's a rough trail and once committed...there's no slowing down till reaching the top. All the jarring had the back end of this KLX ready to fall off. Luckily, Bill1 carries a handy hardware store of fasteners with him.

With repairs made it's back in the saddle again...

Why stop here?

Cause some spots just need to be stopped at.

Pictures fall pitifully short... When I wake up on the other side, this'll work.

Headed on down the mountain...

The mining district has some restored and very well preserved relics of the past. We stopped to explore a bit in all this.

A sign explains how the lift inside was used to carry miners down into the mine and bring ore back up. Umm...but what about the miners? OSHA inspectors didn't have issues?

What a day! Not sure how it can get any better than this...but we'll surely give it an honest try tomorrow.

What more can be said with such candor and eloquence?

 

[Tourmeister]

Re: Ouray, CO Dual Sport Ride, Aug 27 - Sept 2

We got back about 7:45am Sunday morning after driving 21 hours straight through. I have TONS of pictures... so it will take me some time to get them up. The riding was okay I guess...

 

[The Bruce]

Awesome ride folks! Thanks for sharing the photos and videos.

 

[pub610]

Very cool.

 

[fjrrider]

I took a ton of pictures, I'll only post a few, hopefully good ones!
Took a little ride by myself Saturday morning, eventually ran across Chad and Dewain over on Yankee Boy Basin

The first day we all rode together, it was a bunch of us, and we all stayed together till about lunch time.

Not sure what were talking about here, probably, Why is this KLR so dang heavy?
Up Corkscrew Gulch

Heading east towards Animas Forks and Placer Gulch

I think this guy is lost!

He turned around, maybe he's not lost.

Come on big boy, you can do it!

A few TWT'ers close to Lake Como

Lunch in Lake City at the TIC TOC

Got seperated from Chad and Dewain over on Poughkeepsie so I headed to Black Bear to check it out. It was cold and it has snowed the night before.

Telluride way down there!

The next day all the boys on Black Bear coming down the steps!

Lunch in Telluride, some BBQ place

Social Tunnel going up to Imogene Pass.

From Imogene Pass

Brown Mountain, Looks easy dont it!

 

[Rsquared]

I had a great time in Ouray. We stayed a couple of extra days after the main group left and I ended up with six full days of riding, for a total of 603 miles on my bike. This was my first Dual Sport trip to Colorado and hopefully won't be my last.

George, thanks for organizing the ride, and hopefully you’ve already started looking at dates for next year. The timing for this years ride was perfect, right after schools started back and finishing before a holiday weekend was perfect. We saw very few OHVers during the week compared to what we saw Friday before the holiday weekend.

I’ve been on numerous group rides, both on and off road, through the years and the larger group rides can be like herding cats. This was a larger group ride compared to most and it went impressibly well, in large part due to our ride leader Terry. Good job Terry, thanks.

Also, I could’nt have asked for a better group of guys to ride with, I really enjoyed it, thanks for letting me ride along.

As far as video coverage/entertainment, excellent job Chuck, that is one cool camera.

And there was also the marathon 21 hour drive (each way), thanks for the ride Scott.

Anyway, I took a bunch of pictures and these were some of my favorites

A few of the Passes.

 

[owtcast]

Nice, guys. Looks like everyone had a blast. Thanks for posting. T

 

[jredford]

Wow. Looks like a blast!

 

[Tourmeister]

I would really appreciate it if someone that saved a GPS track from Sunday could send me a copy of the track. This is when we did Corkscrew, California, Cinnamon, and Engineer (the big group of people, not those whackos that went off on the shortcut ). I was tooling along near the back of the pack and not really paying much attention to where we were going and I forgot to save the track

 

[The Bruce]

I would really appreciate it if someone that saved a GPS track from Sunday could send me a copy of the track. This is when we did Corkscrew, California, Cinnamon, and Engineer (the big group of people, not those whackos that went off on the shortcut ). I was tooling along near the back of the pack and not really paying much attention to where we were going and I forgot to save the track

Post it so we can all share.

 

[Tourmeister]

Originally, I had planned on spending a week in the mountains of North Carolina riding with some other TWT folks. Unfortunately, one of them had a minor accident at the end of May that resulted in a broken collar bone, surgery and time off work. Because of the time off work, he was unable to take off again so soon for the trip and it had to be postponed to October. Normally, that would have been fine, but I already have a family vacation planned for October and there is no way I can get another week off so close to that vacation. So... I am out...

What to do... Back in May I made a trip to Cloudcroft with Rsquared and Wasabi. They mentioned something about an Ouray Dualsport ride, which I promptly wrote off because of the then planned trip to NC. However, with that trip no longer in the works and with a week off from work already planned... The gears go to grinding, a few short order invitations go out to find trailer buddies, and things just kind of fall into place. Rsquared, BEEMIN, and Desmo will trailer with me, leaving from my place Friday the 27th as close to 6:00pm as possible. Nothing to do now but wait...

And finally...

Roger "Rsquared" and Bob "BEEMIN" ready to roll...

Because of a last minute decision to take my R1200GS as well as the KLR 650, we have to do some unorthodox trailer loading. Daniel (my 4 year old son) gives the straps a final inspection.

Amazingly, we get away almost right at 6:00pm and we're on the road. Somewhere around Madisonville we hit a pretty good bump going over one of the overpasses on the freeway. I notice the KLR leaps up and moves more than it should. When we get pulled over, we find that the strap on the front of the bike that pulls it back into the trailer has snapped!! Only the strap on the rear and the tie down securing the front wheel rim to the trailer side keeps everything from going over board. We get out some more straps and this time even throw on a few extra straps to make sure the bike can't go anywhere. Then it is back on the road.

We stop once for a sit down meal at an I-HOP in Weatherford, but otherwise keep the stops to fueling and snacks only. Twenty hours later we are heading through Durango and into the mountains on US 550, the Million Dollar highway. The weather does not look promising...

As we approach Silverton, we spot the narrow gauge steam train chuffing into town in the valley below. I pull over into a pull out so we can take in the view. As the truck comes to a stop, a big cloud of what I first think is dust blows by the truck cab. Then we catch a whiff of what smells like heavily cooked brakes! It is then that I realize the cloud is not dust but heavy white smoke pouring from the right rear wheel of the truck!! The smoke is so heavy I fear we may soon be facing a fire, but it starts to let up in a few moments. I climb down under the truck for a look and there is fluid all over the under side of the brakes. It seems odd that just one brake would have an issue and I had not been doing any heavy braking up till this point, instead using engine braking and just taking it easy.

The view of Silverton below

Checking the brake fluid reservoir, everything looks fine here

We limp the truck down into Silverton hoping to find a shop that can check things over for us, but no luck. It seems the nearest place will be Ouray. Nothing to do but go real slow. The trailer has electric brakes so I crank up the gain on them to take some of the load off the truck brakes.

The ride between Silverton and Ouray is steep and twisty

You don't want to be blowing any corners here...

And not just because of the lack of guard rails! There is an abundance of heavy truck traffic on this stretch of highway!

What's that!? Blue sky!?

But it is short lived...

None too soon we roll into Ouray and set to finding our hotel. It seems we are arriving at about the same time as several other groups of folks that are part of our larger group.

The Timber Ridge Lodge, not fancy, but for $100/night, not bad either.

RG's spotless (for now) KLR 650. Notice that temperature!!

Folks collect outside our hotel room to get acquainted... Roger, Bob, Bill, RG and Steve.

Steve and Bob get settled into some cool little cabins on the river at a campground immediately behind our hotel. The owner is a KTM rider from Texas and allows us to park the trailer down at the end of his campground with some other trailers. With the bikes unloaded and everyone situated, I get started on trying to figure out what to do about the truck. As luck would have it, there is a shop right next door to the hotel and they do brakes! I talk to the owner and agree to drop off the truck Monday morning when they open. So for now, it is time to explore Ouray and think about something to eat.

An interesting building in the campground behind our hotel

Several of us walk toward town and find some kind of festival. Of peculiar interest is a blasting hole drilling competition. There is a crowd gathered around a large piece of granite rock and some guys standing around flexing their muscles to impress folks. One guy carefully lays out five or six steel drill bits on the rock face, each an inch or so longer than the previous one. Then the audio system starts blasting Back in Black by AC/DC and the guys beings WAILING on the drill bits with what looks like a four pound sledge, pounding with all his might in time with the music. After each impact, he rotates the bit forty-five degrees. Another fellow is holding a water hose that pours water into the hole. With each impact, the water carries out the debris from the previous impact. When the bit bottoms out, the guy tosses it and grabs the next longer one. This goes on for TEN minutes!! The guy is a machine and scarcely lets up in his rhythm. The goal is to get the deepest hole in a ten minute period. I am winded just from walking a few hundred yards and here this guy is going all out for ten minutes... It really makes me appreciate what it must have been like to be working in the mines here back in the late 1800's and early 1900's. "Hard" labor hardly seems to begin to capture the reality...

Well, one can only watch someone pound mercilessly on a rock for so long, so we get back to the business of finding food. We find a tent with folks selling pulled pork sandwiches for $5. From the smell alone, I am ready to stop and eat but the other guys want to see what other options there might be. Then one of the people working the booth offers free samples... Moments later we are sitting down to enjoy delicious pulled pork sandwiches, Bob even going back for seconds! No sooner than we finish eating, it starts to rain pretty good, so we work our way back to the hotel. We take a nice path along the Uncompaghre River which runs through town and right behind the hotel.

I don't know what causes this, but I would be wary of drinking or swimming in this water...

Some cool plants along the banks

The view across the river...

In need of some supplies for the week, we head up the road to Montrose to one of the biggest Wal-Marts I think I have ever seen!! Then it is back to the hotel for the evening and to eagerly await the morning and the start of the riding

Click here to skip to next section of report.

 

[The Bruce]

Keep 'em coming.

 

[Back Road Ronnie]

I have some of those vines growing on my fence row here in Alto. If you find out what they are please let me know,

 

[BouncingRadical]

Day three BB and Imogene

On day three we set out to conquer Black Bear before lunch. It was a nice ride up, it was brisk and just some puddles. Going down was the big trick!

After some rocky switchbacks we came to the steps. It is a blind corner with a drop off at the end and on the left side. The video doesn't really capture it, and had it not been on the side of a cliff, it wouldn't be so bad. This being my first time on a mountain, and all the hype built around it, it sure had me nervous.

Here is a shot looking back towards the steps.

The rest of the way down were long switchbacks, in the middle there was a cool waterfall with a house built at the top.

Follow the link to view footage of Black Bear Pass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTtMqW5sb_0

After a nice lunch in Teluride, BBQ by some ex-Austinites, I was ready for Imogene again. This side was not as steep and the air was ALOT warmer. It was the recipe for success. Aside from falling victim to some loose rocks, I had no trouble making it to the top. It sure felt good to see that sign after my earlier attempts!

Footage follows
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO-UpimA8sw

Full res albums at the link bellow. As before, pictures are in reverse chronological order

http://bouncingradical.imgur.com/ouray_day_3

 

[Tx Rider]

Arrrrhhgghh..

Man that brings back memories... I been outta here too long.

Had I known I would have tossed another ghost town side route off the side of the road between Lake City and cinnamon pass. I took my nephews up there last time I went, met an old codger on a 4 wheeler who pointed me at some more trails I'd like to go back and find, passes S of Cinnamon..

 

[Tourmeister]

Arrrrhhgghh..

Man that brings back memories... I been outta here too long.

Had I known I would have tossed another ghost town side route off the side of the road between Lake City and cinnamon pass. I took my nephews up there last time I went, met an old codger on a 4 wheeler who pointed me at some more trails I'd like to go back and find, passes S of Cinnamon..

I thought about contacting you, but based on your comments from May when I asked about you going to Cloudcroft with us, I figured you were still swamped with work. Most of the folks on this trip were eagerly talking of making some kind of pilgrimage to Colorado an annual event So I am sure there will be more opportunities. By the way, go update your restoration thread

 

[Tx Rider]

I thought about contacting you, but based on your comments from May when I asked about you going to Cloudcroft with us, I figured you were still swamped with work. Most of the folks on this trip were eagerly talking of making some kind of pilgrimage to Colorado an annual event So I am sure there will be more opportunities. By the way, go update your restoration thread

Yeah I would have had to pass..

Bought some property in Bastrop I have to work into shape so 2 mortgages now, too many projects, and severe lack of free cash these days..

On the plus side I got a nice camping spot with a cabin with lights hot/cold water and AC and acres to camp now..

 

[TNC]

Arrrrhhgghh..

Man that brings back memories... I been outta here too long.

Had I known I would have tossed another ghost town side route off the side of the road between Lake City and cinnamon pass. I took my nephews up there last time I went, met an old codger on a 4 wheeler who pointed me at some more trails I'd like to go back and find, passes S of Cinnamon..

TR, your description sounds like the turnoff at Wager Gulch to the Carson ghost town. From there you have some really great single track trails...about the only measureable amount of singletrack in the Silverton area...Lost Creek, Trail Creek, Pole Creek, and some of the Colorado Trail. In fact you can make a neat loop over to Stony Pass trail/road. I didn't do it this year, because I ran into a couple of riders who reported to me that they had just come from there, but the forest service had Lost Creek closed because of washout. Rain, erosion, mud, and washouts were sure more common this year than just about any year I'd seen in 30 years.

 

[Tx Rider]

TR, your description sounds like the turnoff at Wager Gulch to the Carson ghost town. From there you have some really great single track trails...about the only measureable amount of singletrack in the Silverton area...Lost Creek, Trail Creek, Pole Creek, and some of the Colorado Trail. In fact you can make a neat loop over to Stony Pass trail/road. I didn't do it this year, because I ran into a couple of riders who reported to me that they had just come from there, but the forest service had Lost Creek closed because of washout. Rain, erosion, mud, and washouts were sure more common this year than just about any year I'd seen in 30 years.

Yeah that would be it, from talking to the old timer up there it sounded like it was worth exploring. I was up there in my 4-runner with kids so I just made a note for future reference.

The Carson ghost town is pretty neat too.

 

[Tourmeister]

Okay, time for day one of the riding. I never got a GPS track from anyone so this will be mostly from my shaky memory... We had been concerned about the prospect of rain, but this morning looks good.

Everyone gathers out front of the Timber Ridge Lodge

Once everyone is gassed and we realize we're going to be riding in one big group, we head South on US 550 to the start of Corkscrew Gulch.

Stopped at the turn off so the whole group can regather

It seems Terry's KTM was over heating and puking out some radiator fluid. This prompts a quick mini maintenance session. Then we are back to riding in short order.

Right off the bat, the riding gets fun! We start a long climb that seems to just keep going and going and going... I don't realize it at the time, but this will become a theme for the whole week of riding. I am a tad concerned about how the KLR will run. It does not have stock jetting and I think it is jetted a tad rich even for sea level. However, other than a low idle, which is cured with a few twists of the idle screw, it seems to be doing just fine. This is a good thing because losing power in these climbs would not be pretty!

One of the less steep sections of the climb

Chuck's KLX (?) 200 is having some breathing issues and he stalls in the middle of a short steep section. Nothing to do for the moment but chug on by until I can find a semi level spot to stop. Those of us at the rear stop to help him get it sorted out. The scenery immediate reminds me of why I love it here so much, as does the cool dry air!

George's DRZ

George (walking) and RG, the stalled bike is back behind them on the hill

The view

Chuck tries to fire it up after getting a push to the top of the hill

They just never look as steep in the pics...

While I am taking pics, I think the other guys decide a few twists of the idle screw is all Chuck's bike needs. He fires it up and we are off and running again. It is not long before we reach some steep and tight switchbacks that get the best of a few riders. Nothing to do but stop below and walk up to assist or chug on around and try to stop before the next switchback and walk back down. I chug around this time but see that they have it in hand so I keep going instead of killing my momentum.

The view from above... Look steep now?

and a close up from above

Looking up to the next switchback, which comes back over me just below that ridge

Looking back down toward the previous switchback, which can't be seen here

The trick to all this riding is momentum. The road looks nice and smooth, but it has lots of embedded rocks to bounce off of and loose rocks to cause the rear tire to lose traction and spin. Standing really helps for those of us riding the tankers. The KTM guys make it look effortless Fortunately, I am geared down to a 14 tooth sprocket on the front which lets me run in 1st and second gear without too much trouble. RG is running a stock sprocket and I think this may be causing him to lug down the motor a bit. Eventually though, we reach the top and the views are great. Then it is on to the next section of riding. Here is where my memory gets a little fuzzy. We wind up on a pass above what I think is Lake Como and then drop down into California Gulch.

The lake is just over the top of that pass in the distance

See the two bikes, one being right in that left hand corner in the road

Zoomed out, the left hand corner in the above pic is in the upper right corner of this pic

The whole view with a big mine in the foreground

What a beautiful site! We came down the upper road

What...!? It's not like you can have too many pics of a great looking bike

George, RG and Terry(?) bringing up the rear?

George

RG

Terry

Duane "OKDQ"

And off they go to start the climb...

That must be a seriously big mountain goat or Sasquatch up there on top of that right side peak!

And then comes Roger

and Chris

After everyone has gone by, I remount and head for the top! It is a great run and starts getting pretty steep and rough the higher I go. Soon I can see the top and everyone is waiting, cameras pointing, which always makes me kind of nervous... I don't see anything particularly challenging or tough between me and the top so I just keep on chugging until I reach the crest and join the others in appreciating yet another spectacular view!!

Duane and Chad "OilFieldTrash" taking in the view

If this doesn't give you an itch to go riding... well... you just ain't right in the head!

Lake Como?

Cloudy, but still fantastic riding weather!

Looking back down the last bit of the climb to the top

We head off to the South and run around the Northern side of California mountain down into California Gulch. I presume this was California Pass? Anyway, we reach the bottom of the Gulch and stop to confer about which way to go and just to take a break.

Beauty every where you look...

I remember seeing a sign here that said Placer Gulch

At one point, several guys take off heading East toward Animas Forks. I'm thinking they are scouting and will be right back. But they never come back After a while, the rest of the group is motioning for me to follow them and we are going the other direction, straight South. It looks like we are taking the long way to get to Animas Forks. Fine with me...

The mountains are just covered with abandoned mines, and fun switchbacks

This is looking down on the mine to the right in the above pic

I think that might be Hanson peak in the background. We are currently right around 12,500 feet. Bike is still running great!!

A typical "day at the office" must have been brutal here!

Heading East down the South side of Treasure Mountain

I swear it just makes me want to ride, ride, RIDE!!!

Soon we reach another intersection and turn back to the North and find ourselves at Animas Forks, a former bustling mining town, now a derelict ghost town haunted by tourists... At one time, they actually had regular postal service here, electricity year round, and even a train I think. If you've ever been here and seen the place, you'd realize how incredible that was for the late 1800's!

The Duncan house, a private residence noted for its big bay window

A little info and shot of the town in its heyday

No sign of the guys that split off from us earlier. The original plan was to head over Cinammon Pass to Lake City for lunch. So that is what we do. As we are starting up the pass we get stuck behind some whacko trying to do the pass in a Cadillac Escalade I guess they missed the notices about high ground clearance and four wheel drive being HIGHLY recommended for this route Fortunately, they do move over and let all of us get around them. Then we just start climbing again... We reach the actual pass pretty quick as it is not far from Animas Forks.

I wonder where that little road over my right shoulder goes...

Once over the pass, the road drops down into the Lake Fork Gunnison River valley which flows East into Lake San Cristobol. It is just a great ride!

Chris

Looking West back up through the valley, maybe stopped at Cleveland Gulch?

Looking East

Stan

Roger

Yeah yeah... I know... you get tired of seeing yet another valley...

You REALLY don't want to be blowing corners around here...

Duane across the way, long way down...

A close up, notice the supports for the road bed!

The last bit of the ride down to Hwy 149 is paved and I happen to be leading for some reason at this point... so... It's fun When I reach Hwy 149 I wait for some other riders to show up, George and Chuck, before I take off for Lake City, also on some REALLY fun pavement!! When I used to bring tour groups out here I would always make a point of stopping in Lake City to eat at Poker Alice's. Of course that was usually on a weekday and they are not open on Sundays... which is what day it is So I scoot down the road and find the Tic Toc Diner, park the bike and wait for the group. I spot a few other familiar looking bikes and sure enough, we find our errant riders hanging out on the back porch finishing up their lunches. The rest of the group rolls in and we pretty much take over the back porch. Chad is struggling to finish half of a MASSIVE club sandwhich and very graciously offers me the other half and then refused to let me pay for that or even my drink! It was delicious! Thanks dude! We do our best to make the other guys feel like they missed out on the adventure of a lifetime. After everyone is done, with there being no good places for a nap, we head back to the bikes. We still have to get over Engineer's Pass and back to Ouray.

Stan contemplating the riding to come, or just digesting lunch...

The start of Engineer Pass is right in the middle of town. It is a wide well maintained gravel road that runs up the Alpine Gulch, formed by Henson Creek flowing down out of the mountains. I drop to the back of the pack so I can enjoy the views and take pics.

There are lots of sheer massive walls of rock

Stan

Same shot but cropped differently (I think I like this one better).

Stopped for pics at Capitol City (?)

What is left of a dam used in a mining operation. I wonder how much damage the water did downstream when it broke through?

The groups stops to check out a waterfall whose name eludes me...

Just looking up the road from the falls

While the group hangs out, I decide to head out and take the lead to get out of the dust for a bit. Terry takes off with me. Five years ago I was out here riding my R 1150GS, a BIG heavy dualsport bike. I don't really remember having many issues getting to the top or that the road was exceptionally rough. However, this time the road bed seems pretty rough in places. We were told there has been a LOT of rain up here in the last few months, so I guess that has washed away all the small stuff that would fill in between the big rocks. So I spend a good bit of time standing and picking lines through some decent rocks. It's good fun though.

A nice water fall along the way to the top

a close up

There really is VERY little snow in the mountains this year. On my last trip, which was in the middle of July 05, there was still a good bit of snow up in the passes. Thus the waterfalls and creeks were all running full. As we get closer to the top, the road gets rougher and we have to manage some steep switchbacks.

Finally at the top - contrast with the shot below from the previous trip

And several gratuitous shots of me, the bike and the scenery

Bill coming up the last climb to the top

RG seems to be getting comfy with standing on the bike, something he was not doing earlier in the day

Most of the group

Once we reach the top and start taking pics, Terry decides he is going to go on ahead and just make for town without any more stops. We'll be taking the same route so if he has trouble we should find him, so I say goodbye and he heads off down the mountain. After a short break, I start down as well. Now a few years ago, this was a full on white knuckle butt puckering ride on the big heavy GS. It simply was a handful to keep the speed in check because it REALLY wanted to go down fast!! However with the lower gearing and lighter weight of the KLR, it is not too bad. That is not to say it is a piece of cake either though. There are some nasty ledges, steep drops, tight switchbacks, and traffic. Unfortunately, I don't stop to get any pics along the way I alternate between engine braking, front braking and rear braking to keep my speed sane. In many places it is real easy to lock the rear brake and start sliding. I eventually make it down to the bottom and relax a bit. At this point last time, we turned South and headed back towards Animas Forks and eventually Silverton. I did not realize then that there was still a good bit left of Engineer Pass by turning North. I had no idea what fun I had missed!! Although... I am not so sure it would have been fun on the GS, but I get ahead of myself...

Fortunately, there was a REALLY nice clean restroom out here in the middle of nowhere, right where I needed it

Relieved, we start down the rest of the pass, which is supposed to eventually drop us out on US 550 just South of Ouray. At first, the going is relatively mild and easy, then it starts to get fun and challenging. When climbing, it is all about keeping your momentum up. When descending, it is all about keeping your speed in check, but not going so slow you lose the gyroscopic balancing effect of spinning wheels. It can be real easy to let the bike start getting away from you and then it can be hard to bring the speed back down, whereas when you are going up, about all you have to worry about is letting off the gas to slow, or perhaps sliding backward if you stop... So both have their sets of challenges!

Things get REAL interesting right after the road disappears into the woods down below... (see the rider right there in the middle of the upper road?)

Those are riders making that little dust cloud in the upper right corner

Now you can see the riders a little better

Yeah, another insufferable view... Riding is torture here

A nice smooth easy section of the road

It doesn't look to bad unless you look over the edge

Stan provides a reference for scale

Still Stan

I like these two pics alone, but they also form a good panorama if left uncropped

From this point, the road really starts to descend pretty good, with lots of rough spots, ledges, tight turns, etc,... It is really awesome. It is down in the trees and feels like riding in a tunnel. I was too busy hanging on to worry about getting any pictures. In the space of about 2 miles, we dropped about 2500 feet before coming out on US 550. After making sure everyone is accounted for, we hit the pavement for the short run into town.

Today was the "easy" day according to Scott and Terry, intended to let us see how everyone could handle the riding. A few folks had some very minor drops in the switchbacks, most of the bikes ran fine, and in general we all had an incredible time. It makes me wonder that the non easy days will be like, especially since it is threatening rain again...

Later in the evening I eventually try to go to sleep. Every time I close my eyes, all I can see are rocks coming at me and I HAVE to find the right line!! And this has only been the first of six days of planned riding!!

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[_RG_]

"Later in the evening I eventually try to go to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, all I can see are rocks coming at me and I HAVE to find the right line!!"

Thought I was the only one twisting the pillow and stomping the mattress for throttle and brakes that night. I was suffering sensory overload and still feel the adrenaline rush just looking at those pictures.

Nice picts. Thanks.

 

[gotdurt]

I see an opportunity for air

 

[TNC]

"Later in the evening I eventually try to go to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, all I can see are rocks coming at me and I HAVE to find the right line!!"

Thought I was the only one twisting the pillow and stomping the mattress for throttle and brakes that night. I was suffering sensory overload and still feel the adrenaline rush just looking at those pictures.

Nice picts. Thanks.

LOL!...that's funny. I used to do stuff like the night after a big enduro. I'd sometimes wake up jerking and twisting in the bed, apparently still bombing down the trail. My wife was not amused.

 

[$hooter]

Great pics guys...next time you go to Ouray...stay in The Hot Springs Inn. Its nicer than the place you were at and "CHEAPER". The old house that has the bay window in front at Anamas Forks was the "WALSH" house...one of the few that had a 3 hole privy, but its main function was a whore house for the miners in the area. If you ever stay in Lake City, I would suggest staying at The Texan Lodge...cabin #13 was $95.00 per night. My friend, Steve Merridith, in Lake City use to own it, but sold it to retire a few years back and the new owner has added many new cabins. The other place to stay inLake City would be Vickers Dude Ranch...also a pretty nice place.

 

[Tourmeister]

The old house that has the bay window in front at Anamas Forks was the "WALSH" house...one of the few that had a 3 hole privy, but its main function was a whore house for the miners in the area.

This is from the park sign on the location:

and this was just from a quick Google, which explains the two names associated with the house,

The most well preserved and most photographed building in Animas Forks is the Duncan/Walsh House. Built in 1879 by William Duncan, a postman and miner who struck it rich in the surrounding mountains.

This three story mansion was the largest building in town. It's most prominent feature was the large bay window on the front of the house, facing the Columbus Mill. Guess ole William wanted to keep an eye on his Gold!

It was purchased some years later by Tom Walsh, discoverer of the famous Campbird Mine in Telluride Colorado.

Source