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The Great SW Colorado Mountain Pass Adventure of 2010

Whoever was riding the XR650R, please PM me. I'd like to know what carb setting you were using, and how you fared. Thanks.
 
Did you guys go around to the North on the trail road from Anamas Forks and see that humongous mill? It might not be standing now. Last time I was there it was almost all down, but I have pics of it from the 70's that shows just how big it was. If you will continue on the road that takes you by the mill, it will fork alittle ways away...take the left fork and go to the back of that box canyon and there are a bunch of mines up there that you can go in. And if you know what you are looking for, you might find some REAL gold, but you wont get rich on your findings. Look back across the small valley while you are in there and you will see the remains of the tram system that brought the ore to the mill...all gravity fed for movement. The heavy ore buckets were running down and taking the empty buckets back up.

Coming up from Lake City to go over Cinamon pass...on the Lake City side, there is a restored place called "Rosie's" cabin. It was a stage coach relay station where they got fresh horses to pull the stage over the pass...dont know it I would want to ride on that or not. This is a friend of mines great great grandmother's place. My friend lives in Godley but use to have a lodge in lake City. Also coming out of lake City, just past the far upper end of the lake, there is a sign on a big aluminum gate that says Carson. Carson is another ghost town...not a big as Anamas Forks. Pretty nice up there. There are also trails if you know which ones to take that will take you to Stoney Pass and the Rio Grande Res.

Glad you guys had a safe trip.
 
Did you guys go around to the North on the trail road from Anamas Forks and see that humongous mill? It might not be standing now. Last time I was there it was almost all down, but I have pics of it from the 70's that shows just how big it was. If you will continue on the road that takes you by the mill, it will fork alittle ways away...take the left fork and go to the back of that box canyon and there are a bunch of mines up there that you can go in. And if you know what you are looking for, you might find some REAL gold, but you wont get rich on your findings. Look back across the small valley while you are in there and you will see the remains of the tram system that brought the ore to the mill...all gravity fed for movement. The heavy ore buckets were running down and taking the empty buckets back up.

Coming up from Lake City to go over Cinamon pass...on the Lake City side, there is a restored place called "Rosie's" cabin. It was a stage coach relay station where they got fresh horses to pull the stage over the pass...dont know it I would want to ride on that or not. This is a friend of mines great great grandmother's place. My friend lives in Godley but use to have a lodge in lake City. Also coming out of lake City, just past the far upper end of the lake, there is a sign on a big aluminum gate that says Carson. Carson is another ghost town...not a big as Anamas Forks. Pretty nice up there. There are also trails if you know which ones to take that will take you to Stoney Pass and the Rio Grande Res.

Glad you guys had a safe trip.

Sounds like we need to get you on a dual sport and have you come along next time :trust:
 
Okay, got all the pics for day two ready, but it will be tomorrow before I can get them up with a report. I have to spend this evening finishing my online defensive driving course... :roll:
 
Hmmm... I have a bit of free time, so let me see what I can get done here...

:tab Monday morning rolls around and I am sore and stiff, my body protesting the deviation from its normal sedentary routine behind a desk. I head over to the shop next door to see about getting the truck worked on. After I call Dad to find out where he hides the custom lug nut socket for his rims, the mechanic gets right down to business. I head back to the hotel to see what route we are gonna do. Right now the weather is looking a bit on the messy side and the thought of doing one of the rocky technical passes in the wet is not real appealing. So we hang out on the corner porch of the hotel and just wait a bit...

:tab Around 10:30 or so, the rain is clearing out and the sun is peaking through the clouds. The radar doesn't show anything to worry about so we decide to ride. After some discussion, it is decided that we will tackle Imogene Pass. With the group assembled we head out of town on what shows as Hwy 361 on my map, but which is a dirt/broken pavement road. We are riding in the woods, passing several nice looking camping areas, climbing from 8000 to 9800 feet in the first four miles.

And this is where the fun begins!!
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Looking back to where we were stopped in the pics above (right where the road vanishes)
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:tab It is tempting to see the road in the images above and think, "That doesn't look all that bad..." However, as several of us commented throughout the day, looking away from the road for even a moment or two to take in the scenery could be perilous... Things can go from good to bad in a heartbeat!

A close up of the overhang from the other side
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:tab The road starts to get rougher almost immediate and starts to wander through the woods. There are many places where water is running over steep rock sections, run off from the earlier rains. The storms came in during the night from the West. There was mention of snow as well... I drop to the back of the back and just enjoy picking my way along at a nice pace. Already the KLR is taking a good pounding. Not much later I round a corner to find the group stopped. It seems Bob has a flat... and so the adventure begins ;-)

Looking back the way from which we had just come
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This mine is just above where we stop to work on the bike... VERY dark, cramped and wet...
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I don't venture inside...
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:tab I don't know how advanced the field of geology was back in the late 1800's, but it sure seems like a lot of the mining in the area was just a matter of getting lucky :shrug: The amount of work that must go into digging even the small tunnels, carrying out the tailings, etc,.... would surely make all but the most determined give a second thought to what they were about to attempt. Just thinking about what that life must have been like really makes me appreciate my job.

Impromptu maintenance day
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:tab Just to the left of that downed tree in the above photo is a one room cabin in a sorry state of disrepair. I can see that there was a wood burning stove in here at one time. There is what is left of a bed. It is maybe a 10 X 14 room. I imagine it belonged to the same folks digging the mine across the road. It's not exactly my idea of a mountain retreat!

RG supervises George and Bob's handiwork
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:tab While we are hanging out, a long line of various Jeeps and other highly modified four wheel drive vehicles come crawling slowly by us. One has a small kid strapped in the back in a child safety seat. Lucky kid :thumb: We give them a friendly wave and thumbs up to let them know we are fine. Then they rumble off into the woods. Meanwhile, the cloud cover is blowing in and off in the distance the weather is not looking pretty. It is lightly drizzling where we are now and looks like it may get worse. I get a bit of teasing, but I go ahead and break out the rain gear. Even if it doesn't rain, it is likely to continue getting much colder as we continue to climb ever higher and get out of the trees into the open wind. We're just under 11,000 feet right now and the trees stop not much higher than that. Nothing but rocks and wind to the top... Bob's tire is fixed and we are soon on our way, soon passing the line of Jeeps that have pulled over for a break.

What is Roger doing to the back of his bike... :ponder: Are they just pondering that BIG rock in the road!?
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:tab I pull up behind to group to see what is happening. It seems Roger's load fell off the back of his bike and got wrapped up in the rear wheel. His rain suit is shredded, as are several of his bungies. So, KLR to the rescue :-P I've got some extra room in the bags so the suit and some other stuff gets stuffed in with my goodies. Then it is time to tackle the rocks!

Another creek crosses the "road"
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Getting closer to the tree line...
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And it appears a few folks ran into it! :lol2: There is a REAL sharp and steep turn just around that corner with a BIG rock in the middle of it.
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:tab Bob and I go wide, back up and take a run at that dirt hill in the foreground to get around everyone. It is really steep. The KLR chugs right up, but then it is game on for some time before I get a good chance to stop and rest again. The riding is definitely starting to get more technical and the air noticeably thinner...

Looking back down through the valley toward Ouray
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They're hard to see, but the downed riders are wayyyy over there on the left edge near the rockslide... below the edge of those trees. The bikes were up when I went by, so I am not sure what the hold up might be...
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The front runners wait and watch... "are they coming?"
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Finally RG makes it up
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And he's quite happy to be here!! That red circle is where the other riders are.
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[And on that note, I have several emergency jobs that just came in right before 5:00pm to get done :argh: More tomorrow...]

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So Scott, how different was it on the KLR vs the big BMW you were on a few years back when we went up there?

Was the sprocket you used lower toothed than what you had in Arizona? Makes all the difference on climbs.
 
So Scott, how different was it on the KLR vs the big BMW you were on a few years back when we went up there?

Was the sprocket you used lower toothed than what you had in Arizona? Makes all the difference on climbs.

:tab While coming down the rough side of Engineer pass, I recall thinking over and over that I could not believe I had done it on the Beemer... I also recall thinking I would never like to do it again! I had the 14 tooth on the KLR this trip and the 15 on for the Az trip and the 14 makes a HUGE difference! It lets me plod along at 4000 rpm in first gear on the climbs so that the engine does not bog down or lug. Then for the descents I get enough engine braking that I can keep the speed in check much easier. I was also carrying MUCH less weight on the bike since we were not camping. The weight was also lower and more forward because of the DirtBagz. In Az, the bulk of the weight was up high on the rear rack and that makes the bike MUCH more difficult to control in all cases. However, I still think that some of that riding we did out there the first few days in the desert was way more technical and demanding that any of the stuff we did in Colorado. Of course that could also just be the fact that I am much more experienced now so the stuff we just did didn't seem as difficult, but had I done it back when we went to Az, I might view it slightly differently. The difference in temps makes a massive difference, hehe. I'd still love to go back to Az, but camp in the desert on purpose this time ;-)
 
Fortunately, there was a REALLY nice clean restroom out here in the middle of nowhere, right where I needed it :clap:
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Remember the trip when you guys got to the top of engineer pass on the big bikes and were wondering where I scooted off to so fast on the KTM and disappeared to?

You just found it.. I was needing it awfully bad too.. ;)

Not a lot of cover up there, can't just go off in the woods and do your duty...
 
Remember the trip when you guys got to the top of engineer pass on the big bikes and were wondering where I scooted off to so fast on the KTM?

You just found it.. I was needing it awfully bad too.. ;)

Not a lot of cover up there, can't just go off in the woods and do your duty...
I coulda used one of those... well, a couple of those on the next-to-last day in AZ :shock:
 
:tab While coming down the rough side of Engineer pass, I recall thinking over and over that I could not believe I had done it on the Beemer... I also recall thinking I would never like to do it again! I had the 14 tooth on the KLR this trip and the 15 on for the Az trip and the 14 makes a HUGE difference! It lets me plod along at 4000 rpm in first gear on the climbs so that the engine does not bog down or lug. Then for the descents I get enough engine braking that I can keep the speed in check much easier. I was also carrying MUCH less weight on the bike since we were not camping. The weight was also lower and more forward because of the DirtBagz. In Az, the bulk of the weight was up high on the rear rack and that makes the bike MUCH more difficult to control in all cases. However, I still think that some of that riding we did out there the first few days in the desert was way more technical and demanding that any of the stuff we did in Colorado. Of course that could also just be the fact that I am much more experienced now so the stuff we just did didn't seem as difficult, but had I done it back when we went to Az, I might view it slightly differently. The difference in temps makes a massive difference, hehe. I'd still love to go back to Az, but camp in the desert on purpose this time ;-)

Yeah having been along when you went on the beemer... The upside down beemer pic trip..
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Seeing pics of you going down black bear having fun is quite the contrast.. ;)

I choose a big enough back sprocket that I can swap out a 14, 15 or 16 inch front sprocket depending on conditions.. And tools to swap it out in about 10 minutes... Nothing beats a good granny gear for steep climbs.

Some of the stuff in AZ was pretty challenging though, moreso than any of the regular passes I've been on in CO.
 
Okay, back to business....

:tab So we're sitting on the side of a mountain waiting for the last few guys in the group to work their way up to us...

Chuck makes it...
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Followed by George... and I think that is the last of them...
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It looks like we are almost to the top... and it looks nice and smooth... right? :wary:
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:tab We reach the next switchback, not the top, and there is a pretty large area where we can all pull out to take a break. The wind is REALLY cranking up here. Some of the gusts are enough to put you off balance if you are not paying attention! We watch as the rest of the group makes its way up to join us.

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George encountered a gravity flux field... :doh:
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Is that the top...? :ponder:
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:tab While we are stopped, I walk out onto a rocky promontory that looks like the podium for some giant to speak to the masses gathered in the valley below. There are sheer drops on three sides. I place my steps VERY carefully. Even so, with the wind blowing so hard it is kind of scary out here so close to the edge, but the view...

Lots of mining activity here in the past
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Left circle is where the bikes went down earlier, right circle is where the lead group waited. Doesn't look so bad from here... :shrug:
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:tab The wind is blowing so hard that Terry's KTM blow OVER the kickstand onto its left side, breaking off the end of his clutch lever. Fortunately, there are still several inches left and he can work it fine.

Everyone gathers before the final push...
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Terry leads the way
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The switchbacks don't look that bad from a distance, but when you are on them they are a bit intimidating. They are fairly steep and tight, stopping would be VERY difficult mid corner. So we have to keep our speed up as we are trying to make a U-turn while dodging some pretty good sized rocks and looking up hill enough to start thinking about what line to take for the climb.

Stan heading up
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Then Roger
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That is Stan in the circle, this is just to give an idea of scale and steepness
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:tab Well we finally make the crest at the top of the hill, but it is NOT the pass :doh: It seems there is more climbing to be done first. The going starts to get considerably rougher and steeper in many places, making the choice of line much more important. Also, the wind is pushing the bike hard enough that several times it makes me take a line other than what I had planned.

RG down on a particularly steep section... see the old dude walking in the background?
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I park the KLR and walk up to see if I can help RG get his bike up and moving again. Just walking up to him makes me winded...
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:tab By the time I reach RG, the old guy has come down to enjoy the show. Also, a jeep has come down and stopped to make sure we are okay. The driver gets out when he sees our predicament. He and the old guy both lend a welcome hand in getting the bike up and keeping it stable while RG gets it started and we try to get it up to more level ground. It takes a few minutes of heavy grunting and breathing, but he is finally aboard and gets moving. Immediately though there is another steep section with a switchback and he almost goes over again in the process of negotiating the turn, but then he is off. I thank our assistants and trudge back down to the KLR, focusing on my breathing. I can see my pulse as a slight distortion in the peripheral of my vision...

:tab By now I am beginning to wonder just how much further it can be to the pass? The constant climbing and rough terrain is starting to wear me down a bit. The forearms are getting tight from hanging onto the bike. I make it through this section and get through the next few switch backs to crest yet another small rise and am met with a wind blast the almost knocks me over. This is when I see Chuck off in the grass 25-30 feet from the road trying to pick up his KLX. Then George goes over to help him because he is struggling to keep the bike upright. It seems he crested the rise and was literally blown off the road!! :eek2: It is also starting to sleet a wee bit... which kind of stings the nose and cheeks. I take in the view ahead and see what finally looks like the pass. It is still a good ways off in the distance and quite a bit higher than where we are at the moment. Nothing to do but go for it...

:tab I head down the backside of the hill, carefully picking my line and trying to keep up my momentum for the climb on the other side of this slight dip. I see lots of ledges, loose rocks, and it is pretty steep. I stand up, lean forward, roll on the gas and start the grind... The bike is still running good and I can hold the engine right around 4K rpm, keeping up the momentum but not going so fast that I have trouble picking lines. Although, there are a lot of places where the notion of picking a line seems kind of pointless and there is nothing to do but go through whatever is in front of me. I soon see the lead group with their bikes parked at the top of a curving climb, cameras out... I take a quick glance at the short steep section and commit to a line around the VERY outer edge of the road, trying not to think about the consequences of going off line :pray: I'm leaning so far forward on the bike it feels like I am trying to kiss the front fender. I chug up to the waiting group and holler out as I go by, "I'm not stopping!"

:tab You know, there are times when you just have to settle into a groove and push through to the end. Stopping all the time can really throw off the rhythm and actually make the riding more difficult. Of course, had I known what I was in for, I might have chosen to let some of the other guys go first so I could see what lines they picked. Going first is nice because you get to experience everything without another bike right in front of you, but it also means you deal with the surprises! The surprise is that one beyond the group, the "road" really just becomes a series of huge rocks that you have to ride over. What I mean is that these are rocks wider than the road and often the size of a good 18 wheeler trailer, deeply embedded in the ground, and usually set at fairly steep angles. Fortunately, it is relatively dry despite the rain earlier in the day so the traction is pretty good. A few times I actually manage to lug the engine down to the point where I think I may actually stall in mid climb, but I am able to jusssst hang on and clear the rocks. It is now sleeting pretty good and the pellets are really stinging. There is also a bit of rain mixed in and a few snow flakes. I ignore all that and grind to an intersection. I take a left, which goes out onto a high overlook, but is not the way to the pass. I take in the scenery but don't get pics. At this point I just want to get to the top! So I head the other direction, which is one last long climb and I reach the pass. It is cold and WINDY!

The top of Imogene, well worth the effort to get here!
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:tab A few other riders come up behind me in the space of several minutes. We take all our pictures and decide not to hang around but to go ahead and start down the West side of the mountains toward Telluride. We want to get down to warmer temps and less wind!

Snow and slush on the road down... which really just doesn't look all that steep from here... but it is... and traction is iffy...
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A good part of the view...
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Not sure what all the cable is for :ponder:
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:tab The early part of the descent is "exciting" because of the slush and wind. There are quite a few switchbacks that have to be navigated, but the road is no where near as rough on this side of the mountain as it was on the East side, so the going is a little less physically demanding. Of course, I have learned from hard experience that when the going seems to get easier, you do NOT let down your guard and relax! So I try to stay focused and just keep working my way down. I can feel the temperature climbing and it feels great!

Bill down at lower elevation
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Bob trying to find a level spot to park. He's not far from me, but it is REALLY steep here. The road bends to the right at the edge and gets pretty rough. Bob is going to look it over before we attempt it.
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RG comes down from the pass looking relaxed and happy
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There is some kind of old rock structure perched above this corner, not large enough to live in but maybe something like a lookout room?
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Here you get an idea of the steepness
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The actual pass is wayyy back up there in the middle near that slightly orangish colored peak
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The group regathers after everyone has cleared the pass... but where are Chuck and George?
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:tab Well, it seems Chuck and George were forced to turn back before making it to the pass. Chuck's bike was having issues with the altitude. I don't know if George had problems too or just went with Chuck so he'd no be riding alone. Time to turn my attention to getting down the rock steps in front of me and then negotiating the corner and rocks there. Bob says take the outside line...

:tab When I round the corner, the outside line is literally a few inches wide and right smack on the edge of the road... Granted, it is the smoother line... but dang that is a long way down... So I hang on and bounce down over the rocks until we eventually drop out down by a large mining area. Apparently, we take a wrong turn somewhere and have to double back. This is when Stan realizes he has a flat, and we start another impromptu maintenance day.

Checking to see if it will hold any air or is a lost cause... We just came down that road in the center background
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Here's a close up of it... it looks so nice and smooth from here... :roll:
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[doh... gotta get back to work... I'll try to get more up tonite if I can]

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Is that radar enforced?

My radar detector only went off 3 times while we were in the mountains, and I didnt see any radar traps, but I talked to a young man who had just got a ticket from a Park Ranger for doing 49 in a 20, the ranger was in a jeep and the rider on an ATV. This was only a few miles from Ouray!

The speed limit wasn't a problem as I hardly ever got to 15 MPH to begin with! :-P
 
The speed limit wasn't a problem as I hardly ever got to 15 MPH to begin with! :-P

That pretty much sums it up for me. If I were ever going much over 15mph, it was occasioned by much terror, anxiety and upholstery destruction...!! :eek2:
 
Just to clear things up, I went back down the mountain with Chuck so that he did not ride out on his own! Not to say I was not happy about it when we got back to Ouray for lunch and received a call from Chris saying they had not made it into Telluride yet! It was a great adventure!! Can't wait for next year, I may drink the koolaid before then!!!
 
On that speed limit deal, yes...it is enforced. You'll usually see a guy in a white Jeep Rubicon who enforces that limit with great relish. And guess what?...he's from Texas. He has been taking a part time summer job up there for awhile. I forget now, but he may have been retired DPS.

Tourmeister, wow!...I've been up on Imogene pass for quite a few years during August, and I've never actually seen snow slush that thick right on the 2-track. Snow on the sides, yes, but not that much in the road. This year during July and August was not normal for CO. The locals all agreed that this was one heck of a rainy year. Great pics and great ride report.

GHT, having something more akin to a real dirt bike does indeed make a huge difference. I've done all that CO stuff for years on KLR600/650's over the years...4 KLR's to be exact. This year on my '06 KLX250S turned 300cc, everything I rode was honestly almost twice as easy. If you do get a KTM or even something similar, you'll love it. I'm 58 and the lighter weight and better suspension made me feel almost young again.:lol2:
 
Whoever was riding the XR650R, please PM me. I'd like to know what carb setting you were using, and how you fared. Thanks.

That would be me. The XR650R started and ran fine on top of the mountain. The only problem I had was when adjusted to idle at elevation, it was way too fast down in town. I keep it a little lean all the time, so no adjustments were made for this trip. IIRC 165 main jet and 68S pilot.

Wow, what a great trip. The weather was such a nice treat and the views were spectacular. Can't wait until next year.

Drinking the coolaid? Yes, if this didn't make you want a "punkin" bike, nothing will.

Steve
 
Meanwhile... back on the mountain...

Time to change out the tube
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Watching, I learn that rim locks can really make tire work a pain...
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Looks real stable doesn't it? :eek2: :lol2:
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:tab Well, it takes a bit, but Stan's bike is soon good to go and we start down the mountain for the last run into Telluride. One of the things that takes some getting used to here in the mountains is that your distance perception can really get whacked. It is real easy to keep thinking that something is just "over the hill" or "just a little further down the road". The scale of this place can really mess with your head! All that to say, even though I don't realize it, we still have a pretty good ways to go before we reach town. And so we start down... down... down... and the road follows the side of the mountain, with big drops to the side. At several points, I can actually stop and look back across the valley and see the Bridal Veil Falls and the infamous switchbacks of Black Bear Pass, which we plan to ride tomorrow.

The white thing on top of the falls is a power house
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The pass is upper left, the red lines are the switchbacks
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:tab Just looking at the view gets me giddy with both anticipation and and sense of danger for tomorrow's ride... Hopefully, it will be dry!

Here's a close up
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Roger and Terry bringing up the rear of the group
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There's actually a good bit of traffic, pedestrian, bicycles, and cagers, so hugging the inside is important, but I still have to watch for big rocks!
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I'm sure there is a name for this arch, but I haven't a clue what it might be
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We stop on the back side for a better view of Black Bear
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Roger
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Looking back up the valley
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With the road highlighted
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A cool part of the road heading down into town
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Yes, it is a LONG way down on the left side...:shock:
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:tab Well, we do eventually roll into town. We cruise up and down the main drag looking for a place to eat and I finally pull over to ask a local for her opinion. She gives me a bit of an odd look, but then points to a blue house right behind us. I smelled something good when we drove by it earlier, but did not even realize it was a restaurant/bar. After getting the parking situation figured out, meaning paying our quarters to get little passes to park on the street, we settle into the business of lunch!

Outdoor eating is so pleasant here!!
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The town hall is just across the street
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:tab After lunch we decide NOT to head back over Imogene. It is getting late in the afternoon and many of us are pretty well spent just from the ride over to Telluride. If anyone were to have problems going back, it could get us late into the evening with still being up on the mountain, not a good thing. So it is decided that we will run the Last Dollar Highway back up to highway 62, cruise over to Ridgeway, and then take some backroads back down to Ouray. This is not a demanding ride and is perfect for an end to a great day.

:tab I take the lead after we gas up and head for the start of the Last Dollar Highway. It is well groomed, hard packed, and covered with small loose rocks. So the corners must be respected. It starts out meandering up the side of the mountains past some INCREDIBLE homes. The number of For Sale signs is telling of the impact the downturn in the economy must be having on this area. They are everywhere! Soon we are getting higher and we get into the Aspen trees, a favorite scenery of mine when riding in mountains.

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:tab At the highest point of the road, it gets down pretty narrow, a little rougher and more secluded feeling. It is NOTHING like what we rode earlier in the day. One could easily ride any of the big adventure bikes like a GS or Vstrom through here, even without knobbies. In fact, I rode part of it on my 1150 GS when I was out here five years ago. Once we drop back down out of the Aspens on the far side of the ridge, the corners open up and have great sight lines, which makes for some fun sliding and accelerating through the corners. We soon reach the highway and head East toward Ridgeway, some of us a little faster than the others :mrgreen: At Ridgeway a few of the tiny tankers top off with gas and then we head South back to Ouray and call it a day.

:tab Once again, as I try to drift off to sleep, all I see are rocks and ledges, and now big daunting switchbacks through the hazy distance... What will tomorrow bring!?

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Day three of the riding...

:tab I slept pretty good last night, minimal tossing and turning, no acid reflux... Still, it seems morning always comes too soon! As usual, Roger has been up for quite some time, but he's REAL quiet so I rarely even notice. I roll out and take a peek out the door... brrr.... 51 degrees, but beautiful. I don't worry much about the temperature because as soon as the sun clears the ridge across the road, it starts to climb pretty quick. However, I did learn the first morning that it is still a good idea to slip on the rain liner to break the wind chill for the first part of the day. First things first though, I have to go check on the condition of the truck.

:tab I head next door to the shop and find the mechanic. It would seem that the axle seal has come apart but the brakes are fine. Apparently, it was axle grease getting all over the hot brake rotor that made all the smoke. This explains why I never lost brake pressure. The good news is that a new seal is only $30-40, can be here tomorrow, and the whole thing fixed and ready to roll for about $250. Wonderful. Now I can get back to thinking about riding... Today we tackle Black Bear Pass...

:tab Now we've all had those experiences where we don't know what to really expect, but there have just been all those stories we've heard... and they nag in the back of our mind... Am I really up for this level of riding? Do I really want to risk serious injury or possibly even death!? It is all just a bunch of hype? Well... nothing to do but go find out for myself :shrug: The group forms up in front of the hotel and we are soon heading out of town on US 550. It's cold in the shadows.

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Some fun switch backs at Hendrick Gulch just before Ironton Park
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More twisties after Ironton but before the start of Black Bear Rd.
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:tab We soon reach the turn off and start up the mountain. The road is typical of what we've been doing the last few days, steep, rocky, winding, and incredibly scenic. The actual pass does not take very long to reach and I am kind of thinking, "That's it...?" Then I look at the GPS and realize we still have a good ways to go before we reach "The Steps". This is what everyone talks about in their reports. They are steep, very rough, and a mistake could send one plunging over the edge. There is little room for error. Hmm... no need to get worked up before we get there. Time for pics.

The road just above the seat is where we are heading...
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:tab Most of the group leaves the pass while I am still taking pictures, so I bring up the rear group. The road comes down off the pass and winds around the edge of a high rocky valley that bends to the West. It has some pretty good rough sections and gets quite steep in places. Before long I catch up to the tail end of the group, we've reach the steps...

Telluride off in the distance, Bill and Roger waiting to see what we are in for...
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:tab See the cable on the road? There is another running above us just ahead in the distance. These were used to ferry ore buckets and miners from one side of the valley to another. There are numerous mines in the slopes around us. Just to our left, Ingram Creek flows down out of the mountains. Right at the steps is Ingram Falls.

:tab Roger rides down the final approach to the steps, traffic is backing up. This is strictly a one way road. Several jeeps and riders are waiting, cameras are out and waiting...

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:tab I follow Roger down and when I pull up behind him to stop, the front end slides out right as I stop. The edge of the "road" slopes up to the right and I am on the slope, so the tire slides sideways, causing the bike to fall to the right. I try to step off but have no where to step. The seat comes to rest on the back of my right calf on top of the boot. The boot is supporting the weight of the bike and keeping it from snapping my ankle. The problem is... I can't get leverage to lift the bike and can't free my boot :doh: Roger turns around and sees my ridiculous predicament and comes to the rescue. Then we sit and watch a few people go down the steps before we do.

Stan heads down as several of the guys wait near the bottom to get pics
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:tab Roger goes next. I watch to see what lines he might take. He hugs the inside line against the wall and just takes the drops from the steps. His rear tire spends a LOT of time just sliding :shock: Then it is my turn...

Doesn't look so bad from here... :twitch:
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:tab Over I go...

:tab I try not to look at the edge of the road or think about what might happen if I screw up this descent. I just focus on keeping the bike steady, my speed LOW and staying upright. Like Roger, my back tire is just sliding like crazy, providing almost no stopping grip. If I even think about trying to use the front brake, the tire wants to slide and wash out. So no front brake... About half way down, there is one really sharp step and the bike bottoms out hard when the front wheel drops off it. My right foot comes off the rear brake pedal and suddenly I realize that the rear was providing a good deal more stopping grip than I thought! My heart rate shoots into the stratosphere and I feel the adrenalin scream through my system in a flash. The bike starts to pick up speed alarmingly quick while I flail around trying to get my foot back on the brake pedal and not fall over. Just before the end where I have to make a sharp right turn or go over the edge, I manage to get it together and make the turn. There is still a pretty steep descent down to where the first part of the group is stopped and waiting, but seeing that actually makes me breath a sigh of relief! I reach the pull out and park the bike, grabbing my camera to get some more shots. However, my hands are shaking :lol2: It seems Terry's hands were shaking pretty good too! It makes holding the camera steady a challenge.

Roger walks back up to that last corner at the bottom of the steps to help anyone that might need assistance. Blow that corner, over you go...
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A close up
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:tab I don't get any decent shots of the steps, so I lifted these shots from FJRRider's post. He was standing right in the corner getting shots of everyone coming down.
The start of the "fun" part...
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Chuck negotiating the turn at the bottom of the steps
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The "Whew I made it and can relax!" part of the descent after the turn...
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Roger starting his descent and me waiting in anticipation behind him...
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Me almost to the turn, with just a few bone jarring steps to go
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:tab I took more pictures once my pulse came back down and my hands quit shaking :-P

:tab I have to say that it was a pretty tense few moments making the descent down the steps. I won't say I'll never do it again. I am VERY glad I never attempted it when I had the R1150GS!! Even on the KLR though, things were pretty dicey. I was really wishing I was on one of the several KTM's in our group! Still, while it was challenging, and screwing it up would be REALLY bad, I don't think it was as bad as I had been thinking it might be. Of course, we are not yet off the mountain and still have a ways to go before lunch. Had the ground and rocks been wet... :brainsnap

Telluride, still 2200 feet below our current elevation
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Our resting place before tackling the switchbacks
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A crumbling mine perched on the rock face. Those miners must have been nuts! Terry takes in the incredible view looking down through the valley
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Roger making sure Bill gets down okay. Bill had a spill on the steps that had him laying on the edge... :shock:
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Roger heads back up, there are still more riders to come
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Meh... doesn't look all that steep now... :-P
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A close up of Ingram Falls and the mine ruins
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Chris coming down to join us for a break
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RG negotiating the final turn on his KLR
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followed by either Duane or Chad I think
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That reddish sandstone layer on the mountains to the right below is where we were riding yesterday after coming down Imogene Pass
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The first look at the switchbacks, doesn't look so bad from here :shrug:
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[Bah... work is interfering with my ride report! More later...]

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Great Ride Report Guys!!! I was there and still have to read every word!!!
Also has anybody noticed that the new Jeep Grand Cherokee commercials were filmed on Imogene Pass????? You can clearly see Red Mountain(s) in the background!!! The one that starts by talking about pushing the wheels to the corners and shows the Jeep climbing a steep area of a large rock shelf... The large rock shelf is I think the same one that Chuck fell on twice!!!
 
Moving right along...

:tab With the steps behind and above us, we now face the switchbacks down to the bottom of the valley. I've heard stories about cars, jeeps and trucks getting stuck on these because they are so tight and steep. So I am kind of curious to see what they are really like.

The road starts on the left and drops down to the right, running under those crumbled mine ruins, then heads off to the first switchback.
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The house perched on the cliff is actually a power generating plant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridal_Veil_Falls_(Telluride))
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And we come to the first serious switchback... :shock:
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It is pretty steep in the actual corner and Bill is in a tight spot balance wise, Roger is dismounting to assist
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RG and Bill made it, Roger waits for me to move through then follows me down
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Looking across to the power house
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Right on the edge... I wonder if they ever tire of their view? :ponder:
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The water flow is actually not real high right now
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Once we get down lower, the switchbacks are no big deal. There is actually quite a bit of traffic, motorized and pedestrian.
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Yours truly :mrgreen:
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It takes a while, but we eventually reach the bottom. The steps are at that shiney spot in the bottom of the V on the ridge line. Chad happy to have done it!
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Nah... it doesn't look that far away or that high... :whatever:
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We roll into town and after some wandering around manage to find a BBQ place for lunch. It was okay, but nothing to write home about, especially considering the prices :eek2:
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:tab During the course of lunch, it is decided that the bulk of the group is going to head back to Ouray via Imogene Pass. I am not really in the mood for that much technical riding and opt for a different route back that is South of Ophir pass, Skotch Creek and Hermosa Creek Rds. So Bill and RG decide they will ride with me. After lunch the other guys head out for Imogene and we head out of town on Hwy 145 to the start of CR 625, which follows the South Fork of the San Miguel River and eventually drops out right at the start of Ophir Pass Rd. It is a nice wide gravel road with beautiful scenery.

:tab Once we reach Hwy 145, we have to run pavement for a while and I take a moment to glance at the GPS map. We could run all the way down to Skotch Creek Rd., or... we could explore a road I've never done which would come out where Skotch Creek and Hermosa Creek roads come together. It looks squiggly and there are a lot of elevation changes, so I figure it is worth exploring. It is still relatively early so we have time. Besides, if we have trouble, Bill is carrying a local hardware store on his KLR :-P

:tab Just North of Rico, we head East into the mountains on Barlow Creek Rd., which starts climbing almost immediately and does not stop for quite some time, rising nearly 2000 feet by the time it crests the summit at Bolam Pass. But I get ahead of myself again... The climb is not terribly difficult even though it is pretty rough in places, it is just that it goes and goes and goes... I just stand up, rev to 4K RPM in first gear and hold on tight... There is no one else out here and the solitude is just great. Soon we reach a nice high valley where the road levels out a bit and we can relax.

I think that is Hermosa Peak in the distance
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This is close to the top of the climb
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Looking out over the head waters of the Delores River to the North
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Not everyone gets a vacation... some have to work work work... busy busy busy...
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The oft ridiculed but rock solid reliable KLR 650's :thumb:
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:tab Just past the over look there is a road that runs off to the South, dead ending according to the sign, but it looks like it runs near the summit of Hermosa Mountain. It would probably be a nice side ride for another trip, but with the rest of this road still being unknown, I opt to stay on the main path to conserve time. The road wanders through the woods a bit, then comes to another high overlook. There are what appear to be a few hunters hanging out near their trucks. I wave and continue on by them. Before long, we reach the pass and it is a welcome site!

This would be an AWESOME place to camp!
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[Time to go home... I'll pick this up later tonight]

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Okay... we were somewhere up on top of Bolam Pass enjoying the view...

:tab We see a few other folks with bikes parked over by the lake enjoying the incredible setting, I give a wave and then start down. Immediately the descent gets rocky and loose, then the switchbacks start. Some of them are actually fairly tight, but nothing to difficult. What I have really been enjoying about this ride is that almost the entire time we have been below the tree line, surrounded by woods on all sides, as opposed to the moonscape setting of places like Imogene and Engineer Passes (which I also like). It is just a nice change of scenery, and the shade is nice when we've stopped. After one steep section I stop because I realize there is no one behind me. So I wait... and wait... and about the time I am trying to figure out how I am going to get turned around, Bill comes around the corner and finally RG. Seems RG saw an old miner's cabin perched at the top of the head of the Hermosa Creek valley and stopped for pics. From here, it is dirt, rocks, roots, big pot holes, and just one long ride down down down... Eventually we drop down into the valley and just follow the creek as it meanders to lower altitudes. We see some bow hunter camps along the way as well.

Looks smooth so you can go fast, but one REALLY has to keep an eye out for surprises ;-)
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:tab We eventually reach the Scotch Creek intersection and then start the final run down out of the mountains. The road gets wider and becomes the smooth hard packed gravel that is found where cars abound. So while I crank up the pace a bit to enjoy myself, I am also on heightened watch for other vehicles :wary: It does not take long to reach US 550, where we come out right next to Purgatory... the place where it does in fact snow ;-) We turn North on US 550 and I set to enjoying myself. While the road is incredibly twisty and does have places where a mistake can literally be fatal, it is still possible to really have fun on this road :trust:

:tab Along the way I pull over in one of the numerous sharp corners where there is a creek running down out of the mountains. Some years back I stopped here with a small group and the four of us hiked back up into the trees a ways and found a cool waterfall. It looks a bit over grown since I was last here, but seeing as how I could use a nature break, a short hike can't hurt :-P

The fall is right where I remembered
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But it has WAY less water than before
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Looking back toward the road
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:tab RG had mentioned taking a little side road on the North side of Silverton, the Red Mountain Mining District Rd. He says it starts further South than my map shows, but never see what looks like an obvious road where it should be :shrug: So I wind up finding the road that cuts over to the mines about half way between where he shows it starting and the Northern end. I have a pretty good lead over Bill and RG so I stop to hang out and relax for a few minutes.

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:tab Bill and RG catch up pretty quick and off we go. The road is not technical at all, just a lot of loose rocks. We cross Red Mountain Creek and the road turns North, running in a high valley and then out onto the sides of the mountains where numerous mines are perched. It is a really cool little road that I might never have checked out had RG not mentioned it. We are able to ride right up to many of the mines, but we do not stop and go in any of them. They are still private property and can also be extremely dangerous.

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This is a typical vertical shaft mine, having an elevator to take miners down and to bring the ore out. Looking it over, it had to be an expensive operation when it was running.
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Many of these structures are over 100 years old, their condition remarkable given the harshness of the winters here and the wood construction.
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The labor had to be back breaking. I wonder if the views were any consolation or went ignored on a daily basis?
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:tab The road wanders down off the side of the mountain back to the creek, where it crosses over and eventually hits US 550. I stop at the creek crossing and while I am taking pictures, another KLR rides up from behind. It turns out his name is also Scott and he is from Colorado Springs. He's on the tail end of a trip and heading back home. I tell him about TWT, chat a few minutes and then take off to catch up to the other guys so they don't think something has happened to me. We soon hit the highway and once again I take the lead and enjoy the KLR's under appreciated tight road handling abilities :rider:

Just one of many corners on US 550 you don't want to get wrong... :shock:
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:tab The run back up to Ouray is a nice end to a great day of riding. I cruise into town and reach the hotel. Time for a nice cold Blueberry beer... yes, that's right, a local Pale Ale brew with a hint of Blueberry. It is actually pretty good. It is not long before all the other riders start showing up. Then Steve and Bob show up. I had wondered where they were today as I noticed earlier on Black Bear Pass that there were not with us. They were standing around before we left this morning, but they were not geared up, so myself and several other folks figured they were taking a day off from the riding like some others had done. Apparently, that was not their intent :doh: The group wants to do Mexican for dinner tonite. Fine with me! The place is pretty good and amazingly does not kill me later when I go to bed.

:tab Tomorrow will be the last day of riding for a lot of the guys. Roger, Bob, Steve and I will be riding through Friday and leaving Saturday morning. Ophir Pass is the plan for tomorrow.

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Excellent ride report guys. Tourmeister, you did well on this.
I just got back from a 10 day Co./Ut. trip on the 12th. It didn't snow on us, but we did have a rain about like a MS. dew. Made the ride awesome. My favorite was Imogene Pass going up Tomboy road from Ouray. I did it solo on my '07 KLR. Very exhilarating, to say the least. A friend and I came down it in the dark the night before, unintentionally ;-). I had to go back to see what we had come down in the dark :eek2: :lol2: Great report :clap:
 
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