Colorado Adventure V. 2.0

The Rescue of Misfortunes

We didn’t know the Strom’s stator was toes up…we just knew the battery was fried and with a quick jump, the bike could run for a minute or so. Pushing on over the pass made rescue a 4X4 situation…way more difficult.

“Anybody have a tow strap?” someone asked. (Yep, I carry one. ) “Want to pull me back to Almont?” I waited for the punch line….

OK, no good solution here so a quick choice of the least bad option was called for. Dead bikes happen. Deal. We needed to tap dance our way out of this mess with as much delicacy as nature would afford.

“You folks point this thing toward Taylor Reservoir. If you get it running then ride like the wind toward camp. If not, we’ll be back…eventually.”

Bart and I pointed our 1190’s downhill and blazed a spirited dash back to camp to retrieve his truck and my ramp. Yes, ramps are big rattily cumbersome things that take up huge bits of room and pinch fingers but they do come in awful handy.

The rest you can imagine pretty much as it occurred. All were saved from the ravages of mountain predators and a passable meal was had well before midnight. Bike rental dude in Denver delivered a pretty good looking Yamaha Super T sometime before dawn and hauled away the remains of his Strom.

Next day…

Clearly, the leader of this adventure had misjudged the kinds of “gravel roads” we needed to stay close to. These boys were honestly traumatized and apprehensive about riding again. Yesterday’s adventure was way outside their image or experience of motorcycle riding. My mistake… e pluribus unum.

Let’s just go look at some really cool sites. (It took me about 10 minutes and two maps over coffee that morning to convince them they’d be safe.)

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is really spectacular. Most folks approach it from the south rim where the national park is located. Naturally we chose to come at it from the north rim which sees very little traffic. It’s a lot more fun getting there and makes a reasonable loop from Almont.







The roar of the river below, the enormity of the view... picture just don't work. Go there.

The route took us through Paonia, Colorado. Not a big place but there’s a “farm to table” type café that is worth the trip by itself. I'd been a few days before and thought it was great. The Living Farm Café. The crew said this was the best meal they’d ever had in Colorado. We passed the actual farm on our way out of town.

By this time the Aspen leaves were doing pretty well. We looped back through the huge stand just west of Crested Butte on the way to Kebler Pass. It’s a sight well worth your time… from both directions.













You have to know that a camera (least one held in my shaky hands) does outright violence to the actual scenery here. Both at the canyon and these gold colored valleys. Just literally awesome.

Nice RG.

I hope they didn't have problems on Kebler Pass. It's doable on an FZ1 or an FJR.

Kebler has been on my list for a long time. For whatever reason, something always happens that keeps me from being able to do it The closest I got was after lunch in Paonia and we headed that way, but then came up on signs informing of FOUR hour delays!! Yeah, we turned around... Ended up running down to Hotchkiss and the over 92 along the North side of Black Canyon to 50. Roger missed the turn at Hotchkiss and ended up running all the way over to Delta, down through Montrose, and then back over to Gunnison where we were staying for the night We didn't realize he was even missing until we reached that overlook pull out on 92 with the restrooms. He must have been cruising because he reached the hotel within minutes of our arrival.

By the way, if you ever get the chance, the run between Paonia and Rifle is a nice ride. It is totally big bike friendly. I did it on my GS with Sarah on the back. We actually saw several Moose cows, calves, and a bull! The folks in Paonia were impressed. According to them that was a rare thing nowadays. They crossed the road right in front of me and were huge! You do have to watch for sheep coming down off the mountains if you go in the fall. The ranchers bring them down to lower elevations by herding them down the roads. At least it might be a soft landing if you encounter them coming around a blind corner We had to ride through a herd twice. Sheep dogs were everywhere and there were several high school aged looking boys on horseback with them. We just crept through them nice and slow.

Tourmeister said:

By the way, if you ever get the chance, the run between Paonia and Rifle is a nice ride. It is totally big bike friendly. I did it on my GS with Sarah on the back. We actually saw several Moose cows, calves, and a bull! The folks in Paonia were impressed. According to them that was a rare thing nowadays. They crossed the road right in front of me and were huge! You do have to watch for sheep coming down off the mountains if you go in the fall. The ranchers bring them down to lower elevations by herding them down the roads. At least it might be a soft landing if you encounter them coming around a blind corner We had to ride through a herd twice. Sheep dogs were everywhere and there were several high school aged looking boys on horseback with them. We just crept through them nice and slow.

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Great ride report!

TM: Does this look like your route?

If not exactly our route, that is definitely close. There was one section where we had to detour because of a land slide on the main route, that was where we passed through the sheep as they were coming down. We then hit the dead end and had to backtrack, going through the sheep again to get back to the detour point. We saw the Moose (Meese? ) just a bit North of Paonia on Steven's Gulch Rd.

Tourmeister said:

If not exactly our route, that is definitely close. There was one section where we had to detour because of a land slide on the main route, that was where we passed through the sheep as they were coming down. We then hit the dead end and had to backtrack, going through the sheep again to get back to the detour point. We saw the Moose (Meese? ) just a bit North of Paonia on Steven's Gulch Rd.

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Thanks, I think I will hit that next summer, looks some great camping spots along the route.


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There were quite a few people about 2/3 of the way down from Rifle. There were ATVs and RVs everywhere in that area. There was a stream/creek of some size running through the area. Looking at my maps, I think it was West Muddy Creek.

Tourmeister said:

signs informing of FOUR hour delays!!

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Yep, I asked a sign holder out on the road one day - Why so doggone many road work delays? He says they get about 4-5 months out of the year when they can be outside working... It's pretty intense and all over the place out among the mountains during the season.

Tourmeister said:

He must have been cruising because he reached the hotel within minutes of our arrival.

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I've heard he can do that. Dirt or street...

Tourmeister said:

By the way, if you ever get the chance, the run between Paonia and Rifle is a nice ride.

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Rifle is on my list for next summer. Thanks.

In the trips I have made to Colorado, road construction is the norm. However, I have NEVER experienced a delay of more than maybe 15-20 minutes at the most. So four hours seems extreme! If the stop is more than for a few minutes, unlike that stoplight outside of Ouray in July, then I have been known to get off the bike and start walking up and down the line of traffic visiting with folks. On more than one occasion someone has called out to me by name... That is always a surprise! It has usually been another forum member that was on a trip with the family and not riding. Although, I have also met folks on their bikes. I ran into Capt Bruce and another member when they were riding the TAT and stopped at Poker Alice in Lake City for lunch. I had lunch with them and visited for a while. I was there with the family that day and not riding.

RG, have you done much riding further East over by South Fork, like North and South of US 160? I know Wheeler Monument is over that way, but are there any passes that go North over the Mountains to CO 114? I've done the run East on FS 788 to CO 114 and then to US 285. There are a lot more roads to explore in that area as well. It was quite fun!

The area going South toward Antonito and Chama, NM., looks like it would be a fun area to explore. We rode the narrow gauge train between those towns and I saw loads of dirt roads and was told they were all accessible public roads.

Tourmeister said:

RG, have you done much riding further East over by South Fork, like North and South of US 160? I know Wheeler Monument is over that way, but are there any passes that go North over the Mountains to CO 114?

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Last year I based out of Wagon Wheel Gap working the areas around Wheeler Monument and east toward South Fork (north of 160/149). Going west, you run up against the La Garita wilderness (Wheeler is actually inside this) and the Weminuche wilderness. That basically leaves from Creede toward the east.

There is some first rate single track out there. Some used in the spring RMEC (enduro) are a handful. This is where I lost my rear brakes on the 530...as in gone...no pads nor pins. That'll crease the seat.

Moving east toward Del Norte flattens out into farm country real quick. North of DN is La Garita rd. that runs into FS 41g. It goes all the way up to 114. Very scenic stuff. This is one you'll enjoy. East of the intersection with 114 is Saguache (pronounced saw-wash). Even farther east is Crestone...one of the craziest places I've experienced. A week there will broaden one's perspectives. Moving further north is the Marshall pass road between Sargents and Poncha Springs...very popular with bigger adventure bikes.

This year I moved south of 160 to areas south of South Fork, Del Norte and west of Monte Vista. I ran into a lot of private land and areas with little listed on MVUM's. Near Rock Creek is a small area of very nice single track. I'll be spending more time there. This is where I ran onto a pair of bull moose. For dualsport/GS riding Summitville rd. is great.

North of Saguache is an old mining area called Bonanza. You can basically throw a rock from one old mine to the next. It's a designated scenic area where you can see more old mining and milling equipment than you want to look at. Getting off the main drag is little bike territory.

This part of Colorado is one of transition and contrast. You go from flat farm land with center pivot irrigation to some of the tallest mountains in the state within the course of a few miles - in all directions. You can stand in beautiful alpine meadows at elevation and look down into Sand Dunes national park. There's a lot more exploring that needs to be done around there.

*Much of this area is called the "wet mountains." There's a good reason. Places like Summitville, Spanish Peaks and around Lake Isabel are meteorological misfits. They're big mountains out by themselves and they honest to goodness create their own weather. Most of it cold and wet.

Crestone, Colorado

I was now back in solo mode after helping Bart and company get on their way to Texas and I’d discovered the remote mountainous areas essentially shut down shortly after Labor Day. It’s as though a great silent bell rings and suddenly everyone’s gone within the span of a few days. The locals cautiously began venturing out like people emerging from shelter after a violent storm. You could almost hear a collective exhale from them after watching streets and businesses clear of summer tourists. There was a different spirit among them as if their communities were gratefully reclaimed and their personal lives and friendships could resurface. Still being there, I must have stood out like a pink pig in overalls. Maybe they regarded me as an aberration apparently trapped somewhere in the middle, a curious oddity not really belonging to either breed. Things were starting to change rapidly. Aspen trees glowed with brilliance and cold breezes rattled their dry leaves like a million tiny castanets across the mountains. Higher peaks turned faintly white with the first dusting of winter and nighttime temps dropped below freezing. Our riding trails quietly became subtle winding depressions covered in layers of greens and gold and unnameable tans that all shifted with the winds and lengthening shadows. It was time to begin my southerly migration.

Most places I’d left with a sense of reluctance. It had been great riding with friends but the excitement of rolling bikes back into the rig, strapping down and hooking up - seeing new territory while making towards the next adventure was always a welcome part of the trip. There was a certain thrill in making this happen and I was getting the hang of it. Being alone had become more normal now than not. I can’t say when it first felt that way. Maybe that’s really why I came here all along. Hoping to work out how the strange narrative of “life 2.0” is supposed to go. That annoying feeling of constantly waiting for something – with no idea of what it is – was beginning to fade… a little. I had simplified life’s complexities into an 8 X 30 feet home where I hung my gear on handlebars overnight and smelled a familiar aroma of drying dirt and worn tires a few inches from my bed.

I began this journey riding with friends back around Ouray and Silverton in what now seemed like a lifetime before. All the places I’d been so far are known riding gems of central and southwestern Colorado. It was time to focus on exploring entirely new spaces and see if we’ve been driving past righteously good riding on our way to the distant western slope. I’d done some of this before around places like Wagon Wheel Gap, Lake Isabel and Cuchara. The results were promising so this time I moved deeper into the Wet Mountains nearer Texas.

Strange as it is, some of the tallest peaks in Colorado are found in its southeastern area. I’m sure geologist can explain it all but the peculiar nature of these mountains occurring in relative isolation makes for potential single track riding and cooler temps within one long day’s drive from home. The northern most part of this is near the communities of Saguache and Crestone, north of Pagosa Springs. Traveling from Gunnison southeast along Cochetopa Creek on 114 is an amazing drive… even while pulling an RV. It’s a scenic twisty that should be on every motorcyclist’s list. I found a small well maintained camping area near the town of Crestone. Of maybe a dozen campsites, three could accommodate my rig. And only then with some serious wiggle, fortunate backing and outright luck. Clearly, this place was meant for backpackers heading up the trails. But then there is Crestone… and this place has a story.

To be continued…

Great description again RG. Thank you.
I've been west, north, south and east of Crestone. Never thought about wondering in there. Probably because I'm always in the area in June.
Looking forward to your observations.

Well, guess I'll have to buy another D/S bike. Thanks!