Day 3, the final day, of my recent Colorado trip,
Well… it’s a wrap on the Colorado trip. Other than the trip there, not a single day has gone as planned. But that is what makes a trip an adventure… right!?
Days one and two involved rough terrain, rain, and mud. I enjoy one of those things. When I crack my eyes Wednesday morning the sun is already blasting through the pathetic curtains in our hotel room. Maybe I’ll get to enjoy two things today!
Everyone is tired and sore from our first two days of riding in the area around Montrose, Co. Even the “young” guy in the group is feeling it. It has been epic riding, but we’ve had to pay for it. The plan for today is to keep it easy and short, hopefully relaxing, so that we might recover a bit. Rob has already mentioned that he might call it done after today because he is not used to the intensity and duration of the riding we have been doing. I’m not either, but I am stubborn. Since I am self employed and not retired, I rarely get a chance to take a full week off to do six days of riding in a place like SW Colorado and I always want to make the most of it when I get the chance.
We gas up and roll East out of town on US 50. We have to do a bit of slabbing to reach the beginning of the unpaved stuff. It is not bad though because there are two passes to be crossed along the way and the highway gets twisty as it climbs up and over them. The 690s and 701s are basically the same bikes with some differences. They are nice because they can do the slab work and are still amazingly capable for the nasty stuff.
As US 50 starts to drop down into a deep narrow canyon we carve through a few corners and quickly reach our goal, the Alpine Plateau Road. This is a road that cuts over to Co 149 North of Lake City. I have known about it for years and have just never worked it into any previous trips to this area. I had heard good and bad things about it, but if you don’t really know the riding abilities of the people making the comments, it is hard to know the reality in advance.
We have been following an 18 wheeler with a load of what looks like construction stuff. Much to my dismay, he turns as well. Right after turning onto the dirt road he has the perfect opportunity to let us go on around him. He doesn’t do it. Not only that, he just won’t even slow and move over a bit to let us get past him despite knowing we are there. Rather than eating his dust for who knows how far or trying to force the issue, I pull over and we take a break to just enjoy the amazing scenery around us.
We give it maybe ten minutes or so then get back on the bikes. We are not interested in running a hot pace. Today is a relax and enjoy the views day. Still, given how twisty and narrow this road is I would not expect the truck to have really gotten very far ahead of us. To my delight, we never catch up to him. He must have turned off somewhere.
We eventually start climbing and the views begin to open up. There are some amazing homes up here!! Many of the sit right at the Aspen line, some on the outside edge and some just inside. This is right around 8-8.5K feet elevation. Once past these homes, the road starts climbing up into the Aspens and gets much twisty and a bit more rocky. It is a very easy and pleasant ride, exactly what we were hoping for.
We soon enter the Uncompahgre NF. It is incredibly beautiful here. However, there are a LOT of dead Aspens that do not look like they were burned. I noticed this in all the other areas we were riding the previous two days. I have no idea what is killing them. Years back, Pine Beetles swept through the region leaving entire mountains covered in dead trees. Areas around Creede and Lake City were devastated and are only now starting to show evidence of serious recovery. It is looking much the same in many places with huge groves of Aspens. If anyone knows what is happening, please share it.
As we push further into the national forest the road gets steeper and tighter. There are some mild climbs, but nothing remotely technical. We eventually reach a bit over 11k feet and come out of the woods at an amazing overlook. We park the bikes and just hang out for a while to soak it in. Kevin McNeil actually has cell service! So he takes a work related call. He has one of those jobs that lets him do a lot of work over the phone and VERY remotely
The cool, crisp and dry air just feels amazing inside and out. It feels great on my skin compared to the thick humid air at home in East Texas and it is incredibly refreshing just to breathe. None of us seem to be having any issues with the thinner air other than getting winded easier when exerting. But, there have been no indications of altitude sickness.
After Kevin gets off work, we get moving again. It is all down hill from here. The road is in fantastic condition. There are numerous places where we come out of the woods on the edge of a bluff looking out over the valley below and the mountains beyond. We reach one spot though where the road levels and straightens for a hundred yards or so.
Both sides of the road have some kind of bush/weed thing that has a single stalk 12-24” high. The tops of the stalks are fluffy and a bright pinkish color. The breeze blowing through them is creating a literal snow storm of little white snowflakes that remind me of Dandelion petals floating on the wind. I stop and try to get pictures and a video.when I look up or in any direction, they are just swirling all around us in a dense cloud. The sun hits them and makes them sparkle and glisten. All of us just sit there absorbing a truly magical moment. It is very relaxing
The ride down from that magical spot gets steep and there are many switchbacks, but it is easy riding. In one spot we find what looks like the camp sites of a Boy Scout troop. All the tends are identical except for one larger tent, presumably that of the group leader and there is the troop trailer. No one is around, so they must be off on some adventure of their own. Being a Boy Scout in a place like this would be amazing!
We soon reach the bottom and roll up on Co 149. We all agree that Alpine Plateau Road is just what to doctor ordered. It goes on the “do again” list for sure. We hop on 149 and head South toward Lake City.
Co 149 is a superb ride from US 50 all the way down to South Fork. We’ve come out about halfway between US 50 and Lake City. This section run along the edge of Lake Fork River. It is a smooth flowing road with beautiful scenery. It is hard for me not to slip into fast mode because it just begs to be ridden faster than what the state of Colorado thinks is a safe speed. I am not talking about riding Ricky Racer fast, just 15-20mph over the ridiculously low posted speed
Anyway, we quickly reach Lake City and stop for lunch at a favorite cafe, Southern Vittles. Their hand battered chicken tenders are excellent. We have an excellent lunch! Then we top off the gas tanks even though we’ve only run maybe 60ish miles of our 200 mile range and this is going to be a short day. Gas stops are far and few between in this area and you just never know!
We head South out of town to make the climb to Slumgullion Pass. This is all paved and has a ton of 15-30mph posted corners. We make a quick stop at the Lake San Cristobal overlook and then keep moving. It does not take long to reach the pass, just over 11k feet elevation.
The plan is to run down the South side of the pass a few miles to Brush Creek Pass and the. Run this back North up to CR 50. However, when we reach the road and turn off, we quickly spot a Dead End sign.
Dang.
It looks fun on the map, but… it also makes me think it would not be as soothing to ride as the Alpine Plateau Road. So we spin around and run back over the pass to where CR 50 starts.
CR 50 runs Northeast through the Gunnison NF along what I think is Cebolla Creek. I have done this road many times. I highly recommend it for any skill level of adventure rider on most any adventure bike (unless of course it is raining!). Roger has ridden it with me before, but I think this is a first for Kevin and Rob.
The road and creek eventually head straight North and intersect CR 52. I pause here wait for everyone else. It is maybe 1:30 or so. Our original route plan was to head East on 52 and eventually make a turn North that would bring us back out on Co 149 about halfway between US 50 and Powderhorn.
This is one of those junction moments. I think the easy and awesome riding this far has put us into blissful delirium. Rather than run the known easy route up CR 50 and then the Blue Mesa Cutoff (CR 25) back up to US 50 for an easy cruise back in to Montrose, we elect to follow the original plan…
Into the unknown. Isn’t that essentially the definition of adventure? Isn’t that part of the thrill? Isn’t that why calls to us in some deep and indescribable way!?
Of course it is.
So we head Southeast on CR 52, a wide, easy and seductive road. We soon come to a fork. The left path goes up, becomes a single lane wide and looks less traveled. Clearly this is a no brainer. We take the left path. This is CR 45. It runs along the Northern boundary of the Gunnison NF.
I am sensitive to our desire to keep things mild today. As the road gets a bit rougher, steeper and tighter, I am wondering if we are about to reach another of those go or turn around decision points that we’ve been doing a poor job of making the last few days. It is not easy! When a goal has been set and the challenge accepted to see what lies beyond, turning back feels like abject failure. That said, we are here to have fun, not die on some noble quest to expand the frontiers of civilization.
I press on.
I am really getting into a nice groove and my pace is naturally picking up a bit. I come around a corner on to a short straight section and there is a huge buck in the middle of the road with a large velvety rack adorning his head. We both stare at each other for a second or two and then I double tap my horn. That breaks the stand off and he leaps into the woods. My eyes instinctively start scanning for furry friends and I spot several more large buck and numerous doe standing just inside the edge of the woods. I blip my throttle a few times to send them scattering deeper into the woods away from the road to hopefully clear the way for the guys behind me.
Somewhere along the way the road becomes CR Kk14. I have a vague memory of riding this about 25 years ago on my 02 R1150 GS all the way over to Co 114 and that it was an awesome ride. Somewhere along the stretch we are on we cross over another pass and start descending again. I saw a sign with the name of it, but the brain cells responsible for retaining that information are complete slackers. If you look at a map of the area that shows the NF boundaries, you’re see that CR Kk14 crosses a section of the forest from a Western boundary to an Eastern boundary. The forest makes a “peninsula” stretching to the North.
What I am looking for is FR 806. This makes a tight squiggly line back across this peninsula running Northwest in the direction of Co 149. I know nothing about this road other than what I could glean from Google Earth imagery when planning the route. It was a faint two track that looked like it went all the way through to meet up with another county road outside of the NF.
I miss the turn, not because I am ripping along and having a blast, but because there is a gate and it looked like private property. When I realize we’ve gone to far I stop. Kevin rolls up and I ask if he saw anything. He mentions the gate and says he thinks the road is closed.
Here we are again with a go or no go decision. Our options are to keep heading East to Co 114, run that to US 50 East of Gunnison, and then have a long highway slog in traffic back to Montrose, an option that adds a lot of extra time and miles to our day, or we can head back to CR 50 and run up to Powderhorn and head back via the Blue Mesa Cutoff I mentioned earlier. The latter is definitely shorter and we should have enough gas to do it. We decide on the second option, the known quantity.
We turn around and start back. As we approach the gate I feel compelled to take a closer look. I can’t help myself. I pull over and don’t see any signs indicating private property or that the road is closed. What I do see is a sign that says, please keep gate closed. There are no locks.
I can see in the distance, maybe a quarter to half mile away, the road curves up and vanishes into the woods. Kevin must be reading my mind or feeling that same calling of the unknown. I glance over and ask what he thinks. We’re here, let’s check it out
He opens the gate and we ride through. Roger stops on the far side to close it after we’re all inside. The road is two wide ruts with a big rounded off hump in the middle. It is some kind of grey sand. Easy enough!
We head toward that spot in the distance. When we get there I stop and pause for a minute. It is steep, very rocky, and turns at the same time. There is no telling what we are about to step off into… I look back and do a thumbs up to everyone and get thumbs up from everyone in the group. I feel a sense of relief. After all, if I am about to do something questionable, it is always better to be surrounded by friends with the same poor judgment and are willing to go into the fire with me.
I pick an initial line and go for it. The turn comes almost immediately and as I scan ahead all I can see is more climbing and more rocks, but so far it is not hard, it is just bumpy. The long travel suspension of these bikes absorbs the hits and the power lets us roll over some decent sized obstacles without losing momentum.
We soon reach a long sweeping climb that makes a big arc as it goes up into the trees. It turns out to be easier than it looks. That said, I am starting to sweat and my heart rate is picking up because I am working. We reach another gate and I take the opportunity to chat with Kevin to see what he thinks thus far. He likes it. It’s not raining. If it stays much the same he’s game for it. Once again I get a round of thumbs up and we proceed through the gate.
The road continues climbing but for the most part is not hard, at least not constantly. There are some short tricky sections, but the key thing is that they are short! My heart rate is coming down, I am relaxed, and I am enjoying the riding. We are also making good time in comparison to the crazy stuff we rode yesterday where I rarely got out of first gear. I have been running second and third on this stuff.
We eventually cross a high point and start descending, but not for very far. We are a few trucks on the side of the road and a few remote camp spots with a tent, so there are other folks back I here. As we descend we come up behind a Toyota Tacoma. He quickly moves over and lets us by. I give a honk and a wave and then turn down into the valley below.
The road is now two grassy tracks through high grass. There are some potholes with water and/or mud as well as scattered big embedded rocks to avoid. When we reach the bottom, there are a few shallow and easy creek crossings. The road levels out for the most part and just starts snaking its way up the valley. We are running a nice pace that doesn’t spike my heart rate or adrenaline due to the unexpected.
We run quite a ways before the road makes a steep climb up a hill. There are some short nasty rocky sections along the way to the top. At the top we find a truck parked at a great camping spot! The driver gets out, waves, and comes over to visit. He looks to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He asks all the usual questions and then asks if we’ve seen a Tacoma. He is waiting for his buddy to join him. They are here to hunt for Elk.
I ask him if he knows anything about the road beyond? Even though we crave the unknown, that doesn’t mean we just lunge in head first blindly. He mentions that the road is pretty bad just on the other side of the hill and that there will be another gate. He’s never gone all the way to it and has heard mixed reports about whether it is passable or not. The locals are rumored to be locking it. It is only a few more miles though. We’re almost to the Western boundary of the NF. It is a long way to back track.
I get three thumbs up.
I roll across to the far side of the hill top to see a very steep tack heading down. It is not far, maybe a few hundred feet. It looks like it hasn’t seen traffic in a long time. It also has a lot of tightly spaced jagged rocks, none of those nice smooth rounded off rocks. These are momentum kills bent on throwing you off whatever line you might imagine will get you through them. They are good at what they do.
I pick my line, such as it is, and start down. In my helmet I am chanting out loud, “Let it roll! Let it roll!!” Yes, this does help. Regardless, I have a few moments where all forward momentum vanishes and for a few heartbeats I am in that limbo of wondering if I am about to go over or manage to keep the bike balance long enough to get it rolling again.
These are long heart beats…
I feather the clutch, rev the engine, shift my weight and feed in the power. The front grudgingly lifts up over the rock it is pinned on and I start rolling again!!
“Keep your eyes up!!”
I try to stop focusing on each rock and look further ahead, focusing on where I want to be. This lets the bike do its job with the least amount of panicked interference from me. Let the machine so the work for you, something easier said than done.
At the bottom I roll out a bit to leave room for the others and then stop to make sure everyone gets down okay. I am not wild about the possibility of backtracking up that mess if we can’t get clear of the upcoming gate! We’re now back on the mild grassy two track, but there are more rocks hiding in the grass, some mud holes and a few water crossings.
And then there’s the gate…
And it has a big sign on it…
And there is a chain with multiple pad locks on it…
Dang
Planning these kinds of routes is challenging even with all our high tech maps and imagery. Everything right up to this point on my GPS shows we are on a public forest service road and that it connects to CR 1tt. When I look at my GPS, it shows we are right on the edge of the NF boundary. So I move the pointer onto the road just a wee bit past the boundary and it says, “Beaver Creek Rd.” Just a hair past that, “CR 1tt”.
Soooooo close!!
It might be a half mile, maybe a whole mile, across that gap. But it looks like we’ve come to the end of the road. I have to say, a Dead End sign wayyy back there would have been nice!! It’s not that the riding hasn’t been incredible, but now gas is starting to be an issue. I have maybe 80 miles left and it is getting late in the day. We’d really prefer to get back to Montrose before dark!
There is no decision regarding turning around. The issue now is where to head for gas, Gunnison or Lake City? Going up CR 50 to Powderhorn and on to Montrose is not really possible now. We chose the known and decide to make best speed back to Lake City. It has taken us a bit over three hours to get here. Getting back before dark is looking questionable…
We turn around and start heading back. Going back is always easier. Ideally you know what to expect. So I am clipping along, picking up speed where possible and slowing down where needed. Not far from the base of that hill climb I am in the right track approaching a long narrow patch of mud, similar to literally hundreds of similar patches I’ve encountered over the last few days.
I slow down and make sure I hit it as upright as possible and as centered as possible, just like all those other times.
This time though…
I don’t feel a hint of a warning or wiggle. There is no time to instinctively react. The front just come out from under me, the bike falls and spins to the left as I head over the bars in a twisting rolling motion. I have enough time to think… aw dang!
Then I am on the ground.
The bike comes to rest on its left side a few feet past me. I am a little stunned, mentally more than physically. I recall hearing/feeling a mild impact on the left side of my helmet and then coming to rest on my back. There is no specific pain, just that whole body, “What the heck was that!?”
I hear Kevin hollering at, asking if I am okay as he’s trying not to run over my bike, park his, and get to me. I give him a thumbs up, then lay there and contemplate that being the line leader and taking one, or three, for the team is getting old!
Amazingly, my heart rate and adrenaline are not sky high and I am feeling quite calm and relaxed. I know from experience not to instantly try to jump up after an unplanned dismount. It is best to just stay still and wait at least a few minutes. That is when the pains will start kicking in. Quite quickly I notice my right hand wanting my attention…
Something hurts…
I don’t remember hitting the hand on anything, but it all happened fast!! Nothing else seems to be hurting, at least no pains out of the ordinary for an almost 60 year old out of shape dude.
After a few more minutes and the guys getting pictures, Kevin and Ron help me to my feet. I still feel fine, but the pinky side of my right hand is very very tender. I can move my wrist and fingers without it inducing any additional pain. I don’t think anything is broken. Regardless, I’ve got to ride out of here. There’s no chance anyone would come out here to get me for a non life threatening injury. So we look over the bike to see if it is damaged. Amazingly, it looks perfectly fine. The crash bars and metal hand guards did their job. I straighten my mirrors and it fires right up.
There is still that rocky hill I have to climb to get out of here…
Rob takes the lead while I am getting myself ready to roll. We all watch him to see how it goes. He starts off looking great. About a third of the way up he gets in a tight spot and comes to a stop. I can hear his back tire scrubbing rocks trying to find traction. He gives the bike a few pulls and pushes and gets it moving. He shift from the left side to the right and powers to the top. Kevin and Roger follow.
It’s game time again. No time for recriminations or self doubt. The bike can’t do it all for me. I take a deep slow breath, calm myself and head to the hill.
As I have often said, sometimes you pick the line and sometimes the line picks you. I manage to reach the same spot where Rob got hung up and came to a stop. Like Rob, I had to do some pushing and pulling to try to get the front pointed in a good direction. Going right worked for Rob, so monkey see, monkey do!
It works!!
I join the guys at the top of the hill. The Tacoma guy has arrived. He and his buddy have been watching us. I let him know that the locked gate is no longer a speculative rumor. He laughs. After some deep breathing, we say goodbye and start the trek back to Cr Kk14.
I take point.
It starts with getting back down the other rocky side of this hill. I’m kind of feeling like I’ve lost my Mojo. I am tired, frustrated, and every tiny little bump feels like it is going straight into my hand no matter how hard I try to relax my grip and keep my weight off the bars. It isn’t pretty, but I get it done.
After that, I sort of start slipping into the back to the barn mode. If you’ve seen any of my other reports, you’ll see that I take a lot of pictures. I am pretty quick about, taking maybe a minute from stopping to starting again, but that can disrupt the mental flow of other riders not used to riding with me. Roger is good, we have done thousands of miles of adventures together over the last twenty something years. For Kevin and Rob, this is their first time with me.
Even still, just like making questionable decisions mid adventure in favor of the unknown, there are times when I HAVE to take a picture! When we get close to the end of the road, one of those moments presents itself. I motion for the other guys to keep rolling, then take off after them.
We are back to that initial section that we had to climb. There are sections that are not rocky, but instead like fine gravel. Any attempt at slowing the bike using the rear causes it to immediately step out of line. I am picking up more speed than feels comfortable. I am reluctant to use the front because it just feels like there is no usable traction. I slide the back a few more times before I get annoyed and have to start yelling at myself to let the dang bike ROLL and KEEP MY EYES UP!!
That gets me down where I find Roger waiting for me. Then we run the last bit back to the first gate to join Kevin and Rob. My hand is throbbing. While the way is known, it is a long way…
The good thing now is that the riding back to CR 50 and the. Co149 is not hard, but there are some rough-ish sections. I take the lead and go into cruise mode. There is no EASY button I can push. I just have to get it done.
We make really good time. Kevin hangs right behind me a bit, running right in sync with me. Rob and Roger hank back a bit further. There is still a good bit of dust, especially with the higher speed we are running. I am in full blown deer scan mode, something I have to do constantly when riding in deer infested East Texas. Fortunately, I do not encounter any and we soon get back to CR 50.
I spot a rider standing next to his motorcycle and head over to see if he’s okay. It turns out he is taking a bun break. We are closing in on 200 miles for the day and my buns are feeling it!! I chat with him a bit and he tells me he’s heading home to San Diego after being on the road for three months and doing the Trans America Trail and almost every Backroad Discovery Route I have ever heard of!! He looks like he is well into his 70s, but I don’t ask. His Suzuki DR400 is heavily loaded. He’s headed to Lake City for today and I let him know he’s welcome to run with us if he likes, but he is all about the solo experience. I get that. So I wished him well and got moving again.
About midway down CR 50 there is an area where the creek is more of a wide wetland area. There is a high risk of deer here. I spot movement on the left and hit the brakes. A MASSIVE almost black moose comes out into the road to glare at me. It does not look thrilled to make my acquaintance! I honk a few times and rev the engine a tiny bit, hoping it will decide to head back into the thick bushes from whence it came.
No dice.
It just starts running down the edge of the road. I REALLY want a picture! If I try to stop and get out my phone, it will either be too far away or likely gone by the time I get it out. I reach for the record button on the old Insta360 X3 camera I have mounted to my left handled bar side. The indicator light changes from the “ready” blue color to the “your battery is dying at the worst possible time” yellowish color!!
DOH!!!
I reach and try the record button again… it flashes yellow, but this time starts recording. I am hoping I got about 10-15 seconds before the moose finally decides it has had enough of us and heads off into the bushes out of sight. I am told moose sightings are somewhat rare, however this is the third time I’ve had an encounter while riding up here.
The rest of the ride to Co 149 and then down into Lake City is quick and uneventful. It is pushing past 6:00pm and the shadows are getting long. In the landscape photography world, we are entering the “Golden Hour,” that time when the sun gives everything that warm golden hue. Here I am in the middle of fantastic scenery, choking down the urge to stop at every amazing view for another picture
We reach Lake City and gas up the bikes. I’m sitting on about 130 miles since we gasses up at lunch. I think we maybe 60-70 miles to get back to Montrose. We should be able to make it back before dark. We head North out of town.
I think the speed limit is 45mph…? When I see a truck sitting on the shoulder of the other side of the road facing me I have about a second to think it’s probably a cop and I am probably speeding before he flashes his headlights at me a few times. What a relief!! That is usually their version of a warning rather than immediately flipping on the overheads to let you know they’re coming for you. I wasn’t going crazy fast, just faster than the ridiculously low speed limits they love here
Still I am glad he was feeling merciful!
We run up the river can and then climb up to higher ground. We pass the end of the Alpine Plateau road, and a bit before Powderhorn we reach CR 25. I turn off and stop. This is not paved. We still have plenty of light. It is a known quantity. But, we are tired from our planned short and relaxing ride…
Roger pulls along side and mentions he plans to just run pavement back to Montrose but wants us to continue on without him. He doesn’t want to “ruin” our ride. I get that, but I let him know that adds some serious time and distance. I remind him that we have ridden this road before and it is a big, wide, mostly smooth and open road. He ponders a few seconds and says, “Lead the way.”
So off we go. It starts out with a fun twisting climb from the river up to the top of the plateau. Then it makes a long winding descent to the North and finally comes out on US 50. It is a fast and easy run, made all the more beautiful because of the golden hour lighting.
It does not take long to reach the highway. Once on pavement I click into “get there” mode. My desire to get off this bike overrides my desire for great landscape photography. I am tired, hungry, and it a lot of pain. I have a chronic spot in the middle of my back screaming at me with a bullhorn that goes to eleven!!
The ride due West into a setting sun unblocked by ANY of the massive clouds in the sky is almost blinding! We get back to the hotel a bit before 8:00pm. Total miles for our “short” day, 267. We clean up and grab dinner.
I am not feeling great and despite being hungry nothing really sounds good. I was barely able to remove my glove because my hand is so swollen. I get a little food in me just because I need it. After dinner Rob graciously drives me to the nearby local Emergency Room. I just want to get the hand checked to be sure whether or not I broke something. We arrive just after 9:30pm.
I check in, give a brief description of my problem, give them my insurance info and go sit with Rob in the waiting area. We are barely five minutes into a conversation when a nurse calls me name and escorts me to a room!
When is all said and done, the X-rays come back clear. Deep bruising, lots of swelling, nothing broken. The X-ray tech actually thanked me for being a rider that believes in riding in good gear because she has seen a lot of riders that chose not too…
I mention my back pain to the ER doc and she agrees to give me a stiff muscle relaxer once I let her know I will not be driving tonight or tomorrow. She even throws in some low dose hydrocodone for the drive home. I love her
We leave the ER just before midnight. I can’t wait to be in bed. Back at the hotel Roger wakes up when he hears to door and I update him. We’d already all decided the trip is over. Tomorrow’s plan was to check out of our hotel here, ride over the Uncompahgre Plateau towards Gateway, the over the mountains in the Manti La Sal NF to Moab, spend the night, then come back to Montrose on the South side of the mountains, finally doing one more day in the Montrose/Ridgway area. That last day was to be a short easy day
When I wake up Thursday morning, Roger already has my 701 and both of his bikes tucked in the trailer and strapped down. He wants a little help with the GS because of its size and weight. I am able to ride it into the trailer and hold it steady while he gets the straps sorted. After that, we toss everything else in the truck, say good bye to Kevin and Rob, then hit the road around 9:00am, bound for Amarillo, Tx.
We end up pushing through to Wichita Falls for the night. We’d rather add a few hours today so we can get home earlier tomorrow. After icing my hand, having it wrapped for about 24 hours and keeping it elevated most of that time, it feels and looks much better. It is still tender to pressure on the outside of the palm and I might possibly have been able to finish our out last three days, but this was another of those go or no go moments. With all of us exhausted and a good bit of unknown ahead of us, we decided it was a good time to call it. No regrets!
I am fortunate to have such great guys willing to follow me into the unknown and take whatever is thrown at us without a hint of grumbling or complaining, even after our short day became the absolute longest day of the adventure. God has truly blessed me!
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After I do all that work they are going to bail on me already!? Kevin and Rob disappear around the corner and Roger soon follows. What the heck!?
