Okay, back to business....

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...
Followed by George... and I think that is the last of them...
It looks like we are almost to the top... and it looks nice and smooth... right?

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.
George encountered a gravity flux field...
Is that the top...?

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
Left circle is where the bikes went down earlier, right circle is where the lead group waited. Doesn't look so bad from here...

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...
Terry leads the way
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
Then Roger
That is Stan in the circle, this is just to give an idea of scale and steepness

Well we finally make the crest at the top of the hill, but it is NOT the pass

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?
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...

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...

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!!

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...

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

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!"

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!

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...
A good part of the view...
Not sure what all the cable is for

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
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.
RG comes down from the pass looking relaxed and happy
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?
Here you get an idea of the steepness
The actual pass is wayyy back up there in the middle near that slightly orangish colored peak
The group regathers after everyone has cleared the pass... but where are Chuck and George?

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...

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
Here's a close up of it... it looks so nice and smooth from here...
[doh... gotta get back to work... I'll try to get more up tonite if I can]
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