Turn & Burn

With the Death Valley closed we thought about Yosemite, but it needs several days and advanced reservations, so we filled up the tanks and headed north.  

580 miles in 13 hours on a motorcycle - YIKES.

Rolling through Reno and then down 80 at night was freezing, even with appropriate gear.

Home!

Death Valley is C-L-O-S-E-D

Ran over to Death Valley, all roads are closed due to flash flooding.

Nevada Casinos

We were heading to the Grand Canyon, hot windy desert riding, stopped for gas and flipped a coin. 

We'd seen enough rocks.

Crossed into Nevada with 40 mph gusting headwinds - pulled into the first Casino and booked a great room for $44. 

God bless casino breakfast buffets and cheap rooms!

These riding boots are truly broken in.

Zion National Park

 Rode from Bryce to Zion

Riding the headwaters of the Colorado River and the beginning of the grand canyon.

Bryce National Park

Rode Colorado River to Bryce National Park

Bryce National Park 

Headwaters of the Colorado River 

 

Cortez Colorado to Moab Utah

LONG hike. I thought the sign said .5 miles.  I was wrong. 

Was dressed for high altitude/cold of Colorado - motorcycle boots with thermal long underwear and flannel lined jeans make for a long hot hike.   

Mesa Verde

Visited the ruins, heading to Moab.

back in Cortez

Road secondary roads up to Ouray then road the Million Dollar Highway down to Dorango.  Caught rain going north, hail on the passes, and the most violent flash storm with giga-hail and 50 mile winds as we were rolling into Durango.  

My bash plate is officially junk.

Over Cinnamon Pass to Cortez Colorado

Rode over Cinnamon Pass 12,600 ft,  2nd most technical ride so far. 

Then we pressed our luck and rode Ophir pass, also challenging  with lots of baby head boulders with tired arms - it got each of us to lay our bikes down.

Happy accident road.

The staging - motos in a pasture.

If you make it to Colorado, go camping on Cimarron Rd in Montrose County. Amazingly beautiful.

 

 

 

Soft soil, heavy moto fall down, gravity wins agian.

Cruisin trails

Dark Clouds

We were going to ride Cinnamon Pass trail today but rain at 8,600 ft means snow at 12,600 so we rode the local trails in inclimate conditions.  Tomorrow the pass. 

Stumbling Moose

Dumped my bike doing a deep river crossing so used that as an excuse to have a good lunch and an IPA while I changed socks.

High mountain passes

Riding out of Buena Vista, Colorado.

Cottonwood Pass

Hailing at Cumberland Pass

hail at cumberland pass

Independence Pass

Sept 13

Arrived Steamboat Springs

Supporting the locals.

Day 4 - We all went down ...

Riding a black diamond trail in northern Colorado.

Day 3 Wyoming

Somewhere in southern Wyoming, riding the Continental Devide.

Camping in Swan Valley, Idaho

Day 2, Swan Valley, Idaho.

Day 1, burn & turn through Nevada.

Late start, made it to Elko.