Another Colorado Autumn

lytehouse

lytehouse

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To finish up the rest of my vacation hours, John & I decided to pack up the SUV and trailer the dirt bikes down to the San Juan mountains. There are alot of old abandon mines and ghost towns around there that we're never been able to get to before we bought the XT & KTM.
We left here on Sunday morning and got to Ouray,CO. around 5ish. And with the headache I'd been fighting off most the day, we got real squiddly and jumped on the bikes to ride into town....first time I've EVER not geared up Ok, a few pictures:

1) Mt. Princeton, outside Buena Vista, CO. (recently in the news because of a tragic accident involving a hiking family from the area, may they all RIP)
2) a room with a heck of a view (Ouray Victorian Inn)
 
Monday morning, we decided to explore the Red Mountain Mining District. Lots of old abandon mines and ghost towns in the area. We had purchased a book on trails in Colorado....but it definetly geared more towards Jeeps and 4 wheelers....what they consider easy, it not so much on a bike!

1) a pretty lake outside Ouray
2) Corkscrew Gulch Trail (dropped the bike here, NASTY bruise in a very tender area) nuff said!!
3) The Red Mountain
4) RM area
5) RM area
6) Yankee Girl Mine
7) RM Mtn. mining
 
Animas Fork is one of the ghost towns we rode to. It used to be a very profitable silver mine in 1875.

1) too funny, got photo bombed by a butterfly
2) an old foot bridge
3) Animas Fork
4) view from Animas Fork
 
Tuesday morning, John had been wanting to ride up to Yankee Boy Basin. I rode with up with him as far as I could, but stopped about 3/4 of the way up...decided I didn't want to die! The road leading up to Yankee Boy is called Camp Bird Shelf Road....when you see pic #2 , you'll get it, BTW, I didn't take that pic for obvious reasons...I was a bit freaked out about the fact that there was recently a horrific rock slide that killed a family of 5

1 - 7) Camp Bird Rd.
8) John's KTM at the top of Yankee Boy Basin
 
To finish out Tuesday, we did an easy road! yippee!! Outside of Ridgeway, CO. (did you know that the original True Grit was filmed near here?) there's a road called Last Dollar. Beautiful getting there because it passes Dallas Divide overlook, (if you seen any of my other posts, there's most likely a pic of that in there )
The last pic...well on the way home Wednesday we were held up on top of Monarch Pass for over 30 mins....what ya gonna do but take a few pics???

1) Dallas Divide
2 - 4) Last Dollar Rd.
5) Monarch Pass
 
Amazing views. I remember why I loved my dual-sport so much. How I would love to have one again, but there just aren't any scenic views like that in IL. I think my money would be better spent on the FZ1 or toward an FJR. That's more realistic for me.

I would say I hope you had a good time, but how could you not? Thanks for the pictures. :flash:
 
Brenda you made my day with those pics! Beautiful! The leaves are turnin in my neck
'O the woods too.
Thanks for the trip report.
 
Awesome

Looks like something "right up my alley" as they say. That road (pic # 2) looks like fun, I would have been looking for stuff like that. The Colorado Back Country Discovery route is in my plans for the next couple of years, It runs through the Animas Fork area.

The colors down there are so much better than what we seem to get up here, although I really have nothing to complain about.

Thanks for the trip report, loved it!
 
Oldschool said:
Looks like something "right up my alley" as they say. That road (pic # 2) looks like fun, I would have been looking for stuff like that. The Colorado Back Country Discovery route is in my plans for the next couple of years, It runs through the Animas Fork area.

The colors down there are so much better than what we seem to get up here, although I really have nothing to complain about.

Thanks for the trip report, loved it!
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You'll have to keep me informed about this trip Lee....there are definetly trails up there that I can't ride but John wants to, so if it's cool with you, maybe he could join you on some parts??
And here's a few panorama shots from the phone........
 
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Will Do

I am in the planning stages already for next year's big adventure. I wanted to do Baja but my Spanish isn't going as well as I'd like (Old brain, new tricks), I'm going to try Rosetta Stone this winter to go along with the books.

So far for next year I have 2 options that are being tossed around; The Big Western Loop through Washington, Oregon the northern tip of California (barely) and back around through Idaho and Montana. OR Colorado that has just started being plotted.

http://dualsportmaps.com/?link=112348



I always try to make my trips flow (not too much side tripping or back-tracking) but I also try to stay off the beaten track as much as practical, and am not afraid of getting into ridiculous trails on occasion.

If, I choose Colorado for next year I will most certainly get in contact with you so we can do some trail riding together, I'd love that! :) Black Bear Pass here we come!!
 
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I went with a friend up to South Lake Tahoe yesterday. He had never been up to Pack Saddle Pass, so we went up there.

The colors are changin. And so are the temps.

terdog-albums-pics-picture3896-joe-tahoe-068.jpg
 
terdog said:
I went with a friend up to South Lake Tahoe yesterday. He had never been up to Pack Saddle Pass, so we went up there.

The colors are changin. And so are the temps.

terdog-albums-pics-picture3896-joe-tahoe-068.jpg
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I worry about your mustache getting caught between the chin bar and the rest of the helmet when you close it up!

epic-moustache1.gif


tumblr_mbat1fvK0z1rfu8o9o1_500.gif
 
Oldschool said:
If, I choose Colorado for next year I will most certainly get in contact with you so we can do some trail riding together, I'd love that! :) Black Bear Pass here we come!!
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WE?!?! What's this WE crap?!?!? You couldn't pay me enough to ride up Black Bear!! :eek:
But I will offer my husband to go with you! LOL
 
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Going down

lytehouse said:
WE?!?! What's this WE crap?!?!? You couldn't pay me enough to ride up Black Bear!! :eek:
But I will offer my husband to go with you! LOL
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Actually you can only ride it going down toward Telluride. You can take the road up to just below the falls and Old powerhouse, but it is illegal to go up the pass from there. Probably because of the "steps". One mistake and you better have a parachute. A couple of crazies on 990 recently did Blackbear, I'll try to find the video, might be good for some good clenching moments.

Black Bear Pass - down the steps on KTM 990s - YouTube

Black Bear Pass Steps on KTM 950/990 Part 2 - YouTube

In reality there are so many great passes that it would be hard to fit a 10th of them into one trip. From what I have seen it is a dual sport paradise around there.
 
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Trust me, I've seen Black Bear videos!! :eek5:
Which is why I said, no way I'd ever ride that.
BTW, it's closed already, they shut it down on Sept. 29
 
Steps

lytehouse said:
Trust me, I've seen Black Bear videos!! :eek5:
Which is why I said, no way I'd ever ride that.
BTW, it's closed already, they shut it down on Sept. 29
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I will have to plan carefully in order to catch the short window for all the best passes out there. Too early, still snow, too late - snow, kind of like here. I've done steps going down similar to those, just not with a drop so big beside them. Down is so much easier, I'm not good enough yet to do them going up.
 
I worry about your mustache getting caught between the chin bar and the rest of the helmet when you close it up!
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Thats the new model from Shoei. It trims all facial hair everytime its closed. I tried the first iteration. They didnt have all the bugs worked out. Now I always have to wear a hat on the chrome dome.
 
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