Featured Touring Adventures In The American Southwest: 1800 Miles, 8 Days, 7 Friends, 10 National Parks

Day #4 continued:

After lunch we wandered back over to Durango Harley-Davidson where we'd parked our bikes. Larry needed some gloves and I like to get a souvenir tee-shirt with the dealer logo when we travel. Our friend, Russell, collects dealership logo tees as well.


I didn't end up finding a tee-shirt today but I did buy.......A NEW FOB!!!



I was just going to wait to get one at our local dealership when we returned to Tucson but everyone encouraged me to at least check on how much it would be to buy and program one and how long it would take to "marry" it to my bike. The answer made my choice easy--it was $100 total and they could do it in the next 15 minutes. I felt SUCH a sense of relief to have a primary "healthy" fob again with the taped together one as my backup for the remainder of our trip. I'd rather not have had to spend $100 but it was a good lesson learned. Here's the awesome tech who stopped in the middle of the job he was on programming my new fob. Thanks to the great guys at Durango H-D! The service advisor who assisted me was especially helpful.


It started raining again while we were in the dealership so we just relaxed and hung out for awhile until it stopped. There were some interesting bikes to look at including some Royal Enfields--which I've never seen at a H-D dealership before--and also some of Harley's new electric bicycles. Interestingly, the prices on the bicycles and the Royal Enfields were about the same--$5K.




The Durango dealership has a nice indoor lounge with chairs, tables, and vending machines and also this lovely outdoor deck where we spent a bit of time together when the rain let up.


We took a window of opportunity when the rain stopped to ride to our hotel, another Best Western. We like this particular hotel (where we've stayed before) because it's only a block off of Main Street so you can just park the bikes and then walk everywhere. It began raining again as soon as we got left the dealership and continued for awhile. But it let off about the time we had unpacked and wanted to take a stroll through town. It turned out to be a lovely--and dry--evening.

Durango is a really cool town that has both a mountain and a southwestern vibe at the same time. It's a very outdoorsy place and several famous mountain bikers call Durango home. There's a small college called Ft. Lewis College. There are abundant places to fish and hunt. And there's a popular ski area just to the north called Purgatory. We would ride past Purgatory on our route up the Million Dollar Highway the next morning.




It was clear that the merchants along Main Street got pretty creative during the pandemic. Many of them built wooden platform with frames and roofs from the sidewalk out into the parallel parking spaces in order to provide outdoor seating. Most of them were very thoughtfully designed and we wondered if they'll wind up leaving these structures even after the pandemic is over.


There's a lot of public art in Durango. Here's an example that totally fits the cowboy vibe of the town--a bronze of a cowboy leaning on the mailbox with his loyal dog at his feet.


Continued in my next post

 

Day #4 continued:

There are some neat old (for the U.S.) hotels in Durango, too. These are two of the most famous ones.

The Strater Hotel
This building houses one of my favorite bars in Durango--The Office. Steve, Larry and I had drinks and dinner together at The Office three years ago, the last time we were in Durango. This evening it was packed and there were seven of us, to boot. No room at the inn.


The General Palmer Hotel
This hotel was named after General William Jackson Palmer who established the hotel and who brought the railroad to the mining towns of Silverton and Durango in the late 1800’s.


We did find an excellent alternative to The Office, the Steamworks Brewing Co., a local Durango brewery and brewpub.


We drank and ate outdoors which was set up "makeshift" in the street similarly to the previous photo. It was actually really nice because it was packed and extremely loud inside.


I love IPA's and opted for the "Sultan of Stoke". Delicious!


They have their beers packaged for take-out, too. I was tempted to take one back to the hotel room but refrained as I wanted to be sharp for tomorrow's ride from Durango to Telluride that would go over three passes higher than 10,000 feet with tons of hairpin curves.


Durango is home to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The depot is only a block or so from the hotel where we stayed so we walked over to see if there were any trains in the station. We were able to see passenger cars but couldn't get a good look at the engines which are the coolest part. Steve and I have never taken the train to Silverton but one of these days...... There used to be a bicycle race from Durango to Silverton called the "Ironhorse". I have friends (and an ex-husband) who have done it. The premise is that the cyclists actually race the train. And the fastest racers typically have beat the train to Silverton over the years. The race is grueling as the course takes the riders over Coal Bank Pass and Molas Pass, both over 10,000 feet in elevation.




I ran to try to get a photo of the engine but this was the best I could do.


Here's a great photo from the railroad's website along with a link if you're interested in trains and reading more about this one.

https://www.durangotrain.com/excurs...bRkwvR4cBHp7LzcWlMMMvEq5DWHrkbgYaAo1aEALw_wcB



Tomorrow's destination--Telluride--via the Million Dollar Highway!

 

To those of you who are following our American Southwest adventures, I'll be back with the Day #5 report tomorrow. Today I spent half the day at the Harley dealership having my 5K service done and taking one of our travel buddies to lunch. And this evening Mr. Sandi and I invited another of our travel buddies for over dinner because his wife is out of town and he's baching it. So I'll be back with the Day #5 report tomorrow. Tomorrow's episode is Durango, Colorado to Telluride, Colorado via the San Juan Skyway / Million Dollar Highway!

 

Thanks, Joe! It's fun to relive our adventures as I write my ride reports and I also really enjoy sharing our travels with you and others on the forum. I'm so glad you are enjoying my "novel"!

 

Day 5: Wednesday June 30
Durango, Colorado to Telluride, Colorado *125 miles
National Forests: (2) San Juan, Uncompahgre

Today our mileage was short but the ride time was long. But not long enough! The route was spectacular, taking us over two mountain passes well over 10,000 feet and another over 11,000 feet. We dressed for rain because it looked threatening and rain was predicted. But were blessed with dry conditions for most of the ride from Durango to Telluride until about the last 20 miles or so.


Most of our route today was up U.S. Route 550 which is often referred to as The Million Dollar Highway. Officially, however, that's really only the road between Silverton and Ouray. The whole stretch is also known as the San Juan Skyway as it winds its way through the San Juan National Forest.





Much of the road is like this. This is no route to daydream, that's for sure!


The first pass we went over was Coal Bank and our first stop was the second big pass--Molas Pass. There were other motorcycle groups that had stopped there as well and more were pulling in when we departed the visitor area.




All the national forests in the West have been closed due to the high danger of fires but we could park in the parking lot although the loo was closed. The woman in this photo was heading for an out of the way spot to "take a break". Nice view, though! Of the scenery, I mean.




We didn't get to see the Durango--Silverton Narrow Gauge RR train on our ride from Durango to Silverton this time around but I included this Google image photo so you could see what sort of route even the train has!



Day #5 continued in my next post....onward to our next stop in Silverton.

 

Day #5 continued:

Our next stop was to the small former mining town of Silverton, Colorado, population 534 as of 2019. Silverton is now primarily a tourist destination and draws many adventurers for back its country camping, hiking, and fishing in the summer and downhill and cross-country skiing and ice skating in the winter. There are a number of shops and boutiques and a few nice hotels for those folks not up for camping (like me). From the nearly 11,000' at Molas Pass we dropped down into Silverton which is still no elevation slouch at 9,318'. It's a beautiful sight to see Silverton below you as you come down the mountain.


Main Street--nearly the only street--in Silverton.


Our buddy, Russell, and I had to get our souvenir H-D tee shirt with Silverton Harley-Davidson's dealership logo. This H-D store is a boutique that sells clothing and a bit of gear and baubles. It's affiliated with the dealership in Durango that we went to yesterday.


And Silverton Harley-Davidson's claim to fame is that it's The World's Highest Harley Store". Hmmm, "highest"? We always laugh when we see that sign in the window because Colorado and Washington (state) were the first states in the U.S. to legalize marijuana.


After a bit of shopping and strolling and hanging out in Silverton, we mounted our bikes for the last leg of today's ride to our final destination of Telluride. Before arriving in the next town of Ouray, we rode over the highest pass of the day and our highest altitude of the whole trip, Red Mountain Pass at 11,018'. Many parts of the road near this pass definitely produce a bit of "clenching" if you know what I mean. Lots of sheer drops with no guardrails and a number of tight switchbacks with posted speed limits of 10mph or 15 mph.




Day #5 continued in my next (and last) post of our day today. Next stop, Telluride, Colorado.

 

Day #5 continued:

Telluride was one of the towns I was most excited to see again on this trip. Steve and I had been there together on our motorcycles in the past and it happened to be on our anniversary! This time we were with five great friends, some of whom had never been to this amazing mountain town before today. When we rode into town it was raining and, on top of that, main street was unbelievably busy. There's precious little parking in the town and pretty much none of it is flat. But once we found parking, checked in to our hotel, and unpacked, the rain started to let up. And led to THIS! Our buddy, Ron (Mr. BMW GS), took this and I think it qualifies for the best photo of the whole trip. Check out the couple and their dog in the foreground posing for the camera.


Here's a similar photo but in this one you get a great view of the end of the box canyon in which Telluride sits. Many of the peaks in the San Juan Mountains, like those you can see in this photo, are over 14,000 feet in elevation. This waterfall is called Bridal Veil Falls.

According to Wikipedia, "Bridal Veil Falls is a 365-foot waterfall at the end of the box canyon overlooking Telluride, Colorado. Hiking and off-road trails pass by the falls and it has a hydroelectric power plant at its top. In winter the frozen shape of the falls forms an imposing challenge to intrepid ice climbers."


Here's what the main thoroughfare of Telluride looked like back in 1902. This photograph was one of many, many historical photos that were hanging in our hotel, The New Sheridan.


Steve and I love staying in old (yes, by U.S. standards), historical hotels and this is one of our favorites. The Sheridan Hotel built in in 1891, when Telluride was only four years old, and was originally a three-story wood-frame structure built with the riches from the gold and silver strikes. The first structure was destroyed in 1894 by a fire and rebuilt a year later in brick. The name was changed to the NEW Sheridan in 1895 and it continues to be called The New Sheridan Hotel...even though it's not all that new anymore. It was renovated in 2008, with designs by British designer, Nina Campbell, emphasizing the hotel's history with Victorian style furnishings and details.


As I mentioned, parking in Telluride can be a bit challenging. When we first arrived we were all parked all over the place. But as evening approached and people started to leave, this great spot opened up and five of the seven of us were able to move our bikes and park together right near the hotel. That's Galloping Goose #4 behind our bikes.


From Wikipedia:
Galloping Goose, Telluride, Colorado, 1952

Galloping Goose is the popular name given to a series of seven railcars(officially designated as "motors" by the railroad), built in the 1930s by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS) and operated until the end of service on the line in the early 1950s. They were derived from full-sized automobiles.

Originally running steam locomotives on narrow gauge railways, the perpetually struggling RGS developed the first of the "geese" as a way to keep its contract to run mail into towns in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. There was not enough passenger or cargo income to justify continuing the expensive steam train service at then-current levels, but it was believed that a downsized railway would return to profitability. The steam trains would transport heavy cargo and peak passenger loads, but motors would handle lighter loads.

Motors were not only less expensive to operate, but were also significantly lighter, thus reducing impact on the rails and roadbeds. This cost saving meant that the first Goose was paid off and making a profit within three weeks of going into service. RGS built more Geese, and operated them until the company abandoned their right-of-way in 1952.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galloping_Goose_(railcar)

Galloping Goose #4 in Telluride, CO


Steve and I wandered into a great sunglass shop as we strolled through Telluride before dinner. The proprietor was an interesting guy and we learned some interesting things about Telluride from him. Among those was the story behind this safe.


This safe was originally in the San Miguel Bank in Telluride. It was involved in the first major crime attributed to Butch Cassidy--the robbery of the San Miguel Valley Bank and this very safe in Telluride, on June 24, 1889. The bank later burned down and the safe was moved to a different building--a building which now houses, of all things, a sunglasses business.

Telluride is a major downhill skiing destination and the steep ski runs were visible from our hotel window. During the summer the ski lift operates each day and it's free to ride them. None of us opted for a ride this time around but...next time!


We saw a lot of motorcycles in Telluride as the roads through the San Juan Mountains are hugely popular riding routes. We saw this gang of Spyder riders cruising through town when we were out on our afternoon stroll.


While typically we'd had made dinner plans as a group so far on our trip, this evening folks made a variety of plans. Steve had made reservations for the two of us at The Chop House, the hotel restaurant, and one of the nicest places in town. It was lovely and delicious and a great way to end a fabulous day. P.S. I had elk short loin. And a martini. Elk was certainly a new dish for me. Our server described it as "the filet of the elk only leaner". He was spot on.


Tomorrow's destination....Cameron Trading Post on the Navajo Nation reservation

 

Thanks, Dawsy! That waterfall is amazing and the photos definitely don't do it justice. It's a spectacular view from main street--so "perfect" it nearly looks like a movie set backdrop! Only better.

 

Thanks, Bikerman! Yes, Ron's photo is spectacular, isn't it? He just happened to be out on the street at exactly the right time to capture the beauty of that rainbow. I appreciate your positive comments on my write ups. Today's episode is about to be written here shortly.

 

Thanks, Dougie! I'm glad you're enjoying the thread. I always love reading your write up and seeing your photos, too. It would be great fun to actually ride together some day!

 

Day 6: Thursday July 1
Telluride, Colorado to Cameron, Arizona *325 miles
National Forests: (1) San Juan
Indian Reservations: (3) Ute Mountain, Navajo, Hopi

Today's ride was the most diverse of our trip. We began the day in Telluride at over 9,000' and temperatures around 50ºF (which is warmer than we were expecting thankfully). And we ended the day in the desert heat in Cameron, Arizona. We went from alpine forests and the gorgeous, meandering Dolores River between Telluride and Cortez to the red rocks and formations and canyons with scrub bush on the Navajo Reservation.



We had intended to ride through the Monument Valley in Utah but a "navigational snafu" altered our route in such a way that we could only barely see the magnificent formations at a distance. For me, that was one of the few disappointments of the trip because I love riding through Monument Valley. Plus two guys in our group had never been there and I was eager for them to see and ride through the giant red rock formations. We did ride through some--only on a much smaller scale.

Nevertheless, today's ride was outstanding. The first portion took us about 1,000' feet higher than the 9,000' we started out at from Telluride. Most of the photos of our route today I gleaned from Google Images so I could give you a taste of what we rode through.

This is one of my favorite views of the trip. Steve and I have ridden past this lake before but there's no good place to stop with motorcycles on the narrow mountain road so I don't have "my own" photo. This captures the beauty of Trout Lake very well. But you miss out on the smells.


Not far from Trout Lake is the marker for Lizard Head Pass. This was to be the last pass of our trip and it would all be downhill from here....so to speak. When we rode by this sign there were half a dozen bicyclists taking a rest nearby.


After riding along the beautiful Dolores River from Telluride down to Cortez, we stopped for gas and also shed all of our cold weather clothing knowing that our days of chilly temperatures were behind us.

We headed west out of Cortez into Utah. Or so we thought. We actually went into New Mexico! After going 11 miles in the wrong direction towards Shiprock, New Mexico--and figuring out "Hey, this ain't right!"-- we all stopped on the side of the road for a map & nav consult. Satisfied we knew where we'd missed the turn, we backtracked and took the turn we'd missed coming out of Cortez. And about five more miles down that road we missed another critical turn. Because the leader (who had navigation on his bike) was zooming along about 85mph, we didn't try to figure out how to turn seven riders around and just soldiered on. So....our "Four Corners Tour", as Steve had called it, became three corners instead. We did get to ride on a road none of us had every been on and it did have its own beauty.


Here are a couple of images that show some of what we saw.

We saw lots of this....


And a little bit of this. This formation is called Baby Rocks.


And this was the road we missed. Oh well, a good excuse to go back!!



After stopping for gas in Kayenta, Arizona--along with about a dozen massive camper trailers--we road the rest of the way through the Navajo reservation to Cameron, Arizona and to the Cameron Trading Post where we had hotel reservation for the night. I love Cameron Trading Post. I knew about it from working with the Tuba City Schools in partnership with the school district in Tucson that I used to work for. The trading post is over 100 years old and there's a terrific gallery, a wonderful restaurant, and a store with not only inexpensive trinkets but also a lot of beautiful art and carvings and weavings for sale by local artists.


This was the view from our hotel room!



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Suspension_Bridge




Day #6 continued in my next post.

 

Day #6 continued:

Cameron Trading Post always has a great, laid-back vibe to it and this time was no exception. In fact, it was even more quiet than usual, due I suspect to Covid. The reservations in Arizona have been especially hard hit and they continue to follow strict Covid protocol. Up until Cameron, most every place we'd been save some places in Santa Fe seemed like, "Pandemic? What pandemic?"

To get into the trading post we had to stand in line, sanitize our hands at the doorway at one of two stations, wear masks (correctly) when entering and at all times when indoors unless dining. The number of diners allowed in the restaurant was capped at half capacity. Most in our group like to eat dinner fairly early so we were among the first to be seated. The restaurant is beautiful and there are many weavings and other art works displayed around its perimeter.






I'm a "when in Rome" kind of gal and like to eat local dishes when I travel. I do that whenever I'm here at the Cameron Trading Post but I don't brand out and I ALWAYS get the green chili stew with fry bread. I was thinking about it all day long and it didn't disappoint!


After dinner I browed for a bit in the store which is huge. Here are just couple of photos of just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is offered. Our buddy, Russell, bought himself a spectacular sterling silver and turquoise cuff. He said he'd been looking for just the right one for years and finally found it at the trading post--where he'd never been before this trip.




A bit later in the evening we gathered in the serene garden that sits down in the middle of the property. It was lovely and peaceful and we chatted about motorcycles, our day, our trip, and life. I am so blessed to have great friends.




As the sun was starting to set I walked to the back of the property behind the restaurant and hotel to get a few photos of the canyon. Cameron Trading Post is nestled along the Little Colorado River Gorge just 30 minutes from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park entrance.


Back in our hotel room I enjoyed a nip of scotch while I jotted down a few notes from the day. There's no alcohol sold or served on the reservation so I had a little nightcap poured from my Stanley flask. That flask goes along on all our motorcycle trips.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that today was our ONLY day on this whole trip that it didn't rain on us!!


Tomorrow it's breakfast in the Cameron Trading Post restaurant then onward to Payson, Arizona.

 

Thanks for the Four Corners photos, Bikerman. I think that one of the guys on our trip looked up the Four Corners Monument prior to our passing near it and learned that it was closed due to Covid. Yet another reason to go back again soon!

 

If you are ever able to make it out this way, Russell, Steve and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have or help with route planning. We've ridden many roads in this part of the country and Steve has driven even more of them over the years. He lived in Aspen, Colorado for awhile and he's a hunter and fisherman and used to camp in lots of different places in the Southwest.

I've never been to Utah other than the southeast corner of it where the road goes through Monument Valley. That's a state that I'd love to see! We have talked about riding to Las Vegas then taking I think it's U.S. 15 up to St. George then going into the famous parks--Zion, Bryce, etc. Did you see that Zion flooded badly about two weeks ago?? Please let me know if there are any particular places or routes that you'd recommend for a Utah motorcycle trip.

 

I was looking back over some of my trip pictures and realized I'd nearly forgotten to throw this photo in specifically for you, @Ducatitotriumph! I actually took this photo with you in mind back on back on Day #1 of our trip. I didn't have the tacos here at Cafe Cubascos, though, because I was jonesing for a green chili cheeseburger.