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Autumn in Colorado


tobyzusa

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The long awaited trip from Dallas to Colorado finally arrived last week. My friend Rick, who rides an 1100GS, and I left Dallas Tuesday morning at 7:00 am. Our first real stop was in Lubbock TX (about 310 miles) where I planned to have lunch with my son Chris, who is a freshman at Texas Tech.

 

This is Chris at his recent high school graduation.

 

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So while Chris and I walked to lunch from his dorm, Rick planned to hit Circuit City for one electronic gizmo or another. As Chris and I returned from lunch, it looked as though the GS had not moved…and in fact it had not. The GS’s front brake line had ruptured and the lever was all the way into the bars. Guess where the closest BMW dealer is to Lubbock? You guessed it; Ft. Worth Texas. A quick call to Rick’s brother-in-law in Post TX yielded a trailer for the bike and a ride to the airport for Rick’s flight back to Dallas. I would continue on solo. I was so discombobulated that I failed to take a picture of the GS on the trailer.

 

Here is Rick (on the right) and his GS during happier times.

 

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So it was on to Santa Fe NM and parts beyond….on my own. Here are the day one pictures from New Mexico. I finally remembered to take out the camera.

 

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I took this picture as I’ve heard it said that someone on this board has a passion for wooly creatures…..I’ve never seen so many in one place before!

 

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…and this road leads on to Colorado and day 2 of my 6 day adventure….more to come…..

 

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Day 2

 

Day two started out bright and sunny for the run up 64 and 84 to Pagosa Springs and then 160 on to Durango.

 

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On the way to Durango I notice my face shield was in terribly scratched. Funny how I never noticed the scratches and general fogginess until it was preventing me from seeing all of Colorado’s natural beauty. A quick stop at Durango PowerSports rectified that problem and also yielded a lunch recommendation for “Serious Texas Barbeque” right next door to the Harley dealership. Well, it was barbeque and not half bad, but serious TX barbeque, I think not.

 

…and it was on to the Million Dollar Highway (550)…..

 

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These are taken in Silverton. What a neat town.

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And then it was on towards Ouray.

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I would stay in Ouray for the night. I used the “Food Thread” and had a great meal at the Outlaw Steakhouse. This river was immediately out my motel door. Needless to say, the window stayed open all night to listen to it.

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Tomorrow its on to 149 and Lake City – a must do Colorado road…..

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Day 3

 

Ouray was a blast. A few pics on the way out of town:

 

My opera house – note the name.

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And on to 50 east to 149 south toward Lake City. This was probably my second favorite route in Colorado.

 

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…and one of my favorites, Needle Rock.

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Stayed the night in Crawford in a haunted Bed and Breakfast - minus the breakfast.

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Brad,

 

thumbsup.gif Great pictures, as usual!! Too bad we couldn't hook up!! Maybe next year.

 

P.S. Chris is a nice looking young man; both relieved & delighted to see he takes after his Mom. grin.gif

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Nice photos. Followed much of this same route through Colorado two years ago. Lake City and Slumgullion Pass early in the a.m. are very scenic.

 

I had my 13 year old son on the trip with me and we really enjoyed the spectacular scenery.

 

Sure beats riding in Dallas traffic, huh! thumbsup.gif

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P.S. Chris is a nice looking young man; both relieved & delighted to see he takes after his Mom. grin.gif

 

Me too! thumbsup.gif

 

Let's go ride. Can you take off during the week this coming week? I'm out this weekend and the next.

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Oh man, you should've looked me up. The guys who used to have the dealership here still have quite a few parts. We might've been able to patch Rick up enough to get him to Santa Fe. Look us up sometime when you're here to see Chris, especially on the weekends, the Dustbowl Beemers meet for breakfast on Saturday mornings.

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Let's go ride. Can you take off during the week this coming week? I'm out this weekend and the next.

 

Yup! thumbsup.gif Friday is completely free, Wednesday is o.k. if home by 4 p.m.

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Day 4, 5, and 6

 

So it was on from Crawford onto 84 towards Aspen.

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Did I mention I brought my Husky on the ride? He’s a great pillon.

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Truth be told, the Husky belonged to the guy who took the picture. He’d take my picture if I’d hold the dog, as he had a bad habit of taking off for the mountains and not returning for hours.

 

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Then it was on to 131 / 134 then on to Grand Lake and ultimately Estes Park. I think these two roads were my favorites in Colorado.

 

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Lake Grandby

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On to Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park.

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…and it’s pretty clear that on this board, you really cannot have a ride tale without a picture of food. So here’s Molly B’s in Estes Park and the infamous “Sodbuster” Yum.

 

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One final picture in Estes…

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So 2,490 miles in 6 days and loads of fun.. Special thanks to those on the board who provided route advice prior to the trip.

 

I can’t wait to “play it again”.

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  • 2 months later...

Nice photo's of the trip. I've been through Colorado a few times and just love it. Last year I took a trip through Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah and was in awe the entire trip. Good roads, with lot's to see and take photo's of.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Dale

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