Spud
Well-known member
After a little planning and working out schedules, RPrice showed up to my house in Idaho Falls from Salmon Idaho on a Thursday night. I took a day off work (FR), and we took one hell of a three day ride through the west.
Loaded up and ready to go, we hit the road early.
The weather when we left could be described in one word: shitty. We slogged through some heavy rain and temps in the 40's-50's getting down I-15 to Logan UT. From Logan it started to improve, we went up Logan Canyon. At the top, talked briefly to some couples from Australia on rented HD's, they'd been on the road for a month in the US. They took our pic--overlook to Bear Lake (straddles the ID/UT border)
From there it was south to Evanston, WY, then up over HWY 150 through the Uintas. Rain hit us off and on--heated gear was turned on. But the sky was amazing.
We passed over Bald Mountain Pass at 10,715 feet. The road dropping back down from the top:
From there it was west to the Park City area, then back east on HWY 35 in Utah, back through the Uintas again.
Heading toward Vernal (RPrice)
Through Vernal, UT then Dinosaur, crossing into CO
We rode down into our destination, Rifle, CO. Highway 64 through Rangely and Meeker is a really excellent road, beautiful country out there (no pics). We rolled into Rifle pretty damn beat after around 640 miles of mostly mountain riding.
We got up early on Saturday to do our loop of Colorado for the day. The weather again could be described with the same word as the day before: shitty. The reasonable thing to do would have been to go back to bed, wake up later, find a bar somewhere and call it a mystery, but we jumped on the bikes and took off for our ride, a 420 mile loop down to Gunnison and back around to Rifle.
At least we were dry for a minute under the canopy while gassing up
Standing in the mud, one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday
South from Carbondale on HWY 133 it looked like we actually might start seeing some sun
We headed on up the road, into this....
Took a wrong turn, pavement ended...
Through Paonia then south on the 92, the weather finally broke. I don't know everything about Colorado, but 92 from Paonia to Gunnison is IMHO the funnest road to ride in the state.
Looking down to Morrow Point Reservoir, some heavy showers sweeping over the mountains behind.
Some "14'ers"....
The Dam
Then up over Monarch Pass. On top:
Over Independence Pass, the highest part of the ride at 12,095 feet. Very chilly up there for August at 41 degrees.
After making the loop, that nigh we went to dinner and just randomly wandered into a restaurant in Rifle called "Shooters Grill". The waitresses all wear sidearms--it's the required "dress code" for the restaurant.
Not my pic....but you get the idea.
The food was good--I'd recommend it if your in town. I guarantee no one will try to rob the place up while you're there...
The next day it was back to Idaho Falls, on a more direct route of about 540 miles. We left early.
Somewhere in Wyoming....
I went into Idaho Falls, RPrice continued onto his house in Salmon--I think he did almost 700 miles that day.
All in all, a fantastic fall-like summer trip!
Loaded up and ready to go, we hit the road early.
The weather when we left could be described in one word: shitty. We slogged through some heavy rain and temps in the 40's-50's getting down I-15 to Logan UT. From Logan it started to improve, we went up Logan Canyon. At the top, talked briefly to some couples from Australia on rented HD's, they'd been on the road for a month in the US. They took our pic--overlook to Bear Lake (straddles the ID/UT border)
From there it was south to Evanston, WY, then up over HWY 150 through the Uintas. Rain hit us off and on--heated gear was turned on. But the sky was amazing.
We passed over Bald Mountain Pass at 10,715 feet. The road dropping back down from the top:
From there it was west to the Park City area, then back east on HWY 35 in Utah, back through the Uintas again.
Heading toward Vernal (RPrice)
Through Vernal, UT then Dinosaur, crossing into CO
We rode down into our destination, Rifle, CO. Highway 64 through Rangely and Meeker is a really excellent road, beautiful country out there (no pics). We rolled into Rifle pretty damn beat after around 640 miles of mostly mountain riding.
We got up early on Saturday to do our loop of Colorado for the day. The weather again could be described with the same word as the day before: shitty. The reasonable thing to do would have been to go back to bed, wake up later, find a bar somewhere and call it a mystery, but we jumped on the bikes and took off for our ride, a 420 mile loop down to Gunnison and back around to Rifle.
At least we were dry for a minute under the canopy while gassing up
Standing in the mud, one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday
South from Carbondale on HWY 133 it looked like we actually might start seeing some sun
We headed on up the road, into this....
Took a wrong turn, pavement ended...
Through Paonia then south on the 92, the weather finally broke. I don't know everything about Colorado, but 92 from Paonia to Gunnison is IMHO the funnest road to ride in the state.
Looking down to Morrow Point Reservoir, some heavy showers sweeping over the mountains behind.
Some "14'ers"....
The Dam
Then up over Monarch Pass. On top:
Over Independence Pass, the highest part of the ride at 12,095 feet. Very chilly up there for August at 41 degrees.
After making the loop, that nigh we went to dinner and just randomly wandered into a restaurant in Rifle called "Shooters Grill". The waitresses all wear sidearms--it's the required "dress code" for the restaurant.
Not my pic....but you get the idea.
The food was good--I'd recommend it if your in town. I guarantee no one will try to rob the place up while you're there...
The next day it was back to Idaho Falls, on a more direct route of about 540 miles. We left early.
Somewhere in Wyoming....
I went into Idaho Falls, RPrice continued onto his house in Salmon--I think he did almost 700 miles that day.
All in all, a fantastic fall-like summer trip!