San Miguel

I did the Deloris River loop ride today, and I did a jaunt to Telluride. Now I don't know why it is called the Deloris River route because the river is the San Miguel River. The ride was 360 miles long, but could have been a little shorter. When I came to the turn for Telluride I was real low on fuel so I checked the GPS and it said fuel 9 miles ahead. So I skipped the turn to get fuel, not knowing what fuel options were in Telluride. Well 9 miles was actually 22 miles, so I got fuel, rode 22 miles back and 15 miles into Telluride. Turns out they have a bunch of fuel stations all over.

This video shows the ride through the canyon.

The ride was nice, but didn't seem to live up to all the hype I was getting on it. Still better then anything around my area. The closing ceremonies were quick, and I suspect all the thunder and lightening was a motivating factor. After the ceremonies were over, I got on the bike and headed out of dodge. I made it to Fruita, CO. for the night. Another 70 or so miles for the day. I had only light sprinkles, but could see the storms around me. The wind was up a little, but managed easily.

This video shows, other then the SUV slowing me up, but how the road is cut into the side of the mountain as it descends deeper into the valley.

RT 141 was the route that took you through the canyon along the San Miguel River. There were some fun twisties and some mountain type road along the route. The rocks are red and yellow in this area. Some of the route had huge boulders that would squish like a bug if they let loose. I often wonder what would happen if an earth quake would hit that area. I'm sure it would be a big mess.

Rt 145 into Telluride was much the same until you get into Telluride. Then you see the mountains surrounding the town like something from the Swiss Alps. Colorado is a pretty state with a lot of fantastic motorcycling roads. You could spend a year here and not touch them all, but we'll try.

This RT 145 leaving Telluride.

The rally was nice. I had met a lot of nice people and the set up was nice. My tent was in the park as most were. I was under a large tree so it was shaded nearly all day. After my ride yesterday I packed up my tent and bike. About 45 minutes later the skies opened up. I had shelter and we all waited out the storm for about 40 minutes. The meal which is part of the rally deal was chicken, that was ice cold! I had a lady in the kitchen reheat the chicken to at least half warm, half cold. The strawberry cake was very good. The riding from this rally is awesome, and this rally would be worth more visits.

I still have a minimum of 615 miles if I slab (highway) it to Ken's, so I might take it in two days and get there Monday. I am thinking of shooting south to hit Moab, and the Canyon lands. Areas I haven't been to yet. But this would make the trip to Ken's about 900 miles, and require a bit of slab through Salt Lake City to get up to Boise. The other option is to go up to Dinosaur and a few other small towns before having to hit the slab. This option is about 715 miles. I'll look things over in the morning and decide.