I had a hard time trying to get my trunk shipped home. First the Post Office didn't open until 9:00 so I rode around looking at Gunninson while I waited, then when the Post Office opened, they didn't have a box big enough to hold it. The guy suggestd the UPS store but when I got there, it didn't open until 10:00.
While riding around and waiting, I spotted another guy on a motorcycle. Well I spotted probably 50 guys on motorcycles, but this one was dressed in full mountain main get up with leathers and furs all over. And his bike was the same. Leather, fur, and big antlers sticking up all over his motorcycle. I tried to get a picture but he was too quick.
After shipping the trunk off I headed west towards Montrose and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. I rode past Blue Mesa Resevoir. After all of the greenery and even the snow from last night's ride I was very shocked to find myself in nearly desert conditions so quickly. I spotted some Hoodoos right along side the road, then stopped at a turnout to get some pictures.
I don't know what the rules are about the resevoir, but it disturbed me to see that much water without a water skiier in sight.
I arrived at the Black Canyon after just over an hour. I was born in Montrose, only 15 miles away but I'd never been to the Black Canyon and knew little about it. It was one of the last parks that Pres Clinton setup as he left office in 1999. The views were beautiful and there were many places to walk out to the canyon edge to look. I only went to 4 or 5 of them and will save the rest for a visit with my family.
There were even hiking trails down into campgrounds from a few spots, and a 6 mile road all the way to the bottom that I took a video of. I ate some jerky and drank allot of water and gatorade for the 4 hours I was in the park. I kept looking for a burger place or something on the way there, but there's nothing. If you come from the West, stop in Montrose and grab food. There are allot of picnic tables with fantastic views.
My favorite view was looking across at the painted wall. A large black wall very tall with veins of lighter colored material through it and a long stretch of the river visible below.
The ride to the bottom was a bit nerve wracking because they had chip sealed the road just days before and the gravel hadn't fully set or been swept off yet. So even though it might look like I'm going fast, the video is running 3 times normal speel and I was in first gear the whole way down and back up.
The campground and fishing at the bottom looked pretty good, but the temperature must have risen by 10 degrees on the decent. I was very comfortable at the top, but was hot and sweaty at the bottom. And more hot and sweaty than the ride would have accounted for.
After leaving the park, I headed over to Montrose to look for some lunch. I skipped fast food and was looking for a decent restauraunt. Everything seemed to be closed. Finally as I was almost to leave town I spotted El Jimadore. Yet another mexican place and I figured I'd just choke something down. (I've had bad luck over the years with unknown mexican food places and figured last night's good luck in Gunnison was all I was entitled to). Anyway I ordered a Fajita salad and was suprised to find a great meal.
Now I leave Montrose southward towards Ouray, Silverton, and Durango. As the mountains to the south become visible I can see more and more cloud cover and eventually I can see rain and storms hoving over the million dollar highway. Fortunaly not going to any of those places and I turn West at Ridgeway and head toward Teluride. But I'm not going there either. I continue North West and finally arrive at another of my key destinations, the ever famous Naturita Colorado. My home town.
On the way to Naturita I passed "The Lone Cone" bar and saloon. The Lone Cone is the local name for a mountain nearby. It's a bald peak with a very rounded top. I remember as kids we always used to lick our ice cream cones into the shape of the lone cone. And my dad used to farm near there so I had to get a picture in front.
I was born in the hospital in Montrose, but a farm just North West of Naturita was my home for the first 5 years of my life. I gassed up at the store in Naturita for $3.57 a gallon and had to go into the store to pay. When's the last time you were allowed to pump gas before paying?
I rode the 6 miles out of town to the old ranch house and turned up the dirt lane. I don't remember any of the place really. Just glimpses of playing with my brother in an irrigation culvert as water shot out of a pipe, riding with my Grandpa in a truck along the river, playing in the front yard of the red house, and watching my father cut hay in the field with a tractor and one of those big blades sticking out the side that looks like a giant hair trimmer.
The old ranch house is pretty shot. The ceilings are falling down, the roof covering is goine, doors have fallen apart and the place is filled with junk from someone's failed business.
But the fireplace that my grandpa and dad built is still standing.
The guest house was so bad that I couldn't even go inside, and all of the corrals and things have been torn down. I sat for a while just thinking about my dad and grandpa.
I headed back through Naturita and turned south towards Dove Creek. This road was nearly empty. I think I passed maybe 6 vehicles in the 50 mile drive. The road has been repaired so many times over the years that there's more tar patches than roadway.
At one point you go through "Disappointment Valley". I don't know why it's called that, but some relatives own allot of land there which includes a man made dam and a lake. We used to fish allot at that lake right at the base of the Lone Cone.
As I rode out of Disapointment Valley you climb a beautfil set of switchbacks that are very fun on a motorcycle.
The sun started to go down and it got chilly very fast It was too dark to take pictures near Monticello or on the way to Blanding.
As I pulled into Blanding I stopped at a gas station to fill up. Just as I got off the bike, my cell phone rings and I answer it. My brother says hi and asks where I am. I tell him and he says to finish up and come to grandma's. I haven't been to Blanding in nearly a year, and neither has my brother. But without any coordination, we're both in town on the same night.
We spent a great evening catching up on the world shaking events of Blanding, Casa Grande, and Coloado Springs.
Leaving Gunnison. The contrast of green fields and Desert hills
The very top of Blue Mesa Reservoir
Lots of water but no greenery. First crossing of Blue Mesa
A stretch of desert riding
Hoodoos beside the road
Looding out over a large portion of Blue Mesa Reservoir. Where's the water skiers???
More Hoodoos across the lake
In case you're wondering how I take pictures on the motorcycle with gloves on.
Decending off of Blue Mesa
More desert like riding
Turning off to Black Canyon
Stocking up on protien and electrolytes
First view of the canyon
View from the visitors center down to the first walkout point
View from the walkout back up to the visitors center
View from the walkout
Me
My favorite view point & some guys
Painted wall
At the end of the ride to the bottom
Looking back
The road along the bottom of the canyon
Looking at the road that I decended on
Campground, picnic area, dammed up fishing hole
Starting the climb back out
Looking back down from the halfway point http://vragor.smugmug.com/photos/161201049-L.jpg Heading South out of Montrose. Storm clouds in the distance
Ridgeway resevoir - I turned West and away from the clouds
Look what I'm riding away from
Clear skies and green grass
A big aspen forest.
Attack of the mini coopers. By the time I got the camera out about 20 had passed
More beautiful riding
My first view of the Lone Cone
Descending into a red rock canyon
The Lone Cone
Also the Lone Cone
My first home
The fireplace my grandpa and dad built
The kitchen
Looking from the kitchen to the back room where we kept drinking water
The Bathroom. The window is broken and birds keep sittin on the show rod and pooping
The view out the back of the house. Those are trees down by the river.
Looking along the back fence where the path is to get down to the river.
The shed where they kept tool
The side of the house. Stairs used to come down the side of the house.
The other house. It was too dangerous to even go in.
Both houses
On the road South towards Dove Creek. Look at all the tar snakes
Descending into Disappointment valley
I've been warned of deer, cows, and elk randomly crossing the road, but this??
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