Telluride to Eldorado Springs via Boreas Pass DIRT!
Well today was all kinds of fun!
Waking up in Telluride of course a nice cool mountain
morning. I took my coffee and went out
on to the hotel patio to watch the sunrise.
Got all packed up said good-bye to my doorman and off I
go!
I head out still on Hwy 145 North just for a little bit and
then take a right onto Hwy 62 towards Ridgeway. This is a nice open plain road, I feel like I am in a valley
somewhere from the scenery, however realize from the elevation that I am way up
in the Rocky Mountains at this point. I
stop for a few photos and then come into the adorable town of Ridgeway. From here I turn left onto Hwy 550 which at
this point I have no idea that I am going to see this again soon and that is
called the “Million Dollar Highway” and one of the best riding roads in
Colorado. There are many, Colorado is a
beautiful state.
But for now I head North towards Montrose, which is the
largest town I have seen in awhile, and from here take Hwy 50 East. This road started out pretty dull, but
quickly turned into a beautiful high road of scenic bliss. It immediately increases elevation and after
the first gentle curves it opens up onto the Curecanti Recreational Area, which
is a large body of water just begging to be played in. It is a beautiful day out so lots of water
activities are being enjoyed here.
The road is lined with yellow flowers and the whole area
smells like candy, I expect Willy Wonka to pop out in front of me at anytime
inviting me to an edible teatime of the landscape.
Then on to the wonderful little mountain town of
Gunnison. Carrying through from here I
ride into some “serious” mountains, ones that remind me of where I grew up in
Washington State. I come to the peak
here, which is Monarch Pass, elevation 11,312 ft above sea level. There is a ski lift that was built in 1966
and you can ride up to the observation deck to see 360-degree views of the
Rockies. I highly recommend this; it is $10 to go up, but worth it.
From here I ride into Poncha Springs area and then connect
to Hwy 24 North, now I was supposed to be texting Greg of my progress so he
could meet up with me on the road, but since I am not good with
Instructions….he surprisingly found me on the road! Turned around and was tailgating me…where I promptly muttered a
few vulgarities in my helmet and moved over to let this guy pass….but hey it
was Greg! LOL so I pull over and we say hello.
Now I can follow him, as he knows the roads of Colorado very well.
From here I follow Greg up towards Fairplay, CO which we
continued on Hwy 24 North to 285 North, where I gas up my moto and then we
connect on to a Dirt road at the old railway town of Como, and the passage of
the Old train tracks that will take us to Breckinridge.
I have little experience on dirt and I will say a big shout
out to Greg who gave me some excellent pointers and guidance and then let me be
free to fly. And didn’t even get mad
when I bumped into his BMW …whoops (the sun blinded me temporarily)
He is a good teacher.
Patient and kind. He also was telling me the history of the area and
never once got cranky when I asked to have my picture taken a zillion times.
After a nice break at the top of Boreas Pass, we head into
Breckinridge to find some food. This
famous ski town has the atmosphere of an ongoing parade and it is very touristy
for sure.
Now it is getting dark, and we head out towards I-70 to get
to his place. And get some rest. Big moto plans ahead. Good night…
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mesa_Reservoir |
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| Rock star |
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_Pass |
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| Yup! Greg found me... |
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Como,_Colorado |
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boreas_Pass |
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| Breckinridge |
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| Bubba Gump in Breckinridge |
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| 226motoadventures! |
