Dia de los Motos (Day 5) - 125 miles

Travel from Mesa Verde to Silverton to Ouray
Route included the famous Million Dollar Highway

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge railroad comes into Silverton. It’s a coal-fired, steampowered locomotive on the same tracks miners, cowboys and settlers of the Old West took over a century ago. The train has been in continuous operation since 1882.

A short stretch of Highway 550 is a special highway built in the late 1880's It's one of the nation’s most spectacular drives. The highway delivers jaw-dropping vista after vista. It was cut from the side of the mountain and became know as the "Million Dollar Highway."

It's one of the most scenic drives in the USA. The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about 25 miles in western Colorado and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray, Colorado. It is part of the San Juan Skyway.

Between Durango and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The road climbs up to 3 very high mountain passes. Coal Bank Pass (10,640 ft /3,240 m); Molas Pass (10,970 ft /3,340 m) and Red Mountain Pass (11,018 ft).

Though the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is really the twelve miles south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass which gains the highway its name.

This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin "S" curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains.

Silverton - Silverton is a former silver mining camp, most or all of which is now included in a federally designated National Historic Landmark District. Silverton is linked to Durango by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a National Historic Landmark. Silverton no longer has active mining, but subsists by tourism.

Dia de los Motos (Day 4) - 125 miles

Today was all about Mesa Verde National Park

Dia de los Motos (Day 3) - 170 miles

An early roll out from Gunnison and a couple stops on the way to Pagosa Springs; Lake City and Creed. Lots of sights along the way.

Here's the approach to Lake City.

Creed, CO

Some local color at Pagosa Springs ...

Roasting peppers.

Dia de los Motos (Day 2) - 205 miles

A triple-threat kinda day: ride up Pikes Peake to the top, visit Royal Gorge, and cross the Monarch Pass; all on the way to our destination — Gunnison. Got an early start up Pikes Peak (8:30a). Ground level temps were around 72F, and once at the top (14,115 feet), temps dropped to 38F, with snow on the ground and forecast for flurries at 10am.

It was a trip of varying weather; sunny, cloudy, then through the clouds with near zero visibility.

We were rewarded at the top with the “World’s Famous Donut” (served warm) and I must admit, it WAS the best I’ve ever had. If you care to argue, you’ll just have to make the trek to the top of Pikes Peak to prove me a liar. Well worth the harrowing drive up the mountain.

The descent was much easier and then it was onwards to Royal Gorge.The pictures pretty much say it all. Royal Gorge is spanned by a suspension bridge, which visitors can cross, to get a birds-eye view of the enormity of this breath-taking formation.

There’s also a gondola to cary one across as well.

Steve doesn't do heights.

From Royal Gorge it was a jam along Highway 50 to the top of Monarch Pass and into Gunnison for the night.

Dia de los Motos (Day 1) - 110 miles

SFO to DEN
Early flight out of SFO, taxi to bike storage on Geneva Ave in Denver. Smooth, clear skies.

A short taxi ride to pick up the bike at STI shipping. (Thank you motorcycleshippers.com) A few moments of silent meditation, a prayer, and it’s off to Manitou Springs; Garden of the Gods, Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Cave of the Winds, Pikes Peak.

Cave of the Winds
Over a thousand years ago tell, the Jicarilla Apaches told of a cave near Manitou Springs where the Great Spirit of the Wind resided.

In 1869, a Colorado settler named Arthur B. Love noticed a thin cleft in the western wall of Williams Canyon. Upon further inspection, he discovered a dramatic limestone archway and cave entrance to what is now known as Cave of the Winds Mountain Park.

Exploration of Cave of the Winds was further opened up by an Ohio stonecutter named George Washington Snyder, who came to Colorado seeking his fame and fortune. Late in 1880, Snyder excavated several passages of the stunning Williams Canyon caves.

He continued to excavate and began to offer guided tours in 1881. Electricity was brought into parts of the caves on July 4, 1907, making it even easier to tour certain caves. Operations have continued at Cave of the Winds since February of 1881, making it one of Colorado’s oldest and most famous attractions.










Below is some footage as we left the park.

Dia de los Motos: Colorado (The Rig)

The rig for this adventure is a 2016 BMW S1000XR. With 160hp, it’s classified as a “Sport Tourer” (emphasis on sport). It’s sort of a hybrid of the full-on adventure models (GS) and the road touring models (RT), with the added excitement of sport bike design. The more upright posture (as opposed to the lean over of traditional sport bikes) allows for longer days in the saddle.

It’s got electronic wizardry too lengthy to explain here, but four basic modes, selected with the tap of a button, allow the bike to adjust for changing road conditions: rain, road, dynamic (kicks it into a more aggressive mode - think jack rabbit), and dynamic pro; used strictly for track racing (or hooliganism).

For this trip, it’s been rigged with SW Motech TraX EVO Alu-Boxes and a Givi Dolomiti top box. As you can see, the beauty of these boxes is they pop right off, putting the bike back into commuter / every day ride condition. For additional visibility (to other drivers) at night, Clearwater “Darla” lights have been mounted on the front forks. Most of the gear is available through Twisted Throttle or Revzilla - both fantastic companies to deal with.

I would be remiss if I didn't recognize a dear friend, and damn good bike builder, Bill Berndt. He helped me install the Cobra exhaust on this beast. Without his help, patience, and expertise I'd (still) be curled up on the garage floor in a fetal position. 

Dia de los Motos: Colorado (7 Days / 1,200 Miles)

With the new T-Shirt design, this year's ride becomes official.

Day 1: The route will begin in Denver, head south to Pikes Peak
Day 2: Southwest to Gunnison and Black Canyon NP
Day 3: South from Gunnison to Pagosa Springs
Day 4: West to Mesa Verde NP and the ancient Cliff Dwellings
Day 5: Northwards along the Million Dollar Highway to Ouray
Day 6: From Ouray, northeast to Glenwood Springs
Day 7: Final push east from Glenwood Springs, back to Denver