Phantom Canyon Road.
Just above Victor with Pike's Peak in the background.
Lunch next to a creek at 9k feet, a spur off of Gold Camp.
Using the tire irons to spread the PB&J on the tortilla!
On the way home down Gold Camp, we ran into rain, hail and wind. Unfortunately, Tyler's back tire went squirrely and he ended up in the bar ditch, only breaking his pride and a turn signal.
The ride through the Wet Mountains to Westcliffe is a fun one with plenty of tight twisties!
Before dropping into Westcliffe, there is a stunning view of the Sangre de Cristos.
I finally found some really good eating in Westcliffe at the Chile Bear. I highly recommend the Green Chile Chicken Fried Steak!!!!
After leaving Westcliffe, I rode Hwy 69 to Texas Creek and headed west on Hwy 50. After filling up with gas in Salida, I continued west on 50, climbing over Monarch Pass. This is where the rain started and I rode through it on and off, all the way to Alamosa.
Turning off of Hwy 50, at Parlin (about 12 miles from Gunnison), I rode a little dirt to get over to Hwy 114. This is exactly why I purchase an Adventure, Dual-Sport Bike. No road left unexplored!
The canyon views and twisties on Hwy 114 are really, really good and highly recommended. Even better is the fact that I only met about 6 vehicles in about 60 miles.
North Pass is another high one, above 10,000 feet that I can add to the list of topping over.
This morning, I pulled one of the dumbest stunts, in a long time.... I reached out of our, 4th floor, hotel window to snap a pic of the Hot Air Balloons that were dotted across the Albuquerque sky..... and I dropped the camera!!! Yeah, it is dead. So, the rest of the trip, pics are taken with my cell phone camera.
Eating at the Range in Bernalillo, we feasted on pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, pintos and green chili!!!! Out the window next to our table, we could see the Sandia Mountains.
Riding out Highway 550 up to Cuba, the Red Rock is just beautiful. Leaving 550, we rode Hwy 96 through Coyote, over to Highway 84.
Looking over Abiquiu Reservior, the boater's are playing and having fun.
After leaving Pagosa Springs, the views were amazing!
On top of Wolf Creek Pass (10,850), we stopped for a pic on the Continental Divide.
Day number 2 started off in Trinidad, CO, with rain coming down. Fortunately, we had the right gear and remained waterproof and warm, throughout the ride. Here's a pic of Audra, getting decked out for the wet ride.
On top of Raton Pass, we paused for a picture.
South of Raton, NM, we headed southwest on Highway 64, or the Santa Fe Trail.
A stretch of the legs and a half hour of people watching in Eagles Nest.
Finally, we arrive in Taos. Michael's Kitchen yielded a lunch of enchiladas, tamales, etc... AWESOME.... and a must stop for everyone!
Leaving Santa Fe, it was still drizzling and the temps were in the 50's.
Finally the sun!!!! In Santa Fe, we stopped at a Starbucks for a 'warm-up coffee'.
An end to a wonderful day, found us in Albuquerque. An evening meal at The Range. Of course, we continue to return to this restaurant for Chili Rellenos.
The weekend started off with my buddy Matt and I leaving Colorado Springs at 7am, headed for Salida. We had planned a 550 mile loop, where I would split off early at Alamosa, so that Matt could do a 'test run' on his BMW GS.(In about a week, he is attempting a 24 hour, 1000 mile Utah ride.)
After I left Salida, I head south on 285, over 9,010 Poncha Pass.
Once arriving at Alamosa, I picked up Audra at Moffat Hall and we headed east for Trinidad, via the Highway of Legends (my second time to ride it in 5 days).
At the top of Cucharas Pass, we found the Columbine's in full bloom.
Wildlife was all over the place. Dozens of deer and several groups of elk were seen throughout the ride. This bull elk was the highlight of the ride.
Heading in to Trinidad, the view back of the canyon was awesome.
