The Independence Monument is the signature formation within the Colorado National Monument. Near Grand Junction. Co.

For several days now I have been contemplating my route back to Portland Oregon from Denver. While a notional route had been set out months before the trip, talking to people had brought a number of other possibilities to my attention. Principal among them were Independence Pass in Colorado, which I did yesterday; and the Bear Tooth Highway which runs from Red Lodge Montana to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

The former ride was easy to include, as the start is less than three hours west of Denver and the road heads north west, the direction I need to go. The latter requires me to proceed north, and then ride the highway east to west, just what the doctor ordered. But....... it decided it had to start snowing! Now rain and wet roads are not ideal, but ice and slush, especially on two wheels, is just a no-no. So I discard the idea and start contemplating other options, like across Nevada to California and up, taking in Yosemite, perhaps, and variations on the theme. But I really want to do Bear Tooth. I may never get the chance again. The forecasts are for snow Thursday and Friday and fining up for days after that. I speculate that I can hedge my bets by heading north and west to a location where I could wait a day or two and then execute either Bear Tooth or Nevada/California as required. The weather app on my phone and tablet were thrashed several times a day as I kept an eye on the forecasts and I loaded new locations on other possible routes. As the weather changed so did my plan, such as it was. There is a rather crude expression about the eventual need to take action but this is a family blog, So to be polite, this morning over breakfast I made up my mind. North and west it would be, but first I would take the opportunity to see something else.

Now that the bike is getting sort of run-in and I am traveling solo, my fuel consumption is improving nicely. Two up and fully loaded I was averaging 5.2 l/100km, which is not too shabby, considering the bike was not designed with aerodynamic efficiency in mind. I was pleased when filling up this morning to note that my average is now 4.9l/100km. And on that positive note I promenaded down the main street of Grand Junction for the last time, taking a few photos; and then made my way to the Colorado National Monument which is very close to the town.

The Colorado National Monument is an area of mesas and canyons. It was put on the map - almost literally - by a chap called John Otto, one if the early explorers of the site. It became his passion to promote, preserve and protect the area and his determination was rewarded when the Monument was declared in 1911. He was offered the job of caretaker at a salary of $1.00 per month. He was quite content, apparently. His memory is perpetuated by a handsome statue of him on his horse with his dog, in the main street.

There are a good number of viewing points and many hiking trails. Rock climbing is permitted and the Independence Monument, a red sandstone pillar 450 feet tall, is very popular. There are also three tunnels on the road, hewn out of the solid rock.

This is a pleasant place with some lovely views, but I think hikers and rock climbers get more from it than do the casual tourists like me. I hope I haven't undersold it.

Back to town to purchase a few small items at Walmart where I also got my lunch which I ate on the footpath outside. Remembering a similar occasion in Iowa and missing someone.

Midday and time to go! GPS set for Rangely, Colorado because I wanted to do Co 139, a scenic route which also took me over the Douglas Pass. This part of Colorado is decidedly arid. The mountains are heavily eroded, with classic hoodoo type shapes down their slopes. Barely a tree in sight, in many places. A stark beauty. There are more trees going up the pass, perhaps as a result of relief rainfall? It was impressive, but compared to the other things I have seen, not grand. But nevertheless, worth it. This road, however, was in rather poor condition for much of its length. In places it was dangerous for motorcyclists.

On arriving in Rangely I stopped for coffee and a consultation with the map, my weather app and myself. Conclusion: overnight in Vernal, Utah. From there I can strike north through Rock Springs and Lander Wyoming to Cody and then Red Lodge Montana for Bear Tooth. Assuming the snow is clearing sufficiently. Otherwise, the I 80 will take me west. 

The ride to Vernal was interesting, as yet again I rode between two weather events, the one to the north being snow. Grand Junction was 27 C  when I arrived yesterday and 23C when I left at noon today. As I proceeded to Vernal the temperature dropped steadily to 15C

So here I am in Vernal. Tomorrow is another day. It is uncertain what it will bring, but it will certainly bring opportunity.

Shaliach Mitzvah is a Jewish tradition in which a traveler is given a gift of money which is to be donated to charity at the end of the journey. As the journey is thus a sacred mission, the intent is that God will ensure the safety of the traveler. 

At the start of our trip in Portland, Oregon, our friends Alan and Louise gave me a Shaliach Mitzvah. It is a $1.00 bill folded as shown in the photo. This is redolent with symbolism, religious, secular and cultural ; unifying them all. We are grateful for this thought and gesture, as we are for those who prayed for us. Many prayed from home, and some prayed for us on the spot, especially in the South. Thank you all. Incidents were few and we are safe. Apart from the little tumble near Monument Valley, Arizona, we kept the rubber side down and the shiny side up!

Liz was very chuffed and elated when we arrived in New York and justifiably so. She had done it. We had packed into four, short weeks more epic sightseeing and travel experiences than some folk would have in a life time. On and off the bike we became a well-oiled and efficient partnership. She learned that in small town America, she should forego cappuccino and settle for cah-fee. Liz is a champion and by the end of the trip, she had developed into one of the best pillions I have ever had behind me. 

In Cortez, Colorado we caught up with John and Ann B, courtesy of a minor malfunction with the gear shift of their rented Harley-Davidson. As a result, we were able to spend a few days with them, riding together as far as Montrose, Colorado and then from Custer, South Dakota until we turned off south to Decorah, Iowa on our way to visit Andre and Lee in Wisconsin. Riding together with friends is a special experience and in this case especially so as John and I know each other, not just from Melbourne, but from our school days back in South Africa.

When Liz  left, I felt quite demotivated for a few days. It would have been fantastic to do the whole trip together. We will be back, but it will be by motor car and aircraft!

John H and I spent two and a bit weeks together. Starting in Atlanta, Georgia, we covered the flat, less scenic, parts of the South and the mid West, but were more than compensated with the mood-inspiring vistas of New Mexico and the soaring grandeur of the Rockies in Colorado. We went from sweltering at sea level to running from snow and rain at the time of his departure in Denver. We met some really I interesting people. John was my source of weather information every morning and responsible for us visiting places that I myself might well have missed. Palo Duro Canyon comes to mind. 

And so to the time by myself. I caught up with many old friends and made a number of new ones. I had many conversations, some long, some short, with interesting people; some in conventional situations like street corners and restaurants, and in places like Independence Pass, Colorado where, in the howling wind at 12,000 feet and the ground covered with snow I took a photo of and had a chat with a chap wearing a shirt, thin jersey and shorts! Aernoud is from Holland, so used to the cold.

I/we owe thanks for hospitality to numerous friends. Andre and Lee in Wisconsin, Gary and Laurie in London, Ontario, Tim and Cathy and Glynnis in Mono, Ontario, Amie and Nathan and their respective spouses in Pennsylvania, Tom and Gayla in Virginia, Jennifer in North Carolina, Terence and Martha Ann in Oklahoma. Thank you so much. You only added to the pleasure of the journey. Hopefully it will not be ten or more years until we meet again.

The blog has not done justice to everything we have seen and done. Adjectives to describe it are inadequate, superlatives insufficient. If nothing else in life come close to this, this was enough.

Finally, to bring this trip of a life time to a proper conclusion, I must donate our Shaliach Mitzvah to a charity. 

In Minden, Louisiana, John and I had lunch in the Timeless Café and Tearoom. It is run by the Evergreen Presbyterian Ministries as a place where intellectually and developmentally challenged folk can be employed. It impressed me and touched me. 

This is, to me, a special donation. It has its origins in faith and friendship. It has afforded protection on a great journey. And its objective is service.

God bless America; and God bless you all.

No photo today. On the occasions I wanted to take one, it was raining.

It dawned on me yesterday that I am running short of time. My flight to Australia leaves LAX about midday on Wednesday so I need to be there by Tuesday evening. Before I leave Portland I must clean the bike to keep Australian Quarantine happy, crate the bike and arrange for it to be shipped home. It would also be good to have the bike serviced, as it is cheaper here,

What happened to my spare days? The problem was the second night in Denver and the second night in Vernal Utah. The latter was because of the weather and thus wise, but Denver was pure indulgence on my part. 

I had intended to take three and a bit days to get to Portland but late last night decided to scrap that and get there as soon as possible. That resulted in an earlier start and I hit the I90 W shortly after 7.30 am with Spokane Washington as my objective for the day. In the parking garage it was 18.5 C and I was getting toasty in my full riding gear, but on the interstate the thermometer dropped and dropped and kept dropping. It kind of levelled out at three degrees and yes, it was fresh! And traveling at 75/80 mph really enhances said freshness! But wait, there's more! As I approached Bozeman Montana the temperature began to drop again. I was concerned about ice of course, so was concentrating very heavily on the bends. I thought it was then warming back up a little, until I noticed some additional information on the screen. There was a minus sign preceding the numerals. It dropped as low as minus 2.5C, which quite impressed me, but not in a good way.

Eventually the mercury rose above freezing but it never got above 4C. I decided at Butte to stop and get warm with a second, proper breakfast, a wise move. Refreshed, back on the road and lunch was called in Missoula Montana. With the uni students back in town, the atmosphere was quite pleasant. But the purpose of the day was laying down miles and I did not dally. I pulled intc Wallace Idaho briefly for a pit stop. A very quaint place but it was raining, so no photo. The next refreshment stop was Coeur D'Alene Idaho, also very pretty, also raining. I was tempted to overnight there but was put off by the expense and stuck with plan A to go to Spokane. But when I got there I decided it was not a pleasant place and decided to strike out to Ritzville, sixty miles further,

You may have worked out that I am not fond of interstate riding because it is usually uninteresting and straight. The I90 had many satisfying, winding stretches and it was an enjoyable time of high speed touring.

As I rode those last twenty miles, heading south west, the sun was slowly setting. I felt a little melancholy, drawing an analogy with the sun setting on my trip. Tomorrow or early Thursday I will reach Portland and the episode, the chapter, will end.

I had dinner at the town pub and the locals keep to themselves here. But again the old town is pretty and, if it is dry, I will go and take some photos before I leave.

Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, Wyoming.

This morning the lady on the front desk confirmed time that Beartooth was closed and that Chief Joseph was open. Definitely a bad news, good news story, although as previously mentioned, Chief Joseph required me to retrace my path back to Wyoming. Still, I had heard good reports about that route and the mission was on!

But first, breakfast, post office and petrol. I ordered a cappuccino and was presented with a mug that was 90% froth. My Facebook friends got to see that. Not good. The post office (three postcards on the way, Schatz) and petrol were routine and I reversed my course of the previous day. It turned out to be just over sixty kilometres. I was quite thankful for the bright sunshine of the lower elevation east of the mountains, as the mountains were enveloped in angry looking clouds. As per yesterday, the cross wind was still present and some gusts were very disconcerting, so I traveled at a sedate 55 mph. As the speed limit on Montana country roads is 70, I was overtaken often.

The turn off to Chief Joseph was soon climbing through a number of switchbacks, as I have learned to call them (hairpin bends for everyone else) and there were a number of scenic turnouts. The route is beautiful. What a pity it became darker and overcast as I ascended. The photos are rather dark and I hope to manipulate them when I get home. It was a terrific ride albeit slower than I would usually go because the road was wet in places.

Chief Joseph was a leader of the Nez Perce Indians at the time of the war between them and the US government. The issue was, as usual, that the US had reneged on the terms of two treaties . Chief Joseph eventually tried to flee to Canada via Yellowstone, and this road follows the route he took his people. I may be able to visit the Big Hole National Battlefield tomorrow, where the great battle was fought which precipitated that event.

The Byway ends in a T junction with..... the Beartooth Highway! Now the GPS had let me know that Beartooth was closed, but it got it wrong by seventeen miles! I saw that there was a sign saying that, so I decided that I would do at least some of Beartooth, seeing as I was there. It was brilliant, although very cold, with my thermometer flashing at me 2.5 C, 1.5C, 0C! I proceeded cautiously and stopped for a few photos. Again, a pity they are so dark. I went down to Bear Lake on the dirt road, which was wet. All was well until I noticed some lighter colored mud.... Yikes! Ice! The bike lurched and slid but, with thumping heart, I managed to keep it upright and on the road.  I took my photos and then gingerly went up the road again.

There were no cars because the road was closed to through traffic and there was just the odd Parks vehicle around and they all ignored me. 

About fifteen miles down the road was Cooke City, Montana. It was 1.30 pm and time for lunch. As I dismounted it started sleeting heavily and did not stop. After I had eaten I quickly consulted my weather app and saw that snow was forecast in two hours. I had no intention of being stuck in Cooke City so togged up, knocked the accumulated ice off my saddle and got going, notional destination Gardiner, Montana, which is a small town situated about five miles north of Yellowstone's northern entrance.

This road actually passes through the park and by the time I arrived at the North Eastern entrance my gloves and everything else were soaked. The lady ranger very kindly heeded my suggestion that I not be required to produce my annual pass. The handgrip heaters were the only reason I could keep riding, but I had pretty well decided that I would stop in Gardiner whatever the cost of a room. There was snow and slush on the road and, with my gear soaked (my skin was dry because of the waterproof liners) I was freezing. And what I feared was the clouds or snow descending and causing a whiteout, which would a) force me to stop and b) make me vulnerable to being hit by the car that decided to keep driving. One thing that struck me as I was proceeding through the park at a velocity somewhat in excess of the speed limit, was the smell of sulphur dioxide from the geysers!

At the northern end of the park, Mammoth Springs, the road descends rapidly and then levels on it way to Gardiner. As it descended, it got warmer. Soon it was a balmy 5C! Nevertheless, I pulled into the Best Western, but when I could not get them to charge an acceptable price, I decided, hang them, it's warm, I'm going to Livingston, just an hour up the road.

It was not raining in the valley and soon I was drying out a and making good time. The Best Western here is $55 cheaper and they have even given me a garage for the bike! 

Where to tomorrow? I'm not sure yet. All I I know is, it must be west from Livingston, Montana. The clock is winding down. The trip is in its last days.

Meeteetse, Wyoming. The cowboy bar that has gun shot holes in the walls and 'Panama Red' is the lady with the knife behind the bar.

It is Sunday. I have not been to church since Pennsylvania and I want to go. Doctor Google informs me that the local Presbyterian  Church is PC(USA) so I pass. Liz grew up a Lutheran and we attend that church from time to time so the local Lutheran Church got my vote.

The folk were welcoming and friendly and the service was uplifting. It is a good thing to affirm one's faith by fellowshiping with other believers. After a chat over a cup of coffee I hit the road.

Contrary to yesterday, it was quite balmy with the temperature rising during the day to 21.5 C. But the wind! There were occasions when I was seriously discomfited by the gusts and I did a lot of leaning while riding in a straight line. I passed through Shoshoni and Thermopolis and continued to Meeteetse for my lunch stop; and decided to give my custom to the Cowboy Bar Established 1873. The lady bartender was a tough looking character, carrying a great big knife on her hip.. After lunch I asked her about it and she proudly showed it to me. It was a gift from her husband. She informed me that she carried  .44 revolver and under the bar had a billy club and a taser. Apparently it gets quite rough in there at times. She also pointed out bullet holes in the wall and ceiling. Her name was Panama Red and I treated her with extra respect!

I thought that having had a chicken salad for lunch I could afford a dessert and went over the road to a rather nice chocolate shop. At $1.75 it was an expensive mouthful.

I went through Cody, Wyoming. Tourist trap.

On the turn off to Red Lodge I noticed some derelict buildings. It was the site of the Smith Mine, which closed in 1943 after Montana's worst ever mining disaster. 74 dead and three survivors. The buildings remain, abandoned, as a memorial to them.

Soon I was in Red Lodge Montana and having my expectations of riding the Beartooth Highway dampened. Perhaps my faith, expressed by riding two days from Utah to Montana, was not enough. This may become clearer tomorrow morning. A possible alternative is the Chief Joseph scenic byway, but it involves me retracing my path 50 kms.

Red Lodge is very pretty and very rural. I found a deer wandering the streets. Have a look at the photos.

Dinner at the Pollard Hotel was really interesting as I had a long discussion with some local folk, which was great fun. I am sorry I didn't get their names, except for Emma, the bartender. Smart, smart girl!

South Pass Wyoming, before Lander. Red Canyon (Another one)

In Vernal the day dawned bright and clear, but pretty cold, only 4C, it having been below zero overnight. The forecasts for the towns on the way to Montana were showing no precipitation although some wind was expected. Bear Tooth Highway was still showing on the highway information site as closed but I reckon it will reopen by Monday. Putting my faith in the forecasts and my assessment of what will happen, I decided I would proceed north. I would like to mention once more the really good experience I had at the Weston Plaza Hotel. It is family owned and run and it is clear that they care and take pride in their offering.

As I rode out of Vernal, I was very happy to see the sky over the mountains was clear, compared to the lowering clouds that had been present the day before. Soon  the road started rising and the temperature started dropping. As it hit 2C the display started flashing, warning of the potential for ice on the road. I slowed down and took it easier on the bends, and slowed again when it dropped further to freezing point. Urrrr.... A bit dicey, but also I was getting seriously cold.

However, the road then descended to the Flaming Gorge Dam, which is a National Recreation Area. Hydro electricity is also generated. I had heard while in Vernal that the Sheep Creek Geological Loop offered great scenery and would be very quiet. Both these statements proved correct. With much snow at the higher altitudes and being much warmer lower down, the contrast in vegetation was remarkable .The loop is situated in the Uinta Range, the only range in the USA who h runs east-west, and where one can see evidence of the Uinta fault. There are also several different types of rock which must be of interest to some people. Leaving the Loop and Flaming Gorge, I had to go some miles out of my way. That took me through miles of rock formations, each of which had fossils of varying types. Again, of interest to others.

A quick Mexican lunch in Rock Springs helped me warm up a bit after which is was again going North. The wind was blowing strongly and was annoying, not just because it affected the handling of the bike, but because it was cold! At Farson the road branched off to Lander, but there was a diner/shop right there so I stopped for coffee and also put on a long sleeve merino u cef layer and the neck warmer that Liz insisted on leaving with me. Was I grateful??

When getting g ready to leave, a few folk emerged from the diner and proceeded to tell me it was 32F on South Pass with snow blowing across the road. Now a little anxious, I proceeded up towards the pass with caution. Well, either they lied, or things had drastically improved. apart from the stiff cross-wind, there was nothing to worry about.

On today's ride I was continually entranced and impressed by the scenery. The rock formations both as to color and complexity were one thing, but the presence of the snow added a different dimension of beauty. Northern Utah and southern Wyoming are desert, receiving less than eleven inches of moisture per annum, so much of it is treeless,  it where there were trees, eg near the Flaming Gorge, it was a spectacle to ride along and see the snow falling from the branches.

Having made reasonable time despite the number of stops, I Rea he'd Lander at about 4pm and so decided to push on to Riverton. In the morning I will once again review the status of Bear Tooth Highway  but will regardless continue north it needs to be open by Tuesday.
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A storm in the hills outside Vernal, Utah. It is a photo, not a painting.

This morning I woke resolved to ride to Rock Springs Wyoming, to stay the night and await the expected improvement in the weather. On my way to breakfast two of the ladies that work here said I should not miss the Flaming Gorge Dam, halfway to Rock Springs. It sounded good to me, but it was overcast and raining, making good photos very difficult. It wasn't too hard to decide to stay put for another night. After lunch I emerged from my room and ventured into the town. As I rode in, I saw these low clouds over the mountains, as pictured above and felt that I had made the correct decision to stay another night. The various weather reports for towns along my intended route support it, too.

My first visit was the the small, but very interesting Western Heritage Museum. It covers a lot of ground and is well worth a visit. I particularly liked the sequential photos of every sheriff the town has had, and the dolls of each first lady of the USA. 

A  coffee shop on the nearby main street was recommended to me and while my order was being prepared I took a short walk. It turns out that in its early days, Vernal was the stomping ground of many outlaws, some extremely notorious eg Butch Cassidy. And - not dissimilar to Australia - they promote it! But otherwise, not much goes on in Vernal, Utah. It is really a service town for the oil industry.

After a latte (too milky) and a rather tasty almond and poppy seed muffin, I was wending my way back to the hotel on a side street when I noticed ahead a very tall church steeple. Being Utah, this is Mormon country, and I had read that in Verbal they have, unusually for a small place, a Mormon Temple. A photo appears on the photo tab.

Then I went to the CAL Ranch store. I am thinking of buying some cowboy chaps which I can wear over my jeans for summer riding. No joy here, but it is my kind of store. See the photo on the photo tab and you will understand why!

Back to the hotel as it was looking very gray and threatening and I did not think I would be happy if I got wet and cold. 

A word about the hotel, the Weston Plaza. It is an older property, but under a new name and management and it does not seem to be part of a national chain. The room is very spacious and comfortable, clean as a whistle, staff that cannot do enough for one and....  cheaper than the standard I judge by, Best Western. 

The Australian Rules Football Grand Final is to be played in a few hours. Maybe I can find it on the cable TV. But the forecasts up north are looking promising and I will make an early start, planning on stopping in Lander, Wyoming tomorrow night.

On Colorado 82, on the approach to Independence Pass. That is Mount Elbert in the background.

The morning dawned bright and clear in Leadville, Colorado. And freezing. It was sub-zero overnight and when I went out to the bike it was only 4C and there was frost on the bike cover. As I was loading the bike some other BMW riders emerged from the motel and we had quite a long chat about things. They had come over Independence Pass the day before and gave me some useful advice, such as warning me that on the Aspen side the road was essentially just one car wide in many places. The chap who was the natural leader, Karl, B, has a really interesting job: he makes rocket engines for people who fly to the edge of space as a hobby. Actually, !!! His company has an association with an Australian outfit and I am recording it here so I can research it later. Www.ausrocketry.com.au. Morris M in Leesville, you should meet this chap.

After mutual well wishes I went back into Leadville to take some photos. There are many old buildings, houses and churches which are very attractive. An aspect of the houses that seems unique to Leadville is the colorful and often quite intricate color schemes that are favoured. They also have a large mining museum and Hall of Fame, house in a magnificent old house, it looks like. Really huge. I was also impressed that the residents have in their backyard a panoramic view of the Rockies, with Mount Elbert as the most prominent feature. They are now snow-capped and just beautiful.

On with the main business of the day: riding over Independence Pass. One never tires of riding through the Rockies and its foothills. Be they green or arid, there is always something to please the eye or amaze the mind' often both simultaneously. Today was no different. I have been encouraged to take the iconic photo of the bike within the American landscape, which will be the cover of the intended photo album. The photo above may fit the bill. It is one of the most stunning views of the trip. The cars on the road were just about queued up to take photos.

The ride to the top of the pass is marked by a gradual ascent initially and then suddenly, up you go. There are several extra slow speed hairpins and few turnouts. The top has a short walk to a viewing point, where a Hollander Aernoud wearing shorts in the freezing weather, asked me to take a photo of him and his wife. We had a bit of a chat and he seemed very decent. He is obviously very tough. It was icy up there, literally!

I took the obligatory shot of the bike under the sign indicating the name of the pass, the elevation and the fact that it is the Continental Divide. A few other folk seemed quite impressed and took photos of the bike as well. One kind chap offered to take a shot if me with the bike and the iPhone was used for that. It has been posted on my Facebook.

Down the other side and yep, seriously narrow road. Many trees were fallen from the rocks that had been dislodged by the recent wet weather. I took it slowly as snow melt was on the road down to about 9,000 feet, but soon I was riding into Aspen.

This is a really pretty place, but here in a tiny town one finds designer clothing stores! The Hollywood crowd have clearly made this pretty town their own. Lunch there was really pleasant but a little pricey. Still, sitting under an umbrella in the autumn sun was very pleasant.

Pressing in, I eventually hit the road from Carbondale to Glenwood Springs, which I had traveled with Liz. I happened to look over my left shoulder ad I approached Carbondale and noticed snow-capped Mount Sopris stands like a remote guardian over the town. Very pretty. But as I rode into Glenwood Springs I felt a surge of nostalgia, remembering how not all that long ago Liz had been with me on that very road.

Getting to Grand Junction, my stopping place for the night,  was either on I70 for a distance of about 68 miles, or on the byways for more than twice that. An easy decision. It is a very picturesque drive for an interstate, but today I had to battle cross winds gusting up to 50mph. To manage it better, I would tuck myself in behind a big truck.

Grand Junction is named for the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. On my brief look at downtown it is a really attractive place. I will take some photos tomorrow.

The big issue now is the weather. Thursday and Friday are lining up with snow storms and many roads will be closed, perhaps into next week. I will need to decide, perhaps as early as tomorrow, whether to turn north, or head west.

The first snow of the winter. Rocky Mountains outside Leadville Colorado.

John's alarm went off at five am, but as is so often the case, one always sleeps fitfully the night before a trip, so we were both awake. He left in plenty of time to get to the airport bus and some of you may have noticed his comment on the blog indicating he made it safely to Los Angeles.

Because I intended to visit BMW Motorcycles Denver and they only opened at nine, I dawdled in getting ready and enjoyed the unusual time of leisure, using it to look ahead for accommodation. I also spent quite some time looking at the weather forecasts and trying to figure out potential routes back to Portland. The weather we had fled from in Gunnison had dropped snow on the mountains down to about ten thousand feet, but later this week it may get down to six thousand feet, and lie up to twenty four inches deep 'if the storm sets rights' as the special advisories say.

Without having made a decision I went down to BMW to acquire a few small items I needed. They need a lesson in customer service, those guys in Spares. So I took my things and headed for the hills. Well, mountains. And what a sight greeted me as I swung west. The range was beautifully powdered with the snow of Sunday, rising majestically along the horizon. Taking the byways to Leadville was a distance of over 170 miles so I stuck with the interstate until twenty miles to go, stopping in Georgetown for a break and Lake Dillon for lunch. (Fantastic mushroom and cheese burger). 

One thing that Colorado seems to have plenty of is historic steam trains. Durango, Georgetown, Chama and there is one in Leadville, too. And there are more. I am told that Chama is out of this world.

And so off the interstate for the last twenty miles to Leadville, with the roads sweeping around the mountain bends, with snow everywhere above 10,000 feet. Magical! I checked in to the motel and rested, trying to make up for the night before.

I roused myself to go into the town (very pretty) to have dinner. It was 14 C when I left at 6.30 pm and when I returned a little over an hour later it was down to 7C. Overnight forecast is for zero!

Tomorrow I will ride Independence Pass (12,095 feet) and probably be compelled to make a decision on which way to go.  Watch this space

Today was meant to be a quiet day and to the extent that bike riding was minimal, that was so. We took a short spin to the post office to post John's bike gear back to Australia and I ran a quick errand to a shopping center not far away. John took himself off to the transport museum and I otherwise begged in the hotel.