Day 6 - Million Dollar Highway

Mesa Verde, CO to Moab, UT

Daily mileage: 385mi

Trip mileage: 2,760mi

State count: 10

With a 9:30 tour booked, we knew we needed to roll out of the KOA 8:00am to get all the way back into the park to where our tour was.  It was a nice, cool morning, and absolutely beautiful through the park.  Being up on the mesa was incredible, with views in every direction.  And really good pavement and nice turns.  We stopped at a few overlooks to walk around and take some pictures since we’d built in extra time, then headed to Balcony House.  Each tour can have up to 50 people, but with it being in the early morning, there was only us and one other couple!  Our park ranger was able to give us lots of “extras” as far as details and bits of information to share, that he couldn’t do when he had a full group.  It was really incredible to think that people built this nearly a thousand years ago.  It was a very incredible story, and so amazing to transform back all those years.  

View from the Mesa:
 

Panorama from the Mesa:


Balcony House:

Prayer sticks found in Balcony House - this was a very sacred place for the people who lived here:


What a view from their balcony!


Balcony House Kiva (one of two):


The remains of Balcony House:


Larkin coming out through the entrance, very easy to defend:


After chatting with a few bikes in the parking lot after finishing our tour, we headed out.  Next checkpoint was the Million Dollar Highway, highway 550 from Silverton to Ouray.  Such incredible views!! It was straight, then curvy, so you could enjoy the scenery during the straight part, then pay attention to the road and enjoy the curves also.  Climb and fall, climb and fall, beautiful sites in every direction!! We were literally “Oh, look at that!” for 50 miles.  Larkin thinks we may just have ruined the rest of our trip with all the awesome sites. On the backside we ran into a father and son who just come down off a jeep trail on their dirt bikes.  Yeah, next year… :D

Large, majestic mountains:
 

Beautiful!


Just stunning:


Riding the Million Dollar Highway:


Breathtaking:


Waterfall just outside Ouray:

We had lunch in Ouray, in a cute little brewery (also suggested by the Multistrada guy).  The brewery burger was fantastic!  Unfortunately, the town is on a hill, so even though Martinique parked her bike to hopefully not get stuck, Larkin still had to help her get it righted and off the kickstand, lol.

What a lovely place to have lunch!

Per the suggestion of a couple GS/V-Strom guys we ran into when we got into Ouray, we opted for 62 to 145 in order to get to Moab.  Luckily, it was the route the GPS wanted us to go anyways.  And it did not disappoint.  Again, incredible views!  Colorado is so amazing, how could anyone NOT want to live here!  Everywhere we go, the views are to die for.

Continuing the beautiful views outside of Ouray, these mountains had the most snow that we'd seen so far!
 

We had booked a KOA cabin for Moab (again, because they don’t have trees you can tie to) during lunch.  Got settled, and asked where the best place to watch the sunset would be.  They suggested Arches, and that everyone goes to Delicate Arch, but it’s a 1.5 mile hike up and back.  We were tired, and didn’t feel like hiking in the dark, but they said we may be able to see some cool sights at Windows.  So we headed for the park for the sunset.  Arches is so unlike anything else.  The way the weather erodes the rock into beautiful formations.  We found a nice place on an arch to watch the sun dip below the horizon.  It was truly magical to watch the sun on the red, red rock.  

Windows arch:
 

Turret arch:

The sun setting through Turret Arch:


Watching the sun set on Turret Arch, magical:


As we drove back through Moab, it was a pretty hopping town.  We were both too tired to want to hang out though.  As we got back to our cabin, we were dreading the thought of hoofing it to Zion the next day.  It seemed like we’d been going, going, going, all the time.  We were in desperate need of a rest day.  So we decided we were going to spend an extra day in Moab.  Wake up late, ride around some of the beautiful roads (Canyonlands was not too far away, but originally we weren’t going to have time to explore it), chill in the pool, take it easy, see Delicate Arch at sunset, and enjoy the nightlife.  Then, after feeling refreshed, we’d head out to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.  This means we’ll probably cut out 191 in AZ (and the Petrified Forest), but it’s pretty far out of the way.  Zion will put us on the West side of the state, and both those things are on the East side.  We saw a quote in the Visitor’s Center at Mesa Verde “If you try to see everything, you’ll actually see nothing”.  Very true.  We’ve tried to cram a lot of things in the trip, and it’s hard to fit it all and really enjoy it.  Time to relax, and enjoy it.  

Beautiful view from our cabin, time to kick back and relax!
 

Day 5 - Time to start seeing stuff!

Taos, NM to Mesa Verda, CO

Daily mileage: 280mi

Trip mileage: 2,375mi

State count: 9

After a VERY good night’s rest, we woke up ready to attack the day.  Took advantage of the free continental breakfast offered by the hotel, then packed our bikes, ready to go.  We were thinking of going to Taos Pueblo, but with the $10/person admission, $6/camera fee (including cell phones), we opted to head straight out to Mesa Verde instead.  We had been told the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge was on the highway we were taking.  As we’re driving along the flats between the massive mountain ranges, the ground opens up into an incredible gorge with a beautiful bridge over it.  We parked the bikes and took a walk around. There were platforms along the bridge that you could walk out onto.  Such an incredible site.  Martinique couldn’t get over the fact that it was very flat between the mountains, save for this insane gorge cut by a thread of a river.

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge:
 

View from the bridge:

We continued through the mountains.  Today was an easy, low mileage day after all the long days we’d endured.  We were going to take every bit of it in.  A Multistrada had passed us while we were observing the bridge.  A hundred miles later, up in the mountains, we were parked at an overlook snapping some pictures (and Larkin watered the plants) and the same Multistrada rode by and decided to pull in.  He was from MN, had been down in AR and TX riding around, and was making his way back home.  He also has a garage full of bikes (“No kids, just bikes” he said).  He suggested a taco place in Pagosa Springs that was supposed to be very tasty, then headed out.  He had a lot of ground to cover for the day.

Shot from the viewpoint where we met the Multistrada:
 

We saw snow, and wanted to play in it, but there was a fence in our way.  It’s amazing how many awesome jeep trails exist out here, all over the National Forests.  Maybe next year we’ll truck some dirt bikes out here and go from place to place riding them.

Snow that we could ALMOST get to:
 

The lunch place, Kip’s Grill & Cantina, was awesome.  We had Fish Tacos and some type of Barbacoa dish Larkin ordered.  We intended to take a picture before we dove in, but… Didn’t work out so much, lol.  We were starving!  Highly recommended though if you’re in the Pagosa Springs, CO area.  They had a great little porch to sit on for us to enjoy our lunch.

Some sheep that ranchers had feeding on the the grass between the road and fence line.  By the evidence left behind as we went down the road, it appeared that they'd been herding them up the fence line for quite a ways.  Larkin wasn't happy about the pellets on his tires...


Almost to Mesa Verde:


After lunch, we headed out to finish our last leg to get to Mesa Verde.  We booked a KOA tepee during lunch so we could do laundry there.  We wanted to book a normal tent sight, but when I called them, they said they don’t allow anything on the trees because they’re too fragile.  We drove by the park on our way into town, but wanted to drop our gear before heading there.  Checked in at the KOA, where they informed us that they last tours at the park go at 5, so we wouldn’t be able to book one for the day (it was 4:00 already).  Our best bet would be to head there now, get some info, book a tour for the next morning, and maybe look around.  And oh by the way, there’s a free wine tasting for KOA’ers across the street.  SOLD!  So we headed to Mesa Verde, booked our tour for 9:30 at the adventurous Balcony House site, then came back and did a little wine tasting.  It was actually very tasty wine, and we bought a bottle for the evening, and a bottle to send home.  Swung by the grocery store to pick up some cheese and crackers, and Snackables for breakfast in the morning, and we were set!  Enjoyed the evening in our little site, relaxing and taking in the beauty that is CO.  Absolutely love this state…

Dinner for the evening:


Our humble abode for the evening, just like Martinique used to camp in when she was a Venture Scout:

Day 4 - Crosswinds to the Rockies

Keystone State Park, OK to Taos, NM (via TX)

Daily mileage: 605mi

Trip mileage: 2,080mi

State count: 8

Got up ready to attack the day at 0600, but for some reason, breaking camp and getting on the road wasn’t as quick as we had thought it was gonna be.  We ended up rolling ~7:30am with a little diner in Stillwater picked out for breakfast.  We had our sites set on Taos, and neither of us verbalized it, but we were both very doubtful that we’d make it.  It’d been a hard few days on the road so far, and we needed to go over 600 miles today…

Breakfast was amazing and cheap in the cute college town (which was pretty vacant due to the summer).  We had the Pig Biscuits (biscuits and gravy topped with cheddar, diced ham, crumbled sausage and bacon along with a cinnamon roll.  Totally meant to take a picture, but we snarfed it down before we could… Need to get better at that, lol.

Oil rigs in OK:


Neat little metal artwork of buffalo and cowboys in a small OK town:
 

We hit the road, with toll avoidances on, ready to attack this state and her straight roads.   Arrival was around 5:00pm, and we were gaining an extra hour.  But the farther we went, the windier it got.  It was a chore to keep the bike straight.  Luckily the speed limit was 65 (on a two lane non-divided) so we were able to roll at about 75 to try and get across the state.  But at those speeds, when a tractor trailer goes by, it gets kind of sketchy, especially with a light bike.

There were some really pretty areas for a good distance, something called the Oklahoma Painted Desert.  But it didn’t last nearly long enough, and it was pretty desolate out there.  We had to make sure we planned our fuel stops carefully.  Larkin wanted something to pick him up as he was getting very sleepy, and we had to wait 30 miles on the major road we were on in order to come across something.  They did have some tasty burritos though, and we ran into some really nice people, one guy who offered to put us up for the night.  We asked what people do out here, and he said that he paid $53K in taxes last year, and that they oil industry is VERY good for people.  That explains the houses amidst nothing else.  We had to pass on his offer though, as it would have cut our mileage very short for the day.  So we pressed on, with an aim of Cimmaron, NM (where Philmont BSA ranch is, and where Martinique backpacked in her youth).  

Painted desert in OK:
 

Larkin riding through OK:

We passed through the rest of OK, then dipped down into TX (where the non-divided, two lane speed limit is 70mph).  Crazy how fast the speed limit down here is, but when you can see cars coming for DAYS because the roads are so straight, I guess it’s not a big deal.  TX was gone in the blink of an eye (thank goodness) and we headed into NM.  We were starting to see the Rockies and it was so exciting!  

Truck rolling down the tracks in TX:

Baby, old school windmill next to huge, new school windmill (center):


Larkin riding through Texas (still not quite sure how I captured this photo on my P&S):

As we got close, we were right on top of the mountains Martinique backpacked over 10 years ago.  There was a brown cloud looking thing that look like it had fallen from the sky.  We can only imagine that it was a legit dust storm because when we drove through it, we started getting sandblasted!! When we arrived in Cimmaron, we decided we had enough steam, and powered on to Taos.  Absolutely beautiful views as we started through the Rockies. 

Gaining an extra hour, we made it into Taos in not so bad time.  After spending a little time trying to locate a place to stay that wasn’t $100+, we found a cute little motel that let us park our bikes in the courtyard right in front of our room.  We showered up, and headed down the street to a nice little Mexican restaurant.  Met the owner, who is also the Mayor of Taos! After a few too many beers, we stumbled back to our room and passed out.  We’d made it to Taos in four days!! Now the fun would REALLY begin, and the days would be shorter distance with more time to relax and take in the views, AND the people.

Our hotel let us park our bikes right in front of our room in the grass in the courtyard!
 

Day 3 - The Pig Trail (Hwy 23 in AR)

Little Rock, AR to Keystone State Park, OK (via the Pig Trail, AR)

Daily mileage: 390mi

Trip mileage: 1475mi

State count: 6

Today was a little rough starting out.  Martinique woke up still feeling pretty sick from the fever she fought last night and the terrible sore throat, and Larkin also had his sore throat.  We slept in, hoping that they extra zzz’s would help combat them.  Larkin ran to the store in the morning to grab some medicine to hopefully knock out whatever it was that’d been bothering us.

We hit the road rather late (~9:30am) after eating the last of the leftover pizza from E&E’s.  We slabbed it down I-40 for a ways, hoping to get somewhere fast with the way we were feeling.  Martinique was in pretty good spirits about the whole thing though.

We stopped for gas and found a more scenic route to the Pig Trail (which Larkin called the Arkansas Dragon).  It was a beautiful ride, with nice pavement and light traffic.  Being a Sunday, we did see a lot of other bikes, which was cool. Don’t think we’ll ever get used to seeing bikers without helmets though. Wish we were good enough riders to know we weren’t going to crash…

As we were riding, we saw remnants from the storm that had ripped through OK City.  Trees uprooted, tin from crushed sheds strewn about.  Everything we’d seen through AR so far had been flooded.  It’s been quite a rough spring for them so far.

At the top of the Pig Trail:

The pig trail was a very tree-lined road:


From a vista point along the Pig Trail:


The Pig Trail was… Not quite what we expected.  As we turned onto it, there was a field that looked like it’d held some type of event just a few days prior. As we got closer, there were signs warning of congestion. Then we saw it. Tents strew over acres and acres of land in the valley. Barefoot people wearing tie dyed shirts. Did we stumble upon Woodstock? Apparently we stumbled upon a Jam Band Music Fest that was just wrapping up, some 20,000 people had attended (in the mud).  And there was a Country Music Fest scheduled to take place the following weekend.  Odd how we always seem to stumble upon these odd things in the middle of no where during our travels.

The multicolored piece at the bottom of the photo is a sea of tents. It was hard to capture, but there was probably 20,000 people and tents scattered in the below park:
 

After abandoning the Pig Trail and it’s crappy pavement and gazillion cars, we headed North (nice roads) then West into Oklahoma.  And that’s when things got… Straight.   They really believe the shortest distance between two points is a straight line out here.  We had our sights set on Stillwater, OK, and as we got close, we saw a sign for “Keystone State Park” right after crossing a beautiful dam with a huge lake.  We were feeling froggy, and the weather forecast had seemed pretty good, so we stopped to camp for the night.  We’re OFP, we do what we want, on the fly! Grabbed some dinner at the dock restaurant, set up our hammock, and knocked out for the night, ready to attack the next day!!