Passed Out In CO & Washed Up In UT!!! Big Bikes Conquer The Elements Of The West!!!

Hi Kelly! I think that's why I was excited about the tip over... we could check it off the list!

On the Statue of Liberty, I was thinking, "I hope the HS float that it came from won!"

I did not see the crazy hat girl - I want her hat! That's a great statue... where was it?

So, Jeremy said we weren't going to do Black Bear and he would "never take me up something like that". I should've had him put it in writing or got it on video...

Telluride was killer and this ride report is about to get way more interesting Man...I just snapped a pic of the dirty girl and she hasn't been touched since we got home from this trip. Planning to give her a good detail and then install some new goodies

Complete Rottweiler intake system with dog house and SAS block-off plates. Should free up some torque and hp, not that this bike needs it.

Anyone know if the soles can be effectively glued back onto Sidi Adventure boots? I hate to drop another $500 on new boots. What's the strongest glue available?

Try Shoe Goo, available in black and clear.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

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DAY 3 - Continued: Passing Time In Telluride
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Since we had made good time in getting here from Cortez, we all agreed that we had to keep riding the rest of the afternoon! But wait... where was Russ?

Because we had a small group, we were winging the lodging/camping situation, so when we could, we would hit up the Visitor's Center first for recommendations.
This tactic was excellent, when you got into town during the Center's hours of operation and when not nearby any National Parks in UT (when they're open, that is) .
And here's something I never knew until now: when you go to the Visitor's Center, they often get lower "referral" rates and are the first to know of availabilities. Make sense, eh?! Oh right... about Russ...



While at the Center, Mike called Russ and he was already in town, eating at Brown Dog Pizza.
We decided to first meet up with him there and :dg:dg:dg... we were soooo hungry...
I didn't see a brown dog, but this cute doggy was there.
He/she kept barking at all the skaters coming by on the sidewalk and chasing them away which had all the patrons applauding and yelling "Good dog!"



Btw - the food was delicious!



Over lunch, we finalized our plan of attack:
-We check in to hotel and unload luggage
-Mike and Russ (there he is next to Mike - nice to meet you Russ!), they would do a short ride up a portion of Black Bear from Telluride up to Bridal Veil Falls/Powerhouse/one-way sign and come back.
-Jeremy and I would do Ophir Pass, even though it was on tomorrow's route, he wanted to check it out since we had time
-Jeremy and I would then go to Black Bear from Ouray and (take note of what I am about to say) "assess" and "see how we were feeling" and then "both agree" on what to do rolleyes ...
-Also, Jeremy and I would need to borrow Mike's detailed support maps just in case since Jeremy's GPS was wonky



Our evening abode. It was a very quaint Inn! One of the most comfortable pillows I've ever slept on!



We unloaded our luggage and while Mike and Russ were checking their bikes, we were off for our afternoon ride...
There are cute dogs everywhere!



Somehow time just passed us by and it was already 3pm when we started our afternoon ride!





We're riding along and enjoying the ride when we started thinking "maybe we've gone too far" .
So we pulled over and these very nice folks confirmed we were off course and had gone too far and steered us back in the right direction.
It was all good, at least we got to see Lizard Head.
And then I saw the fuel light was lit... not sure how long it's been lit... ummm... sounds like we had enough range, so off we went...



Just FYI, for those going to Ophir from Telluride and your GPS happens to be wonky... (there is no Ophir signage, unless we missed that too)...
We headed to Ophir from Telluride via Dirt Road 625, which parallels 145.
It intersects 145 again Southbound... where we turned right, back onto 145 and we should have just kept going straight onto Ophir Rd/630/D65.



Back on the "ride" track again ...







We're ready to ride along the narrow ravine section when we see jeeps, 3 of them. So we decided to wait and let them all go so we could be in full non-stop-gas mode along this section.

Jeep 1


Jeep 2


Jeep 3



Now it was our turn!
It was rocky! :eek1
It was narrow! :eek1
It was steep! :eek1
I. had. no. idea. bikes. could. go. here. and. do. this! :eek1


Jeremy was great the entire time and full of encouragement and assurances while I held my breath (& tongue)... "hold on baby", "I got this", "we're doing great", "you're doing great", "no problem babe" ...

And we were almost to the end of the scary section...

And then... we got stuck in some big rocks...

And then... the bike died...

... the gas ...

Well, reserve is now in use and we were off... ok, maybe not... we're still stuck in the rocks...

The safest thing was for me to get off and for him to hit the gas and bomb through/over the rocks...


Made it! So proud!


I can't believe we just went up that!



He was eager to continue on and "assess" Black Bear, so just a sign pic. We'd have the opportunity to pose with the sign tomorrow, if we did this again. rolleyes







So... we're riding along on a high and then...



Damn it! We were off course and had gone too far, again!


Break time! BRB!

Well... I was about to post the finale to Day 3 when my computer took a dump while trying to load a video at the very end and I couldn't find the copy of the thread I took as back up.


I will get back on it tomorrow and recreate, it should be faster the second time around.

G'night y'all...

It was great meeting you guys on the COBDR! Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Hiya Kelly! . Absolutely a pleasure meeting you guys!
Jeremy's debugging my pc now and I should be back online soon thereafter.
Gotta love technology... lol!

And your off!!


Love'n the pictures and details........................





Keep it up youngster

Okdokes, well let's try this again shall we?


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DAY 3 - Continued: Passing Time In Telluride
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The getting off course routine was getting old, frustrating and killing our time, fuel, and energy. We were running out of daylight and worse, there appeared to be fog rolling in. :eek1

Getting off course and reaching Silverton turned out to be a blessing - we needed gas! So we fueled up here.



Bonus! At the station, we ran into a group of ADV riders who were also on their way to the KTM Rally... so bummed I didn't get to snap a pic and get their names. Hope they see this and chime in...
We busted out our maps and they were able to help us get back on the right track! Thanks, guys!


So... while we were managing on our ride, Mike and Russ were headed off to see the Falls and Powerhouse. Here are Mike's pics of their ride...





Bridal Veil Falls. So beautiful!







Historic Bridal Veil Falls Powerhouse, which currently provides about 25% of Telluride's demand for electricity.










Here is Mike's video of their ride
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As Mike and Russ reached the One-Way Only sign, they looked up and saw fog rolling in and I bet I could guess what they must have thinking at the time...

"I wonder where Jeremy and Prev are?"



"I hope they stay away from this."



"I hope they're in better shape than this poor suv."




Well Mike and Russ, I was hoping for the same exact things!

Ahhh, so this is the beginning of the infamous Black Bear Pass...




As we made our way up, I was feeling pretty good at this point...





And then we got to the summit. Which, by the time we got there, a trifecta of elements had arrived that I did not want to be in:
- FOG
- RAIN
- NIGHT




Remember, the deal was to ""assess" and "see how we were feeling" and then "both agree" on what to do"...

According to Prev:
- "assess" - ummm... we can't see anything! :eek1
- "see how we were feeling" - ummm... we still can't see anything! :eek1:eek1
- "both agree" on what to do - ummm... we really can't see anything! :eek1:eek1:eek1

According to Jeremy:
- "assess" - we're here now
- "see how we were feeling" - no turning back rolleyes
- "both agree" on what to do - we're doing it rolleyes

Back to Prev: Sena speaker off...

So, I'm thinking... and thinking... and thinking... and after a minute, maybe two, and realizing we just had our first fight on the trip, which was nothing to get excited about,
I turned the Sena back on and said, "Ok. I love you. I trust you. We can do this. Let's go."

So, what was I thinking?
Well, there was no turning back since the conditions would be the same minus the scary section and we were in this together.
He loves me and would never put me in harms way. He's a smart rider during the ride. We are both athletic and have good reflexes. I know him. He's got this.
I can't freak out because he'll freak out. I need to be calm and focused so he can be too. I would get off the bike anytime I felt uncomfortable.
I'm here for an adventure and to take on challenges, within reason. And, suffice it to say, I actually thought this was reasonable.



After riding around the summit in circles a few times, we finally found the trail... and we were back on the ride...





And we're smiling again







There was a brief pocket of clarity where we took the opportunity to rest, have a little snack, stretch and enjoy what little scenery we could see.
What is this area called? Is this Ingram Creek?








We could hear the waterfall more than we could see it. It was both calming and unnerving because you knew there was a drop coming...





After a much needed rest, albeit brief, we were back on the ride...



As if the conditions weren't challenging enough...
...his rear brake overheated so he had none for a while
...his battery died so I had to push him downhill to get it kick started
Seriously? Is someone messing with us



The waterfall, both soothing and menacing...



Mine debris...



Oh look, there's Telluride...




Ok, so given what happened last night/this morning and not wanting to repeat it, here are LINKS to the VIDEOS I took during our Black Bear Pass ride.

Black Bear Pass Video 1 = Near Ingram Creek area?

Black Bear Pass Video 2 = Near Ingram Creek area?

Black Bear Pass Video 3 = "The Steps" It's a good thing you couldn't hear him on the other end! "Oh S&*#! Oh F%&@!" - all the way down. But he made it! So relieved!
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aY31S7xAkp8?list=PLVkXhOr8Zb4wTJnVwB743roPb9tAd7z-Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Black Bear Pass Video 4 = Water crossing, solo

Black Bear Pass Video 5 = Us. First night time video using the camera, a ruggedized Nikon. I held on to his camelbak with my left and shot with my right and stood up a few times. Not too bad...



At the start of our afternoon ride, Mike and I talked and decided on a time check. If we weren't back by a certain time +/-, they should probably start worrying about us.
We brought the SPOT, but forgot to turn it back on.
It was 3pm when we left and we thought we'd be back about 6pm. Well, it was 8pm when we finished with Black Bear.
When we made it back to the hotel, we plugged in our phones and called Mike - our phones had died.
He was starting to worry about us when we called. I guess the +/- in the "certain time +/-" was a 2 hour grace period.
J/K, he knew if we did Black Bear that it would take a bit more time, given the conditions.



We caught up with them back at Brown Dog where we talked and laughed about our day.
We showed Mike and Russ the pics of Ophir Pass so that they would see the current conditions since it was on tomorrow's route.



On our walk back to the Inn, I had to smile a fantastical smile.
This vacation was stepping up to exceed far beyond my expectations!
I admired these men and women!
I was impressed by these bikes!
Being out in nature in this way, albeit challenging at times, felt astounding!
One just appreciates Nature and Life and everything and everyone in it more.
It's easy to see how and to feel and become "in-love" with this sport.


I was eager to get to bed and wake up the next morning to experience another day!

Thanks, MotoBoss! I appreciate the encouragement! Hope you enjoy my recent post, the final on Day 3.

Great RR with an awesome subject matter, riding anywhere around CO. I love the energy you put into this RR, it made it fun and your enthusiasm shone through. Also, those little vignette photo you put together with the primary subject and the secondary elements was a great inclusion and idea, might have to steal that from you

Great report, you really captured the tensions and anxiety of doing Black Bear pass in the bad weather and with night coming! Your attitude of keeping calm and focused in a stressful moment is great! Big props to both of you.

Also, going the extra mile to get custom fitted gear is awesome, and I am sure really paid of.

Congrats on your first ADV ride!

Cannot. believe. you did Black Bear in those conditons. :eek1


more please.

Thanks, Fasttrak! I'm still stoked about the trip and continue to be energized by the experience especially as I relive it everyday in putting this RR together and looking at the pics over and over, which I can do forever!

Re: the photo vignettes, steal away! I noticed that the pics come out pretty big on these threads, so I wanted a way to present the subjects collectively without taking up too much space on the thread and end up having too many pages.

I probably use an unconventional method. Since I'm in Finance, I love spreadsheets! So, I copy the pictures, paste them onto Excel, crop accordingly, arrange to my liking, apply any formats I like to the worksheet, utilize shapes and other formatting tools to do comment bubbles or other call outs, and then use SnagIt to capture as a pic the collage. I have photoshop and other photo/video editing tools, but I work on Excel pretty fast.

Glad you're enjoying the report... stay tuned for more!

Welcome to our RR, Tony!

Thank you, DocAxeYarYar! He and I were up for and able to work through all the challenges and as a Team, which just enhances the joy of each accomplishment.

My Motoport gear is awesome, worth every penny! I will talk about it more in my next post. I needed to be comfortable and I wanted my gear to be the last thing I worried about. I was comfortable the entire time!

I can't believe it either, Kelly! He did great and was encouraging the whole time, except for when he was bouncing and cursing down the steps section

There's more coming so stay tuned!