The Mobius Trip

[DR. Rock]

As we were descending, we got passed by a couple of bikes. We caught up to them at the bottom as they were checking out the posted trail map. Trevor and Angie, from Durango. They were taking a day off work (it must have been a work day, eh ).



We chatted for awhile. Not sure if they're ADV'rs... if not, they should be... a great couple.

[DR. Rock]

Back on pavement for this one, we stopped to add another layer of clothes.



Of course, anytime we ride on pavement, the weather takes the opportunity to spew precipitation:



If we're going to have to ride on pavement, let's at least make it interesting... hmmm. Besides wet, what can we add? How about tight switchbacks?



Not enough??? Let's add big semi-trailers taking the turns extra wide!



Yeah, that's 'bout right... I'll give it an 8.4 difficulty rating.



OK, we made it.



'Bout ready for dirt again now... please?

[DR. Rock]

Oh yeah!

[DR. Rock]

as soon as we're off pavement, it stops raining.



and we head towards pass #5; Ophir





Now I know from other's TAT reports, that it's the backside of Ophir pass that's really cool, with the wide open views and the shelf road that seems to hug the side of the mountain. What I didn't know was how cool the views from the actual pass were, starting with the sophisticated high design of the signpost:

[DR. Rock]

Really feels like a pass. It sits in the crotch of a "V"



With this steep loose scree on either side



As you look forward, it's as if you're going to enter a different kingdom...



Kind of hard to explain,



or show with photos,



but maybe you get the idea... anticipation, the views will open up in a few hundred yards, but for now, all you can see is a sliver of what's to come.



And sure enough, open up it does:

[huggybear]

Tell us about the Duc you rode in the pine barren, looks like it is set up pretty good for a long distant dualsport
Thanks

[DR. Rock]

It's hard to appreciate



the scale of what we were in. You'd look ahead, across the valley, and weren't sure if what you were seeing was a 1ft. rock, or a 20 ft. boulder, a 2 ft. shrub, or a 40 ft. tree. But I do know that is a jeep down there, just about to enter the greenery. It's a frigging speck.

[DR. Rock]

Originally Posted by huggybear

Tell us about the Duc you rode in the pine barren, looks like it is set up pretty good for a long distant dualsport
Thanks

I could talk about that bike for hours ... so good question , but for a different thread.

It's a TerraMostro. Which has been discussed here, and elsewhere. Happy to answer any other q's about it by PM.

[DR. Rock]

We dropped down a switchback or two, and I set up where the road simply curved around to become the shelf road and took this series of photos as LDF descended. Then I rode down, and took a single photo of the road from about where she is in the first one. Then I put the camera away, held onto the bars, and rode the bike down.





zoomed in:



zoomed back out:



Now she's a speck.



I'm going to the x-large format... she's just at the edge of the first green patch:



20 seconds later, she's at the second green patch that crosses the road,



20 seconds after that, she's crossed the grey rock field in the center, and is about to enter the green stuff that continues down to the trees.



I start down, and photograph this at the beginning of the shelf road, then that's it.



Yadda yadda, steeper than it looks, etc. I'm impressed that she rode the whole way down without freaking out or stopping.

I bet I know what was going through her mind...

"Pick the line, ride the line, pick the line, ride the line, pick the line, ride the line... etc."

[DR. Rock]

I see from that last photo that we had covered 56 miles for the day, and it's time-stamped at 1:11pm. We'd started at about 8am, so that's an overall average of about 10mph????

Yeah, that's about right.

Which isn't to say that we weren't hitting the throttle when we could:



Down through some aspens, and under a giant finger hovering in the sky:



Another water crossing, this time I'm the subject



Water everywhere... she loves crossing water as much as she hates riding in sand. (but hates it less after this last weekend, thanks for the coaching SallyDog)

[DR. Rock]

The town of Ophir has this sign welcoming you:



and its very own post office:



Then it was back on pavement



which of course meant more rain.



Not bad, just sprinkles.



and with that, we cleared Lizard Head pass, our sixth for the day...



and a certain sense of accomplishment set in. We had essentially cleared the Rockies. All downhill from here in a matter of speaking. And we were ready for a rest. Little did we know what lay in store for us.

[Trailace]

Originally Posted by DR. Rock

Dr just 2 weeks later.

[DR. Rock]

Sam's notation for the next section:

"jeep rd. fun fun fun"

Now even though I had transcribed everything into GPS, and wasn't even carrying the maps or roll charts (which we bought and paid for, in case you're wondering), this particular notation of Sam's stuck with me. He doesn't make many editorial notations on the roll chart. I mean, everything we were doing was fun. Most of it was even fun fun. So when Sam Correro makes a note that something is "fun fun fun", what the heck can that mean?

We were about to find out.



74 miles at 2pm, and we figure we've got a few miles left in us. So we take stock and decide to aim for some campgrounds 30-40 miles or so ahead.



Easy going at first.



We backtrack a mile to refill our camelbaks at this campground:



That was almost the best call of the whole trip.

[DR. Rock]

started to clear nicely at the lower elevation



and the jeep rd. which started out nice and easy... pastoral, even,



started to twist and climb, up and down...



and deteriorated into a rutted,



muddy, washed out, ATV-type trail,

[Klay]

My mind is reeling at some of these last pictures of passes.