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Not much to say about the Mid West but the roads are long and very straight.

Scenery is Ok though and takes your mind of the mileage.

Elsies Burgers were a great stopping point!!

Some of the towns we run through have seen better days and it seems that a lot of these country towns are just dieing out which is a real shame.

However, a lot of these small towns have a great little cafe which are worth stopping at every time.

After a long day in the saddle, it was great to arrive in Sulpher Oklahoma. This was once a thriving spa town and it’s real gem is a swimming hole called Little Niagra. My buddy Chris was brought up here so I’m guessing he spent a lot of time swimming here when he was a kid. Well, I can tell you bro’ that it’s still a great place to cool down after a hot day

As I’ve already said, take any road in Colorado and it’s sure to be good. We rode south towards New Mexico and the landscape was lovely and green with big meadows and lots of steaks still on the hoof !!

After another 10,000ft pass we dropped down toward Taos and a long straight road which goes over the Rio Grande.

Not sure of the drop here but I don’t have a head for heights and couldn’t get too near the edge!

Breakfast called and Martins pancake was loaded withcream. Needless to say, his eyes were bigger than his stomach.

We had great plans for a visit to Madrid, NM were the film Wild Hogs was made but this storm appeared and scuppered the plans.

The rain was torrential and at one point the hailstones were pea sized and hurt like hell when they hit!! We had no choice but to shelter under a bridge for about 30 minutes until the storm passed!

Eventually though, we made it to the fantastic Nativo Lodge in ABQ and had a great Mexican dinner.

Many thanks again Terri for all your help here and in Greasewood! Your a real star!

The great thing about colorado is no matter which road you take, you will always end up having a blast. We went over the Monarch Pass on the 50 which was great and it meant we crossed the Continental Divide yet again.



We had a fantastic breakfast in Gunnison and Martin tucked into this breakfast Burrito

After breakfast, we checked out this gun shop which was next door to a toy shop. Only in America…….!
Paul tried out this rifle and if there was ever a person who should never be allowed near a gun, Paul is that man!!!

We rode south on the 149 climbing some more peaks and 10,000ft passes and suddenly we came across a weird thing, a rain cloud!! We stopped just in time to put on wet gear before it unloaded!!


WE stopped in a small ex mining town called Creede. This is a place that time forgot and is typical of towns in this part of the states. The cokes were good though!

A few miles further on, Aidan heard the dreadful sound of the rear wheel bearing breaking up in his final drive. I had this problem coming down from Alaska last year so we identified the problem immediatly. We rode slowley into a town called South Fork and found a workshop open. The owner was 96 years old and fit as a flea and let us use the facilities he had. It was a Sunday afternoon and we were really lucky to find this place but i my experience, yoiu can find these places way out in the middle of nowhere. The US is pretty 3rd world here and people have to make do and mend. The bearing was shattered and luckily Colin had a spare so the job was done in around 4 hours.



I’d sent most of the guys onto Pagosa to a Motel and we joined them in good time. Yet another fantastic road and 10,000ft pass awaited us before we got to the motel!


We found a great little restaurant down by the river with a live 2 piece band. A great way to end a trying day!

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Early start and a lovely morning ride on Hwy 133 and over McClure Pass.

All days should start this way and the breakfast at a diner was certainley well deserved.

Check out the 2 dogs in the back of a truck waiting for the boss who was having breakfast.

We cruised into Aspen just to see what all the fuss is about. It’s skiers paradise but not as scenic as a lot of alpine resorts. The prices though are unbelievable and you would need a 7 figure salary just to have a weekend here!! The great and the good all come here but they can keep it as far as I’m concerened.




Just up the road is one of the highest paved passes in the US and is stunning. The roads are good on the way up



You can feel the lack of air at the top as you are just over 12000ft and the bikes don’t like it a great deal.



The real ewel here is the road down the other side which is superb. No barriers and great tarmac!! You have to be brave here….





Barney’s bike then decided to lunch it’s battery. Only Barney would have a problem at the highest point we were visting…..! After a bit of creative thinking and help from all the guys, we got the bike down to the next town and I had to ride this fantastic road 3 times which was a real chore. Apologies tohe GS rider who must have thought I’d lost the plot as I was doing my Rossi impression going down the pass!! I was on a mission to sort the battery!
Martin shot to the next town along and managed to get a similar battery and we were good to go. There is no “I” in team thats for sure!!
No hardship where we where because the burgers and coffee in the Windspirit cafe at the bottom of the pass were superb and well woth a stop if you are ever passing!

Short run between the storm clouds to Salida and the Circle R motel. I’ve stayed here before and it’s the kind of place we try to stay at, personal and friendy. Quite why anyone would choose to stay at one of the big chains is beyond me when the country is full of thse fast dissappearing places ?

Paul and Aidan returned to the fold after the stopover in Mancos. We had got Paul a new badge and he seemed pretty pleased!

After a refreshing nights sleep at 9000ft, we were away again. Not a bad view from the hotel in Telluride!

Colorado is a paradise for bikers and straight away we rode the 141 which is full of curves, vista’s, the tarmac is superb and they are virtually free from traffic. You would search for years to find a road like this in Europe and here they are all over the place.



Coffee stop at Karens Diner at Gateway before heading north toward the grand Mesa.

Had to do around 10 miles onto the Interstate and got overtaken by this truck. We were sitting at 75 and he was really shifting. Trust me to take a picture of a truck but is was a beauty!

Lovely lunch stop then a ride over the Grand Mesa. Hwy 65 is a belter and you climb around 4000ft in 10 miles to some stunning views. The scenery seems to change every 5 minutes and words don’t really do this country justice sometimes.

Down to a small town called Paonia and a cracking little motel! Beer and pizza finished the day nicely.