Here is a view across Colorado from around 1o,000ft in the mountains. Note the clouds which we’d not seen for a couple of weeks!!

We came across a little run down church up in the mountains

Then a great breakfast stop and this local cafe. Always good food!

After a superb day we ride into a fantastic small town called Salida where we aim to stay for a couple of days in a great little motel called the Circle R. On all our trips, we stay in small family run motels and the Circle R is a great example where the price is good and teh facilies just the job and it’s nice not to be treated like a face as you are in the big chains . First job is to check the bikes over and clean the air filters!!!

I’ve been to Salida a few times before so popped into town to catch up with a chap called Duke who runs a great T shirt shop in the town called Fattees. He probably knows more about the local trails than anyone else so he gave us a great route up around the area. No worries on your bikes he says  so we planned the route, had a good nights kip and headed off into the mountains.

We took the Toll road into the mountains which is a single track road which was the old trade route which was not the easiest route but stunning scenery all round.

These great trails just got better and tougher as we got higher

This part was through a forest just below the tree line and was very steep

After a short rest the question was asked “Shalle we go to the top?” Hell yeah was the reply so it was once more into the breach………..

We climbed a great route to a place called Antora Meadows which is at around 12,700ft and is just gorgeous up there. The air is thin but the bikes all romped up there no problem. Different story for the riders though as teh whole ride up is pretty technical and tough so it’s tough to recover due to the lack of oxygen. However, it’s all worth it.

Here is Stuart on his 950KTM and I don’t suppose there have been many big biges like this up there!

We weren’t up there long as we had to beat a hasty retreat as a storm rolled in. It happens at around 2 pm daily and being on the top of a mountain in a thunderstorm isn’t the best place to be and the thunderclaps seemed to be about 10ft away and I think we all ducked a few times! You can just see the rain coiming in this picture.

This was the hardest riding day on the whole trip so far as the trails were pretty difficult and seemingly never ending. We rode back out of teh mountains and came across a great little cafe which sold fantastic pies.

Gary enjoyed his Coconut and Cream Pie

…..and I enjoyed this home made Blueberry Pie and Ice Cream

Brilliant day and a perfect introduction to Colorado

After a couple of days rest at the Circle R and hanging out in Salida, it was time to head off to the very high passes which beckon. Out of Salida we climb on great roads to a small town called St Elmo where only a few people still live. Like a lot of places we’ve ridden through, it was once a thriving mining town but now only caters for a few tourists. Great to walk around though and the altitude here is around 10,000ft

The blue sky is really striking up there and the air is sharp and clean. The trail up to hancock Pass was very technical and pretty tough in places but we got up there in teh end and boy, being up there was worth every tough inch of the trail up. The Pass is around 12,500ft high just stunning

Just across the valley was the Tomichi Pass which is about the same height. The track we took was the old trade route and very steep and rocky in places. Big drops on the one side as well so very careful riding called for! It’s hard to imagine how tough it must have been for teh miners who lived and worked out here. The survival rate was around 50% so teh modern H&S brigade would of had a field day out here.

After the exhilarating riding through the passes, we dropped down to the main road which in itself is fantastic to a small gas station for food and fuel. Seemed a popular place as as there were a lot of other bikes as well as cyclists here. Unfortunately, the cafe was closed as there was a shooting in the area the day before. We never did find out why it was shut but maybe the chef was involved!!!

Fully refreshed, we headed off across the high plains to a small town called Lake City which is famous for being in the middle of nowhere and serving 2 for 1 at a local bar. needless to say, we did enjoy the hospitality but as my camera was playing up there is no evidence!! Anyway, the roads across were very flat and fast which was a nice change from the tough climbing we had done in the morning.

We gassed up, had breakfast and headed back into the high rockies and to some of the high passes we had been so looking forward to. The first climb is called Cinnamon Pass and climbs to around 12,800ft. The ride up to the summit is utterly fantastic and is a mixture of good solid dirt roads and some quite technical bits. It winds it’s way to the summit and is one of the most perfect rides you can imagine.

The top was fantastic and a real achievement to get everyone up there without any drama.

Tim and the KTM’s and the top of Cinnamon

After the trials and tribulations of Tennessee, Grez managed to drag his old KLR kicking and screaming to the top of the pass. Not without incedent I may add but the smile tells the whole story. He admitted that the only thing that kept him going after his big crash was the thought of getting to a high summit and we were all delighted to have helped him get there. Well done mate!

Chatted to a Ranger at the top who must have the best job in the world. He looks after the area and loves every second. Good to meet you Tom and thanks for the route tips.

After spending some time up there, we descended down a quite tricky track

The next pass we rode was called Engineer and is without doubt, one of the great rides. The track is quite narrow and technical with big drops of about 3000ft so you have to keep your wits about you.

The difficult track up was worth all the hard work because the summit is a great place to be. It’s like a big dome and at 13,000ft, it’s the highest pass we were to ride and the views were just stunning. The only other vehicles that can get up there are ATV’s and met some nice peopel from Texas. They admitted it’s a little different up there. The altitude is Ok as long as you don’t have to exert yourself and then, getting your breathe back takes a little time.

A little arty shot from the top of the world

A view from the top

Gary at the top of the pass and there aren’t many big bikes like the HP2 that can manage to get up there!

We all managed to get down the pass without incedent and had a break down in teh old mining town of Animas Fork which stopped mining in the early 1900′s. Tom the Ranger told us that the survival rate of miners was less than 50% and cannibalism was rife!! Food was scarce so waste not want not………..!!!

After a good break and chat with a couple from Idaho who were riding a couple of Yamaha TW200′s, we headed off around a little used local route called the California Loop which Tom the Ranger had told us about. We were now officially off the Trans America Trail which heads west all the way to Oregon. This part of the trail will have to wait until another day but I already have it eyed up for 2013! On this section, there are old mine working everywhere and it’s called teh Frisco Mine.

The final climb up through the mine area is steep and quite technical but well worth it as we are once again up at 13,000ft.

And the view up there of the mines is fantastic

Of course, for every up there is a down and the ride down was spectacular.

Very reminicent of the high alpine region in Switzerland

The track dropped down to Pacayne Gulch and was very very steep which was something Tom had failed to tell us!! It’s hard to see from a picture but standing up on the hill would have been difficult! It would have been difficult riding up there that’s for sure and all the riding techniques we’d picked up in the last few weeks came in very handy!!

After the heartstopping drop, we got on a fast bit of dirt toward Silverton and past some more old mine workings. After a couple of hours of technical riding, it was great to just open the throttle and look at all the fantastic scenery!

We finally get into the historic town of Silverton and a well deserved coffee and blueberry pie!

The road conditions change regularly though which keeps you on your toes. Thyey will change from gravel to dust to sand very quickly. The worst of all is the mud which will appear as if from nowhere. There had been a big storm in the area the day before we got there which had the advantage of cooling it all down so it was only about 100 degrees f but had the disadvantage of  becoming like a skating rink under the crust of the road. We had stopped for a quick break when we noticed a big T in the sky which as we all know means T for Trouble:

And of course about a mile later we hit the mud!! Not many pictures because we were struggling through but it was tough going for a couple of hours.

When the mud cleared up again we got back to the riding across the Panhandle where the only things to see are the Oil and gas rigs are littered across the countryside!

Occasionally a nice surprise will appear out of nowhere. All through the trip, road closed and bridge out signs seem to have been an invitation to give it a go and this one was no exception!

There are a lot of abandoned buildings out there and you can only presume that life just got too hard for people trying to earn a living in this dustbowl. Having just read Steinbecks Grapes of Wrath again, it really brought home how tough things were in the great depression of the 30′s.

Of course there are other ways of getting wet but plenty of hands available to drag you out!

Happy in the Ozarks

The 2nd highest point in the Ozarks apparently with lovely clean air to breathe and very cool temps

We came across this guy taking his kids to their log cabin in the mountains all on an ATV and trailer. He reckoned we were 10 miles from the nearest town and no chance of these kids staying in on their X boxes!!

The gravel roads are fast, fun and not too dusty.

Then around the corner we came across an old abandoned church. This was probably last used around 20 years ago and has just been left to rot away with everything as it was when the doors closed for the last time.

W sat and had a drink and something to eat and around the corner came the dreaded mud, thick slimey and not good for dirt bikes but we manned up and got across it with about everyone faling off or at least having a close one.

Just when you think these roads are easy, there will be the odd slippery river crossing just to keep you on your toes. This one was treacherous but most of us got across without getting too wet.

Occasionally, there would be a road sign saying Road Closed or Bridge Out but to this bunch of hardy adventureres, it acted like an invitation rather than a reason not to at least look. We went through a number of these but never had a real problem. This crossing will always be known as Bakermans Gulch after Steve on his KTM 525 made the biggest meal of crossing a stream I have ever seen. All part of the fun……

The bikes were unloaded and GSM Motorent in Townsend TN. Dan and Debbie were fantastic hosts and if you are ever down there in the vicinity and want to either rentg a bike or just hang out in the Smoky Mountain foothills, GSM is your place. We rode a couple of local roads including the infamous Dragons Tail before heading north to the start of teh TAT. We had 8 guys in the group  all chomping at the bit to get going.

Having trouble loading pictures at the moment so hopefully we’ll get that resolved shortly.