With towering rock formations and mile after mile of jagged cliffs, you would think this area would draw visitors by the thousands. But I've lived in Colorado more than 30 years and had no idea it existed. The key is that there are no paved roads.
Of course that was the reason Kevin Smith and I came through here, over Owl Creek Pass, riding on a couple of his Suzuki V-Stroms. As mentioned previously, we left Gunnison and rode to Lake City, and just south of town we turned off on the road over Cinnamon Pass. That road brought us down to Silverton, along US 550. After lunch we headed north on 550, over Red Mountain Pass, one of Colorado's best, and down into Ouray. We continued north past Ridgway and then turned east on a gravel road, Ouray County Road 10.
Stopping briefly Kevin pointed out to me a solitary piece of rock sticking high into the sky above everything else, identifying it as Chimney Rock. He told me the road we were on would seem to head directly toward that rock until, just before we reached it, it would veer off.
The road we were on was gravel but it was wide and well-maintained. My Kawasaki Concours would not have liked it, because it doesn't like any gravel, but the V-Strom was right at home. The worst part of the road was the occasional washboard. Not as high as Cinnamon Pass, the leaves here were just starting to turn, so the colors were not as brilliant. Here, the rocks were the stars.
Winding out way through the forest, Chimney Rock repeatedly appeared and then disappeared in the trees. We climbed, and just below the pass the rock towered above us, very close now. Then we descended into the Cimarron Valley with an entire ridge of high, rocky cliffs marking the east side of the valley, now directly ahead of us. This Cimarron Ridge runs almost the entire length of the valley, down to where the road meets US 50 near the small town of Cimarron.
In the middle of the valley we met up with the road running down the valley's middle, which took us to Cimarron Road, which took us to the highway. From there it was a direct, but curvy, ride on 50 over a couple summits and down to the Blue Mesa Reservoir, and back to Gunnison.
Altogether it was about a 230-mile day, with half of it on roads I've never seen before. That's the heart of what this is all about for me. In the last few years I've become painfully aware that there are fabulous roads all over the Colorado mountains that I have never seen, and that's primarily because my street bikes are not good for these roads. But a dual-sport bike like the V-Strom is happy as can be on these roads. I don't have room for a third bike; I may need to sell something. But I'm becoming convinced that there's a V-Strom in my future.
Related articles:
Dual-sporting high in the Rockies
Dual-sporting one of Colorado's best-kept secrets
Comments
Great pictures, Ken. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent work,thanks
Loved the photographs. I so want to try dual sporting sometime. But you know my Harley is not equipped for it. I'll have to get a bike first. It's on my bucket list.
I have friends who do dual sport trips every year. Very jealous. I'm in Salida right now to do some writing, but was thinking about going for a ride to Crested Butte tomorrow. Sleeping across from a dual sport rental place, I've considered heading into the hills instead. You're pushing me there...
FYI - Courthouse is the large square block just to the right (in your photo) of "Chimney Rock," the one I believe you or Kevin have misidentified. Sorry...just telling you what the locals in Ridgeway have told me.
Thanks John, I corrected that.
Love the photos! Wish I could be there!
My dad was raised in Lake City so we've been through all those roads with our own tour guide. He told stories of all the legends. It is awesomely beautiful up there.
Just revisiting this article because my husband mentioned "True Grit" (the John Wayne version) was filmed in the areal of Owl Creek Pass. I remembered reading this article and showed him your slideshow. He, the western fan, recognized all the scenes especially the meadow where the shoot-out took place.
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