Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Gunnison Colorado | Motorcycle Trip

We had an amazing trip to Colorado this last week.  Below are some photos from the trip.


Tad gearing up for the trip...waiting for Aaron & getting wired on coffee on the first morning.

 

A.J. & Tad ready for the trip

 

Scott (Wingman) Joined us from Portland and rode with us down to Gunnison.  I don't know what he is pointing at & neither does he.  We were heading across this amazingly remote area in Southern Idaho on Highway 81 between Idahome and Malta.  It is one of the straightest roads I have ever been on.

Yes, I was the only one on the trip with hair.  I had to ride with these two "cueballs" the entire trip down :).  Just joki'n guys.  Just remember the headblade http://www.headblade.com/  We did joke around about me shaving my head.  Maybe next time....Yeah Right!!

 

What is he pointing at!?  Next stop was Bear Lake.  The border between Idaho and Utah cuts the lake in half.  It is this amazing blue color and is gigantic!  We had a little sand rally where we were spinning broadies and taking speed runs on the beach.  Not an easy task with slick tires on. It was a blast.  A.J. had the wildest ride and was throwing big rooster tails of sand in the air.  We all made it back onto the highway without dumping our bikes in the sand.

Tad at Bear Lake.

 

The one drawback to the Triumph Bonneville is that it doesn't carry much fuel.  We decided to push on to the next town for gas and just as we were about running on fumes we found this gas pump in the middle of the desert.  It looked like it was deserted.  There was no attendant or anything.  Thinking we were in dire straights we pulled up to the pumps & sure enough just insert a credit card and start pumping.  As we left we went around the next little hill and on the other side was a town...Kimmerer...hidden in the desert.  We weren't as far from civilization as we thought! :) 

 

We stopped in the town of Green River and bought some food to cook over my stove and a 12 pack of PBR.  We strapped the beer to the back of my bike and headed South to Flaming Gorge.  I saw a creek crossing on my GPS and gunned it to get down there before it got dark.  I'm sure the guys were thinking, "Where is he going with our beer?!"  We got to the crossing and it was Black's Fork of the Green River.  We rode out onto this mud bar.  We contemplated staying right next to the river, but were concerned if the river might rise in the night so we moved to higher ground.  A.J. dumped his bike after getting stuck in the mud.  Here is Scott pointing at me.  The map says that this is where John Wesley Powell's expedition started from in 1869.  This is God's country down here!  We tried to swim in the water, but the banks were so muddy and the water so silty, that we decided to forgoe the bath since we figured we might actually be more dirty from swimming in the water!

A.J.'s self portrait on his engine case.

Packing up for another amazing day of riding.  This was a beautiful morning.  It was starting to sink in what we were really doing out here.  Starting to forget about work and the stress of everyday life.

Brit Rocker "Red Winged Blackbird" at the "Flaming Gorge" on the Green River after crossing the border into Utah.  Thanks for the cool shades "Chopper"!...and I know you guys were envious of my hydration backpack by this day...even though you were yanking my chain about wearing it early on the beginning of the trip.

 

Brit Rocker "Boise Legend" at the Flaming Gorge

 

This was a sweet bridge that we crossed on the way to the dam.

 

The Dam on the Green River at Flaming Gorge.  It has a lot of the same features as Hoover Dam.

 

A little artistic photography by Tad.

This was a mirror on a tight hairpin corner to help see if there was any traffic coming the other way around the corner....Photo Opportunity!

 

Stegosaurus at the City Hall in Dinosaur, Utah

Stegosaurus Drive in Dinosaur, Utah

 

Scott & Tad and "Invisible Trevor" at Douglass Pass after crossing into Colorado!

Looking into Colorado from Douglass Pass

A.J. & Tad at Douglass Pass.  Thanks for the earplugs Wingman!!

Who is this Hooligan!?..The Dude!!...Yep, we finally made it to Gunnison!

 

The bikes lined up at the overlook

View from the overlook - Looking South across Colorado

Hot enough for ya! 120 degrees in the sun!

 

A.J. at the North Rim of the Gunnison River Overlook

 

Looking down to the Gunnison River from the North Rim Overlook

The Artist at Work!!

Hillbilly on his 1976 T-140 Bonneville Traveler

 

Frog on his 1971 Norton with custom fairing & paniers

 

Wingman Scott showing us how it is done.

Looking up the Gunnison River Canyon

 

Blue Mesa Dam on the Gunnison River

 

Our Camp at the "Tall Texan".  We almost got the boot the first night for being too loud.

The bikes lined up on the Streets of Gunnison

Scott the Carnivour

Looking towards Breckenridge, Colorado

 

At 11,344 feet the bike runs really rich.  Maximum speed was about 60mph :)

 

Ivy League of Colorado

 

Enough said.

 

Headwaters of the Colorado River

 

Wyoming wildlife.  We saw a bunch of these guys.  A couple crossing the road in front of us which got your attention on the bike.

The Granite Mountains in Wyoming

What am I pointing at?  This is called "Split Rock" in the Granite Mountains.

Our camp at Sink Canyon.

 

More Wyoming wildlife!

Feed the fish.

The Rise

The bike hits 10,000 miles

Red Rocks Wyoming

The Wind River Range in Wyoming

 

Teton Range, Wyoming

Sleeping in Chopper's backyard

 

Breakfast at Shorty's in Hailey, Idaho.