Million Dollar Hwy & Black Canyon

With Sunday being an off-day for the construction crews, we rode off towards the Million Dollar Hwy (U.S. 550) confident that we wouldn't hit many delays. As always when riding in the mountains, it was a bit chilly for my taste, but what an amazing ride!! Snow capped mountain peaks, roaring waterfalls, babbling brooks and grazing deer greeted us all along the route.

Having just been paved, the roads were incredibly smooth but slick. A biker who had just ridden the highway stopped us as we started out to warn us not to lean into the curves due to the fresh oil on the roads. We heeded the warning, but it was hard not to pick up the pace through the twisting canyon with so many miles of smooth pavement and so little traffic ahead of us. We covered a little over half of the distance between Ouray and Silverton before we turned around. We were a long way from the Springs and still had a lot of sightseeing to do before the day was over.

As Ouray slipped away in our rear view mirrors (that's an overview of Ouray in the pic), we made our way towards the Black Canyon of Gunnison. I had never heard of this National Park but I was pleasantly surprised as we rode along the rim of a mini Grand Canyon in Colorado.

After riding along the rim of the gorge and walking out on a few scenic overviews, it was time to explore the gorge from within. We navigated the hairpin turns, 16% grade and loose gravel of the road that took us down to the river at the bottom of the canyon as curious motorists looked on and wondered if we were actually crazy! I usually do some of my best thinking, problem solving and daydreaming while riding, but my attention was keenly focused on the road for this one! The park ranger had informed us as we entered the park that bikers usually either love or hate the ride down into the canyon. I'm happy to report that we fell into the "loved the ride" category!

As we made the trek back towards Colorado Springs, we detoured off Hwy 50 just outside of Canyon City to do one of our favorite rides. Although Skyline Drive is only a couple of miles in length, the sheer drop offs from the single lane paved "road" makes it an interesting ride. I'd ridden this road many times, but it's still a thrill to ride along and enjoy the view from this unique vantage point. That's David in the picture cruising down Skyline Drive.

I'll end this post with the picture David took of Suzanne & me as we were riding down the highway. Ever since we all started riding together a couple of years ago, Suzanne takes the lead with me in the middle and David riding sweep (i.e. interference) when it's just the three of us. Although I find myself as the dominant female in most circles, Suzanne's position as mother of 8 grants her alpha dog status (that's a compliment Suzanne)! Plus, my terrible sense of direction doesn't exactly make me a prime candidate for taking point! So, that's me on the second bike in the picture riding towards the lake. I recently discovered that it's a lot less painful to run a brush through my hair at the end of the day if I wear it in pig tails when I ride. I can feel my hair flipping around in the wind, but I had no idea I resembled Pippi Longstocking until I saw this pic! After riding behind me for 700 miles over the weekend watching my pig tails stick straight out, now I can understand while David always seemed to be laughing at me when we'd stop!!

Well, that's it for my adventures in Colorado Springs. I'm now back in sunny California and as of now, I'm scheduled to stay in San Diego for the next three weeks! I'm pretty excited to sleep in my own bed and run on the beach in the mornings again. Plus, I can use a little time away from airports, airline seats and delayed flights for a little while before my travel schedule picks up again. Looks like I'll be going out to our training center in Lake Placid, NY in mid-August followed by two weeks in Okinawa, Japan for a pre-Paralympic training camp and then on to Beijing, China for a week at the Paralympic Games. I'll post if I embark on any adventures between now and then! Thanks for checking in!!