Riding to Ouray, CO

The stars lined up and I ended up with a weekend free of work obligations! Much to David’s amusement, Suzanne and I were like two little kids waiting for Christmas morning as we planned an overnighter to Ouray! They had done some riding out in that area last summer with their two teenage daughters and were excited to share it with me also.

We got off to a chilly start early Saturday morning with the temp hovering around 60 until we pulled into Canon City for breakfast at Big Daddy’s. The breakfast of biscuits & gravy pretty much set the stage for my food discipline, or lack thereof, for the next 48 hours! Although chilly, the sky had cleared up and we enjoyed a crisp walk around Monarch Pass. As it turns out, the rest area at Monarch Pass is known for their fudge. Are you getting a feel for how my food intake over the weekend went yet?!

The climb in temperature as we dropped down the other side of the 11,000 ft pass brought a smile to my face and a little lead to my throttle hand! The day had turned gorgeous as we rolled past lakes full of weekend boaters and parks crowded with family BBQs. This picture of David & Suzanne and I was taken in Blue Mesa next to the reservoir. We pulled into Ouray with enough daylight left to stroll the main street of the mid-1800s town. It reminded me a lot of the towns of Cripple Creek and Deadwood with its cowboy-Western looking storefronts lining the street.

We had intended on checking into our B&B and unloading our bags then to continue riding out on the “Million Dollar Highway” (U.S. 550) towards Silverton. We decided to wait until the next morning however once we heard that road construction was causing traffic backups of up to an hour on the route. Although not an arduous day of riding, the delay in plans was welcomed after riding about 300 miles. We toasted the day with a glass of wine followed by a perfectly decadent dinner on the patio of Bulow’s Bistro. My culinary discipline was regained momentarily when I ordered the grilled tilapia only to be lost again as I followed that up with a dessert of raspberry baked Alaska!

We greeted the setting sun with a dip in the B&B’s hot tub after dinner. The Softail Deluxe I had rented made me realize what a kidney busting ride my Sportster can be, but I was sore between my shoulder blades from the lack of a back rest on the Softail for so many miles. I know, I know, I’m turning into an old lady!!! Besides the lack of back support, I felt too tall for the bike. The seat was cushy enough, but it was so low I felt like an adult riding a child’s tricycle as my knees rested even with the top of the gas tank! It was much heavier than my Sportster so it was more stable of a ride, but I dragged the boards more than once as I leaned the bike into the canyon corners!

I can only attach a few pics to a post, so I’ll do a separate one for Sunday’s riding. Stay tuned!