about the trip
8 day trip to Colorado
average riding 366 miles per day
total miles covered - 2927 miles
total gallons of fuel consumed - 58.9 gallons (Don's bike)
average miles per gallon - 49.6 (Don's Bike)
22 stops for fuel, numerous stops to relax and view the scenery
 
Crossed the Continental Divide 8 times
Crossed 13 Mountain Passes
Rotan Pass - near Rotan, NMMM
MMelevation - 7,834 '
Fremont Pass - near LeadvilleMM
MMelevation - 11,318 '
Bethound Pass- near Winterpark MM
MMelevation - 11,315 '
Milner Pass - Rocky Mtn. National ParkMM
MMelevation - 10,758 '
Tennessee Pass - near LeadvilleMM
MMelevation - 10,424 '
Independence Pass - near LeadvilleMM
MMelevation - 12,095 '
McClure Pass - near CarbondaleMM
MMelevation - 8,755 '
Red Mountain Pass - near OurayMM
MMelevation - 11,018 '
Molas Pass - near OurayMM
MMelevation - 10,910 '
Coal Bank Pass - near OurayMM
MMelevation - 10,640 '
Cumbres Pass - near Chama, NMMM
MMelevation - 10,022 '
La Manga Pass - near Chama, NMMM
MMelevation - 10,230 '
Vail PassMM
MMelevation - 10,666 '
   
Passed through 3 National Parks & Recreational Areas
Rocky Mountain National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Curecanti National Recreational Area
Passed through 10 National Forests
San Isabel National Forest
San Juan National Forest
Gunnison National Forest
Roosevelt National Forest
Arapaho National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest
White River National Forest
Pike National Forest
Uncompahgre National Forest Carson National Forest
   
 
DAY 1 - Friday, June 22
start: Texarkana, TX- elevation 399 '
destination: Amarillo, TX- elevation 3605 '
end of day we had ridden 506 miles
DAY 2 - Saturday, June 23
start: Amarillo,TX - elevation 3605 '
destination: Cañon City, CO- elevation 5332 '
 
"the Cadillac Farm" off I-40 - ten Cadilacs nose first in the ground
   
end of day 2 we had ridden 406 miles
 
DAY 3 - Sunday, June 24
start: Cañon City, CO- elevation 5332 '
destination: Leadville, CO' - elevation 10, 152 '
arrive Leadville, CO
 
end of day 3 we had ridden 228 miles
   
DAY 4 - Monday, June 25
start: Leadville, CO' - elevation 10, 152 '
destination: Estes Park, CO - elevation 7,522 '
 
   
end of day 4 we had ridden 182 miles
   
DAY 5 - Tuesday, June 26
start: Estes Park, CO - elevation 7,522
destination: Glenwood Springs, CO - elevation 5,763 '
we begin our run over Independence Pass
We begin our descent down from the top of Independence Pass headed to Aspen
note: these kids jump from the rocks to the pool below
 
end of day 5 we had ridden 289 miles
 
DAY 6 - Wednesday, June 27
start: Glenwood Springs, CO - elevation 5763 '
destination: Ouray, CO- elevation 7760 '
beginning our swing through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Colorado's Grand Canyon
   
end of day 6 we had ridden 211 miles
   
DAY 7 - Thursday, June 28
start: Ouray, CO- elevation 7760 '
destination: Taos, NM- elevation 6950 '
We begin our ride across the "MILLION DOLLAR HIGHWAY"
that connects Ouray and Silverton
the road is so narrow with drop offs so extreme that all four
of us "wear out" the yellow center line, in places there is no white line to
mark the outside edge of the road - the ride is not for the faint hearted!
Everybody stays a little puckered up until we arrive Silverton
   
arrive Silverton, Colorado - a city of about 300 permanent residents
We have coffee with our new best friends - Julie, Frank, and Officer Bryan J.
we really enjoyed this break after the ride across the Million Dollar Highway
 
end of day 7 we had ridden 298 miles
 
DAY 8 - Friday, June 29
start: Taos, NM- elevation 6950 '
destination: Texarkana, TX- elevation 399 '
It was a downhill ride, with the wind to our back we set off for home.

Our plan was to leave Taos and head for Texas. We were just going to ride until we ran out of daylight, or until we ran into some really bad weather, or just plain got tired. It began to rain before we got to Wichita Falls, we stopped and put on our rain gear. When we got to Wichita Falls we could see that the city was flooded. People had the highway clogged just looking at all the high water. We pressed on. Needed the rain gear a few more times. By the time we arrived Sherman, daylight was just about finished. It was raining, we pressed on. Somewhere east of Bonham we began to see a beautiful moon. We made the remaining part of the ride under a star filled sky with a beautiful, bright full moon. Arrived Texarkana about Midnight. It was a long day in the saddle - we'd covered 807 miles since leaving Taos, NM at 8:30 MST.

end of day 8 we had ridden 807 miles