Earache

50 miles long, great scenery (when the smoke isn't in the air) and a road as smooth as can be...

..and then we drop into the canyons of my all time favorite road in the USA. No one really uses this road as it doesn't go anywhere - I think it's cool enough top be come a National Park. If people knew it was here , they'd flock to it...

The cool part about Utah is that there is absolutely no one out here - barren landscape with lots of nothing for miles and miles. Lots of wild fire smoke though...

Got out in the boonies and the real fun began...

On Friday morning , I left the hotel in the dark as it was gonna be a long day. Caught the sun rising while at a truck stop getting fuel in Utah..

Trainyard for the Durango to Silverton train ride - see: https://www.durangotrain.com/

They were used to haul the mail and supplies to remote mining towns that had few roads to them, but had tracks from mining operations. Most of these places still don't have paved roads - just dirt / rock roads. But they're mostly empty and no one goes there anyway.

Made it to the Marriott in Grand Junction for the night. Currently waiting on the Sun to come up so I can head to Moab and then home today. Gonna be a long ride today -500+ miles - but some good pics to come.

Hope ya like rock pics....

North end of the canyon opens up a bit to wider views...

Red rock for miles....

The canyon is about 50 miles long with a river and road at the bottom and several hundred foot tall walls at the sides....

This road is so much fun that I rode it 3 times today. Once at speed as curves are so much fun and then back down and back for pictures. Love this place!

And now off to the canyons...

The wooden structure you can see on the side of the canyon is a hanging flume - a waterway to transport water to a mine. Probably from the 1880's......

And on to Gateway - the real reason I wanted to head over to this part of the state in the first place. Desert road with bends, drop offs and walls. There are a few cars at the bottom of the cliff, just below the turn of the road - hard to see the bends at night...

Rode through Telluride, but it was beyond crowded with tourists, didn't take a single picture. Did stop outside of town at the abandoned gold mine there - place was huge! Looks to be from the 1920's or so...

Courthouse and the surrounding area....

Check out the handrails on the steps of the post office - old narrow gauge train rails! Use what ya have on hand, I guess...

Headed back north, rode through the small town of Rico - yet another gold mining town that has fallen on hard times. Cool architecture though!

100 miles down the road, I came across this monster. I had heard of these things but never actually saw one before....

Downtown Durango...

Up and outta Durango early, but stopped by the train yard located in the city center. This train does the 50 miles loop to Silverton and back. Clsoed, but took some pics over the fence...

Like @XTreme, I like ot keep my bike clean at all times. maybe wash it when I get home....

Dark as I wanna get - I find those old towns kinda spooky and eerie....like I'm walking through someone else's home and I really shouldn't be there. Folks had it tough back then. Not just the climate either, had to be hard working up there. I did about 475 miles yesterday and will do about 400 today. Headed back home on Friday and that'll be about 400 as well. So not a big, long trip. Just wanted to get out one last time for the season and ride a few of my favorite roads before packing it all away for the winter.