Sunday, we head out of Montrose, with the plan to meet Rosie, Kennedy, Austin and Harper at the waterfall in Ouray. Once we’re out of Montrose, it gets chilly again and Tony stops to add his hoodie around Ridgeway. Then we ride through a little tourist town, “The Switzerland of America,” Ouray.
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| Ouray, The Switzerland of the United States |
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| Tunnel (I like tunnels!) |
That’s when we hit Bear Creek Falls and can see that the ride is going to get more challenging. We stop at the Falls and aren’t that impressed. Until we realize that there are two waterfalls – one little, one bigger! We read the history of the road built in 1880s by Otto Mears. It’s a cool picture of The Uncompaghre (the Ute word for “hot water springs) Gorge – you can also see what’s ahead of us roadwise!
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| Kennedy next to their ride! |
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| This is what the road used to be like. Nope, nope, nope! |
After the falls, off we ride the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton. Except for the first bit – steep sheer down the mountain views without guardrails. I don’t take any pictures (I’m afraid of heights). But doesn’t last long and then we get breaks in challenges along the way into Silverton – there’s a cannabis dispensary just before we turn into town to head to the Silverton Harley store (it’s pretty much just a t-shirt shop)
Silverton Harley. I get to meet Pixie, the HD dog! She lets me rub her tummy. I get a long sleeve shirt at Silverton Harley Davidson – it has the same back as the men’s shirts! We also run into a couple of bikers from Minnesota (yes, the accents) on a BMW and a fancy Indian. That’s a lot of riding to get from MN to CO and they do it on back roads.
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| A jail? |
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| A mine |
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| A dispensary on the Million Dollar Highway! |
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| Meet Pixie. |
About the Million Dollar Highway
The Million Dollar Highway is a 25-mile scenic drive that runs from Ouray to Silverton (
MDH). The road is famous for its hairpin curves, drop offs and lack of guardrails, mining history, and mountain views. The road was first built in the 1880s by Otto Mears as a narrow wagon toll road to connect the two mining towns and was rebuilt in the early 1920s to be a two-lane road.
While there are many theories on why the road is called the Million Dollar Highway, no one knows the real reason. A couple theories state that it’s because of how much the road cost to build, the amount of gold ore that remained in the roadway’s fill, a traveler once proclaiming “I would not travel that road again for a million dollars,” or the figurative price for those amazing San Juan Mountain views.
After Silverton, the rest of the ride into Durango is nice, but not amazing. A lot of it is 55+ mph. We pass Purgatory Ski Resort, then into Durango where we park downtown and go to lunch at the Mexican place that the Silverton HD guy recommended, Tequila’s. It’s OK. I have a veggie enchilada.
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| Purgatory Resort |
We say goodbye to Rosie, Kennedy, Austin and Harper – they are heading to Harper’s parents in Pagosa Springs. We are heading over to Lizard Head Pass and Telluride on our way back to Montrose. A lot of this ride is highway and 55+ mph. We do have to make a rain stop at a gas station in Dolores – it already stops when we get there. Pretty muggy. Tony finds a fix for his loose pipe “thing” (bungee cord).
We stopped so Tony could put his rain pants on. And I could eat a couple of cherries. Little did we know that we were only about a quarter of a mile from the Lizard Head Pass sign. We drive by it. No picture from me (but found one on Yahoo). Not really sure I saw the Lizard Head…
Per Butler Maps (
Butler Maps): “The San Juan Mountains of Southern Colorado offer some of the most iconic Colorado riding available. Lizard Head Pass, just outside of Telluride shines as one of the best in the area. Named after a prominent nearby peak that is said to look like a lizard’s head, it has a mild and memorable approach on both sides. At 10,250 feet the summit of the pass was once the highest point on the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. Traces of the railroad have since vanished, though the riding experience is sure to linger long after you leave this dazzling corner of Western Colorado.”
Then, right before Telluride, hard rain comes. But, stops when we turn right to Telluride. We saw elk! Downtown pretty laid back compared to Aspen. We don’t stop, but ride to the end of the street and then U-turn back to head back to Montrose.
After leaving Telluride, it’s pretty red rock mountains. And then plains – with lots of wind. And some rain. The wind is so fierce that I felt like it was going to take me off the bike. Or the bike off the road. Something right out of The Wizard of Oz.
We stop in Ridgeway for a quick break. Then our final 20 miles back to Montrose. We stop at Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers (we choose this over Culvers because I figured that it was local, knowing that Culvers is Wisconsin based – it’s actually based in Wichita, Kansas, and there are lots of locations now, including ones in Wylie, McKinney and Frisco).
FreddysThe burgers were pretty good – and we split a concrete before heading back to the hotel. We have to look at a different route – I decided that I didn’t want to do the black canyon ride – with 20 percent grades and darkness. Tony agrees.
Per Butler Maps (
www.butlermaps.com): East Portal Road, Black Canyon of the Gunnison – “Riders, be warned: this road is not for the faint of heart. No other canyon in North America combines the narrow openings, sheer walls and startling depths offered by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. You’ll descend a 20% grade that switchbacks countless times as it sinks into darkness – sunlight only briefly illuminates the canyon. Take in the sights and sounds of the Gunnison River before riding back up to the summit, but don’t miss a gear, the road is so steep, it may be difficult to get started again. The East Portal Road is usually open from late April to early November but call ahead to be sure.”
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