Adventures in the Wild Wild West - a Triple Ride Report - Red Lodge, NAFO, HW3

[Tyler]

Most of the riders were checked in and through tech inspection so Lydia and I decided to go for a little drive. I had the list of bonii and decided to choose a few to visit and take some pics of the area... Colorado has come a close second as my favorite state (my home state of California will always be first!)... there is a plethora of different types of terrain in any direction you go... mountains, lakes, and waterfalls one way, desert and amazing rock formations the other...

Today’s destination was Lands End at Grand Mesa... there are two ways to get there... one is (mostly) paved and then there is a twisty dirt road that comes up from 50 (FR1051A)... we chose the paved route given we weren’t familiar with the unpaved version so didn’t know what was in store... off we went via 70 to 65/Grand Mesa Scenic Byway...

Past Alpine meadows...

Then stellar views as we climbed in elevation...

Then a right turn towards Lands End... which starts out paved then there’s about 7 miles of dirt before becoming paved again... it hadn’t rained recently so the road was in good condition and easily passable in any vehicle...

We were both pretty quiet as we drove along... mostly out of awe for the surrounding beauty of the area...

And then we broke out into an open plateau as we neared the visitor’s center...

However, the visitor’s center was pretty much non-existent... there was a building but was all boarded up and there was no one to be found...

So we poked around and took in the views...

And found a furry friend begging for a handout...

Remember the twisty dirt road I mentioned earlier? This is it... I will go back for this on the bike!

We backtracked to 65 and continued east to see what we could see...

Took a break at Island Lake...

And then made our way back to the hotel for dinner...

Great food put on by the hotel and folks chatted before getting final instructions from the rally staff...

Lots of first timers to the rally...

Erik and Josh Mountain (nicknamed “Nutjob” in the IBR several years ago... :lol: ) swap stories...

And I stepped outside in time to catch a killer sunset...

 

[Mihalis fjr]

What a wonderful country...!!!

 

[FJRBandit]

Absolutely awesome, Tyler! TY for taking the time to put it all together for us!

 

[Tyler]

The rally started the next morning at 6am but folks were in the dining area getting a little breakfast before heading outside to make last minute adjustments and ready themselves for the journey ahead...

Even though it was really early, everyone seemed to be in good spirits...

Wendy and her crew... :wub:

One of the many varied cockpit setups...

Lotsa lights...

Last minute stretch...

On your mark...

Get set...

GOOOOOOOO!!!

Except for one newbie... who forgot to gas up the night before... :lol: ... yes, he got no end of ribbing for that one!!

But he kept a good sense of humor about it...

The staff waving their “babies” off on their way...

 

[Tyler]

With the riders out in the wind, Lydia and I headed for Colorado National Monument... when I first saw the sign for this place, I thought it was a statue or museum or something... nope! It is a national park and it is pretty spectacular... we got there before sunrise so as the sun came up, we were gifted with this in the east...

it lit up the rock formations with a golden-orange glow in the west making the red dirt almost glow...

And the moon was still up too...

We had the place to ourselves at the time of the morning so we took our time taking it all in...

Coke Ovens Lookout...

Monument Canyon...

Independence Monument...

Birdie...

Rounded a corner and there were a bunch of these guys right on the side of the road...

This place is awe-inspiring on so many different levels... if you get the chance to go, do it!

More to come...

 

[Tyler]

We then headed for the Sega Canyon Rock Art Site... caught Chris Purney on his way out so I knew we were headed in the right direction...

We looked at the hieroglyphics and wondered who put them there, what were they seeing, and how they got up so high to create some of them... space aliens perhaps? Kinda eerie...

File under “Seen Better Days”...

We then headed for Moab, bypassing Arches this trip as we’d both been previously and wanted to see some new sights... this is Dewey Bridge, or what’s left of it... it had been the second longest suspension bridge until it was destroyed by fire in 2008 (this photo courtesy of Wikipedia)...

And what it looks like now...

View on the other side of the bridge...

Kayakers enjoying the day...

And then a delightful drive down 128... grandeur abounds!

 

[Tyler]

We pulled over further down the road to get a photo of the river and formations around it when all of a sudden I heard this rumbling sound that kept getting louder and louder... I thought it might be a train but there were no tracks anywhere... then it burst out into my view roaring along over the river... a big ass helicopter!! Not sure if they were on a training mission or what but it was an impressive bird to see for sure...

We continued on our way heading for Potash Road Dinosaur Tracks near Moab... pretty drive out there...

And we got to where the tracks were supposed to be and looked... and looked... and looked... but couldn’t find them... I saw a sign with a photo on it that helped direct you to where you could see them...

Which looked like this when I stood there...

So I zoomed the camera all the way in and this was what was there... I was little underwhelmed...

Back on the road and a quick stop here... have ridden past it a couple of times but this was the first time I stopped...

Lots of fun stuff to look at... we decided to forego the guided tour and instead just walked around... lots to look at...

What a buncha bull...

How many remember this ride?? If you do... you’re old!!

We had picked up some munchies for a picnic lunch and found what must be the cleanest, greenest, and nicest rest stop I’ve ever seen...

 

[Tyler]

Then off to Bedrock, CO via 90... one section had a whole bunch of these strung together...

Via from a vista point...

Not a whole lot in Bedrock but it was fun to check out the buildings and views too...

A different kind of hieroglyphic...

And then on to Hanging Flume, constructed with wood and secured together with iron rods and fasteners to allow for mining in the area... more info and history here if you’re interested...

What it looks like now...

And then back to Grand Junction via 141...

Even though we were in the cage, Lydia was still having a grand time...

Probably my favorite view of the day... I just stood there taking it all in...

 

[Tyler]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the rally staff was watching the riders via Spot tracking and making sure everyone was doing okay and be there for support if needed...

The staff had dinner and then we all hit the sack to get ready for the riders rolling in the next morning and afternoon... after conferring with Justin to find an area that I might be able to catch some of the riders on the road, he directed me toward 139 toward Rangely...

So we drove out and found a good vantage point and it turned out to be a good recommendation... we hadn’t been there more than about five minutes before they started humming by...

And then everyone really started to roll in to the finish mostly with big smiles on their faces...

Two-up technology...

Carnage...

Tess had fallen of the hotel bed and proudly showed her Mama the war wound...

Notes from another planet...

 

[Tyler]

And then into the scoring room...

Would you like fries with that?

Scoring completed and time to celebrate while waiting to hear the results at the banquet... some chose to celebrate inside...

And some weren’t done with the open air just yet...

And then the big banquet... lots of smiles all around

This guy was awesome... it was his first rally and he was like a kid in candy shop...

In case you were wondering how Josh got his nickname...

The top three... :rad:

No wait... THIS is the top three once Erik was able to wrench it away from the rallymaster...

And a big “HI!!” to our friend, Maura, who had a deer strike in the middle of the night and wasn’t able to finish the rally... she was okay but the bike not so much... but we were glad she was okay cause bikes can be replaced... people not so much!

And we close down another successful rally and the third installment in this ride report... hope you’ve enjoyed the fun, the sights, and the people and I look forward to sharing much more in the coming year!!

FIN

(WHEW!!!

)

 

[Niehart]

^^^ LIKE ^^^

 

[hppants]

Absolutely like! I had Hwy 128 on my radar the last time I was up there, but it didn't work out. That one gets added to the YFO tour as well!!!

 

[escapefjrtist]

^^^ LIKE ^^^

Outta **Likes** so I'm with Pops here!
--G

 

[Panman]

Wow, I kept seeing this pop up and finally got into it where you picked it back up. Two hours later I'm saying good job as usual Tyler, some stunning photos and narrative. Thanks

 

[Tyler]

Wow, I kept seeing this pop up and finally got into it where you picked it back up. Two hours later I'm saying good job as usual Tyler, some stunning photos and narrative. Thanks

Thanks for joining in the fun, Kev... and to everyone else who patiently (well, mostly... :lol: ) stuck with it... takes a ton of time to put these things together and I still have EOM to do!! B)

 

[rogdeb]

Tyler !! Thank you

An exceptionally colorful ride report in soooo many ways !!

And thanks for the Bristlecone Motel in Ely - we'll be using that one soon.

 

[Uncle Hud]

You are the BOMB, sweetie!

 

[puppychow]

Thanks for joining in the fun, Kev... and to everyone else who patiently (well, mostly...

) stuck with it... takes a ton of time to put these things together and I still have EOM to do!!

Patients hardly ever pay the full amount..

 

[Tyler]

Thanks for joining in the fun, Kev... and to everyone else who patiently (well, mostly...

) stuck with it... takes a ton of time to put these things together and I still have EOM to do!!

Patients hardly ever pay the full amount..

Looking forward to seeing you in Yosemite, Sammy... I think I have something for you.