Cdogman
Bad Boy
I have 3.5 days to kill next weekend. Is that a good place to play from??
Or North into Montana??
What say All Y'all
Or North into Montana??
What say All Y'all
Thinking Bout Durango CO
- Thread starter Cdogman
- Start date
Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:
twowheelnut
R.I.P. Our Motorcycling Friend
I say, YOU BASTARD!
Have fun whichever you do.
Have fun whichever you do.
Cdogman
Bad Boy
Well come along folks!! You too Andrew!! 
OrangevaleFJR
R.I.P. Our FJR Riding Friend
Durango is a really nice town with good restaraunts. College town. Fantastic (world class) riding around there.Portions of Montanna are incredible too.
IBM cancelled all ECM Lab Services Project Manager's vacations through the end of the current quarter. :angry:Well come along folks!! You too Andrew!!
Cdogman
Bad Boy
Durango is a really nice town with good restaraunts. College town. Fantastic (world class) riding around there.Portions of Montanna are incredible too.IBM cancelled all ECM Lab Services Project Manager's vacations through the end of the current quarter. :angry:Well come along folks!! You too Andrew!!
Giveem the TWN response
:angry2:
If I wanted to play I would go to Montana. As my base of operations I would go just N.W of Missoula at exit 96 and get a room at Motel 8. Then for refreshments I would cross over Interstate 90 and enter the truck stop and the local watering hole. :yahoo: A good resturant in that area also.
Mac
Oh, if you wanted to ride you cannot beat hwy 12 over Lolo pass, 77 miles of curves.
Mac
Oh, if you wanted to ride you cannot beat hwy 12 over Lolo pass, 77 miles of curves.
Cdogman
Bad Boy
I did LoLo a few months ago. I even took pics of the sign that said 66 miles or something (I blew past the one that said 77 miles). I am thinking if I go north I might wanna do the Glacier Nat Park and Sawtooths, and the Tetons.
Tough decision for sure..... Mebbe north now, south when it is cold here. Hmmmmmmm
Tough decision for sure..... Mebbe north now, south when it is cold here. Hmmmmmmm
Murph
Well-known member
Can't tell you which one but maybe a check of the weather forecast for both areas will help you decide.
Another idea ... and this is not my style but I envy the carefree spirits who do this .... just start riding and see where you end up. Just be prepared for all contingencies!
Another idea ... and this is not my style but I envy the carefree spirits who do this .... just start riding and see where you end up. Just be prepared for all contingencies!
Cdogman
Bad Boy
That is exactly my style. :yahoo: I do want a general direction so I can be assured of hitting some twisties. Shame to miss them by a mere few dozen miles cuz of not looking and learning first
CAJW
Well-known member
Just went through Glacier last week, touristo traffic and road construction on the Highway to the Sun will cost you about 20-30 minutes, but well worth the wait if you've never ridden it. Smoke in the area from forest fires dimished the viewing & photo ops, but still worth the time to visit. Colorado is always a good choice, Hwy 145 out of Cortez is one of my favorites. Also Hwy 131 (Mt. St. Helens access road) is an absolute hoot! Great scenery, decent pavement, no traffic (at least on the Thurs. I was there) and lots of tight twisties. I'll be sure to hit that road again when in the area, have fun where ever you go!
Last edited by a moderator:
FuzzyRider
esolc oot m'I siht dear nac uoy fI
If you end up in Durango I reccomend heading through Wolf Creek Pass...maybe a couple times. And the road going up Mesa Verde is fun even if they've ground it down to grooves on the top half of the mesa.
pinhead
Well-known member
I say Durango is a good choice and you wouldn't run out of good rides in 3.5 days. I'd also say Montana is probably just as good. If you pick SW Colorado, I'd be happy to send some route suggestions your way.
Dave
Dave
Groo
The Endless Font of Useless Knowledge...
If you go to Durango, I'd avoid Ophir Pass.... unless you want to dump your FJR a few times, and potentially bounce down a thousand foot drop off.... don't ask me how I know...
Durango's nice. Certainly the surrounds are pretty. But basically you've got 2 rides.
1. A boring west ride to Cortez, followed by a decent ride up toward Telluride, then a good ride to Ridgeway, and a very pretty but slow, heavily patrolled and tourist/motorhome-infested ride over the Million Dollar Highway back to Durango.
2. Same grind-your-teeth-but-ain't-the-scenery-purty ride over the MDH to Montrose. East on a fast CO-50 to a twisty and challenging CO-149 south through Lake City and on to Crede and South Fork. South on 160 for a really nice ride through Pagosa Springs and back into Durango. That's pretty much an all-dayer.
We own rental properties in Montrose (there's a good Yamaha dealer there) and I'd rather base out of there, giving myself the Rockies to the east, the San Juan Mountains to the south, and the 62/146/141 loop around the Uncompahgre Plateau and National Forest.
Even better, though, would be to base in Gunnison on CO-50. To the south you've got the loop on 149 through Lake City, Crede and South Fork, only you return through Del Norte and Saguache, finishing off with a great ride up an ever-tightening CO-114 to CO-50. You also have an abundance of rides to the north such as 50 west to 92 to 133 over McClure Pass to 82 to Aspen, then continuing on to 24 south and coming back over Monarch Pass on 50 into Gunnison. All of these are full-day rides, with incredible scenery, challenging roads, and a helluva lot less traffic (and more opportunities to pass) than anything that involves the Million Dollar Highway.
Your call. Whatever you do, you can't go wrong riding in Colorado. But some roads are better, less crowded, and more fun than others. And if Pinhead offers you some routes, take them. I've learned over the years of visiting and riding Colorado that locals are an incredible resource for great roads.
Food: Buen Tiempo (Mexican) in Ouray. Silver Jack's (Steak House) in Montrose (clean up a bit). Gunnison used to have an even better steak house, but it burned down. There's no great Chinese anywhere and the Italian everywhere is so-so. Good Tibetan (Indian) place in Montrose, too. On Main St., one block east of Townsend. Lots of good places to eat in Durango. Oh, and be sure to stop in Crede for a bratwurst at the outdoor BBQ lunch, every day throughout the summer. It really hits the spot after dragging pegs back and forth on CO-149.
1. A boring west ride to Cortez, followed by a decent ride up toward Telluride, then a good ride to Ridgeway, and a very pretty but slow, heavily patrolled and tourist/motorhome-infested ride over the Million Dollar Highway back to Durango.
2. Same grind-your-teeth-but-ain't-the-scenery-purty ride over the MDH to Montrose. East on a fast CO-50 to a twisty and challenging CO-149 south through Lake City and on to Crede and South Fork. South on 160 for a really nice ride through Pagosa Springs and back into Durango. That's pretty much an all-dayer.
We own rental properties in Montrose (there's a good Yamaha dealer there) and I'd rather base out of there, giving myself the Rockies to the east, the San Juan Mountains to the south, and the 62/146/141 loop around the Uncompahgre Plateau and National Forest.
Even better, though, would be to base in Gunnison on CO-50. To the south you've got the loop on 149 through Lake City, Crede and South Fork, only you return through Del Norte and Saguache, finishing off with a great ride up an ever-tightening CO-114 to CO-50. You also have an abundance of rides to the north such as 50 west to 92 to 133 over McClure Pass to 82 to Aspen, then continuing on to 24 south and coming back over Monarch Pass on 50 into Gunnison. All of these are full-day rides, with incredible scenery, challenging roads, and a helluva lot less traffic (and more opportunities to pass) than anything that involves the Million Dollar Highway.
Your call. Whatever you do, you can't go wrong riding in Colorado. But some roads are better, less crowded, and more fun than others. And if Pinhead offers you some routes, take them. I've learned over the years of visiting and riding Colorado that locals are an incredible resource for great roads.
Food: Buen Tiempo (Mexican) in Ouray. Silver Jack's (Steak House) in Montrose (clean up a bit). Gunnison used to have an even better steak house, but it burned down. There's no great Chinese anywhere and the Italian everywhere is so-so. Good Tibetan (Indian) place in Montrose, too. On Main St., one block east of Townsend. Lots of good places to eat in Durango. Oh, and be sure to stop in Crede for a bratwurst at the outdoor BBQ lunch, every day throughout the summer. It really hits the spot after dragging pegs back and forth on CO-149.
Last edited by a moderator:
BobG
Well-known member
What is your plan for getting to Durango?
I suggest coming through Vernal to Rangley, drop over Douglas pass (139), 70 past Grand Junction to De Beque canyon, turn right on 65 over the Grand Mesa. Take to 92 east to Hotchkiss, Crawford, Mather, to the north side of the Black canyon of the Gunnison. This puts you at the Blue mesa dam and Highway 50. From there you can head east to Gunnison, or west to Montrose and 550. This route will give you a break from some of the heat.
There are a lot of roads with great twisties but a lot of small towns and straight flat areas also.
Just a suggested route to stay off of 70, A long flat boring run.
Bob
I suggest coming through Vernal to Rangley, drop over Douglas pass (139), 70 past Grand Junction to De Beque canyon, turn right on 65 over the Grand Mesa. Take to 92 east to Hotchkiss, Crawford, Mather, to the north side of the Black canyon of the Gunnison. This puts you at the Blue mesa dam and Highway 50. From there you can head east to Gunnison, or west to Montrose and 550. This route will give you a break from some of the heat.
There are a lot of roads with great twisties but a lot of small towns and straight flat areas also.
Just a suggested route to stay off of 70, A long flat boring run.
Bob
BobG
Well-known member
Who is the idiot who thinks colorado, montana, utah is in the midwest?
No wonder we can't get rides together or tech days on these bike out here.
No wonder we can't get rides together or tech days on these bike out here.
MKO
Well-known member
I was just out in Colorado and New Mexico for four days. Stayed at a Best Western off 64 in Durango that had an indoor pool and hot tub that seemed like heaven after riding in a cold rain for 2 hours through Pegosa Springs at the end of a 500+mile day.
I highly recommend the stretch of 64 that heads west out of Durango to Silverton. I did the 90 mile roundtrip earlier the next morniing and it was some of the most scenic and best motorcycle roads of the entire 1600-mile trip.
I highly recommend the stretch of 64 that heads west out of Durango to Silverton. I did the 90 mile roundtrip earlier the next morniing and it was some of the most scenic and best motorcycle roads of the entire 1600-mile trip.
Last edited by a moderator:
UHOH
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 30, 2006
- Messages
- 329
- Reaction score
- 26
If you enjoy a spirited pace then pick the direction
which will best get you away from the heaviest holiday weekend traffic.
either way sounds like fun
which will best get you away from the heaviest holiday weekend traffic.
either way sounds like fun
Last edited by a moderator:
pinhead
Well-known member
Definitely a good point. While I can't speak for Montana, there won't be too many quiet SW Colorado roads (or campgrounds or hotels or restaurants or resorts) this holiday weekend. :angry2:
Similar threads
