Does Size Matter? CO / UT Part 2 (we're still confused)

Very good pics!
Still can't figure out how the Multi's(cyclinders) made those rides and lived to see another trip. To me, the KLR is almost too large for the roads and not to mention the single track! I've always avoided Black Bear (once on KLR with a nearly broken ankle from one of the other challenging passes, and again on the WR450F after some others decided not to try it). The WR was in it's element in those mountains and I won't consider another ride there on anything but a mid size thumper.
Good job!!


G2

We then made our way to Wilson Mesa trail.

Understand, none of us are very experienced single track riders. We also live in MS and LA where you can see over the biggest hill if you stand on your tiptoes. Our only encounters with this type of terrain and elevation change is a couple times a year when we go to the Smokey's the Ozark's or last year when we came to CO.

Also, we have a GSA in our group. Peaches (he's 5'10", 170 lbs) rides it like a dirt bike. I'm not sure if he is crazy, stupid, or confident. All I know is he will take it wherever you lead him.
Supah is on a brand spankin' new KTM. He has about 3 hours of dirt experience on this bike and not a scratch on it, prior to the trip.

On with the story...

The road leading up to Wilson Mesa trail is FUN! Any other day I would have been content riding this road to the trailhead then turning around and riding it back down.






At the trail head



The trail started off wide and fast





Then quickly became more narrow and steep.




Then the tight, off-camber switchbacks started




This is Weave



Weave had a crash at the beginning of the summer and damaged his wrist. He wasn't able to ride much this summer due to the pain. He showed up for this trip, still wearing a brace, and without very much strength in his right hand. (I soon learned he's a tough SOB and I better bring my "A" game if I want to hang with him.)

Anyway, Weave took a bad bounce on a rock and crashed HARD.



I saw it happen and I thought he had to be hurt. By the time I could get to him, he was laughing and getting up off the ground.

The trail continued to challenge us




Then opened up into this incredible valley





Then to a creek crossing




This doesn't look good.





Then we started ascending from the valley on a nice little rocky climb



Ummm, that's not the line!



This is



and this is



Here comes Evil (RUN!!!!!!!!!!!)




Here's Paddle. I didn't get a lot of pictures of him today. He can be sneaky smooth. Just when you think you've gotten him in a bad spot, he rides through it like it's another day at the office.





Just before this picture, Peaches was almost attacked by a huge black bear!



I was following behind him, enjoying the ride, when out of the corner of my eye I see this huge freaking black bear charging through the trees, directly for him. I started screaming GO! GO! GO! but he couldn't hear me! My stomach knotted up preparing for what was about to happen. Then all of a sudden I see what looked like a bear through the trees was actually a black cow . Everyone seemed to get a pretty good laugh at my expense. That's OK though, it made for a funny moment.

After that, we made our way to the end of the trail.

The KLR's RIDER didn't like it either, but that is what happens when you blindly follow someone when you don't know they are scouting a possible trail and not leading the "way out"....

After the single track we went back to Telluride to stock up on water and snacks.



In Telluride we ran into the Oklahoma guys (sorry, I'm horrible with remembering names). They were riding from somewhere in NM to Moab. There ride report can be found here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=722009

They seemed like a good group of guys. We would see them again a few days later on the White Rim Trail in Moab.


After relaxing for a while, we realized we were exhausted and ready to head back to Ouray. We abandoned the rest of our scheduled route and opted to take Last Dollar Rd back north.





People love to carve stuff in Aspen trees.









Last Dollar Rd was fast and fun. A great way to end the day!


Up tomorrow, Black Bear and Imogene Passes

Before we hit the good road going to the single track we had to ride the boring road around the San Miquel River

The MS boys are freaking nuts, at some point everyday I would wonder if we were going to make it out for cocktails or be pushing the little help button on the spot.
Supa and the KTM leaving their mark


Supa spanking it


photo courtesy Mark

Okay, so since this was a real "first" for me to attempt a trip like this, I tried to prepare. EvilBollWeevil and I built a chock system for my truck, picked up altitude sickness medicine and more... I still wasn't prepared for the level of awesome!!!

By the way, it is a long and boring drive from Jackson, MS to Ouray, Co... We left my house around 4:30pm and tried to make good time...

Crossing the MS:


Here I am, on the road again...


The only thing we can find to entertain ourselves is to play with the camera... EBW isn't feeling 100%, so I am driving... the whole way...


You know you are in LA when...


Passed a little wildfire...


Got to watch these sneaky guys...










Are we there yet?!?

Beautiful Single track


view of Lizzard Head

This looke like a good place for supa to get a flat, and Marks brand new super light battery to go dead


Later on Black Bear Mark decided that a dead battery wasnt a big enough challenge.

You guys fucking rock!!!

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. This was Supahs second flat of the trip. The first was a front tire on day 1, and this time was a rear tire on day 3.


Paddles battery died about two miles into the single track. He had to coast downhill until we found a wide enough spot to get another bike beside him, to use my short jumper cables. The ground was too loose to bump start it.

Great RR! We were just there in Aug., could you send me your GPS tracks? We will be going again (3rd Annual), next Aug. and would love to do some of the single track stuff!

About those hotshot superlight lithium batteries. They weigh next to nothing and as I have a tendency to drop my ride, light is better. Now DO NOT use one on a DR650 that has the stator wired in delta. On slow single track it will not charge enough and the next thing you know, the KTM will have a flat and your fooking $135.00 battery will be dead. The good news is I had lots of practice with bump starting. And being as it was single track it only amped the fun.
About that myth of not carying extra levers when running handguards? I call bullshit. More on that later but just to tease you, combine a broken clutch lever and dead battery on the ledges of Black Bear.

So EBW and I were finally getting to mountains...






We were not sure what this guy was doing, but we were pretty sure it wasn't in an OSHA approved fashion!


I'm starting to get the mountain fever!






So this is where we are going to be riding!!!








Getting more and more excited about this trip...


We don't have roads like this in the Southeast!






Or signs like this:


Million Dollar HIghway




Finally in Ouray, at my home away from home:

About the Wilson Mesa trail, there is alot of signage posted about staying on the trail. That turned out to be a difficult thing for us to do. These pics were on a fairly long, steep and rocky hill after our first out of the hardass woods section. Few of us managed to follow the actual trail. Some were more creative than others. Evil was the boldest in blazing new paths.




I know a pic close to this was posted but this is Supah doing his part in improving the new trail.

I shouldn't have done this!

Even after all of the bikes dropping and fighting this trail, it sure was fun!

On to the riding... (I somehow forgot my riding point_n_shoot camera on a lanyard, so i had to stop, break out the DSLR, take pic, pack back up and ride...)




































...

Lunch at packer Saloon:

Thanks to DQ and the rest of the posters for getting this going; you've done a great job so far!

I just finished looking through all of my pictures and I thought I took a ton more than I did. My feeling was that I had my camera in my hand all the time, but apparently that wasn't the case. So, a word of advice, take more pics than you think you should!!!!

My traveling mates:




Getting closer!:


DQ doing his, "I'm really a nice guy, please don't ticket me." impression:


Pics of Yankee Boy Basin:


BW, EBW and DQ:


The next few pics are of a dead end that was pretty steep and nasty looking. We thought it might be a dead end, so DQ and EBW took off to check it out:




Peaches was sure to follow even though he was on the big GS:


There was still a bit of snow:


Soon, they came back down and confirmed it was a dead end; EBW:


DQ and Peaches:


Craggy:


DQ and Peaches:



Yankee Boy was a good afternoon trip just to shake off the driving jitters. We were all glad to be out of the vehicles and just enjoyed the first bits of seeing this beautiful country, but excited about the upcoming week.