Our Little Ride from Telluride to Moab

[bikerz]

What a great trip! Wonderful photos, Yellow!

Are the La Sal mountains the ones in the distance in the 6th photo? And you rode OVER those?

[eofelis]

You folks were in my neck of the woods.

It looks like it was an awesome ride!

I live in Grand Junction. I haven't mtn biked the routes you took, but I am familiar with the Gateway area. I've been to that dinosaur tracksite with a paleontological group a few years back.

Edit: I went back and looked at your pics again. It looks like you went down the Niche Road (read as "nitch"), also called Casto Wash, when you went down into Gateway. I've been up and down that road in a vehicle a few times, but not on a bike. It's quite a grade.

[Deanna]

Gorgeous photos. Fisher Valley doesn't even look like a real place!

Edited to add: Where were you staying? I don't see any camping gear on those bikes (and I can't imagine hitting those speeds fully loaded)

[weathergal]

Wow, those are wonderful pictures. It makes me want to dust off my neglected mountain bike and head west. Glad you guys had a fun trip.

[SadieKate]

Hi everyone! Just getting back into the swing of things (only 2 loads of laundry left to go - woohoo!). After much planning we only got one addition for the Still Life Series. Much have been all the other fun and games distracting us.



For those not in the know, the Still Life Series was started last year and is here. I'll do my best to create more this year.

SurlyPacer, yes, we rode down the Niche and then back up John Brown Canyon. The grade, road surface and exposure of the top 2.5 miles of the Niche can be pretty terrifying. Fortunately, I've gotten some of my fear of exposure under control AND the road surface was much better than when we rode the same route in 1998. Imagine trying to ride down the Niche when it's littered with fist sized rocks.

Deanna, we were with Western Spirit Cycling. I have no desire to carry my own stuff or even doing my own cooking when riding these miles and at that altitude. This isn't a trip for the coach potato, but it is a perfect trip for a fit road cyclist who wants to get into the back of beyond. Bubba and I did this tour in 1998 and loved the epic nature of the trip plus the incredible diversity of scenery. You feel on top of the world once you're rolling along the Uncompaghre Plateau.

http://www.westernspirit.com/trips/m...e_to_moab.html

If anyone wants to see the actual route I've loaded the GPS files to MotionBased here:
Day 1 - http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3110478
Day 2 - http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3110841
Day 3 - http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3111040
Day 4 - http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3111096
Day 5 - http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3111467
Day 6 - http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3111656

Total mileage was 194 (though I think that's a tad low as the GPS operator was bit challenged ) and climbing was 20,597'. Average elevation for the trip is in the high 8,000 ft range (and Bubba and I live at 52'). When you realize that the first day had a pass at 10,700' and one mtb mile is generally considered twice the effort of a road mile (just a general rule of thumb), this wasn't a ride for the faint of heart. And we not only paid for such masochism but Bubba and I have paid to experience it twice.

Photo links:
http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...20Moab%202007/
http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...Trails%202007/

[Lise]

Phenomenal pix, SK! I'm always looking forward to the next installment in the Still Life series. Loved the one of Bubba and his sister wives.

You guys truly rock. L.

[Veronica]

Very cool! Love the photos.

V.