Start 6:00 AM - Stop 6:00 PM

Distance - 353 miles

We awoke in Blanding, UT and quickly showered and prepared for the ride ahead. First on our agenda was a visit to Four Corners and then we would have to decide on two different routes to Salida, CO. Initially I had planned on a direct route but another pair of riders we had talked to a couple of days earlier had strongly suggested we take in the high altitude roads around Ouray, Colorado. The direct route would be relatively boring through the plains just west of the Rocky's, the Ouray route would take us through the peaks of the majestic mountains. Normally there would have been no choice.... we would have gone directly for the peaks. But yesterday had been long and arduous so we weren't sure we could take another day of high amperage riding. We would decide as we got closer to Durango.

But first things first. We were anxious to get to Four Corners. I had visited the site as a kid and I'm not quite sure why it excites me. Perhaps because it involves four of my favorite states, perhaps because its in the middle of nowhere, or perhaps just because people flock to the area like flies with no other reason in mind that to see where four states come together.... me being one of them. At any rate we arrived at four corners early in the morning. I was surprised at the number of people that were milling about the site so early. We saw quite an array of motorcycles there, including a couple on a GL1800 and a Valkyrie with a trailer. Everyone said their obligatory "nice bike" but you could tell many of the folks were simply wondering why they had come this far to see so little. I love the irony of expectation.

We left Four Corners and made our way to the Rocky's. We stopped just across the Colorado state border for breakfast at an Indian casino. I don't know why we didn't stop at more of these types of places during our route. The food is good and the price is definitely right. We met another couple inside that were riding cross-country on their Harley Davidson's. They chatted with us for quite a while, excited to see fellow motorcyclists and not seeming to care that we were riding a metric bike. In fact, I noticed during our whole trip that the HD riders seemed to be more approachable and willing to share their adventure than the Goldwing and BMW touring motorcyclists we came across. Note to self: go out of your way to share the passion to all.

We hit the road again and Carole began to get excited about the approaching Rocky's. She had never spent any time in Colorado outside of airports so this was going to be her first intimate encounter with the mountain range. As we approached Durango traffic began to get a little heavier in our direction. At one point we were going downhill on a three lane highway. The other side had a passing lane, our side had a single lane with a dashed line. There was no traffic coming from the opposite direction so I crossed the dashed line into the passing lane. Carole had never seen this type of passing lane setup and instantly thought that I had become suicidal or something. She essentially felt like I was going the wrong way down a one way street and 70 mph. We got to a point where we had to turn onto another road and were stopped at a light. I could tell Carole was upset about something, so I talked with her to find out what was the matter. She sobbed that she thought I was a maniac on a motorcycle out to get us killed! It took me a few minutes to explain to her what that type of passing lane is all about and why the dashed line is on our side. But once I convinced her that the maneuver I had done was not only legal, but typical, she lightened up and felt a little sheepish. This was one of those moments where the intercom paid off big time.

We continued on Hwy 160 and came to the base of Wolf Creek pass. Traffic had lightened up quite a bit be was suddenly at a stand still in front of us. The road ahead was being stripped to the dirt for re-pavement.. The sky was ominous but it wasn't raining yet. We started moving after about five minutes and wound our way for about 3 miles up the grade on dirt road. Just short of the summit we hit dry pavement and began a rapid descent. I thought we were through the construction when suddenly I rounded a curve and saw that the traffic ahead was again stopped. This time there were warning signs that the wait could be up to 45 minutes. Since there were only a few cars stopped in front of us I figured the wait was going to be a while. So we put the bike on the center stand and I began wiping the bugs off her.

I felt a couple of heavy rain drops hit the back of my head so I looked up and saw that we were under some serious storm clouds. Sure enough, they opened up that moment. Carole and I walked to the side of the ride to try and get some shelter under a tree. Fortunately the lady in the car in front of us recognized our plight and hollered at us to join her in her car and stay dry. We sat in the back seat chatting with the woman about the area. She told us that the section of highway we were on was being widened from two lanes to four lanes and they were having to blast parts of the mountain away for the job. We were being held up while they blasted a section and removed the debris. That was fine with me. I would rather be sitting in a car while it was raining heavily than to be riding through the winding roads.

Soon the rain stopped and we saw signs of clearing sky. We thanked the woman for the momentary shelter and went back to our bike. Carole and I each grabbed a towel and wiped off the water (and bugs). Just as we finished up, having the bike looking like it had never been ridden, we saw traffic coming from the other direction. We donned our gear knowing our turn to move was coming soon. Sure enough, we were rolling again in no time. But the road was pure mud by this time since the construction had stripped all the pavement and the rain had been fairly heavy. As soon as we hit pavement again the road widened to four lanes and took us through a small town. I pulled over at the first station to get gas. While refueling I saw that the whole front end of the bike was caked in mud. I grabbed a water hose and cleaned Dori off and was disappointed to see that the fog lights weren't working. The fog lights on the front of the bike definitely grab the attention of other vehicles, and without them I felt vulnerable to the "I didn't see the motorcycle" drivers. I checked the fuse and it looked good. I figured some mud or water had gotten in somewhere and was shorting the lights out. Oh well, I would look at them again that evening.

Since the weather was fairly iffy, Carole and I decided to forego the Ouray route and stick to the fastest route to our destination of Salida for the evening. We made our way through Del Norte and cut across the open plains on the eastern rim of the Rocky's. We cut back uphill into Poncha Pass and arrived in Salida just before sunset. We found a Travelodge in the middle of town and I went inside to inquire about a room. The guy said they were mostly full but he did have a bungalow out back that most motorcyclists prefer. He tossed me a key to check it out. PERFECT!!! It was quite a find. The bungalow was the best room we stayed in our entire trip, and that includes the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. It was by itself with no attached rooms. It sat right next to the swimming pool, had the main building separating it from the road so there was no traffic noise, and we could park the motorcycle right in front of the door. If you ever find yourself staying the night in the Royal Gorge area of Colorado, make sure you arrange to stay at the Travelodge in Salida and ask for the bungalow next to the pool. It will be the best $65.00 you'll ever spend.

We walked down the street for a quick bite to eat and then rode into the touristy part of the town to have a beer. Salida during the summer caters to the white water rafting crowd, so there were plenty of students that worked the excursions milling about through the different taverns. Carole and I enjoyed watching all the activity while we sipped on a micro-brew. But my heart wasn't in it, I was still concerned about our fog lights. So we headed on back to our bungalow and called it a night. I woke up about 2:00 o'clock in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep, thinking about the fog lights. I finally climbed out of bed, grabbed our flashlight from our pack and stepped outside to do some work. I ended up loosening up the entire front cowling, removing the seat and side panels, and still couldn't find the source of the problem. So I put the bike back together and figured I would get it all figured out once we were at Wingding.

I went back inside and fell into a restless slumber.

We didn't take much in the way of Pictures on day 6 but here are a couple that you can click on if you want to see the larger image.  Luckily during our 2006 Field of Dreams ride I was more appreciative of the Colorado Rockies and got some good pictures.