Durango to Thorp - Day 2

Easy, boring 300 miles today. Had a little trouble finding the RV park, but I'm here. Not quite as nice as last night, but cable TV and free wifi. Prosser tomorrow night and I'll be at the Yakima Harley dealership early Monday morning.

Durango to Thorp - Day 1

450 miles to Brigham City, Utah. I even went through rush hour traffic in Salt Lake City at 3 p.m. to get here. No problems to report on the way here. There was some construction along the way, but nothing that brought me to a stop. Highways 160 to 491 to 70 to 6 and up 15 to this stop.
If the bike was operational I would have stopped at Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. Moab is situated in a nice valley surrounded by red cliffs. The area north of Moab to Price looks like a gravel pit. The traffic through Salt Lake City was the pits but I just snuggled in between some Walmart trucks and bit my lip.
Dave suggested this RV park and a few more. Don't know if I'll be ready to stop in Nampa, Idaho - that's only 300 miles.

Had dinner at "Wingers". That should clog my arteries for a while. I had the 'Sizzling Steak' - strips of steak, mushrooms and onions floating in cheese, with fresh veggies and a baked potato for $10. I stepped out of the restaurant in to a thunderstorm. Seems they followed me from Durango.
If I did 450 miles each day, I would arrive in Yakima on Sunday - the Harley shop is closed on Sundays - so I'll cut it down to about 300 miles, spend tomorrow night in Nampa, ID and Sunday night in Prosser.

Heading north

Well, three weeks and a thousand dollars later - Durango Harley Davidson has failed to even look at my bike, let alone complete a repair estimate.
The trailer coupler has been replaced so it is safe to tow. I bought new tie down straps and have decided to just push the wreck back in the trailer and head north. I'll hope for better service from a dealer in Washington.
I'll park the RV at my brother's house and take the bike to Yakima.

The general manager from Owen Cycles (the Harley dealership in Yakima) called me today and said that they would complete the estimate on the same day that I deliver the bike to them.
That's how things are supposed to be done.

Taos!

What a wonderful drive from Durango, CO to Taos, NM via highways 160, 84 and 64. This route takes you through beautiful rolling countryside. Through ranches. Between peaks of the mountain ranges along the route. Alongside numerous rivers.

After an easy 5 hour drive (with breaks), Carolyn and I arrived in Taos and checked in to the Sagebrush Inn. The Sagebrush was built in 1929 and the third floor loft was for a three month period, the home of Georgia O'Keefe. R.C. Gorman also visited the Inn. Many of his works hang in the hallways. Parts of "Easy Rider" were filmed behind the Inn.

Christine - take a trip to Taos and spend the night. Wander the halls and view all of the art work. I especially enjoyed the frescoes installed at the time of construction.

We wandered the plaza. Carolyn found many treasures to take home as reminders of her vacation. We visited the St. Francis of Asisi church. How many artists have recreated this structure? We visited Taos Pueblo. We stared at the Rio Grande gorge and Chimney Rock. It was a very enjoyable trip.

Happy Father's Day to me.

I am lucky to be the father of two great people - Erica and Thom.

Mesa Verde

Amazing! I fell in love with the thought of cliff dwellings while reading Tony Hillerman mysteries. Carolyn and I visited the home of the largest grouping of Anasazi cliff dwellings today.

The Mesa Verde National Park is just 50 miles from Durango southwest on Highway 160. It was a very pretty drive. The roads in the park would be perfect bike rides and there were plenty of bikes in the park.

We took a 2-1/2 mile hike along the petroglyph trail. Some people walked right past the petroglyphs while concentrating on the trail - not us. On the return trail along the top of the mesa we made a new friend (yellow headed collared lizard). The trail was a little bit harder than we expected, but felt a sense of accomplishment when we returned to the parking lot.

Molas Pass

Molas Pass is situated between Durango and Silverton. At it's summit, the elevation is 10,640 feet.

Carolyn and I drove over Molas Pass to Silverton on 550 today. What a beautiful drive. It would be a nice ride on the bike - if I had a bike! Dirty white snow still hides in the shady patches along the road at the top.

Silverton itself is a tiny tourist trap with some very cute buildings and homes. It survives on the tourist trade as it is the end of the line for the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway. The train passengers get an hour in town for lunch and trinket buying.