2008 Summer Journey

[Dr. Strangelove]

This day, on the eve of my XXth birthday,

So, at last one of the great mysteries of the RR board is answered.

GypsyRR is XX years old.

BUt if you are XX, That pretty young girl must be your sister because she is not a day over XIX

JOhn

[GypsyRR]

Picked up a spare for the trailer today. But, the tire I was going to use for the new spare had a nail in it. I had noticed the air was low yesterday, so I added some, but didn't know about the nail, until I took the trailer in to get a spare for it. Whoa! But, a bad day with a flat and no spare was successfully diverted!!! Woo hoo! Still, I hate spending money on "just in case" items like spares, rather than fun items. I wish the "just in case" items came free.

Okay - continuing.

I bought some glove liners from the motorsport store there in Gunnison. I suspected that the weather, especially at the passes was going to be a little much for me. The wind was really raising a fuss already, so I knew this was going to be colder than the rides I take along the gulf coast of Texas in June!!!! :yikes Since I was in the presence of a couple of local riders at the store, i asked their opinion on roads. They said the loop would take me 5 hours probably, and since it was already late, and I was wanting to head back west later in the afternoon, they suggested I ride 114 at least. They knew I was looking for the road with the least amount of traffic because nothing is more frustrating than being on a great road and not being able to ride it like you want, because of slow cars or trucks ahead.

8 miles east of Gunnison 114 heads south to Saguache, Colorado. For 60 miles, the landscape and geological structures were constantly changing. I don't know if I've seen that much change or different geological formations in that distance before. Perhaps, I have, but this was the first time it was so blatant that I made note of it.



Besides the changing contour of the land, another great thing about this road was the condition of it. However, closer to Saguache, just before the road straightens into the long direct stretch into Saguache, which was a wind tunnel that day, there is some road work being done. Short wait, small area being surfaced at a given time. No big deal. This guy looked like family from my Native American side, so I snapped a photo when he wasn't looking.





Other than that bit of road work, the road was perfect!!! Maybe 1-2 cars the whole way. Nice surface. Variation in altitude, twists, turns, sweepers, and landscape. Some blind curves, some tight curves, some off camber, some curves hard to judge, and yet mostly the road seemed like it was laid out and planned by a motorcyclist. This was a great road if you wanted to have a variety of riding experience all in one short ride. 60 miles of variance.

Once I turned south onto 114 from US 50, there are two crossings. The Tomichi Creek and then Cochetopa Creek. About two miles from US 50 I entered a canyon with a lot of twisting mountain roads that followed the Cochetopa Creek.








Along the Cochetopa Creek, I noticed pull out areas that looked like public access areas to the creek for fishing. If the wind would die down, I thought it would be a great place to fish. Anyone know? It looked like nice trout water anyway.


A little further down 114, the dark rocks I saw in the canyon were now turning more of a red hue. Probably some sort of granite, I would suppose.


Nice blind curve up ahead:






After about 20 miles, the mourtains opened, the road straightened a bit, and a broad valley was exposed. This was a beautiful pastoral scene, imho





in some areas, the color of rock along the way, made me wonder if this might have be a caldera formed many years ago from a volcanic eruption.

I kept riding and soon I was climbing out of this basin and back into hills with sweepers.








Once out of the basin, I was ascending to the pass and getting colder.



I did take a break at at the pass, but I was so cold, I only took one photo: my bike. I got some water from my tail bag, and was on my way again. I'm a wimp when it's cold. But cold and windy together, and I really am out of my 'element'.




Once south of the pass, there are strange rock formations. I noticed them mostly on the eastern side of the road. They looked like gigantic mud pies stacked like pancakes. I never did get a good picture of them though. I had left my only point and shoot camera left back at the motel and only had a Canon XT with me. Shooting while rolling with a DSLR around your nect is not always the easiest, nor the best way to take photos.

Heading into Saguache, you cover maybe 5 miles of very straight flat land. and since it was very windy the day I rode to Saguache, it was a fight to keep the RR upright against the wind. The sights are really beautiful entering Saguache though.






After arriving in Saguache, I stopped at a station and got a Hot chocolate. I stood in the parking lot while drinking it and saw 2 other BMW bikes pull up. One was another R1150R, and the other was a 1150 GS from California. As I stood and sipped the hot chocolate, I saw a somewhat comicial scene unfold. I can only guess at what was actually being said since I was a distance away, but it appeared that there was a man there with his ~ 2 year old son with him. The little guy was dressed in a t-shirt and diaper. No pants. No shoes. Having talked to them earlier, I knew they were on their way home to New Mexico. It was later that the fact dawned on me that this child was dressed only in a diaper and t-shirt, while I was wearing at least 2 shirts, one of which was fleece, one BMW transition Jacket, and a motorcycle jacket, and gloves, while I sipped hot chocolate. He did not look cold at all. I on the other hand was giving in to the cold and surrendering the rest of the ride through Creede and Lake City, because I was too cold to continue. I am such a wimp!!!

But, the funny part, to me anyway, was when I could tell the father was asking the owner of the 1150R if his kid could sit on his bike.......diapered, no pants. Hahahah. The look on the bike owner's face was priceless. I almost spewed my hot chocolate, when I saw the father dangle the kid inches from the seat, about to set that sagging diaper down, when all of a sudden the kid started kicking and the dad relented. I bet the guy who owned that bike breathed a sigh of relief!!! I still laugh about that when I think about it.

I finished my hot chocolate, put all my gear back on, and admitted defeat. I would not ride the remaining 150 miles through Del Norte and then Creede and the mountain pass. I was turning around. I was too cold.

When I returned, it was still cold in Gunnison and I was tired of being cold. So I packed up my gear, loaded up the truck with the R1150R, secured everything and headed back east. I was going to try to find Eleven Mile Canyon, where I had fished a few years earlier with my friend Justin.

Here's a teaser photo: - from the Eleven Mile/Spinney Area west of Colorado Springs. I have this rainbow on my fly line with a hopper still in his mouth.





edited to insert photos

[Ves]

Photos please... not showing up...

[GypsyRR]

Gotta go find those photos now. Wonder what happened.

In the meantime: I finally got some advice on getting the bike out of the chock by myself and picking up the bike by myself that I think is going to work. This from a dual sport instructor friend of mine who I ride with periodically in Texas: (thanks Mike)

Chock thoughts:
Before you put the bike in the chock again, find one of those scissor jacks for a small car. Put the jack inside the chock and use it to spread the chock bars a little. This should help some. Motorcycle chocks were only, ever, intended to keep the bike from rolling forward and keep the wheel from turning side to side.
Leave the gate up. Run one of those long ratcheting tie down straps from the gate to the back of the bike. While you’re sitting on the bike, ratchet it out of the chock. Kickstand down, unhook the tie down, drop the gate, go ride.

Picking the bike up:
The “backing up to the bike and using your legs” method only works if you turn the bars full toward you and use to bottom grip as a lifting point. It is always important to have your lower back against the seat to avoid injury. However, this method usually doesn’t work on dirtbikes or dualsports since your seat makes it all the way to the ground and you’re sitting down to use this method.
My suggestion is to find something long enough the use as a lever. Slide it under the bike and walk it up. By the time you get the bike high enough to worry about tipping it over the other way, you are close enough to grab it and drop the lever.
I always carry two tie down straps and a bike tow strap with me when I’m out in the boonies. If I’m within 30’ of something solid, I can always get myself back up.

[toolinalong]

Gypsy,

Blessings on you on your birthday, and welcome to Colorado. A majestic tour you are on, to be sure, thank you, as always, for sharing.

I just returned from a few days and a few thousand miles in NM, AZ, CA, NV, UT, and found some really great new roads, including one that I would call "epic".

But every time I come back home, as I cross the stateline from wherever, I always am overcome with the joy of what it means to live and ride in this most beautiful of places.

I sometimes hate the long intervals between the end and the beginning of the all too short riding season here, and yes, the cold in the mornings in the high country, even in summer, can be a damper on getting an early start. But with the right gear, even that is not really a problem, and I am not a person who really cares for the cold; I should be living somewhere warm.

But, for this period in my life, to be able to live here and be able to ride these roads and to glory in the beauty of this environment whenever I want is so worth it. Warm can wait.

I am heading out again on Wednesday for another couple of weeks of wandering. I won't know where I am going until I leave, but your pictures are making me want to repeat some of my ride of 2005, with maybe some Utah thrown in. We'll see.

Best,

boborama (aka, toolinalong)

[GypsyRR]

You do live in an incredible place. Very fortunate. But yes, it does get cold!!!

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I'm glad I lived another year and I'm glad it was a good year with several goals met. I wish time would stand still though.

IN the meantime:


After leaving Gunnison because I was always cold there, and because I had a birthday there and wanted to put that behind me and not spend another day loathing the immutability of time, I headed east to find Eleven Mile Canyon/State Park/Reservoir - or whatever I could find that had the name Eleven Mile in it!! That's all I could remember of it from my time there a couple of years earlier.

side note: When I headed toward Colorado after Arkansas, I had no map, no plan other than a necessary stop in Colorado Springs, a visit to Canon City, and that's it. So I was just sort of traveling on the fly, just looking for somewhere to camp, fish, and ride. I relied on locals mostly to give me ideas of where to head. Once I did buy a map, then I just looked for blue lines, squiggly lines, and anything with SP or CG after the name. And that's how I've been getting around.

Back on track now: So I headed east on 50, no stopping. My map showed Eleven Mile State Park north of Canon City, so, 9 would take me there. But of course, my map also showed what looked like a more direct route to the SP out of Guffey. It just failed to indicate that it was 26 miles of dirt road. Which would have been great were I not in a 4x4 F350 with trailer, and if the road was not a continual washboard, and had I stopped in Canon at the last restroom I saw!!!



But, it did give me some great sights going that way.

Once I turned off to head toward Guffey, it was the time of day when deer like to run out in front of traffic. One had already crossed, so I slowed just in time and was able to miss this one. Later on in the week while riding my bike through here, at the same exact spot - I almost hit a deer again. But I had remembered this spot, so I slowed coming around that corner from the opposite direction and was ready for 'em.








Once I turned down the dirt road to Eleven Mile State Park from the south side, I saw a group of riders coming off another dirt road. So I figured they were probably public roads that I might be able to explore later.

I enjoyed the road at first; all the nice sights and the plans going through my head to ride this and the side roads on my DR the next day. But soon cell service kicked in, and I was getting text messages that had been stored up, and phone calls coming through, and emails, and ..... the reality of responsibilities slapped me out of my day dreams for a while, as well as that nagging pain in my bladder as I rode over one long dirty washboard!!
















Finally, I see water. I must be close. I am closer, but now I have to go all the way around Eleven Mile Reservoir to get to the campgrounds, and seeing water was not the best thing for me at this moment.












The wind was really bad too. I bet the gusts were up to 40 mph, and the area was so dry.

When I passed by the reservoir on the west side, I noticed some parking and then a corral by one of the parking areas. My memory was triggered. I had a guide out of Woodland Park take me here for fishing a while back. I remembered catching a huge cutbow here! I'd be back.

So finally, I arrived at the campground. I was getting a little disappointed in the flat arid plains surrounding the lake. I didn't come to Colorado to camp on flat land!!! But by the time I got to the park, I could see foothills and the campsites were tucked among trees and large rock outcroppings. Not quite mountainous, but if I could find the right one, I'd be protected from the wind and maybe the 32 degree temperatures forecast for this night. I thought I left Gunnison because I was cold. I had not seen cold yet!!!

I checked in, (after finding the restroom), paid all designated fees, made small talk, and then went to pick a spot out of the wind. Here is where I ended up.











my 'front yard' for a few days.









So, I had a great spot and enjoyed my time here at Eleven Mile State Park. They have nice facilities. My only complaint is that you have to pay extra for a shower. $1.75 will buy you four minutes. We women (generally) do not shower within four minutes. It can get costly.

In the evening swallows would invade my campsite killing off bugs that might bother me at dusk. Actually, I think there was a may fly and a midge hatch going on and that is what the swallows were gathering up. But since I was never bitten by a mosquito, I suppose some of those were in the mix as well.

The first night, I had the tent right up next to the truck for added protection from the wind. The other nights, it stayed where it is in the pictures. I didn't even have any neighbors for the first three nights. It was really a great place. Peaceful, quiet, clean and strategically located for some nice rides and fishing.

After setting up camp, and eating some Mountain House Beef Stroganoff (again), I settled in for a long cold night. I put on thermals, and my fleece, brought out an extra blanket I had thrown in the truck before leaving Texas, put some of those chemical body warmers in my sleeping bag rated for 45 degrees, added some socks, a fleece cap, and fleece gloves, and a head wrap to put around my face for warmth. Kind of look like a terrorist, I guess. Seriously - I was THAT cold. I never did warm up through the night, but boy, when the sun comes up in Colorado, things start cooking right away!!!



The sky was so clear and the moon was so bright that night. Had it not been so cold and so windy, I would have taken a photo of the moonbeams dancing over the white caps on the lake, but nah!!!




I was still cold in the morning when I woke, but seeing the sun gave me hope!!! The day was warming so I started some breakfast so I could get busy and go for a ride on the bikes and explore the area.


Breakfast: The usual - coffee with cream, maple syrup oatmeal with cream/water



So it was swallows last night gathering up dinner, and this morning it was chipmunks. But the chipmunks were more aggressive than I've ever seen them before. Since I planned to stay a few days, I knew I didn't want to start a problem by feeding them anything or they would continue each day asking for more and more each time, until I would be surrendering my bank account numbers to them. It was a stand off!!!

Whatever happened to the chipmunks who just jump from rocks to rocks doing cute chipmunk things while children giggled at their sight, only to be disappointed in the chipmunks retreat when approached? These at my campsite must have mutated. They had me surrounded. One was rummaging through my truck after he got in when I had left the door open momentarily. While I was trying to fix my maple syrup oatmeal, there was one sitting on each of foot. One on my right and one on my left. And a huddle of 3-4 others were staring at me within lunging distance. All that was happening while a strangely curious and friendly robin kept hopping closer and closer from the other direction. This was really odd. I wanted to move, but I was afraid if I did, the two on my feet would signal an attack to the others, and then I would surely be taken down by chipmunks that morning before breakfast and before getting to enjoy the Eleven Mile area. Thinking the robin was the least threatening since there was only one, I slowly shuffled my feet that way along the tailgate. Once I saw the group was not following, I kicked the two little stowaways off my shoes and then hurried back to my oatmeal before the others could get it. I jumped up on the tailgate and tucked my feet up under me. I knew this was a test of resolve. If I could make it through the first meal without giving into their bullying for food, I would be home free the rest of the week and they would move on. So I stayed consistent in my resolve, and it worked. Pesky little rodents!

Don't let these photos fool you. They are NOT as cute as they look. They have morphed into devious plotting beggars! You can see it in his eyes!




This one is the one that got in my truck. He eventually got out when I turned up the music real loud inside the truck. I drowned him out with loud old time bluegrass banjo music, He was banging on the window begging me to let him out within five minutes.




This one kept trying to pretend to be a rock so I wouldn't notice him. I did.




And the robin - who I actually think now, was an accomplice that first morning.




So, I was eventually able to eat my breakfast and drink some coffee and then clean up around the camp, secure my food, make sure all chipmunks were out of my truck, lock it up - and go off for a day of riding. I'll write about that in a few hours. I've got to get some sleep first.

In the meantime - the aspens right next to my morning table - providing peaceful 'chimes' with the lightest of breezes.

[1MPH]

[GypsyRR]

Thanks Jack. It was a beautiful place. Probably my favorite place I camped so far, but I think Wyoming is going to have some incredible places as well.

continuing


Once I had camp secured from chipmunks and robins and whoever/whatever else might disturb my place, I took off exploring the area.

I hadn't yet asked why this place was called Eleven Mile State Park/Reservoir. I assumed it was eleven miles from something, but what? It's eleven miles from the reservoir to CO 24 at Lake George. That's it. No legend, no story, no folk lore about it. Just the distance from here to there. Oh well.

But it's a nice eleven mile ride.



















Eventually, you end up at this intersection with CO 24. From here I went right toward the town of Lake George



Going through Lake George, I saw the sign for Eleven Mile Canyon. That was the place I remembered fishing before, so I headed down the canyon road on the BMW.




It's the South Platte River that runs through this gorge. The dirt road follows it. It was the weekend when I was here, so it was pretty crowded. There were a lot of people fishing, and picnicing, hiking, camping - everywhere. Wherever there was a pullout, there was a vehicle. It was the perfect weekend for it too.



This is right at the beginning of the road after the entrance fee is paid. It gets so much better.




The sign does not lie















I ended up staying at this spot for a long while, just talking with some people about the area and enjoying the water and sun. No hurrying from this spot. The sun felt great after being cold all night.





Further down the canyon, more great places to sit, read, wade, fish, eat lunch.



I did not go all the way to the end, since it just leads back to Eleven Mile Reservoir again, and I wanted to go on to Cripple Creek. But I did go far enough to see another rock tunnel.







And then I headed out,








On to Cripple Creek. I remembered coming here as a little girl with my parents. The road to Cripple Creek was much more scenic than I found today. We must have come a different route. And there was a lot of traffic. A weekend, though, so I must expect that. The town is huge now. But there were people everywhere, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time in a town, so I didn't even stick around. I took one picture of a church from the distance because the spiraled steeple was glistening in the sun above the city and it looked really nice from where I was parked, but other than that - nothing here for me.















Because I spent so much time by the South Platte River in the canyon, I was running out of time for much else. I wanted to make it to Hartsel because the people on the river told me that they serve a very good Buffalo burger at the cafe in town. I had not eaten anything but Mountain House meals for supper for a while, so that was sounding pretty good. I took the cutoff from 11 over to 9 and headed north to Hartsel. The last stretch of 9 after the turnoff for Guffey, is a lonely stretch of road, but beautiful and rolling with expansive grasslands.






In Hartsel, I found this place with the buffalo burger. The cafe was closed, but the saloon/bar section was open. So I went in and ordered a meal. I decided to take it back to the campsite, because it was already close to dusk and I remembered the amount of antelope and free ranging animals along the flat lands near the reservoir. I didn't want to have to be dodging them on the way back to camp, so I loaded it up on my bike and headed back.





and the local school::eek1



fits nicely, and made the bag smell so much better for a couple of days! ugh.




And the final stretch back to camp.

antelope




and free ranging donkeys??? There was a cow that walked right out in front of me. No picture though.



The burger was okay. Probably better had I eaten there and had remembered to tell them no onions and no pickles!! So after scraping all that off of a cooled burger, I think it lost some of the flavor it was intended to have. I'd try it again - in restaurant. The locals at the bar were interesting. I'll say no more.

The night was colder than the night before. But I added some warmth by covering the area of mesh in the 3 season tent that was still exposed, and having a big dinner probably helped me sleep a little better. When I woke, though, there was frost? all around my campsite.

[Dr. Strangelove]

love this; it looks painted, beautiful, K



And we have been wondering where all the mullets had gone; only 2 left; endangered.

John

[Sunbeemer]

John, we still got lots o' mullets around here! We like to smoke 'em, but they're kinda hard to keep lit!

Terrific report, GypsyRR - feels like I was actually there! You are cramming so much living into each day. Thanks for letting us come along.

The picture of the rock tunnel taken through the rock tunnel gives me a feeling of deja vu -- I can't tell whether it's coming or going! It's like infinity -- hard to grasp infinity. Fantastic, Escher-like.

Several of your pics have been just stunning. The one of the road leading down the hill into the trees and then climbing the side of the hill in the distance says, "Promising" to me! So many roads, so little time!

Thank You, K.

Keep on truckin'!

[bruno71]

“And then, though he was too courteous to speak openly, it was clear that the gipsy thought that there was no more vulgar ambition than to possess bedrooms by the hundred (they were on top of a hill as they spoke; it was night; the mountains rose around them) when the whole earth is ours. Looked at from the gipsy point of view, a Duke Orlando understood, was nothing but a profiteer or robber who snatched land and money from people who rated these things of little worth, and could think of nothing better to do than to build three hundred and sixty-five bedrooms when one was enough, and none was even better than one.”

Excerpt from Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando

Thanks Gypsy for the great story and incredible pictures! Free ranging donkeys? I really like that phrase... it could very well sum up my entire life's ambition!

-Bruno

[GypsyRR]

Thanks for another great quote, Bruno. I needed that one tonight. Thank you very much.

[MJB]

Gypsy

How do you take your great shots while on the bike?
Do you have a mount for the camera, or are you stopping every time to take a picture.

I want to take a lot of pictures. I see a shot as a ride by, so I guess I just have to turn around and take the picture.


Michael

[jb44]

Gypsy,

Nice touch to put in a b&w photo among the brilliantly colored ones.




It reminded me of the "magic" of seeing images appear in a tray of developer under a red safe light. None of that darkroom magic with digital pics, except with Photoshop.

jb

[GypsyRR]

JB - thanks. it's black and white though because the exposure and saturation was easier to work with in b/w than color. The lady of the family I was talking with that day took the photo. I just set the dslr's on automatic if someone wants to use one since they usually don't know how the other functions work. I was in partial shadow, partial light and the photo didn't turn out so well - so turning it to black and white made it easier to work with. Over the last year, I've tried to be more careful about posting any picture of myself that is this close, or not in my mc gear, for various reasons. But I know this picture shows the happiness and peace I'm experiencing in this journey, and so I took a chance and posted one closer than normal and not in gear. I wanted my friends I made here over the past couple of years to see that happiness and to share in it. That's all.

Michael:

I do have a camera mount on my bike. BUT - the camera that I had that mounts to it is laying at the bottom of a mountain along CO 50 somewhere. So the pictures I'm taking from the bike are all hand held. I'm not stopping. If I use the point and shoot, I just hold the camera at eye level and brace it against my helmet to steady it as much as possible. If I use the Canon XT DSLR, that is a bit trickier since it is large. I wear it around my neck and tighten the strap enough that the lens rests inside the lowest pocket of my tank bag. The camera body is large for my hand but not as large as the 40D, so I can hold it with one hand and shoot. I don't look through the view finder, obviously, so I'm pretty much just 'shooting from the hip' with both cameras. Set at a wide angle, 80% of the time that works fine. If I need to crop it or straighten it I can. Or if I want to crop it to bring the important part up closer, then I can do that later too. If I use the DSLR, I have it ready, run up the speed on the bike, pull the clutch, grab the camera with the right hand and shoot. The shutter button is on the right side, so I have to let off the throttle to do this. Slowing down helps so that I can get everything done before the shot passes. There are probably better ways and probably gear made that would make this easier, but I didn't think I would need it since I had a point and shoot that would mount on the bike when I left. So shooting with the DSLR while on the bike is new to me. The XT is still a little big for my hand, but I can get 1-2 shots before I need to set it back down and throttle the bike again. I wish I had one of those fancy mounts that hang the camera off the side of the bike like Taosports and ChiTown have. But I'm not to that level yet.

I'll try to get caught up to date on reports within the next few days. I need to be in Phoenix sometime between July 9-13, so I've got some catching up to do and some long road days ahead. Then I'll head north from there again, hopefully seeing/riding the areas of the Grand Canyon and Moab and Green River, Wyoming and then on to northwest WY and possibly into southwest and south central Montana - depending on weather, and hoping to stay safe and keep learning.

Thanks for reading.

[Dr. Strangelove]

How'd you lose the P&S?

I tried the subframe mount recently and got a LOT of vibration. Mush less on the h bars.

I need to look at thier pictures of their rig


Is that a Toyota logo around your neck<g>? prob not, hunh?

John

[toolinalong]

Ouch, the image I get of you holding the XT with your right hand while the bike slows down cause you took your hand off the throttle, on a dirt road with donkeys checking you out, is frightening. But you are Gypsy, woman of many talents; perhaps a juggler at one time?

I put a Ram mount on the handlebar last year and put my Canon P&S on it. Problem was the bugs kept getting onto the lens' shutter (and the lens), and jamming it such that it would not open. I went back to carrying it in my tank bag and pulling it out (while riding). I have a throttlemeister, so using the right hand to do so is easy, but I only do it if there are no other vehicles in the vicinity (and thus I know I will not have to do any quick avoidance things).

Was rummaging through some old photos a few days ago and found this, a postcard sent to me by a friend many years ago. It always takes my breath away, it is so describes life's journey, methinks.

[GypsyRR]

Dr. Strangelove:

No that is not a toyota symbol!! It is a symbol of connected/concentric circles. I always have some sort of symbol around my neck while I'm on a journey. Sort of a talisman type thing with me, I guess. Except I don't believe it gives me any power or any sort of mystical thing like that. It is merely a reminder of something for me. I use to have a peace symbol I wore a lot. But in Arkansas, I gave it away. I also wear a grizzly bear claw at times. Each of them hold a special meaning or reminder, and since I'm usually covered from head to toe, I wear it around my neck to remind me every time I look in a mirror, of what it is I'm seeking or asking questions concerning while on a journey.

The point and shoot was lost while hand holding to take a picture. Since it was the one I normally mounted on the bike, it did not have a strap. I took the strap off to keep it from slapping against the tank. So - no safety loop around my wrist. I was hand holding it because I had not planned to shoot photos along that stretch since it was almost dark. But lights on the lake looked cool and I thought a slow shutter speed with that would have been cool. Proabably would have been. I'll never know. A gust of wind when trying to get it out of my pocket and it was gone. It stayed in one piece while it bounced down the highway too. I could see it in the mirror, but then it went over the cliff to be seen no more.

Toolingalong:

That is the greatest picture!!! I need to save that. Yes, it does remind me too of life's journey. Thank you for posting that.

On that road you reference, it was not dirt. It was some sort of black top, but rougher than normal nice paved black top roads. That photo was done with the point and shoot. I remember because I was in a hurry to get back to camp with that buffalo burger so I had my dslr camera already packed up. But yes, I did also learn juggling at one time in the past.



I picked up one of these electric vests to get me on the road earlier when back in the cold:
I just discovered the aerostitch.com site yesterday. I thought they only had those one piece suits which I will probably never own, so I never looked at their stuff. No idea they had so much other stuff on their website. Very nice place to visit. Not good to stay long though. $$$$$

[GypsyRR]

Keeping up with writing this report is beginning to get difficult. I've had some down time this past week while waiting on the new brakes, new tire, a medical check up and re-check, and fighting with some governmental agencies over silly laws - and so that gave me time to write some of the report. But within the next few days, internet will be hard to find again, and so reports will be spotty again.


Okay - so continuing.

Before leaving the Eleven Mile Reservoir area, I had a couple of days to do some fishing and some photography. As I said before, I remember coming to this area a couple of years earlier. I just never realized how close I was to it, once I was in Canon City. I had left Gunnison and headed back west. Sitting in the parking lot of the Walmart in Canon City, I got out a map and tried to figure out where to go next. I wish I had all this information from you locals back then! I would have ridden Shelf road after Phantom Canyon if I knew then, what I know now, or stayed out west and ridden the Silverton/Ouray/Telluride area. Maybe on my way back into Colorado. Probably, actually. Not maybe. But, a trip back is certainly on the dream docks for next year! Sitting in the Walmart parking lot, I didn't know where to go. Then I saw the little printed words Eleven Mile, and that triggered the memory of this place. But when I was here before, I was a guest and rode in the back seat and had no idea how far I had ridden or where I had been taken. Seeing it was so close, I decided I should go. That's how I ended up at Eleven Mile.

I went fishing some while I was staying at the Campground at Eleven Mile, and so I guess that counts as part of a ride report, right? This first place is known by many people, so I don't feel like I'm giving away a big secret when I show where to fish if you are in this area. The others, I found by trial and error, so I'll be more discreet.

Not too far from the campground is a very fly fishing friendly place. Not much to report on the ride getting there. It's a straight road going east from the camp ground 5-6 miles, I guess and then a straight road going south about another 1-2 miles. Not too exciting......... until you start fishing. It's here between the Spinney Reservoir and the Eleven Mile Reservoir.



The area looks like this: a wide golden valley in June, with a winding river connecting the two reservoirs.











There is a parking area, right near a corral. I rode the DR650 to this area and parked it among the SUV's.

Kind of cute, sitting there as the lone motorcycle among the SUV's.



I have gotten some better luggage for the DR since this photo was taken. But, everything I need for a day of fishing will fit in that one bag. I'm wearing jeans and boots to walk through the dry grassland until I get to a spot to fish. I'm carrying with me a Sage, 5 piece 3 wt rod, but have it stored in a Browning/Canon tube, because it is lighter and easier to carry on the bike and on the pack. I knew I would not need waders at this place, and actually, just 'river shoes/sandals' were enough for wading this river if I needed to get in the water. It's not that wide, so you can pretty much stay on the banks and fish it in most places. And there is three bottles of water, a couple of snacks, and minimalist fly fishing gear for the day which all fits into the green back pack that I take away with me from the bike. I have a "Fish Pond" system back/chest pack, but really, this cheap green bag with space for a camelbak bladder works great and is adaptable to many different things I may want to do on a trip.

Not the best picture of it, but here's some gear.






I parked the bike, hiked up the river to an empty area, traded riding pants for shorts, and boots for water sandals, and started fishing this little stream.





I never did see anyone bring in a fish while I was there. Not on a fly rod or a regular bait or spin cast rod. And by late afternoon, people were leaving the water. I stayed.

I came around a bend - the one I have marked on the map, where the water gets deeper, and I could see trout rolling in the current, coming up to take may flies off the surface. I wanted to take photos, but I wanted to fish as well. Compromising, I put a camera around my neck and stepped down a ledge to the water's edge.

I had tried a few flies already, but now I had a hopper on - about a size 8 hopper that I had tied two years ago. I cast and mended the line so the fly would pass by the trout as he rose to the surface. The fly was passing too far to his left, but he came up and acted like he would take it, but once it started pass him, he turned to see what else was coming downstream. That's when I knew I needed to make the next cast really count. These fish were picky. They didn't have to move far for food and wouldn't. So I slipped the line back out - perfect. I had a great float going and it was headed right in his path!!! And sure enough - as soon as it was within striking distance that fat rainbow trout grabbed the hopper on this little 3wt rod and the fight was on.

The water boiled



He jumped a few times - and I'm trying to hold the rod and keep the line tight while snapping photos with a DSLR at the same time - not easy!!!





Soon he tired, and I was careful not to stress the trout just for the sake of a picture.



I did ease him in though to get a couple of shots before taking the hook out and releasing him. I did not pick up the trout, because this was all catch and release water. I merely slipped some hemostats on to the hook and turned the barbless hook out of his mouth. He quickly swam away.

A 12" trout, with the hopper still in his mouth. Not big, but they got bigger



Within 30 minutes, I had 5-6 more on the line and all bigger than the first. Here's a couple more photos of just a couple of fish from this one little area.

Not the best fish shots, but it's not that easy to catch, carefully bring in without damaging and shoot a DSLR all at the same time at a moving fish!! The colors are still really beautiful from the rainbow trout.







That was fun!! I fished there twice and had about the same luck both times.

I met this guy on the way out. He got perturbed by my camera after a bit and left.









Heading out from that area, I saw this guy/gal - banded!



I also took another ride out to Eleven Mile Canyon to fish, once the weekenders had left:







Here's one place:



and another



And a better place (but I think I was fishing illegally here - but not sure)



And some of the big fish from there on a 3wt rod. Fun.





And some other places rode to and fished - but can't tell the areas.















So that's some of the fishing I did while in the Eleven Mile area - not all at Eleven Mile though. Some were further.

Next - if I can stay awake long enough -

Guffey was a great stop for me one day while out riding. I had started collecting photos of old cars rusting in fields or pastures this past Spring, so when I came upon Guffey, I hit the jackpot, so to speak.

I pulled the BMW over and parked near a stop sign across from some old cars. The town looks and feels like a ghost town, but you can also sense 'eyes' upon you.



Not long after getting off my bike and unpacking my camera, I saw a grey bearded man walking down the street toward me. It appeared that he had come from the 'garage' or antique store. I never was quite sure what it was. So, I put my camera to my side until I could ask his permission to photograph the cars, if they were his.

He just looked inquisitively at me for a moment, then looked over my shoulder at my bike, looked around, and then asked "You all ALONE out here?" "Yeah." But I wanted to ask him the same thing, because although this felt like a ghost town, there were enough signs of life to make me wonder just what kind of town was this. It was just like something from a movie set. The town seemed stuck in the late 1800's.

The questioning began again. "You ride out here all by yerself?" "Yeah." "You're riding that bike up there?" "Yeah." "All by yourself?" "Yeaaahh" He looked at my plates. "From Texas?" "Yeeeaaahh." My "yeahs" had moved beyond monosyllabic sounds, to drawn out multi-syllabic questioning tones. Then he just scratched his beard, dingle his head back and said, "You got some purty eyes," and then as quick as that, he turned and said, "Well, you ought to come in and have some ice water to drink" and started walking back to the 'garage.' I shrugged and followed.

Inside, it was just a hodge podge collection of......... stuff. Just stuff. Machine stuff. Metal stuff. Car stuff. Rusting stuff. But all of it was very interesting stuff. And he really did have a business going there. Kind of a 'do everything' business, specializing in welding and wood work.



Bill handed me a cold bottle of water and I sat in a dusty chair and answered more questions about what I was doing all alone on a motorcycle all the way from Texas with no plans. Usually, his answer was just "Huh, is that right?" And then a shake of his head, like it was unfathomable that a woman would really travel like this.


I had only been there a few minutes when all of a sudden he said, "Oh good, the mayor's here." I turned expecting to see a man walking toward the entrance. Instead, a black cat named Monster, the town mayor, came sauntering in.

Bill started telling me about the town. An old logging town that did essentially become a ghost town, but there are still about 15-20 people who live within the a few miles of the city or in it itself. Many of the buildings from the 1800's area still standing and many of them are owned by Bill - at least that is what he told me. He has turned some of them into rental property for vacationers. You can rent one by going to the website: GuffeyColorado.com

I got permission to photograph his old cars and we talked a bit while I did. Then he went back to work. He was being awarded some big award by the county (I believe) that week or the next, for all he does for Guffey. In fact, Friday, July 4, he will hold the 22nd Annual Chicken Fly. He thought I should stick around and photograph that. I thought differently.

If you are interested in old cars, or old stuff, Guffey is a pretty cool place to stop. I enjoy these small towns that are not tourist traps and where the locals (or local, as in this case) are willing to share an afternoon just telling their stories about their life and their town. My day in Guffey was perfect for that. Here's a few of shots of the cars. After this day, I headed back to camp and started loading up my gear. Even though it was already 6:00 p.m., I decided it was time for me to move on. So - my parting shots of the Eleven Mile area before heading west again.

Here's a shot looking down the street in front of Bill's Garage - Guffey Garage:



This hangs at the entrance:




This is the car Bill drives. He showed me the old bullet holes in the side that he had patched.





And now - just some Rusting American Dreams











































After spending the afternoon talking with Bill in Guffey, I returned to my campsite at Eleven Mile Campground, and packed up - deciding it was time to move one. Where? I had no idea. But the truck needed gas, so my first stop was Lake George. The lady and man who ran the convenience store on the top of hill in town were shutting down for the evening. It was almost 9:00 pm. I was buying some ice and a Starbucks Iced drink, so at the register I asked, "If you could go anywhere in Colorado for a day, where would it be?" Without hesitation she said, "Twin Lakes area - Buena Vista." I hadn't heard of it. I asked directions - west on 24, south on 285 and you're there. About 60 miles. Then a warning to watch for the wildlife on the road at night. I waved good-bye and headed to Buena Vista.

I'll finish that tomorrow - - - - that was my first night of having to sleep in a parking lot in the truck while a drug deal was going down just a few feet from me.

[taosports]

Nothing more exciting than to see a feeding trout and then watch it hit your dry fly. Thanks for all of your reports Gypsy. Been enjoying the read.