This is an exchange I initiated with an old friend who recently retired from 21 years as a Captain in the Telluride VFD. Not the first time he’s told me I’m nuts but it’s been almost 30 years. Time to grow up?
After a fantastic night Thursday I awoke with a bit of the blues Friday morning. I’d been on the road a week. One glorious week. I left home with little idea what to expect. I spooled off what could only be called an angry 14 hr 1,000 mile ride the previous Friday, chilled in Denver with Woody, survived the heat of the White Rim Trail, hung at a ranch, met some wonderful folks and dove headfirst into Billysride.
It was coming to an end. We started Monday morning with 10; at Lake City we were down to 7. I had a meeting in Connecticut Tuesday morning. 2,100 miles away. I had anticipated this when I decide to tour and my plan was slab west and two lane back as far as possible. I no longer have much joy in riding on the slab. More cars, dramatically more trucks and everybody fiddling with something makes for a sub optimal riding experience. With this in mind I was anticipating three to four days to get home which meant a Friday departure.
At the beginning of the week I would have been very hesitant and probably would have taken Jim’s advice but he had been wrong about the White Rim Trail, probably because he does it with air conditioning or late October. Now, after riding with this group I had the feeling that if a 4×4 could do it we can too. I was going back and forth between sticking around for one more day and do the most extreme pass or start making my way east when Rick casually mentioned that he’d left these trips early and the last day is always the best day.
Ultimately it came down to what do I want to do more. Squeeze in one more ride with this group was the clear answer. I made it door to door in 38 hours to get here, surly I can still relax and stay off the slab if I have 72 hours to get home.
We went over to the Aloha Moose Cafe. I had eggs as Big John had my syrup. One last visit with the Hawaiian girl from Colorado, now back in Colorado. She remembered me and my syrup. Most do.
We got packed up and headed back over Engineer “the hard way” to Ouray. The FJ Jamboree was in full swing and the trail was crowded which added to the degree of difficulty. The good line would have a vehicle on it so we’d be forced well off to the side while trying not to slide off into the ditch or down into the Cruiser. No issues, just took time, patience and cooperation.
Time, Patience and Cooperation.
We’d need plenty of all three soon enough.
One of the challenges as a rider out on tour is sorting through all the information available on trail conditions. Unlike researching a pavement tour there are so many things that can trip you up off pavement and no amount of research will eliminate the unexpected. What was considered easy a few years ago (Ophir Pass) might be considered big bike hard this time. A small stream may become a deep river 70 miles in. Riding jeep trails in Colorado is not terribly different than riding Class IV roads in New England from a technical standpoint. The big difference is out west the technical section can be the entire ride and the margin of error is at times reduced to a fraction of what we’re used to at home. I’d had a good week so far with only a few little oops moments. I reminded myself to ride within myself while surrounded by better riders who go faster. I made a conscious decision to stay one more day and ride what was by all accounts the most extreme pass in the area.
Telluride is located in the San Juan National Forest, our playground for the last few days. This area was settled in the 1800’s with the discovery of silver and gold. Ouray, Silverton and Telluride were all mining towns and the passes we’d been riding were the trails connecting the mines and the towns. Originally built to accommodate a mule and a wagon some have been widened a bit while others such as Black Bear remain close to original. I had spent more than a few moments during the week thinking about this pass.
Thanks to the internet I had all sorts of information. I learned that the hairy section was very steep, off camber with “steps.” It was described as having the best line closest to the huge drop and the “chicken line” which was closest to the inside had the biggest steps. I learned that a couple from Missouri passed away on the trail and another couple in a rented side by side went off the cliff. I also learned that locals like my friend Jim would be happy if it was closed to vehicles. If found this photo that gave me a bit of an idea of what to expect which was not to expect to ride this.
With this information normally I’d say no way but within this group of riders there was a bit of what I’d call “competent crazy” as in sure we’re going to do something some might recommend against but we’re not going to be reckless / careless / dumb about it and we’ll get it done as a group. This is why I stayed an extra day. Not necessarily to kill myself on some pass but to spend one more day riding with these guys.
After a short break in Ouray we went south a little bit on the Million Dollar Highway to Black Bear Pass. It started as a beautiful day but like almost every day in July afternoon thunderstorms were forecast. The first few miles are lovely and scenic; some of the easiest riding we’d done so far. I figured this must be the calm before the storm so to speak. It really was pretty with some of the best high alpine meadows of the trip. Here’s a sign giving one a bit of a hint as to what’s coming.
The trail stays easy until the steps, then it’s one way downhill with no chance of turning around. As we approached the steps it started to rain. Perfect. It was going to be way too easy anyway, much better to attempt steep off camber shale when it’s wet. I got off the bike and went for a walk to check it out. I walked back up the hill and with a little theatrics told our British rider “We’re fooked” and to some degree I meant it. This was not going to be easy and the only way to Go Home was to Go Big.
We had a quick huddle and developed a plan. We’d team up using a spotter and helpers to get each bike town this section. The rider would be on the bike, engine off and use the clutch as a brake as paddle walking would be necessary. Spotters were required because there were places on the steps where one or both feet would be a long way from the ground. Being wet there was little traction which meant walking speeds. Any loss of control or traction would result in a slide off the trail and down the mountain, any fall even at no speed would be very painful if not a bone breaking event.
Chad gets an assist. We split up the group and positioned ourselves along the trail in an attempt to minimize the amount of climbing.
Chris (shown going back up for the next rider) climbed the hill five times. There is also a hiker in this photo.
They were plenty of hikers and some would stop to take photo or short video of these crazy guys and their bikes.
Jim Bean photo
The last rider makes it to the corner.
Jim Bean photo
At the bottom of the steps is a hairpin with a bit of a turnout. This is where we’d park after competing the steps, then hike back up to help the next rider. It overlooks Telluride and is quite a spot. Of course by the time we all got down the rain let up.
Chad Warner photo
We continued down into Telluride, past Bridal Falls. Spectacular scenery and a great way to unwind from the steps.
Jim Bean photo
We went into town for a celebratory lunch; what else was there to do? We had all accomplished a ride that none of would have completed alone. Is Black Bear big bike friendly? That’s for you to decide, but like the White Rim Trail in 107 degree temperatures, Black Bear Pass in the rain is not for the timid.
We lingered over lunch. The overnight plan for Telluride was to camp at Alta Lakes and ride one more pass tomorrow. I was looking forward to camping in the wild and Alta Lakes looks like a fantastic spot however it was mid afternoon on Friday. I felt I had done a very good job of bending space and time to squeeze in one more ride and it was one for the ages. I also really wanted to ride Imogene with this group and see Chad do his Distinguished Gentleman’s Adventure ride yet again the realization that if I stayed one more day it would be another interstate death march ruled. I had such an amazing experience that I wanted to relax a bit and process it on America’s original highways.
We said our goodbyes and went to our bikes. They and we were a bit battle worn and in need of a good bath. Anything less would have been unacceptable.
Stephen Gregory photo
Next: What I missed; fun in middle America