Continental Divide Ride

Monday, July 28, 2014

Day 11; CDT 8: Salida, CO to Chama, NM

We started the day trying to figure out how we would fix Ed;s bike knowing that the local Yamaha shop was closed. We found a local Machine Shop who's shop manager was willing to drop what he was doing and make a nut for us. He said he could make it within an hour, but admitted that cutting metric threads on a lathe is tricky and the finished nut may not work. While he was working on the nut, Dennis and I went to several hardware and auto parts stores in search of a suitable nut. In the mean time, Lance and Bill stopped at a motorcycle repair shop and found a replacement nut on a scrap engine at the shop.

We went back to the Machine Shop, gave the manager $30 for his time, and installed the used nut in their parking lot. We left Salida at 10 AM and followed the Great Divide Trail south with hopes of meeting Dennis in Chama, NM later that afternoon.

The ride out of Salida was nice, with lots of dirt road, 60 degree weather, and little bits of sprinkles here and there. We crossed two mountain passes above 10,000 feet in the morning and three in the afternoon. Weather near the passes was cool and wet. At each of the passes, we were either in a storm or hitting the trailing edge of a storm that had just passsed.

After 150 miles, we had a quick lunch in Del Norte, CO at Subway and filled up with fuel. From there we headed to our third mountain pass crossing of the day. For the next 50 miles, we rode though steady rain in 50 degree weather as we navigated past the next two mountain pass crossings. My rain gear worked pretty well and only my feet and hands were wet, but not particularly cold. Lance and Bill had a tough time as they were both wet and cold for the remainder of the day.

Between Del Norte and Chama, the terrain reminded me of Northern CO where pine trees and Aspen border lush green meadows and large clear river run swift and full.

As we came near to Chama, we saw the narrow gauge train tracks that Chama is famous for. They run several coal fired steam engine driven trains on narrow gauge track that snakes though the region. http://cumbrestoltec.com/

We rode 250 miles, hit a peak elevation of nearly 11,000 feet, and arrived in camp at 6:30 PM.

Here are some pictures from the day.

Day 10; CDT 7: Steamboat Springs, CO to Salida, CO

CDT Day 7 started out good as we rode nearly 1/2 the day on fun fire roads including a very challenging section where the road had not been used in years and was laden with logs and downed trees. We made it through that 10 mile section of road, but it took us quite a while to do it. Not long after that section of road, Ed lost the nut that holds the drive sprocket onto the bike. Without the nut, the bike does not operate. The three of us spent a couple hours trying to find the nut, but never found it. While we were looking, Bill was able to contact his father (Dennis) and asked him to meet us in Silverthorne, a 30 mile drive from where we broke down. Lance was able to run to a nearby town to try to locate a nut, but the shop was closed.

Bill met a guy (Pauly) from a local town who was willing to help. Bill and Pauly emptied several buckets of hardware from Pauly's garage, looking for a the correct nut. They came back to Ed with a couple nuts, several washers, and a hose clamp. None of the nuts fit and the washers were to big, but the hose clamp did the trick. The hose clamp and a washer fashioned out of a plastic automobile part found on the side of the road held together long enough to get the bike back to Silverthorne. In Silverthorne, we loaded Ed's bike on the back of the trailer and took it to Salida, CO with Lance and Bill following close behind on their bikes.

During the evening hours, we were trying to figure out how we would get parts to fix the bike. The complicating factor is that all the nearby Yamaha dealers are closed on Sunday and Monday.

Pictures from the day are as follows:

Steamboat Springs

Dogs being walked by thier owner

This is a excerpt of the challenging road we conquered

Some sections of the road required us to ride around obstacles by driving through through the forest

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Day 9: Rest Day in Steamboat Springs

We woke to overcast skies this morning and received a little bit of rain in the early morning hours. The skies cleared at 9:00 AM and the day warmed to 80 degrees or so, then the clouds rolled in at 5:00 PM and it sprinkled for about 10 minutes and then was a beautiful evening.

Bill took Paul to the Denver airport, did some shopping for motorcycle tires, and picked up his father at the airport. The total trip took 10 hours! Thanks Bill!

Lance and Ed stayed at camp. Ed did laundry, cleaned his air filter, and checked his bike for loose bolts. Lance cleaned the air filter on his bike, cleaned the chains on all bikes, fixed the turn signals on Bill's bikes, and found and repaired a rear bearing problem on Ed's bike.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at The Laundry while officially welcoming Dennis to our adventure.

Tomorrow, we will be back on the bikes heading to Salida, CO.

Here are some pictures from the Steamboat Campground:

Lance replacing the bearings on Ed's rear wheel

Steamboat Ski Resort

Steamboat RV Park

Steamboat RV Park - Yampa River

Friday, July 25, 2014

Day 8; CDT 6: Atlantic City, WY to Steamboat Springs, CO

Last night we camped in a BLM Campground in Atlantic City and paid $6.00 for the night. The campground exceeded all expectations and was a very nice place to stay.

We were on the bikes by 7:15 AM with our first stop at Rawlins, WY, over 130 miles southeast. To arrive at Rawlins, we had to drive across the Great Divide Basin in Southern Wyoming. The Great Basin is a high desert dominated by sand dunes, bluffs and alkali flats. Not much grows here, except small shrubs and low ground cover. Animals we saw in the Basin included pronghorn, mule deer, rabbits, and feral horses.

The contrast between the Great Basin of Wyoming and the lush forests of Northern Colorado was stunning. Once we neared the border of Wyoming and Colorado, the landscape suddenly turned to rolling hills of Pine and Aspen trees, swift running streams, and lots of greenery. The dirt roads of Colorado were noticeably better as well. As we entered Colorado, the skies got dark and we experienced a light and short rain. Tonight, a large thunder storm is brewing as I wright.

We rode 270 "fast" miles today, hit a max elevation of 8,549 feet and arrived in camp at 3:30 PM.

Highlights of the day included: Seeing and following several herds of Pronghorn, seeing wild horses, experiencing the vast yet desolate Great Basin, seeing cows and sheep on the road, walking the town of Steamboat Springs.

Tomorrow, Paul Miller leaves for the Denver airport to return home. I have not written much about Paul, but he is a retired Fireman who has been with us from the start of the trip. Paul is a great guy and has been a HUGE help to our adventure. Paul has been moving the truck and trailer each day, getting gas, shopping, setting up camp, and cooking for us. Our adventure would certainly not be the same without him and would certainly be a lot harder. On behalf of Bill, Lance and myself; we thank you, Paul, and will miss your companionship and your help.

We will remain in Steamboat Springs another day for R&R, to take Paul to the airport, and to welcome Dennis (Bill's dad) to our adventure. Dennis will be with us until the end of the trip.

Here are some pictures from our trip: