Colorado, Utah, Five Days, Trip-in-Progress Report. Daily Images & Video

Well, a business trip to Salt Lake City was planned. Hmmmm, fly or ride? Be serious! Received permission from the bride to leave a little earlier, come back a little later. Kids will be OK. Brought the camera gear. Gonna try a trip-in-progress report. After work in SLC, will wander back to CO through the Utah canyonlands I've heard much about. Each night will post a few pics along with a highlight video... time, mechanical, and technical issues permitting . Will let the visuals do most of the narrative.

A highlight onboard ride video from today's journey... Berthoud Pass, Hot Sulfur Springs Canyon, Rabbit Ears Pass is here:
A Pass, A Canyon, A Pass - Streaming Video

Left mid-morning. Here's today's journey...



Several pics from the day:

A clean GS -Sacrilegious!- packed and ready to go:


Top of Berthoud Pass. Temps in the 30's. Looking to the south:


Just below the north side of the pass. Winter Park ski area about 15 minutes up ahead:


Pausing below the Rabbit Ears Pass namesake. We're about 15 miles from Steamboat Springs:


This ski area brings back many memories... where my four learned to ski (now snowboard), and subsequently break many bones . After all the wilderness, the condos here are quite a change.


Tomorrow is NW Colorado, Dinosaur Monument, and Utah along Hwy 40 to SLC. Will hopefully post images/vid. Friday afternoon will head towards southern UT (maybe Cedar City) for the night, then head east on Saturday exploring the Utah canyons. Hope to be in SW Colorado, maybe Cortez, Saturday night. If any recommendations or thoughts, please share!

Maps? Images? Movies? On a GS? On a business trip? You ARE the man! Thanks for having us along--particularly enjoyed the tasty views from your helmet cam; look forward to your next installment.

Great stuff! I feel awkward asking this after my comment about lack of bike sound on your last clip, but what was the music on this one?

Very nice! Cool photos.

Will be doing much the same in June!

Wow, great stuff!

I will be making a "business trip" from WA State to Colorado in June and can't wait for the journey to begin.

Bob

WAY COOL!

I am majorly impressed. Very cool video and effort put forth. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks everyone. Day#2 below, from Craig, CO to Salt Lake City UT.

The video link: Day #2 Craig to SLC Streaming Video (2:20 sec) (Even found a favorite 2:20 MP3).

The map:


Well, I have the bags crammed with stuff... laptop, clothes, business things. Wife saw me take some underwear and socks out. Some things just had to be sacrificed. It is a three underwear trip . Sniff. Ahhhhhh. Anyway, at a historical marker site west of Craig (Homestead of three time Colorado Governor Edwin Johnson) I pulled over to recheck the bags, maybe balance them a bit. The BMW system bag lock malfunctioned, after I had opened it... I couldn't relatch or relock it. I had visions of going down the highway with it between my legs. About an hour of unpacking, repair, and repacking had me ready to rejoin the busy highway...


Maybell, Colorado, with a Division of Wildlife truck also refueling...


Typical NW Colorado between Maybell and Dinosaur. If you have the need for straightline speed, it can be satisfied here...


Entrance to Dinosaur National Monument. Rode back into the monument briefly. Appears to be a 62 mile (31 out and back) trip through some great scenery... canyons, lookouts, trails, and such. Must hike to see fossils. Told my wife tonight on the phone I want to return to this place with her...


NE Utah had a few more towns. Could see great canyons and mountains to the north. Kings Peak... tallest point in Utah was on the horizon. Impressive. Funny the things one thinks about when alone on the road. What if all bugs were exterminated. Would all life cease to exist? How did those rocks get formed that way. New calves are so happy and jumpy. I wonder if coyotes prowl and move around in the countless dry gullies... and so on.

Approaching Strawberry Reservoir. Had gained 2000 ft. to a high plateau above Heber City. Reservoir still frozen. Very pretty here. Temps were refreshingly cooler. I was getting biker butt. I wonder if that monkey butt powder works...


This is the last pic. Heber City outskirts. Ominous clouds over the eastern Wasatch. Too bad. They were stunningly scenic, especially looking down Hwy 189 towards Orem and the Provo Canyon. I put away the camera gear and got nailed by the storms and serious t-storm cross winds near Park City. The magnetic tank bag almost flew off and I rode with my helmet chin holding it in place as I rode at a serious angle to stay straight. Ever have to ride at an angle to fight the winds? The descent down I-80 in the rain was a hoot. I was cooking on the GS and I'm sure many were wondering what loon was on those two wheels. Day #3 tomorrow (after business obligations).

The Veg said:

Great stuff! I feel awkward asking this after my comment about lack of bike sound on your last clip, but what was the music on this one?

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Veg... have another excuse for no exhaust note with the recording... the mic on this helmet bullet cam is with the cam, out in the wind. No getting around the wind blast noise. And, I don't think the stock GS exhaust would provide that much accompaniment anyway . Like keeping things quiet when I go down Rocky Mountain forest roads. But anyway, the track for the Day #1 vid was "Evensong" by the artist "Secret Garden".

Steve

Your videos leave me speechless, with liitle more to say than thanks for sharing.

keep it coming, youre in one of my favorite places in america. thanks for sharing.

Day #3 from Salt Lake City to Panguitch, UT. Was able to do some work then head south out of the metro area by early afternoon. Had never been south out of SLC, always north previously.

You know, sometimes an interstate ride isn't too bad. Enjoyed looking around at all the commerce, signs, mountains... speaking of which, these Wasatch are impressive. Right there. Loaded with snow up high. Traffic thinned as progress was made south. Rain and gusty thunderstorms thickened at the same time. Had to hold the tank bag down again with the chin of my helmet to prevent it from blowing off. Serious wind and gusts. Tried to see through the GS screen.

I think I went through at least a dozen thunderstorms. Temps dropped throughout the afternoon. I peeled off the interstate at Nephi, with the planned Hwy 28 and 89 being the route south... as far as I felt like going. With the storms, not many visuals from this day, but here they are. Oh, FWIW, rain riding is sweet when one is dry and warm .

Brief video window between storms...
Hwy 28 & 89 Streaming Video

Near Junction,UT (Hwy 89) when taking a pic of the bike/road, I switched the digital camera to video mode and did a 360 turnaround recording...
Hwy 89 360 degrees

Here was today's route:


Yuba State Park on Hwy 28 south of Nephi...


Approaching Fayette...


Approaching Gunnison I looked to the east and saw what appeared to be a fairly new prison facility... modular units, new construction. In town I saw this sign. You are setting aside time to recognize and celebrate this week right? . Who knows what that bottom sign says. Something about Cinco de Mayo.


Shortly after the preceding pic the skies turned really dark and cold. I pulled into a parking lot and put on the heated gear, the balaclava, etc. The heavens opened. When I entered Gunnison the bank temp said 60 degrees. When I arrived in Salina 14 miles later the bank temp there said 38 degrees.

Near Junction, UT on highway 89...


Made it to Panguitch late. Was hoping to get to Cedar City but it would have been another hour, and then another hour back tomorrow morning, and it will be a long (but beautiful) day tomorrow... Bryce, Escalante, Capitol Reef, Natural Bridges, etc. with Blanding the destination. Will have to save Zion and Cedar Breaks for another day!

Excellent thead!!!

Day #4, from Panguitch, UT to Cortez, CO. A long and great day. Scenery in every direction, and seemingly never ending. I knew I would find it frustrating capturing images and moments... they're everywhere and the scale is difficult to present.

Here's one of the onboard ride vids...
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Streaming Video.

I've seen pics before but never a video of this ride or area. Enjoy the curves, scenery, and appropriate (imho ) accompanying soundtrack.

Here was today's journey...


The morning in Panguitch began gray, cold, and wet. Going to see if one of my kids will name one of their kids Widder or Gerbing, I'm that grateful. Image here is near the Bryce Canyon turnoff. Low clouds...


Red Canyon leading to the preceding location was outstanding. Incredibly red. And incredibly, the sun came out just as I entered the Escalante area. Looking back to the west...


And then looking to the east after traversing much of the Monument...


Between Escalante and Capitol Reef one goes over the high, broad, and long Boulder Mountain. Rarely hear about this, but what an incredible ride. Went from warm sunny Escalante to winter... spitting snow, aspen trees, and deep snow banks on the side (though not visible here in this token pic)...


Near the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park...


Named Capitol Reef for its light colored (Capitol Building like) rock and "Reef" for the challenge to get through the area prior to a road making it through... like what a "reef" is to sailors at sea. An example of how the picture does not capture the smallness of being there...


West of Hanksville on Hwy 24, I kept gazing to the north at this solitary butte, then noted on the map it is called "Factory Butte". Guess the colors and other attributes had me pulling over for the pic...


South of Hanksville, a solitary Hwy 95...


Shortly after the preceding pic the Glen Canyon dam area was entered. Outstanding. I was just caught up flying in the sweepers, curves, ups and downs, and deep canyons/ravines. Sorry, no pic .

Will return someday to southern Utah. It deserves more than a one day traverse. Need to see Zion, Cedar Breaks, and go down side roads. If you haven't ridden Utah 12, 24, and 95, put it on your short must-do list.

Tomorrow is the scoot home. Hwy 160, Pagosa Springs and Wolf Creek Pass the plan. Me tired.

Utah....

Great pics and video. What cam equipment are you using and what editing program?

bearparts said:

Great pics and video. What cam equipment are you using and what editing program?

Click to expand...

What he said: Great pics and video !!! Thanks!

I'd love to know more about the video set up. I'm planning my second trip out there and last year I only got still shots from wherever I happened to stop. This would be great to record the action from some of those great roads.

1) Mounting the camera.
2) Turning the record mode on and off: Is there a remote on off button? Do you just switch the thing on before each leg and let it run until you can pull over?
3) How much memory do you need assuming this is the newer digital type?
4) Do these cameras have some kind of vibration control?
5) Is the the mounted lens seperate from the recorder?

Thanks much. Will respond to cam questions.

Day #5 and home. Awoke to a crisp blue sky day in Cortez. Recorded almost a gig of video but work tomorrow and needing a beauty rest will delay the vid to tomorrow. But the pics are here.

Today's ride home...


Have heard how SW Colorado and the San Juans received abundant snow this winter. The color green was everywhere. Waterfalls seemingly everywhere. Peaks loaded with white gold. Streams full. Nice to see.

First pic was at the Wolf Creek Pass summit, 11.950ft. Hwy 160 goes down and to the right...


Enjoy getting off the highway and seeing small town business districts if I can. Sometimes think about the past. The town of Saguache in the San Luis Valley...


A short while later, we're in the heart of the San Luis Valley and the Sangre de Christos range comes closer...


I looked to the SW slightly and zoomed in on two memorable climbs, the 14,000+ ft. peaks of Kit Carson (far left) and The Crestones (far right)...


Poncha Pass (Hwy 285) is the northern entry to the San Luis Valley. Looking back from whence we came. These kinds of wide open big view rides cause one to consider many deep and varied things. And sometimes they just cause one to relax and not think about much at all...


And finally, from Poncha Pass, looking north towards Mt. Shavano...


Will post accompanying vid soon.

All those in favor. . . .

Blue Knight said:

I hereby nominate you as the Best Ride Reporter on the Forum! . . . . Mike

Click to expand...

I second that nomination! Thanks for having us all along.

TM

That does it! I'm moving to Colorado!!