Durango, Colorado

Tuesday 11 August

Not such an exciting day today, slipping back across the border, rocky arid stuff for a while, then on to a plateau with a bit of ranching. Passed a lot of trailer homes, beat-up shacks, and matching pick-ups, then down another canyon.

You sort of drop or climb, 1000' a time, and get into a wide valley, with quite a different farming mein, if any at all, climb again, and then we're in the San Juan Mts, destination, the ski resort of Telluride.

Telluride from the gondola

The place has a free gondola, and several cafes at the ski village at the top for lunch.

Once again, the locals showed their gregarity, the bloke in the first half of the ride up explained that the mt in view at the top, Mt Wilson, is the one on the Coors beer can.

Then a lady got in, asked my name, introduced herself, and it was John and Penelope up and over the other side.

She was a business woman of some sort and said she employed quite a few kiwi's.

The bloke was equally knowledgeable about NZ, both had visited at some stage.

On the way down, I was quite surprised when a couple of school-leaver girls drying their freshly painted nails opened conversation, and pursued quite an intelligent exchange, while ordering a takeaway salad lunch on their cell-phones.

I thought middle-aged men werent supposed to chat to school-girls, or vice versa, but I did enjoy the hospitable approaches, rewards of a gondola ride......, I nearly didnt bother.

Ouray

Back down the highway, stop at Ouray for a famous ice-cream and home-made chocolates.

I had chocolate coated ginger, papaya, and mango, with my stonkering double-scoop waffle ice-cream.

Scratch tea for Johnny tonight!

Going up Gladstone

Then 3 more passes to climb

Gladstone 11,000', Moles 10,900', and Coal Bank 10,600'

A semi had gone over the edge of Gladstone on my way up.

I wasnt allowed to rubber-neck, the road was too narrow, but the girl on point duty told me the driver walked away unscathed,

and that she wouldnt mind hopping on behind me......



And when it was being built..


Long downhill run to Durango...

the descents are often signposted for their severity and its not uncommon to see "3 miles at 7%", or even 7 miles at 8%.

Also amusing are signs denoting runaway truck chutes, counting down 2 miles, 1 mile, 1/2 mile

I think if my semi was doing a bolter, 2 miles to the off ramp might be a step too far, and thats not where the nightmare ends.

The ramps resemble ski-jump ramps sloping upwards, with deep gravel floors.

What happens to stop the semi rolling backward, once its climbed to a halt?

would make the basis of a good movie, or for Jackass III

Anyway..

in Durango now, happy little town

parked my bike in the main street, walked half a block, looked in a honkey-tonk piano pub window

and there were the rest of the gang esconsed for dinner.

Above Coal Bank Pass

Heading to Durango

Moles Pass