Maps Don’t Tell the Truth.....

I have been getting behind in my blog posts recently and I don’t like that. I like to keep up-to-date as then it seems easier to just write about one day at a time. Therefore I left Gunnison promising myself not to take too many photos on day 85 so I would give myself a chance to catch up.

I failed.

The trouble with having a plan to not take many pictures is when I ride through such wonderful scenery, I just have to stop and record what I am seeing. The map intimated there would not be much to see today, but the map is just lines on paper. It doesn’t really tell you what is out there. Maps don’t tell you the truth.

First of all, a map doesn’t tell you that I would see the beginning of the autumn (US = Fall) and that there would be some wonderful colours to tempt me to stop and try to capture the yellows I was seeing....

A map doesn’t tell you there will be many shades of green....

A map shows you big rivers, but doesn’t tell you about the small ones with wonderfully clear water....

A map doesn’t tell you the reflection from the sky makes rivers shimmer....

And it doesn’t say where you can get your boots wet by wading out into a river to get a picture....

A map certainly doesn’t tell you that there might be an excavator and a truck standing in a river!.... (no, I don’t know what they were doing either).... this was in the south fork of the Gunnison river....

Also, a map just gives the name of a town, but they don’t tell you just how picturesque a place can be, like Silver Street in Lake City....

They give no indication that houses in that city can be charming....

Nor that churches can be small and beautiful at the same time....

Nor that shops can look totally different from their big brothers in large cities....

Maps give no indication that a building, despite being 119 years old, can just draw you to it....

Maps also don’t tell the truth that little streams....

.... can turn into something magnificent, just because of gravity....

Maps don’t give anything away about how stunning the views can be....

Nor do they say you might meet Moo and Mini Moo.....

A map might indicate that a road is maybe not paved, but it won’t say that riding up such a road is challenging, but turning around and then riding back down it, might be very risky and will make you sweat!.... This is next to Creede in Colorado and oh boy, was it hard to ride down again without locking the wheels of my bike.... (Redlegs and Natasha would love this road)....

Yes, this gravel road really is as steep as it looks....

A map will tell you that you will cross the Rio Grande, but fails to mention the scenery....

Some maps tell you the contours of the ground and indicate that you can expect spectacular views from high up. Mine didn’t....

Maps tell you the name of places like Pagosa Springs, but it is really left to you to wonder if the springs will be good.... (they were)....

So you see, maps mainly just get you travelling in the right direction, but they certainly don’t scream out at you that yes, YOU WILL need your camera today!

Despite their shortcomings, I love maps!

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Yet More Great Roads, that Probably Few Have Ridden.

Day 84 saw me doing a 242 mile round trip ride to see both sides of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

I had read that the south rim had the best views, but I had heard from the receptionist at the Water Wheel Inn that the north side of the canyon had a great road, but the views were not as good of the canyon. I couldn’t decide which to go see, so I took the easy option and did both.

It was a cold crisp morning and on the way I stopped to look at a butte along the bank of the Gunnison River....

The evening before, John and Diane had suggested something to me that I am more than happy to pass on, because not only were they right, but they had suggested a stunning road to me that a lot of people miss. The south rim of the Black Canyon is a National Park and as soon as you had gone through the entry gate you should turn right onto the “River Access Road”. It is right next to the gate, so many people miss it. Well, hold on for the ride of your life as you drop down 1834 feet in 2.7 miles. Wow, that is a gradient of 16%. I stopped to get just one photo on the way down.... this is part of the road I was riding down....

If you ride this road, you just the most stunning views of the river and canyon – I think this is far better than the views from the main overlook positions on from the top of the canyon.

At the bottom, down at river level you are rewarded with some spectacular views....

Riding back up was going to be fun, so I just had to make a video.... hold tight.....



The views from the various overlooks into the canyon are spectacular and these pictures don’t really do them justice....

This short video helps with understanding the scale of the Black Canyon....



After seeing the south rim of the canyon, I decided to loop around and ride along the north rim. It is a long way around, but worth it. I went via Montrose, Delta and Crawford. In Montrose, I saw old cars for sale....

I also saw some entertainment on offer, but alas it was mid-week....

From Crawford, Highway 92 first goes south and then east along the northern edge of the Black Canyon. I can thoroughly recommend this road and I judge it one of the best I have ridden. Okay, it doesn’t have the thrill or the views of say the Beartooth Pass, but it sweeps along the side of a mountain, with great bends that you can take quite fast, with great views both into the canyon and upwards to the mountain.

I enjoyed riding this road so much I forgot to take many pictures, but I concentrated on a few showing the tress beginning to turn colour....

This stand of what I think are birch trees made a great backdrop for the bend in the road....

At one stage I decided to ignore my gps/sat nav and take to some quiet back roads. I went through some very rural areas where horses are more common than cars. Just about every time I saw somebody in a car or walking they waved at me. He ere I was, a stranger on a motorcycle in their community and I must have stuck out like a sore thumb, but all the same, they all greeted me with a smile and a cheerful wave. That felt really good. We just don’t do that sort of thing in the UK much and having now experienced it many times in the US, I wish we did. When I get home, I am going to wave more often at people!

When I found my way back onto highway 92, my gps / sat nav said to turn left in 36 miles, so I just relaxed and enjoyed the quiet road. I reached civilisation when 92 joins the main road at the Blue Mesa Dam and the road gets more busy as it head east back towards Gunnison.

As I arrived back at the same point I started from that morning, I was able to reflect on a great days riding.

I did wonder about something though that I cannot think of what the answer must be. I have seen many signs in Colorado that say “No Snowplowing 7pm to 5am”. These have been in places where there are no houses, so this cannot be a noise issue. I suspect it might simply be because it is dark and that means it is more dangerous? That would seem to make sense, but there is a flaw – it gets dark before 7pm and it remains dark until well after 5am, so what is the reason?

I am sure one of my Colorado readers will know!

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I Wished I had Met Mr Bishop.

The motel I stayed at didn’t serve breakfast – in fact they didn’t even provide coffee, so I started my ride on this day with the sole intention of finding myself something to eat! It didn’t take long to find the Two Sisters restaurant in Florence, Colorado.

I sat there eating breakfast and the telephone rang. Connie, one of the two sisters answer the call and then told me it was the previous owner calling to check that her favourite table was available. Apparently it was, as it always is, ready with her personal chair cushion and her daily newspaper. They arrived and she was shown to her table and the old man that accompanied her walked up to me, tapped me on the shoulder and said “Whatever happened to them 40 cord of wood?” and he then turned away and sat down. I guess he mistook me for someone else!

I ordered my breakfast and asked for some cooked tomatoes, which wasn’t on the menu. I was thinking of grilled tomatoes, but when they arrived, I had to smile and not say anything, because they had been deep fried! They actually tasted not too bad, but I think if I ask for these again, I will make it a little clearer about what I want. What was it that H. G. Wells said? “Two peoples separated by a common language”.

I liked that restaurant as it was a million miles removed from what I am used to. It had a few ranchers eating their breakfast and everybody seemed to know each other. Like most places I go in small towns, the people welcome me and I try to sit at the bar or counter if I can rather than a normal table, so I can talk to the other people there. As I left, I saw this dog patiently sitting on a chair. I assume it was the previous owners dog and I imagined the dog had its favourite chair too as well....

Just outside Wetmore in Colorado, my mileage hit the 12,000 mile mark for the tour and so as usual, I stopped and took a picture of exactly where I was at that point....

I was heading for somewhere I had been looking forward to for a long time. This was south of Wetmore on Highway 165 and my sat nav / gps was telling me I was at 9394 feet. It was still early in the morning and my hands were telling me it was cold! For the first time, I had noticed some trees really turning colour as autumn (US – fall) came knocking at the door....

I had heard of a guy called Jim Bishop who is single-handedly building Bishop Castle and I really wanted to see it. I soon arrived and stood and looked up in awe of what Mr Bishop has created. It is wonderful....

So that you appreciate the size of the building, look at the picture above and see the ball structure on the roof - there is a man standing to the left of it. The castle is huge!

He started building this in 1969 and yes, that is 42 years work put into one building. There was nobody there to say if it was open or closed and you are free to walk around providing you read the signs and put your name down in a guest book. You have to be really careful because this is really a construction site with many dangers. I spent an hour and a half, just walking around, looking at the marvel he has created....

This is looking up at one of the towers....

The staircase entry to the building rises on top of the stonework....

One of the flying buttresses that splay out from the bottom of the castle....

Some of the incredible structural ironwork he has created....

Just look at the intricate shapes incorporated into the iron....

I love the way the iron has been fixed into the stonework. It seems to just touch the surface, but it can support my weight – I walked on top of this....

The roofs.... yes, that is a dragons head.... and yes those stairs do look as if they are floating in the air....

Inside, the spaces he has created are wonderful.....

I particularly liked this stained glass....

Looking up at the exquisite roof....

One of the lower rooms....

It seems Mr Bishop makes a lot of his equipment to, in the same style. This is a temporary platform system used to raise materials up the building. Look at the detail in this!....

It is clear Jim Bishop is a man of principles and that he has had a few clashes with the authorities. His signs that he asks you to read are very interesting. Enlarge them somehow, for they make terrific reading!....

I adored this place. He has managed to create something with his bare hands that I hope will serve for a long time as a reminder to us all just what an individual with a dream can achieve.

My only regret was that Mr Bishop was not there working on this day, I truly wish that I had met him.

I left Bishop Castle with a smile on my face.

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My journey now changed direction and once more I was heading west. I reached Monarch Pass which at 13,312 feet is located on the continental divide. The first thing I saw here made me laugh....

Here is a closer shot of the sign....

In case you cannot read it, the sign says “Property of Department of Highways. No Trespassing”. Brilliant!

There is a cable car that you can take to the summit, which of course I did....

The views from the top are pretty good. I read a sign that said on a clear day, you can see 150 miles....

There is quite a lot of equipment on the summit. I don’t know what it all does....

After coming down the mountain, I headed towards Gunnison along the Arkansas River. The views were terrific....

I stayed at a very nice motel called the Water Wheel Inn, where I met John and Diane, who arrived just after me on their Honda ST1300. They are from Durango and have a house also in Florida, and we went straight out to the local micro brewery for a beer and then into Gunnison for dinner together..... we of course talked about travel, travel with motorbikes, motorbikes..... Oh, and thanks John for buying dinner!....

We had a great time and promised we would meet up again in Durango when I went through there.

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