Green, Blue, and White

You know the saying, "Out of sight out of mind"? Sometimes it's good to be ignorant about things but, unfortunately this time, I had to check to see if I could find the source of my coolant leak. Sure enough, it looks like it's leaking in two different places.


Crap. While there were no drips on the pavement in the morning (thus no significant drop in coolant levels) I decided since being in the southwest where everything is hours apart and the land is unforgiving, I decided I'd try and find some coolant to top off and that a trip to Salt Lake City to visit the Triumph dealer was required.

There was much debate between blue coolant, green coolant and orange coolant. No one had blue and no one was quite sure if orange or green would work. After some reading and nail biting I ended up buying a gallon of Prestone pre-mix (by the description, it seems to jive with what is required by Triumph....and it's green) and topped off. If it took a half a pint, I'd be surprised.

With that out of the way, it was time to get a move on. Knowing that I had a full reservoir of coolant, I could kind of sit back and enjoy the ride. First up, a ride on over to Shiprock, NM.

That tiny thing on the left side is Shiprock Peak. It is a very significant monument to the Navajo in the area. You'll also see it in the Transformers movie (I recognized it immediately).

The land, she was a barren around here. But as I traveled north, the scenery took some dramatic changes. Peaks on the horizons and mesas and plateaus were cropping up everywhere.




It was a beautiful ride into Cortez, Colorado. After a quick bite to eat in town I headed on over to the Mesa Verde National Park.


What a wonderful road back to the main attraction (the cliff dwellings). However the main attraction costs an additional fee and is a guided tour. I didn't have time for a guided tour since I left so late (plus I had no place to stash my gear). So back on out of the park. Really some beautiful scenery.




And here's where I was headed.

Those peaks are about 50 miles away. Cool.

Filled up with gas and got on state route 143. Started off pretty lame but man did it start getting good. I burned almost a whole MiniDV tape on this route. It just winded along the Dolores River. All along the hillsides you could see the Aspen foliage starting to sprout. I can't even imagine running this road in the fall when the leaves would be golden.


So, river on right side, red rock on the left and mountains dead ahead.


The road started climbing and the mountains started getting bigger and closer. I had this stupid grin on my face and laughing the whole time. Accompanied with the "oo's" and "ahh's".


I finally broke out on top of Lizard Head Pass and the scene was just indescribable. I don't think ANY picture could convey the immenseness of the surroundings. I was in awe.

(Note my new found friend the yellow funnel and Prestone jug strapped to the back.)





I kept on rolling towards Telluride, Colorado and the scenery just never gave up. It was one show stopper after another.




I could post picture after picture and go on and on about the road and the vistas. Hopefully the video that was shot will give everyone a little bit of a feel for it. It's nothing quite like being there and seeing it in person.

Which brings me to one of the reasons why I love riding (especially in these types of areas). No obstructed view. You can look any where you please and take in as much as your eyes can see. Bigger than the biggest widescreen television. Flip the helmet up and feel that cool air on your face. Listen to nothing but the air rushing over you and sound of the engine just humming along. It's such a great experience.

Anyway, wound down out of the mountains and hung a right and rolled in Ouray (U-ray is the proper pronunciation). What a neat little town. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, it's just a great setting.


On a recommendation from the hotel proprietor, I went to the Outlaw Cafe. Had a great coversation with the one bartender Ben (I hope I got that right!) about bikes and traveling and just some general good conversation. The people of this town are really friendly and I want to come back again for certain.

It's amazing what a good ride and tasty fillet can do for your soul. This morning started off really crappy. I was really bummed about having to head to SLC and the bike having a minor (or is it major) problem. But being able to top off that coolant and get riding again, really made me feel a little more at ease.

Well, laundry is done, folding needs to commence here directly, and I'm all set for SLC tomorrow.



Today's Pictures (There's about 4 pages from today).