A World Of Its Own...Colorado + The Rockies

We peel off the throng of cars (and dust) once past the actual roadworks section...the pass itself isn't even marked, but the road crests gently into a wiiide Alpine valley which seems like dipping into some "Jurrasic Park" setting.
Here it's "Aspen Park" instead....and absolutely breathtaking!!












Someone squirreled away a corner of paradise...







A half-dozen SnowCats....with keys in the ignition!! (most likely full tanks, too!!) just standing around in the tall grass not far from the main pass road... waiting for some white, fluffy stuff to scream into life again










I just couldn't possibly see something like that anywhere in Oz ...those $5.000-10.000 jiggers would be stolen and/ or vandalized or wrecked within a week ! At MOST!

And that is one of the most telling things about the US...for ME!
Say about the Yanks whatever you want...but they've got some basic stuff sorted!!
Same applies to New England, by the way...I like the place just for that alone...and the lack of graffiti and rubbish strewn all over the place.
It takes a little while to hit home...but when it does, it certainly breeds some major respect.

glitch said:

I just couldn't possibly see something like that anywhere in Oz ...those $5.000-10.000 jiggers would be stolen and/ or vandalized or wrecked within a week ! At MOST!

And that is one of the most telling things about the US...for ME!
Say about the Yanks whatever you want...but they've got some basic stuff sorted!!
Same applies to New England, by the way...I like the place just for that alone...and the lack of graffiti and rubbish strewn all over the place.
It takes a little while to hit home...but when it does, it certainly breeds some major respect.

Click to expand...

Perhaps due to the sense of entitlement here and free money for ferals.

It's all explained here....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YwZ0ZUy7P3E&feature=youtu.be

Widely know in Australia as the "plasma bonus".

No surprise that scenery gets 'em out of their seats!






















Calender shots....each single one of them!!

Living in paradise....


The Kebler Pass is turning on one hell of a spectacular autumn- show









Lunch at Lost Lake turns into a grande affair...











Grande??






GINORMOUS!!






Even the road out leaves you speechless! bb










Kebler Pass = WHOO...FARKEN...HOO

Not knowing what's still to come, the next hour is a boisterous affair...it sure takes a while to calm down and try to mentally chew through all that input of the last few hours.

https://goo.gl/maps/uHUMD731kKH2







Along the North Fork of the Gunnison River, through Paonia and Hotchkiss, the neat, little workaround Delta... making quarters in Montrose for the night before just a "quick look" (well, we've got that Interagency Pass thingy, so it's all the same price, eh?) at the Black Canyon, just to check if a more thorough look the next morning might be worth it.

OHHH MAAANN!!

YOU DECIDE! hoto:

Lovely Autumn colours. Of course Spring in Oz = Autumn in US...except it's Fall and colors.....and feet, inches, pints. Don't get me started.

Not only colour contrast, but that photo of you having a picnic in T shirts with snow on the mountain is a story in its own. Every picture tells a story don't it.

No dinky-toy prefab thunderbox here...












Light is getting sketchy, the sun too low....there really is no question!!

We'll be back tomorrow morning...at first light! bb











What a find!!






Rolling back into Montrose....






Highly recommended: The Horsefly Brewery in Montrose for their tucker and Paso Fino Porter

Apart from some pretty damn good foamies, they also offer some local specialties, like Rocky Mountain Oysters.








As for the half-pound of Rocky Mountain Oysters...as the menu proclaims, you can have them with "bleu-cheese or ranch sauce and celery".
I'm still undecided....sheep's knackers should go well with either, whadda reckon?







Looks like those poor buggers lost a bit more than just their oysters....







Back to the Black Canyon Of The Gunnison in the morning, yeeha!!

Nice pics ! We saw the same autumn colours when we were riding through Colorado in 2010 (We hit Colorado Springs on Oct 1 and went through Gunnison the following day). We stayed a night in Montrose, and a Vstrom rider from Oklahoma who was staying at the same hotel told me he was off to ride Black Canyon that day. We had to keep pushing forward and we'd already passed the canyon, but he gave us directions to Needles Overlook in Utah, which turned out to be probably the single best highlight of that whole trip (or at least in the top 20)

There certainly are a seemingly endless number of natural (and man made) attractions all over the US and Utah copped a double serve.
It's a stunning place, no doubt.

EARLY morning at the Black Canyon National Park.
As there is still an open campsite in the park, the gates are open....but nobody there.





The first sunlight also bring the first colours....
















Yesterday's Kebler Pass...somewhere over there.












Still plenty of the night's shadows around...








First there was rock.

Now there's a moonscape of washed out sediment in the farming flats.....and a 30mile long canyon.