CANYONLAND'S NEEDLES OUTPOST VISITOR'S CENTER

I had looked at my Sabre's rear tire. I was running a car tire as a test. I was looking for big mileage from it, and didn't get it. The tire wouldn't get me the 1500  that I needed out of it to get me home.  Car tires usually get big miles, but my bike required a 17 inch tire and the Model A tire that would fit my bike wasn't any wider than the stock tires it uses.

I use the same wheels as the trailer does, on the Sabre, and I had one nearly new tire on the trailer. I dreamed all night about what could go wrong out here if I changed that tire and rim to the Sabre In the morning.
....but apparently, that was what I needed to do. As soon as I finished my morning coffee, I got on the wheel switch. It takes a little longer when you have a trailer hitch on the Honda to deal with in order to get the rear tire/wheel on and off the bike. My hitch is pretty easy as the back part just unbolts.

Much to my surprise the swap was completed in about an hour. Last time I took a wheel off the trailer, I had a slightly rusted/stuck axle on the trailer. I don't think I could have handled that out here in the RV park....at least not quickly and with the tools that I had with me.

Here's today's ride route.

View Larger Map    Click for the blue route.

LD, Dave, and I checked in with the riders that checked in late last night. They were headed toward Telluride for the day, so we made plans to ride out to the Needles District Visitors Center in Canyonland southwest of Moab and  to drink their beer with them when we all got back.  In spite of the wheel change. We did manage to have breakfast with them all before we left.   I'd never been there. I was eager to see it.
It was a 110 miles out to the park, but the spectacular stuff started just west of Monticello. The road took a jog once in town to find the right way to the outpost.
Actually. it wasn't the right way. We added a leg up into the Abajo Mtns.  We actually attained 9000 ft. Because of the clouds and some very light sprinkles we stopped to add a layer of clothes. This was only 20 miles into the Mtns, then we were back down to 5000ft and again surrounded by the magnificent rugged red cliffs that is so common around southern Ut.....off with that layer of clothes.
The first thing we came to was Newspaper rock. It's probably the biggest rock with the most petroglyphs on any one rock it the USA.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

It was another 20 miles out to the end of the road past these buttes and canyons.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

The visitor's center was interesting enough, but the stars of the day were, no doubt, the sceneries.

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This scene give you the big picture, and says it all....

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We stayed out till 4pm and then made a beeline back to camp. LD, almost ran me out of gas. I was going to stop in Dove Creek for gas even if he didn't. He did though, and I had less than a half gallon left.
There was a country diner across the street from the station, and it was close enough to dinner time that we elected to get some semi home cooking. The food was good. We made a good choice.
Everyone was back at camp so we had a good evening lying to each other before retiring. It was decided to take in the Needle's Overlook and Moki Dugway tomorrow.

NAVAJO DAM, VELECITOS, AND DOLORES

It's Thursday. A few riders from all over Colorado, and at least 4 other states will be represented in Dolores Co tonight. Most have left this morning and a few like me left days ago. We would all have a few beers together tonight. I looked forward to it.
But first I had to spend at least 8 hrs riding in order to not get there too soon. I perused the map and found a road that went out past Navajo Dam then up to Bayfield, and north to another Velocitos before going to Durango.
I followed the San Juan River east toward the dam. The rivers were full all over as the snow continued to melt in the mtns.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

That's the dam. The spillway is on the left looking like my road. But no the road is that diagonal line going up the dam to the left. I'd never seen a road built on the back of a dam like that.

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The lake is huge and goes for 15 or twenty miles back into the hills.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I rode on to the Valecitos area. It was beautiful. It had lakes, luscious green fields, and snow covered Mtns. I was glad that I rode that way today.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

It had only been a 100 mile ride to Durango. I rode thru town and got out of town without trouble. While I was riding thru town I was spied by a young ADVrider that was riding in Calif a couple years back. He ended up staying in an adjacent condo unit to mine.
We introduced ourselves back then and actually went on a couple local rides together. He was freshly graduated from college as an engineer and was looking to relocate from Michigan. As it turned out he couldn't find a job, and he went back to MI. I figured that we'd probably never run into one another again.
His avatar is xdbx. I didn't see him but he called my cell phone and left me a message that he'd seen me pass thru town....there aren't many bikes pulling a bike. He could hardly be wrong.
It really is a small world. I sure hope that he managed to escape from MI. I liked Daniel.

I set my course toward Dolores. Soon I was there, and had camp set up in the Dolores River Campground and RV park, with the Dolores River less than 50 yards away.

Don Goldston (FJR rider) was there.  We shared a campsite.  I honestly don't remember the exact order of events, but anyway we went to town to buy steaks for dinner, just the 2 of us.....and we came back with a couple of good 10 oz steaks.

You see I'm kinda a minimalist, and like I said before, I had about 10 alcohol stoves with me....it's kinda my hobby this year. And I had a G I mess kit for a skillet to pan fry the steaks.

I had small stoves, big stoves, short burn, and long burn. Most of these have been used on my patio doing test boils of water. Anyway to cook a thick steak we prolly needed 7 or 8 minutes a side.
So I got my long burn stove out and got started.... It was pretty simple, spice up the steak, put it in the mess skillet, and set it on top of the stove. I put a can of New potatoes on top of another stove, and the can of spinach on a third stove.

Of course the spinach and potatoes weren't any problem cause you can eat those cold....if you have to, but the steak needed some watching. They cooked quite well, one at a time of course. But the problem came from putting the thin pan on top of the stove. That puts the fire out under the center of the pan, and only the outside of the steak is cooked from the outside fire jets, and the 2" center was hardly cooked.

We solved that by eating the outsides, and recooking the centers. I'm still learning about all the refinements of minimalism. :rofl

I hope to do better next time. Don was a good sport. We enjoyed having dinner together. :freaky

A couple of my other riding vintage buddy showed up a little later. LD walker on the right and Dave Snell, left. These boys were from over around Westcliffe Co.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

The rest of the crew showed up later....we would ride tomorrow.  some of these guys came from back eastish.

CROSSING THE APACHE RESERVATION

View Larger Map
Clicking on the 'View Larger Map' actually give a live map of today's route.

I broke camp by 10am. I was in no hurry. BTW, there should be a law against being on tour and in a hurry. :rofl I went by the Library....it wasn't really open but a geezer was there doing something so he let me in for a web session. He was a husband of one of the ladies that I met yesterday at the library. He said that she told him that a mtn man was in there yesterday.
I reckon I needed some house breaking and a clean up. :freaky

Anyway, I got out of El Rito before noon. I had about 3/4 tank of fuel....I figured I was in good shape gas wise, but I had to remember that the DR was low so I couldn't count on that for much gas.
I drove up to Tres Piedres, no gas there.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

It would be 60 more miles east on 64 before gas could be found. I didn't know if I could make the sixty, and I wasn't sure that the next town had gas as it's map letters were the same size as Tres Piedres. I elected to go back 30 miles to Taos for gas.
It was just as well that I did because that took me past/over Taos Mesa where all the Earthships were built. Earthships are weird ultra green houses that I've seen in pictures. There must be 25 of them on that Mesa....most too far away for camera shots. They are all similar to this one. See the others in the back ground?

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

As I passed the Rio Grande Gorge the vendor were out in full force.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Now I was back to heading west on 64 ultimately with Bloomfield or Aztec as the goal for today.
Hwy 64 was a beauty. It went up to 10500 and was spectacular with both scenery and road surface.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I gassed up in Tierra Amarilla before I cut across the Apache Res at Lake Heron

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

This route took me between Heron and Vado lakes, then it would spit me out on a dirt road as I entered the Apache Res.
The Indian Road started out poorly, and I was worried that I might get into some soft sand, but that wasn't the case. Let me say here that the big tires on the trailer let it roll easily in sand
I wound through a beautiful canyon. The road got better and better till I was again on pavement, whew. I breathed a sigh of relief and began to enjoy the ride again.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

This village looked like summer shacks by a lake on the Res.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I spent the rest of the day marveling at the landscape, but more than that at the amount of Oil drilling on the way to Bloomfield and north to Aztec.
I arrived in Bloomfield at about 6pm, and looked for a motel room, but there were none that I found. I moved on to Aztec and found a nice room at the Enchantment Inn.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I retired after McDonald for dinner and used the free wifi for a few hour before going to sleep. I had less than a hundred miles to go tomorrow. I'd have to find a scenic route.......As I prepared to meet the other riders (15 or 20) from all over the USA....meeting in Dolores Co.

THE CARSON NATIONAL FOREST

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I made coffee in the morning heating water with my alcohol stove. I must have brought 8 or 10 stoves to try out my latest designs. Of note is that tin can with all the holes in it on the seat.....that one burns twigs or balled up paper.
I usually put a handful of twigs in the can, and add a splash of alcohol for fire starter. The twigs are free and it burns in a breeze unlike alcohol stoves....and you can add more twigs at anytime.
My IC map showed a bunch of dirt roads in the area. I figured to give the DR a workout today. Looked like a 100 miles of forest roads in the area. :clap

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

There were a few relics of the past.......

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

A family of beavers had been busy in the area.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Note the trees stumps in the middle of the pond.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

These beavers were very busy...kinda over achievers.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

These stumps were 16" or 18" thick.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I took a little [URL="http://youtu.be/Ac2y2gibTOo"]video[/URL] today....please ignore the thumb. :wink: Note that the road is not challenging...just right for me or anyone with a big Adventure bike.
I had chosen to go to Canjilon some 30 miles away. I didn't have a full tank when I left so I needed to gas up there.
I took a side road out toward '15 Springs'. I never saw the springs but scenes like this one were all I needed to make the side road worthwhile.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I got as high at 9500 ft at Canjilon Lakes.....

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

The other lake

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Canjilon was a nice little town, but no store of any kind. I had to go out to hwy84 and north a few miles to Anthony Martin's Maverick store/bar/gas station. Anthony was a pleasant guy so I had a couple drinks with him.
Anthony had a Maverick station with some old out building. He showed me a brand new Corvette and a show Harley in one of them with a new pickup out front. Yes Anthony, behind me, was doing ok. Nice guy....

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I got back to the ride and reentered my route back at Canjilon. I'd take the southern route back to my camp at El Rito.
Not far south of Canjilon my DR ran out of fuel. I knew it was fuel starvation as I couldn't drain any fuel out of the float bowl via it's drain. I figured it must be another booger in the float needle....damn.
Well if a booger can flow into the needle then I should be able to suck on the fill line and get it out of there. I took the fuel line loose from the tank and gave it a few good sucks.   Sucking that block out of the hose was a lot easier than doing a whole carb R&R.

The fuel began to flow out of the float bowl drain....and more to the point was that the DR started and I was able to finished the ride.
Somehow I lost all the rest of the pictures of the day. But no matter, it was just more beautiful mountain forest scenes.
I finished the circuit at about 1:45. I was in time to get a seat at Farlito's 15 ft wide Mexican cafe in El Rito before they went to siesta at 2:pm. Damn good food.
Cody was an engaging young man doing waiter duty. He was born and raised in Long beach Ca. I've no idea how he got to this BFE small town. He was doing online courses to get into the computer game business. I can't imagine what that entails. Cody told me of the free wifi at the library down the road a couple miles.
The wifi tip was great....after lunch I went to the Library and spent an hour on one of their computers. Good stuff.
About 4:30 I was back at camp. I stumbled around there for a while...I'd finished my Hillerman book....what to do, what to do.....
Well, there was another forest road that went 15 or so miles over to Vallecitos where it connected to a paved road to Canon Plaza....where'd that name come from, I'll never guess. :D
The new forest road was cool, as they all are. It went up for a while...I passed a bicyclist. I slowed as I went by and asked him where he was going. He gave me a weird look and said 'Canada'. Wow, I thought, and rode off.
A few miles later I came on another bicyclist. I matched his speed and again asked where he was going. He was more talkative.
I found out that he and the other biker were in a 15 man race from Mexico to Canada along the Continental Divide Trail. Ah soo....now I know why the first guy looked at me weird.
This guy, Russ Mcbride, had broken a petal in Abq and it took a day to get his bike fixed. Because of that he said he was fresh, and would ride another 6 or 7 hours today, about 180 miles for the day. I learned that I could track them at the 'Tour Divide race' tracking page.
I did track him for the next week. somewhere near the Montana border Russ was listed as scratched. I'll alway wonder what happened to him. Maybe he was eaten by a bear.
I rode on, and not far away I ran into a bicycler with a trailer who was from Minnesota. He was just out here kinda following the bike race and testing himself as he might try this race one day.
He had time to talk so I learn a lot about what was going on. Pretty interesting stuff. 15 riders had started out from Antelope Wells on the Mex border racing north, and 75 guys had started out at the Canadian border heading south. As we talked, I began to appreciate gasoline all the more. :freaky
I continued on to Canon Plaza and a few miles beyond, then I turned around and back tracked to camp passing all my new bicycle friends.
Back at camp I had a bowl of Ramen noodles and finished off a bag of chips for dinner.

I would leave my little paradise in the morning.....

After Taos Nip and I Split up

We had our coffee in camp next to the creek that passed by our campground. We looked forward to Taos.
Taos was only 20 miles away. After trying to get breakfast in Questa and finding everything closed on Monday...or not open yet, we just soldiered on to the McDonnalds in Taos.
Traffic was a bit of a clog for three of four blocks downtown. There was lots of art for sale along the streets as well as galleries.
I had no idea of what Taos would be like, but it was clearly up scale. Up scale is good, just not for me.
Across from Micky D's was a custom motorcycle shop. We went in for a visit. Nip was more interested in the cruiser items inside.
Turns out Taos is 2 towns. The old Taos Indian Pueblo, and the commercial Taos that has grown up a couple miles away. The Indians are trying to maintain the old village ways with lots of booths and tables to sell Indian crafts and jewelry.
I think hard times have hit the Indian vendors as well as the rest of us. I'd heard there was a charge of 8 dollars just to get into the Pueblo. If so, there's no longer a charge as they don't want to drive people away.
On this day (Monday) there were only 5 or so tables and those were folding up by 1pm. There were Indians on top of the houses singing a traditional chant. We were told there would be an Indian dance later.
It just wasn't our cup of tea. Although in the beginning....50 to 75 years ago....Taos Pueblo was a hell of an authentic Indian Village. There might have been a couple thousand inhabitants. Indians still live in the mud/adobe dwelling.
The houses now sport electricity and stovepipes sticking out of the roofs. It all seems a bit of a fleece job of the tourists. An hour in Taos and I'd seen enough. In all honesty I may have been getting tired from traveling every day.
I wanted to start working my way back to Dolores Co for the biker meetup next Thursday. Nip on the other hand had been trying to connect with a high school buddy that lived down east of Santa Fe and a little south.
We agreed to separate. Nip would go south and I'd go west. Goodbyes were said, and then we were alone.
I had to go a mile north to find Hwy 64.
I gassed everything up before I left town. I spotted a Natl Forest on the map some 50 miles away. There appeared to be camping there near El Rito. I was all over that.
I had scarcely got 10 miles out of town when I discovered, purely by accident, the Rio Grande George. What a grand surprise....

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

Of course, the Indians had a large crafts concession on the east side of the river. That's a good distance down there.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

just after the bridge, I turn south toward El Rito. El Rito is an old town...recently most of it's downtown has closed up. El Llano Bar sells some convenience store items and liquor....and there is a 15 foot wide Mex restaurant still in town....later I found a library.
They have to go 30 miles to get gas....Martin's general store closed a couple years ago.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I found the NF free camping not far from town and settled down for a couple days. I pumped up my air mat and got comfortable.
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From Riding SM4C, Sabmag

I had a few hours to kill so I got my Tony Hillerman Indian novel out and started storing up some energy. I had plans for tomorrow.

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I had a little campfire later.....and went to bed about 9pm.

From Riding SM4C, Sabmag