Idaho

When I left Telluride yesterday morning, I did some backtracking to get myself to 550 North again. It was an easy ride up to Grand Junction, riding from the mountains to the high plains of CO. The temps went up and it was hot!  I stopped in downtown Grand Junction at "Roasted"- coffee and sandwiches. After an easy morning, I had to make some time and get up to Vernal, Utah.  From Grand Junction, I hopped on I-70 for 5 miles or so to CO North 139, up into the mountains again and over Douglas Pass.  I made that drive many times when I was working for the US Forest Service, and I have to say it was way more fun on a bike than in a large fire engine.

Douglas Pass

After a good ride up and over Douglas Pass, the road takes you into a very long canyon section, BLM land I believe.  It's all sage brush and natural gas wells and is a cool road to ride. I made it to Vernal pretty easy and then I rode north on 191. This road rocks.  If CO 550 is known as the Million Dollar Highway, then the section of 191 from Vernal, Utah to Dutch John, Utah is the other million you have in the bank. It takes you up and into the Ashley National Forest, a place very familiar to me - I worked there for 3 fire seasons.  A series of switch backs then takes you right into some really great mountain riding.

Once I arrived in Dutch John.... First, I rode down to the "A" section put-in of the Green River, the base of the Flaming Gorge dam.  Flaming Gorge and the Green River are a very special place.

Then I rode up to the town of Dutch John, which consists of mainly USFS folks, Dept of Reclamation folks, and many river guides. This section of the Green River has world-renowned fly fishing and in the summer, this tiny town of 250 supports itself on tourists and travelers seeking a remote and beautiful place to retreat.  If you ever get a chance to explore this area, DO IT!!!

After my trip to the river, I went into town.  I had to swing by my old engine base.

 

This is USFS E-411 (United States Forest Service Region 4, Engine #411).  I worked on this fire engine for a few summers, and I have traveled all over the west in this giant "heavy" engine... many fires and many miles logged on this rig, including the ride I had just completed.

Facts about this engine: it's a 4x4, holds 5 crew, many tools, and 800 gallons of water. The Ashley National Forest has two of these trucks.

So I rode on after that, making good time to Rock Springs, WY, where I had to ride north on 191.  I really believe that this is the windiest section of road in the US.  I've driven it my truck before, which was tough enough, so on the bike is was really a struggle. For 150 miles on this wind-blown highway, the big oil and gas field trucks blow past you at 80 MPH. I finally made it to Boundarant Valley, the last valley before you get into the Hoback River canyon.  As luck would have it, they decided to tear up the highway and replace it with muddy rocky "road".  I rode this for several miles and was glad to be riding the big GS.  I don't have a good pic of this, as I was trying to beat the rain and it was sprinkling on me at that point.

I rode to Hoback Junction, down the Snake River Canyon, to Alpine, WY, then around Palisades Reservoir into Idaho and what do ya know...

A welcoming committee!

My brother Matt and me

Well, that was yesterday and it was a long day... 582.5 miles and all two lane mountain roads. So I'll be here for a couple days of R&R, then it's back in the saddle to the Canadian border. My brother and his wife have rented a GS to join me on that stretch. Stay tuned for more adventures. . .