Day 17 - July 30

Today was to be one of the highlight days of the trip, so we were very happy to see clear(er) skies as we woke up.

US50 out of Gunnison towards Montrose is a beautiful ride, with lots of twists and turns, some altitude changes and very scenic. It was so much fun to ride it in the morning, with very little traffic to deal with.

Just before Montrose, we took the rode up into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and that was also a wow moment for me, and maybe even for the rest of the crew.

Just as we entered the park gate, a buck crossed our paths and a little bit down the road, another one just minded his own business of owning the road!

After taking pictures of the canyon - which truly don't do it justice - we headed south out of Montrose on Hwy550. The first part isn't spectacular, but after a fuel/rest stop in Ridgway, it really became a lot of fun (called the San Juan Skyway), and the part between Ouray and Silverton was awesome - sheer drops, winding turns and steep elevations made for some fun riding.

After a stop at the Harley Davidson boutique and lunch at the Black Bear Cafe in Silverton - where our waitress was a hoot - we continued heading towards Durango. Ominous clouds loomed over

our right shoulders, so we stopped to put on some rain gear, which wound up not being needed. The portion of 550 from Silverton to Durango is also a very nice ride. By the time we got to Durango HD, the rain gear came off and we made a brief pit stop and continued on Hwy 160 towards Dolores. Along the way, we were slowed down by a group of cowboys herding a bunch of cattle along Hwy 184.

Of course, the rain gear was not being worn, and of course, we got wet, but still made it safely to our destination at the Dolores Mountain Inn.

Dinner was next door at the Ponderosa Restaurant, run by a charming older couple who obviously love their work.