The 2017 Wild Guzzi Western Adventure, Ouray, Co

[Testarossa]

First real ride of the season today. Archangel and I met in "downtown" Paonia -- one mile from my place, 300 yards from his -- and he showed me CO-92 east of Crawford, about 40 miles out to Hermit's Rest Overlook. Lovely road, climbing to 9100 feet at one point. Spectacular views over the Gunnison and part of its gorge. No traffic to speak of. Met a couple down from Vail on their Beemers.

[LowRyter]

south half on 92 is a great ride.








upload pic

[Lannis]

I'd love to know what the first guys (whether aborigines or explorers) who saw the Black Canyon said, in the equivalent English vernacular .... !

For me it was "I can't believe it.   LOOK at that!"

Lannis

[azguzzirep]

I'd love to know what the first guys (whether aborigines or explorers) who saw the Black Canyon said, in the equivalent English vernacular .... !

For me it was "I can't believe it.   LOOK at that!"

Lannis

I known that the Spanish conquistadors , like Coronado, though of the Grand Canyon only as an obstacle to overcome during their journey to the west coast.

[azguzzirep]

I'd love to know what the first guys (whether aborigines or explorers) who saw the Black Canyon said, in the equivalent English vernacular .... !

For me it was "I can't believe it.   LOOK at that!"

Lannis

[Lannis]

I known that the Spanish conquistadors , like Coronado, though of the Grand Canyon only as an obstacle to overcome during their journey to the west coast.

There's bound to have been more to it than that.   They didn't just say "Maldita, mira esta zanja. ¿Debemos ir alrededor?" and walk on.   Someone had to say "Oh WOW" in 16th century Spanish ....

[azguzzirep]

There's bound to have been more to it than that.   They didn't just say "Maldita, mira esta zanja. �Debemos ir alrededor?" and walk on.   Someone had to say "Oh WOW" in 16th century Spanish ....

I'm only going on what a park ranger/historian told me.

We both , him and me, could be wrong...😃

[LowRyter]

Black Canyon of the Gunnison





Craig from Beaumont

[PJPR01]

A sweet spot to visit no doubt!  Fun steep road down to the river as well...great spot for a break!

[alanp]

First real ride of the season today. Archangel and I met in "downtown" Paonia -- one mile from my place, 300 yards from his -- and he showed me CO-92 east of Crawford, about 40 miles out to Hermit's Rest Overlook. Lovely road, climbing to 9100 feet at one point. Spectacular views over the Gunnison and part of its gorge. No traffic to speak of. Met a couple down from Vail on their Beemers.

Seth,
Glad to hear you are settling in to Paonia.  You are going to enjoy the riding over there.  Lots of scenery, not much traffic! 

[alanp]

A sweet spot to visit no doubt!  Fun steep road down to the river as well...great spot for a break!

Great photos!  But you can't really do justice to the Black Canyon in a photo.

[PJPR01]

You're right about that!  It's a spectacular place...worthy of many visits!  :)

[Dharma Bum]

Just booked a cabin for three days!

[fred garvin]

This area is my back yard, since I live between Montrose and Ridgway and have riden all of the local roads many times. You really need at least a week to explore the great roads out here. If my schedule allows, I will partake in the festivities. To those that are interested in this ride, do all you can to make the trip. You will not be disapointed!

[rocker59]

A little FYI:

https://durangoherald.com/articles/154454-crib-wall-project-set-to-begin-on-molas-pass-last-until-october

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[azguzzirep]

Naturally 😕😕

Just gotta hope it's not too hot or raining as you sit and wait.

[dawdish]

See you there!

[M0T0Geezer]

Naturally 😕😕

Just gotta hope it's not too hot or raining as you sit and wait.

I'd rather be waiting on Molas Pass than watching some "reality" show on the home TV !!

[Utrider]

Hello folks.  I am fairly new to the Guzzi brand, but I have been bitten pretty hard.  I picked up a Stelvio in August of 2015, and added a California Touring to the stable in April of this year.  I have booked a spot at the KOA in Ouray during your Adventure and look forward to meeting you.

Roy

[twowings]

Mighty fine, Roy...looking forward to it! 

Welcome to Guzzi madness....

[Dharma Bum]

Alan, do you have a preliminary head count as of now?

[oldbike54]

Hello folks.  I am fairly new to the Guzzi brand, but I have been bitten pretty hard.  I picked up a Stelvio in August of 2015, and added a California Touring to the stable in April of this year.  I have booked a spot at the KOA in Ouray during your Adventure and look forward to meeting you.

Roy

 I'll just go ahead and offer an apology for the way some of these guys are gonna behave, go easy on them , they're are actually pretty harmless 

 Seriously , welcome to the family .

 Dusty

[azguzzirep]

What happens if I don't reserve something before I arrive? Will there still be places to sleep available?

[LowRyter]

What happens if I don't reserve something before I arrive? Will there still be places to sleep available?

There should be no problem finding a campsite if you have a tent and sleeping bag.  You might need to reserve a cabin at the camp ground since they are limited.

There are also motels and lodges in Ouray about 5 miles away.

[azguzzirep]

There should be no problem finding a campsite if you have a tent and sleeping bag.  You might need to reserve a cabin at the camp ground since they are limited.

There are also motels and lodges in Ouray about 5 miles away.

AZ Guzzi rep Jim McDurmott and I would like to be indoors!

[Travlr]

It appears that weekend may be freeing up for me.  Put me down as a tentative.

Mike

[alanp]

Just bumping this up and keeping the conversation going.  Hope to see many of you there.  Sept. Will be here before you know it. 

[M0T0Geezer]

Here's two pics taken during the last Ouray gathering in 2013.

The one of me and my Breva 750 shows one of the better vistas in all of Colorado.  It is near Ridgeway, which is "just up the street" from our 2017 campsite in Ouray.

Imagine substituting you and your bike for me and mine in that picture!  Hope to see you there!  'Geezer


2013 Ouray Campout: One of the Guzzi Group Rides


A stunning vista near Ridgeway, which is near Ouray, Colorado

[twowings]

'The mountains are calling and I must go...' 

[alanp]

As mentioned earlier in the thread, I plan to lead two rides during the Western Adventure that will capture some of the best sites and scenery Colorado has to offer.  If you are interested in joining on one or both, please let me know as I am trying to gauge interest. 

Here is a map of the Friday ride (double click to enlarge):



post images


This ride will be full of scenery and great riding.  If we are lucky we will see the Durango/Silverton steam train running along the tracks as we near Durango.  Also, I recently learned that there is a Motus dealer in Dolores where I plan to stop for lunch.  I can't really imagine there being a Motus dealer there, but I will be contacting them to see if it would be worth a visit.  In the afternoon, we will traverse Lizard Head Pass and the Dallas Divide, which are two of my favorite rides in the state.

The Saturday ride map:




This ride repeats the Dallas Divide, but is otherwise about as different from Fridays ride as you could ask for.  Rather than high mountain passes, much of this ride will be traveling through the gorgeous Dolores River red rock canyon to Gateway.  We will have lunch in Gateway and visit the Gateway Auto Museum.
http://gatewayautomuseum.com/

It is not a huge museum, but the quality of the cars and the presentation makes it the best vehicle museum I have visited. 

Please let me know if you are interested in either of these rides.  They are both all day affairs, and I understand it may be too much riding for some.  If that's the case, I may propose some other options.

Special thanks to MOTOGeezer for putting these maps together for us!