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Trans America Trail part 2

Posted by Staff
Monday, 15 October 2007
Page 2 of 3 Stopping for pictures, we pitied the three riders that stayed back at Blue Mesa to fish as this was the most spectacular place I had ever ridden a motorcycle, and from our vantage point, I truly believed we were on top of the world; It certainly felt like it. But what goes up, must come down, so down we went. As we approached the bottom we were forced to take another way down as the plows had yet to clear our intended route. We consulted our maps and GPS, and planned an alternative way to Ophir Pass. We stopped in Silverton for fuel and a fast lunch, still in awe of the country we just passed through. We plotted our course, and paid our tab for the $3 dollars and some change low grade fuel, and again pointed our tires west. Ophir Pass goes from roughly 9,000 feet to over 11,000 feet in just about 4-5 miles. This translates into an intense rate of climb, and it descends on the far side with the same purpose. Not nearly as maintained as Cinnamon Pass, and awash with the now familiar snow melt and mud mix, our bikes pulled relentlessly up toward the summit. We only encountered one other vehicle. It was a truck full of tourists that was making a 7 point turn to navigate a switchback we easily maneuvered on our bikes. This time we did not need the GPS altimeter to tell us we were above 10,000 feet as mud and water turned to ice and snow. Vertical climate is a natural phenomenon, and something this former flatlander has a brand new respect for. The sky, now ominous and grey was dropping fresh snow on top of us, and a wind was whipping at over 20 miles an hour as we crested. This time, we stopped for a quick photo and congratulatory hand slapping, but we descended with a renewed sense of urgency to get below the snow and into the relative comfort of the 40 something degrees is was just 2,500 feet in elevation below. << Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>

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