Springfield to the Grand Canyon

By: C. Nelson | April 15, 2008

We decided to trailer the bikes across Kansas because it was the middle of summer and as everyone knows, the only shade in Kansas during the summer are the circling vultures above.

Our first greeting to Colorado was from a cattle drive right down the middle of the road which made for some slow going, but interesting non-the-less.  We finally made it to our campsite just off the Million Dollar Hwy (Hwy 550), south of Silverton.  The campsite was situated alongside a small lake surrounded by a beautiful vista of the Rocky Mountains... Pretty cool spot.

From our base camp we explored most of S.W. Colorado.  Silverton is a very small town and was just up the road, it offered some great food and had a place to get a shower.  First we cruised over to Telluride for some grub and “people watching” (the goofy looking Hollywood high-tone type).  The ride into the telluride valley is quite an experience and one not to be missed.

Next we had decided to ride down to Mesa Verde National Monument, this is an amazing place a should not be avoided.  Once there the realization that we were so close to the Four Corners area required that we go have a look-see.

Let me just say that riding a motorcycle across northern Arizona in the summer at high noon is not for the faint of heart, it’s a lot like entering the seventh circle of hell!  after about 100 miles we finally found a roadside restaurant and pulled in to cool off both ourselves and the bikes (it was like a scene from the movie Wild Hogs, when they ran into the cafe and drank everything in site).

valuable lesson from our first encounter with the Arizona heat.  The best thing about getting such an early start was riding through Utah’s Monument Valley when the sun came up silhouetting all of the distinctive spires and rock formations.

We stopped in Mexican Hat Utah for lunch and found a quirky little joint with an eccentric old woman that regaled us with area stories and gave us tour of her makeshift museum.  Next we continued west, back towards Durango to call and end to this trip.  Overall this is an area of the West I would highly recommend exploring on two wheels.