Riding from CA to CO and back:
7/6 Thousand Oaks, CA to Flagstaff, AZ (ouch!)
7/7 Flagstaff to Mesa Verde (Cortez), CO
7/8 Mesa Verde to Delta, CO
7/9 Delta to Broomfield, CO
7/10 Broomfield to Dillon, CO (though Rocky Mountain NP)
7/11 Dillon to Utah ???
Kind of open at this point bu plan on seeing the sights and work our way back to LA by 7/14

Sugesstions for routes and places to visit are welcome. For that matter, let me know if you want to join us any part of the route.

Thanks

 

From Delta, take 133 to Carbondale. It's a spectacular road that takes you up over McClure Pass. You get a nice view of the back side of the Blue Bells - which most people never see.

From Carbondale, follow 82 through Aspen and up over Independance Pass. One of my favorite rides. If you have the extra time (about an hour or so) go south to Buena Vista (pronounced "boona") and pick up 24. 24 then connects with 285, which will take you all the way to denver via South Park and Kenosha Pass. A very nice ride.

Trail Ridge Road through RMNP will lead you to Grand Lake. A nice little vacation town. You'll ride along the headwaters of the Colorado River.

The best route heading west from there is to just follow 40. Steamboat Springs is nice.

At Dinosaur, turn south on 64 to Rangely. Then take 139 south over Douglass Pass. Some spectacular scenery there.

Go through Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction.

South of Grand Junction, pick up 141 at Whitewater. That's an impressive ride through the river valley to Gateway. There's an interesting car museum there; home of the multimillion dollar Buick.

At Naturita, turn west on 90 towards Utah. You can travel down Momument Valley to the grand canyon, or go up to page and cruise through southern utah.

Trivia Question: How did the Grand Canyon get it's name? Hint, same way Grand Lake did.

 

Sounds like a nice ride. Thanks for the suggestion

 

On the way home from Riding the Rockies. Glennwood Canyon just east of Glennwood Springs on I70 was gorgeous, even with the construction through the canyon taking the road down to 1 lane each way. Trail Ridge Road was amazing too; a lot of elk sunning on the tundra and plenty of snow above the treeline.