Today we planned an easy riding day out to the Black
Canyon National Park of the Gunnison, just an hour's drive west on route 50. We
rode along Blue Mesa Reservoir, a very large and spectacular recreational area.
The rock formations were really cool in the morning
light.
About 30 miles to the canyon, we encountered road
construction. As we sat waiting for our turn on the one lane, a couple on a
Goldwing pulled up next to us. They were from Hawaii and rented a Wing to ride
around Colorado for a week. They own a Kawasaki Voyager at home, and commented
how the Wing "handles like a sport bike" in comparison. While we
were waiting for traffic to clear, a very large group of maybe a hundred
classic roadsters rode by. We got shots of some great ones.
Once we got moving, we were hopeful that Colorado had a
better approach to construction than our trip through Wyoming a few years ago.
It was not to be. We came upon 4 miles of dirt. CDOT apparently also rips the
roads out down to the dirt. And the previous evening rain made for some slick
spots. Rob was thankful for his rear car tire on this trip!
Arriving at the Canyon, we were surprised by its depth.
It formed violently causing 1000 foot sheer walls. The park had vertigo-inducing overlooks, each offering a unique view.
We attempted to take a 2 mile hike but ended up on the
wrong path. Through the trees we came upon a small overlook area. Michele
yelled out to Rob to hurry up because two chipmunks were teetering on the edge
of the rocks.
As Rob was taking pics of them, Michele looked over to
the left, and was stunned to see this!
Bobcats! Rob initially thought they were "some other
type of cat" until one turned and showed its spotted fur and telltale
stubby tail. The bobcats were making little noises and sitting in the shade.
They seemed as curious of us as we were of them. We think there was a mama and her
cub, plus one other. They allowed us to take photos and gawk at them.
We tore ourselves away and got back on the bike to ride
the rim.
Afterwards, we took the 5 mile road down to the bottom to
see the river. This road came with multiple cautions as it was very steep at 16
degree grade and very twisty.
Rob went slow and
we had no traffic. The views were pretty amazing, making for a great day.
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