Colorado and the Southwest
After meeting Kevin and Jim in 2015 on the Alaska trip, then riding with Kevin in Ireland in 2016 and Norway in 2017, it was time for all three of us to get back together in 2018. So, Kevin flew in from Ireland and Jim rode his new Screamin' Eagle Harley to Denver from Pennsylvania and we toured Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. There's some very diverse and beautiful scenery between these three states and it was a great time.
This is a short four minute overview of the whole trip giving you a small sample of what the trip was like. We had great weather, great scenery, lots of laughs and a fantastic time.
Jim arrives at my house and shortly after, we pick up Kevin at the airport. The next day we hit the road to my cabin near Westcliffe, then over Independence Pass, then into Glenwood Springs.
From Glenwood Springs, we ride over The Grand Mesa, then make our way to the amazing Black Canyon of the Gunnison. From there, we rode into Ouray, which was covered in smoke from a nearby forest fire.
From Ouray, we ride south to Mesa Verde NP, stay in nearby Mancos then make our way over Wolf creek Pass into the San Luis Valley and visit The Great Sand Dunes, returning to Westcliffe. In the Westcliffe area we visit Bishops Castle, then hang around Westcliffe.
We return to Denver and the following day the three of us ride to the top of Mount Evans (the highest paved road in North America). The next day, Jim heads back east and Kevin an I hit the road for Utah and visit Arches NP and stay in Green River.
From Green River, we stop at the home of Butch Cassidy on the way to Zion NP, where I have a slight set back after being bitten by a dog. Kevin continues onto The Grand Canyon and we meet back up in Jacob Lake, Arizona, then end the day in Kayenta, Arizona.
From Kayenta, we ride through Monument Valley and stop at Four Corners, then stay in Chama. We then continue onto the ghost town of Summitville, Colorado, then onto South Fork, then back to Westcliffe. On the final day, we ride through Phantom Canyon and visit the old mining town of Victor.