Back To ABQ

Last day on the road (almost) and we had the Million Dollar Highway in front of us, plus a lot of high-level riding.

Green fields either side

This guy was landing - watch the powerlines

From Montrose we tracked south to Ouray.  Getting close we came across a curious convoy.
One car, then three Harleys and a Spyder, then three more cars, all traveling 10mph under the limit.  Strange in this country.
We managed to overtake the trailing cars but the road in to Ouray was narrow and winding so we slowly rolled in to and through town.  The limit in town was 25mph but thses guys took it at 15.

Hard to go past

Just before getting out the other side the car pulled off and the bikes continued.
We pulled up.  One to set up the video and the other to let them go ahead through the upcoming tight twisty road.
Naturally, we just got everything set up and a semi came through.  Sigh.
So we had a bit of a slow ride through the first part of the tight twisty road with steep dropoffs.  Not because of the semi, which we managed to overtake. Not because of the Harleys, they stopped for pictures.
But because of three BMW GS bikes traveling unusually slow.
I was beginning to wonder if we had been magically transported to another country.

The scenery is quite spectacular.  High mountains with loose surfaces.  Low clouds covered most of the high stuff today.

An open part of the MDH let us get some free road

Tight corners anyone?

 Through the other side we got to Silverton and thought that was the last, but there was more.

They have one too.  Guess what they mine here.

The road rose up to the 10,000ft mark again and we stayed at this height for mile after mile.  On good roads it was a lot of fun if a little cool.

Finally we went down a very long hill behind a tanker that didn't use its brakes once and were on more level ground.  Around 7,000ft the roadsigns proudly proclaimed every so often.

We were now on Hwy 550 and heading for New Mexico.  A very good four-lane divided road that has one major difference from the big Interstates.  No traffic.  To speak of anyway.  At the 70mph limit we were overtaken about four times and overtook the same number in a hundred miles.  So different from over in the east.

First sign we are almost "home"

New Mexico has its own spectacular sights.

At San Ysidro about fifty miles out, we spied a familiar figure on a Triumph Tiger.  Jack did a U-turn and led us in to Albuquerque.
At one traffic light stop he leaned over and said, "Nice bike you've got there."
I replied, "You like it?  It's yours."
Well, after 7,000 plus miles the tyres were just about shot so why not.

A couple of days in ABQ now before we head home on Saturday.