In July 2002, we went on a motorcycle trip with our friends Carol and Steve through Colorado and Utah. The map below shows the route that we took.
We rode on a 2002 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic that we rented from Blue Sky Motorcycle Rentals in Denver, CO. Carol and Steve rode on a Honda Gold Wing. We rode for about 1815 miles over 2 weeks.
| Date | Start Location | Intermediate Point | End Location | Daily Miles | Total Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/18/02 | Denver, CO | Rocky Mountain National Park | Boulder, CO | 39 | 39 |
| 7/21/02 | Boulder, CO | Gunnison, CO | 219 | 258 | |
| 7/22/02 | Gunnison, CO | Black Canyon | Telluride/Ouray, CO | 159 | 417 |
| 7/23/02 | Telluride/Ouray, CO | Million Dollar Hwy, Mesa Verde | Cortez, CO | 111 | 528 |
| 7/24/02 | Cortez, CO | Lake Powell, National Bridges | Capitol Reef National Park, UT | 260 | 788 |
| 7/25/02 | Capitol Reef National Park, UT | Bryce Canyon National Park, UT | 111 | 899 | |
| 7/26/02 | Bryce Canyon National Park, UT | Zion National Park | Springdale, UT | 88 | 987 |
| 7/28/02 | Springdale, UT | Salina, UT | 189 | 1176 | |
| 7/29/02 | Salina, UT | Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park | Moab, UT | 156 | 1332 |
| 7/30/02 | Moab, UT | Dillon, CO | 301 | 1633 | |
| 7/31/02 | Dillon, CO | Denver, CO | 182 | 1815 |
Denver, Colorado
We began our trip in Denver. This is where we picked up the motorcycles that were to be our homes for the next 2 weeks. These pictures show Fred and Anita on the Electra Glide Classic and Carol and Steve with their Gold Wing.
Colorado Highways and National Parks
We stayed in Boulder, Colorado for the first three nights and rode around the Boulder area and through Rocky Mountain National Park. Then we headed on the road toward Gunnison, Colorado.
As we rode by the Pike’s Peak area, we rode through a thunder and hail storm and had to pull off the road for a while. Once the storm cleared we rode through some beautiful mountainous scenery to Gunnison, CO.
Black Canyon National Park
After we reached the end of the Queen’s Garden Trail, it was decision time – we either turned around and returned the way we came, or we continued another mile and a half to the Navajo Loop Trail. We were tired already and had even less water, but we were enjoying the scenery so much that we decided to continue on.
Million Dollar Highway and Mesa Verde National Monument
The next day we headed toward the Telluride/Ouray area of Colorado, stopping in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and staying in Ouray. The next day we headed out of Ouray on the scenic Million Dollar Highway.
Mesa Verde National Monument
We stopped that evening in Cortez, Colorado. We rode through Mesa Verde National Monument and saw the ancient cliff dwellings.
Lake Powell and National Bridges National Monuments
After leaving Cortez, Colorado, we headed into Utah, riding by Lake Powell and National Bridges National Monument.
Capitol Reef National Park
We spent the night near Capitol Reef National Park and rode through Capitol Reef the next day.
Capitol Reef has several majestic and beautiful rock formations. If you look close you can see ancient petroglyphs in the rocks.
Upon leaving Capitol Reef, we rode over Scenic Highway 12 to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon was our favorite of all of the parks we visited on this trip. Its beautiful landscape is made up of unusually shaped red rock pillars known as “hoodoos”.
We rode our bikes through the park, stopping at the viewpoints to look at the scenery and take pictures.
We also went on a hikd into the canyon to stretch our legs and get a look at the hoodos and wildlife up close.
Zion National Park
The next day we rode over to Zion National Park. In Zion, we rode through the park, stopping to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. We also took a hike through one of the rivers in Zion. The panoramic picture above was made by taking several snapshots and piecing them together with software.
Arches National Park
The town of Moab, Utah is close to both Arches and Canyonland National Parks. Riding through Arches we saw many beautiful red rock formations including many shaped like Arches, where the park got its name. Below is Anita who is dwarfed by a rock formation called Balanced Rock.
The rock formation below is called the Three Gossips and was one of our favorites.
Canyonlands National Park
Also near Moab is Canyonlands National Park. Below is a panoramic view again taken by stitching together several snapshots using software.
Below is a scenic picture of some ravens at one of the viewpoints in Canyonlands.
After Moab, we drove back through the Colorado Rockies, spending the night near Dillon, Colorado at a ski resort before heading back to Denver for our flight home. This was truly a memorable trip – we were fortunate to be able to spend two weeks sharing the beautiful scenery with good friends.