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Colorado Hwy 550 7-12-2020 report AKA Red Mt Pass

nickrides

Member
Member
Left Telluride at 8 AM this morning. Met one of my buddies Brian Mc Cormick in Ridgway. Brian is 76 yrs young and was riding his Kawasaki Ninja 1000. Nice morning cool and clear, no fire smoke. Motored up through Ouray and turned up the wick going up Red Mt Pass. Light traffic and good conditions. At 76 Brian can still really get after it. Our bikes are pretty close in power, me riding a 2014 C-14. They keep the road up there in great shape, no debris in the corners to scare ya, its swept daily It looks like. Right out of Ouray southbound the road has this crazy section where the pavement on the side ends and there's some place where 8-12" from the white line is a 1000' drop! Its kind of slow in the switchbacks just before the pass. Real sharp corners.
Up over the pass at 11,000+ the road opens up a bit but is still really exposed, you do not want to go off!
Then down a few miles the road turns into a super sweet section down into Silverton, moderate to high speed back and forth constant radius corners.
Leaving Silverton heading up to Molas pass Is all good riding and the viewpoint at the top of Molas Pass is spectacular. Then down to the next lower canyon bottom is more great riding.
Then up the hill to Coalbank Pass is more great cornering and views.
Cresting Coalbank the road steepens down into the Durango Valley and Purgatory ski area. All great corners and the road is in excellent shape.
At full throttle the two bikes seem very close, IN spite of mine being about 400 CC'S bigger motor.
We stopped for a break at the Timberline Gas Station just south of the ski area, had a burrito and and a Ice tea.
Returned home same trip in reverse.
200 mile out and return.
It was fairly busy on the return trip, if your willing to pass you can keep moving along.
Theirs lots of opportunity's to pass, If you got a Connie!
No cops the whole day!

Ride safe in 2020
Nick
2014 C-14
 
Nickrides said:
At full throttle the two bikes seem very close  ...
No cops the whole day!

Now that's riding heaven.    :beerchug:

This spring I was leading around a pickup on two lane road and did my normal WOT pass; just as I was crossing back into my lane a car comes around and 'holy ghost, Batman' it was a sheriff - with his deputy in tow.  Dam, what are the chances of that, two LEO's on a remote road?  Nil.  Radared at 99 in a 55 - two of us pulled over.  Good karma and our normal old man look got us a warning.
 
I haven't rode there in years. The last times I have been there, a patrol unit was always just north of Durango.
As I recall, it was in an area that was 4 lanes or just as it necked down to 2 lanes.
Probably a small town or municipality.

Ride safe, Ted
 
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