Motorcycling the Great Divide Route for the forth and fifth times.

The rugged Centennial Mountains.

The GDR (Great Divide Route) has become one of my favorite rides, and I'm eager to ride it again. As with the previous year, I plan to skip the route through New Mexico, due to the heat, and instead ride pavement through AZ & NM and get on the route in the mountains of southern Colorado. When I reach the Canadian border I plan to turn around and follow the route back to NM.

Day 1: Arizona

July 1, 2013: Home to campsite near Cuba NM, 472 mi.

Departure

Queen Creek Canyon

Salt Creek

New Mexico

First night's camp, 4 mi. north of Cuba NM.

Day 2: New Mexico

July 2, 2013: Cuba campsite to Storm King campground, 230 mi.

For the second time while driving this road I've arrived at a train crossing to see an approaching train. This is the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad heading up to Cumbres Pass.

Colorado

Little and Big Red Mountains.

Montezuma Peak and Long Trek Mountain.

Looking back at Del Norte, a fuel stop.

At Storm King campground, I was the only visitor. I had the whole place to myself.

Day 3: Colorado

July 3, 2013: Storm King campground to Colorado Springs, 229 mi.

Columbines

Leisurely departure from Storm King campground.

Climbing Bassam Park Pass, looking at Mt. Antero, Princeton, and Mt. Yale in the Sawatch Range.

In South Park, this is a fun crossing - but it's much deeper that it was last year. The water was over the top of my boots when standing on the pegs.

Day 4: Colorado

July 4, 2013: Layover day in Colorado Springs.

My sister on my bike. She assumed a hard core look, so I enhanced the photo to suit.

Day 5: Colorado

July 5, 2013: Colorado Springs to Campsite 5 mi NW of Radium, 203 mi.

The ranch where I grew up.

They have sub-divided the acreage and made a public road though the place. This is one of the fields I farmed, planting and harvesting oats.

The old hay rake was part of my grandfather's farming inventory. I used it a lot.

Back on the GDR, en route to Como.

The old Como Roundhouse.

Coming off Boreas heading to Breckenridge, The Ten Mile range.

The Gore range, coming out of Silverthorn. I spent the summer of 1974 up there instructing wilderness courses.

Interesting rock formation en route to Radium, CO.

People fishing in the Colorado River on the outskirts of Radium.

A weed is just a weed, until you give it a closer look.

Late in the day, I make another stop to look at the flowers.

Fleabane. I took over 2,500 photos on this trip, using a small point-and-shoot, and every now and then I get something good.

Hairbells

A curious sight at my camp. I recently got this message from someone in the UK "Okay so I know this is an off the page question, but you have hiked so many places and remotely as well so what I want to know from you is this: Have you at any time ever seen a sasquatch (bigfoot) or heard ape like noises." I can't crack a joke on my website without someone taking me seriously; so I won't comment on this, other than to say that bigfoot is well known for sticking trees in the ground upside down.

Day 6: Colorado

July 6, 2013: Campsite 5 mi NW of Radium to Rawlins, 189 mi.

Shortly after the previous photo my camera ran out of juice and I missed several good photo opportunities. So here I am after recharging the battery at a convenience store in Steamboat. Last night's camp was fraught with a heavy all-night rain that turned the dirt roads into mud. So the riding was extra challenging. Big Rock Creek, a normally passable crossing, had been flooded by beavers making a dam down-steam of the crossing. I waded 3/4 of the way across with the water over the top of my boots, until I came to a hole. So I turned back and rode around that short section. (note the loop on my map - Google couldn’t do the turn-around.) Reaching this c-store I plugged in my camera battery then spread things to dry in the sun. Note to self: don't forget to pack an extra camera battery next time!

Wyoming

Aspen Alley. The name is not mine, but actually quite well known among the locals and visitors.

Day 7: Wyoming

July 7, 2013: Rawlins to campsite by Mosquito Lake, 280 mi.

Did you ever wonder what Bairoil WY looked like? Me too, but the ten miles to get back on route was extra rough and hardly worth the detour.

Out in the middle of nowhere, crossing the Great Divide Basin (aka Red Desert). When you can finally see the Wind River mountain range - way out yonder - you know you're getting somewhere.

Highway sign

North of Pinedale, the hail from this storm left me with a few bruises. So much for the armor in my motorcycle jacket and pants.

Heading up toward Union Pass.

One of the benefits of repeating routes is I know just where to camp in stormy weather. I was riding fast to beat the next oncoming storm, and made it to this place just in time. I pitched my tarp and threw everything in, just as the rain began. Then ten minutes later the clouds moved on, the sun came out, and I enjoyed a very pleasant evening. This camp is what last year I called my "Columbine Camp" near Mosquito Lake.

The Columbines? Like last year they were everywhere.

Day 8: Wyoming

July 8, 2013: Mosquito Lake to Red Rock Pass - 206 mi.

Pretty bridge on little-used Warm Springs Road. (Bicyclists please note that the Warm Springs alternate has several extra up-hill grinds.)

Elephant Heads

Over Togwotee Pass

Even though the light conditions are not stellar, the view is nonetheless gobsmacking.

Montana

I was pulled over by this fellow at Flagg Ranch, and during our conversations I told him where I planned to camp that night. Several hours later I pulled up to my campsite, and there he was. He followed me for the next two days.

My campsite at Red Rock Pass - same trees, same peg holes.

Day 9: Montana

July 9, 2013: Day's Riding: Red Rock Pass to campsite below Table Mt (S. of Butte) - 237 mi.

Ready to roll.

The rugged Centennial Mountains.

Taylor Mountain

Pronghorn

Old homestead in Centennial Valley.

A side trip to Morrison Lake.

I talked Richard into crossing this stream a third time for my photograph.

A late afternoon stop to buy groceries.

Stealth camping on nice soft grass.

Day 10: Montana

July 10, 2013: Campsite below Table Mt to campsite along Marsh Creek - 133 mi.

A stop in Butte for gas and coffee.

Northern Pacific Railway tunnel

Ruins of the Glass brothers' smelter near Basin

The 800 goes down at slow speed, no harm done.

The GDR on Lava Mt. This hill is much steeper that it looks in the photo, and too steep and rocky for my skill level. And anyway I wouldn’t want to contribute or even or coexist with that kind of erosion. (Most of the erosion was caused by Jeeps and Quads it seemed to me) But what's more, the route is closed to motorized vehicles - according the posted sign - so we we went around.

An old lime kiln on the outskirts of Helena.

Imagine you are taking a break from an all-day car ride, sitting in the shade and eating a snack, when three guys stop their cars, come over and strike up a friendly conversation. And time to go, handshakes are shared all around with sincere wishes for enjoyable trips. Such a thing would be almost unheard of. But switch to motorcycles, and such a thing happens. According to these guys, we were the first moto riders they had met on the route. And they certainly made my day because I enjoy meeting other riders.