Departure was set for 8am Wednesday morning and I did not sleep well as I was way too anxious.
There would be 2 jeeps going with 6 people (3 each) and a GSA. Rick, Doug and Paula would be on one and Howard, Adan and Roland would be on another.
We would be going about 8 miles back South from Ouray and get in on the mountains path and go up Corkscrew and then down to Silverton where we would have lunch and after lunch we would go up to Engineer's Pass.
The first eight miles were done slowly as we prepared mentally for the task ahead. The two jeeps were in front and I was behind. Oh yes, I did take down tire pressure to 22 in the front and 20 in the back.
When we got in the trail we exchanged and I moved ahead as I needed the space in front of me as I could not stop on the inclines and the jeeps followed. I was the rabbit much faster and they were the tortoises but as in the story would win eventually, in this case the tortoises although slower would be able to do things the rabbit could not. They had the help of 4x4 traction. But more on that later.
For now I was enjoying putting the GSA through this and she was responding magnificent. The trick is you can never be scared with an obstacle and you have to believe (because it is true) that she can do much more than you think. So when an obstacle appears, choose the best line possible and then play with clutch and accelerator to get you through. Sometimes easy does it, most of the time power does it.
The first section was mainly uphill with holes filled with water, small stones and precipices on your right hand side that you should stay away from. Not for the weak at heart.
I would go on and after enough time had elapsed I would stop and give bike a rest (mainly clutch and heating). Weather was cool so heating never became a problem but as I was in first or second gear I wanted to be safe. This stop would also give time for the 2 jeeps to catch up.
I encountered 2 stream crossings, the first one was quite easy but psychologically going through the water is an interesting process. The second one was trickier because there was an uphill right next to the stream so you needed to gas it while going through the stream. And it was also wider. I got off the bike and removed a couple of lager stones that could change the direction of the front wheel and made it without any major issues.
I was in the zone and the views were starting to be great.
We stopped to give time for people to go to the toilet and also discuss our first impressions of the ride up.
I got on the bike and started and the first curve after the stop I could see it was a switchback with a lot of loose stones so I slowed down not to lose the front wheel as I went around the corner and as I turned I looked and the gradient was very steep so I put on the gas and the back wheel just spinned around to the right and down the GSA (and I went). Nothing major just a low speed drop. A couple of 4 wheelers ATVs came through and I asked for help and the two of us were able to get her up so by the time the jeeps got there the bike was already up and the riders gone.
And then it started a process that lasted for nearly an hour on how to best get the bike up this incline. I first tried to get a "running start" but as soon as she got to the incline and the way the loose gravel and stones were thick she just lost all traction and the back wheel just went left or right and down I went. Then we tried to walk the bike up but incline was so steep and the bike so heavy that without the running start she would just burn the clutch and not move much.
After one hour of this we decided that it was an insurmountable obstacle and I would turn back and they would go on and we would meet in Silverton for lunch.
In hindsight this was a very wise decision as when this ordeal was over I was tired and my arms were shaking.
I took some time to rest and have water and then started my way down.
The way down was not difficult and I used all my experience I have learned from others and riding the dirt bike coming down steep inclines. And yes, I did remember to turn off the ABS.
We met for lunch as planned and it turned out that there would be a couple of other turns similar to the one I could not make so if we had pressed on I would probably be too tired to ride on.
Next was Engineers's but first we needed to get to Animas Forks. The main issue on this part of the ride was quality of the road. It was rocks smoothed out by many cars and bikes over the years so it was by far the bumpiest ride I have done. Everything shook and when I got to Animas Forks my left mirror had become loose, so had my right auxiliary light. And I had to remove most of the loose gadgets as they were shaking like crazy. It was a good test to see where the weak links were on the bike.
And then we started the climb towards Engineers's. I had read this was possible to do on a GSA but the more I rode the more I started to believe this was not true. After all how do you go up a large rock protruding out of the dirt on a 700 pound motorcycle. The answer is, get your weight right back, lighten the front wheel and accelerate you way through it. If you blink or doubt you will stall and it will not be pretty. And it turned out the stories were right and it is possible to do Engineer's on a GSA but it is not easy or at least it was not for me. There were 4 or 5 times I thought I would not make it but in the end positive attitude, a little craziness and a lot of stubbornness won the day.
I got to the top alone and got off the bike and did the "Rocky on top of the steps" dance. It felt that good.
A Jeep appeared with a family and I asked them to take a picture to remind me of this great moment.
It was cold up there and after discussing with the guys in the Jeeps we decided to go down separate ways. Howard's jeep would go through the toughest part through the shortest way. Rick's jeep would go back the same way we had come up. I could not go the way Howard went as there were too many rocks and boulders not suitable for two wheel vehicles and I did not want to go back the same way we came as I wanted to see something new so I went down the longest route.
It would take me over an hour to get to Lake City. This would be on dirt and then two and half hours on asphalt back to Ouray.
This turned out to be a great decision and went through some of the most beautiful dirt riding I have done with a river on the right hand side and big mountains on the left. And this went on for 5 miles or so.
The way down the mountain was tricky for the first 2 miles as there was lot of loose stuff and switch backs at the bottom so you needed to time your curve just right. One the the things I learned and here pass on is that it is very dangerous to have bike engaged coming downhill because if something happens (like it did to me) your wheel may turn the wrong way (towards the precipice) and in the split second you let go of your clutch and the bike engages and starts going towards the precipice. If this happens you have two options, panic and jump off the bike and save yourself or don't panic, pull in the clutch and slowly the break, turn the wheel and point it towards the bottom of the hill. As I am telling this story and you can still see the pictures of the bike, I did not panic.
I also learned how to fishtail a 700 pound motorcycle around a switch back. You do it the same way you do a 300 pound motorcycle but you shout (or scream) at the top of your lungs while doing it. From the adrenalin not fear ;-).
The way back on asphalt was very beautiful and felt great to go around corners at high speed without having to worry that you may not have the grip.
I "danced" all the way home. I had one of the biggest grins on my face.
It had been a great day for all.
Click HERE for all the pictures of this amazing day
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