Ouray - Grand Junction

Last night, a thunderstorm came down in Ouray that had at least washed itself in volume.... Rain, well... nature could take much more.

This morning, it started at a pleasant, sunny 20 degrees at 9 o'clock (20 degrees seemed almost cool to us after the consistently hot days), but we should break the 40-degree mark again in the afternoon.

First stop was Ridgway, a small western town 15 minutes behind Ouray. Ridgway is known for the two film adaptations of the western 'Tru Grit', once the classic with John Wayne and also the remake with Jeff Bridges was filmed here. We had an excellent American breakfast in a small diner before continuing a bit on Highway 550. We left this road near Montrose and headed into the Black Canyon area.

We first bypassed the Black Canyon on the western side. Here the roads were wide, the valleys were wide and the curves were long and harmonious to drive.... wonderful. We crossed the canyon at the Blue Mesa Dam and drove back on the eastern side of the canyon towards Montrose. Now the road was narrow, the curves demanding, and the valleys and canyons were rugged and steep..... wonderful for cruising.

There is not much to say about the canyon, perhaps unfairly, because it was quite impressive in terms of landscape, but we had seen a few of its kind in the past few days, so the enthusiasm was limited. Today, the driving experience was clearly in the foreground.

In the late afternoon, we arrived in Grand Junction sweaty and tired, but happy.

Summary of the day: Today we let the Harley fly properly.