Friday, June 30, 2017

Grand Mesa Day 9: Just Playin'

Today we decided to spend some time on top of the Grand Mesa and see what there was to see. We found that most of the road that offshoot from Hwy 65 turn to gravel as soon as you are off the highway or shortly after you leave the pavement.

We started to ride out to the observatory, but less than a mile in, the gravel road deteriorated to the point that we decided to turn around and head back to Hwy 65.

We went to the Grand Mesa Visitor Center and asked the rangers about roads. They told us what we had already discovered -- most roads off Hwy 65 are gravel. Donna pulled her bike up to the lake and watched the fisher-folk. One guy was reeling them in as fast as he was casting. In the 10 minutes or so she watched, she said he must have pulled in at least four fish. And they were all more than 12 inches.


The longest stretch we found was just east of the Visitor Center. The road is paved for a few miles before it turns to gravel. So, Laura changed shoes and jumped on the back of my bike. We rode up the road for maybe a couple of miles or so after it turned to gravel. Finding a good spot to pull the bikes off and be able to step down to the water, we parked and spent a little time enjoying the view.



We found some pretty interesting flowers in the area, and one of the trees had a USGS marker on it.



As we were leaving, Laura decided it was a good day to hug a tree.


On the way out of the area, we discovered a little place that sells food, so we stopped for a late-ish lunch. They had a limited menu, but the food was excellent.


For $10 each, we were able to get a hot sandwich, fresh fries, and a cold drink. I had the BLT, and the bacon was absolutely delicious. Thick sliced, smoked, and cooked to perfection, that sandwich must have had at least four huge slices of bacon. We gobbled down our food, but still couldn't finish all of the fries. A hand-scoop of ice cream topped off the meal, and we were on our way back to drop Laura off at her car.

After we checked out a couple more roads that led to gravel, we headed back to the condo to pack for the ride home.


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