Day 5: Colorado Springs, CO to Durango, CO (450 miles)
And the ride begins! The weather was perfect today. We visited Royal Gorge (tourists have taken over this national attraction) and then Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, the newest national park in the country. The scenery was spectacular. We rode through high mountain roads with beautiful views and followed rivers that seemed like they would never end. The day finished with a Barbeque dinner for the Posse Riders by the Durango Harley-Davidson dealership. We made the food line just minutes before they ran out at 6:45pm - needless to say, it was a long day of riding with 12 hours in the saddle!

Oh, by the way, Tom has already had a flat tire on his new bike. As his bike was being serviced for its first 1,000 mile tuneup, the service team noticed a big nail in one of his tires and pulled it out, only to watch it start to deflate. They pulled it right back into the service bay for a new tire . . . while Tom and Debby waited, perplexed at their luck on this trip. But they are back at it and having a blast."

Black Canyon Gun - Views down into the canyon where a river runs through it.

Blue Mesa Lake overlook where we stopped for a pleasant break.

A shot of Telluride (where all of Hollywood's biggest celebrities now build homes to escape the city) from the road on our way to Durango.