July 1 - Montrose, CO to Vernal, UT - 260 miles

Today was a planned roundabout scenic route.  The highlight of the day was our ride up onto "Grand Mesa", a National Park in Colorado that consists of a huge mesa about 50 miles long by 10-15 miles wide, and all of it at above 10,000 feet elevation.  What an absolutely beautiful area!  At the top, the mesa is beautifully forested with fir and spruce, and there are so many pretty little lakes that you lose count.  The Forest Rangers told us that there are 300 lakes within the National Park mesa boundaries!

 The ride up to the top was truly spectacular, with a bright clear morning allowing views of hundreds of square miles of Colorado mountains and valleys around Delta, Colorado.  The fertile green valleys contrasted with the mountain peaks with small pockets of snow still on the North sides.  

On top, we rode the few paved roads and marveled at the beautiful settings of many little lakes with just a few cabins having these pristine views.  The majority of the 300 lakes in the National Park have no cabins, but some are accessible for fishing.  Riding down the other side brought us to Grand Junction, Colorado with quite a different view of very dry layered mountains.  And what a temperature contrast!  At the top of the 10,000 ft. mesa the temperature was about 55 ^oF, requiring our full riding suits because of the wind chill factor, and by the time we got down to the Grand Junction area, it was about 93 ^oF !

Of course, the curvy roads getting to the mesa top and back down were a motorcyclist's dream.  All in all, it was one of the most spectacular short trips that either Norm or I have ever taken.

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