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On my last motorcycle trip through Colorado I wanted to ride Rte 65 over The Grand Mesa. It's supposed to be a good road. Didn't do it then, but I did this time. It was quite a drive from Boulder on I-70, so I wasn't picky about a campsite when I got near Rte 65. Found a nice, flat gravel area up a hill behind a truck stop just off Rte 70 and east of Palisade. Woke up, and after the normal morning ablutions drove a mile or so up 65 to an official parking area. Heading up the winding, curvy road to the top of Grand Mesa afforded amazing, expansive views to the north. Passed a ski area about half way up, then on higher. There's a community of vacation houses at the top, many lakes, and a network of gravel roads that lead around the top and then down to Cedaredge and a gas station on the south side of the mesa. They were chip-sealing Rte 65 on the south side of the mesa and the road had fresh oil sprayed on it. I thought, "Now's a good time to try out the Svart on gravel roads!" I opened the fork valve adjustments by 4 notches and put the Svart in "Supermoto" mode, and headed down what I understood to be a back way down to Cedaredge. Pretty fun! I do dislike washboard road surfaces though. Wound my way down to Cedaredge and got gas. Then remembered an alternate gravel road to the east that leads back up to the top. Took it and made my way back up to the vacation houses. Pretty rough road, but the Svart did fine.
While waiting at a construction delay point at the top of the mesa, I conversed with the flagger guy. He's a motorcyclist too and said "If you really want to drag knees, you should ride De Beque canyon rd". So on my way back to my van I took a right just after the 330 turnoff to the east and headed to De Beque on De Beque Cutoff Rd. You gotta love a road that's called "cutoff". What a road! Perhaps the second best technical sportbikey road of the trip. Very 3d with linked low speed curves on silky smooth pavement through hoodoos and wonderful rock formations. I rode about 10 miles out and back. Wow! Who would've known?
Outbound route:
Return route:
Looking north on the climb up the north side of Grand Mesa:
High elevation lakes on gravel roads on the south side of Grand Mesa:
Near the beginning of De Beque Cutoff rd: