Views of the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway and Uraling about the eastern end of Shrine Pass Road

Saturday, August 24

Here's some pics of Fiona from yesterday's Sunset at the pullout where I can get 4G cellular Internet connectivity

Did some maintenance tasks for the RV and motorcycles and then headed out on Fiona for today's riding.  Stopped at the nearby pullout to check email and check in with the family and then headed to the I-70 entrance ramp.

It was perhaps 5 miles to exit 185, Colorado Highway 91 towards Leadville.  The plan was to photograph the usual mountain spots (it's been a while since I've come up) and to explore the national forest camp sites along CO 91 and south of Fremont Pass.

I did find a couple of sites that might be usable, with even good cellular signal even, just not sure what I'd be exploring in the area by camping in those spots.

I was then exploring an interesting trail near the zipline facility and not paying attention, allowed the tug to go into a deep rut and my left foot got caught on the edge of the rut.  It twisted my foot off the foot peg in a quite painful manner and I stopped shortly thereafter feeling some excruciating pain.

Slowly, the pain became bearable and I tried putting weight on the left foot and was able to hobble about, in pain, but moving.  Called Martha, my loving wife and nurse, she diagnosed a sprained ankle and recommended I return to the URRV.

So I retraced my route on CO 91, stopping still at the planned spots for pics:

Sorry, but I forgot to use the PeakFinder app to figure out the name of the peaks above.

I will admit, getting off and on the rig was an exercise in slow movement and making sure no real pressure was placed on the left ankle!

I got back to the campsite with no issue but the ankle was throbbing at this point.  Downed some Vitamin I (Ibuprofen) got some ice and wrapped it around my swollen ankle (taking off the boot was an exercise in pain) and just laid down and took it easy the rest of the afternoon.

By evening, the ankle was still swollen but I was able to hobble about the RV and outside with just minimal pain twinges at the ankle.

Sunday, August 25

Today was a good day.

Woke to a still swollen ankle but I was able to hobble around the campsite and RV with minimal twinges of pain so I called it progress.

Once it warmed up a bit (woke to temperatures in the low 40s), I got geared up and wearing the more supportive riding boots, went Uraling with Fiona, my '99 Ural Patrol.  No way I can ride Yagi for now, one needs two working ankles for two-wheeled riding!

I rode over to the Exit 190 rest area looking for a trash dumpster for my accumulated trash.  No joy.

I then rode over to nearby Black Lake, one of them anyways, the other's access road was closed.

 Mount Powell in the middle, the rightmost peak wasn't named

by the PeakFinder app on my phone.

 Jacque Peak

 Keller Mountain in the middle and Mount Valhalla on the right

There had been a trailer RV parked there before in the site above.  The camper apparently moved off this morning and I hurried back to the URRV to break camp and grab this site!

My sore ankle proved to slow me down a bit, and made the loading of the TW200 onto the front-mounted rail on the trailer a bit of a challenge, but after one slight drop and four attempts, managed to get it onto the rail and tied down.

Getting Fiona onto the trailer bed was of course no big deal.  All other items such as solar panels, chair, generator and such were thrown into the URRV and off we went to the new site.

As you can see, I managed to snag the site before some other

camper came by.

What's the motto of the British Special Air Service?  "Who Dares, Wins".  In this case, I took the chance that it being Sunday afternoon, most folks are heading back home instead of looking for a place to camp!  FTW as the youngsters say!

Here's my present view out the back window of the URRV, not too shabby:

Tonight's sunset here on the eastern end of the Shrine Pass Road, was in one word: Glorious.