This was the view when we stopped in Carbondale to clean windshields and gas up for the long ride to Gunnison.  When you're riding motorcycles and it rains, you either ride or you don't ride.  We normally stop and wait it out, but on this trip we needed to keep moving.  The rain slowed and there was no thunder or lightning, so off we went.

We were well rewarded as the rain stopped as we moved on into beautiful mountain scenery.

This picture, as well as many others on this site, were taken by Judy from the back of my motorcycle as we sped over mountain roads.

Here, a mountain scene caught her attention as I leaned the bike into a curve.  The trees are actually growing straight up.  The motorcycle is leaned over to the angle you see.  Judy is framing and snapping the picture as we round the curve.

The pictures to the right, below, and below right show some of the beauty found along Colorado 133, the "West Elk Loop".

We stopped alongside Colorado 133 to soak in the beauty.   

Pat and Judy quietly ponder the magnificence of the mountain and valley scene.

Why do we ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle? 

When you ride a motorcycle you see, hear, smell, and feel things you don't in a car.  You see much more on a motorcycle because of the 360 degree visibility.  You feel things like temperature changes and rain that you hardly notice in a car.  The scent of fir trees and fresh rain amplify your senses, something you miss while riding in an automobile.  Your senses make you feel much more alert and alive when you ride on a bike.  The sound and feel of a Harley is unlike anything else.  You become a part of the bike, a participant in the adventure, not just a passenger.  And that is why we ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.