I left early Friday and headed over Trail Ridge. It was cloudy, windy, and damn cold at the top so I didn't stop for photos. Too bad, because there were some really nice views with the clouds. I picked up highway 40 in Granby and followed it west. I stopped in Craig for lunch, then made it into Utah and to the western entrance to Dinosaur National Monument by around 2:00 or so. The entrance there leads to some fossil viewing (all indoors - didn't bother seeing it), and the roads just barely skirt the mountains. Next time I'll try the entrance from Dinosaur, CO - it looks like it goes further back into the canyons. I ended up in Vernal, Utah for the night.
Estes Park to Granby is a great ride. Lots of twisty roads and beautiful mountain scenery, especially from the top of Trail Ridge (when it's not cold, windy, and foggy).
Granby to Kremmling is a nice ride along rivers and farm land. The ride from Kremmling to Steamboat goes over Rabbit Ears pass with lots of fun turns. Steamboat to Craig is similar to the ride from Granby to Kremmling - lots of farm land following the river valleys.
Craig to Dinosaur feels like being in the middle of nowhere. It's a beautiful ride, with lots of rolling hills and wide open spaces (no trees - just small bushes and tall grasses).
