XR650R Dual Sport Project & Travels

Ophir Pass - 2004

Ophir Pass is a jeep road connecting the town of Ophir off Hwy 145 South of Telluride, with a point on Hwy 550 about 10 miles South of Red Mountain Pass.  Its rated moderate in the jeep guides.  There's a rocky climb on a shelf road to reach the summit from Ophir, but its a straight shot with only one switchback.  I did it in 1996 on a my BMW GSPD.  On that bike I didn't feel like I could stop just anywhere.  On the XR650R there was no such limitation.  Don't miss this pass, its very scenic.

The road to Ophir is about 10 miles South of Telluride on Hwy 145.  Look for this scene and turn where the blue arrow is.  The sign there reads "Old Post Office".	The town of Ophir.  The pass road leads off to the right from in town, but the sign is not obvious.  The slash accross the mountain is the pass road (the oblique slash not the vertical one!).	The road climbs through woods on the approach to the mountain.	The scene just after emerging from the woods.
Approaching the shelf road.	On the main climb now, looking down at Ophir.	This is typical of the climb before the switchback on the Ophir side.  The front rider is from Minneapolis and his son is from Arizona.  The yellow panniers were custom made.
The dual-sport riders kindly took a photo of me.	Approaching the pass.  I'm past the switchback and the road has smoothed out some.	On the descent past the summit.  The water coming out of these holes is laden with what a local said was aluminum oxide, leeched from tailings in a mine inside the mountain.	View of the valley on the way down.  It transitions into forest before reaching Hwy 550.