When dinosaurs roamed the earth, they were tiny and titanic, terrifying and titillating, fleet- footed and even flabby. Sounds like me at various ages. My map says Dinosaur National Monument is way, way up in northwestern Colorado. Next to the town of Dinosaur. And next to nothing else, on a road to nowhere. Excellent, let’ s go chase some dinosaurs!
Fall has begun and the tourist hordes have fled, so I start with Rocky Mountain National Park and Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in America. The aspens are golden and quaking, the peaks still have pockets of snow, and the air is warm with no hint of impending winter.
After a quick lunch in Granby, I hit U. S. Route 40, a mostly wide and gentle two- lane highway and my home for the day.
Following alongside the Colorado River for an hour, through lots of farmland and a brief fun canyon, I turn north into spacious mountain valleys with vast ranges off in the distance.
Steamboat Springs comes up next, normally quiet in this shoulder season but full of restaurant and shopping options. Grabbing an ice cream cone and sitting outside, I see runners of all sizes and shapes on some sort of charity 10K pass by. Some ogle my shiny new Triumph, but the longing stares are for my waffle cone.
Back on the road, I stop for gas in Craig, as the final haul is 90 solitary miles to Dinosaur. Ubiquitous white oil- field pickups and dually ranch trucks are my only companions. It is wide- open country, so I let the Tiger run, but a beep from the Valentine One radar detector says,“ Watch out!” and sure
Story & photos by LEE GOODWIN
Taking a break along U. S. Route 40 in the wide-open space of northwestern Colorado. Nearby is Dinosaur National Monument and the town of Dinosaur, home to just 339 residents.
RIDERMAGAZINE. COM / JULY 2026 / 21