Passes & Canyons Blog

One thing I really love about running this website and publishing this blog is the way I learn about new places to ride from the folks who visit the site. I’m not always able to go check them out right away but they definitely go on my list to get to as soon as I can.

The most recent road to add to my list is the Kebler Pass road coming over from Crested Butte to CO 133 coming down off McClure Pass toward Hotchkiss. I’ve mentioned Andy Simons several times recently and Andy gets credit for this one, too. He sent me some photos from the road and described it as “dirt road but suitable for all bikes (well graded and packed).” Here’s one of his photos that confirms his description.

Now, I have never taken this road, not even in a car. In fact, I didn’t know it was there and that you could go anywhere on a good road from Crested Butte other than back down the road you came in on. So I did some checking to find out more about this road. I found one site with a lot of photos where they had this to say:

This is a beautiful drive, forest road 12, that connects Crested Butte highway 135 with Paonia Reservoir and highway 133. Suitable for any vehicles. If you like aspens, mountains, and many photos ops this is the road for you.

Then there is this site where people can post their comments on various roads and such, where one person says:

i lived in colorado for about five years, traveled as many back roads as i could in that time, and Kebler Pass was by far my favorite…for one, it’s a little out of the way so it tends to not be crowded…it is also breathtakingly beautiful…the aspens in this area are huge, and the aspen stand is enormous, mile after mile of aspens…

I will note that another person on this same site had this cautionary remark:

The road is heavily washboarded in places and was very muddy after several days of rain, but was easily passable with our Subaru and wouldn’t present much of a problem to any vehicles if the driver is paying attention. I wouldn’t recommend towing over this pass however. Big snows at high elevation would be a problem – something to consider if weather is severe. Take your time as some of the curves are tight and the road drops a lot of elevation on the west side of the pass. We saw plenty of deer, but no other large mammals this trip.

So it sounds like it should be no problem as long as it’s dry. If it has rained recently don’t even try it. Fair enough. You probably won’t want to try it in May or June but by July or August it sounds like a go. I know I’m going.

Biker Quote for Today

The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rearview mirror.

Great weather today–got to get out in it. Just a note:

Five years ago I could fill the tank on my Honda Civic for under $10. Today I can’t fill the tank on my Honda CB750 Custom for under $15.

What more is there to say?

Biker Quote for Today

A good long ride can clear your mind, restore your faith, and use up a lot of fuel.

I want to take this opportunity to thank a few people who have very generously offered me photos and other information that has helped make this Passes and Canyons, Motorcycle Touring in Colorado website better and more complete.

Most recently, Andy Simons has sent me a considerable number of his photos from different roads around the state. I’ve got some of them up on the site already but there are quite a few more that will take me awhile yet to put to use. You can see his work on these pages now: Arkansas River Valley; Monarch Pass, Montrose area, and CO 92 from Hotchkiss to Blue Mesa Reservoir.

What I find really exciting is that Andy has sent me some photos of some roads I’ve never been on. Just recently I started adding a few roads that are not paved but are suitable for the more adventurous street-bike rider. Larry Matkovich, who runs Larry’s Custom Cycle in Canon City, got me started on this by sending me some info on a few such roads. Thanks here, then, to Larry as well. The material Andy has sent me will enable me to expand that section.

By the way, Andy is quite the motorcycle traveler and an avid photographer. If you want to see more of what he has done you can check him out on Smugmug.com and Angelfire.

I also want to thank guys like Brad Betts and Steve Shards who have written asking me for information as they plan their trips to Colorado. There is no better way for me to know what topics I should write about than for you to ask me for something in particular. Brad’s questions generated my most recent two posts and Steve’s questions resulted in the whole New Zealand Rides the Rockies series of posts.

There have been other folks along the way who have helped make this website what it is and I offer them my thanks as well. Keep those cards and letters coming in. I’m always eager to do what I can to assist.

One other thing. You may have noticed this “Biker Quote for Today” bit that I now end each post with. In case you wonder where these quotes come from, I have started copying down interesting/relevant quotes that people use in their signatures on motorcycle web forums. So thanks to all those folks as well for providing us all with their quotes.

Biker Quote for Today

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.

I’m following up today on a couple other questions posed by Barry, from Alabama, who is coming with some buddies to Colorado this summer to ride.

Barry asks, “We have to make some decisions about where to start in Colorado, north around Denver, or along the New Mexico border. We are definitely going to ride the train in Durango. Also is it fairly secure and safe to leave your bike parked while you are gone for a day on a train ride?”

I don’t know if there are any clear-cut answers to either of these questions but I’ll speak in generalities. First of all, these guys are coming in September, when the aspen trees will be displaying their fall colors. As I said Monday, that means the weather can be bad at times. The problem with any predictions this far off is that while it is generally warmer and dryer in the southwestern part of the state, there could still be a storm that hits that area just when they’re going to be there. Nevertheless, on the whole, you would probably be better off doing the northern part of your trip first and moving gradually south. That would also put the return portion of your trip through the more-southern states, where you would also be more likely to avoid bad weather.

While some of the higher passes and roads, such as Trail Ridge Road or Mount Evans, do close for the winter, they won’t be closing yet in September. So that’s not an issue. On the other hand, you could get snowstorms on those roads that would make them impassable momentarily. You’re going to want to check the weather forecast and keep your plans flexible.

Keep in mind, too, that while Durango is in the southwestern part of the state, that is a mountainous region and Durango is one of the coldest spots in Colorado in winter. The only realistic thing to do is plan for the worst and hope for the best. And remember that the weather is changeable, and snow at 10 am does not mean you won’t see 60 degrees and sunshine by 1 pm.

As for the safety of leaving your bike for the day, by and large there is not a lot of crime in Colorado. At least not compared to a lot of places. When we first started taking our trips we wondered how safe it was to leave our bikes fully loaded and go in somewhere, or wander off down the street. But in all the years we’ve now been doing this we have never had a single problem. Nothing on any of our bikes has ever been touched.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions. If you have a motel room I would leave my stuff in the room. Then take your normal security measures with your bike. It never hurts to talk to someone at the establishment you’re patronizing to see if they can recommend a secure parking location. Of course, putting a cover over your bike is never a bad idea. What someone can’t see they generally are not tempted to steal.

When I was wrenching with the Concours Owners Group recently the guy, Steve, who helped me install my highway pegs had a ’99 Connie just like mine. But that’s like saying a Macintosh apple is just the same as a Red Delicious apple, just because they’re both apples. Steve has every electronic gadget imaginable on his bike, while mine is nearly stock. He has all his electrics wired to connect to his tank bag, where all the controllers live. When he parks the bike he disconnects a wire or two, zips the tank bag, and takes it with him. That means he leaves his GPS and radar detector and everything else on the bike. They’re bolted on but they’re there. He told me when he is nervous about leaving it he just covers it, and he has never had a problem.

Don’t get me wrong, people do steal motorcycles in Colorado, just like everywhere else. My buddy Bill had his Harley stolen from outside a restaurant where he was eating. That was in Denver, though, where I think you tend to have more dishonest people than you do in a place like Durango. The key point here then, again, is to use common sense. If you take reasonable measures you’ll probably be fine. And then don’t spoil your trip worrying about what might happen.

Biker Quote for Today

There are two simple rules for riding smoothly and safely in snow and on ice. Unfortunately nobody knows what they are.

Barry from Alabama responded to that last post about hypothermia, asking about the weather in the fall when the aspens are turning color. Let’s talk about that.

The aspen trees in Colorado turn a brilliant gold in September, for the most part. It varies depending on elevation; the higher areas turn before the lower areas. As you can see in this photo, here there are some trees that have already shed their leaves, others are still golden, and yet, in the foreground, there are still green leaves.

September is a great time to be riding in Colorado, but you have to understand that the weather is unpredictable, especially in the high country. You can have the most gorgeous days imaginable or you can get caught in a snowstorm. It’s not at all uncommon to have both in the same day. An 11,000-foot pass is going to be cold even in July and August. You can get snowed on on top of Mount Evans any day of the year. Plus, at that time of year, even if the weather is sunny and warm during the day you have to count on it getting darn chilly as soon as the sun goes down. Therefore, it’s essential to be prepared.

Referring back to the hypothermia posting, you’ll want to be sure to bring any electrics you have: vest, heated grips, whatever. You’ll use them and be glad you have them. Dress in layers; you can always take something off but you can’t put it on if you don’t have it with you. If you’re getting cold, don’t be too macho to stop frequently and warm up.

Here’s an example of what you might encounter. Our OFMC group usually takes its trip in July or August but a few years ago we decided to go in September. We headed out of Denver the first day, up US 285, and then south on CO 126 and CO 67 toward Woodland Park. It turned cold and wet and we soon had our rain suits on. We got to Woodland Park and headed down US 24 toward Colorado Springs in sleet. From Colorado Springs we headed southwest down CO 115 to Penrose and then took US 50 on to Salida, where we stopped for the night. By the time we got to Penrose we had peeled off the rain suits and rode in warm sunshine the rest of the day. A typical day in Colorado.

I suppose I could ramble on, but what’s the point? You get the picture. I’ll address Barry’s other questions in the next couple posts.

Biker Quote for Today

Saddlebags can never hold everything you want, but they CAN hold everything you need.

Continuing something of a theme I’ve been developing this week, I want to talk now about hypothermia. As in getting really, really cold in an unsafe manner.

Hypothermia: An abnormally low body temperature, often caused by prolonged exposure to cold.

I wrote a on Monday about my day riding Motorcycle Lead for a bicycle race. The wind started blowing and the temperature dropped and it started to snow. By the time I got off the bike I started to shake and shiver uncontrollably. That was the beginning of hypothermia. Then on Wednesday I wrote about fairings and how they do so much to keep you warm. This was not planned but I might as well round out the discussion.

The first time I got a taste of hypothermia was on one of the earliest rides I did with my buddies John and Bill in our group that we call the Old Farts Motorcycle Club. We had been down in New Mexico and were headed back into Colorado when we got caught in a cloudburst. We didn’t have rain suits back then, we just got wet. At the time it didn’t seem like such a big deal. In Colorado it is common to have brief rain showers, and then the sun comes out and all is fine. We didn’t get drenched or anything, and we just kept riding.

Awhile later we reached Alamosa and, stopping at the first traffic light in town, agreed unanimously that we really wanted to find a coffee shop before we did anything else. We were cold.

We got to a coffee shop and ordered a pot of coffee and started shivering and shaking. A lot. A whole lot. Over the course of the next hour or so we probably drank eight pots of coffee but just kept shivering. Somewhere along the line we realized that this was hypothermia. We had gotten wet, but the wind dried us out when the rain stopped, but with the moisture it also extracted a dangerous amount of our body heat.

Hypothermia can be dangerous. It can cause you to become mentally confused, which can lead to dangerous or deadly mistakes when riding a motorcycle. It’s not a good thing.

So what should a motorcyclist do to avoid hypothermia, and what do you do if it happens anyway? First off, don’t drink coffee. Hot coffee may seem like just the ticket but you would do a lot better to drink hot cocoa or have a bowl of hot soup. Something with calories. Of course, if coffee is the only warm thing around, as was the case for me at the bicycle races, do what you’ve got to do. Wrapping up in a blanket or sleeping bag is a very good thing, too. If the hypothermia is serious you should not hesitate to call for emergency medical care.

It’s better to avoid hypothermia in the first place. The first line of defense is the proper gear. Carry a good rain suit and don’t delay too long in putting it on. Use your electric vest if you have one. Heated grips would be good. I swear by the fairing on my Concours, and the windshield on the CB750. Wear plenty of layers. Stop frequently and get warm in a convenience store/gas station, cafe, or rest stop. Wear synthetics or wools that don’t hold the moisture in direct contact with you skin. Avoid alcohol if you’re going out somewhere where you’re likely to get cold.

Mostly it’s just common sense: stay warm in whatever way you can. Don’t be an idiot. It’s better to arrive late, or call off the ride, than never arrive again.

Biker Quote for Today

Never be afraid to slow down.