Passes & Canyons Blog

Out on Cinammon Pass with Kevin back in 2010.

I was sorry to get the word from my friend Kevin Smith that he is shutting down Colorado Mountain Moto, his motorcycle rental business in Gunnison.

Said Kevin, “Seems I just can’t do enough volume here in Gunny. The good news is I can back to more riding and less working.” And yeah, we’ve already got some riding planned for the summer.

Kevin was the first one who ever got me out on the dirt on a V-Strom. He and I, with me on one of his V-Stroms, rode over Cinnamon Pass back in 2010 and to this day I swear that was one of the best days on a motorcycle I have ever had. It was the height of fall colors, a stunningly beautiful day, and what a total trip it was to be up in the mountains on this little dirt route having a blast.

Kevin is also the one responsible for me having my own V-Strom now. About two years ago he called me to say he had a line on a really good ’06 V-Strom that I could have very inexpensively if I wanted it. I said yes and a couple days later he showed up at my door with this bike on a trailer.

It’s too bad he needed to shut the business down, but I think I understand it. I did a post here awhile ago about the proliferation of motorcycle rental outfits in Colorado and at the time I quoted Ron Coleman, who runs Western Dual Sport Motorcycle Adventures, telling me that business is good and he just figures that the market is growing and there’s room for everyone, at least everyone who is out there now.

Presumably true, except that Kevin had one disadvantage: he was in Gunnison. Now you might think that would be an advantage because he’s right there in the midst of a lot of gorgeous riding. But in reality, most people who want to rent bikes to ride in Colorado fly into Denver and then pick up a bike from someone reasonably close by the airport. By the time they get to Gunnison they already are on two wheels.

So one note here: If you have an interest in a V-Strom or dirt bike, Kevin is now in the process of selling his. Drop me a line if you’re interested and I’ll put you in touch with him. I hoped to list here what he has for sale but he hasn’t replied to my query as of right now.

Update four hours later: Kevin just told me the only one has left now is “an 09 strom with 20k on it. it is orange and is lowered. Comes with tank bag engine guard ,skid plate, and soft panniers. Askin $4500 obo. ”

Biker Quote for Today

Dirt is for riding. Pavement is just to get you there.

Looking over the old dam at Castlewood Canyon.

I was down in Castle Rock awhile ago and saw a road heading off to the northeast that I’d never been on and made note that I ought to check it out some day. Well that day came on Thursday last week. I picked that day not to work last week because it was supposed to be gorgeous and it was. Let’s take the V-Strom and find some dirt.

Douglas Country Road 43, which is what this was, also known as North Crowfoot Valley Road, runs diagonally. It’s almost always a good guess that any road that runs diagonally goes directly from one town to another. Like the Longmont Diagonal that runs directly from Boulder to Longmont. That was the case here, too. This road runs directly from Castle Rock to Parker. I had no idea there was a direct route and I had no idea the two towns were so close.

But the road was paved and it wasn’t very interesting. Darn. Now where am I going to go?

OK, I’ve been to Castlewood Canyon State Park several times but generally on the east side where the highway runs over the canyon and then you turn off to go into the park. I knew, however, that there was an unpaved road over on the west side that runs right by the old dam that broke many, many years ago causing a heck of a flood downstream. I’d been there once in a car but never on a bike. My new destination.

So I headed south on CO 83 out of Parker, turned west on CO 86 at Franktown and then quickly took a left onto County Road 51, which was my road.

I hadn’t thought about paying a park fee but there was the ranger shack and the signs telling you you were supposed to pay $7. I stopped to check it out. The shack was unmanned–although someone had left their keys in the lock!–and checked my pockets. I had a couple twenties but wasn’t going to pay a $7 fee with one of those. I also had a five and a bunch of change. I put the five and the change in the envelope and dropped it in the slot, after marking on the envelope, “It’s all I’ve got.”

I suppose I could have just ignored it all and ridden on but while I was there a couple rangers pulled up, coming from the direction I would have been heading . . . without my sticker. So it was probably good that I decided to pay, even if I shortchanged the state a buck and change.

And off I went. And it was good. I’ve had this V-Strom for almost two years now and have hardly had it on much dirt. Last year up in the Black Hills I went out on some dirt one day but it was terrible. It occurred to me afterward that the bike still had the street tire on the rear that it had when I bought it and that tire was by now almost bald. No wonder it had no grip at all on the loose stuff.

So now I have a good, almost new semi-knobby on the rear and this was the first time I’d had a chance to get in the dirt with it. What a difference! What great grip! What stability and confidence!

Oh, and it was a nice road, too. I came out of the park, turned west on South Lake Gulch Road, and wound my way into Castle Rock. Then home. A couple hours altogether. I’m looking to do a whole lot more of that in the very near future.

Biker Quote for Today

Dirt bikes are not for wimps. They are, however, quite suitable for the clinically insane.