Passes & Canyons Blog

I did a ride Saturday with the RMMRC and just before we were about to head out one last rider showed up. When I saw who it was I groaned to myself–not him!

Let me explain. I wrote about this previously, at the time, so I’ll just recap. This particular rider came along on most of the earliest rides I did with the RMMRC and he consistently rode much too close, right on the tail of whoever was in front of him. I mean, to the extent of having to hit his brakes and run off onto the shoulder when that person in front touched their brakes. Dangerous!

I want to make mention that a guy who read that earlier post put up a response saying perhaps this guy has poor eye-sight. He said the same thing had happened to him once and it turned out the guy was nearly legally blind. So in order to see where he was going he stuck right on the tail of the person in front of him. That sounded pretty plausible to me.

Well, this guy had not shown up for quite some time and that was fine with me. But then Saturday, there he was. I just wanted to make sure I was not the one in front of him. Fortunately (for me, not Bob), he pulled right in behind Bob, who was leading the ride. So I was several bikes behind him.

I watched with interest as we headed out. Surprisingly, this guy stayed pretty much staggered away from Bob and it didn’t look like he was crowding him at all. Maybe it was because the roads we were on were pretty much straight and it was easy to stick with the white line on the side of the road. Who knows.

Anyway, we got out to Kiowa, to Patty Ann’s, and had lunch. Leaving there we had one group of five who were inclined to go home via one route while the other group of five wanted to take a different route. So we split up. The question arose, who is going to lead the group I was going with. Someone said, “How about Ken?” Fine, I’m perfectly happy taking the lead but of course the person in question was also going with this group. I tried to figure how I could make sure he was not right behind me but he was the first out along the road and the others lined up behind him. He was going to be right behind me. Dang!

Well, I don’t know what the deal is. Maybe he had cataract surgery and sees a whole lot better now. Maybe it’s just the straight roads out east of the city. Whatever the explanation, he stayed all the way to the right as I stayed all the way to the left, and he even rode a good ways behind me, not just 10 feet back. What a relief.

So now maybe next time he shows up I won’t cringe quite so much. But I’m still going to cringe a little.

Biker Quote for Today

“TAT” (aka Technical Anti-talent) referring to any student that despite every possible analogy, teaching method, or other, could not master even the most fundamental motor coordination needed to ride a motorcycle. These guys and gals we kindly failed as not to harm themselves or others. They were few and far between….but certainly out there.

Many people enjoy riding motorcycles as something that is part of your day. Then there are those for whom riding all day long is what it’s all about. Trust me, I’m not one of the latter.

When you take off on a week-long motorcycle trip you inevitably meet other bikers out on the road. You talk about where you’re coming from, where you’re headed, and all that. Sometimes the people you meet are really hard core.

We spent two nights in Gunnison on last month’s trip and there were a couple guys on bikes who were at the same motel. I flat cannot remember where they were from, maybe Ohio or Missouri, but they were a good ways from home.

One of these guys wasn’t really into really, really serious riding but his buddy was, and the first guy just did it because it’s what his friend wanted to do. “He’s just glued to the saddle.”

So what kind of day rides were they doing while in Gunnison? Oh, how about a day ride over to Arches National Park? That’s about 150 miles one way as the crow flies, and nearly double that on the ground. And then they figured to tour the park while they were there. Really?

Or how about something a little tamer: Gunnison to Lake City, to Creede, to South Fork, to Pagosa Springs, to Durango, to Montrose, and back to Gunnison. Heck, that’s child’s play, barely 350 miles. Of course they made the detour to do the rim ride and the East Portal Road down into Black Canyon of the Gunnison, so add another 50 miles.

By the way, the first guy told me that on the Million Dollar Highway he told his friend to just go on and not worry about him. That road freaked him out so much he wanted to take it very, very slowly.

In Gunnison we also met a couple who were riding their KLR 650. They were from Delaware. That’s a heck of a distance but they were not planning to ride the bike home. Instead, after they were done with their tour the were just planning to sell the bike and fly home.

Of course, the one group who really stand out in my memory was on a different trip, where Judy and I met three young guys on Sportsters who were making an eight day trip from Green Bay to the west coast and back. Now that is extreme.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you think God invented winter just as a good time to get your bike painted.

Not to put too fine a point on this but the OFMC should never let Bill lead.

OK, sure, if all we’re doing is following one highway in one direction and there is no way to go wrong, fine, he can take the lead. But if there are any turns involved someone else better be in front. And even then there can be problems.

We saw this a couple times on this last trip we took in July. On the first day we were heading south from Poncha Springs to Alamosa. There is a point along there where you need to get off U.S. 285, which veers southwest at this point, onto CO 17, which continues straight south to Alamosa.

Bill was in the lead and at this intersection he just stayed on 285. Dennis and I made the turn and pulled over to wait for him to return.

While we waited I told Dennis about the time up in Wyoming many years ago when we were coming down from Cokeville on U.S. 30, headed to Kemmerer. There is a point there where 30 bends east and if you go straight you get onto WY 89 headed into Utah. Bill blasted past the turn and so did John. I pulled over to wait. After a while John came back but then we waited longer for Bill. It seems he ran into a speed trap and was getting issued a ticket. Bill has never lived that one down.

So this time around he figured it out pretty quickly and came right back and on we rode to Alamosa.

A few days later we were headed to Durango, coming down through Ouray and Silverton. Leaving Silverton it looked like rain ahead so we were geared up, but it wasn’t long before the skies cleared and it started getting warm. Dennis did not want to be cruising slowly through Durango all rain-suited up so he turned on his right-turn signal and kept trying to attract Bill’s attention. But Bill wasn’t paying any attention. Finally Dennis and I pulled over on our own and stripped off the suits. When we encountered Bill a short way down the road he said he thought it was silly to stop when Durango was so close ahead. Later, however, he acknowledged the wisdom of shedding the suits before reaching town.

And then two days later we did it again. We were heading north out of Monticello, Utah, on U.S. 191 and needed to turn right at La Sal Junction onto UT 46. Bill was leading and once again he blasted right on by. Again Dennis and I made the turn and pulled over to wait for him to come back.

Back when John was still riding with us he often would take the lead. Queried about this once he said that he didn’t trust most of the guys to have any real sense of where we were going. He singled me out as the exception because, “Ken always has a map right in front of him on top of his tank bag.” And I prefer to bring up the rear, so that arrangement worked well.

But now it’s just the three of us and it looks like Dennis and I are going to have to more actively ensure that if the route is at all tricky, Bill is not in the lead. Sorry Bill, we love ya, but now that your brother Friggs is no longer coming on these trips you inherit his old title of Mr. Oblivious. I guess it runs in the family.

Biker Quote for Today

100 Reasons not to date a motorcyclist: You’ll have to park your new car outside because the garage is full of bikes.

I knew I was running low on gas the morning I set out with the RMMRC on a ride over Guanella Pass. That was not a problem. We planned to gas up in Morrison and I was on the Honda, and had not yet gone to Reserve. I had plenty of gas to get that far, although I fully expected to need to switch to Reserve before I got there.

As expected, about the time we crossed Broadway on Belleview the bike sputtered a bit and I turned the petcock. But it didn’t seem to make any difference. I struggled along maybe another mile and then the bike just died.

The first thing I did was to remove the gas cap and look inside. There was definitely still gas in there, though not a whole lot. I checked the petcock position and, as expected, it was on Reserve. It wouldn’t start in that position so I moved it back to On. It still wouldn’t start. Back to Reserve and still no dice.

Roy and Charley had come back to check on me and Roy had me try a few things. No dice. Roy, however, is one of those totally prepared guys and he pulled out a bottle that he carries all the time, containing half a gallon of gas. I poured it in, tried the starter a few times, and sure enough it finally fired up and kept running.

OK, what’s the deal here? They told me to go ahead and they would ride behind me just to be sure.

On my way out to Morrison I wondered about it. Had I only partially filled the tank last time I got gas? This bike usually needs to go to Reserve at about 180 miles and it had done so this time at 185. I have run out before when I have forgotten to move the petcock back to On, and if I had not filled it all the way it could have run dry at 185. But it definitely was not already on Reserve. ???

So at Morrison I filled the tank and guess what: This tank holds 5-1/2 gallons. Roy had given me half a gallon and then we had ridden about 10-15 miles. The tank reached full after only 4.07 gallons. That math does not add up.

I filled the tank there at Morrison and then we rode a bit more than 100 additional miles that day and all went just fine. But now I need to figure out what the situation is. It appears to be a blockage of some kind in the fuel line but how to confirm this?

I figure the first thing to do is simply to switch to Reserve with plenty of gas in the tank and see if it runs. That way I know I won’t be stranded out somewhere because I can just flip back to On. But what if that doesn’t do it?

I have wondered for a long time about how the Reserve setting functions physically. The tank straddles the frame so does one side (Reserve) stay full as the other side empties? With intakes on both sides? Or, I have wondered, is it all one feed with an intake at one elevation, with flipping the petcock simply lowering the intake?

OK, so I got answers. There are two intakes, side by side, at different levels. So even if I switch to Reserve, if there is enough gas in the tank it is going to be fed via the primary intake.

While I tend to have a mechanical aptitude, I’m not this much of a motorcycle mechanic, so this means it is time to call Joel, my mechanic.

Biker Quote for Today

Top 10 signs that a computer is owned by a Harley rider: 05. — The mouse is referred to as “the rat.”

I went riding with the RMMRC last week and Bob led us on an interesting ride. What made it particularly interesting for me was that it was almost exactly the ride I set out to lead the group on recently except in reverse.

On both rides we went over Guanella Pass. In the first instance we went out U.S. 285 to Grant and over to Georgetown. This time we went Georgetown to Grant. The first time, when we stopped on top of the pass I said I could lead the group back to Denver with barely a couple miles of interstate. Everyone liked that idea so I took the lead.

Then a funny thing happened at Idaho Springs: everyone else peeled off and went their own way. OK, not what I expected.

So there we were last week at Morrison. Apparently the plan to go over Guanella had been agreed upon and I was unaware of that. I just followed as Bob led us up past Red Rocks and then turned west on U.S. 40. Great, I like that road. We went up to Genesee, where you have to get on I-70, and a few miles later took the exit for Evergreen Parkway.

At this point I was thinking Bob was either doing my route in reverse or else we were headed up Squaw Pass. But he surprised me by turning right onto Soda Creek Road at Bergen Park. Interesting. I’d never been on that road.

It was a good road, although it turned to gravel after a few miles. Still, it was extremely good gravel and I was on the Honda CB750 and that’s a go-anywhere bike so that was fine. A few miles further and we went under the interstate and came out onto U.S. 40 again. So now I was wondering–and I still don’t know the answer–if he intended to come this way or if he missed the turn he intended, the one on my route, back at the Evergreen Parkway turnoff that would have put us back on 40 right away.

Doesn’t matter, I was glad to be shown a new road. And looking at the map I see there is another road just a mile farther along that also runs over to 40 from Evergreen Parkway. That’s Jefferson County Road 65 and it looks like it may be paved all the way. Now I want to go ride that and find out.

So we were back on U.S. 40, running alongside I-70 for the most part, and we took that up Floyd Hill and down to where it meets U.S. 6 coming up out of Clear Creek Canyon. We turned left and got onto I-70 just up to Idaho Springs. Now I was figuring again that we were doing Squaw Pass, only coming west to east rather than east to west.

But no, Bob led us back onto U.S. 6 at the west end of town and we followed that road all the way to Georgetown. Except for that jog over Soda Creek Road this was exactly my route in reverse, and we clearly were doing Guanella.

And we did. It was a clear, beautiful day up on top and then it was the same old ride from Grant back to town. My only complaint about living in Denver all these years is that so many of these roads we ride, such as U.S. 285, are roads I have done hundreds and hundreds of times. Fine, I’ll quit complaining. It could be so much worse. And I have not done Guanella hundreds of times. Only a couple dozen.

Did I ever mention I used to know Byron Guanella, the guy this pass is named for? That’s a story for another day, although not a particularly interesting one.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker if you encourage your kids to go to the Motorcycle Mechanic’s Institute instead of college.

We got another early start leaving Hotchkiss the next morning and it was another of those glorious, pristine early mornings out riding through nature. McClure Pass is always nice but at this time of day it is especially nice.

Of course, at Carbondale we picked up CO 82 to Aspen and that is always busy, just as passing through Aspen is always a snarl. Just get those behind you. Then, amazingly, we had Independence Pass almost to ourselves. I have never seen such light traffic on this pass. How nice.

After a stop in Twin Lakes for lunch we cruised on the short distance to Leadville and to our motel on the south side of town. I had deliberately chosen a place in this area because on other trips we have stayed on the north side of town, in a newer motel, but it was a long walk from there to downtown. So we were close to downtown but I can only say the place we stayed was a bit dumpy.

Our stay in Leadville was uneventful, other than the fact that we had an excellent dinner at the Tennessee Pass Cafe. I have no connection to this place; we just thought it was excellent and I’m passing along a tip.

In the morning it looked like rain to the south so we geared up but before we got to Buena Vista it was clear and getting hot so we stopped to shed the gear. Then east on U.S. 285 toward home. A stop in Fairplay and then another stop on top of Kenosha Pass so Bill could get a picture.

We were still a good way out but said our farewells here because at about this point we turn into horses headed for the stable and don’t even concern ourselves with staying as a group. Sure enough, Dennis took off at a serious clip and Bill and I soon lost him up ahead. We weren’t really trying but Bill and I did stay together until we reached our point of divergence and then we were each on our own. Another OFMC trip was in the books.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Motorcycles don’t insult you if you are a bad rider.

From Durango we had a short day in store so we were in no hurry to take off. Dennis and Bill paid a visit to the local Harley dealer while I made a stop at the local Honda shop. I wasn’t riding my Honda–I was on the Kawi–but I had noticed a small pool of oil beneath my bike and spotted a drop of oil hanging off the fairing, ready to fall.

This caused some concern. I had just had the oil changed and a complete tune-up done on the Kawi just before we left. Had Joel not tightened the drain plug sufficiently? Had he overfilled the oil reservoir so it was throwing out the excess? I put the bike up on the center stand and checked the sight glass but couldn’t see anything. This suggested overfill because I’ve see it when the oil is low and you can see the inside of that chamber.

I called Joel, my mechanic, and asked him diplomatically how many drain plugs he had pulled. The Kawi has two and I made the mistake once myself of only pulling one and then when I went to put the new oil in it got overfull on less than the prescribed amount. Joel assured me had pulled two drain plugs. As for filling it, he said he doesn’t measure, he looks at the sight glass and stops when it reaches the right level.

Joel asked how big the drip pool was and told me it was nothing to worry about if it was only a little puddle about three inches across. So just to play it safe I went to the Honda dealer and bought a quart of oil, which I carried with me the rest of the trip and brought home unopened.

So about 11 a.m. or so we headed west on U.S. 160, through Mancos, to Cortez, and then northwest on U.S. 491 into Utah, to Monticello. This was about 105 miles and this was our stop for the day. I had planned it this way because other than perhaps going to Moab there was really nowhere else to go around here. But I figured there must be something to do in or around Monticello because in consulting maps of our previous trips I saw that we had stayed there two nights once, many years ago.

It turned out I had misread my own writing. We didn’t stop there for two nights, it was where we stayed the night of day two of that year’s trip. And I tell you what, Monticello is a really small town. We walked up to one end of town and got ice cream, later we walked to the other end of town for dinner, and that was Monticello. We did a lot of hanging out that day.

The next day we walked next door for breakfast and while we were there the skies opened up and a deluge poured down. It was over by the time we were finished with breakfast but the sky still looked very threatening so we suited up and headed out. Now we were riding north on U.S. 191 through the desert and anyone who lives out in these parts will tell you the desert is at its most beautiful right after a rainfall. That was the case this day and this ride was one of the best of the trip. The smells and the colors are something you have to experience to understand.

After 30 miles on 191 we turned east on Utah 46, which crosses back into Colorado and becomes Colorado 90, to Naturita. If you have never taken this bit of road you need to work it into your route some day. It runs across the south face of the Monte La Sal mountains and then drops precipitously into a lush canyon and finally out into ranching country. This is a hidden gem that I suspect most people have never seen.

We then turned north on CO 141, the Unaweep Highway, which is also very, very scenic. We followed it to Gateway and turned east to meet up with U.S. 50 at Whitewater, a little south of Grand Junction. Then a jog south to Delta and a turn east to Hotchkiss–home for the night.

I’m going to do a little naked promotion here. At Hotchkiss we stayed at the Hotchkiss Inn. Kris and Andy Bartol, the owners, advertise on this website. But that’s not the point. The point is, they have an extremely nice place here. I routed us through Hotchkiss a few years ago and ever since then the guys have raved about how much they liked it. So they were very pleased when I told them we were stopping there again this year. OK, promo over. And so is this post.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Your motorcycle won’t wake you up at 3 a.m. and ask you if you love it.

After a day off the bikes we were ready to ride again. Today’s destination: Durango.

Another early start had us riding in the cool of the morning along Blue Mountain Reservoir and on to Montrose. By Montrose it was hot and time to peel off some clothes. Heading south we passed through Colona and thought about stopping and calling John, who lives up in the hills nearby, but didn’t figure we should. John is one of the OFMC founders but he has health issues and is no longer riding. Those same health issues have him and Cheryl happily isolating way out here away from the virus. We didn’t think he would even want to come down and meet us in Colona so we didn’t even suggest it.

As we approached Ouray the sky ahead was ugly up ahead but we figured we’d keep going until we needed to suit up. We headed up Red Mountain Pass and it wasn’t looking bad but finally Dennis decided to pull over. We geared up and before we were ready to roll again the rain was falling. Good timing Dennis. But it never rained hard and we could have done without the gear.

It didn’t amount to much, however, and was totally stopped by the time we reached Silverton. Silverton, in case you are unaware, is a mandatory ice cream stop. And we’re nothing if not law-abiding bikers. Silverton was crowded but most people were wearing masks even out on the street. Clearly we were not the only ones who were determined not to let a microorganism spoil their vacation.

The sky was looking ugly again as we got ready to leave so we put the rain gear back on but once again it could have been left off.

The cruise on down to Durango was uneventful, other than Bill’s failure to notice as Dennis tried repeatedly to get him to pull off so we could shuck our now hot extra layers. Finally he and I just pulled off and figured Bill would notice we weren’t behind him. Rolling again we soon came on Bill, who had taken the opportunity to shed his own gear.

“Was there a problem,” he asked me.

“Dennis wanted to stop and take stuff off but you didn’t notice his signals to you.”

“He should have pulled around me and pulled off.”

“Tell that to him.”

We really do have some signals agreed upon but they don’t work if the person in the lead is not paying attention.

By the time we got to our motel, however, Bill was glad to have gotten that stuff off beforehand. It was hot! What changeable weather we have in Colorado.

Biker Quote for Today

Top 10 signs that a computer is owned by a Harley rider: 06. — Password is “WillieG”