A Cruise Up Mount Evans
On a beautiful day like today I had to get out and ride. Plus, I owed an article to one of my editors and figured a piece about riding up Mount Evans would work just fine.
I know it can get cold up there, even when it’s warm down here in the city, so I put on long underwear and a turtleneck shirt. I also put on my electric vest but waited to turn it on until I needed it. Then I had other warm clothes in my bags.
Man, was I roasting before I got out of town. Getting up onto CO 103 over Squaw Pass it finally started getting cool and that was a welcome relief. I reached the turn-off to the mountain, up by Echo Lake, and wondered if I would hear what my friend Dom was told when he was up there just two days earlier, which was that it was so windy they didn’t recommend riding a bike to the top.
Nope, no such warning, and clearly none was needed. They did warn me about frost heaves at the 9-mile marker, near Summit Lake, but I know about those. Just think of them as whoops and you’ll be fine.
So I cruised on up and it was a glorious day. Sunny and warm, I never turned on the electric vest. The view of the Sangre de Cristos from the top was unbeatable. They just went on forever.
Of course, I don’t think you can ride this road without seeing at least one person going down so scared of the sheer drop-off on the edge that they straddle the center line. And I will note that there was one place where the asphalt was just dropping away over the side. Even I stayed close to the middle along that stretch.
And then it was home again. Nothing much, I just rode to the top of the world and back home, all in about five hours. What did you do with your day?
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Tags: Colorado motorcycle rides, Colorado motorcycle roads, motorcycle touring colorado
June 15th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
That picture is truly amazing and it wouldn’t have been the same without your bike in the frame for scale. It’s stunning and thanks for sharing.
June 16th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
I’ve been up to the top in my truck, but I’d sure like to try it on my motorcycle this summer. Did you stop for buffalo burgers in Idaho Springs when you came down the mountain?