Passes & Canyons Blog

How long before Quincy out east here will be smothered in houses and commercial development? 10 years? 20? I remember when County Line Road looked like this.

We had the winter solstice the other day, which means winter is officially begun. To me that means it’s time to ride. I don’t ever put my bikes away.

We’ve been having such a mild December so far that I’ve been riding quite a bit. In fact, if I can get in just a few more days on the Honda I may actually manage to get its yearly mileage up over 1,000. I’m already well past the number of miles I put on that bike last year. It has been three years since I’ve managed to get 1,000 on that bike and honestly, I’m not expecting to this year, but if the weather stays good and I’m not too busy with other things I just might.

I knocked off 100 miles on Sunday. It was cool but I started off smart this time, with the electric vest turned on and the heated gloves set at level 2 right from the start. It was very cloudy and that makes a huge difference in how warm it feels but I was very comfortable the whole time.

My plan, such as it was, was to pick up where I left off last time, getting down to Hilltop Road and then south on Flintwood Road to reach CO 86 east of Franktown. I worked my way over to Potomac and then took it a long way south to where it currently hits a T intersection at Hess Road. I say “currently” because they are building some new housing development on the south side of Hess and while not open yet, the road continuing south is already there.

I turned east on Hess, crossed Parker Road, and picked up Hilltop, which eventually angled off to the southeast while Flintwood headed straight south. Approaching CO 86 I had no plans. Right (west) to Franktown and then . . . ? Or left (east) toward and Elizabeth and then . . . ?

I turned east. Cruised out to Elizabeth and then turned south on County Road 17/21. As I was riding along I thought about a road out this way that goes east to who knows where that I’ve thought many times about checking out. Maybe today was that day. I’m not really sure where that road is, however, I just know it when I see it. I know it’s down this way somewhere.

Well, the road I was on bends around and comes out to County Road 25 just maybe half a mile north of Elbert. OK, that road I was thinking of is definitely south of Elbert and I was not going to go all that way today. Oh well. Instead of turning south and going through Elbert I turned north and headed up toward Kiowa.

Coming into Kiowa I was interested to see if there were any bikes I recognized parked outside of Patty Ann’s. If there was I would stop and go in and probably have lunch. But there was only one and I didn’t recognize it so I went on past and turned north on the Kiowa-Bennett Road.

A good ways before you get to Bennett, though, you reach Quincy, which is the only paved road back to town from this area. I stopped for a break at the intersection and then headed back toward town. About the time I reached Parker Road there by Cherry Creek State Park I noticed my left hand was feeling a bit chilly. My heated gloves use batteries and one of the original batteries had died some time ago. I had bought a replacement but now the other original seems to be dying. Gonna need another battery soon.

From Parker it was just a straight shot home. Winter will take its shots at me later but for now I laughed in its face.

Biker Quote for Today

“Where will you go?” asked Cinda. Now, there was a question without a good answer. — Jon Robertson

The Honda across the street from the headquarters of Liberty Media, down by Centennial Airport.

About five minutes before I got home on Thursday some guy on a GS ruined the lede I had composed for this blog post. I’m always playing with words in my head when I’m riding so that when the time comes to write about the ride it usually just flows because it’s already half written.

What I intended to lead with was: One telling thing about my ride on Thursday was that I didn’t see one single other rider. Not one. It was cold.

But there I was at Boston and Arapahoe and this guy on a GS goes by. Oh well.

It was cold. Fortunately, for once I was prepared. I wore my riding pants with my heaviest long underwear, my electric vest, and my heated gloves. I almost blew it with the gloves. I figured my winter gloves would be enough but then I figured I might as well bring the heated ones along in the tank bag. Then I had a better thought and put them on right at the start, set to the lowest setting. By the time I came home I was no longer on the lowest setting so you can imagine how cold my hands would have been without the heat.

With all this gear, however, it was a very comfortable ride. It was sunny most of the time and that makes a big difference.

I knew I wanted to be out at least an hour because I needed 46 miles on the Honda to at least get more miles on it this year than last. The time is past to ride in the mountains this year so I headed for the prairie.

Out Hampden all the way till it ends at Gun Club Road and I turned south. I wanted to get onto Smoky Hill Road and then it was my intent to take that series of roads south to where I would get to CO 86 coming west from Elizabeth, then take it west to Franktown. I didn’t have plans beyond Franktown.

But out in that area there are a lot of roads and I don’t get down that way particularly often, so I sometimes am not sure which road is going to come out where. I was wrong this time. I rode Smoky Hill to where it ends with a right turn and becomes Delbert Road. This is out on the current fringes of the city, where the housing developments finally end, and I always like to see just how much more there is out there than the last time I was there. There’s always more.

Delbert ends with a T intersection at Singing Hills Road and at first I thought I was on CO 86 but I soon saw that I was wrong. Oh yeah, I know where this goes. It feeds into Hilltop Road and that leads you back to Parker Road. OK, fine. Not what I planned but it will do.

Actually, looking at the map now I see that a left turn onto Hilltop, rather than the right I took, would have gotten me onto Flintwood Road and that was the one I had been looking for. I’m hoping these details stick better in my brain now.

Now I was headed northwest on Hilltop and crossed the intersection with Parker onto Hess Road. Hess Road bends around and heads south, coming out at I-25 down by Castle Pines. As I like to do there, I got on the frontage road, not the slab, and took that north to Ridgegate Parkway, jogged east on Ridgegate to South Peoria, crossed E-470 and turned left to loop around the south end of Centennial Airport. Then north on Inverness Drive West to Clinton, the jog over to Boston, and a stop at the light at Arapahoe. And there goes that guy on the GS.

Then just north to home. I more than got in my 46 miles and I had a really nice ride. Thank goodness for electrics.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if your jeans are clean; in fact, if any spot on you is clean.

This is not the bike I was on but this is one of places I went.

If you’re going to ride your motorcycle at this time of year you have to take your opportunities when they arise. Tuesday the forecast was for a high in the 60s will full sun. There may yet be an even better riding day this month but I was not going to let this one go by. Plus, I have two bikes that I ride each and every month and as yet I had not been on either.

I took off on the V-Strom and I very quickly discovered that other motorcyclists also read the weather forecast. There were a lot of us out that day! Cool.

First I had a couple errands to run, so I quickly got those out of the way. Then I needed gas. Can you believe I paid less than $2.50 a gallon? Wow. Now I was ready to really ride. But I wondered how far.

As I said previously, at this time of year I set objectives I try to meet, in particular turning the odometer over to a new 1,000. Starting out on the V-Strom I was only about 70 miles from 48,000 so knocking off those miles would have been a no-brainer. Except that I don’t trust the weather at this time of year and I worried that if I did not ride both bikes this day I might not be able to ride the Honda the next day. And would it be getting cold already if I rode the V the full 70 before getting on the CB750?

Totally undecided, I just rode. I headed south out of town, wandering around, following my nose, as I do when I have no destination. And sometimes on roads I’m not completely familiar with I end up in different places than I expected. Which is OK, which was good, because that did happen. That’s how you learn your way around better.

I started heading back eventually but I could see I would end up short of 48,000 if I went straight home, so I turned again. One more side route and when I got home my odo was sitting at 48,001. Mission accomplished.

And it was still warm so I immediately climbed on the Honda and took off. I didn’t need to put a lot of miles on this bike this day; this was just an insurance ride. Besides, that bike is now 838 miles away from the next 1,000. That’s not going to happen.

But I do like having an objective, a target goal. I didn’t remember how far I was from putting 1,000 miles on the bike this year (373 now) but I thought maybe at the least I can put more miles on it this year than I did last year. But I didn’t know that number either. So I just went for a spin, maybe 20 miles.

Well now I am home and can look at the numbers and I see that if I just ride that Honda another 46 miles this year I’ll pass last year’s mileage. OK, I’ve got a goal. And in fact the weather is looking pretty nice for at least another few days. I’ve got more riding to do.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker when you cry on the first snowfall.

I was on the Honda for this particular ride.

On Sunday the thermometer was showing 60 already at 10 a.m. and it was sunny so I figured a ride was in order. Especially since they’re calling for snow on Wednesday.

But also because they’re calling for snow on Wednesday there were several things I needed to get done outside while I could. And by the time I was done it was already cooling down and the wind–blowing briskly all day but dying down a bit mid-day–had kicked back up. No matter, I’m going for a ride.

As soon as I took off I got a better idea of just how windy it was. OK, a ride in the elements. I’ve got my electric vest on and my winter riding gloves.

I didn’t really expect to see a lot of other bikers out on this day but I had only gone a mile when I pulled up at a red light, one car in front of me. I had thought about filtering past him as I was pulling up but didn’t see a lot of point in it. And then moments later another guy came right past me, past the car in front of me, and stopped well out in front. Then I watched him do it again at the next red light, all properly executed. Of course he did not stay in the lane–he rode the middle line–but any cop who tries to tell you that’s not the proper way to filter is full of it. And I doubt any will try to tell you that.

And it was a classic case of filtering done legally. We, who he filtered past, were at a complete stop. He was actually on a Harley but it was not a bagger, so it was thin enough that he had plenty of room. He also waited for the light. Judy and I had been going somewhere a few days ago in the car and a guy had filtered past us up to the red light. He stopped, looked both ways, and then blasted on right through the red.

Ostensibly I had an errand I was running, though that was just an excuse to get out on the bike. So the first thing I did was take care of the errand. Then I had nowhere in particular to go so I just wandered. I ended up seeing a surprising number of bikes on the road. Maybe these were guys who headed out while the weather was at its nicest earlier and who were heading home now. Who knows. I was chilly but not enough so that I even turned the electric vest on.

When I don’t have anywhere in particular to go I usually take roads I don’t usually use just for a change of pace. Following that guideline I just wandered. As they say, if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. But eventually my path bent toward home. And before I got there I even turned the vest on, not because I really needed it but because why not? I knew the heat would feel good. I really don’t understand people who ride in the winter but don’t have electric gear.

So. Nothing eventful. Nothing profound. Just a nice late-November ride.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 22. Distractions while watching a race are not allowed.

Yeah, it looks like winter out there but technically it’s still only fall. In other words, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

The temperature was in the 50s, hardly a cloud in the sky, and I had not ridden the Honda in November yet. My assignment was clear.

For once I actually had a route planned out in advance. I headed west on Belleview to Santa Fe and then south. It was about then that I remembered that the last time I went this way I couldn’t get through. There was major roadwork in progress where Santa Fe crosses C-470 and I had gone around and around trying to figure a way to get where I wanted to go. Either I was going to have to find another route again or else I’d get to see what they had done.

The construction was finished so I got through, but what exactly they had done was not at all clear to me. What the heck was all that about? I was expecting a whole new interchange with C-470 or something but that was not the case. I’m assuming I’ll never know.

Just south of that interchange, however, they had shifted the road a bit. The gas station and other shops that used to be right along the road are now accessible only by turning off the main road onto a bit of frontage. Making them more difficult to get to but making the road a little safer I’m sure, eliminating all that pulling on and off right onto the main road.

I continued on south on US 85, with nothing much new to be seen here. Reaching Castle Rock, I crossed I-25 and took Founders Parkway just to the left turn onto Crowfoot Valley Road, the most direct route between Castle Rock and Parker. This road has seen huge changes since I started riding it, going from a small two-lane with a lot of open country to having housing developments just about everywhere. At one point I passed a farm that used to be all alone out there and now there is a row of houses looking down on it from the ridge above, going on and on and on. How long ago was that farm isolated? Two years? Yeah, a lot of change around here.

It was a potentially chilly day so I had worn my electric vest but had not felt the need to turn it on yet. Castle Rock is higher than Denver, being down toward the Palmer Divide, so I was definitely feeling the cool here. I considered turning the vest on but it just really wasn’t necessary.

I ran up Crowfoot Valley Road till it turns into Motsenbocker Road at Stroh Road and up to where it bends west on Todd Drive. Right there there was construction going on that looks as though they’re connecting to the northeast to Parker Road across a new bridge. That will be interesting to explore when it’s done.

Todd took me to Jordan Road, which I took up to Arapahoe, then east to Parker Road and on home. About 60 miles–an hour and a half. Nice day for a ride.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: You can’t get diseases from a motorcycle you don’t know very well.

Up on Squaw Pass. I would normally have used my photo editing app to add some snap to this gray photo but this really shows more what it was like–darn chilly.

The forecast in a couple days is for freezing weather but Sunday was very nice. I was not the only motorcyclist out on the road. Not by a long shot.

I fired up the Honda and headed out. First thing I needed gas so I stopped at my usual nearby station. I did the thing with the credit card and selected the grade of gas I wanted and as I lifted the hose out of the slot gas started pouring out. The trigger thing you squeeze to get the gas flowing had been left in the locked-on position when it was put back in the slot. I don’t know if this was just chance–it has never happened before–or it was some jerk’s malicious trick. But there was gas splashed across the ground and over a good bit of my bike.

Heading west on Hampden I soon passed another bike going the other way, with the guy doing big swerves, slaloming. I thought, he has a new tire and is scuffing it up. That reminded me that, oh yeah, I have a new tire and I need to be scuffing it up. (If you read my previous post just stay with me.) So I started doing that a little, too.

I turned north on C-470, just to the Morrison exit, went into Morrison and then north again on Hog Back Road (CO 93), which runs up past Red Rocks. Then just past I-70 I turned west on old US 40, which runs alongside I-70 into the mountains. So nice not to be on the slab.

On this stretch of road you have two stop signs, at I-70 intersections, to accommodate people getting on or off the highway. Then there’s a third stop and if you keep going you have to get onto I-70 briefly. I got on I-70 and then off again quickly at Evergreen Parkway, then made the right to head back to I-70 and across it to resume US 40.

US 40 wanders further away from I-70 here but you can sometimes see it up above and to the left. As I started drawing near again I was surprised to see three feed lots alongside 40. These may have been there and I just haven’t noticed but they presumably never had livestock in them. This day two of them were full — of bison. Wow. OK. Didn’t expect that.

There are a couple more stop signs along this stretch, except there weren’t. I got to the first one and it was gone, replaced by a roundabout. This is very new, and I do approve. It has always been an annoyance to have to stop when there was usually nobody to stop for.

And then as I reached the top of Floyd Hill, where there has always been one more stop sign, it was gone, too, replaced by a very large and more complex roundabout and bypass around the whole mess if you’re staying on 40. I definitely like that!

Heading down the back side of Floyd Hill I could see some of the work they’re doing to straighten out I-70 at the bottom where it bends into Clear Creek Canyon. But even yet there doesn’t seem to be much to see other than some widening. I met US 6 at the bottom of the hill and turned left to get on westbound I-70 again and then the construction really became evident. The entire stretch between the junction and Idaho Springs is one big construction zone. There are interstate lanes you have known forever that are closed and new ones that didn’t exist before. And all kinds of lane shifts. Good to get past all this.

I stopped at the park in Idaho Springs to use the facilities and the dangling cord of my electric vest reminded me that I had forgotten to plug it in before leaving home. I had noticed it right away and when I stopped at a red light I put the bike in neutral in order to use both hands to plug it in but there was nothing to plug it into. Has it been like this ever since I had this bike in for service back in the spring? Is the plug there, just tucked under the seat? I’d have to check on this later.

Well, this stop at the park was later and I looked and could not see the plug anywhere. If it’s under the seat that’s no problem except on this old bike removing the seat is a major pain, not like the modern key release seats of motorcycles today. That was an answer I would have to come up with later. I hoped it would not be too chilly up on top of Squaw Pass, where I was headed.

From Idaho Springs I headed up toward Squaw Pass, on what I guess is now called Mount Blue Sky Highway rather than Squaw Pass Road. The road runs up Chicago Creek and then makes a sharp left and starts climbing. It was at that point that I was at about 50 miles on this new tire, so that meant the center was well scuffed but the edges not so much. That was about to change. I passed a sign that read “Steep grades and sharp curves next 7 miles.” Oh, please don’t throw me in that briar patch.

And then it dawned on me, hey you idiot, you’re on the Honda, not the V-Strom. You got the new tire on the V-Strom. Heck, the rear tire on this bike is probably going to need to be replaced soon. That scuffing you’ve been doing was pointless. Doh.

Fine. So I headed up Squaw Pass and yeah, it got darn chilly up there. How chilly? There was snow on the ground, the first I’ve seen this fall. That’s how chilly. If I’d had the option of turning on the electric vest you can bet I would have. Oh well, better to figure this out today than some really cold day later when I’ll really need the warmth.

Over the pass and heading down the other side I came up behind a couple on bikes. She was in the lead and they were not riding at all aggressively. I just tucked in behind. Then we came to a blind right-hand turn that surprised in how sharp it suddenly became. I know I had to grab a bit of brake unexpectedly.

I had the impression that this was a couple, him an experienced rider, her just learning. This curve may have alarmed her because just a short ways ahead she spotted a place to pull over and did. Or maybe she was just being courteous, figuring I wanted to go faster. I’ll never know.

From there it was just down to Evergreen Parkway, the leftward jog to pick up Kerr Gulch Road, to Kittredge, and then down to Morrison and on home. What a nice day’s ride! Big cold coming on Tuesday.

Biker Quote for Today

All a gal needs is a little black dress and a big bad bike.

Making a stop to check the map while mistakenly headed up Parmalee Gulch.

After my previous ride up Deer Creek Canyon, where I noticed for the first time the road labeled Oehlmann Park Road, I was interested in seeing that road. I had a hunch it went up onto a hill where there are a lot of homes and some confusing streets. If I was right this was where Bob had taken us one day on an RMMRC ride where it seemed he got lost and we ended up going back down and out the way we came in. I wanted to find out.

Assuming I was correct about that, I knew it could get confusing coming from the Turkey Creek Road side. A look at the map shows a bowl of spaghetti where one wrong turn could get you way off track. But coming from the other side, the Pleasant Park Road side, the confusion looked less likely. That was my route.

So again I went west across town, to the road up Deer Creek Canyon, again turning south on Deer Creek Road, to Oehlmann Park Road. The fun begins.

I have to tell you, I really don’t understand people who live up in areas like this. It’s beautiful for sure, but with the steep hills and 180-degree switchbacks I encountered, driving this road would be horrible at best when icy in the winter. In the meantime, in the summer on a motorcycle, they were terrific.

And yes, I was correct about this being where we had been before. I recognized a couple spots and saw where we had gone astray last time. Now, looking at the map shows that even if you do get off on a wrong street, if you keep going you’ll usually end up back on the main road–but you’ll be on gravel until you do.

So anyway, there is one road up there named City View Drive and oh my gosh, what a terrific view toward the city! It really would be a nice place to live as long as you just don’t go home all winter.

Coming down the other side I found myself running along with a guy on a bicycle. I passed him when it was safe but then all the way down he just kept right up with me. Then we both turned north on Turkey Creek Road and still he kept up with me for quite awhile till I eventually left him behind.

In the meantime, looking at the map before I set off that morning I happened to notice another road I’d never paid attention to before. I was going to be taking County Road 64 up from where it ran off from US 285, going up to CR 73, which goes into Evergreen. This road, High Drive, looked to be a shorter route going to Evergreen. And most importantly, I’d never been on it. Time to address that deficiency.

But first I had to get screwed up. There are three places to access US 285 from Turkey Creek Road: on the west where it comes out just east of Conifer, in the middle by the Twin Peaks Tavern, and at the north end just beyond Tiny Town. I was thinking I needed the road going across 285 north of Tiny Town so that’s where I headed. But then I found myself going up through Indian Hills to the Parmalee Gulch area and that was just wrong. Time to stop and look it up on Google Maps on my phone.

Sure enough, I needed North Turkey Creek Road, the one going past the tavern. No problem. By then I wasn’t sure I remembered the name of the road, but I was thinking High. And then, too late to make the turn, I saw the sign for High Drive. Now I had to turn around–not easy on a narrow, winding canyon road with no shoulder.

I finally found a place to do it safely and turned back. This time I made the turn onto High Drive. Another first time road!

As with Oehlmann Park Road, right away I found myself on steep hills and switchbacks. Cool. I just followed the road all around, seeing all kinds of both fancy, expensive homes and cheap little bungalows that now must be worth a million dollars. And I was wondering where this came out in Evergreen.

When I did get to Evergreen I still wasn’t sure where I was, until I found myself at the main intersection in the old part of town and realized I had come out onto CR73 just half a mile south of there. The road I had come out on by now was no longer High Drive, but Little Cub Creek Road. Cool. Now I know.

So was I just going to head on home down Bear Creek Canyon? You know, roads look different going the opposite direction. I turned around and went right back the way I came. Then it was just US 285 all the way home.

I love exploring. And it didn’t hurt that it was an absolutely perfect fall day.

Biker Quote for Today

“I Can Speak To My Soul Only When The Two Of Us Are Off Exploring Deserts Or Cities Or Mountains Or Roads!” -– Paulo Coelho

Stopped along the road on the Squaw Pass road.

What a nice ride I had on Tuesday! And then it turned out it wasn’t just any day.

I had intended to go out on the Honda on Monday but got busy so I reset my plan for Tuesday. Well, what does my calendar show me on Tuesday but that this is the day, in 1988, that I bought this motorcycle. Thirty-six years ago to the day. Still have it, still ride it.

I know most people don’t mark on their calendars the date on which they bought a motorcycle, and I hadn’t either, but back earlier this year when I was selling the Concours I was digging through my titles and related documents and found the bill of sale for the Honda. I decided then to put that date on my calendar. September 17, 1988. A day that changed my life.

And then what a good ride. I started out figuring I ought to pick up where I left off the last time I headed out on this bike, heading up Deer Creek Canyon. This time I knew to avoid the construction blockage on South Santa Fe and headed west on Bowles to Kipling and then south to Deer Creek Canyon Road. I turned up the canyon right behind a pick-up and that guy pulled over to let me past so as not to slow me down. Nice guy. Not that I’m a speedster but I made sure not to slow him down.

Part way up the canyon I decided to turn south onto Deer Creek Road. Two different roads: Deer Creek Canyon Road and Deer Creek Road. Deer Creek Road climbs and winds and eventually comes out at US 285 at Conifer. Just a short bit before I got to Conifer two guys on Harleys pull out in front of me but then just a couple miles later they turned right onto Oehlmann Park Road, which I had never noticed before. Wonder where that goes? I wouldn’t have necessarily paid attention except that this whole way we were riding on brand new asphalt. So new it has not yet been striped. And Oehlmann Park Road also is covered in brand new asphalt. So presumably not a completely minor road. More on this later.

And then I came upon the paving crew, at work. That’s how new this asphalt was. I got to Conifer, went under the highway and got onto County Road 73, which runs up to Evergreen. But I went just a short distance and turned left onto Shadow Mountain Drive, which goes through some really nice areas and eventually bends back around to rejoin CR73 just south of Evergreen. As I was waiting at that intersection to pull out onto CR73 who should come along but those same two guys on Harleys. What the heck route did they take? Looking at the map now I see that Oehlmann Park Road winds through some rural neighborhoods and comes out onto South Turkey Creek Road, the same as I would have hit if I’d just stayed on Deer Creek Canyon Road. Then they must have gone left to meet up with US 285 at Meyer Ranch Park and gotten off at Conifer to take CR73 north. Now I know.

So I got into Evergreen right behind these guys and as they went right I went left to go up Upper Bear Creek Road. There was a sign right away saying something about elk in the area and I had only gone another 100 yards or so and there were all these elk, on both sides of the road. OK, cool. I watched closely as I passed them and headed on only to come to another group. Past them I figured that was it but then there was one more group and this time I came around a tree and one big male was right in front of me in the road.

I hit my brakes and on this CB750 the brakes squeal. Always. Always have, presumably always will. Nothing I can do seems to stop that squealing. Well, that squealing seemed to really bother this big guy in front of me so he skittered very quickly out of my way, which was fine with me. And those were the last I saw.

On up Upper Bear Creek Road till I got to the Witter Gulch Road. This is a great road. It climbs steeply up out of this canyon and has a whole bunch of hairpin turns toward the top. A fun motorcycle road. And that brought me up to the Squaw Pass Road. I turned east, back down to Evergreen Parkway and took the parkway back into Evergreen, then headed down the canyon to Kittredge. At Kittredge I made the turn onto Parmalee Gulch Road over to US 285 again at Indian Hills. From there it was US 285 all the way home.

This all took more than three hours but I only put 96 miles on my odometer. But it was really nice country, the day was beautiful, and I had a great time. And so nice to take the CB750 out for such a nice anniversary ride.

Biker Quote for Today

Don’t rash ride.