Archive for the ‘Colorado motorcycle rides’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Exploring The Wilds Of Highlands Ranch (Accidentally)

Thursday, March 23rd, 2023

Those are bison in the background, here at Daniels Park.

I headed out Tuesday morning on the V-Strom not knowing where to go–as usual. My inclination was to head down toward Daniels Park so I went west on Belleview and turned south on University. Along the way it occurred to me that I had not tried the V-Strom on gravel since I had new street tires put on it. I had had 80-20 street/dirt Shinko tires on before but they wore out ridiculously because I mostly ride on pavement, so I went to street tires. So great, I had a plan.

The problem came with approaching Daniels Park from this direction. Many years ago, before all that area was developed, you just headed south on University till, out in the middle of nothing, there was one gravel road branching off to the south. That was the road to Daniels Park. Nowadays I don’t think that road bed even exists. I think it got rerouted and moved around to accommodate the new houses and all. And the main thing is, there is not good signage to point you to the park from University (which becomes Lincoln Avenue along the line somewhere).

I had gone this route before and missed my turn, and another time I had spotted the sign–just barely. This time, if it is even still there, I missed it again. When I reached Quebec I knew I’d gone too far, but I also knew I could get to Castle Pines Parkway, run west about a tenth of a mile, and turn north through the park and hit that same patch of gravel from the other direction. And that way I could then follow the road back north and determine exactly where it meets University. And maybe remember this time.

That’s what I did. I have to say right here that it was only a semi-warm day. I had my electric vest on and that makes all the difference but by the time I got to the park I was up high and it was darn cold, and windy. My hands were getting numb. If not for that vest I would have been an ice cube.

I got to the park, got to the gravel, and had no issues whatsoever. This was not that much of a test because they use magnesium chloride on that road, which makes it almost paved, although they clearly had not put any on it recently. But the tires worked fine.

So I got back on the pavement continuing north. When it hits the pavement, Daniels Park Road becomes Grig’s Road. Grig’s Road hit McArthur Ranch Road and I knew I needed to go left, but I wasn’t sure what to do after that.

I hit Wildcat Reserve Parkway and crossed that and my road became Fairview Parkway. I took that a good ways and finally reached Highlands Ranch Parkway, turned right, and was back at University. So I turned right to try it again. At this point I was pretty sure the road I had wanted was Wildcat Reserve Parkway so as I approached it again I looked hard for a sign. I saw no sign at all. But I went ahead and turned south on Wildcat.

By now I had no idea what road I had been on when I crossed Wildcat Reserve a short while ago (McArthur Ranch Road) so I missed it and just followed Wildcat. And followed and followed and followed it. Highlands Ranch is really big. I wasn’t lost–I knew I could easily find my way to some place I knew, but I had no idea where this road was leading me. That’s OK, I like to explore.

After awhile it looked like I would be coming out on US 85, which was fine, but then Wildcat hit Highlands Ranch Parkway. Fine. I knew that road comes out on US 85, so I made that left.

Getting onto US 85, from there it was all familiar ground. I cruised past Sedalia, to the Daniels Park Road turn-off, went north to Castle Pines Parkway where I brought the two sides of this very squiggly figure-8 together, and from there made my way home.

It was a really nice ride, probably the best I’ve had yet this year. Yes it was cool but if you have the right gear you can do just about anything. And maybe next time I try to get to Daniels Park from University Boulevard I’ll be successful. Or not.

Biker Quote for Today

Straight roads never make skillful motorcycle riders.

Tags:,
Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides | No Comments »

Good-Bye Covid, Big Riding Season Ahead

Monday, March 20th, 2023

There is a lot of riding going on this summer.

Covid is not gone but the world is moving on and we’ll just live with it. Which is to say, after two years of not a lot of motorcycle rallies or events going on, it’s all back now. I’ve been much busier recently updating and adding events to my Rides and Rallies page and I’m a little blown away by all the many events already announced. And we’re not even into the season yet.

Let’s just look at a few.

All the racing events are back on the calendar. You’ve got a series of vintage motocross races set. And of course the big one, Monster Energy 2023 Supercross. Plus, the Motorcycle Roadracing Association is planning a full series of events, too.

The annual Molly-Dharma Run is set for June 11. This event raises money for animal shelters and is always one of the most popular poker runs in the state.

One I haven’t seen before is the Southwest Quest – Women’s Moto Retreat. This event, in June, is a focus for women riders.

In July the Christian Motorcyclists Association is having its big gathering in Hotchkiss. And shortly after that the BMW Motorcycle Club of Colorado is having its annual Top O the Rockies Rally just down the road in Paonia.

In August the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally returns, and it’s a good one. Then there are a couple one-off things going on in September. The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum, in Colorado Springs, is having a 30-year anniversary celebration and that coincides with a Colorado stop-over by the Motorcycle Cannonball event, which runs from coast to coast on really old machines every two years.

Those are just some highlights. There will be plenty of poker runs and fundraisers planned by a wide range of organizations. Basically, any time you’re looking for something to do on your bike you’re likely to find something going on. So get out there and ride.

Biker Quote for Today

It does not matter how slow you ride as long as you do not stop.

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides, motorcycle events | No Comments »

Good Timing On A Chilly Ride

Monday, March 6th, 2023

That’s snow coming, those clouds off in the distance.

The first of the month was two days earlier, so that meant I had three motorcycles to ride. It was an overcast day but not particularly cold and the forecast was for much colder soon. I figured it was a day to ride; I chose the V-Strom.

I wasn’t going to be fooled this time; I wore my riding pants with the lining in plus long underwear. It didn’t take any time at all to find that this was definitely the right choice. I’m stupid sometimes but not all the time.

I had no idea where to go. I just got on DTC Boulevard and headed south. That road turns into Yosemite and I just kept going. At County Line Road I turned west. It occurred to me that it had been years since I’d gone more than a few blocks on County Line Road so what the heck, I’d just take it all the way to Santa Fe Drive.

It was a nice ride, not a lot of traffic at all. And all the way west I could see clouds bunching up over the foothills. That’s weather coming in. Maybe I could find a good spot to do a picture of the bike and the clouds. This is the kind of thing that drives a lot of my rides. I don’t have any clear destination but I decide I want a particular type of photograph and then I go somewhere that I can get that shot.

The temperature was dropping, but I had my electric vest keeping me warm so it was not at all unpleasant. Meanwhile, it was fun being out on the bike. None of us get in enough riding time at this time of year.

I blasted north on Santa Fe, to Belleview, then turned east to home. Ten minutes after I got home I looked out and it was snowing. OK, I guess that worked out pretty darn well. Now I have two more bikes that need to be ridden.

Biker Quote for Today

A motorcycle shop is the only place riders like window shopping.

Tags:
Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides, Suzuki motorcycles, V-Strom | No Comments »

Loving February Weather

Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

Don’t let a little slush deter you, the main roads are all clear and ready to be ridden.

February has given us some fine riding weather and I have kicked myself for not taking advantage of more of it. So on Monday I made it a point to get out and ride.

It was pretty cloudy so we didn’t have the benefit of the warmth from the sun but the temperature was in the 50s so how bad could it be? The only cold weather gear I wore was my electric vest. I never go anywhere at this time of year without that.

But I hadn’t gotten far at all when it became really obvious that it would have been really nice to at least have put on long underwear under my jeans. It was darn chilly! I could have turned back and layered up more but I don’t like doing that. Once I leave the house I’m gone. And then as it turned out, the sun came out and the sky was full of blue. Not bad at all.

A lot of times when I go for a ride I don’t have a destination–I just ride, following any impulse. But sometimes I have a destination–heck, sometimes I manufacture a destination, just to have a place to head for. This time I was headed to a couple places down just off South Broadway at about County Line Road. I wanted to go there but couldn’t justify driving all that way just to make these two stops. But I could totally justify it for a bike ride.

One was the Wilmore nursery (Wilmore Outdoor Living Center) where I wanted to buy seeds. It’s late February and that means planting will begin in my garden in the next month or so. I frequently buy seeds from mail-order places but looking in the Gurney’s catalog I was shocked to see that seed packets that used to sell for $3-$4 each are now listed for $8. Nope, I’ll go see what I can find at Wilmore. And that made the whole trip worthwhile because I paid between $2 and $3.50 apiece for seed packets there.

Next I wanted to go to the Goodwill over on the west side of Broadway. I had been in there a week earlier when I was in the area for a doctor’s appointment and had time to kill. At that time I noticed some absolutely beautiful champagne flutes, for $2 apiece. These things were gorgeous and I would bet that new, at some fancy shop, they had cost at least $40 apiece. But I knew we had more glassware than we would ever need already so I was tempted but did not buy them.

Then after I left I thought about it and it occurred to me that I could buy them and we could get rid of some of our less nice glassware. But antique stores and thrift stores are places where if you see something you like you must buy it right then because if you come back for it it will be gone. I knew this, which was another reason I couldn’t justify driving down there, but in this case it worked to stop by again. Of course the flutes were gone. Something that gorgeous and worth so very much more is not going to stick around for long. And they didn’t.

No matter, it was a really nice day to be out riding. Then as I was headed home, I was coming north on University and as I was coming through an intersection a westbound car made the turn north onto University and — Surprise!! — started moving into my lane–with me right there. The lady did see me in time and scooted back into her lane but then she saw the lane she was in made a right turn just ahead, and she didn’t want to turn right. So she started moving back into my lane, and by now I was even closer.

I wasn’t going to get myself hurt but I made up my mind not to just cede the lane to her, and I did not drop back. She finally accepted that she needed to yield to the vehicle already in the lane she wanted–what a concept!–and just let me get past before changing lanes.

So I got on home, and by then it had clouded up and the temperature was dropping again. My timing was perfect. And I had a nice February ride.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if when you buy your bike you start calling everyone “bro.”

Tags:,
Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides | No Comments »

February Riding

Thursday, February 9th, 2023

The obligatory ride photo, down near Daniels Park.

February has been very compliant this year, offering us good riding days right away. Of course I took advantage.

Friday of last week was looking to be the best day so I got out on the Concours. There were plenty of other bikes out, too. People know a good thing when they see it.

Nothing eventful happened on that ride but I did notice that unlike its opposite number and its predecessor, my new left-hand mirror vibrates as if I were on a Harley. That’s never been the case before. Did I just not wrench the nuts down tight enough? Getting to them is way too complicated for me to just go in and see, so I guess I’ll be living with this for the foreseeable future.

It was a beautiful day and Saturday promised to be very nice, too, so I left the other two bikes for Saturday. But Saturday proved to be no way near as nice.

I took off first on the V-Strom. The temperature was about five degrees cooler than the day before but more importantly, there was a breeze, and it was a cold breeze. I immediately turned on the electric vest, which I had worn the day before but never turned on. That helped a lot.

Unlike the day before, there were not a lot of other bikes out; I only saw a couple. I did notice, though, going over Cherry Creek Dam, that there were ice fishermen all over the lake. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen ice fishermen out there before. I guess that is a testament to how much colder this winter has been than recent years past.

I kind of had a longer ride in mind but it wasn’t long before I was getting more than a little chilly. I altered my route and got in a good ride but a shorter one than planned. By the time I got home my hands were seriously cold and all of me was uncomfortable. Fine, I have warmer gear.

After lunch I headed out on the CB750, this time having added long underwear and my riding pants with liner, and my heated gloves. Absolute night and day. I took a much longer ride and could not have been more comfortable.

The other really nice thing, which I didn’t even think about for a while, was that whereas the Honda had seemed to run poorly the last time I rode it, now it ran absolutely beautifully. Not one thing wrong. I have no idea what that business was about last month but I’m quite pleased it didn’t turn out to be something I would have to contend with.

This time I headed west and then turned south down US 85 through Sedalia. Not surprisingly, I saw a lot more bikes out this time. You will never ride down by Sedalia on a decent day and not see lots of bikes, and this day was no exception. I turned north on the Daniels Park Road, stopped and took the obligatory ride photo, and worked my way on home. Now the weather can do its worst, I’ve ridden all three bikes in February.

Biker Quote for Today

I love the sensation of being out in the open air, far away from all the distractions of modern life. I will usually disappear for a couple of hours, and that time on my bike is quite sacred, as it’s when I do all my serious thinking.

Tags:, ,
Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides, Honda motorcycles, Kawasaki, Suzuki motorcycles, V-Strom | No Comments »

Motorcycle Passage Through Colorado On Video

Thursday, January 19th, 2023

I got an email a while back from Anthony asking me for routes ideas. He said he was coming into Colorado to Durango and was heading on through to Wyoming. He wanted to do some dirt; did I have suggestions?

Of course I did so I mapped out a possible route and sent that to him. So much for that. Normally.

Then, a few days ago, I got another email. He had completed his trip and now had posted the video. Oh, I had no idea you were going to be doing that. So I had to go watch the video.

The fact of the matter was that I did not remember what we had discussed. I knew I could go reread out exchanges but I didn’t bother doing that before watching the video. I would do that afterward.

The video starts with some introductory footage that I suspect (haven’t checked it out yet) that he starts each video with, setting the scene. Then the riding begins out around Moab, and he quickly takes a fall on the Honda CB500X he’s riding. Not the last fall he’ll take along the way. Clearly Anthony is no quitter.

He reaches the Million Dollar Highway, US 550 running up to Ouray, and is not impressed. Mostly it was the traffic and the fact that it was raining pretty hard, but he called it “kind of boring” and said he really preferred the McKensie Highway, up in Oregon. I haven’t been on that so that could be something to check out some day.

After a stop to do laundry it was time to hit the dirt. He was still on US 550 and when he turned off to the right I immediately recognized that he was headed for Owl Creek Pass. It turned out when I did go back and read our emails that this was a route I suggested. I sure didn’t remember that, though. But I recognized that turn-off.

Through the course of the video you see all these nice views of the bike and while some shots are clearly from cameras mounted on the bike, others look like they were shot by someone else on another bike. On this stretch you really get a chance to see at least some of the cameras. Apparently enough people asked that he put up a video just showing his camera set-up. Very interesting but I wish he had explained why, when the camera is mounted on a selfie stick “the selfie stick disappears.” Really? How?

So he made it to Gunnison that day, which is where this episode (there are four of them, so far) ends, but as a teaser he includes a preview of crossing Wyoming . . . and another spill. This time it was tipping slowly sideways in a mud hole.

I totally identify with that. I did exactly the same thing once coming across northern Kansas. Your front wheel goes splooshing into the deep mud and you just fall over in slow motion. Then getting back up is super hard because you don’t have solid footing to lift the bike.

Anyway, it’s kind of a fun ride to go along on. And I’m glad I was able to contribute in a small way. Check it out if you’re interested.

Biker Quote for Today

Don’t know if it’s illegal to be handsome and ride a motorcycle at the same time but whatever, I live dangerously.

Tags:
Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »