Passes & Canyons Blog

Judy is more into hiking than I am, and I’m more into riding motorcycles than she is. But we both enjoy both so what she often suggests is that we get on a bike and ride out to some place where we can take a hike.

She suggested that on Sunday but I countered with a proposal catering to another of her interests: geology. Judy has always had an interest in geology and recently took a geology of Colorado class. So now it’s a given that we’ll be seeing more of that sort of thing, and hopefully much of that will be by motorcycle.

Anyway, I suggested we ride out to that cut where I-70 goes through the hogback just west of town. There are all these strata of rocks exposed as they’ve been tilted up onto a slope and the area has signs offering interpretation and a path to walk along and see the strata. And then as long as we were both out there, we could also go to Dinosaur Ridge and see the fossils.

Now, the Dinosaur Ridge preserve is really what used to just be West Alameda Parkway as it ran across the hogback. I remember driving over that many years ago but somewhere along the line they shut down the road and made it a route for pedestrians and bicyclists only. And they built a visitor center and museum, as well as a gift shop and cafe.

So that’s where we headed.

Dinosaur Ridge was the first we came to so we stopped and hiked on up the hill. There’s one place in particular where this whole slab of rock, tilted steeply, shows quite a few amazingly clear dinosaur footprints. I had no idea, driving on that road years ago, that these were there. Up over the crest and down on the other side there are also dinosaur bones. We figured we’d go there after the I-70 Geological Point of Interest.

Going north from the Dinosaur Ridge visitor center you can take Rooney Road and that runs right past Thunder Valley Motocross Park. Judy had never been on Rooney Road so we went that way. It’s always pretty dang cool seeing those guys taking big air up over the whoops at Thunder Valley. I told Judy if I had a dirt bike I’d definitely be spending some of my time there at Thunder Valley.

“So why don’t you?” she asked.

“Because I don’t have a dirt bike.”

Oh, right. No, I don’t think my V-Strom would be the right bike for a track like that.

Anyway, on to the I-70 cut. First we pulled in to the area on the south side of the highway. Walking up the trail we were surprised to find it buried inches deep in dirt/mud with numerous rocks of all sizes laying where they came to rest after tumbling off the exposed cut. And there were no interpretative signs, though there were some stone pedestals that appeared to once have held signs. The whole area has just apparently been abandoned. And about 20 feet from the end of the trail there was barbed wire drawn across with a sign saying to keep out because beyond this point it is a firing range for law enforcement. And we could hear the pop, pop, pop of gunfire.

OK, so we could see that there are interpretive signs on the trail along the north side of the cut. We headed over there.

Sad to say, as we walked along the north side we found the signs totally wrecked by vandals. As the passed the fourth totally obliterated sign Judy remarked that she hoped the jerks were lazy. What she meant was that maybe they wouldn’t have taken the trouble to destroy all of them. And she was right. Starting with the fifth one, they were all in pretty good shape. What is happening with these is that the hill is sliding down on them and covering them over. On several the stone pedestals are completely covered and the dirt is encroaching on the signs themselves. This is the kind of thing you get when you don’t give the government the money to maintain the facilities it is charged with maintaining.

But the walks on both sides were interesting, and the interpretation added to that by explaining what it was we were seeing. If you’ve ever thought about stopping there you should.

By this time we were both getting hungry so we skipped the other side of Dinosaur Ridge and rode on into Morrison, with the patio at the Morrison Inn in mind. As I eyed a stretch of bikes in front of the restaurant a guy stepped out and waved his arms to indicate that no, I shouldn’t park that Japanese bike here with all these Harleys. It was in fun and we both smiled. But I parked down the street.

We enjoyed some food and refreshment, listened to a little live music, and then headed home. Storm clouds were threatening seriously, but we made it home dry. It was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Biker Quote for Today

I’d rather push a Yamaha than ride a Harley.

I had never heard of Motorcycle Explorer magazine until Alan forwarded me a link. Apparently they’ve been putting this out for awhile; this is issue 11. And this May 2016 issue features a story about a ride a couple folks did of the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route.

So I was just looking through the magazine (it’s online only, and free as far as I can tell–I didn’t have to pay of join or anything to see it) and here was this feature article. Heck, I thought it was just a cool mag; I didn’t know it had local content. And it’s a 23-page piece with a lot of gorgeous pictures.

But here’s the kicker. On about the 22nd page there is a video. As they say on the page, “You don’t get this in a print mag ;)” And it’s a five-minute video they pair of riders put together from presumably GoPro footage they shot on the ride. Talk about getting a feel for the ride and almost being there!

So I really do recommend you go to the magazine and read it and look at the pictures but I’m going to cheat a little and give you the video right here. It’s on YouTube, after all.

Now, here’s another interesting thing. I went to this magazine on the web and got to this month’s issue. I wanted to get to a home page where I could see other issues. What I came upon was a web publishing platform that people can use to publish their online magazines. It allows you to peruse apparently every magazine published on their platform. There are categories and one category is motorcycles.

And boy oh boy, are there a lot of motorcycle magazines out there online! I see things like Louisiana Biker, On The Pegs, Ministry of Superbike, Trials & Enduro News, and a whole lot more, including a bunch of local Thunder Roads pubs. Very cool.

OK, I just did some more poking around and yes, Motorcycle Explorer is free and you can even subscribe. That’s probably true of the others as well. It’s gotten a lot harder making money with a magazine these days but once you put it together it’s sure a lot easier to get it out there to an audience of the whole world. Happy reading.

Biker Quote for Today

The road less traveled is a road worth riding.

I came away from seeing “A Story Worth Living” Thursday night with decidedly mixed feelings. I had put up a blog post telling people about it and then, as it turned out, it really wasn’t a motorcycle movie. It was a movie that had motorcycles in it, but they were not the main thing.

Ostensibly this was a film about a bunch of guys who had little or no dirt riding experience taking some 800cc BMWs on some gnarly roads. But in fact that was not really the story, that was just the setting. The story was really about what the name gets at: a story worth living. It’s about doing things in your life that give you a story to tell, and to learn from, and not just meandering through life with no direction or purpose. Clearly that’s a much deeper, broader focus but when you’ve come expecting to see a motorcycle movie and you find yourself listening to philosophical discussions of things not particularly related to motorcycles it can be a disappointment.

To attest to that, people started leaving about mid-way through the show. Just a few here and there, but then at the end there is a lengthy talk portion, and by lengthy I mean 20-30 minutes. That’s when people started leaving in droves. We stayed to the end and by then the theatre was nearly empty.

So I said I had mixed feelings. That’s because some parts of it were very good while other parts I could have done without. There was way too much philosophy of the psychobabble variety. I don’t think many of us were there to be introspective. I’m not religious, so I could easily have forgone the Jesus portions. And if there had been more riding and less discussion that would have been very good.

And that’s the thing. The riding portions were great. The photography was terrific. I was wondering much of the time how they got the stellar aerial shots and was glad toward the end when they talked about the use of drones for the aerials. Very cool. And a lot of the other camera work was also very good.

Because it was shot in Colorado I was wondering all the time where they were. In particular, there was one shot they used a couple times, and which had been used in the trailer I had viewed beforehand, that I looked at and said, that has got to be where the Cinnamon Pass and Engineer Pass roads come together. I’ve never ridden Engineer but I have ridden Cinnamon, and I could swear I recognized that spot. In the discussion later on they talked more about where they were and from what I gathered I was correct.

Then they talked about riding the Shelf Road, down between Canon City and Cripple Creek, and that confirmed my suspicions as well. Most of the rest looked awfully familiar but just could not be placed. I would have liked it if they had said more often, “OK, today we’re going through this area” or something of that sort.

So I’d give it a 3 on a 5-point scale. I think for many of us who were there, if we had had a better idea what it was actually about it would have been better. But to come expecting one thing and find it’s something else was just not a pleasant surprise.

Biker Quote for Today

You only live once–don’t leave it covered in the garage.

Alan sent me a note with a link to this movie, and after watching the trailer I decided I definitely want to see it. You may be interested, too.

The movie is A Story Worth Living. Here’s how BMW Motorrad International describes it:

When John Eldredge and his three sons planned an eight-day, 1,600 kilometre adventure ride across the scenic roads and trails of Colorado, U.S.A., their first stumbling block was a distinct lack of off-road riding experience. The next step was to acquire the required bikes. With the details sorted, their adventure of a lifetime swiftly became the start of a lifetime of adventure.

OK, that’s fine but is it really all that good? Who knows. All I have is the trailer, which you ought to watch, but which I’ll describe a little.

These guys got their inspiration from that Ewan Mcgregor thing, “Long Way Round.” So they decided they wanted to do something like that. Only problem was they had no dirt riding experience. As one of the guys said, “I am wildly unprepared for this.”

This, in this case, is a ride through Colorado, presumably–I am guessing–on the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route. Or something like it. And they’re a bit scared that something bad could happen. And apparently something did. I assume no one died.

So what I really wonder is, how do you go about filming a trip like this, making it into a professional quality movie, and then getting it booked into a variety of theaters for a one-showing special engagement? However it works, they did, and it is showing this Thursday night at these theaters in Colorado.

I’ve got my tickets for the Greenwood Plaza 12. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Biker Quote for Today

The brave don’t live forever . . . the cautious don’t live at all.

That title dates this old Examiner post: back in 2008 when the Democratic National Convention came to Denver. It’s still a great ride.

You ride motorcycles. And you’re coming to Colorado for the Democratic National Convention. There has to be a way to combine the two.

No problem. All you need is one day and a motorcycle. I’ve got the route and I can direct you to the folks who have the bikes.

(Big hint for the two-wheels challenged: This route makes a great ride in a car, too.)

Need to rent a bike? Check out these rentals:

Colorado Tourbike Rentals and Sales
Eagle Rider of Denver
Mile High Harley-Davidson

There are others. These are just the ones with websites. For others and their phone numbers, see this listing (Definitely see this listing–the info above is very incomplete–KB, 2016).

OK. Now you’ve got a bike, where do you go?

Funny you should ask. I just happen to have a terrific route mapped out for you. The starting point is in Golden. I won’t try to tell you how to get there because I don’t know where you’re coming from. Ask the folks you rent from how to get to Golden. It’s west of Denver, at the foot of the mountains.

You’ll be going up high so be sure to bring warm clothes. It can snow any day of the year at 14,000 feet. And plan on taking most of the day. It may only be 250 miles but you’ll be moving at a very leisurely pace.

The road you want going out of Golden is U.S. 6. Check the map. This road heads up Clear Creek Canyon so you’re immediately into some beautiful, winding roads. Take Clear Creek up to the turnoff to Blackhawk, which is CO 119. This puts you on what is called the Peak to Peak Highway. It’s actually pieces of several highways so just remember you want to continue north until you reach Estes Park.

From Blackhawk, CO 119 winds north along high ridges to Nederland. At Nederland you continue north on CO 72, which ends at the intersection with CO 7. Right would take you to Lyons. Left takes you to Estes Park. Go left.

At Estes Park you want to catch westbound U.S. 34. If you’ve been enjoying yourself already — and you should have been — get ready for the really good stuff. You’re headed up over Trail Ridge Road. Trail Ridge is the highest through road in the United States. Eight miles of this road is above 11,000 feet. Take your time; there’s a lot to see.

Coming down off Trail Ridge you reach Grand Lake. This is a really nice little mountain town and worth a stop. Lunch perhaps. Then continue on 34 to Granby, where you’ll pick up U.S. 40 eastbound. A few miles and you’ll reach Winter Park and then start the ascent over Berthoud Pass. This is another good one.

Just past Empire you will meet I-70. Go east a few miles to Idaho Springs and get off at the second exit, for CO 103. You’re now on your way to Squaw Pass, but we have a little diversion for you before you get to the pass.

As you wind your way up the pass you’ll pass a lake and then see the turnoff for CO 5. This road, the highest paved road in the U.s., takes you to the top of Mount Evans, one of Colorado’s 14ers. (Those are mountains over 14,000 feet.) There is a $3 fee for motorcycles. It’s worth it. Don’t be in a hurry. You can’t pass on this road. You want to take it slow. Otherwise you have no business being here.

When you reach the parking area at the top you’ll still have about 150 feet to climb on foot to get to the peak. After that it’s all the way back down and you know, roads look totally different going the other direction so it’s like you get a two-for-one deal.

Back at CO 103 again, continue east to Bergen Park and CO 74. Follow this to I-70 and take the road east back to Denver. It’s perfectly acceptable to smile a lot as you return your rental.

Biker Quote for Today

Two wheels, one engine, no limits.

Friday was hazy so the temperature never got up to what had been forecast but it was still nice enough I decided it was time to head for the hills.

I make it a point to just stay out of the hills all winter because even when it’s nice down here on the flatlands it can be cold and icy up there. Of course, if you ride on three wheels like Dom Chang then it doesn’t matter. I don’t, so it does.

I took the V-Strom up Clear Creek Canyon and it was a great day to be out. I didn’t wear any electrics because I figured it was warm enough I wouldn’t need them. That has been a mistake at times in the past but I was confident this time. Traffic was light and I didn’t have anybody behind me. I like not having anybody behind me on roads like that. And the people in front of me were making good time, no laggards.

Reaching Black Hawk it was still warm and I had not even seen snow in the shady areas. A little past Black Hawk and that all changed. Now the shady areas on the north-facing slopes had a lot of snow and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. My legs were getting chilly because all I had there was jeans; on top I had layers.

All the way up Clear Creek Canyon and along the Peak-to-Peak the road was completely clear–no ice, no sand. But by the time I got to where the road down through Golden Gate Canyon peels off from the Peak-to-Peak there was snow everywhere (except on the road) and even cooler temps. I was looking forward to heading down.

And then there was sand in several places on the Golden Gate Canyon road. You’re definitely going to want to take it easy if you go up that road any time soon.

But what a great day it was to be riding up in the hills, nevertheless. Did you know the roads up there have a lot of curves? I’ve been riding down on the prairie the last few months and you don’t see near as many of those down here. Wonder why?

It was especially fun, too, being on the V-Strom. That bike is light and agile and you just zip around those curves. My other bikes are both heavier and just don’t have that feel to them. If I was in a place where I could only have one bike I could have the V and be plenty happy. But I’m glad I’m not in that place.

And then I was getting back near out of the canyon and I passed a guy on a Ural sidecar rig going the other way. I can’t help but wonder, was that you, Dom?

Biker Quote for Today

Meditation doesn’t mean you have to sit still.