Passes & Canyons Blog

Two side car rigs with two dogs.

No sooner had Alan read my remarks about sending dead dinosaurs through my bike than he emailed me to ask if I wanted to join them on a ride Sunday. I did.

Alan, of course, now rides a Gold Wing sidecar rig and his daughter, Abby, joined us in the hack along with her little dog. Then we headed west to the Conoco station out by Morrison where we met up with Sandy, in her Harley sidecar rig, with her dog, Bentley. Alan met Sandy in Sturgis at a sidecar rally this spring and considering that both live in the Denver area, they had been trying to get out for a ride together. This was the day.

And just as an aside, while Alan’s rig is a true beauty, Sandy’s was chosen Best of Show at the rally, so you know it’s a very nice piece of machinery.

We took off with Alan in the lead, me in the rear, and Sandy in between. Although I hadn’t planned it, this allowed me to observe Sandy and Bentley throughout the day. Periodically she would reach over and stroke his head, which was sweet and made me wish I could get a photo of it. Going through towns she would also pet him and on quite a number of occasions she also readjusted his goggles so they would be where they belonged, protecting his eyes.

Bentley doesn’t seem to mind the goggles when they’re at speed but when they slow down or even stop, he wants them off. He has become very adept at turning to the back of his seat and using it to brush the goggles up off his face. I saw him do it time and again. The straps of the goggle are pretty ingenious: one strap goes all the way around his neck, while another goes under his ears and holds them in place. That way, when he brushes them off, they don’t fall off. They just sit on top of his head until Sandy puts them back down.

Everywhere we went Bentley was a head-turner. Everybody was tickled to see the dog with goggles in the sidecar. I remember in particular when we passed a girl of about 10 and her face just lit up as she pointed him out to her friends.

And Bentley was well behaved, too. Though he was not strapped in, he never jumped out inappropriately, although there was one time, again in Boulder, where we were stopped for a red light and he saw a squirrel. “Squirrel!!” Oh man, he wanted that squirrel, but Sandy saw it, too, and poked him to remind him to behave. She had to poke him a couple more times before we left that squirrel behind.

I have to confess I did not even catch the name of Abby’s dog. She and the dog were tucked down inside Alan’s sidecar, way out in front of me, and it was easy for me to forget the dog was even there. Abby did share with us the amusing fact that her dog–more than any she has ever known–has absolutely no idea how to brace itself for the inevitable curves you encounter in a car or any other vehicle. We’d go around a curve and the dog would find itself laying on its back, feet in the air, thrust up against the outside wall of the sidecar. “How did I get here, Mom?”

So it was a beautiful fall day up in the hills and we had a good ride, though it definitely got chilly later on. Caught just a few drops of rain coming through Golden. If the forecast holds out this may be the last good weekend for riding we’ll have for awhile. And there were a lot of folks on bikes out taking advantage of it.

OK, this just arrived. Here’s a group shot.

Group shot in Nederland.

Biker Quote for Today

Only animals belong in cages. (That’s the quote, but I say no, animals don’t belong in cages, either. But some dogs do belong in sidecars.)

Out where Belleview runs into a ritzy neighborhood.

Frustration. Aggravation. Ready to scream.

Yeah, I was and I knew I needed to go for a ride. Really, really needed to go for a ride.

It was Sunday and I was doing some long-neglected chores around the house. Specifically, the latch on the gate was about to fall off and I wanted to fix it for real this time, not just put on a band-aid as I have done several times before. But things just weren’t going well.

I had a strip of scrap wood that I figured I could attach on the edge and then attach the latch to that, but man that piece of wood was hard. I tried to drill it but the drill didn’t do a thing. I tried to nail it but the nails all bent.

Meanwhile it had been a pretty nice day, cool at first but then sunny and warm, and now it was starting to cloud over again. Forget this, I’m going riding.

I rolled out the V-Strom and geared up and then saw it was starting to rain. !!!! A look to the west, however, showed blue sky so I figured that while I would take my rain gear I would not put anything on just yet. And I headed west, toward the blue sky.

Not really knowing where I was going, I just headed west on Belleview. I was on the V-Strom so maybe I’d get to the foothills and find a dirt road going who knows where. I could feel the tension melting away and I couldn’t have cared less about the raindrops speckling my visor, my jacket, and the bike. And pretty soon I reached the sun and now I was feeling a lot better.

Crossing under Santa Fe, still on Belleview, I was not sure where the road went from here. Time to find out. I have that exploring gene.

Soon enough I did find out. I ran into the barrier that is Bow Mar. Tried to poke my way through a couple times but kept running into dead-ends so I backed out and went south till I got to Bowles, which finally carried me further west. Rode past Southwest Plaza (how many years has it been since I’ve been out here?!) and further west until I reached C-470 and there was a foothill immediately in front of me. But Belleview went on across the highway so I checked out where it went.

Not far. It immediately swung south and then into a tiny neighborhood and the grounds for one of those ginormous mega-churches. OK, back to C-470 and go north to the next exit.

That was Quincy and I got off and crossed the highway and found it split left and right. Right was marked Turkey Creek Canyon. I’ve been up there and know it and where it goes. Left was marked Belleview. Oh really? Let’s see.

So I headed south and then west once again on Belleview. This led into a ritzy area with lots of McMansions and as I would around I found myself coming out towards US 285 as it heads up into the mountains. This was that area you always see to the south as you head up that way. Now I know how to get in there.

The road brought me out on CO 8 right at the Fort restaurant on the north side of US 285. My exploring gene had been satisfied and it had clouded over again so it was cooling off and I was getting cold. I turned east to chase the sun again. A couple more side trips along the way and I was nearly home. I stopped off at our local Ace Hardware and bought some new drill bits and left the bike and my gear to put away later as I turned my attention back to the latch.

Very calmly now, with no feelings of aggravation, I put the new bit in and presto, it went right into that hard piece of wood. In five minutes the job was completely done.

Some times you just have to clear your head. There’s no better way to do that than getting on your bike.

Biker Quote for Today

When life throws you a curve… lean into it, pick your line, and keep your weight on the outside peg.

Saturday afternoon on a gorgeous fall day is very crowded on top of Guanella Pass.

I reported a little over a year ago that Guanella Pass was finally being paved all the way from Georgetown to Grant, and that it would take a year or more before it was completed. Now I’m back to report that the work, if not totally completed, is largely done and the road is asphalt the entire distance. If you’ve never ridden Guanella then you should now because you have no reason not to.

Especially at this time of year. It is absolutely gorgeous up there.

Judy and I did exactly that on Saturday. I had checked for reports on the construction work and found conflicting information. One report seemed to say that the intent was to leave the last two miles to Grant unpaved. Why? Is that really the case? I decided to take the V-Strom just in case.

Our intent was to go out I-70 to Georgetown and get off there to catch the Guanella Pass Road at Georgetown. What we did not count on was a huge traffic jam on I-70. We were coming back into town on Tuesday and saw westbound I-70 backed up for a long, long way but we figured it was an accident of something. Apparently not. Although there is road work in progress along the way to Idaho Springs, this was Saturday and there was no work going on at the time and there were no lane closures. Nevertheless, getting from Evergreen Parkway to Idaho Springs took about an hour. We would have done much better to have gone over Squaw Pass and down to Idaho Springs that way.

OK, so we finally got to Georgetown. Heading up the pass we knew the road was good because that portion was repaved a couple years ago. We thought there might be a lot of traffic because of people out viewing the aspens but that wasn’t the case, maybe because the trees were mostly past their prime. Closer to the top, however, the autumn colors of the other vegetation was stunning. Here’s an example (although the photo really doesn’t do it justice).

Right at the top it was a total zoo. There are several hiking trailheads at the top and on such a glorious fall day, and a weekend day, the hikers were out in force.

We didn’t stay on top for long, though. What we wanted to see was down the other side. And down we went. And down and down and down. The road is paved, it has a lot of serious landscaping with curb in some places, stonework where they made cuts on the sides of the road, and new fencing along the equestrian area you pass by.

Importantly, the last two miles have not been left gravel; it is paved all the way to Grant. So you know what this means: I’m going to need to create a page for Guanella Pass on the website, rather than just have the brief mention in the Dirt Roads and Side Trips page. That will probably have to wait until next spring so I’ll have time to get up there and shoot a lot of photos and develop all the other information that goes on those pages.

But Guanella is now rideable, even if you hate gravel. Until the snow comes. It closes in the winter. Head on up sooner, rather than later.

Biker Quote for Today

The twisties, not the superslabs, separate the riders from the squids.

Forecast for Denver: high 80s. Weather on Mount Evans: snow.

“There’s road damage at mile marker 8 and it’s snowing on top.”

That’s what the ranger at the gate to CO 5 up Mount Evans told us and she was only a little wrong. There may be a little road damage between mile posts 8 and 9 but it’s at 9 where the road gets truly bad. She was right about the snow, though.

Dan and Alan and I set out this morning intending to go up Mount Evans and then up Pikes Peak. I’m the instigator here; I just want to do it and I also have a publication in mind I’d like to sell an article to. Alan and I had been putting this ride off for a couple weeks because with all the haze in the air from the forest fires west of us I presumed we would get up on the mountains and not be able to see anything. Kind of misses the point.

Two days ago I said let’s do it and when we got up this morning guess what? Major overcast. Oh well, let’s do it anyway. The weather might make the story more interesting.

So I got to Alan’s and found that Dan was joining us, so good deal. Let’s go.

We headed out Hampden/US 285 and then ran up Bear Creek to Evergreen, Evergreen Parkway to CO 103 over Squaw Pass, and just before Echo Lake there is the turn-off for CO 5. Before we got there we had already stopped and I had put on my warmer clothes and rain jacket and turned on my electric vest. It was more water hanging in the air than rain because we were up in the clouds but it was definitely getting wet. And colder. I had not put on my rain pants and that proved to be a mistake.

We took it very slow going up the mountain, especially on the switchbacks, where we seemed in almost every instance to meet cars coming down around the switchback at the exact same time. The clouds were low but we could still see around us. The drops started getting bigger on my visor.

Slowly, slowly, slowly we continued up the mountain as the temperature dropped and I berated myself for not thinking to wear my heated gloves. Then I also berated myself for not putting my rain pants on, because as you probably all know, the water was running down my jacket and off my gas tank and collecting in that convenient little catch basin right at my crotch. And soaking in.

As we neared the top my hands were going numb and we rode into the cloud sitting on top of the mountain. Which is to say it got very foggy. And finally we rounded the last bend and pulled into the parking lot at the top and sure enough, it was snowing.

We didn’t stay at the top for long. Just long enough for me to use the restroom, pull on my rain pants, and shoot a few pictures. We agreed that Pikes Peak didn’t sound like such a good idea, especially since Dan’s GPS unit was showing similar weather on the other mountain.

In just that short time, however, the weather changed significantly. Heading back down the fog was gone from the top of the mountain, you could actually see pretty far, and there, to the south of us, was Pikes Peak. Maybe . . .

But no, we got back down to CO 103 and turned left, to go to Idaho Springs for lunch. And after lunch it was back on home.

It was actually a great day to ride, and it was beautiful going up the mountain despite the cold and wet. Even more beautiful coming back down. But this two peaks in one day thing is going to have to wait. Dang! I’m going to have to go ride my motorcycle again some other day. Life is so hard.

Biker Quote for Today

The most important thing is to have a good relationship with the bike… you have to understand what she wants. I think of a motorcycle as a woman, and I know that sounds silly, but it’s true. — Valentino Rossi

The Concours on Mount Evans in 2011 when I did the piece for Accelerate.

I emailed the OFMC asking if anyone wanted to accompany me on this ride I’m planning but got little response. Only Friggs was interested but even he would only have been in for half. I ride alone a lot but this time I’m thinking I’d enjoy company. Want to go for a ride?

What I’m thinking is what I call the “Tale of Two Mountains” ride. Go up to the top of Mount Evans and then back down and south to Pikes Peak, then up to the top there. Two peaks in one day. I think it sounds like fun.

My thinking also includes trying to sell an article about it to some magazine, though I’m not sure who just yet. I sold an article about just Mount Evans to Kawasaki’s Accelerate magazine three years ago so I don’t think they’ll be interested. And Rider magazine had a piece by someone else just recently about riding up Pikes Peak, so I don’t think there will be interest there either. But I have some other publications in mind that I want to explore.

So here’s the deal. If you’re interested in joining me, send me an email at that address in the upper right corner. Let me know what day(s) of the week work for you and whether that would be this week, next week, whatever. My preference would be to go on a weekday because there will be fewer people but I understand that some people have day jobs. When I see who, if anyone, expresses an interest, I’ll try to get something solid.

And by the way, if anyone has solid information about the Mount Evans road being open, please let me know. This article says the opening of the road has been delayed this year but it was supposed to finally open in late July. Well, it’s mid August now so I assume it’s open but haven’t been able to find anything definitive. Thanks.

Biker Quote for Today

A mother is neither cocky, nor proud, because she knows the school principal may call at any minute to report that her child had just driven a motorcycle through the gymnasium.

Creede To Slumgullion Pass.

Free Eggs blasted out of Ignacio on his way home, after hearing that his lady friend had broken her foot in a car crash. The rest of us left later, at a much easier pace. Into Ignacio proper, then east on CO 151 through Arboles and up to US 160 a little west of Pagosa Springs. Then up over Wolf Creek Pass to South Fork and northwest on CO 149 to Creede. Here we made an obligatory stop for ice cream. An army may travel on its stomach but the OFMC travels on ice cream. At least if Dennis has anything to say about it.

Then up and over Slumgullion and Spring Creek Passes to Lake City and down to Gunnison. The nearly constant rain and overcast had finally abated and was replaced with sun and heat. Personally, I’ll take the rain and cool.

In recent years we have taken to stopping for two nights somewhere along the line, generally playing golf on our day off from riding. This was our Gunnison stop. We stayed at the Water Wheel Inn, which backs immediately onto the Dos Rios golf course so we didn’t even have to do anything except walk on over to the clubhouse. We liked the course and the motel so I suspect they have not seen the last of the OFMC.

On golf day, however, some members needed to head out so Ray and Johnathon took off. The remaining six played golf, and then most of us enjoyed the weekly catfish fry at the clubhouse for dinner. It was very nice to take a break after riding so much.

Saturday morning came and it was time to split up. John headed west to Montrose while Dennis, Randy, and Bread headed to Denver. I had been in touch with my friend Kevin, who I had just been on another long ride with a few weeks ago, and he invited us to breakfast. Bill and I accepted, so we got a more leisurely start.

Soon enough, though, it was time to roll and we headed toward Monarch Pass. Even on Saturday, however, there was road construction in progress so there were delays. Then at Poncha Springs Bill peeled off to stop at his daughter, Jenna’s, place and I rode on alone. By 3 p.m. I was home, uneventfully, and this year’s trip was over. And I have no desire whatsoever to go anywhere else any time soon. Three long trips in two months has satisfied me. For now.

Biker Quote for Today

Murphy’s Motorcycle Laws: 5. The only part you really need will also be the only part on permanent back order.