Passes & Canyons Blog

The Run For The Wall came through Colorado Saturday and I rode out to Limon to see the spectacle. It turned out I wasn’t the only one.

I’ve been following the Run For The Wall on Examiner.com via Glenn and Cathy Buchholz, a local couple who are on the ride. I figured I’d meet up with them when the group stopped for gas in Limon.

I reached Limon well in advance of the run because I wanted to scope things out and pick some good spots to shoot photos. I knew I had the advantage that Glenn and Cathy are on the fuel crew so they would be arriving ahead of the main group. I picked one of the largest gas stations in town and asked if that was where the group would be stopping. No, the lady told me, they would be using the Phillips 66 across the street. So I went over there.

Those folks knew the group was coming so I chatted with them awhile. Then, getting restless, I cruised through town a couple times just to be sure I wasn’t missing something. At one point, passing a motel, I saw a bunch of folks and bikes sitting out in the parking lot so I stopped. They weren’t with the run, but they had ridden out from Denver to watch them pass. They were a bunch of nice folks so I stood and chatted with them a bit, too.

It got to be time when the fuel crew should be showing up so I went back to the gas station, but after waiting there for too long a time I knew something was amiss. I rode back to the west side of town, where the police and parade marshalls were set up to guide the group, and I learned that the fueling stop was in a big truck stop on the other side of I-70. I scooted on over there and sure enough, this was the spot I needed.

They had marshalls to guide the riders in order to do it efficiently and quickly. Not wanting to interfere with their operation I started to turn in at the first entrance to the station, not the second one where they were directing their people to go. Suddenly a marshall with a flag on his baton lept directly in front of me and started screaming at me that I WOULD go in the other entrance, that I was endangering everyone on this run, and I had now done so TWICE!

Twice?

I explained to him that I was not part of their group but he didn’t want to hear it, continuing to scream at me and point and wave his baton at me in an extremely threatening manner. I thought, OK buddy, I’m not in the army and you aren’t either, not any more, but you obviously take your duty here very seriously, so I won’t argue. My wife, generous-hearted soul that she is, speculated that perhaps he was a vet who was making the run trying to deal with his unresolved demons from his Vietnam experience and was just a bit overwrought.

I went down to the other entrance, pulled in, looked around for a place to park that didn’t seem to be in anybody’s way, and parked. Then another marshall came over, greeted me cheerfully, asked who I was, and then asked me if I would please move “over that way” a bit because “I’m going to be parking a whole lot of motorcycles right here in just a few minutes.”

“Sure, you bet, not a problem,” I replied. The contrast was blazingly clear.

So I found Glenn and Cathy, had a few minutes to talk with them before the main group arrived, shot some pictures, and then headed back into town to take up position to get some photos as they rode down the main street.

Limon was turned out for the scene but it was not the kind of scene you might have expected. Probably the biggest crowd was on the grounds of the city office building, and by that I mean about 15 people. There were other clusters of up to five people scattered here and there along the parade route. I’m certain there were more U.S. flags lining the parade route than there were spectators. Hey, this is small town America.

The parade passed and I talked a bit with a Limon teen who was eyeing my Concours, telling me he had just gotten a Ninja 250 but didn’t have his license yet so he couldn’t ride it. And then it was time to head back to Denver.

Recent from the Denver Motorcycle Examiner
Civilian Top Gun competition shows who really has the skills

Biker Quote for Today

Never twist the throttle with your ego

Let’s see. Sixteen motorcycles with a total mileage among them of less than 500 miles. Yep, that guy’s a poser. Or at least he was, and except for one time each year you have to wonder if he still is.

I’m talking about Herschel Walker, who plays football professionally and has a lot of money to spend on bling. He and a bunch of other monied folks came through here Tuesday on the 15th annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride. Walker and the others on the ride paid $10,045 each for the privilege of participating, according to Darrell Andrews, who told me he has been riding with Kyle for years and has been on every one of these cross-country rides.

So OK, it’s a charity run and they raise a lot of money for good causes. I wrote about that on Examiner.com and you can go there if you want to know more. What I’m interested in here is Herschel Walker.

First off, let me make the point that I didn’t talk with Walker while I mingled with the group at the Chick-fil-A in Aurora where they stopped for lunch. (Chick-fil-A is sponsor of the ride.) I’m drawing my basic information from an article in the Steamboat Pilot newspaper. Here’s what the article said.

When he first participated in the ride four years ago, Walker said he took some ribbing because all 16 of his motorcycles had a combined mileage of about only 500 miles.

So clearly he’s put a little more mileage on at least a few of his bikes since then. This year’s ride will cover 3,500 miles. What I’d like to know is, does the guy ever ride at any other time? Is he still a poser for whom motorcycles are no different than gold rings or necklaces, or has he found that riding a motorcycle is more enjoyable than just owning them and hoping people will think he’s cool because they’re his?

I shake my head and try to think of what else to say, but there really isn’t anything else to say. So I’ll shut up.

Recent from the Denver Motorcycle Examiner
Run For The Wall rolls out of Rancho Cucamonga

Biker Quote for Today

One bike on the road is worth two (or sixteen) in the garage.

Billed as a redefinition of motorcycle sport-touring, the Motomarathon Association will hold its inaugural event in Colorado June 12-15.

The Motomarathon concept is to ride “as many twisties as possible, over four full days. Routes are kept secret until the night before each event. Through a series of self- recorded check points, riders verify completion at the end of each day’s ride. This endurance ride promises to be a pass-bagging extravaganza with the best elevation-changing, rip-roaring twisties the central Colorado Rockies have to offer.”

John Metzger, of Boulder, used the Iron Butt Rally as a starting point in devising what he hopes will catch on as a new sport. He says he “soon realized that fatigue-riddled riding at high speed at night in a straight line on Interstates wasn’t my cup of tea. For me, it was all about making turns.” Just this year, the Motomarathon Association was formed.

Additional events are currently being developed and the association will post standings among the riders and a champion will be designated at the end of the season. The association currently has 19 members signed up, including Metzger and moto-journalist Brian Catterson.

Riders will be mounted on Ducati’s Multistrada, Hypermotard, and Monster bikes and Ducati is a sponsor of the event.

Describing the event, the association’s website says:

The Motomarathon Association’s goal is to establish a series of organized rides with the most challenging routes in the nation and around the world, giving members the chance to share the camaraderie surrounding the best experience in motorcycle sport-touring. Members are encouraged to chase points by participating and finishing in as many events as they can over an annual season. An overall championship will be awarded each year to individuals, and will eventually include teams.

Though some Motomarathons can be elaborate affairs with hotels, meals, support vehicles, mechanical assistance, celebrity bikers and umbrella girls included with additional fees, the basic philosophy is to make each event as automated and self-regulated as possible. The Colorado Motomarathon, for example, requires only that riders join the Motomarathon Association, pay an event fee of $75, have their own bike/gear/camera, make their own hotel arrangements, take care of their own meals, carry their own tools and luggage, and rely on themselves or the kindness of others if they get lost or run into mechanical problems.

The association is encouraging its members to develop their own ideas for events and will consider those submitted. Ultimately they hope to have half a dozen events set up around the country. The second event now being planned is Centopassi Colorado, a motomarathon scheduled for September 11-14, 2009, that is expected to include routes into Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico.

Biker Quote for Today

Ride hard or stay home.

Hard to believe, but the road to the top of Pikes Peak is already open for the season. I know we haven’t gotten much snow this winter along the Front Range but I thought the mountains were getting hit pretty hard. I’m really surprised.

Some of the best roads in Colorado are seasonal, which means that they are not maintained, or even open, during the winter. These include:

• Trail Ridge Road
• Independence Pass
• Mount Evans
• Pikes Peak
• Kebler Pass
• Cottonwood Pass

If you’re thinking about riding any of these seasonal roads the best place to find out about conditions is the Colorado Dept. of Transportation website. You’ll want to go to www.cotrip.org/roadConditions.htm and then click the “Travel Alerts” tab at the right. Then scroll down to see whether any of these roads are marked “Closed for the Season.”

For a review of road conditions around the state, use the “Road Conditions” tab just to the left of “Travel Alerts.”

While most of these roads are open by the time out-of-state bikers start arriving for their summer vacation, unless it’s the dead of summer it’s always good to check. While a road may open in May, a blizzard one week later can sometimes close it again until they can get it plowed. Or if we have an especially snowy winter some roads may not even open until June.

In the fall it’s the same thing. A road may not be closed for the season but an early blizzard can shut it down anyway. It’s best to check, and if one of these roads is the centerpiece of your planned tour you’d better figure to come June to August. The shoulder months of May and September can be iffy. Usually they’ll be fine. Usually. No guarantees.

But Pikes Peak is already open! That’s amazing. I’d guess the rest won’t be far behind.

Biker Quote for Today

The World is small… get on a motorcycle and ride around it.

If you’re planning to ride Colorado and want a base of operations from which to take day rides, where should you stay? This is a question I received twice recently so it occurred to me that I ought to post my answer here. In this case, I’ll be responding to this particular question.

We will be trailering our bikes to Colorado from Florida and plan to ride from August 1st through August 8th. We’ve been out west to ride in other states and usually stay in two separate locations. This allows us to ride a different route each day and really see the area. What would you recommend as the two best areas to stay in while doing day rides?

This was my reply.

I would suggest these two spots as your home bases: Ouray and Breckenridge. Here’s my thinking.

Ouray, first of all, is gorgeous. Of all the cool places in Colorado, Ouray stands out. If you end up not staying there you must at least go there. Of course, Ouray is at the northern end of one of the best roads in Colorado, Red Mountain Pass. (By the way, this photo is of Red Mountain Pass approaching Ouray, although it’s not usually so crowded. This traffic resulted from a construction blockage.)

That also positions you to take the loop and do Lizard Head Pass and go to Durango and Mesa Verde. You can also go north to Montrose and then visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and take the Unaweep Canyon road.

And there’s a lot more in the area. You could spend your entire vacation there.

Breckenridge gives you access to a whole other part of the state. Go south over Hoosier Pass into South Park and take any of several roads that converge there. Or, go north of I-70 and loop up through Steamboat Springs over Rabbit Ears Pass or go east over Trail Ridge Road.

Also from Breckenridge you’re very close to Loveland Pass and Mount Evans.

En route from one base to another you might want to make a point to go via some route that takes you over Independence Pass. This is another of the very best.

So there are some ideas to consider. If you have questions I’m happy to address them to the best of my ability. Truth is, though, you really can’t go wrong riding the Colorado mountains, wherever you go.

Biker Quote for Today

Don’t ride so late into the night that you sleep through the sunrise.

Is cruising the Colorado mountains by motorcycle a dream of yours, but it’s just too dang far away? Maybe you should consider signing up for a tour. Depending on the tour company, they’ll either provide the bikes for you to ride or connect you to someone who will.

Those of us in the OFMC take pride in riding our bikes to whatever distant state we choose for our summer trips, but let’s face it, we live in the heart of great riding. But you notice we never ride the Smoky Mountains or New England, not to mention Europe or Australia or so many other places. If we ever decided to do that we might be looking for a tour.

There are a number of options for tours if you do want to see Colorado in that way. Here’s a list of the companies I’m aware of and a little about each of them.

Turkey Creek Tours
Turkey Creek Tours is my sentimental favorite of the Colorado tour companies, mainly because I’ve had some interaction with these folks, Tom and Lynn Matthews. It started when they called me one night to settle a debate they had been having. The question: where was the photo on my home page taken? I can’t remember where Lynn was guessing, but Tom was right, it is Independence Pass.

Turkey Creek Tours is a homegrown outfit and they’ve been around for a number of years, so that says good things about them. They don’t provide the bikes themselves but will connect you with people who will. They have six tours on their calendar for this summer and are also happy to arrange custom tours. Check them out.

Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Tours
I’ve never met them but Bob Herman and Lisa Scalise run this outfit. They strike me as being similar to Tom and Lynn of Turkey Creek Tours, so this is probably another good option. Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Tours also has six tours scheduled this summer, and they also do custom tours.

Freedom Tours
Another local tour company, this one run by Mike and Linda Broadstreet. Probably comparable to the first two. As I go along on this I’m struck with how little I really know about any of these so I guess I’ll just give you the list and the links and you can explore them on your own.

Monkey Gripper Motorcycle Tours
What’s different about Monkey Gripper is that they offer dual-sport tours, meaning you get to go off the pavement and explore some of the places other tours don’t go. Dan Patino, the operator, has been a dual-sport tour guide in Alaska and also worked awhile as a Forest Ranger in the Rampart Range, Colorado’s dirt bike haven. One of his tours requires riders to be experienced dirt bikers but the rest are accessible to those with less experience.

GO2Wheels
GO2Wheels is run by George and Andrea Ofiesh. They offer their trademarked RideVentures as well as motorcycle rentals. The website says that:

RideVentures are offered in three ways:
1. RideVentures include lodging and meals (various options).
2. Tag-along – Ride with us but make your own arrangements.
3. Self-guided – We will plan and give you all the information you need for a great ride.

EagleRider
No surprise here, this is the touring site for Harley-Davidson. Of course they’re happy to rent you the Harleys to ride.

Colorado Motorcycle Tours
Another small, local outfit, run by Greg Hartley and Evan Mandell. One thing these guys offer is one-day trips in addition to the longer ones. On their site they promote the idea that hey, if you have just a day free in Colorado, let us take you on a great ride. Not a bad idea.

Ball O’ String Custom Adventure Tours
Willie and George (Jungle) Fuhrman run this outfit out of Eagle. In addition to custom motorcycle tours, they also offer sports car tours. The Fuhrmans lead tours in Colorado and neighboring states and various other countries.

Western Dual Sport Motorcycle Adventures
Here’s one more I only just discovered does tours. I’ve had them listed as a motorcycle rental company on the website but apparently they do lead tours as well. I don’t know anything more about them.

American Motorcyclist Association
Of course if you know the AMA you won’t be surprised that they offer a Ride the Rockies tour.

Biker Quote for Today

Ride the roads that make you giggle in your helmet.