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Riding The Million-Dollar Highway

Thursday, October 1st, 2026


As far as the general public can go on the road at the bottom of the Black Canyon.

Nick was underwhelmed. His number one objective in coming out from Chicago was to ride this magical “Million-Dollar Highway” that he had heard so much about. I guess he thought the sheer canyon portion of it ran most of the distance between Durango and Ouray. When it turned out that stretch is only about 10 miles he was let down. Oh well. It’s still a terrific ride in my opinion.

We left Durango that morning and I needed gas. Nick had just filled up in South Fork so he was fine. Because he only buys gas from “top tier” stations I rode past a couple I would have stopped at, plus one he would have stopped at that was on the other side of the street. It’s just so much easier if the station is right there on your right.

But there isn’t much gas on the right side of the road on your way north out of Durango. No matter, I knew there was a station ahead before we would get up on Molas Pass. If Nick didn’t want to get gas there that was his choice.

Well, it was a Marathon and he’s OK with Marathon, so we both filled up. I had been leading and expected to continue to lead but we pulled up to get on the highway and he took off, at a point where there was traffic approaching that I would have let get by.

So I took off, too, and as we got into our lane he nailed his throttle. I did the same but my 650 Suzuki does not have the acceleration his 1200 BMW does. Just then I was startled to find a truck hauling a couple cars screaming past me on the right. I’m sure that driver had many choice curse words for me. Why did this idiot pull out in front of him like that when he was moving so fast!!?? You really do need to ride your own ride.

That left us separated, which was fine with me at that point, until Nick stopped at the top of Molas Pass, as I figured he would. We had no desire to stop in Silverton so we just continued past and headed on up Red Mountain Pass. On over the top, down, and through the relatively short section of canyon. Down into Ouray and it was time for a break.

We had been kicking around going up to Montrose and then east by way of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison or up to Delta, then east to Hotchkiss. We decided to go to Montrose. We got to the turn-off for the national park and headed on in. We had ridden up CO 92 along the north rim of the Black Canyon the last time Nick had been out so this time we agreed to ride the south rim. After that we headed for the East Portal Road.

The East Portal Road is a very steep, twisty road that goes from the rim all the way down to the river at the bottom. It’s a favorite with motorcyclists. We went down and road the stretch at the bottom that goes as far upriver as you can. Got off the bikes, shot a few pictures, and headed back up and out. Then back to US 50 and on to Gunnison.

Going past the Blue Mesa Reservoir it was more empty than I have ever seen it. The word is that they are draining most of the upriver reservoirs in order to keep Lake Mead from dropping so low that the hydro plant can no longer produce electricity. We’re in a serious drought.

At Gunnison we checked in at our motel, a place the OFMC has stayed but which more recently had tried to shift to a more upper crust clientele. Apparently that effort did not work out well because we had gotten our room there that night at a very good price.

And that was day three of this four-day trip.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 23. Can’t find us? We’re in the garage again. We live in the garage.

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Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides, motorcycle clubs, motorcycle touring, OFMC | No Comments »

Final 2 Of 10 Threats To Motorcycling

Monday, September 21st, 2026


E-bikes: Threat or promise?

Figured I ought to finish this up. In May American Motorcyclist magazine published a piece on the “10 Biggest Threats to Motorcycling” and I’ve been running through them. Here are numbers 9 and 10.

Distracted Driving
Do I really need to explain this? We’ve all seen the danger, and some of us have suffered the consequences, when people look at their cellphones when they should be paying attention to the road. And other than pedestrians or bicyclists there is no one out there more vulnerable than us. What really matters here is the fix for the problem.

Per the AMA, the way to go is for more states to pass legislation increasing penalties for distracted driving. They do not specifically cite use of cellphones; rather, they focus on all modes of distracted driving. That makes sense. You’re just as badly hurt if the driver was searching for something in a purse as you would be if there was a cellphone involved.

Also, “the AMA supports the prominent placement of signage that notifies roadway users that the state provides specific sanctions for those convicted of moving violations while operating a motor vehicle in a distracted or inattentive manner.”

Does that really go far enough? Probably not, but until all states get on this bandwagon I guess we ought to at least focus on making these basic approaches universal.

E-Bikes, Bad Behavior & Unintended Regulations
I see I’m not the only one who has been harping on the issues with the proliferation of power-assisted bicycles and small electric bikes. Additionally, after writing about this topic a few times I recently received emails from folks associated with Bicycle Colorado, asking me to join with them in addressing the issue because they see it as a threat as well. As one of their emails said, they support the increased options for mobility but “their rapid rise has outpaced the safety measures needed to keep everyone protected.”

The concern the AMA raises is primarily unintended or unfair regulation that might group motorcyclists in with all these (mostly) kids who are riding recklessly and creating the issue. But the AMA is also concerned about their safety, at least to the extent that any two-wheeled crash involving a motor reflects badly on motorcycling.

The fix, says the AMA, “starts with responsible, law-abiding motorcyclists having a strong incentive to promote good behavior and call out conduct that harms the reputation of the riding community as a whole.” They call for education and training for e-bikers, and also for “targeted, well-informed regulation rather than broad sweeping restrictions. The big first step there will be to clearly define what mode of vehicle is what and then focus legislation specifically on that mode that is at issue.

————–

OK. Those are the major threats, at least in the eyes of the AMA. Whatever each of us can do individually can only help. And if you don’t do anything, and later see your rights getting trampled on, look first in the mirror for one culprit.

Biker Quote for Today

Pretty stoked to be on a bike right now.

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Cardo Update Should Make Connecting Easier

Thursday, September 3rd, 2026


My Cardo communicator on my helmet.

Cardo, the maker of helmet communications devices, has issued an update that they say will make connecting easier. Lord knows something like that is needed. I’ve used four different helmet communicator systems and the hardest thing about each of them has been getting connected. I haven’t had a chance yet to try this out but I’m looking forward to doing so.

The really interesting thing about it is they now have a “Public” mode where you just automatically connect with anyone in range who also has their Cardo set for Public. You might be riding along and hear some strange voice saying “Hey, you on that V-Strom, watch out for a speed trap two miles ahead.” Or “Hi. Hope you’re having a good ride.”

Plus, the way you set up a private group and connect everyone has gotten easier.

I saw an article on this upgrade on Adventure Rider and clicked through to see what it was about. The article had a video Cardo put out that explains the upgrade so I watched that. It looked simple so I pulled up the app on my phone and grabbed my communicator.

When I opened the app it told me an upgrade was available so I said go ahead and do it. Once I upgraded the app the video said to link the phone and the device, and when I did that the firmware on the device was automatically upgraded. Couldn’t have been simpler.

I was pretty tickled to do all this and know about this because I was getting together with some of the guys in the RMMRC the next day and I would tip them off about this. As it turned out, none of them had heard about it yet so that felt good to be the bearer of good tidings.

At this breakfast get-together only Dave and Gene and I had ridden and we decided to go for an impromptu ride afterward, plus they were going to be leaving for a bike tour in the Alps in a few days, so they wanted to be sure they had their Cardos connected. I figured while they were getting connected I would link in, too.

But ignorance triumphed again. We all have had these Cardos for a couple years now and we almost never succeed in getting everyone linked in. Oftentimes we have to reacquaint ourselves with the operation of the devices. In this case I tried to turn mine on and could not. I had just charged it the day before but I concluded I had not properly shut it off and it had run dead overnight.

In fact, as I learned later when I pulled out the manual, I was not properly turning it on. The device has three buttons, one on the left as you look at it and two on the right, one above the other. I was pressing the button at left and the top button. No. You need to press the one at left and the lower button. Duh. Maybe I’ll remember that now.

So we went for that ride and I’m sure they were talking along the way but I was just cruising along in my own world. Not a bad place to be but not what I had intended.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the next time we ride and seeing if it really is going to be so much easier. I sure hope so.

Biker Quote for Today

I know I ride like a girl, so try and keep up.

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Posted in motorcycle clubs, Motorcycle Gear, motorcycle helmets, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | No Comments »

Threats To Motorcycling 7 And 8

Monday, August 17th, 2026


It really matters what goes into your gas tank. Just ask Dennis. Thank goodness for several other guys who rushed over to help us roll this Indian into the truck.

I’m picking up where I left off a while ago, offering an overview of what the American Motorcyclist Association listed in their magazine, American Motorcyclist, as the “10 Biggest Threats to Motorcycling.” Let’s continue.

Excessive Sound
Yeah, we’re all familiar with this. Loud pipes save lives. Or they don’t, they just annoy other people. You’ve probably all heard how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did a study and concluded there is “little evidence” that louder pipes improve rider safety. This piece also quotes from what they referred to as “an exhaustive study” (pun definitely intended) in Romania that said “The sound produced by a motorcycle is not heard by the drivers of cars in front of you or is heard too late to be able to influence the driver’s decision. Our best advice? Let’s be seen, not heard.”

The downside (per the article): Few other factors contribute more to misunderstanding and prejudice against the motorcycling community than excessively loud motorcycles.” This leads to laws that seek to curtail motorcycling. I guess that would count as a threat to motorcycling.

The fix, as the article continues, includes the AMA’s program of gifting sound meters to AMA-chartered clubs to accurately check the sound emissions of their bikes. “Motorcyclists also have a responsibility to be part of the solution by being sensitive to community standards and respectful of their fellow citizens’ right to enjoy a peaceful environment.”

If you think the issue is valid but the fix offered is a bit week I would agree. Too bad, but can you offer anything better? Then do.

Ethanol
This is simple enough. Federal mandates require use of ethanol fuel, which is generally made from corn. A little is not a particularly bad thing. Too much can damage your motorcycle engine, though not necessarily your car engine. So it’s important that there be good labeling at the gas pumps.

Just a bit more info on the damage: “Ethanol-laced fuel can also be hazardous for bikes stored for weeks or months at a time, as the blend starts to oxidize, separating the ethanol from the gasoline and forming a thick, corrosive sludge that can ravage fuel tanks, fuel systems, and engines.” Not to mention that you get fewer miles to the gallon with ethanol in your fuel.

The main fix they are calling for here has to do with better labeling at the pumps. They also offer measures you can take, such as “using fuel stabilizers, keeping the tank full to limit headspace for air and humidity to get in, or simply filling your tank with ethanol-free petrol.” If you can find it.

You also need to just pay attention. The OFMC was on a trip a few years back and at a gas stop Dennis did not read the signs on the pump carefully and ended up putting diesel fuel in his tank. That was completely on him. That pump was marked. So to the AMA’s suggestion I would add, don’t be stupid.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycles are wonderful contraptions, but it’s the people we get to know and hang out with and ride with along the way that make them so special. — Mitch Boehm

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The Joy Of Hitting The Road

Monday, August 3rd, 2026


On a ride with other guys.

It hadn’t been all that long since my last road trip, a five day run out to Utah back in June. Still, it apparently is easy to forget just how great it feels to be out riding beyond your usual day-ride area. I took off for Cheyenne to test ride a Yamaha Tracer 9 in July was really struck by just how good it felt to be out on the open road. Just “Wow, I love this!”

Part of it may have been being by myself. I had posted the ride on the RMMRC’s Meet-Up page in case anyone wanted to come with me but nobody signed up. That didn’t surprise–or dismay–me. (Although Dave told me later he would have joined me but for the fact that he was in Kansas at the time.)

But I like riding alone. There’s just a delicious feeling that comes with knowing you are totally free to stop, go, turn–whatever–any time you want.

So there I was, heading north mostly on US 287, taking unplanned turn after unplanned turn and it just hit me how really good it felt. I was not expecting this feeling. I savored it.

And I enjoyed moving at my own pace. Sometimes I like to dawdle and when you’re with a group you pretty much need to go at whatever speed the leader sets. Although there have been times when I have peeled off and said you guys just go on, I’ll meet up with you later.

Don’t get me wrong; I like traveling with other people, too. I like both. Sometimes you do one, sometimes you do the other. And I know people who really don’t like traveling alone. What if you break down? What if you need assistance? Well, you just do whatever you need to do. Chances are really good that you’ll figure something out. And then what a great story you’ll have to tell.

That makes me think about buying this Tracer 9. There aren’t many left in the shops around town. What happens if by the time I decide to buy they’re all gone? I’ll tell you what happens. Road trip! I think I could live with that.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 71. Beer is a breakfast food.

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‘I’ve Never Been On That Road’

Monday, July 27th, 2026


In the shade on the deck at the Switchback Smokehouse, which was not open.

Those were exactly the words I wanted to hear when I finally lead this RMMRC ride I’ve been intending to lead for two years now. And I was rewarded. Nice.

That’s right, I finally did it. I was going to do it last year, and I set out to pre-ride the route but got hit by a drunk driver, which totally altered all my plans for the next several months. I figured now was the time, at last.

We met up at the farm that is run by Denver Botanic Gardens out along Deer Creek Canyon Road. I was concerned that I might get only one person showing up, and then that one person canceled out, but ultimately three others signed up and a fourth just showed up, so there were five of us. Three of us had brought communicators but only Dave and I were able to connect; Bruce was the odd man out. Some day we may figure these things out.

As hot as it has been, this day was supposed to be at least a little cooler. I considered setting the time for 10 a.m. but went with 9 because that would be cooler. That was a good choice. The ride across town was actually cool to chilly. Very nice.

We headed up Deer Creek Canyon, then took a left onto Deer Creek Road, which climbs and becomes High Grade Road and then Pleasant Park Road. I knew all these guys had been on those stretches, but it was the next turn that would be different. We got near Conifer and then turned right onto Oehlmann Park Road. The road goes up and over a big hill that is covered with mountain homes. How these people get up and down in the winter I don’t understand because the roads are steep and twisty. But that makes it a really nice motorcycle run. Along the way Dave asked me what road this was and I knew I’d scored a new road with him.

Down the other side to South Turkey Creek Road, a right toward Tiny Town, then a left under US 285 and up North Turkey Creek Road. Then a right onto the next new road: High Drive. Later it was Tom who told me he had been on all these roads until we turned onto High Drive. A new one for him. Yes! Score.

This was another road through areas full of mountain homes and then down the other side it becomes Stanley Park Road, then Little Cub Creek Road. And it was along here that we came to the area I had checked out a couple weeks ago to make sure the flooding that hit that area in late June had been cleaned up. Before we reached the place where I had stopped and turned around we passed through a construction zone with one lane only that suggested if I had kept going earlier I might have encountered flood damage much worse than what I did see. Wow.

So we got to Evergreen, turned east on Bear Creek Road and cruised down to Kittredge, where I was planning lunch. We got to the Switchback Smokehouse and it was not open, but the sign said they opened at 11. It was 10:30, and they have a nice, shaded deck out by the creek so we figured we could wait. We sat and talked but as time passed I was perplexed. There did not seem to be any signs of activity inside and the chairs were still stacked upside down on the tables. Not what you expect when a restaurant is about to open.

Finally it was past 11 and I went to the door again and this time I noticed what I did not notice before: It was Tuesday and they are not open on Tuesday. Now, I had checked this specifically when I first planned out this route and this stop but that was two years ago. Apparently they have changed their days of operation in the interim. No matter. We had a pleasant stop and we just cruised on down to Morrison and got lunch there.

From Morrison we all went separate ways so we didn’t even bother leaving the restaurant as a group. And then it was blazing hot getting back across town. So glad I decided to start at 9 and not 10.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 93. Shiny things and loud noises get our blood pumping.

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Posted in Colorado motorcycle rides, motorcycle clubs, Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club | 2 Comments »

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