Passes & Canyons Blog

It was not a motorcycle trip but my wife, Judy, and I were out running around the mountains last weekend and had a chance to really compare some maps I had brought along. We were in her new Subaru Forester, which is an all-wheel-drive vehicle with high clearance, so we wanted to do some dirt, and take some roads we hadn’t been on before.

I brought along three maps that I figured would be useful. One is the Colorado Motorcycle Skill Rating Map that was put together largely by ABATE of Colorado and the Motorcycle Roadracing Association for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Another was the Colorado Bicycling and Scenic Byways Map, also produced by CDOT. The third was the Butler Motorcycle Maps Colorado map.

With Judy playing navigator, I drove. We went over Ripple Creek Pass, on the Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway, which runs from Yampa over to Meeker. Later we went partway back along that road to Buford and took the Buford to Newcastle Road. Then we drove the Colorado River Road from Dotsero to a little north of State Bridge on CO 131, and finally over the Trough Road, which runs from State Bridge to Kremmling. The first two are rough roads that you would not want to take a street bike on (though we have in fact ridden the Flat Tops Byway on street bikes–bad idea!), while the other two are just fine for street bikes.

All in all, we had a great time, saw some great scenery, and gathered a lot of information that will eventually end up in the Dirt Roads section of this website. What I hadn’t really thought about, though, was what a good test this was for the maps. They all three were helpful in their way, but the word from the navigator is very clear: The Butler Maps Colorado map is the best.

What that means, very simply, is that the one you pay money for is better than the two free ones. That stands to reason, and is appropriate, but of course was not something you could just assume. But we put them to the test and that’s the verdict. And let me make the point here as well that this is not a verdict biased by the fact that Butler advertises on this site. I’m not sure Judy is even aware of that. She just switched back and forth between the three again and again and at one point told me in no uncertain terms that I should tell everyone that the the Butler map was the best. So there you go. I’ve passed the word along.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Piaggio MP3: A parallelogram of wheels

Biker Quote for Today

I’m slower than a dude riding one-handed on a DR350 while running a video camera. -Bk.Rd.Rnr

Taking a long motorcycle trip at this time of year can be iffy. I’m now planning to leave Denver on Sunday morning, headed to Scottsdale for Arizona Bike Week, and you can bet I’ve been watching the five-day forecast. It’s got me a little anxious.

Yesterday the Sunday forecast was for highs in Denver around 38. Chilly! Today they’re saying 48. Better. Still, there is a 30 percent change of precipitation, either snow or rain. You can see why my anxiety level is up a bit. I can deal with rain but I really don’t want snow.

Of course, the two main points of concern are going to be the Palmer Divide, where the elevation is 7,500 feet, and Raton Pass, at 7,834 feet. I figure if I can get past those spots I’ll be OK. If.

Still, it will be very interesting to see how much it matters being further south, because once I get into New Mexico I’ll actually be going up. Santa Fe is at 6,989 feet, Albuquerque is about the same as Denver, and then Grants is 6,460, Prewitt is 6,827, and Gallup is 6,468. The highs for all of them for Sunday should be in the 50s and they’re all showing a 30 percent chance of precip.

I’m figuring on Sunday to ride as far as Grants, Prewitt, or Gallup. At 580 miles, Gallup is definitely doable on the interstate in a day. But if I’m wet and freezing my ass off it will definitely affect my plans. I have an electric vest; just wish I had heated grips or heated gloves. I know from winter riding that my hands are likely to be the coldest part of my body.

Oh well, nothing like a motorcycle road trip to really make you feel like you’re alive.

Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Dreams and motorcycles: A terrific commercial (yes!)

Biker Quote for Today

Adventure is discomfort recounted at leisure.

My life got complicated yesterday. I’ve been in touch with Ben Hochberg at ABATE of Colorado about taking their motorcycle trainer training so I can work as an MSF instructor teaching new and experienced riders to be better riders.

My interests are numerous. First, I’m trying to make a living as a motorcyclist, primarily by writing about motorcycling for any publication that will pay me. Being an MSF instructor doesn’t pay a lot but I’m in an every-little-bit-helps situation, trying to piece together a bit here and a bit there to equal a living wage.

Also, being an instructor would undoubtedly provide me with a lot of material for my writing. Heck, just taking the training course will provide me with material even if I never teach a class. Plus, taking the training and teaching the courses would inevitably make me a better rider myself.

And third, I enjoy teaching. I’ve had a few jobs over the years where part of what I did was to train others and I find it very rewarding.

So what’s my dilemma? Well, Ben told me yesterday the dates of the class, two weeks in June, and those are the same two weeks in which I was planning to do a motorcycle trip to California with some friends. Dang!

Of course that trip would also be fodder for my writing, and I don’t take vacations, so I’d be cranking out articles for Examiner.com and RumBum.com and others the whole while I was gone. But it would still be play as work, whereas doing the training would be more work as work. And who wouldn’t rather play than work?

I know the logical choice here is to stay home and do the training. Both the training and the trip would cost me money, some of which I would recoup through my writing, but the potential earnings of becoming a trainer far outweigh what I’d earn from the trip. And paying the bills is a nice thing to be able to do.

But I’d rather go on the trip. Wouldn’t you? Gosh, it just sucks to be me, doesn’t it? Don’t I wish I just had some job sitting at a desk and pushing papers all day! Yeah, right.

So anyway, if you have any thoughts to offer me on this decision I’d be happy to hear them. It just had to be those two weeks, didn’t it?

Biker Quote for Today

I’m a highway junkie! Lord, I love a white line!!!