Passes & Canyons Blog

Sedalia was the end of the trip this year as we went our separate ways.

Headed home from Fort Garland on the last day of the trip we had several options as to route. Bill considered heading up US 285 because that took him right past his daughter Jenna’s house and he could stop for a visit. If we really wanted to get home we could just continue on US 160 to Walsenburg and take I-25 north. Or we could get to Walsenburg and then cut back northwest by the Wet Mountains to Westcliffe, then to Penrose, and on to Colorado Springs and pick up I-25 there if we wanted something more laid back and scenic. Plus a fair bit longer.

In reality, the last day of the trip always turns into horses headed for the stable and we decided to blast.

Of course the ride from Fort Garland to Walsenburg is a very nice ride, especially early in the morning. I’ve been on US 160 going both ways early in the morning and its pretty darn sweet. This day was no different.

Then there was I-25. Ugh. There was nothing to do but to do it but we agreed that rather than take I-25 all the way into Denver we would get off at Monument and take the back road. The back road is CO 105, which runs up to Palmer Lake, through Perry Park, on to Sedalia. For Dennis and Bill that is actually a more direct route to where they live and I considered splitting off at Monument but then Bill had an idea.

These two guys have been telling me for years that Bud’s Burger Bar in Sedalia has the best burgers around. I had never been there. Judy and I were over that way recently at lunch time so we had decided to stop and try the place out but it was jammed and we would have had a long wait to get seated, so we left. So let’s stop at Bud’s for lunch. I’m in.

What is there to say about I-25. We survived it. We got through Colorado Springs. The traffic on I-25 through Colorado Springs is terrible and it was this day but we slogged on through. Then the run on up CO 105 was as sweet as ever. This is a major route for motorcycles on weekends especially so it’s always good.

Then Sedalia and Bud’s. Once again they were full but my friends, the old hands, knew that the protocol was that if there was space at one of the big round tables you just ask the folks there if it’s OK to join them. We asked these two guys and they welcomed us. Finally I’m going to taste a Bud’s burger.

I’d like to say it was fabulous, but I don’t like to lie. No question, it was a good burger but not something I’d drive all the way over there for. So we were talking with these guys we were sharing the table with and they asked what our favorite burger places were. Bill and Dennis said right here. Bud’s. These guys said they are always on the hunt for the best burger in town and in their opinions there is no place that beats The Hound, over at Hampden and Yosemite.

Now my ears perked up. I live right there by Hampden and Yosemite. Judy and I used to go to that place for burgers and we definitely considered them the best in town. But the place changed hands, changed names, and we were disappointed in the burgers under the new management and had not been back. I told these guys this and they said whatever may have been, they do once again have the best burgers in town. Judy and I will definitely be trying them out.

So we continued with our meal and finally Bill stopped and asked what I thought of the Bud’s burger. “You’ve eaten half of it and you haven’t said a word.” I know he wanted me to rave about it and say how great it was but, again, I hate to lie, so I said honestly that I thought it was “definitely a good burger.” Period. It was not what he wanted to hear. I think he took it personally and was a little miffed.

We finished eating and now it really was time to split up. I would get on US 85 and take a right turn while they would go left. We said our good-byes and the 2024 OFMC trip was another in the books. Maybe the last. But I thought that last year so maybe not. We’ll see.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if you won’t ride unless it’s a group ride.

Bill shot this to document our deluxe accommodations in Fort Garland.

This 2024 OFMC trip was planned as a Colorado adventure tour so for the most part we stayed in-state. However, on this day when we were running from Ignacio to Fort Garland there were two routes of about the same distance and one of those promised a lot less traffic.

By either route we would need to leave Ignacio on CO 151 headed east, past Chimney Rock National Monument where we stopped the day before, and get on US 160 headed east to Pagosa Springs. From Pagosa we could have just stayed on US 160 all the way in to Fort Garland, going over Wolf Creek Pass along the way, but that’s a very busy highway with a lot of trucks and not very appealing. Besides, we’ve been over Wolf Creek any number of times.

The alternate route was to go south from Pagosa on US 84, down into New Mexico, where we would turn east on US 64, over to Chama. Then from Chama we could take NM/CO 17 northeast over Cumbres and La Manga Passes to Antonito. We’d pick up US 285 at Antonito, up to Alamosa, where we we rejoin US 160 the short distance east to Fort Garland. With roughly the same distances it was really a no-brainer.

The same road looks different going the other direction so it was no hardship leaving Ignacio and cruising back along CO 151 up to US 160. Then the run east to Pagosa was again just beautiful. It really does seem the whole state is greener late in the season this year than it typically is and on a beautiful day you just can’t ask for better. We gassed up in Pagosa and headed south and found northern New Mexico just as green. What a sweet ride.

It was going to be an early lunch but we figured Chama made the most sense for eating so we pulled in there and parked. As nice a little town as Chama is, it really seems to be going downhill. We found our food options very limited–more so than I recall from previous visits–and we decided instead just to try to find some ice cream.

Now, Chama is home to the southern end of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad and draws a lot of tourists to the train. Where you find hordes of tourists you generally find ice cream parlors. Not obviously the case in Chama. But what is not obvious is nevertheless true in some cases.

What we found was a Subway that was split into two sections, one for sandwiches and the other for ice cream. There was no one manning the ice cream side till we asked and then, while the ice cream was good, it had some ice crystals in it, suggesting that they don’t go through the tubs very quickly. I really think if they put a big, highly visible sign out by the road reading “Ice Cream!” they could double their business.

From Chama we headed north. The OFMC has ridden Cumbres and La Manga Passes a few times but not a lot. The last time we did it going north we ran into a herd of cattle being moved to a new pasture. When the cowboys showed no inclination to help create a path through the herd a car started honking and edging through. We followed suit, with the Harley boys revving their engines loudly to convince the steaks on legs to get out of the way. A memorable ride.

This time there were no herds, and it was smooth sailing, and the thing that struck me was how unfamiliar this route seemed, even though I know I’ve been over it multiple times before. But once again, really pretty.

We got into Antonito and if we thought Chama was a food desert, well Antonito was the Sahara. So we pushed on to Alamosa but at that point we were only a few miles from Fort Garland so we just made that turn and cruised on. We’d just have an early dinner.

There’s not much in Fort Garland but there are a few restaurants and at least one of them is pretty good. The Mountain View Diner has no A/C and the fans were not nearly enough on this hot day but the food was actually quite good. And thus our day came to a close. Home tomorrow.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Unlike women, motorcycles don’t whine unless something is really wrong.

You can see some of the work that has been done at this new national monument so far.

Leaving Durango on this year’s OFMC trip we had originally planned to ride down to Mesa Verde National Park where we were to spend the night at the Far View Lodge, the very cool old lodge inside the park. It was a treat I was looking forward to but Bill had announced he would not be going there with us and we ended up cutting that night out and moving everything else up.

That left us leaving Durango with the day’s destination of . . . Ignacio. Eighteen miles away. OK, let’s see what we can figure out here.

Because this whole trip was planned as a tourist trip, with us stopping at attractions and doing things that tourists do and that we generally haven’t, we had on our plan for the day leaving Ignacio to make a stop at Chimney Rock National Monument. I suggested that we head east on US 160, then turn back west at CO 151, which runs right by the monument before leading us directly on to Ignacio. Make it about a 100-mile day. The guys thought that sounded good.

The ride out US 160 was very nice as the entire state seems to have stayed green much later in the summer this year than usual. Really, really beautiful. We made the turn and were soon at Chimney Rock.

Chimney Rock National Monument is one of the newest national monuments in the country. It’s new enough that other times we have been past it it has not even been open yet to the public. Now it is but there’s still not a lot to it in terms of infrastructure.

First off we had to go in on a gravel road, and everyone knows how Bill feels about riding on gravel. He wasn’t thrilled but it was only a quarter mile. We got to the visitor center area and it is in such an early phase that the ranger did not have an actual visitor center, he was sitting there under an open tent talking to people and handing out literature. Besides restrooms the only structure was one building that was split with one half being a museum and the other half a gift shop.

It’s a good museum, though, and I found out a whole lot I had not known about the place. I’ve seen the rocks that give the place its name many times passing by and had assumed the monument was all about the rocks. And I thought making it a national monument for the rocks was a bit of a stretch.

In fact, it’s an archaeological site and up on the mesa above there are pueblos that are pretty well preserved. With the gravel road we were not going to ride up to the pueblos, plus it was a pretty hot day and we were in the middle of the heat. The ranger said they do have a shuttle going up for those who don’t want to drive but we passed. I’ll do that some other time when I’m out that way with Judy. Bill seemed positively disinterested and I didn’t know how Dennis felt about it.

So we saw what there was to see and then headed on to Ignacio. Even after our detour it was far too early to check into our rooms at the Sky Ute Casino Resort but they have a very good restaurant where we had lunch and then there was the gambling. This was one place where arriving early was not an inconvenience.

Biker Quote for Today

With the throttle’s roar, I ignite the adventure on the road.

Stopped going up Molas Pass by some mishap apparently suffered by some other motorcyclists.

On day four of this year’s OFMC trip we were only riding from Montrose to Durango so there was no hurry. Had a leisurely breakfast and then made a couple short stops along the way to Ouray.

Now, the last time I had gone over Red Mountain Pass was with the RMMRC back in September 2021 and there was construction underway on the pass. That meant that the road was closed from about 8 a.m. to noon, then again from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. We got an early start and it was just frigid. By the time we reached Silverton and stopped to get coffee my hands were so numb I had to warm them up before I could open my gas tank to put gas in.

This was much warmer but still quite cool so you can bet I had my electric vest on and in use. And glad to have it.

We stopped at Silverton and walked around a bit. We were in the local Harley gear store—not bikes—when about 40 bikes rumbled in en masse. I don’t know if they had someone running ahead who secured parking but they all managed to park along one block of one of the side streets. We later watched them pull out and it was a seemingly endless procession, just ones and twos and threes and more and more and more. No idea where they were coming from or where they were headed.

Silverton of course is one terminus for the narrow-gauge train that runs a couple of times each day between Durango and Silverton. There are restaurants and shops strategically located right where the train comes in to draw in the folks getting off the train. We decided to have a light lunch at one of these restaurants, each of us wanting only soup.

We walked in and sat down and they were clearly way overstaffed. Presumably in anticipation of the train’s arrival. Although they had a sign promoting it, they had no soup that day so the three of us split an open-faced sandwich three ways and it was without a doubt one of the two worst meals of this trip. Then the train came in, the streets filled with people, and we departed.

As we headed up Molas Pass we soon came upon a blockage. We couldn’t see what was going on up ahead but there were flashing red lights. Once we started moving again we saw that there were a bunch of bikers pulled off along the guard-rail and they were looking pretty glum. No real idea what had happened but it would appear one of their group had a mishap. Our sympathies, guys.

One of the consequences of doing a trip like this one, where we keep the day’s miles low, is that we get into town at our next stop pretty early, and maybe don’t have anything to do. That was the case this day and we ended up sitting in the lobby of our motel waiting for our rooms to be ready.

It was at this time Bill confirmed the vibe I had been picking up from him that he just has lost interest in doing these trips. He said he did not want to go to Mesa Verde–which was our next planned destination–but ultimately he concluded it made sense to just cut out that night and move the rest up one day. If possible. And it was. I canceled at Mesa Verde and got a full refund and Dennis & I were able to move our other reservations up one day. But I strongly suspect now that this is the final OFMC trip.

Our motel was a moderate distance from downtown but Durango has a good free trolley that runs all over so we took it downtown. Had a good dinner, got some great ice cream, and also spent some time at the surprisingly well-done railroad museum they have at this other terminus to the narrow-gauge train. Once again playing the tourist on this Colorado adventure tour.

Day five of the trip was the obligatory golf day so we stayed two nights in Durango. The golf course is up by the college on a ridge high above the main part of town, offering a terrific view. So day five was fun and leisurely, too.

Biker Quote for Today

May every “empty” parking space you see in the distance actually contain a motorcycle.

Bill gets some pix on top of Cottonwood Pass.

We headed out of Buena Vista at a reasonable hour headed up over Cottonwood Pass. It wasn’t as cold as the day before but once again, late July or not, I was darn glad to have my electric vest on. Since they finally paved the other side of this pass it has become a very popular route for a lot of people but the crowd wasn’t too thick.

Heading down, though, we had options and I thought I had gotten it all worked out. Once we got past Gunnison we had the issue of a bridge across the Blue Mesa Reservoir being out of service . . . or not. There were two possible detours. One was to get to Almont coming down off Cottonwood Pass and turning north to Crested Butte and taking the unpaved Kebler Pass. They use a lot of magnesium chloride on that road so it’s really hard-packed, like really rough pavement. I’ve been over it and it’s not bad.

The other is to head out of Gunnison and take the road at the east end of the reservoir south toward Lake City and then, before coming to Lake City, take the Lake City Cutoff, which goes down to US 50 on the far side of the bridge. But the cutoff is not paved either.

The third alternative was that I thought I had found information saying that the bridge was actually open just one lane at a time for light traffic, such as motorcycles and passenger cars. We headed for the bridge.

At the turn-off to head for Lake City the road straight ahead had a sign that said it was closed. Not a good sign. We went past it. You could still go in because there were campgrounds and fishing areas you could get to on this side of the bridge. But we kept seeing signs saying the road ahead was closed. Not a good sign at all. We kept going.

Sure enough, we came to where the road really was closed. There was a guy there telling people what their alternatives were and he told us we should hurry back and take the Lake City road and then the cutoff. He said the cutoff opened for westbound traffic at 12:30 p.m. and if we didn’t make it there in time we would have to wait two hours for the next opening. We didn’t have much time so we hustled.

Until we got behind a couple really slow, large vehicles. Dang! Well, we got there in time and didn’t even have to stop, they just waved us on through. And then it was 15 miles of rough gravel. I was on my V-Strom so for me it was no issue. Dennis didn’t like it on his BMW but he just figured it had to be. Bill, on his Harley, absolutely hated it. He said later if he’d known what it was going to be he would have turned around and gone home or something. Anything but that 15 miles of gravel. He was not a happy camper.

I had actually been surprised they had gone for it. When I told them what the guy at the blockade had told me I was not expecting Dennis to just say simply, “Let’s do it.” But he did. He and Bill hate gravel. And Bill just followed us. Bill prefers to just follow. This time he wasn’t so glad he had done so.

The way I looked at it, this was supposed to be a Colorado adventure tour, where we stop for all the tourist attractions we typically just ride right past. Our first day was doing a hot springs. Our second day was zip-lining. Now our third day was getting off the pavement into the backcountry. Kinda.

One way or another we made it to Montrose, our stop for the night.

Biker Quote for today

The joy of riding a motorcycle is out of this world. The thrill of riding in the hills and mountains is an opiate addiction. — Avijeet Das

Bill comes in on a zipline.

Day two on the OFMC trip started out cold. I had my electric vest but had not thought to bring the liner for my mesh jacket because I figured if it rained I’d put on my rain jacket. But a liner would stop the wind, which a mesh jacket does not. We were headed from Hot Sulphur Springs over to Kremmling for breakfast so it was a really cold ride to Kremmling.

After breakfast we headed south and it was warmer but still quite cool. But we got to Silverthorne and it was warmer, then up to Copper Mountain and on over Fremont Pass. The really nice thing so far on this trip is how green everything is. It’s the end of July and everything is still green. Beautiful.

Not so beautiful, on our way down, was how we came around a curve at one point to find a car passing on a double-yellow line. In our lane. Fortunately there was a wide shoulder. Idiot. Do you not understand the concept of a double-yellow line?

We got over the pass and down to Buena Vista and it was too early to get into our motel. That’s the thing with these short riding days we’re doing this year, you get where you’re going early and then what do you do? So we got some lunch and then got into our rooms and waited for time to head back a bit to where we had a reservation to go ziplining.

Our zipline guides were two young guys, one a fairly typical-looking young guy and one who had multi-colored hair and about 20 piercings all over his face. A very capable couple of guys who really seem to enjoy their jobs. And very personable.

We got all geared up and up we went. Six runs. The first few were OK, nothing to write home about, really, but the fifth was a scorcher and a blast. Made the whole thing worthwhile. So it was something we all agreed we were glad we did but that none of us really has any interest in doing again.

Then there was nothing much to do but go back to the motel and go have dinner. We headed out to a pizza place, found it was a fancy restaurant that also served pizza, with a 45-minute wait to be seated. I ordered at the bar for take-out and told Bill and Dennis we didn’t need all three of us to carry a pizza back to the room.

They headed back and then the black clouds started coming in. Was I going to be walking back to the motel with a pizza in a pouring rainstorm? Turned out to only be a light drizzle and it was a good pizza.

And that was it for day two of this year’s OFMC trip.

Biker Quote for Today

Life is short, buy the motorcycle, have a ride, live your dreams.

Our first stop on the trip, just a quick break.

The OFMC left on this year’s trip today and this post will go up tomorrow. For once it’s a real-time report.

It’s just the three of us again this year, Bill, Dennis, and me. Bruce considered coming for part of it but chose not to. Too bad. We really hoped he would come.

Having only a short ride today we were in no hurry. After meeting at a Starbucks near Bill at 10 we were rolling around 11. Golden Gate Canyon was our chosen route.

We always make a gambling stop but since we had such a short ride today we agreed to make an unplanned gambling and lunch stop in Black Hawk. We’re in no hurry. We sometimes will each put $20 in a machine and play it together. We did that this time, quickly losing half of it first on a machine Bill chose and then on one I chose. Time for lunch.

After lunch Dennis chose a machine and we quickly won all our money back plus $2.50 and we figured this was a good time to cash out and get rolling. A nice start for the trip.
We went up through Central City and over the Central City Parkway to I-70, I-70 to the US 40 exit at Empire, and then over Berthoud Pass and down to Winter Park.
Now we were looking for ice cream. This is how we travel. Lots of stop, no hurry.

We found ice cream in Granby and then it was a short hop to Hot Sulphur Springs. Still mid-afternoon. So we got our swimsuits and headed to the hot springs the town is named for. A good soak, relaxation, and now it was time for dinner.

And that was the first day. Very easy-going. Very relaxed. Tomorrow’s going to be a longer day.

Biker Quote for Today

Good time, good friend, good wheel.

The OFMC approaches Chadron, Nebraska, on a later trip.

Back in the very early days of the OFMC Bill and John and I headed to the northwestern, Yellowstone-Grand Teton, corner of Wyoming, across the Beartooth Pass, through the Bighorn Mountains, and made our way on east to the Black Hills. Leaving the Black Hills we came south into Nebraska and stopped soon after crossing the state line at a rest area.

We got a bit of a surprise then when a fellow we met at the rest area informed us that “Nebraska is a bucket state,” meaning helmets were required. And we had not been wearing ours. Oops.

Of course, this was back in the days when we often did not wear helmets. We were much younger and we were immortal and helmets were just too confining. But we also didn’t want to get tickets so for the rest of our time in the state we rode with helmets.

Well, this is not new news but that all changed on January 1 of this year. Last year a bill was passed unanimously through the state’s unicameral (one house) legislature and was signed that day by the governor. No more helmet requirement, provided you meet certain prerequisites.

First, you have to be 21 and, second, you have to wear eye protection. No problem.

And third, you have to have taken a basic motorcycle safety course. OK, that’s something you want to pay attention to.

First off, there are plenty of people who have been riding for years who have never taken a riding course. I personally know plenty of people who would scoff at the idea of doing that because they figure they know it all already. Well, you don’t. I have taken numerous riding courses and even the Basic Rider Course (BRC) can introduce you to ideas and riding techniques you’ve missed along the way. It’s worth it, and now if you want to ride helmetless in Nebraska it’s required.

Second, having taken that course is probably not going to do you a lot of good if you’re stopped unless you are carrying the card they give you upon completion. Oh, yeah. Maybe the cops aren’t just going to take your word for it. Good thing to take along. Stick it in with your driver’s license.

Now, this is no longer relevant for those of us in the OFMC. We long ago grew cautious enough that we no longer ride without helmets, ever. But back in 1992, when we took that trip, we would only have met two of the three criteria, age and eye protection. But if you want the wind in your hair just remember that you’ve got to take a class. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Biker Quote for Today

Wind therapy has always worked miracles for me. — Eric Trow