Passes & Canyons Blog

The weather on Tuesday was fabulous and I would have ridden but Roy called to say there would be an RMMRC ride out to Kiowa, to Patty Ann’s, on Wednesday, so I changed my plans.

On Wednesday, along with three other guys from the RMMRC, we met up at Performance Cycle and headed south. Dave was leading and he took a common route, heading south on Clinton, then Inverness Drive West, to where we got on Liberty Boulevard, which loops around the south end of Centennial Airport. Then south on Peoria to Ridgegate Parkway where we headed east to Chambers, and then south.

It was then that the surprise came. We came up to Hess Road and the extension past Hess, which they had been working on for some time, was now open and we went straight. I had assumed this was going to be just an entrance into the new housing development that was going up there but boy was I wrong!

A full-blown four-lane semi-expressway now continues south from Hess, and then Chambers bends around to the southeast, crosses Crowfoot Valley Road (which runs diagonally between Parker and Castle Rock), and becomes Bayou Gulch Road, which I knew connected with Parker Road (CO 83) south of the Pinery.

Holy smokes! This newly opened stretch is in fact kind of a beltway through the southeastern part of the metro area that now allows you to get out town without going anywhere near Parker Road except where you cross it on Bayou Gulch Road. This is fabulous!

As I said, Dave was leading and he lives out there just off of Bayou Gulch Road on the east side of Parker Road, and he knew all about this for some time, I guess. He said they had been eagerly awaiting its opening and they are so glad it finally is. Wow, so am I.

So the rest of the ride was good. As we often do, we took Bayou Gulch on to where it hits Flintwood Road and then took that south to CO 86, then east to Kiowa. Had a good breakfast at Patty Ann’s–as always–and then headed back via the same route so I got to see it again and get a better idea of this new road.

I like this. I can tell I’m going to be riding this road a lot in the future.

Biker Quote for Today

Riding a motorcycle is like living life in high definition.

Someone brought a bunch of gear from a former member to last month’s RMMRC meeting and I managed to snag something that could be useful.

This thing is a Pittsburgh Automotive air compressor that is small enough to fit into the top bag or one of the side bags on the V-Strom just to be there when needed. Nice.

The one thing it did not have with it was any way to connect it to the battery on the bike. It has one of those connectors that you plug into what used to be called the cigarette lighter in a car, but my bike does not have one of those. I needed to go to some auto supply place to find one.

But then I was at the Colorado Motorcycle Expo a couple weeks ago and as I was walking around in an area where there were vendors set up tables filled with parts it occurred to me that someone might have what I needed. Sure enough, I found a pigtail with the right kind of plug and it was $5. I was happy to hand the guy the five.

I could just go ahead and connect it to the battery now, as I have with the connector for my electric vest, but I won’t do that. For one thing, if I do end up getting a second bike that would leave me with only the one bike ready when this thing might be needed.

No, I’ll just stick it in the top bag and let it ride around with me everywhere I go. Hopefully I’ll never need it, but if I do, or someone else needs it, it will be there.

Biker Quote for Today

A world of endless roads is calling. Get out and ride them. — Eric Trow

With temps in the 70s there was no question of riding or not, it was just: Where to?

There comes a time each year when you can simply no longer go into the hills but at the moment Denver is a few days away from setting a new record for the latest first snow of the season. I figured I’d take advantage of it.

That only narrowed the question somewhat. But I guess I’m a bit stubborn. When I took off on my fateful ride on June 29 it was my intention to go over the route I intended to lead the RMMRC on soon after. On my first ride after the crash, but before surgery, I rode to the place on that planned route where the crash occurred. Now, on only my third ride since the crash I wanted to do what I set out to do that day. Who knows, if the weather holds I might yet lead that ride in the next week or two.

The day was warm, skies were blue, and I headed out. Great day to be on the bike. I went down to Belleview and turned west. When I came to Santa Fe, where the crash had occurred, I could have gone south on Santa Fe as I intended that day, but the thought of getting into that left turn lane and just sitting there again somehow did not appeal to me so I continued west on Belleview. At Lowell I turned south.

At Mineral I turned west again to Wadsworth and then south. Stopped at a red light at Ken Caryl Avenue I saw on the other side, headed north of Wadsworth, a guy on a Honda about as old as my bike. No jacket, no gloves, no helmet. OK, I hope you got home safely and do so again and again.

South of C-470 I made the right turn to go up Deer Creek Canyon. Lots of guys on bikes but many, many people on bicycles. That kind of day. I’m not a go-fast kind of guy so I took my time winding up the canyon on Deer Creek Canyon Road and then made the left onto South Deer Creek Road. This road winds around and climbs, ultimately coming out to US 285 at Conifer, changing names a couple times along the way.

After a short while I spotted three guys on Harleys behind me. I figured I was slowing them down but I had no inclination to speed up because, for one thing, this stretch was newly repaved and there was a good bit of loose gravel on the road, especially on the curves. They’re just going to have to be patient. They were, but the first open stretch we got to they blasted past. And in just another couple minutes two guys on Beemers came blasting past me too. Have fun; I’m just not in a hurry.

I wasn’t headed to Conifer; I turned north at Oehlmann Park Road. This road goes up and over a hill with a lot of homes, with terrific views in some places. Steep road going up and going down on the other side. Great riding. I’d hate to live there in the winter.

It comes out on the other side at South Turkey Creek Road, which runs parallel to US 285 between Tiny Town and just east of Conifer. I turned toward Tiny Town. A bit before Tiny Town there is a place where you can go left onto North Turkey Creek Road. That’s my route for this planned ride but for this day I decided I’d had enough and continued on to Tiny Town, got on US 285, and headed home. It’s supposed to cool off Monday but then be warm again all week. I figure I’ll just come back and do the second half in a few days.

You’ve got to love this weather. And considering that I missed the whole summer you can believe I am.

Biker Quote for Today

You might be a Yuppie biker if you try to act like a biker.

Ever since my crash back on June 29 I have had numerous conversations about it with people who have very different ideas about the aftermath than I do and who seem to find my take on it all a bit peculiar. Tell me what you think.

First off, I can’t count the number of people who told me they hoped the drunk driver who hit me would get the book thrown at him and end up doing some serious time in jail. They are surprised and confused when I explain that that is not my desire at all.

Here’s my thinking. First off, the guy had a clean record before this. Apparently, however, he had had a drinking problem for some time. So what is the better outcome here: let the guy rot in a jail cell for a couple years–at great cost to all of us taxpayers–and then turn him loose with nothing to stop him from falling right back into that trap of the monkey on his back? Or how about, get him into a good treatment program where he can hopefully beat that monkey and live a better, more constructive life–all at a much lower price tag than locking him up? Without a felony conviction to further screw up his life.

As I see it, the second option is not only cheaper, it is a more positive outcome for him and for society as a whole. And make no mistake, that felony conviction does screw up your life. We have a family member who got a felony conviction at 18. For 25 years now he has kept his nose clean as a whistle, but that felony has followed him everywhere he has gone, making it hard to get a good job, causing problems when he tries to rent an apartment. All of that. He was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced. He has paid his debt to society but society is not satisfied. And a potentially productive member of society is left to drive Door Dash and do other odd jobs just trying to keep his head above water.

Another thing countless people urged upon me was to call a lawyer and reap a big pile of money. Now, if the guy had insurance you can bet I would be asking for compensation for the loss of my bike and also the $450 helmet that did its job and is now trashed. But he didn’t. The DA’s office asked me about requesting compensation from the guy who hit me, which could be part of the court decision in his case. I said no.

Why not? Look, if the guy had any money he would have insurance. Meanwhile, I’m quite comfortable financially these days. There were many, many years when I was just scraping by, and there were even times when I was, to put it mildly, underinsured. But I’m doing quite well now, thank you, and for semi-wealthy me to insist on this poor schlub giving me a chunk of his meager stash of money just strikes me as kicking the guy when he’s down. I just don’t want to do that. He’s got plenty of trouble already. I’m not going to do that.

Then at last week’s monthly RMMRC meeting Tom, a retired attorney, recommended to me that I file a claim with my own car insurance company for pain and suffering and inconvenience, all that, caused by the crash. Right from the start I knew that my auto uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage would pay for the costs of the crash, such as the ambulance and the emergency room charges. And they did. But now Tom was telling me that through that coverage, my company is basically stepping into the place where the drunk driver’s company would have been, and so if I would have file a claim with them, I should now do the same with my company. He said it’s what they expect and they would probably cut me a check without a word of protest.

I’d say Tom really didn’t get it when I demurred. Why should I file a claim for pain and suffering, etc.? It’s not like I suffered months of agonizing pain or anything like that. It hurt a bit for a short while and that was that. And yeah, I still have some minor pain now and then. But he was basically saying, if I can get my hands on that money why would I not? Well, I’m sorry, I think we in this country are way too eager to lawyer up whenever we see a chance to get some cash. In my estimation it is simple greed. Well, I’m not greedy. And neither is Judy. Neither one of us sees any real justification for me to claim, “Oh, I’ve been hurt, I’ve suffered, and I deserve something for all my suffering.” No. Not gonna do that.

So I’m not vindictive, I want a positive outcome for the guy who hit me. And I’m not greedy. I was glad to have the insurance company pick up the actual costs but that’s all I ask of them. Am I really all that peculiar? I know a lot of people who seem to say that answer is “Yes.” If I am I’ll wear that as a badge of pride.

Biker Quote for Today

Never put anything on a motorcycle that won’t make it go faster or stop quicker.

I’m sure some folks in cars reached their destinations with stories of crazy motorcyclists they had seen that day. That day being the day the other RMMRC riders and I made the trip home from Meeker/Craig.

As we headed up Tennessee Pass, toward Leadville, there were a lot of curves, but of the eight of us, seven were linked in on our Cardos. So you come up on some slow traffic and one or two guys are able to pass, but then there’s a blind curve . . . and these crazy bikers kept passing! We had eyes around the bend.

“Keep coming; all clear.” That’s all you need to know until you hear “Traffic coming!” Then you wait while a car or two goes by the other direction and then there’s the “All clear.”

If you don’t understand what is happening you’re certain these guys are nuts.

So let’s get back to the start. Gene and I were the last to arrive at the launch point the day before so we did not have time to get our Cardos linked to the group, but we ended up linked to each other. Just a residual effect from a previous trip, I presume. Come the second morning, however, we all had time and we got everyone linked in one group. This was a first for this group, to have so many on at once.

And it was kind of fun. I like the solitude of being just me in my head while riding as much as anyone but this is a bunch of guys I know well and we could just chat. It was nice. Plus it makes it a lot easier if you need a pit stop.

I’m still not especially familiar with the operation of this thing. The first day I could talk to Gene but I was also getting music and a lot of static. We stopped in Granby for a break and gas and then the music was really coming in loud and clear. What the hey? I started fiddling around with my unit and finally figured out the music Gene was playing was not slopping over to me, this was my own music, some radio station. And all the static I had been hearing was from the radio being set on a frequency where there was no signal. Pretty basic, but if you haven’t read the instruction manual . . .

Then on the second day, leaving Craig, I could only hear the other guys faintly and they couldn’t hear me at all. So I started fiddling with things again, which is pretty hit and miss when you’re riding. But I hit on the right combination and suddenly I was part of the conversation. Nice.

We got down to Wolcott, made the run on I-70 to Meeker, and started up Tennessee Pass. And you already know what happened on that stretch.

It was good, too because we could point things out to each other, such as side roads. As we came past State Bridge I pointed out the Trough Road, which is very good gravel and goes up to Kremmling. Things like that.

I have wondered if I would find the chatter intrusive, because I do like spending time just in my head while riding. But I think I’m going to be just fine with these communicators.

Biker Quote for Today

Some people will tell you that slow is good–but I’m here to tell you that fast is better. I’ve always believed this, in spite of the trouble it’s caused me.

The Twenty-Mile Road. If you’ve never ridden it you should.

Before all this mess with the crash came up I was in the middle of telling about our overnight ride to Meeker. Let’s rejoin this story.

As you may recall, four guys only went as far as Craig while the other four of us went on to Meeker. Bob, who stayed in Craig, had said the run to Meeker was uninteresting and not worth it. As I said in the previous post, he is wrong. I knew from doing it in 2023 with Nick that the road from Meeker to Craig, especially in the early morning, is enchanting.

This year was no disappointment. Bob is just wrong. We got to Craig then, I got gas, and the other guys were about ready to roll. We headed east on US 40 to Hayden and then took the Twenty-Mile Road from right by the power station down to Oak Creek. What a beautiful ride, and still so green at this point. Some of the guys had never been on it and they were blown away.

Riding CO 131 we cruised south through Toponas and State Bridge to the interstate is Wolcott. We made a short hop on I-70 to Edwards for gas and then another short hop to the Minturn exit. From there we headed up Tennessee Pass to Leadville. Lunch in Leadville.

As we were parking it looked like rain, and indeed it did rain while we were in the restaurant. Just a very light dripping when we came out but we all suited up. The sky still looked threatening. On south to Buena Vista we avoided rain, then turned east on US 285.

We stopped again in Fairplay for gas for some, and after that it became pretty much every man for himself, the rush to the stable. We didn’t hit rain but did have wet pavement, with splashing. Then at Bailey we turned up Crow Hill and it had all been roto-milled, with only a little pavement. Kind of nasty. Then pavement again but now some rain.

I was constantly wiping my visor but after awhile I could not get it clear and I thought I was getting mud kicked up onto it. Then I realized it was fogging on the inside so I cracked it and the fog was gone. But now I was getting spray up under the visor. I alternated opening and closing it.

We were all separated at this point and I was only with Alan and Gene as we came into Conifer and it was raining harder. I bailed there and sat at the King Soopers until it cleared, then headed on again. Just a very short time later I came to dry pavement, suggesting we had been at the front of the storm and if I had kept going I would have been out of it in just another mile or two. No matter, I enjoyed the break and then rode all the way home—after that couple miles—on dry pavement with no rain.

Rush hour traffic was really bad so getting across Hampden took a long time. Then I was home. The next day the RMMRC had its monthly meeting and those of us who had been on the ride who attended agreed all around that it was an exceptionally good trip. We need more of those.

Biker Quote for Today

Melancholy is incompatible with motorcycling.