Passes & Canyons Blog

There’s a 15-day ride coming up and I’m definitely planning to go.

The year 2025 is already looking like much more of a riding year than 2024 was. Starting things off in grand fashion at the RMMRC is this West Coast & Death Valley Spring Ride 2025 that will be a 15-day trip out and back. I’m definitely planning to go.

What I really like about this trip is that Alan, who planned it, is more of my type of thinking about motorcycle trips. Rather than what is usually the standard RMMRC approach, this one does not consist of day after day of long miles, with few stops at interesting places along the way. There are no days with more than 300 miles and there are even some with fewer than 200 miles.

I’ll also note that Alan has made provisions in case someone can’t manage or doesn’t want to do the full 15-day trip. You’d just be riding home on your own, unless there are others who also don’t want to do the whole trip.

The group will be leaving on Tuesday, April 22, and returning on Tuesday, May 6. Stops for the night, in order, will be Fruita (CO), Loa (UT), St. George (UT), Las Vegas (NV), Stovepipe Wells (CA), Bakersfield (CA), Monterey (CA), San Simeon (CA), Victorville (CA), Lake Havasu City (AZ), Globe (AZ), Eagar (AZ), Cuba (NM), Red River (NM), and then home.

Overall the trip will be about 3,215 miles, split out over 15 days. My kind of trip. This means there will be no need for crawling out of bed at the crack of dawn because you can leave at 9 or 10 in the morning and still have plenty of time to go 250 miles. With stops.

You can do the trip, too. Just go to the RMMRC Meetup page and sign up. You’ll need to join the RMMRC but that’s only–I forget–$10 or $12 a year. Not a big deal. Specific hotels will be selected and you’ll need to make your own reservations, though if you want to share a room with someone you can post a note on the ride saying as much and if someone else is looking to share (usually the case) you just hook up with them and either split up making the reservations or maybe that guy already made the reservations and has done all the work.

Because we’re talking late April the weather will be a potential issue. A late snowstorm would make going to Fruita that first day more than a problem. We’ll just be keeping a close eye on the weather in the days leading up to departure.

I’m pretty stoked. This is gonna be a good ride.

Biker Quote for Today

Riding a motorcycle is like writing a beautiful story with every twist of the road.

Eating at Rosie’s on a different ride.

If projected temperatures of the 60s in early February are not an outright invitation to ride I don’t know what is. The RMMRC made plans.

We met up Sunday at 10 a.m. at Performance Cycle with our destination Rosie’s Diner in Monument. A lunch ride.

There’s one trick to fabulous weather in Colorado, however. If it’s not sunny it can be quite a bit different. Saturday also had a warm forecast but it was cloudy and was not nearly as comfortable as it might have been. Sunday at least started out sunny.

I was smart enough this to bring my heated gloves with me. I didn’t think I’d need them so I just stashed them but at least I had them if I needed them. Too many times I have not done this and regretted it.

We started off heading down Quebec to Daniels Park and on to pick up US 85 south of the park. It was only at that point that I turned on my electric vest. I wasn’t cold yet but it was getting cooler and I knew once we were up on the Palmer Divide the temperature would drop.

We scooted over to Sedalia and then resumed going south on Perry Park Road (CO 105). We started seeing a lot of bikes. You always do on that road.

And it got cooler. Still, the road was clear of ice and snow so that’s what matters. Then we got into Palmer Lake and the main road through town was extremely wet from snow melt. I had to wonder if we had come this way a couple hours sooner it would have been ice.

On through Palmer Lake to Monument and lunch. There were four of us on bikes but also three in a car. Two of those are overcoming health issues and could not ride so the third, Roy, drove them all so they wouldn’t entirely miss out. Good. We like these guys and we’re glad they came.

Heading out we split into two twosomes. Bob and Steve retraced the route while Tom and I headed east to pick up CO 83, to head north that way. We were pleased that the wind that had kicked up just as we had arrived at Rosie’s seemed to have abated. Wrong. We reached CO 83 and made a left turn and were instantly blasted by the powerful wind that had until then been at our backs. And a cold wind at that.

We worked our way north and as Parker Road got busier north of Parker we inevitably got separated. No matter. This always happens on the way home. We’re all going to split off somewhere, it doesn’t matter if it happens sooner.

Of course we were by now coming down from the Palmer Divide heights and as we did it got warmer and warmer. Before I got home I had turned my vest off–too warm.

So it was a good day to ride but nowhere near as nice as we had hoped. Oh well, it is February, after all. Be thankful for what you get.

Biker Quote for Today

What’s a motorcyclist’s favorite movie? Gone with the Wind!

Here’s the whole gang that showed up for my first ride organizing effort. Me.

Well I did it. I’ve been talking for some time now about how, with activity and membership in the RMMRC declining, I needed to step up and take on some of the organizing. With the weather forecast for Thursday looking positively fabulous I set up a ride and posted it on the site. Nothing special, just an easy ride out to Kiowa for lunch at Patty Ann’s, an RMMRC favorite.

I did this on Wednesday so it meant that there was not a lot of lead time. It also meant that anyone with a day job was out of luck. But it couldn’t wait for the weekend; the weather was in for a huge change for the worse.

The first thing I did after posting the ride was to call Roy and give him the word. Roy is perhaps the only person in three states who does not use a computer these days so the only way to inform him was to call. Plus, I knew he would spread the word further.

Roy regretted to tell me that his bike is not in running order so he would not be coming, but he promised to pass the word along immediately. He noted that he had just talked with Bob not long ago and Bob was looking to do a ride on Thursday as well. Great. It might just be me and Bob but hey, we’re riding.

On Thursday I headed over to the meeting spot a little early with the intention of sticking around a while. Typically when RMMRC rides get posted they give a gathering time and a time 15 minutes later for kick stands up. I had not done that. Being a lunch ride I just said meet here at 11 a.m. I got there at 10:50.

There were no bikes there when I pulled in so I parked in a prominent spot and started scanning the roads for other bikes. Eleven o’clock came and went with nobody else arriving, and at 11:15 I was still the only one. I decided to give it five more minutes.

At 11:20 I concluded it was just me but by golly I was going for a ride. And it was a gorgeous, warm day!

I could have just gone anywhere since it was just me but I figured Patty Ann’s still sounded good. Plus, maybe Bob had found someone else to ride with and they had not wanted to start as late as 11 but perhaps they would also shoot to be at Patty Ann’s around noon. Or someone else could just show up there on their own. As I said, Patty Ann’s is a popular spot in the RMMRC.

So I headed out down Parker Road, picked up Hilltop Road, and continued south on Flintwood Road as Hilltop arced off to the east. I hit CO 86 and turned east. Coming into Kiowa I was eager to see if any other bikes were parked outside Patty Ann’s but there were none. Oh well. I’m going to have a good lunch.

And I did. It used to be, in many of our opinions, that the best things on the menu here were the Mexican items. Patty Ann’s had killer green chile. But for unknown reasons, awhile back they revised their menu and eliminated all the Mexican items. Dang. But they still have a bunch of other good things on the menu.

I ordered the chicken, apple, walnut salad and it was terrific. I’m no restaurant critic but that chicken was beautifully prepared and the whole thing was really good. I’ve thought for a long time I ought to ride out here with Judy for lunch some day, and when we do it’s pretty likely at least one of us will order this.

So I sat and ate and once my ears perked up at the sound of a bike but they must have just been going by because no one came in. And when I was leaving there were still no other bikes parked out front.

My ride home was 86 to Franktown, Parker Road (CO 83) north to Broncos Parkway and on in. By the time I was getting back into the metro area it was so warm I turned my electric vest off. That’s how nice a day it was. All along the way I saw six other bikers out but boy, there should have been a lot more. You people are missing out.

And now it’s 15 degrees out there with Monday forecast to have a high of 7. Yikes!

OK. My first time organizing an RMMRC ride went great for everyone who came. Maybe next time that won’t be just me.

Biker Quote for Today

Under my ass or in my garage. (Where I keep my motorcycle.)

From left, the V-Strom, the CB750, and the Concours. Good-bye to the Connie, I’ll need now to do a shot of just the remaining two.

It’s that time where each year I look at the mileage on each of my bikes and set some goals for riding the remaining few weeks. This year is a pretty darn odd year.

For one thing, I sold the Concours. For another, my car got smashed and I got another. And third, for the first time in a lot of years it appears I will have put my miles on my car than on my bikes. How did that that happen?

Just for starters, it’s been a low-mileage year for everything. To date I only have put about 3,100 miles on my cars this year. I’m fine with that. But last year I put about 6,500 miles on my bikes. So far this year I’m at about 2,500 miles on the bikes. Seriously?

I think a lot of this has to do with the markedly less activity going on with the RMMRC. Ever since I joined that group I have gone on a whole lot of rides with them, but this year there just haven’t been that many rides. And one ride that did happen that I intended to go on–a Colorado four-corners ride–I had to drop out of because I had had minor butt surgery that made riding just too painful.

I know Bruce, one of my friends from the RMMRC, also rides with a couple other groups and has suggested I join them. I may do just that. It looks like the RMMRC may be fading away.

So what goals can I set for the rest of 2024? I try each year to put at least 1,000 miles on each of my bikes. That may not seem like much but for a long time I have had trouble getting that many miles on the Honda CB750 Custom. I’ve just ridden the other bikes a whole lot more. But with the sale of the Connie I figured for sure I’d put a lot more miles on the Honda.

And yet, here we are in mid-November and I have put almost the same number of miles on the Honda this year as last year. I still have time and the weather has been pretty good so I do expect yet to surpass last year but more than 1,000? It doesn’t seem likely. But surpassing last year looks like the best I can hope for. And as for turning the odometer over another 1,000, that really looks like it’s off the table because I just did that, sitting now at 38,136. I don’t think I’m going to be putting another 864 miles on that bike this year. I’m just going to have to do better next year.

As for the V-Strom, I’m about 2,000 miles behind last year on it. What I can shoot for is at least turning over another 1,000 yet, as the odo now sits at 47,930. If I can’t get another 70 miles on that bike this year I should hang up riding gear.

I don’t think there’s any doubt what my New Year’s resolution needs to be come January 1: Ride. And ride some more. And ride some more. And then some more after that.

Biker Quote for Today

“The road never ends . . . only our vision does.” — Amit Reddy

The RMMRC taking a break on a ride several years ago.

For the first 20-some years of my motorcycle riding the only “club” I rode with was the OFMC. And I put that in quotes because we weren’t really any kind of organized club, we were just a group of friends who liked to ride motorcycles. But over the years a lot of the guys gave up riding, and those who didn’t give it up just seemed less interested in doing much of it except for the annual trip.

That’s not me. I generally ride a lot and if I have someone to ride with that’s great, if I don’t I never hesitate to take off on my own.

But it is nice to have a group to ride with, if for no other reason than having group rides set up by numerous people gives you a lot of opportunities and also can take you places you didn’t know were there.

Enter the RMMRC, or Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club. I joined the RMMRC in 2016 and right from the start I suddenly had a lot of great riding opportunities and also was meeting a whole bunch of good guys. Also some women but mostly guys.

Now, I have been a member of ABATE of Colorado for more than 20 years and they do some rides and I’ve been on a few but those are almost entirely the large group, poker run type of rides. And I’m not interested in that kind of thing. So even though I attended monthly meetings for years I never really got to know most of those people and there were plenty who I know on sight but even now don’t know their names.

Not so with the RMMRC. All it takes is to go off on a four-day ride, eat meals together, share motel rooms, and just generally hang out and you learn people’s names and you do get to know them. So I’ve made a bunch of friends and had some really good times.

But things are changing. As opposed to every other summer since I’ve been a member, there have been precious few rides being planned. As a consequence, I haven’t been riding nearly as much as I usually do. And why is this?

I hate to say it but it’s age. The RMMRC has dwindled seriously since I joined. A number of the members have died. Others have just reached the point where they physically cannot ride any more. And now there are several of the really core members who are battling cancers and other serious–and deadly–illnesses and lord knows how long they’ll be with us.

And we’re not getting new members. The only new member I can think of in the last couple years was John. He was a great addition to the group, very enthusiastic and eager to ride a lot. And he is one of those now facing serious health issues.

When I joined I would go to meetings and there would be between 30 and 40 people attending. We would have special rooms of our own at restaurants to hold the meeting. At the August meeting this year there were 8 of us and we were at a couple tables out in the main restaurant. The restaurant was no longer willing to give us a separate room with a dedicated server; we’re just an eight-top.

So I’ve told myself a thousand times that if no one else is organizing rides then I should set some up. But it doesn’t happen. I beat myself over the head for it, saying just do it you idiot, but I don’t obey myself.

Recently we did a joint ride with the local BMW club, which is now headed by Sara and Sean, who used to be RMMRC members. I wondered if this was the beginning of a move to merge the two. But that was a big group on that ride, 30 or more, and again, I really don’t like riding in that big a group. So I soon peeled off on my own. If we do end up merging I’ll give it a shot but I’m not enthusiastic.

Which gets me to the title of this piece. Is this how a club dies? I know Judy is facing a similar situation in a club she belongs to. All the core members are getting old and there are few new, younger members to keep it going. I guess time will tell.

Biker Quote for Today

You know you’re a biker when your butt hurts, your back is killing you, you can t feel your hands or feet, and when your buddy asks you if you want to take a break you look him straight in the eyes and say HELL NO LET’S RIDE!!!!!

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.

Even a brief stop at Tiny Town to get this shot helped my backside feel better.

With four days left before we are to leave on this RMMRC ride my butt is better but not great so I took another ride to see just how bad–or good–it was. Verdict: I still don’t know.

I had taken a ride about a week earlier and that time I had barely gone a block or two and was already uncomfortable. I made it for about 35 minutes that day. This time it actually felt just fine at first, but after about a mile I felt the discomfort creeping in. But that’s a big improvement.

It was a blazing hot day so I wanted to head up into the hills. I meandered my way through the southwest suburbs heading toward Deer Creek Canyon. But then, heading south on Kipling, the bike died. Please, no!

I was on the Honda and I stopped at a traffic light but when I started to move again it just died. I pressed the starter button and it fired up but as soon as I let out the clutch it died again. I was in the middle of the intersection at this point so I paddle-walked the rest of the way across, coming to a stop next to the median.

As I said, it was blazing hot and I had visions of being stuck there in the heat with no shade anywhere, waiting for a tow truck. But I’m not stupid, or new at this, and it occurred to me that this was kind of like running out of gas. Now, the trip meter only read 68 miles and this bike generally goes to Reserve at about 125 miles. But it had been in the shop and I had not filled the tank since I’d had it back so who knows how totally off that 68 might be. I flipped to Reserve, pressed the starter, and it fired up. Yahoo! Next stop the nearest gas station.

I got to the canyon and by now the discomfort was starting to worry me. I’d never go 250 miles in a day like this. But then suddenly it was like second wind, where the burning just kind of went away. I felt fine again. Nice.

Nevertheless, as I continued further up the canyon a bit came creeping back again. It was my intention to crest out of the canyon and down to Turkey Creek Road, where I would go right. I decided to stop at Tiny Town both to get a photo and to see how much good it did to just get off the bike for a few minutes.

I got my picture and even that few minutes off the bike did a lot of good. Then I got onto US 285 coming back down out of the hills and continuing east to home. Along the way it was getting pretty uncomfortable again so I decided to shift my position on the seat. It isn’t sitting per se that is uncomfortable, it is sitting for very long in the same position. And yes, shifting around made a big difference.

Then as I got back into town I made a point to stand up every time I got stopped at a red light. That helped, too. Altogether, this time I was out for an hour and a half and I did not feel as bad as I had after 35 minutes a few days before. I decided I now put my odds of going on this ride at 70-30, versus the 50-50 I had set it at previously. But just four more days.

When I got home I found that Alberto, my presumed roommate on this ride, had texted me asking for an update. I guess Alberto is a glass half empty kind of guy because he asked if I was still a no-go. Looking at 50-50 I had never considered myself a no-go. Surely I would get better each day–the question was how much better I would get, how fast. I was just waiting to see if I would feel sufficiently better. But now I told him 70-30.

He asked for a definite decision by Tuesday evening. Money is apparently an issue and he said if I’m not coming he isn’t going to pay those hotel bills by himself and will cancel and not go either. And of course he needs to cancel far enough in advance not to be charged. So I guess I’ll be making a definite decision on Tuesday, after riding again on Monday and then Tuesday.

My best guess at this point would be a go. I just may not ride with the rest of the group all the time, stopping whenever I feel the need to regardless of what they do. Plus, I’ll be on the V-Strom and that bike is designed to be ridden standing up, so I may stand up a lot.

Biker Quote for Today

Any day is a good day to leave some miles behind.

A portion of the RMMRC upcoming rides page.

If you’re like me and the your main riding group of buddies (in my case the OFMC) doesn’t do as many rides as you might like to do, joining a public group can solve that issue. For me, that came a number of years ago in the form of the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Riders Club (RMMRC). Nowadays I ride a lot more with the RMMRC than I do with the OFMC.

Well, you can, too. At this moment the RMMRC has four multi-day rides planned and posted on the site. Club membership only costs $12 a year and all sign-up is handled through MeetUp.com. Here’s a quick run-through.

2024 BMW National Rally — While officially a BMW rally, in reality all makes are welcome. The RMMRC does this rally most years because so many club members do ride BMWs but it’s really just an excuse to go somewhere. The plan is only to spend about half a day at the actual rally.

The group going will be leaving Denver on Monday, June 10, and returning on Thursday, June 20. Each day’s ride will be in the 300 to 350 mile range.

Colorado Scenic Highways — I’m going to be going on this ride, which leaves on Thursday, June 27 and returns on Sunday, June 30. The three overnight destinations are Crested Butte, Grand Junction, and Durango. Then the only long day’s ride is coming home from Durango.

Glacier & Banff National Parks — This trip will run from Monday, August 5, to Friday, August 16. It’s kind of a skinny loop so that means no actual back-tracking, which is nice. Sometimes on these rides you have little choice but to return on at least some of the roads you went out on. I won’t be going on this ride, partly because it doesn’t work with my schedule and partly because I did a very similar ride a few years ago. About the only place we didn’t get to on that trip that this trip will hit is Calgary. I’m sure it’s going to be a really good ride.

Colorado 4-Corners Tour — This is a 4-day, 3-night tour starting from and returning to Morrison. Total tour is just over 1,000 miles with daily mileage between 250-340 miles. The stops are Walsenberg, Farmington, and Ridgway. Departure is Thursday, September 19, and return is Sunday, September 22.

So hey! Not getting in enough riding? Here’s your chance. You’d be very welcome. What are you waiting for?

Biker Quote for Today

You are not alone bro, your bike is with you.