First Ride Of 2019
The Honda alongside Hess Road.
It wasn’t the first warm day in January but it was the first day when all the ice and snow were melted off our street so I could get out of the neighborhood on a motorcycle. I didn’t need a written invitation. I chose the Honda.
As is so often the case, I had no idea where I was going. I headed south and east but when I got to the road over Cherry Creek Dam my instincts rebelled. No! I go over the dam much too often! So I turned south on Dayton, alongside Cherry Creek High School.
At Belleview I turned east toward the park, and then south on Peoria down to Arapahoe. This is common ground, though usually in the other direction. So I continued south until Peoria became Broncos Parkway, then south on Potomac along the east side of Arapahoe County Airport, west on a disconnected section of County Line Road, then south again on Peoria to Lincoln Avenue.
Peoria then continues south across Lincoln Avenue, winds through a neighborhood, and comes out finally at Ridge Gate Parkway. Ridge Gate is quickly becoming a major road but it can’t be much more than two years ago that it was dirt. It runs from I-25 over to Parker. I headed east, in the direction of that once little town.
I was in explorer mode so when I came to a new housing development, called Stepping Stone, I turned south on Stepping Stone Circle and sure enough, it wound through the development but came back up to Ridge Gate. That’s fine, I was curious. Plus from that street I spied some other major road just a bit further east.
Ridge Gate, which was now Parker’s Main Street, took me quickly to what turned out to be Chambers, so again I turned south. At this point I could see the enormous earthen ridge of Rueter-Hess Reservoir so when I came to another new development, Heirloom, I figured it was likely that Heirloom Parkway would hook me up with Hess Road. It did, and I turned west on Hess.
Hess goes south and west until it hits I-25 at Castle Pines Parkway. I crossed the highway and continued west on the parkway but I knew it would take me to Daniels Park and I didn’t want to go there. I knew there was some road going north before the park if I could find it.
That turned out to be Monarch Boulevard and I headed north. Getting into the McArthur Ranch area the road becomes Quebec and I followed it all the way across C-470 and on up to Belleview, east on Belleview, and back home.
It was only about 38 miles and one hour’s riding but oh what a nice day to be out on a bike! The morning had been clear and warmer but I was busy, so once I was ready to ride it was clouding over and getting cooler. Nevertheless, my electric vest was all the extra warmth I needed and it was just delightful to be out.
Now I have two more bikes to ride in January but the weather is looking good all of the next week. I think I’ll get it done.
Biker Quote for Today
They say life is a highway and we all travel our own roads, some good, some bad, yet each is a blessing of its own. — Jess “Chief” Brynjulson
