I had some trouble with my old Honda awhile back and I was less than thrilled at the response from the dealer where I had been taking the bike for years. They told me flat out that they didn’t want to work on my bike–it was too old. Mind you, this was just a couple months after they had been happy to take my money to put on a new rear tire. But do work on the carbs or whatever else might be causing the problem? No sir, buddy.

So I took it to another shop and they got it running again but not quickly. Seems this other shop prefers to specialize in racing bikes and only works on others to keep the mechanics busy and pay the bills. I had to wait six weeks for them to get around to doing my bike.

Then, just a couple months later, I had the same sort of problem I had had before. This time I took the recommendation of the guy with 2 Wheel Transport and took it to Mountain Thunder Motor Sports for work. What they found out was that it was not the simple problem with gummed up carbs that the other place found, it was the accelerator pump, something much more subtle that required some real investigation to uncover. So Mountain Thunder fixed it for me in a week and it has run just as smooth and sweet as can be ever since. In the meantime, I also needed a new front tire and I dropped in to Mountain Thunder one Saturday unannounced and they put on a new tire while I waited. That’s service.

So this is an unpaid, unsolicited plug for Mountain Thunder Motor Sports, at 2670 W. Hampden Avenue, in Denver. The phone is 303-806-5054. They work on old bikes. They’ll get my business from now on.

There is going to be a lot of two-wheeling going on in Colorado this year. Just looking at the Rides and Rallies page I see:

July 1 – Colorado VTX Ride-In
July 12 – InZane 6, Valkyrie World Summit
July 13 – 34th Annual Top O’ the Rockies Rally (BMW)
July 27 – Star Touring and Riding Association

Of course there’s the Four Corners Rally in the Rockies in Ignacio starting August 30, and then Thunder in the Rockies September 1.

I’m sure there are other things going on, too, but if you don’t tell me about them I can’t get them up on the list. So hey, it’s free publicity, as well as an extra link to your site. Let me know what’s happening and I’ll get it up on the site. Thanks.

I knew I didn’t have photos from Boulder Canyon yet but when I realized I didn’t have any from Coal Creek Canyon either that made it clear what I was going to do today. Headed up to Boulder on US 36 and then up Boulder Canyon on Colorado 119 to Nederland. Along the way, if you’re in the mood for a stop, you can pull over at Boulder Falls and hike up to the falls. Nearing Nederland you come upon Barker Dam, which forms the reservoir that is just downstream from the town.

A quick jaunt south on combined Colorado 119 and 72 and then they split. Highway 119 continues as the Peak-to-Peak Highway and 72 cuts back east toward Rocky Flats, down on the prairie. But first you pass through Pinecliffe and then climb steeply, with lots of tight switchbacks, to the crest at Wondervue. Over the top and then down you go through Coal Creek Canyon. Finally, bursting suddenly onto the flatlands, you see all of Denver laid out before you.

Of course I shot pictures. You can check them out on the Peak-to-Peak and Canyons page.

By the way, on the run I turned over 77,000 miles on my Honda. She just keeps on running.

Step by step this thing progresses. I launched the website Passes and Canyons, Motorcycle Touring in Colorado in November of 2005 at www.motorcyclecolorado.com. Now I’m expanding it to the blogosphere.

I’ve been extremely pleased with the reception this website has gotten since it went live. You may not know it but a webmaster can look to see not only how many people are coming to the site and what pages they visit while there, they can also look to see where you came from. It really makes my day when I follow a visitor back to the link they followed and find that someone has said something along the lines of “Check out this website. It’s great!” And I’ve had that pleasure a number of times. Thank you. A very sincere thank you.

There is still a lot to be done. I need to get out all over the state this summer shooting pictures, gathering campground information, adding more dealers and repair shops . . . and the list goes on. You can help. If you had a good experience — or a bad one — at a motel, let me know. Your experience can help someone else. If you’ve had a good ride and want to tell everyone about it, this is the place. Pictures are welcome.

Thanks for visiting. Come again. Tell your friends. And ride, ride, ride.