Passes & Canyons Blog

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

The OFMC on the road in 2016.

I was late getting the plans for this year’s OFMC trip set but finally did. It’s actually harder to plan a trip with shorter days than with longer ones. We’ll be staying almost entirely in Colorado this year.

The mandate from the guys–primarily Bill–was no long hard days of riding. Dennis suggested we play tourist a bit more than we generally have. I came up with a plan.

First off, following last year’s hellacious trip home on I-70 on Sunday with all the horrendous traffic that always entails, I suggested that hey, we don’t need to leave and come home on weekends. We can go and return in the middle of the week. Everyone agreed to that.

So we’ll be leaving on a Wednesday and going up over Berthoud Pass, through Winter Park and Granby just on to Hot Sulphur Springs. And there we’ll partake of the hot springs for a good hot soak. Just in case we’re a bit sore from the first day’s ride.

Next we’ll hit Kremmling and turn south, catch I-70 briefly to Copper Mountain, and then take Fremont Pass over to Buena Vista. We’ll make sure to get there early enough for this day’s activity: zip-lining. I had looked at doing some river rafting but we have all done that before and none of us has done a zip line. I’m hoping it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Originally I planned it out that we would backtrack to Twin Lakes and take Independence Pass over to Aspen and Carbondale and then turn south toward McClure Pass to spend a night at the Redstone Inn in Redstone. Calling for reservations, though, it turned out they have a big wedding going on that weekend and there is not an available room in town. Searching further and further afield it finally worked out that the best alternative was Montrose, and if we’re heading to Montrose from Buena Vista it made sense to take an entirely different route. So we’ll go over Cottonwood Pass down to Almont, to Gunnison, and then take US 50 to Montrose.

The next day we’ll just head straight down US 550 to Durango, going over Red Mountain and Molas Passes on the way. Durango will be a two-day stop because the next day instead of riding we’ll play golf. Golf is an always kind of thing on the OFMC trips these days.

We’ll have a pretty short ride the day we leave Durango as we are just going to Mesa Verde National Park. More playing tourist. In the early days of the OFMC we always found the cheapest place to stay we could. Nowadays we all have more money and we’re spending it. We’ll be staying at the grand lodge–the Far View Lodge–in the park. That should be really nice.

We’ll ride around and see the park the day we get there but the next day’s ride is not a long one either: it’s time for the mandatory gambling stop. We’re heading on to Ignacio, to the Sky Ute Casino Resort. We’ve stayed at the Sky Ute before but they used to be in a much smaller place and it was inexpensive. The new place is fancy and the price reflects that. And that’s before you give them money at the tables and machines. But we like a little gambling.

The next day of this trip is the longest one. We’re heading for Fort Garland and there were two possible routes to get there. One would be to just get on US 160 all the way, over Wolf Creek Pass. That’s a little shorter, but only a little, than what we’re going to do. We’ll take 160 to Pagosa Springs but then turn south into New Mexico, to Chama, and then turn northeast over Cumbres and La Manga Passes to Antonito. Then some mostly straight roads to Fort Garland.

Our final day, coming home, we have choices. The direct shots would be either to go east on US 160 to I-25 and take it all the way home, or jog west and pick up US 285 north all the way home. If we feel like a more scenic route I was thinking go east to Walsenburg and then turn northwest on CO 69 to Westcliffe, and then a series of roads up to Penrose, to Colorado Springs, and then pick a route home from there. This would be an equally long day as the previous one, so we’ll see what we all fell like at that point.

And that will do it. I’m thinking it’s going to be a good trip.

Biker Quote for Today

“I’m a decent sprinter and I can gun a motorcycle from zero to suicidal in less than ten seconds.” ? Mira Grant

Riding the Black Hills on the 2021 OFMC trip.

Since John quit riding I have become the planner for each year’s OFMC trips, and I think I’ve got our route worked out now for 2022. Here’s what I’m thinking.

For quite a few years now the trip has been locked onto the last full week in July. I don’t know how that came to be but for most of the guys that became inviolable. I often suggested that some time other than the maximum heat of the summer might be nice, but nobody else seemed to agree with me.

Guess what? Bill and Dennis have agreed that this year we should go south, and do so later when it’s not so hot.

Where to go? The first part was easy. In 2020 we intended to go into New Mexico but days before we were to leave New Mexico announced it was closing down the state due to Covid. We had to scramble to work out a different route and change our reservations. So this time around I figured we’d just start off the way we planned to in 2020.

That means we will start off riding to Alamosa, and on the second day take the short cruise from there to Espanola, New Mexico. With the OFMC there is always a gambling stop and a golf stop. Espanola fulfills both these requirements because we’ll stay at an Indian casino and resort, with gambling and golf. We’ll be there three nights so one day will be golf and the other will be for a day-ride in the area.

That was the easy part. Where to next?

I know that a highly recommended route is through the hills of south-central New Mexico/Arizona through Alpine, AZ. But how do we get there without taking a lot of interstate? Then I had the flash. We can head south out of Espanola on US 285 to Santa Fe, loop around Santa Fe and then get on I-25 for a while headed toward Albuquerque. But I didn’t want to go through Albuquerque so what if we turn off I-25 at Bernalillo and take the road that goes down the back side of the Sandia Mountains. And we can take the short side trip that takes us to the Sandia Crest, where you get an expansive view of the city laid out at the foot of the mountains.

Continuing south I was looking at taking I-40 west to I-25 and south but, again, that didn’t appeal and I noticed that south of the Sandias were other hills. Hills? Mountains? Not sure. But was there a road on their east heading south? You bet. So we’ll take those roads south to Mountainair and then go west on US 60 and pick up I-25 just a few miles north of Socorro, our stop for that night. OK, this is working.

Heading west out of Socorro on US 60 we’ll make a stop to visit the Very Large Array, a radio-telescope installation that is right off US 60, and is said to be spectacular. Then on to where NM 12 goes southwest from US 60, to US 180, and on to Alpine.

The first part of the next day’s ride will be nice, through the hills but eventually will become a bit of a slog, heading north on US 191 to I-40, east to Gallup, then north on US 491 to Shiprock, then east on US 64 to Farmington. That’s going to be the most tedious ride of the trip.

From Farmington we’ll head up toward Durango but turn east on US 160 before we get to Durango. Through Pagosa Springs, over Wolf Creek Pass, to South Fork, and then CO 149 to Creede. We’ve never stayed in Creede. Could be very nice. I’ve always liked the town.

Our last day will be up over Slumgullion and Spring Creek Passes to Lake City, down to Gunnison, over Cottonwood Pass to Buena Vista, and then home on US 285.

That looks like about 1,400 miles. These guys don’t like really long days so the longest will be about 270 on the way to Farmington. I think we have a plan.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you grab for your hairbrush before your old lady.

A gas stop on the ride.

There was no rush leaving Gunnison on our last day out. It was a short ride home and we might as well let it warm up a bit. Except for Mark, who slipped out on his own early, just wanting to get home.

Now that Cottonwood Pass has been paved all the way it makes a really good alternative to Monarch Pass. Not only is it shorter, there are still plenty of people who have never been over the new road yet. That was true of at least a couple of our folks so that was the obvious route.

Despite our later start it was still darn chilly heading up Taylor Canyon but oh boy was it beautiful in the morning light and there was almost no traffic. Just nice for a cruise. Still, the further we went, and the higher we went, the colder I got. Thank goodness I had my electric vest.

Just below Taylor Reservoir we stopped because Ralf again wanted to talk about hydro-geological issues. He pulled over right below the dam and talked about the Colorado River Compact. At this point the wind was whipping a good bit so it was very cold standing there. I had the idea to pull out my rain jacket to use as a windbreaker and as I turned back to my bike I saw that Susan had already had the same idea and was pulling on her rain jacket. That made a lot of difference and I kicked myself for not thinking of this a couple days earlier.

We continued on past the reservoir and up the pass. The new road is very nice but I still miss some of the twisting and turning that they straightened out when they redid this road. I guess that’s what they call “progress.”

We stopped at the top and this was in fact our time for good-byes. Heading on down, Susan planned to make a stop in Buena Vista, Ralf was going to be heading down toward Salida, and Charley and Karen had no intention of trying to keep up with the fast guys–Bob and Dave–on US 285 on their double-loaded 650 BMW scooter. That left Bruce and me to play it how we saw it.

Down to Buena Vista, to US 24, to US 285, and east. At first the four of us were together but it didn’t take long for traffic to separate us. But then, thanks to passing lanes, we were back together. This continued until we reached Fairplay and then somewhere between Fairplay and Jefferson Bruce dropped off. Now it was just me, sort of trying to keep with Bob and Dave but not really expecting it to last.

But somehow I did stay with them all the way to Bailey. Making the bend and heading up Crow Hill I figured this would be where the final split occurred. We started up the hill together but soon cars had moved between us and that was the last of it. I would occasionally catch a glimpse of them up ahead but by the time I got to Conifer they were lost in the distance.

Not a problem. After four days in a group I was enjoying being on my own. Rain was threatening, and even dripping a little here and there, but it finally really came down around Conifer. I already had my rain jacket on so I just rode through it and sure enough, it stopped soon. Then on down the hill and into town.

Now of course, I was hot. There’s just no way to avoid hitting one extreme or the other when you’re on a motorcycle. So I got home as quickly as I could and eagerly peeled everything off. Ah! Time to relax. Good ride. Nice trip. Nice to be home.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 31. You’ll have to help us with bike projects, because sometimes it takes three hands.

These are the roads the OFMC took this year that we had never been on before.

The OFMC has been doing its thing for more than 30 years now in that time we have ridden most every road in the state, not counting the eastern plains–we don’t go out there all that much. So it was very interesting this year that we ended up on four different stretches of road we had never been on in a group before.

I mean, I personally had been on them all before, although not all on a motorcycle. But the OFMC had never ridden these roads. They’re indicated in the map above in colors. Unfortunately, to get them all on the map I had to zoom out so far that you can’t actually see the roads but if you look at your own map it should be pretty easy to figure out.

That yellow line across the upper right is U.S. 24 over Wilkerson Pass and across the south end of South Park. We actually ended up doing part of it twice on this trip. I guess the time for this one had really come.

In doing part of that a second time we had to get there and that is where that intersecting blue line comes in. That is Teller County Road 1 coming up from Cripple Creek. I had only just been on that road a week earlier with Judy in the car and before that I wasn’t really even aware of it.

Later that same day we went over Cottonwood Pass from Buena Vista to Gunnison, in green. This road was just paved so this was a real treat. It was also very interesting to see how the “improvements” resulted in many of the curves being straightened out. I knew this was going to be the case because Judy and I saw the same thing on the Sea to Sky Highway up in British Columbia, where they worked on the road in order to hold the Winter Olympics at Whistler.

Finally, there was that line in red, CO 69 coming up out of Walsenburg to just east of Cotopaxi in the Arkansas River Valley. This isn’t scenic like a mountain pass but it was pretty and it was a new road for the OFMC. Heck, I’ll gladly go down boring roads if I’ve never been on them before.

That’s the worst thing about living in Colorado for so long. There is hardly a road within 500 miles I haven’t ridden more than once. OK, I guess I’ll just suck it up and continue living the torture of riding all these familiar gorgeous roads we have in this state.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: You don’t have to be jealous of the guy that works on your motorcycle.

Dennis up on top of Cottonwood Pass.

After a night in Cripple Creek the OFMC had a couple options on getting to Gunnison, our next stop. I had figured to just backtrack to U.S. 50 and go over Monarch Pass. But I had been in contact with my friend Kevin, in Gunnison, and he texted me saying, “I highly recommend Cottonwood Pass. Best asphalt in the state.”

Judy and I had just been over Cottonwood in the car a week earlier so I wasn’t thinking about it, but I mentioned it to the guys and they liked the idea. Obviously we had never been over Cottonwood on the trip before since it had only just been paved. So Cottonwood it would be.

We headed out of Cripple Creek by the back way but then bent north to Florissant. We went over Wilkerson Pass again, as we had two days earlier, into South Park and down to Buena Vista, again.

Approaching Buenie we could see that the area around the pass was enveloped in deep purple clouds so we figured we’d better suit up. During our stop I texted Kevin, who was planning to ride out and meet us on top. I warned him to wear rain gear. By the time we headed up the pass, however, the weather was moving along and while the road was wet we never did encounter rain. On the other side of the pass, however, Kevin got pounded.

We met up top and spent a good half hour shooting the bull with each other and also Charlie, who was up there on his Indian. Charlie just moved out to Buena Vista from Wisconsin and is just in the stage of exploring all that Colorado has to offer. I pointed him to this website but he said he had already visited and found it very helpful. Those are the words I love to hear.

We headed on down to Taylor Reservoir and stopped to peel off the rain gear because now it was sunny and warm. Riding down through the Taylor River canyon was sweet but we got to Almont and came out of the protection of the canyon and got hit by powerful winds. Those winds kept up on us all the way to Gunnison and for a couple hours more. A windy day in Gunny, I guess.

Now we were in Gunnison for two nights because this was our golf stop. The next day we hit the links but on the driving range I took a practice swing and my right shoulder hurt–a lot. I whacked a couple balls and the pain was intense! I had hurt my should back in February and had had no pain for a couple months so I thought I was OK, but obviously I was not. “I can’t do this,” I told the guys. I took my clubs back and got a refund and drove the cart for Bill while playing ball spotter for him and Dennis.

Next day we’re heading for the Million Dollar Highway.

Biker Quote for Today

Top 10 signs that a computer is owned by a Harley rider: 07. — Number key pad only goes up to two.

As expected, the “improvements” have diminished the fun of Cottonwood Pass. On the other hand, a lot more bikers will now ride this pass.

Ever since I heard last fall that they had finished paving Cottonwood Pass over on the west side I’ve been wanting to get up there and see it. Part of my eagerness, however, was trepidation about the “improvements.”

We’ve all seen how so-called improvements can often diminish the appeal of a road like this. They don’t just come in and lay asphalt over the existing road, with all its twists and turns. Whereas the old road was built to the contours of the land, the “improved” road reshapes the land to the contours of the road. And inevitably they straighten out a lot of the curves.

As you can see in the photo above, the inevitable happened here. Those bare streaks show clearly how the old road used to go, and you can see how the curves have been straightened. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve done a beautiful job on the road. It just can’t help but be a bit disappointing if you know what the road was like before.

And a lot of bikers did ride this road before. I’ve even seen Harleys on the old road, so while it was rough in places it was very doable. But there are plenty of riders who would never have taken it and now they will.

Of course what all this means is that I now need to revamp the Cottonwood Pass page on the website. I already had it on there because it had been paved on the east side for a long time and, as I said, some riders were doing it even then. But now revisions are in order.

So if you’re looking to get between Buena Vista and Gunnison, you really want to consider Cottonwood Pass now. I’m sure it’s shorter than heading south from Buenie to Poncha Springs and over Monarch Pass to Gunnison, and there’s much less traffic. Do be aware, however, that this is a summer only pass and is closed in winter.

Biker Quote for Today

We know you’re a poser if you’ve never seen a sunrise from two wheels.

Don’t go heading for Independence Pass just yet, it’s not open.

The RMMRC was planning a ride over Guanella Pass last week and I was very much inclined to go. But the day was extremely windy and that dampened my enthusiasm. I’ve been out on days when it was windy in town, and when I got to the high country, especially above timber line, it was howling. That’s not my idea of fun, and I ended up not going.

Well, I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to anyone who did go but the next day I read in the Denver Post that Guanella was not open yet. OK. Did they find that out when they got to Grant? Or when they got near the top? Or did they get over despite it being officially closed? I’m curious to find out.

This tied in very conveniently with a post I was already planning, which was to check out the status of all of the larger Colorado roads that close in winter. Here’s what CDOT, the Colorado Department of Transportation, has to say.

Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park is closed for the season and will remain closed until further notice due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns. To hear updated road status please call the Trail Ridge Status Line at 970-586-1222.

Independence Pass. Closed for the season. (OK, does that mean it closed last fall and is not yet open? Are they not going to open it at all this year? I find that doubtful. CDOT could be more helpful here. But the Post article said it will open on June 1.)

Cottonwood Pass. Same. The Denver Post also says this will open on June 1.

Guanella Pass. Same. The Post says to be opened at a date to be determined.

Mount Evans Highway. To be determined.

Pikes Peak. Is expected to be open to the top as of June 1.

So the bottom line here is, check before you go. Don’t count on things opening up at the time they usually do. But I tell you, once it does open I really want to do Cottonwood Pass. They finally got it paved all the way last year and I have not been on it since they were done. This is number one on my list.

Biker Quote for Today

If the countryside seems boring, stop, get off your bike, and go sit in the ditch long enough to appreciate what was here before the asphalt came.