Passes & Canyons Blog

That’s the question I got from M Rockey. With all the motorcycle roads I have posted info about on the website, where is the road up Mount Evans. Actually, I’ll let him speak for himself:

Nice site, very enjoyable…but where is MT Evans? :) It’s the best ride of them all in my opinion….I couldn’t find it if it is there..:)

But thanks..this gets me all worked up for this summer’s CO trip!

He’s right, you know, and I had realized that last fall. I’ve spent so much time putting up info on routes that get you from A to B that I forgot about rides where you just go and come back. So I’ve had it on my list of things to do soon to add Mount Evans. The thing is, I can’t do it now because that road is closed for the winter, and is probably under six feet of snow at the moment. But check back in June or so and you’ll see Mount Evans. Thanks for the prodding.

This just in:

The Rocky Mountain News reported yesterday that long-time local radio personality Peter Boyles, in conjunction with Jones Radio Network, will be launching a two-hour weekly radio program on motorcycling. The show will be called USA Biker Nation, and apparently the intent is to start locally here in Colorado and then expand nationally.

Presumably Boyles rides. I hadn’t heard that he does, but that’s no shocker. I haven’t spoken to him in many years, and haven’t heard him on the air in quite a few years.

So anyway, the show is to debut on KKZN-AM radio at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 7. Heck, I didn’t even know there was a KKZN radio. That’s AM 760 on your dial. So I hope it’s good and he and the network succeed with this. I’ll be tuning in, and I’ll report back about what I hear.

Today has got to be earliest in the year that I’ve ever ridden to work. I went in today on my Kawasaki Concours and even with daylight savings time started early it was a warm ride in. On March 13!

Speaking of riding to work, Ride to Work Day is set for July 18 this year. In case you’ve never heard of it, it’s a day for us all to ride our motorcycles to work to show our strength and make people aware that we’re on the road–so don’t run us down!

I saw someone today who needs to learn that lesson. I was leaving work and another guy came along on his bike and passed me in the left lane. Then he moved over to the right lane and right after that, in an area where traffic entering the highway was merging, some idiot streaked over two lanes to the left, almost clipping the guy on the bike in front of me. I was cursing at the asshole and I can imagine what the other rider was saying. Let’s face it, if we didn’t ride defensively we wouldn’t ride at all–we’d be dead!

But hey. It was a great riding day in March, and a lot of us took advantage of it. How sweet.

OK, I guess I spoke too quickly last time. Turns out there is an attempt in the Colorado Legislature to pass a helmet bill. As usual, it is the nanny-government Democrats at work again.

Let me restate this: I’m not a Republican. I am anti-government-sticking-its-nose-in-where-it-doesn’t-belong. I’m a Libertarian.

The proposed legislation would require all riders under age 18 to wear helmets. Simple enough, and maybe not a bad idea. Lord knows kids don’t have the sense to watch out for themselves. I know what I was like when I was a kid, and even more, I know what our kids were like just a few years ago.

If I could trust that this was all it was and that would be the end of it I might go along with this bill. But history shows me that that is not the case.

About 15-20 years ago the legislature passed a bill requiring seat belts to be worn, but they made the offense such that you could not be stopped for it, they could only cite you if they stopped you for something else. Then recently, guess what? They want to change the law so the police can stop you just for failure to wear a seatbelt. There is no doubt in mind that once they get this helmet law passed for kids they’ll be back later to extend that requirement to adults.

The legislators fighting this bill are Republicans. Now, I have no more use for Republicans than I do for Democrats. One wants to tell you how to think and the other wants to control everything you do. That’s why I changed my party affiliation from Democrat to Libertarian awhile back.

That’s also why I believe in divided government. As long as one party controls the executive branch, the other the legislative, they checkmate each other. They govern down the middle. I guess I’ll be working for the Republicans to take back some power in the next election.

I’ve mentioned here before the danger inherent in the push to make failure to wear a seat-belt an offense the cops can stop you for. Right now in Colorado they can’t do that, but if they stop you for another reason and you’re not wearing one you can get a ticket. The Legislatue is now working to change that.

What concerns me is that any group of legislators that would make that change is likely to want to mandate wearing motorcycle helmets at all times.

Let’s get this clear right now: I understand that helmets and seat belts frequently save lives. I also know that in less frequent situations they do more hard than good. I just don’t think it’s government’s business to tell me which odds to play. Don’t make that old argument about being a burden on society. I have insurance. Not only that, I often wear a helmet. But sometimes I don’t, and that’s my decision to make. As for seat-belts, I was out one night with a bunch of legislators just after they passed the original seat-belt law and I told them then that they could shove it, that I would continue not to wear one. That was almost 20 years ago. I finally got ticketed for not wearing my seat-belt just two weeks ago. I was speeding, but so was everyone else. And the patrolman only cited me for the belt, not speeding. While I appreciated not getting a speeding ticket I have to suspect he really stopped me for the belt, and speed was just his excuse.

Anyway, none of that matters now because just last week I got a new car and it’s one of these that has a system to totally annoy you if you don’t wear a belt so I’ve finally been beaten. I now wear my seat-belt every time I drive.

But let’s get back to helmets. I hadn’t heard anything about helmets in connection to this proposed seat-belt law, but I know the connection. Well, in this morning’s Rocky Mountain News, Mark Wolf ran five quotes from the forum they run. All five of them said the same thing I”m saying, that it’s no one’s business but mine. One person did say not wearing a belt gives kids the idea of not wearing a belt, but other than that he said it’s nobody’s business. And three of them said the same about helmets.

I was afraid of this when the Democrats took the Legislature and governorship. I firmly believe divided government is best; it provides the best checks and balances. I used to be a Democrat but I changed my affiliation to Libertarian a number of years ago for exactly this sort of reason. I may have to vote Republican two years from now to help break this imbalance.

My record is intact! I was able to overcome the snow gods and ride today!

We’ve had six snowstorms in six weeks and when I woke up yesterday and it was snowing I thought I had finally lost the game. I ride both bikes at least once every month but there it was January 27 and it just didn’t seem possible. Fortunately the snow ended and the sun came out and melted all the snow that had just fallen. Kind of like what Colorado is usually like. But that didn’t change the fact that we still have six inches of snow and ice on our street. The asphalt is finally starting to show through but only in spots. The answer for me was the sidewalk.

I had been looking for days at the sidewalk. Everyone has shoveled their walks, but melting snow has formed ice here and there and cars parked on the streets keep some places from getting sunlight. But mostly it was clear. I got up this morning and saw the sun shining and immediately went out with sand and salt and checked out all the trouble spots. A little later I went back with a spade and scraped and chipped as much away from the trouble spots as I could. Then I sanded and salted them again. Then came back with the shovel an hour later. One more sanding and salting and once more with the shovel and by about 1 pm my way was clear. There were still 15 feet of snow and ice to cross to get to dry pavement down at the cross street but that’s manageable.

I suited up and rode down the sidewalk. My wife helped me carefully walk the bike across the ice and I was on my way. She thought I was crazy and suicidal. But I had a nice ride and came back and took the other bike down and did it again.

So for 18? 19? I lose track of the years. For however long I’ve had the CB750 I have ridden it at least once every single month, no matter what. And in the eight years I’ve had the Kawi Concours I’ve done the same with it. Sometimes you grab the opportunities. Other times you just have to make your own opportunities.