Passes & Canyons Blog

Judy put into words what I was thinking. “It’s going to be a great day to ride.”

We weren’t the only ones who thought so–I encountered my first other biker less than five blocks from home. And I saw a lot more before I got back.

In fact, with only three days left in 2024, this was likely to be the best of the three. But I’m still planning to ride on Tuesday, to the Rock Rest Lodge, for ABATE of Colorado’s Last Brass Monkey Run.

A couple things to note: Having had one battery in my heated gloves give out on me before I finished my ride last time, this time I set that one to the lowest setting while setting the other at the number 2 setting. Both gave me heat for the whole ride. Also, when I have started the Honda recently it has once again taken to pumping out a huge cloud of blue smoke. I took it in to get that fixed earlier this year but it refused to smoke for them so they didn’t know what to work on. And for a long time after I got it back it did not smoke. Now it’s smoking again. I’ll get a video next time I start it up so they’ll at least have something to go on.

I had gone southeast the last two times I’d been out so this time I figured I’d go southwest. I took Belleview west to University, then south to where, past C-470, it becomes Lincoln Avenue, and then turned south on Quebec. This is the road that leads south to Daniels Park. I continued on south on Daniels Park Road, to US 85 as it runs down toward Castle Rock. I headed northwest, toward Sedalia, finally deciding I wanted to go to Red Rocks.

A straight shot is no fun, though, so when I got to Titan Road I took it west and followed as it dipped south around the south end of Chatfield Reservoir. Then north on Wadsworth to C-470. I followed C-470 to the Morrison exit and got off, went into Morrison and took Mount Vernon Avenue/Hog Back Road up to the entrance to Red Rocks.

Red Rocks is always busy and there is no admission fee except on days when there are concerts scheduled. This day was no exception. I went all the way to the top, to the parking circle at the high end of the amphitheatre, where I recollected that there was primo motorcycle parking. Circling the area I figured there must not be motorcycle parking any more but then spotted it, not actually within the circle but just outside. Great. Time to get off, stretch my legs, and get some photos.

Heading out I went through the park to the south entrance, just west of Morrison, and then south to catch US 285 and follow it east and back home.

This was about my sixth ride in December. What great weather. In the meantime, the mountains have gotten pounded by snow. You’ve got to love living in Colorado.

Biker Quote for Today

100 reasons not to date a biker: 33. We’re covered in dead bugs. 34. You’re covered in dead bugs.

We went to Red Rocks to see Amos Lee performing with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and though we went in my car it made me wonder about the perks that motorcyclists used to get there. The answer is yes. Are you aware of these?

In the past, motorcycles were sent for parking to the very top circle of the amphitheater, which is pretty dang nice. The thing I hate most about going to concerts at Red Rocks is parking and then hiking up and up and up to get first into the seating area and then more up to get to where you actually get to sit. Parking right at the top and walking down to your seat is nice. I’ve done this, though not any time recently. Heck, I haven’t been to a show at Red Rocks any time recently until the other night.

Now, as it turns out, they no longer send bikes to the very top, but do send them to the larger lot just below, which is where that photo above was shot. There were 12 motorcycle parking spaces and at this show there were only two bikes. Unless you get there very, very early, the line for admission goes down the stairs to this lot so it’s not like you’ll do any extra stairs starting from here.

The other advantage of course is getting out quickly. Huge numbers of people who hiked and climbed all the way to their seats are now, at the end of the show, faced with hiking all the way back to their cars, and then waiting in long lines to file out slowly.

With your bike just up at the top you can get to it quickly and get going in a hurry before most people are even near their cars. Plus, although lane splitting is not legal in Colorado, on a motorcycle you can easily slip past the creeping line of cars and get out in a hurry.

In fact, it has been a long time since I’ve been to a show at Red Rocks so I don’t know if this is still the case, but years ago, when you were leaving via the east entrance, they would direct people to use both lanes, thereby speeding things up by 100 percent. At 93 they would not allow right turns toward Morrison and so both lanes would flow left toward I-70. I don’t know if they still do this.

We parked this time in the upper south lot and I was surprised how quickly we got out of the lot. Then I saw all the traffic was in one lane so I jumped into the other lane figuring to make as much progress as I could before coming up behind other cars in that lane. There were none. We went all the way out to Bear Creek Road without a stop and the only other people in the lane were a car or two who jumped in behind us.

Coming out to the road I merged into traffic in full sight of the cops directing traffic and all they did was continue directing traffic. If I had been on a bike the whole move would have been even easier and quicker. I’ve never gotten out of Red Rocks that fast before–and that was in a car.

So this has nothing to do with motorcycles but it was amusing and I want to pass it along. We learned after we parked that they run a free shuttle up to the top, for anybody who wants to ride it. You get on by the Trading Post. So we only had to walk down to our seats.

Well, we were on the stairs I mentioned before, waiting in line, and people were going up and down the stairs all the time. One older woman in a black dress went up the stairs past us and I just happened to turn my head that direction as she was about 10 steps above us. Believe me, I wasn’t trying to look up her dress but my eye was caught immediately by a glimpse of something gray and shiny. I looked more closely and saw she had something attached to her thigh with duct tape.

At first I thought it must be a catheter bag or colostomy bag but then thought, no, if it was a medical device there would be some medically approved attachment device. No, this was presumably a flask or bottle of liquor she was smuggling in, duct-taped to her thigh. I got a laugh out of that.

Biker Quote for Today

15 grand and 15 miles doesn’t make you a biker.