Posts Tagged ‘RMMRC’

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Pre-Riding Comes Through Again

Monday, June 29th, 2026


It seems the worst of the flooding damage was on the road that is part of my planned route.

I wrote about pre-riding a route you plan to lead a group ride on just a few weeks ago. Well, it seems there’s a very good reason not to do that pre-ride too far in advance. Conditions change.

We just got back from two weeks in Alaska. We flew from Juneau to Seattle and needed to change planes in Seattle. We found right away that our flight was delayed a bit more than an hour. As it turned out, the plane to Denver was coming from Denver and they were delayed more than an hour from taking off. It seems there was a bit of a weather event. We never did learn much about it because it was all over by the time we did get home.

We’ve been home a week now and it occurred to me that if I intend to lead this ride that I’ve been planning since before I got hit head-on exactly one year ago, this is really when I should do it. I was leaning toward posting the ride on the RMMRC site Saturday and meanwhile I was catching up on all the emails that piled up while I was gone.

Surprise, surprise! I came across a new item saying there was extensive flooding in Evergreen and Kittredge, connected to the tornado that shut down the airport. Roads were completely blocked. And my route for this ride goes right through Evergreen and Kittredge. I figured Sunday I’d better take a ride up there and check it out before posting the ride.

So I did. As I headed up Colorado 74 out of Morrison I thought I ought to see a warning sign if the road was closed ahead, and there was no such sign. That’s positive. You go through Idledale before you reach Kittredge and there was a sign just outside of Idledale but I didn’t see it in time to read it, so no help. But that said to be cautious.

I got into Kittredge and the first thing I noticed was that the restaurant I planned to stop at for lunch on this ride seemed to be closed. It is right beside the creek so that was foreboding. I’d have to check on that. Then I got to the west end of Kittredge and where the creek crosses under the road it was obvious what had happened. There was an area to the side where a lot of logs and stumps were piled up, obviously from a clean-up effort, and the bridge abutment still had a lot of the same packed against it. But the road was open, albeit with a good bit of gravel remaining.


It appears they will be reopened in time for us.

On to Evergreen. Everything looked pretty good in Evergreen, though when I reached the fork where one way goes north and the other south, my route being south, I made that turn and it was clear they were not done cleaning up from flooding right there. But it was not bad. On south about a tenth of a mile and you get to the turn-off up Little Cub Creek Road–my route–and then the flooding became extremely evident.

Mostly it was where the stream had come out of its banks and left gravel–a lot of gravel–on the road. Then a little further along I came to a spot where at first I thought the road had been carried away altogether. I turned around and stopped to shoot that picture above. On closer inspection I could see that the adjoining road had been nearly washed away and all that rock and soil was covering the road I was on. It’s all passable but don’t try screaming down this road on a motorcycle. No problem as long as you know what to expect.

At this point I headed back the way I came and in Kittredge I stopped to check out the restaurant. They had a sign on the door saying that due to the flooding they were closed over the weekend but would reopen right away.

OK, I guess I can lead this ride. Now I just have to get it posted.

Biker Quote for Today

Cause one day you are gonna say that today was bumping. We’re living on the edge and my motorcycle’s speeding. It is what it is and this is how I’m feeling. — Charles Smith

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Communicators–Nice If We Knew How To Use Them

Monday, June 22nd, 2026


My Cardo communicator on my helmet.

I did this Utah ride with the RMMRC guys and I was looking forward to having us all connected via our Cardo communicators. I told myself that before I left on this trip I ought to pull mine out and charge it and also refresh myself on how to operate it. I did charge it but I did not refresh. You know, someone else will be the main guy and he will know how to do it and all that.

Yeah, right. I got over to Morrison, where we were assembling, in plenty of time to get connected, and everyone there was asking, “How do we connect these things?” Oh great. I had the user guide on my phone so I called it up and was looking at it but it seems the process is open to interpretation. Does this mean this, or does it mean that?

We only managed to get Tom and Gene connected so Tom was leading the ride and Gene rode sweep. It’ll do. We’ll get this all figured out tonight in Green River. Meanwhile, during the course of the day I needed to let Tom know I needed a gas stop so I used old fashioned hand gestures to give the word to Gene to pass up to Tom. Hey, it worked.

That evening in Lindsay’s suite (he didn’t request it; they just gave it to him) we were sitting there with the door open so anyone walking down the hall could glance in and see these weird guys sitting around wearing motorcycle helmets. There were five of us and with some effort we finally got four connected, but the fifth just was not happening. I was the fifth. I didn’t like that situation.

We decided to try again from the start and once again we only got four connected. This time I was in but Dave was out. Dave did not like that situation.

But we were out of ideas so for this whole ride Dave was not in communication while all the rest of us were. Probably more than anyone else, I empathized with him deeply. That could have been me. But not deeply enough to offer to swap communicators with him.

Since getting home I have re-read the user guide again and I think I do understand what our issue was. We really need to get this figured out. Like, maybe get together to get it done before we’re actually leaving on the trip.

Biker Quote for Today

Bikers don’t need a crowd; we ride alone but together.

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Making The Most Of The Ride Home

Thursday, June 18th, 2026


At a pull-out going up Independence Pass.

Day 5 was the last day of our RMMRC 5-day Utah ride. It could have been a quick blast east on I-70 but there was no way we were going to do that. Heck, we were in Basalt, which is right next door to Aspen, which is the gateway to . . . Independence Pass. One of Colorado’s real gems. Which direction do you suppose we went?

We heard from a cabinetmaker staying at our hotel that the morning commute into Aspen is killer. Because no one who does any of the hard work in Aspen can afford to live in Aspen. But either because we started a little later in the morning–9 a.m.–or because it was Saturday, we had no issue with traffic. That’s a win.

There’s no way in the world they’ll ever be able to build a bypass around Aspen so we had to go right through the middle of town. Not a win, but that’s life. Then we were out in the open, heading up the pass. And there was very little traffic this early in the day. That’s a win.

There are a couple places along the road going up the west side of Independence where it narrows down to one lane. I was riding sweep and as we came around a bend in one of these one-lane stretches I joked on the intercom that we should stop here for a group picture. Gene, in the lead, said OK. I came around the bend then and saw there was a pull-out right there and everyone was pulling in. Had to laugh about that one.

Of course, then as we left the pull-out I forgot to plug my electric vest back in so it was going to be a cold ride up to the summit. Dang. I knew it was totally unsafe to try to plug that thing in while riding but I still considered it. I thought if I secured the the female connector between my leg and the tank that maybe, on a straighter stretch, I might be able to insert the male connector. The opportunity came and I made a feeble attempt but clearly it was not going to work, and I was not willing to risk my life to avoid being cold for half an hour. When we stopped at the top I made absolutely certain to plug in before we headed down.

That was a good thing, because on the east side of the pass there was a ferocious wind blowing and that wind was cold! It didn’t really get warm until we were almost to Buena Vista. But oh hey, Independence Pass was its usual gorgeous self. What a nice ride.

We didn’t stop in Buena Vista. Too early for lunch and a couple guys had said they did not plan to do a lunch stop. Usually about the time we get onto US 285 headed back down the hill it’s time for the group to dissolve as the horses head back to the stable. Amazingly, this time that did not happen.

Dave and Lindsay told us as we made our final stop at Johnson Village that they intended to peel off on US 24 at Antero Junction, where you come down the hill into South Park. They did and then Tom and Gene and I stayed together all the rest of the way into town. The two of them finally got separated from me coming across town when I caught a red light they got through. Then it was home and this really good trip came to an end.

Biker Quote for Today

The road is a mirror; it reflects who I truly am.

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No One To Blame But Me

Monday, June 8th, 2026


On the Utah trip.

I was undecided before we took off on this recent RMMRC Utah trip whether to wear my leather jacket or the mesh. I figured it could be hot in Utah but first we had to get there and that meant the Colorado high country. So I decided to call Tom, who was the organizer of this trip, and ask him what he thought.

Tom said he was wearing his mesh jacket. I was still a bit skeptical but decided that was the way I would go.

What a bad decision. Look at it this way. It’s still spring. Utah gets warm sooner than Colorado but it’s still spring. Don’t dress for summer in Utah, and especially in Colorado, if it’s not summer. And sure, I followed Tom’s suggestion, but the decision was all still mine so I don’t blame him. Heck, I know for a fact that he got cold, too.

On the day we left it was chilly in the early morning. That should have been my first warning heading out to the meet-up spot that I should put on my electric vest before heading up the hill, just to be safe. Did I do that? No. Did it get cold going up? You bet. By the time we reached the tunnel my fingertips were going numb and I was truly cold. Then, as I noted before, I knew I’d never get warm at least until we reached Vail.

When we stopped for lunch in West Glenwood Springs I finally put on my electric vest and plugged that baby in. That, and lower elevation, finally got me warm. So the next day, heading out from Green River, Utah, with a good wind blowing already, I had the sense to start the day with the vest on and plugged in. Man, did I need it. But even still, some of the high spots we passed it was so cold–and this was Utah–that again my fingertips were going numb. But thank goodness for the vest.

The third day I was finally really getting the idea. I wore everything from the day before and also an extra-warmth base-layer pair of long underwear. It was still cold but I now had on everything other than my rain suit that could keep me warm. Actually, putting on the rain suit would have been a good idea because it would have blocked the wind and it was really the cold wind that made the most difference. But on this day we also went lower than any other part of the trip and it actually got hot. I did not object.

The fourth day I expected it to finally get a bit warmer so I left off the base-layer longies and that would have been OK except that in a somewhat confused start to the day’s ride I managed to not have my vest plugged in or even zipped up. I knew there was no way I could safely plug that thing in while moving, but I tried anyway. No way. Better alive and cold than dead. When we finally made a stop I made darn sure to get that thing plugged in and zipped up.

Finally on the fifth day I had it all together and was as warm as could be expected. But the point is, it was still cold. It was still springtime in Colorado and we were in the high country. What idiot goes riding in the high country in the spring wearing summer gear?

I hope I don’t ever do it again but I know myself well enough to not swear it will never happen. You try to learn from experience but you only sometimes succeed.

Biker Quote for Today

Interstates undeniably allow us to make good time, but I question if they make time good. And making time good is why I ride motorcycles — Eric Trow

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One Of Utah’s Best Roads

Thursday, June 4th, 2026

On Day Two of this 5-day Utah trip we finally got off on the good stuff. We had fiddled with our communicators the night before so now we have four of our five connected but Dave was the odd man out. Unfortunately that was his lot for the whole trip.


Waiting at the Capitol Reef Visitors Center.

We headed just a few miles further west on I-70 and then took the turn-off for Utah 24 heading down to Hanksville. This is a long stretch of open country, but hey, it’s Utah, and in my opinion Utah is the most beautiful state in the US.

The issue was the wind, though. And dealing with a blasting wind proved to be an issue for this entire trip.

From Hanksville the road turned more westerly and got a lot more interesting, at a much more sedate pace than the day before. All the way to Torrey we were kicking back and enjoying the ever-changing scenery, and man, there’s a lot of scenery in Utah. We were in canyons, up over hills, and we passed through Capitol Reef National Park.

Lindsay told us he intended to stop and get some photos along the way so we shouldn’t be concerned if he was not there at some point. And as he said, he did drop off, Gene with him. The idea was that they would catch up to us at our next stop.

As the rest of us cruised along we passed a lot of pretty spots to pull over and I suggested to Tom that we pull into one of these and wait for them. Tom said he figured the visitor center would be a good place to wait. It was right alongside the road and we could all use the amenities. Sounds good.

We reached the visitor center and were lucky enough to get the most prominent, most visible spot in the whole parking lot so we relaxed and kept an eye out for Lindsay and Gene. After awhile here they came down the road . . . and passed right by without either one of them so much as turning their head to look in the direction of this bustling place. Oh well, maybe we’ll see them in Torrey or else we’ll see them in Panguitch, our stop for the night.

We took off and at Torrey we needed to turn south on Utah 12, which splits off before you get into the town. Just to be safe we rode into Torrey but didn’t see Gene and Lindsay so we turned around and took the road south.

After all the great country we had already been through you wouldn’t think it could get much better. You would be wrong. Utah 12 has got to be one of the very best roads in Utah, and that’s saying a lot because Utah has a lot of fabulous roads.

First you go up over some very high hills with fabulous views off to the left. Then you get down to Boulder and go down and the terrain changes radically. You run down into canyons and then up again, there’s multi-colored rock all around, then you come up through the slick rock and wind your way up and over another high plateau. Finally you reach Escalante. We stopped in Escalante for lunch.

The gorgeous country does not stop at Escalante. From there we went on, still following Utah 12, up over another high spot, and then down, and then up again coming in Bryce Canyon National Park. Here the color of the hills reminded me of a Dreamcicle, those white and orange ice cream bars on sticks. The road doesn’t take you into the main area of the park, you just pass by that, but then it goes down into Red Canyon, where now everywhere you look it’s red.

Finally the road came out to meet US 89, where we turned north to Panguitch.

It would be a couple more hours before Lindsay and Gene showed up. They had missed the turn onto Utah 12 at Torrey and went quite a long way before stopping to consult the map. At that point they could have continued forward and gotten to Panguitch quicker, but they didn’t want to miss Utah 12 so they backtracked the whole way.

What a great day. What a great ride. You gotta love Utah.

Biker Quote for Today

I’ve come to conclusion that the most time consuming activity bikers engage in is finding neutral.

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The Wisdom Of Pre-Riding

Monday, May 4th, 2026


Riding in the hills.

I’ve had this particular day ride in mind for the RMMRC since before my year’s riding got disrupted last year by my crash on the CB750. Now with the weather getting better and better I figured it’s time. But I also figured it would be a good idea to do the ride myself again first in case any of the roads are torn up or who knows what.

Sunday was warm but cloudy, while the forecast for the coming week was for cooler with rain (we should hope!). Sunday would be my day.

As I usually do when I’m heading this direction I went west on Belleview with thoughts of turning south on Santa Fe. But this was exactly what I was doing when I got hit head-on so I’m still a bit shy of that intersection. Instead, I went under Santa Fe, on to Lowell and then south on Lowell. South of Bowles, Lowell becomes South Platte Canyon Road and that would take me down to C-470. Lowell/South Platte Canyon is a much nicer, far less busy road than Santa Fe anyway so why not?

At C-470 I got on the slab just to the next exit, Wadsworth, and then off and south to the first right turn, Deer Creek Canyon Road. I headed on west into the foothills and was soon being followed by two other riders, none of us with the other. But I turned off Deer Creek Canyon Road onto South Deer Creek Road while they went straight.

South Deer Creek Road goes up that canyon about as far as it can and then starts climbing the side of the canyon, up and over. Lots of switchbacks and slow going. For me at least. Up in the switchbacks I encountered a group of sportbike riders blasting down the other direction. Hey guys, there’s a bit of gravel in the corners here–really? They were followed, at varying gaps, by four more guys who weren’t so gung-ho to scream down this particular bit of road.

I got on up and over and started down, then came to Oehlmann Park Road, which goes up and over another big hill. That was my route and here the turns were tighter, calling for a lot of simultaneous braking and throttle, and there was more sand and gravel. Just take it easy.

Up and over that one and then down to South Turkey Creek Road. I turned right, toward Tiny Town, but then went left at Twin Forks, under US 285, and just a short distance up Turkey Creek Canyon before my next right turn.

Here was why it was good to pre-ride this route: I screwed up. While my brain was saying don’t take the first right, pass it by and take the next one, I went ahead and turned at the first one. Idiot. This was Starlight Drive and all it is is a loop up into a residential area. So that put me right back on Turkey Creek Canyon Road. I went a quarter mile further and made the correct turn, onto High Drive. I won’t make that mistake when I’m leading the group, thanks to having made it now.

Once again it was up and over, along the way passing a deer standing right next to the road. Good reminder; this is deer country. Be aware.

This brought me down into the outskirts of Evergreen, I passed through Evergreen, on down to Kittredge, where I stopped at the place I’m figuring on taking the group for lunch. I needed to make sure what days and what hours it is open and it’s good to have that nailed down. On the last RMMRC ride I went on, up to Estes Park, our destination was a restaurant that is not open on the day of the week that we were there. Oops. I’m not making that mistake.

So I headed on down Bear Creek Canyon to Morrison, south to pick up US 285 going east, and this would be where I normally say “and from there on home” but in this case the story is not finished.

I came across on 285 and was approaching Lowell and smelled burning rubber. Of course my first thought was, is that me? In just an instant I knew it was not, as there was a car pulled over right ahead with smoke pouring out of a wheel well. And then I spotted the tread from that tire, which obviously had come off, still rolling until it rammed into the back end of the stopped car. Like, this just happened a few seconds ago! That was one of the weirdest things I’ve seen in a long time.

And with that, I then cruised on home.

Biker Quote for Today

If you start thinking about a shortcut, you’ll end up taking it. — Walter Colebatch

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