Passes & Canyons Blog

The usual starting point in Morrison.

By the time we were taking off on this RMMRC California trip our numbers had risen to six, though two were only along for the first few days. Bruce would be with us just until St. George, Utah, while Paul was coming as far as Las Vegas, where he has family. The rest included me, Dave, Alan, and Gene.

I got to the meeting spot early so that Alan and I could pair up my new Cardo communicator with the group but despite everything we tried we could not get it done. For this day at least I would just not be connected.

Kickstands up (KSU) was set for 10 a.m. but come that hour we were lacking one person: Paul. At 10 after Alan gave him a call and he said he was at Hampden and University, on his way. That’s 20 minutes away. Not appreciated. He did get there and we did get off but not together. Paul got himself separated and we went off figuring we’d see him later. There’s more to this story and I’ll fill in the details later.

From the Phillips 66 in Morrison we generally go into town but then take the right fork that runs up Hog Back Road past Red Rocks and pick up I-70 at the top of the hill. We did that with no sight of Paul so by the time we got to Idaho Springs Alan decided to pull off and give him another call. We pulled into a parking lot, with me pulling in behind Alan.

Alan got Paul on the phone and he was in Evergreen. OK. We’ll just meet you in Eagle for lunch. Talking with the others via the Cardos, Alan was apparently unaware I was behind him and as I frantically tried to roll out of his way he backed into me. My bike went down, but no damage done. Alan helped me up and we were rolling again.

This first day had always been the one most likely to be a problem, what with changeable weather in later April. We got lucky and had a good day and while it was darn cold going up through the tunnel and then over Vail Pass, the roads were clear and dry. I was just glad to have all my electrics on.

At Eagle we went to this restaurant that, while easily visible, can be hard to find just how to get to it. We had all been there before but Paul had not so of course it was 10 minutes after we saw him before he came walking in. At least we got reconnected.

Then, leaving, we went across the street to get gas. Dave filled his tank and then rolled his bike forward so Gene could use the pump. And Dave’s bike went crashing to the ground. Seems he had unknowingly knocked his kickstand out of position rolling the bike forward so when he let go there was nothing to stop it. Again, no damage and there were people there to help him get it back up. As I said, things were not exactly going smoothly.

The rest of the ride was smooth, though. Leaving Eagle we were into summer and layers were coming off. And it continued to be a beautiful day. We were headed for Fruita and getting there was uneventful. Great. What time should we meet for dinner and where should we eat?

Oh, and after dinner we again tried to get me paired up with the other Cardos and this time it worked. Now I would be connected for tomorrow’s ride.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycle rides, ice cream, and beach sunsets . . . it must be summer.

The Phillips 66 in Morrison is a favorite gathering place for motorcycle groups.

To say that there were a lot of motorcycles out on Saturday would be a gross understatement. With temperatures in the 80s Denver set a new record high for the date. Meanwhile, not just motorcyclists but hikers, bicyclists, ATVers and everyone else was out in full force. This included the RMMRC.

Six of us gathered at the Phillips 66 in Morrison, along with about 30-40 other bikers in numerous groups. In an inauspicious start to the ride, Charley, who has recently had surgery and has trouble getting his leg over the saddle, ended up pushing the bike over and falling with it. With all these bikers around a swarm immediately gathered and got him and bike back up. He was unhurt and fortunately this was not a portent of ills to follow on the ride.

We headed north on CO 93 out of Golden, across Rocky Flats, to the south end of Boulder. Boulder is this huge blot on a rider’s route. There’s no good way to get through it and getting around it is limited by the fact of mountains on the west side. Fortunately what you can do at the El Dorado Springs intersection is go east a short distance and then turn north on Cherryvale Road. This takes you a good ways north up past Baseline Reservoir to where you go east on Baseline Road and then you follow a zig-zag pattern up through the less heavily developed portions of east Boulder.

That’s what we did, got into Niwot intending to go west on Niwot Road, but got to the Longmont Diagonal and found the road closed for construction. This put us on the Diagonal headed toward Longmont. With some more bobbing and weaving we finally reached CO 66 and were able to turn west to Lyons, our lunch stop. At Smokin’ Dave’s we found two more folks waiting for us. We got seated and ordered and in walked Bruce. The group keeps growing.

After lunch we headed up to the Peak-to-Peak Highway via CO 7, the South Saint Vrain road. This road had been closed for a really long time, including the last time we had been up this way but it is now finally open to traffic again. Nice.

So we took that southwest to meet up with CO 72, the first stretch at the north end of the Peak-to-Peak. It was starting to cook in the city but up on the Peak-to-Peak it was actually a bit chilly. I had started with a couple layer I didn’t need, had removed them, and now would have welcomed at least one of those back. But it wasn’t bad.

Motorcycles were everywhere. Every trailhead we passed had cars overflowing the parking areas. Bicyclists were everywhere. This was a day to be outside!

We headed south, with intentions of going back down via Golden Gate Canyon. However, at Nederland, with Bob leading, he missed the correct turn off the Nederland roundabout and we found ourselves headed down Boulder Canyon, right into the heart of Boulder. I had considered making the right turn and splitting off from the group but I didn’t. I figured what the heck, I ride Golden Gate a lot and almost never take Boulder Canyon. It will be a change of pace.

Of course Boulder was its usual horrible mess. Some of us managed to stay together and head south on 93 but bit by bit we got separated so by the time I got back to Morrison I was alone and just headed on home. And I was roasting. Really glad I had not put another layer back on, and wishing I could remove another layer, but not wanting to stop.

So. Good ride. Great day for a ride. And as for scuffing up my new front tire on my V-Strom, mission accomplished. What more can you ask for?

Biker Quote for Today

“Cyclists see considerably more of this beautiful world than any other class of citizens.” – Dr. K.K. Doty

Arriving at the South 40 Bar and Grill in Elbert.

By now you know the drill: The temperature was supposed to be about 70 and that demanded a ride. Bruce put out the call through the RMMRC and seven riders showed up to head down to Elbert for lunch.

Five of us were regulars but we also had two new guys. Cool. We need new guys. Seven of us headed south. Bruce led us down Peoria to Lincoln Boulevard, east to Chambers, and south to Hess Road. It’s always interesting going through this area because there’s so much construction going on and you get to see what’s new and how much farther the urban sprawl has spread. At Hess it used to be a T intersection, and still is, but not for long. A lot of homes are going up south of Hess and a big road has been plowed. It’s just dirt now but not for long.

At Hess we headed east, crossed Parker Road, and got onto Hilltop, angling southeast. At Singing Hills Road we turned due east and here we were in for a new surprise. Somewhere out there was a new road being built to the south. More sprawl. Pretty soon houses will sprout. Something new to watch.

We worked our way around and got to Elizabeth, then turned south. That road eventually turns east, then south again and you’re in Elbert. The South 40 Bar and Grill was our destination. We got seated and just a moment later another guy in motorcycle gear walked in. Turned out he was a friend of Bruce’s who was just out riding aimlessly and decided to stop here for lunch. The more the merrier.

After lunch we started to disperse. Yoel, one of the new guys, had somewhere to be. I also had an appointment back in town and so I headed back the way we came. Paul, the other new guy also had somewhere to be. The rest were planning to go south a bit further and then cut over to pick up CO 83 back to town.

It was a good day for a ride. Good day to meet some new folks. A good day in March. We love this weather.

Biker Quote for Today

Good vibes and motorcycles will get you anywhere.

Weaving in and out won’t do you any good when there’s no chance you’ll ever get ahead of the guy in front–somewhere way up there.

Judy and I have a really nice shawl that was given to us as a wedding present by one of her nieces. Kate wove it herself. Thank you Kate.

Yeah, weaving on a loom is a great thing. On the road, in and out of traffic, not so much. This is one of the things people in cars hate about motorcyclists, the way some people blast along in and out, in and out.

When I first got my first bike I was pretty much a novice. My friend John was much more experienced. John had one particularly good piece of advice for me. He told me the more you change lanes the greater your risk of bad results. Just pick a lane and stay there, he told me. That way the guy in front of you becomes aware there is a motorcycle behind him and the guy behind you becomes aware there is a motorcycle in front of him. Your chances of something bad happening diminish substantially.

The other thing is that all that weaving and trying to get some advantage usually amounts to little or nothing at all. I’m not an aggressive driver so I have watched other people over the years and I see one thing again and again. Some guy blasts past me–car or bike–weaving in and out and then when we come to the next red light there he is right next to or immediately in front of me. You accomplished nothing, dude.

I saw this sort of thing in action just recently, on this latest RMMRC ride. After lunch at Rosie’s in Monument, Tom and I headed east to catch CO 83 back into town. As traffic got heavier closer to town it became pointless to try to stay together, especially since we were headed home and Tom and I do not live together.

But then Tom started doing some weaving, racing ahead, trying to get some advantage over the rest of the traffic. I was unconcerned and just said to myself, “See you later Tom.” And then there we were at Parker Road and Orchard and I rolled right up behind Tom. Just as if we had never gotten separated.

How utterly pointless. The way I see it, the only thing these folks gain is more time to sit idling at a red light. No thanks, I’ll just take it easy and I’ll bet I’ll get there just as quickly as you do.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycling is like sex. When it’s great it’s great. When it’s bad it’s still great.

Eating at Rosie’s on a different ride.

If projected temperatures of the 60s in early February are not an outright invitation to ride I don’t know what is. The RMMRC made plans.

We met up Sunday at 10 a.m. at Performance Cycle with our destination Rosie’s Diner in Monument. A lunch ride.

There’s one trick to fabulous weather in Colorado, however. If it’s not sunny it can be quite a bit different. Saturday also had a warm forecast but it was cloudy and was not nearly as comfortable as it might have been. Sunday at least started out sunny.

I was smart enough this to bring my heated gloves with me. I didn’t think I’d need them so I just stashed them but at least I had them if I needed them. Too many times I have not done this and regretted it.

We started off heading down Quebec to Daniels Park and on to pick up US 85 south of the park. It was only at that point that I turned on my electric vest. I wasn’t cold yet but it was getting cooler and I knew once we were up on the Palmer Divide the temperature would drop.

We scooted over to Sedalia and then resumed going south on Perry Park Road (CO 105). We started seeing a lot of bikes. You always do on that road.

And it got cooler. Still, the road was clear of ice and snow so that’s what matters. Then we got into Palmer Lake and the main road through town was extremely wet from snow melt. I had to wonder if we had come this way a couple hours sooner it would have been ice.

On through Palmer Lake to Monument and lunch. There were four of us on bikes but also three in a car. Two of those are overcoming health issues and could not ride so the third, Roy, drove them all so they wouldn’t entirely miss out. Good. We like these guys and we’re glad they came.

Heading out we split into two twosomes. Bob and Steve retraced the route while Tom and I headed east to pick up CO 83, to head north that way. We were pleased that the wind that had kicked up just as we had arrived at Rosie’s seemed to have abated. Wrong. We reached CO 83 and made a left turn and were instantly blasted by the powerful wind that had until then been at our backs. And a cold wind at that.

We worked our way north and as Parker Road got busier north of Parker we inevitably got separated. No matter. This always happens on the way home. We’re all going to split off somewhere, it doesn’t matter if it happens sooner.

Of course we were by now coming down from the Palmer Divide heights and as we did it got warmer and warmer. Before I got home I had turned my vest off–too warm.

So it was a good day to ride but nowhere near as nice as we had hoped. Oh well, it is February, after all. Be thankful for what you get.

Biker Quote for Today

What’s a motorcyclist’s favorite movie? Gone with the Wind!

A different winter, not today.

Yesterday the temps were in the high 40s. In a day or two they’re calling for the 50s.

Time to be out riding, right?

Nope. Our street is still covered in ice. Maybe in a couple days. These are the days you hate to see going to waste.

Biker Quote for Today

I lost a good riding buddy in an accident–his finger got stuck in a wedding ring.

Here’s the whole gang that showed up for my first ride organizing effort. Me.

Well I did it. I’ve been talking for some time now about how, with activity and membership in the RMMRC declining, I needed to step up and take on some of the organizing. With the weather forecast for Thursday looking positively fabulous I set up a ride and posted it on the site. Nothing special, just an easy ride out to Kiowa for lunch at Patty Ann’s, an RMMRC favorite.

I did this on Wednesday so it meant that there was not a lot of lead time. It also meant that anyone with a day job was out of luck. But it couldn’t wait for the weekend; the weather was in for a huge change for the worse.

The first thing I did after posting the ride was to call Roy and give him the word. Roy is perhaps the only person in three states who does not use a computer these days so the only way to inform him was to call. Plus, I knew he would spread the word further.

Roy regretted to tell me that his bike is not in running order so he would not be coming, but he promised to pass the word along immediately. He noted that he had just talked with Bob not long ago and Bob was looking to do a ride on Thursday as well. Great. It might just be me and Bob but hey, we’re riding.

On Thursday I headed over to the meeting spot a little early with the intention of sticking around a while. Typically when RMMRC rides get posted they give a gathering time and a time 15 minutes later for kick stands up. I had not done that. Being a lunch ride I just said meet here at 11 a.m. I got there at 10:50.

There were no bikes there when I pulled in so I parked in a prominent spot and started scanning the roads for other bikes. Eleven o’clock came and went with nobody else arriving, and at 11:15 I was still the only one. I decided to give it five more minutes.

At 11:20 I concluded it was just me but by golly I was going for a ride. And it was a gorgeous, warm day!

I could have just gone anywhere since it was just me but I figured Patty Ann’s still sounded good. Plus, maybe Bob had found someone else to ride with and they had not wanted to start as late as 11 but perhaps they would also shoot to be at Patty Ann’s around noon. Or someone else could just show up there on their own. As I said, Patty Ann’s is a popular spot in the RMMRC.

So I headed out down Parker Road, picked up Hilltop Road, and continued south on Flintwood Road as Hilltop arced off to the east. I hit CO 86 and turned east. Coming into Kiowa I was eager to see if any other bikes were parked outside Patty Ann’s but there were none. Oh well. I’m going to have a good lunch.

And I did. It used to be, in many of our opinions, that the best things on the menu here were the Mexican items. Patty Ann’s had killer green chile. But for unknown reasons, awhile back they revised their menu and eliminated all the Mexican items. Dang. But they still have a bunch of other good things on the menu.

I ordered the chicken, apple, walnut salad and it was terrific. I’m no restaurant critic but that chicken was beautifully prepared and the whole thing was really good. I’ve thought for a long time I ought to ride out here with Judy for lunch some day, and when we do it’s pretty likely at least one of us will order this.

So I sat and ate and once my ears perked up at the sound of a bike but they must have just been going by because no one came in. And when I was leaving there were still no other bikes parked out front.

My ride home was 86 to Franktown, Parker Road (CO 83) north to Broncos Parkway and on in. By the time I was getting back into the metro area it was so warm I turned my electric vest off. That’s how nice a day it was. All along the way I saw six other bikers out but boy, there should have been a lot more. You people are missing out.

And now it’s 15 degrees out there with Monday forecast to have a high of 7. Yikes!

OK. My first time organizing an RMMRC ride went great for everyone who came. Maybe next time that won’t be just me.

Biker Quote for Today

Under my ass or in my garage. (Where I keep my motorcycle.)

Yeah, it’s pretty snowy out there but the roads are mostly clear. The only ice I had to deal with was on my street.

You never know at this time of year when you’ll be able to ride so you take advantage when you can. That’s what I did on Wednesday.

Isn’t it funny how your tolerance of the weather adjusts with the weather. In September a day in the 40s seems really cold. Now here we are in January and I thought, “Wow, it’s in the 40s. What a great day to ride!”

I hadn’t been on the V-Strom in a while so it was time it had its turn. I had no plans to go far, just making sure to get in a ride on each bike in January.

Heading southeast I crossed the Cherry Creek Dam and the reservoir told a tale of the weather. Frequently, long before this time of winter the lake will be completely frozen. But it has been warm–until the last couple weeks–so while most of the lake had ice there were small portions that were open. Then I noticed that the freezing was very spotty with a lot of little bits of water amid big sections of ice. I’ve never seen it in this stage of near-freeze before. And with the temperature expected to take a serious plunge in just a couple days, by next week it could all be ice.

I headed out on Parker Road, all the way down to Parker and then turned west on Main Street. For some reason, as soon as I turned west it seemed the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. Not at all sure why.

I was totally geared up, with one of my heated gloves set to the lowest setting and the other to the number 2 setting. I’m always experimenting to see what difference something like that makes. Well, in this case, my fingertips in the lowest setting glove were getting darn chilly, so when I stopped to shoot that photo above I bumped it up. That felt good.

It was a pretty uneventful ride but I did see one other rider out. Plus, I had seen another one earlier when I was out in my car. Some people know a good day to ride when they see it. Back at home I felt like the ride was too short. How nice to go out in the middle of winter and wish you had stayed out longer and ridden further. You gotta love Colorado.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycling is an endless opportunity to accessorize.