New Tire Is Properly Scuffed
Mounting up to head out after lunch.
I had a new rear tire put on the V-Strom on Tuesday and on Thursday I got it scuffed up just great. The RMMRC took a ride up in the hills–which means lots of curves–so there’s no further concern about it being slippery.
There were about seventeen of us originally so we split into two groups. So I was surprised when the first group out, which I was in, that there were only six of us. And then we lost one as we turned up Golden Gate Canyon.
The route as announced was to be up Golden Gate to the Peak-to-Peak, south to Black Hawk, then up through Central City to the Central City Parkway and over to I-70 just east of Idaho Springs, for lunch in town there. But we took a different route.
Gray started out leading but I’m not sure it was him who turned up this road I’ve seen countless times that goes off to the left part-way up Golden Gate. In recent times I had the idea in my head that I had ridden this road one time with Ron Coleman but now I’m not so sure. And if I didn’t ride this road with Ron then this was a first. And what a road!
I’m talking about Robinson Hill Road, which leads to Douglas Mountain Drive, which comes down to the Peak-to-Peak just 100 yards further on CO 119 past where US 6 coming up Clear Creek Canyon goes off to the left and 119 continues on toward Black Hawk. This road deserves a post of its own so check back in a few days.
We did not backtrack to Black Hawk just to go out of the way to get to Idaho Springs; we just took the right turn onto US 6 and ran on up the road.
Now the funny kind of thing with this odd recession or recovery or whatever we’re in is that people on the low end of the economic totem pole are finally getting more money for they labor. And that translates into a lot of places not being able to hire the people they need. We got to the restaurant in Idaho Springs and it was not open yet and had a sign saying they wouldn’t open until 11 a.m. because they can’t hire the staff they need to open sooner. Across the street the McDonald’s had a hiring sign saying they were pay $15 to $18 per hour. Dang, it wasn’t that many years ago I took a job as Public Relations Director for a consulting firm and I was paid less than $10 an hour. I don’t begrudge these folks their higher wages; if I have to pay more for a meal and that allows them to earn a living wage I’m glad to pay.
We did eat eventually and then did a familiar ride over Squaw Pass, took the cut-off down Witter Gulch Road and into Evergreen that way. One of the guys on this ride was Gray’s son, who was on his first motorcycle, which he bought just a couple months ago. He left us as we left Idaho Springs and that’s probably a good thing because I have to wonder if he would have managed on his big Beemer on the super tight-twisty Witter Gulch Road. Heck, he’s still learning to ride.
Through Evergreen and down to Kittredge and Idledale we got separated and by the time we came out of the mountains it was everyone for him/herself. Time to blast on home.
Biker Quote for Today
Save a horse, ride a Harley!
Tags: Robinson Hill Road
