Passes & Canyons Blog

You have a lot of time to think when you’re riding, particularly if you don’t have a communicator and someone to talk to. On this ride Alan and Dan and I took up Mount Evans last week they were linked via radio but I was alone in my helmet. But there was a lot going on in there.

Alan, of course, is now riding a Gold Wing with a sidecar. He had an encounter with a deer and the Harley died. Now with the sidecar he and his wife go out together a whole lot more than they used to. He’s sold. I included a Biker Quote for Today awhile back that read, “Nothing like trikes and even less like three-wheeled automobiles, sidecars accentuate the balance and ineffable grace of a single-tracker in approximately the manner and degree that crutches improve the performance of steeplechasers. — Jack Lewis” and Alan emailed me to say something along the lines of “All true, but they’re still a heck of a lot of fun.”

This was the first time I had seen the new rig and yes it looks fancy and cushy. As we took off it made sense that he take the lead because going up the canyon to Evergreen–not to mention up the mountains–he was not going to be able to blast around corners the way those of us on two wheels could. So he set the pace.

Winding up along Bear Creek I got a little lazy. I knew that any turn Alan could take at whatever speed, I could certainly take at the same speed. So I hardly paid any attention to what speed I was going. And my expectations were met.

Up on the road over Squaw Pass I was thinking more about the wet road. And the increasing cold. I was thinking how I just might need to break down and get a riding suit like those that Dan and Alan were both wearing. My rain gear was very close at hand but stopping to put it on is always a pain, and if you don’t put it on you can get wet. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an all-weather suit that you just routinely wear when you ride and then the wet is no longer an issue. I could definitely live without the mad scramble to pull that suit on as the rain pelts you. Not to mention the awkwardness of removing it when it’s no longer needed.

We turned up CO 5 to go up the mountain and the ranger at the entrance told us it was snowing on top. Now I had plenty to think about. How bad is the snow on top? The sign board said the temperature up there was 34 degrees, so that’s not freezing, but what if there was ice on the road nonetheless? How good an idea is this? Alan at least had three wheels; he would be fine. And my bike, the V-Strom, is pretty light so I felt confident I could manage with it. But Dan was on his big Harley. This was exactly why I didn’t ride the Concours.

Up the hill we went and soon Dan, who was in the rear, was dropping behind at the switchbacks. With the light, agile V-Strom I was using trail-braking to just walk around the tight turns at about 5 miles an hour. I don’t know what cornering technique Dan was using but at the very least, that Harley can’t have as tight a turning radius as my Suzuki. And we were constantly encountering cars going down right as we were negotiating these switchbacks.

Then another thing I had noticed previously started popping into my head repeatedly. From the rear, Alan’s sidecar looks a lot like the back end of a PT Cruiser, in miniature. I can’t count the number of times I looked at him and thought there was a car on the road ahead of him a ways, only to realize it was the sidecar. You would think my brain would have gotten over that misperception after awhile but for this entire ride it happened again and again.

Of course, on the ride up my mind eventually turned to the pool of water collecting at my crotch and soaking into my jeans, and wishing I had had the common sense to put my rain pants on when I put the jacket on.

So we got to the top and didn’t stay long and then headed back down. I had intended to get out my camera and shoot some pictures on the way down but my hands were numb and there was little to see anyway because of the cloud we were in. So I left the camera in the bag. But the weather shifted dramatically while we were up there and as we headed down it had cleared off and also gotten warmer. My hands were no longer numb. And it was gorgeous. I wanted so much to be getting pictures of this spectacular scene with the road, the bikes, the clouds–everything. But it was not to be. And my thoughts turned, as they often have, to getting a GoPro camera and using it to capture all the incredible rides where I have so often in the past had this same regret.

Being alone in your head so much while riding, as all riders know, makes it all the more fun then to stop for lunch or whatever and talk with the guys about the ride and everything else. Which we did in Idaho Springs.

Some people don’t do well by themselves. I guess when they only have themselves for company they find that they aren’t very good company. I wonder if folks like that don’t ride motorcycles much. Me, I never get bored. If nothing else I’m putting thoughts into words and phrases and hoping I can remember them when I sit down to write. Maybe I could rig something up with a voice-activated microphone and record my thoughts as I ride, rather than trusting to memory. There’s got to be an app for that.

Biker Quote for Today

Dear motorcycle: Thank you for make me feel alive. P.S., is is the weekend yet?

I wrote about the issues motorcyclists face with the new express lanes being built around town and there were a few things I was unclear on. This piqued Alan’s interest so he dug further and sent me more info. Here’s what he learned.

Well you sparked my interest in this subject, so I called ExpressToll this morning and confirmed/found out the following:

If you have a transponder on your bike:
1. You will be charged toll fees on E-470
2. You will NOT be charged toll fees on I-25 and US 36 express lanes.

If you do NOT have a transponder on your bike:
1. You will be charged the higher toll fee for not having a transponder on E-470
2. You will be charged the toll fee on I-25 and US 36 even though you are a motorcycle. The bill will be mailed to your address through a DMV check of the license.

There are no special rules or “grace” provisions for out of state bikes that do not have a transponder.

This addresses what I said about out-of-state bikers who may pass through and think they can use the HOV lanes at no charge. Wrong. But that just doesn’t seem to jibe with federal law. We’ll see.

I also mentioned that I had called it quits with Examiner.com, that they had finally just pushed me too far and I told them I would never again do any work for them. Well, a few days later, under the subject line “Termination of Examiner Status,” I got this little note from them:

Thank you for your participation as an Examiner on Examiner.com. We regret to inform you that we are terminating your status as an Examiner, effective immediately. Your account has been deactivated. We appreciate the time, effort and consideration you put into this work, but we feel that your content is not the right fit for Examiner.com at this time.

Gosh, it’s a little late to be firing someone who has already quit. So I sent them this last note and never want anything to do with them again.

I kissed you guys good-bye already. Good riddance. You ought to try to learn how to run a real company.

Working for Examiner as their National Motorcycle Examiner was a really good gig for awhile but I’ve never worked for anyone so inept and so prone to do exactly the wrong thing. I’m so pleased to uncomplicate my life just a bit more.

Biker Quote for Today

Murphy’s Motorcycle Laws: 7. You will never suffer a punctured tire on the road until you leave the repair kit at home.

“There’s road damage at mile marker 8 and it’s snowing on top.”

That’s what the ranger at the gate to CO 5 up Mount Evans told us and she was only a little wrong. There may be a little road damage between mile posts 8 and 9 but it’s at 9 where the road gets truly bad. She was right about the snow, though.

Dan and Alan and I set out this morning intending to go up Mount Evans and then up Pikes Peak. I’m the instigator here; I just want to do it and I also have a publication in mind I’d like to sell an article to. Alan and I had been putting this ride off for a couple weeks because with all the haze in the air from the forest fires west of us I presumed we would get up on the mountains and not be able to see anything. Kind of misses the point.

Two days ago I said let’s do it and when we got up this morning guess what? Major overcast. Oh well, let’s do it anyway. The weather might make the story more interesting.

So I got to Alan’s and found that Dan was joining us, so good deal. Let’s go.

We headed out Hampden/US 285 and then ran up Bear Creek to Evergreen, Evergreen Parkway to CO 103 over Squaw Pass, and just before Echo Lake there is the turn-off for CO 5. Before we got there we had already stopped and I had put on my warmer clothes and rain jacket and turned on my electric vest. It was more water hanging in the air than rain because we were up in the clouds but it was definitely getting wet. And colder. I had not put on my rain pants and that proved to be a mistake.

We took it very slow going up the mountain, especially on the switchbacks, where we seemed in almost every instance to meet cars coming down around the switchback at the exact same time. The clouds were low but we could still see around us. The drops started getting bigger on my visor.

Slowly, slowly, slowly we continued up the mountain as the temperature dropped and I berated myself for not thinking to wear my heated gloves. Then I also berated myself for not putting my rain pants on, because as you probably all know, the water was running down my jacket and off my gas tank and collecting in that convenient little catch basin right at my crotch. And soaking in.

As we neared the top my hands were going numb and we rode into the cloud sitting on top of the mountain. Which is to say it got very foggy. And finally we rounded the last bend and pulled into the parking lot at the top and sure enough, it was snowing.

We didn’t stay at the top for long. Just long enough for me to use the restroom, pull on my rain pants, and shoot a few pictures. We agreed that Pikes Peak didn’t sound like such a good idea, especially since Dan’s GPS unit was showing similar weather on the other mountain.

In just that short time, however, the weather changed significantly. Heading back down the fog was gone from the top of the mountain, you could actually see pretty far, and there, to the south of us, was Pikes Peak. Maybe . . .

But no, we got back down to CO 103 and turned left, to go to Idaho Springs for lunch. And after lunch it was back on home.

It was actually a great day to ride, and it was beautiful going up the mountain despite the cold and wet. Even more beautiful coming back down. But this two peaks in one day thing is going to have to wait. Dang! I’m going to have to go ride my motorcycle again some other day. Life is so hard.

Biker Quote for Today

The most important thing is to have a good relationship with the bike… you have to understand what she wants. I think of a motorcycle as a woman, and I know that sounds silly, but it’s true. — Valentino Rossi

I heard at the recent ABATE District 10 meeting that the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) was awarded the contract to administer Colorado’s Motorcycle Operator Safety Training (MOST) program, but the other bidder, Lee Parks’ Total Control is protesting that award.

Let’s recap.

The MOST program is paid for out of extra fees each of us pay each year when we renew our motorcycle registration. The program has passed most of that money along to motorcycle rider training programs to keep their prices for their training programs as low as possible, with the intent that this would encourage more riders to get trained.

With little oversight, however, it developed that some of this money was not being used as intended and so the state decided to hire a contractor to oversee the program. Bidders on the contract were Total Control and the MSF, both of which are curriculum providers. And therefore, in some people’s minds, awarding the contract to either would be a conflict of interest.

That much is pretty straightforward. From there it gets really twisted. My associate, Matt Wessels, had intended to present a comprehensive discussion of the numerous claims and counterclaims regarding the MSF and MOST but after I ran a post quoting some of what Matt had told me, I received an email from Robert Gladden at the MSF claiming that much of what Matt said is untrue.

“Based on the words I see here I can guess who is likely sources are and they have long history of making similar false claims about the MSF,'” said Gladden.

I replied to that email making the point that I had asked the MSF for comment and had not heard back from them, but that Matt and I would welcome the opportunity to speak with them. The reply to me was “Our media department received your inquiry and are working on a response, we are waiting for a few more pieces of the puzzle to come together.” That was May 15 and the last I’ve heard.

However, more recently I checked in with Matt on this and he told me, “Concerning the MOST issue, taking to heart that last email that was sent to me, I saw I needed to keep digging, and have been doing just that to unearth this incredibly convoluted history. Gotta set the records straight and finding the people with an accurate account of what happened a decade and a half ago is very difficult, however, should have something soon.”

So now you’re up to date.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycling is not, of itself, inherently dangerous. It is, however, extremely unforgiving of inattention, ignorance, incompetence, or stupidity.

Judy and I went camping on the Kawasaki yesterday in the rain. Are we hard core? How hard core is that?

Fortunately, Colorado weather being what it is, we only caught a few raindrops, although as we approached Golden the entire town was smothered in dense, grey rainclouds. But we skirted west of town on still-rain-wet roads and turned up the Golden Gate Canyon road and never did need to stop to gear up.

We weren’t going far. If you take the Golden Gate Canyon road (County Road 70) west to the Peak to Peak Highway and then go left about 50 yards you’ll find Cold Springs Campground, which is a Forest Service campground. We weren’t looking for anything fantastic, we just wanted to go camping somewhere and try out the new, more compact camping gear we have gotten since our first two-up motorcycle camping experiment last year.

As it turned out, the gear is great but the campground is pretty darn nice, too. Much better than we anticipated. First the gear.

We got new Thermarest inflatable mattress pads and they take up less than one-third of the space of our old ones. That made a huge difference all by itself. It meant, for instance, that we had space to carry food, which we did not have the last time.

It also gave us room for a JetBoil, an extremely compact one-burner camp stove. This little giant boils water in two minutes, even at higher altitudes, so we could cook. Hot meals! Hot dog!

Food, of course, can be one of the bulkiest things you can carry. For dinner we took a Backpacker’s Pantry freeze-dried entree, Katmandu Curry. Freeze-dried entrees have come a long way since I first ate a few back in about 1973. It comes in a sturdy, foil-like package and all you do is heat water and pour it in. Give it a stir and then let it do its thing for about 20 minutes. We poured it into these super thin, take-up-almost-no-space-at-all bowls we got from REI, and that and part of a loaf of sour dough bread made a good, amazingly filling dinner.

For breakfast we had brought bananas and some Starbucks instant coffee that is way better than what instant coffee ever used to be like. Plus we had some granola and took a zip-lock bag of dry milk. We mixed water with the dry milk and poured it over our granola and Judy used some in her coffee. As Judy noted, we’d probably gag trying to drink the milk straight but the longer it soaked into the granola the better it tasted. Oh yeah, coffee was drunk out of a collapsible cup and out of the JetBoil container.

So the stuff we got worked well and did its job of freeing up space. Now we want to try going for two nights. We figure if we’re on the Kawi there is still space to bungee a bag of clothes with the tent, on the back. Don’t really know yet how all this works on the V-Strom.

Then there’s the campground. First off, it’s a gravel road but it’s really, really good, which is to say, even the Concours didn’t mind, and the Concours hates gravel.

We walked around and at the western extent of the campground there was a trail leading on so we took that and ended up connecting with an old road, so we followed the road. And there were old campsites along this road. We deduced that the campground originally ran all the way down a mile or more to where the road once again hits the Peak to Peak. And there are abandoned campsites all the way to that intersection. Closed at both ends (as we found out), there is no traffic and it was a very nice walk. Then once we got back to where we had first followed the trail we saw a sign pointing to a trail up a hillside saying only “Vista.”

The spiderweb of intermixed trails going up this rocky outcrop all eventually led us to the top and from there we could see half of Gilpin County laid out before us (or at least it seemed that way). And while it was an easy climb on the one side, on the other side the cliffs drop off straight down at least 70 feet. Very dramatic, but probably very few people even know these cliffs are there because the trees below reach just about up to the top of the outcrop and completely hide them. But it was very cool. Our stroll around the campground ended up lasting probably three hours as we explored all this. And then there were trails leading up the hill behind our campsite that we did not explore on this visit. We’re going to have to go back.

So yeah, two-up motorcycle camping works. And you don’t even have to go far from home.

Biker Quote for Today

The road is eternal, the wind is constant — what else comes with a guarantee like that?

If you ever question whether some sort of group that stands up for motorcyclists is needed, here’s a situation that should answer that question for you.

Part of the discussion yesterday at my ABATE District 10 meeting was on the rules surrounding use of new express lanes and HOV lanes in the Denver area. ABATE is working with the state to try to work out the fairest, most reasonable way for motorcycles to be part of this structure.

For starters, we ought to keep in mind that under federal law, motorcycles are entitled to use HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes. Thus, if you are going up I-25 from downtown at the right time of day you can use the HOV lane. But how do the new express lanes along US 36 up to Boulder work?

Judy and I drove up to Boulder recently and wondered exactly that. It was not at all clear to us whether, because there were two of us in the car, we could use the new express lanes at no charge or would we get a bill in the mail. (Quick note: by 2017 use of the HOV lanes will require at least three people in your car.) If you’re wondering the same thing, here are links to ExpressToll and the express lanes sites. You may find some answers there.

But there are issues. I’m not totally clear on all this myself so understand that I may be getting some of this wrong, but here’s my understanding. First off, if it’s a toll road, such as E-470, everyone pays a toll. That’s the simple part. But apparently, if you intend to use the express lanes up the Boulder turnpike it is free for cars with two or more people or for motorcycles but only if you first create an account with ExpressToll. This requires a payment of $35 that is intended to be payment in advance for any tolls you do incur. But if you’re on a motorcycle you will never incur any tolls so they will basically just hold your money.

Does that sound a little foolish? ABATE thinks so and is trying to get it changed so motorcycles just simply don’t need any of that. Plus you have the very real issue that if people from elsewhere, whether it be Grand Junction or Ohio, ride through Denver on their motorcycles, they may think it’s OK to use the express/HOV lanes and find themselves receiving bills for having done so. Plus, it may be that they will be billed double because it takes someone human to look at the pictures to determine that it was in fact a motorcycle, and that human element adds to the cost. What? This is where I’m truly unclear on it so take this with a grain of salt.

The point is, apparently if you do not have the little UPC code or whatever taped across the top of your headlight for the cameras to read you will be charged for using the HOV lane despite the fact that you are on a motorcycle. But that would seem to go against federal dictates that motorcycles can use HOV lanes freely. Perhaps you’ll want to be contacting your elected representatives to let them know about this issue and your position on it. Meanwhile, that’s exactly what ABATE is doing.

Biker Quote for Today

Murphy’s Motorcycle Laws: 6. Nothing is harder to start than a used motorcycle being shown to a prospective buyer.

OK, I do understand the point; it just seems so wrong.

I’m talking about an article I ran across titled, “Police Bikes That Have No Rider.” The article discusses what is essentially a land-based drone motorcycle intended as sort of a RoboCop. What the heck, if Google can create a driverless car why can’t someone create a riderless motorcycle? Apparently they can.

The gist of the concept is this:

Deemed the interceptor, this concept is a driverless police vehicle. It would be equipped with 3D cameras and an extremely complex monitoring system. The “drone” will be able to monitor the streets, issue citations, and record violations in real time. Another widely accepted use for this vehicle would be nightly patrols and neighborhood watch, while being almost completely silent.

What we seem to be looking at is a very much cooler rendition of R2-D2. Just kind of a droid.

But with no rider there is no one to enjoy the bike. How wrong is it to have a motorcycle that cruises around but there’s nobody riding? Motorcycles are meant to be ridden.

Of course the real issue with something like this is the same as with those automatic traffic cameras that catch you speeding or running a red light (or yellow light, depending on how they’re set). Let’s face it: Every one of us speeds at times, and theoretically it would be possible to fine everyone every single time they committed any infraction, but I don’t think anybody wants that. So consider this additional portion of the article:

Not only does the Interceptor monitor for speeding violations, it is also constantly scanning and running liscense plates to check for registration violations. When it senses a violation the Interceptor records the action in real time. Making use of its state of the art audio visual system to make sure that the entire encounter is recorded, including real time stats that include speed, and direction. The Interceptor will then immediately issue a citation that will be delivered via e-mail, text, or postal service. The Interceptor will then continue on its way, there is no need for the vehicle to stop. If the violator continues the illegal behavior the Interceptor will notify local offices and they can then stop the suspect.

Does the name “Big Brother” creep into your thoughts?

Anyway, be alerted. This is something we may see in the future. That means it’s time now to be thinking about how we feel about this sort of thing and formulating the opinions we want to pass along to our lawmakers when the time comes, or perhaps even before.

Biker Quote for Today

Didn’t see me? Or didn’t look?

I emailed the OFMC asking if anyone wanted to accompany me on this ride I’m planning but got little response. Only Friggs was interested but even he would only have been in for half. I ride alone a lot but this time I’m thinking I’d enjoy company. Want to go for a ride?

What I’m thinking is what I call the “Tale of Two Mountains” ride. Go up to the top of Mount Evans and then back down and south to Pikes Peak, then up to the top there. Two peaks in one day. I think it sounds like fun.

My thinking also includes trying to sell an article about it to some magazine, though I’m not sure who just yet. I sold an article about just Mount Evans to Kawasaki’s Accelerate magazine three years ago so I don’t think they’ll be interested. And Rider magazine had a piece by someone else just recently about riding up Pikes Peak, so I don’t think there will be interest there either. But I have some other publications in mind that I want to explore.

So here’s the deal. If you’re interested in joining me, send me an email at that address in the upper right corner. Let me know what day(s) of the week work for you and whether that would be this week, next week, whatever. My preference would be to go on a weekday because there will be fewer people but I understand that some people have day jobs. When I see who, if anyone, expresses an interest, I’ll try to get something solid.

And by the way, if anyone has solid information about the Mount Evans road being open, please let me know. This article says the opening of the road has been delayed this year but it was supposed to finally open in late July. Well, it’s mid August now so I assume it’s open but haven’t been able to find anything definitive. Thanks.

Biker Quote for Today

A mother is neither cocky, nor proud, because she knows the school principal may call at any minute to report that her child had just driven a motorcycle through the gymnasium.