June2007Ride

There were eleven motorcycles that left Colorado Springs Thursday morning. Six Indians, three Harley Davidsons, one Yamaha, and one Honda, We even had a “chase” vehicle. We picked the days route at breakfast. Instead of going down I-25 to Walsenburg and HWY 160 to South Fork, we choose to take 115 to Canon City and followed HWY 50 along the river to Salida. We saw quite a bit of rafting activity going down the Arkansas river. We then shot down HWY 285 to South Fork. A little slower day than originally planned, but real pretty. That became our guiding principal over the four day trip. Things began to cloud up as we got close to South Fork, but we stayed dry.

Leaving South Fork Friday on HWY 160 took us right over Wolf Creek Pass. Neat way to start a day, and the first of many mountain passes that day. We stopped in Durango for lunch before heading up HWY 550 towards Montrose. HWY 550 is just amazing. Three passes above 10,000ft. It had several small towns where we stopped and walked around. And for me, the scariest part of the ride. I’d be happy to put a couple of dollars in the coffee can if they’d install guardrails along Red Mountain Pass. Did I mention that I didn’t like it. I’m glad that people took pictures so I could see the views.

Saturday we changed the route a bit again. We went East on HWY 50 to Blue Mesa. We crossed the dam and followed 92 along the rim of Black Canyon. Almost as scary as Red Mountain Pass. Absolutely phenomenal! We kinda overwhelmed them at the restaurant in Paonia for lunch, and the tour of the town was special. The ride up to Glenwood Springs was on the warm side. We rehydrated in the hotel bar. Part of the group took the walk to the hot springs to help unwind.

Friday was on 82 through Aspen and over Independence Pass, the high point (literally) of our trip at just over 12,000ft elevation. There was still snow on the ground, and some of the more rowdy riders helped spread it around. You know the road is narrow when they don’t bother to try and paint a line down the middle. We lunched in Buena Vista before a quick ride across South Park on HWY 24 brought us home.

The hotels all worked out well and we were able to walk to dinner each night. We avoided all the rain and never had to pull out the big tool chest. Having water on ice in the chase vehicle came in handy several times! I have always done “destination” rides, trying to see how fast I can ride to my motel. Sure, I’d enjoy the destination, but the journey was work. This was different. The pace was slower. It wasn’t the destination, but rather the journey and who it was with. This won’t be my last time doing this. I hope the pictures show the magnitude of what we experienced.