...but I will! This time of year is a great time to be riding in a wonderfully beautiful part of the Creation. I met RedBird (Ken Malone) this morning in Fort Collins and we retraced the route that junglejim (Jim Rau) and his friend Mitch took to Steamboat Springs. Well, I retraced that route as far as I rode (Jim and Mitch kept going west till they to Rangely, CO. I stopped in Steamboat and am at a meeting at the Steamboat Grand Lodge.
It had been 38F in Greeley at 6:45. I wore my 'Stitch, which is a little lighter weight than my First Gear riding suit, but is easier and quicker to get into and out of. I wore my heated jacket, but didn't plug it in because I was only going about 25 miles to meet Ken at the McDonalds at CO-14 and I-25. Ken was a little later than I was getting there, so we didn't get on the road quite as early as I had hoped, but that turned out to be great because it had warmed up to 71F by the time we left Ft. Collins. We both left our heated gear in the trunk/tailbag. As we rode up Poudre Canyon, I found myself dragging footpegs a couple of times and slowed down a bit. The aspen that had been the brightest last Thursday had lot some of their luster, but others were flamingly brilliant. By the time we got to the top of Cameron Pass (10,210') the temperature was down to 46F, but it started climbing again as we went down the hill. We got to Walden a bit before noon and ate (again) at the River Rock Caf?. Today we both ate their special sandwich, a Philly Steak, with a side of shrimp chowder.
When we left, Ken took CO-125 through Rand and over Willow Creek Pass, back to Granby and then home through Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park. I took CO-14 till it ran out at US-40, then followed it over Rabbit Ears Pass and the Continental Divide and then down into Steamboat.
Tomorrow afternoon, I'll go ride somewhere, probably west toward Hayden and then take CR-27 (locally known as 29-Mile Road), which goes through some coal-mining areas with lots of good elevation changes and twists and turns and comes out on CO-131 to take me back to Steamboat. I had expected it to be 29 miles between 40 and 131, but, oddly enough, it's 23 miles. I want them to rename the road! It's only a 68-mile ride but will probably take a couple of hours or more.
Thursday, I'll take 131 south to Toponas and then go over Gore Pass to Kremmling and get on 34 at Granby and ride back through the Park.
Pictures, L-R: 1) Ken's new CB1100. This one is a bit deeper color of red than his first one. It's got a 1.1-gallon larger tank, 6-speed instead of 5-speed tranny, and ABS. The little fairing will come off and Ken's going to put a Parabellum fairing on, and then mount his Givi Adventure series panniers and his Givi Maxia trunk. It's a very pretty bike and he says that one of the best things about it is that he can flatfoot it. Heck, I can flatfoot my NT, but he thinks that there's some difference in one flat foot like I do and two flat feet like he can do. :rolleyes1: 2) Ken following me up the Canyon. I was impressed with my sense of aim. I shot it over my right shoulder while steering the bike and not only got him in the picture, but I didn't have a wreck; the area on the hillside behind him is part of the burned area from the massive fire that raged for several weeks a few years ago. 3) Aspen and rock. A friend of mine always kind of debunks scenic beauty. He says it's just rocks and trees. Maybe so, but I still find it awesome. 4) The Crags looming to the south as we enter the canyon on the west side of Cameron Pass. 5) a view of Lake Catamount from US-40 coming down from Rabbit Ears Pass into Steamboat. The road you can see snaking across from the upper right-side edge to the right side of the top of the picture is CO-131 heading for Oak Creek, Phippsburg, Yampa and Topona.
It had been 38F in Greeley at 6:45. I wore my 'Stitch, which is a little lighter weight than my First Gear riding suit, but is easier and quicker to get into and out of. I wore my heated jacket, but didn't plug it in because I was only going about 25 miles to meet Ken at the McDonalds at CO-14 and I-25. Ken was a little later than I was getting there, so we didn't get on the road quite as early as I had hoped, but that turned out to be great because it had warmed up to 71F by the time we left Ft. Collins. We both left our heated gear in the trunk/tailbag. As we rode up Poudre Canyon, I found myself dragging footpegs a couple of times and slowed down a bit. The aspen that had been the brightest last Thursday had lot some of their luster, but others were flamingly brilliant. By the time we got to the top of Cameron Pass (10,210') the temperature was down to 46F, but it started climbing again as we went down the hill. We got to Walden a bit before noon and ate (again) at the River Rock Caf?. Today we both ate their special sandwich, a Philly Steak, with a side of shrimp chowder.
When we left, Ken took CO-125 through Rand and over Willow Creek Pass, back to Granby and then home through Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park. I took CO-14 till it ran out at US-40, then followed it over Rabbit Ears Pass and the Continental Divide and then down into Steamboat.
Tomorrow afternoon, I'll go ride somewhere, probably west toward Hayden and then take CR-27 (locally known as 29-Mile Road), which goes through some coal-mining areas with lots of good elevation changes and twists and turns and comes out on CO-131 to take me back to Steamboat. I had expected it to be 29 miles between 40 and 131, but, oddly enough, it's 23 miles. I want them to rename the road! It's only a 68-mile ride but will probably take a couple of hours or more.
Thursday, I'll take 131 south to Toponas and then go over Gore Pass to Kremmling and get on 34 at Granby and ride back through the Park.
Pictures, L-R: 1) Ken's new CB1100. This one is a bit deeper color of red than his first one. It's got a 1.1-gallon larger tank, 6-speed instead of 5-speed tranny, and ABS. The little fairing will come off and Ken's going to put a Parabellum fairing on, and then mount his Givi Adventure series panniers and his Givi Maxia trunk. It's a very pretty bike and he says that one of the best things about it is that he can flatfoot it. Heck, I can flatfoot my NT, but he thinks that there's some difference in one flat foot like I do and two flat feet like he can do. :rolleyes1: 2) Ken following me up the Canyon. I was impressed with my sense of aim. I shot it over my right shoulder while steering the bike and not only got him in the picture, but I didn't have a wreck; the area on the hillside behind him is part of the burned area from the massive fire that raged for several weeks a few years ago. 3) Aspen and rock. A friend of mine always kind of debunks scenic beauty. He says it's just rocks and trees. Maybe so, but I still find it awesome. 4) The Crags looming to the south as we enter the canyon on the west side of Cameron Pass. 5) a view of Lake Catamount from US-40 coming down from Rabbit Ears Pass into Steamboat. The road you can see snaking across from the upper right-side edge to the right side of the top of the picture is CO-131 heading for Oak Creek, Phippsburg, Yampa and Topona.
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