I left early Friday morning. The plan was to ride two moderate days, and pull into Larkspur, CO (45 miles south of Denver) in time to grill some steaks and watch a little football with an old friend of mine on Sunday.
I routed through the southern part of Missouri, and enjoyed winding through the Ozarks at a relaxed pace. After about 500 miles, I stopped in Joplin for the night.
Saturday was a weather adventure. It was hot. I had packed mostly for the cool temps in the Rockies, and 94 degrees tested the cooling vents of my black Marsee jacket. Worse, it was windy – very windy. A front moving through Kansas brought steady winds at 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. For 300 miles I rode with mike bike tilted into the wind just to maintain a straight path. My route took me through Dodge City, so I had to stop for just a moment.
I was making good time, so I called my friend, Jim, and let him know that I would be in late Saturday. His home backs up to national forest land, but it was still surprising when this little gal met me when I stepped outside with my morning coffee.
Later, I was sipping coffee at the table and looking at local maps when I spotted “Devil’s Head.†This sounded interesting, so off we went. Devil’s head is the last manned fire watchtower in Colorado. It was a bit of hike, but well worth it.
Monday I headed to Rocky Mountain National Park using routes suggested by Jeff at FJRForum.com (a big thanks!!). I arrived just after lunch and paid the entry fee only to find out that Trail Ridge Road was closed (and had been closed for over two days) due to snow in the higher elevations. Though Jeff had provided alternative routes for just such an emergency, I decided to ride up as far as I could. The views along the way were fantastic!!
When I reached the point where the road was closed I stopped, enjoyed a small cigar and snapped a few more pictures.
Then, I looked up to see a ranger unlocking the gate. The road was reopening!! The next few miles took me to elevations over 12,000’. The road was mostly clear, and this adventure into true tundra was unforgettable. It was also a little chilly, as temperatures dropped down to 36 degrees.
I rode on to Grand Lake, where I stayed in this cool lodge.
Later, I sat by the lake and had a drink and a Cuban cigar to my good friend Larry, who lost his 18 month battle with cancer earlier in the day. It was a somber end to a riding day.
The next day I headed up to Cameron Pass. The route included a great little stretch of dirt road from Rand over to Gould.
Cameron Pass is a “must ride†road if you are ever in the area. Great scenery, great sweepers. Just watch for the moose. My heart jumped into my throat as a pair of these H U G E animals jumped into the road in front of me along this road!!
After reaching Fort Collins I turned south into Denver for three days of work. I departed early Saturday morning and road to St. Louis (850 miles) before stopping. Sunday I made the short jump down to Nashville.
It was a long way to ride to spend only two days in the mountains, but it was definitely worth it!!
great stuff! 