Day Seven

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Getting up in Carbondale we knew that our route had been changed due to closed roads. Both independence Pass and Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park were closed. I had hoped to be able to make it to Denver so that I could see my friends Terry and Claudia but with the road closures the only way to Denver was on the freeway and with over 1,500 miles of freeway waiting for us on the return trip across the prairies we really didn’t want the last day in the mountains to be spent on the freeway so we opted to travel north to Wyoming.

I called Terry and found him and Claudia on their way to work so I at least got to visit with both of them on the phone. I plan on being back in this neck of the woods at the end of the summer and hopefully things work out then such that I get to see them.
Coming in at night, you never know what scenery awaits you in the morning. When I waked out of the front of the hotel my first word was WOW. Right in front of me was a huge snow-covered peak that is not shown or named on my map.

This was the view that greeted me as I walked out of the front of the hotel to load up the bike.

Looking north from the hotel I saw that the road to Aspen hugged the river at this point with the sheer rock face on the right that combined with lush vegetation and the blue sky make for a setting that lives up to the Colorado motto - Colorful Colorado!

As I was loading up my bike I struck up conversation with the morning front desk clerk. She told me about a bicycle store just down the road where I could get some CO2 canisters in the event I needed them. She pulled some stuff out so that Dirk could get a bite to eat before we got on the road and as he was fiddling with the toaster she told us that she and her husband vacation up in Alaska where they go fly fishing and bring back the catch which lasts quite a while in their freezer. They have spots in the Carbondale area where they go hiking and fishing. One of her favorite is one where after a four hour hike through the mountains you come upon three little lakes with some of the most colorful mountain trout. They will leave at first light and spend most of the day up there enjoying the fishing and the scenery.

I laughed and mentioned that those of us who don’t live in the area come here for vacation, peace and serenity; so, what do people from here do for vacation. She laughed and said that they go to Alaska. Also, the beach is a favorite place to go. Oftentimes they go to California or Florida to enjoy some beach time.

One thing about this middle part of Colorado is the people are for the most part insanely fit-looking. They are also really friendly and welcoming and laid back. While they are laid back, they do not look totally relaxed. There is a steely look about them. The are the only people along the way who don’t marvel at the miles we have ridden in such a short time. Living in this part of the state is about passion. Passion for what you love. Passion to seek it, find it and follow it. They live for the outdoors and will do whatever it takes just so they can have the freedom to do what they love. Most folks from everywhere else don’t understand that but here, they live it and love it. It would be appropriate to say that the motto of the area is love what you do and do what you love.

I decided to stop in at a bicycle store to pick up CO2 canisters in the event the tire didn’t hold up. I borrowed a pump from the bicycle store to top up the front tire. Dirk discovered a local coffee joint so he went over in search of a cup of Joe. He got what he was looking for as did I.
We rode the ten miles into Glenwood Springs and then took the freeway for about an hour to route 131 which we rode north to Topanas which is in the high plains surrounded by mountains. We then took 134 east over Gore Pass at an elevation of 9,527 ft. It rained as we approached the summit but the top was clear. As we came down the other side I tried to take photos of Dirk cornering but the delay from press to snap on the digital did not make for ideal action shooting conditions. Soon we were on route 40 north which we took to Muddy Pass at an elevation of 8,710 ft where we connected with 14 east that took us to Walden where we stopped for gas and lunch.

This was the first photo I took right as we got off the freeway onto route 131 north. As is becoming annoyingly common, the map does not name the mountains!

This is a photo of the same moutain from a different perspective

Looking north along 131 just a little south of our turn off to route 134 over the Gore Range of the Rocky Mountains.

Another shot of the mountians surrounding the high plains on which Walden is located

Along 134 I got a good action shot of Dirk cornering. Those of you who have heard or will hear his bike around town will think how quiet it is. However, if you have the opportunity to hear it at wide-open-throttle you will come to realize that it is not as quiet as it seems. He doubled back about a mile or two up the road and then made the top end of the rev range punch in for work. This was evidenced by the roar that broke the tranquility of the mountain stillness which had greeted us as we made our passage through this beatiful landscape.

This and the next few photos are landscape shots of the mountains around the high plains south of Walden, Colorado

I liked the color contrast here.

Future steaks and burgers munching on the grass.

No need to worry about bothering your neighbors!

We were well above the tree line at this point in our trip for the day.

Lunch was at a really cool lodge in the middle of “town”. It is built in the fashion of a log cabin and has a really homey feel to it. I think, no, I know I would like to make the end of a long day of riding. There is a restaurant at street level. Next to that is a bar and upstairs is a motel. The folks were friendly and assured us that we would enjoy riding along route 14 on the way to Fort Collins.

When we pulled in I had noticed a BMW R1200GS parked outside and the rider came up for a quick chat while we waited for our order. I turned out that he was retired (though he didn’t look to be a day over 47!) and had homes in Houston, Breckenridge and California. He spends his days riding the different bikes he has between his homes. What a life!!

After lunch we left Walden heading east along route 14. The first few miles was still high plains and other than the mountains on the surrounding horizons there was not much to look at. I did wonder what it was that compelled people to settle here as the only activity seemed to be farming and there is plenty of other more hospitable farming land elsewhere! Oh well, I guess you have to be from somewhere and these folks choose to be from here.

A close-up of me suiting up after lunch at the Anters Inn

Zoomed out a little to show the entire facade

We rode a little more in the high plains towards the snow covered Gore Range

This is Dirk racing for the mountians

A nice shot of the Gores with a touch of windshield!!

This and the following few show the dramatic and ragged peaks of the Gore Range.

You really need the arrows to remind you of the up-coming bends as the awesome scenery pulls hard at your attention!

Jeez, I guess I do look like a motorcycle cop! No wonder people hit the brakes when I am pulled over on the side of the road taking photos!

Not only am I a freeze baby, it is also pretty darned cold up here!

Once we joined up with the Cache de Poudre River the ride became significantly more scenic and interesting. However, I was exhausted and started to make mistakes through corners and just could not keep my attention on the road. I resolved that at the first opportunity I would stop for a little rest. Fortunately, we came upon the Poudre General store and I turned around, parked the bike and went in looking for chocolate and coffee. I think I would need both to perk me up and keep me going for the remainder of the ride.

The lady at the counter was really friendly and pointed out the coffee machine and the candy. As I was poking about in the candy section Dirk pulled in and also decided to get some candy and coffee.

We sat outside on the bench and got to chatting and it turns out we both hit the wall at about the same time. We were exhausted to the point where we could not make the most of the awesome road.

Perked up, we were soon on our way and the ride from that point to just north of Fort Collins was fun and beautiful. We bypassed Fort Collins and jumped on the freeway for the ride north to Cheyenne, Wyoming, choosing to bypass the Larmie Mountains as, again, we were running out of daylight.

I rode right past the motel all the way into downtown Cheyenne and we had to double back before I got my bearings. Once we were settled in we walked about half a mile over to the Outback Steak House where we had a few beers and food.

We then turned in for some rest and also to prepare for a ride to Idaho City, Idaho which would be about 750 miles east. It was a good day, a long day but also a day with no mechanical problems!! I hoped for the same for tomorrow!