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Colorado Part I(street) and Part II(dirt'ish)

Re: Colorado Part 1 of 2

Great pics, Bill. Thanks for sharing! How did Rachel like the ride up Mt. Evans? I was a bit freightened myself when we went up last July. It was raining and freezing. :shock:

She still has the purple band that they put on her mirror stalk. She said after that hair raising ordeal, that band is only coming off when it wears away.:lol2:
 
Re: Colorado Part 1 of 2

I went up Mt Evans in the shotgun seat with my crazy cousin who was showing off his driving prowess. Unfortunately, he's a terrible driver. At one point, I was afraid I was going to be walking down.
 
Re: Colorado Part 1 of 2

Bill, did you trailer the bikes up or ride all the way.
 
Re: Colorado Part 1 of 2

We trailered for both the street bike ride as well as the dual sport ride. I looked at it this way... two bikes traveling the same route isn't exactly saving much money on fuel compared to the truck. And if you factor in the extreme lack of fun by riding through W Texas in 100+ heat, I just really don't want to do it again.

Like I've told others, I've earned several "Ridden my bike through W Texas in the Summer" badges, so I don't have to have any more.:-)
 
Re: Colorado Part 1 of 2

Great shots man, I'm with you on that West Texas summer ride, ha!
 
Re: Colorado Part 1 of 2

We trailered for both the street bike ride as well as the dual sport ride. I looked at it this way... two bikes traveling the same route isn't exactly saving much money on fuel compared to the truck. And if you factor in the extreme lack of fun by riding through W Texas in 100+ heat, I just really don't want to do it again.

Like I've told others, I've earned several "Ridden my bike through W Texas in the Summer" badges, so I don't have to have any more.:-)

Amen!

:tab Mt Evans has to be experienced. It was in the mid 40's when we were there in June. Not a cloud in the sky... MY fuel injected VFR did not like being above 12K feet and would not idle. I had to keep it revved to about 2K to keep it running while negotiating the hairpins near the top. When I first walked across the parking lot to the observation area, I started seeing little white spots all over the place... :shock: I stood still and focused on breathing evenly while taking in the incredible view. The spots went away and I have never experienced them again due to altitude issues, even when working hard on those DS climbs over passes like Engineers and Imogene. The ride up and down Mt Evans is great. We also did Squaw Pass highway over to Bergen Park, also a fun ride. Did you guys run the Peak to Peak highway up the West side of Denver to Estes Park?
 
We did ride the peak to peak highway on the way down. What an awesome little road that was full of the most amazing sweepers that I could have ever hoped for.

And the best part was that it really was just a road that we picked out in order to get back south.
 
Re: Colorado Part 1 of 2

OK Bill, either we need more pics in Part I or we need move on to Part II........:lol2:
 
Re: Colorado Part 1 of 2

OK Bill, either we need more pics in Part I or we need move on to Part II........:lol2:

I'm trying... most of last night was spent helping Rachel study for a Chem exam, but I'm hoping to get most of the photos done and up tonight.

The panos take FOREVER and a day to do, but are looking quite nice if I do say so myself.
 
Mount Evans Road closed from Summit Lake to the top after Labor Day, the road to Summit Lake is still open until the end of September. Most other roads that get closed for the winter close in early November (Independence, Kebler and Cottonwood Pass) unless there are early season snows....it has been snowing around Berthoud Pass and other areas above 12,000 feet yesterday and today.

We are going to Breckenridge for the weekend in a couple of weeks, planning on taking the bike to do some exploring a little further out than a day trip away from Denver. We will have to see what the weather is going to be like.
 
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After looking at the pics as I upload, I really don't want to be in TX right now.

Anyway, you can tell on which trip I felt had better scenery. On the street bikes I had 16 really nice shots that I want to show off, and this one I have 48'ish. I will try my best to be brief and let the photos speak for themselves.

Heading out of TX seeking cooler weather and better views.
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Graeme piloting the ever capable VW towards the pointy bits.
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A good start to finding mountains:
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Stopping in NM along Rt66 yielded some good photo opportunities.
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Getting closer:
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Now for the good stuff. Home sweet home for the next week. Silverton Lakes Campground and RV Park. Clean bathrooms, little store to buy anything you might need, and just a stone's throw away from town.
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Photos from Kendall Mountain as well as Clear Lake:
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The third bike belongs to Trace (Infidel on TWT)
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Trace taking in the views.
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Random photos from the rest of the trip:
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Graeme coming down from Corkscrew.
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Bolam Pass pano
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So I'm sorry for just photobombing and not telling much of a story. Long story short, this has been the best trip in terms of scenery for me. I've been to some pretty cool places via motorbike, but I don't know what it is about Colorado, it just does it for me. If you want explanations for any of the photos just ask and I will tell you all about it.

I can tell you that there isn't a better bike for this than the KLR. It was cushy enough to not beat me into submission after a day or two. It carried enough fuel where I didn't have to worry once about running out. It carried all my stuff like a dandy little packmule, and still managed to get me down Black Bear pass with little trouble. And I lost count of how many Harley's and Goldwings I passed on the pavement between Silverton and Ouray. I couldn't have asked for a better bike to do this trip on.
 
Great job buddy...I am real glad you got the DSLR.

Me too.... and thanks for showing me the basics of it. I'm just hoping to get better and better as time goes on. I guess the only way to do that is to keep going back to Colorado and taking more photos. Woe is me!:trust:
 
Not a lot to add ye auld commentory for this trip.

Me getting ready to abandon the KLR (very top center) at Bridal Vail Falls
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Bill walking back to get my KLR past Bridal Vail Falls
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Bill Riding my KLR past Bridal Vail Falls
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Photo Dump
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Try doing California Pass on this thing Nathan did it. Mind you he has also ridden the 105cc scoot from Sydney Australia to London England and is now riding it accross America on a budget of $500.
Here is the link to the Sydney to London trip
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460631
 
So, Black Bear was challenging, eh? I did it on my DRZ and it was 50 yards of heck (well, this is TWT). The steps there right at the turn, close to the cliff made it interesting. Of course the outside line is smoother, but the penalty for a mistake is much higher :eek2:

How did you guys like the run down Corkscrew? Still on of my favorites. Lots of back wheel sliding.
 
oh, wow! great pics! someday, I gotta go there!!
 
Bill: great pics and a report that made me feel like I was there. Thanks for taking us along! Consider camping in the Salida/Gunnison area next time. I camped there in the 60's and it was beautiful.
 
So, Black Bear was challenging, eh? I did it on my DRZ and it was 50 yards of heck (well, this is TWT). The steps there right at the turn, close to the cliff made it interesting. Of course the outside line is smoother, but the penalty for a mistake is much higher :eek2:

How did you guys like the run down Corkscrew? Still on of my favorites. Lots of back wheel sliding.

It wasn't easy, but no bikes were dropped so I guess it wasn't too bad.:trust: You are 100% correct, the outside is way easier but one mistimed rock and you aren't walking away.

Corkscrew was plenty steep and really hardpacked with a fine coating of little tiny bb's all over the place. It did make it interesting on the way down though.
 
It wasn't easy, but no bikes were dropped so I guess it wasn't too bad.:trust: You are 100% correct, the outside is way easier but one mistimed rock and you aren't walking away.

Corkscrew was plenty steep and really hardpacked with a fine coating of little tiny bb's all over the place. It did make it interesting on the way down though.

Yep, the steep corners were a bit more challenging this year. I really like the part when you get back into the trees. Lots of rollers.
 
Re: Colorado Part 1 of 2

We trailered for both the street bike ride as well as the dual sport ride. I looked at it this way... two bikes traveling the same route isn't exactly saving much money on fuel compared to the truck. And if you factor in the extreme lack of fun by riding through W Texas in 100+ heat, I just really don't want to do it again.

Like I've told others, I've earned several "Ridden my bike through W Texas in the Summer" badges, so I don't have to have any more.:-)

I'll be trailering from now on as well. This way you don't really waste two days on your bike there and back. The heat sucks and it's kinda boring til you hit NM. Bill....thx for sharing. Great pics man.
 
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