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Sam and friends take on the rain and rocks in Colorado
- Thread starter Vinny
- Start date
I know I got some more good pics of this day above (July 30), I'm not sure where they are. I posted the pics above in multiple posts Sam and Vinny, can add comments and insert more pics, if they wish.
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- Drumm
Agreed! Paging Mrs. C.!! 
I just went up and inserted a few pics.
Below we arrived in Taylor Park and chose this spot for camp:
We dropped most of the gear off our bikes and went out for a little exploring. There were RV's, ATV's everywhere:
Our campsite was in the hills in the background. Here's a view of some cabins for rent:
Close up of Cabins:
Here's the Taylor Park Store:
Back to camp for final setup:
fire, smores, end of a very good day:
Below we arrived in Taylor Park and chose this spot for camp:
We dropped most of the gear off our bikes and went out for a little exploring. There were RV's, ATV's everywhere:
Our campsite was in the hills in the background. Here's a view of some cabins for rent:
Close up of Cabins:
Here's the Taylor Park Store:
Back to camp for final setup:
fire, smores, end of a very good day:
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The ride report continues!
We awake in Taylor Park on July 31 and start to plan the Big Day!
(Sam and Vinny do most of the planning. I do most of the pics and just agree on the route)
Sam thinks it through:
I hand Sam the cam, and take a min to capture perhaps the only known existing pic of Vinny and my self. And we have smiles that could generate enough power to supply the town of Tin Cup for about 8.3376 minutes (more or less).
Vinny is the handsome one on the left:
We awake in Taylor Park on July 31 and start to plan the Big Day!
(Sam and Vinny do most of the planning. I do most of the pics and just agree on the route)
Sam thinks it through:
I hand Sam the cam, and take a min to capture perhaps the only known existing pic of Vinny and my self. And we have smiles that could generate enough power to supply the town of Tin Cup for about 8.3376 minutes (more or less).
Vinny is the handsome one on the left:
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The plan was to go to Aspen up this little old trail. We had no idea what we were in for. Sam takes the lead but drops his bike about 5 mins in, and Sam is an excellent rider! We walk up to confer, "Man, are we crazy? This is HARD riding! Are we crazy!?" Vinny folds his hands in kind of a sagacious way, and takes an assessment. (I am riding the KLR Walrus and I am ready to turn around!)
(The pics do not really show how hard it was, believe me!).
(The pics do not really show how hard it was, believe me!).
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No, we are not crazy. We are wise. We want to live another day (and stuff like that).
So, we picked another route that we hoped would take us to Aspen. But after riding easy roads, we came to this dead end:
Fearless Explorer Sam C. went ahead a bit. The road turned into a very narrow, wet, muddy trail thru the woods that was not ridden much. Since there had been a lot of rain in the area, we expected that this trail would be slow, muddy and a LOT of work, and The Walrus (ie, me on the KLR) would slow us down. To get to Aspen, we needed to cover ground fast, and we are burning daylight. So we looked for other options:
So, we decide not to attempt Aspen (too far) and stay local. We'll head up toward Lake Ptarmigan.
https://goo.gl/maps/RbxOo
That can't be too hard, right? I mean, what's the worse that can happen?!?
(stay tuned....).
Hey Vinny: you got some good pics of all 3 of us at this stop. Please share!
So, we picked another route that we hoped would take us to Aspen. But after riding easy roads, we came to this dead end:
Fearless Explorer Sam C. went ahead a bit. The road turned into a very narrow, wet, muddy trail thru the woods that was not ridden much. Since there had been a lot of rain in the area, we expected that this trail would be slow, muddy and a LOT of work, and The Walrus (ie, me on the KLR) would slow us down. To get to Aspen, we needed to cover ground fast, and we are burning daylight. So we looked for other options:
So, we decide not to attempt Aspen (too far) and stay local. We'll head up toward Lake Ptarmigan.
https://goo.gl/maps/RbxOo
That can't be too hard, right? I mean, what's the worse that can happen?!?
(stay tuned....).
Hey Vinny: you got some good pics of all 3 of us at this stop. Please share!
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_RG_
Forum Supporter
We pick another route that goes up a mountain near Lake Ptarmigan. A short distance up it, it was steep, very rocky, and literally had running water coming down the trail. It was literally a steep, shallow creek. I still had more than a week ahead on my 2nd phase in CO, so I told Sam and Vinny they could go on, and I'd meet them later. Vinny offered to ride the WaKLRuS, and give me his much more agile KTM. So, I agree to press on. It was so steep and difficult, none of us made it up w/o stalling.
Here's where we came to rest. Look at the water running thru the rocks:
We stopped not far from the top to take pics:
Here's where we came to rest. Look at the water running thru the rocks:
We stopped not far from the top to take pics:
Just a few more turns ahead and we'd be at the top. Just 30 ft from the top we ran into a minor obstacle that slowed our progress: a large block of snow right across the trail. Here Sam attempts a valiant effort to dig through it:
Vinny Supervises:
The view down from the ice. We came up a long way:
Vinny Supervises:
The view down from the ice. We came up a long way:
We decide not to cut thru the snow, and not to lift the bikes up onto the snow bank, (we could have) and bravely, recalling the Motto of The Trailboss, "Safety Third", we load up on food and supplies, not fearful of hail, rain, snow, sleet, sleep deprivation, attacking packs of starving, ravenous, omnivourous marmots, or, even, run on sentences, or, excessive commas, or other stuff, and we leave the bikes behind, and head out, on foot, to finish, the task, of, reaching, the, top!
It was a long, lonely journey:
About 10 minutes later, the two brave explorers reach the top and stare in wonder ( I guess that's what they were doing. I couldn't really tell, I was too far away).
Sam strikes a pose:
I too, get my pic taken, not knowing if I will ever return safely from this Dangerous Journey. It was an Epic Day, and Epic Time. An Epic Tee-Shirt.
So, I force a smile:
Little did we know, that heading down, Vinny and I would be tested yet again...
And, what I said about the attacking marmots herds? They have been know to attack unsuspecting hikers. It says so on the internet:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxtinqZ_hkg"]Marmotte Attaque - YouTube[/ame]
It was a long, lonely journey:
About 10 minutes later, the two brave explorers reach the top and stare in wonder ( I guess that's what they were doing. I couldn't really tell, I was too far away).
Sam strikes a pose:
I too, get my pic taken, not knowing if I will ever return safely from this Dangerous Journey. It was an Epic Day, and Epic Time. An Epic Tee-Shirt.
So, I force a smile:
Little did we know, that heading down, Vinny and I would be tested yet again...
And, what I said about the attacking marmots herds? They have been know to attack unsuspecting hikers. It says so on the internet:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxtinqZ_hkg"]Marmotte Attaque - YouTube[/ame]
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Here's a vid of some of the easier riding on the way up:
[ame="http://youtu.be/Q8GiYv7ddDU"]Sam and Vinny ride by - YouTube[/ame]
Here's Sam riding down from the top of the mountain in the previous pics above:
[ame="http://youtu.be/eFqHN11GWtc"]Colorado - Riding Down - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://youtu.be/Q8GiYv7ddDU"]Sam and Vinny ride by - YouTube[/ame]
Here's Sam riding down from the top of the mountain in the previous pics above:
[ame="http://youtu.be/eFqHN11GWtc"]Colorado - Riding Down - YouTube[/ame]
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jqueen
0
Hey guys - any chance one of you might have saved your GPS tracks from this trip? It's early, but I'm thinking about next summer's trip (trying to do one per year), and this looks pretty awesome!
Sam had a SPOT and said he was going g to download the tracks for future reference.
I didn't use one; paper maps.
You might send him a PM.
Great report. But to have not included a pic of pie at Tincup Charlie's is sad indeed! For future reference, at altitude choc is preferred.
Hey Irish! I KNEW I was missing something!
This gives me the perfect reason to go BACK next summer !!
Thank you!
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After we headed down from the high point above, I took a wrong turn and briefly got separated from Sam and Vinny. They went up to Ptarmigan Lake, where they continued to have Adventure. When I found Vinny, we did not know where Sam went. We learned later that he returned down the mountain on his own ahead of us.
Vinny and I headed down together and suddenly we were in the middle of an intense hail, rain, LIGHTNING and thunder storm. It was intense (did I say that already?)
Of course, it started very suddenly. The hail was pea-size or smaller and the rain was very heavy. I had never seen so much hail and rain at the same time. We passed by some small ponds and puddles and the impact on the surface was amazing to see. It was surreal!
We were caught in the open and we going as fast as we could to get back below tree-line into some cover. A few days earlier, we had already discussed some stories of riders at high elevation getting hit by lightning. Some had near-death experiences. Some worse.
All that was on my mind, and I'm sure it was on Vinny's too. We did see some lightning around us, too.
I started wondering what it's like to be hit by lightning. What would I feel? Would my bike be ok? Would it be melted? Would it have any resale value, since I would not be riding it again? Do I have full-coverage?!
Also: When was the last time I went to Confession (1981)? Did I tell my wife I love her enough? If I don't make it, who will I meet? (
or 
). 
Does Vinny REALLY have to be the last person I see on earth, in CO : ( !?
And I thought, "maybe I should have listened to that Life insurance Sales guy, and bought the life insurance! I think I'll call him as soon as we get below the tree-line, and give my my credit card number!!"
I also thought, "man I'd LOVE to stop and get a few
in case we don't survive -- but this is not the time!"
But, fortunately for me we got into the trees w/o experiencing a surge of voltage. Vinny made the smart recommendation that we get off the bikes and get away from them, as they could attract a lightning strike (not to mention we both have highly magnetic personalities, and that sure doesn't help us now). So, we parked the bikes and walked a few hundred feet away and stood under a tree for about 20 or 30 mins, with a trash bag draped over our heads.
After the thunder and lightning passed we emerged from our hiding. We survived. If we had not, this ride report would have been a lot shorter.
My camera battery was dead, so Vinny captured these two pics:
Vinny described this event in posts 108 and 109 above, posted on Page 6, on Aug 21. He's a lot faster than me in more ways that one.
Vinny and I headed down together and suddenly we were in the middle of an intense hail, rain, LIGHTNING and thunder storm. It was intense (did I say that already?)
Of course, it started very suddenly. The hail was pea-size or smaller and the rain was very heavy. I had never seen so much hail and rain at the same time. We passed by some small ponds and puddles and the impact on the surface was amazing to see. It was surreal!
We were caught in the open and we going as fast as we could to get back below tree-line into some cover. A few days earlier, we had already discussed some stories of riders at high elevation getting hit by lightning. Some had near-death experiences. Some worse.
All that was on my mind, and I'm sure it was on Vinny's too. We did see some lightning around us, too.
I started wondering what it's like to be hit by lightning. What would I feel? Would my bike be ok? Would it be melted? Would it have any resale value, since I would not be riding it again? Do I have full-coverage?!
Also: When was the last time I went to Confession (1981)? Did I tell my wife I love her enough? If I don't make it, who will I meet? (
or ). Does Vinny REALLY have to be the last person I see on earth, in CO : ( !?And I thought, "maybe I should have listened to that Life insurance Sales guy, and bought the life insurance! I think I'll call him as soon as we get below the tree-line, and give my my credit card number!!"
I also thought, "man I'd LOVE to stop and get a few
in case we don't survive -- but this is not the time!" But, fortunately for me we got into the trees w/o experiencing a surge of voltage. Vinny made the smart recommendation that we get off the bikes and get away from them, as they could attract a lightning strike (not to mention we both have highly magnetic personalities, and that sure doesn't help us now). So, we parked the bikes and walked a few hundred feet away and stood under a tree for about 20 or 30 mins, with a trash bag draped over our heads.
After the thunder and lightning passed we emerged from our hiding. We survived. If we had not, this ride report would have been a lot shorter.
My camera battery was dead, so Vinny captured these two pics:
Vinny described this event in posts 108 and 109 above, posted on Page 6, on Aug 21. He's a lot faster than me in more ways that one.
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For me and Vinny, on the ride down the trail almost the entire way turned into a creek, covered in white hail. The small creeks we crossed were wider and faster. We made it down w/o incident, and found Sam waiting for us at the bottom under some trees.
The 3 of us were pretty wet. There was a ranger station a few miles away at a location called, "Dorchester". We rode there to take a break, and get dry.
This cabin was occupied by a couple that spends the summer there as volunteers. This was their 15th summer there. They were very helpful to us. The cabin was still very remote and did not have cell service. They did not even have Papa John's Pizza Delivery!!
This area was one the site of a very small mining town. The cabin was the only remaining original structure. The other structures had become unstable and were determined to be hazardous to the public, and were torn down by the Park Service.
The Cabin Host told us about a nearby Flag Mountain (I think that's what it was called) that is a popular ride. Sam and Vinny spent about 30 mins talking to him, studying maps and planning to go there on "The Next Big Adventure".
I think it was about 2 or 3 pm, or so. I was thinking, "that last adventure was enough for me for today."
The next day we had a long trip ahead. We were returning to Pagosa Springs. So, understandably, S & V wanted to cover as much ground as possible around Taylor Park.
The next day, I'd be ending my first half of my CO trip and would be starting my second half. On this trip I had broken some personal records, but still had not broken any personal bones or personal bike parts and wanted to keep that record.
So, I decided to head back to town and wait for them. I expected to see them again in 2 - 3 hours. What we did not know is that they would not be back for about 6 hours.
Here they are ready for "The Next Big Adventure":
This was the ride where one of the 2 bikes ran out of gas. You can read about it above on post # 110 by Vinny, page 6.
On the way back, I suddenly realized I was getting very close to hitting reserve on my gas tank and there was no way I could have gone with them. What did not occur to me was, "where are they getting their gas?"
The 3 of us were pretty wet. There was a ranger station a few miles away at a location called, "Dorchester". We rode there to take a break, and get dry.
This cabin was occupied by a couple that spends the summer there as volunteers. This was their 15th summer there. They were very helpful to us. The cabin was still very remote and did not have cell service. They did not even have Papa John's Pizza Delivery!!
This area was one the site of a very small mining town. The cabin was the only remaining original structure. The other structures had become unstable and were determined to be hazardous to the public, and were torn down by the Park Service.
The Cabin Host told us about a nearby Flag Mountain (I think that's what it was called) that is a popular ride. Sam and Vinny spent about 30 mins talking to him, studying maps and planning to go there on "The Next Big Adventure".
I think it was about 2 or 3 pm, or so. I was thinking, "that last adventure was enough for me for today."
The next day we had a long trip ahead. We were returning to Pagosa Springs. So, understandably, S & V wanted to cover as much ground as possible around Taylor Park.
The next day, I'd be ending my first half of my CO trip and would be starting my second half. On this trip I had broken some personal records, but still had not broken any personal bones or personal bike parts and wanted to keep that record.
So, I decided to head back to town and wait for them. I expected to see them again in 2 - 3 hours. What we did not know is that they would not be back for about 6 hours.
Here they are ready for "The Next Big Adventure":
This was the ride where one of the 2 bikes ran out of gas. You can read about it above on post # 110 by Vinny, page 6.
On the way back, I suddenly realized I was getting very close to hitting reserve on my gas tank and there was no way I could have gone with them. What did not occur to me was, "where are they getting their gas?"
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