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tshelfer
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- Joined
- Sep 4, 2009
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- Location
- Centennial, CO
- First Name
- Tim
- Last Name
- Shelfer
KP’s & TShelfer’s Rocky Mountain Ride -2015
For over a year, Kickstand-Prophet (Drew) and I have wanted to do a Rocky Mountain ride together. That finally happened last week. We’re a good match. Drew’s a better rider than I am. he helped me learn some important techniques – like how to walk a loaded bike without dropping it. I’m a more experienced camper than he is. I taught him some important things – like not to bring a wall-plug phone charger to a national forest campground.
Our trip started Saturday, June 20. Actually Friday, because Drew rode up from Lampasas and slept on the couch. We loaded the bikes – three hour ordeal. I was driving my VStrom up the trailer when the hitch popped off the ball and I was suddenly looking at the sky! After adjusting the hitch, after borrowing better tie-down straps, after BUYING better straps to replace the borrowed ones, we finally got the job done. Trailers and ramps scare me. My hat’s off to those who negotiate them regularly. But we’re loaded. Game on.
Saturday:
Nice, easy 10-hour drive from Arlington to Raton, where we camped at the Summerlan RV park. Very friendly place. Tent camping was $15 a night – very reasonable. After the bikes were unloaded, we parked the Jeep/trailer for the week in their storage area for only $1 per night.
Dinner was at my favorite Raton spot, the El Matador Café. I had my usual – Green Chili Burger. Drew ate something bland. Rosa the waitress had been there for 30 years, so we had a little mini-reunion.
Sunday:
Today, we finally cut loose on the bikes. We rode I-25 into Colorado. At Trinidad, we turned west on Hwy 10, one of the lesser known roads, which crosses Cucharas Pass.
We met some cyclists participating in an event called Ride across America.
After paying homage to their physical superiority, we moved on. We picked up Hwy 160 at La Veta and followed the tourist route through Alamosa, over Wolf Creek Pass,
And into Durango. By mid afternoon, we were camped at Haviland Lake National Forest campground. $20 a night, but my “old guy” senior pass cut the price in half.
I had forgotten to remove the tiedown straps from my handlebars. All the way to Durango, they flapped at me like a beagle’s ears.
Monday:
We rode the 240 mile loop that is north up 550 to Ridgway, south on 62 and 145 to Telluride, then south through Mancos and back to Durango. Going north, we stopped for a few pictures around Molas Pass.
I caught this candid shot of Drew on his GS.
Then on to Silverton for some tshirt hunting.
Stopped for pictures around Red Mountain Pass.
Then north through Ouray.
Highway 62 is a fantastic rider’s road. Sorry I didn’t stop to snap pictures; we were having way too much fun. Then south on 145 into Telluride, hopefully for lunch. Big mistake – the town was a preppy ****hole, busier than Manhattan, and crawling with overtanned hipsters. We took the obligatory waterfall picture and got back out.
Southbound again, we stopped to enjoy this sight along 145.
Stopped for lunch at the River Front Café in Delores.
And back to Haviland Lake for the evening.
Tuesday:
The day started way too early – about 12:01am for me – when I work up sick. I won’t burden you with details, but Drew was nice enough to run into town and pick up some meds for me.
My plumbing fixed, we moved on to our next camp. We headed north up 550 again. Toward Silverton, we had to clear the slowest moving pack of cruisers I’ve ever seen – like 900-lb obstacle cones on the road. After that, we made great time until Ridgway, where we ran into one of Colorado’s ubiquitous construction sites.
Thirty minutes later, we were on our way and doing well until I got stopped by one of Colorado’s Finest. Who knew it was illegal to speed while passing? I guess he didn’t like my
Texas plate. Drew didn’t photograph the goings-on, so here’s documentation of my shameful encounter.
$162 later, we were northbound again to Delta, where our bikes registered a whopping 100 degrees. We picked up Hwy 92, which runs along the northern edge of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. It was a challenging and slow, but rewarding ride. Great twisties, great scenery.
Late that afternoon, we were through Gunnison & camped just south of Almont for the next two nights. Nice campground along a roaring river, marred only by the mosquitoes.
Wednesday:
Perfect weather to explore the area. First, north to Crested Butte.
We explored CB – charming as ever there.
Drew found a place to chill for a few minutes.
Strict parking regulations, though. Just after I snapped this pic, this magpie was towed away.
After a lunch of ice cream and, er, ice cream, we decided to get dirty. We headed toward Kebler Pass.
We rode over Ohio Creek Pass and enjoyed riding through the aspens.
We explored north of CB, toward Schofield Pass. The vistas there are breathtaking.
Time for a couple of vanity photos.
We also encountered Bicycle Week, a CB annual event. We were thankful not to be in THIS campground (disclosure: I stole this photo off a website).
Dinner that night was at the Old Miner Steakhouse in Gunnison; not cheap, but excellent. The owner is an avid hunter, and decorated the restaurant with his own trophies. Tongue in cheek, the waitress assured me the owner had bagged this Rocky Mountain Zebra around Crested Butte.
Thursday:
Moving Day again, and a long day. We were headed southeast toward Coyote Creek, NM. But first we went west, then south down 149, my very favorite Colorado highway. First it runs south along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River.
Then up and over Slumgullion Pass and Spring Creek Pass.
Then south along the Rio Grande through a valley that never ceases to take my breath away.
Along the way, we stopped to visit North Clear Creek Falls,
And enjoy the Lupines.
I’m not used to the big, wide panniers on the new Wee. So it was in this parking lot that I accidentally grazed the bumper of a parked pickup, and dumped the bike. Drew wasn’t quick enough to photograph the moment. But here’s the scratch on my engine guard as proof. Oopsie.
From South Fork we ran east on 160, then south through Questa NM and Red River. The rain caught us in Bobcat Pass. It cleared up briefly. While gassing up in Eagle Nest, we saw this and realized we were in for it.
We got drenched the rest of the way – through Angel Fire and south to Coyote Creek State Park. Great roads, but not much fun when we were drowning. Naturally, the sun came out just as we reached the park. Coyote Creek is a pretty little park in a beautiful area, but the campground is disappointing – basically, just a gravel parking lot. I won’t be staying there again.
At this point, I learned my wife that my mother (I’m normally her caregiver) had suffered another stroke. We decided to cut the trip short by a couple of days so I could get home.
Friday:
We got up with the chickens and rode the 90 miles back to Raton. East from Eagle Nest, the road runs through Cimarron Canyon. Sorry I didn’t have time to snap pix. Just know that this road is an absolute joy on a bike. But alas, we couldn’t linger.
Back in Raton, we loaded the bikes back into the trailer and ran for home.
560 miles later, we were back in Arlington. Drew once again spent the night on my couch before heading home for Lampasas the next morning.
Even though we had to shorten the trip, we both had a great time, and look forward to future trips together, and with other configurations of TWTers. Our two bikes – my DL650A and Drew’s F700GS – were a great match-up. Both ran effortlessly up long passes, ate up the curves with moxie, and handled the dirt sections well enough.
In 8 days, we rode a total of 1379 miles. Gas mileage for my Wee was impressive: low tank average of 55mpg, high of 67mpg, and a trip average of about 62mpg.
Back home, I was tired and worn out, and telling myself I’m too old to do this kind of stuff. And I’m wondering – where do I go next year? Maybe Arizona……..
PS - Drew was the official food photographer. I'm expecting some pix from him so that we can document our culinary adventures. Sorry to say there are no pictures of the campstove-cooked tuna mac that left me in a delicate way on Tuesday morning.
For over a year, Kickstand-Prophet (Drew) and I have wanted to do a Rocky Mountain ride together. That finally happened last week. We’re a good match. Drew’s a better rider than I am. he helped me learn some important techniques – like how to walk a loaded bike without dropping it. I’m a more experienced camper than he is. I taught him some important things – like not to bring a wall-plug phone charger to a national forest campground.
Our trip started Saturday, June 20. Actually Friday, because Drew rode up from Lampasas and slept on the couch. We loaded the bikes – three hour ordeal. I was driving my VStrom up the trailer when the hitch popped off the ball and I was suddenly looking at the sky! After adjusting the hitch, after borrowing better tie-down straps, after BUYING better straps to replace the borrowed ones, we finally got the job done. Trailers and ramps scare me. My hat’s off to those who negotiate them regularly. But we’re loaded. Game on.
Saturday:
Nice, easy 10-hour drive from Arlington to Raton, where we camped at the Summerlan RV park. Very friendly place. Tent camping was $15 a night – very reasonable. After the bikes were unloaded, we parked the Jeep/trailer for the week in their storage area for only $1 per night.
Dinner was at my favorite Raton spot, the El Matador Café. I had my usual – Green Chili Burger. Drew ate something bland. Rosa the waitress had been there for 30 years, so we had a little mini-reunion.
Sunday:
Today, we finally cut loose on the bikes. We rode I-25 into Colorado. At Trinidad, we turned west on Hwy 10, one of the lesser known roads, which crosses Cucharas Pass.
We met some cyclists participating in an event called Ride across America.
After paying homage to their physical superiority, we moved on. We picked up Hwy 160 at La Veta and followed the tourist route through Alamosa, over Wolf Creek Pass,
And into Durango. By mid afternoon, we were camped at Haviland Lake National Forest campground. $20 a night, but my “old guy” senior pass cut the price in half.
I had forgotten to remove the tiedown straps from my handlebars. All the way to Durango, they flapped at me like a beagle’s ears.
Monday:
We rode the 240 mile loop that is north up 550 to Ridgway, south on 62 and 145 to Telluride, then south through Mancos and back to Durango. Going north, we stopped for a few pictures around Molas Pass.
I caught this candid shot of Drew on his GS.
Then on to Silverton for some tshirt hunting.
Stopped for pictures around Red Mountain Pass.
Then north through Ouray.
Highway 62 is a fantastic rider’s road. Sorry I didn’t stop to snap pictures; we were having way too much fun. Then south on 145 into Telluride, hopefully for lunch. Big mistake – the town was a preppy ****hole, busier than Manhattan, and crawling with overtanned hipsters. We took the obligatory waterfall picture and got back out.
Southbound again, we stopped to enjoy this sight along 145.
Stopped for lunch at the River Front Café in Delores.
And back to Haviland Lake for the evening.
Tuesday:
The day started way too early – about 12:01am for me – when I work up sick. I won’t burden you with details, but Drew was nice enough to run into town and pick up some meds for me.
My plumbing fixed, we moved on to our next camp. We headed north up 550 again. Toward Silverton, we had to clear the slowest moving pack of cruisers I’ve ever seen – like 900-lb obstacle cones on the road. After that, we made great time until Ridgway, where we ran into one of Colorado’s ubiquitous construction sites.
Thirty minutes later, we were on our way and doing well until I got stopped by one of Colorado’s Finest. Who knew it was illegal to speed while passing? I guess he didn’t like my
Texas plate. Drew didn’t photograph the goings-on, so here’s documentation of my shameful encounter.
$162 later, we were northbound again to Delta, where our bikes registered a whopping 100 degrees. We picked up Hwy 92, which runs along the northern edge of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. It was a challenging and slow, but rewarding ride. Great twisties, great scenery.
Late that afternoon, we were through Gunnison & camped just south of Almont for the next two nights. Nice campground along a roaring river, marred only by the mosquitoes.
Wednesday:
Perfect weather to explore the area. First, north to Crested Butte.
We explored CB – charming as ever there.
Drew found a place to chill for a few minutes.
Strict parking regulations, though. Just after I snapped this pic, this magpie was towed away.
After a lunch of ice cream and, er, ice cream, we decided to get dirty. We headed toward Kebler Pass.
We rode over Ohio Creek Pass and enjoyed riding through the aspens.
We explored north of CB, toward Schofield Pass. The vistas there are breathtaking.
Time for a couple of vanity photos.
We also encountered Bicycle Week, a CB annual event. We were thankful not to be in THIS campground (disclosure: I stole this photo off a website).
Dinner that night was at the Old Miner Steakhouse in Gunnison; not cheap, but excellent. The owner is an avid hunter, and decorated the restaurant with his own trophies. Tongue in cheek, the waitress assured me the owner had bagged this Rocky Mountain Zebra around Crested Butte.
Thursday:
Moving Day again, and a long day. We were headed southeast toward Coyote Creek, NM. But first we went west, then south down 149, my very favorite Colorado highway. First it runs south along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River.
Then up and over Slumgullion Pass and Spring Creek Pass.
Then south along the Rio Grande through a valley that never ceases to take my breath away.
Along the way, we stopped to visit North Clear Creek Falls,
And enjoy the Lupines.
I’m not used to the big, wide panniers on the new Wee. So it was in this parking lot that I accidentally grazed the bumper of a parked pickup, and dumped the bike. Drew wasn’t quick enough to photograph the moment. But here’s the scratch on my engine guard as proof. Oopsie.
From South Fork we ran east on 160, then south through Questa NM and Red River. The rain caught us in Bobcat Pass. It cleared up briefly. While gassing up in Eagle Nest, we saw this and realized we were in for it.
We got drenched the rest of the way – through Angel Fire and south to Coyote Creek State Park. Great roads, but not much fun when we were drowning. Naturally, the sun came out just as we reached the park. Coyote Creek is a pretty little park in a beautiful area, but the campground is disappointing – basically, just a gravel parking lot. I won’t be staying there again.
At this point, I learned my wife that my mother (I’m normally her caregiver) had suffered another stroke. We decided to cut the trip short by a couple of days so I could get home.
Friday:
We got up with the chickens and rode the 90 miles back to Raton. East from Eagle Nest, the road runs through Cimarron Canyon. Sorry I didn’t have time to snap pix. Just know that this road is an absolute joy on a bike. But alas, we couldn’t linger.
Back in Raton, we loaded the bikes back into the trailer and ran for home.
560 miles later, we were back in Arlington. Drew once again spent the night on my couch before heading home for Lampasas the next morning.
Even though we had to shorten the trip, we both had a great time, and look forward to future trips together, and with other configurations of TWTers. Our two bikes – my DL650A and Drew’s F700GS – were a great match-up. Both ran effortlessly up long passes, ate up the curves with moxie, and handled the dirt sections well enough.
In 8 days, we rode a total of 1379 miles. Gas mileage for my Wee was impressive: low tank average of 55mpg, high of 67mpg, and a trip average of about 62mpg.
Back home, I was tired and worn out, and telling myself I’m too old to do this kind of stuff. And I’m wondering – where do I go next year? Maybe Arizona……..
PS - Drew was the official food photographer. I'm expecting some pix from him so that we can document our culinary adventures. Sorry to say there are no pictures of the campstove-cooked tuna mac that left me in a delicate way on Tuesday morning.
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Glad I missed THAT fun, Danny. By the way, the construction back at Ridgway appeared to be a rockslide they were clearing and reinforcing for, but I don't know what caused it.
