May 2 2017

Snowangels and shuffleboard

It is a short 92 mile ride from Ogallala in Nebraska where we spent last night to our friends on the northside of Denver so after yesterday’s tough ride, we take it easy and leave our motel at 10 am. We know we need to get to Denver by early afternoon as snow is coming according to all weather reports. As we approach the outskirts of Denver, it is looking interesting out there!! Maybe we should have left earlier… We get rain but no snow by the time we arrive at Karen and Mike’s home and we feel frozen to the bone.

We last saw our friends when we came through on our last round the world trip, so it’s great to see them on this trip. We had planned on spending 2 nights there but snow did arrive as forecast and they kindly invite us to stay 4, until the snow has melted, in Denver at least. We make the most of our time to do some minor bike maintenance (we have been tightening my chain everyday and doubt it will last until Vancouver – we might have to get it changed sooner), use the washing machine (rather than hand wash), buy some emergency rations from REI camping store nearby and generally chat and relax. We tried one packet of the freeze dried breakfast skillet which contains scrambled eggs, potato, capsicum or peppers one morning: it was surpringingly as tasty as I had read in online reviews, so we got 7 more packs. Although this food is light, it is horribly bulky. Perfect excuse to reduce the contents of our panniers and ship stuff back.

As forecast, we wake up Saturday morning to snow!! It is wet snow, not the light fluffy type but I can’t resist this:

Anne sleeping again or making her first snow Angel

That was fun!!

Sunday evening out with Mike and Karen’s friends Jeff and Leah introduces us to a new game: shuffleboard. In table shuffleboard, the play area is most commonly a narrow wooden or laminated 22ft, or 6.7m, surface covered with silicone beads (also know as called ‘shuffleboard wax’) to reduce friction. Players propel metal-and-plastic pucks by hand, to come to rest within zones of different values at the other end of the board. It is a variation of the British coin “shove ha’ penny”. The object of the game is to either score or prevent the opponent from scoring by either blocking or hitting their puck off the board. All of us being quite competitive, it is a lively (yes, at times loud) and fun evening.

Playing shuffleboard

With Karen and Mike

Thank you for your hospitality Karen and Mike. Your turn to come to us next time, or stay at our home if we are on the road!

As we get ready to leave, we suddenly make the decision to head to Santa Fe because I made a comment I would like to revisit BMW in Santa Fe as they had been so helpful a couple of years ago with my bike and in fear my chain will not last much longer – we had not fixed our destination until then. It is a gorgeous day, the sky is deep blue, the air is crisp, the clouds fluffy white and the mountains in the distance snow covered. As we head towards Denver with the Rockies to our right, we comment on how stunning the mountains are, how inviting they look. What a pitty to be missing out on crossing them. Shall we give it a go we ask each other through our bluetooth headsets? Yes, let’s. Quick turn off, detour and we join I70 West. A road we have taken so many times over the past 37 years as we managed to combiness business trips with skiing holidays.

As I write this blog and Anthony is watching Star Trek, and I hear: If you always see the road ahead of you, it is not worth the trip – how apt!!!

As we approach Idaho Springs, the sky looks really bad ahead so we turn off: a quick check of the weather radar reveals that it is now raining and -2 centigrade ahead. Not a good combination so we turn back!

I70 West towards Idaho Springs

The weather gradually warms up as we head south but with pretty gusty winds. (Read ‘very’ gusty). We detour via the Garden of the Gods then stop at Pueblo at 4.30 – we are completely done for the day so find ourselves a motel for the night. We have not travelled far at all today but who cares?! My chain is already very loose though: a quick call to BMW Santa Fe and we order a new chain and sprocket. It will be there the next day – perfect – we now have our route for the next couple of days sorted. The plan now is to head towards Taos via Eagle Nest on route 64 tomorrow which should be pretty. I am still hopeful we might find a quaint place to camp before we get to Taos, but a quick check of the weather tells me it will be freezing overnight again.

Garden of the Gods, Colorado

It is amazing to think that a couple of days ago, the I25 road south of Pueblo was closed to all traffic because of a foot of snow. It is all clear now luckily. Shortly south of Ratton we turn off onto the much quieter 64 road which is wonderful but boy is it windy!! My shoulders and neck have barely recovered from yesterday’s winds and now we get some more but the scenery makes up for the discomfort.

Culebra range, Colorado

Cimarron Canyon State Park, New Mexico

We are too early in the season, all is closed

We have made good time and head into Taos. After riding around the town for a couple of minutes, we realise this is not where we stayed a couple of years ago – no wonder we can’t find the hotel, we are in the wrong place!! We had been thinking of Santa Fe!! Thank goodness for McDonalds in every town: free wifi means we can always check for hotels, vacancies, weather etc. Neither of us is not getting a good vibe from Taos, (we have never seen a McDonald with signs saying washing and brushing teeth in the toilets is prohibited) so we decide to go onto Santa Fe and find ourselves a motel on the outskirts of town.

This long day ends meeting a wonderful man in the car park of our motel. Bill is 70 years old, lost his wife of 40 years, Emily, 2 years ago and has done what she asked him to do before she died: got himself a motorcycle to travel. It is always great to meet kindred spirits as we travel…

Traveller Bill

If you are confused about our route, don’t be. As you will have read here, we are making it up as we go along. But for now, we are aiming for warmth and sunshine if possible, with scenery and culture along the way.

– Anne

Jul 25 2015

Video

Across Colorado’s high passes

Jul 21 2015

Fabulous Rides through Colourful Colorado – 2

Our departure from our Durango campsite is delayed by our meeting lovely Dave and Elaine from Conneticut whom Anthony met and spoke to on the way to the shower block this morning. They have dropped by our tent to give us their address should we need a place near New York or need anything. They are riding on a Harley and heading to Utah so we give them one of our Butler maps as we are not going to Utah on this trip.

Elaine and Dave at KOA campground

We decide to visit Meza Verde National Park outside Cortez. Another Unesco World Heritage site!! This park, created by President T Roosevelt in 1906, occupies 52,485 acres and protects some of the best preserved Ancestral Puebloan archeological sites in the US, with more than 4,000 and 600 cliff dwellings. Check out wiki for more info. It takes an hour to get from the entrance to the first dwellings, so a minimum of 3 hours is required to drive around, more if you visit any of the cliff dwellings. Being peak season, it is too late for us to book a tour of the main dwellings. So we drive around and stop at the numerous viewing points and short walks. That alone was well worth it. As we get to the museum and look for a parking spot, we bump into Dave and Elaine, who kindly leave us their parking spot – perfect timing and fun to see them again!

Mesa Verde, Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park

Cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park

The Balcony at Mesa Verde National Park

The Palace at Mesa Verde National Park

An early stop and night in Cortez as they are predicting afternoon storms today and a clear day tomorrow. We have our now traditional tub of hummus, crackers and mango juice from Walmart for dinner.

Up early, we head out of Cortez on route 145 through Lizard Pass, another stunning ride – thank you Butler maps!!

Colorado wildflowers

Heading to Lizard Head Pass

San Juan National Forest along CO145

Rico, Colorado

Up to Lizard Head Pass

Lizard Head Pass

Cahone, Colorado

Ophir, Colorado

Heading up to Telluride

We stop at Telluride for morning coffee.

Telluride, Colorado

Lunch back in Montrose, quick check of the radar and we decide to head for Paonia State Park on route 133 which has a number of campsites. We ended up riding more today than we have since being in Colorado, 365kms, but we are definitely travelling to ride at the moment. Colorado is a truly beautiful and colourful state and paradise for motorcyclists. The rushing creeks and rivers, lush green meadows, dotted with wildflowers. You couldn’t design more beautiful gardens or rockeries. Even the rock faces are dotted with delicate white, yellow, pink, red and blue flowers. And the Colorado smells take us back to our first visit here in 1980. The smell of pine, the white flowers. We are lucky we do not suffer from hay-fever. We decide to stop just north of McClure Pass where we spot a campground below us, by a creek. This is just the sort of place I wanted to find. We must just remember to be careful with our food and clothing in case of bears as the sign on our picnic table reminds us.

Along Leopard Creek on CO62

San Juan Mountains from CO62

San Juan Mountains fromCOI62

Vinyards near Hotchkiss

Paonia State Park on CO133

Paonia State Park

McClure Pass

Just over McClure Pass

Camping at McClure Pass

Warning sign on our camping table, McClure Pass

The next day, 17th July, after a very cool night, we pack up and decide to go to Aspen for breakfast as this will take us towards yet another top motorcycling route: the Independence Pass!! It is the 2nd highest paved road in the state and provides 50kms/30miles of dramatic riding.

White River National Forest

Independence Pass

Independence Pass road, Colorado

Just over Independence Pass, Colorado

Independence Pass road, Colorado

Twin Lakes, Colorado

Looking towards Mt Elbert, Colorado

Colorado has not had a summer as wet as this year’s for a very long time. We have kept an eye on the weather radar and changed our timetable or route to avoid the storms on numerous occasions. Today is no exception and once again the 2slowspeeds luck is in. We decide to head north towards Leadville and onto route 91 instead of south towards Buena Vista. Hikers got struck by lightening and one person died that afternoon near Buena Vista…

We arrive at Marshall and Ali’s in Boulder on the afternoon of the 18th. We have known them for about 15 years and I have visited them numerous times while they lived in Chicago and I was exhibiting Aboriginal art in the US so it is great to see them again, in Boulder this time. Ali has remembered how much I love dried mango and had left a packet of it our room for me!! So sweet!!!! We are treated to fantastic meals, taken on a few drives around Boulder and up to Nederland and we enjoy our many lively discussions on all sorts of topics, including American politics of course. A wonderful time with great friends. And it is great to see two of their sons again too.

Boulder wildflowers

Boulder

Container house in Boulder

Chautauqua Park, Bolder

Marshall and Ali

We take up Marshall and Ali’s generous offer of us staying longer than originally planned – it is expected to rain early today and we are behind with our blog so we make the most of this extra day to get up to date. We finish off the day with yet another wonderful barbecue on their terrace, spending a few hours reminiscing about our past and (not!) solving the world’s problems!! Wonderful company and generous hosts – thank you Ali and Marshall. We are off heading west again tomorrow morning – on the road again…..!!!

– Anne

Jul 13 2015

Video

San Juan Mountains, ‘Million Dollar Highway’

Jul 13 2015

Fabulous Rides through Colourful Colorado – 1

Sunshine greets us for the first time in days as we head south from David and Leslie, their wonderful hospitality still fresh in our minds. We head south with Cañon City as our likely destination today. Swiftly we travel down I25 to Colorado Springs, passing the US Airforce Academy (USAFA) which Anthony is certain will not allow visitors in today’s security conscious but I spot the visitor’s hours, so we turn back, and pass the offramp for Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, of Cold War and movie fame. Surprisingly, the only security check consists of handing our Australian driver’s licence (which has our name and our photo) to the guard at the entrance, who looks at each one briefly and hands them back and off we drive through the vast USAFA grounds. It surprises us that it is so easy for us to get in, nothing written down, nothing checked. What incredibly huge and scenic grounds the USAFA is situated in. It is one of 580 sites put forward at the time of choosing a suitable site for the Academy and was selected as such in 1954. The graduation of the first cadets took place in June 1959. And the first class of cadets to include women entered in 1976 and graduated in 1980.

Sign on the road leading to the US Air Force Academy

B52 at the US Air Force Academy

We head to the tourist centre which is a good few miles from the entrance gate. After visiting part of the museum which explains the ranks new graduates go through, we watch an interesting film on life as a new recruit during their first year. This is when we learn why they are so brutally waken up every morning, with loud banging, shouting and pounding on the doors: this is how you are likely to be waken up in real life, in case of bomb, attack or other emergency, so get used to it. We see how new recruits are ‘broken’ and ‘built up’ again over their 4 year course. It reminds me of what I learned from my nephew: they break you because when you are at your lowest, your true nature comes out. And that’s when you find out whether you have what it takes to be an officer.

Where we have lunch, we see a very interesting display on the Tuskegee Airmen: a group of African-American military pilots who fought in WWII. Because the US military was still racially segregated at the time, these airmen trained at a separate university and air field. They were flying escorts for heavy bombers and never lost a bomber they escorted, although 84 Tuskegee pilots lost their lives. Interestingly, and sadly, the Tuskegee airmen were some of the best pilots of their time because of their training and personal drive to be accepted for training and it wasn’t until 1949 that black airmen were allowed into the formerly white-only units.

We also visit the stunning USAFA chapel, which has sections dedicated to different faiths.

USAFA Chapel

We stay in a cheap motel in Cañon City and head towards Gunnison on US Route 50. We get to Salida again, stopping at the Royal Gorge – very touristy but worth seeing.

Royal Gorge bridge, west of Cañon City, Colorado

On the Royal Gorge bridge built in 1929, 321m/1053ft above the Arkansas river

Royal Gorge bridge – the world’s highest suspension bridge – spot the train below

A stop along the Arkansas river

As we approach Salida, large storm clouds are looming so decide to have lunch where we had breakfast a week ago and wait for the storm to pass.

Approaching Salida, storm clouds building

After lunch in Salida, will have coffee somewhere and wait this one out

An hour later, it is still raining, so we head into the old Salida and find somewhere for coffee. That is when I notice wires hanging from Anthony’s bike: BMW Denver, when they serviced our bikes, didn’t bother returning the cables where Anthony had them carefully wrapped and tied under his ‘tank’ cover and they have worked themselves loose…

Storm passed, time to move on. US Route 50 has some stunning stretches. We climb up to Monarch Pass, at over 3,445 metres (or 11,300ft), and cruise down towards Gunnison, along Tomichi Creek.

Poncha Springs

Approaching Gunnison

We get to Gunnison around 4pm. All hotels are full, so camping it will be. We recall seeing a number of Klim banners, they made our motorcycle jackets, as we entered town at one of the inns so we decide that we will try the hotel there.

We meet Tonia and Katie, who are running an Adventure Rally Series event on behalf of motorcycling magazines including Dirt Rider, Cycle World and Motor Cyclist. This is an event over three days, limited to 100 participating riders working in teams, that tests their motorcycling skills and gives them the opportunity to explore central Colorado. Tonia quickly offers us a place to pitch our tent and then invites us to be her guests for the evening, how generous of her and how lucky we are!!

Our camping site behind the Inn at Tomichi Village outside Gunnison

It is hard to describe the evening as we met so many kind and interesting people. Offers of accommodation from Domenic and Petra, Ned who offered us use of his room and shower at the inn, gifts from sponsors such as Chris from SBS who gave us T-shirts, gloves and brake pads, and Justin from Butler Maps who gave us 3 maps designed by motorcyclists for motorcyclists: these state by state maps highlight and provide information on the most scenic and beautiful riding within the state, with detailed maps of each route, colour coded depending on grade and skill. Riders had travelled from far and wide across the USA. These maps are great for anyone touring the western US and looking for scenic routes – check out http://www.butlermaps.com. It was such a pleasant and interesting evening with simple, friendly, fun and open likeminded souls. The final prize was fun. Participants were asked to who has an interesting to share: the first one described how he rode for a half a day operating by hand an adjustable wrench which replaced the gear shift lever sheered off by a tree root. The 2nd explained how he broke a Ducati electronic key on a friend’s bike (irreplaceable at short notice), and that friend hot wired another key via the light wiring. The 3rd one to put his hand up told how he spent the first 2 days of this 3 day event in prison: on his way over to Gunnison, his expensive bicycle was stolen outside his motel room. He called the police who, after getting his details, promptly told him he was under arrest, handcuffed him, threw him in jail for 2 days – all because he was supposedly in contempt of court for failing to appear in court 24 years ago when his wife filed for divorce, but he had moved interstate and never got the notice. He won the prize.

Chris from SBS

Justin’s starting early on a KTM

Alex, Petra, John and Domenic

A slow rise and pack the next morning from Gunnison, we make a leisurely and short route to Montrose where we find a great little motel as the afternoon storm is building fast – we prefer to stop early, avoid the rain and leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Time for shower and machine wash our clothing there.

Leaving Gunnison, on US50

Running along the southern side of the Arkansas river

Along US50 near Cimarron

The first G1 section of our new map (perfect biking road) which we covered was the ‘Million Dollar Highway’, so called due to the cost at the time. Part of US Route 550 runs over 40kms/25 miles from Ouray to Silverton, through the Uncompahgre Gorge via the Red Mountain Pass at 3,358m/11018ft altitude. An absolutely stunning road. We stop at Silverton for tea and coffee, watch a steam train arrive and book ourselves on that train ride for tomorrow.

Ridgeway State Park

San Juan Mountains with Mr Abraham in the distance

Uncompahgre Formation outside Ouray – exposed rock going back 1.4 billion years showing perserved ripple marks

Red Mountain on the Million Dollar Highway

Million Dollar Highway

Silverton, Colorado

Watching the DSNG RR arrive at Silverton

Silverton, Colorado

Million Dollar Highway at Silverton – fabulous bike riding road

Leaving Silverton on the Million Dollar Highway

Colorado wildflowers

Our campsite outside Durango

We stop in Durango and set up our tent at the KOA campground for the next couple of nights. Not our favourite type of place to camp but the managers there have added some lovely features like fresh herb garden which we can help ourselves to, fresh pizzas made to order and delivered to your tent!!! See Anthony’s next post for commentary, photos and video on that train ride.

– Anne

2slowspeeds

Loving life – Turning Dreams into Memories

Tag Archives: Colorado

Snowangels and shuffleboard

Across Colorado’s high passes

Fabulous Rides through Colourful Colorado – 2

San Juan Mountains, ‘Million Dollar Highway’

Fabulous Rides through Colourful Colorado – 1

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