Sitting around having my coffee this morning and Misfit called and said, "Buddy, it's a beautiful day for riding - let's ride!"
"Okay, meet you in 30 minutes." I had to throw my shirt from last night in the dryer since it was the only long sleeve I had. 20 minutes to dry and 10 minutes to meet up with him. Let's ride.
Misfit took me on a wonderful 255 mile jount through the Rockies. Boy Howdy! Rode over to Palmer Lake and up to Sedalia on 105 and up to the Denver bypass and got on 70 going west. Man, if you have to ride a superslab, that sure is a nice one. You gotta love a superslab with 6-7% grades and sweepers. Got off in Idaho Springs for a quick lunch. Misfit took me there so I could groove on boiled goobers - southern caviar.
Of course, the burnt butt sandwich wasn't bad either!
Then we jumped on 103 towards Mount Evans - with a quick stop by a lake that we would later see from a couple of thousand feet up.
A little later, we hit the entrance to Mount Evans.
Buddy, buddy, buddy....what a RIDE! About 14 miles I guess and you gain like 4000' in altitude. Do not come to Colorado - there is NOTHING to see - nothing at all.
There were the sheep at about 14,000 feet.
We finally arrived at the top. Man, what a ride with scenery that took your breath away. Words like spectacular, breathtaking and fantabulous came to mind.
We had reached the
HIGHEST PAVED ROAD IN NORTH AMERICA. Mount Evans - 14130 feet.
From Wikipedia and Mt Evans.com:
Mount Evans is a mountain in the Front Range region of the Rocky Mountains, in Clear Creek County, Colorado. It is one of 54 fourteeners (mountains with peaks over 14,000 feet (4,300 m)) in Colorado, and the closest fourteener to Denver. It is often compared to Pikes Peak - another Front Range fourteener - which it exceeds in elevation by 154 ft (50 m).
Mount Evans is the road into the sky. Drive from 8,700 feet at Idaho Spring where you turn of Interstate 70 to 14,240 feet to the summit, and you will pass through 3 life zones, passing ancient trees, lakes and forest to the land above timberline. It can be 90 degrees in Denver and 40 degrees at the top of Mount Evans. Mountain Goats and Bighorn Sheep will greet you as you climb to the top of the world.
Actually the sign at the gate said the measured temp was 58 at the gate and at the peak was 32 with a wind chill of 27 or something like that.
What a view. This was part of the road you had just come up before starting the steep climb. But let me tell you, the air is a tad thin up yonder.
Like I said, what a view!!!! The weather could not have been more beautiful.
Then we got to ride down the mountain with almost no traffic, so we could take the road at higher speed than when we came up. Whooo-Hooo. Stopped at the lodge at the bottom of Mount Evans for a rest stop and water.
Took this awesome twistie road 103 back to the superslab across Squaw Pass and the Arapaho Forrest. Dropped down to 285 towards Fairplay and shot off at Shaffer Crossing (I think) and took that awesome road - LOTS OF TWISTIES - to Deckers. Nope, nothing to see along this route either.
Then into Woodlands Park for a stop at the Donut Mill.
And an ice cream and a half dozen donuts for breakfast tomorrow.
Dropped back down to the Springs and got on the I-25 superslab where we split off. Misfit headed home and I headed back to Bear and Jill's house. Man, let me tell you....this has been two of the finest riding this Cajun boy has done following Misfit for about 550 miles over the last two days. AWESOME ROADS! Great scenery and friendship that is second to none....Trust me, second to none!
I have even received a call this evening and I think that Misfit has lined up an escort for me out of the state tomorrow. Probably just to make sure I actually leave - so that real estate values can go back up. You just don't get any finer - that is for sure and for certain.
So, do not come to Colorado! There are no roads worth riding, there is nothing to see and the people are not very friendly. YEAH RIGHT!!!!!
Misfit, I thank you SIR! You are the bestest of the best buddy. See you tomorrow.
