Those great bucket list motorcycle trips - Colorado

[Scott in Ok]

Have you taken one of those great motorcycle trips, and marked one off the ole bucket list?  I have several still on my list, but when I got my first Valkyrie in 1999, that bucket list trip was to Colorado. When I was young, my family would take a trip every summer to Colorado on a family Vacation.  It had been twenty years and I wanted to go back and do it all again on a motorcycle.  That trip came together in 2005 with BlackPearl's Captain and Rhonda, Gary(NM), and Buzz(an early VRCC guy who was riding his BMW).

It all started in Alamosa, Co staying at Gary's house.



We went west to South Fork, Creede, following Hwy 149 through Lake City up to Gunnison.  Hwy 149 is one of the many great roads in Colorado.



From Gunnison we went east on Hwy 50, where Buzz and I had a fantastic race spirited ride up Monarch Pass.  One of many we had on that trip.  That Fuel Injected BMW GS is hard to beat at the higher elevations, not to mention Buzz is a fantastic rider.  Buzz also has a beautiful bumblebee, yellow/black Valk....



Next on the list was Independence Pass, so we followed Hwy 50 to Poncha Springs, then north up to Twin Lakes to catch Hwy 82 over Independence Pass to Aspen.





We landed in Basalt, Co just north of Aspen and had a great dinner by a small river to conclude our first day of the ride. 





The next morning we were headed back south, so we caught Hwy 133 at Carbondale.  Hwy 133 from Carbondale to Hotchkiss turned out to be the surprise of the trip for me.  It is now one of my favorite roads in Colorado.





Next up with Hwy 92 on the north side of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  Another great road, with the Canyon always looming over the edge.





The rest of the day was spent meandering through Montrose(home of the first Valkyrie Gathering?) and down Hwy 550 to Ouray where we stopped for the night.  Lots of boring scenery:



Raymond and I rode up to Box Canyon falls, and got a few shots of Ouray that evening.





Day three, The Million Dollar Highway, Silverton, Durango, Cortez, Telluride and back to Montrose.  The Million Dollar Highway was amazing, and it was very cool to see the Silverton Train in action. Just wished I would have pulled over to get a picture of it.







The Silverton End of the Train route...and then the Durango end.





We stayed the night in Montrose and the next day we headed for Frisco, Co.  Buzz and I were determined to ride Hwy 133 again, so off we went.  Storms were looming large, so Raymond and Rhonda decided to take an alternate(dry) route to Frisco.  Buzz and I were not so smart.  We rode through one of the worst storms I've ever been out in.  Once we got ahead of it we spent the remainder of the day freezing our wet backsides off trying to stay ahead of the rain.  Storm from hell:



Later that night we celebrated Rhonda rolling over her first 10k miles on a Valkyrie.





And of course the money shot for the future IZ location(at the time).



Our last day was spent riding through Rocky Mountain National Park, lunch in Estes Park and heading for home.  RMNP was really cool, but that wind was nasty above the tree line. 





Above the trees:







Marmot!



And the parting shot, on our last day....



If you made it this far, thanks for following along.

-Scott

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

WOW ...Awesome post Scott     You should do this more often as you are good at it      Beautiful pictures and its on my bucket list along with a few more rides out that way....Thanks for taking the time to share .

[Oss]

thanks for the memories

colorado wind was like nothing I had experienced but the beauty of  the place   wow

didnt get to do the roads north of denver when we were there in 2005 someday I hope to remedy that

terrific pictures and report

a valkyrie related post  who would imagine    

[Red Diamond]

Rode from Texas to Colorado Springs via Hwy 24, 50 to Gunnison, then on to 92 Black Canyon of the Gunnison, to Hotchkisss, back  to 50 to Delta. 550 Mill dol hwy to Durango to Pagosa Springs and Silverton. Would love to do it again, but at much slower pace. Seems we spent too much time just riding and not enjoying the scenery. Great ride though. Thanks for posting.

[donaldcc]

   Scott, Great, great report and pics!! Thanks a lot!  I have spent time in CO, Boulder and Estes etc., just spectacular. 

  Will be going through there on trip in early summer.

[BF]

Wow!   Thanks for that.  I've saved a couple of those pics for future desktop pics.   

[MarkT]

EXCELLENT choice of roads.  I know all of those roads very well.  You hit most  of the best in Colorado.  What's left?  Wolf Creek Pass E. of Durango.  The rte along the Delores River, past Gateway, West of 550 paralleling the Utah state line.  North Park through Steamboat, down through Meeker to Rifle.  The Peak-to-Peak Hwy, S of Estes Park, to Central City / Blackhawk.  Hwy14 from Walden to the Front Range, along the Cache LaPoudre River. Hwy 131 from Walcott to Steamboat. Hwy 9 Frisco to Fairplay. Hwy50 between Canon City and Poncha Springs.  The back roads between Canyon City and Cripple Creek (back side of Pike's Peak) There's a favorite biker's road, from Woodland Park to Hwy285, it's Hwy 67 - GREAT twisties.  And there's a TON of great riding roads all along the foothills, on the Front Range, too numerous to put in a short post. Come visit sometime, I'll lead you on the great Front Range roads only the locals know...

Here's the map of your Bucket Ride:

[donaldcc]

  Thanks, MarkT.  Will save that.

[RP#62]

It is hard to beat the scenery in Colorado.  Our first big ride was to Montrose from Pittsburgh for the first VOA rally.
-RP

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Great post and pics Scott. Colorado was already on my bucket list, even more so now. Thanks for sharing.

[R J]

Good report and pictures Scott.

Ya brung back a bunch of memories pre-Valkyrie days.

[NC_Rob]

Great post and pics! Thanks for sharing. Colorado is on my bucket list.

[HayHauler]

Disco and I rode through arguably the worst storm ever while riding the MDH (550).  No guard rails, no speed limit signs, and no where to pull off.  I was pulling my trailer in that elevation, so you know how hard that really was.
We have promised each other that we will ride that road again and this time we want to see the sun while doing it.

Great Post!
Thanks for bringing back the memories....

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Flat6Valk]

That was a great post.  

I hope to ride US 50 from Ocean City Maryland to Sacramento, Ca and then continuing on to San Francisco late this year.  All depends on work (construction) projects.  If I have a long stretch off Im doing it while I am still able.

The trip back to Ohio still needs to be determined, but I'm leaning towards a southern route in hopes of best weather chances.

[Spirited-6]

Thanks Scott. Been there, done that in 2006. Was a great ride with my son. I have a lot of pictures like the ones you posted.    Would be extra nice to do again, but time moves on. 

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

EXCELLENT choice of roads.  I know all of those roads very well.  You hit most  of the best in Colorado.  What's left?  Wolf Creek Pass E. of Durango.  The rte along the Delores River, past Gateway, West of 550 paralleling the Utah state line.  North Park through Steamboat, down through Meeker to Rifle.  The Peak-to-Peak Hwy, S of Estes Park, to Central City / Blackhawk.  Hwy14 from Walden to the Front Range, along the Cache LaPoudre River. Hwy 131 from Walcott to Steamboat. Hwy 9 Frisco to Fairplay. Hwy50 between Canon City and Poncha Springs.  The back roads between Canyon City and Cripple Creek (back side of Pike's Peak) There's a favorite biker's road, from Woodland Park to Hwy285, it's Hwy 67 - GREAT twisties.  And there's a TON of great riding roads all along the foothills, on the Front Range, too numerous to put in a short post. Come visit sometime, I'll lead you on the great Front Range roads only the locals know...

Here's the map of your Bucket Ride:

Saved....Thanks for posting 

[hotglue #43]

Thanks for the memories!!!!!  Saved Mark T's map!  We will be in Durango this summer for the Spyder owners event!!!

[Jess from VA]

Simply breathtaking.  Thanks.

[JDW365]

Great report Scott. I am ready to go back to Colorado there is a lot I still have not seen.

JDW

[Scott in Ok]

Thanks all, for the kind words.  Momz got me thinking about some trips I had taken over the years with his thread about vacation pictures.  One thing led to another and soon I was going back through my old albums.  That trip was one of those that wasn't really planned out in advance.  We were simply going to Colorado and had a few places in mind we wanted to see along the way.  Most of the trip was planned at various stops during each day.  I'm not sure I could have planned it any better in advance.

I've since been back and ridden many of those roads a second time, and also several of those Mark referred to in his post.

When I get time I'll have to go back through a bunch of Arkansas riding pictures and do a report about that since we'll be headed that way for Inzane.  We've carved up quite a few roads there over the years.

-Scott

[HayHauler]

I thought you were doing a test to see how long a motorcycle post would take to get to page 2!

J/K!

You inspired me to post pics from My First Long Distance Motorcycle Trip in the General Board.

See y'all in AR.

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Red Diamond]

That was a great post.  

I hope to ride US 50 from Ocean City Maryland to Sacramento, Ca and then continuing on to San Francisco late this year.  All depends on work (construction) projects.  If I have a long stretch off Im doing it while I am still able.

The trip back to Ohio still needs to be determined, but I'm leaning towards a southern route in hopes of best weather chances.

You should enjoy that section of 50 thru Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California via Lake Tahoe. Some of the most beautiful riding scenery.

[Rosie]

Great post Scott,you made my day. Suppose to get 5-7 inches of snow tonight so this post of yours came at a great time. Thanks

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Scott the western US is my bucket list. Your map saved and thanks for posting. Wish the site was more filled with posts like this.  Dave

[Gary]

That was a very cool trip indeed. I was able to enjoy all but the last leg, from Frisco to RMNP which I got to catch up on at Inzane.

Thanks for the refresher Scott, you really do need to get back out this way, it's been too long.

Here's a shot of my son Nick taking our departure photo, Blanca Peak in the background. I do miss that place. 


If memory serves me we had pulled apart my 97's rear end at least 2, maybe 3 times due to some left over parts for rear end maint. That served me well for my later solo maint experiences. Sorry, no pic's.

This was taken outside of The Blue Creek Cafe, in the Wagon Wheel Gap area along The Silver Thread. I try to stop there whenever I'm in the area. They always have home made pies to include Coconut Meringue... This was our waitress with Rhonda who had claimed to be 100, she later confessed, after Buzz utilized his well honed attorney skills, to only being in her late 90's...


This taken around Creede along Hwy 149, the built-into-the-mountainside Fire Station Museum was closed. 


South of the Slumgullian Summit/Pass general area, with the Headwaters to the Rio Grande off near that peak you see off in the distance:


Lake City area just south of town, also on The Silver Thread Hwy 149. 


This is also another recommended great scenic overlook just south of town, Lake San Cristobal, well worth the stop. This was taken during a different trip, I couldn't find any pic's from the OK/KS trip.


Breakfast stop after the overnight stay in Basalt.


Gunnison River (I believe) as we make our way south on Hwy 133:



Rest stop, or rather pit stop since we enjoyed some fresh, juicy peaches and general chit chat.




I believe this is Morro Point Res., beautiful area along Hwy 92.




Box Canyon Falls in Ouray. (I think that was you and I Scott hiking around the falls).



Dangerous wildlife found in the area...


Dinner in Ouray, The Outlaw Restaurant


Heading south on 550, The Million Dollar Hwy


Silverton City Hall


Not much picture snappin from Delores to Montrose due to heavy, steady downpour. We did stop off in Telluride for a brief bathroom and rain break. We took a break but the rain didn't...

This is Blue Mesa Res along Hwy 50. Scott and Buzz had broken off from the group and Raymond, Rhonda and I had taken Hwy 50 back to Salida, had lunch and parted ways.




I had to get back to work and couldn't make the last leg.

The following weekend I did get to take in Wolf Creek, and Treasure Falls but alas, without the company of the OK and KS Riders.

Here's a handfull from that solo ride to Treasure Falls and Wolf Creek via the Cumbres Toltec Scenic Byway Hwy 17.


Hwy 160W


Treasure Falls. Side note: My son and I on a seperate trip climbed up one side and down the other of the falls, one more for the "glad we did it and survived" books. 


Wolk Creek



Wolf Creek Hwy 160E construction 


Hwy 160 east of Wolf Creek



That's about it, thanks again Scott for bringing back the memories. 

Looking forward to getting back to Arkansas in July. 

[HayHauler]

Thanks for posting Gary.  Lots of beautiful places you have captured there.... 
One day I will ride the Million Dollar Highway without the rain, wind, and pea sized hail!

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Scott in Ok]

Thanks for adding to the thread Gary.  I was hoping you might fill in a few gaps in my pictures.  I had plenty more but none I thought added to the post.  I'll get out your way again one of these days.  I'm a due a ride around the enchanted circle, and the "sidewalk".

Our waitress that morning for breakfast was a hoot.  Great place too!



-Scott

[Thunderbolt]

Thanks for posting Scott.  Brought back some good memories from our trip in 2006 to the first InZane. 

[BigAl]

Nice Ride Dude.

Ole Blue will be crossing that Continental Divide Next July. Not 2012 but 2013.

Key West was this years bucket trip.

It was a gooden.

Bucket Trip Number 2. Out west and into California

Pictures to follow.

[highcountry]

Great post and photos.  But what is really cool, I am retiring this summer and moving to Montrose.

[wiggydotcom]

Awesome pics, Scott...thanks for sharing them!

[Disco]

Great post, Scott.  Kinda makes my right wrist twitch!

[Scott in Ok]

Great post, Scott.  Kinda makes my right wrist twitch!

-Scott

[Sodbuster]

Colorado has always been a special place for a destination to ride .... thanks for sharing the pics 

[Popeye]

Colorado has always been a special place for a destination to ride .... thanks for sharing the pics 

+1 Love riding in Colorado.  My youngest son Mark and I had a blast returning from the Grand
Canyon in Colorado.  He said it was like a giant roller coaster.  Did a couple of roads twice.

[Sodbuster]

Not to take away from riding in Colorado and there are some awesome roads there but central Idaho just left me awe struck when I was out there 2 years ago. Hwy's 12, 95, 55, 21, 93 and a few others.

[T.P.]

I have a brother who lives in Pagosa Springs, so I have been to Colorado a couple of times on the bike. one of the must do in CO is to rent a 4wd jeep and do the alpine loop. it's something that you will never forget.  http://www.alpineloop.com/HTML/index.html

[Sodbuster]

Another awesome road is the one from Walden over to Fort Collins - Hwy 14 (a.k.a. Poudre Canyon Hwy)
http://www.gonzosgarage.net/photography/poudrecanyon/index.html
And if you go there, stop at the Moose Creek Cafe in Walden - Nothing fancy, just good food !
http://www.moosecreekcafe.net/