Today is going to be an excellent day. The forecast calls for scattered rain, but we start off with blue skies and a bit of cloud. Today, all the roads are excellent and we start the day off with fresh baked breakfast in the Pangosa Springs Bakery. From there, we retrace a prior route to South Fork so that we can ride 149 the other way. This also gives me an opportunity to retrieve my Kriega backpack. Tom films some great chase videos on the way as we scream through now familiar mountain curves.
On Wolfe mountain, near the top, I am pushing the bike to the limit, uphill, full throttle in 4th gear, it's so steep, that the bike is going as fast as it can, but when I enter the apex of the turn, there are cop lights flashing over the crest. The bike is at it's limit and I can't come off the gas or brake, or it will get hairy, so I'm committed to fully enter the apex before changing speed and direction. Turns out that the cop is there to warn traffic of a salvage operation ahead. We see a huge salvage tow truck with a cable attached to a mangled transport truck with a trailer that is covered in mud and just shredded. Tom and Jeff think that the driver would have survived based on the condition of the cab, but I know that the ride over the edge would have been terrifying. A single dark skid mark goes from the start of the curve, in a straight line right over the edge. Tom says the truck was jack knifed when it went over, so we speculate on what might have caused it. On the back side of the mountain we see a vehicle that looks like the Ghost Busters ambulance, complete with bull horns on the grill. Later at South Fork, we would learn that this vehicle belongs to the local coroner. We still hope for the best for the driver.
A quick stop in South Fork for Kriega and gas, and meet a group of riders from Arizona, but the leader grew up in Ontario. He is in his late 70's and all his family is gone so he spends his time touring all the great spots in America. We bump into him several times during the ride. Soon, we are back on our favourite road. It looks completely different going the opposite direction, in full morning/noon sun, but the ride is just as spectacular. One of the locals recommends a turnoff to a spectacular waterfalls and Dave is lucky enough to find the road during an high speed run. The falls are nice (but not spectacular) but we cross two riders on V-Stroms who are obviously packed for a serious tour. We first saw them at the base of Wolfe mountain.
We stop in XXXX for a break and sure enough, several riders take a break as well. One is a BIG guy who dwarfs his ancient Gold Wing. He is from the area and loves to ride, but can't find anyone who will ride with him, so he goes solo. His bike is first generation Gold Wing, four cylinder, 1100 cc. That is like driving a 57 Chev. The V-Stroms show up and it turns out to be a couple from Czechoslovakia. He is an architect and she is XX. They sold everything in order to take the trip of a lifetime, that started in US, followed to Mexico, is now travelling North and then, when the time is right, back down through Central America, cross to South America, all the way to Ushuaia (near the south pole) in Argentina. We share stories and a laugh or two and then get back on the road.
More great riding and the a stop at the north shore of XXX reservoir. There we see a park ranger vehicle that we manage to inspect. This truck has a small arsenal including an AR15 automatic rifle in the cab. Shortly, two young park rangers, armed to the teeth and huffing from an obvious run, ask us to move away from the vehicle. Jeff and Tom, the perpetual ambassadors spring into action and quickly disarm the nervous rangers. These guys have tazers and aren't afraid to use them. One guy is a Boston fan and as soon as he learns we are from Toronto, chooses to use a much harsher form of torture and mocks the leafs. Dave engages in friendly hockey banter when the couple from CZ rides up. Tom asks them to take a photo of us with the Rangers and later XX quietly asks us if we are in trouble with the police. I guess relations with police are less cordial in Europe. We add a photo of the Czechs with the police, say good bye for the last time, and then head off to a short cut recommended by one of the rangers. He had to call dispatch to confirm that the MXXX pass was open. Last time he travelled through, it was closed due to rock scaling.
This road is spectacular - I know this word is repeated so many times in the blog, but we are forced to stop many times to take pictures and soak up the views. Hopefully the pictures will convey some of what we saw. The Crystal river flows down the mountain, right up against the mountain rock wall. The drop is spectacular and we see rapids after rapids. Occasionally, a waterfall rushes off the mountain side and forces us to slow down to fully absorb the view.
The road flattens out a bit and we end up in Carbone. There we learn that another 12 miles down the road is Glenwood Springs, a resort town that has more hotels. It's getting dark and the headlight has burned out on my BMW (second time on a trip - I guess it vibrates a lot). The beemer can run on high beam but that will annoy other drivers.
Glennwood Springs is obviously part of a rich area. The lawns are green and we see sprinklers everywhere. This is a huge contrast from most of the other areas we have visited, where water is scarce. We find a room at the local Best Western, and break out the beers. It's been a long day of hard riding and everyone is really energized but tired. It's gonna take some time to wind down. The desk clerk recommended the local Mexican restaurant and a batch of Margaritas, does more to help us sleep than any other commercial product.
Tomorrow is out last full long day of riding and it promises to be more spectacular than today. Tom wants the ride to end with a bang. In one way, we don't want the ride to end, but in another way, we are ready for the ride to end. It's a combination of sensory overload, hard riding, but we have also been away from family. Tom misses Effie, Ryan (Tom's son) misses his dad. I notice a lot more time is spent talking about family over the head sets. At dinner, the discussion spends time wishing we could share the trip experience with our loved ones, so I guess we weren't truly made to wander alone. Josh of course, remains very interested in variety, but he does not wear a golden band.
Night Night.
Note: the guys need to help me fill in some details.
On Wolfe mountain, near the top, I am pushing the bike to the limit, uphill, full throttle in 4th gear, it's so steep, that the bike is going as fast as it can, but when I enter the apex of the turn, there are cop lights flashing over the crest. The bike is at it's limit and I can't come off the gas or brake, or it will get hairy, so I'm committed to fully enter the apex before changing speed and direction. Turns out that the cop is there to warn traffic of a salvage operation ahead. We see a huge salvage tow truck with a cable attached to a mangled transport truck with a trailer that is covered in mud and just shredded. Tom and Jeff think that the driver would have survived based on the condition of the cab, but I know that the ride over the edge would have been terrifying. A single dark skid mark goes from the start of the curve, in a straight line right over the edge. Tom says the truck was jack knifed when it went over, so we speculate on what might have caused it. On the back side of the mountain we see a vehicle that looks like the Ghost Busters ambulance, complete with bull horns on the grill. Later at South Fork, we would learn that this vehicle belongs to the local coroner. We still hope for the best for the driver.
A quick stop in South Fork for Kriega and gas, and meet a group of riders from Arizona, but the leader grew up in Ontario. He is in his late 70's and all his family is gone so he spends his time touring all the great spots in America. We bump into him several times during the ride. Soon, we are back on our favourite road. It looks completely different going the opposite direction, in full morning/noon sun, but the ride is just as spectacular. One of the locals recommends a turnoff to a spectacular waterfalls and Dave is lucky enough to find the road during an high speed run. The falls are nice (but not spectacular) but we cross two riders on V-Stroms who are obviously packed for a serious tour. We first saw them at the base of Wolfe mountain.
We stop in XXXX for a break and sure enough, several riders take a break as well. One is a BIG guy who dwarfs his ancient Gold Wing. He is from the area and loves to ride, but can't find anyone who will ride with him, so he goes solo. His bike is first generation Gold Wing, four cylinder, 1100 cc. That is like driving a 57 Chev. The V-Stroms show up and it turns out to be a couple from Czechoslovakia. He is an architect and she is XX. They sold everything in order to take the trip of a lifetime, that started in US, followed to Mexico, is now travelling North and then, when the time is right, back down through Central America, cross to South America, all the way to Ushuaia (near the south pole) in Argentina. We share stories and a laugh or two and then get back on the road.
More great riding and the a stop at the north shore of XXX reservoir. There we see a park ranger vehicle that we manage to inspect. This truck has a small arsenal including an AR15 automatic rifle in the cab. Shortly, two young park rangers, armed to the teeth and huffing from an obvious run, ask us to move away from the vehicle. Jeff and Tom, the perpetual ambassadors spring into action and quickly disarm the nervous rangers. These guys have tazers and aren't afraid to use them. One guy is a Boston fan and as soon as he learns we are from Toronto, chooses to use a much harsher form of torture and mocks the leafs. Dave engages in friendly hockey banter when the couple from CZ rides up. Tom asks them to take a photo of us with the Rangers and later XX quietly asks us if we are in trouble with the police. I guess relations with police are less cordial in Europe. We add a photo of the Czechs with the police, say good bye for the last time, and then head off to a short cut recommended by one of the rangers. He had to call dispatch to confirm that the MXXX pass was open. Last time he travelled through, it was closed due to rock scaling.
This road is spectacular - I know this word is repeated so many times in the blog, but we are forced to stop many times to take pictures and soak up the views. Hopefully the pictures will convey some of what we saw. The Crystal river flows down the mountain, right up against the mountain rock wall. The drop is spectacular and we see rapids after rapids. Occasionally, a waterfall rushes off the mountain side and forces us to slow down to fully absorb the view.
The road flattens out a bit and we end up in Carbone. There we learn that another 12 miles down the road is Glenwood Springs, a resort town that has more hotels. It's getting dark and the headlight has burned out on my BMW (second time on a trip - I guess it vibrates a lot). The beemer can run on high beam but that will annoy other drivers.
Glennwood Springs is obviously part of a rich area. The lawns are green and we see sprinklers everywhere. This is a huge contrast from most of the other areas we have visited, where water is scarce. We find a room at the local Best Western, and break out the beers. It's been a long day of hard riding and everyone is really energized but tired. It's gonna take some time to wind down. The desk clerk recommended the local Mexican restaurant and a batch of Margaritas, does more to help us sleep than any other commercial product.
Tomorrow is out last full long day of riding and it promises to be more spectacular than today. Tom wants the ride to end with a bang. In one way, we don't want the ride to end, but in another way, we are ready for the ride to end. It's a combination of sensory overload, hard riding, but we have also been away from family. Tom misses Effie, Ryan (Tom's son) misses his dad. I notice a lot more time is spent talking about family over the head sets. At dinner, the discussion spends time wishing we could share the trip experience with our loved ones, so I guess we weren't truly made to wander alone. Josh of course, remains very interested in variety, but he does not wear a golden band.
Night Night.
Note: the guys need to help me fill in some details.
Break was in Lake City,CO.( where we've engaged Czech couple in conversation).
ReplyDeleteReservoir is called " Blue Mesa".
That was McClure Pass.