Cigar Mike
Elite Member
Cathy and I went for a nice ride today on some of the best roads in Colorado. Beautiful day for a ride in the mountains. Warm down below but very nice up high. It is late so I will complete this tomorrow.
Cheers,
Mike
Just a day ride
- Thread starter Cigar Mike
- Start date
Cathy and I went for a nice ride today on some of the best roads in Colorado. Beautiful day for a ride in the mountains. Warm down below but very nice up high. It is late so I will complete this tomorrow.
Cheers,
Mike
Cigar Mike
Elite Member
"All the Best Roads"
That is what it says on the cover of the book "The Complete Guide to Motorcycling Colorado". I bought this book since we are pretty new to riding Colorado. So far the roads identified do not disappoint. The author also has posted videos of the rides to give you and idea of what you will be riding. They can be seen here-Rocky Mountain Rider Video | Onboard Ride Videos of the Rockies
I decided we would get the driving through Denver part of the ride first thing in the morning to avoid the traffic coming home. Left the house at 6:00 am. We headed north on the 36 to Estes Park From there headed back south on the Peak to Peak highway.
The heavy rains did a lot of damage in the canyons and we did hit some delays for road construction of the way. Here in Colorado we only have two seasons. Winter and road construction.
Skirting the foothills headed north on 36.
First stop for construction.
Gaining some elevation.
I took all of the pictures while moving so there is not any of the really tight stuff. I am not confident enough to make the tight turns without both hands on the bike.
Up
And up.
The road is pretty much like this all the way to Central City just above the 70 freeway.
We have to look at stuff like this on this ride. It is so green up there right now I could take picture after picture. I worked hard to just take a few and missed most of the good stuff. But it is better than no pictures at all.
At 141 miles we stopped for gas and we put 1.8 gallons of gas in each bike, 78.3 mpg. Put a bit of fuel in our tanks as well.
Headed back down after being at 11,177 feet. We passed the turn to Mount Evans on the way. We did not have enough time to take it to the top. I think it is one of if not the highest roads in Colorado.
The roads we took after we got down in elevation were very tight so I did not get any pictures. This one is just before we got back to the C470 for the rush home.
Next week I think we will take in Pikes Peak and head east from there. I really like the way the 700 handles the tight mountain roads and can cruise down the freeway at 70+ mph. Where we live we need to put on at least 60 miles to get to the good stuff. The 700 makes this a breeze. I need to make the saddle a bit more comfy though. Without the winter liner in my riding pants there is not enough cushion.
I know this is not touring but I did not know where else to post this. I will identify the roads in reference to the site so you can watch some videos.
Cheers,
Mike
That is what it says on the cover of the book "The Complete Guide to Motorcycling Colorado". I bought this book since we are pretty new to riding Colorado. So far the roads identified do not disappoint. The author also has posted videos of the rides to give you and idea of what you will be riding. They can be seen here-Rocky Mountain Rider Video | Onboard Ride Videos of the Rockies
I decided we would get the driving through Denver part of the ride first thing in the morning to avoid the traffic coming home. Left the house at 6:00 am. We headed north on the 36 to Estes Park From there headed back south on the Peak to Peak highway.
The heavy rains did a lot of damage in the canyons and we did hit some delays for road construction of the way. Here in Colorado we only have two seasons. Winter and road construction.
Skirting the foothills headed north on 36.
First stop for construction.
Gaining some elevation.
I took all of the pictures while moving so there is not any of the really tight stuff. I am not confident enough to make the tight turns without both hands on the bike.
Up
And up.
The road is pretty much like this all the way to Central City just above the 70 freeway.
We have to look at stuff like this on this ride. It is so green up there right now I could take picture after picture. I worked hard to just take a few and missed most of the good stuff. But it is better than no pictures at all.
At 141 miles we stopped for gas and we put 1.8 gallons of gas in each bike, 78.3 mpg. Put a bit of fuel in our tanks as well.
Headed back down after being at 11,177 feet. We passed the turn to Mount Evans on the way. We did not have enough time to take it to the top. I think it is one of if not the highest roads in Colorado.
The roads we took after we got down in elevation were very tight so I did not get any pictures. This one is just before we got back to the C470 for the rush home.
Next week I think we will take in Pikes Peak and head east from there. I really like the way the 700 handles the tight mountain roads and can cruise down the freeway at 70+ mph. Where we live we need to put on at least 60 miles to get to the good stuff. The 700 makes this a breeze. I need to make the saddle a bit more comfy though. Without the winter liner in my riding pants there is not enough cushion.
I know this is not touring but I did not know where else to post this. I will identify the roads in reference to the site so you can watch some videos.
Cheers,
Mike
NCer
New Member
Great roads!!!!
Chestnut
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Very nice. I'm surprised there's as much decent-looking tarmac as there is in your pictures. Haven't been in the area since all the flooding, but I know things got messed up pretty bad. Wonder what Big Thompson Canyon looks like...
Old Can Ride
Active Member
Keep the nice weather there in Colorado for awhile. I be riding Pikes Peak and Million Dollar Highway next month in route to Washington Outback.
Cigar Mike
Elite Member
They did a lot of work right after the floods and got most everything back open by December. With the melt the rivers had been pretty full. The west side of the Divide the water was really moving. We will go up Big Thompson and over Trail Ridge next month and I will post some pictures.
Cigar Mike
Elite Member
It will only get warmer. Afternoon thunder storms can be a daily occurrence. But July is a better month than June for afternoon storms. Lightning is the number one killer in Colorado. It is best to be below tree line before to late in the day. Start early on the Million Dollar highway or you will spend most of your time behind motor homes and travel trailers.
itlives
Site Supporter
Thanks for posting this Cigar Mike. I've been to Colorado 4 times and LOVE it! I always camped in the Holy Cross Wilderness Area. If I could talk a friend into going, I'd go again this year. My real passion is to see the Grand Canyon (bucket list thing) and will do that by myself if I can't find a riding companion.
BTW- My name is Mike and I like cigars! ....too
BTW- My name is Mike and I like cigars! ....too
Cyclerosis
Site Supporter
Same here. Beautiful scenery you ride in!
Cigar Mike
Elite Member
I have a route set up for late summer that will take in some more of the best roads in Colorado and then go into Utah going through Blanding then down to Bryce Canyon ending at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We will head north from there to Flaming Gorge/Dinosaur NP and then home. I would be happy to send the routes/tracks if you can use some of them.
Hwy 12 is a great road through Escalante to Bryce and then a short ride to Jacobs Lake.
A good cigar and an adult beverage is a good way to end a long day of riding.
We have to get the miles before it snows again.
kasi
New Member
These roads are smooth and splendid for the adventure and I really impressed with these pics and I want to know that how much CC bike are you used specially for the road trip?
Cigar Mike
Elite Member
The NC700Xs 670cc seems to be enough for just about any length of ride. it will run freeway speeds all day long without issue. The CB500X that Cathy rides will keep pace and seems to be just as good for her. Seat comfort on both bikes is the only concern. but this seems to be the case on most bikes.
