Ride to the Peaks

I was finally making a trip I’d thought and talked about for some time.  I planned to ride from home to Idaho Springs, CO in one day.  On the next day I’d ride up Mount Evans, take a ride south through the Rockies and ride up Pikes Peak and stop for the night in Manitou Springs, CO.  On the third day I’d ride back home.  In the end (with some gentle persuasion and cajoling from friends) I decided to take two days to get to Idaho Springs.  So it was a four day ride.

Ten guys agreed to accompany me on the trip.  We had one Yamaha rider (Chuck), two Harley riders (Mel and Ed), and eight Goldwing riders (Carl, Gary, Bill, Larry, James, Joe, Eric, and me).

DAY 1

On Thursday, August 23rd, we met at Casey’s in western Shawnee, KS.  We departed westbound towards the peaks shortly after 3:00 pm.

To avoid riding I-70 all evening we rode west on K-32 and Hwy 24.  It was a good route except for the presence of several construction areas.

After gassing up in Manhattan, KS we rode Hwy 18 west to I-70 just east of Fort Riley.  We attempted to eat dinner at the Brookville Hotel in Abilene, KS.It was 6:20 pm.  When we told the hostess there were eleven of us she said there was no way she could seat us before 7:00 because she did not have enough wait staff.  It honked me off and I did not want to wait so we continued westbound on I-70.

We stopped for gas in Russell and then stopped for the night at the Comfort Inn in Hays, KS.  We had a late dinner at the Applebee’s across the street.

We rode 275 miles today under mostly sunny skies with a high of 94.

DAY 2

On Friday, August 24th, we woke to find out it stormed during the night.  The covers had blown off three of our motorcycles.  At least none of the motorcycles were blown over like mine was earlier in the year.

Gary had to return home today because of a commitment he had on Saturday.  So our group of eleven became a group of ten.  Gary rode back eastbound, through the rain that hit Hays during the night.

The rest of us rode westbound on I-70.It started out sunny and 68 but a short distance down the road it got cloudy and for awhile we were riding through a fog that was heavy enough to put a mist on our windshields and make the road wet.  We stopped for gas in Colby, KS and again in Siebert, CO.  We had lunch at Jenny’s Mexican Restaurant in Limon, CO.

Just north of Limon we left I-70 on Hwy 86 westbound.  It was nice to be on a two lane road with a little different scenery.  We stopped for gas in Castle Rock before riding northbound on I-25.  Hwy 470 took us west and north around Denver.  The traffic was very heavy and it wasn’t even rush hour yet.

We were back on I-70 westbound again and the traffic was still pretty heavy.  I was glad to reach Idaho Springs, CO where we stopped for the day.  We stayed at the Argo Inn and Suites (http://www.argoinnandsuites.com/index.html).This turned out to be a very good find, despite the fact that it had a gravel parking lot.  The rooms were nice and clean and some of our rooms had a balcony overlooking Clear Creek.  There was a fire pit near the creek around which we enjoyed adult beverages and stimulating conversation.

There was an auto parts store a half block down the road where I got a light bulb to replace a burned out tail light.  Smokin Yards BBQ was a block the other direction where we enjoyed a larrapin good barbeque dinner.

Before cocktails around the fire pit and barbeque dinner we contemplated riding up Mt. Evans.  I called the ranger station and was told it had been raining off and on at the summit.  It was 39 degrees with a wind chill of 19.  It was recommended that we wait until morning for the ascent.  It sounded like good advice.

We road 395 miles today.  Most of the time it was cloudy but we saw some sun and the high was 79.  It was a good day of riding.

DAY 3

On Saturday, August 25th, we departed the Argo Inn at 7:15 am.  It was clear and 50 degrees.  We rode to the summit of Mt. Evans where it was 37 degrees.  It was a fun ride to the top and the views were tremendous.

At the top we saw a bunch of mountain goats.  I would say “wild” mountain goats but they did not seem the least bit concerned by our presence.Bill also pointed out what appeared to be deer on a distant slope.

Some of the athletes amongst our group walked to the real summit above the parking lot – no easy task at an altitude over 14,000 feet.

We rode back down the mountain to I-70 and rode west to Hwy 6, which took us over Loveland Pass to Breckenridge, CO.  It was a pretty ride and early in the route we had a good view of the entrance to the Eisenhower Tunnel.

We rode Hwy 9 south to Hartsel and Hwy 24 east to Woodland Park where we enjoyed a hot and juicy Wendy’s treat.  A short distance east of Woodland Park we took the turn to ride up Pikes Peak.

It was a very   s  l  o  w   ascent to the summit.  Posted speed limits were mostly 25 and 20 mph, which resulted in very slow traffic on steep grades and Goldwings with rising coolant temperatures.  Many of the switchbacks definitely warranted the very slow speeds.

At the summit it clouded up and then hailed on us.  The lightning caused some concern also!  The temperature dropped to 41 – all part of the adventure!We had to wait a few minutes before descending from the peak to allow the slush on the road (caused by the hail) to melt.

At the bottom we stopped because Mel was hearing some strange noise from his Harley.  We all accompanied him to Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson.  It was about 5:00 pm and the place closed at 6:00.  Their preliminary diagnosis was a bad clutch hub bearing (or something like that) but they could not work on it until Monday morning.  Mel decided to spend an extra day and a half in Colorado Springs and have Rocky Mountain HD repair his ride.  He rented a motorcycle to use until his bike would be ready on Monday.

Joe and Eric departed for Kansas because Joe had to be home in good time on Sunday for a prior commitment.  The rest of us holed up in a Hampton Inn and Suites on the north end of Colorado Springs.  Larry negotiated us a great rate and the hotel was excellent.  We had dinner at a nearby Cheddars Restaurant.

We rode 280 miles today with a high in the low 70’s.  BEAUTIFUL riding, despite the hail storm on Pikes Peak.

DAY 4

On Sunday, August 26th, we (Carl, Bill, Larry, James, and I) departed the Hampton Inn at 6:20 am mountain standard time.  It was 52 degrees under cloudless skies.  Ed and Chuck decided to wait and depart at 7:00 am and take a more leisurely ride home.

After gassing up on the east side of Colorado Springs we took off east on Hwy 24 to Limon and then picked up I-70 eastbound.  We stopped only twice on the way home; once in Colby, KS for gas and once in Salina, KS for gas and lunch.

We rode 603 miles today with excellent weather.  The high for the day was 84.  We arrived home shortly after 4:30 pm.

It was a fun ride with good friends.  I can’t wait for the next one.  For more pictures from this trip click on the following link: https://picasaweb.google.com/104542123131082631220/RideToThePeaks?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKbO8uespPXVOw&feat=directlink

As a follow up I know Ed and Chuck made it home around 8:00 pm on Sunday.  Mel got his Harley back and was on his way home by 2:00 pm central time on Monday, hopefully home by midnight.  At 5:00 pm he was in Goodland, KS.