The next morning we checked out a marijuana dispensary on the way out of town. We discovered that dispensaries could be spotted by the use of the green cross regardless of what the sign says on the door. We were driving through around 9 a.m. and there were already a lot of cars in the parking lot. This social experiment in Colorado seems pretty popular. I think it is a case of the genie got out of the bottle and it won't be easy or even possible to ever get it back in.
Eddy needed a replacement face shield on his helmet so we swung through Florence to find one at a motorcycle dealer. Although they didn't have any for Eddy's brand of helmet, we were impressed with the sculpture in front of the shop.
From Florence we headed north through the hills to Cripple Creek. Although the paper map makes the trip look easy, the GPS was not so competent. We missed a turn and ended up in a charming little wide spot in the road that looked like American Pickers' heaven.
Although the ride to Cripple Creek was a ball, the town was a disappointment. It is wall-to-wall casinos with a few restaurants thrown in for good measure. After eating lunch we hit the road for Manitou Springs where we would spend the night. We had hoped to ride up Pike's Peak, but it seems we choose to visit during the Pike's Peak Hill Climb time trials. So we jumped back on the bikes and headed north through the Front Range.
We stopped for a rest north of Woodland Park. The scenery was so beautiful. A few miles down the road we came across a cafe where we got ice cream cones.
While we were sitting on the patio we noticed hummingbirds were flocking around the feeders. I'd never seen hummingbirds so courageous to be within a few feet of humans.
After lunch at a biker bar in Bailey, we continued north. Along the way we stopped in Central City just north of I-70. Again, lots of casinos in these little towns in the mountains.
The scenery from Central City to Estes Park, our overnight stop, was one eye-popping view after another. Here's a sample.
Estes Park has become a major tourist mecca. But along with tourists come more sophisticated fare, such as this tasty amber brew.
The next morning we rode up to the summit of Sundance Mountain. Looking backward we spied some epic views of the valley where Estes Park is situated.
We came across some of our less enlightened two-wheel travelers on the way up the mountain. Eddy and I were amused with the fact these Harley riders were having difficulty getting up the mountain. How does a motorcycle overheat in 40-degree temps?
Finally we made the summit and stopped for t-shirts at the tourist shop.
On the backside of the mountain we came across the source of the Colorado River. It is hard to imagine that this small stream will carve out the Grand Canyon in about 700 miles. Unfortunately, we didn't stop for pictures, but there are a ton of great photos of the area in Google Maps. We continued south through Winter Park and stopped at the summit of Loveland Pass.
We continued south, through Breckenridge and Fairplay and ended in Buena Vista for the night. While sitting on a patio in front of the motel drinking some local Colorado brew a father and daughter who were hiking across Colorado walked up. They were staying at the same motel for the night after deciding they didn't want to camp in the rain that night. We traded beer for stories...we got the better end of the deal.
The next morning we headed north to Twin Lakes. These lakes lie at the bottom of Independence Pass that leads us, eventually, into Aspen.
Independence Pass
Aspen looked too expensive to even stop, so we rode on down to Carbondale for lunch before turning south again, toward McClure Pass.
From McClure we turned off at Hotchkiss to follow Highway 92 along the north rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
We spent that night in Gunnison. I warn anyone traveling through this area to avoid staying in Gunnison. Although they have many motels, none of the decent motels are affordable. I suggest riding up the hill to Crested Butte. In the summer there are plenty of resort rooms available for reasonable rates.
The next day we headed east toward Salida. I had wanted to ride over Cottonwood Pass. But nearly half of it is unpaved, and Eddy's Concours is low slung, so it didn't seem prudent. Instead we took Monarch Pass into Salida.
From Salida we turned south through Alamosa and crossed the New Mexico state line on US-285 and US-64 that runs into Taos. If you ever go through Taos you MUST stop at Eske's Brew Pub and Eatery. The Hatch Chili Stew is to die for!
Our next accommodations were the historic Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, NM. Does anyone recognize the door we parked in front of on the Plaza?
It turns out that the plaza in Las Vegas is the setting for the sheriff's office in the television series, Longmire. I'm a fan of the show, but one of the few because A&E dropped it. I hear Netflix is picking it up, but they have yet to start shooting.
The next day was like our first: a fast ride home. The ride from Roswell, NM to Plains, TX was a killer. It was hot and the wind was blowing in our faces. When we finally pulled into Andrews, Eddy needed gas and I needed a cold shower. We talked of what we'd seen over the previous 6 days and were amazed. I love riding in the mountains, so I'm planing another ride next summer. But after returning home, I had to prepare to take my sweetie out on the road in only two days. This time in the minivan! But that's another story.
