Planning a Colorado trip in July. Tips requested.

[jmoonx14]

I am gonna do Colorado from July 11th thru the 23rd on the Tiger. I will be in COS on the 12th and up to Denver for a few days after that. Then over to Durango. Now, I know there is a ton of stuff in between Denver and Durango as well as Pikes near COS. I want to do the RM Nat Forrest as well on the way West.



I wanted to get some ideas of what to see, what not to try, and do's and don'ts for the entire trip. I have been to CO before but only by car and only to Denver via freeway. I dislike freeways for the obvious reasons and would prefer smaller and more scenic highways for the majority of the way. I might even try to make Monument Valley, UT while I am over SW but that will add two days and hundreds of miles so I am not sure on that one.



I have the trip mapped only from Tulsa to COS and then from I-25 back home. The rest is what I am seeking to get the most out of the trip. I plan on using a bivi tent everywhere but for COS and Denver where I will be with friends.



If you are in the area and would like to meet up and maybe even ride a bit, let me know.



TIA!

[Patrick the Scot]

I wanted to get some ideas of what to see, what not to try, and do's and don'ts for the entire trip.





TIA!

Rule #1: When traveling by motorcycle in the Rockies, regardless of the forecast, take your RAIN GEAR.



This might seem obvious to everyone else on the planet, but for those of us that learned two-wheeling in an arid climate, it is not so intuitive.  I learned the hard way. You can hit rain, sleet, snow at high elevations, nearly all year.



More tips and ideas, etc. later.

[jmoonx14]

Rule #1: When traveling by motorcycle in the Rockies, regardless of the forecast, take your RAIN GEAR.



This might seem obvious to everyone else on the planet, but for those of us that learned two-wheeling in an arid climate, it is not so intuitive.  I learned the hard way. You can hit rain, sleet, snow at high elevations, nearly all year.



More tips and ideas, etc. later.

Yes, indeed. I have the Kilamanjaro Air jacket and matching MeshTex pants and I never go far without them and the liners. I went to the Grand Canyon last year and got caught in two rain storms. I was dry as a bone after each one with the gear on with liners. Thanks for the tip.



I will be traveling with GPS, riding suit, waterproof boots, headgear, WP gloves, cell, cameras, lots of baggies and the tent. I'll take an extra WallyWorld rain suit just incase.

[¥TigerTamer?]

Call me - I'll be glad to help.  



I live in Boulder, about 40 min. from Rocky Mountain Ntl park.  I also, just did a 3 day trip to Durango and back on my Tiger.  



I'd be more than happy to help you plan some routes and if your coming through Boulder (which you will have to to get to RMNP) lets meet for a ride or some chow/beer.  If you need a place to stay for a night or two and want to forgo the camping thing - I've got a garage for the bike and room in the house.



Scott

3 zero three, five too 1, seven 7 four six

[jmoonx14]

Call me - I'll be glad to help.  



I live in Boulder, about 40 min. from Rocky Mountain Ntl park.  I also, just did a 3 day trip to Durango and back on my Tiger.  



I'd be more than happy to help you plan some routes and if your coming through Boulder (which you will have to to get to RMNP) lets meet for a ride or some chow/beer.  If you need a place to stay for a night or two and want to forgo the camping thing - I've got a garage for the bike and room in the house.



Scott

3 zero three, five too 1, seven 7 four six

Scott,



Wow. I really appreciate your offer!



At the very least I will meet up with you for a ride and some beer/food! I may work in more time and might need a place to crash as well. I have a buddy in Westminster and I will be staying with them for a few days for sure but he is trying to get his wife to give him some definite dates when he can be free (good luck there). Maybe we could do a day trip depending on schedules? He told me to make sure to see these places: Turquoise Lake, Maroon Bells, and Mt. Evans. Maybe we could both do one of those spots in a day trip and then back to Boulder? Looks like I will be with my friend on the weekend of the 15th-16th so maybe before or after that on either Thursday 13th or Monday the 17th if you can get some time off?



Just a warning: I am gonna be taking lots of pictures and will be loaded with gear! Here in Tulsa we have limited photo ops and I am gonna milk this trip for all I can.



Any good mexican food in Boulder? I was up there in '02 and ate at some crepe place called Nabes? Pretty good food and some interesting people there. That's about all I saw of Boulder.



I will post an update once I get a time frame from my buddy.



Again, thanks! I will call.

[¥TigerTamer?]

Yes, there is good Mexican food in Boulder.



I am self-employed, so with just a little notice, I can take riding time off just about anytime I want.



Look forward to hearing from you.



Scott

[ArizonaKid]

I was born, raised/reared, and grew up on the western slope side of Rocky Mtn National Park.  Boulder would serve as a good launch point for one of the most spectacular rides on planet earth, so don't miss the trek to Estes park, over Trail Ridge Road and into what's called Middle Park and parts south and west. Probably one of the most fantastic motorcycle roads in the world (no kidding).  Dress warmly and try to avoid the weekend (traffic) and the animals on the road (Mountain Goats, Elk, Deer, Moose, etc).  Scott might consent to ride over the hill with you just to keep you company, and he may just keep going with you, although there's some good motorcycling around Boulder (Left Hand Canyon anyone?) to draw him back.  Have a great trip.

[Patrick the Scot]

Any good mexican food in Boulder?

The best mexican food I have ever eaten is at the mexican joint in Salida.  It is next to the Econo Lodge on the east end of the main drag, Hwy 50.  I've eaten mexican food all over the Southwest Proper (credit: Raising Arizona) and this food was several burritos above the rest.  The family that owns it is from southern Mexico, so the food has a distinctive style that is much more refined and developed than the border slop that I call Tex-Mex.  I would term the Salida mexican food as "Vera Cruz" style mexican.  These folks use a lot more seafood, (both shellfish and fish) and citrus, coupled wtih high quality monterey-jack cheeses. They use freshest of tomatoes, sweet onions, serranos peppers, cilantro, garlic, and lime that makes a pico-de-gallo that I ate just like a salad. Awesome food from a real chef.  



I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.  Enjoy.

[JOHNNY G]

Joel,

       When you and Scott hook up, I'll be just up the hill in Breckenridge. I've had the pleasure of riding with Scott, and would love to log some miles. Plenty of Mexican around here. As soon as you leave the front range in Colorado and go West, you can't go wrong. Just pull out the map and go for the twistiest, highest passes. Avoid I-70 except for maybe Glenwood Canyon. You should be able to wear out a camera. Definitely all the weather is possible, in all the same day. Frost bite - Heat stroke. I took a week long trip last year, and slept each night in a hammock (Hennesey Hammock) and sleeping bag. :roll:  It is a tough unit. It has a velcro opening in the bottom, bug net over head, and a rain fly over that. All you need is two trees. You can unpack and break camp in a minute. FAST AND EASY. 8)   Bad terrain is no problem. I found it to be the greatest thing for bike trips. My friend and I both used them for 7 nights. No back aches. Its really nice sleeping under the stars in the mountains.



John

[jmoonx14]

Thanks all for the info!



I have a wealth of things to draw on. I am going to be in Boulder on Sunday morning, July 16th, arriving about 10 AM and will try to meet up with you all if we can choose a place. I will work with Scott and we will try to decide where to meet if anyone wants to be there. I will be going from Boulder to RMNP to camp. I have my reservations and just need to be there in the evening. I am up for a ride if anyone wants to go and I will stay at the park and you guys can go back to Denver/Boulder at your leisure.



Will post with a follow up.



Basic trip (suggestions for not-to-miss stuff requested):



Tues, July 11 - Garden City, KS. Camp

Wed, July 12 Ò COS by 11:30. Stay with friends

Thurs, July 13 Ò Leave COS in AM, take hwy 24 then 67N, spend day in mts, get to Westminster by 6 PM

Fri, July 14 Ò Stay with friends in Denver area

Sat, July 15 Ò Stay with friends in Denver area

Sun, July 16 Ò Get to Boulder and eat lunch with Tiger Group then Go to RMNP and camp at Estes Park at RMNP

Mon, July 17 Ò Go to Baby Doe (Leadville) and camp (Aspen, Maroon Bells)

Tues, July 18 Ò Stay at Baby Doe (Turquoise Lake)

Wed, July 19 Ò Go to Gunnison and camp at StevenÌs Creek

Thur, July 20 Ò Go to Cortez, camp at Horse Creek

Fri, July 21 Ò Go to Del Norte and camp at Big Meadows Del Norte

Sat, July 22 Ò Camp at ???, KS

Sun, July 23 Ò Home

[jmoonx14]

Joel,

       When you and Scott hook up, I'll be just up the hill in Breckenridge. I've had the pleasure of riding with Scott, and would love to log some miles. Plenty of Mexican around here. As soon as you leave the front range in Colorado and go West, you can't go wrong. Just pull out the map and go for the twistiest, highest passes. Avoid I-70 except for maybe Glenwood Canyon. You should be able to wear out a camera. Definitely all the weather is possible, in all the same day. Frost bite - Heat stroke. I took a week long trip last year, and slept each night in a hammock (Hennesey Hammock) and sleeping bag. :roll:  It is a tough unit. It has a velcro opening in the bottom, bug net over head, and a rain fly over that. All you need is two trees. You can unpack and break camp in a minute. FAST AND EASY. 8)   Bad terrain is no problem. I found it to be the greatest thing for bike trips. My friend and I both used them for 7 nights. No back aches. Its really nice sleeping under the stars in the mountains.



John

Thanks for the info, John. I have a damn good tent but my sleeping bag is rated for 30+ only. Is it gonna freeze me out?  I also need a good idea for a pad for the floor as my old hips are getting finicky. Any ideas?



Also, I want to bring along some chain lube and wanted ideas for brands and intervals. This will be a 2700 mile ride for me in 100+ to 30 degree weather. Probably some good rain here and there as well.



Try to meet up with me in Boulder on the 16th if you can.

[JOHNNY G]

Joel,

     If you see a sale on bags, it might be time to move up. Sweats and stocking cap will probably get you by. I'll call Scott as you get closer.

John

[gatling]

Not sure if you indicated you planned to do so, but the ride along the Dolores River is awesome.

[jmoonx14]

OK. I will be in Boulder mid morning July 16th which is Sunday. I will PM Scott and see if we can find a place to meet up for anyone that wants to show. I'll be headed to Estes Park by afternoon. Still taking suggestions on where to meet up.

[jmoonx14]

Well I am back home and the trip was great!



Scott, I got your message and no worries...I totally understand and I had a blast in Boulder and headed up to RMNP after lunch at Subway. Maybe next time!



I had a blast and saw more of Colorado than I ever thought I would. The Tiger was the perfect bike for the trip and it held it's own in every way. I needed every bit of the 105 horsepower on multiple occasions.



I took between 60 and 80 pounds of gear and it never was taxed at all. Hills, mud, rocks...you name it I was in it and never did I need anything that it couldn't deliver. It was built for this trip.



I chronicled the trip in photos and here are the basics. I still have many pics to go through and process but these are some of the high points.



It started here on a Tuesday morning where I gassed up down the road from the house and checked my gear for the 670 mile trek to Colorado Springs from Tulsa:







This was the west Kansas "scenery" along the way in the 100+ degree heat:







Dodge City...what a disappointment! Nothing but city, heat, hailstorms (I hit two on the way in) and fake old west. I just moved on:







Colorado Springs. Work buddies and good food:







Garden of the Gods on COS:







I met up with some fellow bikers out of Denver in Fairplay. This was Dave, Mike and Ken. Nice chat and on the way to Westmisnter:







Just outside of metro Denver the heat really started to climb. This was the day it hit 103 in Denver so I stopped near the beginning of the foothills and took a break in the last of the cool weather:







Mt. Evans. This was awesome:













Some old mining area near Nederland:







Here was an elk crossing the road near Estes Park:







Near Estes Park:







This was Bear Lake in RMNP:









A great place to eat in Dillon:







Leadville. I stayed here two nights out at Baby Doe near Turquiose Lake:







Here is Turquoise lake. The water was crystal clear:











On toward Gunnison:







Kebler pass. This is where things got dicey. I made this pass (30 miles of dirt road at near 10k feet) and it started to rain like MAD. I had to stop and take shelter under the bike cover for about half an hour. After the storm refused to subside, I moved on in the rain. The Tiger did great and I never lost it. I was riding 1st gear pretty hard all the way through the descent in the mud and rocks. What a rush that was! This was taken once I finally hit blacktop again.







I stopped here in Gunnison and relaxed under the canopy to escape more approaching rain from the west. The Mexican food next door wasnÌt that good but it was warm!







I ran out of chain lube. This place in Montrose was great. They hooked me up with what I needed and let me borrow some tools to make some needed tweaks on the Tiger:







One of my favorite images. This was outside of Redstone:







Telluride:







Lizardhead Pass:







OK. Here me and about 15 Harley riders got trapped in a downpour and sheltered at a gas station. One of them had hit a dear on the way in. You can see his bike on the second pic. Nobody was hurt:









I was on the way home and stopped in Taos, NM. Not by choice but for safety. It was raining big time and I was road beat as I had been on the road since Cortez, Co. I stayed there for the night÷$145!







The Rio Grande Gorge outside of Taos. The wind was about 200 MPH (give or take):







Fog in Anglefire, NM:







After this I came on home.



It was a spectacular trip! Next year÷.East Coast.