Independence Ride Day 3 - Part 1-2

July 4, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Part 1
The ride to Pagosa Springs...

We rose early the morning of the 4th, eager to get on the road and experience the whole of Independence Day on The Ride. The road (Hwy 160) between Cortez and Durango is an easy ride. It is beautiful country. As we passed the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park... we were tempted. I visited Mesa Verde as a girl with the folks and Tim and I visited a few years ago. We think it will be a great experience on the Harley but rode on past, saving that fun for another day.

We stopped in Durango for a stretch of the legs at the Visitor Center. Here again, we thought about how much fun it would be to ride in and around Durango. It is one of our favorite places in Colorado. Lots to do. Lots to see. But, we had in mind to ride a few roads we haven't been down before so... we had a cup or two of thermos coffee before we were back on the road heading toward Pagosa Springs.

We stopped for gas and real coffee on the western edge of Pagosa Springs. We spoke with a friendly couple from Arkansas on a Honda Trike pulling a matching trailer. They were having a good time on a ride to California! The man said he normally rides a Harley but preferred this trike and trailer for the long hauls.

As we rode through Pagosa Springs we came upon a detour sign. The Independence Day Parade was in progress and we were re-routed into another lane and around all of downtown. The crowd gathered for the celebration was huge. In a day and age when we hear every day how Americans no longer care about their country, we found that pinhead assumption to be dubious at best. I shot a few photos and a short video clip as we carefully rode by.

Part 2
The ride over Wolf Creek Pass from Pagosa Springs to South Fork

Wolf Creek Pass - here we come! We were looking forward to the next part of our ride. Wolf Creek Pass is fun on four wheels and we were thinking it has to be a bunch more fun on a motorcycle. We were not disappointed.

Many years ago, on vacation with the folks and as we topped out on one of those curves where the tops of pine trees and a good bit of heaven is all you see... I remember Mom exclaiming... Look! Look! No! Don't Look!. And a little later - Look at all the little trees - nooooo - wait a minute... Dad says, those aren't little trees. That's the top of some really tall pine trees... And still later - Snow! Keep in mind, we are from Texas and this was, aside from Raton, NM - our first real Rocky Mountain pass.

Did I say fun? And beautiful? About as scenic as a road gets? Waterfalls, craggy cliffs, verdant valleys and pristine vistas... oh yeah. We stopped at the summit (elevation 10,850) which has a nice pullover (no facilities). Motorcycles everywhere. We visited for a good while with a nice couple on a Road King from Sacramento, CA on their way to Minnesota. She was cold and asked if all of Colorado was like this. That's a hard question to answer. I said, most of the mountain passes are like this. Colorado's weather can vary by the mile - literally. I guess if one is from sunny California, the top of Wolf Creek Pass with snow still nestled in among the pines, might seem cold. To us... it was just another glorious day in the mountains and we were lovin' it.

As the California couple was pulling out, a young man riding an older, and a just a tad rusty 750 Honda pulled up. We heard it coming before we actually saw it. Ha! This bike has seen a good many rough miles. He was so excited that he had made the summit on that thing! He was talking to us before he got it stopped... I'm thinking that was definitely a Woo-Hoo moment for him. We were proud for him and just about as surprised it had made it. Ha! Believe it or not, he had ridden that 750 from Washington D.C to California and was on his way back to Washington. He asked if I would take his photo with the bike. Well, of course I would. I'm thinking he was having the trip of a lifetime.

It is fun to remember the people we meet along the way... all of them interesting and so far - all of them having a great time.

I put together a movie of the Wolf Creek Pass ride - it follows in two parts.

Wolf Creek Pass (part 1) July 4, 2009

Wolf Creek Pass (part 2) July 4, 2009

We had so much fun on the 4th and saw so many things, I have broken this post into two parts. Stay tuned for part two of day three...