Sunday Ride to the Springs

August 9, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

The sky was blue, it was supposed to be a warm day with only the typical slight chance of thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon. Yippee! This did not mean we could leave the leathers at home as the morning temp was still in the low 50s and it has been unseasonably cool in Colorado this year.

We rolled out of the drive at 8 am, thinking what a grand day to ride down to the Springs (Colorado/Manitou Springs). Better yet, let's take one of the back ways in... so we rode South to Golden and turned west onto Hwy 74. This ride took us through Morrison and up one of the best canyon rides in Colorado (RE: Turkey Creek Canyon) which winds precariously through the small towns of Idledale, Kittredge, Evergreen and eventually Conifer. The turns are sharp... many of them blind with speed limits of 15-20-25 mph and the road is shared with many, many cyclists. Traveling can be quite hectic through this area, especially on weekends. Impatient Denverites (mostly) are always rushing to somewhere other than where they are. Of these towns, Morrison and Evergreen seem to be the most popular, having busy Main Streets full of shops, eateries, bars and a lively night life. Just past Conifer at a stop in road known as Pine Junction, we turned south on Hwy 126/67 which winds along the Platte River to Woodland Park.

We haven't driven or ridden Hwy 126/67 since just after the horrible Hayman Fire in 2002. The Hayman fire, June 8, 2002, was the largest in Colorado's history. The devastation was caused by a reckless human. We were living in Lakewood, a western suburb of Denver at the time and smoke and soot from this fire - many miles away drifted over the city. Over 100 homes were destroyed and 137,760 acres burned. The fire was not officially listed as controlled until more than a month later, July 18, 2002. This once pristine forest area will sadly, never be the same in our lifetime. Since the fire the road is notoriously known for mud slides. The endless reclamation work goes on and many have bravely rebuilt on what are now sunny mountain sides. The Upper South Platte River is known among anglers for Gold Medal fishing waters. Along the way are the tiny mountain communities of Pine (elevation 6818), Buffalo Creek and Deckers. Pine was established in 1886 and is home to rustic cabins and other early lodge structures. It's also known to rock climbers for the nearby Sphinx rock formation and the turn off is here, down a narrow, dirt and rock road that leads to the infamous Bucksnort Saloon.

Pine Valley Road (Hwy 126/67), even with the burn area is still a great ride and the road has been well-maintained. It has troublesome areas with mud slides and gravel on the road after rain, and you will encounter many crotch-rocket riders on the weekend but otherwise the traffic is light and the ride is easy.

A few miles up from Pine is a scenic overlook so we pulled over for a stretch of the legs, cup of thermos coffee and a brownie snack. From here we had a good look at Long Scraggy Peak and the surrounding mountains which were shrouded in mist this morning. The pullover was inhabited by other motorcyclists on what we call crotch-rockets (at least two were Ducati models). A particular group of three, two young guys and a girl were in high spirits. A few minutes later, they zoomed out of the parking lot but the other people with them remained. We didn't think much of it until a few minutes later the three came screaming back up the road which allowed the ones who stayed behind to take pictures of them in a full, high speed lean. Recklessly high speed. A few minutes later, they came screaming back to the pull off. We spoke with a couple of older guys, also on crotch rockets. It was agreed among us old farts that of the three, the girl had the best form or the least fear - whatever. It was an amusing diversion, but we much prefer our more laid back rides.

Not long after the other bikers parted ways and we gave them a good head start, we rode on into Woodland Park (elev 8465). We fondly remember Woodland Park as a sleepy little mountain town in the 80s. It is now a thriving, much-too-busy town with some severe growing pains. Part of its original charm remains in a couple of blocks of old town. All you have to do is ignore the traffic. We rode on through to Manitou Springs (elevation 6412) which is a great ride, despite the distraction of some popular tourist attractions along the way which include most notably the North Pole, Cave of the Winds and the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Manitou Springs is also a huge tourist attraction and a fun place to shop if shopping is your thing.

Ourselves, not being shoppers we rode on through to Old Colorado City, where everything is a bit more laid back. We stopped at Bancroft Park where we've lunched many times. This was another low-budget excursion, so we packed a poorboy picnic. We consumed our bologna sandwiches, chips, fruit and cookies while watching the steady stream of traffic, including a good many motorcycles go by. Our dining experience was enhanced by sixties pop music, compliments of some wanna-be biker dudes who apparently had nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than to hang out in the park. I say wanna-be biker dudes because they had the look down. All were sporting Harley shirts and some rather impressive tattoos but not a single unoccupied motorcycle was in sight. One actually rode off on a bicycle. There's nothing wrong with this scenario, many of us are bikers at heart.

After our picnic, we rode the short distance to Garden of the Gods where we stopped for a couple of strolls. Garden of the Gods is a free park in the heart of Tourist Central, Colorado. It is a must-see and one of my favorite places on earth. This is your pic, Mom - I was thinking about you. We watched some rock climbers for a bit, but spent most of our time dodging tourists and their noisy children. Goodness me people! How about we enjoy nature without trampling it underfoot and trying to drown it out! While we enjoyed our visit, it was too busy this day for us. We will return in the off-season for a more serene visit.

By this time, we had shed our jackets and as soon as we got through the traffic leaving Garden of the Gods, we found ourselves in Old Colorado City again, looking for a cold drink and ice cream. We stopped at the Colorado City Creamery. The banner out front said they were celebrating 30 years in business. We enjoyed ice cream in home made waffle cones at a table in the shade.

It was getting late in the day so it was time to start heading north again. There are many ways home from the Springs, but instead of a hectic ride up I-25 or a really long roundabout ride we opted to return the way we came. As always, we watched the skies and there they were, those pesky little black clouds rolling over the mountains. With the clouds came a decrease in temperature. We stopped in Conifer to put on our jackets. Bikers were doing that all along the way. Some were pulling on their rain gear - they needed it for the ride into Denver. We rode out from under the clouds three times I think, got splattered on our way through Golden and rode the rest of the way in dry. Those same clouds dropped torrential rain and hail in Denver. We were lucky in our timing I guess.


We rolled into the drive just after 8 pm with a sunset over our shoulders... Twelve hours, 360 miles says my numbers man.

We finished the day off with home grilled burgers and our usual B&M (Beer and Mike's), already talking about where the road would take us next weekend. We already know... been looking forward to it all year - grin - stay tuned...

The slide show is long... almost 100 pics... enjoy