In search of gold in them thar hills... (part 1)

September 26, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

We spent the whole weekend traveling the high country north, south and west of here, enjoying blue skies, warm weather, Fall color and snow. Yes snow, the first of the season.

Saturday - Finally! Blue skies! After a rainy, cold, dreary first week of Fall we were ready for a warm weekend. We rode out about mid-morning in hoodies that were too warm here in the city but we knew as soon as we ventured away from the city onto more open roads, the sweaters would feel great.


As usual, we didn't have a plan set in stone although we had discussed the road up to the small town of Ward as one we had not traveled since we acquired The Ride. So as we wound our way on country lanes in the loose direction of Lyons we had that ride in mind.

We stopped for gas in Lyons after sitting in music festival traffic for a spell. We hadn't known about the festival or we would have considered another route. Lyons music festivals draw huge crowds partly because of its close proximity to Boulder and Denver. Add to that people passing through on the way to Estes Park or the high country and now you have a mountain traffic jam. We got out of there as fast as we could.

The road to Jamestown and Ward runs west of Hwy 93 about halfway between Lyons and Boulder. We had forgotten how much fun and how scenic the steep, winding road is. Jamestown sits off the Ward road on about a three mile dog-leg. The paved road ends just outside the town limits. We rode on up anyway to have a look around before riding back down and up to Ward which sits near Hwy 7 (also known as the peak-to-peak highway). Both Jamestown and Ward are tiny, secluded, close-knit mountain communities. Ward, in particular is very interesting in that most of the architecture is old, some of it dating back to the mining era I'm sure. Some of the housing is typical of what one would believe hippie-style commune living was/is like. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if some do without the luxury of indoor plumbing. I'm fairly certain at least some of the residents of Ward have been up there since the hippy-sixties. Old vehicles line the roadside. Whether most of the vehicles run or not is debatable. Judging from the overall state of neglect - it's doubtful. They live a different life-style up there where the harsh conditions of winter in the high country makes traveling very far extremely difficult if not downright impossible. This is a good road with lots of twists and turns and steep grades. The view from every vantage point is spectacular.

We had ridden the peak-to-peak highway just last weekend, but today we had sunshine so the aspen gold shining on the mountainsides was more spectacular. And now, thanks to last week's cold front, we had snow glistening on the highest peaks of the Rockies.

The day was gorgeous and warm. Soon we reached the junction of the Ward Road and Hwy 7. Reluctant to head in the direction of home, we rode in the opposite direction to Nederland, justifying the choice with the idea that we needed coffee and Jackpot cookies from the New Moon Bakery and Cafe. We visited at length with a couple from Black Hawk who were on a Spyder parked just outside the bakery. A Spyder is a vehicle with two wheels in front and one in back - a reverse trike of sorts. The woman explained her husband is crippled and has no feeling in one of his legs. He rode motorcycles in the past, but with his disability had not been able to ride for nearly six years until this vehicle came along a couple of years ago. I don't know if all of them are this way, but this particular Spyder is semi-automatic with a reverse - all hand controls. It is the first time, we've seen one up close - and we think it is a pretty clever design.

Still far from being ready to call it a day, we rode once again to Black Hawk and Central City where after exploring a couple of dead ends, we travelled the newly discovered Central City Parkway to Idaho Springs just opposite of what we did last weekend. In Idaho Springs which sits just off I-70, we stopped for coffee and a stretch. The town was busy as usual. We managed to ride out of town before succumbing to the lure of Beau-Jo's Pizza.

It was a bit late in the day to begin another mountain ride, but nearby Mount Evans beckoned and we dutifully answered the call. Mount Evans was a favorite picnic drive when we lived in the western suburbs of Denver a few years back and we enjoyed every minute of it on the motorcycle. It was cold near the highest point of the road, but not cold for long enough to make us put on our leather jackets. The road to the top of Mount Evans is closed after Labor Day because of snow, but the road around Mount Evans passes by scenic Echo Lake where we stopped for a photo op, including a couple of shots with a curious duck. The road continues over Squaw Pass where we stopped by our favorite picnic spot and scenic overlook. We picked up snow in this area right up to the road edge. We knew we would. We followed the scenic road, now veiled in shadow all the winding way to Evergreen and eventually down into Morrison. Both Evergreen and Morrison were bustling with people gathering for the robust night life both cities offer.

We wound our way down side roads (some familiar, some not) of the western suburban area of Denver for most of the ride back to Fort Collins. It was well after dark by the time we reached the city limits. We rounded out a great day with pasta and bread sticks at the Pizza Hut.

Today's total mileage = 274 miles. I shot some video. A mini-movie can be found on the post for part 2 of this ride (the next post).
Here's a slide show...