Peak to Peak Fall Color Ride

September 20, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Motorcycles ruled the high country roads today... all of us eager to get a good ride in before a cold front brings who knows how much snow to the Rockies. It's time. In northern Colorado, we normally get a couple of inches of the white stuff in the month of September. The mountains usually see enough snow around Labor Day to close the highest roads and temps drop low enough for the ski resorts to start making snow.

We rolled out of the drive about mid morning. It was warm enough to start out in hoodies. There wasn't much discussion about where we were headed... west and up being the general idea. Tim pointed the ride south to Loveland and west toward Estes Park. At Drake, we veered off the busier, more direct route and travelled the roundabout way up via Devil's Gulch.

As we rode along, we could see the clouds building. By the time we reached the Visitor Center on the east side of Estes Park and swallowed a cup of coffee, clouds had darkened considerably and began to roll over the Rockies. I can't remember how many times we've been chased out of Estes Park this year by clouds. We ran in and out of cloud cover for the rest of the day.

Motorcycles, bicycles and four wheel vehicles lined the shoulder of Hwy 7 where the pine trees open up to what is an astounding view of gold winding up and around the sides of mountains like yellow gold garland on a Christmas tree. People were armed with cameras in all shapes and sizes, trying to capture Mother Nature's short-lived gift. The gold, of course is aspen and once the weather cools, aspen turns quickly at high altitudes. We call ourselves lucky on this Fall color ride, because the aspen were just beginning to turn.

As usual on this trip, we stopped in Nederland for a rest and the nourishment a cup of thermos coffee and a brownie-snack can provide. Tim disappeared for a few minutes when he went to dispose of our wrappers. He came back with this odd grin on his face. When I asked him what was up, he said some Eurasian tourists had stopped him to take a photo. He thought they wanted him to take a picture of them. Actually, they wanted him to pose for a picture. They wanted a photo of a real American biker for their scrapbook. We got a good laugh out of that...

We continued on our ride past Wondervu (yes, it really is a wondrous view) to the gambling towns of Black Hawk/Central City. As we went down the canyon past Black Hawk (after 11 years, we are still saying we'll stop and gamble some day), Tim wondered again where the Central City Parkway tied in. We had heard about the parkway that connects Idaho Springs (on I-70) to Central City, but we had never ridden it. I suggested we ride the few miles to Idaho Springs and ride the parkway back. We did that very thing and have found a new, favorite high road. Great views of the I-70 corridor and old mine architecture dot the way. It didn't take long to make that little side trip, but it was long enough for the clouds to nearly catch up. We decided to skedaddle out of the canyon which is lined with signs that warn - in case of flash flood climb to safety. Ha!

Before long we found ourselves on the outskirts of the Denver metropolitan area and hungry. There wasn't much discussion about where to eat. The Ride knows the way to Jose O'Shea's. All of our vehicles know the way to Jose's. We could find our way to Jose's in a blackout. We enjoyed cream cheese chicken enchiladas and all the trimmin's. No margaritas - even though we were sorely tempted.

The ride home was uneventful although the clouds were making a nuisance of themselves. We remarked on pumpkins and the nodding heads of sunflowers in the fields and the number of geese that have returned. We have geese all year round in Colorado but migrant geese invade the area every fall and winter. The cold front was knockin' on the door and the skies were spittin' as we traveled the last few miles toward home.

This ride was about 210 miles of great scenery and pure fun.