Fort Collins, CO
We rolled out of Raton and over Raton Pass (the highest point on the Santa Fe Trail, summit is 7,834 feet above sea level) refreshed and in great spirits. We needed our hoodies this morning for the chilly mountain air on the pass. Other than a few high clouds, it was already a beautiful day. Now, we had no intention of rushing the end of our trip. We could easily ride the length of the state on I-25 and be home in Fort Collins by early afternoon if not before, but where's the fun in that?
We topped off the tank in Starkville (just outside of Trinidad) and decided to head off west on scenic Hwy 12 known as the Highway of Legends. We would eventually get to Walsenburg by this route. We had forgotten how much fun this road is and we've never ridden it on the motorcycle. It was a great start to the rest of our day.
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We rode at our own pace. There was very little traffic. The architecture along the way is interesting in its authentic rusticity... log cabins, mud brick structures, old stores in tiny towns and weather-beaten churches with steeples on hilltops. We rode past small communities like Cokedale where the remains of old coal coke ovens can be seen from the highway, past Stonewall where the rock formations form stone walls that tower over the town, past old stores and churches and ranch buildings, through beautiful and scenic Terico Valley and around North Lake and finally over Cucharas Pass (elev 9941) the latter making us thankful we had on our hoodies for this part of the ride as it is still a bit "airish" as Tim would say up high. All along the way the Spanish Peaks dominate the view.We ran into road maintenance a few miles from the end of Hwy 12. The highway had a lane closure and we rode on loose gravel for a few miles well behind the other vehicles to avoid air born rocks. From Cuchara the road winds down intersecting with Hwy 160. Heading west is a scenic drive over LaVeta Pass and through the San Luis Valley. Tempting as heading west was, we rode east back into Walsenburg looking for a cup of coffee. We stretched our legs by walking a couple of blocks and browsing through an antique mall. We found coffee and a piece of coconut cream pie at the Alpine Rose Cafe in downtown Walsenburg. The coffee was good and hot - the pie so-so.
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Back on I-25 after Walsenburg we rode north toward Colorado City, flags flying getting thumbs up from other riders and a horn honk or two from friendly truckers. We got a special nod and a salute as a Veteran in a passenger seat of a car drove by. The Texas license plate indicated he was a purple heart recipient. We were proud of that. Although the skies indicated we would surely have afternoon storms, blue sky was teasing its way out of the clouds here and there so we deviated from the norm once again to ride Hwy 165 through scenic San Isabel Forest which would take us by Bishop Castle (a favorite stop) and in a roundabout way into Pueblo or Colorado Springs.The gently winding ride through San Isabel Forest is always a pleasure. It starts out in Colorado City just off I-25 and passes through the quaint community of Rye. The small community of San Isabel hasn't changed much through the years. Today lovely Lake Isabel was calm and serene with the usual fisherman lining the banks. It's always green in this area and wildflowers seem to be in perpetual bloom. We always see deer along the roadsides and sometimes other wildlife.
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It is 27 beautiful miles to Bishop Castle from I-25 at Colorado City. Jim Bishop has been building this castle since about 1969. We've been visiting for a good many years and checking the progress from time-to-time. The place is a marvel of craftsmanship and a testament to what a single man can accomplish. The ironwork bridges, staircases, windows and walkways are simply amazing. The tallest tower soars about 160 feet.Jim has had a few unpleasant encounters with federal and state officials through the years while constructing the castle on a couple of acres of government land he purchased when he was 15 for $1250. Although he works in Pueblo at an ironworks, he is usually on site in the summer months, building away without much notice until he has a crowd. Then it is not unusual for ol' Jim to go off on a tangent hollering his political views to the world. His voice will echo off the surrounding hills. The only way to escape his rambling mostly anti-government rhetoric is to leave.
Jim is what I would call a Constitutional "orginalist" meaning he thinks the government is out of control and trampling on our hard-earned liberties. He's as close to an anarchist as I've ever met. In many respects I agree with Jim. In others not so much. I can tell you that few conspiracy theorists can top Jim's view of the world and he has a mouthful to say about the government, Washington, the president, the war, 9-11 and the laws of this land that infringe upon our freedoms. Signs propped up all through the castle area will enlighten one to Jim's views if he isn't on hand to do it himself. This trip, we were simply not fast enough in our exit strategy. I saw Jim come down from the pile of rocks he had been working on, start up a conversation with an elderly gent and in a matter of minutes we were treated to a face-to-face with Jim who crossed the highway where we were saddling up, going on about how Obama is the antichrist. I kid you not. His very words. So, if you tend to wear your politics on your sleeve or offend easily - tread carefully or wear ear plugs. The castle is a marvel and experiencing it is worth running the hazard of encountering the castle builder. Ha!
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A couple of miles down the road we got pelted with tiny hail (almost sleet) and rain. We stopped, pulled on our leather jackets and helmets and got on down the mountain. As we neared the plains and leveled out where we could see the skyline, we reconsidered the idea that we would ride into Pueblo. The skies had grown rather ominous especially in an easterly direction. We altered our course to take us north through the small town of Florence and on to a Shell station we knew about in Penrose. I remembered a car wash nearby and as it turns out, we made use of it. When we purchased the Ultra, we discovered one of the features included with the stereo was Weatherband Radio. We pulled into the car wash and tuned to it so we could determine just which way the storms were headed. I could not be more pleased at how well that worked. Sure nuff, one of those storms was headed straight at Pueblo and was getting nastier by the minute. The second round of storms were tracking in the same direction but had yet to reach where we were sitting. We decided to shoot the gap.Hwy 115 runs about 25 miles from Penrose into Colorado Springs. It runs along the NW border of Fort Carson and is one of our favorite rides. Hwy 115 is also known as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. Although the road was wet in places, we managed to ride between the storms making contact with only a few raindrops out of the back side of clouds. However, we rolled into Colorado Springs at rush hour. Yikes! After sitting through a light about half a dozen times, we scooted across on I-25 until we saw traffic backed up. We quickly got off the interstate. If we sat in traffic long, we knew the storm brewing over the mountain (Pikes Peak) would catch up to us. We picked up Hwy 21 on the east side of the Springs which eventually intersected with Hwy 83. We travel this stretch of road that runs parallel to I-25 to Denver often to avoid the traffic on the interstate. Today was no exception.
Once in Denver, we stopped to stretch our legs and I put the camera away. We didn't tarry as storms were brewing there as well. The last place you want to be in stormy weather is the east side of Denver or I-25... they have to use snow plows to get hail off the road. We quickly crossed I-25 and rode Hwy 470 around the western suburbs of Denver (Littleton, Lakewood), continued on through Golden and wound our way home on familiar roads. Luckily, we stayed dry. We rolled into the drive just before dark. Tired, sun-burned, wind-burned and ready to hit the shower.
Road Trip #1 2010 = 2245 miles. We traveled through Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. What a great trip!
Too many photos follow... enjoy!
Raton Pass
Highway of Legends
San Isabel Forest and Bishop Castle
The Ride Home
Highway of Legends
Bishop Castle Info
The craziest castle in Colorado: Bishop's vision is a work in progress
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