Mini Road Trip - Passport Run - Day 1

August 7, 2010
Colorado, USA

Delta, CO -- We rolled out of Fort Collins early this morning, riding across to the west side of the state on a H-D passport run. We zipped up I-25 and across to I-70 without encountering too much traffic. First stop was breakfast at McDonald's in Idaho Springs. I know, not very imaginative -- but this is a low-budget ride. Knowing it would be chilly near the Eisenhower Tunnel, we suited up accordingly after breakfast. Temps were in the low 40s by the time we approached the tunnel. We have been through when it was much colder.

The ride west on I-70 is about as beautiful as an interstate ride can get. Mining structures and mine tailings dot the mountainsides all along the way. Small mountain towns trading on the rich mining history of the area are many. It is condo heaven from Idaho Springs to Glenwood Springs. The gold these days is the revenue generated out of the pockets of those who visit the ski slopes in winter and the mountain lakes and villages in summer. Even if you are not a hiker or a cyclist or a nature lover, entertainment opportunities still abound, in the form of restaurants, breweries, shopping and assorted tourist traps from mine tours to train rides, if you are into that sort of thing. We are not. The draw for us is mountain and valley, river and canyon and the roads that wind through them.

Even on a sunny summer day, I-70 is a light and shadow ride. According to Tim it was garl-durn cold on both sides near the summit of Vail Pass (elev 10,662). That about says it. Stopping at the rest area near Eagle, CO as we have so often before for a sip of now lukewarm thermos coffee, we strolled along rocky Eagle Creek noting that the rivers were flowing hard and murky today, due to rain somewhere upstream.

After thawing out, we began the next part of our journey. The ride through Glenwood Canyon is stunning - not only because of the landscape which is grand and rugged, but the road itself is an engineering marvel. We never tire of it. The Colorado River and railroad tracks wind alongside the road through the 12.5 mile canyon where some of the walls tower over road and river as high as 1300 feet.


Glenwood Canyon - I-70 - Colorado

There was a little confusion as to where the dealership was located (Glenwood Springs or Carbondale) so we got a mini tour of both towns, ending up near where we had stopped for gas earlier and began the search. We had ridden by the dealership while we were looking at street signs. Duh. (Sure, we have a GPS - it is laying on the kitchen table in Fort Collins). Aspen Valley is a really nice dealership and very busy. The man who was working motorclothes had been passed the job just that morning when someone failed to show up for work. For the twenty minutes training he said he'd had - he was managing well. Passports stamped, we repeated the ten miles on Hwy 82 to Carbondale riding alongside the roaring Forks River which runs through the middle of Glenwood Springs, turning off on Hwy 133 to make our way to the dealership in Montrose. Continuing on Hwy 82 will take you to Aspen and eventually over the Continental Divide and Independence Pass.

Hwy 133 is not actually designated as a scenic byway but we enjoyed it as such anyway. Mount Sopris dominates the view from nearly every aspect of the road as you travel out of Carbondale. The Crystal River rushes alongside before the road begins a three mile twisting, turning, steep climb to the summit of McClure Pass (elev 8755). It offers a spectacular view of the Crystal River Valley and the infamous Maroon Bells in the Snowmass Wilderness area. Maroon Peak and South Maroon Peak are Colorado 14ers (over 14,000 feet).

The Maroon Bells - Snowmass Wilderness - Colorado from McClure Pass, Hwy 133

Another surprise along Hwy 133 are coal mines. I had no idea the area was mined for coal. These mines and black mountains of coal loom large on the horizon and conveyor belts cross the highway. A sign as you ride through Somerset, says it has been a coal mining town since 1896. Rounding a turn near another small town (Paonia) the roads travels beside scenic Paonia Reservoir which is nestled in a narrow canyon. The waters were deep green (due to a reflection of forested hillsides), calm and serene.

The landscape widens into a fertile farming valley near Hotchkiss, CO. The area is known for its produce, in particular, fruits like peaches and more recently, for the vineyards. We stopped on the side of the road at the edge of town so Tim could work out a kink in his butt - oh - excuse me - leg. Ha! Traveling west on Hwy 92 now toward Delta we ran upon a stretch of nasty road construction. The last time we were on this same road (over a year ago) we encountered road construction closer to the town of Delta. And here we were again traveling on a road that was ground down to loose dirt and deeply rutted, not to mention the rows of loose gravel.

By the time we arrived in Delta, we were dusty and thirsty and it didn't take much conversation to decide we had plenty of time for lunch before riding the 20 miles or so to the dealership in Montrose. On the way through Delta I admired the many murals painted on the buildings. Delta is known as the city of murals. On the edge of town an unassuming place called Butch's Cafe looked promising. I ordered my customary BLT and Tim, a burger. Both of us ordered sweet potato fries. No complaints here, the wait staff was friendly, and the cook was on the ball. Our food was not fancy - just hot and tasty.

Traveling south on Hwy 550, we passed through the town of Olathe where lots of people were gathering for what appeared to be a festival and a concert. I remember looking at the clouds as we passed by, thinking these people are going to get wet. We reached Black Canyon of the Gunnison Harley-Davidson in a matter of minutes. We didn't have to look for this one, I remembered it from when we passed through during the Colorado HOG Rally last year. The person who stamped our passports was friendly and efficient. We chatted with her for a few minutes before strolling through the store. I believe this is Colorado's newest dealership, small but nice.

Leaving Montrose, traveling north now on Hwy 550 back to Delta, we noticed the storm on the horizon. At first, it did not appear to be on our path. That is, we hoped it was not between us and Grand Junction. A couple of curves later, a wall of water presented itself about 200 yards out. We stopped, pulled on our rain gear and rode in heavy, pelting rain and wind back to Butch's Cafe in Delta where we sat on the patio (since we were dripping wet) with fresh brewed cups of coffee and chatted with the locals for over an hour as wave after wave of hard rain came through with no sign of letting up.

I finally asked our waitress about hotels nearby. A Best Western about 1/2 mile up the road sounded good. We made a dash for it, during a brief lull in the storm. It was a soggy end to our day, heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and winds run us in a little earlier than planned. We were about 40 miles out from Grand Junction (our third and final passport stop for this weekend) - an easy ride for tomorrow morning. We chose to go to the Grand Junction dealership last as it was the only dealership on the west side open on a Sunday.

We took the last room at the Best Western, or so they said. I was a bit skeptical about the last room bit, but it is possible. A group of four on two bikes rolled out as we rolled in. Bummer. I believe there was only one other decent motel in town. I called the Folks to let them know we were in for the night while Tim unloaded our bag. Mom said she thought we would get into rain as she had seen the storms on the weather channel. We did not get the bag covered before the deluge and a few items of clothing were slightly damp. I hung those items on hangars along with gloves and head apparel to air dry. The ride parked just outside the room, supper was a short stroll across the parking lot to the in-house restaurant with an open menu and a liquor license. After some nachos and beer - we are content to settle in and see what kind of BS movie is on HBO which will likely turn out to be better than a sleeping pill.

Today's mileage = 407 miles. I should mention that we saw many motorcycles throughout the day, especially on I-25 travelling north and on I-70 travelling east. Most of them were in groups of three or more, loaded down with luggage, camping gear and pulling trailers. Sturgis-bound I reckon.

Here is a slide show of today's ride (118 photos):