Father's Day White Water and Wind Ride

June 20, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- Once again we started out with gray morning skies, but about two cups into a pot of coffee and halfway through my Father's Day call to Dad in Texas, Tim started dancing around in front of the picture window and gesticulating wildly - the sun had come out of the clouds.

Before long we were rolling out of the drive in shirt sleeves with a grin on our faces, eager to see where the road would lead us today.

Holidays in the mountain tourist areas of Colorado can be a pain. Places along the peak-to-peak ride like Estes Park and Nederland, Black Hawk, Central City and Idaho Springs will fill with Denver people and tourists. We decided to avoid crowds today and pointed The Ride toward the Poudre Canyon and beyond. We had not ridden out along Hwy 14 to see the white water on the Cache La Poudre River yet this year which was at flood stage just last week due to rain and rapid snow melt. The river was running high and wild, churning scarily in some spots. Rafters and kayakers were launching much higher up the river than we've ever seen them before.

FYI: Cache La Poudre, a French term, means "hiding place of the powder". In the early 1800s, French trappers were forced to bury part of their gunpowder along the banks of the river when they got caught in a blizzard.

About 40 miles up scenic Poudre Canyon is the Glen Echo Resort. Glen Echo is home to a restaurant, lounge, store, gas station, cabins and campground. It's a busy place on the weekends with not only locals but anyone who rides, drives or camps in the the canyon. We have never had trouble finding a seat in the small, cozy restaurant which we discovered a few years back one weekend when we purt near froze to death while camping on the river in mid-September. The coffee is good. The food is good, cooked to order and presented well. The staff is friendly and efficient. Today we had burgers and fries with a side of onion rings and departed wishing we had saved room for pie. YUM!

After a great lunch, feeling plump and fit we decided to travel further westward on Hwy 14 over Cameron Pass to Walden, CO and decide from there whether to ride on or return the way we came. We hardly ever backtrack, but usually convince ourselves the option is open. Ha! This part of the ride would take us over Cameron Pass (elevation 10,276) where we encountered roadside snow. It was chilly, but since we had sun it was not enough to make us pull over and put on our jackets.

This is one of my favorite parts of this ride. I love riding by lush mountain valleys past crystal blue lakes and getting a glimpse of snowy mountain peaks as we round one bend of the road or another. Eventually, you round a bend and get a stunning glimpse of an outcropping of craggy spires known as the Crags. Nokhu (Arapaho term meaning eagle's nest) Crags are located in a part of the Rockies called the Never Summer Mountains. We have camped at Chambers Lake and in the Colorado State Forest in this area.



After a brief stop at the Moose Center, we rode into Walden where we topped off with gas and listened to the advice of another rider who had just come down from Rocky Mountain National Park where he said the west side roads had been taken down to dirt and were really muddy. Apparently, this had been a heck of an adventure for him and I believe he was just happy to have survived the ride and still be vertical. Well, we didn't have the park in mind today - too many people.

The wind had kicked up as we cruised the high roads into Walden. We knew we would have winds for the rest of the day if we continued on into Wyoming. No matter. We chose to ride north out of Walden on Hwy 125 which becomes Hwy 230 in Wyoming. Did I mention we rarely backtrack? Yep, it was windy. We could have taken the short way across to Laramie, but not ready to call it a day we took the long way home, riding through the small towns of Riverside, WY and Saratoga, WY. The North Platte River was running well above its normal height. In Saratoga, sandbags could be seen along the Platte's banks. The stretch of Hwy 130 north of Saratoga eventually dumped us out on I-80 about 80 or so miles west of Laramie. We thought we might ride 20 miles west and visit the town of Rawlins. The winds were howling though, so after a couple of miles we turned around and headed east. This section of I-80 cuts a swath through gentle, rolling hills and ridges where a good many wind farms can be seen. Needless to say, they were cranking out the wattage today. I-80 is always busy with truck traffic, much of it avoiding the mountain passes of I-70 in Colorado. No matter, we made the trip easily, enjoying the ride. We passed many bikers, most of them looking as if they were on long haul trips.

In Laramie, WY we topped off with gas again and refreshed ourselves with ice-cream and water. We spoke with a man who climbed out of a vehicle with Texas plates who remarked on the Harley. He and his family were on the road to Montana.

From Laramie it is about 80 miles south on Hwy 287 back to Fort Collins. As we rode out, we noticed the temperature had broke for the day. As we rode a little farther, it got colder and colder. I believe we lost about 20 degrees. I guess we rode about a ten to fifteen mile stretch, maybe more where we shivered and seriously contemplated pulling off and putting on our jackets. We toughed it out and once we crossed the Colorado state line, it gradually warmed.

We rolled into the drive about 6:30 pm after a 360 mile Father's Day ride. Tim was all smiles as he pulled into the garage. He put a couple of beers in the freezer for a proper chill, while I emailed the Folks to let them know we were in for the day. The remainder of the evening was spent on the patio with beer and nuts, watching the grass grow.

Not a bad day - said Tim. No, not bad at all - I replied.

What follows is a slide show (about 90 pics or so)... if you have the patience for it - enjoy.