Father's Day Ride - Day 1

June 18, 2011
Colorado, USA

Let's call it mini road trip #1. We rolled out (in leather jackets) under troubled skies in our area this morning, scooting south on I-25 toward a patch of blue sky. If one travels early enough in Colorado, the reward is the sight of hot air balloons drifting along with the northern Rockies as a backdrop. We saw three balloons as we neared Longmont (a favorite launching spot in this area). At the north end of the Denver Metro-Mess we swung west toward the foothills having had enough of stupid cannot-be-bothered-to-wake-up-before-I-drive-and-text mostly comatose drivers.

First stop was for breakfast. Today we chose the Blue Cow Eatery in busy, biker-friendly Morrison, CO. We got lucky in our timing as the place is usually packed with a line of people waiting to be seated. We arrived to a half empty dining room. Even though it was somewhat chilly, we chose a sunny table on the plastic-enclosed back patio. You could hear the creek rushing by just beyond. Breakfast was a pleasant surprise. Of course, I ordered biscuits and gravy and Tim a big traditional breakfast (country-fried steak and eggs). Both entrees were served with country fries and plated nicely with a variety of fresh fruit on the side. The coffee was good and hot. Service was prompt and efficient. Very clean. The decor is laid back and comfortable. This was our first time at the Blue Cow. We will return.

Tim's breakfast at the Blue Cow

Vik's breakfast at the Blue Cow

As expected the day stayed sunny and clear, but it was still cool enough for leather jackets as we traveled west on Hwy 74 (Bear Creek Road). After only a few miles we saw a sign that said the road was closed ahead for a parade in Evergreen. No problem, we turned south on Myers Gulch Road which evolves into Parmalee Gulch Rd and eventually dumps out on Hwy 285. The last time we were on the Gulch roads in this area, we were in a cage and the Harley was not even a dream.

Traveling busy and seemingly always under construction Hwy 285 over Crow Hill, and into Bailey, CO we discovered it was Bailey Days. The festival was just getting started, but it looked like a good crowd was gathering. We sat in traffic for a few minutes as a couple of law enforcement officials directed pedestrians across the highway. We rode on. Neither one of us much wanted to admit it, but the chaps would have been a welcome piece of apparel as we made our way over Kenosha Pass (elevation = 10,001) and into the South Park Basin. Yes, this is the area from which the animated sitcom, South Park gets its name. Be on the lookout for those stinkers Stan, Kyle, Eric and Kenny.

Looking west from Hwy 285 near Fairplay

At Fairplay, we stopped for gas and a cup of thermos coffee. The mountains were gorgeous this morning. Photos just do not do them justice.

Ready to ride a little warmer, we rolled further south on Hwy 285, passing over Red Hill Pass (elevation 9993) to the small town of Buena Vista. This is a great ride with nothing but eye candy mountain views. Buena Vista sits in a high mountain desert surrounded by the Collegiate Peaks -- Mt. Princeton, Mt. Yale, Mt. Columbia, and Mt. Harvard, of the Sawatch Range. We cruised the short main street in town and rolled on toward Salida, veering off to cruise downtown there as well. Salida was in the middle of one of its white water festivals and some of the streets were roped off. The rivers are raging so I'm sure it was a good one this year.

Well, we had put enough miles on breakfast to have ice cream on the brain so we stopped at I Scream & Stuff in Poncha Springs for a hot fudge sundae.

The next leg of our journey would find us traveling Hwy 114 west over North Pass (elevation 10,149) and the Continental Divide. The first part of the ride took us through rolling landscape of the volcanic Cochetopa (Ute - pass of the Buffalo) Hills. This is just west of Saguache (say-watch). The second part of Hwy 114 is through scenic canyon lands. The road junctions with Hwy 50 just east of Gunnison.

We looked at a few motels on our way through Gunnison but since it was only mid-afternoon, we were not really ready to call it a day. The decision was to ride Hwy 149 to Lake City, CO and maybe bunk there for the night. After gassing up and stretching our legs, we rolled west out of Gunnison past the eastern edge of Blue Mesa Reservoir which was not all that blue today. Snow runoff has made most of our waters murky.

The last time we rode this highway known as The Silver Thread between Lake City and Creede was on the Softail in 2009. We rode from South Fork to Gunnison on the 4th of July. This time we were riding it in the opposite direction on the Ultra.

The Lake Fork of the Gunnison is the river that runs just beside the road, sometimes so close you could dip a toe in without getting off the Harley and at other points it swoops way below, raging through the deep canyon walls. The waters were churning and running swift this day.

Lake Fork of the Gunnison River - Hwy 149 CO

We cruised the town first, taking in a few of the sights. There was an event in the park. Runners were coming in after a 50 mile foot race. We finally chose the rinky-dink Silver Spur Motel in Lake City as our bunk for the night. Most of the cabins along the highway either showed no vacancy or were likely priced out of our budget. When I say rinky-dink, I simply mean small, unkempt and dated. It is a double decker. We stayed on the ground floor. The place is old. When was the last time you saw velvet paintings on a brown paneled wall? The room was musty smelling (old curtains and bed spread, and even older color-undetermined carpet). Opening windows to the crisp mountain air helped. Now, don't get me wrong, while the motel was old and not very well maintained, it was clean enough and we slept well enough. (In fact, we've stayed in worse.) It is a bit pricey for value received. The owner is talkative and friendly. She told us how to work the heater (which we didn't need) and advised we get our ice now as the motel crew is not on site after 8 pm. She even gave us a buy one/get one coupon for beer at the bar next door that she recently acquired. So, while the Silver Spur does not get a smiling recommendation, if you ever find yourself in Lake City for the night, it might do.

We checked in, put our things in the room, secured the Harley and strolled the town, reading the signs posted on historic buildings and rambling through the community gardens. One of the things we remembered about our last ride through Lake City was a little eating establishment called Southern Vittels. We had the best apple pie there (baked locally) and swore we would make it back to eat there again. There's catfish on the menu!

Tim and Vic - Southern Vittels - Lake City, CO (Catfish, BBQ Ribs and Apple Pie - YUM!)

Even though the day was cooling off fast, we seated ourselves on the front porch of Southern Vittels and ordered a couple of beers. Tim had BBQ ribs. I had catfish. YUM! And yes, we both had a piece of apple pie. And yes, it was as good as I remembered. The service was great and our waitress was cheerful and friendly. You'll find everything you need to know about Southern Vittels in the restaurant views on this blog.

After our most excellent meal, we strolled (maybe a better word is waddled) through the rest of the town, read a few more plaques and paid our respects at the Veterans Memorial. Soon, we found ourselves in for night and just about ready for bed. The motel did not offer WIFI but as it happens the town's free hot spot was just across the street so I had no trouble connecting. I briefly checked in with the world. And then, we turned in early...

We rode 411 miles today.

Remember, clicking on the photos in the post reveals a larger version.

This is a slide show of today's ride = 146 photos: