Colorado Cruiser: 2013 Summer Ride - Day 11 - Colorado Nat Mnmt

I had set an alarm for 6:00 but I awoke at 5:30. I showered quickly, ate some fruit and was out the door by 6:00.

The 60 mile road from Price to Green River isn't what you'd call scenic. I kept my speed below the speed limit and scanned often for animals on the road. I also spotted 2 police cars waiting for the speeders that always seem to frequent this road. The sun rose not far out of Price and I got a few pictures.

After an hour I arrived in Green River and gassed up the bike. I bought some water to drink and to take with me.

Out on the I-70 freeway I raised my speed up to just over the limit and burned down the road. This early the road was pretty empty and the temperatures were low, about 72. It was actually an enjoyable ride over to Fruita Colorado. I exited the Freeway and rode over a McDonalds for a bit more breakfast. I checked the location of Nannette's cell phone and it still looked to be at Lisa's. I decided that I had the time to go ride through the Colorado National Monument. It was straight up the road from where I'd exited (on purpose).

I flashed my park pass again and rode into the monument. The road climbs up onto a mesa just outside of Grand Junction, then winds along the edge of the mesa giving beautiful views out across the valley. I rode just above an idle, stopping often to admire the views. I passed about a hundred motorcycles going the other way so it's a pretty popular bypass.

By the time I reached the end, Nannette texted to say they were past Green River and on their way to Grand Junction.

I rode the city streets through Grand Junction back to I-70 and continued East. My gas was down to about 1/4 of a tank and I figured I should get gas before leaving the city but I never came across one. Finally about 10 miles out of town I saw an exit sign showing gas. It turned out to be 2 hours off the freeway. I gassed up and got more water. A quick text from Nan showed that they were only 30 minutes behind me now, so I got back on the road East.

As I got close to Glenwood Springs I called Nan and we made plans to meet up for lunch when I got there. I exited at the first exit and started looking for somewhere interesting to eat. I saw fast food, chilis, and a few generic hamburger places that I rode past. Then I spotted Vic's Route 6 Cafe. It looked like just the place and pulled into their parking lot.

I texted directions to Nan and went in to get a table.

The cafe was full of odd nic nacs like old gas pumps, road signs, model planes, stuffed animals, and other interesting memorabilia. I ordered an appetizer and a soda (I usually don't drink soda, but I needed a pick me up), and settled in to wait for Nan and Kyle. They arrived after 15 minutes and we ordered our lunch. It was very good.

While we ate, I asked Nan if she'd mind if I headed home via a longer but much more interesting route than the freeway. She said she didn't mind, but didn't want to take any longer to get home so they'd stay on the freeway. We finished eating then kissed goodbye. I headed South toward Aspen and they continued East toward Vail.

I gassed up close to the freeway because I've been burned by the gas prices in Aspen in the past. It's often $1.50 more a gallon once you reach the sacred grounds and the beautiful people. The 30 miles to Aspen aren't very interesting but at least it was getting cooler and cooler.

On the other side of Aspen the highway began to climb toward Independence Pass. There are beautiful views of the mountains all along the road. In a few places the road narrows to nearly single lane proportions but I met only a few cars coming the other way. As I got close to the pass, the reason became clear. There was road construction going on with only a single lane in each direction. There was a very long line of cars so they must have been holding traffic for some reason. I had to way 15 minutes before they let us go.

When I reached the top I took a picture and drank some water. This is the first time I've been on Independence pass without it being freezing cold. It was about 60 degrees and quite nice. But I've got even more plans so I didn't stay long.

The ride down the far side of Independence is ever more impressive and beautiful than the Aspen side. There are some beautiful valleys surrounded by mountains leading all the way down to the highway. Once on the highway I turned South towards Buena Vista.

In Buena Vista I turned West to ride up Cottonwood Pass. I've been wanting to ride up this pass for over a year. Last August I rode this same round across Independence pass (freezing cold) and when I came to Buena Vista I was soaking wet and freezing so I didn't do Cottonwood. But today was a beautiful day and I had the time to ride the pass.

It was about 16 miles to the top of Cottonwood and the last 7 miles are really impressive. About as good as Independence. Big wide speepers and sharp tight switchbacks leading up to over 12,000 feet. The pavement ends at the top of the pass so I didn't go any farther. I took pictures and walked around for a while, then headed back down to Buena Vista for gas.

From Buena Vista I followed highway 24 West through Woodland Park and down into Manitou Springs and then into Garden of the Gods. I parked the bike and took few minutes to relish the memories of this wonderful vacation. Today has been a wonderful day of riding. The temperature hasn't gotten much over 84 degrees all day, and most of it has been in the 70s.

Reluctantly I rode on toward home, stopping to get a Jimmy John's #9 sub.

Now it's 2 days later. I've spent the evening sitting out in from of my house, enjoying the 65 degree evening and the gentle breeze. It's a nice clear night to spend with the computer. Writing this last ride report is the final bit of the vacation business left. I'm already thinking of other rides to do, like taking my grand daughter up to Rocky Mountain National Park to camp for a night, or going to Mount Rushmore.

It's embarrassing, but I only live 6 hours from Mt Rushmore and I've never been there. I've got lots of things I want to do this summer.

Until the next ride report, Goodbye

Sunrise of the Central Utah Desert