Colorado Cruiser: Colorado Hidden Roads - Day 5

The plan for today was to do 4 progressively higher roads on my way home. At least that was the plan.

I left Delta and started East towards Independence Pass and home. I stopped at a small cafe in Hotchkiss for breakfast, then continued on.

The day started chilly and never warmed up. As I approached the first pass, McClure, it got very cold. I toughted it out, but I knew I'd have to do something before Independence pass. It's freezing cold up there on a bright sunny day.

I learned my lesson after last year, and I gassed the bike up well before I got to Aspen. The gas averages $1.50 more expensive than everywhere else. I also swapped my mesh jacket and gloves for my heated liner and heated gloves. I turned them as low as they'd go and instantly felt more comfortable.

I rode through Aspen and began climbing towards the pass. Every couple of miles I'd stop and try to take a picture, then turn the heat up just a touch. Few of my pictures came out, but the heat was great. By the time I reached the top the heat was about 1/2 way and I felt snug and cozy.

There was a group of Harley riders at the top and they were scrambling through bags pulling out extra shirts, coats and anything to try to get warm. I took my own photo and about 10 others for people who kept walking over to the sign. I was drinking a gatorade and eating some chips to keep hydrated and energized.

It was just starting to sprinkle hard as I headed down from the pass. I didn't put on my rain gear hoping to outrun the rain. I tried the same thing 4 years ago and wound up soaked to the bone and freezing. Back then I didn't want to stop out in the open to put the gear on and kept looking for some sort of cover. By the time I made it to the highway I thought I was as cold as I could get, but I was wrong. Highway speeds and freezing rain can make you even colder.

I had ridden to the town of Leadville hoping to get a hotel and warm up, but there was some event and all the hotels were booked. That meant a 40 mile ride to Frisco for the next nearest hotels. Freeway speeds were even colder than highway speeds. By the time I reached Frisco I had stopped shivering, and not in the good way. I found a little hotel with a hot tub and booked the room. I sat inside for a while to warm up but it just wasn't happening, so I went out to the hot tub.

Every time I put my hands in the water they would ache like someone has smashed them with a hammer. Then i started working on my arms, then my feet. All while standing outside the hot tub because I just couldn't get in for the pain. After 10 minutes I'd warmed enough to start shivering again and managed to get in the hot tub. I sat in there for a long time trying to not feel cold.

This time I started down from Independence pass with the sprinkling rain AND heated gear on. If it really started to come down I'd stop and gear up no matter whether I had cover or not. But it didn't start to rain hard. It just sprinkled constantly for the next 40 miles till I reached Buena Vista.

Even though my hands and upper body were pretty warm, my legs and feet were chilly. I found a nice sit down restaurant and went inside for a french dip sandwich and warmth. I chatted with a couple near my all through the meal about riding motorcycles. They live nearby and ride a Goldwing, but they haven't gotten out much this year. They kept suggesting good roads to ride and I kept saying "Just rode that". In fact, I suprised them when I said I'd come from Delta and over Independence pass. They didn't know about the road from Hotchkiss to Aspen. They thought it was dirt.

Remember at the start of this report when I said the goal was 4 high roads? Well it all got cancelled when the rain started pouring half way through lunch. There was no way I was gonna ride up Cottonwood Pass in this kind of weather.

After lunch I rode across the street to a gas station. I put on all of my rain gear, including my stylish emerald green rain suit. Unfortunately I didn't think (cough) to take a picture of myself. You'll just have to imagine an overweight munchkin with a helmet on.

Fully suited I started down the road. A couple of days ago I mentioned that John has "Get Home Fever"? Well I kind of had that once I started down Independence. I was still gonna do Cottonwood, but I wasn't enthused about it. Now with the rain falling, I really had it. The "motorcycle ride" was over and I was just going home now.

The section of road immediately East of Buena Vista is one of the most dangerous roads for motorcycles. It has allot of turns, is only 2 lane with no passing lanes, and it is heavily traveled. I was going about 8 miles below the speed limit because it hasn't rained in weeks, and oil dripping from cars for weeks mixed fresh rain can make for a very slick road. Every time a car came up behind me, I looked for the next wide shoulder and pulled over to let them pass. Even doing that, I got passed a few times by cars going 90 miles an hour who barely slowed and stayed half in my lane around corners. Fortunately it's only about 15 miles long.

I also realized shortly after starting, that I'd forgotten to spray my glassed and helmet shield with anti fogging spray. I had to keep the shield part way open or it would fog completely up. But that meant the heavy rain was splashing the windshield, the helmet shield, and my glasses. 3 layers of rain splattered glass to look though.

Fortunately my heated gloves have a squeegee built into the thumb, so I could wipe off the helmet shield easily and kept my visibility good. The rain broke at one point so I pulled over and quickly sprayed everything, then wiped it off with my t-shirt. After that it was much much nicer, and my face wasn't freezing either.

The rain stopped by the time I reached the town of Woodland park, so I stopped and switched back to my mesh gear. The last 40 miles of the ride were much warmer and uneventful.

I love riding and getting out to see things on the bike, but nothing beats coming home to a wonderful wife and family.

Until the next ride.....

McClure Pass