For 40 days and 40 nights the rains fell, and on the 41st day I stepped on to the deck and the sun was rising above the horizon…………………………………..O wait a minute, that is the wrong story.
It had been raining for about 48 hours and over cast and cloudy for the better part of three days. If I cannot get some vitamin D via the sunshine, I get a bit cranky, and if I cannot GO RIDE after a couple of days I get a bit irritable. It was time.
The sun was rising in the east and the clouds were dispersing over the mountains to the west. I needed a Ride. The question is Where to ride today? Kind of a silly question here on the front range of the Rocky Mountains. But the mountains were full of snow and the back roads in the High Country may or may not be passable.
Decided to take the Wee out and head over to Morrison and up Bear Creek Canyon and then over Kerr’s Gulch rd. to the Evergreen Mickie Dees for a cup of Senior Coffee and an Egg McMuffin. It is a great ride, starting at Morrison , up Bear Creek and on over. The McDonald was too crowded so I headed further west and higher into the mountains along route 6, that parallels I -70. One can get all the way up to Georgetown via this route before entering on to the Freeway with the exception of three miles to go through the Idaho Springs tunnel. At Idaho Spring I stopped at the McDonald for my 60 cent senior coffee and while drinking it, I watched everyone else stopping across the street at the Starbucks, buying their 5 buck FooFoo coffees. I don’t understand…….
Finished my coffee and breakfast sandwich and headed out the door contemplating my next move. Headed up the access road to Georgetown . A quaint little tourist town at the base of Guanella Pass. 11669 ft . I have been over this pass numerous times, and I can remember a few years ago when the road up and over was all dirt and gravel. Not anymore, as progress is bringing more and more pavement to our once wonderful dirt roads. Within the last three years, the north side ascent from Georgetown to the summit has been paved. Don’t get me wrong, the pavement is great, and one can blast up through the twists and turns, around the switch backs, and have a ball on a motorcycle. But in years past when the road was dirt, riding up to the summit on my old KLR was more of an adventure. Once the snow melts in the spring the construction crews are going to be busy, back hard at work, preparing the south side of the pass for pavement down to Grant, on Colorado Highway 285. That is going to bring a lot of cage traffic, as it will be a scenic connection between I-70 and Highway 285.
Anyway, I decided to ride up as far as the road conditions would allow me. As I climbed higher, the snow went from none, to being just a sugar sprinkle, to a deep undisturbed blanket of white. Only the wild life footprints disturbed the early spring snows. On to the 11000ft level and the road was blocked off and closed. Only 669 more ft. of elevation to the summit. O well had to turn around as the road is not maintained any higher in the off season. Head back down and doubled back the way I came. Back across town and home. Great four hour 150 mile ride. Here are some picture to go along with the ride.