Bob and Cheryl - Storm Chasers Trip West
#93
01-07-2014 | 10:15 AM
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We didn't spend too much time at the top. It was cold. Besides, once you're back on the bike, you get to see so much more. As mentioned previously, I prefer the views on the ride down. The snow adds another dimension to the beauty.
Weren't the only ones appreciating the view. This crew was doing a shoot on the way down. Probably an Eddie Bauer ad or something like that.
Our old friend was waiting for us at Twin Lakes -
I thought it possible that they might change it up every so often and plant a real cop in there. Not that day though. The dummy was still there watching the traffic through wide lifeless eyes.
The plan for today was to head up to Leadville and then over to Pike's Peak. We were hoping to do a Leadville Loop yesterday, but the rain squashed that idea. We figured we could add it to the ride today easily enough. We didn't really care where we stayed that night as long as we hit the two highlights. Maybe Colorado Springs. Maybe somewhere east.
Once off Hwy 82, we headed north on Hwy 24 towards Leadville. It runs in a valley and the nice folks in Colorado posted signs along the way naming the large peaks all around us. It's nice to know a little about the area you're riding in so the information was well appreciated. The ride up is nice and scenic, but nothing like a breathtaking ride down the pass.
We arrived in Leadville under increasing clouds. It was still bright out but there was a quality to the light that foreshadowed things to come. It was also not getting any warmer. Being that it's the middle of September, that is to be expected. Fall comes early up high.
Thde day prior had been a big day of walking in the rain from store to store, and later bar to bar. It was noon somewhere and we figured a nice Bloody Mary was in order. Leadville accommodated by presenting us with a nice place to stop.
I think every town that claims to have a mining history has a Silver Dollar Saloon. I'm sure I've been in at least 5 of them. I also think they have an informal funky interior competition going. The one in Leadville is certainly in contention for the lead.
I guess a lot of that stuff has been hanging on the walls since the late 1800s. But, I suspect most of it were more recent acquisitions.
We didn't hang around long at all and took a pass through the town -
I've heard good things about Leadville, and I'm sure there's much more to see than a cruise up and down the main drag allows. But, we were in the mood to ride. So we headed back south towards our next highlight - Pike's Peak.
To be continued.....
Weren't the only ones appreciating the view. This crew was doing a shoot on the way down. Probably an Eddie Bauer ad or something like that.
Our old friend was waiting for us at Twin Lakes -
I thought it possible that they might change it up every so often and plant a real cop in there. Not that day though. The dummy was still there watching the traffic through wide lifeless eyes.
The plan for today was to head up to Leadville and then over to Pike's Peak. We were hoping to do a Leadville Loop yesterday, but the rain squashed that idea. We figured we could add it to the ride today easily enough. We didn't really care where we stayed that night as long as we hit the two highlights. Maybe Colorado Springs. Maybe somewhere east.
Once off Hwy 82, we headed north on Hwy 24 towards Leadville. It runs in a valley and the nice folks in Colorado posted signs along the way naming the large peaks all around us. It's nice to know a little about the area you're riding in so the information was well appreciated. The ride up is nice and scenic, but nothing like a breathtaking ride down the pass.
We arrived in Leadville under increasing clouds. It was still bright out but there was a quality to the light that foreshadowed things to come. It was also not getting any warmer. Being that it's the middle of September, that is to be expected. Fall comes early up high.
Thde day prior had been a big day of walking in the rain from store to store, and later bar to bar. It was noon somewhere and we figured a nice Bloody Mary was in order. Leadville accommodated by presenting us with a nice place to stop.
I think every town that claims to have a mining history has a Silver Dollar Saloon. I'm sure I've been in at least 5 of them. I also think they have an informal funky interior competition going. The one in Leadville is certainly in contention for the lead.
I guess a lot of that stuff has been hanging on the walls since the late 1800s. But, I suspect most of it were more recent acquisitions.
We didn't hang around long at all and took a pass through the town -
I've heard good things about Leadville, and I'm sure there's much more to see than a cruise up and down the main drag allows. But, we were in the mood to ride. So we headed back south towards our next highlight - Pike's Peak.
To be continued.....
#95
01-07-2014 | 10:08 PM
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 106
Likes: 1
From: Green Bay, WI
#99
01-13-2014 | 10:47 AM
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 42,770
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From: PNW
We headed south out of Leadville under increasing clouds. The weather report for the day seemed okay, but you just never know. Especially in the mountains, and even more so during a stormy period like we were in. The ride south was pleasant but I wish there would have been a way to make a loop over to Pike’s Peak. Okay, we could have ridden up to I-70 and headed east, then south. But I mean a nice loop. So we doubled back on the road we already traveled.
Buena Vista came up quickly and we continued on Hwy 24 which hooks left (east). One of the greatest things about riding in Colorado is that if you don’t like the scenery, ride a few miles. It will change. In this case we rode through a valley towards Colorado Springs.
The weather was getting worse. Not bad, but it was raining on and off. It was also very blustery. I was a bit worried because as mentioned earlier, rain down low can be something else entirely up high. A ride up Pike’s Peak would be exhilarating all on its own. I did not need to have the challenge of slippery conditions thrown in the mix.
As we drew closer, it really began to rain. We pulled over at a coffee shop to warm up and get on more gear. We looked at the weather radar on our smart phones too. It did not look good at all. There was also the telltale exclamation point indicating a severe weather advisory. Crap.
We drank coffee and watched it rain. After a while it let up, so we decided it was now or never. It was about 3 in the afternoon when we headed up Pikes Peak Hwy and very shortly thereafter, arrived at the entrance. It was actually dry, but again, blustery. You could tell that the weather could change in an instant.
There were no cars lining up to head up the Pike’s Peak Highway, let alone motorcycles. The only bikes we did see were the ones mentioned at the beginning of this report. The rider’s tales of destruction did little to entice us to press on up the mountain. Cheryl and I looked at each other and no words needed to be exchanged. “Ice”? “Lightning”? Each one in and of itself was enough to turn us back. Both? That was a no-brainer. So, we turned tail and left. Pike's Peak would have to wait for another visit. And yes, we were very disappointed. The two other riders followed us down the hill and onto the highway. Their plan was to head for the Sand Dunes down by Alamosa. The weather was supposedly much better to the south and east.
We passed a town called Manitou Springs on the way down. The exit was closed, not that we planned on stopping anyway. But, we did wonder why it was barricaded. We had, of course, watched the news reports of the flood devastation that happened in the region. But, when we got to Manitou Springs, we caught a glimpse of it firsthand. The main road leading into the town runs parallel to the highway. Once past the closed signs, we could see why the exit was shut down. It looked like a giant bite had been taken out of the road carved into the side of the mountain leading into town.
Once down in Colorado Springs everything seemed normal. The highways were business as usual and no evidence of flood damage was to be seen. We could have stuck around and tried Pike’s Peak again the next day, but the weather reports didn’t look promising. And after seeing Manitou Springs, we decided we would just count ourselves lucky that, for the most part, we had missed the heavy rains. We headed east, away from the mountains. Pike's Peak was shrouded in clouds -
and towards home -
Buena Vista came up quickly and we continued on Hwy 24 which hooks left (east). One of the greatest things about riding in Colorado is that if you don’t like the scenery, ride a few miles. It will change. In this case we rode through a valley towards Colorado Springs.
The weather was getting worse. Not bad, but it was raining on and off. It was also very blustery. I was a bit worried because as mentioned earlier, rain down low can be something else entirely up high. A ride up Pike’s Peak would be exhilarating all on its own. I did not need to have the challenge of slippery conditions thrown in the mix.
As we drew closer, it really began to rain. We pulled over at a coffee shop to warm up and get on more gear. We looked at the weather radar on our smart phones too. It did not look good at all. There was also the telltale exclamation point indicating a severe weather advisory. Crap.
We drank coffee and watched it rain. After a while it let up, so we decided it was now or never. It was about 3 in the afternoon when we headed up Pikes Peak Hwy and very shortly thereafter, arrived at the entrance. It was actually dry, but again, blustery. You could tell that the weather could change in an instant.
There were no cars lining up to head up the Pike’s Peak Highway, let alone motorcycles. The only bikes we did see were the ones mentioned at the beginning of this report. The rider’s tales of destruction did little to entice us to press on up the mountain. Cheryl and I looked at each other and no words needed to be exchanged. “Ice”? “Lightning”? Each one in and of itself was enough to turn us back. Both? That was a no-brainer. So, we turned tail and left. Pike's Peak would have to wait for another visit. And yes, we were very disappointed. The two other riders followed us down the hill and onto the highway. Their plan was to head for the Sand Dunes down by Alamosa. The weather was supposedly much better to the south and east.
We passed a town called Manitou Springs on the way down. The exit was closed, not that we planned on stopping anyway. But, we did wonder why it was barricaded. We had, of course, watched the news reports of the flood devastation that happened in the region. But, when we got to Manitou Springs, we caught a glimpse of it firsthand. The main road leading into the town runs parallel to the highway. Once past the closed signs, we could see why the exit was shut down. It looked like a giant bite had been taken out of the road carved into the side of the mountain leading into town.
Once down in Colorado Springs everything seemed normal. The highways were business as usual and no evidence of flood damage was to be seen. We could have stuck around and tried Pike’s Peak again the next day, but the weather reports didn’t look promising. And after seeing Manitou Springs, we decided we would just count ourselves lucky that, for the most part, we had missed the heavy rains. We headed east, away from the mountains. Pike's Peak was shrouded in clouds -
and towards home -
