I've always enjoyed riding the mountain passes in Colorado because they always include a lot of beautiful scenery and plenty of curvey roads. After staying closer to home last year and participating in the BMW Motorcycle Club of Colorado's Pass Bagger 50 I decided to continue that in 2006 to re-discover some of the passes I've visited in the past, and discover a few new ones.

For maps and more pass photos, check the Concours Owners Group / Colorado site.

June 10, 2006 - Muddy Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass, Douglas Pass, Unaweep Divide, Gypsum Gap, and on to Moab. About 780 miles.

In September of 2003 we took a one-week trip to Utah’s national parks with our Nissan Xterra, enjoyed the desert scenery, drove some interesting red rock roads out of Moab, and had a terrific vacation. It was only natural that I’d want to ride my KLR650 there too, so during the winter last year, plans were formulated for a return trip, with one thing leading to another. “It’s the rider, not the bike” that earns an Iron Butt Association award but since I had an IBA plate backer on the KLR, it seemed right to make the route to Moab a meandering 1000 miler for that bike also. And as long as I was working on the Colorado Beemers Pass Bagger 50 I might as well bag some passes on the way too. And I’d never been to Monument Valley, so why not throw that as well. The plan was firmed up and away I went.

June 10, 2006, started at 4 AM with the IBA witness form being signed by my very understanding wife and with a fuel stop at a nearby gas station. I was wearing an electric vest that kept me somewhat comfortable in the 40-something degree temperatures between Denver and Muddy Pass (8,710') and Rabbit Ears Pass (9,426') where I stopped for some Pass Bagger photos (numbers 34 and 35). I gassed up in Steamboat Springs and continued west on US-40 into less mountainous territory, passing through Craig and Maybell. Near Dinosaur I really wanted to stop at the Dinosaur National Monument visitor’s center for a National Parks stamp (I collect those too), but decided I should keep pressing on, trying to be on an 18-hour pace to Moab. After a 4-minute gas stop in Dinosaur that must have looked like a blur to a couple of chopper riders sitting there, I turned south to Rangely and CO-139 which leads to Douglas Pass (8,240'). Not many folks ride this road, but the ones that do are always enthusiastic about the wide-open scenery, mountains, canyons, open-range, curvy roads, and the high view at Douglas Pass. It definitely isn’t the straight, flat road that the line on maps seems to make us expect.

At the summit I stopped for PB photo #36 and headed back downhill for Grand Junction. After passing some stock trucks I made good time and was soon at I-70 for a “corner” gas stop, a quick “lunch” of SlimFast (a Gary Egan trick), and to take off some of the cool weather gear. From there I began the most difficult part of the trip, heading east to Silt on I-70, the wrong way to Moab, just to rack up some needed fast miles so I could end up in Moab with 1000 miles. At the gas station I let two things affect me more than they should have. One was the need to add some oil to the bike and having to pay convenience store prices for it. I should have brought some Amsoil along. Next was my credit card not working at the pump. I incorrectly assumed my card company was at fault since I hadn’t called them before the trip, so I called and learned they hadn’t refused my card after all. They graciously entered a no-refuse note for gas purchases in the four corners states, I tried the card at the pump, it failed, I tried my debit card, it failed, I tried the credit card at another pump, and it worked. So after burning off a half hour and realizing I was now on a 19-hour pace for Moab, with a bit of frustration I headed back west on I-70. By the time I got through Grand Junction and was heading south, all except for the pace was fine.

South of GJ I turned west on CO-141, one of the best motorcycling roads in Colorado and one that I hadn’t ridden in years. It climbs from low desert to high, dry country with the Uncompahgre Mesa rising dramatically on the south side of the road. I stopped at Unaweep Divide (7,048') for PB photo #37 and continued to Gateway for gas, a receipt, and water. It’s a cool place complete with a nice motel and a car museum that we should all visit. But I did an IBA stop and continued south along the winding road that has the Delores River and all its vegetation on one side, red rock cliffs on both sides, and Colorado blue sky above. What a ride! Except for my bike’s performance which seemed to include a troubling surge.

Nevertheless I continued south past the hanging flume to Uravan, an old uranium mining town, and on to Gypsum Gap (6,125') where I took PB photo #38. CO-141 from Nucla to Dove Creek was one of those roads in Colorado that I had long wanted to travel just because it was there and I wasn’t. Fairly bleak territory, including Disappointment Valley, but now I can put a mental picture to that line on the map.

When I came to the corner of CO-141 and US-666 near Dove Creek I stopped for about 10 minutes trying to make up my mind which way to go. Option A: continue to Cortez, Kayenta Arizona, and Moab, a 300-mile loop that would include Monument Valley (something that I really wanted to see), and the route that would earn a SS1000. But I was now on a 20-hour pace, with a surging bike, that would put me into Monument Valley right after dark so I wouldn’t be able to see it and I wouldn’t get to Moab until about 10 PM. Option B: turn right toward Monticello, Utah, on a 100-mile path to Moab, getting me there before dark and early enough for supper. Tick, tick, tick went the clock. I turned right and for the first time bailed out of an IBA ride. Oh well, I’ll try again another day.

It was disappointing to miss Monument Valley and the SS1000, but it sure was nice to ride into Moab after almost 800 miles, check into the campground at the north edge of town, and go to dinner at a Mexican café. That was made even better when another KLR rider, on a very long trip from Florida, walked in and joined me for dinner. We had a great time swapping stories about our travels and how we had fixed up our bikes. Typical of us motorcyclists, eh?

Back at the campground I realized the surging was due to my trying to put too many miles on a chain. I’ve been riding a shaft-driven Concours for 15 years and had pretty much forgotten about chains and the symptoms of stretching one too far. With the aid of the center stand (no matter what they say, this is a good accessory on a KLR) I adjusted and lubed the chain, making it good enough for some more travel. Besides, was I going to dump the trip and ship the bike back to Denver? A stretched chain and worn sprockets are already stretched and worn anyway and would have to be replaced later whether I stopped then or two days down the road.

June 11, 2006 - Hurrah Pass, Geyser Pass, La Sal Pass. About 160 miles.

The next morning I left my shady campground fairly early and headed for Hurrah Pass (4,780'), southeast of Moab. The first part of the road was paved with a tall, red cliff on the left, and the wide Colorado River on the right. Not far from town the road became good dual sport material, and was one that I rode on my mountain bike in 2003. It included a sandy creek crossing, a canyon with green trees and plenty of red rocks, a field of turquoise colored rocks, and a big open valley surrounded by more red cliffs and a big, blue sky overhead. Being fairly new to dual sport riding it was very interesting to compare techniques and challenges between the KLR and the mountain bike I had previously ridden there. The road, such as it was, gradually climbed its way to Hurrah Pass with great views to the west, of course, dominated by the color red.

After taking the obligatory photos, even though the pass in Utah wouldn’t count toward the PB, I headed back the same way to Moab, somewhat concerned about the creek crossing. Some mountain bike techniques work on the heavy KLR and the crossing went without a problem. If there hadn’t been some folks camping there, I might have tried it a few more times.

In Moab I stopped for Gatorade for the CamelBak in the tank pannier and headed south and east for the La Sal mountains. Those are the ones visible off to the south of I-70 in eastern Utah and seem out of place in that fairly flat part of the desert. For a long time I had wanted to see what they looked like, and now I was heading right to them. The first part of the route was on the Moab mountain loop, a very fun, climbing, curvy paved road that was handled in very fine fashion by the Avon Gripsters. After a few miles I turned off onto a gravel road that was climbing into the mountains, providing views way back down toward Moab, and taking me through a constantly changing vegetation zones. It went from sage brush, to aspen, to pine fairly quickly. It wasn’t long before things looked a lot like riding in the Colorado mountains. And it was nice and cool. After a while I came upon Geyser Pass (10,600') and took some Colorado-like photos, for my Utah PB award, something I just made up. I went by some large fields of wild iris, splashed through some dark brown mud to go along with the red mud from earlier in the day, and eventually came down on the east side of the mountains. This isn’t a big mountain range, for sure.

After riding through some open cattle range and accidentally splashing through some green “mud”, I found the turn to head back into the mountains on the La Sal Pass (10,400') road. Just a ways up the road I came to a deep, wide stream crossing that seemed to have a good gravel bottom, so I barged right in, and … came out the other side just fine. While riding in the aspens on the narrow, two-track road I got the biggest surprise of the trip when two elk galloped across the road right ahead of me, heading down the meadow in a real hurry. I’m not sure if they would have stopped or veered away from me if I had been there just a little bit earlier. Just short of the pass I went by a hiker, stopped for photos of the pass with Mt. Peale in the background, then had a long conversation with the hiker when he arrived. He had just climbed and descended Mt. Peale, the highest peak in Utah, and told me about his very interesting quest to climb the tallest mountains (or hills) in each of the fifty states. Motorcyclists aren’t the only folks that “collect” geographic features.

The La Sal Pass road continued on west toward Moab but the 4WD reference books indicated the west side was more technical than the east, so I proceeded with caution. I didn’t want to get myself in a spot where I couldn’t return the way I had come. After less than a mile I came upon a steep, snowy, muddy section and knew that I wouldn’t be able to climb back up that way if needed, so I wisely (in my opinion) turned around and went back over the pass to the east and then continued on into Moab.

Man, it was hot in Moab! The dial-type thermometer on the KLR indicated 100 when the bike was moving, but then went berserk, swinging the needle back and forth at a high rate of speed when slow speeds or stops caused it started picking up the heat off the pavement. I went back to the campground to clean up, then toured the downtown stores to find something nice for my understanding wife. (Remember, the one that signed my IBA form the day before?) With that accomplished I found a shady spot to write some postcards and finished the day with another Mexican dinner and lots of ice water. “Just leave the pitcher, please?”

June 12, 2006 - Columbine Pass, Windy Point Pass, McClure Pass, and on to Denver. About 420 miles.

Another day dawned and started with another power breakfast of SlimFast and a Clif Bar and an early departure, this time for the ride home. I traveled south, then turned east toward Paradox and Bedrock, two other towns in Colorado I hadn’t ever visited. The road along the way was scenic, very curvy, and populated by deer, a road worth riding cautiously. After some riding through this very open, lowly populated part of the state, I arrived at Nucla (home of a famous prairie dog hunt) and found the road toward the Uncompahgre Plateau and Columbine Pass. Two days earlier I had ridden around the north and west sides of the plateau and now I was getting to ride over the plateau on a road that I had eyed on the maps for years. The gravel road climbed through differing zones of vegetation, had some hazy views of the La Sal mountains, and eventually arrived at Columbine Pass (9,140'). It wasn’t high, didn’t have any Columbines blooming, but the photos counted for PB #39, and the driver of the road grader counted as the first person I had seen since Nucla. Not far away I turned northwest for a 10-mile ride to Windy Point Pass (9,450'), PB #40. On the way back person number two blasted past me on a dirt bike. Cool, I wish I could ride like that.

Thirty miles of gravel road later, on which I met only 3 vehicles, I descended off the plateau toward Delta and passed an auto salvage yard with the largest collection of old 1957-63 Chevrolets I’ve ever seen. Must be a story there somewhere. I gassed up in Delta (very hot by then) and traveled through Hotchkiss, Paonia, and Somerset on CO-92, a road that includes some of the great sweepers in the state as it climbs toward McClure Pass (8,763'). After a stop for PB #41 photos, I rode down the very pretty Crystal River valley to Carbondale. I had planned to take the road over Independence Pass on the way home, but time was starting to run out, so I continued to Glenwood Springs and rode I-70 back to the Denver area.

What a trip. Eight more passes for the Pass Bagger (and three that didn’t count), an almost-SS1000, red dirt and mountain riding at Moab, interesting conversations with folks along the way, at the campground, and at dinner, and plenty of riding. Definitely worth doing again.

July 15, 2006 - Poncha Pass, La Manga Pass, Cumbres Pass, Wolf Creek Pass, Spring Creek Pass, Slumgullion Pass, Yellow Jacket Pass. About 670 miles.

As much as I like bouncing around on my KLR650, I still like riding my ’97 Concours with its power, corner-carving ability, and long-range comfort. Now it was time to collect some mountain passes with it, and heading to southwest Colorado and the San Juan mountains was the place to put it to work.

I left the Denver area about six in the morning knowing that I had a lot of rambling to do for the day. Traveling out US-285 I crossed Kenosha, Red Hill, and Trout Creek Passes on my way to Buena Vista and points south. My first stop was at Poncha Pass (9,010’) for Pass Bagger # 42, a pass that opens up to the wide and flat San Luis Valley, bordered on the east by the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. Looking ahead on the 60-mile straight was a little plain, but if I had wanted to break things up, I could have stopped at the alligator farm or the UFO tower for a little amusement. But I stayed on the gas, went through Alamosa, and arrived at Antonito, the starting point for a super train ride on the Cumbres & Toltec narrow gauge railroad between there and Chama, New Mexico.

While most traffic turned left for NM, I continued straight on CO-17 and had the road almost to myself. It had been quite a while since I’d traveled this highway (one of the reasons for doing the Pass Bagger) and I sure enjoyed the mountainous scenery as the road curved its way up to La Manga Pass (10,230’). I stopped for PB # 43, swapped stories with a group of bicyclists doing a big, multi-day loop of the area, ate a quick Clif Bar lunch, and motored on. To the west were large, open meadows, plenty of green forest, clear blue skies, and winding roads. Perfect Colorado riding.

It wasn’t long before I was at Cumbres Pass (10,222’) for PB # 44 photos by the old marker placed there in 1929, right near a train station. Suddenly a bunch of cars came roaring up and quickly parked. At first I wondered what was going on, then remembered that there are always quite a few folks that like to photograph the old steam locomotives, then race ahead to the next crossing to take some more photos. Even though I still had miles to travel I decided I’d better wait for the train that would soon arrive. About 5 minutes later I was able to get PB # 44 photos with a smoke-belching steam locomotive and train in the background. (The gal that took my photo for me rides a Gold Wing with her husband and “collects” covered bridges up north.) What a great day this was turning out to be.

I left when the train did and continued on down to Chama, went past the Cumbres & Toltec railroad station and the Chama Station Inn where we stayed several years ago, saw the now-shuttered Viva Vera’s Mexican café that used to have some of the best green chili sauce in NM, and then stopped for gas. Heading west I stopped at the Continental Divide (7,275), a flat crossing out in some pretty country surrounded by low, forested mountains. The photos I took there don’t count for the Pass Bagger, but count toward a new “collection” of New Mexico mountain passes, as if I need another collection.

After riding through some pretty scenery on a mostly empty US-84 I crossed back into Colorado, swept around an uphill curve, and suddenly saw and passed a sign for Confar Hill, a pass (?) that I didn’t remember seeing in any of my reference material. I went on down the hill, turned around, went back over Confar Hill, turned around, and stopped on the edge of the narrow shoulder for some photos. I didn’t know if this one would count or not, but the photos were in the bag. (After returning home and doing some more research I decided this one wouldn’t count since it doesn’t seem to be a watershed divide and I couldn’t find it on any maps.)

With impressive, higher mountains in the distance I continued north to Pagosa Springs and turned back east toward Wolf Creek Pass (10,850’). This section of US-160 is one of the prettiest in the state with the heights of Wolf Creek up ahead, thinner forest with tall trees surrounded by pastures of mountain grass, and blue sky. It looks like a big, manicured city park. After going past the waterfall and buzzing through some switchbacks I arrived at the summit for PB # 45 photos. My original plans called for me to head for Durango from there, but in spite of my fairly relaxed pace I was way ahead of schedule and figured I’d get to Durango too early in the day with not much to do if I did head west. So I decided to bag two other passes that were on my route for day three of this trip.

So I continued east on US-160, through the snow avalanche shed, along the creek, and down to South Fork where I turned north toward Creede. CO-149, another road on everyone’s favorite lists, winds along the Rio Grande River (the same one that flows through NM and then divides Texas and Mexico), crosses the old railroad numerous times, has great pavement, not much traffic and super mountain scenery. After passing through Creede, an old mining town, I rode in light rain for a while, passed some slow movers, continued on over the Continental Divide at Spring Creek Pass, and wound my way up to Slumgullion Pass (11,530’) for PB # 46 photos. Then I turned around and had to ride back. What a bum deal, but someone has to ride those terrific mountain roads.

This time I stopped for photos at Spring Creek Pass (10,898’) for PB # 47. While I was there I visited with a guy from Texas that was with his family. The four of them were in an open dune buggy, all geared up in their rain suits and goggles, having an open-air adventure in the light rain just like me.

From Spring Creek I continued back to Creede, along the Rio Grande, over Wolf Creek Pass, and through Pagosa Springs, not minding the back tracking at all, just enjoying the great roads and the mountains. West of Pagosa on US-160 I came upon a long line of cars stopped for road construction but didn’t have to wait long at all before we took off. Right near there I had planned to turn south on a gravel road for Cat Creek Gap but decided I’d better stay with this group going through the construction area. I’ll have to take another trip to southwest Colorado for that Gap. What a shame.

A few miles down the road I was watching for signs saying “Yellowjacket”, knowing that the upcoming Yellowjacket Pass (7,780) didn’t have any highway markers. Not that far away I stopped for a photo of a sign for Yellowjacket Creek, and then right near the pass I stopped for photos of the sign for Yellowjacket Ranch. With another photo at the summit, PB # 48 was bagged, and I was on my way into Durango.

I went right past the station for the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge railroad and headed north out of town toward the KOA. It seemed like I had gone too far so I stopped to check the map, heard a train whistle, turned around, and there was another steam locomotive about to reach the highway crossing. I quickly grabbed my camera, and for the second time in one day, snapped a photo of my Concours with an old smoke-belching locomotive and train in the background.

After checking in at the KOA I went back to town for some ok, but not great, Texas BBQ, made a phone call home, then headed back to camp. It was too early to turn in so I wandered around and ended up talking to John Delaplaine for quite a while. He and his young son TJ were on a two-month motorcycle trip to Mexico and the West and it was very interesting to hear about their journey. Having no real planned agenda (a traveling option I should try sometime), John even picked my brain for places to go in Colorado. You can read about their trip on http://johnandtj.com/ .

(This has turned out to be a long narrative, but it’s actually a very condensed story considering I traveled nearly 700 miles and crossed twelve mountain passes, two of them twice, seeing some of the best scenery and roads in Colorado and New Mexico.)

July 16, 2006 - Coal Bank Pass, Molas Pass, Red Mountain Pass, Dallas Divide, Lizard Head Pass, Jones Summit, Cerro Summit, Blue Mesa Summit, North (Cochetopa) Pass. About 370 miles.

I slept in, had a SlimFast and Clif Bar (the LD rider’s power meal) for breakfast, left the campground just before 7AM, and headed north on US-550, another highway that is on the “best” lists. If you’re on this road between Durango and Ouray before 9AM or after 5PM you miss most of the tourist traffic, and that was exactly what I was doing. Just casually motoring along on an empty highway swiveling my head from one side the other taking in the beauty of the mountains. At Coal Bank Pass (10,640’) I stopped for PB # 49 and climbed up a hillside to snap a “bird’s eye view” photo of the expansive scene in the early morning light. Words can hardly describe the impressive views in the San Juan mountains where there are more pictures per mile than in any other part of colorful Colorado.

A few more miles up the road I “bagged” Molas Pass (10,910’), to complete the Pass Bagger 50. That was a cool thing to celebrate there on the mountainside on a very still and quiet July morning. Mounting up, I continued north to Silverton where I took another photo of the Concours in front of a steam locomotive that is on static display at the train station. I also got a photo of an old Galloping Goose, a rail-traveling vehicle built from an old car.

Returning to the highway, I went past mining sites, along shelf roads, and through hairpin turns to Red Mountain Pass (11,018’) for PB # 51. (Maybe on my way to a Pass Bagger 100?) The photos there include another of the plaques placed at mountain passes in 1929, this one mounted on a red rock. A short hike up the hill resulted in photos of wild flowers and another “bird’s eye” view of the mountains and an empty road, all still lit by early morning light. The early bird gets the worm.

All too soon I went down along the shelf road of Million Dollar Highway (great views out over the edge!) to Ouray and back to reality. The flatlands ahead sure weren’t as inviting as the territory I had just traversed, but I pressed on to Ridgeway for a turn to the west. The road gradually climbed through fairly dry ranch country, crossed Dallas Divide, and then swept downhill through a canyon. If it wasn’t for some traffic, the fear of speeding tickets, and throttle-hand discipline it could have been a fast, fun ride. As it was, it was just a fun ride, nothing to complain about.

At the bottom of the hill I turned south on CO-145 for a pretty ride along a river, the very green trees contrasting with the red rock cliffs on both sides. There sure is a lot of variety in the geology and vegetation as one travels around Colorado. Near Telluride I headed south on some twisty, rolling, mountain roads to Lizard Head Pass (10,222’) for PB # 52. Since I had ridden it several times before, the road continuing to the south along the Delores River was tempting, but after a short visit with a gal touring the mountains on her fat-tired Yamaha dirt bike, I turned around and headed back towards Telluride.

Back at Telluride I rode into town, went around the too-tiny traffic circles, and did my best to obey the 15 MPH speed limit. Telluride is a neat old mining town, but it was too hot, and there was too much traffic to stick around very long at all. So back on CO-145 I went along the river and past the red cliff walls, and then turned back toward Ridgeway. Along that fun, sweeping road, still being ridden with some discipline, I passed a Colorado Highway Patrolman stopped by the road with someone. Some (or most) days it pays to be prudent.

On the way west I had noticed there weren’t any signs at the Dallas Divide (8,970’) summit so I stopped a couple miles short of there to take photos of the Dallas Divide Ranch sign, and then snapped a few more photos at the summit to fully document PB # 53. I then headed back to Ridgeway, stopped to see another Galloping Goose (built from an old Buick), and turned north to Montrose where I took side streets to cut through town and avoid traffic. It was now hot.

Not far east of Montrose I turned off US-50 and climbed the hill toward Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, all the time looking for “Jones” signs because I had read that Jones Summit (8,266'), right at the park entrance, was unmarked. There weren’t any signs along the way, but the summit was very obvious right there at the end of CO-347 just as it was described in one of my books. So I snapped a photo of the bike by the “End CO-347” sign and also took a photo of my GPS, something I wish I had been doing at all the passes. Having already visited Black Canyon I turned around to return to US-50 and enjoyed the huge views back down toward the valley and to the mountains far in the distance.

After traveling east through the high dry countryside I arrived at Cimarron and stopped by the visitors center for the Curecanti National Recreation Area. Following the train theme on this trip, I rode into the canyon toward a dam where there is a steam locomotive, tender, box car, and caboose perched on a trestle, completely disconnected from any of the old rail bed that once ran through there before the dam was built. Of course I had to take another photo that included the Concours and an old locomotive. Back at the visitors center I stopped under a shade tree near the display of old rail cars and did a little editing with the digital camera to get rid of poor or unneeded photos. It made for a cool and very relaxing stop.

Back on US-50 again, I stopped for photos at Cerro Summit (7,950’) and Blue Mesa Summit (8,704’), PBs # 55 and # 56. Very obvious divides with long climbs on each side, but after the passes earlier in the day, they weren’t very impressive, especially when one is getting hot and a little tired. But Blue Mesa Reservoir was impressive. For the first time in years it was almost full, again making it a very large blue lake out in the middle of some dry countryside.

Right up the road after crossing the lake on a long bridge I came to Gunnison, checked the clock, and realized I still had time to bag one more pass before meeting my cousin for dinner. So away I went, east and then south from Gunnison on CO-114, a shortcut from central Colorado to New Mexico and Texas. One part of the road winds along the edge of a valley with sagebrush to the left and the creek and green pastures on the valley floor to the right. Another section follows the creek up a canyon with steep rock walls on each site and lots of trees along the bottom. Usually big horn sheep can be seen along there, and a blast of the motorcycle horn sends them scurrying off the road. They are much smarter than deer! Eventually the road quits following the creek and climbs through a large park (defined as a large open space in the mountains) towards North Pass (10,149’). Knowing there isn’t a sign at the summit I stopped in the light rain and got a very nicely lit photo of the Concours by the sign that indicates the summit is just a few miles ahead. Then with another photo at the summit, showing the view off towards Saguache, PB # 57 was collected.

It was then time to turn around and take the ride back through the canyon and the twisties to Gunnison, the KOA, and dinner with my cousin. It’s always fun to catch up and to reminisce with him and his wife about our grandparents, uncles, aunts and the small Nebraska town where they lived. Another very fine day came to an end.

July 17, 2006 - Kebler Pass, Ohio Pass, Jack's Cabin Pass, Cottonwood Pass. About 240 miles.

Another dawn arrived in Gunnison with a quick LD rider’s “breakfast”, gear packed and loaded on the bike, and a departure from the KOA, one of the best around. My route on this homeward day first took me north to Crested Butte, a somewhat remote ski town with an atmosphere all its own. I rode down main street, its sidewalks and stores empty this early in the morning, passed the ski museum, one of our favorite Italian restaurants, and an old garage covered with vintage license plates, then jogged over to the Kebler Pass road. About 10 miles down the well-maintained gravel road I arrived at Kebler Pass (10,0007’) and took plenty of time for photos of PB # 58 because it’s really a cool place in the mountains. That particular morning the mosquitoes were enjoying life too.

Then, rather than continuing toward Paonia, a route that is especially colorful when the aspens are turning in the fall, I headed back toward Crested Butte just a bit and turned south toward Ohio Pass (10,120’) on another gravel road. Other than one steep little rise it was a short, easy ride to the pass where I carefully turned around on the narrow road and collected PB # 59 with some photos. While this approach to Ohio Pass from the north was fine with the Concours I wouldn’t recommend the approach from the south with a road bike. We came up that way last year with the Xterra and sure enjoyed wildflowers and the views of a big waterfall, but the road was plenty bumpy in places.

I returned to Crested Butte, passed through town on a side street, and headed back toward Gunnison. Not far down the highway I took a left on Jack’s Cabin Cutoff, the locals’ shortcut to the Taylor Reservoir road, and 3 miles along the 6-mile gravel road I arrived at Jack’s Cabin Pass (8,760’). After stopping for PB # 60 photos (that had sagebrush in the foreground and tall mountain peaks in the background) I continued east along the Taylor River on a road that I had never traveled before. Quite a few miles of it were newly paved with nice constant radius sweepers, the river on one side and forested hillsides on the other. That made for a very nice ride on a Colorado morning.

After a while I came to Taylor Reservoir, went past the turn-off to Tincup, and continued toward Cottonwood Pass (12,126’) on a gravel road. Most of the 15 miles to the summit were fine, but other parts had enough washboard surface that I had to stop and remove the GPS from its mount on the dash. It was just causing the top of the fairing to vibrate way too much. Back on the gas, I carefully negotiated the switchbacks with their loose dirt and gravel and arrived at the top for PB # 61 photos. Then it was time for a very fun ride down the paved, east side with great pavement, switchbacks, short straights and huge mountain views one on of the best motorcycling roads in the state. One day I noticed it was also a favorite of the Acura NSX crowd too with a red one making great noises and traveling “somewhat” over the speed limit that is left over from gravel road days.

Buena Vista is at the bottom of the hill and from there I enjoyed an easy ride back over Trout Creek Pass, through South Park to Fairplay, over Red Hill and Kenosha Passes, down along the North Fork of the Platte River, over Crow Hill, and back to the Denver area. It had been a mighty fine 3-day ride, collecting twenty one mountain passes, going around countless corners, visiting with interesting people, seeing, hearing, and smelling coal-fired steam locomotives, and traveling through some of the best mountain scenery in the state.

August 11, 2006 - Georgia Pass, Browns Pass, Breakneck Pass, Salt Creek Pass, Bassam Park. About 240 miles.

For this long weekend of pass "collecting" I decided to join the Dirty Dozen ride, an event on the BMW club's calendar that is sponsored by Northern Colorado BMW Ducati. This year's event would be based out of the KOA near Buena Vista, right in the middle of some of Colorado's best back-road and off-road riding areas.

I left home about 9 AM and had plenty of time to gather passes on the way down to BV. First on the list was Georgia Pass (11,585'), on the Continental Divide, north of Jefferson. The road is in pretty good shape and along the way there are wild flowers, a creek, and an old log cabin to see. It took less than ½ hour to make it to the summit where I took a break just to enjoy the views back to South Park. Blue skies, clouds, forests, mountains all around and in the distance, and the green lawn look of the huge park from that altitude.

Next up was Browns Pass (11,372') not far south of Fairplay. The pass road leads west from US-285 and crosses a low mountain range to a ranching valley. Last year we drove it in our Xterra and had to travel in 4wd-low-range because of all the exposed and loose rock, to say nothing of the steepness of the climb. I figured it would be a little easier on the motorcycle with its lighter weight and great suspension and because I could pick a narrower, smoother path through the rock. I was wrong. Fairly low on the trail I had to cross through a water hole and thought it would just be a fun way to put a little mud on the bike. Oops. Somewhere in there I hit mud or a rock that threw the bike to the left with the front of the bike ending up neatly between two small aspen trees and the left mirror hitting one of them. (The Dual Star mirror mount performed well.) It didn't take long to get the bike back on its wheels and I was on my way again. No harm, no foul. Then the grade started to pitch up and the rocks got more numerous and loose. The KLR could definitely use a lower first gear because I had to go fast enough to keep the engine from stalling, but that was really too fast to effectively pick a great path. Most of the time I was able to keep my eyes far enough up the trail to pick that path, but once in a while I'd hit a big rock that would throw me one way or the other. I almost dropped it twice, but finally made it to the summit. Whew. I took some photos of the fully loaded KLR and headed down the other side. At first things were fine, but then the road got steeper and idling in first gear really wasn't slow enough. The Xterra crawled down this grade at 2 or 3 MPH. The KLR's crawl speed is more like 10 MPH, way too fast. After dumping the bike 2 or 3 times (no damage) I unstrapped the GI duffle bag (carrying a tent, sleeping bag, and pad) and took the Happy Trail aluminum panniers off and laid them by the trail. Back on two wheels the bike was then easier to handle but was still going too fast. It was time to put on a thinking cap. Hmm. Turn off engine, pull in clutch just enough to go forward at a slow walking speed using some very light front brake. Too fast? Release clutch and stay on the brake to come to a stop and start over. It was a slow but effective way to make it down that slope. I stopped where the road leveled out (a relative term), took off my Aerostich and helmet and made two trips back up the hill to retrieve my gear.

After reloading, away I went into the valley headed south hoping there wouldn't be any mud bogs. There weren't. Just pretty views of the valley and the higher mountains to the west that are crossed by Weston Pass. After a couple of miles I turned back east to cross over Breakneck Pass (10,910'). In spite of its name the going was much easier. At the summit, a flat area in the forest where two forest roads cross, I took the photos and since the summit isn't marked, pulled out a black marker and very neatly added "Breakneck Pass, 10,910'" to one of the Forest Service signs. After one short section of loose steep road where I again used the engine-off technique, without having to unload the bike, I arrived at the graded Weston Pass road. I sure do like graded roads! It had been a long two-hour, 20-mile off-road training class.

I continued south on US-285 (isn't pavement great?) almost to the US-24 cut-off and turned west back into the mountains and headed toward Salt Creek Pass (9,716'). Along the way I had to stop just to enjoy looking around the valley with its deep mountain grass and grazing cattle. And to take in the views back to South Park with Antero Reservoir, the huge blue sky and the clouds. It was like being in my own quiet world. On up the road I stopped again, this time to take a photo of the "Salt Creek" sign because I wasn't counting on this being a marked pass. After wandering down the road for a while (so easy after Browns Pass) I eventually reached the summit. Plenty of signs but none for the pass, so out came the black marker again. I snapped some photos, including one of my GPS and its latitude-longitude display, and continued south through Chubb Park, one of my favorite valleys in the state. The US-285 traffic was ½ mile off to the east and I was buzzing down my own gravel road at 40 MPH.

When my road intersected US-285 I crossed the highway and headed toward Bassam Park Pass (9,660') on a well-maintained gravel road. At first I took a slow cruise so I could take in the views of all the interesting rock formations. Then the slow cruise was needed because of the cattle on the road (that's what "open range" is all about). Out of respect to the rancher I wanted to avoid scaring the cattle and having them unnecessarily run off some pounds and certainly wanted to be able to react should any of them spook and accidentally run me down. And I wanted to avoid fresh cow patties. The bike looks cool with mud splattered on it, but doesn't look cool with green cow patties splattered on it. Past the cattle and I was on my way again, reaching Bassam Park, another high altitude, very pretty mountain park (a park is a mostly treeless open space in the mountains). The pass is located on the ridgeline between Chaffee and Park counties and is now marked with my black marker.

The next pass on my route was to be Cameron Mountain Pass northeast of Salida. According to my topographic maps it was supposed to be about 10 miles down a Forest Service road from Bassam Park Pass, so away I went. At first the road was graded, then it became a two-track, and it finally petered out. Out in the middle of a big empty meadow I pulled out the topo maps and was confident of exactly where I was, but the red-dotted road on the map was no longer to be found. I was only a mile or two from Ute Trail Road and the pass, but felt lost because I couldn't find the way on to the south. But I really wasn't lost, I just needed to turn around and head back to Bassam Park and then to US-285. Disappointing, but no big deal.

From there it didn't take long to arrive at the KOA where I met up with Carl "108 Passes" Thompte, Dennis "Ride the Trans-Siberia Highway" O'Neil, and some of the others that were rolling in for the Dirty Dozen. It had been a long, but very fun day of motorcycling around Colorado.

August 12, 2006 - Cumberland Pass, Waunita Pass, Black Sage Pass, Old Monarch Pass, Monarch Pass, Marshall Pass. About 140 miles.

After an evening that included riding part of the old Midland Railroad bed, eating at Subway (a LD rider's favorite), and swapping stories back at the KOA, dawn arrived with promises of some great riding in the Collegiate Mountain range. Everyone grabbed some breakfast, loaded their gear, and away we went on the Dirty Dozen.

First up was Cottonwood Pass (12,126') west of Buena Vista. Several years ago the road was paved all the way to the summit so we zoomed up the very curvy and fun road to the top, with Roamin' Carloski in the lead of course. While stopped for photos, we swapped howdies with Greg Frazier and some of the folks on his Big Dog Ride. Riding down the west side on the gravel road was a fairly slow process because of all the traffic. Who would have thought that would happen?

Not far from Taylor Reservoir we stopped at the old mining town of Tin Cup, very photogenic with all its log cabins and the church / town hall. A few of us bought some souvenirs at a little trading post and then headed up toward Cumberland Pass (12,020'). The road is drivable by passenger cars but sure is rough with all the exposed rock. (I can't believe we drove our '77 VW Dasher wagon over that road many years ago.) But we zoomed right on up the road, slowing enough to enjoy some of the scenery. It sure is tough riding those high altitude places with mountains all around and views of the road already traveled far below in the trees. At the summit we met up with the fast guys, took more photos for the BMW club's Pass Bagger 50, and headed down the south side toward Pitkin. Within a couple hundred yards Brian discovered his KLR650 had a very flat tire. Before pulling the tire off we optimistically decided to air it up with my electric air compressor (Walmart $10 special modified per directions in Motorcycle Consumer News). It held air, luckily indicating a slow leak instead of a tear or broken valve stem. Away we went past the old mining structures and back into the forest. About half way to Pitkin we caught up with Brian again and aired the tire up again, and away he went in a cloud of dust. When we arrived in Pitkin we found Brian where he had parked the KLR on an 8x8 foot concrete pad. There was no rain, filtered sun because of the cloud cover, no mosquitoes, and a larger air compressor right there by the trading post. We couldn't have asked for a better spot to pull the wheel and fix the thorn-caused puncture. After waiting a while for the other guys who had headed up to the Alpine Tunnel (and in Carl's case, Tomichi Pass), we again visited with Greg Frazier, then continued south.

Next up was Waunita Pass (10,260') with very fun winding road on both sides of the pass. It was amusing to see all the stripes Greg (BMW 650GS) and Brian laid down on the road as they buzzed along the road ahead of me. I took photos at the pass, Brian took a quick side trip to see Waunita Hot Springs, and then we traveled through a large park with plenty of blue and yellow wild flowers to see as we climbed toward Black Sage Pass (9,745'). I took the obligatory Pass Bagger photos then we began a slower descent because of the fine, squirrelly gravel on the road.

By the time we got down to the valley it was starting to rain just a bit which sure made everything look green and pretty. Then it was up the grade to Old Monarch Pass (11,375'). The views near the top were really impressive with the mountains to the west and the storm clouds rolling in. Sunny is nice, but stormy produces the mental and film photos that last. From Old Monarch it was a fairly short and easy ride to the current, paved Monarch Pass (11,312') on US-50. We stopped for more photos and headed down the west side, enjoying the smooth asphalt and all the curves. Along the way we waved at Tyler, the BMW sales manager, as he was streaking up the pass on a new K1200S.

At Sargents we paused for a little planning, then proceeded back to the east on the Marshall Pass (10,846') road which is on an old rail bed. Ahead of us were some black clouds making it very clear we would shortly be riding in rain. Greg and Brian stopped to put on some rain gear while I pressed on with my Aerostich. Conditions weren't too bad, although the temperature was falling and causing face shields to fog up some. I'm discovering there are many kinds of dirt and their properties become much more apparent when mixed with rain. Most of the road was sandy and rocky and drained well, but some was muddy and slippery which made me wonder if the ride was really fun or not. It was, and the muddy portion went back to good not far up the road. At Marshall Pass we of course took some more pictures, even though the rain was coming down fairly heavily there. On the way down the other side we came upon another muddy stretch that had us wondering if we'd stay on two wheels, but we all made it safely through. Eventually we completed the 30 miles or so of dirt road and arrived at US-285 south of Poncha Springs. From there it was an easy, but wet, ride of about 25 miles back to the KOA.

So in a day's ride our group crossed Cottonwood, Cumberland, Tomichi, Waunita, Black Sage, Old Monarch, Monarch, and Marshall Passes, four of those being on the Continental Divide, and 6 ½ being on dirt / gravel / rock roads. The company and riding were great. It was just another beautiful day in Colorado.

August 13, 2006 - Stoney Pass. About 140 miles.

Originally I had planned to spend Sunday in the Cochetopa Pass area west of Saguach but after getting pretty wet on Saturday (the KLR sure doesn't have the weather protection that my Concours provides) and with the forecast for even more rain on Sunday and Monday, I decided to head for home. My route would be US-285 back to the Denver area with a side trip to find Stoney Pass (8,562'). My fellow Dirty Dozen riders went other various routes, some over Weston Pass and some over Boreas Pass.

After miles of dirty riding on Saturday it sure was easy riding on the US-285 pavement. The only problem was the higher speeds that made my still-wet gloves a little cool, but that was easily remedied with the electric grips. I went past the turn-offs for Salt Creek, Bassam Park, Weston, Breakneck, and Browns Passes, enjoying the wide-open spaces and big skies in South Park, and arrived in Fairplay for a gas stop. Early Sunday morning traffic was light and Red Hill and Kenosha Passes were then quickly crossed.

After curving along the North Fork of the South Platte River, which was still running full and white, I arrived at Bailey and turned south toward Stoney Pass. The road turned to gravel and began to climb through park-like pine forest and after a while I came to Wellington Lake where folks were camped all around the shore. It was probably a noisy place the night before. The road became narrower as it continued to the south and included a creek crossing before it came to Stoney Pass. It was another unmarked pass but the aspen forest view matched a photo in one of my books and it was very obvious that the road switched from being an up-hill to being a down-hill. I stopped, took several photos to document the area, and again used the black marker to label the pass, this time on an aspen tree since there wasn't anything else to write on.

Not far to the south I found the only "Stoney Pass" sign in the area. It was actually a sign for "Buffalo Peak Ranch - 25701 Stoney Pass Rd". Once again a ranch had provided the signage to help document one of the passes being bagged.

From there I took a slow cruise as the road curved its way through the Hayman forest fire area on its way to Deckers. Out of curiosity I then rode the 3 ½ miles south on CO-67 to see where the road was washed away and blocked due to the flash floods the month before. Progress had been made filling in full sections of highway but there was still a lot of work to be done. (It was ironic that CO-67, a major part of the base route of the Two-Bits Rally I had organized, using water-themed bonii, would be washed away the night before the rally. That forced the rally riders to pick other far-reaching routes, which they rode in an uncharacteristic all-day rain.)

Then it was back to Deckers, the fun curves downstream along the Platte to Two Forks, and then the steep and wash-boarded road to Sprucewood and Sedalia. In Sedalia I noticed another tricked-out KLR650 at the gas station and realized it was my neighbor Dave, on his way out to the hills. After a stop to visit I headed home. The Dirty Dozen and the Pass Bagger-ing had made for a great 3-day ride.

August 17, 2006 - Monument Hill, Pikes Peak, Kenosha Pass, Guanella Pass, Mt. Evans, Juniper Pass, Squaw Pass. About 300 miles.

I had looked forward to this ride for months. Planned by George Barnes ('99 Iron Butt Rally winner) as part of the Iron Butt Association National Meet, the ride originally was to include both Pikes Peak and Mt. Evans in one day, a route I had tried at least once before. Route planning was complicated because part of CO-67 between Woodland Park and Deckers (a direct route between the two peaks) was washed out on July 7th and was still under reconstruction. After discarding the northerly routes of I-25 (ugh) and Rampart Range Road (50 miles of tight, twisty gravel road) George decided on County Road 77 from Lake George to Jefferson as the connector. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The day started at 6 AM when I met my friends Terry Todd (riding a BMW R1150RT) and Tom Mulvany (Honda ST1100) just south of Denver. We had an uneventful ride south on I-25, with views of Pikes Peak along the way, and got through Monument and most of Colorado Springs before the heaviest part of rush hour traffic. On the south side of town we met up with the rest of the IBA group at the hotel where the Spank Rally had ended the day before. After a rider's meeting we took off in small groups and headed toward Pikes Peak.

After a detour through Manitou Springs to take a photo of the 1929 Ute Pass plaque for my Pass Bagger 50 collection, we arrived at the gate for the Pikes Peak Highway, gave the attendant our tickets, and headed up the road, having it pretty much to ourselves. Tom led at a comfortable pace, Terry followed, looking comfortable and at ease while standing on his pegs for quite a while, and I brought up the rear. Eventually on one of the gravel sections of the road we caught up with a pack of cars and bikes and fell in line for a slow ride to the top. My patience didn't last long and I led the group with my KLR650 as we began to carefully and responsibly pass our way to the front, one vehicle at a time. (The Pikes Peak brochure only says to not pass on the corners.) When I finally checked my mirrors I was surprised to see a Gold Wing right behind me. Who says you need a dual sport to be sporty on a gravel road? Later I found out that some flat-landers were impressed with how easy Terry was making things look, still standing on his pegs, and gassing it out of the corners, hanging out the tail of his RT. Great fun, at least until we came up behind another large group of cars and bikes and fell into line for the rest of the trip to the summit. The benefit of an extra slow pace though was that it was very safe and easy to look over the drop-offs and take in all the high altitude scenery. Big blue sky, views west to the Collegiate Mountain Range, alpine tundra, interesting rock formations.

At the summit we quickly took some photos, bought a few things in the gift shop, and started our journey back down the mountain. Even with delays at construction zones and having to follow a pilot car for a bit, we were back down to US-24 way too soon. When we stopped for lunch in Woodland Park we noticed big, dark clouds above Pikes Peak, and commented that we were glad we weren't still up there. A couple of weeks later I read a report from one of the other IBA cyclists that and he told of his encounter with wind, rain, and enough hail to turn the ground white. He didn't enjoy that part of the trip. After some burgers and fries we continued west to Lake George where our route turned onto Park county road 77.

In spite of all its potholes, this road is one of the nicest, off-the-beaten-path roads in the state. As it wanders along the edge of the narrow Tarryall Creek valley there is plenty of interesting scenery to see including rock formations, ranches, and more old log structures than just about anywhere. With a blue sky above and scenery all about, I was glad for my KLR650's ability to soak up the rough pavement that the guys on road bikes were having to weave around. But that didn't' stop them from enjoying the ride either. Even a temporary road closure for construction didn't bother us, but just gave us an opportunity to do a little socializing.

At the old, small town of Jefferson out in the middle of South Park (a valley with an average elevation of 9000' and the size of some New England states) we headed east on US-285 for the climb up to Kenosha Pass. This pass with all its aspen trees and the route downhill along the rushing North Fork of the South Platte River, curving past forest and rock outcroppings is exactly what one thinks of traveling in the Colorado mountains. Very scenic for sure.

At the wide spot in the road named Grant, some of the folks headed on toward Denver and the IBA meet. Quite a few of us though stopped to ponder the time of day, the stormy clouds to the west, and the anticipated road conditions over Guanella Pass. We decided to press on. Jeff "LOE 1000" Foster told me that since I was on the "bouncy" bike I should go first. And away I went, up the road that is gravel in some places, poor paving in others, and new pavement in a few spots. On a weekday with no traffic, and on a bike made for stuff like that, I had more fun buzzing up toward the pass than I've had on a bike for a while. I stopped at the summit and patiently waited for the others and took photos as they arrived, including one of rider on a Gold Wing pulling a trailer (he later said he'd ruined a fork seal).

The downhill towards Georgetown included two fairly long stops for construction, but again we made the best of them swapping howdies and relaxing in the high altitude scenery. It then got a bit dusty following a group of cars down the road, but eventually we made it to the old Victorian mining town of Georgetown, bought some gas and headed east on I-70.

At Idaho Springs some folks continued on in to Denver, while others of us decided that since we were so close to making it to the summits of two 14ers in one day, we'd follow the original plans and take the time to head up to Mt. Evans. The road at first follows alongside Chicago Creek and then climbs up a good, twisty road to Echo Lake, a favorite place for picnics. At the Forest Service gate we paid the fee for the final 14 miles to the summit. Not much traffic, great views, big drop-offs, some wildlife, catching air over the frost heaves at Summit Lake, and hairpin turns made for a fun ride. At the summit we took more photos, talked to Mike Kneebone, and then headed back to the prairie via CO-103, the Squaw Pass road, a favorite for sport bikers. After riding in the mountains all day city traffic was anticlimactic, but with the IBA meet as the destination, all was well.

Two fourteen-thousand-foot mountain summits, about 300 miles, a mix of road surfaces, terrific Colorado Rocky Mountain scenery, and plenty of camaraderie with good friends and the other crazy Iron Butt Association riders. It was a great day-ride, one of the best ever.

December 10, 2006 - Windy Saddle, Dix Saddle. About 75 miles.

This was just an easy day ride in the Denver area on a sunny December afternoon. First up was a ride around C-470 to Golden, then up the Lookout Mountain road toward the Bill Cody museum and grave. After passing quite a few bicycles and some adult-sized big wheel trikes getting ready to descend the steep road, I came to the parking lot for Windy Saddle (6,900') park and stopped for some photos. I had to leave the parking lot going the wrong way because of snow blocking the normal exit. But first I had to stop and watch a guy go by on a unicycle with a mountain bike tire. One, two, three, or four wheels work on this steep, very winding road!

I continued on up the Lariat Loop Road to I-70 for a quick ride to Bergen Park and Evergreen. After heading down Bear Creek Canyon road I turned south on Myers Gulch / Parmalee Gulch road for the climb up to Dix Saddle (7,470'). Then it was a short, simple ride back to US-285, and back to home, watching for gravel in the corners.

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Last modified: January 27, 2007