Blogs from Colorado, United States, North America - page 174

Just a cold day! What is it like to ride a motorcycle underdressed when it is 25 to 30 degrees with a high of 45 degrees... Well, first your fingers go numb. This is not good because you need your fingers to drive. So, I have a mexican handwarmer system where I ride for 25 minutes pull over then put my gloves on the engine. A couple minutes latter the fingers thaw out and I can ride again. Then go the toes. Once the toes go you can't get them back. You do not need your toes to ride. As long as you can feel your ankles you can shift and use your breaks. Then your body goes. You become real stiff and slow to react. You are in a permanent frozen position with your hands ... read more

Mistake...Rough day from the get go...So, I wake to clouds everywhere. Clearly raining in the mountains, but thou must go on... Head into the mountains and start ascending 11,000 ft. Marshall Pass...I was a townie last night so I am clean, clean clothes, all done up! Rain starts around 7,500 ft +/-. Keep climbing...At the pass, 20 miles up, I find out that the other side of the pass is impassable due to mud slide. Look at map for alternate talk to local wyldlife state biologist and I can't get my bike through...Only if I had shoes and the backpack, which I do, but I can't leave Isabel... Back down the same road and around over Monarch Pass on the Pavement...Then up Cochetopa Pass...The Aspens are starting to really show their colors so I am enjoying ... read more

Lynx Pass, Co to Salida, Co I have seen more people today than in MT, WY, and ID combined...Wow...The Summit County area was completely out of control with tourists. I went over Boreas Pass and got all kinds of looks from suburban America leaf-peepers with their little yappy dog named "spanky" in tow. I was a little quick on the throttle as I quickly passed the land-rovers, volvo AWD wagons, and my favorite Hummers... Wow had summit county changed...I had not been there since my days in the ski club at Arizona. We used to take charter buses to Breckinridge. All, I can say is wow...No need to get back to the I-70 corridor for me. Leaving the leaf-peepers around Como, Co...I finally got back to my loner self and flew down dirt roads just East ... read more

Distance: 3.75 miles Rating: Moderate After climbing a 14er earlier in the week (see the Mt. Democrat entry), I decided to take advantage of the Indian summer weather and get in another hike. Rather than doing something strenuous, I decided to use this opportunity to do a fairly easy/moderate hike that would allow me to see the changing aspens. While autumn in Colorado has nothing on the colors seen along the East Coast, we are still treated to some nice scenery thanks to the yellowing aspen leaves. The changing aspen leaves generally hit their height around mid-September to early October (possibly earlier in higher elevations). I’m happy to say that I timed this hike just right in that regard. Devil’s Head Mountain is an unusually shaped peak that rises above the rolling hills of the Rampart ... read more

Distance: 4 miles Rating: Strenuous With winter weather already showing up in the mountains, my dad and I decided to get in one more difficult, high altitude hike before the season ended. I settled on the cluster of 14ers just west of the small town of Alma in the Mosquito Range: Mt. Democrat, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Bross. According to several books and websites, these three mountains can be climbed all in one day thanks to relatively straight-forward hiking and close proximity. That said, the hike is no easy task. Remember that it still involves climbing 14ers, the easiest of which are still fairly challenging hikes. We set out with the hopes of reaching the summits of all three mountains, but the conditions ended up working against us. There were already several inches of snow at ... read more