Archives for September 2008

Breckenridge, CO

September 30, 2008 by bobcatou

This morning I motored to the ski country of Breckinridge, CO. What a beautiful ride it was. I love approaching new mountain ranges. It can give you a real sense of how tall the Rockies are by the amount of time it takes to reach the base of the mountain.

I made some altitude again today, but not nearly as high as Pikes Peak. This was the second time I crossed the Continental Divide

I arrived in Breckenridge in early afternoon and ate at Bubba Gump’s Restaurant and Market.A little cheesy yes, but I had a good grilled fish sandwich none the less.

Not much action was going on in Breckenridge quite frankly. It’s off season obviously but it’s a pretty town.

The town was too pricey for me to stay the night. The predicted freezing weather kept me from camping this evening so I got a room at a motel in the nearby town of Frisco

Tomorrow I am going to head south back to Albuquerque. I will make a couple more stops along the way.

In Albuquerque, I plan to do some minor maintenance on my bike and see the first day of the Albuquerque Balloon Festival before I head back to Ohio.

Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods

September 30, 2008 by bobcatou

Well I rode my motorcycle up…and up…and up…and up some more. Until I reached 14110 feet at the summit of Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs.

At first I thought this was going to be a quick 45 minute trek up and back but after stop offs along the way and the slow going near the summit, my whole trip took close to 3 hours.

The distance to the summit is only 19 miles over a combination of pavement and gravel roads. The climb is steep and during the last 6 miles, I only had an average speed of about 20 miles per hour. I was doing better then many cars along the way.

I met some Harley riders at the top, one which was extremely nervous about heading back down. I had a much better experience and a better bike for this type of journey so I was fine.

At the summit, there was a gift shop and cafe. The elevation did affect me more than I thought it would by causing some light-headedness so I had to sit down for a few minutes until it passed. From talking to people, I wasn’t alone.

I did find it interesting when I made deep breaths. I could definitely tell I was breathing thinner air.

For a snack, I ate some Pikes Peak donuts. Evidently these donuts can only be made correctly at this altitude. Personally, they didn’t seem that special. I was hungry though so I polished off half a dozen. (They were smaller then normal.)

At the summit I was witness to some spectacular views as seen below.

That is Colorado Springs in the distance.

Later in the afternoon I rode to a nearby park called “The Garden of the Gods”.

It appeared to me like a miniature version of Arches National Park. I wasn’t that impressed at first but after walking around, I grew to appreciate the park.

It was good day and well worth the ride.

Royal Gorge Bridge

September 30, 2008 by bobcatou

Sunday I rode from Gunnison to Canon City. On the way I stopped off at the Royal Gorge Bridge. It’s considered the highest suspension bridge in the world.

Originally I was going to get on the bridge to see some of a bungee jumping competition. When I got there about 2pm, the competition was over. Plus they wanted $26 to get in to see the bridge and that was a little too pricey for me.

In fairness, the cost of admission included a tram to the bottom of the gorge and another going across. It still didn’t seem worth it to me so I took a picture from the best angle I could find and rode off on my bike.