Listen to The Wind

Going where the breeze takes me

Recent Posts

Breckenridge to The Great Sand Dunes Natl. Park and Reserve

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Route Taken

From Google Maps

From Breckenridge, Colorado, I headed south through Leadville.

Leadville is another ski town but less well know then Breckenridge or Vail.

As with so many towns I had ridden through in Colorado, the vistas have been beautiful.

After Leadville, I motored partially up RT 82 toward Aspen. The leaves were changing and the colors were intense. I didn’t ride all the way to Aspen though. I decided to just take my time today and enjoy the outdoors and make stops at my convenience.

At Twin Lakes along Rt 82, you could see many of the colors of fall in the mountain side.

I spent the night at Great Sand Dunes Natl. Park and Reserve near Alamosa. Evidently water from the mountains washed the sand down to this area. Over the years, the elements created the sand dunes.


Satellite image from Google Maps

It rained right after I set up my tent near the dunes. The weather was such that it rain down by me but snowed up in the mountains just a little bit away

The next day I rode back to Albuquerque to see some of the Albuquerque Balloon Festival before I head back east. I’ll get some pictures posted shortly.

Breckenridge, CO

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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.

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Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods

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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.