After getting my oil changed I headed east on I-70. I was headed to Avon but didn't want to just head there on the interstate. Besides, I had plenty of time and there were so many interesting looking roads on the map
I considered heading North and looping through Steamboat Springs but ended up getting off of the interstate and heading South on 65. I'm glad I did because it ended up being a really memorable ride. 65 went into a canyon and ran alongside a river. Miles of high speed sweepers running alongside a river in a scenic canyon.
. It was an awesome ride
Eventually that ended and I was in a giant valley with mountains all around. Looking ahead I could see that at some point the road would have to climb those mountains although I couldn't see were. Eventually the road started snaking up the side of a mountain. Endless curves with spectacular views
Life doesn't get much better than that.....except in this case it did. Those curves finally ended as I found myself on a large mesa that was a winter wonderland. It had been in the high 80s down in the valley and now it was probably low 40s and snow was everywhere. The road however was dry and a fun ride. I wish I had taken some pics
After a while the mesa ended and it was another bunch of curves going down the mountain until I was back in the desert and heat. It was a great ride and one I will never forget. After that.....well I forget. I somehow ended up in Avon where I checked into the Christie Lodge which would be the site of the rally.
The Christie Lodge was a pretty luxurious resort that probably catered to skiers more than anyone else. My room was a suite with a kitchenette, separate bedroom and balcony. If I went out the door it opened into a giant atrium with all kinds of cool stuff like swimming pools, restaurants, places to hang out and stuff like that. It was a really expensive place but we were worth it! Oh yeah, the manager of the place was one of our members so we got the rooms for 49 bucks a night.
I got there a day or two before the rally officially started so I had a day or two to go exploring. There is one incident I particularly remember. I decided that since I had an adventure ride I needed to ride some dirt. So I found a dirt road and headed down it to see where it went. I went a few miles and came to a gate
So much for finding something exciting. So I stopped, parked the bike and took a break. Then I got on the bike, fired it up and started doing a U turn to get turned around. I didn't quite make it all the way around before I realized I wouldn't make it and would end up in a ditch. So I stopped and tried backing up. Unfortunately the road was sloped and I couldn't back up. So I got off the bike and tried backing it up. And I tried some more. Keep in mind this bike with luggage was around 600 pounds. I don't remember if I tried pivoting it on the sidestand but if I did it didn't work.
So here I was at the end of a gated dirt road that might not see any traffic for days and I was stuck. I realized that riding a 600 pound motorcycle down a deserted dirt road by myself might not have been the smartest thing I ever did.
I did have one option. I could get on the bike, ride it through the ditch and up on to the hillside and then back through the ditch
If I failed and crashed and the bike fell on me and injured or pinned my they probably wouldn't find my body for weeks
OK, to be honest the ditch wasn't all that deep and the hillside wasn't all that steep but I had no real dirt riding experience beyond some easy dirt roads. An experienced dirt rider wouldn't have given it a second thought. Well I gave it a second thought. I could walk a few miles to the main road. My pride wouldn't let me do that. So I got on the bike, fired it up, rode through the ditch, up the hillside and back through the ditch without crashing
It certainly got the adrenaline flowing. I decided I would stick to the pavement after that.
I don't want to do another post without pics so here is one that I have no idea when or where I took it. Well it was somewhere in Colorado.