The allure was too strong and we yielded to its draw… We returned to Routt last weekend for more camping and riding. This time, we sought out some single-track trails that will be closed to motorized vehicles after Labor Day (Elk mating season!) On the trails we saw many mule deer and lots of elk track. At night, we heard wolves. It was eerie and beautiful all at the same time. While we are quite familiar with coyotes yipping at night around our communities on the front range, the sonorous wolf is much different and unmistakable.
We took Forest Road 107 to a high pass on the Continental Divide at around 10,500 ft. There is a hiking trail that runs along the ridge and over the peaks… that would be a strenuous hike! The road ended at the saddle between two peaks in a large expand of alpine tundra. A beautiful place for lunch!
Monday, August 4, 2014
Routt National Forest
The long dirt roads weave in and through the dark woods, then out into open expanses of wetlands and shrubs. The area south of Gould, CO has a wide variety of beautiful scenery and a diversity of dirt roads, rocky trails, and single track.
We found an idyllic campsite adjacent to Jack Creek and surrounded by willows and dark pines. After the evening rain passed, the wind died down and left us with a serene and quiet dusk.
And in the morning, we woke to the most wonderful sight out the door of our tent; our bikes patiently waiting for their riders...
…. and another day of riding!
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Dual Sport
The advantage of a dual-sport moto is that you can ride up your favorite twisty pavement then hit the dirt and ride through the woods to your favorite overlook!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Pavement Ends
In hindsight, those multi-cylinder street bikes were
powerfully addictive... so smooth… so silky fast. I could feel it when the fuel hit; that
surging, intoxicating rush. It was not
easy to quit that and I still miss it sometimes. But I could see a dark, blurry figure out of
the corner of my minds eye... coming for me... I felt the tremulous and hesitating
snatch of mortality creeping and lurching its way toward the pavement, haunting
me at the apex of turns and taunting me on every straight away.
It’s so much better this way.
Before, I would roll on the throttle and watch the horizon
shift and rotate as screaming torque gnashed teeth and bit the leather. Now that I've converted to sedate,
single-cylinder dirt bikes, a tranquil and serene mood has settled over my
riding. Such a soothing and tender acceleration... stable and planted... I feel like a polite gentleman again. I obey speed limits. I signal at intersections. I hear the red-wing black bird calling from
the marsh beside the gravel road.
I never realized how confining the pavement was. What a joy to venture past the civilized road surface and savor the raw scenery on lonely dirt roads where traffic is sparse and serenity slips inside my helmet and relaxes my mind.
Go slow. Have fun. Smell the pines.
Monday, March 31, 2014
March 31st
In like a lion and out like a lamb. It is 70 degrees here today. We have our windows open. The warm blue sky buoys my spirit and life feels light. Scattered thoughts and ideas flutter the curtains. Knowledge like dust, blows through my open windows, depositing detritus on
my keyboard.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Moonscape
The desolate moonscape of the Pawnee Grasslands was carved with great patience over many eons. The area does not easily support agriculture, thus preserving it as one of the least populated areas of the great plains. Relicts of fluvial and aeolian erosion reveal a wonderfully diverse and fascinating landscape.
Technically a part of the National Forest System, there are vast areas of open land. One spectacular erosional basin has been set aside for Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) fun and games.
Technically a part of the National Forest System, there are vast areas of open land. One spectacular erosional basin has been set aside for Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) fun and games.
Got Hitched!
We found a great trailer hitch for the Subaru. It only took a couple of hours to install.
The hitch is a product from Torklift.
http://torkliftcentral.com/ecohitch/subaru/
It works!
Camping at Pawnee Grasslands. Still snow in the high country, so this is the only place to ride in the winter….
The hitch is a product from Torklift.
http://torkliftcentral.com/ecohitch/subaru/
It works!
Camping at Pawnee Grasslands. Still snow in the high country, so this is the only place to ride in the winter….
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
The End of the Cafe Racers
Well, maybe not really The End, but more of a time-out. Time to hibernate for a season. Cafe Racers are jealous creatures. They permit but one rider. Their solo-seat a not so subtle attempt to force monogamy upon their enraptured rider. But, I cannot spend all of my attention on the preening, invidious mares in the garage. There are others in my life with whom I long to share the joys of motorized two-wheel joy.
So, its time to do something else. While I will miss those Cafe Bikes and their bright, candy-colored dreams, there are too many dirt roads and rocky single track. There are Colorado rocky trails that need to be explored and remote campgrounds to discover. Places where delicate and sophisticated road bikes dare not tread with their fancy shoes.
We have traded our beautiful prancing mares for a trailer of dirty old mules. Mules that will carry us up dusty canyons and through crunchy forests of spruce and pine. Loyal new companions that require a new kind of husbandry in the barn.
New adventures await.
So, its time to do something else. While I will miss those Cafe Bikes and their bright, candy-colored dreams, there are too many dirt roads and rocky single track. There are Colorado rocky trails that need to be explored and remote campgrounds to discover. Places where delicate and sophisticated road bikes dare not tread with their fancy shoes.
We have traded our beautiful prancing mares for a trailer of dirty old mules. Mules that will carry us up dusty canyons and through crunchy forests of spruce and pine. Loyal new companions that require a new kind of husbandry in the barn.
New adventures await.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Pretty Lady
Sadly, the pretty ladies come and go. This one has been gone for sometime now…. sold to a lecherous old man back east who hordes girls like these in a dusty barn in his backyard.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Cold Cereal
Time rolls past like churning
Clouds on a wintry spring morning.
The milky dawn pours
Snowy light across my breakfast cereal
As I spoon hope into the brightness
Of my steaming coffee mug.
Dreamy memories of sleep slip
Softly away as I drink the
New day awake.
Clouds on a wintry spring morning.
The milky dawn pours
Snowy light across my breakfast cereal
As I spoon hope into the brightness
Of my steaming coffee mug.
Dreamy memories of sleep slip
Softly away as I drink the
New day awake.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)