A Snowy Colorado Goodbye for ScooterBob

Along with some pretty cold temperatures, (high today was 3°F (-16.1°C) and about 2-3 inches of snow, it was a good day to get ScooterBob for one last outing with myself and one of my rigs.

Scarlett is the one best equipped to let me deal with cold weather riding so she got to go out in the pre-dawn hour to see what we could see.  The battery however, is not holding a charge very well unless once keeps her on a charger.  It's less than three years old but I guess I am hard on batteries.

Still, she was OK once I jump-started her and we headed off into the lightening gray skies covering the Metro Denver area.

I also need to, it seems, replace the pusher tire as I was not getting good traction with the rubber that remains on it.  I had to engage 2WD to get out of the cul-de-sac and actually left it engaged through the entire ride!

Stayed close to home due to the battery issue, temperature was -2°F (-18.8°C) as we started the ride and it was rise to perhaps 1°F (-17.2°C) an hour later when I returned home.

 A view of the cul-de-sac, the untouched snow a blank canvas...

 Trees at the local high school where Martha used to work....

 A couple of shots of the tree lined street near yet another local high school

 A view of the Mormon Stakehouse across the street from Eaglecrest H.S.

 All wheels nicely packed with the fresh snow....

 I'd mentioned the cul-de-sac was a blank canvas?  

Hopefully you can the the markings left by Scarlett as she headed out

and came back in, doing a few donuts in the snow of course.

 ScooterBob let me know, as I was putting Scarlett back on the charger

that he wanted to go out once last time while here in Colorado.

Scarlett and I, this time with ScooterBob in the trunk, left shortly before Noon to take my oldest son Patrick to work at the local Sprouts grocery store.

As we were out, and the sun was out, it was time to visit the somewhat nearby ranching neighborhood to see what we could see.

There wasn't as much snow in this area as in my neighborhood, but we made do:

ScooterBob declared his satisfaction with the snow conditions, and then said it was now OK to leave the sub-freezing 3°F (-16°C) temperatures and go back home.

Roads remained snow-packed but the sun was already working on clearing some spots.  Cagers of course were in their usual rush to get somewhere; which made the last couple of miles of riding interesting but with no incidents.

Shortly before sunset, we all headed out one more time, this time to catch the sunset and to pick up Patrick from his job at 5:00PM.

We decided to head down to the tower located in the Tuscany neighborhood down the road from our own neighborhood.

 The tower is purely decorative, my guess it's supposed to evoke

thoughts of Tuscany, Italy's architecture style.

It was 0°F (-17.7°C) when Patrick finally clocked out and we four headed home in the darkness.  Scarlett convinced me do do a couple of donuts in the cul-de-sac, both surprising Patrick and hopefully amusing my next door neighbor who was out there shoveling his driveway in the dark.

ScooterBob will be packed up tomorrow, along with all his belongings, and shipped all the way to Fairbanks, Alaska.  The idea is for him to experience some "really cold" weather while being hosted by RichardM.  Richard being a fellow Ural/Beemer rider who has real experience in riding in extreme cold weather, ScooterBob will have so much fun.....  ;)

ScooterBob enjoys some Cold Weather in Metro Denver area

We experienced some true winter weather here in the Metro Denver area this week, finally!

Lots of snow in the mountains of course, to the delight of skiers and the ski resorts but all we got around my home neighborhoods was about an inch or so.

Still, it was so cold (low teens) that it was the fluffy kind of snow, so not hard to clear off one's driveway but it stuck around long enough for me to get some pictures.

Here's some from Wednesday morning, after the snow had started falling the evening before:

Here's what it looked like on Thursday morning, after the storm clouds had gone east and the sun came out:

To finish off the week, we had a pretty good sunset this Friday evening.  The roads are dry and the snow has pretty much disappeared from the metro area roads.  More snowy weather coming I hear, we'll see what shows up.

 The above shot to give you an idea of how small the puddle was that

I used to get the reflecton shots.

Red skies over Colorado Springs, that's Pikes Peak in the distance.

ScooterBob Rides in New Mexico and Colorado

From redlegsrides:

a couple more ride reports involving ScooterBob as Martha and Dom enjoy some riding in the Angel Fire area of New Mexico recently:

Birthday Ride with my Sweetie up above the Angel Fire Ski Resort

A lazy day for the most part in terms of riding.  Work had to be done you see, before one could do fun stuff.

Martha and I headed out on Fiona after 3PM and wandered down to Black Lake to see what we could see, not much as it turned out.  The wind was blowing pretty hard too and with temperatures in the 50s, it really wasn't a lot of fun.

We returned to the Angel Fire area and decided to explore the ski resort.  It's a pretty small resort, when compared to such resorts as Aspen and Vail, but nice enough.

Martha had me drive down a roughly paved road leading away and up from the ski resort.  The road was called Camino Real or Royal Road and it would wind us up into the heights way above the ski resort, on the west side of Agua Fria Peak I think.

Sparsely settled with mountain homes secluded in the thick pine forest, there was much evidence of new construction as well.  The road turned to gravel and dirt soon after leaving the resort and we just chugged our way up, Fiona taking it all in stride by the way.

A few miles after the above picture, we came to what basically was the end of the road.  Had we had another Ural rig with us, we could have possibly continued onwards into what looked like the makings of more road but not today.

Fiona took us back down to the ski resort with no incidents and we stopped at a local restaurant for "Tapas Night" to celebrate my birthday.  The food was pretty good and after dinner we rode over to the local food market for some supplies, gas for Fiona and rode on home in the chilly darkness.

All in all, a good way to end a brief sojourn in the Angel Fire area.  We decamp tomorrow for the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in Colorado.

The Great Sand Dunes National Monument

We're back in Colorado this evening, overnighting near the Great Sand Dunes Monument.

It was less than three hours from Angel Fire, NM to our present location.  The day dawned with us in heavy fog and cold temperatures.

Work delayed our departure till shortly before 10:30 AM, but the drive to Mosca, CO where the RV park was located was under warmer temperatures and sunny skies.

We got situated, I finished work and then shortly before 5:00 PM we headed out on Fiona from our campsite.

The Sand Dunes monument was less than five miles from the RV park.  As it was late in the day, we didn't have to pay the entrance fee because the gate was unmanned and the sign said to go ahead.  We cruised into the park, located the nearest point to the dunes but elected not to go on them.

We made our way out of the park, trying different parking spots/overlooks for "the right angle" for shots as the sun kept making its way down towards the horizon.

 ScooterBob looks right at home doesn't he?

Can you tell the "golden hour" was upon us?

The sunset's last few rays of light were too high to give good light to the sand dunes and so we headed back to the RV park where we caught the after effects of the sunset.

Tonight's repose

Five Ride Reports from Colorado

Sorry, I've been forgetting to post about ScooterBob's rides with me lately.

Here you go.

A Saturday Morning Ride with Brigitta and ScooterBob

Saturday, September 03, 2016

It had been almost a month since I'd last ridden on Brigitta, my '87 R80 Beemer Airhead.  We rode down to the post office to retrieve a package from Russia.

It was a clutch release rod/assembly for the old style gearbox.  I really only wanted the slide cap portion because it would come with the requisite o-ring seal; that and to have a spare bearing assembly.

Since we were out, and the temperature was just right and with the sun shining brightly, the errand ride turned into a somewhat more circuitous ride about the neighborhoods.  I had to return home to retrieve both my camera and ScooterBob but that didn't take long.

 All the recent snow is apparently gone from the top of Mount Evans

 Brigitta and ScooterBob

I liked the sign, as with ScooterBob, it inspires riding and such thoughts.

So, despite the lack of snow on Mount Evans, it was a clear day to view its summit and the front range mountains.  Brigitta got a suitable amount of exercise and met/rode with ScooterBob.

It was quite a bit warmer when we finished the above shot, time to head for the barn and do household things for a bit.  I can't wait for Fall weather to finally arrive, we've been teased with cooler temperatures in the evenings but the heat of the summer hangs on.

ScooterBob on Pikes Peak

Monday, September 05, 2016

Sunday mid-morning, I was out riding on Fiona on an errand when I got a phone call through my Sena Bluetooth headset.

It was Shaun C., a former co-worker friend who'd recently seen me shooting sunset pictures and had stopped to renew relations.  A ride to the top of Pikes Peak was quickly agreed upon and I returned home to switch motorcycles.  Fiona, whose gearbox is still being "broken in", would simply not be fast enough for the planned ride.

So it was that Brigitta, my '87 R80 Beemer Airhead and I rode out to meet with Shaun.  He was riding his new Triumph Thruxton, a lovely motorcycle as you shall see.

Together, we rode in a spirited manner down Colorado Highway 83, through the turmoil of traffic that apparently now consistently congests the town of Parker and from there south towards Colorado Springs.

A quick lunch near Manitou Springs and then we queued up at the Pikes Peak Highway fee station.  Took a bit of time to pay our fees, and I feared Brigitta's engine would overheat with all the slow stop and go traffic.

Still, no issues, and finally we were clear of the maddening crowd of cagers at the fee station and riding up the mountain highway.

 At the Crystal Lake Reservoir

 Shaun and his beautiful Triumph Thruxton

 Views on the way up...

photo courtesy Shaun C.

ScooterBob gets introduced to Shaun

 photo courtesy Shaun C.

photo courtesy Shaun C.

 ScooterBob didn't want to queue up to have his picture taken at the sign

Though we did manage to ride up to the summit's parking lot (being on two wheels allowed us to bypass the line of cagers queueing up for parking spaces), we didn't tarry.  Too crowded, a bit chilly and very strong winds all combined to make our stay at the top a very short one.

 Shaun at the Bottomless Pit

 One last shot of ScooterBob before we left the Pikes Peak area...

Shaun and I stopped for a leisurely early dinner to kill some time as we hoped to catch the sunset on the way home.  After eating, it was more spirited riding along CO Highway 83 to the vicinity of Castlewood Canyon Park.

 Can you make out ScooterBob's silhouette atop Brigitta?

photo courtesy Shaun C.

After the above sunset shots we rode in the gathering darkness all the way home to our respective home neighborhoods.  A good day's worth of riding to be sure and now ScooterBob has been to the summits of the two highest paved roads in the US.

Early September Sunset

Thursday, September 08, 2016

I rode Fiona to a new spot, near the usual sunset watching spot, but up a bit higher and accessible via a very short but fun dirt trail.

First things first, there was a rather lovely thundercloud being illuminated by the setting sun:

Using the Subtle-Ian effect to add color....better or stay original?

I moved the spare gas can from the nose of the sidecar to the rear

 ScooterBob and a single sunflower that was near Fiona

 Looking to the south

The small white dot is the moon

 Mount Evans crowns the Front Range Mountains

Previous post: ScooterBob goes to Pikes Peak

A Two Pass Day for ScooterBob

Saturday, September 10, 2016

September is the month where the Fall Colors appears in the Colorado high lands.  There had been rumours that it might be a week earlier than usual, the peaking of said Fall Color so I decided to do some reconnaissance.

First, it was a ride to Loveland Pass and the Continental Divide.

ScooterBob and I rode Scarlett, my 2014 Ural Patrol, using both frontage roads and also the I-70 Superslab where it couldn't be avoided to ride towards the Eisenhower Tunnel.

The Eisenhower Tunnel crosses the Continental Divide and is the main route for vehicles crossing the state along it's northern half.

Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) carriers are obliged to take US Highway 6, aka Loveland Pass Road since they cannot use the tunnel.

Loveland Pass is a favorite destination of mine, especially when it's covered with fresh snow, I find it near and quite beautiful, perfect for a day ride.

There was very little traffic, as the western end of the road was blocked for a Triathlon Event.  Skies were clear and sunny and the morning chill eventually wore off as we rode along.

 Another Pass Summit for ScooterBob

 At a nearby picnic area just west of the summit parking area.

 A view of the mountain peaks to the west of Loveland Pass

 Seven Peaks

 Grizzly Peak?

 The ski runs at Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort

As you can see, not much in the way of Fall Colors yet but I did see the beginnings of it in spots along the road.

Once we were done with Loveland Pass, we took I-70 eastbound to the nearby town of Georgetown.  We did stop briefly at Silver Plume just before Georgetown hoping to see the old vintage locomotive but it wasn't on duty today apparently.

So we tanked up Scarlett at Georgetown and then headed along the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway to check Fall Colors along that road.

I will say, it appeared the northern half of Guanella Pass Road was sporting more Fall coloration than the southern half.

 Scarlett's and ScooterBob's first good look at Sawtooth Peak

 At the Guanella Summit Overlook

 A view of Sawtooth Peak from a lower level parking area.

 ScooterBob at the requisite pass summit sign

There were a few other spots but this was the best I could find on the

southern half of Guanella Pass Road.

So, yes, Fall Colors are starting to come in around the areas I rode through today.  I would say it's still a couple of weeks before they really peak though.

I am using this map put out by one of the news stations as a planning guide, I was in the "pinkish" area today.

Update: A different couple of maps for Fall Colors prediction:

More Fall Colors

Sunday, September 25, 2016

This Sunday, given the hordes of leaf-peeping cagers currently swarming over the popular highway destinations for Fall Color, I decided to stay somewhat closer in to the Metro Denver area.

The main destination was the Switzerland Trail in the hopes it had some Fall Colors.

I crossed the metro area using the I-25 to US35 slabs to get to Boulder or the PRB in good time.  I transited through the PRB and turned west using Left Hand Canyon Road.  Not much color to report on this nice and twisty canyon road until you get higher up in altitude and closer to the Peak to Peak Highway aka CO Hwy 72.

 On Left Hand Canyon Road, approaching CO 72 aka the Peak to Peak Highway

Once Scarlett and I reached the Peak to Peak Highway, we turned South on it to keep some distance from the cagers who were most assuredly swarming over Estes Park about 30 miles north.

I turned off on County Road 93, heading towards the Boy Scout Camp to look for Fall Colors.  I found them too, a nice bunch of it at the private lake that is Beaver Reservoir.

 Fall Colors next to the Beaver Reservoir

 ScooterBob gets to witness Colorado Gold

 That triangular peak is called Sawtooth Peak for obvious reasons.

It's one of the mountain peaks visible also from the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Back on CO 72, we headed a little further south, this time turning west into the Brainard Lake Recreation Area.  It's a fee area and it cost me $10 to get in.  It's more of a hiking destination however, I'll have to go back some day if I ever do pick up hiking.

 A vista of the nearby peaks as one heads into the area

 Pawnee Peak on the left and Mount Audubon on the right

 ScooterBob near Brainard Lake 

Exiting the recreation area, we headed south once again and this time stopped at a favorite spot for pictures.  Unfortunately, the colors in the vicinity were so brilliant that the place was swarming with leaf-peepers, getting in the way of many picture angles.  I got only one:

Heading away hurriedly from the milling cagers and leaf-peepers, we rode a short way further south and I posed Scarlett near the edge of a pullout area.

 Along the Peak to Peak Highway south of Ward, CO

Shortly after the above shots, I found the turn off for Gold Hill Road.  This dirt road was pretty much lacking in terms of Fall Colors however.  I did find the turnoff for the Switzerland Trail and spent the next hour or so bumping along slowly on this rocky trail.

Progress was slow as I didn't want to loose the fillings in my teeth or parts off the rig as we descended down into the valley.  Again, no real fall colors or very scenic shots so no pictures taken.  Finally, reached a junction with County Road 118 which became Four Mile Canyon Road.

Very nice and twisty, this canyon road, but again no Fall Colors or much in the way of scenery.  A few miles down this road, we came upon this imposing rock/brick structure that used to be a mill for the Wallstreet Gold Mine Complex back in 1902:

Not much remains of the other buildings but there was the Assay Museum just a bit further on from the mill structure.  I didn't stop, but if you're so inclined, the museum is waiting for you.

Four Mile Canyon dumped us onto CO119 which we took towards Boulder.  We took CO93 from Boulder to Baseline Road and from there swiftly left the PRB and transited north of the Metro Denver area to I-25.

I-25 would take us to 104th Street east, to Tower Road at the town of Reunion.  From there it was just boring usual roads back to the home neighborhoods.

Scarlett ran pretty well though once in a while she'd run a little rough in first gear.  I think the air filter might need replacing.  I'll find out this coming week as Scarlett went over 40K Km during this ride and it's time for services!

******

That's it folks...I'll try and be better about these postings.