Wrap Up Time
Well it is time to wrap this report up. What started as an Idea and was painstakingly researched during the long months of winter finally came to fruition. I was perhaps in worse physical shape for this one than for the previous year’s ride, due to breaking my leg early in the spring. I did manage a short trip prior to this that at least got me into the rhythm for the season and dusted off the riding skills. I wanted this trip to be “epic” and a challenge for my off-road riding skills, and it was. I was happy to have made it through my one real crash with minor injuries to both myself and my machine. I was pleasantly surprised how well I took the rest of the terrain in-stride with the rockiest and steepest riding that I had ever done. My nemesis has always been mud and we saw a limited amount of it and other than falling over in it once when I could not get my foot (or tires) to find traction while barely moving, the remainder was done without incident.
As far as the team dynamic for this trip went, I would have to say; fairly well. Everyone has high and low points on a trip, and I know my low point was coming into Steamboat Springs in the driving rain. I was not a happy camper and was unable to disguise my frustrations at the weather. The other guys took my mood in stride and didn’t make a big deal about it. The rest of the trip when it rained we all took it in stride, resigned to the fact there was nothing to be done but carry on and enjoy the roads, if not the scenery. Despite real differences in dinning habits and expectations we managed to make things work with compromises from each member of the team. The highlight in that regard was during the worst weather of the trip when fellow campers brought us fresh BBQed rainbow trout while we sheltered under a tree.
I tried to make the route work for all the bikes with special consideration for the smallest; in that I tried to limit exposure to the Interstate Highways and the plus 65 MPH speeds. I also tried to give us a taste of gravel (not literally) each day, even when we were doing the long days back to home base, just to break up the monotony. Ian may feel differently, but I think I was successful in that regard.
The plan had been to camp the whole trip but with the proviso that we would seek more weather-proof accommodations if the weather was bad. We found a budget friendly alternative to motels in the KOA “Kabins” during the trip. They are fairly basic, and very consistent in design, with slight variations dependent on the location. They worked great when we needed to dry out wet camping gear and provided enough comfort to relax after a day’s hard riding. One night we stayed in a Motel during bad weather in Lake City, at an old and overpriced but clean place called the Silver Spur.
One of the guys thought that, 2 weeks was a bit too much, where (other than having enough of camping) I thought I could have enjoyed another week, especially if it was based out of the Telluride area. There was so much more of the area that I wanted to explore. Telluride itself, I had my fill of with its business and expense.
All in all we managed to see Colorado in her splendor,
even if she kept herself veiled in clouds for some of the trip. Maybe she just wants us to have a reason to come back, and I suspect that will happen at some point. We saw 97 percent of what we set out to see with the weather putting the brakes on the other 3 percent (1 and a half sections of the COBDR) and prudence preventing us from taking fully loaded bikes (with tired riders) down the steps of Black Bear Pass. I will definitely be back to do that one as it is the one piece of unfinished business that bothers me about the trip.
I would offer a bit of advice for anyone thinking about doing the Colorado Back Country Discovery Route. If you are a green rider, or on a large bike, be wary of some sections that seem to be added as “technical sections” as they are sometimes nothing more than quad trails and are
totally unsuitable for larger bikes if the weather is wet at all. They can easily be detoured around on the larger connecting roads that are already part of the route (as a whole). Do your own research rather than just following the provided gps track or you may get in over your head. We did sections in the rain and although we made it through, there were sections that were treacherous. The higher elevations were very rocky and as such mostly unaffected by rain.
Would I do it again,
absolutely! Would I do it with the same group, again,
without a doubt! We met great people along the way like Brendan the DRZ 650 rider in Lake City, and the generous and thoughtful family at Hahn’s Peak campground that fed us trout in the pouring rain, and countless other friendly, helpful people and travelers.
I can’t speak for the other guys,
but I feel like I accomplished what I set out to do, and had a great time along the way! Did I have any religious or philosophical epiphanies along the way? Hell no! but I wasn't looking for any either, simply a great vacation, and I found that!
[video=youtube;cY9_eU5j9Bs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY9_eU5j9Bs[/video]
I hope you enjoyed the virtual Ride Along!
