The Big Colorado Loop
Entry posted by HispanicSlammer
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I ride this 500 mile loop at least once a year, it usually takes about 12 hours to complete lunch included with some of the most spectacular scenery that Colorado has to offer. Not to mention some great twisties along the way. I ride the first half of it so often I did not bother to stop for pictures and that included Monarch Pass which is for the most part a great mountain pass on a motorcycle. I usually take hwy 50 west all the way to Gunnison and then turn off at Hwy 92 for the best road in Colorado IMHO the Black Canyon Of The Gunnison. Yea I have posted it many times before and taken video lots of times, yesterday included but only for a short section since my video with Dan Last year has become the definitive hwy 92 video, I put the camera on the helmet for that part to try to get some shots of the canyon below but I move my neck around like a bird so I cut most of it out of the final video and for some reason my second camera was cutting out a bit on that section.
Dillon Pinnacles Blue Mesa Reservoir highway 50
Highway 92 At Blue Mesa Damn
Highway 92 Black Canyon
Highway 92 from where I just came
my vfr800 The San Juan's in the background
Black Canyon hwy 92 hangs off like a shelf
Long Way Down 2000 feet below is the Gunnison River
I usually stop in Crawford for lunch, where the Maddog café used to be - since closed but there was a sign on the place I usually go the boardwalk café that said it was closed on Tuesdays (shoot I was hungry) but fortunately the Branding Iron was open for lunch and I was in for a surprise, to date the best Bacon Cheeseburger I have had in the USA was at the Eagle Café in Mount Judea Arkansas but I now think the Branding Iron has taken that Title - however twice I have tried the Eagle Café and twice its been awesome so perhaps I need a second trip to make sure - all I know is the Branding Iron uses 100% Colorado Beef, sign says so right on the door! Crawford is a sleepy little place nestled in the foothills of the mountains - lots of farms in the area where you can get all sorts of goods, beef or course, pistachios, apples, wheat, Barely (Coors uses allot of grain from here), and the like. There were other motorcyclist out on this loop today as I pulled in 4 other bikes pulled out and there where a couple of FJR's from Idaho out front too, a husband and wife out touring Colorado - I will be up there next month on my way to Canada!!
I think I found my new Favorite Burger 100 percent Colorado Beef - Crawford Colorado
Crawford Colorado I pulled in just as 4 bikes pulled out
I took a short cut through some farm country to Panioa, another nice little town north of Crawford, the place was bustling with activity, its off the main road so I was sure they where mostly locals - lots of kids out in the sun on summer break, seems like a great place to grow up! I was soon on Hwy 133 heading for Sommerset an old coal mining town, shooting the easy sweepers around 70 or so, just cruising. I pass through town then resumed my speed when all of a sudden I can feel a wasp stinging me in my stomach, damn thing got me 3 times before I could open my stich to let it out. Lucky for me cause I slowed down quite a bit while this was going on a state trooper passed me on the next turn, me rubbing my tummy where the wasp got me going EXACTLY the speed limit. That wasp saved me a ticket!! I decided to pull off and put some creme on it. Seems I always get nailed by a wasp or a bee in this area and so I carry some medicated creme now cause it seems inevitable that I am going to get stung or bit by something.
North Fork Gunnison River Keebler Pass - dirt road to Crested Butte
Marcellina Mountain at Keebler Pass
North Fork Gunnison River looking back at Somerset
I then put the cameras back up and turned them on for the twisties along the Panoia State Park, they are nice and tight along here and for some reason there where a row of cars going up the road to McClure pass I just passed them one by one, and using my new found philosophy of "don't force it" opportunities to pass legally just seemed to crop up, a dotted line just long enough for me to get around and stuff a tight right hander and still give the car a wide berth! No finger wagging cagers passing me today! Wasps and Cagers be damned this was a ride for the books and it was going great, no rain, no cops save the wasp guy and no idiots in the way.
Chair Mountain From McClure Pass
Chair Mountain zoomed in
McClure Pass Hwy 133 at Marble
McClure Pass Hwy 133
Elk Mountain
McClure Pass Hwy 133
Redstone You can go horseback riding here
Redstone Coke Ovens Chair Mountain in the background
Zoomed out
Redstone
NO IDIOTS SO FAR - That was until I was up until I got to Aspen, the leg home. The traffic in Aspen was awful as usual and it stayed that way almost all the way to Independence pass, where I ran into the back of a long line of cars stopped for an accident, it was a pretty bad one the whole front end of a Jeep Liberty was smashed up, this is the third time I had seen a bad accident on this pass so I don't rail it anymore too many idiots cant stay in their own lane on the tight bumpy twisties here, two weeks ago I had to adjust my line three times cause cagers had crossed the line into my lane! so I took it easy when all of a sudden gravel everywhere! - some time since two weeks ago they had chip sealed the western part of the pass and had yet to sweep it off - this went on for miles with 10 or so cars in front of me all going about 25mph my bike was running at 245 degrees! I was just about to pull off and let the bike cool off when the chip seal stopped and there was some open road, I passed a whole bunch at a time - again legally and easily and got the bike moving enough to cool her off! going down the other side it was one lane again, this time asphalt paving on the other side! Now it had cooled down to 180 since I was going down and just coasting down!
Independence Pass two weeks from my last ride down it
Lackawanna Gulch at Independence Pass
I was in cruise mode from here on out, it was already 6pm and the critters where out and about coming out from the bush after hiding from the hot sun all day I had spotted a few deer on the side of the road so I slowed things down some. Stopping in Buena Vista I decided to check out Quincy's for a Fillet Mignon, but the place was packed to the gills and there were people standing outside, I guess I will have to wait till next time. Thats all they serve there so it must be good, my friend Craig says its wonderful.
The MAP
THE VIDEO
:media: The Big Colorado Loop Video - 8 minutes wmv format high resolution - music by New Order
attached are the gps tracks from my zumo
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