Igrok Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 I wanted to go on a longer ride over the 3 day weekend, but as luck would have it, my workaholic boss decided to schedule meetings on Monday, so I was cut short to only a two day ride. I pondered heading southwest to Durango, then coming up to Montrose on the Million dollar highway, then home via Gunnison and Salida, but I've been that way close to 5 times now and while it is a nice ride, I wanted new scenery and to stick a pin in a town I've yet to visit: Walden CO. I couldn't sleep the night before, so ended up getting up late Saturday morning and didn't pull out of the drive way until 10:00 am. I headed up the mountain to Woodland Park via UTE Pass (highway 24). Traffic was a nightmare as usual and it took 2 hours just to get to Deckers. The road from Deckers to Pine Junction was clean, twisty, and not crowded! I made quick work of getting to 285 and then through Evergreen. I'm glad I was heading east on 285 because west was bumper to bumper. There is a small bar/restaurant just south of Evergreen called "The Well" and I recommend it to anyone! No masks, good beer, and the food's not bad. Did I mention no masks?? Okay, after spending a few hours in traffic and only a tiny bit of twisties between Deckers and Pine Junction, I rewarded myself with a ride to Idaho Springs via Mt. Evans... The next "leg" of the trip was from Idaho Springs to Granby via Berthoud Pass (A lovely road with quite a few hairpin turns). Granby to Walden via Hwy 125 through the Arapahoe Nat'l Forest was very relaxing with little to no traffic due to the Cameron Peak fire. I had supper in Walden at the "Mad Moose" (Tiajuana Dog) and headed back the way I came. I spent the night in my hammock and woke up to 30 degrees Sunday morning and two bull moose feeding in the creek about 200 yards off the road. I went home the way I came, so I got a double dose of some of the best roads in Colorado. It was nice breaking the trip up in two days, but could be a long 1 day trip if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted September 11, 2020 Share Posted September 11, 2020 Nice write-up, maps, and pix. Thanks for sharing! 30 degrees is pretty cold for camping IMO, though I'm not a camper. Is it better or worse to be in a hammock vs. in a tent on the ground? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igrok Posted September 11, 2020 Author Share Posted September 11, 2020 It's colder in the hammock, ONLY because you have the cold air stealing your heat from underneath you. However, I prefer the hammock over sleeping on the hard ground. I bring a liner for my sleeping back and all is well. I cranked up the bike and turned on the heated grips to warm up my hands and I was good to go. My camping supplies: Hammock Rain Fly Slap straps (to hang the hammock) Jet Boil Coffee Mountain House (food) Sleeping bag Liner This fits nicely in my panniers along with my tire repair kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted September 11, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted September 11, 2020 Bought a Therm-a-rest in the 80's.... Still does the job; will fit in a hammock as well... Bought the "half size" as the pressure points are hip and shoulder. Always sleep with a wolly hat on to keep heat inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igrok Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 I have a pad as well that fits nicely in the hammock, but not so nicely on the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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