Pikes Peak (almost); Rocky Mountain National Park and Leadville

fandanna
Jul 30, 2021
3 min read

I'll try to be brief with my commentary because out here, pictures truly are worth a thousand words!!

Pikes Peak is an awesome ride; technically difficult (per my husband, more difficult than Cumberland Gap that I haven't ridden.) Met some other bikers from Oklahoma and Texas at our first stop to put warm clothes on then headed up the mountain. Beautiful sunny day. Lots of traffic going very slow. For those of you reading this that aren't bikers, maintaining momentum and high rpm's going through curves keeps the bike up. I made it to the very last hairpin curve before the parking area on Pikes Peak and traffic came to a dead stop as I was going into the curve. Todd barely made it through the curve successfully. I stopped in the curve and the bike tipped. Lost my coolant and banged my bike up a bit but nothing a little cosmetic attention can't fix!! Good thing...I wasn't hurt. Bike is still running well after we put water in the coolant reservoir. BIG THANKS to the group from Texas and Oklahoma that assisted us get my bike upright and made sure I was ok. I rode the bike down no problem and we rode to Avalanche Harley Davidson to get coolant. BIG THANKS to Jacob at the dealership who checked out the bike and GAVE us the coolant.

Why do I tell a story about my bike tipping? Because not many bikers talk about it. I hope bikers will consider the traffic and conditions of the road when traveling up steep mountains with blind hairpin curves. I also hope that people in cars will better understand why bikers may stop before entering a curve (to ensure traffic is out of the way) and also not stop (if possible) at the top of a curve...keep traffic moving even if it means parking may be a bit farther than one would prefer.

Starting in Evergreen, the ride through Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) was preceded by a few parkways that warrant mention: Casino Parkway, 190, 72, 7 (peak to Peak scenic byway). RMNP has timed entry so the line going in was not long at all. Some of the outlooks were a bit crowded but manageable; we always found parking. Rode through the park and exited near Grand Lake, CO. Enjoyed lunch at Sagebrush Brewery and BBQ and walked around the town. Stayed a second night in Evergreen. Don't pass up RMNP if you come to Colorado!! Gods country!

Leaving Evergreen, we headed out CO 103 pass Mt. Evans toward Idaho Springs. Excellent route!! Hopped on I70 west to CO 91 toward Leadville CO. Stopped for lunch at the Silver Dollar Saloon, the oldest saloon in Leadville and 4th oldest in Colorado. GREAT food! Left Leadville on 24 (Tope of the Rockies scenic byway) Again...beautiful! No pictures due to all outlooks were gravel. No worries...we had GoPro going. Rode to Minturn for a stretch and turned around to head back to Leadville. Stayed at the historic Delaware Hotel. The entire lobby and all of the rooms are full of antiques that are apparently going to be put up for auction as the hotel has new owners. It is a beautiful place to stay if you like history. If you have trouble with stairs, not the place to stay...there is no elevator. Had a beer at Tennessee Pass Café and dinner at Quincy's Steak House (they only serve filets of various sizes 5 days a week and Prime rib the other 2). Leadville is a cool city full of history.

Pictures are below. Stay tuned...the adventure is just getting started!!