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Re: [ST] Ride and Gear Report Part 2



Sounds great, but I didn't get Part 1!  Is it just my e-mail, or are
others missing this as well?

Dan

>>> srmouser@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 7/8/2004 12:59:24 PM >>>
Part 2
===================================================

- -Day 3
The next morning my buddies and I (six total) headed out to go across 
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. The morning fog on 
the way to RMNP was terrible and we could hardly see the road. I was 
leading and I pulled in behind a slowish moving SUV and just stayed 
behind its tail lights until we drove out of the fog (several miles). 
We had breakfast at "The Egg and I" in Estes Park, CO. A great little 
breakfast place. Then we headed out across Trail Ridge Road. The park 
website says the following about Trail Ridge Rd.

"Trail Ridge Road provides spectacular views of the majestic scenery of

Rocky Mountain National Park. It is the highest continuous motorway in

the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000' and a

maximum elevation of 12,183'. The name "Trail Ridge Road" derives from

it's  proximity to historic pathways used by native peoples to cross 
the Rocky Mountains."

I'll just say it's spectacular. There was a large group of bicyclists 
pedaling the road that day and so traffic was extremely slow. But the 
road is one of the most spectacular in the US. At the visitor's center

at the halfway point it started to snow so we moved on - heading down 
through the town of Granby (recently made famous by a certain resident

who used a bulldozer to do a few architectural improvements) and on to

our destination of Golden, CO.

- -Day 4
In the morning we headed out to ride up the Mt Evans Scenic Byway. The

byway is the highest paved automobile road in North America. The summit

is 14,265 ft and the road stops just short of the top. You have to hike

a little way to get to the very top. We chose not to do that but 
instead to explore around the visitor's center. The center was 
surrounded by mountain goats which were wild but quite docile. The road

is one of those mountain roads with steep cliffs just inches from the 
edge of the road and no guard rails. If you're scared of heights just 
focus on staying between the lines. Again, another beautiful road with

stunning views, snow packs, and marmots all along the way. It was 38 F

at the top.

We continued to our final stay-over of Crested Butte, CO where we spent

three nights. We travelled out I-70 through the Eisenhower tunnel, down

scenic Hwy 24 to Leadville, CO which at over 10,000ft is the hightest 
incorporated town in the US. We stopped here for lunch. Continuing on,

we passed the Collegiate Range (Mts Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc) all

over 14,000 high and on to Crested Butte. It rained hard most of the 
way and it was cold because most of the trip was at high elevation. The

gear continued to hold up great even as my body ached. The bike seemed

to be a little more sluggish at higher elevation but the effect was 
minimal. A couple of the guys who had older (1500cc carbureted) 
GoldWings found it difficult to get over 55mph at wide open throttle on

some of the higher, steeper grades. The thinner air has a more 
deleterious effect on carbureted bikes.

There is only one paved road in and out of Crested Butte, CO and it is

currently not all paved (construction). The Sprint certainly is not a 
dual sport! However, I was able to maneuver the 8 mile section of 
gravelly muddy road several times to get in and out of town. To be 
honest, we all did... the Sprint was no exception. Slipping around in 
the mud is not a pleasant experience on an ST but it's all part of 
motorcycle touring.


______________________
Shawn
Los Angeles
'02 BRG ST
'92 HD XL 1200
- ---------------------------------------


www.packereng.com



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