VFR Discussion Group -> Maroon bells ride report

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Wow, what a trip, I don't know how to get started? How about at the Beginning! Good company, good weather, good food, and great places to visit.  Maroon Bells is an awsome site seen in person, It towers over the rest of the scenery and demands your attention the moment you round the big right hand turn and see it for the first time.

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It started out FUBAR'ED for me, couldn't find my keys, lost my earplugs had to use old ones and to top it all off I was running late. �A quick hop up 24 to Manitou Springs I found Matt waiting patiently at Patsy's Candies our jump off point for the day. �Matt says Craig has indeed showed up but he was gassing up, I wasn't sure he was going to come since he threatened to boycott the ride if there was a drop of rain!

I looked down at my meter and noticed I needed some gas too, so I rode over to find Craig and gassed up, apparently he had trouble getting her started as his battery was low - good thing he has an appointment to get his alternator replaced with the recall, we figured we were going to be going rather "rapid" today so there was little risk of a dead battery on this ride.

We hooked up with Matt and headed up UTE pass, I was riding a new tire so I was trying to get it scrubbed in on the pass, leaning it over gently. Until that is the State Pat Troll was spotted up ahead. I did the whirl in the air and pulled into the right lane for what was going to be 20 minutes of speedometer watching untill we made Woodland Park. �Sure enough officer Buzz Kill decided we looked tasty for a ticket and slowed down, he pulled onto the shoulder slowly and fell in behind Matt who was riding cleanup. �

Just before we caught up to the cop a fellow on a BMW boxer had passed us on the left going about 60 and went out ahead, made a corner as the cop was falling in behind us and must have thought he was clear, because he cranked it up. With Buzz-kill behind us we were being good citizen riders and the Pat Troll officer decided to leave us and go after Boxer boy shooting past us to go get him, sure enough 5 min later there they were pulled over! �What a PITA!

We pulled into Mac Dee's to greet Bill who has been waiting 45 min for us now, we said hello took a short break and head-up up hwy 24 towards Wilkerson Pass, I had not planned on stopping there but my shitty old earplugs were not sealing up and I was getting blasted with wind noise. So we pulled in to the visitor center so I could fix it. I guess somebody just couldn't walk the 20 feet to the public restrooms because it smelled like they just dropped pants in the parking lot and let go. The place smelled bad so we rode to the exit to get some fresh air, and took some shots of the Western Face of Pikes Peak.

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The ride to Hartsel from there is long and strait so its boogy time, Craig cranked it up to 130 mph in some areas passing the million and one RV's out that day, I must have seen at least 200 RV's going home on hwy 24.

We decided after we made Buena Vista to gas up and skip lunch until we got to Aspen. We made the 30 miles up hwy 24 to Twin Lakes and it was like the heavens had opened up and let us in.

Twin Lake Turn off
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Ka-Pow!
Mt Elbert - the tallest Peak in Colorado to the left is Twin Lakes the Gateway to Independence pass, you cant see them but there are 2 lakes there (um duh - I guess you could have figured that)

I had been leading up to this point from Buena Vista and decided to let somebody else have a go to get some pictures and vids going up the pass, Bill volunteered to lead.

The big right hander going into Twin Lakes, better slow down its a speed trap!
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The village of Twin Lakes
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Heading past the marshes near Twin Lakes
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I took extensive video and almost used up my whole memory card so I had to erase the more boring vids to make room for our Destination shots.

We took a break to play in the snow at the top of Independence pass, �the snow was hard packed and about 3 feet deep, hard enough to stand on if you dont jump, if you walk too hard you end up knee deep.

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We headed down the pass and buzzed some campers on the way down, it was a brisk pace, but nothing too crazy, some sand and the road was frost heaved from the winter so it was bumpy.

Bill waited until he got close to some twisties to pass a couple of flower trucks so me and Matt got stranded behind 2 huge delivery trucks, the open air truck had potted plants in the back and the planting soil was blowing right into my helmet, We were only 2 minutes from town so I just moved back and cruised into town, this was not the first crazy pass of the day, we would all get our turn.

The lunch was fine, Matt said "Is there a no bra ordinace" ? as some very nice looking ladies were popping out all over! �A very nice and pretty lady seated next to us gave us some advice on Maroon Bells National Park, how much it cost, etc and if the road went all the way up. I could have swore I have seen her before on TV!

YUP it does go all the way up!
Ka-Pow again,

We headed up a very nice road called Maroon Creek road into the park, paid the $5 entrance fee for motorcycles - well I didn't Matt spotted me the fee, thanks jarhead! I used my cash for lunch.

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We headed up the road a nicely paved 20 mph indicated road that sits in a very steep valley with sheer drops to the creek below and huge mountains on either side, then rounded the corner for a full on view of Maroon peaks the pictures just don't do it justice you HAVE to see this place for yourself to believe it, the lady said it would be worth the fee, I would say "Yahuh"! 20 mph give me a break!

The western edge had these red rock spires
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In the parking lot we met two riders on BMW's who lived in AVON and Beaver Creek, one guy sounded like he was from Germany very lively fellow and of course we talked about bikes! I did not think to get a picture.

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Craig and Matt getting their gear squared away
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Craig at the waters edge of Maroon lake
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Meet the Colorado Springs VFR Discussion Riding group (ltr) Craig, Bill, and Matt

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I am the one in the black stitch at the top of the page!
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More
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We decided to head to Glenwood Springs and ride that incredible suspended road I-70 thru Glenwood canyon near the white river. I ran out of memory on my digital camera so no more pictures. �It was rather packed and some drivers were driving slow in the left lane, I was weaving in and out, one lady pulled over after several minutes of me following behind her then she gave me the bird as I passed by. I showed her the proper way to flip a bird, I guess the guys behind me were not expecting that.

Just about a half an hour before Craig jammed it in very close front of some slow lady driver and a truck. She thought driving 2 abreast for ten minutes and holding up us motorcyclist was standard procedure. Craig must have made an impression cause she moved over for the rest of us finally!

We turned off to head to Leadville and rode up a very tight twisty mountain pass just south of Minturn on hwy 24 where Matt and I got schooled by the VTEC's of Craig and Bill they were pulling away but I managed to catch up, Matt at this point was getting tired and it was visible on his face, good thinking Matt when your tired no need to push it. �I was tired too and had made a mistake on one of the turns (a hard right), body out of position and it looked like I was going to go wide into the other lane but just muscled it to stay in my lane.

We were only rained on for 5 minutes, considering we were expecting 40% rain it was a very nice day! �Thanks for the ride guys 440 miles 9:30 to 9:00pm for me thanks for the refreshments Bill!

(click the pictures to make them bigger or smaller)

Video shot riding up Independance Pass!
11 megabites windows steaming media, buffered at 212kb/sec
7minutes running time.
:media:
Independance Pass Video



The whole time I was shooting the video this song was going thru my head, Pat Metheny "The Fields, The Sky" live so I had to put it in the video.

Here is the link to the other video I shot of Maroon Creek road, I did not post them on the same page so that they dont run at the same time.
:media:
Maroon Creek Road
if it does not work for you, right click "save target as"

Alright Miguel.  :bow:

Awesome scenery. Thanks for the pics and vids. I can't wait to get some vacation time. I'd love to come ride some of those mountains. Guess I'm gonna have to wait though.  :doh:

TO John keeps threatening to bring his vid camera and film us leaning low. That would be fun reviewing our technique. I think a video down Bouquet canyon would be in order followed up by WFO road. Maybe next weekend. :cool:

Yea do that! I would like to see some SoCal vids!  

On that vid  I made at the very end the road narrows to one lane and huggs a granite rock face, it does that in 2 places, sort of unnerving if your in a car but on a bike its cake. Took me forever to get that vid to work right, I was trying to lower the engine noise, it sort of overwhelms the video,  and adding music the microsoft encoder would not play nice.

I might have to try a new map, my viffer was lagging behind those VTECs they kept pulling away from me, but then again I was in 4th 5th and 6th gear mostly not really reving it so much.  I cant hear them so I cant tell what gear they are in. I dont know what it is about new tires but they always feel loose to me, this one started to settle in but I still have a ways to go to the edge.  Just me I guess, Matt is riding so much faster than last year, he is really getting fast.

When we were in Glenwood Springs it must have been 80 degrees out, I was wearing a sweater thinking it was going to rain part of the day and so I suffered a bit.

The ride looks awesome.  I'm bummed that i got stuck here in the Springs all weekend.  At last I cleaned up around the house(yawn!) So when and where is the next ride?
Mitch

those are some awesome pictures and video miguel! good job. it sure makes me want to move to colorado to drive in the mountains all the time like you guys.

just to feed my interest, what's it like there? i mean, it's pretty wet and cold here in oregon in the winter and early spring, but how do you think it compares to your neck of the woods?

also, what camera were you using for this and how was it mounted? were all the shots through the windscreen?

keep it up!

joel :cool:

fastjo, May 28 2003just to feed my interest, what's it like there? i mean, it's pretty wet and cold here in oregon in the winter and early spring, but how do you think it compares to your neck of the woods?

I lived in Tacoma, WA for 5 years, so I know what you're talking about. Here, rain is not really an issue, because it doesn't (much). �Denver, Colo. Springs and the whole eastern edge of the mountains is known geographically as an "Alpine Desert," and that really explains it. �When it does rain, it will come down for 30 minutes or so, sometimes pretty hard but not usually, then 20 minutes later it is bone dry.

You can count on 85 to 95 degrees and 7% humidity in the summer, and some 40 and 50 degree days even in the winter. It's coldest in Jan. and Feb. (with the occassional 50 degree day thrown in), and most snow falls in March and April. If you've ever been to eastern washington, like Cle Elem, Wenatchee or Spokane, that's pretty much what it's like. �Larry

fastjo, May 28 2003also, what camera were you using for this and how was it mounted? were all the shots through the windscreen?

Spectacular!

And yes, how do you mount the camera?

The Camera is just a Cannon s330 digital sitting on a RAM mount ancored to my left mirror. �It takes 15-30 second vid clips that I just string together, its nice cause its already digital, I just string them together cut out the bad stuff add music and encode in streaming mode and presto vfrdiscussion vids. �Its very small and lite, easy to operate (just push the button and let go) I can switch between vid mode and camera mode rather quick too, I love it. �I am going to buy an underwater case for it so I dont have to worry about bugs/gravel and rain. �I just found out cannon makes one for my camera.

By the way if you click the embedded video right click it >zoom> full screen it will expand the picture to full screen for you.

We were sitting at the top of Wilkerson Pass about 40 minutes left to get to Woodland park and home. We are taking a break to clean off the dead bugs.  Craig says he dont want to lead anymore, he wants to be in back come sundown, Bill is stoic but not budgeing, Matt - well he has been batting cleanup all day, no way he is gonna take the point.  Bastards make me lead just when I am tired. :shake:

I Just watched the two vids... wow.  Watching them really makes me want to ride and ride :P .  I'm going to save them on my desktop and show friends what its like to ride.  I think I'll be watching them especially in the off season to help me make it through.  Miguel, you really capture the feel and joy of it.  :bow:  I'll have to check through the archives for more rides to download.  Any past favorites?
Mitch

Yea mostly in the ride archive section and the touring section.

HispanicSlammer, May 28 2003We were sitting at the top of Wilkerson Pass about 40 minutes left to get to Woodland park and home. We are taking a break to clean off the dead bugs. �Craig says he dont want to lead anymore, he wants to be in back come sundown, Bill is stoic but not budgeing, Matt - well he has been batting cleanup all day, no way he is gonna take the point. �Bastards make me lead just when I am tired. :shake:

you're a true slugger miguel! way to take charge, literally! :beer:

It is probably that we other three have had recent tickets by the overpopulation of Colorado troopers and their quest for revenue. After all, the state is in a budget crunch.

I have been pulled over three time since I move here in January. Two cage and one bike. 18 years in Ohio, never got pulled over once.

The first cage warning was failure to signal a lane change on the highway. The second warning on the bike, 74 in a 65. The last was cage, got me for 49 in a 30. I was going down a mountain pass, 10:30pm. The whole pass was 45 posted, except for this 1/8 mile section of 30 posted. I never saw the 30 mph sign.

The scenery out here is awesome, but the cops are part of the scenery.

Miguel just seems to get us home quicker...thanks man... :bow:

fastjo, June 02 2003you're a true slugger miguel! way to take charge, literally! :beer:

The strange part was how empty the roads where from Wilkerson Pass all the way to Woodland Park, its like 40 miles and a few twisties strung in there, usually once you get down the pass and into Lake George your stuck behind cars and RV's for the next 25 miles, not too many places to pass and there is usually too many cars to count, but not that day, I have never ridden that section that fast before it is much more fun without all the traffic.

It was like a ghost road all of a sudden, we just kept going the speed we were doing all day.  Had I know it was going to be so quiet and so empty I would not have worried about it, usually it sucks thru there.

TO John finally brought out the video camera and shot some footage going up to Wrightwood last Sunday. His battery died just before the really twistie parts, so the leaning probably isn't too extreme. High speed sweepers only. We haven't seen the results yet, but seeing 115 on the speedo with a CHP motorcycle coming the opposite way is shure to please (slam on brakes, down to 55 in 1 second). The way he mounted the camera you can see the speedo and the rider in front the whole way. I hope we can find a way to post the video when John puts it together.  :cool:

Yea we were just cruizin up indy, too many frost heaved sections and hidden piles of gravel on the switch backs to really rock thru there, we did manage to really crank it up on Buffallo pass near minturn, that was much smoother road and really twisty.

I thought about mounting it on the tank but my wind screen is so high it obscures most of the view, I like it where it is, its easy to reach with my clutch hand. It would be great to get a helm cam, but thats expensive. Its hard to get a camera going when you really need to be concentrating on your riding, I always get dropped.  When I put the camera away and just ride I can keep up nicely, though Bill and Craig are faster than I.

:beer: hey miguel, i am really jealous of the rides you guys go on down there. up here in the niagara peninsula it's very flat with no hills even! lots of back roads but you get fed up with just fields to look at! i sometimes ride past niagara falls but that road is very busy during the summer months and the speed limit is only 60k's. you guys should be very pleased at how lucky you are. great videos...h.g.

I hear there are some good roads near the great lakes.

bump

Nice job Miguel!  Keep em comin, you've got my vote for an emmy! :bow:

Great story Miguel. �I loved all the pictures and the videos put me in the seat with you. �You satisfied my fix temporarily. �My bike is still covered in the garage waiting for spring to thaw us out a little.