I had looked forward to this ride for months. Planned by George Barnes ('99 Iron Butt Rally winner) as part of the Iron Butt Association National Meet, the ride originally was to include both Pikes Peak and Mt. Evans in one day, a route I had tried at least once before. Route planning was complicated because part of CO-67 between Woodland Park and Deckers (a direct route between the two peaks) was washed out on July 7th and was still under reconstruction. After discarding the northerly routes of I-25 (ugh) and Rampart Range Road (50 miles of tight, twisty gravel road) George decided on County Road 77 from Lake George to Jefferson as the connector. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The day started at 6 AM when I met my friends Terry Todd (riding a BMW R1150RT) and Tom Mulvany (Honda ST1100) just south of Denver. We had an uneventful ride south on I-25, with views of Pikes Peak along the way, and got through Monument and most of Colorado Springs before the heaviest part of rush hour traffic. On the south side of town we met up with the rest of the IBA group at the hotel where the Spank Rally had ended the day before. After a rider's meeting we took off in small groups and headed toward Pikes Peak.

After a detour through Manitou Springs to take a photo of the 1929 Ute Pass plaque for my Pass Bagger 50 collection, we arrived at the gate for the Pikes Peak Highway, gave the attendant our tickets, and headed up the road, having it pretty much to ourselves. Tom led at a comfortable pace, Terry followed, looking comfortable and at ease while standing on his pegs for quite a while, and I brought up the rear. Eventually on one of the gravel sections of the road we caught up with a pack of cars and bikes and fell in line for a slow ride to the top. My patience didn't last long and I led the group with my KLR650 as we began to carefully and responsibly pass our way to the front, one vehicle at a time. (The Pikes Peak brochure only says to not pass on the corners.) When I finally checked my mirrors I was surprised to see a Gold Wing right behind me. Who says you need a dual sport to be sporty on a gravel road? Later I found out that some flat-landers were impressed with how easy Terry was making things look, still standing on his pegs, and gassing it out of the corners, hanging out the tail of his RT. Great fun, at least until we came up behind another large group of cars and bikes and fell into line for the rest of the trip to the summit. The benefit of an extra slow pace though was that it was very safe and easy to look over the drop-offs and take in all the high altitude scenery. Big blue sky, views west to the Collegiate Mountain Range, alpine tundra, interesting rock formations.

At the summit we quickly took some photos, bought a few things in the gift shop, and started our journey back down the mountain. Even with delays at construction zones and having to follow a pilot car for a bit, we were back down to US-24 way too soon. When we stopped for lunch in Woodland Park we noticed big, dark clouds above Pikes Peak, and commented that we were glad we weren't still up there. A couple of weeks later I read a report from one of the other IBA cyclists that and he told of his encounter with wind, rain, and enough hail to turn the ground white. He didn't enjoy that part of the trip. After some burgers and fries we continued west to Lake George where our route turned onto Park county road 77.

In spite of all its potholes, this road is one of the nicest, off-the-beaten-path roads in the state. As it wanders along the edge of the narrow Tarryall Creek valley there is plenty of interesting scenery to see including rock formations, ranches, and more old log structures than just about anywhere. With a blue sky above and scenery all about, I was glad for my KLR650's ability to soak up the rough pavement that the guys on road bikes were having to weave around. But that didn't' stop them from enjoying the ride either. Even a temporary road closure for construction didn't bother us, but just gave us an opportunity to do a little socializing.

At the old, small town of Jefferson out in the middle of South Park (a valley with an average elevation of 9000' and the size of some New England states) we headed east on US-285 for the climb up to Kenosha Pass. This pass with all its aspen trees and the route downhill along the rushing North Fork of the South Platte River, curving past forest and rock outcroppings is exactly what one thinks of traveling in the Colorado mountains. Very scenic for sure.

At the wide spot in the road named Grant, some of the folks headed on toward Denver and the IBA meet. Quite a few of us though stopped to ponder the time of day, the stormy clouds to the west, and the anticipated road conditions over Guanella Pass. We decided to press on. Jeff "LOE 1000" Foster told me that since I was on the "bouncy" bike I should go first. And away I went, up the road that is gravel in some places, poor paving in others, and new pavement in a few spots. On a weekday with no traffic, and on a bike made for stuff like that, I had more fun buzzing up toward the pass than I've had on a bike for a while. I stopped at the summit and patiently waited for the others and took photos as they arrived, including one of rider on a Gold Wing pulling a trailer (he later said he'd ruined a fork seal).

The downhill towards Georgetown included two fairly long stops for construction, but again we made the best of them swapping howdies and relaxing in the high altitude scenery. It then got a bit dusty following a group of cars down the road, but eventually we made it to the old Victorian mining town of Georgetown, bought some gas and headed east on I-70.

At Idaho Springs some folks continued on in to Denver, while others of us decided that since we were so close to making it to the summits of two 14ers in one day, we'd follow the original plans and take the time to head up to Mt. Evans. The road at first follows alongside Chicago Creek and then climbs up a good, twisty road to Echo Lake, a favorite place for picnics. At the Forest Service gate we paid the fee for the final 14 miles to the summit. Not much traffic, great views, big drop-offs, some wildlife, catching air over the frost heaves at Summit Lake, and hairpin turns made for a fun ride. At the summit we took more photos, talked to Mike Kneebone, and then headed back to the prairie via CO-103, the Squaw Pass road, a favorite for sport bikers. After riding in the mountains all day city traffic was anticlimactic, but with the IBA meet as the destination, all was well.

Two fourteen-thousand-foot mountain summits, about 300 miles, a mix of road surfaces, terrific Colorado Rocky Mountain scenery, and plenty of camaraderie with good friends and the other crazy Iron Butt Association riders. It was a great day-ride!

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Last modified: April 6, 2007