NC to CO ride this May

[Muthuh]

Greetings... I am planning a ride to visit family in Colorado this May - looking for advice from locals on routing. Will be leaving NC May 10 staying in OKC til May 13thAM ... from there I hope to do NM and CO on some back roads... I have a map posted at

http://muthuh.com/journal/030510/mainmap2.gif

so if you locals can tell me if I am hitting the good spots, let me know. Some of the stops are mandatory, but the roads between are optional... eager to hear from you.

[moe]

looks like a good ride,wish I had time to go ,I have son in TAOS,NM. so I know the area... good places to eat.(1) michaels kitchen,just north of the plaza block or so on the hwy (2) guade la jhara grill (spelling ???) out by the ford dealer on the hwy south of plaza...place to get a harley part or work on bike Daves Custom Cycle he has a dyno, he is on the hwy just south of the plaza about 2-3 bl0cks.. plenty of things to do in Taos so enjoy,,,, moe

[Jams]

I would recommend that you really keep an eye out for Bambi's between Grand Junction and Craig.
Also, stay on I-25 all the way south to Raton and check out http://www.travelassist.com/mag/a20.html -->Motorcycle Museum
This will keep you along the front range instead of being a hockey puck for big trucks on the skinny two lanes roads in eastern Colorado.
Out of Raton go east to Clayton, NM and then on to Dumas,TX.
Much better scenery going that way and less traffic.

[pasadenajim]

Muthuh!

Hadn't seen a post from you in awhile. I'm glad you're alive and well.
'hope you post a ride story about your adventure after you return.




Just a thought: Kansas is very, very FLAT. Do you have time enough to avoid going through Kansas? But there are some good roads in parts of MO.

[Muthuh]

Thanks... I usually write up something and will put a link to it in here to the stories. Getting some good suggestions from all over. This is the way to plan a trip! let others give their tips!

[Jams]

I was going to suggest visiting Joe Cocker's Mad Dog Cafe in Crawford, Co but it looks like they closed the doors.

http://www.cocker.com/mdrfc/index.html

[Smooothglide]

Muthuh, instead of heading north when you hit Lamar, CO, continue west to Canon City and get a load of this www.royalgorgebridge.com . It is absolutely not to be missed. Then head north from there (a very scenic ride) and when you get toward Colorado Springs stop and take a tour of the limestone caverns at www.gardenofgods.com . There's also a great ride through the geologic rock formations there.

When you get to Denver, don't leave without riding all the roads up around Red Rocks, the famous outdoor amphitheater here www.redrocksonline.com . When its time to leave Denver, do yourself a favor and don't take I-25 north to Ft. Collins (about as boring as riding through Kansas). Instead, go into Golden and take a tour of the Coors brewery (free fresh beer afterward), then take highway 93 up to Boulder, then head through Lyons to Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park. From Estes Park, take highway 34 west until it hooks up with highway 40 just past Grand Lake and Lake Granby. Highway 40 will take you into Steamboat Springs. When you get there, you can cool off by renting an innertube and go tubing down the river.

The rest of your trip through CO looks good. Definitely don't take your planned route from Lamar to Ft. Collins as the entire segment will be extremely boring and flat. Take the route I suggest and you will be ECSTATIC that you did.

[Jams]

Smooothie,
I think the arrows on his map show him leaving Colorado through Lamar.

[Smooothglide]

Oh jeez. Well, in that case do everything in reverse!

[Muthuh]

I did the Peak-to-peak highway last year to Estes so will pass on that - I have since decided to do the roayl gorge, garden of the gods and (maybe) pikes peak (is that worth it?). Glad you confirmed it for me. Bro-in-law lives in Steamboat and has plans while there. (Mid-May in the river? hmmmmm BRRRR) Cheyenne to Denver on the Insterstate is a must because I need to be in Denver very early that morning (sheeesh) ... here's my big question...is Poudre Canyon passable in mid May? I don't mind cold, but Ice worries me just a tad.
Thanks guys

[Jams]

Should be ok unless there is a late storm.

When they do hit, they burn off pretty quick. It's been years since I was over that road and I don't recall any real high passes like down around Durango.
If anything you can take a left at Walden and run into Laramie. That is a real nice ride.

[Smooothglide]

I camped in Poudre Canyon one spring a while back. It's a little chilly in the morning and evening but during the day it should be fine. I don't think you'll see any ice at all.

Haven't done Pikes Peak though. Can't wait to read your road report!

[liv2ryd]

Poudre Canyon out of Ft. Collins area, over Cameron Pass and dropping into the North Park area and Walden is a fantastic ride, traffic really thins out the farther west you get and the scenery is fantastic! You are just north of Rocky Mtn. National Park and just south of Wyoming. This ride "should" be ok in May, but snowstorms even into June are not rare so check the weather before heading out. Same holds true for Pikes Peak road - it is a graded dirt road and can be travelled by a Harley, just use care. You will dirty up your bike and it is a toll road, though not terribly expensive, and is up and down. If you've got the time, though, and the weather cooperates and the road is open, do it, you won't regret it!

[Ed Y]

Word of caution about Pikes Peak. Was up there in 98 with a couple of friends. Got caught about 2 miles from the top with rain, sleet and snow. We made it to about 1/2 mile from the top before we had to quit. Ranger picked us up and carried us the rest of the way in a pickup. Had to wait 4 hours for storm to clear and snow plow to scrape the gravel road. Nice and messy going down not to mention temps around 32-34 degrees. Had about 10" of ice and snow on seats of bikes before we started back down. This was in August. Ranger told us to always go up in middle of the morning. If you wait until 1-2 PM, afternoon heat can brew up some hellacious storms.

[Muthuh]

all right - 'nuff said.... leaving that morning from Denver so mid morning works for me... it' aint that big a deal for me, might just have to find a saloon at the bottom and buy a sticker and swear I went up.... must be some pics on line I can steal and claim it as mine, huh? hehehe