9/17 or 9/18 Rocky Mountain National Park Ride

[2wheelsgood]

I'm gonna ride through Rocky Mountain National Park Thursday if it's sunny or Friday regardless of clouds. I'm going to video the ride on a tankmounted camera. My plan is to leave from Westminster in the morning around 9am or so (10am would be fine too), head up to Estes Park, gas up, start the video thing, and then ride through the Park to Granby. Then get some lunch and head back home to Westminster through Estes Park after lunch.

here's what the route looks like:
http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40....3=granby,%20co

I know it's short notice, but I'm thinking there will be less traffic during a weekday, and winter is going to be here before ya know it. :-)

I'm happy to go alone, but it would be fun to have some company if anyone is interested and has the time. Yahoo maps says it's 112 miles from my door to Granby, so I'm guessing the trip will take until early afternoon--I'd like to get back before the rush hour traffic.

There is a Starbuck's coffee near 36 and Church Ranch Road that is convenient to me.
http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=39....oomfield,%20CO

Gets cool in the mountains, so it's a good idea to bring a jacket or sweater.

Gotta get these mountain rides in before the snow!

--2wheelsgood

[SOCAL4LIFE!!]

Dang if I didn't have a dentist apt at 9 I would skip work and join you for that.

[2wheelsgood]

yeah, if there is a silver lining to me being between jobs, this would be it.

[Ricky]

I want to get into RMNP before it gets too cold. I've got an annual NP pass, so I want to make use of it!

[2wheelsgood]

I want to get into RMNP before it gets too cold. I've got an annual NP pass, so I want to make use of it!

Hm, is it a toll road, or is there a fee to enter the park, do you know? I'm looking at their webpage, but don't see anything right offhand...

[2wheelsgood]

It's so overcast today I decided to wait. So tomorrow or Friday if anybody is interested. If it's still cloudy tomorrow I'm gonna go friday regardless.

[DevilsTonic]

I'm off work on friday, I may be in for this depending on whether I get my other shit done!

[SaShWhO]

If I never ride across that painfully slow pass ever again I'll die happy.

[Nick_Ninja]

If I never ride across that painfully slow pass ever again I'll die happy.

Add Independence PAss to the list too.

[2wheelsgood]

If I never ride across that painfully slow pass ever again I'll die happy.

Oh, it's not a good ride? Hmmm... I picked that way because I've never ridden it on a bike before. I rode through the park about 17 years ago in a car, and all I remember is that there were nice views.

Ah well, gonna do it anyways, just to see what it's like. Although if there is a better route through the park with someplace to eat lunch I'm all ears.

[JonnyD]

The toll is $10 per bike. I went through the day after the midnight ride to see what exactly was up there. The views are pretty awesome! And looking at that road without guardrails during the day is much more nervewracking than riding it at night while freezing.

[eg bter]

I might be down for a ride tomorrow

[2wheelsgood]

I might be down for a ride tomorrow

Alrighty then, well I'll be at the starbucks mentioned at top at 9am. There's a gas station across the street.

[2wheelsgood]

I'm off work on friday, I may be in for this depending on whether I get my other shit done!

Hey there, DevilsTonic, looks like I'm going tomorrow (Thursday) but one of the things I've been meaning to do all summer is ride up to Mt. Evans. It's not the greatest ride in the world, but it's not bad and the view up there is pretty good, especially the 2,000 foot sheer vertical cliff thing. First time I visited the peak I didn't even know that was there, just was crawling among the boulders and... WHOA!!!.... I'm looking straight down two thousand feet LOL... So I might run up there Friday morning.

I'm looking forward to the Saturday ride they are planning also, I guess there are two of those.

Another thing I didn't manage to get to this summer that I usually do every year is ride the lift up at copper mountain and then walk down the hill, which takes a few hours. There's little streams in the trees off the trails that look like something from a movie. But I-70 is not much of a fun bike ride. :-) Still, summer's almost gone... next few weeks are my last chance this year.

And who knows, what with my incipient onset of middle-aged fatass remote control syndrome, by next spring I might be part of the couch permanently. I could turn into Jabba the Hut. Gotta grab the rides while I can.

I just know if I don't get some good rides in here pretty quick I'm gonna be kicking myself all winter every time I see the bike in the garage!

Robert

[Sean]

If I never ride across that painfully slow pass ever again I'll die happy.

Add Independence PAss to the list too.

Grumpy old men!

It's a good ride, just don't have expectations of going fast. There will be slow traffic and idiots driving around pointing out the window, but it's a good opportunity to see some great sights. I like Trail Ridge, just not on the weekends. Have a good ride!

[LaverdaGuy]

Hey there, DevilsTonic, looks like I'm going tomorrow (Thursday) but one of the things I've been meaning to do all summer is ride up to Mt. Evans. It's not the greatest ride in the world, but it's not bad and the view up there is pretty good, especially the 2,000 foot sheer vertical cliff thing. First time I visited the peak I didn't even know that was there, just was crawling among the boulders and... WHOA!!!.... I'm looking straight down two thousand feet LOL... So I might run up there Friday morning.
Robert

Robert, FYI, Mt. Evans is closed at Summit Lake for the season.

[2wheelsgood]

Robert, FYI, Mt. Evans is closed at Summit Lake for the season.

DOH! See what I mean? I already waited too long! LOL

Thanks for the info, LaverdaGuy.

It's a good ride, just don't have expectations of going fast. There will be slow traffic and idiots driving around pointing out the window, but it's a good opportunity to see some great sights. I like Trail Ridge, just not on the weekends. Have a good ride!

Thanks!

[2wheelsgood]

Well I see what you mean about the traffic. At one point it was like 10mph... lots of stopping, people even standing in the middle of the road taking pictures! LOL Finally, I got stopped behind a string of cars who were stopped for no apparent reason. One car would go and the next would sit there for a minute. I finally figured it out--there was a coyote walking around in the grass next to the road, in the trees.

Well that's cool, people travel to colorado they want to see wildlife, I understand. But I live next to the open space just by Standley Lake. Coyotes occasionally eat small pets in my neighborhood, you can hear them howling almost every night in early summer, and I see them pretty often. So I've *seen* a coyote--LOL.

I turned around and headed home maybe a third of the way into the park. At 10 and 20mph, I'd rather take my car, have music, sodapop, munchies, and be comfortable.

Great views though. :-)

One weird thing was, with the traffic so slow, I stopped three times to take pictures, and all three times, some elderly person with a german accent walked up to me and said some variation of, "Ah! English bike!" about my Triumph... I guess there is some big German Tourist thing going on or something! LOL it was a little weird the third time...

But hey, so long as they're not rolling up the hills in panzers, they're all welcome and I hope they have a great time. :-)

--2wheelsgood

[mtnairlover]

German tourists seem to like to go up there later in the season. I've heard them as well when I go up there. BTW, next year, try going up in the middle of the week during summer. You will more than likely get all the way to Grand Lake. GL is a nice little spot...a bit touristy, but nice. The unfortunate thing about the scenery though, is that on the western side of the park, there is a whole lot of beetle kill.

More types of wildlife to look at in the summer, too...like Moose.

Oh and if you are thinking of caging it, then in just a few weeks, go up to Morraine Park, or Horseshoe Park, and watch and listen to the bugling Elk. Lotsa tourists up there at that time, as well.

Also, since we're just about neighbors, lemme know when you are thinking of going and I'll show you a nice loop route that will take us all the way to Walden and come back down the Poudre Canyon.

[2wheelsgood]

German tourists seem to like to go up there later in the season. I've heard them as well when I go up there. BTW, next year, try going up in the middle of the week during summer. You will more than likely get all the way to Grand Lake. GL is a nice little spot...a bit touristy, but nice. The unfortunate thing about the scenery though, is that on the western side of the park, there is a whole lot of beetle kill.

More types of wildlife to look at in the summer, too...like Moose.

Oh and if you are thinking of caging it, then in just a few weeks, go up to Morraine Park, or Horseshoe Park, and watch and listen to the bugling Elk. Lotsa tourists up there at that time, as well.

Also, since we're just about neighbors, lemme know when you are thinking of going and I'll show you a nice loop route that will take us all the way to Walden and come back down the Poudre Canyon.

Wow thanks for the great tips! Will do!