Steamboat Trip Report

[Jmetz]

So I decided to take a trip to Steamboat today. It wasn't a ride it was an adventure! I Had never been up there on a bike and haven't been up there since I was a kid. All in all it was a great trip. If you want a nice relaxing trip with some nice minimal to no traffic roads, I recommend it!

Started off at 9:00am and headed up I-70 to US40 and up and over Berthoud Pass into Winter Park. Nice switchbacks minimal traffic and beautiful scenery.



Continue on US40 up into Granby. Stop for gas and a quick break and back onto 40 towards Steamboat. More beautiful scenery and some nice sweeps running along the river. Stop to take a pic at Wolford Mountain Reservoir and an older gentleman on Aspencade shoots by. I hop back on the bike and catch up with him. We both started hauling ass and shared some nice twisties up and over Rabbit Ears Pass.



I stopped in Steamboat for lunch at The Egg & I and after my Viva La France, I took off back towards 131. Started heading down 131 and a couple miles out of Steamboat ran into construction. It was 3 miles of dirt, gravel, sections of river rock sized gravel, and some divots. The last half mile was really bad and I'm surprised I kept it up right.



After the construction I pick the pace back up and enjoy the road. Hit some sprinkles but no big deal and continue on down to 134. After getting on to 134 for about 2 miles I take a sparrow to the knee. Actually a big ass magpie head on. He died instantly and was wedged between the forks on the front fender. I stop and pull him out and check for any damage. Everything looked good so I continued. Head on up and over Gore Pass. There were a ton of tar snakes and the bike stepped out on me several times so I just dropped speed and enjoyed the views.



Took 134 back to US40. Headed in to Kremmling and down CO 9. More nice scenery, a couple sprinkles, and Green Mountain Reservoir. At this point I can see the clouds building so I kick it up and get down into Silverthorne. Gas it up and onto I-70 towards home. It's looking pretty bleak towards the tunnel but I press onward and hope it's clear on the other side.

No such luck. Out of the tunnel and instantly soaked head to toe. It's pouring balls out and I'm watching the lightning crash all around me. I could literally see it hit the mountain a couple times. Visibility is bad but I'm still cruising at about 60mph. Tire tracks are now rivers and on comes the hail. Not too bad, it hurts but fuck it I'm pressing on. Shortly the hail gets bigger, is pelting me really bad, and visibility is now zero. I pull under an over pass to wait.

Now I'm standing under an overpass completely soaked and getting more so with every passing semi. It looks like a scene out of a movie with a guy on the side of the road getting drenched by the passing cars. Hail stops, rain lightens, fuck it I'm outta here! The rain finally subsides after a few miles and it's smooth sailing here on out.

Until I hit town and it's 105 and stuck in traffic. 373 miles and about 8 1/2 hrs round trip.

It was a great day and an awesome adventure. The viffer was awesome and I have no complaints with the Dunlop Roadsmarts she is wearing. I'm not a fan of Dunlop but I was really impressed. They really stuck in all that rain.

[kingtut]

Very cool. I was just up in Winter Park on Saturday (drove there). From 40 into Winter Park and back, I was just imagining the fun that would be on 2 wheels.

Thanks for sharing.

[Matrix]

Nice report. Sucks about Gore Pass being screwed up. That road has been kick ass over the past few years.

[asp_125]

Perfect bike for the perfect ride.

[sfarson]

Really nice pics of a really nice journey. The VFR is in its element on these 400 mile sporting rides. Coincidently I rode Gore Pass two days ago, and hit a bird only a few miles from 131. The tar snakes have hardened some, but they still squirm a bit. About a month ago it was really bad.

[Schiff32]

Nice review. I was just up that way on Saturday. I turned on 125 out of Granby and went up to Rand then just turned around and headed back the same way. 125 was really fun and so remote their was little worry of LEO.

[dirkterrell]

[Jmetz]

Thanks guys. It was a really fun ride.

Really nice pics of a really nice journey. The VFR is in its element on these 400 mile sporting rides. Coincidently I rode Gore Pass two days ago, and hit a bird only a few miles from 131. The tar snakes have hardened some, but they still squirm a bit. About a month ago it was really bad.

Thank you sir. I agree, she performs well and really comes into her own as well as being comfortable for distance. I'm very happy with my choice in her. Crazy that you also popped a bird out there.

Nice review. I was just up that way on Saturday. I turned on 125 out of Granby and went up to Rand then just turned around and headed back the same way. 125 was really fun and so remote their was little worry of LEO.

125 is fun and you can really air it out when you get closer to Walden.
When it comes to avoiding LEO and traffic I definitely prefer riding outside of the weekend.

[kawasakirob]

125 is fun and you can really air it out when you get closer to Walden.
.

Sounds like a good trip was had!

[mdub]

And you had one of those colorful Colorado days. Grt pics too.

[UHATEIT]

Sounds like an awesome run! I would love to do a run like this!

[sfarson]

Thanks guys. It was a really fun ride.

Thank you sir. I agree, she performs well and really comes into her own as well as being comfortable for distance. I'm very happy with my choice in her. Crazy that you also popped a bird out there.

Glanced this morning at the Gore Pass raw video from Saturday's ride after returning from Wyoming. The feathered thing was accelerating away from me but didn't have enough "acceleration". I was twisting my helmet here down to the right as a reaction to avoiding the bump. Didn't help.


For me I guess this is the summer of birds with acceleration challenges. On the P2P the other day a bird of prey swoops down in front of me from the rocks on the left, gets anxious trying to get lift with their prey, decides to drop the load on the road in front of me.