Over The Mountain

Since I've been reunited with my Triumph, there was only one place to celebrate: the mountains.

Ever since I moved to Denver, I've looked at the mountains with lust.  The twisting roads, the beautiful scenery; it's so close yet without my bike, so far away.  Sure, my GTi is fun to drive on twisty roads but it's not the same.  It's just so much better on a bike.

With so many good roads to choose from, it was hard to pick just one.  I finally settled on Golden Gate Canyon up to Nederland and I would then continue on to Estes Park.  This would give me a chance to get a taste of proper canyon riding and also allow me to break in my new Michelin Pilot Activ shoes.  I topped off the air in the tires and topped off the gas and went on my way.  There were some clouds but I wasn't worried.  I don't think the Devil himself could have stopped me.

When I got on Golden Gate Canyon, it was everything I imagined: challenging, delightful, invigorating.  Even the gravel in the corners didn't bother me.  I was in some proper motorcycling stuff now, not the crap I knew back in Pennsylvania.  I could set up for corners and not have to dodge potholes big enough to swallow a Dodge.  I wasn't getting beaten to death by appalling road conditions.  The road was smooth and the bike just glided along.

I must say, the Bonneville is a joy to ride.  I modified the suspension a few years ago (it's on this blog somewhere) with Progressive fork springs and Hagon 2810 rear shocks.  This setup was good on PA's roads but just magic here in Colorado.  The bike was rock solid in the turns and turn-in was crisp.  A slight bit of countersteer was all that was needed to get the bike to lean.  I looked into Ricor Intimators and Race Tech Emulators for the forks but after that ride, I don't think they're necessary.

Back to the ride.  Mile after mile of cornering bliss brought me to Nederland where I stopped to use a grungy bathroom and a fuel pump from the 1950s.  After that it was onward and upward to Estes Park.

A strange thing started to happen after I left Nederland.  It started to get colder.  I chalked it up to being at nearly 8,500 feet of elevation.   Something else was strange: the sun was disappearing.  Clouds were dominating the sky and they were getting grayer.  Hmm, I'd better check my handy phone for the weather.  Oops, no reception.  Well, I guess I'll continue on.

As I got on, the sky became worse, so much so that nearly-black clouds were obscuring the mountains.  It looked like I was riding into Mordor.  I started to get nervous about riding into snow, since it was getting damn cold now.  To confirm my fears, I started to hear the plink of raindrops on my helmet.  It was time to turn around.

I busted a u-turn and headed back to Nederland, not before getting slightly wet.  The ride back was just as much fun, only a bit faster since I was now going downhill.  I got back to Nederland and took a glimpse to my left.  The storm was now hovering over where I needed to go.

I was making great time on my return.  I didn't even get lost, which was a first.  With about 15 miles to go on Golden Gate Canyon Road, the familiar plinks of rain returned.  This time, I wouldn't avoid the storm.

It rained on me from then all the way down Route 6 and for most of my return up Colfax Avenue.  I could outrun the rain but it would catch up with me at the redlights.  I finally did outrun it and stayed dry on the rest my way home.  I put the bike away when I got home, admiring how dirty it was.  It looked like I rode it through Uzbekistan.

And now for the final bit of hilarity: I decided to go on a nice walk through City Park to relax a bit.  As I'm walking, I feel the soft patter of rain on my head.  Yes, the same storm that I narrowly avoided once, got caught in again and then outran is over me for a third time.  I just smiled as I walked, watching the lightning and listening to the thunder.

What a great day.