Pic Heavy 2016 Ride Report - 40 Days Following the Front Wheel

There's a very similar "Skyline Drive" in Utah ... it's two way so you don't quite get the same feeling.

ol' school said:

Skyline Drive looks like a neat little road... very unlike Skyline Drive over here on the East Coast In Virginia. Ours is just a twisty mountain ride with lots of tourist and overlooks.

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FuzzyWuzHe said:

There's a very similar "Skyline Drive" in Utah ... it's two way so you don't quite get the same feeling.

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I've never been on a "Skyline Drive" before, sounds like the ones in VA and UT would be some fun!

Kevin

Day 30-


Today is a short riding day. After riding out toward Rye, CO to see Bishop Castle, we are headed over to Scott & Karin's for supper.


Due to the weather forecast for this afternoon, we are up riding earlier than I am usually awake!




Eating breakfast as we make our way out of the city.













This is a new one for me! Shadow pic in the morning!


Look ma, no hands!















It is not long til we are riding thru some really nice countryside.















Starting to climb...













...on, as you can see, some really nice winding road!













Now this is a sign I do not see too often! But it certainly appears to be signaling "fun ahead"!













Sure enough, the road looks like the sign!













Here is just a snippet of a video, showing just a tiny taste of the fun road and the fantastic views!


Click HERE to see it.








Too soon we are at Bishop Castle.













This was built by hand, by one man. If interested in details, here is the website- http://www.bishopcastle.org/










Looking up at the castle from where we parked.













Looking down at the TG's from up in the castle.









More on Day 30 coming soon.


Kevin

Day 30 Concluded-




There is a lot of reading that can be done on the net about Jim Bishop's fight with the government to build this castle.


There are various signs up all over the property with his views of the government...here is one of them-











A pic of one of the stairways...













...yes, they are very narrow and uneven. A bit claustrophobic feeling, but I had to traverse a few of them. Mary would not get close them. lol













A more conventional staircase.















Inside one of the larger rooms...













...another view.















We did not go any higher than the stain-glass room, which was not even close to halfway up.













Relaxing on the porch of the gift shop.













A look at the entrance as we're leaving.













Quite an interesting place, worth checking out...if it turns out you don't like it, the ride up and back is great!




Headed back toward CS. Beautiful country.











More in next post.

Day 30 Concluded-






This road is just as fun, if not more so, on the way back!









Here is a short video. Click HERE to view it.


Make it full screen by clicking the arrows in the bottom right. At about the 10 second mark you will see a deer run from right to left directly in front of Scott & Karin. Pretty sure he would have hit it if he had not put on his brakes.


Sorry for the poor quality.






Down out of the mountains now, into the high desert.















We stopped at this coffee shop. They have shaded picnic tables in the back.


Mary & Karin bought some coffee and all four of us ate lunches that we had packed and carried with us.


We talked everything from bikes, trikes, computers, health, and a ton more. Had a great time visiting.











Back on the road toward Scott & Karin's.













Could pic-













After we got to their house 4 hours just flew by.


Scott and I did a bit of work on my TG. We put the horn back on with a new bracket I had picked up at a dealership.


We replaced the buggered up shift shaft with a new one I had picked up at the same dealership.


Had a great meal, talked guns and a variety of other topics. Before we knew it it was getting a bit dark/threatening rain and it was 30 minutes ride back to the motel.


Can't thank Scott & Karin enough for taking the time to show us around this great State!






Headed back to the Super 8 Mary was able...













...to capture some great sunset...













...and cloud pics.











What a fantastic 3 days this has been!







Thank you Scott & Karin!








Day 31 coming soon.

Kevin

Kevin,

Thank you once again for an excellent ride report. I just spent a couple great evenings catching up with your travels. As always your narrative along with the great photos Mary captures makes it possible to follow along like we are on the road with you.

Our condolences for your family's loss.

Ride safe and keep the great posts coming!

I too need to see what mods have netted you the mileage you are getting.

Be safe

Recall said:

Kevin,

Thank you once again for an excellent ride report. I just spent a couple great evenings catching up with your travels. As always your narrative along with the great photos Mary captures makes it possible to follow along like we are on the road with you.

Our condolences for your family's loss.

Ride safe and keep the great posts coming!

I too need to see what mods have netted you the mileage you are getting.

Be safe

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Thank you. We lost Larry Weaver and Mary's dad in a 2 week period. Larry was tragic and John was, well, there are no words. Both will be remembered well.

It's good to hear you are enjoying the Ride Report, there's still more coming.

To run well and get good mpg, the fundamental issue that the TG has needs to be addressed...that is one of it running to hot for its' own good. Whether or not the heat is bothersome to the rider or not, they come from the factory running so hot that cannot get good MPG or power in warm weather, even if a Stage I has been done on them.

The complete list of what I have done to the TG in regards to it running strong and getting great MPG can be seen in post #196 at this link- http://www.triketalk.com/forum/thre...ROJECT-TRI-GLIDE-Report-w-Lots-of-Pics/page20

Here is a LINK that explains the why of the Motor Co. selling them this way (all Twin Cams, but the TG suffers the most), and what can be done to fix it.

Kevin

Day 31-


Today we are headed for Ouray, CO. The town at the base of the Million Dollar Highway!




Leaving our "home away from home" for the last 3 nights.











Making our way out of Colorado Springs. I least like being behind an 18 wheeler, close behind that I don't like being beside one. Mary takes a pic as I accelerate past this one.


No offense to you truckers, I appreciate what you do, and that most of you are the best drivers on the road....there is just too much I can't see from behind or beside you.


Mary in the Mirror!













Taking the same road we did a couple of days ago to get to Pikes Peak...















...only this time we keep going straight instead of turning left.















One of the few towns we passed thru today...interesting name.















The first of four mountain passes (that I saw signs for) that we climbed today.















This was a fun stretch of road...













...nice and winding, while climbing. btw, I am getting used to the quieter exhaust note, and Mary is really happy with it. It is still loud enough to get a cagers attention...just not over the top loud like I am used to.













The scenery is great, and this last few miles of the climb to the next summit is unusually straight (compared to what we've been riding)













Wilkerson Pass- with snow-capped mountains in the distance.











More in next post.

Day 31 Continued-




Going over the top of Wilkerson Pass there are a few little curves, and some great views...













...part of what we see is a huge valley, and a road so straight and long it disappears from sight in the distance.













While greener, this stretch of road reminds me of "The Loneliest Road" that we traveled in Nevada a few weeks ago.


Not much traffic, and straight road as far as we can see...













...but it was much shorter. From Wilkerson Pass til we turned left at the 285 was only 28 miles.















Another Pass-













Winding thru some hills...















Enjoying the ride...















The views in Colorado never cease to amaze us...













...and the great riding roads seem endless.











Stopped at the base of the climb up Monarch Pass for fresh batteries in the cameras.









More on Day 31 coming soon.

Kevin

Glad that you're enjoying the rides through Colorado. For those those of us that live out here, we know how lucky we are and probably take the rides and scenery for granted more than we should.

Just as an FYI, there are 29 passes in Colorado that have paved roads with an elevation of 10,000 feet or more!! Those do not include roads like Pikes Peak or Mt. Evans since it's one way up and down (guess you have to be able to ride up one side and down the other to make it an official "pass"). You've hit some good ones so far and hopefully you'll get a chance to ride over a few more. Great trip report as usual!!

i enjoy each night catching up on your trip. some awesome views that you have shared with us and I appreciate you taking the time and effort to allow us to come along on this journey with you!

i think most of us are envious of you being able to have a trip like this. ThumbUp

GoSlo said:

Glad that you're enjoying the rides through Colorado. For those those of us that live out here, we know how lucky we are and probably take the rides and scenery for granted more than we should.

Just as an FYI, there are 29 passes in Colorado that have paved roads with an elevation of 10,000 feet or more!! Those do not include roads like Pikes Peak or Mt. Evans since it's one way up and down (guess you have to be able to ride up one side and down the other to make it an official "pass"). You've hit some good ones so far and hopefully you'll get a chance to ride over a few more. Great trip report as usual!!

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Yes, the last couple of years we have discovered how great y'all have it in Colorado!

DJFaninTN said:

i enjoy each night catching up on your trip. some awesome views that you have shared with us and I appreciate you taking the time and effort to allow us to come along on this journey with you!

i think most of us are envious of you being able to have a trip like this. ThumbUp

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Glad to hear you're enjoying.

We know we are most fortunate to be able to make these trips. Even though it means working 60-80 hours a week the rest of the year, it is worth it!

Kevin

Day 31 Continued-


Short on time today, so short report.




With fresh batteries in Marys' camera and the video camera, we head up the hill. We've never been on this road before, not sure what to expect, but it looks good from here!













The views are stunning!













The road has a great surface...













...it is fast, winding, banked well, and steep...













...with some sharper curves here and there...















...that I slow down a bit for, but for the most part I am running up the hill at 60-70...













...mostly in 4th gear, yeah, it is steep! Every now and then I jump into 5th.













Before you know it, we are at the summit! Besides being 11,300 feet, it is also at the Continental Divide.


We spent a few minutes in the gift shop...













...then went over to the corner of the parking for a scenic view while we ate lunch....















...that's a ways down to the snow!











More on Day 31 coming soon.

Kevin

Day 31 Concluded-




This is the little scenic corner where we ate lunch.













Packing up and getting ready to head out...















...the new larger Tour-Pak, that looks smaller, can hold quite a bit!













A look back toward the summit as we head down.













Unlike the pace I set, tearing up the hill to the summit...













...we taking a slow easy ride down, enjoying the winding road...















...& the curves (that I do speed up in a bit, just instinct-lol)...













...and the beauty of the mountains.















We are soon out of the mountains...















...and looking at a long straight road.











More in next post.

Day 31 Concluded-




Relaxing, cruise control on 70, heading down the road.













We're riding thru quite a variety of landscapes today...













...this seems like a lake, but it is Gunnison River.













Mary in the Mirror, and some fellow travelers ahead.















Back next to the river, with an amazing view!















This was a nice winding road thru a canyon, with a fair amount of traffic on it.













Finally got past the truck/trailer...















...but soon after the canyon ran out, but not the fantastic views!















Nothing like being in the wind on the open road!













Those mountains with snow on them...that is where we're headed!









More in next post.

Day 31 Concluded-




Making our way thru the town of Montrose, the last town before Ouray!















We're on the other side of Montrose now....















...that's where we're headed! We were just here last year, and are very happy to be back.















This is the last pic Mary got before the battery died...since we are just a couple of miles from Ouray we did not bother to stop and put a charged one in.













Here we are at the River's Edge Motel in Ouray. It is one of the few motels that we made reservations at ahead of time. She made them over 2 months ago and barely got them that far ahead!













I don't think there is anywhere you can turn in this town where there is not a good view!













After we unpacked and showered, we went up to Main Street and had dinner on the rooftop at the Ouray Brewery.













A pic on the way downstairs.













Back at the motel, the sun is still bright, high on the mountainside.











More coming soon.

Kevin

Day 32-


We spent the day in Ouray visiting with Alan. (Fuzzy)


He drove down from Grand Junction for the day. Thanks, man.


Unbelievably we did not take any pictures. So caught up in the day, we did not even think about it.


We walked around town a bit, had some lunch, and had a great time catching up.






Toward the end of the day is when we got the sad news, Mary's dad is not going to make it much longer. He had been sick for years, and wanting to go meet his Maker for awhile now.


Mary spent some time researching flights. We are not near an airport, so we are changing up our plans a bit and getting her to the airport in Colorado Springs at noon, day after tomorrow.






*******Break from the Ride Report***************


As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am weeks behind in the Ride Report.


Mary did fly home, and was able to spend some quality time with her dad before he passed.


Last week we went to his memorial service and it was a sad & uplifting time rolled in together.


Sad, in that he will be missed, uplifting in that there were many friends that shared stories of great times they had with him.


He was a disabled Korean Vet (but you'd not know it, even though he was carrying around a fair amount of shrapnel), and some of the stories related by his fellow Vets, family and friends had everyone in stitches. The minister had to cut it short, suggesting that we continue in the fellowship hall. lol


At 15 he enlisted in the Navy, changed to the U.S. Army at 17, and then later to the U.S. Marines. (that is a whole other story)


The Military Honor Service at the Corinth National Cemetery was an honor to attend. John was well remembered.


There was not a dry eye during Taps or the folding & Presentment of the American Flag.




******************************************




Day 33 of the Ride Report will continue in the next day or two.

Kevin

I am sure I have said this before, but sorry for your lose. Mary's Dad sounds like he was an awesome man to know and quite the patriot.

Looking forward to the rest of your trip!

ol' school said:

I am sure I have said this before, but sorry for your lose. Mary's Dad sounds like he was an awesome man to know and quite the patriot.

Looking forward to the rest of your trip!

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It couldn't have been expressed better, ol' school, Ditto!

Catfish said:

It couldn't have been expressed better, ol' school, Ditto!

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