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twc
 Advanced Member
659 Posts
[Mentor]
Fort Collins, CO
USA
Harley-Davidson
Electra Glide Ultra
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 Posted - 09/20/2009 : 5:59 PM
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Peak to Peak Highway
The Last Weekend of Summer
September 19, 2009
The third weekend of September is the normal peak for fall color in the northern mountains of Colorado. With a storm predicted to move in on Sunday night, it seemed like it was now or never for a trip to the mountains to see the fall color. Once the wind, cold and snow hit the high country the leaves don't last long.
My new Harley just got its 1000-mile service, so I was ultra-careful with my pre-ride check. Even the best of mechanics can make a mistake, but everything checked out perfect. I grabbed my cameras, clothing for every conceivable weather condition, and headed out. There were home football games in Fort Collins (Colorado State University) and Boulder (Colorado University) on Saturday, but I mostly missed the game day traffic. A few students in Boulder were starting early to get ready -- with all that that entails -- so I did catch a little bit of it. For the record, both Colorado teams won.
The Peak to Peak highway runs north and south along the front range and combines sections of Colorado State Highways 119, 72 and 7. I picked it up where it intersects the Coal Creek Canyon road, Colorado State Highway 72. Coal Creek Canyon is a great road for motorcycles, very narrow with lots of twists and turns -- there isn't a straight stretch on it -- and quite a few 10 mph switchbacks. On the way up the canyon, a car coming from the opposite direction flashed its headlights at me. The next thing I saw was a sign that read, "Motorcycles Exercise Extreme Caution." That was quickly followed by two Colorado State Patrol cars and a wrecker that was loading the remains of some BMW Enduro model. I'm guessing that the rider didn't exercise extreme caution. The rider wasn't in evidence, nor did any other vehicles seem to be involved, and I hoped for the best.
Just after passing Nederland, I encountered the first big patch of aspen. I knew right away that I had timed it perfectly.
What amazed me was how few people there were on the road. The approaching storm is no secret, and every major Colorado news source publishes the state of the fall color on a daily basis, but it was like I had the mountains to myself. Could it be that everyone else spaced this out?
Not.
I particularly liked the cookie and cocoa stand. That's American enterprise at its best. I'm pretty sure that every motorcycle in the mountain west was on the road today, and most of the cars. Mostly people were pretty sane about their riding and driving, but I did get passed in my lane by another motorcycle today, on a section of road with a double yellow line. That's only the second time that's ever happened to me. Both times it's been a rider on a -- wait for it -- Honda Gold Wing. Now, I don't want to stereotype Gold Wing riders, certainly not on this forum  , but I see a pattern developing. In any case, I just stuck to my line when I saw him start by and he accomplished the maneuver safely.
The St. Malo Chapel is on the Peak to Peak Highway. The following description of its origin is from the St. Malo web site:
The founder of Camp St. Malo, Monsignor Joseph Bosetti, had for years entertained an idea that one day he would build a chapel on this site. In 1916 he and two friends observed a falling meteor during the night and in his search for the remnants the next morning, he came across a large rock. The beauty of the land inspired the priest and he remembered Jesus' words to Peter: "Upon this rock, I will build my Church." (Matt 16:18).
Vowing one day to build a chapel here, Msgr. Bosetti prayed for nearly 20 years to acquire the funds. During time, he found himself in a constant battle with the Colorado Highway department which had plans to dynamite the enormous piece of granite to both widen and straighten the curve in the road.
Eventually, Msgr. Bosetti won the battle and years later, when the chapel became a reality, it was reported that a group of engineers who laid out the road came to the dedication and thanked him for his perseverance.
I'm kind of glad that Monsignor Bosetti won that battle. The chapel is a local landmark and popular for weddings which is what was happening today. You can see the bride standing outside the door, waiting for her cue to enter.
Highway 7 bypasses the "business district" of Allenspark, near where my bike is parked in the following picture. I found myself wondering how big the business district could possibly be for a town with a population of 492, and why exactly you would need to bypass it. But I'm sure that better minds than mine are hard at work on these questions at the Colorado Department of Transportation. In the background is Mount Meeker, with Long's Peak further back on the left.
Here's another view of Mount Meeker (on the left), Long's Peak (in the middle) and Mount Lady Washington (on the right). The sheer cliff on the right-hand side of Long's Peak is a famous climb known as The Diamond. Long's Peak is one of the most famous and most accessible of Colorado's 14ers, but it's not the easiest of the 14ers to climb and there have been quite a few fatalities from falls, exposure and lightning.
From here, the road drops down into the town of Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and home of the Stanley Hotel, whose claim to fame is that it was the inspiration for Stephen King's story, The Shining. From Estes Park, I dropped down into Devil's Gulch (which is really a fairly accurate description of the first part of the ride) and wound my way back home. You can read more about the final leg of the trip, albeit in the opposite direction, in this trip report.
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Niebor
Ex-Member
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Posted - 09/20/2009 : 7:06 PM
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It certainly was a spectacular day to get out and ride the high country!
I started out on one ride, that turned out to be *next* Saturday, thought I'd jump in on another, that had a departure time of 9:00 am. A quick check of the clock explained why the parking lot was full of Harleys, not BMW's. 
Perhaps I should explain. The only group I ride with, at all these days is the Bimmer group. Bar hopping is not my thing, 45 miles is not my idea of a ride. These guys know how to have lots of fun, on a budget, and always throw a decent ride into the mix. 
Most of the time I favor rides with one or two riders I know.
Thanks for sharing the photos TWC! We took a run over Mt Evans and back through Idaho Springs, Blackhawk, Golden. I spent all my reserve time gawking. No reserve for fiddling with a camera. 
Sorry, I realize I take our mountains for granted, that it's rather greedy of me to not share.  |
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Indiana Randy
Moderator
1956 Posts
[Mentor]
Fort Wayne, Indiana
USA
Honda
2000 Magna V4 750
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Posted - 09/21/2009 : 12:02 PM
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Nice trip report, Tom.
The Aspens were gorgeous! You got some frame-able pics. |
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Riding the Peak to Peak Highway on the last weekend of summer