MOTORCYCLIST MISCELLANEA A MOTORCYCLIST'S JOURNAL Verle Nelson, Cedaredge Colorado |
| Roads and rides in western Colorado and eastern Utah | Weather | ||||
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Where "the road less traveled," is less than a poetic metaphor, more than a pedestrian platitude.
Roads and ride reports (Dialup version) |
NOAA/NWS
Point forecast
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| Easy unpaved passes in western Colorado | |||||
| Fifteen unpaved passes (Dialup version) | |||||
| Recent rides, odds and ends | |||||
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Moab to Telluride Jun 19: 450 miles, desert, high plateau and mountain, 250 unpaved.
Snow on the passes Jun 12: Snow forces rescheduling of annual 9-pass ride. Vallecito Lake Jun 10: Searching for Randy and Josie. Canyonland Classic May 29-Jun 1: A mostly KLR650 gathering in Moab, Utah. Muley Point May 18-19: an annual overnight camp out with a beautiful view of a distant Monument Valley. Deep snow May 11: Deep Snow even at lower elevation, high passes may open late. Grand Staircase April 13-14: Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, south-central Utah. Gateway to Moab April: A most unlikely chance encounter. Tail of the Dragon Not a recent ride but a recent surprise. 141 Diner is CLOSED The 141 Diner in Gateway is closed, the building is for rent. |
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| Opinion | |||||
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| Motorcycles, present and past. | |||||
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| Riders | ||
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Billy Aller (billyaller.tumblr.com) on a CBR929RR, upper left, and CBR600RR, upper right, doing track time at Parumph Nevada. The DL650 rider, middle left and middle right, is also Billy Aller getting his V-Strom dirty in the Utah desert. Billy Aller is the supermoto racer, lower right, too. Billy Aller, friend, skilled rider and salesman at
Big Dog Ride Many people will say with certainty that the Suzuki DL650 V-Strom is unsuitable for venturing far off pavement. What better way for Billy Aller, lower left, to demonstrate the inaccuracy of such statements but to ride his DL650 V-Strom with the Big Dogs. Originally limited to BMW GS owners but now open to other big adventure motorcycles, this challenging yearly invitational ride in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains has become a legend among an elite few. Billy Aller tells about his 2007 Big Dog Ride. |
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Camp Maynard Motorcyclist, racer and skilled rider Jason Maynard of Montrose Colorado rode up the slickrock face of a rugged sandstone bluff in the Utah desert and found a most unusual camp site.
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Friends Ernie (left) and Christopher (right) of Chattanooga, Tennessee are racing Penton motorcycles in AHRMA and AMA vintage motorcycle events. Nobody tells about these experiences better than Ernie himself:
Black Coal National Mid-Ohio AMA Ernie at Ocala |
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Riders in flight Montrose, Colorado riders Eric Rhoten (left), Joey Hamilton and Craig Hasto jumping a distance of around 100 feet with a max altitude of approximately 30 feet.
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Ulysses Riders Not the Buell Ulysses but 4 riders from Ulysses Kansas. | |
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Chance Encounters Motorcyclists can share an easy camaraderie. It occasionally happens that motorcyclists who have never met before chance to meet on the road, exchange introductions, ride together for an hour or two, share their enjoyment in conversation and perhaps never meet again.
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Stephen Sunkel In the brief history of the 141 Diner in Gateway Colorado, a number of motorcyclists crossed paths, made new acquaintances. One young man, an employee of Gateway Canyons and a passionate motorcyclist who was resurrecting a tired old KZ1000 Kawasaki, impressed me with his knowledge and enthusiasm. We span about three generations, he and I, but motorcycles speak the same language to both of us. Stephen's bike projects may be on hold for a while as he devotes his attention to a new daughter, Isabelle Sky Sunkel, born May 17th, 2008. Congratulations Stephen!
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