Geek's Guide to Colorado.

Geek · 03-08-2010, 07:25 PM

Good Day eh?

Sitting atop Mount Bross at 14,172ft.
261 feet shy of the highest point in Coloardo!

Geek's Guide to Colorado

I moved to Colorado almost 4 years ago now.
Before I moved here I had visited Colorado twice in my life.
Both times I was left wanting more.

The scale of Colorado is overwhelming. When visiting, no matter what I did I knew there was "better stuff" I was missing (and I was right!). I wish I had access to some "insider knowledge" way back then. If I knew then what I know now, I would have completely changed what I did during those brief vacations.

Now all these years later, I think I might find myself in a bit of a unique position. I've been here long enough to be able to recommend and detail some exceptional riding, but I've not been here so long that I've grown "used to" some of the stuff the locals often over look and that visitors to Colorado would enjoy (and I still get dizzy when up where there is no oxygen

). Sure there are lots of folks around here that know Colorado better than I do, but I've gotten to know enough good stuff that I think it could really be of use to ADVers who are looking to visit.

I'm going to aim this ongoing ride report to my fellow ADVers who do NOT know Colorado but are looking to visit. If you live here, this likely won't be of interest (and you'll have seen many of my photos already in various Rockies Regional Ride Reports). I will be sharing this report with friends and family who live far away and some of them may be young so I'll try and keep language in check as well.

I'm going to spend the next few weeks building this "guide ride report" which will include photos from my past explorations in Colorado, tips on places to go and ride in Colorado (often from a flat-lander's point of view), and upcoming ride reports appended as I explore new parts of The Rocky Mountain State this upcoming ride season.

Hopefully it'll help some of my ADV brethren plan their summer vacations this year and lead you to some of the places that make me go "Wow!" every time I visit them.

cheers,
Edward

The view of Telluride Colorado from Black Bear Pass.
This image has personal significance to me (not to mention it being part of one of Colorado's most spectacular rides!)..

...more to come...

Geek · 03-08-2010, 07:31 PM

Some samples of things to come...

Merfman · 03-08-2010, 07:40 PM

Nice work Geek! That area of Colorado is my favorite!

Looking forward to the next installment!

Geek · 03-08-2010, 07:43 PM

...and let me mention up front I'm afraid of heights. So often when I rate a ride's difficulty it'll have nothing to do with how difficult the ride was and everything to do with how many times I pooped my pants

Odysseus · 03-08-2010, 09:10 PM

Fantastic so far!!! Looking forward to more.

maloosik · 03-08-2010, 09:26 PM

Another Mile-high-er checkin' in.

Teach us something Geek.

#1Fan · 03-08-2010, 09:33 PM

Subscribed!

IdeaWife · 03-08-2010, 09:40 PM

I went to Colorado when I was 13 and fell in love with it. I thought I would go to college there but never made it out of california.

More pics please!

GB · 03-09-2010, 03:30 AM

Colorado: My favorite place to ride!!

themobb · 03-09-2010, 05:39 AM

I lived in Denver for five years a long time ago. You're bringing back memories and going to force me to come back!

Keep it coming.

Lance

WestSlope · 03-09-2010, 06:00 AM

love the backyard shots! can't wait for summer

Thorne · 03-09-2010, 06:09 AM

Awesome Photo's

Geek · 03-09-2010, 07:24 AM

I've been trying to decide the best way to organize this... and I think I'll simply do it by "What I'd visit first if I were visiting" and work from there.

For me, Colorado riding is about the mountains and the epic views. I grew up in Canada and although we have epic mountains in the Canadian Rockies, one of the things that makes Colorado special is that the mountains are remarkably accessible.

The San Juans.

Some of the most spectacular mountains in Colorado are the San Juan Mountains in South Western Colorado (Ouray/Silverton/Lake City/Durango/Telluride).

The San Juans are known as "Switzerland America" and are famous to non-offroaders due to the Million Dollar Highway. US550 is a stunning paved shelf road that runs from Ouray Colorado to Silverton and then on to Durango. It's famous for scaring flat landers because of the steep drop offs with no guard rails into the ravine below.. but that's nothing compared to the views when you get 3000-5000 feet ABOVE the million dollar highway and look down

If you are on an Adventure motorcycle there is so much more to see

Here's a map I made of some of my favorite passes in the San Juans

My map below is upside down - NORTH is at the bottom. I don't know why I've done it this way.. probably because I always approach the San Juans from Ouray so I think of them as being "ahead of me" in this perspective

...more to come

Geek · 03-09-2010, 07:27 AM

This photo is from 13,000 feet on the top of Imogene Pass. The million dollar highway is in the valley below 3000-5000 feet below

and on the far side of the valley you can see the "red mountains" and if you look.. a little stripe of switch backs that are part of "Corkscrew Pass" (above my tail light).

Well here about 6 hours (and 3 passes) later, we're on the other side on top of those red mountains at 12,000 feet on the top of Corkscrew Pass

Man I love riding in the San Juans.
If it weren't for the fact the high stuff is only open 3 months a year I'd make an effort to move down there. As it is I'll have to make due with getting down 2 or 3 times a summer.

...more to come...

Coming up next some background on The San Juans and a list of the San Juans passes, how best to approach them, and the various passes individual difficulty for flat-landers.

Hayduke · 03-09-2010, 07:30 AM

Colorado sucks. You wouldn't like it.

03-08-2010, 07:31 PM	#2
Geek ^OP oot & aboot Joined: Jun 2003 Location: Colorado Oddometer: 26,164	Some samples of things to come... __________________ www.motogeek.com Geek screwed with this post 03-08-2010 at 08:23 PM

03-08-2010, 07:43 PM	#4
Geek ^OP oot & aboot Joined: Jun 2003 Location: Colorado Oddometer: 26,164	...and let me mention up front I'm afraid of heights. So often when I rate a ride's difficulty it'll have nothing to do with how difficult the ride was and everything to do with how many times I pooped my pants __________________ www.motogeek.com

03-08-2010, 09:10 PM	#5
Odysseus Stoic Philosopher Joined: Jul 2005 Location: Aurora, CO Oddometer: 4,154	Fantastic so far!!! Looking forward to more. __________________ Keep faith with our American heros: Wounded Warrior Project www.woundedwarriorproject.org Special Operations Warrior Foundation www.specialops.org/

03-08-2010, 09:26 PM	#6
maloosik Squishimus Squidimus Joined: Jun 2008 Location: Mile High City Oddometer: 447	Another Mile-high-er checkin' in. Teach us something Geek. __________________ I am happy to be here in this country and to know that the sport here is also important because the crowd here know about bikes and the riders, no? So they so much love. So it's important that this sport can grow up in this country... ~ Whorehay Lorenzo

03-08-2010, 09:40 PM	#8
IdeaWife Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Sep 2008 Location: Central Coast Oddometer: 439	I went to Colorado when I was 13 and fell in love with it. I thought I would go to college there but never made it out of california. More pics please! __________________ "Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather a skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, body thoroughly used up and worn out, screaming WOO-HOO, what a ride!"

03-08-2010, 07:25 PM	#1
Geek ^OP oot & aboot Joined: Jun 2003 Location: Colorado Oddometer: 26,164	Geek's Guide to Colorado. Good Day eh? Sitting atop Mount Bross at 14,172ft. 261 feet shy of the highest point in Coloardo! Geek's Guide to Colorado I moved to Colorado almost 4 years ago now. Before I moved here I had visited Colorado twice in my life. Both times I was left wanting more. The scale of Colorado is overwhelming. When visiting, no matter what I did I knew there was "better stuff" I was missing (and I was right!). I wish I had access to some "insider knowledge" way back then. If I knew then what I know now, I would have completely changed what I did during those brief vacations. Now all these years later, I think I might find myself in a bit of a unique position. I've been here long enough to be able to recommend and detail some exceptional riding, but I've not been here so long that I've grown "used to" some of the stuff the locals often over look and that visitors to Colorado would enjoy (and I still get dizzy when up where there is no oxygen ). Sure there are lots of folks around here that know Colorado better than I do, but I've gotten to know enough good stuff that I think it could really be of use to ADVers who are looking to visit. I'm going to aim this ongoing ride report to my fellow ADVers who do NOT know Colorado but are looking to visit. If you live here, this likely won't be of interest (and you'll have seen many of my photos already in various Rockies Regional Ride Reports). I will be sharing this report with friends and family who live far away and some of them may be young so I'll try and keep language in check as well. I'm going to spend the next few weeks building this "guide ride report" which will include photos from my past explorations in Colorado, tips on places to go and ride in Colorado (often from a flat-lander's point of view), and upcoming ride reports appended as I explore new parts of The Rocky Mountain State this upcoming ride season. Hopefully it'll help some of my ADV brethren plan their summer vacations this year and lead you to some of the places that make me go "Wow!" every time I visit them. cheers, Edward The view of Telluride Colorado from Black Bear Pass. This image has personal significance to me (not to mention it being part of one of Colorado's most spectacular rides!).. ...more to come... __________________ www.motogeek.com Geek screwed with this post 09-27-2010 at 03:21 PM

03-08-2010, 07:40 PM	#3
Merfman Trustin' my cape... Joined: Sep 2009 Oddometer: 526	Nice work Geek! That area of Colorado is my favorite! Looking forward to the next installment!

03-09-2010, 03:30 AM	#9
GB Mod Squad Joined: Aug 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Oddometer: 53,498	Colorado: My favorite place to ride!! __________________ ADV decals, patches & flag? Here

03-09-2010, 05:39 AM	#10
themobb Is this thing on??? Joined: Apr 2002 Location: Hooksett, NH Oddometer: 504	I lived in Denver for five years a long time ago. You're bringing back memories and going to force me to come back! Keep it coming. Lance __________________ 2010 BMW F800GS 2008 BMW R12GSA Pulling on that bike with all I have, I fear that I will pop a vein in my anus any second. - metaljockey

03-09-2010, 06:00 AM	#11
WestSlope Adventurer Joined: Jan 2010 Location: Telluride, Colorado Oddometer: 34	love the backyard shots! can't wait for summer

03-09-2010, 06:09 AM	#12
Thorne Sherpa-ing around Joined: Oct 2008 Location: Lone Pine, ON, Canada Oddometer: 1,196	Awesome Photo's __________________ I'd rather die living than live dying.

03-09-2010, 07:24 AM	#13
Geek ^OP oot & aboot Joined: Jun 2003 Location: Colorado Oddometer: 26,164	I've been trying to decide the best way to organize this... and I think I'll simply do it by "What I'd visit first if I were visiting" and work from there. For me, Colorado riding is about the mountains and the epic views. I grew up in Canada and although we have epic mountains in the Canadian Rockies, one of the things that makes Colorado special is that the mountains are remarkably accessible. *The San Juans.* Some of the most spectacular mountains in Colorado are the San Juan Mountains in South Western Colorado (Ouray/Silverton/Lake City/Durango/Telluride). The San Juans are known as "Switzerland America" and are famous to non-offroaders due to the Million Dollar Highway. US550 is a stunning paved shelf road that runs from Ouray Colorado to Silverton and then on to Durango. It's famous for scaring flat landers because of the steep drop offs with no guard rails into the ravine below.. but that's nothing compared to the views when you get 3000-5000 feet ABOVE the million dollar highway and look down If you are on an Adventure motorcycle there is so much more to see Here's a map I made of some of my favorite passes in the San Juans My map below is upside down - NORTH is at the bottom. I don't know why I've done it this way.. probably because I always approach the San Juans from Ouray so I think of them as being "ahead of me" in this perspective ...more to come __________________ www.motogeek.com Geek screwed with this post 09-27-2010 at 03:23 PM

03-09-2010, 07:27 AM	#14
Geek ^OP oot & aboot Joined: Jun 2003 Location: Colorado Oddometer: 26,164	This photo is from 13,000 feet on the top of Imogene Pass. The million dollar highway is in the valley below 3000-5000 feet below and on the far side of the valley you can see the "red mountains" and if you look.. a little stripe of switch backs that are part of "Corkscrew Pass" (above my tail light). Well here about 6 hours (and 3 passes) later, we're on the other side on top of those red mountains at 12,000 feet on the top of Corkscrew Pass Man I love riding in the San Juans. If it weren't for the fact the high stuff is only open 3 months a year I'd make an effort to move down there. As it is I'll have to make due with getting down 2 or 3 times a summer. ...more to come... Coming up next some background on The San Juans and a list of the San Juans passes, how best to approach them, and the various passes individual difficulty for flat-landers. __________________ www.motogeek.com Geek screwed with this post 03-09-2010 at 07:33 AM

03-09-2010, 07:30 AM	#15
Hayduke ///SAFETY THIRD/// Joined: Jun 2004 Location: Salida, coloRADo Oddometer: 41,783	Colorado sucks. You wouldn't like it. __________________ Official Adventure Rider T-Shirts! . Dual Sport Riding Techniques videos! Rally Moto Kit ///

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