Nightstalker rides WESTFEST!

While not a stranger to ADVRider rallies, this was my first time to Westfest and first opportunity to ride Colorado. I was excited to say the least! I wanted to take more time off and ride up and back, but life tends to get in the way so it would be a quick (12 hour) drive up, 2 days of riding, and a marathon drive back to Phoenix.

Escaping Phoenix heat at 4:00 AM.



Colorado in the distance.



All set up before the storms.

Mountain Tech Yamaha was cooking up burgers and dogs for the weary travelers Thursday night. De-lish-ous!

My camping neighbor, Norm, was enjoying a tasty burger.



AZMike brought his KTM300 to do some serious single track.



Rocking Roland, all the way from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

After dinner, the campfires were lit.



Some nighttime long exposure shots.





Yardstick was a late arrival.

This was only my second time camping in the last 35 years. Being a Phoenician, I was less than prepared for the 40 degree nights in my tent. I was up at daybreak and looking for heat. What I found was a beautiful sunrise.





Downtown Buena Vista.





I found Bambi running around.



14,000+ in the distance.

The campground was a buzz with riders kitting up and running off.



I had an optimistic ride planned for Friday. A bunch of AZ regulars; KTMSER, BIG-E, Montek, and a father/son duo from Illinois; Ferrel and William, joined me to ride some passes.

Here's me stretching for the ground on BIG-E's skyscraper KTM 950 S.



Montek calculating the time it should take to reach Weston Pass.



Ferrel and William on their DR650 and WR250.



KTMSER, KTM 950 SE

It was an easy ride to the top of the pass.



Heading down.



KTMSER and BIG-E.



William

Next stop Mosquito Pass.



Quite a bit more difficult than Weston. I welcomed the challenge.









Steep climbs and tight switchbacks.

Closing in on the summit. Looking west towards Leadville.



BIG-E on video.

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Some minor carnage at one of the switchbacks.



Mosquito Pass - 13,185 feet above sea level. It was cold, the wind was howling, and the sleet was stinging.



The gang is all in!



Memorial to Father Dyer

Heading down the east side of Mosquito.







A little snow.

Great pics.

Still heading east and downhill. This groundhog was pissed and came after me. I was having flashbacks of the killer Rabbit of Caerbannog. It had really nasty, big, pointed teeth and I was all out of holy hand granades.



Cutting a wide path staying clear of the apparent danger, I was lucky to make it out alive!

I rejoined the group at the mine ruins and changed my soiled gear.



We completed the final decent into Alma and began our search for food.

We settled on the South Park Saloon.



Ferrel and William waiting on their food.



Our [toxic] waitress kept it hot by topping off the coffee.



Left to right, William, BIG-E, Montek, Nightstalkers belly.

Sweet!

Fantastic pics and beautiful countryside

The plan after lunch was to head north to Red Cone, however, north had less than happy skies.



We decided to try to outrun the storm by heading south, back toward Fairplay. The storm beat us there and we took refuge in a gas station as the rain, hail, and lightning dropped all around us. The clouds parted, revealing freshly snow laden peaks.



Once the coast was clear, we headed back over Weston Pass to Buena Vista.

I have to apologize to the group riding from west to east on Weston Pass Road on Friday morning. I may have been forced into this puddle creating some overspray. Montek was simulating the situation as we passed through the area on our way back.



Weston MK II.

Back at the campground, I grabbed Yardstick and headed out to find some food. The one thing we both agreed on was NO mexican. There's plenty of that in Arizona. We decided to try out this place.



Guess what their specialty is, mexican. Blah! We had some beers and split as the rain showers hit.



We ended up at Jans in town. I had the hot beef and mash. It was AWESOME!

Friday was a rough night. I woke up at 11:00 with the hurricane force winds blowing the icy cold rain through my tent. I spent a considerable amount of time holding the tent posts in place until I finally gave in and ran to my truck. A bad night turned into a cold morning. I was pretty kranky, I drove up to Cottonwood pass for sunrise.





Tweety birds.

Went back to the campground and had pancakes, bacon, and OJ. BIG-E and I hooked up with MTNAdventureRider who was leading a ride to Crested Butte. We started by climbing Cottonwood Pass, looks familiar.



Today's riders included:

MTNAdventureRider [leader] - VStrom
Tyler - XR600
Bryce - XR600
Terry - Triumph Scrambler
Norm - DRZ400
Jennifer - DRZ400
BIG-E - KTM 990 S
Marcus - KLR650
Nightstalker - KTM950

Heading down to Taylor Lake.



Norm



Jennifer



Terry



John leading the crew.

Had to keep an eye on our 4 legged friends.



BIG-E



Fast and fun!



Pretty lake.