[envira-gallery id=”532″]COBDR
Well. Now that it’s over, and some retrospective on this, I can honestly say, this was more difficult than I thought it was going to be.
Don’t get me wrong, the actual riding part was challenging, possibly an 8 at times on a scale of 1 to 10 at times, but the real challenging part was not getting complacent in your riding and just going through the motions as gawking at the scenery was the most difficult thing not to do.
We chose to start the trip just north of Steamboat Springs and ride it to south of Leadville, and see where the trail took us. We didn’t want to be constrained by the trip, so we knew we had only a certain amount of days, and wanted to experience the most we could, being the closest to Denver as a departure point. That said, we looked at the map, and really chose the middle of the COBDR incase there were any issues and we had to exit early.
We started the trip by heading out of Denver, to Steamboat Springs. This was our first evening hotel, and as usual we got on the road late but we had to make sure all was in place including the booster seat. We made it into Steamboat around dusk, and got settled in for the evening. Next was one last look at our routes with maps and REVER, a cellphone app set up for this type of GPS offroading. Our bikes consisted of a KLR 650, a GS800A, a KTM 620 Adventure, and a KTM 640 Adventure. We had the right steeds for the trail.
The first morning set out from Steamboat headed south, and wound our way to Derby Junction. This was some of the most scenic riding we had done. This was beautiful countryside, rolling hills, some tarmac and some gravel. Beautiful Railroad tunnel vistas, and big skies. Our trip was fairly uneventful, except for a exciting water crossing, a spill or two, a corkscrew uphill challenge, and a few stops along the way to wet our whistle. I could really go into the depth of the riding, technical challenges, speeds, gearing, but to be honest, although I am a technical guy, this page really is about the adventure from the trees and above, not the nuts and bolts from the weeds. We stopped close to the end of our day around Catamount on the Colorado River, and met quite the character at the local rest stop. He was quite the backwoods man. I mentioned to him that he lived in one of the most beautiful parts of the country you could live in, and his response to me was, in a serious note by the way, “Sir, I am in no mood to argue with you on this topic.” His humor was extremely dry… He mentioned that there was a spot down the road a bit where we could get a tasty beverage. We took in an RC Cola or two, enjoyed the river, and then hit the road.
Derby Junction.
This destination needs its own dedicated page to do it justice. Let me start by saying this was one of the most friendly, I would say Motorcycle friendly, but I really believe no matter your means of transportation, they would welcome you with open arms. When riding your bike, Motorcyclists are injured in a big or minor rear-end collision when a driver as failed to adequately adjust their speed for the motorcycle ahead of them as it slows down or comes to a stop, learn more from this rear-end collision lawyer. This often occurs because the driver is following too closely (i.e., tailgating), speeding or does not look ahead properly before making a move in traffic.
We rolled into Derby Junction (had no idea where we were as Derby Junction is no longer a town as of about the 1950’s) a bit before dusk. There were folks camping next to the river, and it was as picturesque of a camp site as there is. We spoke with a local, Todd, and he informed us that there may not be camping, but he would check. Good news! They could accommodate us! As we found the perfect spot next to the river and started to unload camping items, Todd stopped by and asked if we needed any firewood. Absolutely! How much do we owe you! Oh and by the way, don’t suppose you have any Cola do you? Todd said he did have some at his camp we could buy, magically, we had Rum and Cola’s to start the evening. But wait! Todd had some beer we could buy as well! We bought a 6 pack from him, and started setting up our meager camp. Todd stopped back by, because he felt we had given him too much money for the 6 pack of beer, so he brought us 2 more beers to even the score. We asked to buy some ice for our drinks later that night, and he said no worries, he would bring some over later, and oh by the way, we have a Pool Hall, and if you are interested after dark, the lights in the building across the way would be on, and we should come over and shoot some pool!
The Pool Hall needs its own page as well. This evening was shaping up magnificently! We set up camp in this lovely valley across the river was the Union Pacific lines, and watching the train come through with the Moon rising over the mountains was Majestic. We had a few beers, and then started dinner. Dinner consisted of two 25 year old Kansas National Guard MRE’s, and two backpacking dehydrated dinners. For the record, there is an expiration date for MRE’s. Those were almost inedible. Not even in the Army did this taste like this. No worries, the backpack meals were just as bad as the MRE’s. Good thing there was Rum! So to digress a bit, when we landed at this oasis we all introduced ourselves. Todd seemed to remember all our names except Carl. Carl was christened Chris for the duration. Carl corrected him multiple times, and for some reason it just didn’t stick with Todd. We now believe Todd was correct, Carl has an evil brother named Chris, that only comes out at special times, and this was a special time. Carl/Chris had a very good evening. Probably one of the best he has had in some time, but his balance was off and his aim was not true… Our campfire antics and pool hall mastery was not at the peak of our game. But this was the stuff legends are made of! We finally ended the evening, and attempted to get a good nights rest. The next morning, Todd came by the campsite and asked if we would like some home made breakfast burritos to kick off the day. These were Amazing! Derby Junction will always hold a place in our hearts. If you are on the road anywhere close to this intersection, Google it, stop by to camp out, its worth your stop, the hospitality is second to none.
Next stop Buena Vista, or so we thought.
We hit the road fairly early for us, and started enjoying the trail. This part of the leg was supposed to be to Buena Vista, about 75 to 100 miles. We made it to about 10 miles from Gypsum and encountered the most treacherous riding any of us had ever seen.
Silt. A four-letter word. Silt is a powder that is consistent with Baby Powder. This is actually powdered Gypsum were we were. This powder was about 4 to 8 inches deep. Your tires cut a wake like riding through water. The problem with Silt is you cannot see the road underneath, and if there are ruts created by large trucks and side by sides, you cannot see them. You will be riding along, and your front tire will fall into one of the hidden ruts and your balance will be off, and down you go.
This is the first time I have ever experienced silt on a badly rutted road. Very dangerous stuff. We had many spills in this one short run. Finally we made it to Gypsum Colorado. After a very nice Mexican meal, we started looking for a hotel. Closest hotel was in Eagle, so another 10 miles down the tarmac we went. We checked into a local hotel and enjoyed a night in the hot tub and talked about the day we just encountered. We did meet an interesting couple, which were actually on the hunt for Bigfoot. Yes, Bigfoot, and they were serious adventurers on this topic, having searched in multiple places across the country for the elusive Sasquatch.
The next morning we got up and out the door at a reasonable time, and found the trailhead. We made it down the trail a short amount of distance, and Carl wasn’t feeling well that day. No worries, we came up with a plan, and Jeff and Carl headed straight for Leadville, and Dan and I rode the BDR from Gypsum to Leadville. Dan and I had a very nice ride; we were fully at altitude above 12,000 feet (3800 meters for our metric friends). Rarely were we below 8000 feet (2500 meters) on this entire trop. We encountered a Black Bear on the road, with big horn sheep and Pronghorn Antelope as well. Our part of the tour had a few water crossings, and Webster Pass. A wonderful day for Dan and I. Jeff and Carl headed to Leadville, and enjoyed a very relaxing ride. We met in Leadville and stayed at a hotel Dan and I have been to before, and settled into a nice quiet evening. We walked down for dinner and a few beverages, then off to bed to start the next day.
Leadville to Denver.
Our trip time was getting close so we decided to wrap up the trip at Leadville. Jeff and Dan continued on the COBDR to Buena Vista, and Carl and I left Leadville for Denver to get an early start on receiving Dan and Jeff. Carl and I had a extrememly nice ride from Leadville to Denver on 285 Highway, a beautiful ride through the mountains on a lesser traveled highway.
Dan and Jeff had their own challenges, particularly some water crossings that were long and deep. Around dusk, they made it into Denver with beverages waiting. Trip complete.
