THE EVENT PAGE:
THUMPERS IN THE COLORADO TWISTIES...
On September 6 and 7, Clay Bastian, #2440 (KS.) & I decided to rip up the "twisties" from Colorado Springs westward. We were looking for some of the best riding and scenic roads we could find. We had a Butler map of Colorado that gave us suggestions to consider. We had our nimble KTM 690 Dukes for entertainment.
We rode out of the city on highway 24 west the first day to Woodland Park. We took two-lane highway 67 from there to Deckers. We encountered our first “Motorcyclists Use Extreme Caution” highway department sign shortly out of Woodland Park. It might as well have said, “Motorcyclists Rip Up Extreme Corners”. This road had everything. Uphill, downhill, decreasing radius & off camber turns. A few corners also had loose sand that had washed across the pavement adding to the adventure.
We stopped in Deckers at the Deckers Corner café. It is a well-known watering hole for riders on all manner of street and dual sport bikes. Last year when there we encountered another FSSNOC member. From Deckers, we headed west on 126 to Pine Junction and US Hwy 285. 126 had almost no traffic. 285 had quite a bit more traffic. We headed west to Jefferson over Kenosha Pass. We looked at crossing the range heading north on a gravel road that turned into a fairly steep & rough road, the Boreas Pass road. I suggested that we not take chances with our alloy rims and continue on to Fairplay. So we went on, turning north at Fairplay toward Breckenridge on Colorado 9.
Breckenridge was having an outdoor art event and was packed with cars. We had fun cutting through the traffic and getting out of town. We hopped on I-70 out of town for a few miles to exit onto US Hwy 6 at Dillon. That led us up and over the old Loveland Pass route at 11,990’. The road over the Pass was incredibly fun. The fuel injection on these bikes worked flawlessly and the 690s seemed to have power to spare even when riding uphill. From there we descended and hopped back on I-70. We zipped down to the short US 40 to connect with Colo Hwy 74. That led us to Hwy 73 which connected us back with US Hwy 285. We took that to Pine Junction where we went back to Deckers Corner on 126. We returned to Colorado Springs through Woodland Park so we could experience 67’s curves & corners again. We stopped at Iron Bird Brewing in Colorado Springs for THE dinner to end a day of great riding: pizza and a beverage.
The next day we headed west again toward Salida. However, to make things even more interesting, Clay picked the dirt, sand, embedded rocks, holes, whoops and gravel infested 31 miles of old jeep, forest service roads and railroad beds out of Colorado Springs toward Victor. It is a popular run for dual sport & dirt bikes. This is mostly the Gold Camp Road. The 690s were light enough to make it without much difficulty. We did encounter one 4WD with a broken front axle and control arm after one particularly nasty run of holes and embedded rocks. Just after Victor, we encountered a huge residual gold strip mining operation. Clay remarked that when they were done it could be another Ertzberg extreme enduro playground. From Victor, we went on to Cripple Creek in order to get the road that we really wanted, Teller County 1 to Colo Hwy. 11 and then down to Colo Hwy 9. That series of roads were worth fighting a street bike with street tires in sand and gravel for so many miles. Again, there was almost no traffic and roads that gave us endless riding experiences and scenic vistas. Hwy. 9 took us down to US Hwy. 50. We then rode along the Arkansas River on 50 to Salida for lunch.
The restaurant we were looking for was now closed. We chose The Fritz, a brick lined café in the old section of town. Highly recommended! While we ate, it started to rain. We walked back to our bikes and headed out of town as the rain subsided. And that was it for rain for the rest of the trip back to Colorado Springs. We backtracked 45 miles on US 50 and continued on until we came to Canyon City where we stopped to gas up. We were both getting around 60 miles per gallon even with our incautious throttle hands. We caught Colo. Hwy. 115 out of Canyon City and took that back to the Springs. As we put our bikes up, we celebrated 551 miles of mountain road carving at dinner that evening at the Marigold Café and Bakery, also highly recommended, especially for the rack of lamb.
Stu Nowlin, # 5360 - KANSAS
Note: Clay shot the photo above of me as I was riding through a tunnel on the old railroad bed between Victor and Colorado Springs.
Excellent, Stu! Now where is my Colorado map? You guys did a splendid job of playing moto-tourist! I can only imagine just how much fun those 690cc Thumper-powered KTM Dukes would be...! Well done, Stu!
I'm reminded that several years ago I ran across a book written by a motorcyclist by the name of Mario Caruso. It is titled simply: COLORADO rider's guide. It is 176 sturdy pages of a wire-spiral bound book measuring just 6" by 8.5", perfect for a tank bag.
The book identification information on the back of the book is from 2006 so may not be good now days, but here it is: Mario Caruso 708 Prospect Ave, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas 71901 ISBN 0-9718973-1-X Two phone numbers are listed: 501-318-5233 and 501-622-0987 www.ArkansasRider.com guinzomoto@arkansasrider.com
This book is broken-up into sections that relate to the different areas of Colorado and all the roads, big and little, are rated by his own system, which incidentally is a series of "happy faces", six being the most enjoyable. Also there is a section that gives the reader an "Around The State In Eight Days" article and route. I had the pleasure of doing that route, taking about four days, as I recall. Anyhow, if you can locate the book somewhere, you might enjoy it, I know I have. Of course, you are welcome to check out my copy but I hesitate to let it go (grin), so hopefully if you are interested in a copy, one will be available somewhere... Best Wishes, Stu and Thanks again for sharing your ride with us! - #000.
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FAST FRIDAY ... October 13, 2017
OCTOBERFAST continues! This week Carrie and I plan to have a late "Lunch" at Russell's Restaurant located just off I-135 at the Crawford Exit on the southwest corner of Salina, Ks.
Note the unique arrival time: Arrive alive at 4:25 ... PM. We hope to see YOU there...
The Fine Print: FAST FRIDAY is a day of the week that Carrie and I try to get out and enjoy lunch with FSSNOC friends who live locally or are visiting the area. You, as a fellow member of FSSNOC, should it be possible, are invited to join us for food and fellowship. Any questions? You may contact #000 by phone at: 620-663-1869, leave a message if I am riding, okay. We'd love to have you there and I'll save you a chair. - #000.
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THUMPERCAFE EVENTS ... are for FSSNOC members. If you aren't currently a member, we invite you to join our group. Membership applications are available at the FSSNOC sign-in areas at each ThumperCafe event. Also, in the interest of safety, we ask that everyone abstain from alcoholic beverages before and during our events.
...........................WHAT DO WE DO AT A THUMPERCAFE?............................
Each year since 1986, FSSNOC members have been invited to gather at more than 130 ThumperCafe sites in the USA to spend time with old and new friends alike. We share our love for Four-Stroke Single cylinder motorcycles, enjoy an often unique lunch, and have a short light-hearted "business" meeting after our meal. You'll meet genuine people with great motorcycling stories and big smiles on mileage-worn faces. What a wonderful way to spend part of a perfect day!
Each of our ThumperCafes is considered a single event. You may attend as many available ThumperCafes as is your pleasure. These events are what we call "Dutch Treat", in other words, we do separate checks at lunch so bring adequate funds to purchase your own meal and to attend to your own needs. Also, these events are fun(d)raisers for our club so we invite members to donate financially to the club as they are able and motivated...
Attendees are responsible for their own travel, lodging, personal needs, and general welfare. Participants at a ThumperCafe may wish to arrive a bit early to have an opportunity to get acquainted with other FSSNOC members before our group lunch. Upon arrival, please sign-in with FSSNOC staff.
ThumperCafes are static events ... we don't do group excursions or rides. We discovered years ago that spending quality time with other members makes the most out of the limited time available at an event.
Please note that you may arrive by whatever source of transport that you like. In the interest of safety, attendees are asked to abstain from the use of alcohol before and during our event. Also, again in the interest of safety, be advised that traveling the roads and highways in this area as part of a group may add additional travel risk due to the hilly terrain and winding roads.
Should you have questions, please contact us as above. And, it is a good idea to stay current with this website as, and if, changes or additional information surfaces, we will be advising you of that here... Jack, #000
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IF YOU ARE NOT A CURRENT MEMBER OF OUR CLUB, WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN. Click on "Membership Application" found under the "More" tab on this website masthead...
( We do have club membership applications at our events should someone wish to join onsite at an event...)
More information or questions? Call our club phone at 620-663-1869 or drop us a note at: FSSNOC P.O. Box 1809, Hutchinson, Ks. 67504-1809 or E-mail us at: FSSNOCTHUMPERS@yahoo.com
"Come Thump with Us!".
Thank You, FSSNOC #000, Jack Robinson - FSSNOC Director
FSSNOC - THUMPIN' WITH YOU SINCE 1986!
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