Peeping on Aspens

Last weekend saw me having a day off for the first time in a couple of weeks, so I headed out of town to take in the fall scenery.

I rode I70 to Georgetown with about a million other people. I may be exaggerating, but only a bit. Floyd Hill to Georgetown was slow going, but I dropped in behind another bike and we rode along together. I was excited when I realized it was a GIRL on a motorbike! She was on a little Harley, but hey, a girl on a bike is a girl on a bike. Eventually traffic lightened up and I took the exit for Georgetown. It's a really cute little town, but I still have yet to stop and take a look around. I just drove through it to pick up Guanella Pass

The first section of this road, pretty well up to the summit, has recently been paved and had heavy duty guard rails installed. It is a super sweet road to ride with crazy hairpins and gorgeous views. The Aspens are turning gold and the weekends see a lot of people driving up to take photos and hike in the beautiful weather. That means slow going over the pass, but I got to enjoy the scenery too. Last time I did the ride, I was cruising along behind Ian McLeod at a much faster clip and paying more attention to the road.

I reached the summit and did a loop through one of the parking areas, deciding not to stop. I saw one other motorcycle up there, but when I waved the guy sitting on it just gave me a sullen look--ok, not stopping to talk to you....

I didn't stop until I was a couple of miles down the other side. All of the areas prior to that with good views were mobbed with stopped cars, but there were nice open spots on the other side of the summit.

 

You can't really tell, but I wore my RMAR Rendezvous t-shirt! That, a pair of jeans, and my lighter black Fieldsheer jacket were all I needed that day. The weather was beautiful, and I shed the jacket to do some hiking. Eventually it occurred to me that hiking through tall, dense willows down to lovely water areas was pretty much asking to be charged by moose, so I turned around and headed back to the bike.

A couple miles further on the road is no longer paved. It is super easy dirt, and I would have loved to clip along at a quicker pace, but I was stuck behind a BMW Z3. Seriously, people! Get the *#?! out of my way! Eventually they got the hint, moved over, and I was able to enjoy the rest of the road with one lat stop.

 

 

I hit 285 and cruised along to Conifer, stopping in Pine Junction to pick up the lunch of champions--Chili Cheese Fritos and chocolate covered Hostess Donettes. Out of Conifer I took Pleasant Park Road, which eventually turns into Deer Creek Road and spits you out near Chatfield Reservoir. C-470 back to 6, and on to home. Awesome day of riding!