Goodman's are heading to Colorado and Beartooth

[Goodman4]

I'm less than a week away from our Lake Michigan loop, but I'm spending all my time planning our Colorado trip next month. My nephew was riding with us through Colorado to Moab, but he had to drop out so our plans became wide open. I'm going to do some of what we had planned but now we can stretch it out for 16 days.

I've done Moab and some of Colorado back on our southwest trip in 2015. This trip is about seeing Moab again but staying in the central and Boulder areas to do the roads that we had not done before. We are adding my favorite road - Beartooth in the middle and ride 14 and 16 through the bighorns this time instead of 14A. I'd have probably done the Black Hills again, but it will be during Sturgis so we'll leave that out.

Here's the meat of the trip:

I'm really excited about this one.

The revisited highlights will be Canyonlands and Arches in Moab, Yellowstone, Beartooth, Chief Joseph and 92 (Blue Mesa). The new highlights will be Grand Mesa, Colorado National Mnmt, 141 (Unaweep), 139 (Douglas Pass), Teton Pass, Shell Canyon, Tensleep Canyon, Wind River Canyon, Battle Mtn Pass, Loveland Pass, Berthoud Pass, Trail Ridge Rd, Clear Crk Canyon, Mt Evans, and Squaw Pass. These are all Butler G1 roads with a lot of G2's between them.

We've done Independence Pass before and loved that, but I think I'll trade that to do 40, 134 and 131 after Steamboat Springs which will be new.

I wanted to fit Wolf Creek Pass and Lizard Pass on 145 in but I couldn't get a route I liked that would still take me through Unaweep and I think that will be a nice variety from all the passes.

Anyway, it's going to be so good to take a couple trips again as we haven't been able to for a couple years. I just wanted to share our plans and see if anybody is aware of any bad conditions or has any other tips.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Your Ride Report from your last trip out there helped me plan a wonderful Family Vacation. I used your pics and routes to plan my trip and to convince my wife and parents to make that journey. I appreciated that RR then and I still appreciate it now.

Hwy 141 is a Good Choice. Don't worry too much about missing Wolf Creek Pass. It's nice but not the best that area has to offer, although the road leading North from there up to Hwy 50 is Very Nice. Lizard Head pass and the road to and from is quite nice also. I like to attach that to Hwy 141 if I can.

As you already know, you never have time to do and see it all.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Pack your long johns. Three riders had to abandon their bikes on the Beartooth a week or so ago. Got caught in a snow storm. Bikes were recovered a day or so later. Been wet and cool in MT and WY lately.

 

[Fred W]

Have a great ride. Later in July will likely be more warm, but sometimes it’s too warm too. You kids seem to put together some nice rides for yourselves.

 

[Goodman4]

You kids seem to put together some nice rides for yourselves.

We only steal from the best... Fred, we followed your route through Beartooth, and then used your guidance in New England a couple years ago. Redfish, we followed your route through Arizona and several other details of that trip. If I remember right, it may have been Pterodactyl that made me decide to go across the bighorns. It's a bit fitting the three of you commented.

Big Sky sent me personal advice on NW Montana (after I read his book) and it was BeemerDons that changed the timing of the southwest trip and turned it into more of a Utah trip in the first place.

If only they were around to post too...

Lots of good people - past and present.

 

[Goodman4]

I've been back from the Michigan trip two days. I'm trying not to overreact but it is making me rethink a lot of things about this next trip. I usually plan my trips out pretty detailed but I frequently change where I'm staying and how far we go. The Michigan trip was hard booked for hotels since we were looping around the lake and there wasn't room for a lot of change.

I didn't experience the freedom of adventure I feel on a trip and almost all of it felt like it was just something I had to get done. I know the heat was a lot of the cause, and we weren't excited about any of the roads, but I am questioning whether I'm even in the right frame of mind for a long trip.

I hope I can start looking forward to the Colorado trip again.

 

[Fred W]

Give it a few days and then learn from what you didnt like. Youve already proven that you know how to do it right. Youll get your mojo back. Just give it a little time

 

[Goodman4]

Thanks, Fred. I really appreciate the encouragement!

 

[Goodman4]

I really should still do a trip report on this one with pics because it turned out to be another great trip. I may, but I'll cram this summary in here for closure.

We cut out going back across the bighorns and missed shell canyon and tensleep since we were hot and tired that afternoon. Instead we took our plan B route and came down the east side of Wyoming and hit the canyons on the north side of Denver and then used Winter Park as a home base for a couple days, riding RMNP, up Mt Evans and through several passes. My Evans was just as scary as Pikes Peak but we loved it.

We had a blast with the climate changes - one day was mid 40s in the morning in the passes and 100 in the afternoon in Utah. We got snowed on in a brief storm in RMNP and it started hailing just as we pulled into the Beartooth Lodge in Montana.

Our big surprises were the Unaweep Canyons on 141 in western Colorado (Redfish was right again) and the views from 191 near Farson Wyoming. Riding the beartooth pass for the second and third time only made me want to come back for a fourth time. It's still my favorite road. Actually the biggest surprise for my wife was the speed bump before going up lookout mountain near Denver. There was a sign that said bump but it didn't really look like a speed bump and I didn't slow down much. It was really more of a ramp than a bump.

Thanks again for the advice and encouragement.

 

[Fred W]

Nice. A year later, but just in time. You remind me that I have been remiss in not visiting Colorado on a motorcycle. Been several times on business, fly in, rent a car, etc. and always thought how great it would be to ride it. I need to correct that deficiency before I get too old.