Day 2: October 2, 2018
Route: Florissant, Cripple Creek, Phantom Canyon, Cañon City, Shelf Rd
We woke up to cloudy skies with rain threatening to dampen our day. That was not going to stop us! When asked what happens when it rains, the response is: We get wet.
We had a hearty breakfast of eggs and a concoction called “bacon explosion.” Bacon Explosion is truly a dream of those who like to eat pigs. You take strips of bacon, then pack ground breakfast sausage around them. A lattice of bacon is then formed around the sausage. The porcine meat log is then tossed in a smoker for several hours. The result is an artery-hardening mass of deliciousness that is a perfect side to the typical eggs and toast. A serving was given with a warning that eating too much might result in a different type of bacon “explosion” later.
We did our daily checks and packed up for the day. The plan was to head south to Cripple Creek where we would get training from Lance on how to ride our GSs in the dirt. We headed east on US Highway 24 then turned south at Divide on Colorado Highway 67. We were greeted by a light rain as we headed into the Rampart Range.
Highway 67 wound its way above a large canyon carved by several creeks. Views of the canyon were breathtaking – seas of dark green evergreens with small patches of yellow throughout. We climbed up above 10,000 feet for the first time as we crossed Tenderfoot Pass (elevation 10,200 ft) just east of Cripple Creek.
We stopped at an overlook above Cripple Creek and were give a brief history of the town and its origins as a mining town. Tailings from old mines were strewn about the hills below the overlook. Even today, mines around Cripple Creek are producing millions of ounces of gold each year, and many mines offer tours. Despite the high gold production, the town has become a tourist destination due to legalized gambling.
We stopped at a dirt parking lot in Victor for our off-road training. Almost as soon as we stopped, the rain stopped and skies began to clear. Lance would be our teacher for the day. Lance runs a business with his brother training people how to ride their large adventure bikes in the dirt. Lance set up a cone course in the lot and we went to work. Though we were only covering the basics, Lance was a really good teacher, and I was surprised at what I could do with the 1200GS. A few people dropped their bikes, but it was not a big deal. When riding with the MRP, we don’t get angry or sad at dropping the bikes, we celebrate it. Each time a bike touched the ground, we would celebrate it by honking our horns in unison. I managed to keep my bike up.
After a couple hours of practice, we headed for our first long dirt ride: Phantom Canyon. Phantom Canyon Road descends from Victor, and is built on the former right-of-way of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad. The road runs about 28 miles through the canyon, emerging northwest of Cañon City. We were blessed with twists, turns, switchbacks, wooden bridges, and tunnels. The ubiquitous aspen trees lined the side of the road. Leaving Victor, the road was smooth hard-packed gravel, as the road descended into the canyon the road turned to looser rock and gravel. Still, the GS handled it with ease.
We stopped at the bottom of the canyon next to Eightmile Creek. The spot had great views of the creek and towering rocks above. As we were preparing to roll out, I felt my bike lurch forward, then it started to fall over. I didn’t know what was happening, as I was just standing there waiting. I looked over my shoulder and saw that another rider had somehow run into my bike, causing a domino effect.
We continued out of the canyon and stopped at Cañon City for a break. As we sat there in the parking lot of a Walmart, one of the volunteers showed up with a gift of Snickers ice cream bars! It was hot and the cold ice cream was a welcome snack.
We saddled back up and headed north from Cañon City for Shelf Road. We had to contend with a few detours due to construction, but soon found us headed out Red Canyon Road and the hills. Shelf Road is a former stagecoach route between Cripple Creek and Cañon City. It’s so named because the road is carved into sheer cliff faces like a shelf. Shelf Road was also a lesson in contrasts. Whereas Phantom Canyon was covered in greens and yellows, the area around Shelf Road contains a lot of red rock. Strangely, the two canyons are separated by only about six miles.
As we climbed up Shelf Road, much of it was loose gravel, only one lane and perched on the edge of steep drops with no guard rail. A few times we would come around blind corners to find trucks approaching in the opposite direction. After about 15 miles, we emerged at Cripple Creek where the weather was cold and threatening rain.
If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes. It’s the Colorado way.
I found all the dirt riding to be tiring. Standing up and sitting down on the bike was like doing hours and hours of squats … Actually, it wasn’t just like it, it WAS hours and hours of squats!
I arrived back at Tihsreed to find that my rear tire had lost 10 pounds of air pressure. I filled it up to see if it was leaking or just temperature and elevation changes.
The topic at the dinner table centered around our dirt exploits. Everyone enjoyed dirt riding a lot, even the guys who normally ride Harleys. One even whispered, “Does anyone know someone selling a GS?” Laughter filled the room.
Mileage: 120, Total: 220.