Colorado Springs September 1999

This time going to the Springs was with Penelope who is bigger, stronger and more comfortable for long trips. So what should i do but try to make this trip longer. This ment planning a different route to hit all the places I wanted.

It all started the same with a packed bike and full tank and this time a lot more excitement. I was going to really try and stay on track. This was not the first time I had taken Penelope to the Springs. First time was just a joy ride, the same route I took on the first ride with Rhonda. Lunch at Firehouse on the Run then down into Old Colorado Town. There is an English store there and my children love English candy (or sweets as we say).

This time I was actually heading in the wrong direction to start, there is a restaurant bar that I like in the mountains north east of Golden. That was the first stop for breakfast I thought but I left later than I wanted and when I got there I was still 25 minutes early, they hadn’t opened yet. So Breakfast became lunch. The picture of Penelope is in front of Roy’s Last Shot Saloon in Blackhawk.As you can see it was a beautiful day even for september.

So it seems that Colorado has five seasons instead of four. Fall, winter, spring, summer and construction. This ride was a bit stop and go, if the roads are not being worked on it is a real pleasure to ride. Now I’m not complaining too much I hope because who cares about having to stop or slow down, I’m in the mountains on a bike.

After lunch there was more mountain riding and wonderful sites to see. Then through Golden, now it was a little city riding and this was a bit scary. In the thirty plus years here I have seen the standard of driving in the metro area drop, not that I’m perfect by any means. So out of town southwards and through another town liked by bikers Sadalia and on to Castle Rock and east to Franktown.

Straight down SH83 again because I just like that route, this time, having such a big and late lunch I went straight to the Spring and to my hotel. Again that evening, a Friday night, it was off to O’furrys again for music and food. Yet again I forgot the name of the band, then back to the hotel.

In the morning it was over to the English store for the kids candy and then to Fire House on the Run, my new Springs tradition. On the way back I was really watching my gas gauge hovering a round empty. Caution got the better of me and I stopped for gas, five and a half gallons and 245 miles. This ride gave me a new challenge, try to get more mpg than that ride.