Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Driving Ms Martha up Mount Evans

Turns out, Martha, my loving wife, has never been up Mount Evans....the highest auto highway in the USA.

Today we remedied that.  We abandoned our teenage sons at home and set off on Valencia, my 2011 URAL Patrol Sidecar Rig.  The weather was sunny and cool when we started off, with temperatures nicely in the 70's.

We would hit a low of 37°F at the summit of Mount Evans and it would be 84°F when we returned home to Centennial!

 Summit bound, here's Martha....looking somewhat like the Stig at
the first picture spot.

 The Stig looks cold.

 Martha gets the requisite shot of the summit sign.

 Amid the ruins of the old lodge house at the summit of Mt Evans,
this goat gazed out from the rocks at us tourists.


 All these greens and blues, I think I prefer snow capped mountain peaks.

 One of the picture spots I picked, happened to be next to four cars with curious
paint jobs and markings.  We believe they're some manufacturer's next year's models, 
undergoing high altitude driving tests.

 The day was gorgeous and the views were clear.

 Martha stares into the abyss....

 At one of the many hairpin turns on Mount Evans Highway


 Martha tries to show me how the tonneau can be used as a burkha.....


 Yep, on a clear day, you can see forever.

There was construction on CO103 both going up to Echo Lake from Idaho Springs and going down towards Bergen Park.  We ended up detouring onto Witter Gulch Road and ended up in Evergreen eventually.

The rest of the ride was just using CO74, through the small towns of Kittredge and Idledale eventually ending up in Morrison where we got onto the C-470 super slab.  Things had warmed up into the low 80s by the late afternoon and we had to make a quick stop to shed a layer.

An outstanding day of riding with my sweetie.

11 comments:

RichardM said...

Very nice ride up Mt. Evans though the one caption should be, "I wonder if he put on the parking brake" instead of staring into the abyss...

Trobairitz said...

What a perfect day riding with Martha. Great pictures too.

I am glad it was such a beautiful day even with the temperature changes.

Lucky said...

Wow! Cool!

I'm not sure if I've been up there or not... I guess I don't recall the summit sign, so probably not.

...another destination added to the list.

Martha said...

Oh yes, there were those moments when I closed my eyes as he positioned Valencia and myself for the photo op: You know in the movies it is never good when the wife AND the mistress meet. But we both lived to tell the tale.

A little brisk at the very top but otherwise my kind of day for a ride, not too hot, not too cold, just right!

And hey, why didn't you share how Valencia was showing off..,yes folks, she was able to pass a truck, on a single lane road....with a curve...yikes!

redlegsrides said...

RichardM, funny you should say that....she seemed a bit nervous every time I went near the edge of the road.

Trobairitz, thanks for reading and commenting, it was a great day for riding.

Lucky, its an easy ride...just watch out for the scaredy-cat cagers who hog the centerline since they're scared of the edge....sheeesh. Sure, no guardrails but if you're scared, then turn back...don't take up both lanes!

Unknown said...

Dom:

I thought the same thing as Richard. Make sure your parking brake is on, unless you planned for it to be off

Lovely day for a ride. at least it wasn't windy

bob
Riding the Wet Coast

Joe said...

I envy that ride. Beautiful scenery!

Martha, the pictures of you in the post don't do you justice compared to your profile pic.

- Joe at Scootin' da Valley

SonjaM said...

Riding with the spouse! I wondered when you would start doing it. I hope that Martha enjoyed this wonderful trip and the scenery and will be up for many more miles in the monkey seat. (That is if your offspring can be left home alone without major risks).
Brilliant pics as usual, plus the 'orange factor'. What a mountain view!

redlegsrides said...

Bobskoot....there were a couple of steep spots where I did engage the parking brake....no way I am going to let Martha go, she puts up with me!

Joe, thanks for reading this stuff and yes, the pics don't do my wife justice.

redlegsrides said...

SonjaM

As to the teenager abandonment, they're old enough to not burn down the house...besides, they sleep most of the morning away these days....

Martha tends to only ride on nice weather days, for some reason she doesn't like riding in freezing temperatures and icy conditions, go figure!

Hollie said...

Awesome!