It was Shaun C., a former co-worker friend who'd recently seen me shooting sunset pictures and had stopped to renew relations. A ride to the top of Pikes Peak was quickly agreed upon and I returned home to switch motorcycles. Fiona, whose gearbox is still being "broken in", would simply not be fast enough for the planned ride.
So it was that Brigitta, my '87 R80 Beemer Airhead and I rode out to meet with Shaun. He was riding his new Triumph Thruxton, a lovely motorcycle as you shall see.
Together, we rode in a spirited manner down Colorado Highway 83, through the turmoil of traffic that apparently now consistently congests the town of Parker and from there south towards Colorado Springs.
A quick lunch near Manitou Springs and then we queued up at the Pikes Peak Highway fee station. Took a bit of time to pay our fees, and I feared Brigitta's engine would overheat with all the slow stop and go traffic.
Still, no issues, and finally we were clear of the maddening crowd of cagers at the fee station and riding up the mountain highway.
At the Crystal Lake Reservoir
Shaun and his beautiful Triumph Thruxton
Views on the way up...
photo courtesy Shaun C.
ScooterBob gets introduced to Shaun
photo courtesy Shaun C.
photo courtesy Shaun C.
ScooterBob didn't want to queue up to have his picture taken at the sign
Though we did manage to ride up to the summit's parking lot (being on two wheels allowed us to bypass the line of cagers queueing up for parking spaces), we didn't tarry. Too crowded, a bit chilly and very strong winds all combined to make our stay at the top a very short one.
Shaun at the Bottomless Pit
One last shot of ScooterBob before we left the Pikes Peak area...
Shaun and I stopped for a leisurely early dinner to kill some time as we hoped to catch the sunset on the way home. After eating, it was more spirited riding along CO Highway 83 to the vicinity of Castlewood Canyon Park.
Can you make out ScooterBob's silhouette atop Brigitta?
photo courtesy Shaun C.
9 comments:
What a lovely blog post and such nice pictures!
Thank you Dar, Shaun does have a good eye doesn't he?
Looks like a great ride - even if it was cold and windy. And great sunset photos to boot.
Thanks David Blackburn, it wasn't too cold, just enough to remind me to start carrying cold weather gear again!
Awesome. Sure some beautiful views from way up there.
Sad to see how busy it is, but I guess everyone wants a peek at the Peak.
The Thruxton is a great looking bike. Nice to see Indian represented also. And, of course, Brigitta wears her age well!
Trobairitz, thanks for your comments. The crowds at Pikes Peak were less, I think, than the crowds on Mount Evans...which is now closed for the season.
AZ HD: The Thruxton is pretty and fast! Brigitta looks pretty good for an almost 29 year old motorcycle.
Great pics from a great ride! Glad you had a nice time...it's always fun to go out with a riding buddy.
Motoventures, thanks....I tend to ride alone 90% of the time as I feel the others might not want to stop for pictures as often as I do, but Shaun was good with it in spite of multiple warnings and he's got a good eye for photos.
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