A Lesson in not getting getting cocky about commuting in cold weather

The temperatures during my morning commute were between 18-20 degrees, gusty winds and sunny. It was cold.

I even stopped shortly after I left the house and put on the ATV grip covers over my heated grips which were then turned on high for the rest of the ride to work.

I was sitting at a light on Colfax Avenue, thinking to myself how nice and warm my hands were feeling in spite of the bitter cold when this other motorcycle rider pulls up to the light two lanes from me. He's the only other rider I saw on the way to work this morning.

He was riding a cruiser-type motorcycle with no windshield and NO fairings as opposed to my full-fairing motorcycle with its adjustable windshield in the full up position. He was dressed warmly and wearing a helmet. I could see his gloved hands on his grips so no grip covers like I was using. No way to tell of course from a distance if his grips were heated or not.

It was a gentle reminder to me that riders with much LESS wind protection than me on their motorcycles are out there braving the cold and riding! I'm guessing perhaps he could have electrics on but still, no fairings or windshield!

Windchill for the ride in: -4 Farenheit. My riding gear did fine as usual, I would have been wearing my electric vest on a longer ride but not for commuting.

My LongDistanceRider.Net Stuff has arrived!

Wow, less than two months after sending in my documentation for my "Easy Rider" 500 miles in 12 hours Ride I received my certificate and assorted mementos from Longdistancerider.net!

As you can see below, your very reasonable registration fee gets you a nice certificate detailing your accomplishment, a quality looking patch, a license plate frame showing your achievement ride, a sticker for the motorcycle's side case and a drink coozie with the LDR logo. Cool Stuff. I shall be wearing the patch proudly soon enough.




This organization is just getting started, oh readers of mine, notice I am but #8 for the Easy Rider certification! Don't waste any time in qualifying for one of your own or one of the longer rides! Become a sort of plankowner!

Link to LDR site: LINK

Wishful Thinking

Temps in the very low 30s, icy and light snow. 50% chance of snow for tonight.

The picture below depicts the wishful thinking that was running through my head as I cleared the driveway of about an inch and half of fallen snow this morning. I had gone ahead and also cleared a path out of the culdesac but it's not looking good.

It's quite overcast as I type this and though the radar looks clear, I don't think the sun will come out in force today and so there shall be no melting. Bummer. I guess I'll be taking the cage to work today.

1000hrs Update

The sun came out as hoped for and it did its usual great job of melting away the snow off the roads if not the grassy areas. Check it out:


It's looking like a riding day after all! I fly out on business tonight, the debate now is whether I leave Maria out in a cold parking lot overnight or "warm" in the garage, leaving the cage out in the cold parking lot at work.

Passbagger ride to Pawnee Pass

Temps from 24 to 54 degrees as the day warmed. Windy and sunny.

I had to be at work today at 0600, was done with work by 0800 and headed NE from Denver on the I-76 slab towards Sterling, CO from the old Stapleton Airport area.

My destination was the most NE-located passes I'd gathered from the list of Colorado Passes that were doable by road motorcycle. These were Pawnee Pass and Pawnee Pass North. I inputted their GPS coordinates onto my Nokia N800 tabled and rode out into the 24 degree morning. It was cold but bearable even though I was not wearing my heated vest or had the grip covers mounted until after I stopped for a late breakfast at a McDonald's in the town of Fort Morgan shortly after 0900.

Note: Wind Chill calculator: 24 degrees air temperature with 85mph winds = -2 °F, cool! : )

I finally got to Sterling shortly after 1100hrs and Pawnee pass was located to the West of town on CO14. The pass itself traverses a low rocky set of ridges. Not very impressive as passes go but it's named and part of the list so I can now add it to my list of passes ridden.

Looking back towards East from Pawnee Pass

Looking West from Pawnee Pass

The ridgeline that Pawnee Pass traverses

I then tried to get to Pawnee Pass North which was really close by. I was however, unable to ride the pass due to it being blocked by a gate, must like many of the passes I found blocked during the last passbagger ride I tried. I did take some pictures of the area just in case I can eventually add it to the "list"

At the blocking gate, looking South towards the ridge

Looking North, from closes point to Pawnee Pass North

I then headed back East on CO14 towards Sterling and spotted this rock memorial to a couple of Colorado Highway Workers who'd apparently died while helping build Pawnee Creek Bridge which is located just East of the marker. I figure the fact the memorial mentions Pawnee Creek, it substantiates me having been on Pawnee Pass since there was no actual sign at the actual location of the pass.



The ride home was unremarkable, took the I-76 slab back to the Roggen exit and then county roads back towards Bennett and Watkins. From Watkins I soon got back on Quincy Road and was home by 1400hrs. About 300 miles covered today, some six hours in the saddle perhaps. Pretty good ride, windy and cold but kept warm enough with my electric gear and clothing layers. One, perhaps two passes bagged on this ride. It was remarkable to me how the temperature "soared" from 24 to 54 during my ride.