The night before apparently we had gotten the last room in town so we felt pretty lucky to wake up rested in our not so awesome motel room in Cortez, Co. It had rained again the night before so it did put a little worry on us that we would have to get the rain gear out again. After checking the forecast it looked like we were going to be okay and the chance of rain was slim. We packed up and we were determined to make it across Colorado's width to Colorado Springs. My chain had stretched out a bit so I tightened it before departing today.
The first hundred miles of the day is always easy and today was particularly pleasant. We were making good time, the sun was out and the tempature was perfect. Just as we were approaching our first gas stop my bike started sputtering again. I thought it was the mechanical advance again and we pulled over to adjust it. As it turns out I was just low on gas. When the tank would get low there isn’t enough gravity to allow the correct flow. Daves GL1000’s tank is bigger than mine so I have to be concerned about fuel and keep an eye on my GPS odometer. I filled up and the sputtering stopped.
We had to make choice between the million dollar highway 550 pass or go through Pagosa Springs and up the 160. We opted for the160 because it would be faster. The other route would add another day and we had so many delays already we chose the faster route. We cruised through Durango and made our way to Pagosa Springs. There hadn’t been hardly any nice turns to ride so far so I was looking forward to doing some twistys. The road did not disappoint but my bike did not like the hill climb at all. Dave sped ahead and was nowhere to be found and the 550 was barely making up the grade. After making it up the steep grade the bike was fine and I caught up to Dave. We rolled through some great country in the middle of Colorado.
We stopped and had lunch at a random Mexican restaurant, which turned out to be very authentic and good. After the short rest we were pushing the miles once again. We were looking to do 400 miles on this day so we again opted for the most direct route instead of the curvy roads through Lake City to make it to Colorado Springs. The rain clouds were looming over the mountains and it seemed like we could hit rain at any moment. The flat route turned out to be dry but it wasn’t without difficulty. The wind was very strong and cold, plus the boredom of a flat straight road can let your mind wander, which can lead to mistakes. My bike again did not like the head wind and I had to pin it in a full tuck to keep speed.
At the last fill up for the day, in Buena Vista, we were both freezing, I bought some knit gloves to put on under my regular gloves which didn’t work at all. We hauled ass the rest of the way to Colorado Springs where we were to meet some friends from Boulder Street Motorcycle Club. As soon as we pulled into Colorado Springs the tempature went up about ten degrees which felt like a Jacuzzi after freezing most of the afternoon.
The guys from Boulder Street MC told us to go “this cool bar we know of” called Brooklyn’s on Boulder, so we headed there directly. A stiff drink sounded like the best thing ever after this day. When we arrive it is a tiny space with some really fancy ties and suits? What the hell is going on here? Then a small slider opens and a nice pair of eyes looks at us without saying anything, apparently judging our ragged demeanor. She says, “are you looking for a drink?” we nod without much said and she invites us in. This was the coolest speakeasy entrance ever. We ordered manhattans and were delighted on how good they were, as I brush the bugs off my jacket sleeves. We ask the waiter “what kind of whiskey is this?” He says, “we only do gin here my friends.” It was whiskey barreled aged gin by Lee Spirits and it was fantastic. Our buddies weren’t going to make it as they were getting ready for DGR ride in the morning so we got a pizza and a hotel. Whew that was long day.
Brady