I ditched the CODS guys
On Yahoo there is this group called Colorado Dualsporters. They seem like a good group. Lots of guys on KLRs abd GS something or others with a few token LC4s and whatever else qualifies as a Dualsport these days. And some dumbass on a Honda XL250R.

So they plan this dirt ride for dirt bikes and its perfectly clear that this is going to be serious dirt with some highway crap followed by more serious dirt and jumps and cliff drops snd stuff. I decide this is not my ride so I post on COSD group saying i'm not going.

Well come Saturday morning, there I am at the meeting place on my XL250R, a little east of Buena Vista, CO, with a full tank and one gallon Gerry can of fuel bungeed to the seat, and I see this.







Dang, these guys are not just goofing around in the woods. These are serious dirt machines and serious dirt riders. I'm on some silly ancient 250 with very well worn tires and highly suspiscious suspension. I'm going to really be holding these guys up if I make them ride with me. Everyone's day will be better if I bail and let them do their thing.

Then there was the mirror. It took all three of these experts about 5 minutes to break this mirror as they were putting it on Steve's bike. My Rosepetal looked away in horror. The bridge ignored us.





These guys are nice and were willing to drag me through the hills they had planned but I knew I was out of my league so I left on my own while they thought about mirrors and stuff. I wanted to find a continuous link of dirt roads from the bridge to Colorado Springs. Off I went, alone.

 

So I took off to the south looking for an all-dirt route back home. I found one, but only in the aftermath. In the meantime I found lots of Death Ruts.

These roads were all grease-mud last week after the snow. Then the sun came out and dried it all up leaving this...


Hard as rock and all across the road.



Its hard as sandstone but with less grip.



So I go slow and pick my way through. I don't feel like crashing out here in the middle of nowhere, by myself.

 

SO after I get out of DeathRut lane I land here. That's Mt. Princeton and Mt Yale in the backgroundand maybe Columbia and Harvard to the right. Rosie seems to like posing in this kind of shot.

Its about 10:30 am and i'm in the middle of nowhere. A song pops into my head while I study my map and listen to the birds.

High Speed Dirt by Megadeth, the greatest... ok maybe not, but a good song by a good band.


If you have ever wondered what the base of a Honda mirror and the end of a zip tie looks like, wonder no more.

High Speed Dirt!

I need some practice at the photog-while-riding thing.

 

.

.

I guess I rode through the Badger Creek Ranch.



Hey, look! A railroad car that's older than my bike!
At least my Rosepetal still has wheels.

Followed by more High speed dirt.




More mirror base and more zip ties. Deal! This is my favorite picture of the day. I'm probably going 45 or 50 when I took this picture. I know it annoys some of you 4-Runner guys when some dumbass on a motorcycle comes around a washboared turn at 45, but sometimes a guy needs to let his bike strech its legs.
Read the rulZ. Stay on the road.

I'm practcing the photo-while-riding thing. Getting a little better.

High Speed Dirt!

 

So i'm hauling along County Road 53 at exactly 53 miles per hour, thinking i'm going to make the continuious dirt link to Colorado Springs when CR 53 turns North. I don't want to go north, I want to go southeast. Time for a map study/water break. Just then I arrive at someones home.



There are no trees for miles. Whomever built this hauled these logs a long way.

My map study tells me that 53 goes north to State highway 9. That's a lot further north than I wanted to be but i'm not on the clock. Who cares? I don't feel like backtracking to find the roads that the map shows.

Highway 9 it is. Along the way I annoy the locals.



What are you guys staring at? Remind me to have a hamburger for lunch.



The neighbors got all bent out of shape when I rolled up. They were laying down trying to get a tan. Then they all stood up and stared at me with one eye. Sheesh! Borrow some meds from Rush Limbaugh and go back to bed, you big stupid dopes. Haven't you ever seen a dumbass on a 1982 Honda XL250R before? Sheesh! Honestly!

The exception is the one in the back. Its too lazy to stand up. Or maybe its a non-conformist. Anyway, the one still laying down is my favorite. Her name is Wanda.

"Hey Wanda, How far it it to 11 Mile Reservoir?"

*"Snort!!"* Says Wanda. I'm off in a cloud of dust.

 

About 20 miles behind Wanda is where I want to be, 11 Mile Reservoir. I'm not exactly sure where I am but I can see where I want to be so don't send a rescue crew yet.

Hey, here's highway 9. i'm getting better at the photo-in-motion thing.





BORING!!

I finally got to the missing link that I wanted to ride originally. Dick's peak.
OK I don't want to ride Dick's Peak. (Who names these ÅÅÅÅing roads anyway?) But I wanted to ride the road with that name because it connects this spot with the road by the bridge and the death ruts.



Directly across Hwy 9 from here at FR108 is a road called 39 Mile Mountain. I want to get to 11 Mile Reservoir, so I guess im about 28 miles from familiar territory. Bring it on 39 Mountain Mile Road!

Edit: Sorry Corey, I misspelled Sucking.

 

OK, 39 mile mountain. Medium speed dirt, narrow doubletrack Jeep type road with patches of deathruts. Then there was another house with no one home.



medium speed dirt

Then there was another really cool vacant house with ground for a roof.



Someone put a lot of effort into this one. Its still standing after several dozen years. Job well done!


It had a wooden chimney. I think this is the chimney anyway.



Then I get lost.

Keep out, Dumbass!



So I stay out, have some water and study the map some more.

Edit: Motorcycling has changed my Trail Report style, can you tell?

 

i love your trail report style!

 

Looks cool. I climbed Mt. Princeton once. That was an experience I'll never forget.

 

cool! my dad's got a nearly mint '81 or '82 XL250R, he scouts out fishing holes with it. i really, really need to learn to ride someday...

 

Awesome trail reports. Rosie is sweet.

 

I Love The Write Up !

 

OK if you people like this, i'll keep going. I do eventually get home.

I'm lost, we'll pick it up there.

No biggie, i'll just backtrack to the last intersection. There was a barbed wire gate that was unlocked, then I found the sign lying in the dirt and upside-down.



Someone ran over the fiberglass trail marker and I didn't notice it before so I took the wrong prong at this fork in the road. No worries, I dump in the extra gas and i'm on my way. I can almost smell the fish guts from here, I know i'm near the reservoir.

I pass a guy in a Dodge Prospector or whatever they call the Dodge that's kinda like a K5 Blazer or Ford Bronco from 1979. Its the first person i've seen in about 4 hours except for a couple of cars on hwy9. He had lots of fishing poles in the back. I was happy to see him. He was not friendly. I guess they aren't biting today. How can you be grouchy on a day like today?



Hey look! a Reservoir. i'm home free. Time to look for gas, a hamburger and pie. Pie is a very important part of Adventure Riding. Always ride toward pie, unless you just had some pie.

 

I'm no longer lost.

In Colorado-math 259=890
Someone is into knocking signs over. Here is the signs at the edge of the reservior. The sign facing the other way reads...
Guffey-->
Hartsel<--



These barbed wire gates should be closed after you pass through. Cattle like to poop in the reservoir so do your part to keep them out.

I chose to head for Guffey. Its closer to home, closer to pie, closer to fuel for the Rosepetal.

 

On ADVRider.com I go by RoundlightKnight. RoundlightKnight said this:

 

In Florissant I found gas and hamburgers for sale but no pie.

The hard working lady at the hamburger joint was pretty busy but that's no excuse for not washing hands between taking orders and making orders. People do weird things with money. Have you ever been to a strip club? People do weird things with money and i'd rather not have that in my food. Thanks for the gas though.

So I give up on hamburger and pie and settle for deliscious yummy pizza with salad and a tiny Beer in Woodland Park.



And that was my Saturday. Thanks for listening.

 

made a good choice avoiding the hamburgers then.

 

I have a Honda XR650R for sale in the classifieds if you wanna be able to play with the big boys. It has about a grand worth of mods and a little over 300 miles on it. Its a beast and will climb anything. Its also titled and plated for street use.

 

Hi TACOMANATOR. I had a 99 XR650L but sold it when I was unemployed. As you can see, I am really into this $800 XL250R. My 650L was really just too much bike for me. I require a big tail light and turn signals. I ride in city traffic on a daily basis. An XRxxxR without turn signals and speedometer won't suit me too well.

Did I mention that the XL was $800?

Its not a motor issue that's keeping me from playing with the big dogs on ADVRider.com. Its a fork seal and tires. I don't need a bigger bike, just some parts and some garage time. After that the KTM and BMW guys will be scratching their heads.