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Colorado Motorcycle Trip 2

In 2012 a group of motorcyclist enthusiasts experienced a 5 day motorcycle tour of Colorado. During that trip they discovered that not only does Colorado offer up some of the most breath taking scenery but it is also best viewed on a motorcycle traveling the many roads which it seems were made for motorcycle riding.

While the group covered a lot of territory, rode a lot of miles, and seen a lot of beautiful area they also discovered that they had only seen and rode a portion of what Colorado has to offer to motorcyclists. Their vow was to return in the future to ride again many of the roads they enjoyed so much and to discover new adventures on their next trip.

The following descriptions describe a return trip to Colorado which will involve 6 days of riding within the state. This trip is now scheduled for July 4-9, 2015.

It was an intention during the route planning to try to organize the trip routes to allow the group to have a destination back at its origin at the end of the day so there would not be a need to pack everything onto the bike each day. While this was a grand idea the logistics of doing so did not materialize. The 6 days of riding routes were selected for those motorcyclist who consider the ride itself to be the destination.

Each day of riding during this 6 day adventure averages about 254 miles and 5-1/2 hours of saddle time which is a little above the average of the 2012 trip. However, with less time spent during stops this could prove to be a very doable ride and should allow the group to arrive at their hotels in the late afternoon. Because of wildlife appearing on the roads during dusk it is imperative that rides do not extend too late.

While me may think of Colorado as a lot of mountain riding it actually offers us a lot of variety of terrain, from high mountain passes, to flat arid desert riding, and curvy canyon riding as we follow a river as it meanders through the land. Of the approximately 1550 miles of chosen routes for this trip only 445 were ridden on during the 2012 trip. This offers the group a new Colorado riding experience yet revisits some of the best rides experienced during the 2012 trip. The selection of routes gave more weight to those aspects most meaningful to motorcyclist such as:

· Fun factor – is it undulating? Entertaining?

· Lack of traffic

· Duration

· Scenery

· Distinctiveness

· Destinations in addition to the ride itself

When you read about each route I think you’ll agree that this trip offers a lot of great riding opportunities and great sites to see.

Day 1 (Saturday, July 4): 307 miles 7 hours saddle time Greeley to Salida

Day 2 (Sunday, July 5): 243 miles 5 hours saddle time Salida to South Fork

Day 3 (Monday, July 6): 173 miles 4 hours saddle time South Fork to Ouray

Day 4 (Tuesday, July 7): 248 miles 6 hours saddle time Ouray to Grand Junction

Day 5 (Wednesday, July 8): 278 miles 6 hours saddle time Grand Junction to Glenwood Springs (323 miles and 8 hours of saddle time if we take in the Black Canyon south rim ride)

Day 6 (Thursday, July 9): 288 miles 6 hours saddle time Glenwood Springs to Greeley

Days 2, 4, and 6 will be all new riding experiences to those who rode with us in 2012, while Days 1, 3, and 5 will include some new roads but also include some highlights of our 2012 journey. If you really want to get a feel of what these rides are like in relationship to the terrain I suggest downloading the free Google Earth program and viewing the routes in a low profile view!

Videos embedded on this website are from our 2012 Motorcycle Trip to Colorado.