Colorado Exploration, 3-day KLR650 group ride/camp.  July 20-23, 2007.

This report was originated on KLR650.net, and is imported here with some editing for structure (due to the import process).  Typos, etc., have mostly been left as they are, fixed only for clarity in some cases.  The authors have been identified by their user names on that website.  MedicDB was the ride organizer and is the report originator.  Martin is identified here as SgtMarty.

Update:  Since Photobucket turned evil, lots of photo links were lost.  I've had to edit this report down to text from other riders, since their photos are gone.

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About a month ago I found a hole in my schedule and decided to set up my first group ride. I posted the dates in my regional section and got several of my local KLR owners to join me for a 3day 2 night ride camp through Colorado. Some were guys I had ridden with before others were new but all where KLR owners! The idea was to explore some new areas and enjoy a true dual sport ride trying to keep a fairly even split between on and off road fun. Day ONE: We started Saturday Morning in Morrison Colorado!
 

In the beginning we had 6 KLR’s to start: Me/Damon, SgtMarty, Kawioops/Alan, Scott Rides Again, root/Justin, and Phylin’ Phil!


 

We rode up Hwy 74 through Evergreen then on to Squaw Pass road with hopes of going up Mount Evans however we found the road was closed due to a bike race. We then decided to go over and do the Saxton/Lamartine trail into Georgetown. Unfortunately we lost SgtMarty after the first few miles and had to look for him. As it turns out he took a turn that put him ahead of us even though he had been at the back of the pack. This led him to think he needed to ride fast to catch up to us. We later got news from others on the trail that he was ahead of us so we rode fast trying to catch up to him. This led to a rather fast run of the trail with few stops for pictures (Sorry!) We did get a few though!


 

SgtMarty the lost one!


 

A water crossing!










 

Shortly after losing Marty we picked up a DRZ 400 rider that was lost and trying to find the route to Georgetown so we were back up to 6 I believe he said his name was Curtis (sorry if i got it wrong!)


 

In Georgetown we met back up with Marty and decided to stop at a local spot for lunch and wait out the storm we could see brewing in the distance!

We then continued down I-70 and up Fall River road into Alice for the start of the Kingston Peak trail.










 

Scott

root/Justin layed his 07 down for the first time on this hill and then layed it down again in the mud we hit just after it. For the amount of experience he had he did very well on these challanging trails.


 

SgtMarty and root decided to blast through some water holes that got them in deeper than they were planning. The first of the three starts out small but the last one is about 2 feet deep and long! My camera was not fast enough to get anything but the first and smallest hole. Perhaps some of the other guys will post the pictures of the deep hole.






 

At the end of this trail we would find ourselves in Rollinsville. We loaded up on some beer and headed for Colorado Camper's house were we would set up camp. His name was Gil and he had a nice piece of property near Black Hawk. He treated us to some great burgers and brats and we enjoyed drinking beer and telling lies on his deck. We where also joined by SingleTrackRider1/Shawn. As it turns out Gils KLR was in need of some work so SgtMarty started a mini tech day around midnight and root could not help but do a little maintenance as well. Around 2 am however it was decided that Gils KLR would not be worthy of the ride the next day due to some cooling problems and he would take his DRZ 400 instead.








As it turns out I had set my tent up on a pile of sharp recently cut weeds so I chose to sleep outside next to my trusty steed instead. As it turns out this was a good choice and I fell asleep under a sea of stars!


 

Day TWO:

On day two we started out inbound for Fraser by way of Hwy 40 and Berthoud Pass however Gil's second choice of mounts the DRZ 400 would also decide to not run correctly and after some roadside debate he headed back for home. We heard stories later of how he did not make it and ended up walking home to get his trailer. Sorry Gil!




The rest of us continued on to Fraser and met up with KLRDealer/Clint and his buddy Bruce! This would put us up to 8 KLR's in the group after the loss of Kawioops the day before and Gil that morning. Clint and Bruce where nice enough to show us around the Fraser and Hot Sulfer Srings trails for the day and point us in the direction of some good camping before heading for home. We would also loose Justin due to some stomach bug he caught and Phil and Shawn due to work obligations. We had a nice ride however and it was a welcome change from the hard trails we had the day before!












Scott's bike lost a bolt and Marty was on it faster than a $5.00 hooker! It is funny how good he is at repairing other riders bikes but how neglectful he is of his own! During the trip most of us where taking bets at how long his chain would last with 3-4 inches of slack in it and 18,000 miles of hard use!


 

Near the end of the day we were down to three of us. SgtMarty, Scott and myself. We set up camp above Fraser off of some rather difficult singletrack after having a nice Cajun dinner in Winter park. The BS and wine kept us warm late









 

Root wrote:  I'm all better and ready for more

MedicDB wrote:

I am glad to hear it! See you on the next one!

Day THREE:

We met up with Gil again on day three this time on his third bike a 650 V-Strom. We had breakfast in Fraser and headed out for Silverthorn on dirt.








Between Silverthorne and Breckenridge we stopped at Chipmunk Point for a look out over Lake Dillon. We were disapointed to notice that the beetles had killed many of the trees in this area as well however it was not near as bad as the Fraser area were near 80% or more of the trees are dead!






We headed for Breckenridge and then over Boreas Pass.










Near the top of Boreas pass we bumped into a few BMW riders and one of them knew the infamous SgtMarty!






We then stopped in Jefferson for some BBQ and ate or food in the rain before splitting up! SgtMarty and Scott would head SE while Gil and myself would head North over Guenella Pass inbound for home.






Stops on Guenella:




ME! (MedicDB)




After this point Gil and I swaped Bikes for a while and I got to ride the Wee-Strom. I found it to be a fun bike with more power but I would not trade it for my KLR. I found the seating position to be a little more forward and it reminded me of why I sold my sport bikes. Thanks Gil!




On the way home I swung by work to say hi and take off the rain gear I had put on previously. I bumped into my Chief riding his 07 KLR. I have been trying for some time to get him on trips like this but I am not sure he is up for the dirt quite yet!

In the end I had a great ride with good company and I look forward to the next trip out with this group!:nice:

Ironbrewer wrote:  Looks like a great trip. Glad all had fun. Thanks for posting.

klrdealer wrote:  I will get my pics up as soon as I can. Looks like you had a good ride on Monday.

SgtMarty wrote:

I'll add some pics and stories later, but thanks for starting the report, Damon.

I'm down in Sipapu, NM right now at the ADVRider West Fest. It's dreary and damp. We got rained and hailed on during the second day of riding down yesterday. Oof.

I'll try to get some stuff posted here this weekend.

It was a nice Colorado Exploration and I had a blast.

Colorado Camper wrote:

Great ride report Damon! I look forward to the next ride, and hopefully I can get my KLR fixed by then.

SgtMarty wrote:

Once we got into the interesting riding, I remembered what trail riding with a bike loaded with camping gear feels like--I've done that before. The Mefo rear tire did okay, but there were many times when I wanted a knobby on there.


Here, we are done with the pavement for a while, and starting up the dirt roads. Damon in the lead, then Phil, Justin, Alan, and Scott (I think that's right).




We passed a truck that was stopped right on one of these steep switchbacks, and right after that (at this next turn) is where I got lost from the group. I slowed for the rider ahead of me and carried too few RPMs into this turn and flopped over. After getting the bike up I took a few pics in the area and motored on.




At one of the next intersections, I had no idea which way they had gone, and found out that my best guess sucked. As it was, I ended up on the peak with some nice views. It was crowded up there with ATVs and dirt bikes, so I headed back down and made my way for Georgetown where I knew we were to get gas. Here's one of my favorite shots of the trip dropping off the mountain into Georgetown (even though Damon already posted a similar pic).




Some recent rockfall made for interesting travel. There was also a big tractor engine block and other debris on the road that people had been dumping up there. Sheesh... some people.




A lot of the descent looked like this. Very unstable and slow going.




After getting our act together again in Georgetown for gas and lunch, we made our way up toward Alice and St. Mary's via Fall River Road, then on to Kingston Peak and James Peak.




The Stone House is growing on Kingston Peak, as each person adds to it. I saw some signatures from ADVRiders on the mailbox and in the guestbook. The view was great.




The drop off Kingston Peak was steep and rocky, and not everyone fared well. Still, we made it with minor difficulty.




Justin...




Phil...




Alan...




Damon...




Scott...




A mud bog that was pretty torn up by trucks and ATVs. There was no easy way through.  It was worse than it looks here.




The scenery was great, the road was manageable.




The parking wasn't so good, as MedicDB found out.  Hah!




Here's us. Phil, Scott, Justin, Damon, Alan, me (SgtMarty).




Another steep rocky section that we each chose our own speed down.




Scott teaching some mud a lesson.




Justin's first dirt ride wasn't without incident, but he did great.




Justin was fearless of the deep, unknown mud, though.




Damon lost his adjustable side stand on one of the waterbar jumps. Alan pointed out the debris field where all the parts were recovered. We made our way to grab some snacks and beverages before the day was over. My KLR was looking pretty normal--muddy and beat to hell.




After getting briefly separated again on the way to Gil's place near Blackhawk, we gathered there for chow (Thanks, Gil!) and chat. Met up with Shawn (Sean?) there for the next day's ride. Alan headed for home, since he only had the one day to play. Gil's place sucks, by the way. No view. No space to move around. *ahem*




After camping at Gil's, he was to join us for the second day of riding and camping, but he had drama with his DRZ acting up, so his day was done. That made us all feel pretty bad. We later learned that he had to walk home when the bike just stopped running. Sorry, man.

We met other riders in Fraser, so with Clint and Bruce along (sounds like a line-up for an action film, doesn't it?), we went exploring through the woods and mountains west of Fraser. Nice, easy riding, which was relaxing. I kept waiting for the turn off that took us to more terror, but it never came.




The beetle kill was devastating. I hadn't realized it was so bad up north in Colorado. Whole mountainsides were the color of dried blood. So sad.




After Justin and Phil made for home, Clint showed us some single track riding to some camping areas and he and Bruce each peeled off for fun elsewhere. The singletrack was challenging, mostly due to the sharp turns and climbs. The trail surface was pretty good.




We poked around and eventually found a nice, high camp area. More beetle-killed trees. We set up camp and with lighter loads went back into Winter Park for dinner. Some anticipated guests never made it, but we made plans with Gil to meet the next morning for more riding. We had a long, lazy dinner. With a fresh re-corked bottle of wine, we headed back for camp before nightfall.




We met Gil (on his well-running V-Strom) in Fraser for breakfast and ride planning. Gil led the way on dirt and pavement, more easy riding. We ended up above Dillon Reservoir and then down through Breckenridge. We mounted Boreas Pass for more easy dirt. It's an old train bed, and parts are being restored.




At the top of Boreas Pass, I saw that they had restored the old crumbled cabins up there. A couple of GS riders said hi, then a guy I had done an ADVRider group ride with last year came along with his wife on the back of his big yellow GS and recognized me. I'm terrible with names, so I'm embarrassed again.




We were glad that Gil had been able to join us, if only for the one day of riding. His Wee-Strom sure looks pretty on the dirt. I would destroy it in no time, so I'll stick with the KLR.




We had lunch in the rain, standing outside a roadside cafe in Jefferson. From there we split up. Gil and Damon headed northwards for Guenella Pass, and Scott and I cruised south-east by Tarryall Reservoir and back towards home. They have freshly paved sections of the road, so there is no dirt anymore, and although there is still some rough pavement with potholes, it was a wonderful ride.




Thanks for the planning and guidance, Damon. Thanks for the easy tour, Clint. And thanks Gil, for the hospitality and ride guidance on Monday. Thanks to all for the camaraderie and teamwork.

Cheers, all!

Buz wrote:  That's KLRing at its best.Keep em coming.

MedicDB wrote:  Marty,

Thanks for adding in your pictures! You took some better ones than I did! Good Job! That one of Justin in the water is a classic! You also got some good shots of me! Thanks!

See ya at your tech day!

root wrote:  hmm, scott you need to post your pics for this too...

Mad*Sparrow wrote:  Thanks for sharing. I'm homesick after seeing all of the pics of the areas I used to frequent with my 4x4. I'm 800 miles away but I'll KLR it next spring God willing.

MedicDB wrote:  That was a good reminder of a fun trip. I look forward to the next time we get out together. My poor KLR has not left the comfort of the garage in at least a month! Poor bike! Life just has gotten too crazy. It should slow down soon though and I will be out again! See ya!