Pikes Peak attempt #1, very weathery September 19, 2004.
This report was originated on KLR650.net, and is imported here with minor editing for structure (due to the import process). Typos, etc., have mostly been left as they are, fixed only for clarity in some cases. Martin is the report writer.
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On Sunday, Sept 19, my wife and I set out for a late-season ride to the top of Pikes Peak, just west of Colorado Springs. I had done it about this same time last year on the Valkyrie, but Laurie had never even been to Pikes Peak before. It's one of the highest roads in the US, leading to the very top of the 14,110 foot peak. There's a cog railway that also makes a winding trip to the top. (w w w Pikes-Peak dot com if you are interested) Here's a shot of the map that's posted at the Crystal Reservoir rest area. The entrance is at the left, and below that is the Crystal Reservoir rest area.
Here's what we rode.
The weather was definitely threatening, and we got a much later start than we
had intended. It was mid-afternoon, and the ride south from Larkspur on I-25 was
comfortable but a bit cool. We took US 24 west to the entrance to the Pike's
Peak area, and stopped at the gate to make a final decision.
The fee for entrance to the recreation area is steep, $10 each. The
ranger/ticket taker warned us that the weather above tree line was bad.
Temperature at the gate was in the 50's, but it was 34 F at the top. We could see
that the top of the mountain was hidden in clouds (the view would suck), but I
convinced Laurie to tough it out. We paid, cranked up our machismo/machisma, and
started out.
At the Crystal Reservoir rest area (picnic area, snack bar, gift shop), we
stopped and took a couple photos of the lower two-thirds of the Peak. The top
was still hidden in darkening clouds. The road is paved past this point, about 5
or 6 miles in, and the riding so far had been an easy cruise through the forest;
a bit twisty at times, but mostly just an easy gradual climb. More than half the
ride is in forest. We put on all of our cold and wet weather gear and continued.
This is what we were attempting...
Well, we never made it.
About a mile or so past the rest area, the sky opened up on us. The weather had
kind of built-up on the other side of the peak and then it crashed down on us.
It was raining lightly, but the temperatures dropped rapidly and the harsh
headwind made the rain feel like ice picks.
Being a bit foolish, I had taken a 3/4 helmet for this ride, and forgot to put a
full-face visor on it. My sunglasses were fogged, and my face felt sandblasted.
Laurie was in the lead (so we ride at her pace), and we had already agreed to
just ride to the top regardless of the weather, so she just kept going. We were
in communication (Chatterbox headsets), and I knew she was uncomfortable. But
she stuck it out.
...for about another hundred yards, where the pavement ended.
The rain was heavy enough that it was getting muddy, not just wet. We had ridden
in a LOT of rain this year. Colorado had one of its wettest summers I can ever
recall. The fine, red dirt was getting slippery. After a tight turn, there was
some washboarding that caused Laurie's bike to fishtail a bit as she struggled
for traction. She pulled over and that was the end of the ride.
We headed back down and stopped in Manitou Springs at Amanda's Fonda for a great
Mexican meal.
We determined to try again next Sunday.
Which we did... Try, that is. More to come.
The first time I rode two wheels up was last year on the Valkyrie.
Glen Cove is the name of the rest stop just below tree line (~11,000 feet). The
pavement ends well before there, but they are steadily paving it in bits.
When the weather is good, pretty much everyone makes the top. When it sucks,
only the determined will succeed.
I don't mind that Laurie made a decision to turn around; I was in great
discomfort due to the lack of a faceshield. But if I had been alone, I would
have motored on. Determination, sometimes grim, has taken greater fools than me
to greater heights