Mountain passes, Aspen, Park City

The bike's thermometer showed 55 degrees when I began loading it this morning, but by the time I left it was up to 60. I wore layers and warm gloves because I'd be spending the day at high elevations. US 24 climbs up into the mountains on an easy slope with gentle curves. There was a fair amount of traffic early on a Sunday morning, but it thinned out beyond Woodland Park. I rode over Trout Creek Pass (9300 feet) and then down towards Buena Vista, where I stopped in Johnson at the Coyote Cantina. I ordered my eggs with a single  pancake, which turned out to be the size of a dinner plate and thick as well.

The Coyote Cantina in Johnson, Colorado

Twenty miles north brought me to the turn-off  for Colorado 82, which goes over Independence Pass and into Aspen.There are a few very tight hairpin curves, but for the most part it is easy going, with ample places to pass. At the top there is a large parking lot and a view area accessible via a short walk. I met a couple on a BMW R1200RT (who took the picture of  me) who had been at the rally in St. Paul.

Yes, I was there

View from the top of Independence Pass

The ride down from the pass and west was much like the ride up, and soon I was in Aspen. Many years ago I read a story in Cycle magazine about the sleepy ski-town of Aspen, and how many in the small community of full-time residents were into motorcycling that year. At the time Aspen was a destination for hippies and other counterculture types, but they were soon displaced as Aspen grew. Like most of the beautiful ski towns in the mountains (think Steamboat Springs, Park City, Sundance) Aspen long ago acquired a large number of wealthy residents for whom the town was their second or third home. Boutiques, cute restaurants, faux Western outfitters, and other upscale venues compete for the dollars. Still, it's a beautiful setting, and the old (built in 1886) and historic Hotel Jerome retains its charm.

The J-Bar in the Hotel Jerome was Hunter S. Thompson's unofficial office

The Sidewalk Judge

The Aspen airport on the west side of town had a small number of private jets, although not as many as I saw in Ketchum, Idaho last summer. State Route 82 becomes a new, four-lane divided road west of Aspen, and shortly I was in Glenwood Springs at I-70. Along the way I noted stops for a regional transit service, and I figure that most of the people who work in Aspen live in Glenwood Springs and commute. Glenwood  Springs certainly looks like a town that has grown very rapidly, with a lot of sprawl, chain stores, and traffic.

I rode west on I-70 for 25 miles and exited at Rifle on State Route 13 north. Before Meeker I went west on SR 64, an even smaller road, towards Rangely. The promised afternoon thunderstorms never appeared, but it did begin to rain lightly, and for once I put on my rain gear before I got wet. SR 64 ends in Dinosaur, CO at US 40, which I've been on many times both on motorcycle and car. Soon I crossed the border into Utah, where I stopped briefly in Vernal.

The pink dinosaur in Vernal, Utah always amuses me

 US 40 is a major truck route, and even late on a Sunday there were many tandem tank trucks and other big rigs heading in both directions. However, the road is in good shape with many passing lanes, so I made good time to Duschene, where I stopped at a cafe for the worlds slowest dinner. To be fair there was only one waitress handling customers and take-out orders, and the dinner was good. Back on the road I crossed over Daniel's Pass (8000 feet) and began the long descent into Heber City. There had been rain earlier, and the road was still wet, so I wore my rain clothes against the spray from the trucks. I noticed that Heber City has been growing in the last few years, and soon I was in Park City and then at my sister's place in Deer Valley, where I'll spend the next two days. 535 miles today, all on two-lane roads except for a brief ride on I-70. Back on the road on Wednesday.