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After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, I wiped off the bike and showed my brother-n-law how I used Pledge as a windshield cleaner. You can teach old dogs new tricks!!!
We left out of Trinidad on Colorado 12 and eased our way towards La Veta. This is a neat ride with a variety of geological features. It has a mining district near Trinidad, oil and gas exploration and then as it gains altitude, you begin to see the naturally formed rock walls. Further up the road, you reach the summit of Cuchara Pass where we stopped to take a picture or two.  I have to admit, that I did not take many pictures on this trip, though I had intended to. We just didn't stop unless it was a summit or we needed to stretch for a moment. While at the summit, we had the usual attraction of visitors. One was an older gentleman who had recently divorced, sold his remaining property, and bought a motorhome. He had ridden his old Harley Sportster to the top of the summit from where he was camping, and it would not start. We exchanged thoughts for a moment, and asked if he needed help.  As it was, the bike started after cooling off for a few moments. Away he went down the pass, we could hear the sound of his pipes rumbling as the engine kept his speed in check.
A young man and his attractive female passenger pulled up on the opposite side of our paved pull out. His adventure sport touring bike was poised and ready for the dirt road that they were eying on the maps. I commented to my brother-n-law about the old Harley joke about God and his invention ...woman and man’s invention... motorcycles. Who gets rode more?
A quick blip of the starter and the Honda was poised for more miles down the road to adventure. Her pipes purring steadily as her counterpart for this trip roared to life, the Harley v-twin sounding like the starter might not get it through the compression stroke. We rolled steadily down the pass, by the lakes near Monument Park, thru Cuchara and finally into La Veta. I have early memories of La Veta. As a child my parents took my brother and I to Colorado, and in those days, the pass at La Veta was still a challenge.  My dads late model Chevy pickup actually blew the front main on the climb up that first year we went through there. I remember him buying a case of oil and driving on. Now, as we blow by the old road to La Veta on US 160, our vehicles barely shift from overdrive and no one thinks of the struggles vehicles had climbing many of the old passes that were hold overs of wagon trails...just memories of forgotten history.
We had a quick stop for lunch in Alamosa, I consider my yearly input of Long John Silvers as a necessity. This location had both Taco Bell and Long Johns in the same building. Quite a combination!!! Rain was looming on the horizon as we headed west. I had held off putting on my rain suit because of the heat. But, we could see the clouds forming rapidly near South Fork as we exited Monte Vista. We would need gas and a break by then, and once again a decision would need to be made concerning our direction. read more...
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