Colorado on Two Wheels — Part 2: The Miles Start Talking Back
Colorado on Two Wheels — Part 2: The Miles Start Talking Back
Part 1 was the kickoff — the planning, the first miles, and that feeling that everything was finally in motion.
But somewhere in Colorado, something always happens…
The ride stops being about the destination.
And it starts being about the miles.
That’s when the road gets honest. No distractions. No noise. Just wind, mountains, fuel stops, and the quiet realization that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
The Night Colorado Welcomes You
The night we arrived didn’t end with us turning in early.
It ended with something way better.
By the time the evening got rolling, about twelve friends — riders we know from all over the country — had shown up to meet us. The kind of people you don’t see every week… but when you do, it feels like no time passed at all.
After greeting our hosts — Art and his wife Stephanie — we helped them get set up for the arrival of the rest of the crew.
And when everyone finally rolled in… it turned into one of those nights that you don’t plan, you just get lucky enough to be part of.
Food. Drinks. Stories from the last year. A whole lot of laughter. A few moments where we caught ourselves talking about friends we’ve lost — and you could feel that mix of gratitude and heaviness that only riders really understand.
There was embracing. There was fun. There were memories.
And by the time it wound down, we had a plan for the morning, we said our goodnights… and we got some sleep.
The Morning Starts With Coffee and Good People
The next morning we woke up to the smell of fresh coffee and an absolutely unreal breakfast spread that Stephanie put together for us.
Just that alone sets the tone for the day.
It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t chaotic. It was calm.
We grabbed coffee, snacked, geared up, and started rolling.
Traffic in downtown Denver was building, but not terrible — just enough to remind you you’re in a real city… right before you head into something that feels like another world.
Rolling To The Fort
We made our way west to a place called The Fort, on the western outskirts of Denver.
It was brisk — that clean Colorado cold that wakes you up — but the sun was up and the clouds were sparse. When the sun hit, you could feel the warmth on your back even with the chill still hanging in the air.
We rolled into The Fort, and the rest of the crew arrived.
We took a fun group photo, mounted up… and got on the road.
Guanella Pass: When The Weight Comes Off Your Shoulders
Our first destination was Guanella Pass, just outside of Breckenridge.
We zig-zagged past Red Rocks Amphitheater, then started pushing deeper into the Rockies.
And mile by mile, the landscape got greener. The air got cleaner. It started smelling like nature — like pine, dirt, and rain that you can’t see yet.
And I’m not being dramatic when I say this:
A weight lifted off my shoulders from the entire year.
It didn’t happen all at once. It just faded away the deeper we got into the ride.
I was following behind Rick, and I could tell he was feeling the same thing. You can see it in a rider — the way their shoulders drop, the way the bike gets smoother in the lane, the way they stop fighting the day.
We started settling in. Leans got deeper. Throttles cracked harder. And we weren’t thinking about anything else. We were just living in the moment.
The Climb: Geneva Road Into Pike National Forest
We cut off Route 285 onto Geneva Road, and the climb started.
The road got skinnier. Rougher. More raw.
And that’s what made it perfect.
We climbed up through Pike National Forest, topping out at 11,669 feet.
The views were the kind of views that make you quiet — the kind of views that make you look at your buddy like, “This is real. We’re actually here.”
The parking lot at the top was crowded, but we found a spot, hopped off for a quick pee break and photo-op, soaked it in for about fifteen minutes, and mounted back up.
Georgetown and the Transition Miles
We headed down the other side through Arapaho National Forest and dropped into Georgetown, Colorado.
From there it was a short run of highways — I-70, then I-74 — and off in Idaho Springs on Highway 73.
That’s part of real touring too. It’s not always perfect twisties. Sometimes it’s transition miles. Reset miles. “Let the bike eat” miles.
The Road Gets Good Again: 126 Toward Deckers
We followed Highway 73, connected back to 285 in Aspen Park, then finally got off the highway and onto 126, heading south — the windy flats — toward Deckers, Colorado.
And this is where the ride started talking back again.
Curving. Gaining altitude. Just us. No noise. No traffic.
We cruised past Thunder Butte Crossing, just south of Pikes Peak… and it felt like the trip was quietly foreshadowing something. (You’ll see what I mean soon.)
Late Lunch in Florissant: The Thunderbird Inn
We rolled into Florissant, CO and made a late lunch stop at The Thunderbird Inn.
A nice little dive bar just off the main road — the kind of place where you can tell locals actually eat there, not just tourists.
I had a pepper jack cheeseburger that hit like a reward.
And this is where it got real: with our bellies full and fatigue starting to kick in, I had that moment we all have mid-trip… “Alright… time to earn the second half of the day.”
The Backroads Home: Speed, Switchbacks, and Empty Roads
We had about a two-hour ride back into Denver, and we took backroads.
We hopped on 67 outside of town and took that all the way to Highway 85.
And the roads progressively got tighter. More switchbacks. More rhythm.
The kind of riding that wakes you back up even when you were fading a little.
The roads were empty. It was no one but us.
And of course, some of us got excited… stepped up the speed a tad…
Nothing reckless — just that natural moment where the group starts feeling good again and the bikes start doing what they were built to do.
The Abbey Tavern: Earned Food and Pints
We rolled back into Denver and decided to meet up for a very tasty Irish pub in the area called The Abbey Tavern.
That place was the perfect ending to the day.
A plate of hearty Irish food. A few pints of Guinness on draft.
The kind of laughs you only get when you’ve been through a full day with your people. And then we did what touring demands: we headed to bed — because tomorrow was going to be another one.
What I Took From That Day
Colorado has this way of stripping you down in the best way.
The views are incredible — yeah. But it’s more than that.
It’s the way the air changes. The way you stop thinking about the year back home. The way the miles make you honest.
And when you’re surrounded by the right people… it doesn’t just feel like a trip. It feels like a reset.
Coming Up in Part 3
Part 3 gets into one of the biggest highlights of the entire trip — the day where the scenery got so unreal it didn’t even feel like we were in the same country anymore.
And yes… we’re going to talk about Pikes Peak. Because Colorado was definitely foreshadowing.
Optional: If you want to check out some of the things i rode to Colorado with check the links below.
