Prez article
I guess the time when you could ride back into Colorado Springs on Hwy. 24 on a Sunday afternoon in summer is over, at least for me it is. I will stay an extra night somewhere and ride back in on a Monday like most Denver area riders have been doing for years, or maybe head down to Hwy. 50 and come back on 115.
The weather in Riverside was really nice for a night around the campfire and it was great to see friends. The best part of getting there was riding over Berthoud Pass. The traffic was light and the left lane was wide open all the way up, my favorite kind of riding. We did hit some hard rain and wind in Granby but we were lucky to wait out the worst of it under cover at a gas stop.
I left Riverside about eight on Sunday morning riding alone. Back to Walden then 14 to 40 to Hwy.9. By one o’clock I was having a cup of coffee in Fairplay. The weather was nice and my R 65 was running good. But all that changed when I went around the first curve heading east out of Florissant. I was sure there must be an accident, but there wasn’t. It was just stop then craw for the next half hour, finally I pulled off to the side to peel off a layer and drink some water when I heard somebody call my name. I looked up to see Rob Roberts tucked in with a bunch of Harley riders. He was out for the day on his Triumph Tiger and was stuck in the same mess I was in. I hoped back on my bike and we creped along together. Things did get better east of Twin Rocks Rd until the usual backup coming into Woodland Park where we split up when Rob turned onto Hwy. 67. It was 5:30 when I pulled into my driveway, four hours to get home from Fairplay, I was hot and tired.
It’s been two weeks since I wrote that last paragraph, and the traffic coming back into town from Evergreen on Sunday afternoon was a lot better. Randy Meyer, Robin Masters and I rode up to Golden Sunday morning to join the Norton club ride and gathering hosted by David Sheesley in Evergreen. After a really good time the three of us rode back together through Conifer to Pine Junction and then to Woodland Park on Hwy. 67. The traffic was no worse then we are used to and the cool weather also helped a lot. I guess I just hit a bad weekend two weeks ago.
There will be a celebration of life gathering for Ralph Osterberg on August 10th. It will be held at Las Brisas Restaurant 6787 South Clinton Street in Englewood from 10 AM to 2 PM. Ralph was a member of the club and a very good friend. This event is held on the same day as our August meeting so we can talk more at the meeting on Saturday.
Hope to see you there.
Kris Geller, Prez