Jim's home | Motorcycle home | Van Trip home
I've ridden the Peak to Peak highway between Estes Park and Black Hawk west of Boulder twice before. It's a good sportbike road. I wanted to do it again, but was also intrigued with Rte 27 between Rte 14 and the town of Masonville to the south. I left my van at the Sleeping Elephant Campground on Rte 14 and headed east. I wish I would have spent more time on Rte 14. It's VERY curvy, but traffic was not light there. Anyway, Rte 27 turned out to be the best road of my trip. So fun. So curvy. So 3d. So little traffic. So beautiful. Such good pavement. It's about 20 miles long and I rode it 4 times that day. Saw numerous sportbike riders on it including one in all black gear on a Ducati that I caught up with. I tailgated him for a mile or so and finally sat upright and made an exasperated gesture. He must have seen me because he moved right and let me pass. When I turned around at the north end of Rte 27 for a do-over he caught up with me and gave me big thumbs up.
After my first run down Rte 27 I headed up Rte 34 to Estes Park and then south on Rte 7. Rode that down to Lyons and back up to join Rte 72 intending to go to Black Hawk. I got caught in a gully-washer there and bailed on going to Black Hawk. Took about a half an hour to mostly dry out. Went back through Estes Park and Masonville to ride Rte 27 3 more times before hitting Rte 14 through Poudre Canyon back to my campsite. I hit more hard rain there that turned into a vicious hail storm. The hail was so painful and visibility so bad that I just pulled over and hunkered down. Several other vehicles were pulled over too including a truck and trailer. A lady rolled down the passenger window and asked if I wanted to shelter inside their trailer. I gestured no thanks, and the hail/rain stopped soon thereafter. Wild.
After riding I visited my son in Boulder for day. Did a nice hike up to the Flat Irons.
My campsite in Poudre Canyon just west of Fort Collins:
My son with his cat, who is wearing a cone collar due to a wound:
My son pointing to our hiking destination, the base of the second flatiron from the right: