After our uplifting experiences in the trailer park, Kim remembered she had a free night at a condo in Keystone, so we blew the wheels off heading east for a night of relaxing, showers and a chance to get some wifi. The next day in Keystone was a much needed break and we got caught up on email, paying bills online and such.
About the only excitement was when we stopped in Silverthorne at a sporting goods store to find The Butterfly a new insulated water bottle. As we pulled into the lot I saw a guy laying on his side on a motorcycle with the engine screaming. I pulled up and managed to do a ballerina type move to get off my bike with the giant duffel bag on the back without falling myself. The guy had a brand new Ducati 939 in pearl white and had fallen over in the lot, breaking off the foot brake lever, smashing his LED handguards, crunching the exhaust pipe and knocking off the rear blinker. I was busy trying to help with the bike but Kim noticed his balance seem to be a bit off. He was in an adrenaline rush and upset that he dropped his brand new Ducati, and though he was nicely clean cut and quite the “style man” I noticed when he came into the store after us he did seem a bit... what would you call it... "stoned"? I hate to imagine what the cost will be for the relatively small amount of damage to the Ducati.
From Keystone we headed north for Rocky Mountain National Park, my heart secretly dreading the tourist vehicle train that lay ahead, but it had been 9 years since I'd been through and The Iron Butterfly needed to see it. Kim's new front tire hadn’t solved the low pressure warning light, as it again occurred and we'd come to the conclusion it is the tire pressure sensor. In order to cancel the warning light, we have to run the pressure higher than normal...
After a brief stop in Granby for a power bar lunch, we entered the park and immediately stopped at a traffic jam. Just off the road was a large bull moose ignoring the crowd and chewing on some willows. We watched as he wandered off, then we continued on, stopping at a couple of campgrounds but as expected they were full.
The ride over the mountains was stunning as the skies were clear and we managed to find ourselves in traffic gaps, having clear road ahead and behind. Of course those moments were brief, as the park was slammed with tourists and stupid drivers. Instagram viewers take note - at a couple of the overlooks, a couple of suv’s unloaded the driver and passengers, who dutifully suited up in all their hiking gear, backpacks, caps and such, just to walk the 50 yards on the sidewalk to the overlook and take selfies in their gear with the mountain backdrops behind them… By the time we made Estes Park we were tired, hot and ready for a break. We found an EconoLodge with one room left and paid through the nose for it. Again, to be expected at a National Park.
The next morning we had conversations with a couple Harley riders who were surprised to hear of our long term trip and wanted the blog address. Our goal was to ride through the park back over to Granby, then make the Snowy Range in Wyoming later that day, however we stopped at the top of the park and spent some time just watching the sky and enjoying the wind and sun.
A curious marmot decided to hang with us for a while, trying on my jacket but deciding it smelled too bad.
Yep... the dread tourist train.
The afternoon slipped by as we made our way down the park, getting stuck in the parade of cars on the roadway until we passed beautiful Grand Lake and then stopped for gas in Granby.
From Granby, Highway 125 north for Walden was quiet, smooth and free of traffic, a beautiful and welcome relief. As we crested the Continental Divide and rolled into the valley south of Walden, we could see the smoke of forest fires ahead covering the road.
Luckily the smoke was north of Walden and the day had gotten late, too late to try to find a camping spot. All the rooms in town were booked, but we found an old motel that the new owners were willing to help, renting us a bedroom in their own old house. The 6' ceiling didn't agree with me well, but it was a bed and not too expensive. The evening was spent enjoying homemade cobbler at the Antlers Hotel and a walk through the sleepy town at dusk.