| Author | Message | ||
     Fltwistygirl |
After riding the past five days in the Rockies near Fort Collins in the beautiful state of Colorado, I've made some observations of what things are different from riding in Florida on the Uly. There seem to be few other similarities than it being really hot here (by Colorado standards). 1) Unpredictable winds. My friends connie riding neighbor who was kind enough to indoctrinate me with the local mountain roads reminded me how powerful they are when he shared the story of being knocked off the mountain road on his Connie at 70 mph by a gust of wind, perhaps a microburst. He said it was like the hand of God moved him from the road to the ditch. Thank goodness he chose to ATGATT that day and walked away with some soreness, a broken fingernail, and a helmet that needed to be replaced. My first feel for the western winds happened while trailering the bikes behind the Ridgeline in our 6 x 12 enclosed trailer. It was a challenge thru two lane roads in Wyoming. I white knuckled it a few times when semis rolled past. Once on two wheels, I felt more in control on the uly going up the interstate with the cross winds coming from the west than in the truck pulling the trailer. I compensated for the winds by having less of me "out there", laying on my tank bag and rolling on. If I were to spend more time out here riding, I need a taller windscreen on both bikes. 2) Nature. Falling rocks, drifting sand, drifting snow, deer, elk, coyotes, snakes, foxes, mountain lions, raccoons and bears! Oh my! All these hazards. In Florida we just have grandma and her road sofa, some bugs, gators and snakes. Nature here seems more unforgiving and the landscape is less developed so once you leave the front range and head to the hills, if you encounter a problem, its best if you channel your inner boyscout and are prepared to solve it yourself. 3) Aridness, power of the sun and altitude sickness. When it is hot outside your body tends not to show perspiration so it seems important to hydrate more. I'd visited Denver a couple times before and recall how much I would receive shocks touching random objects, maybe because my body was not hydrated enough? I am drinking more water and supplementing with gatorade, and feel better this time around. My friend warned me of the power of the sun and my stubborn finlander floridian self pooh poohed her. Went for an hour walk at noon the other day wearing my swimsuit and shorts and no sunscreen on my back and shoulders. Really really dumb move. I fortunately remembered my tendency towards altitude, sea and car sickness so got on a ginger supplement regime while still in MN and I feel less like vomiting in my helmet now. I also picked up ginger candy....yum... I have this issue sometimes when I am a flatlander in a mountain environment. 4) Cell phone signals are real hit and miss here. As soon as I leave the front range, I've got nada. It makes me nervous not having cell coverage when I ride. I've heard about satellite cell phones for super rural areas, does anyone have experience with them? 5) The bike popping while going down the hill. I don't recall this happening before, does anyone know if it was due to elevation? It was on the XT with the EBR racing ECM. I'm prolly here for just a short time more, if any of you locals want to chime in here on things to make it better for us clueless flatlanders who come visit your beautiful part of the world, others may glean some knowledge. Thanks y'all and happy rides. BeLinda | ||
| Afsoc_commando |
Sounds like sweet riding! Sat cells work well, but they are pricy and large. The popping can be many things, my guess is your ECM is not programed for that elevation and your AFR may be off some. Oh yea... Post some pics of this beautiful riding your doing! Keep the dirty side down and the shiny side up! | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
"Oh yea... Post some pics of this beautiful riding your doing!" Thanks for your reply and I will definitely do that. On my way to my new fav grocery store to get vittles for din, then hopefully I will find out if I have an evening ride to go on. If no ride tonight, I'll be cracking open something regional, cold and frosty (nom nom nom), and will post pics once the gorgeous mountain sunset finishes. I am loving this state and am so envious of those of you lucky enough to live or even spend more time here. | ||
| Tootal |
Hopefully your friends have taken you to Coopersmith's brewery. Nothing like a burrito being washed down with a cold chili pepper beer!! I'll be there in a few weeks and love riding Poudre canyon and the side roads going to it! Enjoy! | ||
| Xbkris |
Sounds like a blast. Can wait to see pics. I want to take a ride like that and will. Soon as my wife and 1.5 year old allow. lol | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
"Hopefully your friends have taken you to Coopersmith's brewery. Nothing like a burrito being washed down with a cold chili pepper beer!! I'll be there in a few weeks and love riding Poudre canyon and the side roads going to it!" That sounds fantastic! Once my eating habits return to their "new normal" I will be all in. I've been watching my intake of carbs and exercising more since April and there's now 30 pounds less of me. Woo hoo. p.s. The Uly seems to handle better with less of me riding it. It all balances out though 'cuz my son is growing still and will ride pillion with me. | ||
| Uly_man |
Cool Fltwistygirl. I have had the same sort of thing in the mountains of Spain and France. I know you ride well and this will be building on your skills. "I am drinking more water and supplementing with gatorade, and feel better this time around." Hydration is needed on any long ride no matter what altitude or temp and something many do not know about. I used a 3L SS vacum flask with cold water on a long trip and just re-filled with bottled water from a gas station as needed. It is also a good idea to eat small amounts often even if it is just a candy bar. Something else people do not always know is that a long ride can burn a lot of calories. Bad hydration and/or low blood sugar levels will make you feel bad/sick and put your mind of your riding. Not good and you are more likley to have an accident. You need to be "all round" fit on a bike. Colorado air will be cooler, lower O2 and less humid (water)than Florida. The bike can adjust but there is a limit. (Message edited by Uly_man on July 16, 2012) (Message edited by Uly_man on July 16, 2012) | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
"It is also a good idea to eat small amounts often even if it is just a candy bar. Something else people do not always know is that a long ride can burn a lot of calories." True that. Its funny how some coaches totally over look the opportunity to positively influence students by walking the talk. In the heat, or any extreme weather condition, really, good coaches I know will sometimes make a point of making proper food choices themselves and snacking on breaks. If students ask about it, they will answer honestly and suggest the students try eating different things to see how their body performs on a motorcycle as a result. I've known people who have made poor food choices while on epic trips and fallen asleep on their bikes. You really are what you eat and its even more important when you are exposed to the elements. Spain and France sound fantastic, Uly man. One of my friends is considering moving to Spain for a couple of years. If he and his wife go, we will try to visit. And I agree it does build your skills riding in different environments. And now, here's some pics: Me waving at my son at a construction zone. He was in the "pace car" at the time lol.  Mountains on the way up to Estes Park. This and Rocky Mountain National Park are must sees IMHO if one is near Denver/Fort Collins.  Twistin' up the roads. Might have been a better ride with less traffic....just sayin'.  At one of the overlooks. I wanna say this was at 8K feet.  Much needed rain. We did not see a ton of fire damage here. Further up the road near Laporte there was more. Plus out near horsetooth. Will post those pics later.  Lookin' down. Was thankful for the ginger I'd been taking. My son was queasy over this. So glad he inherited my cast iron nordic stomach (not!!! I get queasy just looking at white caps on the water...lol)  At the Alpine visitors center at RMNP. This is the sister from another mother I never had and her daughter. True adventurers. popjpeg{687147,co pic 7}  Elk on ridge.  Another one.  More pics to come later. Got a doggy to walk, gps to charge and a ride to take. | ||
| Afsoc_commando |
Nice pictures... Looks like a blast to ride and view to enjoy.... | ||
| Hughesatron |
Verizon has the best coverage out here (colorado). If you are on the front range, ride hwy 7 from Lyons to the peak-to-peak highway. It's a very fun section. If you are headed west, my favorite road is the million dollar highway from Ouray to Durango. There are a ton of amazing and fun roads out here. You don't want to be up in the mountains on most days after 2pm because it will storm quickly. It's sometimes very windy and yes it does change a lot. early morning and late afternoon are fun times to ride, but also a lot of animals are out then. It's very easy to get dehydrated on a hot day here because of the low humidity. My bike does pop some on decelleration. It's much more pronounced if you have an aftermarket muffler. Have fun! | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
"Looks like a blast to ride" It has been. Don't get to challenge my technical skills as much as I'd like in FL. I'm working on changing that. "Verizon has the best coverage" Thanks for that Hughesatron. I'll keep that in mind for future visits. Meanwhile, since its clouding up and I have nice a/c in the house, here's more: Two more of elk and RMNP. The second one is creepy with the drop off. DOn't look down!!!   The airforce academy. Took my son there as he aspires to join the USAF. There is a falcon mascot that we got to meet. The chapel is very famous and gorgeous.      | ||
| Eryngium |
Feel free to post pics of the regional, cold, frosty libations, too! | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Prior to the ride, had a valve stem issue (cue wah wah wah noise) resulting in a flat tire in a 40 mph corner. My reaction was whiskey tango foxtrot yikes and holey moley.  Horsetooth reservoir   My buds purdy connie  Need more of this  And this...   (Message edited by fltwistygirl on July 17, 2012) | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
And the libations....sigh. Coors light for me right now. And one sierra nevada IPA that my bud from Duluth insist I taste. It was yummy. Next time I visit, I hope to imbibe in more tasty treats and enjoy more local vittles. There is no shortage of microbrewerys here. We have only eaten out once, at the mongolian place in FT. C. All the rest has been cooking or grilling at home, or others homes, with neighbors, family and coworkers. With yard games and puppy playing!! Fantastic stuff after moving around so much this summer. It's been a weird one for sure. |
