Rollins Pass 3-7-15

[14kmtnman]

It was a beautiful day for ride. Low 40's to start. Lots of sunshine. It did get into the 50's in Denver today. Lots of water running across the paved roads from the snow melt. The road from 119 to the Moffat Tunnel was snowpacked in the shady parts & bare (wet & muddy) in the sun. About a 50% snowpack/50% dirt mix on the whole road. My new Shinko 804/805 tires worked well in the mud & snow. Kept getting lots of looks from the skiers going up to the tunnel - probably thinking what the heck are those guys doing on motorcycles in the snow. ??? Can't wait for more sunny days. The Pass road itself was blocked by snow piled up 3ft + from the plows. Snowmobiles hadn't even been on it. Mammoth Gulch looked like snowmobile central at the bottom.

 

[Bushyar15]

Beautiful looking day up there. What was the temp like?

You have some serious cajones… I keep thinking there must be ice in the shady areas and am not ready to ride up there just yet...

 

[14kmtnman]

Bushyar15 - The temps were probably in the upper 30's, maybe low 40's. It was very comfortable in the sun. Yes, there was a lot of the road in the shady areas that was snowpacked/icy for long stretches. This bike really seems to handle much much better than the KLR ever did in similar situations. Since you have the right tires & suspension now, it would be a piece of cake for you. You have done really well on our other rides ::008:: I'll post up the next ride before hand.

 

[low drag]

It was a bit dicey on the snow/ice and that nearly frozen mud, but the wide tires on the S10 seem to deal with it well. Please don't think for a moment I was trying to break the sound barrier running down the road, I was taking it nice and easy.

The only part that got me worked up was when I tried to run in the dry spots in the middle or left side of the road and along comes a truck towards me going like hell.

Either way I was out on a sunny day in early March, all is good.