Earache

20F (-7C) right now at 4:12 AM and snowing like crazy. Only about 5" so far but looks to get worse.

...and a few cool sunrises....

All I have this time of year are snow-scapes....

Yup. I'll be wishing for yesterday's weather if the forecast is accurate...https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/five-plus-feet-of-snow-could-land-in-colorado-in-upcoming-days/article_6ee3f61a-802a-11eb-b716-9f8cf86c5a13.html

No - no salt, no grit, nada. That area was at 12,000 feet elevation and the Sun melts snow off of the pavement pretty quickly. Shaded areas were packed with 6-8" of snow and ice. It's just too early to get out to ride much - just gonna have to wait another month or two before I can actually go anywhere on a bike.

We're expecting a major snow storm later this week, so I'm done riding again for a few weeks. The Covid stuff is pretty much over here - most things are back to normal... at least until it flares up again. I've had my shots, so I should be good.

Roads were mostly clear in the sunny areas, but north facing areas in the shade had snow pack. So I had to dog paddle across a few of those areas. Temps dropped to about 34F (1C) so I steered for home. It's gonna have to get a lot warmer before I head out again...

It was sunny and 45F (7C) out and I just put new tires on the scooter. So I set off on a short ride. Couldn't believe I could ride in March here - a first for me. Naturally, the Sun disappeared as soon as I got the bike out and it got cold again. So I just did about 25 miles around the 'hood.....

I've been through here about 45 times and know the area extremely well. We won't have any time for off road on this trip as we need to cover lots of miles each day. I also suspect that we'll have to go much further south this trip as it'll still be pretty cool temperatures on the northern route. Getting out of Colorado is gonna be the hard part as we'll have mountain passes to contend with and they'll be full of snow.

Excellent advice! We need to get some truck stop food pics for @Pedro. Not nice truck stops like Petro, Love's and the like - but real, old school stops like the one on I-80 at the Salt Flats just east of Wendover. Proper, old school truck stops. Sounds like a job for this summer's trips!

Same here, only our animals would eat you if you were lying unconscious on the road for very long. Can't pass up a free snack when it's offered!

Tell the wife you need somewhere to add some LED spots and the crash bars are perfect mount points. You're getting older and yuour eyes' night vision isn't what it once was. Ohh, and you'll be needing another 350 quid for lights as well. There. Sorted. She'll believe it.

It's not for pussies, that's for sure. We only have a week so it is what it is. We've loads of rides like this, it's really not that big of a deal.

He has a BMW GS - hope it makes it <gg>.

An alternative route to the south in case of too much snow / cold is posted below. This route will allow us to do Death Valley and Yosemite as well as keep us warmer. It'd be perfect if we casn do both routes - one out and one back - but time will dictate that. This southern route is about 1,700 miles so might take a day longer. I'd rather not do two 800+ mile days back to back. We only have one week allotted to do this and want to spend 2 days in Sacramento to visit my bud's wife. She's on a travelling nurse program and has been there for 6 months.

That'd be my meal right there!

Thanks - I think we'll need a fair bit of luck for this ride to even happen. If the forecast at time of departure calls for any snow, we'll have to delay it. Simply can't ride in deep snow.

That would be the optimal way to do this trip really. Not a bad idea!

It won't be bad at all if it doesn't snow much. 2-3 feet of snow will put a real damper on things?. Hopefully that won't happen or we'll have to scrub the ride.

Trip will include stops at Cedar City, Utah, Eureka, NV, Lake Tahoe / Reno and a few National Parks along the way. If the weather holds out, it should be a fantastic ride to begin our season. If the weather doesn't cooperate, then it'll suck more balls than have ever been sucked on a bike trip. It will be memorable either way.

Against my better judgement, my buddy Phil and I are going to attempt a ride from Denver to Sacramento, California beginning on 8 April, 2021. April is the snowiest month for our area, so we're hoping there will be no major snowstorms happening that week. It'll be chilly both at altitude and in the deserts of Nevada and Utah as we head west. Basic route is pictured below. 1,400 miles each direction with about 2-1/2 days each way to complete the trip with 2-3 days in Sacramento area. As usual, anyone that wants to join us is welcome - just let me know.

Last night I had a standing rib roast in an aus jus reduction with garlic mashed potato at the Shaggy Sheep in Grant, Colorado. $3 ice cold Stellas, too. So tender the meat fell apart with a fork, no knife needed. Excellent.

Hit the local Mexican place again last night (only place open past 8:00 PM these days). Food was okay but the beers were freakin' brilliant! Ice cold and foamy - had to have two. It'd be rude not to.

Grape Smugglers