High Times

Post date: Aug 3, 2016 4:28:43 PM

Heading out of Gunnison, CO, the next stop was Pike's Peak. There were several bouts with construction that added significant time to the track estimate.

Before we arrived at Pike's Peak, my former stepdad said that he wasn't confident about the brakes on his motorcycle making it down the steep grade of the Peak. We stopped at a gas station, and I looked at his brakes. They were gone, almost metal on metal. He immediatley made a B-line for the nearest Harley-Davidson dealership for repairs.

I had been to the top of Pike's Peak before but never on a motorcycle. I had to have a picture of the bike in front of the Pike's Peak sign. It was a must stop at the time of consideration. In retrospect, it was not a good time.

People do not know how to drive. 10 mph in a 30 mph zone with 10 other vehicles backed up behind them was and is not my idea of a good time. If you want to gawk, pull off the pavement. If there is more than three vehicles backed up behind you, pull off the pavement. If you're scared of heights, have someone else drive. If you're uneasy about the lack of guard rails and sheer cliffs, have someone else drive. If you insist on riding the brakes all the way down the mountain, I hope you survive the brake failure when they overheat.

After some lunch, I reconnected with my former stepdad at the Harley dealership. It wasn't long, and we were back on the road to my cousin's house in Denver.

Our luck with the rain finally ran out though. About 10 miles away from my cousin's place, the clouds unleashed a deluge.