I woke up this morning determined to ride. Actually, that's not true: I've been wanting to ride ever since I heard we were finally going to have some decent weather this week. A little known fact about this area is that the typical winter is spotty with nice days spread throughout. I was counting on that when I traded bikes late in the season. But as fate would have it, this is one of the most continuous winters I can remember in my thirty six years living in the area. So anyway, even though I woke up fairly late after not getting home from work until around 6am, I was determined to ride to lest the weather turned temperamental and today was the only good opportunity all week.My first intended stop was the Outlaw Saloon in Lyons. But guess what? They aren't open on Monday afternoons. Go figure. I backtracked a little to Highway 36 and took it south through Boulder. North Boulder has changed a lot since last time I was through there. They've built up a nice strip of storefronts that mimic a old midwestern main street. Gonna look nice once they get a little natural weathering going. Even so, I was glad to see that the Bustop strip joint and Candie's thrift store boutique had thus far survived urban renewel. Rode on crossing Boulder's Pearl Street Mall which seemed pretty much the same, past "The Hill" and CU campus and on to Highway 93 past Rocky Flats and into Golden. In Golden I stop at the Buffalo Rose Saloon fully expecting to relax a little. I park in line with a half dozen or so Harleys and before my eyes even adjust to the dim bar lighting am challenged with, "What kind of bike is that?" My mumbled "Suzuki M109R" meets with a snort so I pee and quickly retreat to the street side patio where I kick back, listen to some of the other bikers make plans and wait for a waitress that never comes. Oh well, back on the bike turning back towards home.
I wasn't smart enough to take the route indicated on the map and spent a little time in building rush hour traffic on Interstates 70 and 76 before turning off on Federal/North Highway 287. Even though the gas light begins to flicker, I press on through Broomfield and Lafeyette on into Longmont before stopping for gas, another pee (told you I was getting old) and a candy bar. Biggest thing I notice on this stretch is how much its built up since Marcus, Gale and I rode it years ago. The other thing of note was just how much the little town of Erie has annexed. Literally, it would have been miles away from my route when I used to commute to work in Boulder. Gale tried to explain to me why in the world a town would want to annex so much land but it didn't make much sense to me. Yes, I see that it would increase tax revenues, but it seems to me it would also add infrastructure costs not to mention changing the very nature of the town. Whatever, its not the type of thing I worry about for long.
All in all, the ride was a good start to the riding season. I'm still pleased with the Suzuki M109R as my motorcycle of choice. Of course, that doesn't preclude me from looking at or thinking about others...
No comments:
Post a Comment