Today is Pike's Peak day! 22 miles to the top, five of them gravel. 2nd gear all the way up, all the way down.
My bike gets really hot on the way up (can't be my white-knuckle driving, no way) ... have to stop part way up to let the fans cool the engines.
Fun sign on the way - 'Big Foot Crossing'. 24 C at the foot, 10 C at the top. 32 C when we get back to the bottom!
Then we ride an absolutely gorgeous hwy 24 north up and down a couple of mountains, mostly sweepers but a few twisties. Follow a babbling brook much of the way, with posted signs ... "In Flash Floods, climb to safety".
Lots of the area is well treed with aspens and pine, but also large areas of burnt trees ... with spooky strips that survived the fire. And we're also wondering whether the houses/cottages along here were built after the fire or survived the fire? A few trees around them look fine, suggesting that many escaped the burning.
