Jud wasn't there, so we told many lies about him. There were so many Jud lies, that some of them may have been accidentally true!
Both restaurants in Grant were closed, so we were on our own. Fortunately, all was well, and food was provided. Breakfast, too. The hashish pancakes really hit the spot. Ok, kidding again (I think...).
The evening was cold, and the wind was bitter. The campfire helped, as did the camaraderie, the alcohol, and the dirty jokes.
The morning was not as organized as last year, and there was a very long time of no one heading up. Buzzard, Bob, and I started up and were among the first few to do so.
The lower road was just as last year; well traveled, mostly dry, but with patches of hard pack snow and ice.
After the meadows crossing, the climb began in earnest. Surprise! No huge ice patch where it had been lurking last year. For whatever reason, the road was mostly dry clear. That was nice, but in all honesty, I had hoped to encounter the ice patch again to see if I could manage it better this time (It got me twice last year).
The upper road was also heavily traveled, and the snow drifts had been plowed through, so no pushing was required. I did have two falls. The first was due to being an idiot, and the second was purely due to inattention (I was on the icy spot before I saw it and got caught shifting... *wham* ) Broke a mirror, but I had already salvaged and repaired that one last year, so it was no real loss.
There was more pavement than last year, and it is evident that more will be done. It will all be paved soon.
At the top, the road was clear. There were only a few bikes in the parking lot, and a couple of bikes that passes us must have continued on into Georgetown. We hung out for a couple of hours while more and more riders arrived. Eventually, there was quite a group, including several Ural sidecar rigs, a few other usual sidecar bikes, and at least a dozen KLRs.
The wind was very uncomfortable. We headed back down and made it without mishap. We passed the Rokons still grunting their way up.
Buzzard's bike was sporting his modified tire chain, which limited his speed on the pavement. I'll leave it to him to post his experiences about the bike's handling in snow.
Off the top of the pass--out of the wind--the day was gorgeous. Back at the campground for packing up, it was warm and sunny.
Here's the pics worth posting.
Here is one of the Rokon bikes. Two wheel drive. An articulated shaft drives a front gear that powers the front wheel. Some, like this one, had the big, hollow wheels that you could fill with water for more weight.
Here's Buzzard's rear chain. There was another bike with a chain that we saw at the top. He had wrapped cord of some kind around the front tire for steering traction. He said it worked "okay," but his tires certainly needed some help.
The cook shack at the campground.
Buzzard and Bob on a typical part of the road (when it wasn't clear and dry).
They were the best "non-maintained" roads I've seen. This is just as we entered the meadows area before the main ascent.
Here is where the ice field used to be The rising dry patch). No problem this time.
Some semi-deep snow (1-2") that seemed recently plowed.
At the top.
A slightly washed-out photo of my blue KLR and Buzzard's Army-style bomber. That's Mt. Bierstadt in the background.
More bikes arrived at the mid-day approached.
One of the several Ural sidecar rigs.
A 70's BMW with a (40's ? ) sidecar.
See you all there next year!