Day 290 Sat 20 Aug Colby to Manitou Springs 491km

We had a good day today. We left and continued West, through the flat farmlands. We met another two biker ladies when we stopped for coffee. I have a lot of respect for ladies who travel on their Harleys all on their own. Classy Ladies.

We were joined for another famous person for Breakfast :

But the road was flat as we sped through Kansas and later crossed back into Colorado, the State we started from, our circle route around Denver almost completed.

Kansas:

Tex stopped at this flag in a small town, the sign did not make sense to me but later Tex showed me the video, an TV reporter was having an interview with a Nascar Racer and the crowed in the back-ground shouted  “F***ck Biden” and the TV reporter, all embarrassed said the crowd were shouting “Lets go Brandon”  the name of the guy being interviewed, and overnight this became a famous saying for the Republicans, using this as a nice way to say F***K Biden.

We rode through Colorado Springs, just South of Denver and then got into the Historic Town of Manitou Springs, on the foot of the famous Pike’s Peak. Pike’s Peak is famous in Motor Sport for the annual Hill Climb Event when different classes of motorcars and bikes race up the hill, climbing for 10 Miles at break neck speeds around dangerous bends without any safety barriers on the side. They are timed and the fastest time up the mountain in each class is the winner. We wanted to go up the mountain but the weather camera on the top showed it was covered in clouds. There was also a number to dail with weather reports every 30 minutes, it was going to rain they said, but later in the afternoon there was going to be a weather window to ride up. The peak is at 4301m.

So we spent some time in the little town and had lunch. The town, or village was packed as it was a Saturday afternoon and the restaurants and shops were full and parking very expensive and hard to find. But the village has a lot of old buildings and lots of character.

There was a biker gang in town as well, all wearing their colours, many Harleys. I took a photo of  this bike after asking the very rude owner which said I cant take his photo, but later he understood my accent and that I wanted his bike, not his ugly face. Note the “Whip” hanging from the right handlebar. This is used to whip the windscreen of a car that cuts him off while riding next to the car, all the whipping happens on the go.

Now note the hammer in the left pannier sticking out, that is for fixing the Harley. (Duck Tape is kept in the right hand pannier.)

Note the speakers on the Harleys, and the guys ride up and down with their music at full volume, usually Rap Music, (let me not get started on this “music.”  One guy had it on a radio station and we all had to listen to the News  as he was riding past.

Then we rode up the mountain and the temperature dropped from 25 degrees to 4 degrees, the wind was pumping at the top and the pass was just one switch-back followed by another, and another and another. It is very scenic until you get above the tree-line, and then nothing grows that high and there is only a little grass growing. At the top there is a station as there is also a “Cog-Train” or Funicular that goes up to the top. I have never been so high and breathing is difficult and you get light headed, and also a headache just for good measure.

You can see I am standing in the clouds, at 4301m above sea level. Sani Pass is only 2830m, so much much higher.

Tonight we say goodbye to Pie and Tex, they brake away from us tomorrow as they refuse to ride down to Houston at the peak of Summer. They will ride North tomorrow back to Denver and put their bikes back in the Storage Unit where Dog’s bike is. Later in the year, when Pie is back in the USA to visit his sister him, Dog and Tex will fly to Denver and ride the bikes down to Houston. Rocky also plans to ride with Pie and Tex to Denver as Uncle Bob and Andy-boy’s Hired Car needs to be handed back at the airport in Denver where they picked it up. Rocky tried his best today on several occasions  to extend the contract and hand the car back in Houston, but when he phones he ends up speaking to the Hire Car Company’s Call Centre based in Indonesia, so guess what, no joy there, just going in circles, the car first has to go back to Denver, the contract is then completed and ends, then new contract, one cant do it any other way they say in Indonesia.

So while Rocky drives up and down to Denver Milsy Peens and myself plans to find a Kronkel Paadtjie (Twisty Route) South to a town close to the highway where we will all re-unite tomorrow night as we need to get to Houston by Wednesday or Thursday if possible as we fly back home on Friday. I am hoping to go to the Department  of Motor Vehicles in Houston to try and get my motorbikes Title, (Registration Papers as we call it in South Africa) as I lost mine, like an idiot.

We also need to speak to the guys at KTM in Houston and arrange a big service as there will be no service from a KTM Dealer once we cross over into Mexico early in May next year. Pie has already been bending our ears with his newly acquired knowledge about how to service the 1190’s, change oil etc thanks to YouTube.

My new phone is working well, all my Apps has been moved onto the new phone, except WhatsApp, it is trying to download onto my new phone from the cloud, but I suspect all the rain they have been having influenced the cloud as the most important App for phoning my wife, speaking to my riding buddies is stuck in the cloud. Hope the weather clears tonight and the cloud can deliver my App. But at least I can do a post on Instagram, I can take photos and edit them and use these photos for the Blog, so lets hope WhatsApp downloads tonight.

Fleisch