2016 Colorado/Western Rally

[skids]

My retirement party is Saturday and my daughter arranged it, so I think I need to be there in the Denver area then. I will head up to Florissant Saturday evening to spend the night to get a rested start.

I will meet you at the restaurant on Sunday Morning at 8:00 am and will meet-up with you there.

It is funny, I was just at Guffey today, as I took the XS11 there and back (to Florissant). The road from Guffey to Cripple Creek is a good ride. Maybe I will stop there and roll the bones (craps). Love that game.

I am excited. I haven't participated in an XS11 rally in years, although I have done quite a few

[Bonz]

Send me your cell phone number and I can text you Saturday evening what time we decide to officially arrive at the restaurant on Sunday morning.

I rode down to Bishop's Castle yesterday and a loop through Westcliffe and back through Canon City then home to Palmer Lake for about 260 miles total with a couple of buddies from the ZRX owners forum.

I did breakfast at the Bull Moose Restaurant in Guffey a few weeks ago with another riding buddy of mine. We rode down on a Sunday morning and it was spectacular.

[skids]

I will PM you my cell #.

[Bonz]

Thanks skids.

[Jerry]

Just a note...web page has been updated with agenda items and ride maps. Maps are in .pdf format and you can view, download, or print if you so desire.

http://www.appleattic.net/Co_2016

Bonz has things pretty well in hand!

[Bonz]

It's getting closer!

10 day weather forecast has highs at 100 on Wednesday in the Canon City area, highs just a few degrees cooler on Thursday and I am sure more of the same through the weekend. Temperature on the ride routes will go lower than that when we go up in elevation but there will be times it will be hot even at higher elevations too.

For example, last Saturday I rode down to Bishops Castle with some ZRX buddies and it was a high of 75 in Canon City but in the low 60's at Bishops Castle when it started to rain some. It's could be 100° in Canon city and in the 60's at elevation if rain rolls in. We will go over 9200 feet in elevation on the way to Bishops Castle and coming out of Guffey on Sunday we will go over 9000 feet and then drop back down to 7,000 on our way to the pikes Peak Highway which will then take us to over 14,100 feet elevation.

Always plan on the potential for rain during the day that will drop temperatures 20 deg or more at the higher elevations when riding. Nights at the campground should be in the low 60's, which is a nice respite from the mid-day heat.

In general plan on what you bring for staying comfortable while riding, with the potential to throw on a layer if temps go down, strip off a layer when it warms up, staying hydrated while riding, having some food to munch on to keep the energy up. The heat is a dry heat and you don't feel that you are perspiring as much because it evaporates so quick. Keeping hydrated is a key out here.

And it goes without saying with temps in the low 60s at night something to wear around the campground while we hang out and trade tales is a good thought.

There are a couple picnic tables at the campsite however bring some type of portable chair if you so desire for hanging around your tents with your newly made friends or around the campfire circle.

Isn't that "right", Joe?

[BA80]

Ok Bonz, a couple relevant questions and one that might seem a little silly.

As for the relevant inquiries, is there electric at the campsites and shower/bathroom facilities?

Now, the silly one................WIFI or even a phone signal?

[rdmcguy]

Always Right

Bonz ...You are absolutely "right" the weather can change or fluctuate quite a bit here . I took one of my 11's to the top of Mt Evans yesterday It was in the high eighties here in Denver about forty five degrees at 14.300 ft above sea level ...
Ba 80 YES there are showers at the site, I had cell service (T mobile) have Verizon now so am not sure ,
I guess we will find out pretty soon !

[BA80]

I had cell service (T mobile) have Verizon now so am not sure ,
I guess we will find out pretty soon !

I have Verizon also and I was the only one that could get a signal at the top of Red Mountain Pass last year.

[Bonz]

BA,

Electricity is at the shower house, by the main entrance to the campground. The group site has a port-a-potty, so we need not traipse to the shower house if nature nudges. No running water at the group site, but plenty at the shower house.

I installed a $3.99 cigarette lighter plug under the seat of my ZRX and charge that way. Plug my GPS into it as well and can plug in the small compressor in my tire plug kit of needed on the road. I have T-mobile and can vouch for service as well. NO T-mobile on top of Pikes Peak, at least as of the 2014 rally. Definitely no coverage zones in some areas we will be riding.

Departing from the rally stuff... The SG has a fresh fill of Castrol 20w-50 Power RS Synthetic for 3Phase to shear down if he uses the bike. Gasp! Was gonna be ready for an oil change after the miles from the rally, so went ahead and did the Syn in honor of our debate awhile back...

I don't run Syn often, did it when I first got the bike, been 15w-40 Rotella or other HDEO since from a cost standpoint and 2500-3000 mile oil change intervals. But, since the bike digests the Syn fine based on experience, and AutoZone had a great sale a few moths ago, I splurged. Put 100 miles on the SG in the past couple days scuffing in the new rear 230 Tourmaster tire and I really like the shifting with the 20w50 and seems like a quieter engine overall, so will keep running a 20w50 (Dino) moving forward.

[motoman]

I have Verizon also and I was the only one that could get a signal at the top of Red Mountain Pass last year.

That be the service all us normal folks use anyways. Verizon works fine for me.......even at the campground and definitely works fine in town(CanonCity), which is barely 5mi. on Highway 50 to town.

[3Phase]

Mmm... Synthetic oil. That'll be hard to shear down but okay!

For a really good shear in one or two pulls I like that fine 89-cents/qt. stuff with just enough oil in the bottle to keep the additive pack off the bottom and wax crystals you can see at room temperature. Stick a rope in the oil fill hole and you have a all-night candle.

.

[rdmcguy]

The site for the rally

[3Phase]

Fixed it for you:-

[Bonz]

It's 8 miles in to Canon City from the campground entrance. Not that it matters but for the sake of accuracy. There's a reason the restaurant across the street from the campground is "8 mile bar and grill", and the locals refer to the Royal Gorge entrance as being "up on 8 Mile Hill".