DAY
1FROM-TO Denver International Airport to Hotel
OF INTEREST:The Queen City of the Plains, Denver
was the stopping off place for the
gold miners heading up to Central City, Leadville, and Aspen to work
the mines and
make their fortunes "in them thar hills." Today Denver is a bustling vibrant
inner city
with night life and sports venues that are the envy of the West. You will meet
your tour
guides at the dinner party in your honor and get a preview of the riding adventure
that
awaits you.
DAY 2 Denver
to Alamosa MILES: 224 OF INTEREST: FROM-TO The bus will take you to
Colorado's newest and largest Harley
dealership, Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson, where you will pick up your personal
Iron
Horse that will be your faithful companion for the next full week. A short ride
out of the
city and you will feel the elevation begin to increase as you climb out of the
Mile High
City into the front range of the Rockies. You will come alive to the power under
you as
you accelerate into the twisties and settle into the rhythm of your new ride.
Two lane
roads will bring you to the top of Kenosha Pass at 10,001 feet above sea level
which will
give you a magnificent vista of the South Park, a valley ringed by mountains
that boasts
it's own elevation of more than 9,000 feet. At Buena Vista you will cross the
Arkansas
River,
ascend Poncha Pass and drop into the San Luis Valley with the Sangre de
Christo mountains on your left. The Great Sand Dunes National Monument would
be
an excellent backdrop for your first Western Sunset while you meditate on what
Curly
meant when he said, "One thing."
DAY 3 FROM-TO Alamosa to
Silverton MILES: 233 OF INTEREST: Today you will ride the trails that the Spanish Explores
traveled in the
1500's and along the way you will meet an American Hero - the Manassa Mauler.
Jack
Dempsey grew up on Manassa
just south of Alamosa. In the Spanish village of
Antonito you can find the
station for the Cumbres & Toltec Narrow Gauge Railroad and
hear the old steam bellies puffing at the siding. As we descend Cumbres Pass
(10,022')
we will cross into New Mexico and roll through Chama and back into Colorado by
way
of Pagosa Springs and into Durango. In Durango we will see the other
operating
narrow gauge, the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Silverton is a genuine
ghost town come back to life location. Tonight you
will experience a clear crisp
mountain air unlike anything you have seen thus far. The old wooden sidewalks
still
echo of honkey tonks, saloons and
sporting houses that once filled this mining
community. Fortunes were made and lost but tonight it will be all good fortune
as you
reflect on the day
filled with Iron Horses from the past.
DAY 4: FROM-TO Silverton to
Glenwood Springs MILES:
180 OF INTEREST: It is called the Million Dollar Highway due to the large
volume of gold
and silver ore that crossed this road at the end of the 19th Century. You will
think it got
it's name from the Million Dollar views - both are true. Red Mountain Pass will
take you
to 11,008 feet up and provide you with more camera shots than you can take in
a day.
Ouray is justifiably called the Switzerland of America and the Victorian buildings
are the
only clue to being in America. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison will be the next
stop
and will provide you will canyon walls steeper than those found on Manhattan
Island.
The tiny village of Crawford will be the next surprise when you stop at the Mad
Dog
Soda Fountain to
slack your thirst and shoot the breeze with Joe & Pam Cocker. Yeah,
that's right baby, the Mad Dog Englishman himself! Redstone will charm you with
the
story of the fabled Redstone Inn and Glenwood will soothe your weary bones with
their
healing steam pools and medicinal
caves.
DAY 5:FROM-TO Glenwood Rest Day MILES: 166 OF
INTEREST:Spend the day floating in the Glenwood thermal
hot springs pool
or
shopping in the local markets. Or, if you haven't had enough handle bar time
be ready
to roll early in the morning for breakfast in Aspen. Leave Aspen
and climb
Independence Pass and check out the ghost town at the top (12,095') and head
to
Leadville and see where the Unsinkable Molly Brown
found her fortune. From Leadville
you will pay homage to the 10th Mountain
Division and Camp Hale at the top of
Tennessee Pass (10,404') as you fly back through Glenwood Canyon on your way
back
to that Hot Springs
Pool.
DAY 6: FROM-TO Glenwood Springs to Steamboat Springs MILES: 116 OF INTEREST: Today is an easy ride so if the group wants to add an extra
75 miles we
can have lunch at Pepi's in the heart of Vail and then up the tree lined forest
highway to
Steamboat on the Yampa River. We
can cap the day off with a float down the Yampa
River on inner tubes.
DAY 7: FROM-TO Steamboat Springs to Grand Lake MILES: 129 OF
INTEREST: We leave Steamboat and cruise over Rabbit Ears Pass (9,426') and
drop into the North Park and the village of Walden. Long open roads in the North
Park
will give us a chance to let the Hog's run as we head to Granby and the Long
Branch Saloon. Grand Lake will be our stop for the night. This is the snow mobile
capital
ofColorado but the Lake is the Summer
attraction.
DAY 8: FROM-TO Grand Lake to Denver MILES:
119 OF
INTEREST: We have saved the best for the last. Rocky Mountain National Park
is
the Crown Jewel of the Rockies. Trail Ridge Road is North America's
highestcontinuous paved road with an elevation exceeding 12,100 feet above sea
level.
Youwill see elk, deer, mountain goats and big horn sheep as well as vegetation
not
seenanywhere else in the lower 48. From one turn off you will see Wyoming ! The
Peak
to
Peak highway back to Denver will take you through Tabor's last hope (his gold
mine in
Ward), Patty Hurst's hideout (Nederland), the richest square mile on earth (Central
City)and the world's largest single brewery (Coors) in Golden. If you want more,
sign up for
next
year before you leave town!
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King Classic, Road King, Electra Glide Standard, Electra Glide Classic,
Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Sportster, VRSCA V-Rod, Night Train, Fatboy,
Heritage Classic, Dyna Wide Glide, Dyna Low Rider, Deuce and HOG are registered
trademarks of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Any reference to the above
names and or trademarks is strictly intended for comparison and identification
purposes only.
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