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Back in September we packed up the RV with the Altas and headed out from Pennsylvania to do some riding in Colorado and Utah. This was a big endeavor for us, and we had been planning and preparing for the trip for quite some time. Our plan for the trip was a 6 week adventure going all the way to California and doing some riding with a few of my Alta friends out there, but the fires and subsequent closing of forests forced us to cut California from the trip. So we decided to just bounce around in Colorado and Utah for as long as we wanted with no real schedule and see how we felt. I'll share some of my thoughts and a few pictures from the trip for anyone interested or who might be thinking about visiting these amazing states.
Colorado
Our first riding location was at the Rampart Range area. First off to ride OHV's in Colorado you need a $25 state permit, which is well worth it to be able to ride their forest service maintained trail systems. We decided to base out of the Rainbow Falls trail system, which is 20 or so minutes out of Woodland Park. First note that these areas are very popular with the locals, and weekends can get a bit crazy! We arrived Labor Day weekend and there were not many decent spots to park the RV left, and there was a lot of craziness with quads running up and down the main dirt roads, some full of kids not wearing helmets
. Unfortunately it wasn't long after we were there that we heard the sound of a helicopter landing to take someone to the hospital who had a mishap on the main entrance road.
The riding in this area was our favorite of the whole trip, we were talking with a local and he said "here you are either going up or you are going down" and he was certainly on point. Noting but elevation change, and the predominant rock in the area tended to break down to a gravel so the bulk of the trails were not rocky, but instead had a loose soil and were very "flowy". Trails were marked extremely well and it was evident the forest service spent a lot of time keeping up with things in this area. Note that if anyone is planning on riding this area, the trail #770 which is a motorcycle only single track trail, is highly recommended! Most enjoyable single track I've ever ridden and gated at all ends with purpose built gates to allow only motorcycles to enter (which is absolutely necessary if you want to keep it single track). Below is a picture off of #770. Big rock features and scenic overlooks were very common!
We did a few day trip excursions from this location as well, one of which was to Pike's Peak, and we wanted to ride our Altas to the top of the iconic mountain. Prior to the trip I had "EXR'd" both bikes (see my write up here ) so that we could legally ride the roads if we had to, and also to simplify some of the permitting requirements for Utah and California. So for our Pike's Peak day trip we loaded the bikes into our tow vehicle, parked in the parking lot at the entrance to Pike's Peak, and proceeded from there. Riding to the top of "America's Mountain" was one of my trip highlights. All the hairpin turns and scenic views were something I won't soon forget. 19 miles of twisty road up to 14,115 ft. elevation and zero loss of power! That's the beauty of an EV! Both bikes were very close in SOC by the time we reached the top, mine I believe was 35-40% and mrs. snydes was 5% better. We only had to really worry about getting to the top, so we were good!
At the top, which at this time was under construction. First Altas to the top of Pike's Peak? I don't know, but until someone proves me otherwise, I'm taking credit for it!
One important consideration if you have not ever stayed "at elevation" is to know that it can affect you in different ways. While I did not get altitude sickness, I did experience some breathing difficulties, especially at night trying to sleep. There a few nights initially I did not sleep well as I could not get my breathing rhythm right, after a few nights though it did improve.
Going back down was also very enjoyable, and especially because of the regen of an EV. You hardly had to even touch the brakes on the Alta, just control that throttle. At the bottom as I recall I was still around the same SOC as the top, there were only a few flat areas that required any real throttle. I do feel like the regen is SO strong that you just can't stay on it long enough to generate enough to result in any noticeable difference in your SOC.
We eventually changed locations to another spot with very similar terrain in Divide, Colorado. This area the trails were a bit more spread out and there was only a small section of single track that was not gated properly and was mostly blown open to a quad trail. Many areas at this spot were clearly "burnt out" some years ago which leaves a very different landscape.
Wildlife interactions (to my surprise) were much less common in Colorado that I would have imagined. I would have thought with the relatively quiet Altas we would have had many more encounters that we did. My biggest thrill (and later disappointment) Was seeing a nice bull elk cross right in front of me on the trail. I had my GoPro on and also tried to get my phone out to get a picture of the beauty. I was unable to get a picture with my phone in time but was confident I had some great footage of the elk on my GoPro that I could crop out pictures later. I was crushed later on when I looked at the footage only to discover that that wide angle GoPro video put the elk so far out that you couldn't even make it out.
Can you see it? Right on the trail as far out as you can see. What a bummer!
After a few more days in Divide, we were ready for a change of scenery. Coincidentally, fellow Alta enthusiast @enjoythesilence was with a group of his friends headed towards Moab and working back east at the same time, and we talked on the phone and he recommended a location called Taylor Park which was on the way for us to Utah, so we decided to set our sights on that spot next.
A few notes on RVing in Colorado. Since we had already experienced driving over the iconic Colorodo mountains in 2018, I had a good idea what to expect. I had performed some significant upgrades to my tow vehicle based on my last experiences, namely cooling for both engine and transmission, but my rig was still running on the very edge of it's abilities for the load I was pulling. The drive to Taylor Park was exciting to say the least! The route we took from Divide took us up over Cottonwood Pass, which is right on the continental divide at 12,116 ft. elevation. Problem was the road up was super twisty. No way to keep the momentum going when you are towing. My rig was completely tapped out of power, 15mph and on the edge of overheating the transmission, line of cars behind me and nowhere to pull over. Finally spotted a spot I could pull off and give the transmission a break and let the line of vehicles behind me go by. I was nearly at the top by that point, so I put my van in 4 low (it's a Quigley 4wd converted Chevy Express 2500) and climbed the rest of the way to the pull off at the top, which worked quite well and was much easier on the transmission (not as good for the 4wd components however).
We took a break and followed a hiking trail to the top and enjoyed the views and 40 degree temperatures! You can see our rig way down in the parking lot.
Taylor Park was visually stunning. It was everything I always imagined Colorado would be all in one spot. Mountains, streams, pine trees, beautiful skies, extreme weather changes and ROCKS!
You could ride to Aspen from this area if you had the range, it wouldn't have been possible on an Alta but if you were on an ICE bike you could do some pretty epic rides from here. Terrain was rocky, so if you are not into that you would be restricted to the main dirt roads. At one point some light hail went through on one of our rides. At first I thought "dang, this rain stings!" and then I noticed the tiny little ice balls bouncing off of the bike. We started thinking it was soon time to make the move to Utah for some warmer weather.
Utah
I had been talking with my friend @schwankl way back in the planning phase of the trip and had intended on getting together with him for some rides in northern Utah, so we decided to make the move to that location next. We weren't going to make it to our destination in one day, but schwankl gave us spot on coordinates to a nice quiet BLM spot to camp at that he was familiar with. We followed the GPS to that spot in the pitch black night with no idea what was around us. In the morning we opened up the door of our camper to see what was around us and found that we were in a whole new environment. I also want to point out that any plated motorcycle requires no additional permits to ride in Utah.
We did a morning ride here before continuing on. Mesas and valleys all around, it would have been very easy to get proper lost out here! A GPS that you can log your ride and backtrack if necessary is absolutely a must.
We then continued on to our next destination near Midway Utah. After what has now been years I was finally able to put a face to my online friend schwankl who was above and beyond hospitable to us. We rode some challenging northern Utah terrain together, most of which (I must confess) exceeded my skill level. Loose, rocky, and steep all come to mind. Ideal for technical riders. Again beautiful views everywhere you looked. Our rig is in visible in this picture in the lower center, although you couldn't identify it without knowing where.
After a few days and considering some coming changes in the weather, we decided it was time to head south to Moab. Temperatures in Moab were looking exceptionally nice, and the temperatures where we were were about to drop significantly, which is the advantage of having a house on wheels. If you don't like the weather, you drive somewhere else.
Colorado
Our first riding location was at the Rampart Range area. First off to ride OHV's in Colorado you need a $25 state permit, which is well worth it to be able to ride their forest service maintained trail systems. We decided to base out of the Rainbow Falls trail system, which is 20 or so minutes out of Woodland Park. First note that these areas are very popular with the locals, and weekends can get a bit crazy! We arrived Labor Day weekend and there were not many decent spots to park the RV left, and there was a lot of craziness with quads running up and down the main dirt roads, some full of kids not wearing helmets
. Unfortunately it wasn't long after we were there that we heard the sound of a helicopter landing to take someone to the hospital who had a mishap on the main entrance road.The riding in this area was our favorite of the whole trip, we were talking with a local and he said "here you are either going up or you are going down" and he was certainly on point. Noting but elevation change, and the predominant rock in the area tended to break down to a gravel so the bulk of the trails were not rocky, but instead had a loose soil and were very "flowy". Trails were marked extremely well and it was evident the forest service spent a lot of time keeping up with things in this area. Note that if anyone is planning on riding this area, the trail #770 which is a motorcycle only single track trail, is highly recommended! Most enjoyable single track I've ever ridden and gated at all ends with purpose built gates to allow only motorcycles to enter (which is absolutely necessary if you want to keep it single track). Below is a picture off of #770. Big rock features and scenic overlooks were very common!
We did a few day trip excursions from this location as well, one of which was to Pike's Peak, and we wanted to ride our Altas to the top of the iconic mountain. Prior to the trip I had "EXR'd" both bikes (see my write up here ) so that we could legally ride the roads if we had to, and also to simplify some of the permitting requirements for Utah and California. So for our Pike's Peak day trip we loaded the bikes into our tow vehicle, parked in the parking lot at the entrance to Pike's Peak, and proceeded from there. Riding to the top of "America's Mountain" was one of my trip highlights. All the hairpin turns and scenic views were something I won't soon forget. 19 miles of twisty road up to 14,115 ft. elevation and zero loss of power! That's the beauty of an EV! Both bikes were very close in SOC by the time we reached the top, mine I believe was 35-40% and mrs. snydes was 5% better. We only had to really worry about getting to the top, so we were good!
At the top, which at this time was under construction. First Altas to the top of Pike's Peak? I don't know, but until someone proves me otherwise, I'm taking credit for it!
One important consideration if you have not ever stayed "at elevation" is to know that it can affect you in different ways. While I did not get altitude sickness, I did experience some breathing difficulties, especially at night trying to sleep. There a few nights initially I did not sleep well as I could not get my breathing rhythm right, after a few nights though it did improve.
Going back down was also very enjoyable, and especially because of the regen of an EV. You hardly had to even touch the brakes on the Alta, just control that throttle. At the bottom as I recall I was still around the same SOC as the top, there were only a few flat areas that required any real throttle. I do feel like the regen is SO strong that you just can't stay on it long enough to generate enough to result in any noticeable difference in your SOC.
We eventually changed locations to another spot with very similar terrain in Divide, Colorado. This area the trails were a bit more spread out and there was only a small section of single track that was not gated properly and was mostly blown open to a quad trail. Many areas at this spot were clearly "burnt out" some years ago which leaves a very different landscape.
Wildlife interactions (to my surprise) were much less common in Colorado that I would have imagined. I would have thought with the relatively quiet Altas we would have had many more encounters that we did. My biggest thrill (and later disappointment) Was seeing a nice bull elk cross right in front of me on the trail. I had my GoPro on and also tried to get my phone out to get a picture of the beauty. I was unable to get a picture with my phone in time but was confident I had some great footage of the elk on my GoPro that I could crop out pictures later. I was crushed later on when I looked at the footage only to discover that that wide angle GoPro video put the elk so far out that you couldn't even make it out.
Can you see it? Right on the trail as far out as you can see. What a bummer!
After a few more days in Divide, we were ready for a change of scenery. Coincidentally, fellow Alta enthusiast @enjoythesilence was with a group of his friends headed towards Moab and working back east at the same time, and we talked on the phone and he recommended a location called Taylor Park which was on the way for us to Utah, so we decided to set our sights on that spot next.
A few notes on RVing in Colorado. Since we had already experienced driving over the iconic Colorodo mountains in 2018, I had a good idea what to expect. I had performed some significant upgrades to my tow vehicle based on my last experiences, namely cooling for both engine and transmission, but my rig was still running on the very edge of it's abilities for the load I was pulling. The drive to Taylor Park was exciting to say the least! The route we took from Divide took us up over Cottonwood Pass, which is right on the continental divide at 12,116 ft. elevation. Problem was the road up was super twisty. No way to keep the momentum going when you are towing. My rig was completely tapped out of power, 15mph and on the edge of overheating the transmission, line of cars behind me and nowhere to pull over. Finally spotted a spot I could pull off and give the transmission a break and let the line of vehicles behind me go by. I was nearly at the top by that point, so I put my van in 4 low (it's a Quigley 4wd converted Chevy Express 2500) and climbed the rest of the way to the pull off at the top, which worked quite well and was much easier on the transmission (not as good for the 4wd components however).
We took a break and followed a hiking trail to the top and enjoyed the views and 40 degree temperatures! You can see our rig way down in the parking lot.
Taylor Park was visually stunning. It was everything I always imagined Colorado would be all in one spot. Mountains, streams, pine trees, beautiful skies, extreme weather changes and ROCKS!
You could ride to Aspen from this area if you had the range, it wouldn't have been possible on an Alta but if you were on an ICE bike you could do some pretty epic rides from here. Terrain was rocky, so if you are not into that you would be restricted to the main dirt roads. At one point some light hail went through on one of our rides. At first I thought "dang, this rain stings!" and then I noticed the tiny little ice balls bouncing off of the bike. We started thinking it was soon time to make the move to Utah for some warmer weather.
Utah
I had been talking with my friend @schwankl way back in the planning phase of the trip and had intended on getting together with him for some rides in northern Utah, so we decided to make the move to that location next. We weren't going to make it to our destination in one day, but schwankl gave us spot on coordinates to a nice quiet BLM spot to camp at that he was familiar with. We followed the GPS to that spot in the pitch black night with no idea what was around us. In the morning we opened up the door of our camper to see what was around us and found that we were in a whole new environment. I also want to point out that any plated motorcycle requires no additional permits to ride in Utah.
We did a morning ride here before continuing on. Mesas and valleys all around, it would have been very easy to get proper lost out here! A GPS that you can log your ride and backtrack if necessary is absolutely a must.
We then continued on to our next destination near Midway Utah. After what has now been years I was finally able to put a face to my online friend schwankl who was above and beyond hospitable to us. We rode some challenging northern Utah terrain together, most of which (I must confess) exceeded my skill level. Loose, rocky, and steep all come to mind. Ideal for technical riders. Again beautiful views everywhere you looked. Our rig is in visible in this picture in the lower center, although you couldn't identify it without knowing where.
After a few days and considering some coming changes in the weather, we decided it was time to head south to Moab. Temperatures in Moab were looking exceptionally nice, and the temperatures where we were were about to drop significantly, which is the advantage of having a house on wheels. If you don't like the weather, you drive somewhere else.
!
. BIG gas total at the end, which was essentially our only real trip expense.
