Winter 2002 Trip

Sometime life throws you a couple of curves.  On February 3, I headed out for a nice Winter trip to New Orleans.  The week before, in Texas and Oklahoma, it was in the 70s.  So I figured this would be a good trip.  In preparation for the warmer weather, I packed out my warm weather boots, chaps and warm weather jacket.  But I started the trip in full cold weather gear - boots rated at -30, electric vest, electric gloves, Winter overpants (thinsulate lined), polar paws on the handlebars to keep my fingers from the wind-chill, etc.  I was prepared for whatever came my way, cold-wise that is.

Unfortunately, I never made it to my destination.  In fact, I never made it past Amarillo, Texas.  On the way I never saw a single motorcycle.  That should give you some idea of the cold.  On the first day it never rose above 36 degrees and I encountered snow in the Texas pan handle.  It wasn't a lot of snow but it was on the road.  When I reached Amarillo, the bike took a slight spin on ice.  By-the-way, I also took my camping gear for the warmer areas (ha, ha, ha, ha, ha....).  In Amarillo I stayed at my first hotel.  I watched TV and plotted my way to New Orleans.  It was while watching TV (the Weather Channel) that I saw and heard about a storm coming my way.  Temperatures were dropping, snow was coming as well as heavy rain.  Amarillo was expecting snow the next day.  There was heavy rain predicted all the way from Phoenix!  Since the storm was coming from the North that ruled out going North.  South was ruled out and there were storms to the East of me.  That left only one direction - West on I-40.  Now if you've ever been on I-40 from Amarillo you know that it isn't that exciting.  Add about 50-75 pounds of Winter riding gear and fatigue starts to set in after a couple of hundred miles.  Plus I don't have electric socks so after a couple of hundred miles the cold finally was making its way through the boots and thermal socks (I'd left my Gortex socks at home).  Also, while my hands and chest and legs were ok, my arms were very cold.  This doesn't make for a good trip.

For most of the second day I was under heavy cloud cover.  As I neared Albuquerque, NM, the sky started to clear to the North, a bit to the West but the cloud cover was still heavy to the South.  It was at this time that I had to decide to continue West, start South or bag the trip.

When I arrived at Albuquerque, I turned onto I-25 and then got off of I-25 and headed towards Taos, NM.  At a small town, I talked to my wife and asked her to check the mileage from where I was to both Bloomfield, NM and Santa Fe, NM (Santa Fe looked closer on my map).  My wife told me that Santa Fe was further so I high-tailed my ass towards Bloomfield.  My biggest concern at this time was that the Sun would go down and I wouldn't see ice on the road.

The road to Bloomfield (about 6 miles from Farmington, NM which is the closest town to Durango, CO) was through the mountains.  I was literally flying through the passes, at sometimes hitting speeds in excess of 90MPH!  As the last bit of light left the sky I entered Bloomfield.  Temperatures had fallen to the low 20s so I found a hotel (Super 8) for the night.

The next morning I got up and packed out the bike.  The temperature for Bloomfield through Durango was 17.  With clear skies, the ride promised to be a good one; however, I had to stop shortly after beginning and put on a balaclava mask to keep my face from freezing (yes, I'm wearing a full-face helmet).  When I arrived at Pagosa Springs, CO (last stop before going over Wolf Creek Pass), my toes were nearly frozen and my arms had a severe chill.  I stopped at a Subway (hoping they had coffee - nope) for lunch.  I bought a sandwich but no drinks (too cold) and stayed there for about 30 minutes before heading up the pass.

The temperature when I left Pagosa Springs was 21.  Pagosa Springs is just a bit over 7000'. I live at 7070' and PG is 7095'.  Wolf Creek Pass is 10850' and the temperature, once I reached the top, had dipped to between 5 and 10 degrees.  There was ice and snow on the ground but fortunately there was a small path that I could maneuver my bike.  Since my body had never really warmed up before tackling the pass, even with my electric gear I could feel the cold penetrating my body.  Once I descended the pass, I knew that I had only one more pass to go - La Vita Pass.  After crossing over La Vita Pass, I was pretty darn cold (except for the chest and fingers).  I pulled over and went into a hotel lobby outside of Walsenburg to get warm; it took about an hour to sufficiently warm up and be on my way.

The distance from the hotel to the gas station next to I-25 is about 2-3 miles.  The distance from the gas station to our house is 123 miles.  Once the body is cold, it doesn't take long for the cold to overcome you regardless of how warm you think you are.  As I neared home, the Sun slipped over the horizon and the temperatures began to drop.  Colorado Springs is a bit over 6000'.  The 1000' more to get to my house made a big difference as the temperature dropped below 15.  

Finally I got home and just left everything outside in the garage; I wanted to get inside and get warm.  I had left only three days earlier and here I was back home.  This had never happened before.  But... then again... I'd never tried a Winter ride before.  Live and learn...

I learned that my Winter gear is good for about 200-250 miles and then serious cold begins to impact the body.  I learned that the weight of all that Winter gear weighs heavy on the body and takes its toll.  I learned that my -30 degree boots were never meant for long hours in the saddle; the feet begin to feel like mush and the pain (aside from the pain from the cold) is ever present.  I learned that the bike had no problem with the ride unlike its rider.  I learned that I probably won't take another February ride.

Live to Ride,
Ride to Live