Motorcycle Relief Project – Day 4

Day 4: October 4, 2018

Route: Florissant, Guffey, Cañon City, Royal Gorge

We woke to wet weather, but a forecast stating things should clear up later in the morning. Additionally, temperatures were in the low-40s and had been near freezing over night. The staff decided to hold off on leaving for the day until the weather improved a bit.

We gathered around the dining table for a 12-man game of Cards Against Humanity. For anyone who’s ever played, you know how the game is with a few people. When you get more than 10 playing, the hilarious responses get even better!

At about 10 am. the weather had improved enough to get on the road. We headed south from Florissant toward the town of Guffey. Guffey is an eclectic little town that is somewhat known for having elected animals to the office of mayor, despite such an office not actually existing. According to Wikipedia, the current mayor is a cat named Monster who was elected in 1998. Presumably, since cats don’t typically live 20 years, the office is actually vacant.

We stopped in front of the Guffey Garage, home of the private “stuff” collection of a man named Bill. Bill wasn’t around, but one of his business partners let us inside to walk around. Across the street from the garage was an antique store, also owned by Bill. Outside the store were a bunch of iron bathtubs lined up along the east side. Our group took the opportunity for a photo.

We headed out of Guffey on Colorado Highway 9 toward Cañon City. While riding Highway 9 I discovered I was in a bit of a mental funk. For some reason, riding felt difficult and concentrating was a bit of a chore. At one point, I pulled over to let the rest of the group go by so I could go at my own pace at the back of the pack.

We stopped at the Royal Gorge for lunch. We passed on the tourist-trap bridge area and went to a Forest Service overlook. It was just us at the overlook and the views of the gorge’s red rocks with the Arkansas River winding its way through were spectacular. A couple brave members of our group ate their lunch perched on the very edge of the gorge. Not me though.


After lunch we headed for Cañon City. Cañon City was founded in the 1860s as a commercial center for the mining industry around the South Park area of Colorado. Today, it is a popular tourist destination for sightseeing and outdoor activities. The city is also one of the few cities in the US with a Ñ in its name.

We turned off US Highway 50 onto a narrow one-way road called Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive climbs up the top of a razorback ridge that rises a couple hundred feet above the city. The road was built by prison inmates in the early 1900s. Prisoners got 10 days off their sentence for every month they worked building the road. In 2001, dinosaur footprints were discovered along the road. There is a turnoff at the top with a sign and trail to the prints. In many places along Skyline Drive, the ridge was not much wider than the road, with steep drop-offs on either side. I’m not a huge fan of heights, so I kept my eyes on the rider in front of me and let me video camera take in the views.

After descending off Skyline Drive, we turned west on Highway 50 and entered Bighorn Sheep Canyon. The canyon follows the Arkansas River along its course upstream from Royal Gorge. A few miles into the canyon, after seeing dark clouds looming ahead, my funk got a worse because of the weather. Winds picked up and swirled down from the ridge at the top of the canyon down to the road. It started raining heavily, and the rain was cold and stinging – almost like it was hailing. The winds were blowing me around, making it difficult to feel in control. Eventually, it got to be too much and I had to pull over for a bit. The driver of the support truck stopped to make sure I was OK. I told him I just needed a minute to calm my nerves. I actually considered throwing in the towel and giving up on the ride for the day, but decided against it. Another rider then motioned to me to follow him. He rode ahead of me, showing me the way and I powered through.

After about 20 minutes of riding in the rain, the skies cleared up and the sun came out. It was a welcome relief. The constantly changing weather is a strange thing.

We stopped at a bend in the Arkansas River where one of the MRP staff had a mineral claim. The area is all public lands, and the Bureau of Land Management allows people to make mineral claims for a fee. We were given a short lesson on gold prospecting, which was enjoyed by everyone in the group.

We headed north into Salida, where winds picked up again coming off the Rockies. Everyone was having trouble riding their bikes straight, but we all made it back to the cabin in one piece. After this day, I was really tired and glad to get off the road.

Over dinner, we talked about our highs and lows, and I found out I was not the only one who had been riding in a funk. It was nice to know everyone understood and I was not alone.

Mileage: 211, Total: 581