0 0 8 custom alchemy for 2011 riding the beat in ... - Harley-News

H-D in Loveland. The cloud, it seemed, had stuck around, as the
view was the same: There wasn’t one.
Determined to wait out the cloud, I settled into the visitors
center at the top and ordered up a couple of the “world-famous”
Pikes Peak donuts. Supposedly, the batter is specially formulated
for the high altitude. “If you tried this recipe at sea level,
it wouldn’t work,” I was told. They were tasty but have nothing
on a fresh Krispy Kreme, I decided.
After about 90 minutes it still hadn’t cleared up, but I was
starting to hear thunder. The forecast was for afternoon storms
(which was the pattern for my entire stay in Colorado), and I
didn’t want to get caught up there in rain and lightning. Ten years
ago, almost to the day, a young man was killed at the summit by
a bolt of lightning that struck almost literally “out of the blue.”
There was no warning: Weather data showed it was the one
and only lightning strike in the area during a brief storm.
I was also imagining how slick the dirt might become when
wet, so I reluctantly started back down.
to say that festival events include coffin races, a slow-motion
parade, and Frozen Dead Guy look-alike contests.
From there we headed south on the Peak to Peak Highway,
U.S. 40. Following a brief stop in Central City, we passed through
Idaho Springs, the launching point for Mount Evans, only to see
signs of severe weather as we rode the 15 miles to the entrance
gate. Rather than risk both saturation and electrocution, we
waited out the storm back in town. Convinced the storm had
passed, we headed back out about 4PM.
At the gate, we paid $3 each (a much better bargain than Pikes
Peak!), and our bikes were given “wristbands” to wear, much like
those issued at water parks. It seemed appropriately indicative
of the thrill ride to come.
Above: There are far worse places to wait out a thunderstorm than in warm
and welcoming Idaho Springs. Below: Probably not the best place to stand
with the threat of lightning in the air.
The Main Event: Mount Evans In 1917, with nearby Colorado
Springs getting a lot of attention (and tourist dollars) with
the Pikes Peak Highway, Denver Mayor Robert Speer decided
to one-up the rival community. Mount Evans was some 150
feet higher than Pikes Peak – why not build a road to the top?
Funding was secured, and in 1927 the Mount Evans Auto Road
opened for business.
My attempt to summit Mount Evans began some 45 miles to
the north in Boulder, where I met up with photographer Michael
Lichter and his “chauffeur” for the day, Dave Przygocki. Dave,
sales manager at High Country Harley-Davidson in Frederick
and a friend of Michael’s, would ride his Road King ® with Michael
facing backward on the passenger pillion taking pictures.
Talk about trusting a rider!
After heading west through scenic Boulder Canyon on CO 119,
we stopped for a late breakfast at the biker-friendly Sundance
Café in Nederland, where Michael told me about the town’s
“Frozen Dead Guy Days.” This annual festival celebrates the
cryogenically preserved corpse of Bredo Morstol, a Swedish
immigrant, which was brought to the town in 1993 by his
grandson, Trygve Bauge. It’s a long, weird story. Suffice it
48 HOG