Westfest 2013

[SgtMarty]

Has anyone gotten in touch with the campground for reservations yeet? I keep getting an answering machine.

[COXR650L]

Sgt,


The last time I talked with them they siad they were going out of town around Christmas/New Years, maybe they are still gone.

Have you left a message? I think their hours are hit or miss anyways in the winter .

[NSFW]

Originally Posted by COXR650L

Hey thanks Joel,

I hope you can get up here. It should be a good year for Westfest. The riding around Buena Vista is awesome and has some of the best variety of riding from single track, tons of 4x4 roads and mountain passes, to great 2 lane twisty highways.

If you havent been to the area a great day loop would be into Aspen for lunch over Taylor Pass, the views on both sides of the pass are amazing.


Thanks,
ben

ben you got me. ok, just marked my calendar and on the bucket list.

[COXR650L]

Originally Posted by NSFW

ben you got me. ok, just marked my calendar and on the bucket list.

Awesome Joel
What kind of bike are you going to be on?


I got a few questions about the kind of riding and just wanted to say this again.... even though the area is known for the single track and Taylor Park there is tons of Dual-Sport and Adventure Riding in every direction, for any size bike, that offer that amazing Colorado experience.

Also, if you have family or other people coming that may not want to ride all the time Buena Vista has all kinds of unique shops, rafting, hiking, restaurants, etc that offer more than enough entertainment for a few days.

[NSFW]

Originally Posted by COXR650L

Awesome Joel
What kind of bike are you going to be on?


I got a few questions about the kind of riding and just wanted to say this again.... even though the area is known for the single track and Taylor Park there is tons of Dual-Sport and Adventure Riding in every direction, for any size bike, that offer that amazing Colorado experience.

Also, if you have family or other people coming that may not want to ride all the time Buena Vista has all kinds of unique shops, rafting, hiking, restaurants, etc that offer more than enough entertainment for a few days.

ben, i am planning to take the 350excf and xr400, or maybe leave 1 to make room for a buddy if he joins me. i have a van which can haul 2 bikes, unload them and become a sleeping quarter.

i ride a ktm 640 most of the time here in the west, but it gets high altitude sickness. i did the rmar event in silverton last year, and enjoyed that. now i'm hooked and need to see more of colorado....

[COXR650L]

Originally Posted by NSFW

ben, i am planning to take the 350excf and xr400, or maybe leave 1 to make room for a buddy if he joins me. i have a van which can haul 2 bikes, unload them and become a sleeping quarter.

i ride a ktm 640 most of the time here in the west, but it gets high altitude sickness. i did the rmar event in silverton last year, and enjoyed that. now i'm hooked and need to see more of colorado....

Nice, the 350 would be a perfect bike for the Taylor Park area, but still get in a lot of the Dual Sport opportunities

Some stuff from the area......

[COXR650L]

Dual Sport and Big Bike Stuff..........

Here is some ideas of the rides and scenery for the dual-sport and big bike/street crowd.

Big Bike/Street....


Hwy 24 from Buena Vista into Aspen. This is a scenic route that is paved the whole way and goes over the highest paved pass in North America, Independence Pass. After lunch ride up to the Ashcroft Ghost town.








Leadville....

Easy Ride up Hwy 24 along the Arkansas River. Amazing views around Leadville and the opportunity to explore one of the first Gold Rush Towns.





Poncha Springs...

South of Buena Vista Poncha Springs has riding in every direction including Monarch Pass and Old Monarch Pass, a big bike friendly route with great views .





St Elmo Ghost Town...

Just outside of Buena Vista this is an easy ride full of history.




Dual-Sport....

Otto Mears Toll Road into Bonanza.

This historic road has many old mines and is full of history.









Cottonwood Pass....
Paved on the east side from Buena Vista and then easy gravel on the back side, this scenic pass is the gateway to Taylor Park. There are all kinds of riding opportunities from Single Track, Daul-Sport and Big Bike Gravel riding.







Weston Pass....
North of Buena Vista on Hwy 24 Weston Pass offers a great dual sport route with hwy, gravel and 4x4 roads that can be linked into a nice loop ride, finishing with the narrow gauge railroad tunnels.






Sounds like fun

[siyeh]

Originally Posted by SgtMarty

Has anyone gotten in touch with the campground for reservations yeet? I keep getting an answering machine.

The folks at the campground answered the phone today. I reserved the day before AND the day after WestFest.

my tiny honda is gonna get a good Colorado beat down I reckon

I got three weeks off work

is it august yet?

[COXR650L]

Originally Posted by siyeh

The folks at the campground answered the phone today. I reserved the day before AND the day after WestFest.

my tiny honda is gonna get a good Colorado beat down I reckon

I got three weeks off work

is it august yet?

Great!! I know, summer cant come fast enough

Where else you going during the vacation?

[siyeh]

Originally Posted by COXR650L

Great!! I know, summer cant come fast enough

Where else you going during the vacation?

100% in Colorado
Last summer the fires kept me out of a few areas so I need to fix that.
In no particular order:

WestFest
Ouray
Steamboat/North Park
Lake City
Meeker/Flat Tops

Will buy beer in exchange for local advice and or guide service

[Pablo83]

Originally Posted by siyeh

100% in Colorado
Last summer the fires kept me out of a few areas so I need to fix that.
In no particular order:

WestFest
Ouray
Steamboat/North Park
Lake City
Meeker/Flat Tops

Will buy beer in exchange for local advice and or guide service

I'd suggest hitting an event every weekend (Moose Run, RMAR, etc) and do some exploring during the week. The summer's here in Colorado are packed; post up what weekends you will be in state and we'll point you in the right direction.

[COXR650L]

Originally Posted by siyeh

100% in Colorado
Last summer the fires kept me out of a few areas so I need to fix that.
In no particular order:

WestFest
Ouray
Steamboat/North Park
Lake City
Meeker/Flat Tops

Will buy beer in exchange for local advice and or guide service

Sounds like it will be a fun couple weeks.

Im sure you will have no problem in the summer finding people to ride with in each area.

PM me as it gets closer if you need advice with riding around Ouray/ Lake City area. I dont know much about meeker or the flat tops though .

Post up any questions in the Rockies section and you will get plenty of resposnes for both places and people to ride with.

[siyeh]

Originally Posted by COXR650L

Sounds like it will be a fun couple weeks.

Im sure you will have no problem in the summer finding people to ride with in each area.

PM me as it gets closer if you need advice with riding around Ouray/ Lake City area. I dont know much about meeker or the flat tops though .

Ya I'm gonna stay real flexible. There's so much of Colorado I have not seen yet. Can't do RMAR got out bid on the vacation schedule. I have been in The Flat Tops 3 times but I was riding a horse with a .300 Win Mag in a scabbard. Want to see what it looks like without 3 feet of snow!

[Pablo83]

Originally Posted by siyeh

I was riding a horse with a .300 Win Mag in a scabbard.

Looking for elk? Did you get one?

[siyeh]

Yep, one elk one mule deer in those three trips

me loves me some Colorado mountains