The Rocky Mountain Front Range is a rider?s paradise. Photos by the author.

As we sat in the crimson hue of the Colorado Front Range sunset, the stone walls of the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre echoed with familiar lyrics. David Crosby?s face was laced with as many crevices as the surrounding sandstone spires, but his vocals gave no evidence of the octogenarian?s age. As he was joined onstage by Jason Isbell for an incredible version of ?Wooden Ships,? the last lines sparked anticipation for the next day?s ride: And it?s a fair wind blowin? warm out of the south over my shoulder / Guess I?ll set a course and go.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, offers amazing views.

The next morning, that course was indeed set. Our route would be a figure-8 exploration of the eastern slope of the Rockies, flanking the Denver urban corridor. As we packed the side boxes on the Yamaha Super Ténéré with water and a few extra clothing layers, that fair wind rustled the leaves in the trees around our vacation rental in Golden. Thumbing the starter, the big parallel-Twin quickly settled into a smooth idle. I shifted into gear, and my wife, Cheryl, and I were off.
GOLDEN TO ESTES PARK

Figure-8 routes have always intrigued me. It may well go back to my youth watching the insane style of racing at the state fair. Anyway, I mapped a ride leaving Golden to the northwest and tracing that general direction to Estes Park, the northernmost point on our planned ride. The retur...