DAY #3...(THURSDAY)...WALSENBURG, CO. TO FORT COLLINS, CO.........541 MILES (1728)

Once again I got up early,and loaded the bike for an early departure. I knew I was going to have a long day, but it ended up being longer than anticipated. I rode North of Walsenburg on I-25 and turned West on Hwy 165, the same road as I was on yesterday to see Bishops Castle. I'll talk more about the castle later in todays update. Riding North towards Canon City, I took Hwy 115 to Colorado Springs. From there I rode Hwy 24 West and took a short trip South to see Cripple Creek and Victor, CO.
Continuing on Hwy 24 West I turned North on Hwy 9 at Hartsel. As I rode through this small town, who do you suppose I saw sitting along the side of the road looking at a map.......my son, Kip. He had left 2 hours after me and we just happened upon each other in the middle of Colorado. We rode North together until he joined I-70, and headed East. I continued on Northeast to Kremmling, then rode over Gore Pass on Hwy 134. Continuing on around the loop, I rode to Steamboat Springs and then over Rabbit Ears Pass.
Picking up Hwy 14, East of Steamboat, I rode over Cameron Pass, then on into Fort Collins for the night. It was 40* on top of Cameron Pass and was quite chilly. All in all it was a great day, and I saw some absolutely beautiful views. And to top it all off......when I rode into Fort Collins this evening there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky.
Now back to Bishops Castle. If you've never been to this Castle, it's a must see if you're in the area. One man, Jim Bishop, has built this structure completely by himself. He started back in the 60's, and it is still a work in process. I'll include several more pictures of the inside. The one picture looking down at our bikes sitting along the road will give you an idea how large and tall this structure is, and we weren't even all the way to the top. (We chickened out)
It's an amazing piece of work, and Jim Bishop is a piece of work himself. He's a very interesting person to say the least.





Tormorrow I'm going to ride through Rocky Mountain National Park, and up over Trail Ridge Pass, meeting Jack for lunch somewhere, around noon.
Friday afternoon and evening is the get together at Kerry's. We're all looking forward to this.
Tune in Friday night for the next update.
Motor Mike