Last year, my blog posts had a simple theme: “I would have written you a short letter, but I didn’t have time, so I wrote you a long one.”

This approach highlights the importance of brevity and editing in writing. I committed to keeping each post short and sweet – 100 words or less. 

My foray into conciseness was a smashing success. Over 17 days, I averaged 98.65 words per post. Hooray for terse, tight and telegraphic!

But the experiment was misguided and myopic. I hated it. 

I’m a Boomer. Definitely not part of the Instagram and Twitter (X) generations. TikTok baffles me. I don’t like having artificial character constraints on my writing and creative expression.

I was a journalism major. I like my words.

According to Professor Albus Dumbledore of Harry Potter fame, words are our most inexhaustible source of magic. They hold power and beauty.

I’ve already pounded out more than 100 words to begin this post. You really want me to quit now?

This year, I’m gonna be my usual blog self again, knowing there will be hate and love out there, in somewhat equal measure, whether I lean toward brevity or verbosity. Because it’s my comfort zone, I’ll spew in your direction a mountain of words, and an avalanche of pics. If you like your material pithy – as it was last year – fine. Skip over the words and just view the photos. You won’t hurt my feelings.

But if you’re among the literati who felt cheated by last year’s arbitrarily truncated posts (looking at you, Dave B), this year I’ll keep on writing until I’ve told the story I want to tell.

I hope there’s a little something for everyone in my posts this year. Bring on the love or hate. Just tell me why.

Moving on …

Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™ Begins Tomorrow!

Tomorrow morning, I blast out of town to begin my annual Harley ride. Vroom!

This year’s trip is notable for several reasons.

First, it’s a family birthday party. In February, I turned 75. In September, Sarah turns 70. November would mark my Dad’s 100^th birthday. Walter Jr celebrates his 1^st birthday next week.

Those milestones call for something special. So, we’re observing the occasion by hitting the road for a week with our unofficially adopted daughter, Brittany. Just the four of us. Call it a Family Ride.

One Harley. One SUV. Infinite possibilities.

Second, the trip will be entirely within Colorado. This state is so beautiful, its mountain roads so spectacular, why leave?

And, it will be a Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™ gone wild. By my count, Colorado has 31 paved passes over 10,000 feet, and we’ll do almost all of them.

Finally, we’re putting the haute back in Harley travel. Some of you have rightly observed my plain-Jane, bargain-basement taste in hotels over the years. This year, we’re going five-star (where available, of course). Did any of you blog followers ever imagine seeing my Harley parked in front of a $500/night hotel?

Speaking of Champagne tastes … Brittany arrived in Colorado this afternoon.

Coming from sea level in southern California, she’s now acclimating to our Rocky Mountain altitude. And attitude. We’re at 6,300 feet in Carbondale; we’ll spend much of the next week over 10,000 feet. If you’re not used to it, the heights can take your breath away.

To properly kick off this year’s ride, we hosted a reception tonight in her honor. Had about 20 of Brittany’s favorite people from Carbondale drop by to wish her a safe ride.

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Today’s Not Quite Pass-a-Palooza™ … Black Bear Pass: 12,840 feet

It wasn’t hard picking out the 29 Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™ byways for this trip. They’re all over the place. Colorado has the highest average (mean) elevation of any state.

To qualify for Pass-a-Palooza™ status, the road needs to have a name, have a summit, be over 10,000 feet, and be paved. Pretty simple. Very Colorado.

There are a ton of fantastic 10K roads in Colorado that do not qualify for Pass-a-Palooza™ status. These are places where you clearly would never find me on a Harley. At the end of each day’s post for the next few weeks, I’ll single out one of them.

It should be easy to understand why these roads didn’t make my list. They’re Not Quite Pass-a-Palooza™ worthy. Not even close.

Today’s Not-Quite Pass-a-Palooza™ is Black Bear Pass, officially known as US Forest Service Road 648. Black Bear Pass tops out at 12,840 feet.

This dirt and gravel road connects the 11,018-foot summit of Red Mountain Pass on US Highway 550 (which is on my Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™, and we’ll ride later this week), to the mountain ski town of Telluride. Black Bear Pass began, in the 1800s, as a wagon road from Red Mountain Pass to Ingram Basin, to haul ore from the Black Bear Mine in the Telluride Mining District. The mine produced lead and zinc, and traces of copper, gold and silver.

On your Black Bear journey, if you dare, you’ll find spectacular views of the Telluride Valley, Ingram Falls, and 385-foot-high Bridal Veil Falls – the tallest waterfall in Colorado. According to the US Forest Service, and anyone who’s traveled the road, Black Bear Pass is a very technical trail that’s not for inexperienced drivers. It’s a shelf road – cut into the side of a cliff – with 1,000-foot drop-offs, dangerous off-camber switchbacks, tight turns and loose shale. The road is only open a few months a year, in the summer. It typically closes after the first snowfall, usually in September.

Some of the switchbacks require a three-point turn. For mountain novices, a three-point turn is somewhat different from a three-point shot in basketball. A three-point turn, also known as a “K-turn,” is a technique used to turn a vehicle around in a small space by moving forward, reversing, and then moving forward again. It’s a key skill for passing many driver’s license exams, and even more importantly, for surviving the tight switchbacks on Black Bear Pass.

While much of it – the first 5.6 miles – is considered moderately difficult, the mile-long stretch of “steps,” then steep, tight, switchbacks on the Telluride side above Bridal Veil Falls is stupidly difficult and immensely intimidating. The road is such a tight fit for the average-sized vehicle, it can only be traveled in one direction – toward Telluride. From Highway 550 all the way to Telluride, it’s about 11 miles in all. Expect to take at least two hours on your journey – if there’s no traffic on Black Bear Pass.

Black Bear Pass is considered one of the most dangerous roads in the country. It has a very slim margin of error. Said differently, don’t try this at home. If your teenage daughter just got her license, don’t offer her your Camry for a fun weekend off-roading adventure and a chance to snap some cool Instagram pics.

The road is for experts only, like a double black run at your favorite ski resort. There’s a sign at the trailhead that says it all: “You don’t have to be crazy to drive this road – but it helps.” Bingo.

You’ll need a high-clearance, short-wheel base, four-wheel drive vehicle. Motorcycles can take on this road, but it’s a safe bet a Harley’s never done it. And I won’t be the first.

To view today’s Not Quite Pass-a-Palooza™ route from Red Mountain Pass, over Black Bear Pass and into Telluride, click here.

Wondering how to ride Black Bear Pass on a bicycle? Click here to experience the story of a journey most wouldn’t dare try.