We begin today’s ride by heading east on US Highway 24 toward Colorado Springs. I’ve been there before, but never on the Harley. Today, I’ll keep that streak alive by not visiting Colorado Springs.

Just a few miles before getting to “The Springs,” we point our bikes toward one of the area’s biggest tourist attractions – Pikes Peak.

You may recall that in July 2025, my Colorado Pass-a-Palooza™ trip included 29 of Colorado’s 31 paved passes and roadways over 10,000 feet. The only two I didn’t ride were Mount Blue Sky, because the road was closed for repairs, and Pikes Peak, because it was too far off the beaten path. Both are Colorado fourteeners – 14,000-foot mountains you can ride to the summit.

Well, this year I’m completing the Pass-a-Palooza™. (Here’s the full list.)

Tomorrow, I’ll ride Mount Blue Sky, and today’ I’m scaling Pikes Peak (14,115 feet). I won’t bore you with the details about Pikes Peak here, because last summer, I posted a long description about it. But if you want to take another look at my description of Pikes Peak from 2025, you can read it here. 

After today’s Pikes Peak adventure, we retrace our steps to Woodland Park, then head south at Divide, which has a population of 88, a post office, a tire shop, and a bar. All the things you’d want in your hometown.

The road takes us to Victor and Cripple Creek, former mining towns in the late 19^th century. Together, the two towns formed the second-largest gold mining district in the country, accounting for about $12 billion of mined gold in today’s dollars. At the time, there were about 18,000 residents in Victor, and another 35,000 in Cripple Creek. Today, the population in Victor is about 400, and there are a little more than 1,000 in Cripple Creek.

The two major drivers of the modern Cripple Creek economy are mining and casino gambling. Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company operates its mine 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. More than a dozen casinos bring in around $200 million in revenue more than 90 percent of it coming from slot machines. The Wildwood Casino claims its 9,593-foot elevation makes it the highest gaming in the world.

They may be slightly incorrect. At the top of Snowmass (12,510), I once said, “I’ll bet we’re pretty high up here.” Doesn’t that make it an even higher gaming location than the Wildwood Casino (“I’ll bet.”)

Leaving Cripple Creek, we have about an hour and a half of riding remaining, making this the longest day in the saddle for this summer’s trip – nearly six hours.

We roll by the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, through Hartsel, Antero Junction, and Johnson Village, then end the day where it began, in Buena Vista.

To view today’s route, click here.

And now, a few pics from today’s ride.