Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127689
· OFF~ROAD.. · Moose Offroad Colorado trail ride - ... . (Left) Though better known to mountain bikers and jeep dr ivers, Colorado Is custom-deslgned for dirt bikers. Motorcycles are the best way to gain access to the Incredible views. (Above) Danny Hamel helps pull Scotts owner Scott Forward through a rough sect io n. This Is what happens when you follow Fritz Kadlec. (Below) Team Moose Offroad riders Jeff Russell (left ) and Steve Hatch horse around In a Colorado st ream. By Chri s Jonrium Photos by Kinney Jones ver get that feeling that you're totally and utterly alone? Not long ago, the sensation hit me big time - perhaps more intense ly than it ever had before. As my tank ran dry and my bike sputtered to a stop high in Colorado's beautiful but desolate Rocky Mountains, I looked around and realized just how isolated a person can feel - and how suddenly tha t impression can hit. Just min utes before, I had been crouching in a stand of trees with a large group of fellow riders, laughing and joking nervously as we avoided the barren ridgetop trail, waiting ou t a brief lightning sto rm . I h ad dillydallied when we restarted, and then apparently missed a tum that the rest of the group had taken. Now I was standing alone beside a lifeless motorcycle, high in a mountain pas- E '<:1'i 0\ 0\ ...-i 0\ ...-i I-< (J) E u o 22 ture with no one around. As near as I could tell from the map in my fanny pack, the closest gas station was at least 15 miles away, with mostly single-track trail in between. The clouds were still sp rinkling, and I figured th ere were about two hours of daylight left - max. The occasion wa s Moose Offroad's week-long press introduction of their allnew line of off-road riding gear. "Isn't a five-day trail ride in the mountains of Colorado a bit of overkill for showcasing some new clothes?" I can hear you asking. I have to admit that I thought the same thing, but apparently Pete Denison and Wayne Cornelius, the head honchos at Moose, wanted to make a big imp ression. Also, Moose is located in Colorado, an d th ey probably figured the state's unpredictable wea ther and challenging traiIs would be the perfect acid test for the new duds. Besides, who am I to ask qu es tions? It sounded like fun to me , and it's amazing how convincing I was - when explaining to the edi tor how critical it was that I make the trip. At the moment, however, I was just wondering how warm the gear would keep me if I had to spend the night in the mountains. THE MOOSE IS LOOSE Our "working" vacation had begun several days earlier in Durango, which I and severa l editors from other publications had accessed via a plane ride from Denver that was reminiscent of an indiana Jones movie. Durango is the unofficial mountain bike capital of the world, and is also home of the Durango & Silver ton narrow-gauge railro ad . As you . may surmise from its title, this antique train ca rries tourist s back an d forth between Durango and the small town of