Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
Last week I started putting together all of the logistics to bring back the BMW F650GS Dakar motorcycle we had acquired for an ExPo project. The bike was located in Denver, and as my schedule opened up I planned to fly out to Denver (Arvada), pass the cash and ride the 900 miles home via a few dirt roads here and there.
I would like to make light of this whole adventure, but it started on a very ominous note. I arrived in Denver at noon, made it to the seller's house, and within an hour had it loaded up for the trip north to my sister's house in Fort Collins. That meant I had to ride through Boulder. Usually, that's not a big deal, but just as I settled into the seat, before the engine had even achieved proper temperature, the rains came down with a fury. I hate riding in the rain, and as per usual stopped under a gas station shelter to evaluate the situation. As I stood there slack jaw wondering what I was witnessing, water rolled over my feet in a steady stream. The parking lot was flooding. Getting through the outskirts of Boulder on 287 I went through intersections with water lapping over my feet. 18 miles into picking this bike up, the "adventure" factor was getting high for the burbs of Boulder.
If you haven't seen the images, they're pretty impressive. Sadly, a few lives were lost during the afternoon. Today, several roads are closed due to flooding, collapsing road surfaces, or severe rock fall.
From today's newspaper: “It has been one thunderstorm on top of another,” she said.
Rainfall has increased sharply in recent days, according to the weather service. Boulder County got up to 6 inches of rain in the past 12 hours, Fort Collins up to 2 inches, Denver up to 4 inches, and Colorado Springs up to 2 inches"
I rode right through that just as it was happening. It came pretty darn fast. I'm now camped on my sister's couch for the day watching the weather, hoping for reprieve.
...and it's STILL raining....
We'll see what tomorrow brings. For today I'm waiting it out.
I would like to make light of this whole adventure, but it started on a very ominous note. I arrived in Denver at noon, made it to the seller's house, and within an hour had it loaded up for the trip north to my sister's house in Fort Collins. That meant I had to ride through Boulder. Usually, that's not a big deal, but just as I settled into the seat, before the engine had even achieved proper temperature, the rains came down with a fury. I hate riding in the rain, and as per usual stopped under a gas station shelter to evaluate the situation. As I stood there slack jaw wondering what I was witnessing, water rolled over my feet in a steady stream. The parking lot was flooding. Getting through the outskirts of Boulder on 287 I went through intersections with water lapping over my feet. 18 miles into picking this bike up, the "adventure" factor was getting high for the burbs of Boulder.
If you haven't seen the images, they're pretty impressive. Sadly, a few lives were lost during the afternoon. Today, several roads are closed due to flooding, collapsing road surfaces, or severe rock fall.
From today's newspaper: “It has been one thunderstorm on top of another,” she said.
Rainfall has increased sharply in recent days, according to the weather service. Boulder County got up to 6 inches of rain in the past 12 hours, Fort Collins up to 2 inches, Denver up to 4 inches, and Colorado Springs up to 2 inches"
I rode right through that just as it was happening. It came pretty darn fast. I'm now camped on my sister's couch for the day watching the weather, hoping for reprieve.
...and it's STILL raining....
We'll see what tomorrow brings. For today I'm waiting it out.
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