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PHOTO GALLERY of  PREVIOUS EVENTS 

on ADVTOURS.com

Russ Cracknell at the snow coirnice on the CDT in July 2020
Russ Cracknell at the snow cornice on the CDT in July 2020

In 2020 the Club hosted 10 rides and events.

We also skipped a few due to, you know, the ‘Panic’.

  1. Week before Fathers Day Dual Sport ride to the Alpine Tunnel
  2. Singletrack Trailride on the Continental Divide
  3. Molines Dual Sport & Singletrack ride in Leadville
  4. 2 day loop Around Pikes Peak on the 4th of July
  5. Singletrack Ride on the Rainbow Trail
  6. Adv ride over 5 mountain Passes
  7. 2 Day ride to the Great Sand Dunes Hot Springs
  8. 5 days of X Roads of the Rockies in Chaffee County
  9. The Spanish Border Adventure Ride in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico
  10. The Las Vegas Valley Loop from Pahrump to the Hoover Dam and back

More on the Ten Rides in 2020

  • The weekend before Fathers Day was a loop to the Alpine Tunnel, where we wacked and worked our way thru some snow on Tomichi Pass.
  • Visited the Historic telegraph office at the Alpine Tunnel Station.
  • Stopped in Pitkin for lunch and in Sargents for Ice Cream.
  • A well attended Leadville Singletrack and Dual Sport ride with Roy Moline was a hoot as always.
  • A 4th of July 2 Day Loop around Pikes Peak from Salida and spent the night in the old mining town of Victor, through a major Monsoon made it very challenging.
  • 3 Singletrack trailrides, on the Continental Divide from Monarch Pass to the upper Rainbow trail, is always a fun challenge.
  • A 2 day Loop from Salida to the Great Sand Dunes over Medano Pass through the wilderness
  • Spent the night at the Hot Springs and then headed north over Canero Pass to the Otto Mears Tollroad back to Salida.
  • A 5 Pass Adventure Loop over the freshly paved Cottonwood Pass
  • Then the back way to Tincup and up and over Cumberland Pass to Pitkin.
  • From Pitkin we went over Waunita Pass and then stopped in at Waunita Hot Springs, went over Blacksage Pass and stopped in Sargents for an Ice Cream.
  • From Sargents it was over the old Railroad line over Marshall Pass, dropped down into Salida, then over Aspen Ridge back to our starting point at Johnson Village. That was a long one day ride!
  • The Spanish Border ride was a 4 Day Adventure ride from Antonito, CO to the Rio Grande Gorge
  • Then onto Taos, NM and from New Mexico back into Colorado and over Pass Creek Pass to Medano Pass, and into the back of the Great Sand Dunes.
  • Overnight Ride the Sand Dunes Hot Springs Pool.
  • Then headed back south thru the wilds of the San Luis Valley.
  • X-Roads of the Rockies from the Chaffee County Fairgrounds was really well attended in August of 2020.
  • A successful event in spite of the Covid Panic.
  • 4 Days of Multiple loops, rafting on the Arkansas river and the Infinity Pool at the Mt. Princeton hot springs were enjoyed by all who attended. 
  • The last ride we did in 2020 was the Las Vegas 300, a 2 Day loop around Las Vegas.
  • Though not well attended because of the Panic and late planning, and despite a few route snafu’s due to Vegas’s ongoing road construction, everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.
  • We started in Pahrump and rode over the mountains to the Hoover Dam Lodge.
  • Then back to Pahrump over Wheeler Pass.
  • On Monday we crossed the border into California and visited a fascinating old mine, the China Date Farm and and spent the night at Delight’s Hot Springs near Death Valley.

 

790 KTM on Cottonwood Pass

In 2018 Exit Tours Club members participated in 6 Rides:

  1. A Fun club Throttle Therapy ride from Mountain Tech Motorsports in the 4 Mile OHV area near Buena Vista.
  2. An overnight Open House Ride from Old Cowtown Resort.
  3. The San Andreas 300 2 Day Dual Sport ride along the San Andreas Fault from Pozo to Ballinger Canyon in Central California in May.
  4. A 2 day ride of the Great Sand Dunes ADV loop.
  5. Mo-Lines Special 2 Day Singletrack Ride with Roy Moline in Leadville in July.
  6. X-Roads of the Rockies Colorado 2 Day Dual Sport Ride in Salida, Colorado in August.

exit tours mc

Write up from the AMA magazine in 2013

Adventure Tour
Adventure Tour

Round 14 of the 2013 AMA Yamaha Super Ténéré Adventure Riding Series

  • Article from AMA Magazine in 2013

The Rocky Mountain Autumn Hot Springs Adventure Tour

Geared toward riders of all brands of adventure-touring motorcycles, 

Exit Tours M/C held Round 14 of the 2013 AMA Yamaha Super Ténéré Adventure Riding Series.

  • The Rocky Mountain Autumn Hot Springs Adventure Tour on Sept 6-9 started at Cottonwood Hot Springs in the town of Buena Vista, Colorado.
  • The ride included just less than 1,000 miles of the most spectacular scenery the Rocky Mountains have to offer in the most scenic riding area of the country.
  • The Entire Route was scouted and planned by Mountain Tech Motorsports Sean Barr.
Independence Pass in Autumn
Independence Pass in Autumn

The “High Adventure, No Hassle” approach included plenty of riding on asphalt, gravel and two-track routes mapped by our local experts and the camaraderie of like-minded enthusiasts.

The Playground on the Autumn Hot Springs Adventure Tour was among the densest concentration of high peaks and passes in North America.

Sean Barr & Jubal Brown on the Top of Cottonwood Pass
Sean Barr & Jubal Brown on the Top of Cottonwood Pass

The Tour visited 3 iconic Hot Springs on an epic journey through the Rocky Mountains.

The Hot Springs Tour was a self guided with outriders & a chase truck with a trailer and luggage portage.

  • The peaks and passes on the ADV Tour form the backbone of the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide and the headwaters of 3 major north American rivers, the Arkansas, Colorado and Rio Grande rivers.
  • With eight peaks reaching over 14 thousand feet, the Collegiate Peaks near Chaffee County are some of the highest peaks in the Continental United States.
Otto Mears Tollroad built in the 1870's
Otto Mears Tollroad built in the 1870’s

Day 1 began at Cottonwood Hot Springs near Buena Vista.

  • The Hot Springs Adventure Tour crossed Weston, Hoosier, Boreas, Kenosha, Guanella, Loveland and Ute Passes and then followed the Colorado River Road through Glenwood Canyon to the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge.
  • 325 Miles.
  • The Day 1 destination of the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool & Lodge was built in 1888 and is the world’s largest hot springs pool.
  • It became world-renowned as a healing wonder set in a mountain paradise in the last century and was visited by President Theodore Roosevelt more than once.
Cottonwood Pass 'Racetrack'
Cottonwood Pass ‘Racetrack’ Before paving

Around the turn of the century, the Golden Age of Mineral Spas, it was referred to as “Spa of the Rockies”. 

  • During WWII the hot springs and hotel were used exclusively as a U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital.
  • The route to Glenwood Hot Springs through Glenwood Canyon is a rugged scenic 12.5 mile canyon on the Colorado River in western Colorado.
  • Its canyon walls climb as high as 1,300 ft above the Colorado River.
  • Historically the canyon has provided the only route through the Rocky Mountains for trains and automobiles.
  • The engineering required to extend I-70 through the canyon was the most difficult project on the entire US interstate system.
Switchback on Independence Pass
Switchback on Independence Pass

Day 2 crossed 12,095 foot Independence Pass in the central Rocky Mountains.

Independence Pass is the 2nd highest paved pass in Colorado and is the center of one of the most spectacular stretches of road in the Country.

  • The pass crosses the ridge of the Sawatch Range between Aspen and Leadville, and runs through the White River National Forest.
  • The road is narrow and steep with a 6.5% gradient, including tight switchbacks on each approach. 
  • The Independence pass road is steep and has steep drop offs and sheer cliffs and the road narrows to one lane at several points.
Sand Dunes Hot Springs Pool
Great Sand Dunes Hot Springs Pool
  • Day 2 we headed up to Aspen, the iconic mountain ski town and the one that sets the standard for all other ski towns.
  • We crossed Independence, Cottonwood, Cumberland, Wuanita, Black Sage, Old Monarch, Cochatopa Passes and then passes thru the La Garita wilderness to the Great Sand Dunes Hot Springs Pool.
  • Then onto the Inn of the Rio Grande in Alamosa for Sunday night. 375 Miles.
Engine 190 coming out of the Alpine Tunnel
Engine 190 coming out of the Alpine Tunnel in 1899

Day 3 started with a special tour of the steam engine facilities at the San Luis & Rio Grande’s Railroad facility in Alamosa, with a tour led by General Manager and Exit Tours Board member Matt Abbey.

  • Day 3 then proceeded over La Veta Pass, through the Wet mountains north to Canon City, then to Phantom Canyon, Victor and the gambling mecca of Cripple Creek before following dirt roads back to Buena Vista. 250 miles
  • Event promoter Exit Tours Motorcycle Club is from Salida, Colorado.
  • The Tour crossed 16 mountain passes
  • 975 miles in 3 days
  • 40 participants
  • 1 flat tire
  • No injuries, no major crashes
  • Oldest rider ? Jan Key, 74 years young, who rode a V-strom with his wife as passenger the whole way
  • Youngest was Video-Talent Andrew Kane at 20 years old
  • 6 wives participated. 3 as passengers, 3 following the route in rental cars
  • Miles driven by portage vehicle ? 650 miles

Sponsors of the Exit Tours M/C Hot Springs Adventure Tour in 2013 were:

  • Fly Racing
  • Vurboffroad.com
  • Wiseco
  • Enduro Spec Suspension
  • Mountain Tech Motorsports
  • Leo Vince
  • OffRoad Champions 
  • Rocky Mountain Jeep Rentals.
Sean Barr on the Cover of the AMA Magazine
Exit Tours MC’s Sean Barr on the Cover of the AMA Magazine
Colorado Adventure Article in the May 2013 AMA Magazine
Colorado Adventure Article in the May 2013 AMA Magazine
Article from and Sean Barr on the Cover of the May 2013 AMA Magazine
Article from and Sean Barr on the Cover of the May 2013 AMA Magazine
True Adventure
True Adventure

Champion shot from Big Tank Magazine (Japanese)

R-Series Photo Credit

2017 T shirt

2017 X-Roads Dual Sport T-Shirt