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Blog 11: Durango-Silverton Trip.

Part 1. SILVERTON.

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Today’s Blog was going to be about how everyone is nice to you if you ride an Electric Motorcycle.

And I still plan to write that blog later this week.

But this weekend has opened my eyes to one simple fact: You WILL gain God-like powers if you drive an Electric Motorcycle.

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(and yes, Norway has freakin’ HUGE dandelions)

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As I said, I had planned to write about how everybody is nice to you if you ride an Electric Motorcycle. And it is true. But what I have slowly learned is that you will actually gain a certain power…which I will describe shortly.  It is surprising. It is intoxicating. It is also a bit dangerous. I must promise myself to use this power for good and not bad or selfish gains. But it is ohhhhh so tempting 🙂

It started slowly. I  ask people to charge-up and they say, “Sure. Is that Electric? That is cool….” and then 18 more questions. Then it evolves to where people are offering to let me charge without my asking, (me: sitting on the Enertia at Lowe’s waiting for the wife to show up so we can look at ceiling fans. Lowe’s worker walks up) “Hey, is that electric?” “Yes it is.” “Well we have an outlet just over there behind you, you can charge up if you like.” “Hey, Thanks, but I’m good. I don’t really need to charge right now. But thanks for the offer.” “No problem. That motorcycle is pretty cool…” and 18 questions follow.

And that was a nice little evolution; from asking and being told “Yes”, “Sure”, “Cool”, “No Problem” and then 18 questions about the bike, to not even having to ask if I could charge. “Yes” was, is and always will be the answer it seems. But it didn’t prepare me for the next huge leap in evolution (like the first Lungfish that looked at it’s shrinking pond and said, “Later Dudes, I’m taking a walk.” And yes, Lungfish were the first animals that used the word Dude. Look it up).

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     Not this Lungfish…though they are cool. And can walk and breath air.   

                                               

This Lungfish. Can’t sing nor play an instrument, but can “walk” and breath air.

(they also overuse both the word DUDE and exclamation points.)

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And that radical evolutionary leap was this:

“NOBODY WILL SAY “NO” TO YOU NO MATTER HOW CRAZY THE REQUEST IS!”

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Find a famous private road that has never allowed motorcycles on it? Ask them, “Hey, mind if we take 5 electric motorcycle on your road?” and you might be surprised by the answer.

Want to park your electric motorcycle near the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s steam locomotive? Want to park right on the track with it? Ask them and they might not only say yes, but offer to set up security, find the best location….and then ask 18 questions about the motorcycle.

Want to take your electric motorcycle INSIDE a famous Brewing Companies bar?? Sure, Why the heck not!!

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It’s insane….I feel I can ask anything that comes to my mind and the answer will be yes.

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Today will focus on Silverton and Ska Brewing. Tomorrow Durango.

Silverton was amazing. 9321 feet above sea level and it was raining a bit…but a light rain. Still too wet for video. Which is too bad as Silverton is hella cute.

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Riding in to Silverton. Had to truck in the Enertia…270 miles from my house is a bit beyond it’s commuter range.

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First stop was getting some Grub (5 hours of driving makes me hungry…surprisingly 🙂 )

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Handlebars was great. Funky interior, crazy local waitress and GOOD Buffalo Burger. GREAT BBQ sauce. Highly Recommended.

If I get up the nerve, I will order this next time.

But I am nervous about eating Onion Rings 🙂

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Two for the Park Where I WANT series. Nice funky Hotel where I parked on the sidewalk…and then City Hall, where I parked in the middle of the street.

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But on to the main attraction…and the reason we had driven 270 miles from Albuquerque to the tiny town of Silverton, Colorado. The STEAM LOCOMOTIVE.

Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotive.

She was really quite lovely and strong…and dirty and all that too. But, as Brammo said, “Iron Horse meet Electric Horse“. It really was Old meet New, Dirty meet Clean, Large meet Small, and all that. The conductor and everyone was super cool. Letting me put the bike anywhere I wanted and letting me take all the time I needed. Of course it was raining, so I didn’t spend too long out in the cold and wet. But I did get a few nice photos.

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She is a dirty bird for sure.

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At one point a railroad worker walked over and I thought he was going to tell me to leave or move back…but instead he just asked about the bike (18 questions) and then I asked if I could put the bike even closer to the train…”Sure, just don’t go on the second track as another train is coming, but other than that, anywhere you want.”

It was then that I had a glimmer of the power bestowed on me…a power that would be confirmed a short time later…..

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I Park Where I WANT….Train Tracks? Hell Yeah!

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And that’s about it for Silverton. A fun little town. She does get muddy in the rain. But very quaint, and the people are nice.

Our next stop was a tour of Ska Brewing in Durango. The tour starts at 4pm daily, except Sundays. We were an hours drive away and leaving Silverton at 2:50…and we wanted to take the bikes off at the Motel and drive the 6 miles through Downtown and out to Ska. So we had to skedaddle. And skedaddle we did….But we still knew we would be 10 to 15 minutes late. So halfway down from Silverton I called them and asked if the tour would wait for us….and the answer…”Sure, no problem.” Of course.

So we get there, park where we want (yes, that is getting old fast isn’t it), which was right by the cute little 3 wheeled APE vehicle. And we do the tour and see the inside workings of Ska Brewing…and it all nice and fun…and we try a few samples. And it is tasty. But it’s getting on dinner time and we wanted to ride some more around Downtown before it got too dark or too wet.

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So we get up to go, say goodbye to the nice server who took us on the tour…and suddenly a thought occurred to me. A crazy, silly thought…and I almost didn’t ask. But at the door I turned around and asked our “guide”, who was talking to a man at the bar who got up and left after I asked my question, “Do you think it would be alright to bring my Electric Motorcycle into the bar and get a photo?”

Why I thought that would be a good idea was beyond me. Why I even wanted a photo of the bike in the bar is beyond me. But I thought it…and then I asked it…and, no longer surprisingly, the answer was “Yes.”

Taken aback, I even said, “Are you sure?” In a quizzical voice of mild disbelief. Her answer, “The guy I was just talking to is the owner and he shook his head to me before he left.”

So I just happened to ask as the owner was there…and STILL GOT A YES….It is a scary power I now wield.

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Evidence….

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Tomorrow is Durango and some video fun….

Till next time….

Gavin

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