Here's photographic evidence that we rode our bikes over Independence Pass. I felt pretty good about myself until I talked to 70-year-old guy riding a 1986 Gold Wing who had done it several times.

Day Five: Leadville, Colo., to Dillon, Colo.

Miles covered: 210 miles

Ok, Dillon is only about 35 miles from Leadville, so if you’re looking at the mileage I’ve listed and thinking I’m over inflating the miles we traveled, let me explain.

We rode from Leadville to Dillon then, once we stripped our gear off the bikes, made a side trip through Independence Pass to Aspen. By “we,” I mean my wife, Chris, and the Villhauers, Denny and Melissa.

Independence Pass, which follows State Highway 82, would be frightening in a car if you are afraid of heights. On certain sections of the road, you can look over, not see a guardrail, and glance straight down several hundred feet. While riding a motorcycle, it can be downright terrifying.

But, we rolled on past rough peaks, tundra pools, waterfalls and roaring creeks and rivers. We got off the bikes several times to look at the scenery and even play around in the snow.

Snow?

Yes, snow. That’s the thing about the Rockies. It’s July and you’d think it would be hot and humid, and in some places it is. Other places, it’s colder than hell. And, sometimes you experience a 10-degree change in the temperature simply by riding a mile uphill or downhill. Or riding from sunshine to shadow. So, if you dress for the cold, there’s times you will sweat under heavy garments. If you dress for heat, at times, you’ll freeze your little tootsies off. I dressed in between, so I was either shivering or sweating most of the day. Combined with trying to breathe in high altitudes, I was a mess.

But, Independence Pass is gorgeous. I’d try to describe it here, but you really need to see it yourself to appreciate the breath-taking ruggedness. At the very least, do a search on Google images.

Anyway, we rambled on to Aspen, playground for people of the Yuppie persuasion. We saw so many BMWs, Mercedes and Jaguars I lost count. We did find a nice little bar called “Bad Billy's” where you could buy a bucket of Coronita’s (little Corona beers) with little limes sticking out their necks.

Drink two of those and terror of Independence Pass subsides quite a bit. Drink four and you’re calling it “an interesting little road.” Drink the entire bucket and you’re telling the whole bar how you conquered Independence Pass on two wheels and anyone who uses four wheels is friggin’ wimp. You’re soon asked to leave Bad Billy’s.

Fortunately, I only drank two and was allowed to stay.

We ended the day finding a hotel room in Dillon. In fact, it was called the Dillon Inn. It’s clean, cheap and had reliable wireless Internet service. Oh, and the beds were comfy, too.

That’s a good thing, because it had been a long day and I was snoring by 10 o’clock.

Here's Denny Villhauer reflecting on the grandeur nature has laid out before him. Or, he's calculating the time and distance to our next beer. Only he knows what he's thinking.