MOTO TRIPPIN--SD, WY, CO DAY 11 & 12

Day 11 - Colorado Hwy 50

 

Kickstand up at 630am, it was sunny and 60 degrees.  Rode south to Montrose, then turned east on highway 50 and rode to the Cerro Summit, 8000 feet, which was chilly.

Next I rode though the Cimarron Canyon where it was only 40 degrees, very cold!

Saw a couple of deer, again they are frightened by the loud motor and run, which is good.

My fingers were again cold, and I was reminding myself to enjoy it, knowing the cold would soon come to and end and be replaced my near 100 degree afternoon temps.

 

This is the lake you ride next to on the way to Gunnison, so beautiful and enjoyable!

Stopped for coffee and hand thawing in Gunnison.

 

Then I rode up to Monarch Pass, elevation 11,300 feet, the continental divide.  It is cold up there, but there is a gift shop and snack bar where you can kill a little time.  The high elevations are just a little harder for me to breath normally, I've noticed.

Saw this pretty field along the way. 

It had warmed-up real good at the bottom of the pass, and I took off all leather and gloves and worked on my tan the rest of the day.

 

This is the canyon you ride through on your way to Canyon City, pretty lengthy and very scenic.

Also, it is the last scenery, too.  From then on, eastern Colorado is just hot, flat, and drab.

I stopped for the night in Lamar, CO after riding 377 miles.  Stayed at the Cow Palace Inn, and their WIFI was down, so the blog is a day late getting published.

 

Day 12 - Home

 

Got an early start on my last day, knowing the riding would be long, hot, windy, and I would loose an hour getting back on Central Time.  At one point I stopped in a rest stop to rest in the shade and drink some cold water, then rode to a gas station 14 miles further, where I noticed I hadn't secured my saddle bag properly and my hat was missing.  So I rode back 14 miles and found it, although it had been run over at least once. Total miles today was 552.

 

It was really good to get home, see my family, shower, and rest.

For the trip, I rode in 9 states, 12 days, and 3872 miles.  It was a very good trip with no incidents, met some nice folks, saw nice scenery, and enjoyed the riding.

 



MOTO TRIPPIN--SD, WY, CO DAY 10

Day 10 - Colorado Canyons

Was a very chilly 44 degrees this morning, so took my time packing and left Steamboat at 730.

Nobody will ever accuse me of traveling light!

The little bit of fog quickly burned off, and temp went up by 10 degrees in the first hour of riding.

Stopped for a picture next to some aspen trees, one of my family's favorite trees.

A lot of the road this morning looked like this one, nearly flat through valleys with mountains on either side and in the distance. One town I rode trough was called Phippsburg.

 

At 930 I got onto I-70 heading west through the gorgeous Glenwood Canyon.  There was no where I could stop for a picture, so I borrowed this one from Google.  It is amazing, riding 75mph through big, sweeping curves.  I rode through 3 tunnels, one was more than 1/2 mile long.

Left I-70 and headed south through Redstone Canyon.  It had significantly warmed, so I took off my chaps.  Stopped for a streamside lunch.

Found the coolest store so far on my trip in Redstone, someone got a souvenir from there. 

Saw these kilns in Redstone, they used to do a lot of ceramic work there.

After the canyon, I began my ride upwards to McClure pass.

The view from the top of the pass revealed rain clouds developing, so I rode as fast as I could, and fortunately I was going south and the rain was going east, allowing to me sneak past with just a few drops of rain.

 

At the bottom of the pass the terrain changed to desert with matching temps.  Checked-in in Delta, CO with temps in mid-90s.  Only rode 220 miles today.

 

Tonight I will try to get a lot of rest in advance of the two days ahead of me when I will ride close to 900 miles to get home.  I'll be on the very scenic highway 50 tomorrow.  I am anxious to get home and see my family.

MOTO TRIPPIN--SD, WY, CO DAY 9

Day 9 -- Steamboat

 

 

Waited until 8am to head out, it was 50 degrees and sunny.

Headed south and  east on highway 40.  Beautiful morning!!

A mere 11 miles later I was atop the first pass of the day, elevation 9400 feet.  About 40 degrees at the top, but resisted urge to put on chaps, and rode on with jeans, jacket, and hat.

After the pass, I rode a plateau with views like the one above. Chilly, but amazingly beautiful!

I  rode 50 miles before reaching the first town., topped-off my tank there. 

I was so enjoying my Rocky Moutain High--the sights and smells pines and spruce, the vibrant blue sky, the frsh air, and the gorgeous scenery!

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This is Lake Granby. Pretty nice!

Spent a little time relaxing and shopping in the town next to the lake.  Especially enjoyed watching some folks rent sail boats, which is on my bucket list.

Rode back via Beyer's Gorge, which was a classic canyon with road, stream, and railroad track between rock cliffs.  Very nice!

 

On the ride back, I tried to dodge the rain, but ended up riding in some showers, crossed Rabbit Ears Pass, ending-up back in Steamboat Springs feeling refreshed.  Rode 190 miles today.

Tomorrow I head out for Delta, CO.

 

 

MOTO TRIPPIN--SD, WY, CO DAY 8

Day 8 - Utah

 

 

Kickstand up at 7am, temp was brisk mid-40's, and sun was shining.  Starting elevation was 7000 feet, headed south and quickly went up to 7500 feet.  Brisk!  Wearing all my leather today.

These roads were desolate, just me and the white pick-ups.  If you look closely at the picture you can see wind mills on the top of the mountains, I saw a hundred of them this morning.



I crossed into Utah about 9am, the temp had warmed to 60 degrees, I took the chaps off.

These mountains seemed different in that they were greenish, otherwise they reminded me of the Badlands in South Dakota.

 

I rode through the Flaming Gorge, very beautiful, typically Utah, and lots of twisties to deal with.

Another view from within the Flaming Gorge.

 

The pine trees returned, the landscape just keeps changing.

Saw this blue, mountain lake, then made it to Vernal, UT by noon and ate a quick lunch.  Got back in the saddle as quickly as I could, trying to beat the forecasted afternoon storms.

Spent the afternoon riding through the desert, first in Utah, then in Colorado.  Signs would warn you "no gas for 57 miles."  Saw no houses, towns, or life in the desert.  Glad I had my cooler with ice water on the bike.  All day long, the roads were littered with dead rabbits and prairie dogs.  There were white birds with black wings eating them.  A little gross.

Made it to my motel by 2:30, I did get a little shower.  The pines near my parking space just seem typical Colorado to me.  The town of Steamboat Springs, where I'm staying, is just a little too congested for my liking.  I'll have to find a good place to go for a day trip tomorrow.

Ended the day with a mileage total of 359 miles. 

 

MOTO TRIPPIN--SD, WY, CO DAY 7

Day 7 - Tetons

 

Hade a very good breakfast and headed out at 730am on a sunny day with temps in mid 50s.

Today I remembered to put sunscreen on my poor nose that has been beat-up bad by sun and wind.

 

Ten miles south of my motel in Idaho, I turned east and rode up Teton Pass.

I started at 6000 feet and the summit was 8600 feet and a mere 40 degrees.

This is a picture from the summit.  I was riding in the shadows on the way up and in the sun on the way down.  I saw several hot air balloons enjoying the morning over the pass, too.

Rode across the Snake River at the bottom and into Jackson, WY.  By staying 30 miles away I saved at least $200 in motel charges.  Jackson was crowded and traffic was heavy, so I just rode through.

I rode north from Jackson to Teton National Park, this is my first view of the Tetons.

 

 



I really enjoyed the ride through the park.  The views were spectacular!

This is Jenny Lake.  There were nice walking trails around the shores with lots of pines and spruce, great views, and places to set and wonder at the beauty of God's creation.

The meadows were beautiful, too!



This is the lake north of Jenny, I can't recall the name.  I saw some very pretty streams as well, but had to cull the pictures to 10 or less.

Last picture form Teton Park--this is an ox-bow lake.  Nice, huh?

 

I rode back south to Jackson, re-fueled the bike, and ate lunch.

I shed my jacket as the temps had reached 80 degrees. Headed southwest from Jackson, riding the scenic Snake River Canyon.  This canyon is a little bigger, road much nicer, and quite a nice number of miles.  I am so enjoying this day!

The white water rafters were out in full force!

Next I turned south and rode in the Salt River valley. So pretty and so green.  Every small town I passed through had a saddle and tack shop.  Most of the farms irrigated hay fields, the hay looked really green and weed-free.  I saw stacks of big square bales, preparation for winter.  There were horses in the fields at many ranches.  I saw fishermen working the stream.

After the Salt River valley, I rode up a pass in the Bridger National Forest, and then westward on the road above.  Went over one more pass, this one unique in that a train track paralleled the highway all the way, and I saw one train.  Just over the top is my stop for the day at Kemmerer, WY.

There was no rain, countless beautiful sights, great variety, and a tolerable 292 miles--maybe my best day so far!



MOTO TRIPPIN--SD, WY, CO DAY 6

Day 6 - Yellowstone

 

With a long day ahead of me, I opted to get on the highway at 6am this morning.

 

I was headed west towards Cody, the mountains, and Yellowstone!

It was a brisk 57 degrees and I watched the sunrise in my mirrors.

I saw a total of 3 other cars while I rode the 55 miles to Cody.

Gained 1000 feet in elevation in that time, and cooled a little.

Breakfast and  coffee in Cody then continued west.

First you ride through 3 tunnels, the last one almost 1/2 mile long, then you emerge to ride next to a beautiful mountain lake for about 5 miles, then continuing upward to a pass with elevation of 8600 feet, which caused to me to put on a bunch more warm clothing.  I'll tell you about the bandanna effect: when you put one around your next, it keeps the wind out from under your jacket, and you stay much warmer, even to the point of enabling me to just wear jeans and not chaps.  I'd rather wear a bandanna than chaps any day. I made a bunch of coffee stops today due to the chill.

 

That is one big, blue lake where the crater of the volcano used to be that created Yellowstone.

I proceeded to ride counter clockwise on what is known at the grand loop highway.  Yellowstone is a big place and it takes a long time to get all through it.  It is so big that I counted about 4 gas stations!

This is one of many bison I saw as I traveled along.  I also saw many deer, and one grizzly bear.  I'm amazed at how people stop their cars and go running with their cameras just to get a picture. I just kept going.

 

I saw so many beautiful sights that I lost track.  I saw lakes, rivers, mountains, valleys, canyons, geysers, mud pits, mineral formations, pine trees, and sulfur vents.

I didn't listen to the stereo today, just took in as much of the park's beauty as I could.

I saw a guy ride up on this chopper at a gas station.  You talk about old school and roughing it!  Reminded me of Peter Fonda in Easy Rider!  I don't think there was much "easy" about his trip, though, I think I had the easy ride.

This is one of my favorite spot to view up at the northern part of the park.

 

 

This is one of the meadows I saw, amazingly beautiful!

 

Found a good spot for a picnic lunch of jerky and chips.

Soon after taking this picture, without prior warning, I came upon road construction.  Waited for 15 minutes, then road along rough and muddy roads behind RVs and other city folks for about 20 miles, which took more than an hour.  During that hour I got rained on, too!

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You can see the storm clouds forming in this picture. 

 

The first chance I got, I bolted from the crowds and traffic and went west into Idaho, then south towards Driggs where I had a room reserved.  I got rained on one more time, but saw roads I hadn't seen before, and saw the western side of the Tetons.

 

Checked-in, started some laundry, washed my filthy bike, worked on my blog, and went out to eat a bison burger.  The 340 miles I road today were pretty tough, and I'm looking forward to the bed tonight.  Going to see the Tetons tomorrow, which I missed last time due to mechanical trouble.

 

 

 

 



MOTO TRIPPIN--SD, WY, CO DAY 5

Day 5 - Wyoming

 

Although it was 66 degrees at 7am when I hit the road this morning, the forcast was for hot weather later, so I opted for one of my favorite sleeveless shirts so I could work on my biker tan later.

And yes, I did ride through Spearfish Canyon one more time.  It was 50 degrees  in there, downright chilly--had my hat and jacket on for sure.  Was a very different ride today, in that I happened upon about 400 runners having some kind of race on the same road, the kind where they wear numbers and people hand them drinks every so often.  They sometimes took up more than one lane of the two lane road causing a few traffic jams.  I did good and only hit about 3 of them, but they all got back up.  Just kidding! It was 65 degrees by the time I got to the end on the canyon.

Next, I headed west on I90, riding 80mph again and making good time.

Then my old nemesis, crosswinds, showed-up.  I was advised by Mike Oberzan to relax and just "surf" the winds, and it worked!  Not nearly as bad, no white knuckles today.  I've also learned to not stack stuff so tall on the bike as to turn yourself into a sail (good luck Jim Marsh).  It is also just a bit annoying when they blow at just the right angle, they seem to blow right up your nose!

 

If you look closely at the above picture, you can see the mountains in the distance, which gives a rider something to watch and think about as they increase in size and you imagine yourself riding through them. I observed that the names of the towns in Wyoming all sound "western", like Sundance, Cheyenne, Buffalo, and Greybull.

 

It had warmed-up enough by 10 to shed the jacket and hat and begin working on that tan.

A bug happened to get inside my glasses, crawling around on the lens and annoying me, but you can't do much about it going 80mph except hope he doesn't find your eyeball!

Got off the Interstate at noon and headed up to the Big Horn Mountains.  This a view back from part way up, looking at the winding road I had ridden while approaching.

I continued riding upwards.  The winds must have increase by 25-30mph, and temp dropped 25 degrees.  I pulled-over at 8000 feet and put on the jacket and hat again.  I will never, ever travel without my leathers, just saying.  When it gets cold, they work so well and feel so good!

This one of the green meadows near the top.  There was a big sweeping curve coming up to where I took this picture, and it was so cool to watch other motorcycles come up the big curve.

I saw my first moose today, just hanging out eating some grass.  Saw people riding horses and four-wheelers, too.

The mountains on the downward side were more arid and dry.

I shed my jacket at the bottom and resumed tanning.

Stopped at the legendary Dirty Annie's, could anyone resist this roadside attraction!  I spent some money on a souvenir there, you can wonder if it was you?

 

Ran into a brief shower on my way to Greybull, didn't stop, just enjoyed the cooling drops of water!

Greybull is a town of about 1000, so I don't expect much but a good night's sleep here.

I rode 333 miles today, and have more than that ahead of me tomorrow when I ride into Yellowstone.