Safe Landing - Good to be Home

It was hard to get moving this morning, I was tired and just wanted to sleep. But I knew I had to get moving to get into Rocky Mountain National Park and down before the mass of Front Range motorcycle riders started their returns to home. And hopefully to get a jump on the tourists that would clog the park on a nice Sunday afternoon. I was on the bike and rolling at about 8:00 AM.

The ride out of Steamboat immediately starts up to Rabbit Ears pass. Although somewhat warm, by the past several days’ standard starts, I knew I would gain a lot of elevation quickly so I had on 3 layers. It was just right and I had a good ride up. I grabbed the photo of Muddy Pass this time, which I mistakenly passed 10 days ago.



Back into lower elevation, high speeds through the Kremmling valley, then another pass through Byers Canyon, and finally the turn to head to RMNP. Just before the park entrance, ran into the start of 15 miles of dirt road due to construction. The bike did fine, but the flying dust was nasty.

Riding through the park was not bad for a summer Sunday, but still a little slow. Saw some huge bull Elk in the park – the prolific flora from all the rain we have had has fattened the boys up nicely.

Stopped at the top for a quick break, then it was time for the trip down and home.



Once I started down, the temp started climbing. By the time I pulled into Estes Park, it was time to start shedding layers. Did that, and started down to Lyons. The up-bound traffic was solid, but our downhill group moved nicely until just short of Lyons. Millions of people driving about and the little town itself was a jam. I made it through and made the last right turn to head to Boulder.

Some tourist thought it would be fun to drive this long, straight stretch at 45 MPH in a posted 60 MPH zone – for all 20 miles. No way to pass the sea of cages ahead of me, so I just tucked in and slogged it home. It is good to be here. Total trip distance was 2,635 miles. I am one tired dude. Now time to recoup and get ready for the next adventure, which starts 2 weeks from today. Come back then…

A huge “thank-you” to all my friends who have kept me in their constant prayers the past 12 days. I was blessed with an awesome and very safe trip.

Steamboat Springs, CO - Weather Redemption!

Got up early this morning to make the 100 mile run to Rock Springs before the notorious Wyoming Westerly’s start for the day. Was loaded and rolling at 6:30 to a temperature of 40 degrees. I put on all layers, turned the grip heaters on high and hit the long, straight 100 mile road and almost made Rock Springs before the wind started. It wasn’t bad; I could still maintain 70+ MPH speeds all the way to town. I had to turn into the ever increasing west wind to head 6 miles west on I80, then turn south again for Flaming Gorge. I was soon out of the wind and kept sailing down a road I have driven several times and now got to run on the bike. It’s a different ride on the bike. I was amazed at how low I was seeing snow still in the surrounding hills as I motored down to the lake. It is June 27 and there is still snow at these low elevations!

I paid $3 for gas in Dutch John, UT, the highest price gas I have seen my entire trip.



The lake level is the highest I have ever seen it in the 15 years I have been around it. The bath tub ring is almost covered with water. If it holds, our Scout troop is in for a real treat next year when we return for camp.

The twisty ride into Vernal was very nice. Again no wind, a real blue bird day out there.

Made the turn onto US 40 in Vernal for the ride across the Colorado Roan plateau. This is 120 miles of mountain desert plains and I was worried what kind of heat and wind I would encounter out here. The temperature was absolutely perfect and I had a slight tail wind. Kept the speed up across there as well. My bike runs real smooth at 70 if wind is not a factor.

Entered the great state of Colorado today. It is always such a thrill to get into my home state, regardless of where my travels have taken me.




Stopped mid point across on that stretch for a nature break at a concrete latrine on the side of the road. There was a neat Colorado map display here, which, turns out, was a Boy Scout Eagle project. That kid did a lot of planning because the nearest town is 35 miles away.



Pulled into Craig, hungry as a horse. Found a local Mexican joint and packed my belly. I only had about 42 miles to go to get to Steamboat, so I figured I could stave off lunch coma long enough to get here.



The Yampa valley is beautiful and the riding was awesome.

About 150 or so miles to get home tomorrow. I get to ride over Rabbit Ears pass again then head into Rocky Mountain National park for a run over Trail Ridge Road, the highest, continuous, paved road in North America. I absolutely love that ride and it will be icing on the cake of a great adventure.

Photos are up...

OK, a boring afternoon waiting out the storms. Got the photos uploaded. Enjoy and please send comments.

Click here > Link to Photos See ya down the road...

Rained out in Pinedale, WY

After yesterday's long ride, my goal today was Rock Springs, WY. We woke early this morning, ready to ride. Looked out the window to total overcast skies. Grabbed the continental freebie, did the final nature breaks, suited up and it started drizzling. It turned into a steady light rain as we departed W Yellowstone, MT. We were capped out at about 45 - 50 MPH because of the road surface. Departure temperature was 53. We would ride to Ashton, ID (60 miles away) where I would part company with my ride partner of the past few days. Road conditions improved a little and we were able to get the speed closer to 60.

We pulled into a gas station in Ashton to fill the tanks and drain the willies. Had our hugs and said our good-byes and off we went. I headed east and south toward Jackson, WY. I was about 10 miles out of Ashton when the rain returned. The further I drove, the more intense it became. Rolling over Teton Pass got real interesting with heavy fog, fairly hard and steady rain, and declining temps from the elevation gain. The decent off the pass is 10% grade for about 9 miles and the pavement was shiny - not a good sign. God's grace grabbed a hold on my bike and got me down the mountain safely.

The road surface improved somewhat in Jackson and the rain slowed, but the north winds kicked up. I was able to get my speed back up and headed for Pinedale for gas. I kept looking at the clouds ahead hoping to see them getting lighter, but the opposite was occurring. It was very dark ahead and looked like a wall of water was awaiting my arrival. The temp was declining and I was needing a stop to add the last layer I had to my upper body. My grip heaters were on high and doing their job, but I was having serious doubts about how much longer my feet were going to hold up to the cold: why, oh why, did I not buy those electric socks last Winter???

About 15 miles north of Pinedale, the sky really opened to heavy rain and a lot of wind. Visibility was becoming a real challenge and the temp continued to drop. I finally rolled into Pinedale looking for gas. I rolled the length of town to check it out and water was flowing several inches deep across the main drag. One of the local Wyoming red necks thought it would be cute to see how fast he could drive his friggin truck right along side of me spraying water over me, head to toe, for about half a mile (but I stayed dry!). But those two punks are creations of the same God I worship all day long, so I kept just let them pass without offering them the salute they deserved. Funny as I rolled through town at 1:30 in the afternoon, every hotel parking lot is loaded with motorcycles! I found a nice room, was given an incredible "rain out rate" and have things warming and drying now. My gear held up perfectly! After getting settled, I checked the weather radar and agree with my decision to stop for the day! 5 hours in cold, windy rain are now on my list of "been there, done that."

Since I have some time this afternoon, I will try to work on my photos in Glacier and get some uploads later today. I will post a link here, if I have success. The 'net connection here is a little questionable. Weather forecast for the next couple of days along my route looks good. Let's hope it stays that way!

West Yellowstone, MT

After two evenings / hotels with no cell nor Internet coverage, we have safely arrived in W Yellowstone, MT, not where we thought we would be today. Daily ride reports follow below. No pictures this time, I am simply too tired to deal with the camera unload and blog placement. Stay tuned, after I get home I will post a link to a picture album. I scored a new camera the day before I left and have been having fun & frustration with it.

Tuesday, Livingston MT to E Glacier MT
Woke up to a chili 40 degrees, but completely clear sky. We were a little slow getting on the road this morning, finally rolling a bit after 9:00AM. Headed out of Livingston on I90 to catch our road north. Once on that small road, it was a lot of straight and flat with a slight breeze for a while. The longer we road, the stronger the wind got and the temperature was not coming up. It was a little boring but the farm / ranch country was lush with green.

We stopped after an hour in White Sulfur Springs, MT for breakfast at Dori’s café. A very small town café with excellent food and service and lots of hunting trophies on the walls. While there, two other riders stopped in and we all chatted. One was a guy from Austin, TX on his way to Fairbanks – solo. Another chap was a Canuck trying out our US national parks. We both added more clothing at this stop as it had taken copious amounts of hot coffee and sitting in a warm café to warm our bones. And I had 3 layers on already!

Not far out of town, we entered Lewis & Clark national forest. This was the highlight of today’s ride and it was beautiful. The road was incredible with a fair amount of soft twisties. No wind in here, which we were soon to discover, was a blessing. We passed a ski area that looked fun as well.

The road out of the forest climbed up on to the plains and the fun (not!) began. The wind came at our faces with fervor and stuck with us the next several hours. It got stiffer as the day progressed and we never saw another tree. Wide open plains as far as the eye could see and very strong winds in our face or to our side. Long, painful hours in the saddle – never thought we would finish our day.

We pulled a brief rest stop in an in-town rest area in Choteau, Mt. We spent a few minutes here talking to another Canuck rider on his way home from our parks. Funny, but here in town, not a bit of wind.

In Browning, MT, we stopped at the Plains Indian Museum for some real historical treats. Though small, the displays and historical data were amazing and stunning to the eyes. It was also nice to get off the bike for a brief spell.

Finally pulled into East Glacier, MT around 4:30 and found a funky little local place to hang out helmets. Got some refreshments, walked about town (all 3 blocks of it) and are ready to rest our weary bodies for another day. Tomorrow will be “tourist in the park”.

Wednesday, tourist in Glacier National Park
Both riders a bit tired, we slept in a little and hit the road about 9:00AM. Headed to St. Mary, MT down a nice, twisty road. Speed limit was posted at 25 MPH, but we motored on as best we could. No wind, clear sky, temperatures were coming up! It was a nice ride over.

Entered the east entrance of the park and were immediately presented with St. Mary Lake, a glacier lake 9 miles long and 400+ feet deep. Up into the park, we started seeing absolutely stunning mountain vistas. Although still the Rockies, these are entirely differently shaped hills than I see in Colorado – much steeper and more jagged. Lots of snow still up high, stunning scenery.

We drove in the east side about 13 miles to the road closure – the “Going to the Sun Road” pass through the park is still being plowed. Here we had to turn around and back track to East Glacier, MT, and take the south route around the park to the west entrance.

We entered the West Glacier entrance and headed up. The road stays flat in the valley floor for many miles. Upon entrance, one drives by Lake McDonald for miles, another glacier lake that is many miles long and very deep and narrow. Saw the McDonald Falls, which were incredible.

Finally we start the climb up the “Going to the Sun Road” and it is indeed an engineering marvel. Up and up until the road construction stop. We wait and chat with folks and finally get our turn to proceed. We were able to get a couple hundred yards beyond the Weeping Wall to the pass closure. Today is Wednesday; the entire pass will be open on Friday – foiled by 2 short miles of unplowed mountain pass. Guess this is all the excuse I need to return someday.

We road back to the west park entrance and found a very nice cabin to bunk up for the night, right on the Middle Fork of the Flathead river. We sat outside and enjoyed some malted beverages and called it a day.

Tomorrow we start heading south for homes. We get a full day tomorrow together and then part company on Friday, mid-day. I have a long way down to get home. Our bikes are running good. And today, for the first time since I departed Winter Park 6 days ago, it finally warmed up enough that I could turn off my grip heaters and remove the liners from my ride gear! You will never know how good both felt! For the first time since I left home 8 days ago, I actually got hot today in my gear. What a pleasant change!

Thursday - W Glacier MT to W Yellowstone MT
Our original plan for the day was to ride to Three Forks, MT, a distance of about 295 miles. It rained during the night and everything was wet when we got rolling, so I started with the rain gear on to prevent splash wetness and hold off the chill. It wasn't long before that gear came off as the sun emerged and there was no wind.

We headed out of W Glacier and entered the Swan Valley drive. This runs along several long, narrow glacier lakes through the forest for over 100 miles. The smells and sights were off the charts, the road was perfect and we moved fast. We stopped in the middle of nowhere for breakfast after 100 miles of riding in less than 2 hours. We made good time all the way to Helena.

In Helena, we realized it was only 1:00 PM and were about an hour from our planned destination. Maybe we could ride a little more in the day? As we were departing Helena on the east side, the Blue Angels were taking off right beside us and doing stunts immediately to our left. What an incredible feeling to be fast flying on the bikes and the "fast boys" were flying stunts right on the deck beside us!

As we turned south, the famous Montana winds came back to make our drive challenging. We finally reached Three Forks and took a break in a truck stop parking lot. The wind was blowing so stiffly that it almost knocked my bike off of its side stand! We waited out the worst of it and headed to W Yellowstone. The wind was fierce the whole way - mostly in our face. Hard to maintain speed and the handling was challenging. But we made 400+ miles for the day.

Tomorrow, after an hour of riding together, we split and head our separate ways. Will be a sad departure. My partner will be in his bed tomorrow night, I should be home Sunday.

Arrived in Livingston, MT, 2nd Day of Summer (yeah, right...)

Yesterday's report

Park City, UT to Jackson, WY
Got up to upper 30s temperature, storms were moving in fast from the south. My plan was to ride the Mirror Lake scenic road south out of Park City to Evanston, WY, but the weather looked terrible in that direction. On top of that, the pass would top out close to 10,000 feet, so the chance of snow was high. I decided to take Interstate 80 across and that was a good decision. Leaving my freind's house was a challenge as his drive way is ¼ mile of soft, gooey mud followed by about ¾ mile of semi-slick dirt to get to the pavement. Getting through that first ¼ mile was tricky and the bike got sideways on me 3 times and I thought I was going to drop the bike each time, but I just gassed it each time and the girl righted herself every time. My friend was following in his car in case I needed help with a dropped bike, and at the bottom, he congratulated me on some awesome saves!

I still had a lot of rain running down I80, but I could also see that immediately south were heavy storms and the winds were blowing hard from that direction giving me a stiff side wind to fight with. When the big rigs would pass me, their rear turbulence got the juices flowing good every time! Stopped in Evanston for gas, and then turned north. The rain picked up and the wind from the south grew fierce. The wind was nice as long as I was headed due north as it was right on my tail, but those occasional easterly side steps were nasty. I was in rain for a little over 2 hours. And it was cold! My gear held up perfectly and I was warm and dry for the ride. I went over Salt River pass in Wyoming and stopped for a brief rest and pictures.



The wind and elevation made one not want to stay there very long, so I started the decent heading toward Afton, WY. I stopped in Afton for gas and removed my rain jacket and glove overmits.



But not half hour later, I had to put them back on for yet another dose of rain, this time hard rain. But it was short lived and I soon found myself in the Snake River canyon. This is such a beautiful ride! I stopped for some pictures and removed the rain jacket and overmits again.



The temperature was finally warming into the mid 50’s, which felt nice. Pulled into Jackson at about 1:00 PM, grabbed a sandwich and checked into the hotel. My ride partner should arrive later this afternoon.

Today's Report

The day started cold and clear, but dry! The temps were in the low 40’s all morning. We gassed up in Jackson and headed for Teton National Park. The drive through that park was beautiful, as always. There is still a lot of snow on the peaks.



After an hour or so of riding, it was time for breakfast. We pulled into the Lake Jackson lodge for their buffet breakfast and enjoyed stunning views across the lake of the Tetons.



Bellies full, it was time to head north to Yellowstone. There was a fair amount of road construction leading into the park with a couple of long waits parked in the middle of the road. Inside the park, there was a surprisingly large volume of traffic; after all, it is Monday. It was still cold and the highway climbs up to the first of several crossings of the Continental divide.



We stopped and added even more clothing. There is still a lot of snow in the trees. We skipped all the park attractions as both of us have seen them several times. We were headed for the north park exit in Gardiner, MT. Another couple of road construction stops. I have never exited the park through the north exit, but I have now been through all of the park entrances. The north exit presented us with a stunning decent with some nice twisties which were “unfunned” by all the cages creeping down. We went by Mammoth Hot Springs heading down, which was very nice.



Here we saw a few elk walking down the hill. We both commented at an earlier traffic stop about how few critters we had seen in the park – 3 buffalo, no bears, no moose. Surprising, because it was so cold, we figured they would be moving about. After leaving the park, we stopped in Gardiner for a late lunch sandwich and mounted our trusty steeds



for the final 60 miles to Livingston. It was a stunning valley ride, fairly flat, a few tepid turns here and there. But the wind was ferocious! It was basically to our backs, but when it hit us sideways, it was definitely “game on”! We rolled into Livingston about 3:30 in the afternoon and started scouting for a hotel. What caught my eye was a Best Western offering secured, garaged parking for motorcycles! And here we are!

Tomorrow’s weather forecast is good and we hope to make around 300 miles, taking us to our most northern point in St. Mary, Montana. Stay tuned…

Safe arrival in Jackson WY

Internetless hotel - ride report later - much rain riding today - sending from my iPhone

Park City, UT

The decision last night to not press on to Roosevelt was a wise one. There was nasty weather all night in that direction. When I made the drive this morning, there was many miles of road construction with freshly oiled roads almost the entire stretch. Glad I waited!

Today was an absolutely beautiful ride. It was 43 degrees when I left and never really got warm until I arrived in the valley where Park City sits. Very little traffic, nice conditions.

I got to ride this beautiful route through the Ashley National Forest and the little town of Hanna, same route into Park City I road last year in drizzly rain. Today was bright sun. I stopped several times to grab some photos.

Just finished a fine steak dinner with a close friend that is putting me up the next couple of nights. No ride tomorrow. The weather forecast shows rain tomorrow, declining into Sunday. I hope it stays dry for the Sunday run up to Jackson.

Thanks for reading!

Safe Arrival - Vernal, Utah

I took off Wednesday, late afternoon, just as a quick sprinkle was falling from the sky above. But it looked like it was moving in from the opposite direction of my route. So time to go!



The first day was a short run to Fraser to spend a great evening hanging out with a couple of close friends. Up over Berthoud pass, down into Winter Park, then up CR50 to a bud's wonderful home for the evening.



As warm as it was on the front range when I left, it was a little chilly going over the pass. It is very pretty all the way across the pass due to all the Spring rain we have had.

Got up early this morning, hot coffee on the deck, some breakfast and finally on the road about 7:45AM. The sky has clouds here and there, but nothing looked too threatening at the moment. And it was cold, about 40! Down the dirt road to the highway in the cool, damp morning was thrilling. Jumped on US 40 in Fraser with today's goal being at least Vernal and maybe Roosevelt, UT. Beyers canyon was awesome on a bike!

Then I start climbing toward Rabbit Ears Pass.



It just keeps getting colder and I am starting to shiver on the bike, even though I have a lot of good gear on. I look around and see a couple of feet of snow on the ground in the trees. Nothing like driving through an ice box. Grip heaters are on high and I am ready to start dropping down the pass, hopeful for warmer, lower elevation air. Arrived to a fair amount of traffic in Streamboat Springs, but warmer air!

Once I departed Steamboat, I basically had the highway to myself as I headed west. But on the distant horizon were clouds north and south of where I was basically headed. The farther west I went, the bigger those storms got - and darker. Stopped in Craig for gas and a brief rest and kept heading west. Outside of Craig, I started getting into stiff northerly winds and the clouds were getting closer. When I pulled into Dinosaur, CO, I decided to pull into a little spot to go ahead and put my rain gear on as I knew I would not make it much farther until the wet started hitting me. While I am pulling on my gear, a friendly chap parks beside me and inquires of my route of travel. He had just come from Vernal and reported heavy rain. I am on the bike, ready to go when it hit and it was a heavy rain with a very strong wind front - right into my face. I looked to see I was next door to a deli and it was high noon, so I decided I would just stop for a sandwich and see how the storm played out. I got my hot sandwich and sat outside under their generous awning and filled my own tank. The wind was fierce...



So I finished my lunch, talked to some locals, and waited a bit. OK, the brunt of the storm has passed and I need to move. After all, it's only 31 miles to my potential destination (or an additional 30 more if I go on to Roosevelt) so I suit up and roll. It's still raining pretty good but I have a great road surface, which helped immensely. I only felt comfortable cruising in those conditions at about 55MPH - the wind was fierce, but I stayed warm and dry. My biggest fear was some crazy running up on me too fast to see me, but no mishaps or close calls.

I eventually found dry pavement but the sky in the distance was all black, all directions. Nope, not going to Roosevelt, pull into the Best Western in Vernal and call it a day. Lesson of the day: make dang sure you have quality rain gear! Like they say, if you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride. The forecast for the coming days indicates I will get to enjoy rain riding repeatedly.

ADVenture Ride 1 - Ready to Ride!

Tomorrow begins adventure ride 1. The goal is Glacier National Park. I am cocked and locked, ready to ride! The bike is ready, just came home from topping the tank.



I joined up with the Colorado Beemers recently and grabbed their "Pass Bagger 50" challenge book. This trip won't take me over too many Colorado passes (only 6 according to my maps), but, hey, it's a start. I have met a couple of the club guys via phone and this sounds like a good group to ride with, after my summer adventures.

I will try to keep this thing updated daily, where possible. Not sure of 'net connections everywhere I will travel, I am hoping for some remote cabins once I get way up north.

Pray for safety and that my trusty horse does her job to perfection. I love German engineering. Comments are welcome and enjoyed. Rubber side down!