Road Trip #2, Day 1 - Flaming Gorge - Colorado/Wyoming/Utah

July 15, 2010
Colorado, USA

Rock Springs, WY -- Road Trip #1 2010 was all about riding to see family and friends in Texas and Oklahoma. That was Memorial Day. The Ride was just over a month old at that time. We had a great visit.

Road Trip #2 2010 is all about riding roads we have not traveled to experience new places as they can only be experienced from the seat of a motorcycle. We chose to ride west (we usually do) and north.

We rolled out of the drive, trying not to wake the neighbors, just before 5 am. It was still dark and as most Colorado mornings are, a bit chilly. A cloud bank to the east delayed the sunrise for almost an hour. Tim pointed out the odometer read 6250.

Part of this first day of riding would be about getting our passports stamped at Harley-Davidson dealerships in Rock Springs, WY and Vernal, UT. So, this is the only day of our trip where the course was set. Arriving in Laramie via scenic Hwy 287N about an hour later, we pointed the ride west and rode across the southern Wyoming on I-80. Even with lots of sun, it was still a chilly ride. As usual on I-80 we were in the company of trucks, lots of trucks.

First stop was breakfast. We chose a truck stop in Rawlins and dined on the breakfast buffet at the Country Fare Restaurant. Tim loves a buffet and this was a good one. All the carbs and protein (and calories) one could possibly need... We actually had some fruit after all the other from the fruit bar. Tim arrived back at the table with his food piled high (I usually try to look like I'm not sitting with him when we go to a buffet - grin). Truthfully, my plate didn't look much better because everything was smothered in gravy. I'm a gravy girl.

Refreshed and satiated, we were ready to get on with our trip. We wanted to shed the leathers, but decided to ride to the next stop before doing that. Southern Wyoming is wide open and rugged, rolling hills dotted with rock outcroppings. All along the I-80 corridor, new snow fences are being erected. Travel along this route in winter can be quite treacherous - severe winter weather and winds that can cause a blizzard white out in a matter of minutes. Add to that careless drivers and it's a recipe for 70 car pileups. The area is sparsely populated, the towns are small, the roads long and winding and huge wind farms line the high ridges.

The next stop was Flaming Gorge Harley-Davidson in Rock Springs, WY which we found without any problem. It is large and spacious, situated in the middle of a shopping center. The day had warmed. We happily came out of the leathers as soon as we parked. The staff of this dealership was friendly. One of the women on the staff makes the leather goods they carry in one section, purses, half chaps and so on. Very nice! We got our passports stamped, had a cup of coffee and bought a bottle of bug cleaner/remover for the road. This H-D product works really well we've discovered.

After fueling up, we began the journey to the next dealership. This part of our ride would take us approximately 100 miles south on surprisingly scenic Hwy 191 (East Flaming Gorge Road). I say surprising because it was not designated as scenic and appeared on the map to be a ride through the flat lands. Nothing had prepared us for the beautiful ride we were about to enjoy.

We took our time and had the road almost to ourselves. We veered off course on a side trip down a road to Firehole Canyon (there's campground and lake at the bottom). Back on Hwy 191, we continued on through what is known as Clay Basin, stopping a couple of times to admire the view. Eventually we crossed Antelope Flat and the Utah border and rode across the Flaming Gorge Dam where we stopped at the Visitor Center to cool off, stretch and admire the lake. Here is what we learned while strolling through the exhibits. Western explorer John Wesley Powell found and named Flaming Gorge (because of the rocky red cliffs in the area) during his 1869 expedition. The dam is 502 feet high and 1180 feet long. The reservoir is 91 miles in length with 375 miles of shoreline.

Leaving the Dam area, we crossed a beautiful suspension bridge. The white arches of the bridge can be seen from several miles out. I learned later this bridge is called Cart Creek Bridge and crosses a portion of the reservoir known as Cart Creek Bay. The bridge was built in 1962, before the completion of the Flaming Gorge Dam (in 1964). It originally crossed Cart Creek before the bay was created.

The day was warming but cooled again as the road (still Hwy 191) climbed at first then descended rapidly down into Vernal in a series of 8% grades, sharp turns and switchbacks. Numerous signs line the roadsides reminding travelers how many switchbacks remain. The high mountain vista is outstanding in all directions, cliffs, mountains (Uintah), valleys, rock formations, lakes and more . We passed a phosphate mine on the way in. It was hot when we finally rode into Vernal, a busy, but pleasant town. The streets were lined with American flags and huge baskets of lovely flowers. We discovered it is home to the largest quarry of prehistoric Jurassic dinosaur bones. Dinosaur National Monument is about 20 miles east of Vernal. Vernal will warrant another trip, we decided. There looked to be several scenic loops in the area that need riding.

Arriving at Beers Harley-Davidson in Vernal, we were hot (it was about 100 degrees or so), sweaty and ready to find an ice cream. Of course, there was not ice cream at the dealership and apparently no a/c, but there was a water fountain with very cold water. While we were at the dealership, we checked at the parts counter and purchased the audible alarm for The Ride. That item was out of stock and on back order everywhere else we looked. We found ice cream at McDonald's down the street, cooled off and prepared ourselves for the next leg of our journey.

It was after 5 pm when we rolled out of Vernal. First, we would backtrack a few miles back up Hwy 191, grinning at the prospect of traveling through that same series of switchbacks we enjoyed on the way in. Soon we were riding west along Hwy 44 through Ashley National Forest. Just as the road turned north the most amazing view presented itself. The Red Canyon. Riding into and out of Vernal was fun. Riding this section of the gorge was a blast.

Soon we were cruising north along Hwy 530 (West Flaming Gorge Road), across high prairie, rugged caprock, rolling hills and flatlands with the waters of the Green River and the Flaming Gorge in sight over a good distance. We could see the other side of many of the rock formations and Firehole Canyon from earlier in the day across the valley.

Arriving in Green River, WY we cruised the town for a suitable motel, but there was no room at the inn - any inn. Undeterred, we rode twelve miles east on I-80 back to Rock Springs where a Super 8 sat just waiting for us to roll in. We parked the ride, called the Folks to let them know how the first day's ride went and washed 565 miles off. Later, we strolled across the street to an IHOP for a late supper, then walked over to a Walmart for the next day's water supply and not long after that we were tucked in and snoozin'.

Here's a slide show of Day 1 (105 photos). Enjoy!

Not all those who wander are lost...

July 15, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe. ~~ Anatole France

And that's what we're up to today and for the next few days... Road Trip #2 gets underway this morning... stay tuned...

Dad says ride safe and watch the heat...

Mom says never ride faster than your angel can fly...

Nasty bike... baaaaaad Ted

July 11, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- After Dad spent most of the day riding in the rain yesterday, the Folks cleaned up Dad's ride. Mom said it was crusty with road grime and filthy with red mud. YUK! Dad stripped it down and it took a good part of the day with both of them working at it to get it clean again. Mom's sort of a stickler for keeping Dad's ride clean and shiny... Bugs are one thing ya know - mud is quite another. I'm thinking he heard all about it while they were putting it to rights.

Scootin' around on the weekend

July 11, 2010
Colorado, USA

Saturday:

Fort Collins, CO -- We tried to stay close in to home this weekend and behave ourselves before heading out on vacation this coming week.

Work and Mother Nature helped out some in that regard. We had thunder and rain in the afternoon. Tim worked Saturday, so the after work ride was mostly scooting around so I could check out the new camera settings. We encountered stout winds north of town which is getting just a little too close to Wyoming I guess. We got tired of the wind pretty quick so we decided to answer the rumble in our bellies with a trip to the Pizza Hut. By the time we had finished off a large pepperoni pizza, the winds had died so we rode slowly home, enjoying the brisk evening air.

The Ride sitting in front of the house

Small lake near Fort Collins, smooth as glass

Terry Lake on the north side, a little rough

Sunday:

Fort Collins, CO -- Storms were forecast for later in the day, so about mid-morning Sunday we rode out for an over the dam and around the lakes ride. Horsetooth Reservoir was busy with people out enjoying the water and the campgrounds on the south end of the lake. A ride around no name lake at Chasteen Grove was great, beautiful weather, very little traffic. A ride around Carter Lake will wait until the fresh gravel they just put down settles so we altered course a bit and ended up at Sandstone Park (a favorite stop) in Lyons. There, we drank some thermos coffee and consumed a brownie.

Storms brewing as we ride along

Heading west toward Lyons

Vik in the park - Lyons, CO

Tim in the park - Lyons, CO

We noticed as we were riding into town that something was going on at RedHill Motorcycle Werx so we stopped by on our way back out of town. We lingered and shopped a bit and listened to some excellent live music. We found a couple of beanie novelty helmets and bought them. We were contemplating the BBQ when we heard a rumble from the little black cloud we had noticed earlier coming over the mountain. We rode out a few minutes later in a rain shower. It was damp for about five miles or so I guess before we rolled out from under it.

We lazily found our way home, watching storms brew on the horizons to the north and west and eventually east. The afternoon brought intermittent rain showers but not enough to keep us from throwing some taters and sausage on the grill and kicking back at the edge of the garage with a beer.

Storm over Lyons, CO - we just left there

As we ride home, storms to the north and east

We got a ride in both days and we're happy with that. Later in the week we will roll out for a six day ride and a couple of thousand miles or so... looking for roads we have not ridden and sights we have not seen. I have a new camera and plenty of memory... I may even tuck the laptop in somewhere... we will see... stay tuned....

Soggy riding in Texas and a freind goes down

July 10, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Dad (Ted) and friends rode out this morning under gloomy skies, hoping rain and storms would hold off until after they completed about a 100 mile benefit fun run out of Byers, TX. The benefit was to help a family who lost everything in a house fire.

Tim, Angie, Larry, Genevieve, Bud, Laura, Lisa, Tex, Ted & John

In the photo: Laura, Lisa, Ray, Ted

After what was described by all as an outstanding breakfast buffet at the Byers cafe, the group headed out on soggy roads to the other stops along the route. I was alarmed to hear from Mom about mid-morning that Laura went down on her bike on a curve near Lake Arrowhead Dam. Laura tells me she thinks she hit a rock (or maybe a slick spot says John who was following her) in the road. Both Laura and her ride took quite a tumble. We were relieved to hear from Laura the day after. She said she was very, very sore and stiff but was otherwise OK. The extent of the damage to her ride is yet to be determined.

We are very glad you are OK, Laura and hope you recover quickly from your aches and pains.

Those that finished the ride were mostly soaked by the end of it. Mom said Dad was soaked clean through and wore out when he came riding up in a downpour. The details of the ride and other photos can be found on John's North Texas Bikers Blog. Byers Texas Benefit Bike Run Photos in this post are compliments of John.

Happy Birthday Tex!

July 9, 2010
Colorado, USA

John Finally gets to Ride

July 7, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Our friend John has been laid up most of the year (it seems like all year) after foot surgery. John rides a Heritage Classic similar to our Old Ride that he had not had long before the surgery. So, that Harley (affectionately known as S.O. Significant Other) has been sitting patiently in the garage waiting for a rider. John, on the other hand (or foot) has not been quite so patient... it was really hard for him to sit out so many fine riding days in north Texas.


Finally, after months John received the all-clear to ride. So, this morning he met Dad and they rode a wide swath thru the area in and around Wichita Falls, Henrietta and Byers, stopping at Four Stars in Henrietta to say hello to friends and for lunch at a small cafe in Byers, generally having a good time.

We are happy to see you out and about John and are looking forward to riding with you on our next trip in. Thanks, as always for the excellent pics of Mom and Dad and all our riding buddies in that neck of the woods.


Ride safe. Ride free.

John takes great photos and writes an excellent blog called North Texas Bikers.

You'll find the post for this ride on John's blog.
Ted Gives Me a Check Ride Around Area July 7, 2010

High Country Independence Ride

July 5, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- It rained through the wee hours of the morning, so we were hoping, for once, the weather man would get it right. Blue skies and mild temps - that's what the weather man predicted. That was the sight out the window as we rose early this morning, day three of Independence weekend eager to get out and ride!

Riding out with temps in the low 50s had us pulling on leather jackets. The general idea was to eventually ride west and up in elevation today. Mild down here can be a bit chilly up there.

Enjoying the brisk morning ride, we rode for about an hour before stopping in the small town of Longmont at Aunt Alice's Kitchen for breakfast. Aunt Alice's is cafe style dining although it's a bit larger than a typical cafe. The decor is homey and somewhat dated, but nobody, including ourselves seems to mind. It is always packed with the locals and seniors and today was no exception. There was a good crowd present but we were seated immediately in a booth near the back and close to where the old farts club was holding court. This is our affectionate name for any group that has a designated table in any eating establishment - you know the ones I'm talking about, they sit with a proprietary air, observe all intrusions into their space warily, rarely look at menus and call the waitresses by their first names. We paid homage with a nod and a smile and ordered breakfast (chicken fried steak, hash browns and eggs for Tim, eggs and hash browns for me, pancakes for both of us and plenty of coffee). It was on the table in record time, hot, presented well with generous portions and tasty. The wait staff is friendly and efficient.

With such a good start to our day, we settled our new found plumpness on The Ride and steered it toward Denver. Tim wanted to check out a cycle gear shop. We found the shop, but they were closed for the holiday. We had figured as much, but at least we know where it is now.

Now, for the fun part. Before long we were riding in a westerly direction, passing through the small mountain towns of Morrison, Idledale, Kittredge and Evergreen, all bustling with post-holiday activity. Many Independence Day celebrations and fireworks shows were postponed yesterday because of heavy rains and rescheduled for today. We rode on through, remarking how many people were out and about. Both Morrison and Evergreen would be packed with motorcycles later in the day. I guarantee it. Bear Creek Canyon (Hwy 74) is always a fun, fair weather ride, twisting and turning under towering stone walls. It can be treacherous under other conditions. Our objective, since we were in the neighborhood, was to ride Mount Evans for the first time this year. The last time we visited Mount Evans was last Fall just as the Aspen were turning and the hills were awash with the unique color of Aspen gold. We rode the 2008 Heritage past clumps of new fallen snow that weekend.

The Mount Evans, (a fourteener, elevation 14,240) ride has two parts. You can ride all the way to the summit on the highest paved road in North America or ride on by past lovely Echo Lake and eventually down into Idaho Springs. One look at the crowd of cars, and motorcycles waiting to make the trip to the summit and we chose the latter route. We'll ride on up another time, on a weekday, when the road is less crowded. Echo Lake is usually a stop for us, but not today - too many people. Continuing along and mostly down, down, down scenic Hwy 103 we arrived to find Idaho Springs literally swarming with tourists. This is usually a stop for us as well, but we filled the tank with gas on the edge of town, stretched our legs and got the heck out of there! I guess we were feeling a bit anti-social today.

Peak-to-Peak was the question? Absolutely! The answer.

For the next leg of our journey, we would ride a couple of miles on I-70, temporarily breaking one of our Colorado riding rules. Never, ever, ever, ever, ride eastbound on I-70 on the back end of a holiday. True to form, the traffic was stacked up near the merge coming up on the Twin Tunnel. We could not get off of I-70 quick enough and were happy to see the sign for the Central City Parkway.

Central City Parkway is approximately 8.5 miles of pure riding pleasure. The road is a four lane and travels up in elevation fairly quick. It dumps you out right smack in the heart of the small, historic gambling town of Central City. The Central City/Blackhawk area is busy because of the casinos but the architecture and evidence of mining history is interesting as well. The hills and steep roads are dotted with structures (house, mines, mine tailings, businesses) that date back to the mid-to-late 1800s. We always think we will stop and put a quarter in the slot, but we never do. The roads have a stronger pull for us whether driving or riding. We figure one of these days we'll get stuck there and maybe - just maybe. Ha!

We rode part of the Peak-to-Peak on HOG Million Mile Monday in late June in short sleeve t-shirts. Today, even though we rode under sunny skies, we were comfortable in leather jackets.

The Peak-to-Peak Highway, a designated scenic by-way, basically runs between Blackhawk/Central City and Estes Park, CO. Along about 55 miles, you will travel canyons, mountain passes, through forests and high mountain valleys from I-70 to Hwy 119 to Hwy 72 and finally along Hwy 7. There are several rustic roadside restaurants and lodges along the way as well as small towns, Rollinsville, Ferncliff, Allenspark, Nederland, Meeker Park, all with unique histories. There are sights to see, towering mountains (Mount Meeker, the Twin Sisters, Longs Peak), Lily Lake and other lakes, wildlife, the Old Rock Church (aka Saint Catherine's Church) and did I mention mountains? Also, there are enough twisties, curves, inclines and descents to keep it interesting.

OK, enough with the travel log... Nederland is one of our favorite stops along this route. Today, it was just too crowded so we rode on, stopping once at the Mount Meeker pull off and again at the old rock church to stretch our legs and for a photo op. We met a nice man at the old rock church who offered to take our photo. He commented on The Ride and said he was sorry he didn't ride his motorcycle up there today.

The Ride - Peak-to-Peak - Mount Meeker

The Old Rock Church aka Saint Catherine's

The rest of the ride was down from Estes Park into the small town of Lyons, where we finally stopped and stripped off our leather jackets. Eventually we found our way home via a lazy, no rush route along country lanes we travel often.

After cleaning 275 miles of road grime off, we put a nice polish on the weekend with a great meal at Ruby Tuesdays and a couple of margaritas.

It took approximately 625 flag-flying miles and three days to celebrate 234 years of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness otherwise known as Independence - Harley-style. We had a blast doing it!

Along the way we passed 6000 miles on the odometer of The New Ride... before it is three months old... lots more riding to do this summer... stay tuned.

Photo slide show follow (86 pics). Again, my apologies for the quality of some of the pics. I didn't realize quick enough my trusty little Canon Power Shot camera was taking some of its last photos this weekend...

Happy Birthday Independence Ride

July 4, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- After a somewhat soggy start to our morning, we rode out under gray skies looking for signs of patriotism and figuring we'd share a little of our American Pride with Ol' Glory flapping in the wind behind us.

We hoped Mother Nature would cooperate for a little while. Our excursion didn't take us far from home as we put in about 100 miles in a wide circuitous ride around Fort Collins through small town America and down country lanes, past farm, ranch and dairy lands.

We found evidence of Patriot Pride everywhere we rode today and we were happy to see it. I'll usually snap a pic of a flag or two when we ride along. Today I snapped a few more than usual flag pics.

Here is an interesting observation: We found flags flying from every kind of dwelling you can imagine (motor homes, trailer houses, humble dwellings, farm houses, barns, garages, small businesses, churches and immaculate turn of the century homes). We found flags flying from fence posts and stuck in planters and wreaths and all sorts of other places. We saw flags painted on buildings. We saw other motorcycles riding along with flags flying from sissy bars and luggage racks and displayed on windshields. We saw patriotic bunting draped under windows and on porch rails. We saw patriotic plantings of red, white and blue flowers and glimpsed an Uncle Sam or two. But, of all the flags we saw today we found the greatest number in rural and small town America and the least number in affluent neighborhoods and at the mini-mansions along the way. I can't help but wonder that the people who prosper the most from the benefits of the freedom we enjoy in the USA are those least likely to appreciate it openly. And that's as much of rant as you'll get out of me today...

We purchased a watermelon in a small market on the way home (Tim was delighted it fit in the tour pak along with the helmets) and we stopped for ice cream along the way before resigning ourselves to the fact that we had used up all our luck for today. We rode in under ominous skies about half an hour before it came a good ol' frog strangler.

The slide show follows (50 pics): My apologies for the quality of some of the pics in the following slide show. I didn't realize quick enough my trusty little Canon Power Shot camera was taking some of its last photos... I can't imagine why it would quit taking pictures and simply fall apart after 18 months, thousands of pictures and over 25,000 miles on the back of a motorcycle in all sorts of conditions - can you?

Dad & Mom celebrate 4th in small-town Texas

July 4, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Mom (Nezzie) and Dad (Ted) celebrated the 4th in small-town Texas today. Dad rode with friends in the parade in Windthorst, TX. Mom tells me they had a great time socializing and watching the kids go by on decorated bicycles and in wagons and strollers. They ate watermelon the old-fashioned way - no utensils.

Here is a slide show: Photos Compliments of Nezzie.