In search of gold in them thar hills... (part 2)

September 27, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Sunday - The morning found us celebrating blue skies and warm temperatures again. Of course we were going to ride - what else? The question was - where to and for how long. The answer? Who cares?

The first part of our ride took us over the dam. We thought we might ride Rist Canyon, but as we neared the entrance to the canyon we agreed the day was too nice to waste on a short ride. Why not opt for a longer ride? Why not indeed! How about Poudre Canyon to Walden and beyond? OK!

I know. We have no discipline whatsoever, once we hop on The Ride. The wind on our faces erases all thoughts for anything other than where the road will take us next.

We followed the scenic, climbing, winding road that follows the river up to the country known as North Park. The weather was perfect. The Fall foliage was spectacular. Once again we found of wealth of Mother Nature's annual gift of gold.

Stopping for 50 cent coffee at Sportsman's Lodge is an old habit. The folks at the lodge are always friendly. Better yet, the coffee is always on and always fresh.

We stopped before reaching the pass to pull on our leather jackets. There was snow at the top of Cameron Pass and the wind we encountered up there was chilly. The summit is 10,276 feet in elevation. We stopped once again at the Moose Center for a brownie snack and thermos coffee.

As usual, we encountered a stiff westerly wind after we topped off the tank with gas in Walden. After a few miles riding north, the road east through King's Canyon to Laramie, WY was more pleasant.

A traffic jam had traffic stopped on I-80 in Laramie. We learned from another biker that there was a wreck on the bridge and all traffic was being diverted, a good bit of it to Hwy 287 which was the route we would travel back to Fort Collins. The road was much more crowded than usual, including trucks, but we made the ride in without incident.

Today we arrived home in time to cook chicken fajitas on the grill before dark. Add a couple of beers to that and well, the verdict on the day was damn fine.

Total mileage = 236 miles

And here's the mini-movie:

Search for Colorado Gold Ride – September 2009

In search of gold in them thar hills... (part 1)

September 26, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

We spent the whole weekend traveling the high country north, south and west of here, enjoying blue skies, warm weather, Fall color and snow. Yes snow, the first of the season.

Saturday - Finally! Blue skies! After a rainy, cold, dreary first week of Fall we were ready for a warm weekend. We rode out about mid-morning in hoodies that were too warm here in the city but we knew as soon as we ventured away from the city onto more open roads, the sweaters would feel great.


As usual, we didn't have a plan set in stone although we had discussed the road up to the small town of Ward as one we had not traveled since we acquired The Ride. So as we wound our way on country lanes in the loose direction of Lyons we had that ride in mind.

We stopped for gas in Lyons after sitting in music festival traffic for a spell. We hadn't known about the festival or we would have considered another route. Lyons music festivals draw huge crowds partly because of its close proximity to Boulder and Denver. Add to that people passing through on the way to Estes Park or the high country and now you have a mountain traffic jam. We got out of there as fast as we could.

The road to Jamestown and Ward runs west of Hwy 93 about halfway between Lyons and Boulder. We had forgotten how much fun and how scenic the steep, winding road is. Jamestown sits off the Ward road on about a three mile dog-leg. The paved road ends just outside the town limits. We rode on up anyway to have a look around before riding back down and up to Ward which sits near Hwy 7 (also known as the peak-to-peak highway). Both Jamestown and Ward are tiny, secluded, close-knit mountain communities. Ward, in particular is very interesting in that most of the architecture is old, some of it dating back to the mining era I'm sure. Some of the housing is typical of what one would believe hippie-style commune living was/is like. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if some do without the luxury of indoor plumbing. I'm fairly certain at least some of the residents of Ward have been up there since the hippy-sixties. Old vehicles line the roadside. Whether most of the vehicles run or not is debatable. Judging from the overall state of neglect - it's doubtful. They live a different life-style up there where the harsh conditions of winter in the high country makes traveling very far extremely difficult if not downright impossible. This is a good road with lots of twists and turns and steep grades. The view from every vantage point is spectacular.

We had ridden the peak-to-peak highway just last weekend, but today we had sunshine so the aspen gold shining on the mountainsides was more spectacular. And now, thanks to last week's cold front, we had snow glistening on the highest peaks of the Rockies.

The day was gorgeous and warm. Soon we reached the junction of the Ward Road and Hwy 7. Reluctant to head in the direction of home, we rode in the opposite direction to Nederland, justifying the choice with the idea that we needed coffee and Jackpot cookies from the New Moon Bakery and Cafe. We visited at length with a couple from Black Hawk who were on a Spyder parked just outside the bakery. A Spyder is a vehicle with two wheels in front and one in back - a reverse trike of sorts. The woman explained her husband is crippled and has no feeling in one of his legs. He rode motorcycles in the past, but with his disability had not been able to ride for nearly six years until this vehicle came along a couple of years ago. I don't know if all of them are this way, but this particular Spyder is semi-automatic with a reverse - all hand controls. It is the first time, we've seen one up close - and we think it is a pretty clever design.

Still far from being ready to call it a day, we rode once again to Black Hawk and Central City where after exploring a couple of dead ends, we travelled the newly discovered Central City Parkway to Idaho Springs just opposite of what we did last weekend. In Idaho Springs which sits just off I-70, we stopped for coffee and a stretch. The town was busy as usual. We managed to ride out of town before succumbing to the lure of Beau-Jo's Pizza.

It was a bit late in the day to begin another mountain ride, but nearby Mount Evans beckoned and we dutifully answered the call. Mount Evans was a favorite picnic drive when we lived in the western suburbs of Denver a few years back and we enjoyed every minute of it on the motorcycle. It was cold near the highest point of the road, but not cold for long enough to make us put on our leather jackets. The road to the top of Mount Evans is closed after Labor Day because of snow, but the road around Mount Evans passes by scenic Echo Lake where we stopped for a photo op, including a couple of shots with a curious duck. The road continues over Squaw Pass where we stopped by our favorite picnic spot and scenic overlook. We picked up snow in this area right up to the road edge. We knew we would. We followed the scenic road, now veiled in shadow all the winding way to Evergreen and eventually down into Morrison. Both Evergreen and Morrison were bustling with people gathering for the robust night life both cities offer.

We wound our way down side roads (some familiar, some not) of the western suburban area of Denver for most of the ride back to Fort Collins. It was well after dark by the time we reached the city limits. We rounded out a great day with pasta and bread sticks at the Pizza Hut.

Today's total mileage = 274 miles. I shot some video. A mini-movie can be found on the post for part 2 of this ride (the next post).
Here's a slide show...

Peak to Peak Fall Color Ride

September 20, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Motorcycles ruled the high country roads today... all of us eager to get a good ride in before a cold front brings who knows how much snow to the Rockies. It's time. In northern Colorado, we normally get a couple of inches of the white stuff in the month of September. The mountains usually see enough snow around Labor Day to close the highest roads and temps drop low enough for the ski resorts to start making snow.

We rolled out of the drive about mid morning. It was warm enough to start out in hoodies. There wasn't much discussion about where we were headed... west and up being the general idea. Tim pointed the ride south to Loveland and west toward Estes Park. At Drake, we veered off the busier, more direct route and travelled the roundabout way up via Devil's Gulch.

As we rode along, we could see the clouds building. By the time we reached the Visitor Center on the east side of Estes Park and swallowed a cup of coffee, clouds had darkened considerably and began to roll over the Rockies. I can't remember how many times we've been chased out of Estes Park this year by clouds. We ran in and out of cloud cover for the rest of the day.

Motorcycles, bicycles and four wheel vehicles lined the shoulder of Hwy 7 where the pine trees open up to what is an astounding view of gold winding up and around the sides of mountains like yellow gold garland on a Christmas tree. People were armed with cameras in all shapes and sizes, trying to capture Mother Nature's short-lived gift. The gold, of course is aspen and once the weather cools, aspen turns quickly at high altitudes. We call ourselves lucky on this Fall color ride, because the aspen were just beginning to turn.

As usual on this trip, we stopped in Nederland for a rest and the nourishment a cup of thermos coffee and a brownie-snack can provide. Tim disappeared for a few minutes when he went to dispose of our wrappers. He came back with this odd grin on his face. When I asked him what was up, he said some Eurasian tourists had stopped him to take a photo. He thought they wanted him to take a picture of them. Actually, they wanted him to pose for a picture. They wanted a photo of a real American biker for their scrapbook. We got a good laugh out of that...

We continued on our ride past Wondervu (yes, it really is a wondrous view) to the gambling towns of Black Hawk/Central City. As we went down the canyon past Black Hawk (after 11 years, we are still saying we'll stop and gamble some day), Tim wondered again where the Central City Parkway tied in. We had heard about the parkway that connects Idaho Springs (on I-70) to Central City, but we had never ridden it. I suggested we ride the few miles to Idaho Springs and ride the parkway back. We did that very thing and have found a new, favorite high road. Great views of the I-70 corridor and old mine architecture dot the way. It didn't take long to make that little side trip, but it was long enough for the clouds to nearly catch up. We decided to skedaddle out of the canyon which is lined with signs that warn - in case of flash flood climb to safety. Ha!

Before long we found ourselves on the outskirts of the Denver metropolitan area and hungry. There wasn't much discussion about where to eat. The Ride knows the way to Jose O'Shea's. All of our vehicles know the way to Jose's. We could find our way to Jose's in a blackout. We enjoyed cream cheese chicken enchiladas and all the trimmin's. No margaritas - even though we were sorely tempted.

The ride home was uneventful although the clouds were making a nuisance of themselves. We remarked on pumpkins and the nodding heads of sunflowers in the fields and the number of geese that have returned. We have geese all year round in Colorado but migrant geese invade the area every fall and winter. The cold front was knockin' on the door and the skies were spittin' as we traveled the last few miles toward home.

This ride was about 210 miles of great scenery and pure fun.

Nine Days. Five States. 2035 Miles.

September 16, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Oh yeah - we had a great time riding over a rather extended Labor Day weekend. We started with a rally, went in search of little green men, encountered the witch of Endor, surprised the folks in TX, got some kicks on a portion of route 66, followed the yellow brick road, got wet a few times and nearly drowned at least once. LOL!

Posts and pics are coming. I'll post links here as soon as I get them edited.

September 5, 2009 - Day 1 - Thunder in the Rockies and the ride south is posted.

September 6, 2009 - Day 2 - Riding through New Mexico in search of little green men is posted.

September 7, 2009 - Day 3 - Riding into Texas to surprise the folks, meeting up with Dad - Hi Mom! is posted.

September 8, 2009 - Day 4 - Visiting with the folks and a trip to Red River Harley-Davidson

September 9, 2009 - Day 5 - Visiting Grandma, lunch with the folks and Tina gets a ride on the Harley

September 10, 2009 - Day 6 - Riding with Dad, Supper with the Folks at McBride's

September 11, 2009 - Day 7 - The road home from Texas, through Oklahoma (Route 66 Museum) to Kansas

September 12, 2009 - Day 8 - The road home from Liberal, Kansas (Dorothy's House) to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

September 13, 2009 - Day 9 - The road home from Colorado Springs with a quick ride through Red Rocks Park

This rundown post is finished. What a great ride!

Labor Day Ride and More - Day 9

September 13, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

A Comfort Inn in Colorado Springs is where we called home for the night after riding into a storm late yesterday afternoon on our way home. The day dawned cold and gray although it was no longer raining. After lingering over a good Continental Breakfast and hopefully allowing the day to warm a little, we loaded the bike and pointed the ride north on I-25 toward Denver. The clouds lifting and rolling across the Rockies looked ominous, but as we cleared the Parker Divide near Monument they began to clear. By the time we reached Denver we were cheering blue skies and sunshine. We celebrated by having a couple of donuts and coffee at Krispy Kreme Donuts just off C-470.

Since the day was looking great, we ventured off the highway toward Red Rocks Park near Morrison. We rode the park and got off for a stretch, admiring the hazy view from a high point. The park staff was busy making preparations for some sort of event at the amphitheater, slated for later in the day. We rode Hwy 93 out of Golden, through Boulder and home. The closer we got to home, the worse the clouds to the west looked. We rolled into our driveway just as the first few drops of rain fell.

After unpacking the bike and calling the folks to let them know we had arrived safely home, we treated ourselves to Serious Texas BBQ for supper.

What a great trip. Nine days, Five states. 2035 miles.

Last day of a long ride...

Happy Birthday John!

September 13, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Labor Day Ride and More - Day 8 - Almost Home

September 12, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

We were up early. Today's agenda - ride home. Unless... the weather turned good in Colorado - then, we might take the long way home. Ha! But first, we agreed to start the day with a good breakfast. So, we walked in the brisk morning to the Pancake House we spied last night. What a pleasant surprise! The atmosphere was right out of a childhood memory of Sunday morning trips to the Pancake House with the folks. We had a good ol' country style breakfast with delicious buttermilk pancakes served up hot and tasty. The menu offered pancakes in dozens of different flavors. The coffee was good, the service was excellent and the prices so reasonable, we had to double check the ticket. It was busy (appears to be a favorite with locals) when we arrived although we didn't have to wait to be seated. By the time we left, the line was getting long.

We returned to our motel (which was a little on the cruddy side - but clean), loaded the bike and rode across the street to Dorothy's House. I have long been a fan of the Wizard of Oz so finding this attraction as we rode into town last night was a fun surprise. The park includes a yellow brick road and a house that was donated in 1907 which is allegedly decorated with antiques and memorabilia from the movie's era. The house was not open for viewing so we only saw the exterior. Out front, stands a bronze sculpture of Dorothy holding Toto. Scattered along the yellow brick road are hand-painted images of Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. No sign of Glenda, the Wicked Witch of the West or flying monkeys... sigh... which is as it should be I suppose. Adjacent to the house is a Munchkin Playground. The gift shop facility is shared with a historical museum. Of course, I had to have a souvenir. I purchased a pin for my vest and a tee shirt that says Don't make me break out the flying monkeys... Ha! Can you guess which WOZ character is my favorite? Liberal hosts an annual event called OZ-Fest the first week of October. At least one of the original munchkins or stars from the movie along with the grandson of L. Frank Baum (author of The Wizard of Oz) are scheduled to appear. There are parades and live performances. Looks like fun!

Dorothy's House, Liberal Kansas

Before riding out of town, we stopped at Liberal Harley-Davidson. It was a nice dealership with a friendly staff. We roamed through looking at the bikes and tee shirts but didn't splurge on anything new.

The morning was chilly and damp so we shrugged on the leather jackets. We rode due north on Hwy 83 to Garden City, KS. We stopped once along the way at a truck stop (can't recall exactly where that was) where we visited at length with a friendly trucker from Lubbock, Texas but who lived in Alabama and rode a Harley. He asked about riding through Colorado on the way to the Grand Canyon in a few days. We advised the southern route and warm gear. Tim pulled on his full-fingered gloves at this point. It began to rain so we hustled on out of there. We didn't tarry in Garden City, stopping only for gas and a cup of convenience store coffee. I pulled on my full-fingered gloves at this stop.

The next part of our journey took us west on Hwy 50 through small Kansas and Colorado towns. It was 69 degrees when we rolled into Lamar, CO. The clouds broke and the skies had lightened and we had intermittent sunshine. We were hoping for good weather the rest of the trip. We stopped in a cafe for a light lunch. After a right out of the can meal for Tim and soup and salad for me, both of us were thinking we could have managed with a candy bar and it likely would have tasted better. Oh well!

As we rode on through the small towns of Las Animas, La Junta and Rocky Ford toward Pueblo, the darkening western skies dashed our hopes for a fair weather ride. This is farm country. Lots of produce stands dotted the roadsides. Having stopped for gas at a tiny spot in the road called Swink, we had no need to stop anywhere other than the rest stop on the north side of Pueblo. The skies looked bad, but we thought we might just make it to the Springs. We did not. Clouds were rolling over Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain faster than we could ride. About six miles out, the temperature dropped and we hit a cold, hard, drenching rain and wind.

We got off at the first exit that advertised hotels and checked into the Comfort Inn. We dripped our way across the Lobby in soggy leathers basically terrorizing a gathering of Shriners and their ladies all dressed in evening attire. No matter to us. We had a nice, comfy, warm room on the third floor. Better yet, the night clerk allowed us to park the Harley under the awning and we could see it from our room.

After drying out some and calling the folks, we ventured back out into the rain for a brief walk to the Village Inn where we had a bowl of chili and brownie pie with ice cream for dessert. Afterwards, Tim prepared a cup of hot chocolate for me in the room and we chose Angels and Demons off the pay-per-view menu for our evening entertainment.

It rained hard, all night, but The Ride was cozy under the awning and its rain cover. We rested well.

Today's mileage was 343 miles.

From Liberal, KS to Colorado Springs, CO

Labor Day Ride and More - Day 7 - Kansas

September 11, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Dad bought donuts and we had coffee before reluctantly saying our goodbyes to the folks. We began our journey back to Colorado about 9 am, having decided to give ourselves a couple of days and one to spare to get home. As it turns out - that was a wise move.

Leaving Wichita Falls, we rode by Red River Harley-Davidson where they were busy getting ready for this weekend's open house. We rode out under gray skies. The forecast for Texas did not look encouraging and we hoped to put some distance between us and the approaching storms. We made it to Altus, OK before darkening skies run us into a Walmart just as they opened and let fall a deluge. We hung out in the Walmart for a while, had a cup of coffee, bought a shamwow (to wipe the bike down when the rain subsided) and loitered in front of the store. We talked with lots of friendly Okies about the rain, our trip, the Harley and so on... I called the folks to check in. Mom said the clouds were moving from east to west (what the heck!) and advised when we saw a break in the clouds to move on. About half an hour later, we did exactly that.

It wasn't long before we rode up under more rain, but it wasn't as heavy as what fell back in Altus. We had planned to stop by and explore Quartz Mountain Park that morning, but didn't like the looks of the clouds rolling over the mountain. We got the heck out of there. The skies spit on us for most of that segment of the trip. I didn't break the camera out again until we rolled into Elk City, OK where we stopped for gas and a bite to eat at Braum's.

On a quick ride through looking for a gas station and a place to eat, we spotted a really nice park, what looked like a heritage village and a Route 66 museum. After burgers and shakes at Braum's we decided to linger and go through the Route 66 Museum. What a fun place! I've always thought it would be fun to ride what's left of Route 66 and see the history since Dad mentioned last year that a portion of it runs through Amarillo. Now, I want to do that even more.

The entrance building houses a movie theater, gift shop, and several automotive displays including some really nice vintage motorcycles. I got a good photo of the 1948 Indian Chief but because of the glare on glass didn't get good photos of the 1965 Harley Electra-Glide, 1958 Cushman Scooter or the 1946 Harley-Davidson El Model. The Route 66 part of the museum was fun and informative with motion-activated narration of each segment. Along one side of the museum is a series of store fronts including a malt shop and a filling station where you can pull your classic car or motorcycle through for a photo op. On the same grounds is the large Old Town Museum complex which houses many vintage and replica buildings depicting the pioneer lifestyle, including an old school house, the first wood house built in Elk City, a church and more, most with an excellent collection of memorabilia. We really enjoyed wandering through it all, but kept a watchful eye on the skies...

We rode out of Elk City heading north toward Liberal, Kansas thinking if the weather allowed that's where we would stay the night. The roads through that part of Oklahoma are long and straight and go on for miles and miles and miles. There were acres and acres of wild sunflowers and other wildflowers in bloom and other than a random farm house or so, very little else to catch the eye. We stopped at what has to be the loneliest rest area on the face of the earth, even though it was at a junction of two roads. We had been on the one road so long, Tim pulled out the map just to be certain we hadn't missed a turn somewhere. Ha!

As we rode through Shattuck, Oklahoma we enjoyed the sight of a large windmill museum in a park right on the road. The tiny town of Gate in the panhandle of Oklahoma was interesting in that it was home to just over 100 people and had a good many murals depicting life in the old west painted on the buildings and fences of the entire town. I would have liked to linger there to admire the art and learn about the artist, but our daylight was waning fast so we rode on through.

We rolled into Liberal, Kansas about dark-thirty. We travelled the length of the main drag before selecting a motel that was in walking distance of a restaurant that advertised catfish. After freshening up a bit, we walked down to the restaurant where I had catfish and Tim had Mexican food. The town must be a trucking hub because there were diesels everywhere. We also spied a pancake house, a Harley-Davidson dealership and across the street from our motel was a park called Dorothy's House. As in, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Oh boy! We agreed we would do all those things tomorrow before hitting the road home.

Today's mileage was 348 miles.

The Route 66 Museum and Old Town Museum Complex

The trip from Texas through Oklahoma to Kansas

Shattuck Windmill Museum

We will never forget

September 11, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Labor Day Ride and More - Day 6

September 10, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

This has been a great visit with the folks... we like having them all to ourselves. Today, I pulled on my boots and said to Dad and Tim, who were having coffee outside that we were wasting daylight. Let's ride. Ha! We were trying to figure out which direction to head when Mom suggested a ride to the Jolly Truck Stop for breakfast. Great idea and a perfect start to the day! Thanks, Mom.

So, we rode Hwy 287 to Jolly and had a tasty down-home style breakfast at the Jolly Truck Stop Restaurant. A good many years have gone by since the last time we [Tim and I] stopped at Jolly for a meal. They have updated a bit, but the overall comfortable atmosphere is the same. Dad and his biker buddies eat at Jolly often. According to our waitress, Tim's pancake was a bit puny. The cook must be having an off-day, she said, they usually hang off the plate. Somehow he made do.

Dad asked if a dam ride in Texas would be OK? Well, yeah. We decided to repeat the ride Dad and Tim did yesterday around Lake Arrowhead. Again, it's been a long time since I had been out to Lake Arrowhead. I had forgotten much of it. Although it promised to be a hot day, the morning was fine for riding and the road was fun. The best part was riding with Dad of course, but the road snakes lazily through the Texas countryside, undulating over small mesquite-covered hills, crossing mostly-dry creeks and winding around the lake with several sharp turns and some good twisties. I had forgotten the sight of oil derricks rising like skeletal pyramids out of the glassy lake. We enjoyed every minute of it.

We stopped about half way through at the spillway which was a perfect place for a photo op. It smelled like Texas - musky and dry and prickly - of mesquite and johnson grass. It felt like Texas - warm and humid with the last of a tepid morning breeze brushing across the back of my neck. It sounded like Texas, the whir and snap of grasshoppers in the tall, dry grass and the sound of wheels on asphalt reaching my ears long before a vehicle rolled into sight. Tim pointed out several large turtles just below the surface of the water. I know, big deal - turtles. We don't see turtles up this way.


The ride back into town took us by my other brother's workplace. We visited for a bit with Kenny and John before heading back to the house.


Mom had plans for supper. We would be dining at McBride's Land and Cattle Company. What had been clear skies, turned troubling in the late afternoon. It came a frog strangler just as we headed out to McBride's. The rain was a welcome sight as this is the dry season in those parts. We had a nice supper (the food is always excellent at McBride's) and a good visit afterwards.

Here is the mini-movie I made of our ride with Dad.

Dam Ride with Dad in Texas – September 2009

Labor Day Ride and More - Day 5

September 9, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Today - an anomaly to some - just another day to others. It is 9-9-2009.

Just us and the folks... we lingered long over our morning coffee and conversation.

Today was visit Grandma day. Grandma is 98 years old and lives in Henrietta, Texas. Mom and I arrived before lunch to surprise Grandma. It took her a few seconds to know me and believe it was actually ME her oldest grand daughter - standing in front of her. She could hardly believe I had come all the way from northern Colorado on a motorcycle to see her. We had a great visit.

Mom and Grandma.

Me and Grandma.

Before meeting up with the guys for lunch, we stopped by work to say a quick hello to my Aunt Alice. Tim and Dad had ridden to Henrietta and met us at the DQ where Dad treated all of us to cheeseburgers and fries and a hot fudge sundae. After lunch, Tim rode to see Grandma. He visited briefly and then turned the Harley around in front of the door so she could see it. She loved that.

After saying our goodbyes to Grandma, we met up with the guys at Four Stars. They had called to say there was a sale. Dad found a new half helmet. As soon as we scraped the stickers off, he and Tim were on their way south, taking the long way back to Wichita Falls in the heat of the afternoon. It was a hot day, in the upper 90s. That's hot to those of us acclimated to Colorado. Ha!

Still, Tim said he and Dad had a great ride over the dam at Lake Arrowhead. I'm feeling a little pouty over this and make it clear - I'm going on the ride tomorrow.

In the evening, Tim and I paid a visit to our long-time friends, Tina and Bobby. We joined them for a light supper at Cheddars. Tina had said a while back, Next time you visit on the motorcycle - I'm getting a ride! So, Tina got a ride on the Harley. Bobby said as she and Tim disappeared down the street - I guess you know I'll never hear the end of it now. They have a motorcycle, but have been thinking about getting a larger motorcycle - we just thought to give them a little incentive... nudge... nudge... nudge...

Labor Day and More Ride - Day 4 - Texas

September 8, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Having ridden through Colorado, New Mexico and West Texas over a couple of days, we finally arrived in Wichita Falls, TX Labor Day afternoon, complete with Dad escort. He met us in Seymour and rode the rest of the way in with us. That was fun. Mom and Molly were waiting with hugs and smiles and a wag of the tail for our arrival.

The Folks had recently given the living room a makeover. Nice job, I must say. The new furnishings are beautiful and more importantly, comfortable. We visited long into the evening with the Folks and rested well. This morning we had coffee and donuts and visited some more. Of course, no trip to Wichita Falls is good until we visit Red River Harley-Davidson, one of the best Harley dealerships on the face of the earth, in my humble opinion. The atmosphere is relaxed and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The dealership and the bikes on the floor are always immaculate. We shopped and visited with the staff and a local biker (Russ) who was having his new multi-hued Harley serviced... then we shopped some more.



Afterwards, Mom and I split from the guys who rode off in the opposite direction. I don't know where. We nabbed a rare opportunity for some mother-daughter time. The day was warm and we had skipped lunch, so we stopped at Braum's for a milk shake, fries and a talk, then browsed through Hobby Lobby.

Later, we joined the guys for driveway conversation (we sit in the driveway and talk - ha!) and a light supper. The remainder of the evening was spent enjoying each other's company.

Labor Day and More Ride - Day 3

September 7, 2009
Labor Day
Fort Collins, CO

Having chosen our accommodations in Roswell, NM poorly, we didn't rest well. Nevertheless, we were up and out of there before first light. Way before first light we were sitting in a Denny's having coffee. We rode away from the Frontier Motel, without looking back. Thankfully, the witch had retired. She was probably exhausted from all the screeching of the night before. About 3 am, she screeched - stay away from that motorcycle! - which had us on our feet in a flash. We don't know who or what she was hollering at and that's probably a good thing. By 4 am I was in the shower and we got the heck out of there. Ha!

Although we didn't notice it at the motel, it had rained during the night and the Main Street of Roswell was standing in water. We rode the few blocks downtown in the darkness to catch a glimpse of the green alien street lights. I snapped a couple of pics and we rode back to Denny's for coffee to let the day lighten up before riding out.

Yesterday on the way into town I remarked on the number of what appeared to be cadets out and about. As it turns out, Roswell is the home of the Military Institute of New Mexico, which is a beautiful and well-maintained facility. Founded in 1891, it is one of five Military Junior Colleges in the USA.

Roswell hosts a huge UFO festival every year on 4th of July weekend I believe, which includes a parade and entertainment (Jefferson Starship was this year's headliner), fireworks and more. It might be fun to ride through and see that sometime... if we run out of other roads to travel. Ha!

A few miles east of Roswell on Hwy 380, the vista became a vast expanse of flatland and a ribbon of highway that disappeared into a big sky. Photo ops were mostly anything that broke the skyline, drilling rigs, pump jacks and a series of telephone poles bearing bird nests. Our conversation was reduced to - we have cows... we have goats... we have antelope and do you think that next town has a cafe? Later, we were wondering why we hadn't seized the opportunity to have breakfast at Denny's when we had coffee. The brownies that had been riding around in the saddle bags for three days were starting to sound pretty good.

There wasn't much between Roswell and the Texas border. We stopped in Plains, TX for a cup of coffee and a stretch of the legs. The scenery on Hwy 380 in west Texas doesn't offer much more than it did in New Mexico with a couple of exceptions. Now we had grain elevators and a few more people on the road and stirring in the small towns. We reminded ourselves that it was still early on a holiday. It surprised us to see acres of young vineyards in west Texas. The scenery improved somewhat once we rode up on the cap rock - now we had trees, hills, deep gullies and mostly dry river beds. Ha!

We rode on through Brownsville, remembering that Al the Printer (the man we met last night in Roswell) said there was a good restaurant in Post, TX. We rode the main drag and the downtown area of busy Post (which had bricked streets and some great architecture) before deciding a restaurant called George's on the corner must be the place. It was certainly doing a good business. Actually, most of the buildings of downtown Post appeared to house local businesses, including antique, book and gift shops.

We ordered breakfast at George's and I stepped out in the lobby to give the folks a call. I think it was a good surprise when I told Mom where we were and where we were headed. I had just set back down at the table when my phone rang. It was Mom. I looked at Tim and grinned - wanna bet Dad is gonna ride out to meet us? He was. We agreed to meet up at the DQ (Dairy Queen) in Seymour. We were looking forward to it.

Riding east on Hwy 380, we picked up a few more clouds. It was getting hot with temps in the 90s. We stopped in Haskell for gas and a drink of water. I called the folks again. Dad was already in Seymour waiting on us. Ha! As we turned north on Hwy 82 we ran in and out of light rain showers for a few miles which we didn't mind all that much since it broke the temperature.

We rode into Seymour with a thunderstorm on our tails, but we still took a few minutes to have an ice cream cone with Dad. But, not before we admired Dad's new ride. He said the wait was no problem. A biker buddy had spied him sitting in front of the DQ and had stopped to visit. We had a few sprinkles as we rolled out of Seymour. A short time later, we were rumbling up the street where the folks live. Mom was waiting with a smile and a hug and Molly was wagging her tail.

Today's ride was 405 miles. We looked forward to relaxing a few days with the folks before heading back to Colorado (route still undetermined) at the end of the week.

Labor Day and More Ride - Day 2 - Roswell

September 6, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

We were up early after a decent night's rest. Tim rode to get gas while I rounded up our stuff. Before long we were riding in brisk mountain air over Raton Pass. Raton is about 17 miles from Starkville so it would be a short ride before a breakfast stop. We had in mind the breakfast buffet at All Seasons Restaurant in Raton. One of our favorite stops, it is located at the junction of I-25 and US 87. It's really nothing special, just an old cafe with a good breakfast. The meal was hot and tasty as always and the coffee is good. The curio shop is well stocked with just about anything you might need in the way of tourist stuff.

From Raton, we rode south on I-25. Having never been further south than Springer on I-25, we were about to explore new territory. Although wildflowers and sunflowers lined the road and the terrain was greener than we believe it normally is at this time of year, this part of New Mexico is not what I would call scenic. Still, there's something to be said for cruising along wide open highways at 75-80 mph with you-can-see-forever views... it's relaxing.

We stopped in Las Vegas, NM around noon. It's a quaint little southwestern town with not much activity, but we weren't much interested in seeing the sights. Tim topped the tank off again, we had a cup of thermos coffee and I called and left a message for the folks about where we were. Then we drug out the map to figure out where we would ride next. We picked a spot on the map called Vaughn. We said at Vaughn, we would decide whether to revisit Ruidoso (haven't been there since the 80s) or continue south to Roswell. When we reached Vaughn, the dark clouds hanging low on the western horizon didn't look too inviting. Ruidoso was out and the search for little green men was on.

Hwy 84 south out of Las Vegas is more scenic (hills and trees) with lots of ruins or what appeared to be remnants of ghost towns along the way. At the juncture of Hwy 40 and 84 we picked up a smaller road numbered 219 to Hwy 54. We stopped on the shoulder just before turning on Hwy 54. A Texas couple hauling a really nice patriotic Goldwing in the back of a pickup stopped beside us to make sure we were OK. We stopped in Vaughn which is at a crossroads and home to a busy convenience store/gas station, a small cafe and very little else. We shed jackets and took the opportunity to stretch and rehydrate. We visited with a few folks as they passed by the Harley. Some were merely curious about where we were from and where we were headed. Others commented on the Harley and our shirts, which happened to be the Salute to American Veterans Rally shirts from Winter Park. These shirts bear the POW-MIA logo on the front.

As we were riding out of Vaughn (without filling up), Tim checked the reserve mileage on the bike against the 95 miles we had to travel on Hwy 285. We had 111 miles. He was thinking there should be at least one gas station in that 95 mile stretch. There was nothing in that 95 mile stretch except a wind ravaged rest stop about 60 miles out. Long about that 60 mile point, we picked up a stiff head wind. Great. I started scoping out the farms about 80 miles along the way - figuring one of those farmers had to have gas. When we had the water tower of Roswell in our sights, we were traveling on fumes with about 6 miles in reserve. Needless to say, we found a gas station quick. That was one long stretch of highway, especially that last part. Ha!

Note to self: Next time we ride the wilds of New Mexico, insist we fill up, even if all they are selling is regular or regular.

We checked into an old Motel (Frontier Motel on Main St in Roswell - don't do it!). It looked OK at first glance and was fairly cheap. We know better than to check into cheap lodgings without asking to see the room first. I guess we were living dangerously this trip. While Tim was parking The Ride. I rounded the corner near our room's location and encountered the Witch of Endor. I kid you not. This person was the crone stereotype personified. She was a wraith-like character, frail, and skinny, with long scruffy hair hanging out of a turban type affair on top of her head, perched with legs doubled up in front of her on a chair outside her room (first red flag - this is obviously where she lived) which reeked of cigarette smoke and other unknown odorous fumes. She was talking to herself - loudly. I almost stopped dead in my tracks. I almost turned around and asked for our money back. But where's the adventure in that? Now, those who know me well know Hallowe'en is my favorite holiday and I love to decorate for it. I could have picked this person up, added a jack-o-lantern, a cat and a broom and had one heck of a start on getting it right this Hallowe'en.

The room - was - well - memorable. Ahem! Being prone to traveling on the cheap, we've stayed in dives before. We've even stayed in motels where rooms go by the hour... Yes, this one did as well I'm thinking as doors slammed all night long. The Frontier Motel may well be the worst we've ever stayed in and was definitely not worth the 40 bucks or so we laid out for it. It was old, musty and dreary and did I mention old - as in decrepit? Scary! I'm still checking for cooties.

Note to self: Remember. Ask to see the room first!

The road to Roswell...

We stashed our gear. Actually, we hid it as best we could, turned the TV up loud and the a/c on high and rode out to see the rest of Roswell. It was getting late in the day so the first stop was Champion Harley-Davidson which is a motorsports dealership, selling several brands of motorcycles. They had a fun Alien display set up inside the dealership. We shopped for t-shirts and found a couple with eagles on the front and a little green Harley-riding man on the back, of course! We didn't linger as it appeared they were about to close. Sure nuff, as soon as we sauntered out - they locked the doors behind us.


Next stop, the International UFO Museum and Research Center. Once again, the POW/MIA emblem sparked a response. The woman at the visitor's desk asked Tim if he was a veteran. When he responded with a yes - she thanked him for his service to the country and gave us a $1 each discount on the entry fee. Tim donated the discount to the museum. We had about a half hour to take it in before the doors closed here as well. That wasn't enough time to see the collection properly. They likely have every news article ever written about the Roswell UFO incident in July 1947. A windowed room was set up like the alien autopsy. I took photos - see the slide show below.

Most of the shops lining Main St were already closed for the day as we left the museum. The street lights in this area of town have alien faces and green lights. We saw them lit on our way out of town the next morning. For our search effort we were rewarded with a glimpse here and there of little green men, painted on buildings, perched on roofs and lounging in shop windows. They were mostly of the cheesy inflatable or pasteboard type with a few ET's pointing home scattered about.

We found supper at The Golden Corral and lingered there as long as we could, reluctant to return to our creepy night's lodging I think. Ha! We visited for a long while with an older man named Al who was a long-time resident of Roswell. He is known as Al the Printer. Al was 73 and not getting around very well, but he proudly gave me his card which includes an image of him on a yellow trike which he rides all over the southwest. Tuesday, he was heading to Arkansas for a family reunion.

We talked for a while that evening about where The Ride would take us the following day. When we rode out of Fort Collins, we hadn't yet committed to a full week's vacation although Tim had reserved the days... just in case. We could head west and north toward home or we could head east into Texas. It really wasn't much of a debate... a good day's ride would put us on the folk's doorstep. Texas it is, we agreed.

Neither one of us slept well that evening. I kept having Psycho visions... ha! One or the other of us were up checking the bike every hour on the hour and the Witch of Endor howled long into the night.

Mileage today, reports Tim = 324 miles

UFO Museum - Roswell, NM
Roswell UFO Incident - July 8, 1947

Labor Day and More Ride - Day 1

September 5, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

We began Labor Day weekend with a Saturday morning ride to Vern's for a good ol' country breakfast. It was warm and clear. The plan was to arrive early at Thunder in the Rockies, a large motorcycle rally held in our area. This was the 5th annual event. It is held at the humongous Budweiser Event Center just off I-25 near Loveland, CO which just happens to be across the street (highway) from Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson.

We wanted to arrive early (they opened at 10 am) - 1) to avoid a long line at the HOG pin stop, 2) shop the leather vendors first for new jackets, 3) beat the heat, and 4) if a reason to linger didn't present itself, perhaps get a good start on what would turn out to be a really, really long holiday weekend. Nine days. Five states. 2035 miles.

On the way in, we saw a Harley-Davidson demo ride group. First things first, we stopped for our pin. We found out later that HOG didn't actually sponsor the pin stop this year. Thunder Mountain H-D provided the pins. Hmmm... They are nice, pewter motorcycle over a shield, bearing the year, HOG and Thunder in the Rockies lettering. We found jackets quick enough. Of course, we knew what we were looking for this time around. We bought them from the same vendor as last year. Papa's out of OKC. We paid a little less which is a good thing since the quality and weight of the leather is far from what it was last year. Yeah, we're still missing those jackets we lost on an Indian Reservation near the Badlands in South Dakota not too long ago.


Other than a couple of replacement flags for the bike and some pin studs, we didn't find anything else to buy... I saw a new patch I liked... just didn't like the price $10 (includes sewing). The patch said: PROUD AMERICAN INFIDEL beside a US Flag. I have found it online for $2.95... that's better. I can sew it on myself. Nope, we didn't buy another thing, unless you count a couple of frozen lemonades. This year's rally wasn't quite as much fun. There were fewer vendors. Lehman trikes, toy haulers and several custom bike outfits were glaringly absent. The stunt show was not as good as last year (actually, the part we caught was sort of boring burnout lame), there were no sky divers, patriot guard troop escorts or other patriotic functions scheduled. The bike show was OK, but small and not laid out very well. Brothers of the Sun, while very good, was the only band to perform the four hours we were there. This year's rally shirt design was - uh - boring. I told Tim I could wait until they put them on sale at the dealership later in the year. The one thing we wanted to see was the Wall of Death show. Although advertised on rally fliers, the Wall of Death located inside the rally grounds, was an extra $5 per head. Now, we had just paid $10 per head to get into the rally... and felt like the entertainment didn't quite measure up to that value, so tapping us for another $5 felt like a rip-off. We passed.

We wandered through the grounds a second time, watched the crowds, listened to the band while we consumed our lemonade and admired the bike show entries. By 2 pm we were out the door. Lots and lots and lots of bikes had arrived but as many were leaving as were coming in. Of course, Thunder Mountain was hosting the rides and poker runs. From the looks of the clouds hovering over the Rockies, we figure the mountain riders got a little more than they bargained for this year. Thunder Mountain also had live music in their own amphitheater, a bikini bike wash and other events scheduled. When we rode by a while later on our way out of town, the place was jammed with bikes...

Thunder in the Rockies

Eager to head out, we rode straight home, loaded the bike (I had already packed), snipped the tags off the new jackets and strapped them on. We rolled out of the neighborhood at 3:10 pm. Destination? Loosely, as far south as we could get before nightfall or the weather shut us down.

Riding south on I-25 went as well as can be expected for a Saturday afternoon on a holiday weekend. With the heating of the day, clouds had built quickly. About halfway through Denver, we caught rain out of the back side of a little black cloud that drenched us before we could get off the interstate and roll under an awning at a Shell Station. It wasn't long before a couple of other riders joined us. We spent nearly an hour sheltering and visiting. We just knew any minute we'd have to pay rent (buy gas) if the cloud didn't move on. It finally did. We gave it a few more minutes to let the water clear off the streets. Denver and Colorado Springs are notorious for street flooding, even on I-25. We continued on south, made it through the Springs (Colorado Springs) and had just about air-dried when we ran through another rain cloud. The storms were beginning to look worse so we thought we'd ride 37 more miles and spend the night in Pueblo. We thought wrong. There wasn't a room to be had in Pueblo. We wasted a good bit of time looking, before I remembered this was the last weekend of the Colorado State Fair.

At this point, we could return home or ride on. Return? Snort! Ride on we did, despite the look of the skies. We stopped in Colorado City to check the small hotel there. No luck. We grabbed a bite to eat at Subway in a convenience store and continued on to Trinidad where we finally found a stinky (smoking) room in a low budget (well, it wasn't all that low) motel in Starkville.

We called it a day after riding 295 miles. A good start. Stay tuned...

Boot is all better now

September 3, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

OK - so it's a slow day around here for motorcycle news. You'll recall when we were riding in the Black Hills of South Dakota not too long ago, I had Tim cut a big ol' hole in one of my Harley boots. Why? Well, my left foot sprouted a horn of sorts and the pressure of that boot was more than I could stand. We were smack in the middle of a really fun weekend and I wasn't about to call it quits so the integrity of that boot had to go. The X-type hole in the boot looked really bad, but it felt really good. I spent the rest of the weekend riding with a hole in my boot and didn't think much about it until we got home. Besides, when I'm wearing my chaps you can barely see the toe of my boots.

I took the damaged boot to Roger's Shoe Repair here in Fort Collins Monday morning. I told the man at the desk I had a sort of self-inflicted blow-out. You should have seen the man's face when he saw the boot. It looked like someone had put a gun in it and blasted a hole from the inside. LOL! He said hmmmmmm.... and hmmmmmm... again. I explained all I wanted was a bubble patch on the outside of the damaged area... He said it might be sort of costly - maybe as much as $25. I'm looking at 1/2 of my $150 Harley-Davidson boots, thinking - you gotta deal.

The boot came home today. It looks and more importantly, feels pretty good. So, I'm back in business and not a minute too soon. Thunder in the Rockies is this weekend. It starts tomorrow evening, but we'll go first thing Saturday morning. After that, who knows where the road will take us. It's a three-day weekend - woo-hoo!

Thunder in the Rockies