HOG Million Mile Monday High Country Ride

June 28, 2010
Colorado, USA

WOW – We Rode 4.3 Million Miles

Fort Collins, CO -- Today is HOG Million Mile Monday. Harley riders worldwide rode and reported their mileage to HOG. The goal was five million. The tally fell just short of that at 4.3 million miles. We contributed 207 miles to that effort. Dad rode 133 miles in stormy Texas.

About mid-morning, we rolled out in short sleeves thinking it was time to ride in the high country and hoping there would be no need for jackets up there. Highway 34 west out of Loveland, CO winds 32 scenic miles through Big Thompson Canyon to Estes Park, CO. Towering walls of granite line the road of the canyon which follows the Big Thompson River. The Big Thompson, a favorite with fly fisherman was running hard and high. Just a few days ago it was near flood stage.

We arrived in Estes Park, still in short sleeves and loving that. When you top out in Estes Park along this route, the pay off is instant. The town is nestled into a high mountain valley with the Rockies towering over the town. We made our usual stop at the visitor center on the east side of town to stretch. On the way up we noticed the odometer clicked over to 5200 miles. The Ride is two months old today.

We by-passed downtown, which was bustling with tourist activity. It is fun to stroll busy main street which is lined with a huge variety of shops and eateries, but today was about the ride.

Soon we were rolling down Hwy 36 out of Estes Park which took us to the small town of Lyons, CO. We decided we were not done for the day, so we continued rolling through Lyons and up Hwy 7 through scenic South Saint Vrain Canyon. We then rode Hwy 72, known as the Peak to Peak Highway to Nederland. I can't say enough about this ride... except ride it every chance you get. We do.

Once again, we made our usual stop at the New Moon Bakery in Nederland. This is a favorite stop and has been since we discovered it about 12 years ago. Sadly, they were out of Jackpot cookies (it was a busy weekend they said) so we made do with Heavenly Cake (me) and Carrot Loaf (Tim) and a couple of cups of coffee. We lounged around on the tiny patio and did some people-watching. Of course, we shared the patio with the token hippy-wannabe creature adorned with messy dredlocks, busily scribbling in a journal - you know the kind that hasn't washed in a year or so - the kind that makes Tim curl his lips in disgust. He simply cannot help himself and has been known to offer to buy such a person a bar of soap. I noticed hippy-guy was reading The Book of Thoth. I couldn't help but smile... For those of you who don't know, in the world of books... it is a legendary Egyptian work, said to have been found in a prince's tomb in the City of the Dead. It is allegedly the guide to untold powers in the metaphysical realm and over the natural world. Better yet - it carries a curse - read it and you are doomed!

But, I digress...

We followed a striping truck into town and decided rather than follow him back out the same road we would continue on Hwy 119. Continuing on found us sitting a couple of times where the road was down to one lane while repaving was in progress. This added a bit more time to our ride than we planned on so it was non-stop down Hwy 119 through the gambling towns of Black Hawk/Central City, through scenic Clear Creek Canyon (Hwy 6) and the three tunnels to Hwy 93 in Golden, across Hwy 128 (the Interlocken Loop) to Hwy 287 and north toward home. Whew!

We arrived home just in time to throw some corny dogs in Tim's lunch and get him off to work. We agreed. Next year - we take Million Mile Monday off because this was a repeat of last year's experience. Ha! Rush-rush-rush at the end. We had more riding to do than we had time. For a weekday, the traffic was unusually heavy along the entire route. We don't know what to make of that except "tourism". Perhaps more people are out on the roads in their vehicles this year.

Anyway, it was a great 203 Million Mile Monday ride. Tim added 4 more miles on by riding to and from work today. It is rare to be able to ride the whole day in the high country without jackets or without getting damp or buffeted by high winds. We escaped all that and count ourselves lucky.

Slide show follows (65 pics):

Tejon Street Bike Fest w/Friends Ride

June 27, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- Today we rode to the Tejon Street Bike Fest in Colorado Springs, Colorado. About 6:30 am (mileage 4856) we rolled out of the drive to meet up with friends at Johnson's Corner for breakfast. Five of us on three bikes would ride together today. (Tim and myself, David, Raul who works with Tim and his wife, Vicky.) It's rare to meet another Vickie. After a great get-to-know-each-other breakfast we rode south through Denver without encountering heavy traffic or any other problems. It was chilly riding across the Palmer Divide and over Monument Hill Pass (elev 7350). Tim and I were fine riding in our long sleeve denim shirts, but the others were riding in lighter clothing or short sleeves. Sorry for the goose bumps guys! We should have mentioned it might get chilly on the Divide and probably through Monument Valley.

We stopped once for fuel. Raul's bike doesn't have the fuel capacity of the Ultras. It was good timing as I think we all needed a stretch of the legs and a quick bathroom break. We arrived in Colorado Springs, found our way to Bijou Street and the rally site with no problems. We expected a traffic jam and were relieved when it didn't materialize. Lots of riders were already on site. We were directed to park in a near perfect location on the east side of the intersection of Tejon and Kiowa, just about dead center for the event. Looking west down Tejon Street, Pikes Peak dominates the view. I noted clouds were building as I snapped a pic, but was hoping they would hold off for a little while.

According to the web site the stats on the 2009 event: ...the final count was 50,000 people, 20,000 bikes, 50 kegs of beer, 10 city blocks, 3 bands, 1 day and not 1 single PD or fire issue of any note.

Raul and Vicky disappeared quickly to hook up with their son somewhere in the growing crowd. That left me, Tim and David to roam the streets, checking out the vendors, the motorcycles both parked and riding by, the bike show and a bevy of half clad beauties. We were walking by the stage just as the opening ceremonies commenced. Veteran Marines on stage and veterans and active duty members in the crowd saluted as the flag was presented by the NORAD joint service Color Guard. The National Anthem was sung and the crowd was asked to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. An announcement was made that the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Marine Corp League was collecting donations to erect a Marine monument in Colorado Springs Memorial Park. It seems like a glaring omission - one that sucked ten bucks out of Tim's pocket for the cause.

Radio London took the stage shortly after. I enjoyed listening to their bluesy-rock offerings as we strolled the streets. The beer garden and bars close by were already doing a booming business. Food vendors were cooking up grilled items like assorted sausages and turkey legs, BBQ and hamburgers could be found and an assortment of other foods and beverages.

The three of us wandered through the small, but interesting ride-in bike show. We admired the beautiful bikes and some of us admired some other beauties decorating the bikes.

There were a good many small vendors set up. We had hoped some of the larger leather and bike apparel vendors might be present. We did not find the couple of items we were looking for although a couple of vest pins came home with us. Still, we enjoyed roaming through the booths and chatting with some of the vendors.

About the time the bike games and other afternoon activities were scheduled to begin, that pesky cloud that had been brewing all morning decided to roll over Pikes Peak. We gathered on a street corner and talked about the cloud and what to do for lunch.


None of us really wanted festival food, so we thought about riding to The Mason Jar, but that choice would have put us directly under that cloud which grew more ominous by the minute. We finally came to a consensus, the choice being ride back to Denver and eat somewhere. Tim led the group along scenic Hwy 83 which runs parallel to I-25 with lots less traffic. The skies darkened behind us. Soon Pikes Peak was totally obscured by blue-gray clouds. I have not heard whether it rained or hailed on the rally. I hope not. I know there were several bike accidents reported in the area late in the afternoon and evening. I hope all those riders are fairing well.

Just as we rode out of the Springs the odometer on the Ride clicked over to 5000 miles. Tomorrow The Ride will be two months old. We made a fuel stop on the way and further food deliberations resulted in a decision to ride for Jose O'Shea's for a late lunch. Jose O'Shea's is one of our favorite restaurants in the Denver area. All of us were hungry. All of us left satisfied.

Heading home under cotton ball skies, along roads Tim and I travel often, we eventually rode out from under the threatening hail clouds. I heard later on the news that a community just west of Denver had five inches of hail out of those clouds. Yikes!


We had fun today, riding with friends. We don't normally ride with other people (except in Texas) so it was a refreshing change. Thanks guys for enduring our company. We certainly enjoyed yours. What part of the rally we saw was fun. That's another thing we rarely do - purposely put ourselves in a big crowd. This too, was a great experience. There are at least a couple of other rallies we will likely attend this summer including the Texas HOG Rally in our hometown Labor Day weekend. I'm sorry we missed the bike games today... and the other concerts... but, just looking at hundreds of bikes and people watching was well worth the ride. Tim reports our round trip was 312 miles.

Here are a few pics (just over 90) in a slide show...

Here we is...

June 27, 2010
Colorado, USA



Where is you?

Dedication Mission - Mineral Wells

June 26, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Ted (Dad) and patriot friends rode out early, early this morning for a T-38 Talon dedication ceremony in Mineral Wells. The T-38 is a static display erected in memory of Maj. Carl E. Kessler at the Mineral Wells Municipal Airport.

The ceremonies included a flyover of T-38s from Shepard AFB and a fly-in of a P51 Mustang, a flag line formed by PGR and other patriots and a keynote speech delivered by Lt. Gen. Richard E. “Tex” Brown III.

---

Source: Mineral Wells Index.com, A major('s) celebration
Saturday's ceremony, dedication of T-38 Talon to include fly in of jets, planes and speeches

Saturday - Ride Out - See Clouds - Decide this is a beer run

June 26, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- Sometimes Saturday is a work day. As it happens, that was the case this Saturday. The day was decent for a while. By the time Tim got home from work and we rolled out of the drive, high based thunderstorms were making their presence known. We thought we might get a short ride in. We did. A very short ride. As we got out where we could see the horizon we were sad to see it had built up all the way around. No big deal - we made a beer run. The liquor store is about half a mile from the house - we took about five miles to get there. Ha!


Tim says: You know I think I can get two or three 12 packs in here... ha!

Friday Long Way Around Lunch Ride

June 25, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- It was only a dam ride, but that's enough sometimes to take the edge off a day. We ride often before Tim heads off to work.

We rolled out of the drive noonish with the general destination being Vern's for lunch. Vern's is north. We rode south and took the long way around, through Loveland and back around no name lake, through Masonville and eventually wound our way around Horsetooth Reservoir and over the dam. It's one of our favorite rides and it is right out our back door.

Horsetooth Reservoir is 6.5 miles long and it is 25 miles around it. I read somewhere that it is over 180 feet deep at max. It is located along what I believe is known as the Dakota Hogback which runs through Colorado. Along this ridge in certain areas are paleontological sites where dinosaur tracks, fossils and bones can be seen. Dinosaur Ridge in Denver is one such area. The reservoir was built in the early 50s. Part of the tiny town of Stout, CO is submerged under the south end of the reservoir. Stout, a camp for quarry workers in the late 1800s was abandoned in the late 1940s. There's still a sign on the south end beside the road in what is now a lake community that says Stout, CO. pop 47 1/2.

We had temps in the high 90s today, but riding under blue skies without jackets is great. By the time we reached Vern's we were ready for water and a BLT.



Here are a few more pics (and yeah - the Ride needs a bath!):

Texas: Patriots welcome home one of their own

June 22, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Dad and about 30 fellow PGR members staged a welcome home flag line for Patti Jackson returning home from a year of duty in Korea.

Patti is one of their own, a fellow biker and HOG member. Dad reports Patti and her husband were riding the very next day.

Welcome home Patti and thanks for your service.

Father's Day White Water and Wind Ride

June 20, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- Once again we started out with gray morning skies, but about two cups into a pot of coffee and halfway through my Father's Day call to Dad in Texas, Tim started dancing around in front of the picture window and gesticulating wildly - the sun had come out of the clouds.

Before long we were rolling out of the drive in shirt sleeves with a grin on our faces, eager to see where the road would lead us today.

Holidays in the mountain tourist areas of Colorado can be a pain. Places along the peak-to-peak ride like Estes Park and Nederland, Black Hawk, Central City and Idaho Springs will fill with Denver people and tourists. We decided to avoid crowds today and pointed The Ride toward the Poudre Canyon and beyond. We had not ridden out along Hwy 14 to see the white water on the Cache La Poudre River yet this year which was at flood stage just last week due to rain and rapid snow melt. The river was running high and wild, churning scarily in some spots. Rafters and kayakers were launching much higher up the river than we've ever seen them before.

FYI: Cache La Poudre, a French term, means "hiding place of the powder". In the early 1800s, French trappers were forced to bury part of their gunpowder along the banks of the river when they got caught in a blizzard.

About 40 miles up scenic Poudre Canyon is the Glen Echo Resort. Glen Echo is home to a restaurant, lounge, store, gas station, cabins and campground. It's a busy place on the weekends with not only locals but anyone who rides, drives or camps in the the canyon. We have never had trouble finding a seat in the small, cozy restaurant which we discovered a few years back one weekend when we purt near froze to death while camping on the river in mid-September. The coffee is good. The food is good, cooked to order and presented well. The staff is friendly and efficient. Today we had burgers and fries with a side of onion rings and departed wishing we had saved room for pie. YUM!

After a great lunch, feeling plump and fit we decided to travel further westward on Hwy 14 over Cameron Pass to Walden, CO and decide from there whether to ride on or return the way we came. We hardly ever backtrack, but usually convince ourselves the option is open. Ha! This part of the ride would take us over Cameron Pass (elevation 10,276) where we encountered roadside snow. It was chilly, but since we had sun it was not enough to make us pull over and put on our jackets.

This is one of my favorite parts of this ride. I love riding by lush mountain valleys past crystal blue lakes and getting a glimpse of snowy mountain peaks as we round one bend of the road or another. Eventually, you round a bend and get a stunning glimpse of an outcropping of craggy spires known as the Crags. Nokhu (Arapaho term meaning eagle's nest) Crags are located in a part of the Rockies called the Never Summer Mountains. We have camped at Chambers Lake and in the Colorado State Forest in this area.



After a brief stop at the Moose Center, we rode into Walden where we topped off with gas and listened to the advice of another rider who had just come down from Rocky Mountain National Park where he said the west side roads had been taken down to dirt and were really muddy. Apparently, this had been a heck of an adventure for him and I believe he was just happy to have survived the ride and still be vertical. Well, we didn't have the park in mind today - too many people.

The wind had kicked up as we cruised the high roads into Walden. We knew we would have winds for the rest of the day if we continued on into Wyoming. No matter. We chose to ride north out of Walden on Hwy 125 which becomes Hwy 230 in Wyoming. Did I mention we rarely backtrack? Yep, it was windy. We could have taken the short way across to Laramie, but not ready to call it a day we took the long way home, riding through the small towns of Riverside, WY and Saratoga, WY. The North Platte River was running well above its normal height. In Saratoga, sandbags could be seen along the Platte's banks. The stretch of Hwy 130 north of Saratoga eventually dumped us out on I-80 about 80 or so miles west of Laramie. We thought we might ride 20 miles west and visit the town of Rawlins. The winds were howling though, so after a couple of miles we turned around and headed east. This section of I-80 cuts a swath through gentle, rolling hills and ridges where a good many wind farms can be seen. Needless to say, they were cranking out the wattage today. I-80 is always busy with truck traffic, much of it avoiding the mountain passes of I-70 in Colorado. No matter, we made the trip easily, enjoying the ride. We passed many bikers, most of them looking as if they were on long haul trips.

In Laramie, WY we topped off with gas again and refreshed ourselves with ice-cream and water. We spoke with a man who climbed out of a vehicle with Texas plates who remarked on the Harley. He and his family were on the road to Montana.

From Laramie it is about 80 miles south on Hwy 287 back to Fort Collins. As we rode out, we noticed the temperature had broke for the day. As we rode a little farther, it got colder and colder. I believe we lost about 20 degrees. I guess we rode about a ten to fifteen mile stretch, maybe more where we shivered and seriously contemplated pulling off and putting on our jackets. We toughed it out and once we crossed the Colorado state line, it gradually warmed.

We rolled into the drive about 6:30 pm after a 360 mile Father's Day ride. Tim was all smiles as he pulled into the garage. He put a couple of beers in the freezer for a proper chill, while I emailed the Folks to let them know we were in for the day. The remainder of the evening was spent on the patio with beer and nuts, watching the grass grow.

Not a bad day - said Tim. No, not bad at all - I replied.

What follows is a slide show (about 90 pics or so)... if you have the patience for it - enjoy.

Happy Father's Day

June 20, 2010
Colorado, USA

Happy Father's Day

June 20, 2010
Colorado, USA

Saturday New Friend and "Passport" Ride

June 19, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- With a gray start to our day we rolled out of the drive thinking let's find some breakfast while the clouds burn off. Even with clouds, it was warm enough to start out in t-shirt sleeves although the leathers were with us, just in case. We couldn't think where we might like to eat for breakfast. The plan was to ride south so that left Vern's for another day. We weren't ready to get out on I-25 so that left Johnson's Corner for another day. We were thinking maybe Widow McCoy's in Loveland but as we were riding by Schmidt's Bakery again without stopping, we thought maybe we'll just go in and check that out. About a block later, Tim turned The Ride around and headed back.

Oh my goodness! What a wonderful bakery! Every kind of cake, cookie, pie, bread, quiche and pastry you can imagine. Plus there's a great deli. Tim tried the bratwurst and German sausage. I tried the German sausage and sauerkraut. Yes, I know - sauerkraut before breakfast but - YUM! Needless to say, we sat ourselves down in the restaurant and ordered coffee and breakfast. The coffee was rich and strong. Tim ordered a traditional style breakfast, eggs, sausage, hashbrowns but spiced it up with dark rye toast. Me I went for the German Potato Pancakes with apple compote and sausage. Portions were plentiful and cooked just right. Tim happily helped me finish off the potato pancakes.



While we were waiting on breakfast we saw another rider come in. He was wearing a Harley shirt. It wasn't long before we struck up a conversation. Our excellent waitress is from Beaumont, TX, David (our new friend) is from Baytown, TX and of course, we are from Wichita Falls, TX so we all got along naturally. It turns out David is a regular at Schmidt's and we will be too I imagine. As we were getting ready to head out, Tim told David we were riding into Denver to play the "Passport" Game.

Eighteen Harley dealers in a three state area have a game going where you ride to each dealership and get your passport stamped. For each stamp, you get to fill out a coupon for a chance to win a new H-D motorcycle or a $50 gift card. We have until September to get to all locations. If you turn in a passport stamped with all 18 locations, you get another 18 chances to win. Since we likely would have ridden to all but one of the locations listed anyway, we decided to add that one and play the game.

David had not heard of it, but thought it might be fun. He decided to tag along which was fine with us. Since Sun Harley-Davidson was our first stop and David knew where that was, he led us out of Loveland on his nicely tricked out 09 Ultra into the north edge of Denver for our first stop. We browsed through Sun Harley-Davidson, which is where David purchased his ride. We like the two story dealership well and will go back later on to check out the great selection of accessories on hand.

The next stop would be Freedom Harley-Davidson now Avalanche H-D. We knew where that was so we led the way this time. Construction had us ride the long way around though. We told David, we were giving him the scenic tour. He didn't seem to mind. Freedom was doing a brisk business and having a bikini bike wash which was drawing a pretty good crowd. Ha! We browsed through this dealership as well. Tim found a pair of H-D riding gloves and a new do-rag which we purchased as part of his Father's Day present.

The third and final "Passport" stop today would be Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson. We led David around the foothills on C-470. He had not made that ride before and said it was beautiful. Well, it is. That area (Littleton/Lakewood) is our old stomping grounds. This dealership had a "feed" going on. They were serving up sloppy joes. We went straight for the ice water. The day had warmed and we were thirsty and hot. After getting our passports stamped and cooling off in the dealership, we wandered back out where Tim enjoyed an ice-cream and David, a popsicle.

After a good stretch, we mounted up again and led David back to the small town of Morrison, CO. The tiny town was packed with tourists, Denver people and motorcycles. Lots of motorcycles. A group of I'm guessing 30 bikes came roaring in from the west side just as we were riding back through town. Even David said he had not seen that many black riders since he moved to Colorado five years ago. Ha! Us, either. They followed us through the town and roared past us as we were turning into Red Rocks. We rode the park past the amphitheater to the lookout point. From there you can see the valley below with a good bit of Denver sprawled out before you. Today, it was a bit hazy. We are thinking smoke from the wildfires in southern Colorado had drifted all the way up the I-25 corridor.

The last part of our ride had us leading David through Golden, CO north on scenic Hwy 93 for a while, cutting off before we reached busy Boulder and eventually heading home up Hwy 287. David cut off in Loveland to head home while we continued on to Fort Collins. We had already swapped information so we can stay in touch.

David said it best earlier in the day... nothing about the day had turned out like he had expected when he got up this morning. He said he had a great ride down some new roads with new friends. The same goes for us. We knew we were rolling out on a "Passport" Ride and we came home with a new friend to share some of our adventures.

As usual, a slide show follows:

Compassion Run - Wichita Falls, TX

June 19, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- While we were out on our Passport Ride in the Denver area Saturday and making a new riding friend, Dad and his biker buds were riding in the Compassion Run to benefit a local youth ministry. Word is, it was HOT in Texas, but there was a great turnout.

This is Dad and our friend John who has been laid up most of the summer recovering from a foot surgery. It is good to see him out and about with camera in hand. John takes a good many of the photos of Mom and Dad and our friends in Texas that you see on this blog. Many more photos of this event can be found on John's Blog. John writes an excellent biker blog called North Texas Bikers, the most recent edition of this blog is North Texas Bikers IV. Thanks to Larry for the photos he contributed as well.

The Folks - lookin' good ya'll.

What follows is a slide show of Dad and his biker buds and a couple of mom, too.

KIA Mission - Texas

June 16, 2010
Fort Collins, CO

Wichita Falls, TX -- Dad and fellow patriots rode to Lawton, OK today to honor US Army Specialist Charles Jirtle, 101st Airborne, Lawton Oklahoma, Killed in Action in Afghanistan.

Peace to each manly soul that sleepeth;
Rest to each faithful eye that weepeth...
~~Thomas Moore ~~

It is Flag Day - USA

June 14, 2010
Colorado, USA

We managed to sit still long enough this morning to let the skies clear a bit before setting out on a short Flag Day ride. We love riding along with those flags flapping behind us.

The weather did not cooperate over the past weekend for a ride, as we had rain and more rain, thunderstorms, hail, wind and a couple of cold fronts blow through northern Colorado. Most of our area is still under flash flood watches. We're hoping Mother Nature got all that out of her system.

Thirty-five miles was enough to clear the rainy day blues from our heads and test Tim's bum knee. I'm happy to report we are good-to-go. The only question now is - where to? Stay tuned...

Patriot Guard Rider Interview

June 11, 2010
Fort Collins, CO

Great interview with a Patriot Guard Rider on Fox and Friends (thanks for sharing Folks).

Texas: Mission, Mineral Wells

June 5, 2010
Fort Collins, CO

Wichita Falls, TX -- Ted (my Dad) and fellow PGR from the area braved the relentless Texas heat today to ride to Mineral Wells, TX for the dedication ceremony of an updated panel on the Vietnam Memorial Wall and the new Soldier's Cross sculpture in the Vietnam Memorial Garden. He said there was a total of 40 to 50 bikes on hand.

Mineral Wells is home to The National Vietnam War Museum. This site was chosen for the museum because the most visible and remembered symbol of the Vietnam War was the helicopter, and the majority of Vietnam helicopter pilots began their training at Fort Wolters in Mineral Wells, Texas. The helicopter is significant to Dad because his work revolved around helicopters when he served in Vietnam.

The jumper pictured here lost both his legs in a parachuting accident. He is equipped with two artificial legs. Dad said this was an awesome sight.

The troops pictured below were from Carswell AFB. They stood out in the sun for over an hour. They were equipped with hydration back packs but several of them still passed out from the intense afternoon heat. Just beyond the troops in the photo are the motorcycles parked on a hill.



A few more photos:

Road Trip #1 - Memorial Day Four State Ride

June 3, 2010
Fort Collins, CO

Seven Days, 2245 Miles through Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma included a very special escort ride with friends and family for our friends Angela and Nubbin, a Mission on Memorial Day, a visit with the Folks and Grandma (age 99), a stay on Route 66 in Tucumcari, NM on the way down and Raton, NM on the way up with a couple of interesting side trips. I am downloading a ton of photos and will get them up quick as I can. Update: Photos posted!

Here we are riding in Texas - photo taken by friend Nubbin while we were rolling toward Wichita Falls

My numbers guy reports we surpassed 25,000 miles on two wheels this trip - that's in less than two years. The New Ride has over 4000 miles on it in just over a month.

Stay tuned for details and photos... I'll post the links below.

May 27 - Road Trip #1 2010 - Day 1 - The Ride to Tucumcari

May 28 - Road Trip #1 2010 - Day 2 - The Ride from Tucumcari to Wichita Falls, TX

May 29 - Road Trip #1 2010 - Day 3 - Liberty Fest Ride

May 30 - Road Trip #1 2010 - Day 4 - No Ride, Relaxing with Family and Friends

May 31 - Road Trip #1 2010 - Day 5 - Memorial Day PGR Mission and a Visit with Grandma

June 1 - Road Trip #1 2010 - Day 6 - Time to head back

June 2 - Road Trip #1 2010 - Day 7 - The road home - eventually

OK - that's the last of the posts for Road Trip #1.

Road Trip #1 - Day 7 The road home - eventually

June 2, 2010
Fort Collins, CO

Raton, NM -- One of the best things about staying in Raton, NM is the All Seasons Restaurant. Today, we would have breakfast at All Seasons before starting the last leg of our journey home. All Seasons serves good ol' comfort food in decent portions at reasonable prices. You can catch the breakfast buffet on the weekends - yum!. We have never gotten a bad meal here in the 12 years since we moved to Colorado and even well before that when we travelled this way on vacation years and years ago. Stopping at the All Seasons includes a stroll through the gift shop whether you buy anything or not - it's just fun to look at all the tourist curios. The restaurant's hours are limited though - between 6 am and 2 pm.

We rolled out of Raton and over Raton Pass (the highest point on the Santa Fe Trail, summit is 7,834 feet above sea level) refreshed and in great spirits. We needed our hoodies this morning for the chilly mountain air on the pass. Other than a few high clouds, it was already a beautiful day. Now, we had no intention of rushing the end of our trip. We could easily ride the length of the state on I-25 and be home in Fort Collins by early afternoon if not before, but where's the fun in that?

We topped off the tank in Starkville (just outside of Trinidad) and decided to head off west on scenic Hwy 12 known as the Highway of Legends. We would eventually get to Walsenburg by this route. We had forgotten how much fun this road is and we've never ridden it on the motorcycle. It was a great start to the rest of our day.

We rode at our own pace. There was very little traffic. The architecture along the way is interesting in its authentic rusticity... log cabins, mud brick structures, old stores in tiny towns and weather-beaten churches with steeples on hilltops. We rode past small communities like Cokedale where the remains of old coal coke ovens can be seen from the highway, past Stonewall where the rock formations form stone walls that tower over the town, past old stores and churches and ranch buildings, through beautiful and scenic Terico Valley and around North Lake and finally over Cucharas Pass (elev 9941) the latter making us thankful we had on our hoodies for this part of the ride as it is still a bit "airish" as Tim would say up high. All along the way the Spanish Peaks dominate the view.

We ran into road maintenance a few miles from the end of Hwy 12. The highway had a lane closure and we rode on loose gravel for a few miles well behind the other vehicles to avoid air born rocks. From Cuchara the road winds down intersecting with Hwy 160. Heading west is a scenic drive over LaVeta Pass and through the San Luis Valley. Tempting as heading west was, we rode east back into Walsenburg looking for a cup of coffee. We stretched our legs by walking a couple of blocks and browsing through an antique mall. We found coffee and a piece of coconut cream pie at the Alpine Rose Cafe in downtown Walsenburg. The coffee was good and hot - the pie so-so.

Back on I-25 after Walsenburg we rode north toward Colorado City, flags flying getting thumbs up from other riders and a horn honk or two from friendly truckers. We got a special nod and a salute as a Veteran in a passenger seat of a car drove by. The Texas license plate indicated he was a purple heart recipient. We were proud of that. Although the skies indicated we would surely have afternoon storms, blue sky was teasing its way out of the clouds here and there so we deviated from the norm once again to ride Hwy 165 through scenic San Isabel Forest which would take us by Bishop Castle (a favorite stop) and in a roundabout way into Pueblo or Colorado Springs.

The gently winding ride through San Isabel Forest is always a pleasure. It starts out in Colorado City just off I-25 and passes through the quaint community of Rye. The small community of San Isabel hasn't changed much through the years. Today lovely Lake Isabel was calm and serene with the usual fisherman lining the banks. It's always green in this area and wildflowers seem to be in perpetual bloom. We always see deer along the roadsides and sometimes other wildlife.

It is 27 beautiful miles to Bishop Castle from I-25 at Colorado City. Jim Bishop has been building this castle since about 1969. We've been visiting for a good many years and checking the progress from time-to-time. The place is a marvel of craftsmanship and a testament to what a single man can accomplish. The ironwork bridges, staircases, windows and walkways are simply amazing. The tallest tower soars about 160 feet.

Jim has had a few unpleasant encounters with federal and state officials through the years while constructing the castle on a couple of acres of government land he purchased when he was 15 for $1250. Although he works in Pueblo at an ironworks, he is usually on site in the summer months, building away without much notice until he has a crowd. Then it is not unusual for ol' Jim to go off on a tangent hollering his political views to the world. His voice will echo off the surrounding hills. The only way to escape his rambling mostly anti-government rhetoric is to leave.

Jim is what I would call a Constitutional "orginalist" meaning he thinks the government is out of control and trampling on our hard-earned liberties. He's as close to an anarchist as I've ever met. In many respects I agree with Jim. In others not so much. I can tell you that few conspiracy theorists can top Jim's view of the world and he has a mouthful to say about the government, Washington, the president, the war, 9-11 and the laws of this land that infringe upon our freedoms. Signs propped up all through the castle area will enlighten one to Jim's views if he isn't on hand to do it himself. This trip, we were simply not fast enough in our exit strategy. I saw Jim come down from the pile of rocks he had been working on, start up a conversation with an elderly gent and in a matter of minutes we were treated to a face-to-face with Jim who crossed the highway where we were saddling up, going on about how Obama is the antichrist. I kid you not. His very words. So, if you tend to wear your politics on your sleeve or offend easily - tread carefully or wear ear plugs. The castle is a marvel and experiencing it is worth running the hazard of encountering the castle builder. Ha!

A couple of miles down the road we got pelted with tiny hail (almost sleet) and rain. We stopped, pulled on our leather jackets and helmets and got on down the mountain. As we neared the plains and leveled out where we could see the skyline, we reconsidered the idea that we would ride into Pueblo. The skies had grown rather ominous especially in an easterly direction. We altered our course to take us north through the small town of Florence and on to a Shell station we knew about in Penrose. I remembered a car wash nearby and as it turns out, we made use of it. When we purchased the Ultra, we discovered one of the features included with the stereo was Weatherband Radio. We pulled into the car wash and tuned to it so we could determine just which way the storms were headed. I could not be more pleased at how well that worked. Sure nuff, one of those storms was headed straight at Pueblo and was getting nastier by the minute. The second round of storms were tracking in the same direction but had yet to reach where we were sitting. We decided to shoot the gap.

Hwy 115 runs about 25 miles from Penrose into Colorado Springs. It runs along the NW border of Fort Carson and is one of our favorite rides. Hwy 115 is also known as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. Although the road was wet in places, we managed to ride between the storms making contact with only a few raindrops out of the back side of clouds. However, we rolled into Colorado Springs at rush hour. Yikes! After sitting through a light about half a dozen times, we scooted across on I-25 until we saw traffic backed up. We quickly got off the interstate. If we sat in traffic long, we knew the storm brewing over the mountain (Pikes Peak) would catch up to us. We picked up Hwy 21 on the east side of the Springs which eventually intersected with Hwy 83. We travel this stretch of road that runs parallel to I-25 to Denver often to avoid the traffic on the interstate. Today was no exception.

Once in Denver, we stopped to stretch our legs and I put the camera away. We didn't tarry as storms were brewing there as well. The last place you want to be in stormy weather is the east side of Denver or I-25... they have to use snow plows to get hail off the road. We quickly crossed I-25 and rode Hwy 470 around the western suburbs of Denver (Littleton, Lakewood), continued on through Golden and wound our way home on familiar roads. Luckily, we stayed dry. We rolled into the drive just before dark. Tired, sun-burned, wind-burned and ready to hit the shower.

Road Trip #1 2010 = 2245 miles. We traveled through Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. What a great trip!

Too many photos follow... enjoy!

Raton Pass

Highway of Legends

San Isabel Forest and Bishop Castle

The Ride Home

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Highway of Legends
Bishop Castle Info
The craziest castle in Colorado: Bishop's vision is a work in progress

Road Trip #1 - Day 6 - Colorado here we come

June 1, 2010
Fort Collins, CO

Wichita Falls, TX -- Much as we hate it - it is time to ride back in the direction we came from a few days ago. Mom snapped this pic as we were getting ready to ride out this morning. It has been fun and memorable both getting here and being here. We've had a good visit with family and friends. We got to see Stormy and Rob and meet Rob's boys and the in-laws. We got to see Lil' Brother and have him ride a short ways with us. We got to ride with Dad and friends. We wanted to ride where we could sweat - mission accomplished. We got to visit with Mom and Grandma. We didn't see everyone we would have liked to see, but that's always a tall order anytime we are in Texas.

Before 8 am , we were riding west on Hwy 287 out of Wichita Falls turning north on Hwy 183 into Oklahoma. We ran through a rain shower in Snyder, OK that followed us to our friend's house in Mountain Park, OK. No matter, we got off and visited with Nancy on the patio of her lovely home. Coffee and muffins got us down the road a good ways a short while later.

Me and My Friend, Nancy

We continued north on Hwy 183 to Clinton, OK where we picked up I-40 west. Along the way, we watched combine crews harvesting wheat. As usual, the winds were high as we travelled along I-40. We've never travelled I-40 without enduring the howling winds. It's almost like travelling in Wyoming. And before long the heat of the day set in. At 10:50 am somewhere along I-40, Tim reported we had logged 3300 miles on the new ride. The ambient temp around the bike was over 90 degrees already. No clouds in sight. It was going to be a HOT ride. Shortly after crossing the Texas border we got off the interstate and turned northwest, crossing the Texas Panhandle on Hwy 152.

We stopped to cool off, stretch our legs and have a late lunch in Dumas, TX. Once again McDonald's did the trick. Burgers, fries and ice cream and several refills on the soft drinks had us in shape for the next segment of our ride.

We had thought earlier we might take a couple of different roads into New Mexico. Originally we thought we'd carry I-40 all the way across but got tired of battling the winds. We thought we might carry Hwy 56 out of Clayton, NM to Springer, NM, maybe on over to Cimarron, NM and north on scenic Hwy 64 or I-25, but once again the wind along with the time of day played a factor in that decision. Plus, we had a few clouds hovering darkly in the distance. In the end, we decided to travel the route we know best. Hwy 87 between Clayton, NM and Raton, NM would offer some protection from the winds and get us to Raton at a reasonable hour. We would stop for the night in Raton and ride the rest of the way home tomorrow. Hwy 87 is scenic around the Capulin Volcano area and like I said, we know the route well. We knew there would be some road construction but it was minimal this time through.

We rolled into Raton at dusk and checked into the same old Motel 6 we've been staying at for years. After cleaning up and covering The Ride, we took a short stroll to the Arby's nearby for a bite to eat... tomorrow - we have all day to get home... and I bet it takes us the whole day.

Slide show of the day's ride follows: