The North Texas Moto Journal

Big Bend 2012

2012-04-15T18:24:31Z

March 21, 2012

Life has been a bit hectic... Work has been hopping with new projects and new hospitals being built. On the home front, it's been just as busy. Wes got married in January, and the very next weekend, Deb and I started negotiating on building a new house. We committed to the purchase, and immediately started working on getting our house prepped for sale within a couple of weeks. Things went well there, and the house sold in 3 days. We moved out in under 30 days, and in with Laura. Several days after putting most all of our possessions in storage, I was trying to figure out what to throw in the bags for the trip down to Big Bend.

Motorcycle rides are supposed to be designed to start experiencing before the actual rides with mental visions of the excitement of the trip. I had none of that with all of the activities that were going on. A day before departing, I was trying to collect the bare necessities of a road trip. In my case, a couple of cameras, plenty of memory cards, charged batteries and extra batteries are at the top of the list. I keep riding gear packed in the bags so as to not forget the essentials for survival on the open road. There is always gear packed for cool and damp weather, so just grabbing some clean clothes to bring along is pretty much the remainder of the packing.

Wednesday, I had to do a bit of work before hitting the road. That work lasted longer than I expected, so it was mid-afternoon before I was taking the train out to our home between homes. I called Tom and let him know the expected arrival time at Earl's Shell on 380, the traditional meet-up place for our long rides. When I sent Tom the message that I was actually riding, Tom responded that he was at Earl's and ready to ride. He was already in the zone, and that zone took me a bit longer than typical to achieve.

We dodged storms on the way out of town, altering our route in real-time based on the clouds ahead to avoid getting more than just a bit damp. But, that mental exercise in basic survival helped rid everything else that was pilled up in my mind. The more miles we put in, the better it got. Motorcycling is great at achieving that objective. It's challenging, stressful in a good way, exciting and stimulating.

We rode somewhere around 200 miles Wednesday afternoon, settling for the night in Cross Plains at a small motor inn. I remember driving from Abilene while working for my father to restock cigarette machines and juke boxes in the Dairy Queen that still stands at the intersection of Hwy 36 and 206. Maybe that work traveling early in my life helped set the stage for what I love now, long trips on the road in the American West. We talked with a transport escort team at the motel that was carrying parts for construction of the tall wind turbines that have been cropping up all around the horizons.

March 22, 2012

Waking up in a small town on the edge of West Texas is a nice change from the busy city life. The storms that we punched through yesterday were continuing east, and the clear blue sky was laying out in front of us for our ride west. It was a relaxing morning ride through the small towns that I frequented at all hours of the day in my teens. Coleman, Ballinger and San Angelo approached in our visors, and disappeared in our mirrors. The landscape became sparse as we rode further west, through Big Lake and McCamey. Every mile that clicked off help rid my mind of unneeded stress.

McCamey was the stop for lunch. We checked the SPOT locations of the rest of the Lone Star BMW Riders main group. They were in Ozona, and it looked like we might intersect the pack somewhere as we joined I-10. But, as we rode further, it looked like Ozona was a lunch spot for the club.

The landscape continued to unfold in a dramatic fashion as we got closer to the Big Bend. It's typical to be able to see 30 miles or more from rises. So the distant hills and mountains take time to near, and give ample time for study of the subtle desert colors that many don't know exist.

We rolled into Alpine well ahead of any of the usual suspects. The hotel was nice to all us to check into Charlie's room and get the road grime off. The weather was great, with sunny skies and low 80-degree temperatures. Slowly, bikes started appearing with riders we recognized. Bob rode in, and immediately headed down to the Lizard Lounge for some cool brews. That sounded like a good idea. The lounge filled quickly, and the West Texas happy hour ensued.

Dinner was at the Cowboy Grill next door with a short walk. The sun set, and the evening sky glowed with the deep blue typical out in the open spaces of the desert.

Tom remembered a bar from his satellite communications work days. Railroad Blues still existing, and Keith joined us to ride down after dinner for some pool and chilling. The crowd was mostly Sul Ross students, and varied from the hippy-looking dreadlocks to cowboy. Everyone was having a good time, and hanging at the fire pit that earlier was a point of excitement when a couple of the guys were not communicating as well as possible when one lit the fire while the other was still putting fuel on the wood.

March 23, 2012

Most all of the club rose early to ride out to McDonald Observatory. Tom and I were playing the part of Armando and Paula, getting up late and hanging at breakfast for a while. That worked, though, and helped with that stress-reduction objective that I was seeking. We ran into the group in Marfa, and rode together down to Presidio for lunch.

The River Road was next on the agenda, with its hidden turns after crests that make riders stay on top of their game. We all stopped at the Big Hill for group photos and rest. What a road. One of my favorites.

Lajitas was the evening destination. This town has changed very much over the last 10 years, with the resort now the main focus of the sleepy town on the Rio Grande.

Our rooms were in the section of the resort that resembled barracks of an old fort. The afternoon was nice for rest and talk. Dinner was at the resort restaurant, specially prepared for the LSBMWR club, which made up for the majority of the business.

I walked back to the room after dinner, and was obsessed by the deep-blue evening sky, accented by Jupiter, Venus and the Moon. The profile of the desert landscape and cactus rounded it all out. It was quiet, real quiet. Nice...

March 24, 2012

Tom and I packed up early for a ride through Austin for a stop Saturday night. We rode slowly through the park at the posted 45 mph in the still morning air, and stopped at the north entry for a visit with the park ranger from Wisconsin. She and her husband come down every spring for 3 to 4 months to work in the park.

The Border Patrol asked us the usual question... "Are you a US citizen?" They don't spend much time with moto riders. We stopped in Marathon for a morning break, and spoke with a couple of riders from New Mexico.

As we were riding east on I-10, I was thinking of the ride through Austin, and more of the necessary ride up the horrible I-35 the next morning so I could get back home relatively early. About that time, Tom said over the radio that he was thinking of returning straight home instead of the stop in Austin. That's all it took for me to decide the same. We plotted a return route through Brady, and had a nice ride back home through the rolling hills, taking in the bright yellow landscape painted by all of the spring flowers. The Bluebonnets were just starting to show.

We parted ways southwest of Granbury, and I made my way into the metromess as the sun set. What a contrast from earlier that morning... The memories of the wide open spaces will help me make it through the stresses of the city live and technical work for a while. I'll have to re-charge soon, though.

Photo Web Album

20120324BigBend at EveryTrail

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Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T03:00:00Z

December 31, 2011

It's been another good year of riding and life in general. Near 14,000 miles were logged on the K1200RS, and I reluctantly sold my beloved K75S. Rides were made to the Gulf Coast of Florida, Zydeco areas of Louisiana, high deserts of Arizona, Nevada and Utah and all around Texas. I completed my first 1,000+ mile Iron Butt ride returning from Mexican Hat. I rode my bike almost 600 miles to work in Kansas. The Tom's and I shot way too much video during our ride in September, and it's been obsessive fun editing it all down into something presentable. While we were on the road during the Utah trip, Tom put together a fun fly-by video we shot out on a desolate Nevada highway. As Tom said, actual speeds may be available on WikiLeaks... I'm looking forward to the next year of riding. Life is good.

There's a trippy video at the end of this post for your New Year's Eve entertainment, in case you are hanging at the house tonight.

Happy New Year, and I wish you the best in 2012 - Richard

Cranfills Gap with David - February                               Cooper Lake with Warren - March

Blue Ridge with Roger and Mark - March                     The Emerald Coast - March

Natchitoches with Deb - April                                         Caddo Mills with Wes - April

HoT 12-Hour Rally, Brady - May                                      LSBMWR Moto Shop Rally - May

LSBMWR Cresson Track Day - June                            Mexican Hat, Utah - June

Taovayas Indian Bridge, Oklahoma with David and Jim - July

Bonneville Salt Flats - September                                 Dike Store - October

Kansas City - October                                                      Windom - October

Medicine Park, Oklahoma - November                       International Motorcycle Show - December

Whitewright - December

2011TrackLogs at EveryTrail

200605-201112TrackLogs at EveryTrail

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Whitewright - December, 2011

2011-12-26T22:23:07Z

December 18, 2011

I got a late start on the breakfast ride. Had to put another part in Debbie's car... One would think that the Germans would figure out how to build parts to keep working, the way they make their vehicles handle so well...

Missed the 9:00 start in McKinney, and tried to follow Bo's route to the best of my memory without the GPS route loaded. I rolled into Whitewright at 10:00, and there was just a few bikes parked. But, just as I pulled off my jacket, Bo rolled in with the major pack of the club. We all got settled, and walked across the main street of Whitewright to CJ's, for a tasty, warm breakfast. Another nice morning of socializing with the riding partners. It's been another good year. Merry Christmas.

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/114486492519414832705/WhitewrightDecember2011

20111218Whitewright at EveryTrail

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International Motorcycle Show, Dallas - 2011

2011-12-04T00:56:52Z

December 3, 2011

The weather is lousy for riding motorcycles right now, so we might as well find some place to go stare at motorcycles. The IMS is in Dallas this weekend. The show is getting smaller and less elaborate each year, likely an indication of the state of economy. BMW has been absent from the IMS for at least a couple of years, and that is disappointing. And the Ducati booth is really small in comparison to the last couple of years, but at least they are at the show. It's still entertaining, and yet another place to run into my riding partners from the Lone Star BMW Riders.

The much smaller Ducati booth, but the bikes and the booth staff still look good.

Keith is an exhibitor this year with his Quad on display. Wendy is doing a good job in support.

Keith was like a groupie while taking to Mr. Daytona, Scott Russell

Fred, trying out a Harley ride on the dyno.

Lots of custom bikes on display.

Maybe Rick Fairless can do a custom build around my K12RS.

More photos on Picasa Web

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Medicine Park

2011-11-14T16:35:12Z

November 12, 2011

Deb was wrestling a bit with three border collies Saturday while Laura and Blake were making a trip down to Houston. I helped wear them out early that morning with a long walk, so Deb could could have it a bit easier when I left for the ride. That put me a little behind on meeting up with the LSBMWR group leaving out of Aubrey. But it did not take long before I heard Herman's voice on the radio. He and Thomas had held back while Mike was topping off his tank.

I joined up with them, and we finally caught up with Leonard's main group around the Oklahoma border.

The wind was blowing like crazy from the south, so it wasn't too bad as we rode north, but those east-west stretches were a challenge.

The rest place was in Wilson, where all ~25 bikes converged.

The trees were changing colors nicely for fall.

We stopped at the Meers Store in the Wichita Mountains for an awesome burger. This place has been around since 1901.

It was not a long ride to Medicine Park. Everybody settled into their accommodations, and then went back out for a ride through the wildlife refuge and up to the peak of Mt. Scott.

We all met for dinner at The Plantation. The food was great as was the service. Ghazi and Hani modeled riding suits manufactured by their company, Teiz Motorsports. They are an energetic young couple, and I wish the best to them and their venture. I'm planning to check further into one of their suits.

November 13, 2011

I wanted to get an early start back Sunday morning. Thomas already was in for the 7:30 start. Charlie thought a bit, and decided to join. As we were warming the bikes, Steve was a taker as well.

There was some kind of cross country event north of Muenster with many dirt bikes and colorful riders.

The four of us had a good ride back with a fuel and rest stop in Muenster. As we neared the metromess, we parted ways for the best route to our homes.

This was a nice quick weekend trip to a place that I had no idea of having so much character. The Lone Star BMW Riders ride committee did a great job in planning for this trip. Deb's ready to go back with me.

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/114486492519414832705/MedicineParkLSBMWRRide

20111113MedicinePark at EveryTrail

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Windom Feed Sack

2011-10-30T23:26:53Z

October 30, 2011

Jim can find the most bizarre way to get somewhere, and that's what makes his rides interesting. Today was a jaunt out through the back roads to Windom to have an early lunch buffet at the Feed Sack. The temperature early was a bit chilly, but warmed into very comfortable 60's very quickly. The buffet at the Feed Sack was awesome, with a great variety of country foods, and all very well prepared.

Thanks, Jim, for getting me on some new roads I have not ridden, and getting me very stuffed for lunch.

More Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/rlswim

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A Long Commute to Work

2011-10-18T02:13:36Z

October 17, 2011

The IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise) is holding their semi-annual face-to-face meeting in Kansas City. This group is comprised of medical equipment device manufacturers' design engineers that work together with the objective of establishing standards that simplify medical equipment communication over networks with other devices and systems. These folks are smart. Real smart. I'm not near on that level of smartness, but I have been invited to participate over the last couple of years as a voice from the "trenches", sharing experiences and desires for future work. We'll be working together in Kansas City over the next few days.

Air travel would be easy, but it can take more time than it's worth sometimes. It would be around 575 miles to "commute" to the meeting, if I took the long way there, through northwestern Arkansas and southern Missouri. That's a good excuse to take the bike there, and the weather was looking fine.

The alarm sounded at 5:30 AM, and I kissed Debbie goodbye just after 6:00 as I pulled out in the morning darkness.

The sun rose before Paris, and I squinted my way around its loop to where the roads start getting interesting.

I fueled in Broken Bow, right next to the Choctaw Casino, and then headed north on the wooded Hwy 259, looking forward to the winding descent around the Talimena Trail.

The weather was great, with hardly any wind and temperatures around 80. The trees looked dry, as I left the multi-lane for the twisty Hwy 71. The leaves were just starting to change colors, but I'm not sure if they will be vivid colors this year with the dry conditions.

I love these signs and the roads that follow.

Back in my bicycle racing "career", Roger and I raced along Rob Walton around the Bentonville area and north of Pea Ridge. He was a very strong cyclist and a very nice guy. This was before his dad, Sam, passed away. I'm wondering if he is still making time to ride, or if the Walmart dynasty is taking focus.

The roads in southern Missouri were awesome, with some very small "trails" and others well paved and very twisty.

This town's Peculiar...

As I rode further north, the weather went downhill, with temperatures eventually dipping into the 40's with strong northeastern winds and sprinkles as I rode into Kansas City. The room felt comfortable and the warm shower even more so.

Not a bad commute. Not sure if I would want to do it every day...

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/114486492519414832705/ALongCommuteToKansasCity

20111021KansasCity at EveryTrail

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Steve Jobs, 1955 - 2011

2011-10-07T13:00:56Z

October 5, 2011

Thanks, Steve, for putting technology that works in our hands. It's been a great ride...

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No-Plan Ride and the Dike Store

2011-10-03T22:50:11Z

October 3, 2011

It was a nice day, I had time to take off work, so, a short ride sounded good to me. I slept in on Monday, and lazied my way out to the garage to get my gear on. I had no plan on where to go, but the shortest way out of town was through Wylie and out Hwy 78. As I headed east to Caddo Mills, I actually started trying to plan where to go. There was a good mexican food spot in Cooper, where I had enjoyed a chicken torta before. That sounded good. Wow, a plan, of sorts... By the time I reached Cooper, Jalapeno's was closed. Darn. Gotta form another plan now. I started riding towards Sulphur Springs to find a burger spot. Got on the phone for a 1:00 conference call to wrap up a equipment interface project. It went well, as did the project, so I was off of the phone soon. I looked at the GPS, and saw a bonus waypoint from a few years back, the Dike Store.

I inserted it in the route, and pulled up to the very eclectic bump in the road. Carol said she would cook up a burger for me, and I grabbed a bag of chips and a bottle of tea, and sat down at the cedar plank bar. It was plenty quiet at the store - only me.

Back on the road again to enjoy the 85-degree sunny ride back home. Stopped by the lake for a short time for a stretch, and made my way back to the casa. Not a bad plan for a no-plan ride...

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Utah

2011-10-01T15:18:55Z

September 9, 2011

Friday morning. I should have been getting ready for work, but I was putting my riding gear on. There were plenty of other responsibilities that I could have given my time to - work, new house for my daughter and son-in-law, Debbie, and our own house that needs a bit of work. But, this was my selfish, healing escape from the routine life, which I feel is important in any healthy relationship with a wife or employer. I hugged my wife, put my riding gear on, and headed out to meet Tom to start our journey west. We are starting a 9-day ride up through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Nevada winding up at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Tom and I fought our way out of the morning rush against incoming traffic for near one hundred miles until we finally broke free of the traffic and population that is the necessary evil of our lives in the large city. My mind began its unwinding as we rode west into the rural two-lane roads of the Texas northwest.

As we crossed across the Texas-New Mexico border, the temperature dropped, and the landscape continued to open up to views that challenged the mind with size and distance. We followed historic Route 66 up to Las Vegas, and thought of what has transpired on this road over the years. Tom called Shalinda and I called Debbie in Las Vegas, thinking that might be the last communication for the next couple of days once we climbed into the mountains.

As we gained elevation, Tom kept radioing to me the temperature to me as it dropped, and the roads began to get wet. There was a steady mist in the 40's as we pulled into Sipapu to set up camp. I set up my small tent in the same place that I have done since 2006. The Albuquerque BMW club served up their traditional green chili soup in the evening cool air as we met up with familiar faces, and others that were new to us. The mist stopped for a while, but rain began again early in the morning with rhythmic sounds on my tent until I awoke.

September 10, 2011

Saturday morning was bleak. The rain continued to fall, and the walk to breakfast was muddy and cold. Riders were packing up to leave the mountains and head back to drier, hotter grounds. I too thought of moving on, but as I looked to the weather in Colorado, it too looked just as wet. I decided to stay it out. I read a bit in the lodge and even slept for a while on a hard wooden bench in the lodge. But sometimes even in the gloomy, dark, cold and damp mornings, the day turns to bright, sunny skies, with smiles, laughter and sweet music to end the day. That was the outcome today with an absolutely beautiful afternoon in northern New Mexico.

We celebrated the afternoon with conversation and very tasty brews in the crisp, sunny mountain air.

Deb Lower presented Voni Glaves a certificate of recognition for her 1,000,000 miles of riding. Voni and Ardys finished up their miles together just a few weeks back on the Million Dollar Highway between Durango and Ouray.

The Great Blue Whales ended the evening with music that filled the pines with sounds of talented musicians playing renditions of popular songs over many years. As I document these last couple of days, the band is playing Eric Clapton's "Wonderful", one of Deb and my favorite songs. The night air is crisp and clear, and the moon is shining full and bright. Once again, life is good, as always.

September 11, 2011

I didn't sleep well, and felt lousy as I packed up my camp site. Tom O. felt similar, and we attributed it to food we should not have had the day before. We vowed to do better, and it did indeed help later.

By the time we rode across the Rio Grande Gorge bridge into the Jemez Mountains on Hwy 64, I felt fine. The sun was shining, and the road was challenging and exciting. We set up our video cameras to capture the twisty ride over the mountain, and on to Chama.

We passed by the Rio Grande as we neared Creede, where we enjoyed a very good lunch on the patio listening to live music. Climbing Slumgullion Pass brought rain that slowed my pace through the tight turns. This is my second time across this pass, and now both times being wet. I'll try again some day for dry roads.

The sun came out again as we rode past Blue Mesa. We continued west to Hwy 92 at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The first thing we noticed on the dam as we slowed to check our cameras was the stationed officer and barriers around the dam. It's 9/11, and the 10-year anniversary of the attack.

We did an out-and-back north on 92 up to Hermit's Rest. Tom G. tried out Tom O.'s K1200GT on the road and had a blast.

The evening's stop was Montrose, where we stayed in a cabin. Another fun day of riding.

September 12, 2011

Today was a relatively short ride to Moab, but a full day. We rode north towards Grand Junction, and turned onto Hwy 141 south to Gateway. This is a very twisty road that follows a canyon with spectacular steep red rock walls on each side.

Midway through the road is the Gateway resort, owned by the founder of the Discovery Channel and other networks. I believe he has invested in this resort to give travelers an unexpected oasis in this remote area of Colorado, and also to keep his collection of cars in good condition and available to others to appreciate. We had an excellent lunch at the grill, and toured the auto museum.

The ride south from Gateway was spirited, and I was splitting time between carving the corners and taking in the scenery. We stopped at the Hanging Flume, built during the gold rush. A massive thunderstorm loomed in front of us, and we were talking back and forth on the radios about stowing electronics before hitting the heavy rain. But, the route took us south to Naturita and back west under the massive anvil of the storm without any but a few sprinkles. Impressive show of force, though.

We climbed a few minor passes in the afternoon light, and continued into Moab to get settled in the cabin.

After stowing our gear, we put on hiking clothes to head out to Arches National Park. I asked the park ranger where we should go with our limited time, and she pointed us to the Windows. This is where we first started to get a feeling for how many Europeans are vacationing in the western National parks. There were tour buses filled with Germans and Italians. It's interesting seeing so many folks from far away, but sometimes it was refreshing to stumble upon Americans. We hiked back to the massive arches, and wondered if the cloudy, dull light conditions would eventually break to let in the brilliant western sunset colors.

It eventually did, and Tom G. and I kept stopping to shoot pictures. We did this so many times that Tom O. just kept riding to the cabin to crash for the evening. G. and I finally made our way to the Moab Brewery for a very tasty burger and brews.

September 13, 2011

Tuesday morning was clear and crisp as we rode south out of Moab. It was not far out of town that we ran into the first road construction of the day. The bikes were shut down for a short time while the pilot truck was heading our way. Once the traffic started rolling again, we eventually entered a section of road that warned of deer migration. These signs were only a couple of miles apart, and we slowed accordingly. Utah DOT tells the truth. There were deer everywhere, massive Mule Deer.

As we tuned west, the landscape turned remote and dramatic. Lake Powell and the Colorado River in Glen Canyon was nearing. I hold fond memories of time spent at Lake Powell with Deb and our kids, and our good friends, Troy and Susan and their kids. Lake Powell is a magical place. Eagles were flying along the canyon walls, and the views go on forever.

We reluctantly left the Glen Canyon area and rolled north, through more remote country, with a mountain to our west that has obviously produced some flash floods in this arid region. There was evidence of high water above an arroyo, with wood and debris a good 8 feet above the low point of the highway.

Hanksville showed only 2 miles away on the GPS, but there was no evidence of a community until we topped a final rise, where the town made up of no more than 10 buildings finally appeared. We ate at Blondies, site of the world's best burger. We could not pass up the opportunity to experience this best burger in the world, and went for the shake as well. As I left the cafe, a couple sitting outside caught my attention. Gary and Anne were Brits touring the west. Gary asked us how we could keep the speedometer at 65 in this wide-open landscape. We admitted we let the speed climb a bit when the conditions were safe. Later we learned that Gary is in the police force in England, so I asked if his jurisdiction extended into the Americas in the case we might run across him out on the road.

We rode through Capital Reef National Park under high red cliffs, and over pine-covered mountains near Boulder. Tom G. pointed out areas where he filmed around Escalante as we rode through the countryside.

The road snaked across a ridge south of town, and we continued on to Bryce Canyon, where we once again thought we were traveling in a foreign country. Panguitch was the stop of the day, at the Blue Pine Motel, a nice mom and pop stay.

Here's a video montage of Utah:

September 14, 2011

Tom G. opened the door, and said "Great, it's raining". We thought he was kidding, since the previous day's weather appeared to be clearing. But we wound up riding west for a couple of hours in light rain while G. rode south out of the muck towards Santa Fe.

As O. and I neared Ely, NV, the skies cleared a bit, the the temperature rose. We stopped for lunch in Ely, and rode on towards sunny Wendover, where we found a deserted stretch of road for a fly-by video that Tom had dreamed up to shoot. The Bonneville Salt Flats unrolled below us as we neared Wendover. After checking into the Rainbow Casino Hotel, we rode out to the Flats. The World of Speed was shut down for the day, since a moto rider dumped his bike at speed, and there was only one ambulance for the event.

We headed back to the hotel, and had a good dinner at the casino, taking in the 1970's styling, although very clean.

September 15, 2011

The bikes were packed early and ready to roll as we rode back to the Salt, and as we neared, speeding towards us was another ambulance. This time, it was a course worker with chest pains.

We rode for miles on the Salt to a point where we could park the bikes, and as soon as I dismounted, Rick Vesco drove up. He was working with his daughter to set an auto speed record. I told him I had been following him and his brother, Don, since I was in high school.

Tom and I wandered the pits while we were waiting on a second ambulance so the speed runs could resume. We met a lot of friendly and interesting people.

We met Jack, who today visited Bonneville again for his first time since 1954. He told a few stories, and we enjoyed talking with him.

We met Seldom Seen Slim (Jon) and Nancy, who was at the Salt to do a 200+ mph run on her Hayabusa. The people here are friendly and eclectic.

The Salt is weird. It seems alien, and infinite.

Tom and I rode east on the interstate across the Salt Flats. It went on for 50 miles without a single bend in the road.

We made our way through central Utah, and east of Provo over the Wasatch range, where a strong thunderstorm challenged us with heavy rain and cold temperatures on the descent.

The journey south towards Green River was nice, with the warm light of the afternoon sun lighting the dry, craggy ridge to our east. The contrast of the strong storms behind us was interesting.

The sun was setting over the mesa as we approached Green River. Green River was a quiet town. We had a late-evening light dinner at Ray's, and got to know more locals and Germans.

September 16, 2011

The morning air felt good as we rode east into Colorado. The route took us through Delta, and back down Hwy 92 along the north ridge of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This time, I finally got to experience this technical road in dry conditions, the first time in around 5 rides since 2006.

Gunnison was the lunch stop at the Blue Iguana. The storms to the east were brewing, and it was not long out of town that the rain gear had to be put on. As we climbed Monarch Pass, the temperature continued to fall to 41 degrees, and then the rain and sleet began. The east side of the mountain gave hope of dry roads as we spotted blue skies through the clouds.

The traffic along Hwy 50 through Salida and on east was heavy. We missed out on some nice sweeping curves at speed along the Arkansas River.

But, as we turned south on Hwy 69, the traffic became light, and the afternoon light spilling over the cloud-covered Sangre de Cristos made the ride to Westcliffe so enjoyable. This wide, gentle valley between mountains has some very nice characteristics and dynamics. Near the Sangre de Cristos, the vegetation is lush and green, and on the opposite side of the valley, there is scrub. The light spills across the valley in ever-changing waves of illumination. The clouds boil above the peaks and work their way down the ridges.

We settled into the Westcliffe Inn, and decided to snack on food I had packed, rather than going downtown to the tavern for dinner. It was a relaxing evening, and we worked on photos and videos from the trip while watching the waning light on the mountains. The rain over the mountains slowly crept east towards the valley, and finally reached the inn. It was nice to hear the gentle sounds outside the open window. I really like this place.

September 17, 2011

The plan was to hit the road 15 minutes before sunrise in order to get an early start for the 700-mile ride home.

But, we drug our feet for a while, and then watched a spectacular sunrise unfolding. So, out came the cameras. Once the light show settled down, the free breakfast sounded fine at the inn. This set us back only one hour, so that was fine. We kept the pace low watching for deer in the early morning.

A herd of elk was near the road not far out of town. I can't recall seeing this many together. At breakfast, we got the scoop from a traveler that the road out of Raton was a mess with construction, so at Trinidad, we rode east on 160, and south towards Capulin passing through Branson.

The ride into Texas was typical, with temperatures in the 90's, and some stray thunderstorms that we hoped to ride through for a cool-down. We finally got our chance as we neared Wichita Falls.

The sun set in our mirrors as we approached Decatur, and we worked our way home through the north Dallas traffic. I was excited to see Debbie after such a long ride.

It was another great ride. When is the next one?

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/rlswim/Utah2011

201109Utah at EveryTrail

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