June 17, 2016
We worked things out so we could leave a day early, and we went to Laramie, WY. The weather was 10 degrees cooler today than is was supposed to be tomorrow, so we got closer to the Rockies. It was a fun and uneventful ride, and we met Austin in Wheatland, WY. I don't knos if we would stay at the Laramie Super 8 again. The rooms were clean, and quiet, but the lobby and hallways were scary. They could use a lot of paint. It is good to see the Bass Boat make it to one more rally.
285 easy miles.
https://goo.gl/maps/Hy734CjUQFH2
285 easy miles.
https://goo.gl/maps/Hy734CjUQFH2
June 18, 2016
We got a good start to the day. and stopped in Steamboat Springs for a while. There was a Mustang Rally going on, and it had traffic absolutely snarled. There was also a zero waste event going on, as well as a bicycle polo game going on.
Austin bought a clamp for his GoPro to mount on his engine guards.
We went to Joe and Yvettes and had a great time with them as always. We had two excellent meals, and got to play with their new dog Leia. The drive from our house to theirs is one of my favorite day long rides, we just broke it into two days to beat the heat and spend some time in Steamboat Springs.
255 miles.
June 19, 2016
After a great breakfast, we headed west on I-70 to Arches National Park. We have driven by several times, and this time we decided to stop. It was good, but it was almost too hot to fully enjoy the scenery. The temps were in the upper 90s, and probably broke 100. We were anxious to get going, and we headed to Mexican Hat, UT. About half way there, I noticed something on my rear speaker grill, and Austin had bought magnet and put it there.
We stayed at the San Juan Inn, and there was a great restaurant across the parking lot, and they had great fry bread. After a very good meal, Austin and I ran down to Monument Valley, and took a bunch of pictures. We got back about dark and enjoyed some nice 3.2 beer, and called it a night.
298 miles, with an additional 48 to Monument Valley and back for Austin and I.
June 20, 2016
We left early again, trying to get some miles on before the heat got bad again.
We had a nice short day going to the Grand Canyon. Melanie and I have been there before but Austin hadn't. He was impressed. We had a great time, with some difficulties getting our hotel room. After getting a shower and cooling off from the upper 90s temps, we went out and took way too many pictures, but we don't get there often. We met a couple from the Rapid City area that are now full time RVing, and he drives a bus there. We also met a family from Tasmania Australia, and had fun watching the sunset with them. They were an interesting family. They were doing a car show circuit, and got some time off to do some tourist stuff.
197 hot, pretty miles.
June 21, 2016
Today was a hot mad dash to Taos, NM, the site of WWR X. We got a good early cool start, but soon the temps were over 95, and it broke 100 for the second day of this trip. The cooling vests were well worth every penny we paid for them.
This was an uneventful day, just trying to get there, and we pushed hard, but it is hard to make time when you have to stop to cool off and stay hydrated. We did pass by the meteor crater site, and if it hadn't been so hot we would have stopped, but all of us wanted to keep going to get it over with. It was a relief getting to Taos, but we didn't realize the traffic would be as bad as it is. We didn't spend enough time looking for directions to the hotel, but we found it thanks to a large bill board on the edge of town. The shower was wonderful, after we finally got a room. There was a thunderstorm right before we got to town, and they couldn't check us in for quite a while. It all worked out though. Things usually do.
540 hard hot miles.
June 22, 2016
Our first day of WWR X. Today there was a group ride to Los Alamos. We didn't go with the group. We were still regrouping when the group left. We did go to the Bradbury Museum, and we met the group there and ate at the pizza place next door, and many of the group were there. They made an awesome crust on their pizza, and Mal decided to have a bacon salad with a topping of bacon!
We did an indirect route, going over the Rio Grande Gorge. I din't even think about it not being in Texas, but the suspension bridge was cool. It really shook when heavy trucks went over it. There were also three bighorn sheep males there. It was a neat experience. One thing about Taos, they could really use some additional traffic controls, and maybe time their traffic lights better. Traffic was always heavy, with only one lane in each direction. For supper we went to the next door place, Taos Ale House.
168 miles, not counting any beer runs, or other short runs we made.
June 23, 2016
Today the group was doing the "Enchanted Circle" route. This is a scenic ride around the mountains around Taos. There were a few of us that did not go with the main group. we went the opposite direction, hoping to cut down on the traffic we had to deal with. Our evil plan worked very well, and we also had very little traffic on the whole ride. We did meet up with the group at Red River, and had a nice visit. We found a place that sold jerky, and I think everyone in the group bought some. On the way, we went through Angel Fire, and it is a great skiing destination, with the ski slope visible from the highway. Our little group was the two of us on the BMW, Austin on the Bass Boat, Cargo on his Vaquero, "Vette" on her 1500 Drifter, and Mal on his very nice Victory Cross Country without a trunk. Cargo and Austin switched rides at Red River, and Austin really liked the Vaquero, but still thinks he wants a Concours. We will see how that turns out. Again, we ate at the Taos Ale House, which was right next door.
Our round trip was 84 miles.
June 24, 2016
We didn't do any riding today, we just hung around, and visited, as did most people. I did get the bikes checked over and fueled for the ride home tomorrow. We walked to Michaels Kitchen for an awesome breakfast. They were also a bakery, and Melanie had a blueberry donut, Austin and I passed. That is one thing we had noticed, everywhere we ate, the food was amazing, and the portions were almost too big for us.
June 25, 2016
We got a good early start, and decided to wait on breakfast until we got a few miles in. We were trying to make time in the cool part of the day. It was going to be another hot day, which is all we had since we left home. We finally stopped at a Carls Jr in Walensburg, CO. It was just a place to stop, and the first fast food we came across. It was starting to warm up. I didn't put on any warm clothes, although Melanie did. I was very thankful for a heated seat and grips! Austin was just cold on the Nomad. Things went good until we got to Colorado Springs, Austin wanted to stop at a junkyard to buy some wheels for his car, and they were closed. After that, when we got to Denver, the interstate turned into a parking lot for several miles. I don't know why, but that happens in cities. After we got clear of that, speeds picked up, even with the traffic. We stopped at a Chick-Fil-A that Austin knew about in Loveland. I like the food, it actually has flavor, and even though there was a big line, they move pretty well. After that, it was on to Cheyenne for a fuel stop, and Austin was going to go one way, and we were going another. We ended up staying on the interstate until Wheatland, and the side wind was pretty bad. We didn't have any wind that day until Cheyenne, and there, you just expect the wind to blow. Our next gas stop was Guernsey, and that is where I noticed a large bulge in my rear tire. I slowed down to 35-40 mph, and finally told Melanie to go home, call a friend that has the same model BMW, and borrow his spare tire and wheel, get in the car and meet me wherever that was.
She misunderstood, and was waiting for me at Lusk , but had our friends on the way. I told her there to go home, there was nothing she could do. I pulled over at Mule Creek Junction to check the tire, and it wasn't really changing, but I didn't have cell service, so I couldn't contact her. As I was getting back to the bike, our friends pulled in next to me. It was a huge relief getting a good tire on that heavy bike. After 100 miles at 35 mph, 75 sure felt fast! That was the biggest problem of the trip, so it turned out to be a good trip. I should have taken more pictures, but we still got some good ones. It was an awesome, although hot, trip. It will definitely be one that we will remember, and Austin got in his first motorcycle trip. I think he now understands why we like doing this.
664 mostly enjoyable miles.
The route with the stops.
This put us right at 2500 miles for this trip, and it was by far the hottest we have done. The cooling vests work very well, and sunscreen would have helped my nose , after Arches NP, but it was worth it!
This put us right at 2500 miles for this trip, and it was by far the hottest we have done. The cooling vests work very well, and sunscreen would have helped my nose , after Arches NP, but it was worth it!
