Day 3 - Boulder to Cody - July 4th

Today will be when we finally meet up with the 4 other bikes. Karen and I have gotten to really know and appreciate Armando and Paula as friends. We look forward to riding with them in the future.

We started out in Boulder at 9AM where it was cool and overcast. No rain in Boulder but the rain will be a factor today. Armando took the lead today.

We had lunch at Wheaton, WY were it started raining. This restaurant closed today at 2pm for the holiday. We meet lots of people interested in our trip and all wished us luck. We waited for the worst of the rain to subside.

We finally drove out of of the rain by 3pm...and then into the deer captial of the world. We counted 79 deer in the fields on the way to Cody. Well over 1/3rd of them were close enough to the road to be a hazzard to us on the bikes. I don't like deer.

Cody turned out to be in full fourth of July party mood. There were several hundred motorcycles and hundreds of people in the streets. We were too late for dinnner with the rest of the group so we ate at the Irma Hotel which was built by Buffalo Bill Cody who was rumored to have kept two rooms and an office in the hotel until his death. This was quite a charming hotel and I would love to return agian. Armando and Paula decided to go see the fireworks while Karen and I stayed in the hotel for dinner. We are looking forward to riding with the rest of the group tomorrow.

 

You can find more of my images on the Kodak link.  You will need to signin before you can see my galleries.

Day2 - On to the top of Pikes Peak

Today we started out at 8:30AM from Clayton, NM. While it is a nice little town, I am glad to be leaving. The wind is incredible out there. We fought a stiff sidewind for about 100 miles outside of Clayton and fought the same stiff wind for 100 miles on the way out. It was a serious wind!

Karen and I in the morning, ready to go.

A small church in Clayton, NM.

 

A windmill repair. 

Armando and Paula behind us.

We made it to Raton, NM by mid-moring. This is a very nice place to drive through. The Raton pass is about 6000-7000 feet elevation and just gorgeous. I have only stopped in Raton to get gas because this city always falls at a point that it was in a mid-day. I called Shari and arranged for lunch at Phantom Canyon and Brewing company.

    Here I am messing with the suff...

Armando and Paula riding in Raton, NM. 

Armando & Paula coming into Colorado Springs. 

We met up with Shari and her friend Randy in Colorado Springs at 12:30 just in time for lunch.

Phantom Canyon was a great place to eat lunch. We spent too long talking but I only get to see Shari every few years so it was worth it. We left the Phantom Canyon and headed for Pikes Peak.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

I am parking in front of Phantom Canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Randy and Shari. 

Shari and I at Phantom Canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pikes Peak is the most visited mountain in the US and the second most visited moutain in the world. It is 14,110 feet above sea level and is one of the famous 14ers (14,000 feet). This was as an interesting trip. The road to the top is only about 19 miles but the National Park Service said it takes 2 hours round trip. This road is gravel some of the way and there are several 10MPH switchback turns to get to the top. I tracked my altitude as we make our way up. It was quite spectacular. As the altitude got to 12000 feet the trees got smaller until about 13000 feet when we got above the tree level. From that point on we simply had rocks and snow. At 13000 feet we still had several switchbacks to go and from our inital vantage point it looked like we had miles to go. Once we got to the top it was quite obvious we had difficulty breathing. Just parking the bike was difficult as the ground was loose gravel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additionally, at the top of Pikes Peak is the souvenir shop that sells the "famous" Pikes Peak doughnuts. Apparently you MUST eat one as it contains no calories at 14000 feet. I ate one... note to self, don't do that again. The trip down Pikes Peak is just as spectacular but different on one respect: Going up you keep the engine on high rev's, going down you brake... hard.

At the bottom of the moutain, they make you stop to do a laser spot check on the temperature of your brakes. We passed.

We continued on to Boulder for the end of the day, just over 500 miles for the second day in a row. Prior to arriving in Boulder, Armando and I were having the late afternoon energy drop and decided to try a 5 hour energy drink. I was not expecting much but it did what is said it would do, I felt alert for the rest of the day. We washed our bikes and then went to dinner at 10PM! I am not used to that but this is an adventure so we deal with it...

Day 1 - So it begins...

Karen and I stayed up way too late preparing for the start of the trip and got up at 6AM to get started. Poor preparation will always be rewarded...

We started out at 7:45AM to meet up with Paula and Armando at a local mall. Finding a parking spot was not diffcult.

We got the first shot of the day of Paula and Armando.

I was a nice moring. The overcast skys kept the temperature down and no wind. By mid-moring, the sun was starting to peek out. I was minding my own business on Highway 287 when the biggest bird I ever saw took flight on the side of the road. His wing span was bigger than my bike! Apparently he wanted to stay low this morning so we had a close encounter... I got to see the south end of a northern flying "giant" bird at about 6-12 inches away! Karen was off looking at something else so she never saw the bird... this is a good thing.

We had lunch in Vernon, Texas. Nothing much to say about that, but then the rain hit. We thought we would run out of it but it kept coming. Interestingly enough, our rain gear stayed nice and dry, in their storage bags! I am not sure what we were thinking...

We finally arrived at Clayton, NM around 6PM. It was hot and dry by the time we got there.

We had dinner at the Rabbit Ear Cafe. They didn't serve any Rabbit Ears so I don't get the connection. I guess the name sounded good at the time.

Your going where? On a what?

Karen and I are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to join our friends in the Lonestar BMW Riders club on an epic motorcycle trip to Hyder Alaska! We will be joining Rob Spruell, Bo & Joy Griffin, Herman Van Beek, Jim Shcumacher, Richard & Debbie Swim, and Armando & Paula & Almedia. We all seem to be starting at different times and will make the majority of the trip together once we converge on Cody, WY. Our route roughly follows the this agenda.

Day-1 07/02/2010 Bud & Karen / Armand & Paula - DFW to Clayton, NM. 509 miles

Day-2 07/03/2010 " " - Clayton, NM - Boulder, CO. 408 miles
Hopefully we get to have lunch with my friend, Shari in Colorado Springs, followed by a visit to Pikes Peak.

Day-3 07/04/2010 Meet the full contingent in Cody, Wy. 482 miles.

Day-4 07/05/2010 Cody, Wy - Shelby Mt. 442 miles

Day-5 07/06/2010 Shelby, Mt - Radium Hot Springs, BC 362 miles.

Day-6 07/07/2010 Radium Hot Springs - Banff, Alberta 86 miles.

Day-7 07/08/2010 Banff, Alberta - McBride, BC 283 miles.

Day-8 07/09/2010 McBride, BC - Smithers, BC 361 miles.

Day-9 07/10/2010 Smithers, BC - Hyder, Ak 206 miles.

Day-10 07/11/2010 Hyder, AK - Prince Rupert, BC 299 Miles

Day-11 07/12/2010 Prince Rupert, BC - Ferry to Port Hardy, BC

Day-12 07/13/2010 Port Hardy - Victoria Island 313 miles Take the ferry to Port Angeles, WA and then to Forks, WA.

Day-13 07/14/2010 Forks, WA - North Bend, Or 414 miles. Karen and I are going to try to meet up with our good friends Jim and Eileen for lunch.

Day-14 07/15/2010 North Bend, OR - Bodega Bay, CA 462 miles.

Day-15 07/16/2010 Bodega Bay, CA to Bakersfield, CA 424 miles. Karen and Joy will by flying home from Oakland, CA. It appears as if several of the riders will be splitting up from this point to follow other destinations and routes home.

Day-16 07/17/2010 Bakersfield, CA - Gallup, NM 667 miles!

Day-17 07/18/2010 Gallup, NM - Plano, Texas 766 miles!!


Check back often to see our progress.