Day Ride: Reminiscing

Today was the perfect day for a motorcycle ride. So Donna, and I took the day off to take a little day ride and invited Lin to join us. Being as it's my birthday, I got to choose our destination.  

The plan was to ride from Fort Collins, around Horsetooth Reservoir to Masonville, cut over to US Hwy 34, then up the Big Thompson Canyon to Estes Park -- the Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. I don't think we've ridden up the Big Thompson Canyon since before the flood back in the fall of 2013 and a lot has changed. 

I had an errand I wanted to run in north Fort Collins, so I thought it would be nice to ride a little north on US Hwy 287 before turning back and riding south along the series of dams that help create the east side of Horsetooth Reservoir -- Soldier Canyon Dam, Dixon Canyon Dam, and Spring Canyon Dam (Horsetooth Dam closes the north end of the reservoir).

As we sat waiting for a traffic light to change, Donna reminded me that this is the last weekend of Cheyenne Frontier Days. My memory flashed back to my very first "long-distance" motorcycle ride. At that instant, our day changed. 

To the reminiscing part, I learned to ride a motorcycle 20 years ago this year. On that birthday, my son Jason, Donna, and I took my first motorcycle out for a spin. I got more experience in that one day than I might have gotten in an entire summer if I hadn't jumped right into the deep end of the proverbial pool. Today (with a few exceptions) we recreated that trip. 

My first motorcycle was a 1985 700cc Honda Magna (affectionately named "Maggie" long before I owned her, the name stuck). I rode Maggie for 10 years before I finally got a bigger bike. Today, I ride a 2004 1300cc Honda VTX (I haven't named her yet). Quite a difference.

The bigger bike made the ride quite a bit different, too. As we rode north on US Hwy 287 toward Laramie, WY, I didn't feel the wind push me around as much as I remember the first time I rode that stretch of highway. Of course, I wasn't scared like I was on that first ride, either. My son had insisted on riding with me that first trip, which I can understand, but I had felt unsteady enough on the bike without having his wiggly butt on the back (at 15, he was almost 6 feet tall -- all arms, legs, hands, and feet that he eventually grew into). 

Anyway, today we gassed the bikes in Laramie and took I-80 east toward Cheyenne (we decided to wait until we reached CFD to eat). And instead of taking the interstate all the way into Cheyenne (like we did on my first ride, in the dark and in the rain no less) we decided to take the scenic route into the city -- Happy Jack Road. 

Which brought back more and different memories.

Twelve years ago, Donna and I went on a large, organized camping trip with some very good friends of ours -- Short, Keri, and Lisa -- held near an area called Vedauwoo. As we passed through the area, I remembered one of the things that stood out about that weekend -- Keri was determined that our group campsite was going to win the "Campiest Camp" award. So, she planned our site.

She asked Donna and I to bring up our 200-gallon traveling water tank -- full of course. Another friend brought a generator. Someone else brought a child's swimming pool. Keri brought the decorations. By the time the judges came around on Saturday, we had the Wyoming woods equivalent of a Hawaiian beach -- complete with blender drinks. Needless to say, our campsite won that year -- I still have the t-shirt. It was a bittersweet memory, because a couple of months later we lost those friends in a car wreck in Kansas. 

Despite the sad memories, the ride into Cheyenne was absolutely gorgeous. 

We spent a few hours wandering around the various vendor stalls at Cheyenne Frontier Days and grabbing a bite to eat at the food court before going back to Fort Collins. By this time, I was ready to head home, but not quite ready to quit riding. So, once again today, I changed our route and instead of taking the interstate all the way into Fort Collins, I brought us the back way in through Wellington (which Lin was going to take anyway since it's a shorter route to her place). 

We logged about 165-ish miles today. The weather was just about perfect, and what wind we did have mostly pushed us along. It was a great way to spend a Friday. 

I mentioned a few exceptions to our original trip. On that day 20 years ago, Donna and I took a little side-trip -- and ended up riding some 30-ish miles on gravel roads. Suffice it to say we did not repeat that part of the trip this time around. I am not a fan of riding my great big road bike on gravel -- I've done it, but I don't like it. But, I gained enough experience that day to feel much more comfortable riding to my very first motorcycle rally a week or so later -- the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. 

Sturgis this year should be especially interesting as it is the 75th Anniversary and the event organizers are expecting close to 1,000,000 people. Stay tuned, we leave for the rally next weekend. I'll keep you posted on that trip too. 

Reno Day 13: Sweet Home Colorado

As our intrepid little group rode east on I-80 today, I couldn't help but compare this ride with the ride that Donna and I endured along the same stretch of highway last August. Today's skies were punctuated by white, fluffy clouds that threatened no more than a shady patch to cool the skin. 

The day was almost as perfect a riding day as a motorcycle rider could wish for. For most of the day we had a  tail wind that pushed us along nicely. As the heating of the day brought thunderstorms to the front north of us, the wind shifted from an easterly wind to a northeasterly wind. The winds were strong enough to prompt the WYDOT signage to warn of wind gusts in excess of 35 mph, so we adjusted our speeds accordingly. 

The weather gods were very kind to us, and there was enough construction going on that traffic was forced to slow through some of the nastiest areas. We did run into a few sprinkles, but nothing bad enough to pull over and add a layer of rain gear. Mostly, the few rain squalls we encountered were enough to cool me off, but not enough to cause me a chill (I can't speak for Donna or Lin on that one).

Overall, we had a great ride today. The major gas stops along our route were within 120 miles of each other and we were able to make good time, despite the half-dozen or so construction zones we rode through. We arrived back in Fort Collins around 6:30-ish feeling the sense of accomplishment we feel every time we take the bikes out for our 2250+ mile trips. 

Thanks for joining us on our latest motorcycle adventure. Stay tuned for our next trip -- the 75th anniversary of the Black Hills Motorcycle Rally, Sturgis, SD -- coming up in August. Until then, keep the rubber side down. 

Reno Day 12: Wind, Wind, and More . . .

Wind. The first hour or so was nice and calm. Then the wind started. The wind was with us most of the day. It wasn't as bad as yesterday, but it was still enough to wear us out. 

We were up early this morning, but somehow got sucked into the twilight zone and didn't get on the road as early as we wanted. We made good time after we got going. Today was the day we crossed the Bonneville Salt Flats. 

Crossing the salt flats always makes me think about the first time I ever drove cross country. I was 16, almost 17, when my dad retired from the Air Force and we were going to move to Colorado Springs so my mom could be closer to her sister. We packed up our stuff, sold our house, and drove to Colorado. 

My dad drove our motor home and I drove the car, a 1963 Mercury Comet with a 2-speed automatic (my mom didn't drive). For most of the trip I had my two oldest siblings in the car with me, and my youngest brother (he was 7 at the time) rode with my parents. When we left Wendover, my dad told me that my youngest brother had to ride with me. Within 5 miles, I understood why. 

The road through the salt flats is straight and flat and boring for 100 miles. My dad wanted to make sure that I didn't fall asleep while we were driving over one of the most tiresome stretches of highway in the United States. For 100 miles my little brother asked question, after question, after question. He was a truck nut, so every time we saw a semi truck, he would tell us what kind of big truck it was. I remember him talking about being a "big truck driver" when he grew up. My brother went on to become a "big truck driver", my dad always said he was a natural.

I don't remember if we had bad weather on that trip, but on this trip we ran into a few sprinkles before we reached Salt Lake City. We managed to dodge most of the rain and the worst of the wind today, but the drive through the mountains from Salt Lake City to Park City was pretty tense because of the traffic. We stopped in Park City and had a brew and an order of nachos before heading back out on the road. 

By the time we got to Evanston, WY, we were pretty beat, so we decided to land here for the night and get an early start again tomorrow. With luck, we'll be home tomorrow night, if not, we'll be home on Saturday.  

Reno Day 11: Homeward Bound

We started pretty early this morning. I was up around 6:30-ish and got right to making sure that everything was packed and ready to go. Donna and I had reached our data plan limit, so we had turned our phones off yesterday so we wouldn't go over (we probably did anyway, but we tried to minimize the charges). As soon as I turned my phone on, I got a text message from our neighbor to call her ASAP, so I did. I woke her up (sorry Pam).

The news wasn't good. It seems we had a visitor in the last couple of days -- of the four-legged variety. It must have been a small-ish bear to fit through the dog-door, but he helped himself to our refrigerator and freezer, and some of the cupboards. He didn't scratch up the cabinets or floors, and he was kind enough to puke and crap outside and not in the house. 

  

I think next year we'll be looking for a house sitter. 

It's been an eventful day. We did our major packing last night and were ready this morning, all we had to do was stow our night clothes and pack the bikes. A call to the Bell Desk took care of clearing out our room, then we went to breakfast. 

After breakfast came the chore of packing the bikes. As usual, it took us about 20 minutes to pack the bikes and make sure everything was secure for the highway. Our trip home is on I-80, so we hit the highway. We made really good time in the morning. Some time in the mid-afternoon, we caught up with the storm front we had been watching all morning. 

As we got closer to the front, the wind -- which was already strong -- really started whipping up. And it changed direction. It had been blowing us around from the north, but when it changed from a southerly to a northerly wind -- about 2 miles west of Battle Mountain, NV -- it did so with a vengeance, and added a stinging rain to boot.

What had been a stiff wind turned into a fury. We had to slow to almost a crawl and at one point I was almost lifted off the seat of my bike by the helmet. I had to pull over to cinch it down more, and by then the wind was so bad, I could hardly hold my bike upright -- with the kickstand down. I was afraid to get off the bike for fear that the wind would blow it over and into the interstate, and me along with it. 

After a nice Nevada State Patrolman stopped to make sure we weren't having mechanical problems, the wind eased just enough that we were able to make it to one of the gas stations in Battle Mountain. By the time we finished fueling the bikes and got back on the highway, the wind had eased to manageable levels. It was still windy, but not like the 9th level of hell. 

We only made it as far as Elko, NV, but by the time we arrived, we were pretty well beat up tired by the wind. Tomorrow is another day, we plan to get an early start and try to reach Green River, WY -- we'll see. It will depend largely on the weather. 

Reno Day 10: Welcome to Atlantis

Today is a day of rest before our trip home. So we decided to take a trip down to the Atlantis Hotel & Casino. We had a leisurely breakfast at Millie's 24 restaurant, then back up to the room to grab our gear for the ride across town. 

We arrived in Atlantis in late morning, and proceeded to the Guest Services desk to get our Player's Club cards and see what kind of comps came with the card. The three of us stood in line for the Player's Club machines to see what comps we'd be lucky enough to win. Sad to say we each only scored the lowest comp possible on the machine. *sigh* Story of my life. 

After a couple of hours of feeding the machines, I decided the casino had enough of my hard-earned paycheck, so I went in search of my friends. I found Donna winning on a penny slot machine, so I hung around and watched her win around $150.00. We tried to get enough comp points for a free buffet, but none of us did that well at the slots. 

When we were all tired of spending our money and the winnings were being sucked back into the machines, we had lunch at the buffet. As casino buffets go it was about average, but we all got enough to eat and decided it was time to head back to the El Dorado to finish packing for the trip home. 

The plan was to gas up the bikes on our way back to the hotel, but as we traveled north on Virginia Street, we watched the rain roll in and decided that we would just fill the bikes in the morning on our way out of town. Somehow we managed to make it into the parking garage before the worst of the rain hit, so we were relatively dry when we got to our room. When we got up to the room, we watched the rain come down in sheets; we were lucky we didn't have to swim back to the El Dorado from Atlantis.  

We will spend the rest of the evening packing for the trip home. The plan is to get up early (OK, I know that most everyone's idea of early differs from ours), grab a quick breakfast and morning latte, and hit the rowdy road. Our goal for tomorrow night is Wells, NV, wish us fair weather and following winds. 

Reno Day 9: Lake Tahoe

Today we rode to Lake Tahoe. Well, Lin and I rode to Lake Tahoe, Donna had a sore throat and headache so she opted to stay at the hotel and rest. Lin and I headed south on US Hwy 395, stopping to gas the bikes and make sure we had enough water with us before we headed up Mount Rose Highway. 

The ride up Mt. Rose Hwy (SR 431) was awesome. It was one of the few roads that had enough pull-outs for slower traffic. Cars always seem to be in a hurry on those windy mountain roads, so we pulled over often. The views were spectacular on the road up. 

When we reached Lake Tahoe, we turned north toward Tahoe City. We had almost reached Tahoe City when we ran into rain. By then the road crews had oiled the road, and we found the traffic, so we decided to turn around and take the shorter (by 75 miles or so) route to US Hwy 50 and Carson City. 

The lake was beautiful and the water was the clearest I've ever seen. In fact, one of the informational plaques I read stated that in the mid-1800s, the water was clear down to at least 100 feet. Now, the water is clear only down to about 70 feet, mostly because of the effects of so many people living so close to the water. 



The ride up US Hwy 50 into Carson City was great. The road looked like it had been recently paved, the only problem we had on the way back were the wind gusts that accompanied the weather front that was moving in. We hustled to Reno, and made a quick stop in Target for water and a couple of other things. We managed to get caught in the rain between Target and the hotel, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the storm we rode through on the way in last week. 

After we got back to the hotel, we went to dinner and gambled a little at the Silver Legacy. I more or less broke even, Donna won a buffet meal, and Lin won enough to cover her expenses here in Reno. Tomorrow we plan to visit the Atlantis Hotel and Casino. After that, we will come back to our room and start packing for the trip home. 

Reno Day 8: Day Trippin'

Seeing that this is a holiday weekend, we decided to stay away from Lake Tahoe for one more day. We really wanted to get out on the bikes today and planned our morning accordingly. It was a comfortable 70-ish degrees when we got out to the bikes and the sky was a beautiful blue, punctuated with fluffy white clouds. We were looking at a perfect riding day. 

Dressed and ready to go, we started the bikes, and Lin's bike wouldn't start. After about half hour of trying to figure out what the problem was, Lin sent Donna and I on our way and she stayed to get some expert advice from the local Harley-Davidson dealership. As luck would have it, the fix was simple (isn't it always?); the battery in her starter fob was low enough to affect the security system. 

Donna and I took a "short" (~200 mile) day ride. We took off up US Hwy 395 thinking to ride through the mountains. Traffic was moderate and we encountered a little wind and the occasional nasty gust, but overall we had a pleasant ride. One of the things we saw along the way was a shoe tree. 

We rode around a high mountain valley through little towns with names like Doyle, Chilcoot, Sierraville, and Loyalton. In Sierraville we stopped at a little place called Smithneck Farms and had a tri-tip sandwich that was to die for. This place was smoking the meat as we rode up. Everywhere we went, people were friendly and welcoming. 

Donna and I rolled back into Reno around 4:00 and we gathered Lin up and went to dinner. The hotels (El Dorado, Silver Legacy, and Circus Circus) were much less busy this evening than the last couple of nights. Now that the long holiday weekend is over, maybe traffic won't be quite so bad when we go to Lake Tahoe tomorrow. 

Reno Day 7: Happy Fourth!

Today has been all about the beer, the blues, and the BBQ (wings, that is).

North Virginia Street is closed from 2nd Street to 6th Street and booths line the streets. Although I wasn't looking very hard, I didn't notice much in the way of different beers, but I certainly saw quite the variety of BBQ (wings, that is), and the blues bands playing all day added to the festival atmosphere. 

Lin left the room sometime before I woke up and we didn't see her for the better part of the day. Donna and I started the day with a champagne brunch at the Flavors! buffet in the Silver Legacy. What a nice way to start the day -- with a good healthy breakfast and a mimosa, followed by a bit of gambling. 

After breakfast, and giving the Silver Legacy back the $20 I'd won the evening before, we headed out to the street fair. 

We started at the south end and slowly worked our way north. It was a perfect day to be outdoors, the temperature was in the mid-70s with just enough overcast to make the day pleasant. By mid-afternoon, some of the booths had run out of crowd favorites -- like sweet potato fries -- so we weren't able to sample some of the offerings that we would have liked. Donna and I sampled the wings from a couple of different places, and other places we would have liked to try had very long lines, so we passed on those in favor of some of the less popular choices. 

All-in-all it was a nice, quiet, relaxing day. We all had a chance to spend time to ourselves and not have to worry about being in a certain place at a certain time. Tomorrow we are riding north and taking a little scenic tour of a little corner of Northern California. Can't wait! 

Reno Day 6: Virginia City

Today we headed for the hills and went to Virginia City to do a little sightseeing. With the heat, the chance of afternoon thunderstorms, and the holiday traffic, we convinced ourselves to rent a car to drive up to the hills instead of riding up. After leaving the city, the road twisted and turned up into the mountains. We stopped to look at the view behind us, and were able to see both Sparks and Reno in the distance. 

The road wound through the mountains and into mining country. We saw mine tailings and collapsed entrances everywhere. The terrain had been pretty much stripped of trees, so mostly we saw scrub brush and sage. Despite the lack of trees, it was a beautiful drive. 

Virginia City has a unique personality. I had visited the area as a teen, and it didn't seem to have changed much. The main street through town is still very steep and narrow. 

The sidewalk is partly concrete and partly a raised wooden walkway, much like you would see in an old western. We saw and talked to people from all over the world. I must have heard at least ten different languages this afternoon. Some of the people we talked to were actually part of the ambiance of the place. One old fella, he calls himself "Stinky", makes his living selling carrots for the tourists to feed to his donkey, Bernadette. 

We took a tour of the Best & Belcher mine. Our tour guide took our group about 400 feet back into the mountain, describing the conditions the miners worked under. Most miners in those days didn't live to see their 30th birthday. One of the more interesting facts about this particular mine, is that it has made more money from the tours than it ever made as a working mine. 

We gambled a little after dinner and I managed to double my money at the Silver Legacy Casino. I'm a very low-stakes gambler, so that probably doesn't mean a whole lot to some folks, but the fact that I came out ahead means that I might gamble more.

Tomorrow we are going to hang out in downtown Reno and check out the Biggest Little City Wing Fest. It's all about the chicken wings. This should be fun. 

Reno Day 5: The Biggest Little City

I have been frustrated with equipment issues this trip. Oh, not with the motorcycle equipment, but with the electronic equipment I brought along. I had decided to travel lighter this time, so instead of packing up the laptop, tablet, reader, and phone, I thought I'd just use my tablet and my phone for all my reading and blogging needs. I should have tried it all out first, but as usual time got away from me and I never got the chance.

The first night on the road, I downloaded the Blogger app onto my tablet, emailed the pictures I took from my phone, and sat down to write about the day. Well, the app seems to think that because a tablet is a mobile device, when you blog using the tablet app, all you can do is keep a running blog. Huh. Well, that's a little dangerous on the motorcycle, so I guess that equipment option is out of the question. So I resorted to my phone. The phone app is a little better than the tablet app, at least I can add a picture -- even if I can't put it where I want it. 

Now that we are in the Biggest Little City, I decided to go shopping. I got a lightweight, low cost laptop to use when we travel and I blog. The trip across town to the nearest Best Buy was an adventure all in itself. Downtown Reno is much like any other city in America during construction season -- cone zones everywhere. So, along with the one-way streets in the downtown area, comes the added pleasure of detours. And it's especially helpful when the detour signs are laying on the ground. Next to the curb. Behind the string of parked cars. Anyway, I found what I was looking for and now I'll be able to do this with less hassle -- I hope. 

So, here we are in Reno, NV, called the Biggest Little City We have a nice room on the 8th floor of the El Dorado Hotel & Casino with a view of workers setting up for the BLC Wings celebration this weekend. 

The first time Donna and I had ever stayed in Reno, we stayed at the Silver Legacy for the Women's National Bowling tournament. Neither of us placed, but we had a blast while we were here. We must have gambled more at the El Dorado than the Silver Legacy that year because we get all kinds of "come visit us" email. Last year we got a complimentary room when we passed through on our way home from the coast. 

We're still talking about what we want to do tomorrow, so stay tuned. 

Reno Day 4: The Loneliest Highway in America

Our goal this morning was to hit the highway fairly early to try to beat the heat. We failed. The plan was to gas up and grab a quick bite at the local Mickey-D's and be on the road before 10. Well, that didn't work out as planned. It was well after 10:30 by the time we started the ride west.

Luckily, the weather was pretty mild (all things considered) in the morning, so we slathered on the sunblock and pointed the bikes toward Austin, NV. As usual this trip, the morning temperatures were comfortable and the ride was pleasant.

By the time we stopped for lunch in Austin, the desert oven had preheated, and my arms had been baked a very nice shade of red -- despite the bottle of sunscreen that I had applied. So, I donned my mesh jacket.

When we reached Fallon, NV, the temperatures had soared to 105° -- again. As luck would have it, we rode through Fallon during rush hour traffic. Did I mention that it was 105°? Yeah, it was that kind ride through town.

We were close to spent by the time we reached I-80 and the last 30 miles of the day. Three days of 100°+ temperatures had us pretty drained, but the road had one more adventure to throw at us -- rain, and lots of it.

The temperature dropped about 30 degrees in a matter of minutes. It was a welcome relief from the heat, but the deluge made the ride through the pass into Sparks very tense.

Tomorrow is a rest day. We will hang out in downtown Reno and take some time to gamble. Wish us luck.