Sturgis 2021, Day 2: Heat, Wind, and Haze

The ride yesterday was hot and nasty. As usual, the wind through Wyoming and the promise of a different kind of heat in South Dakota kept us riding the speed limit. Not that we blaze down the highway at ninety miles an hour at any other time, but this year we were super conscious of not speeding even a little bit. Donna and I arrived at our cabin last evening just before sunset. Somehow, we seem to get sucked into a time warp when we travel and the day gets away from us. I suppose it doesn't help when we don't get started until almost noon.  

On the road again.

Haze from the wildfires in the Western US was horrible, despite the strong winds out of the Northwest. The haze didn't begin to clear out until we were almost to South Dakota, and even then we can still see it hanging in the air.

We start paying attention to Rally chatter a couple of weeks before the event, so we have an idea of what to expect. Social media has been buzzing with reports of increased enforcement for the most minor infractions. We've heard that law enforcement has been giving tickets for as little as 3 MPH over the limit. So, we plan to keep our speed at the limit and plant both feet for a three-count at stop signs. 

Today, we met with our friends from North Dakota, Sharon, Holly, and Renee. We have known Sharon and Holly since we started traveling to the Rally, some twenty-five years ago. Renee is a friend of theirs who we've met a few times over the years. We met them in Sturgis where we walked around and caught up on the last couple of years. I stayed masked most of the day, playing my part to keep from becoming a Typhoid Mary. 

From last year, still my favorite mask.

Tomorrow, we are planning to ride the Black Hills with our North Dakota friends before they have to head back home. I promise to take more pictures.

Sturgis 2020, Day 2: Logistics

I had intended to write daily, but logistics have crashed that idea. This is my last post for 2020, but I might do a recap when we get home. 

Have a great week y'all.

Sturgis' 20, Day 1: On the Road Again

It's been a while since I've updated this blog. Not for want of posting on my part, more for lack of internet. This year, 2020, despite all the reasons not to go, we are in South Dakota. We got lucky and scored a cabin with a kitchen and bathroom. Having visited many times before, we know the drill. Tomorrow we'll wade into the largest crowd we intend to face--Walmart. 

Most years we spend a lot at local restaurants and shops. This year I think we'll spend more time in the saddle and less time walking around shopping. We'll see. Because of covid, our little group decided to cook for ourselves rather than take our chances in a crowd. But that's stuff to worry about tomorrow. 

Somehow, we managed to leave earlier than we ever have in the past. We were on the road headed north by 9:00 AM. That is unheard of. 

The weather was on the warm side (help me, I'm melting...), but otherwise, the ride north was perfect. We made excellent time. Part of the reason was one of the first rest areas was closed, so instead of stopping, we had to press on. The wind kicked up a bit through Wyoming (so, what else is new?), but it wasn't the worst we've ridden through. 

We arrived at our cabin with plenty of daylight left. Still, by the end of the ride, we were exhausted and ready to collapse. A take-out order and couple of beers later, we relaxed enough to settle in. Tomorrow should be another good day. 

Sturgis '18 Day1: Chasing the Sun

We woke up this morning to rain. This would be the first time we rode TO South Dakota in the rain. Usually we ride back in the rain.

For all that, we managed to hit the road in a timely manner, although (because of rider error) we arrived at our destination later than we wanted. The first incident was after gassing up in Cheyenne, Donna forgot to put the cap back on after checking her oil, oops. Right after we got on the interstate, she had to pull over right away and (luckily) had the cap in her pocket. She topped off the reservoir, and we headed north once again.

When we stopped for that bit of fun, we were watching a black cloud pass over the area we knew we were about to ride into. Not wanting to ride into the rain more than necessary, we took our time before starting up the road once more.

Unfortunately, we didn't stop long enough. By the time we reached the rest area at Meridan, we were soaking wet. Every year, the Christian Motorcycle Association sets up in the rest area and the volunteers provide free water and snacks to riders heading to the Rally. This year was no different, and they were as friendly as ever.

After leaving the rest area, we rode in and out of weather for the rest of the day. It was mostly cloudy and cool, but every once in a while we'd hit another sprinkle or two.

The next oops of the day was when I ran out of gas just before Edgemont, SD. That was definitely an oops because we had stopped for gas just 75 mile before, in Lusk, WY. Normally when we pull up to gas the bikes, I pay, pump, and hand the nozzle over to Donna. This time, I handed the nozzle to Donna while I fumbled with trying to get my wallet put away. She filled up her bike and gave the nozzle back. Instead of filling up my bike, I hung it back up, popped the cap back on the tank, and took off.

Needless to say, it's been an eventful day. But, after a cold, wet, and long ride, we reached our destination for the week -- the Happy Holiday Resort in Rapid City.

We haven't decided what we're going to do tomorrow, so stay tuned to see what the day will bring.

Grand Mesa Day 10: Homeward Bound

We got an early start on our trip back home. We did as much packing last night as we were able, loaded everything into the car (Laura named her 'Sweet Pea') that we didn't need, and stacked as much by the door as possible. All of us did a complete walk-through of the condo this morning just to make sure nothing got left behind after packing the last of our stuff out to the bikes. By 8:30 AM (a record for us, I think), we had turned in the keys and were on the way north to Mesa, DeBeque, and I-70 East.

Stopping for a bite to eat and our second latte of the trip, we took a few minutes in Mesa before getting back on the road to the DeBeque Canyon cutoff, a two-lane road that led us away from the construction zone that led directly to the interstate from Mesa. I had expected a canyon much like the Poudre or Big Thompson, but I was disappointed in that this was more of a desert canyon, with dry stream beds lacing the landscape. Still, it was a beautiful, and quiet, ride. The lack of traffic was refreshing.

Gassing up before jumping on the concrete ribbon leading east, we took a few to make sure our oil was good. Then came the 180-mile speed fest. As we rode, I kept wondering how the truckers felt about the "mosquito-cycles" that kept buzzing around them -- or that they screamed around. Every time I passed a truck, I thought about "mosquito-cycles" and that made the boring, but hazardous, ride a bit more tolerable.

We decided to stop for lunch in Frisco, and less than 20 miles from the town we get harassed on the road by some jackass in a flatbed pickup rolling coal at every motorcycle and convertible on the road. Where's a cop when you want one? The convertible actually pulled out and followed him for a while, so I hope he got the guy's license number and reported him.

For the most part, the trip was uneventful, and except for the one incident, most drivers gave us space and didn't ignore us too much. I suppose it helped to have Laura and Sweet Pea as "tail-gunner."

We got off the interstate at Idaho Springs and Donna led us to Golden where we filled up our tanks again before picking our way through the foothills toward I-25 and north to Fort Collins. Everything was going well until we lost Laura to a leg cramp around Windsor, then Donna and I got a bit concerned. We pulled over at the rest area and called to make sure she was OK. By that time we were about 10 minutes from where we garage the bikes, so we agreed to meet her there.

Laura was walking around, albeit with a bit of a gimp, when we arrived. Unloading the bikes took a few minutes, so she had time for her leg to settle before she jumped in her car and said she'd meet us at her house. We had to get Donna's car anyway, so our last leg began with a post-trip toast to another successful ride.

I think this was the first trip we've taken that didn't involve rain, high winds, or any other type of crappy weather. Some of the mountain roads along US Hwy 40 and the road over the Grand Mesa left a bit to be desired from a motorcycle point-of-view (I had a pucker moment or two), and we didn't see the crowds of people or traffic that we normally encounter, but except for the swarms of mosquitoes (take your bug spray), I would say this was one of the best trips we've had.

Grand Mesa Day 9: Just Playin'

Today we decided to spend some time on top of the Grand Mesa and see what there was to see. We found that most of the road that offshoot from Hwy 65 turn to gravel as soon as you are off the highway or shortly after you leave the pavement.

We started to ride out to the observatory, but less than a mile in, the gravel road deteriorated to the point that we decided to turn around and head back to Hwy 65.

We went to the Grand Mesa Visitor Center and asked the rangers about roads. They told us what we had already discovered -- most roads off Hwy 65 are gravel. Donna pulled her bike up to the lake and watched the fisher-folk. One guy was reeling them in as fast as he was casting. In the 10 minutes or so she watched, she said he must have pulled in at least four fish. And they were all more than 12 inches.

The longest stretch we found was just east of the Visitor Center. The road is paved for a few miles before it turns to gravel. So, Laura changed shoes and jumped on the back of my bike. We rode up the road for maybe a couple of miles or so after it turned to gravel. Finding a good spot to pull the bikes off and be able to step down to the water, we parked and spent a little time enjoying the view.

We found some pretty interesting flowers in the area, and one of the trees had a USGS marker on it.

As we were leaving, Laura decided it was a good day to hug a tree.

On the way out of the area, we discovered a little place that sells food, so we stopped for a late-ish lunch. They had a limited menu, but the food was excellent.

For $10 each, we were able to get a hot sandwich, fresh fries, and a cold drink. I had the BLT, and the bacon was absolutely delicious. Thick sliced, smoked, and cooked to perfection, that sandwich must have had at least four huge slices of bacon. We gobbled down our food, but still couldn't finish all of the fries. A hand-scoop of ice cream topped off the meal, and we were on our way back to drop Laura off at her car.

After we checked out a couple more roads that led to gravel, we headed back to the condo to pack for the ride home.

Grand Mesa Day 8: A Day at the Hot Springs

Everyone felt better and more rested this morning, so we piled into the car and headed to the hot springs in Ouray. The first stop was Blink Coffee in Mesa. Yes, it was the opposite direction from Ouray, but we needed an espresso fix. When we looked at the map, we could see that going over the Grand Mesa wouldn't take any more time to get to Ouray than going over US Hwy 50, so we decided to take Hwy 50.

We saw some pretty awesome rock formations along the highway.

The area between Grand Junction and Delta is pretty bleak, but south of Delta the landscape once again turned green.

We spent a while at the Ouray Hot Springs, and because only three out of the five pools were open, the water slide was still a work in progress, and the pool temperatures were a little low because of the construction, the admission cost was half-price. About the time we suited up and entered the pool, a cloud formed over the mountain and cooled the place off. Then a breeze came along, and really cooled us off. After a sufficient amount of sitting in the luke-warm water then cooling off when we got out, we got dressed and headed to the Ouray Brewery for lunch before heading back to Powderhorn.

The drive back was uneventful and we managed to get back to the condo by 7:30-ish, so it wasn't too awful late. We even got to see the sun set from our home away from home.

Tomorrow is our last day at the resort. We plan to go up to the Grand Mesa and see what there is to see. It will be a short day as we will need to pack and get ready for the trek home.