Day Trippin' with Deano

Hello all,

My name is Dean. I'm a motorcycle riding fool that lives in what some might say is a rather scenic state in the U.S.A.--- Colorado.

I'm in to photography. Not a pro by anybody's standards but I do enjoy it a lot and try to make quality images. I will post a pant load of photos here over the days, months, years. Hopefully you find this post interesting enough to come back and visit.

Colorado has motorcycle rides aplenty. I've got a few bikes that I like to explore with and am getting ready for a nice trip to Arizona this weekend. Seems like a good time to start my own little thread describing the rides I am fortunate enough to partake.

My current stable as of May 23, 2012:

2000 Honda Blackbird. Purchased March 2012 with 10k miles on it. Looking forward to adding a few thousand more.



2004 KTM 525 EXC. Purchased May 2010 with who knows how many miles on it. Long story short, it's a great big bore dirt bike, now...


2012 Triumph Tiger XC. Purchased new about a year ago. It's had more than a few issues. More than any other bike I've owned (and I've had a few). It is running great right now. I commute almost daily on it and get out in the hills quite a bit (lucky). In a year, with the bike in the shop for 30 days of that year, I've put 7000+ miles on it. Not to shabby for me.

It's a great looking bike with tons of character:



Like I said, I'm getting ready for a trip to Arizona this weekend. I'm taking the Blackbird down to Tucson to see my Dad. He is the one that started me on motorcycles. I will forever be in his debt. I haven't seen him since 2008. I haven't ridden with him since 2006.



He's a sport bike guy, like me. He's still got that Ninja in the photo above. I'm very excited to ride out to see him and I'll be taking the twisty, scenic routes, with my DSLR.

I hope you enjoy this thread at least a fraction as much as I will enjoy riding it. Feel free to post questions, comments, etc.



Cheers,
Deano

Bring it on!

OOO I recognize the DEMC (Denver Eurotrash Motorcycle Club) sticker on the KTM.
Great bunch of guys.
Looking forward to reading and seeing more.

Well the bike is packed and ready to go. Tonight will be one of the longest nights in a long time. Anticipation...

Not loving Tapatalk today. This is my 3rd failed attempt to post photos.

On my computer now, still stoked for O'Dark Thirty tomorrow.

Cheers

A fellow DEMC fan? Yes, great bunch of trash!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Denver-EuroTrash-Motorcycle-Club/186211514736796

Testing Tapatalk



Seems to be working today!

So the first 3.5 hours of my trip today were superb. The bike ran great, weather was great, then I arrived in Grand Junction. Mother nature greeted me with heavy winds. She kept giving her blustery love all the way down CO 141. I didn't stop much for photos.





By the time I made it to Naturita I was exhausted from fighting the wind. It got worse between Naturita and Cortez. Sand storms so bad I couldn't see the sky. Bike blowing all over.

I'm resting in Cortez tonight. The weather should be better tomorrow.

Cheers

Crossed the Navajo Nation this morning with a pit stop in Show Low, AZ before riding through the Salt River Canyon. What a contrast! I prefer the twisties.

The ride from Show Low to Globe today was the high point of the trip. 647 miles today. Beautiful night tonight in the land of the saguaros.

Day 1 of my flight to Arizona this time consisted of back roads up to Idaho Springs where I jumped on to Interstate 70. Not my favorite way to cross the state of Colorado but it gets the job done the quickest. I wanted to get to Grand Junction asap to pick up CO 141 south. If you have to ride an Interstate then 70 across Colorado isn't bad.

War 'Birds

I was so excited to ride CO 141. It's one of the few, and often called the best, motorcycle rides that I had not done. I've been reading sfarson's book, The Complete Guide to Motorcycling Colorado over the winter and this ride, the Gateway ride, was top on my list for this trip. It is a fantastic ride indeed. Breathtaking views, twists and turns everywhere though it was terribly windy on the day I rode it. I'll have to go back.



Gateway, the town, was looking like they could use some business.



Nice Bonnie in the window


Kind of a Radiator Springs sort of thing going on there

I thought it was windy riding south on 141 and it really was. So much so that I really could not get into the twisting, turning road in front of me. It lightened up a bit by the time I made it to Naturita. Riding from Naturita to Cortez I thought I was going to die. Several times.

It was blowing hard and constant. Fighting the wind, riding down an arrow straight road, my bike was leaned over to what felt like the very edge. Then a gust would blow me over into the oncoming lane, off my line. It was perhaps the worst time I've ever had on a motorcycle. I stopped at Deb's Diner in Dove Creek and made an open faced chili burger last an hour...

There's a little motel in Dove Creek and I thought real hard about staying the night there while enjoying my burger. Ultimately, I went on to Cortez. Horrible ride.

I luckily found a room in Cortez, along with about 20 other riders.

Day 1 was 496 miles. More than half of them were a constant battle with the wind. I fought hard, the wind won.

Sunday morning was cool and clear. No sand storms blocking the mountains from sight. I cleaned the layer of dust off the bike, loaded my luggage, and got out of Cortez by 7 am.

There was still some wind to deal with crossing The Navajo Nation but it was easily dealt with compared to the previous day.

I arrived at The Four Corners National Monument just as they were setting up for the day. All of the vendors were busily setting up their goods. Today was going to be a better day for them. And for me.

Traveling across the Navajo Nation is an introspective experience. There is no scenery, there are no curves, for what seems like an eternity. This is poverty in every respect. Several hundred miles south of Cortez it started to get interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_de_Chelly_National_Monument

It has been well over 20 years since the last time I visited this hole in the ground. That trip was one I will always remember as will this trip. It's still a beautiful spot, in the middle of nowhere. One of these days I'll have to stay longer than an hour.

Junction Overlook:

Last time I was here was in April, 2008. I rode my Tiger 1050 out here along a different route. I might go home that way later this week. Or, I might take the long way home. Have to see how it goes.

I rolled into the Sonoran Desert around 4 pm yesterday.



I arrived via West Deuce Of Clubs, AKA highway 77. The ride from Show Low to Globe is absolutely outstanding! The Salt River Canyon section is exceptional. Even if you have to bend a few rules to ride a Blackbird appropriately...

This was the kind of ride I had been waiting for. Sport touring at its finest. Sorry, no pics. Had to much fun riding to stop.


Dad and I talked old times for several hours last night and we made plans to get up early for a motorcycle ride today. We both over slept. Rather than ride the bikes in holiday traffic on the only road to ride sport bikes on in the Tucson area, we went for a cruise in his 2 seater. What a fun little car!



Along the way, we passed the drag strip and saw lap times posted on the boards. Being the curious speed freaks we are we went in for a look. A local Corvette club had rented the track for the day. Those cars didn't suck.








I can't think of a better way to spend Memorial Day. Great to see you again dad. Can't wait to ride tomorrow...



Once a Marine, Always a Marine...

Good stuff

After a nice day driving the S2000 around the desert I went for a little evening walk.



It was just perfect out. Cooling down, golden light that is so different from the quality of light in Colorado. I happened across a sight that forced me to pause and take in what was around me.



I lived in Tucson when I was around her age. Would've loved to meet her then. I did meet her last night along with her brother and sister. Good folks that have a little horse ranch.





This black and white horse is for sale if you're interested.



Those kids were real nice to chat with. Nice setup.

Nice sunset too.

Before this morning, I had not been for a motorcycle ride with my dad since 2006. That's when he moved from Colorado back to Arizona. Great morning!

Very nice --- keep it coming
G