Took a little ride...

Thanks a bunch kokopelli... glad you are enjoying the ride

Nice style Rogue 1...I'm really enjoying your journey.

Good report, so far. I was getting worried that sth happened to you...
(shame on you) letting us wait sooo long..!!
But as long them reports and the great picts are comming, You'll be forgiven.

Good Cop


(Sort of)Bad Cop


Let's hope it was the worst cop that you'll have met.

And thanks also for letting us participate, even though we are stuck at work/another country/wife won't let you go/whatever reason.......

Take care.... Laterz

Man Rouge1, sounds great, I know the feelings! Wishin I was OTR, great read, keep it coming. BTW I've got the same bike, she holding up pretty well?

The bike is holding up very well... aside from the normal little glitches... 24k and rising

When I first started posting this tale I had part 1 at the top of the thread. As a noob I wanted to make some changes and started a new thread. The old thread was lost and with it the intro to the story. A few folks out here have asked about that and I think we can fix it.
Duke Girl tells me that I can start a new thread with a similar name, post part 1 again and that she can move this thread over and attach it thereby restoring continuity.
Should be able to do this shortly.
Thanks

I'll see what I can do. Just let me know when you're ready.

Just want to say I really appreciate this ride report as stuff like this helps motivate/kick me in the ass to get out there and "Do"...not just talk about it. I went out to Sturgis and back (from Tampa)in 90' with my mom and dad on bikes and these pics bring back fond memories.. Keep em rolling brother, for the truth is out there somewhere....

great ride report!

you got a good eye too.

Besides the obvious, there is something quite special about this shot.




I never bring the tri-pod on rides, maybe I should start.

Loved it!

It's my current wallpaper

I have to admit, I don't usually read the reports on this board, just look at the pics... but this is a great report and I'm glad I stumbled upon it.

Excellent reading, great pics, etc, etc. I suddenly have a desire to burn a few weeks vacation on two wheels

Well Done any more storys and pics?

One of the best ride reports yet

Hello all! I don't have much in the way of a preamble, so I'll just pick up where I left off...


<o></o>Sunday October 13^th

The temperature is 50 degrees and rising, the sun is bright and the sky is clear, not too shabby. While packing Silver I discover that I have lost my infamous black deerskin gloves (the ones that dyed my hands noir through all that rain). It figures, after 5 years (and you know how impossible it is too hold onto a pair of gloves that you use regularly for even 6 months, gloves and umbrellas) of ownership, I lose them after I finally get the dye out.

<o></o>I leave my number at the watering whole I think I lost them at in case they turn up (a man has to have a dream). Unable to contact the lovely lady I met last night I leave Cheyenne Wyoming with the fondest of memories and a little ache in my heart.




Back onto I80 West to I25 South towards <st1:city><st1lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:city> (109 miles) I crest a hill and catch my first ever view of the <st1lace>Rockies</st1lace>.



I cross the state line out of <st1:state><st1lace>Wyoming</st1lace></st1:state> into <st1:state><st1lace>Colorado</st1lace></st1:state> and the scenery changes for the better. Picture this; on my right the Rockie mountains, as I catch up to and pass a 100 car Santa Fe freight train, a hang glider swoops down low over the train and my head... a lone eagle soars above me, floating on the air currents while a cowboy is wrangling a spirited/uncooperative horse outside a field of wheat! Yeah baby, yeah!



<o></o>45 miles north of <st1:city><st1lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:city> I spy a giant Motocross dirt track on my right, just off the highway. Dirt bikes are racing along, doing jumps and x-treme riding. After a short search, I find a suitable area to cross the roadside drainage ditch (still a little hairy) to the sandy service road to go back and check it out. As I ride along, hundreds of toads leap wildly to avoid being squashed under Silvers tires. I pass countless giant Army Ant hills and have to pick my way through them to avoid running right over one (and that would be bad on so many levels).

<o></o>I reach the "RDV Off Road Riding Club", I would move here just for this place. The young lady at the entrance tells me I can't go out there with that.

How dare she refer to Silver in such a tone! I try to explain that she is a dirt bike in disguise (albeit a really, really big one) and its still no go...

I remove Silvers metal Jesse saddlebags, my duffle and tank bag and the transformation has the desired effect...

"Wow, that's really cool!" is the response of the girl at the gate and the other riders that have gathered around. I cruise around the perimeter of the track; Silver draws a lot of attention from many of the motocrossers. My 1150cc monster enduro is something the 650cc and under crowd has not encountered here.



<o> You can see I25 in the distance...</o>
<o></o>
<o> </o>
Back on I25 South, the run to <st1:city><st1lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:city> is uneventful, and so is <st1:city><st1lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:city>. Rose guides me to the geographic center of Denver... a train yard...


This is Dead center Denver...


I stop for a photo at Coors Field. I see downtown <st1:city><st1lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:city> and Mile High Stadium.


And I remember that MasterCard commercial of the two guys visiting every baseball stadium in the US.


The town is impossibly clean with a heavy mix of old west stone structures and beyond ultra-modern architecture.

The quality most apparent here, is the silence. It so quiet it is eerie. I realize that it's Sunday, but this is a major <st1lace><st1lacename>US</st1lacename> <st1lacetype>City</st1lacetype></st1lace>. People speak in low tones. The cars are quiet; nobody honks, in fact, I become aware that I have not heard a horn since I left <st1:state><st1lace>New Jersey</st1lace></st1:state>. Their transit system (The Ride) is an electric trolley network that is virtually silent. There are no trucks, no buses and no aggressive taxis. This is too weird; I could not live here, lol.

In addition, the traffic lights are so long I feel like need a shave by the time I can proceed.





My apologies to any readers from Denver... I'm sure it's a great town but I felt like I was at a funeral the whole day.



I decide to head west on I70, I am not sure what I am heading for but I know <st1:city><st1lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:city> wont do. The time is just after 5:30<st1:time hour="16" minute="0">pm</st1:time> as I head toward The Rockies and the setting sun. <st1:city><st1lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:city> is at 5200ft and 10 minutes outside downtown I'm at 7000, 30 minutes I'm at a whopping 8000 feet above sea level. The mountains are gorgeous. The road is fast but curvy and 65mph is a good speed here. The sky is clear and I know as long as I have the sun the ride will continue to be comfortable. Pics, pics, pics.





Elevation/time progression...




The road is phenomenal! Smooth and fast. Breath taking scenery. As the elevation increases the temp drops proportionately. I am seeing more and more evidence of winter and snow.





At the Eisenhower Tunnel, an amazing 11,200 feet above sea level, the snow is everywhere and I'm really cold. I mean really cold. Damn, this is as high as I've ever been without being enclosed in an airplane! A Harley passes me while I'm stopped outside the entrance to the tunnel to take a picture. The guy is cruising sans helmet! Talk about hard core! Wow, that has got to hurt!

<o> </o>
<o></o>
I exit the tunnel and am awed by the view. On my left, a snow covered mountainside crowned with a huge, bright 1/2 moon, shining white in the deep blue cloud free sky. In front of me, the road slopes downward, mountain peaks are glowing in the glare from the enormous sun, sitting low on the horizon. I remember an old "Hagar the Horrible' strip that shows Hagar with his son atop a mountain watching the sunset. The son asks Hagar, 'Did god make the mountains and the sunset?' Hagar answers 'Yes.' The son responds 'God does good work." In my mind, my inner voice repeats the mantra, 'Thank You.'


<o></o>
<o> </o>
<o>
In spite of the worsening cold, and with the knowledge that the loss of sunlight will only decrease the temperature, I take a break and watch the sun settle behind the mountain peaks. The crisp shafts of the setting sunlight cut through the valley before me.

</o> <o> </o>

Further down the road, shivering in the crisp, high altitude air, I pull off at a Scenic Overlook to take in the full view of The Arapahoe Basin. Looking down at this lake, centered in an expansive valley with high peaks for a backdrop, I am obliged to pause for a moment of reflection, cold shakes and all.


<o></o>
<o> </o>
<o></o>
The sun has gone completely now, and the temperature is dropping so fast you can actually see the mercury move on a thermometer. I'll make Vail, <st1:state><st1lace>Colorado</st1lace></st1:state> (won't that be cool!) and find accommodations for the night.

<o></o>As I glide along I70 through The Rockie Mountains in the dark, I am elated by the fresh air, scent of pine and overall feeling of adventure (and I think my butt just snapped off due to frost bite brought on by lack of circulation).



<o></o>Rose guides me to the Evergreen Lodge and Nate Gosh responds to the "Ding" of the counter bell (yes, an actual bell on the counter and no I didn't really want to have to ring it).

Nate turns out to be a really great guy. He sets me up with a better than nice room for a great rate ($69 after some negotiation) and lets me stable Silver on the sidewalk right outside the hotel lobby. We chat a bit and he informs me that his Dad has a classic BMW motorcycle (R75/6, approximately 1975) that needs a ton of work. I set him up with local dealer info ala my BMW MOA book and head up to the room. The sign on the back of the door lists the room rate at $350 per night. Damn!

(Hey Nate, a couple of notes just for you; 1) did you give that info to your dad and is he going to use it? 2) How come you haven't given me a reply on the updates I have sent you, are you receiving them? 3) I hope you can hook me up again when I return at high season!!!)


<o></o>
The room is the nicest I've had since <st1:city><st1lace>Chicago</st1lace></st1:city> (which feels like 2 months ago). Two queens, a writing desk, terrace with a view, wet bar and kick ass bathroom.

I shower, lose the "helmet head" and as a new man I go down to the hotel bar/restaurant for a quiet dinner and a few Coronas w/ my journal. The Broncos are playing the Dolphins and the crowd is, shall we say, boisterous, more than over the top. Normally, I'd always be rooting for <st1:city><st1lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:city>, and I am not a fan of <st1:city><st1lace>Miami</st1lace></st1:city> at all, but two loud guys at the bar have me quietly cheering for the Dolphins.

The game is a real cliff hanger... decided in the final seconds.

Time to catch up in my journal:
free
Schechuan salad, an order of chicken tenders (very good), a shot of Cuervo and 5 Coronas (yes five) plus tip:
53 dollars...
<st1:city><st1lace>Miami</st1lace></st1:city> beats <st1:city><st1lace>Denver</st1lace></st1:city> in an at the buzzer heartbreaker while I am in <st1:state><st1lace>Colorado</st1lace></st1:state> listening to two loud obnoxious Bronco fans:

priceless. J

236 miles today, great cities and awesome sights, I am asleep in my room at <st1:time hour="0" minute="0">midnight</st1:time>. Tomorrow I head for <st1lace><st1:city>Salt Lake City</st1:city>, <st1:state>Utah</st1:state></st1lace> to see my long lost friends Mike and Kirsten Uchitel.

<o>Road </o>Note: I've been keeping an eye on Silvers head gaskets; they are definitely blown and getting worse. Her tires are almost worn down to nubs and she is going to need her 6000 mile service soon. I've contacted BMW of Salt Lake City, and having spoken to a personable fellow named <st1:country-region><st1lace>Chad</st1lace></st1:country-region>, informing him of my requirements (6k service, head gasket replacement and a few incidentals) I will be welcome when I arrive.

I called Jon at Capitol BMW back in Raleigh regarding his offer to send me take-off tires from his customers GS Adventures and we have agreed on a deal of two sets for $300 plus shipping (I cant say for sure, but that should be just over the retail value of one new set, more than acceptable to me).

I am a little uncomfortable with sending another dealer tires for install without getting their permission first (my years in the business leave me thinking as they would) and Jon says he will contact BMW SLC and "smooth the waters" for me.

Thanks for being patient... glad you are all enjoying the ride...

MORE TO FOLLOW


PS: Hey Baldy!!! Saw some of my pics at the front page! Great surprise, thanks man!

Much apreciated Eric!

Thanks bwilder! JUST DO IT man!

This is just like a good book! Make sure you stop and enjoy Gleenwood Springs. Keep safe.

Don't stop now man. Loving it too much. I just got back from a week wandering aroung Oregon, need to write that up. Maybe this weekend

This is an incredible thread! And HOLY SHIT can you take pictures!