A Day of Endless Roads

Sorry for not posting for a few days - difficult to find WiFi at places
So here are some pictures to hold you over... til I can write more.

A slow start from Salt Lake City - but still a little faster than this guy found in the parking lot after the night storms



A quick stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats  





It is always good to have a GREAT friend looking over your shoulder

Roads Continue on until the while scenery changes drastically around each bend  



Two lane road 75mph speed limit --- and it goes on

and on....to the horizon

We found our campground 2.4miles off road following this dirt two track trail - out in the middle of nowhere in Nevada - but we couldn't be picky since other accommodations were not just around the block. 

Day Three a day of EXTREMES

Campground near Kremmling CO

After a cold night I awoke early with a headache due to the frigid cold and in need of some kind of warmth.  Coffee fit the bill and Starbucks is nowhere in sight.  Folgers in a tea bag that is a wonderful way to easily make coffee in a hurry why it took someone so long to think of it I will never know - we have done tea that way for as long as I can remember.

The bikes ready to head up to the contenental divide






I mentioned to Brad early in the day that this day we could hold largest temperature differences since we are going from the foot of the Rockies and the Continental Divide to the Great Salt Lake.





 

Continental Divide



I have never been to Utah

  
 



 

Following Brad and Rebecca through amazing rock formations,



Roads seem to go on, and on.........

with nobody in sight........(except us) 

Boredom is not a problem



The terrain seemingly changes with every turn.  

Today indeed was a day of extreme temps and weather.  The temperature differences we encountered was from in the mid 30's to the mid 80's and with wind and later in the day rain involved it can make for a miserable time if unequipped.



Despite the weather and difficulties
as someone once said,
"Any day on two wheels is a good day"

And NO there is not a pot of gold at 
your nearest Walmart. 

            

We experienced extreme weather as we got to the outskirts of Salt Lake City the weather rolled in over the mountains with a thunder storm as we geared up and tried to punch through it as it looked clear a few miles beyond.  We were blessed to get through without too much difficult riding.  After nixing the camping for the night we opted for a Motel 6 and did laundry, charged phones, batteries, cameras etc..... 

An Extremely Wonderful Day   

A day of Contrast

We left Nebraska early Sunday morning after awakening to a calm peaceful camp. As we entered Colorado that calmness changed drastically. Faced with daunting side and headwinds I registered my worst gas mileage ever with only 200miles for a tank of gas. The flats of the plains gave way to the rolling high plains of Colorado. ( I believe the Colorado license plate should be redesigned. The mountains on the plate go from the left all the way to the right….) There is a lot of flat between the Colorado line and the Rocky Mountains but it is well worth the wait.

We lunched in Loveland Co. at the base of the Rockies which beckoned us with every bite we ate. 40 mile west of Loveland is the top of the world. We went through the quaint tourist town of Estes Park lined with boutiques and coffee shops with our sights set on the Rocky Mtn National Park – WOW



No picture can do justice to the vistas our eyes soaked in.

We were delayed by an accident in the park closing our route west. Fortunately we only waited about 90 minutes. We made it through the park encountering Elk and Moose and lots of snow. At points the wall of snow by the road was 12fett or more high.



Enjoying the views



I have never seen snow this deep and this is JUNE!

Wildlife like this moose within a few yards of the road.

We camped in Kremmling Co. and fell into bed only to encounter a very frigid night with temps in the upper 30’s. BRRRR……

Day 1

After a very fast drive to Nebraska (left Harrisonburg at 10am arriving in Norfolk NE at 9:00am) spent longer than we planned getting things ready (as is always the case) we hit the road at noon central time after a quick Breakfast turned lunch (Thanks Ed and family!!!)  A glorious Nebraska day with the normal constant breeze though the temps were very comfortable for June in NE - 70s.







Beginning of day 2

 After a day of multiple stops to address radio and communication issues we called it quits while still in NE at a lake called Ogallala.  This was not quite as far as we had hoped but a good day.  The threat of storms and constant higher winds helped us make a decision to pull in.  Primitive camping never looked so good for our road weary bodies.  We forwent supper in favor of bed after setting up tents and making ready for rain.         

Packed up - ready to go

Our beasts of burden are loaded and ready to go.  As you can see Brad and I will both be towing trailers to haul our camping gear and other items.  This photo is taken in the Shenandoah National Park while we went to get our pass for the national parks since we will be visiting about 8 parks till we are done with our travels.
We did a quick run with almost all of our gear packed as well as our radios etc all functioning.  The final count down 4 days...

One week away

Can't believe we leave in one week.  Brad and I will do some final bike prep and final packing.  We will also take the bikes and trailers on a test run up to the Skyline Drive to purchase our National Parks Pass.  This will help us to check loading and tire pressure as well as handling with the trailers.  We will also go through items for camping to determine what to take and make sure we do not forget anything.

   

Meet the other travelers

Brad and his daughter Rebecca


Brad and I met at our church and in small group in 2004.  Brad is from British Columbia CANADA (for those of you like myself that have to really think about the location of the Canadian provences it is the one above the state of Washington.)  He lived in Abbotsford near Vancover so we will be visiting familiar territory for him.  One interesting thing... Brad and I both first owned a Honda Hawk 400 as our motorcycle to learn on.  We also both owned a Honda V-45 form the early '80s mine was a V-45 Magna and his was the V-45 Sabre. Now we both own an ST1100 mine a '91 his is a '93.  It has been great to have a close friend who enjoys riding as much as I do... and even better he is an aircraft mechanic by trade so he has been a tremendous help in bike maintenance.  Not to mention his ability to create modifications/additions for the bike like radio mounts, trailer hitches, and provide support for valve clearance checks, carb sycronization and most of all the MAJOR job of Altenator upgrade for the ST.


THANKS BRAD.... couldn't do this without you.


Rebecca is Brads' youngest daughter, enjoys riding motorcycle, kung fu, and playing the drums.  She has riden with our group of regulars for trips to Ohio and other places.  She is actually more excited about the end of school than the trip beginnig the day after she finishes her freshman year.