Adventures on Our Harleys

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Homeward Bound

Today was a nice, slow day. Bob, Kevin, Curt, and I rode to Keystone. Curt broke away from there, and the other three of us went on to Iron Mountain and Needles Highway. Weather was great. Storm clouds threatened, but we never really got wet. Some great roads here. I'm especially impressed with how well Kevin is riding. These roads are among the most technical you'll ever ride on a bike, and he's riding with the best. He's no longer a rookie.

Before leaving today, we went by Black Hills Harley-Davidson, where Kevin, Curt, and I got our oil changed. After the ride, we enjoyed a nice happy hour in the hotel lounge, then walked to a restaurant for dinner. A nice evening. As I started loading my bike, I met up again with Bob and Jim, who were also loading up theirs. Everyone is chomping at the bit to start the long ride home.

Today's pics:

A view of Mt. Rushmore from Iron Mountain Road

Needles Highway

Kevin and Bob on Needles Hwy

Eye of the Needle... you should see it when a tour bus needs to go through!!

Kevin and Bob at Eye of the Needle

Best buddies, even after 3 weeks!! lol

I drove my bike through that hole!

last day in Sturgis- tomorrow head home

Got oil changed today at Black Hills Harley. Expensive but as close to a jiffy lube for bikes as you will find.

Most of group headed down to Keystone for a Sunday morning bloody Mary but bars were all closed so settled for a cappacino. Group split then and I soloed up to the Prairie Berry winery for some tasting in Hill City. Didn't want to do the Needles highway given my bad arm and I have done it many times before.

Came back to motel in a slight shower and washed up the bike for the ride home starting tomorrow. Kickstand is now down for the day so time for a nice Zin.

Ride through the badlands tomorrow. Will take two to three days to get home depending ok how we feel. Have always done the return in two long days but I think I am feeling my age. Will likely take three. The horse is beginning to smell the barn and is anxious to get home.

Sturgis!!

Windy, but nice ride from Sheridan, Wyoming to Sturgis, South Dakota. Speed limit on I-90 is 75mph, so we made good time. On our way to Sturgis, we stopped at Devil's Tower ("Close Enounters of the Third Kind") and Sundance, Wyoming. Weather was GREAT. And I was surprised how green the terrain is. Usually, it's all brown. I guess they must have had a wet summer thus far.

There's no way to describe Sturgis during the rally. Millions of bikes. Millions of bikers. You can walk into any restaurant, gas station, bar, or anywhere else, and you immediately have new friends. People are here for a good time, to get away from the routines of their day-to-day activities. And, we all have something in common: we all like to ride, and we're willing to ride hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to come and gather with others like us. It's a lot of fun. People smile a lot here.

Tomorrow (Sunday), a few of us plan to ride to Keystone, Mt. Rushmore, and Needles Highway. Others will relax and take a day off, maybe get an oil change. Then, the last chapter will begin on Monday: we begin motoring home. ... mixed emotions about that. I'm ready to get home, my own pillow and bed, my own laundry. But, I'll miss the "ride." The camaraderie of 5 guys showing "The Wild Hogs" how it's supposed to be done. The fresh air. The smell of pine at 9,000' altitude. Even the challenges and frustrations those same 5 guys have dealing with each other.

Some of today's pics:

Approaching Devil's Tower

Kevin, with the local favorite: Devil Tower Lager

...and me with mine

Quite an image, especially in person.

There was a tripod set up that people could use to take self-portraits

Sturgis: My favorite thing is people (and bike) watching.

Purchasing our "I Rode Mine. Sturgis 2011" patches.

Bob negotiating cigar prices with a local vendor.

This guy was riding a bike that looked more like a deer.

More people watching

Kevin humored me by posing next to a sexy mannequin.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Reno NV to Sheridan WY

I've been remiss in detailing my travels - so much to read here already I don't know what I could add to the content. I know this - it has been fun and an experience I won't soon forget. riding temps have gone for the mid 90's to the mid 30's. I didn't think that mid August would be so cold in the morning, but I guess the altitude has a lot to do with the temp. As you can see by some of the pics - especially in Yellowstone - there is still some snow on the high peaks. From the Pacific (Ft. Bragg) to Reno was an interesting and somewhat difficult ride. Sun in the eyes and a lot of strobe effect from the sun shining through the tall trees of the forest. The road was not the best either. Once we got out of the forest and on more level ground it became much easier. Cheryl rode with me most of the way. That was really nice - because she would massage my shoulders when they got sore from riding.
Reno was fun too. Cheryl was able to break even but I lost my stake. That's why I don't gamble much - I tend to lose. After the gals were dropped off at the airport we went out to Sparks, NV and looked a some classic cars. there was this event called Hot August Nights. It's a very big event in Reno and brings folks from all over the area to show off their classic car talents.
Next day we headed northeast to Twin Falls. This was our longest drive of about 460 miles. Most of the ride was looking at the same brown dirt and hills of Nevada. But as we got closer to Twin Falls the scenery became green and we saw some lakes and rivers. Lots of wheat, corn and - potatoes. Before I left Cincinnati I was a little worried about the road conditions, basing that on the roads in Cincinnati. But I am amazed at the quality of the roads we have traveled on. Probably because of the light traffic and lack of salt treatment. So I have not been worried about 8" deep pot holes. The only unusual effect I have experienced on these roads is on road repairs where they have laid tar in cracks in the road. This stuff is slick and every time my front tire goes over a long stretch of tar it feels like I am sliding. It's a weird feeling.
Twin Falls to Yellowstone was a short easy ride of about 270 miles. Rolling hills turned slowly into mountainous foothills and pine forest. We reached West Yellowstone around noon and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Today's ride was one of the most enjoyable to date. I've been to Yellowstone several times, once with my parents and sisters and their family and again right after the big fires that destroyed much of the forest. It was amazing to see how the forest had been reestablished and also where it had not. There was much more wildlife than the last time I was here - mostly Bison but we also saw a few deer. The vistas were beautiful - mountain top lakes, fast running rivers, snow capped mountains, winding canyons. Everything your senses could take in was there. If you've never been there you should go!

Here are a few of my pic from the last few days on the road:

Store sign in Mendocino

Driving around Lake Yellowstone

Yellowstone Lake

Scary

Not sure who's are bigger - the guy's or the Bison's

More Bison

Frustration builds as we try to check into the motel in Ft. Bragg

Panoramic view

6400 ft looking down to 3200 Ft.

King of the hill

5 guys on bikes

Another Good Day by the RWV

A bit nippy this morning leaving West Yellowstone. We all bundled up and felt a little like our much younger selves getting ready to go out and play in the snow. The ride thru Yellowstone was refreshing. Beautiful scenery and incredibly fresh scents. The re-growth following the horrific forest fires in '88 is remarkable....still a long way to go but it's simply amazing when you see the abundance of new trees. You can tell people are in awe of the park because they treat it with a reverence you unfortunately don't see in our local communities...I didn't see a piece of litter all day. The wild life as already commented on and photographed was great fun to see.

I really enjoyed our trip up and over Granite pass.....a long series of switchbacks both up and down combined with great vistas. My ride mentors instruct me to keep my head up and focus on my exit when I'm going into a turn. This is usually straightforward except when you're surrounded by such fantastic sights....easy to get distracted and make an adrenaline filled exit from a curve. Fortunately most guys are born with strong peripheral vision, for example allowing them to notice members of the opposite sex when having dinner and focusing on the woman across from them at dinner. Mike seems particularly gifted in this regard and therefore makes very good turns.

Still learning and hope to bring the bike home in one piece. Looking forward to our ride into Sturgis and seeing Devil's Tower along the way tomorrow. More to come.

Friday Night in Sheridan, WY!! Woo Hoo!!! Paaahty Time!!

We had a great ride today, through Yellowstone, Cody, and Granite Pass (Rt 14). Great scenery, and cool temperatures, just the way I like it! The boys are behaving today, so I didn't have to take any disciplinary action against any of them. :)

This country of ours is incredible. There's no better way to grasp the magnitude of our diverse landscape than by motorcycle. We drive for hours each day, seeing landscapes, mountains, plains, "nothingness", miles of potato fields, etc, etc. I hope some of these pics will reflect some of that: