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Denisea
| | Posted on Thursday, August 06, 2009 - 08:46 am: | 
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Mike,
Thanks for the great pix and stories. Sure brings back some not so long ago memories.  Alex - You definitely gotta take Heather!
D |
Iamike
| | Posted on Thursday, August 06, 2009 - 10:44 am: |
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I have a little more to add but my daughter has been in the hospital for the past week to have her pulmonary heart valve replaced. She is doing well and is expected to go home today. D, no telling but her records may go through you?
We would have liked to go over to Glen Canyon and those other areas in the SW corner of Utah but we just didn't have time. The slower riders and tire issue held us up a bit. But that's ok, I'll just have to go back sometime. |
Denisea
| | Posted on Thursday, August 06, 2009 - 01:50 pm: |
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Mike,
I am sorry to hear of your daughter's hospitalization and surgery but that is very good to hear she is going home soon. Hope she has a speedy recovery. Let her know good thoughts are with her from here. |
Iamike
| | Posted on Thursday, August 06, 2009 - 09:13 pm: |
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Mike sent me this video that he found of the Moki Dugway.
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ILsCp6MhdU
I looked up the history of it and it was built by a mining company so their trucks wouldn't have to drive so far the long way around. |
Joesbuell
| | Posted on Saturday, August 08, 2009 - 01:37 am: |
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Wow what beautiful country
Looks like it was fun  |
Iamike
| | Posted on Saturday, August 08, 2009 - 08:12 am: |
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Jodie-
"What a beautiful country" Back at you!
I really enjoy the writeups on ADV from the Aussie riders! I am thinking about trying to get down your way next year. I will be president of our Lions Club and the international convention will be in your backyard. I would be able to write off (if I have any income left) at least part of the trip. I would probably want to rent a bike so the Mrs. & I could tour around some.
We met some people from Brisbane about 20 years ago & I told them that we'd come visit sometime. |
Joesbuell
| | Posted on Saturday, August 08, 2009 - 06:58 pm: |
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Mike we only live 2 hours from Brisbane, I'll PM you my details and when you get out here we can meet up somewhere and if you like you'd be more than welcome to come out and stay in Peanut Country Kingaroy. Our crew of local Buellers could take you out through some of our favorite roads
Cheers
Jodie |
Iamike
| | Posted on Sunday, August 09, 2009 - 10:10 pm: |
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Day 6 – Thursday
Well it’s time to think about heading home. On some trips I’m ready to head back but not this one. I would like to stay out here longer but I need to get ready for my daughter’s operation in a couple of weeks. My wife’s reunion is important too. We are about 1,500mi. from home and even though I could make it in 2 days I want to enjoy the trip back. I just don’t want to leave this beautiful area.
View from the Cadillac Ranch
While perusing the map to decide which way to go Ken said that he wanted to see 4-Corners. That is the only place in the US where 4 stated touch. We weren’t ready to stop touring so we said “Let’s go for it!” Our map showed a back road straight down to US 160 but the GPS almost sent me another way. It pays to ignore those things once in awhile.
4-Corners is on Navaho land and is administered by them. I read a few months ago that the real location is a little ways away but who cares. We took a couple of the obligatory pics of the monument and visited all the booths where the Native Americans sell their jewelry and art. I love the stuff but my wife doesn’t, it would be hard to carry any of the art on the bike anyway.
Now it was time to head home. We still had to ride through Colorado (what a tough thing) but to ride 160 and Wolf Creek Pass or up 550 through Ouray then across 50 and Monarch Pass. No problem, Monarch it is. I told the guys that I’ve always wanted to visit Mesa Verde and the cliff dwellings but time didn’t permit it this trip. Since the other 3 had more time we split up after lunch in Cortez. Mike & I headed on to the north.
Mike & I headed up 550 over Coal Peak Pass at 10,640’. Next was Red Mountain at 11,075’. The traffic wasn’t very heavy so we had a nice ride. I was a ways ahead of Mike coming down from the pass so I pulled into Silverton for gas. He didn’t see me and rode right on by. I then had fun trying to chase him down over Red Mountain Pass. Going up I didn’t have too much traffic but those darn Florida cars sure drive slow in the mountains! I was passed by 2 Buellers and a Suzi headed down into Ouray. I wanted to talk to them but they got away from me heading into town. The gal leading the group sure looked sharp on that XB! As we came into town there was a hairpin and as I looked down I saw Mike but I had several motorhomes to get by to catch him. I finally got by but still didn’t catch him until we were riding into Montrose. FSkinner had offered us a place for the night in CO. Springs but as late as it was getting I didn’t think that we could make it.
After riding over the beautiful Monarch Pass at 11,312’ we realized that we were about done putting any more wear on the sides of our tires. Salida turned out to be the end of the day. It had been a long hard day of riding and we got about 375mi. in.
Do you think it will fit in my saddlebag?
No camping tonight.
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F_skinner
| | Posted on Sunday, August 09, 2009 - 10:23 pm: |
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Mike, the picture of the Horse looks familiar.
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Iamike
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 09:55 pm: |
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Did you eat at the restaurant while you were there? Not too bad for mexican.
Day 7 – Friday
With heavy hearts we drag ourselves out of bed. We know today is last day of riding in Colorado. The weather has been perfect, 85 instead of the 100+ in Utah. The mountain passes were a brisk 70. After a quick breakfast of cereal at the motel it is time to hit the road. We had talked last night about riding into the historic downtown Salida but we didn’t have the gumption, now we have to skip it due to time constraints. We are over 900miles from home and we need to make tracks.
The ride over to Canon (canyon) City on Hwy 50 follows the Arkansas River and is a nice scenic drive with good sweeping curves. Unfortunately we came up on some slow moving cars that dampen our spirit. As we approach Canon City I see the arched entryway to Skyline Drive. I didn’t tell Mike about this because I wanted to have a little surprise for him. On the first Buell Thunder in the Mountains we rode this narrow trail as a group and I was amazed by it. The drive is about a 10’ wide blacktop path following the ridge of an upheaved section of the earth about 200’ above the rest of the area. Some of the inclines off the sides are quite steep.
Just to the east of Canon City is Florence where the Supermax Federal Prison is at. That is one of the places where they are talking about sending the Guantanamo terrorists to. It didn’t look like a very inviting place to visit.
Hwy 115 up to Colorado Springs was a nice scenic ride too. I had wanted to go up through Cripple Creek but it was time to make tracks instead of sight seeing. I have started riding the diagonal Hwy 24 through Limon because the Denver traffic and construction just stinks. I had forgotten that the northbound road had a different number and by the time we realized it we were too far east on I-70 so I figured we’d just go over to the next highway going north.
At that intersection there was a head-on accident between a semi and a big suv and the two front seat passengers weren’t moving as we were directed by. It is always sad to see someone’s day end like that. Since that was the highway we wanted to go north on we headed on to the east on the interstate.
The storm clouds were building off to the northeast so I was trying to judge whether to cut north or keep going east to miss them. I was thinking that a Zumo with the weather radar would be nice about now. There was a rest area right after we crossed into Kansas so we stopped to check out their radar. The ladies at the info desk said the storm was heading right for us and has golf ball size hail. Mike said that we should ride east to beat it but I didn’t like the lightning that direction so we sat it out.
The storm went just to the west of the rest area and all we got was some wind and heavy rain. As we were getting ready to leave cars started pulling in that were all beat up with cracked windshields from the hail. I’m glad that we didn’t get caught in that.
The rest of the ride up through Kansas into Nebraska was pretty uneventful. When we hit I-80 we were trying to decide what to do. It was a little after 7:00 and starting to cool off. We still had about 450mi. to go and it didn’t look like we’d go much further today. Mike called his cousin in Omaha to see if he would put us up for the night but got no answer. There was a KOA just a little ways east in Grand Island so we figured that would be a good stopping point.
Today’s mileage – 488, 13hrs. on the road. |
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