Day 16

The video was shot on Tuesday during our ride to Lexington, Ky.  We couldn't post it because the WiFi connection was to weak.

The final ride of this adventure began in Lexington, Ky. at 7:30 this morning, 12 October 2011.   Following breakfast at Waffle House (what can I say) we headed east into the morning sun, at least in spirit.   If only it had been there.  The weather was actually quite pleasant this morning but turned sour as we slogged along.   We did stop to layer up as we moved into cooler, wetter weather.   The temperature seemed to sit on 58 degrees.  At interstate speeds that can be a bit cold on the spine. 

Interstate riding is almost never fun.  However, West Virginia offers more for those traveling I-64 than most.  They’re sporting a spectacular burst of color this fall.  The leaves are changing and they were beautiful all across the state, even in the rain.  We passed over one huge gorge where off to the north and south were ravines with small white clouds nestled in amongst the colors.   That section of the highway is fun to ride too, with back-to-back turns at interstate speeds.   I wanted to stop for pics, but the interstate just isn’t the place to do that. 

So, we moved on into the rain.  Stopping only for fuel and food breaks we made those 600 miles disappear one at a time.   We arrived home around 5:15, with 7,212 miles (give or take a mile) behind us. 

Now it’s time to clean up the mess – yes, I’ll wash my gear – it’s soaking now and probably will for a week.

This was an incredible experience with no mishaps of any kind, other than missing a turn here and there along the way and a camera, darn it.    Missing turns gave us a chance to see things we hadn’t planned on.  That’s a good thing.  David was trying to figure how we had driven more miles than the routes were long.   The conclusion is U-turns for pics, those missed turns and detours.   All of which added to the experience.   I'm sure we entertained some folks in St. Louis.  

If you followed along I hope we entertained you.  We received no feedback so I’ll assume you were satisfied.  

Steve

A respite from the rain.

Day 15

This will be a short post for two reasons.  There’s not much to talk about.  And a weak connection makes for no pics, we didn’t take any today anyway and no video - they won’t upload from here. 

So we left Nevada, MO at 7:30 this morning and headed to Lexington, KY.   We arrived here at 7:15 local time.  This was a 600 mile run that began on route 50 and wound its way onto I-64. The morning portion was scenic and quite enjoyable. There is video that I’ll post when we get home. 

I-64 is I-64 and there is nothing exciting to report.  We didn’t experience any problems with the exception of the detour in St. Louis.  The bridge is being rebuilt – we assume – so they’re re-routing people all over the place to get around it. 

Once through the maze we arrived here and will hunker down for the night.  Tomorrow will be the last ride for this trip.  Hopefully it will be rain free.   

Day 14

This is day 14 and we’re nearing the end of this adventure. We’re about 1200 miles from home and we should cover that in a couple days. We covered about 538 miles today.

We left La Junta at 7:30, after breakfast in a local haunt a couple blocks from the motel. The temperature was forecast to be 37 degrees and it was right on target. That temp stuck with us for the first hour or so. Then it began to slowly climb to the low 60’s late this afternoon. It was quite comfortable when we arrived here in Nevada, Missouri around 6:15. We crossed in central time zone, so we lost an hour.

Our route today began with route 50. We then changed course and picked up 400, endured a brief stint on the I-35 toll road and ultimately picked up route 54 for the run to Nevada. This route took us through many small towns along the way.

David is convinced that the ride across Kansas was perhaps the smelliest he’s experienced. We did not stop for pictures, something I now regret. I’m at a loss for words to describe feed yards. We saw them on the way out too so you would think I would have figured it out by now. Let’s just say there are lots of cattle, in lots of pens, doing what cattle do. Jeepers! They smell to high heaven and the wind blew it our way all day. Any effort to hold our breath was fruitless – they were just too long. It’s enough to make you swear off beef.

Unlike our earlier Kansas crossing this one was less windy. We weren’t riding sideways like we did before. So aside from the feed yard aroma it was a pleasant but somewhat boring all day ride.

Tomorrow we head toward Lexington, Kentucky – unless we change our minds. The Interstate would be the quickest way home and would have us there sometime Wednesday.

The pics below are sandom selections from the trip.  We didn't stop for any today.

Day 13

I think we saw it all today.  It began at Grand Junction at 7:30 at a chilly 36 degrees.   We left the hotel heading toward Montrose and then on to Delta where we fueled up “the ladies.”  Then it was on up the mountain, several of them in fact.  And wouldn’t you know the temps stayed cold all day.  We hit a trip record low of 26.6 degrees on Wolf Creek Pass, the Continental Divide, at 10,500 feet.    

Our major routes today were Route 550, the Million Dollar Highway, route 160 and finally route 10 to La Junta. 

Along the way we crossed Red Mountain Pass at 11,000 ft. and rode in to Silverton.  It’s a nice little mountain town tucked in at 10,000 ft.  We did a “U” turn on Main Street and headed east, out of town. 

Both of us were watching our GPS’s for altitudes as we moved along.  I have a thermometer too, so I was reading temps to David over the radio as they dropped lower and lower as we moved up the mountain.  Burrr.  From there we crossed Molas Pass at 10,900 ft., Coal Bank Pass at 10,640 ft. and finally Wolf Creek Pass.    All of them gave us a taste of snow.  The roads were clear but gritty, compromising 2-wheeler traction all the way up and down both sides of each mountain.  We were happy campers to be over the last one and on the way down to La Junta and a scalding 60 degrees. 

The 73 mile run into La Junta from Walsenburg was one straight line all the way.  It did sport wonderful hills, valleys and a view of the high plains to help break things up.  I’m not sure what the speed limit was but I can say we stretched it out a bit.  I could see the sun setting in my mirrors and the wetness glistening on the road as we drove along.  It was nice having the sun warm our backs.

We arrived at 5:30 and checked in to the Mid-Town Motel.

Tomorrow we head toward Kansas City for our Monday night stay. 

Day 12

The morning began chilly and late – breakfast was at 7 – so we didn’t get on the road until nearly 8:30.  My thermometer read 41 degrees.  Chilly would drop to cold around 9 on route 12.  But prior to the cold we encountered even more vistas that were designed to take our breath away.   On the way to Torrey we stopped every few minutes to take pictures.  Some of those are below

Moving toward Torrey we encountered light snow as we climbed to the 9200 foot summit Dixie National Forest.  The temperature dropped to a low of 29 during the climb.  It became obvious the locals had encountered heavier snow yesterday, requiring the roads to be plowed.  It began to snow lightly on us early on and increased somewhat as we climbed higher.  It was beautiful driving through the snow covered country side.  The roads were wet but not freezing for the most part.  We did encounter some places where snow and ice had accumulated on the road.  So it was slow going until we crested the summit and began the run down into Torrey.   We simply didn’t know where it would be slippery so we had to take it easy.

Hunting season has begun here too and the locals were out in force.  Pickup trucks dotted the landscape all along route 12.   Some even found spots for their campers.  They’re in for the long haul.

After we came down to warmer climes David found a local haunt with a little deli where we bought hot drinks to wash down some delicious turnovers.   They have Wi-Fi so I connected for a blog update.

The scenery didn’t end with the run down the mountain.  I’m convinced Utah was made for shutterbugs.  We encountered reasons to stop all along the way and did just that.  I tried some video with a different camera.  You be the judge – tell me if it works for you.  We’d like some feedback.  Otherwise we’ll think we’re doing this for ourselves. 

From route 12 we jumped onto route 24 thru the Goblin Valley State Reservation. We jumped onto  I-70 to route  191 to Moab and then to route 128 which runs along the Colorado river.   It was back to 70 for the run into Grand Junction, Co., arriving around 4:30 local time.   Today’s run was about 320 miles, our shortest to date.  Tomorrow will be somewhat longer and will be the last of our “short days” before we make the run for home.

Animal Preserve on Route 12

View along route 12

The Ladies

Turn Left on 12

Yeah it's cold - (29 degrees)

Still climbing

Another picture stop

Just get on and ride

Capital Reef National Park

Goblin Valley route 24

Route 24

On to Grand Junction

Route 12

Beautiful run this morning. Ran into snow @8k elev . Roads wet, some light freezing,temp 29. Headed to Grand Junction - 320 miles or so.
Steve

Sent from my iPod

Day 11

     We began the day a little late with a 7:45 departure. The first 280 miles was a fast I-15 East, with a short stop in Vegas.  Our stop was a visit to David's favorite pawn shop, Gold & Silver Pawn, featured on the History channel.  From there it was on to route 89 and ultimately route 12 to Escalante. We spent time in 4 different states today just by touching a bit of Arizona on the way east through Nevada to Utah. 

     Once we got out of town and onto route 89 the scenery just opened up to wondrous vistas everywhere we looked. This was perhaps the most extraordinary day I've ever had and I have traveled the world. The views from the roads thru the mountains are simply breath taking.  We rode into Zion National Park which left me speechless and on through Bryce Canyon, sporting vista after vista.    

     On route 12 into the higher elevations, 7000 feet plus, we encountered snow on the trees and evidence of plowing the day before. Temps were high enough – high 30’s - so we didn't have any icing issues.  But we did have to stop along the way and add a layer to stay warm.  That’s always a roadside fire drill. 

     We arrived in Escalante’ at precisely 5:25 local – just like Stephanie said we would.  She’s my GPS – I try to be nice ‘cause she keeps me out of trouble. 

     We had to hunt for a hotel but finally settled in at the Prospector’s Inn.  Dinner was a big bowl of chili at the Prospector’s Café, unrelated to the inn, if you can believe that. 

     They open at 7 tomorrow so we’ll be snoozing in a little longer than usual.  Grand Junction is the ultimate destination tomorrow.      

Gold & Silver Pawn - Vegas

The view inside

From Arizona into Utah

What a view of Utah

Zion

Actually the exit for us.

More Zion

And More

Well, she did get me here!

A Zion narrow pass

Oooo, David contemplates the snow in them trees!

We're here tonight.