September 1, 2006
I hit the road at around 9:30 this morning, heading for
Portales, NM by way of Wichita Falls and Amarillo.
The ride was relatively uneventful except that my Space
Bags packing experiment was a failure. The bags didn't fit
the full width of the T-bag and made a big lump in my back
that got pretty uncomfortable after 470 miles.
The weather got better the further west I went and the rain
held off until I was safely in my hotel room.
I did get over to El Rancho to enjoy some green chiles,
which are better in New Mexico than anywhere else.
Other than that I just rode arond and took pictures of ENMU
and the F-111 that's now on display.
September 2, 2006
I slept through the overnight rain but woke up to a damp
and chilly morning. I stayed under threatening skies most
of the day, and was glad I packed the heavy jacket. I took
US-70 from Portales to Clovis, where I picked up US-60. I
got on US-84 in Ft. Sumner and my rain luck ran out just
outside Santa Rosa. I got out of the rain about when I got
on I-25 andfinally saw the sun just south of the Colorado
line.
Crossing Raton pass in to Colorado was a lot of fun. The
bike ran really well at almost 8000 feet and the views were
spectacular. I stopped at a scenic overlook just over the
pass and got a good picture of some cool looking mountains.
After that I booked up to meet my friends in Walsenburg,
CO. They've got some land up in the mountains and I took
them up on the offer of tent space. I really should have
left the bike at the bottom instead of riding up the dirt
roads. The hills were OK to go up, but they're going to be
scary going down in the morning.
Vic cooked up some excellent fajitas for dinner, and after
some catching up we settled in for what looked like a
chilly night at 7000 feet.
September 3, 2006
I didn't sleep well last night because I couldn't get
comfortable, so morning came too soon. I did chicken out on
riding back down the mountain so we borrowed a neighbor's
trailer and hauled me down that way. Because of that I got
started a little later than I wanted.
I made my way to Colorado Springs and stopped at The Garden
of the Gods for lunch and pictures. Riding through the park
was a lot of fun, but I think I will come back on a non
holiday weekend because it was a little too congested to
really take my time.
It was probably good that I couldn't take my time because
between the late start and the sightseeing, I was seriously
behind schedule. The 75 m.p.h. speed limit on I-25 did help
me make up some time though. I got in to Douglas, WY at
about 7:30 in the evening.
September 4, 2006
I decided to have an argument with the GPS this morning
which ended up costing me 45 minutes to backtrack and get
on the right road. Once I got back on Wyoming 59 I made
good time up to Gillette. That road went through some of
the most desolate country I've seen on this trip. But what
sticks in my mind is the literally hundreds of roadkill
rabbits on it. They must really have a rabbit problem
there!
After a quick lunch in Gillette I made my way to Devil's
Tower. I really can't put into words just how amazing a
sight it is. I wish I had had the time to hike the trail
around it. But I did get some really good pictures of it
and some of the prairie dogs that live in the park.
After that I hit the road for South Dakota, with stops in
Sturgis and Deadwood before arriving in Custer for the
night. I took 85, 385, and 16 to get to Custer and got to
ride through the Black Hills National Forest. There are
some really nice twisty roads there, not as good as Deal's
Gap, but still a lot of fun.
An excellent prime rib dinner capped off a great day.
Tomorrow I'll be going to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.
September 5, 2006
I budgeted today to do some sightseeing at the Crazy Horse
monument and Mount Rushmore. Staying in Custer was a good
idea since it's less than 20 miles from Mount Rushmore and
only about 4 miles from Crazy Horse.
Crazy Horse was the first stop of the day and I'm really
glad it was. It is an amazing place and well worth the
trip. They have an extensive museum and educational center
where visitors can learn about Crazy Horse's life and
Native American culture. I made a donation in order to take
a van ride up to the arm and got a pleasant surprise when I
found out that Gavin McLeod was also going up. The trip to
the top was great and we were fortunate to also be joined
by Joel, one of sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski's sons. Between
Pete and Joel we learned a lot about what goes on behind
the scenes at the monument. The view from the top was
amazing and is a memory I will always treasure.
After that I headed up to Hill City for lunch and a stop at
the local dealer to pick up some shirts. Unfortunately, the
dealer was closed so I settled for a buffalo burger at The
Bouncing Buffalo.
Finished with lunch I set out for Mount Rushmore. The roads
out to it were a lot of fun to ride, with lots of twisties
to keep you paying attention. Thanks to a tip from a fellow
rider I got rock star parking in lot 6 and headed in. After
seeing Crazy Horse I was a little underwhelmed, but it was
still a very impressive site and I'm glad I went. There is
a really nice trail which takes you around to different
views. A word of advice, if you don't want a workout, start
the trailto the left. If you start it on the right you will
climb a lot of stairs.
And finally I headed back to the hotelfor an early night
since I want to get an early start tomorrow. The Badlands
await...
September 6, 2006
I got an early start this morning, heading from Custer to
Rapid City to pick up I-90 and get to The Badlands. I was
pleasantly surprised to see that the dealership in Hill
City was open, so I stopped in and picked up some shirts.
After that I cruised out to the park.
The Badlands is amazing. I stopped every chance I could to
take pictures. The formations have an otherwordly beauty
which just drew me in. After the first few miles it was
hard to think that I was still in the plains of South
Dakota. I ended up filling up the first 2 gig card and
started in on the second one.
After leaving the park I headed on down the highway to
tonight's stopping point in Siuox Falls, crossing back in
to the Central time zone. I made one final stop in Mitchell
to get a picture of the Corn Palace. After that I got in to
Sioux Falls and got a room for the night.
I've got about 340 miles to do tomorrow to get to the rally
site outside of Kansas City.
September 7, 2006
I got back on the road for the last leg in to Kansas City
for the rally at about 9:30 in the morning and, other than
lunch and a stop to pick up some shirts, it was a straight
shot in.
There were about 30 people who came in tonight, including
Sam, Lee, Opa, Bruce, and Phil. The cabin is great, with a
bathroom, shower, and even air conditioning.
Sam cooked up some brats for dinner and we polished off the
first keg of beer while getting caught back up with old
friends and making new ones. It looks like I'm in the lead
for the Amsden award with about 2500 miles in the clock to
get here.
September 8, 2006
Not much to report today, just taking it easy and watching
the rest of the attendees arrive. I decided not to head in
to the factory today, opting for a day of rest and more
beer instead.
September 9, 2006
The rain arrived overnight, and I'm really glad that I went
in on a cabin because I'm about done with tent camping in
the rain. We had a few more stragglers arrive today, but
for the most part everyone's here. Because of the rain I
again passed up the trip to the factory. I've already been
on the tour once and really don't like crowds all that much
anyways.
The rain cleared out in the afternoon, just in time for
Sam's excellent brisket and the raffle and auction. I won a
Nallin polo and a baseball cap in the raffle and a braided
steel rear brake line. Unfortunately I can't use the brake
line because it's for a 2000 model only, so if anyone with
a 2000 Sportster wants one, pick up one for a 1997 and I'll
pay shipping both ways.
I've decided to do the last leg, the trip home, in one day
instead of two, so I'm calling it a night early so that
I'll be rested tomorrow.
September 10, 2006
I set out at around 8:45 in the morning, heading south for
home. The threatening skies finally let loose in Kansas
City and I got rained on all the way to Topeka. The rain
gear held up well and I was completely dry by the time I
got out from under the clouds.
Today's ride was really just a straight shot home, with no
real sightseeing or stops, other than lunch and gas.
I pulled in to the garage at around 6:30 in the evening,
having ridden around 560 miles today, with Motley Crue's
Home Sweet Home playing on the XM. A fitting end to a great
trip.
All in all I rode about 3100 miles in 10 days and passed
through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa,
Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma on the way.