Awesome grasslands

Scotts Bluff

Mt. Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore

I will backfill the Rawhyde Adventure segment later. In the meantime, I will say that it was awesome. 

Monday I rode through the rain along the "Front Range" of Colorado until I was tired of being wet and not seeing the road because the rain was bouncing 18 inches off the pavement. Riding downhill into a tight right corner and not being able to see the fog line is dicey for me. So on the advice of my friend and Concierge, Bryan, I headed east to the prairie. No rain, just wind, but it dried me out completely. 

I rode through and on the edge of the Pawnee and Oglala National Grasslands. They are spectacular. It is easy to imagine the Plains' Indians, buffalo, antelope, trappers, mountain men, and immigrants under the blue bowl of sky as they made their way. 

After spending the night in Kimball, NE, I made my way to Scott's Bluff on the Oregon Trail. The immigrants were possessed of incredible courage, strength, and an indomitable will. It is difficult to imagine their daily existence, but I admire and respect them. 

I continued north headed for Custer State Park. I passed through Wind Cave National Park which is very beautiful. It leads into the Black Hills, and there are rolling grasslands and pine forests on the hills. The riding is spectacular. There is one 270 degree turn where you go over a bridge, turn, and go under the bridge. It's called a "pigtail bridge," and I was to see more of them later. 

In the park, I encountered a buffalo, trotting up the shoulder of the road. This was somewhat disconcerting, because as soon as he saw me the changed look in his eye told me the bike and I had become the immediate object of his carnal desire. Thank heavens for BMW's low end torque and instant throttle response. I was gone. 

There was no room in the park to camp, so I wound up at Wolf Run, a private campground just outside the park. I slept for 12 hours, being wakened once by the wolves howling, and wakened by them this morning, too. It was a wonderful and friendly place. 

This morning I headed up 16A, "The Pigtail."  Twisty, turning, low speed, tunnels, and at least four Pigtail bridges. Just a few crazy drivers who, not being satisfied with their current hood ornament, continually seek another by drifting across the centerline. 

So here I am at Mt. Rushmore. I will post some pictures too. 

WA, OR, ID, UT and now CO

After a slow start in WA, including an unplanned detour into Portland (missed a sign), I blazed (101 degrees) across OR to a lovely camp at Farewell Bend. In this section I learned that gas mileage decreases dramatically as average speed increases. 

I also learned that with the Big Agnes Lost Ranger sleeping bag and air mattress combo, I don't need the cot. Also, since the bag has a pouch for a pillow, I don't need the camp pillow, as I can stuff the pouch with a fleece. More cubic inches and weight to ship home!

The next morning, after finding gas and fixing an issue with a credit card, I stopped at Big Twin BMW in Boise. We engineered a fix for the seat release (1/2 inch hole-- pictures later), and I bought hot weather riding pants. They really helped riding across the rest of Idaho in 101 degrees again with high winds. That day I got down into Utah, just east of Salt Lake City. 

The highlights of the camp at Rockport State Park were the bugs and raccoons, the latter having left little paw prints on the seat. 

Next morning I headed east on 40. I rode 40 across Utah and into Colorado. The first and last parts of 40 are in the mountains and gorgeous. The parts in between are arid, some times hilly, sometimes flat, sometimes windy, and always hot. I saw some beautiful farm and ranch land though, with creek and river bottomland filled with lush green crops or grass. After Steamboat Springs, the route takes on the appearance of Colorado in the tourist brochures. Why the pioneers ever left here must be because of snow. Otherwise, you can live here in beautiful surroundings. Lots of deer too. 

I spent the night at a Best Western in Dillon. It was pouring rain, and I needed a shower.  After I finish my Starbucks latte, I'm headed to the riding course I have pushed so hard to be here for. It starts at noon, and since I doubt there is cell coverage or Internet, I will likely be off line until Monday. Same with the SPOT. The course is by Rawhyde Adventures, and you can find them on the web. 

One last word about this bike: it is a beautiful machine. I am really enjoying it. I usually have a smile on my face. I hope I can learn to ride it as well as it deserves. 

Peace, out. 

Correct link for SPOT Tracker

This is the new link:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0DWyypnQpbAoSyaE6BlYWIajsqgd02D3k

Sorry I didn't get it right the first time!

I'm getting a late start this morning, but I needed the rest. 

In the beginning, I was late

I arrived in Seattle on time to see cloudy skies and coolish temps. I was put off by that initially, but as it took longer and longer to assemble the bike (needed a hammer, had to use a bottle jack-- brutally effective) the sky became brighter and brighter. Hot, too. 

There were a few problems on assembly, primarily because (a) both my brother John and I have largish (dare I say "manly?") hands leaving little room to maneuver parts, and (b) some parts weren't fitting. The seat is goobered up good, and the right-side pannier required gentle persuasion to mount to the frame. The final problem was the sun which burned me. My bad. 

My brother John was handy for moving large objects. The shipping weight of the bike, crate, and gear was 928 pounds. 

We finally finished it, and I started find raising for the trip:

No money yet, but I'm hopeful. Especially because I spent three days food budget for breakfast at 13 Coins. 

I'm writing this at a rest stop about 70 miles from Portland. I don't think I will make it to my goal today. 

Once again I brought too much. Looks like I will be helping the postal service out of its deficit. 

The SPOT is on now, so maybe you can see the track.