https://youtu.be/JozvNpdR8AE
(click on photos to enlarge them)
Sept 10 2018 - adventures of Tony and Frank (aka Spike). following our recent trips to alaska (twice), newfoundland, and new orleans, we are getting ready to leave on a 5000+ mile ride from NY to Utah (and back). we'll both be riding the 2017 Road Glide Ultras we got last year. goal is to visit a few national parks in utah and colorado and ride the Million dollar highway in the mountains in colorado.(one of the top motorcycle rides in the country.) rain today is delaying the start till tomorrow morning. hopefully we can sneak out of NY between showers. bike is inspected and ready to go. camera gear and computer loaded for the trip. meeting tony at 830 in the morning. plan is to try to make it as close as we can to St. Louis tomorrow. once passed pennsylvania we expect little to no rain. ill try to write and post a few photos each day.
Sept 11 2018 - got up early. but due to forecast rain we met at 8:30am at the gas station and left about 9am. drove to the experessway which was very heavy traffic at a standstill. fortunately we took the hov lane all the way to queens bypassing the traffic. no traffic on the cross Island pkway to the bridge. then the cross bronx depressway. wow/ no traffic there. we flew throught the bronx, across the GW bridge. encountered no rain yet. we made it through New Jersey into Pennsylvania. stopped for gas. 250 miles, 5 gallons.
we hit a little squall halfway through PA, so we stopped under an overpass. the radar indicated itwould pass in 10 minutes. so we waited. sure enough it passed and we were on the road again. however as we approached the western part of PA near Pittsburgh we encountered moderate rain for half an hour. fortunately the bikes keep most of the rain off you. the only wet clothes was a little on the lower legs. after riding another 20 minutes the pants were dry.
we left PA and drove through West Virginia on the way to southern ohio. made it to columbus ohio. stopped for 'dinner' at the waffle house. then next door to the econolodge. covered and locked the bikes. in for the night.
hopefully the rest of the trip will be rain free. no photos today. left the camera in the bag. ill make it up tomorrow. despite the late start and the rain delays we covered over 600 miles today.
Sept 12 2018- got on the road today at 745am after checking stocks in the premarket. left Columbus ohio headed for Kansas city. day started very cool - low 60's. cloudy and overcast. made it through ohio passing Dayton and Wright Brothers museum, and then Wilbur's birthplace. Into Indiana and Indianapolis. mostly flat farmland. when we made it Illinois we were greeted with blue skies. finallly. gased up in Vandalia, where Abe Lincoln started his political career since it was the state capital at the time. ate lunch at Arbys there too. back on the road, we headed toward St. Louis.
when are we getting there? oops there it goes! as we crossed the mighty Mississippi we saw the famous arch in the distance as our road took us north of the city. oh well. stopped at the Harley store in Columbia Missouri for a rest. back on the road we headed for Kansas. temperatures went up to 85 as we were riding. jackets off. we made it to kansas city, and then to kansas city. we ran into a major traffic jam due to an accident. standstill for 20 minutes. finally statrted moving. it was a major accident where a truck had hit and went through the median cement divider. nasty looking. i dont think the truck driver was too lucky.continued on passed topeka and finally ended in Manhattanville kansas. got a room and went to a mexican restaurant for dinner. rode over 800 miles today. we will make it to colorado tomorrow.
Sept 13 2018 - another early morning. we checked out of hotel and were on the road before 8am. it was low 60's and cloudy when we started out . after a short time we encountered very strong winds which lasted most of the way through Kansas. strong gusty winds from the south pushing us off the raod to the right. required "crabbing" into the wind to keep a straight line. no wonder they have tornadoes in Kansas. as a result of the strong winds here, there are windmills all over the place generating electricity. literally thousands of these giant generators. temps steadily rose to the 80's. so jackets came off when we stopped. kansas became hot and dusty. noses dried out while riding. no need to say anymore about that. we stopped for lunch at wendys. then headed to colorado. by the time we made it to colorado the temp had risen to 90 and the sky was clear blue. shortly after getting to colorado we had the first glimpse of the mountains about 100 miles away. when we reached denver we encountered heavy traffic sometimes stopping completely. well we made it past denver and started climbing into the mountains. dramatic sights. 75mph speed limit but the locals were passing us doing 85-90. the mountains were beuatiful and dramatic. aspens lit up the mountains in their bright yellow foliage. we continued on through the glenwood canyon. a very exciting and challenging curving road on the edge of the mountain above the river below. tony rode ahead to enjoy the curves. i continued at a safe pace whille taking a few photos. we met up at the end of the canyon and continued west passing through gelnwood springs where tony used to live. the sun was setting and was directly in our faces making difficult and uncomfortable to see. ( no visors to pull down.)
 |
| kansas windmills |
 |
| fist look at mountains 100 miles away |
 |
| entering mountains passed denver |
 |
| tunnel to glenwood canyon |
 |
| aspens |
we ended the day in Silt colorado about 100 miles to Utah border. total 3 days riding 2200 miles to date.
plan is to visit a couple of national parks in Utah timorrow.
Sept14 2018 - the temperature when we got up this morning was 48 degrees. we loaded the bikes and got on the road headed to Grand Junction. it was chilly riding but the temps gradually increased to about 70 by the time we got there. we stopped at the harley dealership there. tony bought some foot rests for his bike and i bought a long sleeve white shirt. my arms got sunburned yesterday. after about an hour we got back on the road headed for utah. as we crossed the border we passed an exit which said next service is 60 miles away. i looked at my fuel guage and it indicated i had 70 miles of fuel left. well i hoped to make it there so i kept the speed down around 65-70. the speed limit was 80.
it would have been nice to go 80 on the relatively straight road through desert like terrain. but i needed to conserve fuel. well we made it there with half a gallon of gas left. filled up and headed to Arches National Park in Utah, about 35 miles further. we arrived at the park entrance station showed our lifetime admittance passes so we didnt have to pay. we started a white knuckle climb along the edge of the mountain. sharp turns, with switchbacks and lots of cars going in both directions. finally made it to the top and the rock formations were very interesting. we ended up driving about 40 miles in the park. we stopped at one parking area to see "delicate Arch" i walked up to the sign about 100 yards away. tony stayed by the bikes. the sign said you could walk to the arch about half a mile each way, or walk 50 yards for a view of it. i chose the 50 yard option. took a couple of photos and then back to the bike.
the temperature by this time had reached 96 degrees. scorching hot . not a cloud in the sky. we drove down and out of the park. stopped for something to eat and decided that going to canyonlands national park wouldadd about 100 miles and take about 4 hours. since we had a couple of hundred miles to go to get to Durango Colorado we decided to forego Canyonlands and head to Durango.
Durango is in thesouthwest corner of Colorado.
about 50 miles south of Arches national park we passed Wilson's Arch. a rock formation which rivaled the arches in the park. soon we crossed the border back into colorado. we arrived in Durango about 630 pm. got a hotel, went to eat, covered the bikes and hit the hay.
tomoorow the plan is to ride the Million Dollar Highway from Silverton to Quarey. its one of the best motorcycle/scenic roads in the US.
 |
| on the way to Grand Junction |
 |
| Utah scenery |
 |
| made it to arches national park |
 |
| rock formation |
 |
| delicate arch |
 |
| another arch in the park |
 |
| wilson's arch not in the park |
sept 15 2018 - we left durango about 815am. i had a biscuit and gravy at the hotel. we headed north to Silverton where the MIllion Dollar Highway begins. the temperature was about 50 degrees. dress warm, but expect to shed jackets later. leather gloves on.
well as soon as we started the road began to twist and turn and climb the mountain. it was a spectacular ride. really needed to concentrate. if the MDH is worse than this i'm in trouble. The MDH is noted as one of the most scenic and dangerous roads in the US.
we made it to silverton. the temps had risen to 70. stopped for fuel, shed the jacket and gloves and hit the road. Here we go -- i shut the radio and pandora off so i could just concentrate on the road. it rose dramatically, twisted, turned, very sharp switchbacks, an no guardrails. changing gears constantly to adjust for straights and curves. the road clung to the side of the mountain. on one side is oncoming traffic. on the other side is a steep drop off which looked straight down for 1000 feet. white knuckles for the whole 24 miles.we crossed Red Mountain pass at 11,075 feet. i was able to take some videos with my go pro. ill have to post those on you tube later. i took very few photos - again to concentrate on the road. the scenery was spectacular again.
beautiful country. challenging road. we finally made it to Ouray. Hooray and thank God.
wait a minute.... not so fast.... the road after Ouray was also quite challenging. beautiful mountains, aspens turning golden. made it to Ridgeway. now the road finally flatenned and went relatively straight.
up to delta, then headed over to Carbondale and Basalt where Tony and family lived back in the 80's. again into mountains, winding, narrow roads. over McClure pass at 9760 feet. OK---i think i had enough of these mountain roads. in Basalt we stopped for lunch in town next to where tony had a restaurant. that building now houses a pot shop. (not kitchen utensils).
we continued to Aspen headed for Leadville.
OMG -- the road to leadville was as spectacular and as challenging as the others we travelled today.
twists, turns, switchbacks, and climbing along the edge of the mountain, no guardrails, etc. the road ultimately climbed to Independence Pass at 12,095 feet. Clear air, what little there was. and spectacular scenery. the trip down the mountain - white knuckles again.
well after 8 hours of riding treacherous but exciting roads we made it to Leadville. Leadville is noted to be the highest populated town in the US at over 10,200 feet. we got our hotel, went to dinner and called it a night. prepare for tomorrow's ride.
 |
| Million Dollar Highway |
 |
| entering Silverton |
 |
| Tony's house in Basalt |
 |
| Pot shop - formerly Tony's Restaurant |
 |
| entering Aspen |
 |
| end of day at hotel |
sept 16 2018 - awoke early to temps in the 30's!! we left about 8am the temp was 39. we donned heated jackets and leather gloves and boy they were really needed. we headed north from leadville to route 70. our destination is Rocky Mountain National Park. temps started warming up so by the time we reached route 70 we didnt need the heat anymore. we exited at Empire/granby and headed north from there passing through granby and grand lake, a relatively flat ride. then we entered the National park. as soon as we showed our lifetime access passes we began to climb and climb and climb. the road rivaled the roads from yesterday, but it was not until we were above the tree line at 10000 feet that the views were simply amazing and the road simply terrifying as it precariously traversed up the edge of the mountain, again with limited gurad rails and catasprophic drop offs on the edge of the road.. it gradually crested over 12,000 feet where we stopped for a few photos of the views. i took a few photos on the way up when i was able to, and some at the top.
the ride down was equally impressive leaving no margin for error. while there was considerable traffic it never really became an issue as it kept moving.
after leaving the park we saw a long line of cars about 1/4 mile, waiting to enter the park. fortunately when we entered on the south end of the park there was really no wait. anyway we proceeded toward Loveland. the road ran alongside the river and through rock canyons, also a very impressive ride.
we reached route 24 a major highway, and we headed north toward wyoming. finally a straight road!!!!!!!!! what a relief. well we made it to cheyenne wyoming where we picked up route 80 and headed east toward home. we continued for another 200 miles and made it into Nebraska.
the temperature reached 96 degrees today. grueling day. the combination of treacherous roads, traffic, high temperatures and stress lead to a very tiring day. stopped to eat, got a hotel and were in for the night. we have travelled about 3200 miles so far. another 1600 to get home. maybe we'll be home by tuesday night. hope the rain holds off.
 |
| on the road to granby |
 |
| granby lake |
 |
| starting the climb in Rocky Mtn Park |
 |
| halfway to the top - rest stop |
 |
| wow- photo of me |
 |
| getting close to 12000 feet |
 |
| road along side of mountain |
 |
| top of the mountain |
 |
| view going up |
 |
| lookout point at 12,000 feet |
 |
| fence |
temps ranged from about 68 to 95 today. finished the day at LaPorte Indiana at 10pm. checked into the Hampton Inn and ran out to get some food.
tomorrow we hope to make it all the way home. expect to hit some rain, but hopefully it wont be too bad. that will be 5000 miles in 8 days
 |
| our bikes |
 |
| windmill blades - huge |
 |
| reflection |
 |
| iowa windmills |
 |
| Tony |
 |
| sunset in the mirror |
 |
| still riding after sunset |
across the George Washington bridge about 1030pm. no traffic . cross bronx - no traffic.
made it home about 1130pm. we covered 800 miles in 13 hours. that would be 1600 miles in 2 days of riding.
overall we rode 5000 miles in 8 days. we passed the birthplaces of Wilbur Wright, dwight eisenhower, abe lincoln, ronald reagan, and john wayne. (and others i dont recall.) we passed by Shanksville Memorial Site on 9/11. we endured extreme high winds for 100 miles in Kansas. we rode the glenwood canyon, visited arches national park and rocky maountain national park. rode over 12000 feet elevation at independance pass and rocky mountain park stayed at the highest populated town in the US - leadville at over 10000 feet. visited Tony's former residence and restaurant in Basalt. (now a pot store....hmmm.) rode in temperatures from 39 degrees to 96 degrees, sometimes in the same day. surprisingly we only stopped at one Harley dealership - Grand Junction CO. i bought a long sleeve white Tee there to try to keep cool while riding and cover arms from sunburn in the high temps. it did the job. tony bought some foot rest pegs for his bike to stretch his legs while riding. on the eight days we encounted a bit of rain on the first day in PA. that was all the rain we saw. the bikes both performed perfectly.
here's our trip by the numbers ---
40000 curves( maybe more)
20000 trucks encountered(maybe more)
5000 miles covered
14 states rode through
8 days riding
6 treacherous/exciting roads
2 natioanl parks visited
1 great motorccyle trip
i poste a video of our ride along parts of the Million Dollar Highway in colorado on youtube. https://youtu.be/JozvNpdR8AE
heres an excerpt from a website about this highway.
In the state of Colorado of the United States of America there’s a special highway built in the late 1880's: the Million Dollar Highway, part of the San Juan Skyway. It's one of the nation’s most spectacular drives. You'll be on the "outside" for a while with a hell of a view to your right. Forget standard driving safety measures like guardrails and shoulders, there aren't any on this stretch, so swerving off the road is not advised!
From Durango, through Silverton and Ouray, to Ridgway, the highway delivers jaw-dropping vista after vista. It was cut from the side of the mountain and became know as the "Million Dollar Highway". It's one of the most scenic drives in the USA. The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about 25 miles (40 km) in western Colorado and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray, Colorado. It is part of the San Juan Skyway. Between Durango and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The road climbs up to 3 very high mountain passes. Coal Bank Pass (10,640 ft /3,240 m); Molas Pass (10,970 ft /3,340 m) and Red Mountain Pass (11,018 ft /3,358 m).The road is fine as long as you don’t drive too fast for conditions. But if you do, the consequences are severe. You can only imagine what type of damage could come of this and the type of injury.
There are a number of turns around mountains that you'll take at 10 mph. Though the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is really the twelve miles (19 km) south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass which gains the highway its name. This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin "S" curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains.
The route demands 100% concentration. This road has humbled many egos. It’s not for the sissies and shouldn’t be attempted by novice drivers. Coming out of Silverton north there are several switchbacks. The 12 miles south of Ouray—particularly for Durango-bound drivers, who are exposed to the unprotected cliffsides—are steep, twisting and completely unforgiving of driver error.
and here are some from Independence Pass between Leadville and Aspen
Have fun and be safe! Love you guys ❤️
ReplyDeleteFirst shot looks like CA as much as Kansas.
ReplyDeleteglad you got off to a good start. Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back.
ReplyDelete