Thursday July 16
Left camp at 8:30 am and headed to find a print place to print out my GS Giants packet for a type of scavenger hunt to get points towards prizes.
Drove to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, the first national park I stopped at so far this trip. It is a rather amazing canyon that I have never heard of. It’s really deep, incredibly steep and beautiful. The temperature was 68, really pleasant to ride in, but when I hiked around the park, I was sweating in all my gear, but cooled back down when riding. I went around the top of the canyon and right before you leave, there is a road down to the river. It is a 16 degree sloped twisting route, not meant for anything larger than a car, and I was the only vehicle going down. Here are some shots from the top and at the bottom. Well worth the visit. After leaving the park, I decided to go to Fort Collins via Breckenridge and then the Rocky Mountain National Park, not the shortest or most direct route, but something I needed to see. The road to Breckenridge went through more beautiful mountains and often it got cold, the was still some snow at the told of some. More of what I hoped riding in Colorado would be like, and it didn’t disappoint. There were almost no straight roads until late in the day, and often I raced around turns with the excitement I had built up in the days leading up to these mountains.

At the bottom of Black Canyon

At one point, I raised my visor as I rode and within a minute, a bug exploded inside my helmet on my sunglasses and I could feel it’s cold guts on my cheek. Lesson learned, keep visor down. The next time I stopped to clean my glasses, I noticed a scratch, deep in the lense. Great something else to replace. I got to Breckenridge, decided to shop for a postcard to send my girlfriend and stopped in a sunglass shop. I must have tried on 25 pairs putting on my helmet, test fitting and so on, only to find none I would buy. There was one pair I liked, for $400, made of carbon fiber, insane. My snug helmet had also rubbed near the top of my cheeks so much from all the test fitting, that I gave up trying anymore on.As I went to leave town, a man and his son approached me and told me they have been watching “The Long Way Down”, and wanted to know about my trip, seeing that I was packed a bit more than most riders. We had a great conversion and the excitement they had talking about it reassured my mission of just traveling for its own sake. So I left town and headed toward the Rockies National Park, which was about 100 miles away. As I realized quickly, it was between 4 and 5 pm, it was already cooling down in the mountains, and maybe the Rockies is not the best place to drive at night, so with great sadness, I abandoned that thought and jumped on the freeway to speed up getting to see my friend Tom in Fort Collins. 2 hours later, at 8:30 pm I arrived to a house with no one home. He was playing volleyball and wouldn’t be home for a while, but I was hungry so I went downtown to Copperhouse Brewery where he later met me. When we got back to his house, we had more beer and some tequila. Finally went to bed at 2 or 3 am.
Days travel = 369 miles

Wednesday July 15
I left Alamosa at 10am as I waited for the day to warm a little bit, as it was below 60 when I woke. This was the day I ride the Million Dollar Highway (route 550) from Durango to Ouray. It was an hour to the start, and a nice ride to get there. For the first time, except the Ozarks there were many motorcycles coming and going. I stopped for lunch in Pagosa Springs and talked to another biker from Corpus Christi.

Lunch in Pagosa Springs.

Amazingly, after I stopped for lunch, prior to the ride, I was very tired after having ridden only 100 miles. This was not good I thought. I was about to ride a route with very few guardrails and many places to die. I hate coffee and never drink anything but water, so I thought maybe some caffeine shot was in order. Before I got one, I just kept thinking I hope I don’t have a heart attack from it, but I also didn’t want to die riding off the side of a cliff so I bought one and drank it. It worked, because I don’t remember anything else about the tiredness before I started the highway. Words really can’t describe that ride. I can say, many people won’t drive it from their fear of heights and what they have heard about the cliffs. There were amazing sites, most of which I couldn’t enjoy, as I raced through the twist and turns, passing cars and trucks where I could, but the few stops I made, were worth every moment of suffering through the heat in Oklahoma.
I passed through Silverton and was so excited for more of the mountain, that I didn’t stop to look at this old mining town, but kept going to Ouray. I rode up into “the amphitheater” which is a park on the side of the mountain overlooking the city and has camping. It was only about 5pm, a bit early to stop riding, so I continued on. I drove through Ouray and thought it might be the coolest town I have ever passed through in the US. There were so many people, tons of tourist all over that it made me think I will have to back there someday with my girlfriend. About an hour later I started looking for camping while I drove, and finally settled on a $27 a night KOA in Montrose, CO. I set up camp and met Jack and Mara from Texas and they asked about my trip and discussed more traveling. Very nice people as everyone I met has been. I am very pleased that there are so many interested in where I am riding and planning to see. For dinner I went to the Horsefly Brewery.
Days travel = 260 miles

Tuesday July 14
Left Liberal, KS with the intent of getting as close as possible to Durango, CO so I could ride the million dollar Highway up to Ouray. GPS said 507 miles to go. Most days I ride around 300 miles so I knew I would only get so far. I started at 10am and it was 86° and remarkably comfortable. I had all my gear on. It got to 91 and couldn’t believe it was still so much cooler than previous days, and no, I’m not kidding. I left Kansas and in 20 minutes was back in Oklahoma. This state is so long and I was crossing it at the widest portion. The first few hours into Oklahoma from Arkansas was scenic and varied, then most of it was exactly what I dreaded, long, flat and hot. At one point
I was going 90mph and passed a cop going the other way. I thought I was caught but he never came after me. I kept going fast to escape this state. I passed another one and thought now I am screwed. I saw his lights come on, but he never turned after me. 30 more miles and I was out of Oklahoma, but I had to get gas, plenty of time for them to catch up to me. I felt like I was in the gumball rally. I can’t believe I escaped capture twice!
Eventually I crossed into the corner of New Mexico and Texas. The landscape changed to some mountain like terrain and was a welcome change. I was getting excited for Colorado and the mountains.
I got to Colorado and the skies darkened as quickly as the elevation changed. Minutes into the state and days of obscene heat and sun were replaced with slight rain and cooler temps. It went from 90 to 70 instantly and felt great. There was thunder and lighting in the distance and I put on the rain gear. It was very unsettling driving into a rainstorm that I saw from miles away, and on curving mountain roads. I didn’t want my leather gloves to get soaked so I took them off and couldn’t get to the water proof ones buried in my bags. The temp dropped to 55°as the wall of rain found me. My hands felt like they were being torn apart by glass chards. The wind took over when the rain started and stayed when there was no rain. The sun was back but I didn’t dare remove the suit. Good thing because about 30 mins later it was on again. I held the course as there was no place to hide. After about 400 miles I stopped in Alamosa, Colorado and bearly got a room. I guess they sell out all the hotels and motels in the whole town. I cleaned up and went to the San iguezo brewing co., where I talked with a pro golfer for a while about my motorcycle trip, and travel in the US in general. I also talked to another motorcyclist that came up from Albuquerque for a bit.
Day’s travel = 370 miles.

Monday July 13
Woke at 7am, beacause wanted to get to UPS early to ship my broken sena Bluetooth, as listening to earphones in the helmet was not so comfortable. It fits fine, but turning my head would usually pull it out and i would have to stop, remove the helmet, readjust and continue until I had to do it again. I grabbed breakfast and waited for a nearby Cycle Gear to open, so I could get a motocross jersey, as riding in my jacket was way too hot in the Oklahoma sun. Ran late, but finally got going at 11am from Tulsa. Headed for Colorado but only made it part of the way through the state. I was exhausted and was in a small town with 3 motels and a pizza hut. It was getting dark and they were closing in an hour. No rooms available. It was 9pm and 95° still, so there was no way I wanted to bake in a tent, besides even finding somewhere go camp. I decided I would eat first, and drive 45 minutes away into the nearest town, in Kansas! Not part of the intended route. Fortunately it wasn’t completely out of the way. It was now 10pm, dark, and remote, and still hot, so I took off into the darkness. A special treat awaited me in the desert, lighting: exactly where I was headed. Add to that driving with the necessary high beams and the endless swarms of every size flying insect imaginable coming at me like stars at warp speed. I had a good distance to cover, so I cruised at 75 mph, ignoring any possible wildlife road encounters, because the thought of getting caught in an Oklahoma storm at night with no shelter was about the worst thing I could think of, thank you Weather Channel! Getting pelted by exploding carcasses became the norm, and I kept thinking what will the motel clerk would see as I walk into the lobby. It was bad. My helmet was coated in goo, but the windshield got the worst of it. The bike looked like it had been dragged out of a swamp, kinda cool that something so shiny and new, could transform from a night desert drive.
It started raining minutes after I got to the motel in Liberal, Kansas.
Days travel = 397.2 miles

Sunday July 12
Drove through Ozarks, and jumped on the TAT. The TAT portion was so worth it. It took me up into some mountains on mostly a dirt hill club with great views in a few spots through the trees, but I didn’t want to stop for pics. I got to a gate that said it was closed but I could fit my bike past, so I went on. I came up on a part that the trail had mostly disappeared and rode post it on a one foot wide section of dirt,the rest was washed down the mountain. It was about 95° and when I stopped for a quick pause, bugs appeared from nowhere in swarms, so no rest for me. I finally got to another gate closing it off from the other direction and bearly squeezed past it. I stalled in a precarious position where if I fell or slid, I would have been stuck. I started it back up and gunned it. The smell of clutch filled the air but I was through! Just a few feet later at a crossroad and not sure which way to go, I stopped and started swaying to the low side. I dropped the bike. I just did about 8 miles of hardcore, off road mountain pass trail riding without incident, and I dropped it at the end. I was sweating profusely and couldn’t pick the bike up, but I did record video of it, and removed the bags some of the bags. Then I lifted it up easily. I must have 100 lbs of crap on there! Rode a dirt and gravel road back down the mountain only to find the road I needed to be on, closed. I thought I would try to go through and on the closed route, saw a downed tree that I fit past and thought “that was it?”, drove 2 miles and saw a scene from a disaster movie. The

Is this why they closed the road?

road on the mountain was gone with huge trees that looked like a land slide covering it but there was no dirt or debris. There were some people on the other side of it looking back at me too. Guess

The real cause for closure

I can’t pass, turned back and the detour took hours to get not much farther. The roads in the Ozarks were awesome, twisty and fast, up and down. I highly suggest riding out there if you can, even if just on the roads. I finally got into Oklahoma and was surprised by how nice the terrain and scenery were. Stayed at a motel in Broken Arrow, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Dyas travel = 284 miles

Sat July 11.
So at this point, I haven’t installed my camera on my helmet up till now. I did some testing and I had it working on my phone, tablet and gps, which I really wanted it to work with so I could see that the view was great while on the bike. Packed up the bike at the hotel, tried to connect to the cam, and…nothing. So it still wasn’t installed and I took off. Decided to skip the TAT so I could make up some time and get a bit closer to Colorado, which is where I imagine the ride will be spectacular. Besides that, the trail here is still asphalt or gravel, not really fun and takes forever to get far. Left at around 8am and it was already 90°. Drove from Mississippi back into Tennessee for a little bit and then into Arkansas. I dripped sweat all day but had to be covered up because the sun was blasting all day.

I approached Memphis around 11am and thought it was too early for lunch, so I passed by the city. About an hour later I regretted it as I had a hard time finding somewhere to eat.I finally stopped for lunch at a BBQ place and figured out that my cam reset it’s password so I got it set, videos can finally be made. I talked a fair bit with a guy working there as he wanted to know how far I was going and where I came from.

I rode towards the Ozarks and was told it would be beautiful. It is, but saw the oddest thing: a nuclear power plant on a scenic lake. I actually turned around so I can record it on video. I also ran across the TAT again and took a tiny part of it. It was a gravel farm road that I can’t fathom how i escaped without crashing. About 5 minutes in, I had just about zero control of my traction at 40mph, and by some miracle, rode it out. It felt like a jet ski on gravel and the fear I felt for a few moments made me rethink future gravel roads. As the day dragged on and riding in 98° to 102° all day, I knew there was no camping again tonight and as I sit in air conditioning, I know I chose wisely. I found a motel I showered and went a mile down the road to a “sports bar”. It was a metal building and as I approached the door, heard the country band playing. Not being a country fan, I wasn’t sure I would stay long. I may have been the only guy there without a cowboy hat. The band did covers but they were really good. I didn’t know any of the songs but it was great finally hanging out with all locals. Old people are really fun to watch when they dance, even though I am sure a few of them were my age. Off to sleep at a motel, the Paris Inn in Paris, Arkansas.
Day travel= 356.3 miles

Friday July 10.

Woke up at 5am to drops of water hitting my tent. I panicked, thinking I should break down camp before it rains hard. All the daily rains had me run out of the tent like a Pavlov dog. The dimly brightening sky was completely clear, but the outside of the tent was somewhat wet. Then I thought about starting off riding that early would make the day way too long, and no place would serve breakfast for hours. As I took down camp, I was eaten alive by mosquitoes, as I imagine since they couldn’t get in the tent, they knew eventually I would have to come out.  2 hours after waking up, I was off, but not before coming to the conclusion that my helmet bluetooth was no longer functioning. So after breakfast, at a fantastic little shop, I started calling the place I bought it and the manufacturer only to realize, it’s a Cali company that won’t be open for hours. So I rode from Tennessee to the portion of the TAT 48 miles away. As I approached the gas station near the trail on the GPS, a couple was filling up their dirtbikes. I started making some adjustments to my bike for off-road riding. I stopped to talk to them, a British couple, younger than I, from British Columbia. They mentioned the Tenn. portion had been mostly tarmac so far. So I set off, and rode along paved roads with a few gravel and even fewer dirt farm roads. Some of it was scenic but I lost my enthusiasm for it after 100 miles and decided to make up some time after reading some internet reports that almost all of Tennessee’s trails were paved. Some parts of it were fun and i got to do a few small water crossings, another first on this bike. I stopped at some state park on the Tennessee river and wanted to take a little rest (nap). The only area with picnic tables near the boat ramp smelled faintly of sewage, but I was so hot after more 102° riding, I decided to just accept it. As I checked my voicemail, the Cali company called. They decided they will replace it so I raced to a UPS store to ship it back as soon as I could. I got there 3 minutes after closing. So no nap and a mad rush to not ship. So I rode on some more and ended up in Mississippi. I was still staying along the TAT so I could jump back on anytime. Got a hotel with a pool. It was worth that alone. I went to dinner and as I left, holding the door open for the couple behind me, I realized it was the two from the gas station that morning. We discussed the day’s ride briefly and I told them I got off of it for a while. They said I didn’t miss much. Stayed at a Holiday Inn in Corinth, Mississippi.

day travel=187 miles

I have had a hell of a time trying to update my blog as you can tell. I have written an entry for each day on my tablet. Trouble is I can’t connect to the internet. Currently I’m on my phone and can’t transfer the file over. Such a simple task. Yesterday, the internet was down at my hotel. Still didn’t work this morning. I have 5 or 6 days with off stuff to share, but I will get it up. I have met and told many people about the site and i hope to entertain and inspire others to travel, of even a little bit. Here are 2 pics from a stop on the million dollar highway between Durango and Ouray. I will have some fantastic video at some point of it as well. It was the most beautiful drive I have ever had. I really love Colorado!