Day 5 – It was another cool start yesterday morning. I got another late start but I have only one dealership stop today so I’m still good. The land starts out as corn fields and prairies before becoming predominately corn fields and what I later learned was sorghum. The roads out here are very straight. We run a few miles down one before turning of onto another and running a few more straight miles on it. One of these roads happens to be under construction. It’s loose gravel but hard ground so not a big issue. It’s also slow going as I have to follow a pace car for a mile or too. What a job to be stuck with for the day, driving back and forth over the same two mile stretch of dirt.
The road does eventually start to curve albeit not much. We happen upon a massive cow farm. Yes, I said cow farm. These cattle were all penned together in several large pens and there were easily two thousand head, if not more. I don’t recall what the sign said be believe it was cattle raised for beef.
We make it into Johnson City and I don’t quite need gas yet but figure there isn’t much out here and I should probably fill up just in case. After filling up and grabbing some water I sit with Laurelin and take down some notes of our ride so far. While righting I am visited by a Monarch butterfly. He (or she) lands right on the bag and is a mere inches from my leg. It’s believed by many that butterflies are spiritual messengers. I always feel it’s Dad saying hello as I rarely see a butterfly unless I am around one of the bikes. They’ve even flown into the garage and landed on the tank while I was working on something. It’s stays for a few moments and then carries on its way.
I also get a visit from an older gentleman in a sleeveless shirt and an Indian Motorcycles tattoo on his arm. We talk bikes for a moment and I tell him my plans for the next few day. One of my planned stops is the dealership in Cheyenne the following day. He tells me that he believes that that dealership has been shut down and to check on it. With that we carry on our way.
It’s still very flat coming out of Johnson City. The roads are straight again and we’re in corn fields again. Massive ones. Miles and miles of corn for as far as I can see. It’s an incredible thing to see when you think of all the work that goes into putting food into our stores and how underappreciated it is these days.
We finally reach the Colorado border and gain an hour. We’re still in corn fields for a bit before the land changes to open fields of grass and brush. The road begins to move and we’re running 30 miles at a time before changing highways. I’ve not been doing well against the bugs this trip and soon take another massive strike to the forehead. A perfect shot right between my helmet and glasses. It knocks my head back and stings for quite a while.
I’ve still got about 90 miles left in the tank when I reach another filling station. It’s the first I’ve seen since Johnson City so decide again to top off just in case. It’s a nice, wide two lane with wide shoulders coming out of the station. Very smooth with passing lanes every few miles. This is good because there are several trucks on this stretch of road. At least 75% of the traffic I see is eighteen wheelers.
There’s not much out here at all. Very few signs of life off the road. The past few days have spoiled me with all the stops. This is the longest I’ve run without a stop except for gas. We’ve got 80 miles to go when we reach I-70 and this stretch is one of the worst interstate highways I’ve been on. Very rough and bumpy. It’s also very windy. There’s a couple of good gusts that push us around, one really strong one pushes me over the center line. Thankfully no one was in the other lane.
We make it to Mile High Harley-Davidson just before 2:00 and I’m highly disappointed as I can barely make out the Rocky Mountains. It’s very hazy out, fires in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Mile High is a nice dealership (most of them are) with plenty of merchandise outside of t-shirts. They also have several bikes up on second level display platforms. I try to get my poker chips quickly but have to wait for much older man who is very talkative with the sales lady, me in the future no doubt. I talked with a sales guy coming in and one of his lunch recommendations was a place just on the other side of the highway, Ted’s Montana Grill. That’s where I head for lunch.
Ted’s is a really nice place. It’s got an old style atmosphere to it, 1920’s. There’s Tiffany lamps on the back wall of the bar and has large, round, backless barstools. They serve bison burgers and steaks, which is something I consider. I ultimately just get one of there normal burgers and pretty much inhale it. Very tasty. But the beer is a bit over priced, $6 for a 12oz bottle.
We’re almost to Erie, just about 45 minutes, in perfect conditions. We’re in Denver on 270 when traffic backs up. It’s stop and go but only lasts about 10 minutes. We finally make it to I-25 where traffic is little backed up for a minute but starts to flow. It’s still very heavy though. I’ve seen a few bikes pass by in the HOV lane and eventually see an entrance to it and slip across to enter. It’s smooth sailing now all the way until the HOV lane ends. My exit isn’t far now.
I make a quick stop to pick up a 12-pack and pay $21 at Circle K. Beer is grossly overpriced here. Another quick 5 minutes and I am at my cousins house. We spend the evening visiting and catching up. It’s a great time, but as with all days, it comes to an end. I’ve got my own room and Laurelin has a spot in the garage. The window is open as it’s a cool night, perfect for staying cozy under the covers. But I don’t sleep well, awake a few time throughout the night. I attribute it to the altitude change.
Day 6 – I’m up early enough to get to say good by to my cousin. She’s got an early morning meeting to get to but I just catch her. Then the kids both head out for school. Her husband makes me breakfast and we spend an hour or so chatting before I finally have to head out. It’s 8:30 and busy on the interstate but traffic is moving at the speed limit.
Once we pass through Fort Collins the signs of the city disappear and the traffic begins to thin out. We pass a few more corn fields but it’s mostly just open land, still plenty of houses and barns. We reach the Wyoming border in just over an hour and the land really starts to open up. Just a few random single houses dotted throughout the landscape. There’s a short bit of construction as we come into Cheyenne which isn’t bad but the smoke and fumes coming off the pavers is not something you want to get a full face of. It’s nasty stuff.
We finally make it to the High Country dealership, the one I was warned about yesterday. Sadly, it’s no longer a Harley-Davidson dealership. But they still have poker chips at a massive discount. Costs me only $1.50, I usually pay $6-$8. I get a couple even though I don’t think I’ll count this as a true dealership stop, there’s only three bikes left in the showroom and they aren’t even placed in a display manner, they’re wrapped in caution tape and each has a hold tag on them. A disappointing and pointless stop but it’s part of the adventure.
It’s very hazy coming out of Cheyenne. A bit windy but not too bad. The road winds through the Wyoming plains. It’s interstate but it moves which is still nice. As we approach Laramie the road cuts into the land and I am surrounded by rock walls and hills. I dives and twists a couple of mile until the view opens up and all of Laramie can be seen below. It’s gotten very chilly coming in so I’m debating getting my jacket out. But first I’m stopping for an early lunch.
It’s right at 11:00 when I pull off in Laramie. I’d go further but I don’t see much of anything between Laramie and Rawlins. I’d rather early lunch than no lunch. I find a place call Born In A Barn. A small place with mostly burgers on the menu. I opt for wings and fries though I can’t get anything spicy as my lips are chapped and splitting, a problem I always deal with out on the road.
As I start to head out I decide maybe it’s warmed up enough and do not pull out my jacket. I am met by a gentleman who asks about my LSU patch on my vest, the second time this trip. He informs me that he went to LSU and asks where I’m from. I tell him and he knows of Temple as he served at Fort Hood. We talk for just a moment, but his name, also Michael.
It’s 100 miles to our one tour stop in Rawlins. I-80 runs through the hills and plains of Wyoming but there’s not much out here. There’s more wind turbines leaving Laramie but there’s almost no signs of any human presence. It’s very hazy still and I can barely make out the ridgelines of the mountains in the distance. It’s also very windy, a few good gusts here and there but nothing major. There’s a large refinery of some sort in Sinclair, which is a few miles before Rawlins, but nothing else out here.
The Republic of Texas tour stop today is the Northern Boundary marker. When Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836, the land it claimed extended all the way up here in Rawlins, Wyoming. Imagine if that were true today. It takes more than a day to drive across the state now. Imagine driving from Central Texas to visit family in Rawlins, Texas. Texas became a state in 1846 and all the extra that is not what we now know as Texas was cut off.
Leaving Rawlins was 100 miles of back tracking on I-80. The scenery was all the same only in reverse. I did however get a couple of great views of cloud shadows. The sun has been out all day and when the road has me higher than the plains and hills below I can see the vast shadows cast by the clouds above.
I’ve notice several other bikers out on I-80, both coming to and leaving Rawlins. Many of them loaded with gear or pulling trailers. I can’t help but wonder if some of them were up here for the same reason. We make quick work of the 100 miles back to Laramie but as we get close the wind really picks up. It’s been windy the whole way but it’s really heavy coming back into town. The wind continues as we head for Fort Collins, our end point for the day. It soon dies down a bit and the road we’re on twists and cuts through the land. It’s 65mph and there’s a lot of truck traffic but passing zones are a common sight.
We happen upon a couple of small grass fires, I don’t see any flame just light smoke. There is however a fire truck running in front of the small line of vehicles I am following. We end up at a fresh fire. Still no flames but a ton of smoke, thick and billowing. There’s a couple of highway patrol cars already there and I can see the troopers in the field helping to get it put out.
As we get closer to Fort Collins the clouds start to darken and the sun fades. It’s been sunny all day long. With the hazy conditions I can’t tell what the clouds are doing, I can’t see if there’s rain falling. Not that it matters, the road winds so much that I don’t know if I’m going to hit it or not. We’re just 20 miles from stopping for the day when the rain starts. I was here just last trip and it wasn’t a good time. I don’t want the same to happen on this road. More importantly, I need to cover my bag. It’s not coming down hard yet so covering my bag, which is a chore, isn’t a huge rush. I do however want to get on the road again quickly.
The rain does come just after getting back on the road. It’s not heavy but it’s big drops and plenty of them. They’re painful and though I don’t get soaked, I do get wet. I’m still able to maintain a decent speed of 60mph and sometimes a little more as the road takes us in and out of it. The road eventually takes us out of it completely and I quickly dry off, and make it into the Fort Collins KOA. Weather is still a concern as the dark clouds still loom close. My only goal after checking in is to get my tent up and cover and my bag and gear stowed quickly. I get a few sprinkles but no rain.
Dinner is at the Road 34 Deli. It’s just a couple mile away and serves mostly sandwiches. The joint is packed when I get there and the rain begins to fall as I arrive. Dinner is a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich that has queso, complete with tomatoes, on it. Not something I’ve ever heard of but doggone good. By the time I leave the place is packed. Mostly with college students. Rain has stopped by the time I’m ready to leave so I head back for camp. It’s a cool night and a camp fire is certainly needed. It’ll be low fifties when I wake up so definitely need to pull the jacket out tomorrow.
Tomorrow we’ve got one stop in Rye, Colorado. Then it’s on to Vegas, baby! New Mexico that is.
The Motorcycle Diaries of an Easy Rider 