Below I will post my daily route notes and pictures.
Previous year rides:
2013 Las Vegas / 2013 Big Ride / 2014 Big Ride / 2015 South Dakota / 2015 Big Ride
I’ll be focusing primarily on Colorado this year with a quick 5 days up in the Black Hills of South Dakota to spend time with family.
In Colorado I’ll be exploring the Black Canyon area, trails around Ouray, CO and trails around Durango, CO.
General route overview is here:
General route information and daily notes:
Before this trip I decided to try the Heidenau K60 Scout tires so I could more easily go off-roading. In the past my 80/20 or 90/10 tires didn’t handle gravel or dirt/rock trails very well. The tires look great and handled well during the trip. They were smooth above 30mph, but got a little squirrely around 90mph. In the sand/dirt/gravel they performed very well and stuck on asphalt and concrete. I had read some articles concerning their problems in the rain, but didn’t experience anything too bad in the heavy rain I had encountered.
A week after they were installed I hit a construction staple and punctured the rear tire. Fun. I ordered a new one and was all set.
Phoenix to Grand Junction
Notes: 4:30am on Sunday morning was too early, but I made it. Leaving the house around 6am worked out well since I caught the sunset (beautiful) and missed the heat and traffic.
In Flagstaff I stopped at my favorite coffee place (Matador Coffee) for a big hot coffee, then was back on the road out of town and headed north through reservation lands, beautiful rock formations, stray dogs, scrub brush and tourists. Luckily most of the tourists are on busses and not in rental cars. By the time I pulled into Kayenta for fuel the tourist traffic was in full swing, but most were going through Monument Valley and I was skirting the perimeter and heading north to Moab, UT. Once in Moab, I filled up again and cut northeast of town through the 128 scenic bi-way toward Grand Junction, CO where I was meeting a coworker and her family for dinner. They are a wonderful family and always make me happy that I stopped. I don’t have too many coworkers who I consider friends and especially one who lives outside of Phoenix.
From there I rode onto Rifle, CO where I stopped for the night.
Grand Junction, CO to Laramie, WY (not many miles, but I want to explore a few areas in the Rocky Mountain National Park)
Notes: Monday morning was a bit easier since I wasn’t trying to make it 650 miles, just 400 or so to Laramie, WY.
From Rifle I took the interstate to Georgetown to stop in for a visit to my espresso shop, but they were closed and the place was for sale. Sadness! I rode down the street to a nearby cafe for breakfast and sat with two ladies from Denver who had spent the weekend in Vail for a girl’s weekend. We had a good conversation and that is one of the things I really like about my solo travels, it forces me to engage with strangers and turn them into friends.
From Georgetown, I kept going east for a few more miles and cut north through Granby and continued north across the Continental Divide and onto Laramie, WY for the night.
This was the most exciting part of about a 75 mile stretch in southern Wyoming where these two bicycles and a couple of cars heading south were the only signs of human life. There were Deer and Cattle, but not much of those either. #roadtrip #vstrom #dl650 #gopro #ride #suzuki #wyoming #travel #motorcycle #empty
(will link video eventually)
Tomorrow’s route should be an easy 4-5 hours into Rapid City, SD.
Laramie to Rapid City
Notes: Not sure why, but I had a bad feeling from the moment I rode into Laramie, WY to the moment I rode out of that town. Everything went well enough, but it was one of those things I couldn’t shake. I was very happy to leave.
From Laramie I went north/northeast towards Wheatland where I stopped for lunch (at 1045am) at Taco Johns which was my usual stop as soon as I get into Wyoming. Growing up with Taco Johns in South Dakota is just one of those things us midwest/west people will always have in common. It may not be great, it may be fast food, but it’ll always be something I’ll get, even it’s only one time during a trip back to South Dakota.
From Wheatland I rode towards Lusk, WY where I stopped at my favorite espresso stop. It’s the only place in town, but that does not mean that they don’t have to try…they do and they succeed.
Camping in the Black Hills with family
Notes: I’ve been in Rapid City for a full day now and it’s been great to relax, read, sleep, and catch up with family and friends.
Today I rode around town a bit, picked up some Grain Belt Beer, and rode along Skyline Drive.
Tonight my brother Jeff and his boys fly into town, then tomorrow afternoon we’ll all leave and head out to Custer State Park for the next few days of camping (cabins) and relaxation.
We stayed in the Legion Lake area of Custer State Park in cabins and in the RV area. I decided to sleep in my hammock and it went fairly well. The first night was uneventful and comfortable, the second night the temperature dropped to around 39F and my 50F sleeping bag didn’t quite cut it, so I used a couple fleece blankets from my Dad’s car to help make up the difference.
The additional blankets helped, but the second night a pack of coyotes were yipping and howling about 345am right around where I was sleeping so that woke me up, then at sunrise the turkeys were wandering around my hammock as well. The final night it was a bit warmer, but again the coyotes woke me up around 4am. I slept in a little later to make up the difference.
During our stay there we went hiking, driving around the wildlife park, saw plenty of wildlife, played games, frisbee, made s’mores, ate good food and just relaxed.
The final day we checked out and I took off for a ride through the hills to revisit a few places I hadn’t been in a while.
That night I met up with local friends and then went back out to meet up with my family at my sister’s home.
Rapid City to Denver
Notes: I left Rapid City a little later than expected since it’s difficult to leave when sitting on a patio overlooking a great view of the Black Hills and enjoying coffee with the parents. Once I got going, the miles were covered quickly. I stopped in Lusk, WY for espresso, north of Denver for Taco Johns and then into Denver where I met up with friends at Diebolt Brewery in Denver, then to the Phoenix Full Moon Hash where I saw a few friends I hadn’t seen in years. My friends from Tucson had moved to Denver so I stayed with them. After catching up a bit it was time for sleep and then back on the road this morning heading to Ouray.
While riding through Denver I rode past a Purina cat food manufacturing facility. It was so stinky and I almost gagged in my helmet.
Denver to Ouray, CO
Notes: Traffic in Denver is truly awful. It was stop and go from accidents, road construction and just basic bad driving. Once I finally got out of town it got much better. My favorite espresso shop in Jefferson, CO was closed so that sucked. I like to support them one cup at a time, spread out at once per year. Ha! I stopped at the Sherpa Shack in Montrose, CO for a tasty lunch. From there the weather turned from sun to rain and really picked up south of Gunnison on my way into Ouray.
Once in Ouray I got unpacked, realized I had no signal at all so I jumped on the WiFi here at the hotel. Got settled in, checked Yelp and found a good place down the block where I had some delicious salmon. From there I stopped at the local liquour store for a tasty beverage and some truffles at the chocolate shop near my motel. Now just catching up on some emails.
Hopefully the rain stops for a while tomorrow so I can ride without wearing my rain gear.
Explore Black Canyon, and trails around Ouray
Notes: I had a fantastic time riding around the Black Canyon National Park area. Riding to the bottom was suggested by the service manager at my motorcycle shop. Glad I listened to him, it was a pretty spectacular ride down, and even more fun going up. I then rode along the rim for a while and took in a few of the sites from there.
Outside of the park I met a guy riding a Husqvarna Motorcycle (I had forgotten that they had been purchased a while back by KTM) and he had been riding for months around the US and Canada. He is meeting up with a buddy in a couple weeks to prep their bike for the Dakar race coming up later this year. Lots of good stories, good suggestions on accessories and it’s always such a pleasure to meet kindred spirits, even if those kindred spirits make my little 2 week rides seem like nothing in comparison to their adventures.
I also noticed that the rain that was hitting the Ouray area when I left had cleared up so it was nice and clear when I returned in the afternoon.
When I got back to Ouray I walked up to the Box Canyon, then took the perimeter trail around the city. I walked around town and picked up a new Aeropress because Theo decided he wanted to chew it up the day before I left. Picked up a few items from around town, including some freshly ground espresso to enjoy in the morning.
Ouray, CO to Durango, CO
Notes: I’d heard quite a few stories about the Million Dollar Highway and how treacherous it is, but it’s just a two lane highway through the mountains. Sure, it may not have guardrails for many sections, but those guardrails do no good for motorcycle riders anyway. They server more as a launch platform.
I rode through Silverton toward a nearby ski resort, then back into town for lunch. It was a good lunch and then I was back on the road headed into the rain and Durango.
Near Molas Pass there is a parking area and I stopped there to put on the top to main rain gear, having put the bottoms on before leaving Silverton. At the parking lot at Molas Pass I met a guy on a KTM who was headed north and into the rain I had left outside of Ouray. We compared notes on roads and weather and talked about different rides we had done, motorcycle tires and different accessories for our motorcycles that we liked.
As I rode toward Durango I ran into some pretty extensive road construction, lots more rain, and some decent hail.
As I pulled into Durango my hotel was on the right had side of the road. I got settled, hailed an Uber and went to get some dinner and a beer at the local Ska Brewery. The food and beer were pretty good. Back at my motel now typing this and prepping for tomorrow and where I’d like to go for one more day of vacation riding before I head back to Phoenix on Saturday.
Explore areas around Durango, CO
Notes: I woke up in the morning, looked for trails to ride and realized that there weren’t any nearby so I just packed up and rode home. I’d go back to Ouray and Telluride again, but would skip Durango. It just didn’t have a good feel about it.
Durango, CO to Phoenix
Notes: Once I decided to ride home, I made great time. I bet my average speed was 85-90 the entire way back and everything went smoothly. There was very little traffic until I hit the I-17 south from Flagstaff to Phoenix. The weather was fantastic for riding and stayed around 75F for 80% of the day until I got down to around 4,000 FT south of Flagstaff. It rained at some points during the ride, but nothing too hard and I was able to skirt by storms or go between two rain systems. Very good luck.
Heading south of Flagstaff into Phoenix I was into the Friday night traffic headed south into the “big city”. It is incredible that these people drive like they are the only thing that matters and that their trip is worth their life, or other’s lives. I stayed in the right lane and let those people pass, hoping that when they crashed I could avoid it. I only saw one motorcycle on my way back and this kid was going at least 90mph in a 60mph area with curves and lots of traffic. When that kid crashes and dies I’m sure they won’t mention that he rode as if he wanted to die. People can be so stupid and inconsiderate.
I made it home around 5pm so it only took me 6.5 hours to make it back from Durango. The dogs were very happy to see me and I was so very happy to see them. On National Dog Day too!!!!
Thoughts on this trip:
I don’t think that I’ll do a trip like this again…it wasn’t like my previous trips where I had a general route and pretty much knew where I was going each day. I don’t want to plan to spend more than a day anywhere unless I decide to do so when I get there. Making a two day reservation in Durango was not a good idea and I didn’t do enough research into the area, I just listened to what some people said about the area and thought it would be similar to Telluride or Ouray. It was not. Lots of things to do, but nothing that I wanted to do.
I had a really great time exploring some areas I hadn’t had time to explore on my longer distance rides, but if I do this in the future I’ll make sure to research the area thoroughly as I did with Ouray. That was such a neat little town.
Where will my 2017 ride go? At this point I am unsure since I’ll be in Europe again next summer. If I do ride, it will only be for a week or so. Perhaps heading up to the Redwoods again!?
My own 2016 trip statistics that I tallied while riding:
- Brand of car that tried to kill me the most: So far it is STILL Dodge/Chrysler
- Type of car that tailgated me the most: BMW (any and all models)
- Type of car that wanted to be in front of EVERYONE: BMW / VW Golf
- Type of motorcycle rider who was not friendly when passing (usual cyclist wave): Harley Riders as always
- Worst drivers: Dodge/Chrysler
- Most dangerous road: I-17 between Flagstaff and Phoenix
- Fastest road: I-17 between Flagstaff and Phoenix
- Slowest roads: Roads in Rapid City, SD
- Highest percentage of bad roads: Rapid City, SD
- Highest percentage of good roads: Colorado
- Windiest state while driving: Wyoming
- Most birds killed: 0
- Most bee stings: 1 – Wyoming
- Most rain: Colorado
- Most hail: Colorado
- Most powerful storm driven through: Colorado
- Coldest temps: Colorado
- Hottest temps: Arizona
- State with most bugs hitting the bike: South Dakota
- Favorite city: Ouray, CO
- City at the bottom of the list: So far it’s my home town of Rapid City, SD – these roads are horrible, everyone is in a hurry and this was at 2-3pm in the afternoon! Denver also was horrible, I was very happy to leave.