S
SNC1923
Guest
Fulfilling a dream of many years, my wife Israel and I hopped on board our '04 RT on June 24th and left Bakersfield, California for Colorado Springs. We planned a circuitous route on all backroads and scenic byways (with the help of our friends Myram and Brad) through Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. It was an epic journey with many suprises, both pleasant and otherwise. Read on for a few details and photos of our trip.
Our first day covered 400 miles through the California/Nevada desert. We made it all the way to Mesquite, Nevada where we overnighted. The next morning we crossed into Utah, and began to see some real scenery. Here's Iz in her new summer gear taking in some of what Utah has to offer.
Here I am in Zion, the first of five national parks we visited. Note to self: take it easy on the biscuits 'n gravy.
We continued on to Escalante where inclement weather had us quit early. There were black skies in every direction as far as the eye could see and quite a few lightning strikes. We checked into a hotel, ate lunch, came out and were greeted by blue skies. Learned a lesson about waiting to see what happens with the weather.
Day three we started early and were greeted by one of the many benefits of an early rise: a spactacular sunrise.
Our third national park in as many days was Natural Bridges. This is a bike-friendly park where all the scenery is very near where you get off your bike. Really enjoyed it here.
Here's Iz modeling her "winter" gear. We were advised to bring cold weather gear, which turned out to be great advice.
By now we've turned south on the 263 and are headed for Four Corners. We were warned to be on the lookout for an unpaved road and we soon happened upon it.
This serpentine series of gravel strewn switchbacks was a bit of a challenge for the top-heavy RT, but we made it without incident and were in good company with lots of other bikers. One of the few places we saw GSs on the trip. Giving our ride a rest:
The SouthWest is just FULL of scenery like this. It really was a beautiful ride.
We finally made it to Four Corners and took this requisite photo of the two of us standing in four states.
Day four we were up early again and were headed to our fourth park, Mesa Verde. Here we say some beautiful sights, including ruins of Indian dwellings dating back to 1200 a.d.
100 miles into our fourth day, after having visited Mesa Verde, a good samaritan truck driver approached me at a construction stop and informed me that he could see cord on my rear tire. Although I had checked them reguarly and been advised there were in good shape for the trip, this is what I found after limping into Durango.
Clearly we were dead in the water, so we made our way to a Mexican restaurant where we settled into some tacos, a yellow pages, and the anonymous book. It was a Monday so many bike shops were closed and of course there was no BMW dealer in this small town. We were lucky enough to find Handlebar Cycles. They did not have 170/60s (no one in town did) but they offered to air frieght one from Denver. So with the tire ordered and the bike going no where, we settled into a day of rest and sightseeing around this beautiful, historic town. Turns out we picked a really nice place to get stuck in.
The Durango Lodge was recommended by our waitress. It was walking distance from the restaurant and historic downtown, reasonablly priced, very accomodating and comes highly recommended.
To be continued in Colorady Odyssey, Part II
Our first day covered 400 miles through the California/Nevada desert. We made it all the way to Mesquite, Nevada where we overnighted. The next morning we crossed into Utah, and began to see some real scenery. Here's Iz in her new summer gear taking in some of what Utah has to offer.
Here I am in Zion, the first of five national parks we visited. Note to self: take it easy on the biscuits 'n gravy.
We continued on to Escalante where inclement weather had us quit early. There were black skies in every direction as far as the eye could see and quite a few lightning strikes. We checked into a hotel, ate lunch, came out and were greeted by blue skies. Learned a lesson about waiting to see what happens with the weather.
Day three we started early and were greeted by one of the many benefits of an early rise: a spactacular sunrise.
Our third national park in as many days was Natural Bridges. This is a bike-friendly park where all the scenery is very near where you get off your bike. Really enjoyed it here.
Here's Iz modeling her "winter" gear. We were advised to bring cold weather gear, which turned out to be great advice.
By now we've turned south on the 263 and are headed for Four Corners. We were warned to be on the lookout for an unpaved road and we soon happened upon it.
This serpentine series of gravel strewn switchbacks was a bit of a challenge for the top-heavy RT, but we made it without incident and were in good company with lots of other bikers. One of the few places we saw GSs on the trip. Giving our ride a rest:
The SouthWest is just FULL of scenery like this. It really was a beautiful ride.
We finally made it to Four Corners and took this requisite photo of the two of us standing in four states.
Day four we were up early again and were headed to our fourth park, Mesa Verde. Here we say some beautiful sights, including ruins of Indian dwellings dating back to 1200 a.d.
100 miles into our fourth day, after having visited Mesa Verde, a good samaritan truck driver approached me at a construction stop and informed me that he could see cord on my rear tire. Although I had checked them reguarly and been advised there were in good shape for the trip, this is what I found after limping into Durango.
Clearly we were dead in the water, so we made our way to a Mexican restaurant where we settled into some tacos, a yellow pages, and the anonymous book. It was a Monday so many bike shops were closed and of course there was no BMW dealer in this small town. We were lucky enough to find Handlebar Cycles. They did not have 170/60s (no one in town did) but they offered to air frieght one from Denver. So with the tire ordered and the bike going no where, we settled into a day of rest and sightseeing around this beautiful, historic town. Turns out we picked a really nice place to get stuck in.
The Durango Lodge was recommended by our waitress. It was walking distance from the restaurant and historic downtown, reasonablly priced, very accomodating and comes highly recommended.
To be continued in Colorady Odyssey, Part II
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