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Colorado Odyssey, Part II

S

SNC1923

Guest
Continued from Colorado Odyssey, Part I

Day five had us on the road at about 1:30. Handlebar Cycle promised the tire by noon and to put me at the head of the line for service. When I arrived at 12:15, they had a mechanic waiting for me. They really treated us right. When we finally got rolling, we were greeted by more great scenery and not a little rain.

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We overnighted in Montrose, as we didn't want to start a new 100 mile leg of the journey into the mountains with fading light and an impending storm. Folks at the Holiday Inn Express treated us well and let us park the bike beneath their covered entrance.

When we FINALLY arrived in Colorado Springs, we stopped in to BMW of Colorado Springs who sold me a new front tire and replaced a fading batterey under warranty. Another positive dealer expreience who treated these travellers very well.

We enjoyed Colorado Springs very much. Spent several days with family and took in a lot of sights; however, work was calling and it was time to get back on the road and head home.

We made reasonable progress on Day 9. We travelled the I70 west and saw some beautiful canyon scenery, mile-long tunnels and crisscrossed the Colorado River. The next day, Day 10, we stopped in to see Arches National Park in Utah. It was, like the others, spectacular.

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We were shooting for Williams, AZ this day, but fatigue set in at Tuba City, on the Navajo Reservation. We spent the night and slept in anticipation of our final national park, the Grand Canyon

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We rose early and made it to the park in good time.

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Was quite pleased and not a little flattered to see that the folks at the National Park Service named a point of interest after me.

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As luck would have it, there was a fire on the south rim of the canyon, filling it with smoke. Made for some difficult though sometimes interesting pictures.

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The final leg of our journey was to retrace historic Route 66 through Arizona and California. If you ever do that, begin here, the Route 66 Cafe in Williams, AZ--great food cheap.

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No shortage of surreal scenery on this historic highway.

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We committed to making this, our 11th day, a 600 miler, but when we hit the 105 temps in Laughlin, decided to overnight in an air-conditioned casino. It was a good decision, yet one that did not yield any wins.

Day 12, our last, brought us on the Califonia Leg of the 66, again with unusual scenery to spare:

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When Iz found this comfy chair in the middle of the desert, she refused to get back on the bike.

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Well, that's it. I don't know which was longer: this post or our trip. It truly was an epic journey and an odyssey of 3,000 miles. Israel, who had less than 1,000 miles in the saddle before we began our trip, was a real trooper who never complained and always urged to me to go further and faster. We both loved our first trip and can't wait for our next; we hoping to squeeze in a trip up north before school starts. We'll see. . . .

To see all the pictures, click here.
 
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Great report. I love the pics, and if I ever get enough vacation time, I would love to ride out there and see it myself.

Your rear tire isnt the first MEZ6 I have seen that looks like that. those tires need a wear indicator in the center portion of the tread area. One of the reasons I went with the Azaro tires and I am glad I did.
 
Great pictures Tom, you're an artist with that camera of yours! I am now jealous as you saw some really awesome sites this country has to offer. It amazes me how many people will fly halfway around the globe when the really great scenery is right here to be had by all.

ride safe all,

Greg Ayala
 
Great story and photos! I thought one of your pics looked familiar so I looked through mine from last month and sure enough....
yaekf2.jpg

ycuzp2.jpg
 
lorazepam said:
Great report. I love the pics, and if I ever get enough vacation time, I would love to ride out there and see it myself.

Your rear tire isnt the first MEZ6 I have seen that looks like that. those tires need a wear indicator in the center portion of the tread area. One of the reasons I went with the Azaro tires and I am glad I did.

Funny the last time I saw a MEZ6 that looked like that was on the back of my '04RT. Nice report, glad you had a wonderful and safe time. :dunno
 
Nice pictures. The blue smoke in the canyon is pretty spectacular!

ian
 
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