Ride It Like You Rented It.

Which is just what I did. I had planned on going to the National this year, but a conflict with work came up since I had to be in Edmonton for a conference until the Friday the rally started. I decided to make lemonade so I hatched a scheme to fly to Denver and rent an R1200RT from the fine folks at Colorado Tourbike Rentals. I had seen their advert in the MOA magazine and thought I'd spend four days seeing the sights of the Denver area and beyond.

Day 1
Denver to Scottsbluff, Neb.
~350 miles

I picked up the RT Saturday morning, and after all the paperwork and packing up was done, I got on the road about 10. My plan was to initially head east away from Denver. I wanted to see the plains east of Denver and head up into the Nebraska panhandle. I've been in central and eastern Neb and eastern Kansas and I liked those areas, and I wanted to see the bluffs of western Nebraska.

I headed east on I-76 and got used to the bike. It was a sweet ride and a nice surprise it was to see the speed limit was 75.

I rode for about an hour and stopped at a rest stop near Wiggins.



As I was getting ready to go, two riders pulled in next to me on an ST1100 and a very nice Bandit. Mike and Tina were from the area and were headed to Cabellas in Sidney, Nebraska to upgrade their fishing gear. When I told them I had no plans and was generally headed to Scottsbluff, they suggested a nice route to take and invited me to ride along with them as they were going in that direction. We got back on I-76 and rode to Ft Morgan and took CO 52 north. What a nice road through the rolling grasslands. We made good time since passing slower cars and trucks was easy. We turned east at CO 14 and in Stoneham we parted ways as Mike and Tina headed east on 14 and they had suggested I take CO 71 north through the Pawnee National Grassland. There were plenty of wildflowers in bloom and everything was green.





It was a sunny, warm day with blue skies ÔÇô I really enjoyed riding the RT. The road was straight but rolled. The open vistas are so different from what I'm used to and there was very little traffic. I made frequent stops for photos.





I rolled into Kimball, Neb and stopped for lunch.





It's been a long time since a waitress said I had a really nice bike. I didn't have the heart to tell her it wasn't mine. I'm not the biggest fan of the styling of the RT, but maybe it'll grow on me.

I gassed up under a very dark cloud and as I headed north out of town on Neb 71, it started to rain. It was nice to be able to raise the windshield and I stayed fairly dry and didn't stop to put on raingear. I was back in the sunshine shortly and continued north.



Neb 71 became a four lane road, but a nice ride with the ups and downs and the views.





Bluffs started to appear and I stopped at the Wildcat Hills Recreation Area as suggested by Mike and Tina and had a nice view from the bluffs looking north.

I detoured to visit Scotts Bluff National Monument. There's a nice road to the top of the bluff and I took a short hike to one of the lookouts. I prefer the RT to wagons pulled by oxen for getting through the area.





I next made the run down to Chimney Rock for a look see.



After a long day I headed back to Scottsbluff and checked into my hotel. My wife is from Nebraska so I know a trip to Nebraska isn't complete without a Runza, so that was the dinner choice.



It looked like there were some showers in the area but I decided to head north on Neb 71 from Scottsbluff and was glad I did. I went about 30 miles north, but I think that stretch of road was my favorite of the day, and possibly of the trip. I can't get enough of the open grasslands. The road rose and fell and the views were spectacular, in my opinion. I hated to turn around.







I took the quick run back to the hotel so I could rest up for tomorrow.

Day 2
Scottsbluff to Longmont, CO via Wyoming
~430 miles

I was up and on the road before 7 under sunny skies. I headed back to Scotts Bluff National Monument and headed west. I wanted to see the bluffs with the rising sun behind me. They looked very different from yesterday.





I stayed on Neb 92 and stopped briefly to watch a crop duster at work and a long train pass. I think I saw and heard more trains yesterday than I've seen in a long, long time.



Neb 92 was a very nice road in the morning light.



I passed through Lyman and crossed into Wyoming.







I eventually made it to Torrington and picked up WY 26. There was lot of road construction between Torrington and Lingle, but past Lingle the road became two lanes again and was quite scenic. I made good time cruising at slightly above the posted speed limit. On a whim I followed the signs to Ft Laramie. The fort is set among the rolling open grasslands and I thought it was a great setting, especially in the early morning light.



I headed back to WY 26 and turned west again and at WY 320, turned south to Wheatland. This road was a nice alternative to I-25.



I gassed up in Wheatland, hopped on I-25 to the next exit and took WY 34 to Laramie. The terrain started to change from open and rolling to more broken and what I'd call mountainous.



Trees started to appear on the climb up to Morton Pass.



At the top of the pass I expected the road to descend on the other side. Instead, I was on a high plateau and the road never descended. WY 34 was as straight as any road I've seen, but it was fun.



I had a quick lunch in Laramie and took WY 230 out of town. Heading out of town I saw my first snow topped mountains ÔÇô the Snowy Range I think. I also could see rain storms around me and the wind kicked up quite a bit. I'd always heard Wyoming was windy and it lived up to its reputation. Luckily I only got sprinkled on a little.



There was also a steady stream of cars and truck pulling campers headed north ÔÇô I was glad to see all the campers leaving Colorado so I'd have the roads to myself.

I crossed back into Colorado on CO 127.



CO 127 ran into CO 125 which I followed into Walden. It was still early in the day, and though my destination for the day was east, I took CO 14 west out of Walden for 20 miles or so.



After a bit I headed back east through town and continued on CO 14. I had a great run across the high plateau and made really good time. I always thought from the Front Range west, Colorado was all mountains with curvy roads. It was a pleasant surprise to me to find out otherwise.

I eventually climbed up and over Cameron Pass and follwed CO 14 along the Cache La Poudre River.







The last bit of this section was slow with lots of traffic so I pulled off the road from time to time to get some clear road. CO 14 unfortunately ended at CO 287.

I turned south for Longmont to stay with Don (Radar41) and his wife Chris. Don is a Forum member who graciously offered to put me up for the night and ride with me the next day. We met a couple of years ago when he came to an Airhead SuperTech Weekend put on by the Pennsylvania Airheads. After a nice home cooked meal I turned in as we were going to get an early start in the morning.

Day 3
Longmont to Frisco, CO
~380 miles

Don and I got up with the sun, packed up and got on the road a little after 6. The Front Range was gorgeous lit by the rising sun. I followed Don on his LT on county roads up to Bellvue where we ate breakfast at Vern's. I had a pancake breakfast that lasted me all day.



We headed up Rist Canyon Rd. What a way to start the day.



Rist Canyon Rd ended at CO 127, which we took to CO 14. I had so much fun riding it yesterday we did it again. It was like a different road headed in the opposite direction and with much less traffic than the day before.







We made great time back to Walden passing through a couple of sprinkles.



It was too early for lunch, but we stopped in Walden for coffee and pie. It's never too early for pie.

By the time we suited up again, the showers had cleared out and it was nice and sunny.



We took CO 125 south out of town towards Granby. That was a nice fast run south and up to Willow Creek Pass at the Continental Divide.



After a stop there we headed to Granby, where there was a delay for road construction.





In Granby we gassed up, and then took CO 34 (Trail Ridge) towards Estes Park. CO 34 through Rocky Mountain National Park was the highlight of the day. There was a section that was packed gravel but it wasn't too bad and there were a couple of delays for the road construction. The views up above tree line were spectacular. I could definitely feel the altitude at 12,000 feet. The trip was well worth the $10 I paid.







In Estes Park we headed south on the Peak to Peak Highway and Don and I parted in Nederland so he could head back to Longmont. I missed having my wing man along.





I continued south on CO 119 to CO 6 west, which eventually fed me onto I-70. Windy conditions and spotty rain made the ride interesting.

Frisco was my destination. I stopped for a quick dinner and continued on I-70 west and exited at the Loveland Pass exit so I could ride up and over Loveland Pass. That was so much better than taking I-70 through the Eisenhower tunnel. It was pretty windy and chilly at the Pass but I spent a little time there admiring the views.





I reluctantly pushed on to Frisco and my hotel. Tomorrow's my last day so I'll have to make the most of it.

Super ride report with really great pics! And bringing back memories of places I've visited and bicycled are really fun. Like you, I think there's a lot of beauty in Nebraska, especially in the sand hills. Thanks - what a great trip!

Day 4
Frisco to Denver.
~350 miles

As usual, I got up early and packed the bike up. It was a little chilly so I added a layer. The first bank temperature I saw at 6:30 was 42 degrees. The RT certainly has wind protection so it didn't seem all that bad. I cruised main street of Frisco looking for a sit down breakfast place.



I didn't find anyplace so I hopped on I-70 west to the next exit for CO 91 south. I hadn't gone very far but I was already chilly so I stopped and put on my electric jacket and turned on the heated grips. I didn't use the heated seat since I was roughing it. I was thinking up until this morning that I had lugged my cold weather gear and was just carrying it around with me. I was glad I had it and was nice and toasty for the chilly morning.

I had one deer cross the road in front of me without first looking both ways so I slowed down a little and took it easy into Leadville.



I stopped there for a proper breakfast at the Golden Burro. I went for the Huevos Rancheros, which were delicious. I thought I might be paying for that spicy breakfast for the rest of the day, but had no problems.



It had warmed up some and I headed south on CO 24 in bright sunshine. There were some very nice views of the mountains to the west.



I realized my route would take me fairly close to Independence Pass, so I took CO 82 west through Twin Lakes and then up to Independence Pass. I stopped a couple of times on the way up to take in the views.





It wasn't too chilly at the top and it was a clear day with great views.





I wasn't the only one up there.



I stayed there for awhile and hiked to the scenic overlook. At 12,000 feet, I could definitely feel the altitude.

I thought about going to Aspen, but I'd have to backtrack anyway, so I headed back down the way I had come up. I'm glad I made the sidetrip.

I picked up CO 24 again and headed south towards Buena Vista and passed the Collegiate peaks, all 14ers, along the way. CO 24 turned north just past Buena Vista.



The run across South Park into Fairplay on CO 24 was truly outstanding, with the open vistas and tall peaks all around. This section made my "roads I'd like to ride again" list. Incidently, this list has become much longer in the last couple of days.



Fairplay to Kenosha Pass was also open and fast and very enjoyable.



As I crossed into Jefferson County, I took Rt 126 south towards Deckers. There was evidence of a forest fire for mile after mile.



In Deckers I picked up Rt 67 to Woodland Park. That was a fun stretch of road, especially the southern part with a fast, open road.

When I got to Woodland Park I was sorry to realize my trip was just about over. I took CO 24 to Colorado Springs and picked up I-25 north. After a short distance, I realized I really didn't want to take it all the way to Denver and I would get back sooner than I needed to. I had said I'd return the bike at 5 and it was only around 2:00.

I exited I-25 and picked up CO 83, which was one last chance at a fast, open road across the prairie.



And one last chance for one of these.



I thoroughly enjoyed that route and took it all the way to Denver. The last bit was a little slow but I wasn't in any hurry. I had time to stop by my hotel first and unload the bike and then returned the bike at 4:30, sorry to see the trip end after 1500 miles and four days.

All in all, I'd say the RT is an awesome machine. I kept waiting for the final drive to fail but it never did. The bike performed flawlessly. I'm still not sold on the looks of it, but from the seat, I didn't care. The weather and wind protection were very good. I was not physically tired at the end of each day, and I know, if I took my KRS on this trip, I'd have more soreness. I found the bike very comfortable and didn't have to stop just to give my butt a rest. I don't know how it'd be loaded and two up, but it had plenty of power for me and I could make my passes very quickly. All in all, simply an awesome trip.

I've always wanted to see the canyons of southern Utah and hear you can rent bikes in Salt Lake City.

Great ride- I am VERY jealous.

Thanks for the pictures.

gorgeous photos, thank you for posting.

gets me excited about riding to redmond next year.

ian

pssstt.... you shoulda taken the rentabike down some dirt roads!!!

Riding Utah

So when are we doing Utah???

The LT has new tires and is ready to go!!

Visian said:

pssstt.... you shoulda taken the rentabike down some dirt roads!!!

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The RT handled the one gravel road I did and all the gravelly overlooks I parked in without any problems. There were a lot of interesting looking unpaved roads off of all the main routes. They do rent the GS.

Radar41 said:

So when are we doing Utah???

The LT has new tires and is ready to go!!

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Well, I'll be heading out your way next year on my new RT.

New RT

terham said:

Well, I'll be heading out your way next year on my new RT.

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"T" I'll keep the LT ready for a road trip.

d

Link to photos from trip.

terham said:

All in all, I'd say the RT is an awesome machine. I kept waiting for the final drive to fail but it never did. The bike performed flawlessly. I'm still not sold on the looks of it, but from the seat, I didn't care. The weather and wind protection were very good. I was not physically tired at the end of each day, and I know, if I took my KRS on this trip, I'd have more soreness. I found the bike very comfortable and didn't have to stop just to give my butt a rest. I don't know how it'd be loaded and two up, but it had plenty of power for me and I could make my passes very quickly. All in all, simply an awesome trip.

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Thanks for taking the time to share your ride -- it's a great report. Yet another destination we're going to have to plan for

We ride our RT two-up and although we've never ridden above 6500' altitude, I can say I've never lacked for power even when the bike is loaded with passenger and gear.

Beautiful! I'd love to make it up that way to ride...it looks so "cool" too! Thanks for sharing.

Oh, I love riding in CO.

Me too now.

Terence,

Sounds like you had an outstanding ride through the Rockies ,with many more roads to discover and ride in the future.. Great Pix...

We still missed you at the National!!!

Great write-up... shows you really enjoyed the trip and hit some very nice parts of Colorado. You WILL love Utah - especially places like Moab, Bryce's Canyon and Zion! I doubt you will be needing the electrics though unless you go there early or late in the season.

snoone said:

Terence,

Sounds like you had an outstanding ride through the Rockies ,with many more roads to discover and ride in the future.. Great Pix...

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Mtich,
Some of the rivers I passed looked they had a trout or two in them.

bogthebasher said:

...especially places like Moab, Bryce's Canyon and Zion! I doubt you will be needing the electrics though unless you go there early or late in the season.

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The exact places I'd like to go.