terham
BeemerBoy
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 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.