With this big storm pushing in from the west, I decided to take a quick weekend trip from southern Colorado to southwest Kansas. I left Saturday morning with sunshine and about 50 degrees.
I went south on I-25 to Trinidad and then, just for kicks, on south to Raton, NM. I visited the NRA Whittington Center, south of Raton, and then to Sugarite Canyon State Park just northeast of Raton. This is rated as one of the most scenic state parks in NM, but being cheap, I didn't pay the $5 fee to go in.
From Raton I went over Johnson Mesa (25 miles across this mesa with freezing temps and a huge wind of the northwest). It was a raw ride! I dropped off the Mesa, went through Folsom NM (home to the archaeological find known as "Folsom Man"), on to Clayton NM, before turning east to hit Guymon, OK and finally up to Meade KS. It was about a 360 mile trip. I stopped twice to put liners in and take liners out!! It hit 75 degrees in Meade that afternoon.
I arrived in Meade just at dark and as my fuel warning light came on! Good time to fill up the bike, and myself, before hitting the bed at the Moon Mist Motel.
Meade's claim to fame is it's connection to the infamous Dalton Gang of the 1880's.
It evidently offers some good pheasant hunting as the hotel was packed with hunters.
During the night, the weather changed dramatically. I woke up Sunday morning to a temperature of 21 degrees!!! I put on everything I had and headed west to home in Colorado. The wife said the sun was shining there at home, so I was hoping to hit the sunshine soon.
I was taking another route home, deciding initially to travel west across Hwy 160. At Ulysses, KS I stopped at McDonald's to get some breakfast and thaw out!! My hands were like ice!! As I pulled up there, a nice guy stopped to chat. When I told him where I was headed, he suggested I take another route. Seems that Hwy 160 across southern Colorado, east of the mountains, is pretty darn desolate. He said I wouldn't have cell coverage for much of the route, plus it wasn't as well-maintained as his suggested alternative of Hwy 50.
So, I decided to take his advice and turned north to Hwy 50 and then west to I-25.
The Kansas Highway Dept folks had already been out spraying bridges and curves with the solution they use prior to a snow. The weather continued very cloudy, and in some cases foggy, until I approached I-25.
I saw some interesting sights along the way, enjoyed a great ride (although a very cold ride), and returned home safely!!
The pictures include the NRA Whittington Center, Sugarite Canyon State Park, shots of the "stone fence posts", actually wire cylinders filled with rocks that serve as "anchors" for long runs of ranch fencing in areas where trees are too scarce, and shots of all the "Welcome to XX State" that I passed. I hit Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and back to Colorado in the weekend trip.
http://picasaweb.google.com/PRTJim/KansasBikeTripJan2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOr448Ty073GuwE#
Thanks,
piperjim
I went south on I-25 to Trinidad and then, just for kicks, on south to Raton, NM. I visited the NRA Whittington Center, south of Raton, and then to Sugarite Canyon State Park just northeast of Raton. This is rated as one of the most scenic state parks in NM, but being cheap, I didn't pay the $5 fee to go in.
From Raton I went over Johnson Mesa (25 miles across this mesa with freezing temps and a huge wind of the northwest). It was a raw ride! I dropped off the Mesa, went through Folsom NM (home to the archaeological find known as "Folsom Man"), on to Clayton NM, before turning east to hit Guymon, OK and finally up to Meade KS. It was about a 360 mile trip. I stopped twice to put liners in and take liners out!! It hit 75 degrees in Meade that afternoon.
I arrived in Meade just at dark and as my fuel warning light came on! Good time to fill up the bike, and myself, before hitting the bed at the Moon Mist Motel.
Meade's claim to fame is it's connection to the infamous Dalton Gang of the 1880's.
It evidently offers some good pheasant hunting as the hotel was packed with hunters.
During the night, the weather changed dramatically. I woke up Sunday morning to a temperature of 21 degrees!!! I put on everything I had and headed west to home in Colorado. The wife said the sun was shining there at home, so I was hoping to hit the sunshine soon.
I was taking another route home, deciding initially to travel west across Hwy 160. At Ulysses, KS I stopped at McDonald's to get some breakfast and thaw out!! My hands were like ice!! As I pulled up there, a nice guy stopped to chat. When I told him where I was headed, he suggested I take another route. Seems that Hwy 160 across southern Colorado, east of the mountains, is pretty darn desolate. He said I wouldn't have cell coverage for much of the route, plus it wasn't as well-maintained as his suggested alternative of Hwy 50.
So, I decided to take his advice and turned north to Hwy 50 and then west to I-25.
The Kansas Highway Dept folks had already been out spraying bridges and curves with the solution they use prior to a snow. The weather continued very cloudy, and in some cases foggy, until I approached I-25.
I saw some interesting sights along the way, enjoyed a great ride (although a very cold ride), and returned home safely!!
The pictures include the NRA Whittington Center, Sugarite Canyon State Park, shots of the "stone fence posts", actually wire cylinders filled with rocks that serve as "anchors" for long runs of ranch fencing in areas where trees are too scarce, and shots of all the "Welcome to XX State" that I passed. I hit Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and back to Colorado in the weekend trip.
http://picasaweb.google.com/PRTJim/KansasBikeTripJan2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOr448Ty073GuwE#
Thanks,
piperjim
