After delivering meals Beemer Buddy and I had our first ride since June, when his final drive failed. It was 50F when we headed north out of Fort Morgan on CO-52. We did a loop ride to Kimball, NE, then followed old US-30 (the Lincoln Highway .... at least between Kimball and Pine Bluffs, WY. The temperature in Nebraska had dropped into the lower 40s and I hooked up my heated jacket liner as we rode through Bushnell.
We bought $2.799 gas in Pine Bluffs, went inside and had a cup of adequate coffee. Then we rode about 20 miles on I-80 till we cut south to Carpenter, WY, and Hereford, CO. Hereford has an intersection that has five or six stop signs but only two streets, and a big sign informing the multitude of travelers passing through the bustling metropolis that failure to stop brings a $100 fine PLUS court costs. I always stop there, but have never seen but one other vehicle at the intersection.
As we left Hereford, it was getting on toward dark as we rode nearly 30 miles in a straight line down to Briggsdale and the intersection with CO-14. The temperature got down to about 28F before we got back to town.
Interesting scenery along part of our route: Pawnee Buttes (which were featured with a different name in James Michener's Centennial; 8 Peacekeeper Missle Silos and one Launch Command Center; in Pine Bluffs two Humvees with about six young airmen/airwomen. Each Humvee had a belt-fed small machine gun in a turret on top (15 years ago, these things had dual .50 cal machine guns and I'm here to tell you that it is a strange sensation to have those guns track you as you drive past the silo. Happened to us on Memorial Day of 1996); one pronghorn antelope; five hawks; about 30 gas flares on new well sites; two semis with trailers on their sides next to the road (I'm guessing that they blew off the road yesterday.)
I won't ride tomorrow because Joanne and I are heading for Ft. Collins for a belated Christmas gathering with her daughter and son-in-law, granddaughter and great-grandson.
Well, the other reason I won't ride is the prediction of 65-75 mph wind gusts.
We bought $2.799 gas in Pine Bluffs, went inside and had a cup of adequate coffee. Then we rode about 20 miles on I-80 till we cut south to Carpenter, WY, and Hereford, CO. Hereford has an intersection that has five or six stop signs but only two streets, and a big sign informing the multitude of travelers passing through the bustling metropolis that failure to stop brings a $100 fine PLUS court costs. I always stop there, but have never seen but one other vehicle at the intersection.
As we left Hereford, it was getting on toward dark as we rode nearly 30 miles in a straight line down to Briggsdale and the intersection with CO-14. The temperature got down to about 28F before we got back to town.
Interesting scenery along part of our route: Pawnee Buttes (which were featured with a different name in James Michener's Centennial; 8 Peacekeeper Missle Silos and one Launch Command Center; in Pine Bluffs two Humvees with about six young airmen/airwomen. Each Humvee had a belt-fed small machine gun in a turret on top (15 years ago, these things had dual .50 cal machine guns and I'm here to tell you that it is a strange sensation to have those guns track you as you drive past the silo. Happened to us on Memorial Day of 1996); one pronghorn antelope; five hawks; about 30 gas flares on new well sites; two semis with trailers on their sides next to the road (I'm guessing that they blew off the road yesterday.)
I won't ride tomorrow because Joanne and I are heading for Ft. Collins for a belated Christmas gathering with her daughter and son-in-law, granddaughter and great-grandson.
Well, the other reason I won't ride is the prediction of 65-75 mph wind gusts.