To recapitulate (I've always wanted to use that word), I'm on my way to Ft Worth to do my niece's wedding on Saturday. I'd intended to ride from home (Fort Morgan, CO) to Copper Breaks State Park, south of Quanah, TX, today and camp out. But northern Colorado is having a major snow event (although I don't think the roads I would have ridden were closed) and I decided to leave yesterday. I rode 290 miles to Springfield after leaving home at 3, then woke up this morning to find that the cold had reached SE Colorado. It was 29F and mist was freezing on my Geeza cover.
I grabbed breakfast at the Longhorn Steakhouse (good, but not as good as the steak and shrimp dinner last night), packed up and headed south. it was never rain, but it was fairly heavy mist. It just stayed cold, creeping up to 30 as I went through Boise City, OK. (Since it was never freezing on the screen, the temperature was probably a little higher than my thermometer was showing). By the time I got to Stratford, TX, and stopped for gas, it was allegedly 40F and the mist had stopped at the Texas line.
Just as I got back on the bike, a HD rider came out of the restaurant and asked which direction I was going. I told him south and it turned out he was too. He'd left Greeley (50 mi WNW of Fort Morgan) about 45 minutes after I left home. He'd taken 287 from Limon and had stopped at Eads. He'd been in the mist all the way to the Texas border like I had. He was wearing leathers with chaps, no electrics, and was freezing. He was on his way to Key West.
I finally got cold, even with the electric jacket and stopped on the eastern side of Amarillo and had some McD's coffee. About 3:30, between Memphis (TX) and Childress, the sun came out and the temperature went from 55 to 70 in a half hour. But the wind was still blasting away, 35-45 from the left. When I got to Quanah, I thought about camping, but the forecast says rain will start at 2-3 AM and I decided, I' splurge and spend another night in a motel. So, here I am.
I only did 356 miles today, but with the wind, it felt like more. I don't feel too wimpy about it, either. I'm about to be a retired person, and I can set my own schedule. So, there!
well, i jest, winter finally did end here.
