May 2011 Trip. KS to Bryce Canyon

[artemedes]

I have never done a ride report before, but thought I would share a bit of my May trip. I embarked on this trip with little planning or a real GPS. My only plan was to visit key national parks, camp whenever it was practical and see parts of the country I have only flown over in a jet plane. I was going to buy maps along the way and just go.


Day One:
I left North Eastern Kansas about 7:00am and headed west down I-70. The temperature was a about forty degrees and they forcasted rain and mist. I was anxious to get on my trip and it looked like avoiding moisture would have me leaving in the afternoon. I put on my layers and my rain gear and headed out. I was certain that it would warm up and this was just a cold morning start.

I had ridden in these conditions before, but never for this long. An hour out and I was cold. I remembered that I had some more cold weather gear such as my fleece helmet liner and fleece neck warmer. I put these on and warmed up for about fifteen minutes and continued on my way. I didn't have heated grips so my hands really suffered even with my glove liners and best ski gloves.

Traffic was light on I-70, but I had been on this stretch of interstate more times than I could count. I was on a motorcyle vacation and thought it was time to head down paths less traveled. I turned south at Salina and then west again on old highway 56. This is a two lane road that was a little more scenic.

I stopped in Mcpherson and got some fuel and drinks. It was still cloudy and I was anxious to get to Great Bend Kansas. Great Bend is about an hour west of Mcpherson on hwy 56. I have relatives there and ended up staying longer than I meant to, but this turned out to be good, because I was able to warm up completely for the first time that day. I was already pretty tired from three hours of cold riding.

The clouds had cleared and I was able to start the next leg of my trip without the rain gear and a few less layers. In hindsight I probably should have saved my strength and spent the night with relatives, but I was determined to get out of my home state. It wouldn't feel like a real vacation until I got farther west.

I continued South West on Highway 56 and ended up in Ulysses Kansas. The sun was starting to set and the temperature had dropped again. I had got cold again. I didn't see any signs for a campground and it was still only in the 50's so I decided to get a hotel to get good warm night's sleep. I could tell I really needed it.

At the end of the day I only traveled 377 miles, but it was the longest coldest motorcycle ride I had ever made. I felt like I was fighting the cold prairie wind all day. To give you an idea of the winds...even though I kept my speeds to the speed limit I was averaging less than 50mpg. I might have been cold and wore out, but the NT performed wonderfully despite the low mileage fighting the headwinds.

I told myself it would only get better so felt pretty good for the first day of my first motorcycle tour. I didn't take time to stop in this familiar territory, but vowed to take photos once I got out of Kansas.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Good start on an interesting trip report! Keep it coming.

 

[artemedes]

Day 2 - finally some photos!

Day Two:

I awoke to a morning colder than previous one, but was undaunted becuase I was sure the weather would clear up. So certain was I that I didn't even check the weather. I just packed the bike and headed West. I knew I was close to the Colorado border and wanted to make it to Mesa Verde. I didn't realize how lonely and desolate the area I was headed was, otherwise I would have filled up in Ulysses.

I soon found myself in the Comanche National Grassland. I had not seen a fellow traveler since leaving KS and was amazed at how empty and desolate it was. I had never seen so many elk before. I lost count of the elk, but was wondering where the people were. There are parts of Kansas that are flat and open with a similar feel, but it seems like you don't have to travel very far to find a grain elevator and a small town. The farther west I traveled I was wondering if I was going to run out of gas. Since the road was so utterly and completely empty I dropped my speed to around 50 to conserve gas. The slower speeds also helped me stay a bit warmer. The temperatures had not really rose much and the skies were still cloudy. I stopped here to warm up as much to look at this abandoned building that looked hundreds of years old.

I got a brief bit of sunshine as I headed into some puffier clouds. They ended up raining and snowing on me. It was very surreal to ride this lonely desolate space, only seeing elk. The snow flakes would stick to my visor briefly before melting and running off like normal rain drops.

I eventually made it to Trinidad, CO and eased my gas worries. I was worrying for nothing and only pumped 3.3 gallons. The sun was breaking through the clouds and warming me up. I stopped at this visitors center to enjoy the sun and eat my gas station hoagie.

From Trinidad I headed N on interstate 87 and picked up 160 west in Warrensburg. The view was getting better and the mountains encourged me on. Hwy 160 took me over a snow covered pass and there was lots of traffic. Riding in the snow had lost most of it's charm, but I was thankful the roads were clear and passable. I didnt' really want to stop and hold traffic up so I continued on to Alamosa.

I kept thinking about the weather. I wanted to take this trip before the main vacation season to avoid crowds and the hot weather. I guess I didn't think to prepare for winter conditions in May. I had plenty of layers and was getting by, but the cold was wearing me out. I kept following 160 until the sun was behind the mountains and it was getting dark fast. I found a sign for a campground and pulled in. I was in luck that they had just opened and were still getting the park ready. I was the only camper they had that night. They were worried about me camping in my tent and convinced me to stay in this cabin.

I am really glad I paid the extra five bucks for the cabin. They even ran an extension cord to it and let me use a portable space heater for the night. It got down to 12 degrees that night, but I was relatively comfy inside the cabin. I would have froze if I was just in my tent.

I only traveled about 367 miles and it was another tiring day. I learned that elk can run about 45 mph and that heated grips would have been a wise investment before embarking on this cold weather tour.

Album link:
http://www.nt-owners.org/forums/album.php?albumid=143

 

[artemedes]

This is taking longer than expected. Will post a couple more days worth tomorrow.

 

[Cutthing]

Nice report, its a nice read with good photos. Just reading your report I appreciate the wind deflectors even more, heated grips might be my next upgrade thou.

 

[Chucksklrst]

Heated gear, Gloves and jacket liner, and then if that is not enough go for heated pants and socks. Of course be aware of the power draw on the bikes alternator. Will be waiting for the next part of the ride report.

 

[artemedes]

Day 3:

My third day of the trip would start out the coldest. I was eager to get on the road and did so at first light. It was so cold I didn't take a shower. I knew i was going to cross Wolf creek pass pretty early and it was only about 11 degrees in the campground. I put on all my gear and layers and headed into the fog.

Wolf creek was really neat with steep sections and tight turns. I even encountered a little ice but saw it long before I hit and was ready and didn't have any mishaps. It kept snowing on me as well, but for the most part the road was clear. Nestled in the mountains and the fog I wasn't getting much sunlight so I was getting cold fast. There are several spots to pull off along the pass and I must have stopped at least three times just to warm up. I would leave the NT running and get my hands close to the exhaust pipes to warm them up. It was so cold that I still managed to get a touch of frostbite. It was very small area at the tips of a couple fingers, but it healed fast.

After I reached the summit and was coming down the pass the fog cleared and I found this scenic overlook. It was a great opportunity to warm up and grab some photos. You can tell this valley routinely received more sun. Prior to this everything was covered with a couple feet of snow.

After conquering the pass I hit a lovely town called Pagosa Springs. As I pulled into Mcdonalds I was still a little cold but the temperature was rising fast. I stayed here awhile because it was the warmest I had been in almost 24 hours. After a couple breakfast burritos and hot chocolate i continued down 160 and didn't stop until I was in Durango. Quick stop for Gas and on the road again. Before I knew it I was at my first places I came to see, Mesa Verde. Many people I worked with didn't even know where/what Mesa Verde is until I would say the were the Native American Cliff Dwellings.

Here is what you see as you enter the Park:

They only charge motorcycles five dollars to enter the park, but it was still a very reasonable ten dollars for a car. Just getting to the first visitor station is amazing. The road is steep and very windy and you even go through a rock tunnel. I am going by memory, but I believe it is 8 miles between the gate and the main visitor station. One of the best stretches of road I remember from the trip. I found myself wishing I was less loaded down and tried to be careful on the corners. Even though I took them at moderate speeds, I was still sliding in my seat and leaning over more than I ever need to in Kansas. The road was too narrow with too much traffic to stop and get any photos.

I ate lunch at the Visitor station and peeled off my layers it was about noon and had warmed up to the sixties so I remember being very happy that I had made it over the freezing pass and was at my first main destination of the trip. I hadn't even seen the cliff dwellings yet, but the air was peaceful and calm.

I paid my fee to see the dwelling known as "Cliff Palace". I think it is the largest settlement. You have to wait at this overlook before you can go down in a small group. It provides a wonderful view of the dwelling.

The most amazing part of the tour was when the tour guide had us sit down and just listen. Everyone in the group cooperated and the sheer stillness of the air under the cliff was amazing. It was place I could stay for a very long time. I could write much more about this wonderful place, but will just say that it is a place I think most people should try and experience.

Here was my view before we were allowed into the dwellings and where we just sat and enjoyed the peace.

The Anasazi would build their structures using existing stone structure.

In this structure is some preserved artwork. The black stuff around the door is what happens to stone when hundreds of thousands of visitors touch it to look inside.

I took this photo to try and show how protected the cliff dwellings were. They farmed on the mesa top, but the natural terrain provided obvious protection.

You can drive a loop around the top of the mesa and look acrose the canyon to cliff dwellings they don't let you visit.

I spent the entire afternoon riding around the park and seeing everything I could. It was an wonderful experience for me. The whole time I was there I was trying to imagine living there as they did. In order to support their mesa top farming they even built structures to trap and control water. It is really amazing. The park does an excellent job of showing the transition from pit houses to cliff dwelling pueblos. I plan on visiting again in the next few years. One afternoon is just too short to really experience it.

There is a nice campground across the highway from the park. I could see the mesa from my camping spot.

The next night I was wishing I had this structure to put a tent under.

In conclusion it was an amazing day and by the time I had set up camp I was exhausted. Started the day at 11 degrees but it was in the 70's before the sun went down. I was able to put on shorts and use the laundry facilities to clean my riding gear. Lots of RVers here, but they were pretty nice to me. A lady also doing laundry said she couldn't even imagine touring on a bike and a tent. I noticed that she went back to an very expensive looking RV. I felt that she was really missing out. I am sure the RV makes it comfortable, but on a motorcycle you really experience it. So far on this trip I have been really glad I brought my 3/4 helmet. Even on the road with my helmet on I had a completely unhindered view. I think you miss a lot when your in an enclosed car.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Great report! You're writing about places I've been both on bicycle and motorcycle. I realize I haven't been to Mesa Verde in way too long. I need to get back.

 

[karl]

Nothing quite like a see through smell through ride. You sound like there will be some warm memories of this trip.

 

[artemedes]

Day 4 - Mesa Verde CO to Bryce Canyon UT

Day 4:

I had slept great that night. I was warm and comfortable on my thermarest in my tent. My sleeping bag is rated to about 32 degrees, and it was great to sleep in the shadow of the mesa in decent temperatures. In my home state, May can get a little chilly, but rarely sees the temperatures I had been experiencing the last three days. To make matters worse I had spent so much of the time out in the elements. I had camped out before in similar weather, but I had never been out on my own and directly in the elements for this amount of time. So I had been slowly wearing down and needed the good warm rest I finally got last night. I was torn with the idea of taking it easy and spending another day at Mesa Verde, but in the back of my mind I knew I only had two weeks off and I was determined to experience as much as I could.

I spent most of my 4th day just traveling to Bryce Canyon. It was only 371 miles, between the national parks, but I sure felt wore out by the time I hit Bryce. I was surprised at the lack of a direct route to my next destination. Even though Utah was directly west of Colorado the best route looked to be on 160 and 89. This meant going quite a bit farther south than I wanted. It wasn't a big deal though because I told myself I was going to avoid interstates and cities. It was just odd not to have an interstate as an option.

I ran into construction. I don't think you can see it in my downsized photo, but the orange diamond shaped sign by the workers says "Motorcycles use Extreme Caution". They were tearing up the road and you had to wait your turn to travel in one-way convoys. I never did encounter anything that would require a motorcycle to be more cautious than normal. This scene would repeat itself several times and seemed to be a big time wasting experience. Even though I was warm I was already missing the mountains. I was already regretting that I did not spend another day at Mesa Verde.

I got of the construction and was riding through some neat areas around the four corners region. I came across this little scenic outlook. An Native American artist was selling handmade jewelry. Since I was going to be gone over Mother's Day I bought this necklace for Mom. There was a cool rock formation close by so I took this photo to show my mom where I bought the necklace.

Hwy 160 takes you south to Kayenta, AZ. I remember the signs saying monument valley was north on hwy 163. I was very tempted to head that way. As I contemplated changing plans I started to observe all the vehicles turning north. All the motorcycles were dual sports and many of the vehicles were hauling atvs and dirt bikes. This made me think that I had better stay on the asphalt.

The area around Kayenta was very interesting. I was able to see some formations similar to monument valley like this one.

I stopped in Page, AZ for gas and food. A guy hauling a Goldwing stopped to ask me about the NT. Across the street was a Honda dealership and they had a red NT. He had just picked up his Goldwing there and was curious about the NT. His first question was "How does it do on the highway". I told him it was great. He then noticed my license plate and when he found out I was from NE KS he told me that he hadn't really thought of the NT as a touring bike before. I had read this before on the internet, but played dumb and asked him why not? He was nice and really intrigued about the bike. He looked incredulous when I told him I was averaging 58mpg. Apparently that is hard to do on a goldwing.

Keeping to the plan I kept moving and didn't stop to take photos till I got close to Red Canyon just outside Bryce. By the time I had made it this far, I knew I was close. I found a great campsite and payed my camping fees. If I am ever in this area again I will go out of my way to camp here again. It was secluded and beautiful. There were some great hiking trails too.

After setting up camp it was starting to get dark and I was getting cold and hungry. All I had where granola bars and water. The campground supervisor told me there was a great restaurant at Bryce and it was close. I headed that way without the proper layers and as the sun dropped it became really cold again. Why did I leave that stuff at the campground? That was just dumb considering the NT has so much storage space. I had been eating fast food and gas station hoagies the last few days, so I treated myself to a steak dinner. It was delicious. I headed back to my tent full and content.

Even though it had been warm that day, another cold front moved in during the night. I slept pretty good but had to put on extra layers half way through the night. When I woke the next morning the moisture from my breath had condensed and froze to the side of my tent.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Well, a ride down through the Flint Hills SW of you is always in order. I've got to get to the Marquette Motorcycle Museum next time I'm in Kansas.

My first bike was a GL650i, the '83 version of the GL500. It had cool LED instruments under the top edge of the fairing for temperature, voltage, CB channel and something else (but my CB didn't work). My associate pastor had owned a GL500 and thought it was pretty gutless two-up. But with the 650cc engine, I could stay with his GL1200 up to about 85. Chassis flex, weak brakes, and limited storage were my only complaints about that bike. I would have bought a Pacific Coast when I replaced it, but couldn't find one I could afford. Later decided that the PCs 150 mile tank would have been limiting, too. I rode two Connies for about 165K miles before my NT.

Bob Higdon of the Iron Butt Association says that the NT is the K75 BMW "should have made."

 

[artemedes]

Day 5: Bryce Canyon

Sorry for taking so long to finish this report. I am not going to bed until I do!

Day 5: Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon was so beautiful that it gave me scenic overload and I headed home afterwards. Well that is not entirely true, but by day five I was really starting to take all this wonderful scenery for granted.

I want to apologize for the quality of the photos. They look great on my camera and computer, but I am loosing a lot of detail and color when I resize them for the web. Hopefully they will be good enough that it will spark memories of your trip or inspire you to go see it for yourself. Even the good photos do not really do it justice.

Since I spent most of the previous day getting here, I was still very tired when I woke up. I also remember waking up after only a couple of hours to put on some of my riding layers. My sleeping bag was only rated to about 32F and I was cold. That morning I woke to little icicles above my head on the inside of the tent. Apparently it is not vented well enough and my breath condensed on the inside of the tent and froze. I didn't have cell service here so I can't tell you how cold it got. I certainly imagined warmer weather when I started the trip.

First order of the day was to warm up. I was camped right beside a hiking path that could have been made by mountain goats. It was narrow and steep, but I grabbed some water, breakfast bars and headed for the sunshine I could see at the top of the ridge above me.

The mountain goats that built the trail were kind enough to put benches every 100 yards or so.
I stopped at most of them to catch my breath. I was warming up quick with this exercise.

All th trees up here were spiraled. It looks like they grew twisted. you can kind of see it here, but some of them were much more spiraled.

This is the scene you see if you hike all the way to the top of the ridge. The goats would have been proud of me for making it. This was the first time in my trip so far where I really felt the effects of the thinner air. I doesn't look like much of a hike from here.

The hike warmed me up so I headed back down and packed up. It was a short drive to Bryce. Here are a few sample photos. I am sure you can find much better ones elsewhere. I think I screwed up the settings because they look really soft here, but sharp in their original size.

Before heading here I didn't know you could hike down into the canyon. I plan on coming back in the next couple of years and spending more than a day. I want to see more than I could from the scenic outlooks. I regret I didn't take more time and follow some of the paths like this one.

I took more photos, but until I figure out how to resize them better I don't feel like posting them here.

Once back in cell phone range I called family and the girlfriend-at-the-time. They still thought I was crazy to be wandering around on my motorcycle. My now ex-girlfriend was particularly whinny and convinced me I should head home.

I should have stayed another night in Red Canyon, but once the decision was made I was anxious to get on my way. I started retraced my trail and stopped in Kanab UT when fatigue and hunger set in. It was still light when I got there and I regret not taking photos. I remember walking to the grocery store and seeing Hollywood-like stars in the sidewalk. Apparently Kanab was host to a lot of western movies and even had a few famous natives make it to the silver screen. There were little information plaques next to the sidewalk for many of the names. I didn't recognize many of them.

Didn't spend as much time on the motorcycle this day. It was as good of a day as the one I spent at Mesa Verde.

 

[artemedes]

Day 6: Kanab UT to Farmington NM

Day 6: Headed back

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had decided to head home and was determined to get some miles under me. I sprung for a hotel the night before and took advantage of their free breakfast.

I then headed to Page NM. I even stopped at the same gas station across that I filled up on the way out. This time nobody asked me about my bike.

From Page I followed 98 to hit 160 again. This is the same stretch of highway that I bought the necklace on. I had more cash and was hoping to get something else, but there were no sellers when I passed the second time.

As I hit 160 a shiny black goldwing passed and I was able to catch up to him and follow him until we hit Kayenta. I needed fluids for me and he need goldwind go juice. We chatted for bit. He didn't even know that honda made a midsized touring bike. My lack of heated accessories didn't impress him and he wanted to tell me about each and everyone of his gadgets. He didn't get much chance to tell me about them because a couple of Native American beggers wanted a handout. His bike was still at the pump and he was able to escape, but I wasn't quick enough and ended up talking to them for at least ten minutes. I was wanting to leave and one of them finally came out and asked directly for a handout so they could get some food at McDonalds. I gave them a five and they left almost immediately. I wonder how many people they get them to give them money?

I continued down 160 and was starting to feel sad that I was already headed home. To make up for it I turned at Hwy 64 so I could at least take a different route home. This got me pretty close to shiprock, but I didn't stop. Made it to Farmington and got a hotel. I didn't see any good campground signs and had seen a lot of vagrants around. I don't know if they were really vagrants, but I was surprised at how many people looked destitute and homeless. It had been a hot day for a change and just felt done for the day. I also was procrastinating a bit too. I didn't want to get home too fast.

I didn't take a single photo all day. I wasn't in the best of moods and just wasn't in the right mood.

On day 6 I only traveled 300 miles. I don't remember much except for being surprised at the number of homeless looking people I saw in NM. It didn't help my mood.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Reservation life doesn't seem to bring out the best in a lot of people. Every time I've been through the Big Rez (the Navajo reservation in NM and AZ), I've been asked to give. I usually don't because from what I hear, most of what they receive goes for alcohol. I have offered to take people in and buy them food and have never been taken up on it.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Yeah, and I hate to sound judgmental, but, unfortunately, it seems to be true.

 

[artemedes]

I thought about the money thing, but I figured five bucks wouldn't get two people very drunk. I was not going to give any more. I think they could tell and took the five bucks and split. Oh well.

 

[artemedes]

Day 7: Long day back

Day 7:

After a good nights sleep, I started the next day much better. I even got on the road about 7:00 am. I was rested and was looking forward to seeing what NW NM had to show me. Maybe i was just grumpy the day before because I was on the same roads I had already been on. I had mapped out my route, and there were quite a few prospective sites. I had something to look forward to.

I wanted to avoid major Interstates and they were all south, so I took Hwy 64. It looked straighter on the map than it turned out to be. It was also very desolate with very little traffic. I should have stopped and took some photos but I was cold again in the shadows of the canyons. HWY 64 was a slow winding ascent and I didn't stop until I hit Dulce. There were many slow sections and I got behind the only the other truck on the road. Since they were local and doing the speed limit I decided to stay behind them.

I only stopped at the gas station in Dulce. An Native American woman sold me gigantic breakfast burrito for three bucks. She was proud that it had bacon and Spam! I was hungry and it really hit the spot. She was very nice and asked me about my trip. As I ate my burrito she pointed up to the tallest peak north of town and told me "Don't go up there! That's were the Aliens live!". Fortunately for me, HWY 64 goes due east out of town and I didn't see any aliens. The break was nice and I had warmed up again. I told myself once again, that I really needed to look into heated gear. I was hopeful for sun and continued East.

My hopes for sunny warm weather were in vain. The canyon roads were cold and lonely, but I enjoyed riding through the desolate area. After Chama I found myself in the Carson National Forest. I just kept on riding the twisty roads and ascending. It was reminding me of my second day out in the Commanche grasslands. I was really glad I had bought a SPOT before the trip. It was easy to imagine something happening and nobody finding me until it was too late.

At the top of a snowy pass I found this empty place to rest. Not sure where along the way, but after this point it was mostly downhill. I don't think I had seen a car since Chama.

I did a quick stop and hike at the Rio Grand Gorge Bridge. All the rocks were very dark. My camera was in an automatic mode and made them look much more grey. I bet it gets hot there in the summer.

Taos was busy, crowded and I was suddenly hot. I was very cold on hwy 64 mountains and canyons. I stopped at Sonic and peeled layers. A quick gas stop and it was off to Angel Fire. I had heard some amazing things about Taos and almost regret not staying longer, but it didn't feel right that day. Lots of traffic and seemingly grumpy people. For a spiritual place I just saw alot of unhappy people in expensive cars. I got a lot of strange stares while I ate at Sonic. Maybe a mean gang riding sport tourers came through before me and soured them to motorcycle travelers.

I stayed on 64 and it was even slower east of Taos. The roads were narrower and slower. There was a little traffic and I kept getting stuck behind slower vehicles for many miles. I never passed any of them because of how narrow and twisty the canyon road was. Luckily they all turned off. I didn't stop until I hit Eagle Nest Lake. Eagle Nest was a great place to stop. I was tired after all these miles of canyon roads. The main gas station in this little mountain hamlet overlooks the lake. I just sat there and rested and looked at the valley for a long time. As I did this, many motorcycles would stop and gas up and then go on. I am pretty sure that while I sat there I saw more motorcycles than cars. Apparently only the Harleys needed gas though . While I was sitting there a small group of Vstroms turned north up 38. they were packed for camping. I was sorely tempted to chase them. I had been traveling and camping alone and tagging along with them was appealing. I noticed they all had dual sport tires and my gut told me they were going places I didn't want to take the NT. I kept telling myself, Dammit I am on vacation I should go catch those guys. But I am not one to invite myself along, so I continued on my solo trek home.

Here is the NT at Eagle Nest. I don't know why I didn't grab a photo of the lake.:frown:

My goal for the day was Clayton. I wanted to cross at least most of NM today. For some reason I decided to stay on 64 rather than the shorter route south to springer. After Raton I was finally out of the canyons and making good time. I hit familiar gusty prairie winds E of Raton. From my second day till now I was enjoying calm days. The wind always seems to be blowing in Kansas and I loved riding in the calm air. I think the prairie winds must have been jealous that I was spending time with calmer more sedate spirits and tried to blow me off in some really amazing gusts. I wasn't the only one suffering too. I passed a couple of Harley riders that seemed more content to go a few miles under the speed limit. They actually sped up and stayed in my mirror for a few miles before dropping back. They caught up to me in Clayton but didn't stop to talk to me or wave. They headed straight for a bar. I don't like to stereotype, but they fit the "biker" mold. Maybe it is a good thing real "bikers" ignore bikes like the NT.

The sun was starting to set and I didn't see any promising hotels or campgrounds. I had made my destination but wasn't ready to quit. I consulted my map and it looked like I could make Elkhart KS before dark. I zipped through the NW corner of Oklahoma and found myself in Elkhart before I knew it. As I entered Elkhart a large dog was chasing cars. It was some mutt that kinda looked like a Great Dane and was almost as big. I know the cars didn't want to hit him and they slowed down enough that I was going slow enough for him to catch me. He thought I was a better target than the cars and came straight for me once he got a few cars lengths behind me. The dog was crazy enough that I was worried about rabies so I ended up gunning it and lane splitting down a double yellow to get enough speed and distance from the dog. It worked but I found myself outside of town. I had planned to stop at Elkhart, but just kept going.

I pushed on through on HWY 56 and something interesting happened. The ever present Kansas wind stopped blowing as the sun started to set. Now that I wasn't having to fight the wind I was enjoying the ride again. I ended up following hwy 56 all the way to Great bend Kansas. It was a nice night to ride and I never did see a good place to set up my tent. I have family in Great Bend so I knew if I could make it there I could crash.

I ended up arriving at my Grandma's house right after midnight. It was now May 8th and Mother's Day so even though I had to wake my Grandma up I got to be the first person to wish her Happy Mothers day. I was now only three hours from my house. Tomorrow would be a rest day.

This was the longest day I had spent on a motorcycle. I was in the saddle from 8:00am to 12:00 CST. Google maps says I only traveled 672 miles, but it sure felt like more. The day started off cold and included cold mountain passes to 90F dry heat. I didn't stop often enough, but it was an amazing day. I now know that I could do a SS1000 if I stuck to interstate highways. In fact I think it might even be easier than this days route. When I started the day, I never imagined I would cross NM, a bit of OK, and halfway across Kansas. What a long day!

 

[artemedes]

Day 8:

Not much left to tell. Spent most of the day with family then a gusty ride down I-70 home.

I learned a lot on this trip. I learned a lot about motorcycle traveling. I brought too much useless stuff and should have invested in better riding gear. Most importantly, I learned that sometimes you need to stop a bit and enjoy your destination. Looking back and writing this ride report really makes think about how much I missed by insisting on spending so much of the time on the motorcycle and traveling. I hope to have more motorcycle adventures, but I think I will try to spend more time taking in my destination. I will also plan better. I just started out with very vague goals. I bought my maps along the way and winged it. It was nice to have the sense of freedom and to kind of wander, but I think I just wore myself out by going a bit too early and riding so much.

Live and learn. Next trip will be even better.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I now know that I could do a SS1000 if I stuck to interstate highways. In fact I think it might even be easier than this days route. When I started the day, I never imagined I would cross NM, a bit of OK, and halfway across Kansas. What a long day!

Artemedes, I guarantee you that a SS1K on interstates would be easier than your day from Farmington to Great Bend! It's been great fun reading your trip report and looking at your pictures. Thanks!

 

[RedLdr1]

Great report and even better pictures... Thanks for posting them...