Retired and Trippin

The last day of my ride to the Rockies.  I left La Junta, Colorado at 6:30.  It was cloudy and 60 degrees. Hwy 50 took me through Lakin, KS, hometown of my lovely daughter, Heather.  (Making points with my daughters this trip.) My first stop was in Jetmore, KS, 215 miles down the road from La Junta.  My mother grew up in Jetmore so, after gassing up, I rode around town a bit.  They were doing some major work on the main drag (Hwy 283).  I wonder if they are replacing the brick? When riding alone one thinks about many different things.  East of Jetmore I was thinking about what type of food I wanted for lunch.  I had a little snack in Jetmore so that probably got me thinking!?!?!  Chinese sounded good but if I did that I wanted a hog trough (buffet).  A Wendy’s Baconator also sounded good.  They look very good in the commercials. In Great Bend both options were present.  It was a little early though, especially since there was that snack earlier.  My second stop was in McPherson –

Yesterday evening I made a post on Facebook saying I was in Montrose, CO.  Facebook friend, Latisha, made a comment, advising me that her parents (Mike and Jill) were camping in Ouray, CO.  Mike is my cousin.  I decided to try to see them.  I called Mike this morning and he said they were up for a visit. I departed my motel in Montrose at 7:35.  It was 57 degrees and there was a light drizzle.  Riding southbound on Hwy 550 I encountered road construction just north of Ridgway which delayed me quite awhile.  Finally I made it to Ouray where I found Mike and Jill in their campground.  They have quite a rig . . . . and  I enjoyed my visit with them. From Ouray the Million Dollar Highway (550) took me south up and into the mountains.  It is a beautiful ride. I stopped at the Molas Pass summit and took a few pictures. In Durango, CO I took Hwy 160 eastbound.  I shed my rain suit and the way the sky looked I thought the rain suit would not be needed the rest of the day.  I enjoyed lunc

I was excited to start riding in the Rockies, despite the rain.  It was raining when I started the day, when I ended the day and several times in between.  Despite that, it was a great day of riding (353 miles) with beautiful scenery.  It is why I love riding in Colorado. When I departed Loveland it was 63 degrees.  I rode directly up to Estes Park and then into Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).  Despite the occasional rain and clouds it was beautiful. In RMNP I came across Lake Irene, which I am sure was named after my daughter (Molly) and granddaughter (Jenna), both of whom have the middle name Irene.  The lake was pretty, just like them. As I was leaving the Lake Irene parking lot this deer was crossing the road. From RMNP I rode through Granby, Kremmling, Troponas, State Bridge and Wolcott on my way to Eagle, where I ate lunch at the Eagle Diner. From Eagle, I rode west on I-70 to Glenwood Springs.  Even I-70 has pretty scenery (and tunnels, which are fun). From Glen

I’m making a quick run to Colorado to ride in the Rocky Mountains while Chris and her mother are on a trip visiting relatives in Iowa and Illinois.  I couldn’t get any of my friends to go with me so I’m making the trip on my own. After gassing up this morning I departed Shawnee, KS at about 6:15 and took off westbound on I-70.  It was 75 degrees and cloudy. The clouds hung around until I reached Junction City and then it was mostly sunny until I was east of Hays. Between Salina and Hays I hit the high temperature for the day at 84 degrees.  Around Hays and then a little later I rode through two very brief and light rain showers.  There was no need to don the rain suit. I refueled and had a butt break in Salina and Oakley, KS.  I had lunch at Steak n Shake in Goodland.  It was 70 degrees when I left Goodland and by the time I reached Seibert, Colorado the temp had dipped as low as 66.  This is very unusual for July in western Kansas and eastern Colorado.  Usually it is swamp-butt