Retired and Trippin

Here it is nearly Christmas. I'm tired of the cold already and I'm ready to ride . . . anywhere.

Chris has a cousin, Deb, who lives in Montrose , IA. Deb, besides being a relative, is a very good friend and she is battling breast cancer. Friends and family planned a fund raising benefit for Deb on Sunday, November 8, 2009 at the River Valley Lodge and Campground in Farmington , IA. Chris and Deb are pictured below: Saturday; November 7, 2009 Chris' brother Gary has a new Harley Davidson Road King with about 3,000 miles on it. When we found out the family was going to make a trip to Deb's benefit in southeast Iowa we decided to ride our motorcycles and Chris decided to ride with me. The rest of the family rode in Gary and Allison's Suburban. We were very fortunate that the weather cooperated. It was sunny and in the mid-60's when left home at 10:00 AM. We rode north on I-35 to Bethany , MO , east on Hwy 136 to Wayland , MO , north on Hwy 27 to county road J-62 and then east to Deb and Tim's house near Montrose , IA. We gassed up in Bethany , M

Before I comment on today I feel compelled to comment on our lodging last night. While it was very nice to have a motel so near the restaurant where we ate dinner, the 1876 Inn ( http://www.1876inn.com/ ) was not good. It was relatively inexpensive but even at that it was not worth what we paid. My bed had a big ole brown stain of suspicious origin on the bedspread. The bed had no blanket so if you needed more than a sheet you had to use the bedspread . . . NASTY! The fitted sheet, which would not stay on, had grease stains on it. The counter and sink were about thigh height. (It was a good height for Wild Bill but not for me.) There was mold around the sink faucet and on the shower tiles. The shower itself had good pressure but the nozzle was about tit high. (Again – good for Bill but not me.) The pillows were like rags. I would not recommend this motel for future stays. When we went outside in the morning it was quickly obvious that it was colder this morning th

We left our motel around 9:00 am under cloudy skies with a temperature of 46. We hit a gas station in Mountain Home before leaving the town at approximately 9:15 am. We rode south on Hwy 5 through Calico Rock to Mountain View . At Mountain View we took Hwy 9 south through Rushing and Shirley to Clinton , AR. We wanted to stop at a DQ for a break but, since there was none, we stopped at a McDonalds. After snarfing down mocha lattes, cappuccinos, coffee, and/or ice cream we rode west on Hwy 16 through very small towns like Crabtree, Alread, Witt Springs, and Ben Hur. I believe it was near Witt Springs, where we had to make an acute angle left turn, that Carl decided to test the off-road capabilities of his Goldwing. He was able to maneuver it back on the road with the assistance of Marge, who was screeching in his ear and beating on his back. At Sand Gap we turned north on Hwy 7 and rode to the Who-Da-Thought-It store for gas. They had two pumps out front so it took awhile for

This was a couples ride south into Arkansas to see the fall foliage (hence the name). Four couples made the ride; Gary & Judy, Rod & Maureen, Bill & Shannon, and Carl & Marge. Bill and Charlie went as singles because their wives could not make it. They both knew it would not be as enjoyable without their trophy brides but they decided to go anyway. The plan was to meet at 1:00 pm at Gail’s Harley Davidson in Grandview , MO. Carl and Marge were late. I think it was Carl’s fault. We departed Gail’s at about 1:20 pm. We rode east on Hwy 150 to 291 south to 58 east to 131 south to 2 east to Windsor, MO, where we stopped for a break. Some folks decided to put on more clothes due to the chilly temperature. In Windsor we caught Hwy 52 east to Holden , MO where we got on Hwy 65 south. Just south of Warsaw , MO we crossed a river (or a narrow section of Lake of the Ozarks , I’m not sure which) and there was some very colorful foliage along the water. T

Day 8 When we left the Silver Saddle Motel in Manitou Springs at 8:10 am it was sunny and 52. Before leaving the area we rode through the Garden of the Gods. We tried the visitor’s center but it wasn’t open until 9:00 am. We rode south to Canon City , CO to score on some cherry cider. We stopped at DiNardo’s Cider Mill and Market and loaded up on cherry cider. Gary and Judy also scored on some Rocky Ford cantaloupe. I hope it traveled well in the trailer. After gas and a Wal-Mart stop we rode east to LaJunta , CO where we had a picnic lunch in a city park. We had a butt break in Syracuse, KS and another gas stop in Garden City, KS before we met Carl and Marge at the Dodge House Hotel in Dodge City, KS We had a great evening, dining in the hotel restaurant, playing volleyball in the pool, and soaking in the hot tub. Today we rode 360 miles. The high temperature was 81 and there was NO rain. Day 9 We took off from the Dodge House at 8:30 am in sunny 64 degree

We rode away from our cabin at Blue Creek Lodge at 8:10 am. It was sunny and 41. We rode 10 to 15 miles south on Hwy 149 to South Fork, CO. We got petrol and had breakfast at the Logger Restaurant. Having refueled our bikes and our bellies we rode west on Hwy 160 through Del Norte. At Monte Vista, CO we turned north on Hwy 285 which took us through Saguache. At Poncha Springs we turned east on Hwy 50 and rode into Salida where we got gas and took a break. From Salida we rode north on Hwy 291 which took us back to Hwy 285 north. This entire route of 160, 285 and 291 was mildly scenic at best. On Hwy 285 north of 291 we passed Mt. Antero and some of the collegiate peaks, which were definitely scenic. Just south of Buena Vista we turned east on Hwy 24, which took us east towards Colorado Springs . We came upon a construction zone and an extended delay not too far down Hwy 24. When we finally got underway from the construction zone my motorcycle rolled over 77,000 m

Mel and Trisha rode away from the motel at 7:10 in the morning. I heard the HD fire up but by the time I got outside they were pulling out of the lot. When Gary, Judy, Chris, and I left Cortez , CO at 8:10 am it was mostly sunny and 55 degrees. We rode north on Hwy 145 through Dolores, Stoner, and Rica. As we gained altitude the temperature dropped to 43 and it started misting. We rode out of the ugly weather just before reaching Telluride, where it was bright and sunny. We had a good breakfast at Maggies Bakery and Café in downtown Telluride. Their cinnamon rolls were larrapin good! We walked the main drag and then Chris and Judy went off to photograph some of the houses in Telluride while Gary and I sat in the sun and watched the people go by. We rode the gondola in Telluride that took us up the mountain to the ski resort. This was an act of bravery on the part of Gary, who is afraid of heights. From Telluride we rode north on 145 to Hwy 62 east to Ridgway where we cau

The plan was to depart Ridgway , CO at 8:00 am. At that time, however, it was raining and cold. We waited until the rain stopped and when we took off at 8:40 am it was sunny and 52 degrees but the streets were still wet. We rode 10 miles south to Ouray , CO intending to stop and let the ladies shop around. It was too early and none of the shops were open so we pushed on south on Hwy 550 (the Million Dollar Highway ). The scenery was fantastic with snow capped peaks and golden aspens. As we crossed a pass and rode closer to Silverton , CO it became cloudy and started to rain lightly. The temperature dropped to 39. Mel, our tour guide, wisely decided to find a café in Silverton to drink some coffee and wait out the rain. We landed in the Brown Bear Café. Chris laughed at the rain, grabbed an umbrella, and did some shopping on main street. When the rain stopped we continued south on Hwy 550 to Durango . The sun came out again and it reached 68 degrees while we were