Thursday, August 30, 2007
Colorado Road Trip - Day 1
This past weekend (Saturday) I rode my Ducati to Colorado to visit my good friends the Bells. The initial part of the trip was to a suburb near Boulder, CO and later continued on to Rocky Mountain National Park (Estes Park) before returning home.
I would be remiss not to start by saying that I had a wonderful visit and stay with the Bell family. The entire family were welcoming and gracious hosts during my stay.
My trip began with my leaving my home shortly after 8:00am. I am getting superstitious of loading my bike the night before. The last couple of times I have, weather has forced me to cancel my rides. Therefore after waking some time earlier, eating my regular breakfast of oatmeal and grapefruit, I finished packing the bike before leaving.
Earlier I had planned a route that allowed me to avoid as much of Interstate 70 as possible while still affording a relatively straight route to Boulder. This route had me travel on I-70 to just past Junction City, KS. On this Saturday morning the interstate travel was reasonable and not that hectic.
Just past Junction City, KS, I headed over to Hwy 18 to head west. Hwy 18 proved to be the most enjoyable part of my long ride across Kansas. This two-lane highway is sparsely trafficked, well paved and provides some nice views of the western plains.
I should mention that motorcycle travel is much different than automobile travel. First, a sportsbike motorcycle accelerates and stops much quicker than automobiles. Because of this it feels much safer traveling at a higher rate of speed than in an automobile. For me this is a blessing and curse. Personally, I enjoy riding at a speed higher than the posted limit. But, I dislike speeding tickets.
The reason for mentioning the motorcycle speed difference relates to my choice of route. Beside avoiding the huge amount of traffic on I-70, I believe I am going to exceed the speed limit sometimes on my motorcycle. The difference in the posted speed on my alternative back highways would make my route much longer than the interstate if one was going to only go the speed limit. Using good judgment and only speeding where safe makes the back roads not as much a penalty with regards to overall time.
At a couple of points along Hwy 18 I hit 133 mph (GPS verified). This is not the top speed of my motorcycle, but the fear of getting caught speeding this high had me resist attempting any higher "speed tests". For my non-motorcyclist friends, you should note that all motorcycle speedometers are optimistic and read higher than you are traveling. It is a bit of a trip to see the speedometer reading 140 mph! This is my arbitrary cut-off of any high speed runs.
High speed tests non-withstanding, I generally rode at around 80-90 mph. It would be easy to cruise along at 100 mph if I did not have the worry of speeding tickets.
From Hwy 18 I headed north on Hwy 283 to Norton, KS to reach Hwy 36 heading west. So far the majority of my trip had been on the back byways and enjoyable. The weather was warm but not too bad with very high overhead clouds. These clouds lasted the entire ride across Kansas but did not threaten rain and there was still plenty of sunlight.
Along Hwy 36, I finally stopped to eat in Atwood, KS. I had stopped briefly for my second gas stop shortly before. Atwood did not appear to have much to offer so I chose to eat at Suzy Q's restaurant which is right at the main intersection of Hwy 36 and Hwy 25. The restaurant boasted of home-cooked food. Upon recommendation, I chose the chicken-fried steak sandwich. The food and service was only fair, but I was happy to have my short break (20 minutes) from riding and opportunity to use the restroom. By now I had travelled approximately 425 miles.
Continuing onward, I crossed the rest of Kansas on Hwy 36. This part of the ride was mostly straight and well maintained. I eventually hit the Colorado state line still on Hwy 36. To my pleasure I had not really encounted any highway patrol cars so far along the way. The posted speed limit was 65 along most of the route. I stopped for gas a third time in Idalia, CO. Near Anton, CO I had the unfortunate luck to be pulled over by a Colorado state police officer.
The police car was headed toward me behind another car. At this point of the ride I was pretty much in a groove and just crusing along as seemed prudent. I had reduced my speed somewhat due to worry of increased police patrol and was probably not going much faster than 80 at any time. Unfortunately for me, while I slowed down for the oncoming traffic, I did not slow down completely because my radar detector was silent. THe police office was not using his radar until right as he passed me when my radar detector went off. I was cooked. I pulled over to the shoulder after the state officer turned around. To my dismay I was written up for 75 in a 65 mph zone. I had hoped for a warning. After signing the citation, I continued on my journey.
By this time, I was getting low on gas again and looking for a place to stop. The limited mileage range of my bike is something I will discuss in one of the future day's entries. I found gas just before turning onto I-70 for the short ride towards Denver. By now I was probably 60 miles form my destination.
Outside of Denver my GPS directed me to take the tollway which loops Northwest by the airport. This seemed like the shortest way and by now I was ready to reach my destination. Unfortunately, this is one of the newer tollways where they stop you and charge you periodically along the way. I had to stop for three tollbooths along the way and pay $2.00 at each. In the end it cost me $6.00 to travel what was less than 15 miles! Bummer.
I arrived to warm greetings at the Bells home. Almost immediately I met a fellow rider (2 Harleys) and Bell neighbor, Marty. Marty graciously offered to allow me to store my motorcycle in his garage. While generally I wouldn't worry about my bike staying outside, earlier in the week both my cars had been broken into outside my home. On quick reflection, I decided in the unlikely event my motorcycle or parts off it were stolen, it would only add insult to the injury of the thefts earlier in the week. I took Marty up on his offer.
I enjoyed dinner and good conversation at the Bells home that evening and eventually went to bed. Contrary to the Bells thought that I would be exhausted after such a long ride, 670 miles, I find motorcycle riding not that fatiguing, other than mental exhaustion and a sore butt. Motorcycle travel is not like working out, such as running or bicycling. It is generally more mentally taxing than exercise.
I ended a good day after the aforementioned 670 miles in approximately 10 hours and a nice reunion with my good friends.
I would be remiss not to start by saying that I had a wonderful visit and stay with the Bell family. The entire family were welcoming and gracious hosts during my stay.
My trip began with my leaving my home shortly after 8:00am. I am getting superstitious of loading my bike the night before. The last couple of times I have, weather has forced me to cancel my rides. Therefore after waking some time earlier, eating my regular breakfast of oatmeal and grapefruit, I finished packing the bike before leaving.
Earlier I had planned a route that allowed me to avoid as much of Interstate 70 as possible while still affording a relatively straight route to Boulder. This route had me travel on I-70 to just past Junction City, KS. On this Saturday morning the interstate travel was reasonable and not that hectic.
Just past Junction City, KS, I headed over to Hwy 18 to head west. Hwy 18 proved to be the most enjoyable part of my long ride across Kansas. This two-lane highway is sparsely trafficked, well paved and provides some nice views of the western plains.
I should mention that motorcycle travel is much different than automobile travel. First, a sportsbike motorcycle accelerates and stops much quicker than automobiles. Because of this it feels much safer traveling at a higher rate of speed than in an automobile. For me this is a blessing and curse. Personally, I enjoy riding at a speed higher than the posted limit. But, I dislike speeding tickets.
The reason for mentioning the motorcycle speed difference relates to my choice of route. Beside avoiding the huge amount of traffic on I-70, I believe I am going to exceed the speed limit sometimes on my motorcycle. The difference in the posted speed on my alternative back highways would make my route much longer than the interstate if one was going to only go the speed limit. Using good judgment and only speeding where safe makes the back roads not as much a penalty with regards to overall time.
At a couple of points along Hwy 18 I hit 133 mph (GPS verified). This is not the top speed of my motorcycle, but the fear of getting caught speeding this high had me resist attempting any higher "speed tests". For my non-motorcyclist friends, you should note that all motorcycle speedometers are optimistic and read higher than you are traveling. It is a bit of a trip to see the speedometer reading 140 mph! This is my arbitrary cut-off of any high speed runs.
High speed tests non-withstanding, I generally rode at around 80-90 mph. It would be easy to cruise along at 100 mph if I did not have the worry of speeding tickets.
From Hwy 18 I headed north on Hwy 283 to Norton, KS to reach Hwy 36 heading west. So far the majority of my trip had been on the back byways and enjoyable. The weather was warm but not too bad with very high overhead clouds. These clouds lasted the entire ride across Kansas but did not threaten rain and there was still plenty of sunlight.
Along Hwy 36, I finally stopped to eat in Atwood, KS. I had stopped briefly for my second gas stop shortly before. Atwood did not appear to have much to offer so I chose to eat at Suzy Q's restaurant which is right at the main intersection of Hwy 36 and Hwy 25. The restaurant boasted of home-cooked food. Upon recommendation, I chose the chicken-fried steak sandwich. The food and service was only fair, but I was happy to have my short break (20 minutes) from riding and opportunity to use the restroom. By now I had travelled approximately 425 miles.
Continuing onward, I crossed the rest of Kansas on Hwy 36. This part of the ride was mostly straight and well maintained. I eventually hit the Colorado state line still on Hwy 36. To my pleasure I had not really encounted any highway patrol cars so far along the way. The posted speed limit was 65 along most of the route. I stopped for gas a third time in Idalia, CO. Near Anton, CO I had the unfortunate luck to be pulled over by a Colorado state police officer.
The police car was headed toward me behind another car. At this point of the ride I was pretty much in a groove and just crusing along as seemed prudent. I had reduced my speed somewhat due to worry of increased police patrol and was probably not going much faster than 80 at any time. Unfortunately for me, while I slowed down for the oncoming traffic, I did not slow down completely because my radar detector was silent. THe police office was not using his radar until right as he passed me when my radar detector went off. I was cooked. I pulled over to the shoulder after the state officer turned around. To my dismay I was written up for 75 in a 65 mph zone. I had hoped for a warning. After signing the citation, I continued on my journey.
By this time, I was getting low on gas again and looking for a place to stop. The limited mileage range of my bike is something I will discuss in one of the future day's entries. I found gas just before turning onto I-70 for the short ride towards Denver. By now I was probably 60 miles form my destination.
Outside of Denver my GPS directed me to take the tollway which loops Northwest by the airport. This seemed like the shortest way and by now I was ready to reach my destination. Unfortunately, this is one of the newer tollways where they stop you and charge you periodically along the way. I had to stop for three tollbooths along the way and pay $2.00 at each. In the end it cost me $6.00 to travel what was less than 15 miles! Bummer.
I arrived to warm greetings at the Bells home. Almost immediately I met a fellow rider (2 Harleys) and Bell neighbor, Marty. Marty graciously offered to allow me to store my motorcycle in his garage. While generally I wouldn't worry about my bike staying outside, earlier in the week both my cars had been broken into outside my home. On quick reflection, I decided in the unlikely event my motorcycle or parts off it were stolen, it would only add insult to the injury of the thefts earlier in the week. I took Marty up on his offer.
I enjoyed dinner and good conversation at the Bells home that evening and eventually went to bed. Contrary to the Bells thought that I would be exhausted after such a long ride, 670 miles, I find motorcycle riding not that fatiguing, other than mental exhaustion and a sore butt. Motorcycle travel is not like working out, such as running or bicycling. It is generally more mentally taxing than exercise.
I ended a good day after the aforementioned 670 miles in approximately 10 hours and a nice reunion with my good friends.
