Living the dream!

Today it was all about the Moki Dugway! We rode some great roads to get there in comfortable temps. The first road we took was a last minute decision ... it was a great road with some challenging curves and a surprising amount of elevation changes. Much of the morning was spent gearing down, setting up for the curves and accellerating out. It just doesn't get any better than this. No traffic on this road--it was wonderful and we were lost in the moment! The scenery was different today but no less beautiful--red rock and mesas.

The Moki Dugway was unlike any road I have ever been on. When you are appoaching it, you have to wonder, how in the world it's possible to get over that vertical wall of rock? But eventually you are in it and one curve leads to another ... absolutely incredible.

We met a family traveling from Slovenia ... small world. Guess they were there for the same reason we were ... because it's there.

We did it!!! Only a minor crash on the dirt road to Mulkey Point. Score--Road 1, Peterson 0. It was a simple get-off in the gravel. No harm, no foul--but Paul said it was spectacular! We be real adventure bikers now (and have the battle scars to prove it!)

Our final destination for today was Telluride. Eric spent a couple of months there (being a ski bum) in his younger (and more irresponsible) days. Great karma just being there!

Ate at Baked in Telluride and it was wonderful!!! Tomorrow it's on to Glenwood Spring were we meet up with Joe again.

If you can't get enough of this blog thing or are just looking for an unbiased second opinion ... Joe's blog is http://02aceshadow2washington09.blogspot.com/

WOW!!!

Ouray, CO ... we stayed there! Mountains all around, wonder how they got all those mountains to spring up around the town?

The Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Durango. We appreciate them building it for us. It was absolutely incredible!!!

Mesa Verde ...

On the way we went through a hail storm ... What we learned was ... that hail is hard and at 65 mph, it hurts! But being real adventure bikers we pressed on regardless, knowing that blue skies were just around the corner.

Ate lunch at Mesa Verde amid magnificent scenery.

Now we're in Cortez. Tomorrow it's the Moki Dugway ... life is good!

Wow!!!

Sunday June 28

Here's our primitive cabin (no sheets, no pillows, no extra charge for the bugs!) We can improvise ...

Joe leaves today for his meeting in Denver.

Paul and I continue west in search of new adventures without our trusty companion. Here's what we found ... !!!

Finally ... A Yee Ha Moment!

Saturday 6-27

Hooray, hooray !!! Finally some great weather and some interesting roads. We left the Holiday Inn Express in Amarillo, TX eary to beat the heat. Took a detour along Historic Rt. 66. Who knew it went through Vega, TX. There was something magical about being on the old road on motorcycles. We felt obligated to stop and pay tribute to past travelers ... Paul and Joe even pumped some gas.

Of course when you are motorcycling you have to eat. When we stopped for gas in Dalhart. TX, Joe spotted a great Mexican restaurant. Could be the best salsa, chips, and chicken enchilladas I have ever eaten. Lunch is an important reason why we are taking the trip!

Of course after lunch Paul get's sleepy and has to stop in the middle of nowhere to rest. But, we are being safe and stopping whenever anyone gets sleepy! It's our number one rule.

The best road of the trip so far was 12W. Beautiful green valleys, blue mountain lakes, and snow capped mountains. It was like riding in motorcycle paradise. Actually we are in motorcycle paradise--I remember now, that's why we came!

Sorry, no time for pictures ... we were just "in the moment." And don't forget the sky! The biggest clouds, not just any clouds but the biggest, brightest white clouds against the bluest sky you can imagine! Doesn't get any better than this.

Our final destination was Great Sand Dunes National Park. Here's the view from our cabin window. We got the last cabin available ... we must be living right. Living the dream (that's what we are doing). Did I mention that the cabib had no sheets/pillows, etc.? No matter, we're real adventure bikers ... that and the fact that we we're so tired that we hardly noticed.

The Heat!!!

Beautiful Cordell. OK ... we stopped by to mail our Iron Butt Certifications. The people there were extraodinarily nice--copied our documentation and drropped it in the mail for us. The courthouse is a rare beauty, they just finished filming a movie there ... The Killer Inside Me with Cassey Afleck and Jessica Alba. Sounds like a must see! No, we weren't in the movie--just missed it by one week!

The rest of the day was hot ... very hot, super hot, extremely hot--102 degrees hot. We sure were a curious sight, wearing our full protective gear in the heat. I'm sure many people wonder what in the world would possess someone to ride in a snowmobile suit in the middle of the summer in Texas. Sure is fun isn't it? When we couldn't stand it any more, we stopped in Amarillo, TX. The Texas Roadhouse and Saloon was a welcome sight!

Tomorrow we are headed for Colorado and cooler temperatures! Thanks for riding along with us.

Hey y'all watch this! AKA The I-40 Truck Stop Tour

Ride to Oklahoma ... that sounds like a good idea, let's do it! It must have been Joe's idea, he's ridden a thousand miles in a 24 hour period a couple of times. Oh well, since we are going west we might as well go ahead and get there (no sense in dilly-dallying around).

It was an exciting and challenging idea ... ride from Winston-Salem to Henryetta, OK (1026 miles) in one day. I always knew that Joe was certifyable ... now Paul and I are certifyable too!

We started at 4:36am and finished (1026 miles later) at 10:11pm. What a day ... great that a 64 year old can still keep up. When we finished we were fortunate to have Braum's Ice Cream across the street from the gas ststion! A perfect ending to an incredible day. How do we look?

Happy Birthday Ben!!!

June 23: Happy Birthday Ben!!!

Happy Birthday Alex!!!

June 20: Happy Birthday Alex!!!

The Bikes

Since the trip all about the bikes, here's a summary.

2009 Kawasaki Concours 14: Paul's bike

Since he needed new tires for the ZRX, Paul figured it was a good excuse to just go ahead and buy a new bike. Great logic ... way to go Paul! So Paul has the class of the field for the Day 1 "Autobahn" Iron Butt part of the trip. It remains to be seen if he can keep up on the dirt sections :^) Moki Dugway ... here we come! Unfortunately there's no photo's ... it's too new!

2002 Honda Shadow 750: Joe's bike

82,200 plus miles and headed for 100,000 ... what more do I need to say? When the bike was new we all rode with Joe to California and it hasn't stopped since. Who knew the Shadow was a dirt bike? It was a great choice on the Dalton when we rode to Prudhoe Bay. Joe, why don't you hurry up and get those 100,000 miles so you can get a new bike?

2005 Suzuki V-Strom 650: Dick's bike

The best all around, can do-everything bike. Bought it to go to Alaska and it proved to be a good choice. Couldn't find a better bike when I returned home, so I still have it. Hey y'all, watch this ... !

Getting Ready

OK, we're getting ready for the big trip of the summer. 8,500 miles or so according to the GPS. Joe, Paul, and I are headed west in search of the best motorcycle roads the USA has to offer. The bike is ready, the route is planned and entered in the GPS and I just have the final details to complete. The goal for the first day is 1025 miles from Winston-Salem, NC to Henryetta, OK.