Rolling Into Week 3

After a great relaxing day Saturday, Sunday (Day 17) started early.  We were heading to Denver, Colorado and it was going to be a 400+ mile day.  We were also thankful to have Mark back with us along with the rig (and all our clothes and supplies!).  Valerie, Kate and Jerin rode along in the rig with us, keeping the energy and entertainment levels high.  The highlight of their day was the stops when they got to see "Uncle J" and "Uncle Del".  We arrived in Denver earlier than expected and had a chance to relax a little before heading out to dinner at Denver's oldest restaurant - The Buckhorn Exchange.  On the menu: rattlesnake, bison, Colorado lamb, yak, ostrich - and, of course, rocky mountain oysters.  Also joining us was Dean, who had just flown in for a few days, and Lori's husband Ken surprised us all by showing up at dinner.

Day 18 had us heading to Ogallala, Nebraska.  Before departing, we had to say goodbye to The Chuckleheads (Dan and Rich) and their beautiful girls.  Before leaving, they had a chance to take a quick ride with Jason and Del.  They all will be missed.

The ride was pretty straight and flat - not a lot to see outside of cornfields and country roads.  We arrived at our hotel - the Stagecoach Inn - and after a quick debrief (with beer and Makers - yes, Dean was back!) we went next door to the steakhouse and saloon for some (bad) burgers and a few games of pool. And Jason had a late night as he worked into the early hours on his arts and crafts - sewing a leather seatback for his bike.  This was also the first place that we found a "Tornado Shelter Plan" in the hotel guest services book.  

Tuesday (Day 19) more of Nebraska as we headed to Omaha.  Miles and miles and miles of cornfields.  We stayed off the interstate as much as possible and stopped for a picnic lunch together.  These are some of the best times.  In Omaha our hotel had a manager's reception with snacks and beer and wine.  Never ones to turn this kind of thing down, our group were the only ones in the reception for the first while, then we were joined by a lovely couple from Florida who were on their own 6-week travel adventure, taking them through Utah, Montana and ultimately up to the Calgary Stampede and then to Vancouver.  

Wednesday brought Iowa and a scheduled meet and greet at Big Barn Harley Davidson in Des Moines.  We finally had a chance to meet Robin - one of our strongest voices on Facebook and a supporter of the tour since the early days.  We all did a little shopping as well - chaps for Lori, boots for Del, and a bike for Dr T?

But Des Moines wasn't our final stop for the day - we still had to get to Kansas City, MO.  Dean decided he'd like to take a ride during the final leg of the trip.

Kansas City is beautiful.  And hot.  And humid.  We walked over to the Westport district for dinner at a great little place called McCoy's.  And afterwards all said goodbye to Dean once again as he was leaving at 4:30am for his flight back home.

A (Much-Needed) Day Off!!!

Day 9 was a day off - from riding - and we had an event that afternoon at The Sandbar Desert Ridge in North Phoenix.  It was basically a meet-and-greet during the restaurant's happy hour.  They set aside 2 cabanas for us and throughout the afternoon people dropped by to say hi.  Our ACT bandanas were extremely popular and by the time we left all the wait staff were wearing them as well as several of the guests throughout the restaurant.  Phoenix continued to be very hot (at least for those of us from Vancouver) and it was great to meet so many people who have been supporting us for months.


Sunday morning, June 19 - Day 10.  Father's Day.  We left Phoenix bright and early (8:30am) for Albuquerque, NM.  Our hope was to arrive there around 5pm.  We were joined for the day's ride by Jerry - a welcome addition to our group.  Not only did we have the heat to contend with, but also 40-60 mph winds along the interstate.  Just outside of the NM/AZ border we had our first mechanical breakdown when Glenn's battery stopped charging.  (This is also where Buzz joined our trip) After some repair attempts, 4 of the riders went on to Gallup, NM to try and find a new battery, hoping that would solve the problem.  Our small support vehicle (rented because the rig and trailer were in the shop in Phoenix for a few days) stayed with Glenn to give him some shelter from the elements and some company.  Del and Jason brought the battery back the 35-some miles and hooked it up.  It worked for a while and then just outside of Gallup it was clear that Glenn wasn't going to make it to Albuquerque that night.  He found a place to stay and rode in with a towing company the next morning, directly to the Harley dealership to get the problem fixed - hopefully quickly!  The rest of us finally arrived at the hotel just before 11pm. 

Day 11 arrived way too quickly with a 7:30am departure for Moab, Utah.  Our route was going to take us through the south eastern corner of Colorado so we planned a stop at Mesa Verde National Park to see the cliff dwellings.  At a gas stop in Durango, we found a great natural food store for a quick rest and caffeine hit.

It was 25 miles into the park and at the top of this mountain.

We stopped part way up to take in the view and then finally made it to the cliff dwellings.  Such an amazing thing to see, even without enough time to do the full tour.

Day 12 was to Salt Lake City and the plan for the day was to visit Arches National Park, just outside of Moab.  We could have spent days in there with something incredible to see around every corner.  Just stunning.

We got to Salt Lake City at about 5pm and while some of us opted to stay in and have a quieter evening, Lori, Dr T and Glenn went out in search of wine (in Utah?) and found Bountiful, UT.  Not sure it was the best trade-off.

Another early start on Day 13 - our final destination being Jackson Hole, WY.  But first we had a planned visit to the Pocatello Women's Correctional Facility.  We arrived in Pocatello with enough time to enjoy a picnic and rest on the grounds of Idaho State University before making our way to the prison where we spoke with several of the ladies. 

We arrived at the beautiful Spring Creek Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with enough daylight left to admire the Grand Tetons from our rooms.  After our regular evening debrief we went to dinner at The Granary where we enjoyed a drink and some appetizers with the GM Derek and ended up spending several fun hours with our friends The Chuckleheads and their girls - who are quite taken with their new 'Uncle Del' and 'Uncle Jason'

Day 14 started early in Jackson Hole with Lori and Dr T heading to the radio stations (3 in one building) for interviews and the rest of the team going to a meet and greet at Chester's Harley Davidson.  Jason had his manicure touched up, the girls got decked out in Harley t-shirts (thanks to their new 'uncles') and we chatted with people as they dropped by throughout the morning.

Then it was off to Yellowstone Park.  The ride through the park took us to Old Faithful (though we couldn't wait the 90 minutes for it to erupt) and past tons of wildlife.  We said goodbye to Wendy and Glenn midway through the park as they continued north to begin making their way home after two weeks with us. Our route took us to Billings Montana over the Beartooth Highway - spectacular views, tons of snow and when you reach the top you are looking down on all the other mountains around - truly feeling like you are on top of the world.

Day 15 had us leaving early once again.  We had two planned stops along the route to Rapid City, South Dakota and had to drop bikes off for servicing by 5:30pm.  So 7:15am we were on the road, heading for Little Bighorn National Monument.  We spent about an hour there, listening to the ranger's account of the days leading up to the battle and the battle itself.  From there we made our way east to Devil's Tower before the final approach into Rapid City.  About 15 miles out, we got caught by a hailstorm, and not 45 minutes after all arriving at the hotel, the thunderstorms and torrential downpour started.  So glad not to be out in that weather!

And finally, today, a day of true rest.  Late breakfast, laundry, a wander through downtown Rapid City (all 2 blocks of it!) and a chance to catch up on sleep.