Destination Echo Canyon CO

[XJOK2PLAY]

I'm not sure I believe you Jeff , the mileage from Tenn to the Ca. line seems like a LOOOOOOOOOOONG one days ride .Not only that but you would have to get on I- 70 outside Grand Junction...I hope you are kidding us ...unless you got directions from XJOK2PLAY "Turn right"

Hahaha... I wish I had that emoticon where the little guys swinging a bat beatin' a dead horse right now... That'd be a just perfect, Joe...

Instead, all I got are these for ya...


Are ya gettin my directions now??

Lol!
Signed,
Your personal tour guide,
Bob

[XJOK2PLAY]

I did get Route Tips from Bob.Jeff

Good one, Jeff.
I do remember saying the smoke was thick as far EAST as Canyon City and Pueblo...which are along hwy 50... Lol! My GF's been in Monument at her folks place this week. The smoke was awful there until yesterday. Winds shifted and it cleared out there. Said they went to Garden of the Gods and could see all the smoke well from there. As of last night, said it was burning 12,500 acres.

That was a pretty serious looking wall cloud you showed in that pic! Wow...

I love riding a motorcycle... until the weather gets nasty.
No fun riding when the winds get as strong and gusty as JW and Greg's describing! BTDT.

Be careful crossing Kansas. It's been a week for daily pop-up thunderstorms there and here in Ok.

I've been watching the weather forecast between Tulsa and Salina, Ks. for tomorrow morning closely myself. The latest now says clear here and there and Tstorms both places in the afternoon. So, I may actually make it to Salina DRY this year?? They've been saying Tstorms all the way between here and there at 6am through all day. But latest update's now changed it to the afternoon.

Humidity levels are another thing though! Around 90% until noon! Then the rain.
If all goes according to plan, by 11 am, I'll be in Salina and bike loaded in Bohn's trailer. Triple digits tomorrow afternoon, coupled with that humidity... whew!

Stay hydrated!
Safe riding 'til I see ya in Canon City.
Bob

[rdmcguy]

My personal tour guide

Bob and other friends,
You will be happy to know that the forecast here in Colorado calls for NO rain in the next four days and while the temps are to be in the mid nineties the humidity is at around 14% currently ,In the high country temps in the mid eighties
Safe travels , see ya in a few days.

[3Phase]

On my way out the door to the airport. Joe, I'll give you a call before boarding.

[JeffH]

Again Today, drat

After yesterday morning rush to beat the storms my plan today was leisurely AM, breakfast, goof-off a bit, check bike etc. But at 06:45 am I woke up giant towering cumuolous gleaming in the morning sun. Oh drat. Checked radar. Worse drat. Gotta load and go. By then the skies were all very. Drat. No food, didn't even brush teeth. Just GO .....

Rode 45 miles. Checked NOAA weather on my new WB radio Kurt installed. Nickle sized hail alert was dropped so I headed out till I hit the wall of water. Pulled into shelter. Unlike yesterday this time many many lightrnings going off at once triggering thunder rumbling for miles.

At the Whistle Stop Cafe in Walton. SUNNY skies now.

More later & pics,
Jeff

[JeffH]

I'm in Dodge City as planned. Really a nasty event of weather today that congregated in central Kansas this morning. Glad I left asap when I did this morning. The kind of storms we don't get into the south. Many lightening events all along a line then rumbling thunder cell to cell to cell for 15+ seconds. Boom

After I got west of the line rain & such for 40 miles then wet roads and truck spray for another 40. Cells forming in the mirror and wind blowing from all directions. Than settled into a nice quartering trail wind for 120 miles but when trucks went by Ka-Bam a few seconds later.

Then sunny sunny. 98 and sunny. Guy talked to me outside the Whistle Stop Cafe where I had lunch. He had a 79SF. I gave him a card with our .com info. . He said he had looked at an XS. I said get one and go to .com

Jeff

[motoman]

I'm in Dodge City as planned. Really a nasty event of weather today that congregated in central Kansas this morning. Glad I left asap when I did this morning. The kind of storms we don't get into the south. Many lightening events all along a line then rumbling thunder cell to cell to cell for 15+ seconds. Boom

After I got west of the line rain & such for 40 miles then wet roads and truck spray for another 40. Cells forming in the mirror and wind blowing from all directions. Than settled into a nice quartering trail wind for 120 miles but when trucks went by Ka-Bam a few seconds later.

Then sunny sunny. 98 and sunny. Guy talked to me outside the Whistle Stop Cafe where I had lunch. He had a 79SF. I gave him a card with our .com info. . He said he had looked at an XS. I said get one and go to .com

Jeff

Glad to see the ole' XS is behaving for ya' Jeff! Quite a haul for you and that scoot. Be safe and enjoy the rest of your ride!

[BA80]

Harry and I will be meeting up in Wichita tomorrow evening and headed to Colorado on 400 Friday. Too bad we couldn't have hooked up with you Jeff, we will be chewing up the same road. It was stormy and windy the last time we went through there too.

[JeffH]

Wednesday Ride

Couple pics from todays ride

So US50 has been running straight due west for 40+ miles. Rolling along at 75 with a quartering tailwind. all is magnificent
Slight right curve (barely call it a curve) then POW a traffic circle round-about staring me down. brakes-brakes-brakes
Guess you can't have a 4-way intersection wreck when you wreck on the round-about



Took a rest stop to learn something .......
day turned out beautiful after the AM weather drama like 98 & sunny = perfect


Jeff

[JeffH]

Fuel

I can't even imagine riding a Special out here. Guess that's why Greg is always "packin" (the gas can) Even a Standard is a real pita with all the gas stops. Greg commented on Kansas gas. Don't know, but I've dropped to 34 mpg and the only thing different is filling up in Kansas a couple times. Plus AM was cool & wet and pm a tail wind. hum? Lousy gas & bad mileage doesn't help with nuisance frequent stops.

Outta luck here at this station. Nice guy did stop by and talk with me for 20 minutes.
That was good info. He is control burn fire manager. Interesting guy. Talking about the Hayden Creek fire.


Good thing this wasn't my planned fillup stop. "Last Chance" might come up at only 90 miles out here.

Jeff

[JeffH]

Dodge City

I made it to Dodge. Checked in, chilled a bit then went to Casey Cow Town for a honkin' big T-Bone (local beef)





best Caption? All Aboard -or- More powerful than a locomotive?
The mighty AT & SF #1139



might go in and check this out on the way back to Atlanta, weather permitting



Bike is absolutely filthy. You know, that western grime dust dirt cow crap concoction smeared on by the rains & truck spray. but its still running.

Been on US50 now for over 700 miles. Really an enjoyable road. Pavement has been overall quite good. I was worried about that. I hate bumps. Really very smooth highway except in a couple small towns.

So tomorrow is easy run to Pueblo. I hope-hope-hope I don't need to rush out at day break without coffee like the last two mornings. Pueblo is get organized and hang out do some laundry and get ready to run up to Echo Canyon by 1 on Friday. Ain't there yet, but almost there. and getting real close.

Jeff

[BA80]

I can't even imagine riding a Special out here. Guess that's why Greg is always "packin" (the gas can) Even a Standard is a real pita with all the gas stops. Greg commented on Kansas gas. Don't know, but I've dropped to 34 mpg and the only thing different is filling up in Kansas a couple times. Plus AM was cool & wet and pm a tail wind. hum? Lousy gas & bad mileage doesn't help with nuisance frequent stops.

Jeff

Got an extra gallon in the saddle bag this trip too. Ran out of gas twice before on trips. Once on the way to XS South East but was in town, once coming back from Ivan's in Wichita. Hit a bad headwind. But, was just a few miles from Cody's (Maximan) and called for field support.

Won't happen again.

[jwhughes3]

Jeff - when will you hit Pueblo tomorrow. I am thinking of heading down and staging there. Howard invited me to ride in with him on Friday morning. US50 being closed we need an alternate route.

John

[XJOK2PLAY]

Jeff,
I feared you might run into some nasty weather going across Kansas.
It gets to be like storm central there this time of year. Glad you made it through ok.

I'm leaving out in the morning at 6 am. As of tonight, it appears I may get lucky and thread the needle and dodge the storms. Bohn's all ready to roll out, too.

We should be in Canon City by tomorrow evening.

Anyone that's in town by then look us up at the Colorado Inn and we'll grab some dinner?

JW and Jeff... You guys won't be in town until Friday around 1?

Safe travels tomorrow, everybody. See ya there. (If we can see through the smoke....?)

[Bonz]

Hwy 50 has been wide-open coming in from the east, no worries. Also I posted earlier that it is open all the way through to Salida as well, fire has moved further south and east. Smokey air to the west of where we'll be camping along Hwy 50 depending on the wind, but road is open and no expectations of further closure from what I heard checking around today.

JeffH, you are going uphill as you head west, and can get more headwinds as well. 34 mpg will improve a good bit once you start riding at elevation over the weekend. Slower speeds on the rides and much less air resistance at 6000'+ of elevation as well.