Destination Echo Canyon CO

[JeffH]

Mountain Climb

A few pics of mountain climbing Kansas style

US50 Kansas - going uphill (just me and the open road having a blast)
i dig that Gustafsson wind screen from Ocala FLA, thanks bikerphil for that tip

guess eastern KS is like 900 ft, Dodge City 2,500 and at CO line like 3,200



FINALLY A bit of something Not Flat



Then MORE FLAT which is actually gradual up towards the Front Range

Pueblo is like 4,200 ft so over 600 miles went up about 3,000 ft in elevation

If the weather wasn't T-storm super cells and nickle to quarter sized hail it was sunny like.
Was looking for snakes but didn't see any snakes in the grass & bike ran good


Jeff

[JeffH]

Living in the east & southeast we are fortunate not to deal with wind. Even all the years I lived in California, not a problem. Nevada yes, Calif No.
A lot of times in the SE it is like zero (0) mph winds. Maybe 10 kts sometimes.
WOW, had to buckle down everything. The cross wind shock wave from especially the cattle trucks is tremendous. One almost blew my gas tank off it was so strong. I had my visor down and the pressure blew my ear drums. Truck goes by BAM the shock wave -then- get sandblasted with dirt, gravel & other stuff.


Need a Seat Belt for the operator. Only thing not strapped in was the operator.
Maybe like something out of a fighter jet .................


its always fun to take a ride. Especially a good one. Glad the ol' XS11 has done me well. Need to check the oil again. Its been 1,500 miles so I'd think i finally need to put in at least 1/2 quart of mother Yama 20-50. maybe. Though I do plan change the oil after the rally.

Jeff

[JeffH]

A final few pics of the journey west

GREAT Lunch at tiny Coolidge Kansas (delicious openface Hot Pot Roast sandwich with green beans & mashed potato)



Different kinds of road hazards out here I'm not used to seeing

Blasting down the road and huge farm equipment jumps out of nowhere


picked up the pace in LaJunta CO heading into Pueblo
Even the cows were nervous



Jeff

[JeffH]

1100 - 1100

So I made it

1,100 miles on US50 on my XS 1,100


Nice journey and US50 was a great highway. Interesting things to see and talked with some nice people.
Pavement was more than acceptable the entire way. Motels were more than good and about $65 a night.

Jeff

[JeffH]

Time to catch-up on a few pics. Got busy with the Colorado XS Rally on Friday-Saturday-Sunday. Now its already Tuesday.

Gas: been running 85
No, not E85 the Colorado 85 octane.
Mostly been filling up a Shell stations. My 11E with my tuning (or whatever) is running really GREAT on the 85 octane Go-Juice. Good power, no issues, no pinging at all. Quick starts hot or cold and it can easily pull up to about 9,500 ft in 5th gear (as long as no hairpins). So in my bike I'm going with 85 till I get back to low country. Averaging about 35.5 mpg so far around Colorado. Got 34 mpg on the Pikes Peak climb.

Changed the oil last night (Auto Zone parking lot in Glenwood Springs). Had gone 2,300 miles since Atlanta and we all cooked our oil waiting at the toll booth at Pikes Peak. So oil change will get me home.

Will post some XS Rally pics over on the CO Rally thread tomorrow.

Jeff

[JeffH]

After the Rally on Monday; after group breakfast in Canon City rode to Buena Vista, then over Independence Pass to Aspen
then on to Glenwood Springs

On Independence Pass @ 12,095 ft (i think that's what it is) Snow



Today rode CO Hwy 133 to Hotchkiss then Grand Mesa

Had never been up Grand Mesa before. Just amazingly beautiful. Like the Blue Ridge Parkway on steroids.
Flat top mesa at almost 11,000 with pristine lakes and mile after mile of wild flowers.


Outside Mesa CO south of the Colorado River gotta "Ride the Open Range" when we can!


Fun to ride. Day 10 of twisting the throttle. Such fun. Bike running great so far. No issues, but its a long way home and these are old machines.

Jeff

[JeffH]

Grand Junction

I can't go to Colorado without a visit to Motoman & Motowoman
even though they were at the Rally.


Had a wonderful dinner and evening with Motoman and the lovely Motowoman



Motoman's Macho Maroon HD Diesel & my recently painted 11E (super-dooper paint job Kurt)


We had a great time as always. A few stories and a few laughs. Great evening.
I'm staying in Fruita CO at the base of Colorado National Monument. Will ride that in the morning. Maybe at sunrise if i'm not too lazy. Then ride back down and load up for I guess ride down CO 141 to Cortez.

Jeff

[motoman]

Thanks again for the dinner and great conversation(again) Jeff.
First met Jeff, Marty and Brent at Callaway Gardens for lunch, when I drove north the halfway point from Columbus to Atlanta for lunch two summers ago(August).
To top that, he unexpectedly showed up here in Junction last fall, with and a friend, and both riding their way cool 1800 Wings..... and get a phone call from him out of the clear blue....."you and Anita wanna meet and have lunch"?......realized then, like I've stated here previously, " that boy loves to ride long distances!". No particular actual destination.........just ride!
So, with all that, including yesterday evening.........never know when Jeff may just show up.....lol.
As usual, superb gentleman and superb visit!

[JeffH]

Here I am tonight in Cortez. Watching a sunset huge T-Storm display stretching across the horizon to the east. Like Telluride to Mesa Verde. A real whopper. Nice breeze though here in Cortez at sunset.

Had a real great ride today. CO Hwy 141 to Gateway and Naturita then Hwy 145 over Lizard Head pass. Like red rock overload then presto, riding in Switzerland. Just amazing. I'd ridden 141 before but never 145. Like 200 miles of nothing but brain overload scenery.

Would have posted some pics but when pulling into Cortez I used my front brake to merge onto US160. .2 mi later used front brake to get into left turn lane to hit the Shell station before going to motel. Front brakes stayed on and had to use 1st gear and power to make it to the pump. Rotors of course hot. Didn't have 8mm to release the pressure on the bleeder so used 14mm to loosen the banjo. So my motel is next to an Auto Zone and I got an 8mm and some brake fluid. Pulled the master cup. It was perfectly clean but took it apart and did the spooge thing. Flushed then bled. Test ride seems OK. Pistons releasing on both front rotors after a front brake stop. Will just monitor it carefully till I get home.

Now its dark and a torrential downpour. Just missed getting real wet today. Lady rider from Austria in motel was about 1/2 hour behind me by Telluride and got wet + lightening + downpour + hail.

So I'm in a motel. Bike has been so far running just fine. 35.5 mpg on every tank of that 85 octane Shell. Got lucky with brake problem happening 1/2 mile from the motel and an Auto Zone next door. Off to Taos NM tomorrow then gotta hit it towards Atlanta.

Jeff

[XJOK2PLAY]

Jeff,
You're making me a little jealous...
So glad to hear your able to make such a great trip like this!
I've ridden through that area you're riding and totally agree! It is spectacular scenery.

Been through Taos many times! Love the Red River area. I used to go there and backpack a lot in my younger years. Goose Lake and Wheeler's Peak are sweet places in the summer. Wheeler's Peak is the highest point in NM.

Lucky about the location of your brake problem, and missing another bad round of weather! Good to be charmed! Lol...

Ride safe, my friend, and huge kudos and props again to Kurt and his hard work on your bike! It looked awesome, and really has proved itself on this trip!

Thanks a ton Jeff for saving us all by stepping up and paying for the gang getting in to Pike's Peak! Way to think on your feet and save the day! I REALLY appreciated you doing that for us!

Hopefully I'll see ya again soon... and we'll ride some more miles together.

Safe journey!
Bob

[JeffH]

No Wind

I've been really really fortunate to have ridden around Mon - Tue - Wed and Thu without really any wind at all. Little if any breeze. Has made the ride very enjoyable. Normally it really rips but it has been mostly calm. This afternoon east of Farmington air was hot and dead calm.

So I'm in Taos, incident free. Going good. Sunny skies till mid-afternoon. Rode CO 140 & NM 170, Hesperus to Farmington. Then found what I was looking for. Huevos Adobados for breakfast. Then picked up the 3rd loneliest highway in US, US64 across northern NM. Really lonely. Sparce traffic and nothing. Was relieved to hit Dulce then Charma. Ride over 10,000 ft mountain into Taos was grand. Had been watching virga for a long time. It wasn't virga. I got wet for 5 miles.

Had a real Tamales & Taquitos for dinner at authentic joint next to motel. Yum.

Jeff

[motoman]

Good to hear your ride is still gong well for ya' Jeff!

[3Phase]

Way to go, Jeff! The rain is not so good but it was only a little while.

.

[MaximPhil]

Hi Jeff,
Good to hear you are having a fun ride. Sounds as though you are eating well Keepthose pictures and reports coming.
Phil

[JeffH]

400 miles today. Beautiful ride this morning leaving Taos taking US64 east. Though the last of the mountains before hitting the flatlands. Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Cimarron Canyon (nice sweepers) and through the Philmont Scouts property. (more sweepers)

Then picked up US412 in Springer NM. Blue skies with me all day. Clouds in the mirror. By Boise City it was over 100 degrees. By Guymon 105 and the wind was howling. Had quartering tail wind so engine heat (like sitting in your attic on a hot day) and exhaust gasses & exhaust NOISE got pulled up around the bag on the back rack and hung there behind the windscreen; well a pita + asphyxiation.

Pavement was some real nice, some good and pretty lousy to try and roll at speed. Fun to watch the parched dry grasslands turn to ranches and grazing as things slowly begin to show transition to green. Like 300 miles of nothing green and not a tree in sight. Just flat dry grasslands. Now in Woodward OK for the night. Few trees here and some green around.

Now just 1,000 miles back to Atlanta. 3,400 miles so far so this will be something around a 4,400 mile XS11 ride. Just gotta make the last thou. Heading for somewhere Arkansas tomorrow. haven't checked heat or any rain forecasts yet. Need to post some pics. May do that tomorrow if able. Rocky Mountain high elevation stuff is over. I'm down at 2,000 ft here. bummer

Jeff