Colorado Rally Travel Follies

[Chuckster]

Apologies for the Midwest

Jeff,

Sorry the Midwest has been treating you so poorly! Very rainy summer here, flooding all over the place, rivers are at all time highs in my area. Difficult to get to work with roads closed, detours, etc.

I'm so envious of your trip, sounds like an awesome journey and adventure. Regret not making the CO rally, I am aiming for a return next year.

Thanks for posting along on your trip, look forward to your posts each day. Stay safe and hopefully dry!?

Chuck

[Bonz]

Good to see you post, Chuck! Since after the rally we have been getting monsoon patterns in a lot of Colorado so the timing was perfect. I see flash-flood alerts every day so far this week for the area I hunt each October, which is a bit north of where the Rally was in Kremmling.

We sure need a little bit, it's been pretty dry.

[Chuckster]

Bonz,

Glad you were able to squeeze the rally in while the weather was good. Sounds like it was a big success.

The weather here in the Chicago area is always a crap shoot, you never know what it will be. Seems like it's getting even more variable in the last few years. It's the old joke, we have four seasons here, often in the same day!

Glad you're getting the rain you needed, if you need some more, let us know, we've got plenty we could share with you.

Chuck

[JeffH]

A few more Pics of the ride


got on US 191 after Beartooth, heading north towards Canadian border and motel in Malta Montana
Yee-Haw, open roads - not much of nothing out here - A FUN ride



US 2 runs 667 Miles across Montana wow, 667 miles a big state
mountains and Glacier Park in the west - flat lands in the east all the way to ND



Stopped at geographic center - Rugby ND
disappointing, no special vibe or glow from from the Orb on top



Stayed in Blackduck Minnesota saw this pretty marsh riding the next AM
NEVER guess what it is .........



Most amazing sight of the ride
Ol' Man River
The Big Muddy
The headwaters of the Mississippi River Quite a sight

river sure looks different by the time it gets to New Orleans ............. amazing to see this
blew by at speed, stopped and went back to read the sign because i thought it said Mississippi River, it did.


Jeff

[Bonz]

Jeff, that is a ride for the ages!

Just a pipe dream thought, what's the reality of holding a rolling rally along those northern roads and stopping at campgrounds and motels along the way? With guys coming and going as they would like to? I would suspect there are lots of camping opportunities and it's not really crowded on the roads so motels would be reasonably priced as well?

[JeffH]

Jeff, that is a ride for the ages!

Just a pipe dream thought, what's the reality of holding a rolling rally along those northern roads and stopping at campgrounds and motels along the way? With guys coming and going as they would like to? I would suspect there are lots of camping opportunities and it's not really crowded on the roads so motels would be reasonably priced as well?

Rolling Rally ....................
that's what we've done with our XSSE annual Key West Rally for many years.

A 1,000 mile ride from Atlanta to Key West (each way) that we usually do in January or February. Normally a south Georgia rendezvous with people from the north that need to trailer down. We've alternated Atlantic Ocean east coast run to Florida City and Gulf of Mexico west coast run to Florida City. The last 130 miles your looking at the Gulf when you turn your head right, the Atlantic when you turn your head left; on US 1. (of course on the return north, well it flips. but whatever its just a gorgeous ride). Over the years many many XSives have made the trip with us.

Atlantic Ocean side we rendezvous in Kingsland Georgia. West coast side we rendezvous at Don's in Tallahassee. Or start at Valdosta Georgia or Lake City FLA the years we have had a Silver Springs Rally -and- a few days later another Rally ride to south Florida and Key West.

Only thought about doing a Colorado or western Rolling Rally would be the distances and the weather or wind. For convenience (maybe laziness) the Key West Rally has always been a motel rally.

The existing Colorado Rally format of either Camping or nearby Motel makes it easy for everyone based on what they want to do. In the Key West rally we have pockets of XSives spread along the route so it is easy to "Hop On - Hop Off" as you wish. Guess in the west you'd have to see if there was even any local XSives who would "Hop On - Hop Off" to attend a day ride or be with the Rally a few days. Going out riding where its 120 degrees in the shade (if there were shade) isn't appealing. BUT a Rolling Rally from Grand Junction or Rifle or Glenwood Springs or Eagle up to say Grand Teton's or Yellowstone would be a blast. Or even WY 130 up to Medicine Bow. It comes down to what kind of Rally ride experience the XSive potential attendees would like to have.

Jeff

[MaximPhil]

Hi Jeff
Thanks for posting more pictures. It does look like another great adventure.

I am a fan of the rolling rally. I really enjoyed the Atlanta to Key West ride with you a few years ago now.

A rolling rally is not that difficult for a couple of bikes but would quickly escalate into serious work if the group were large.

Phil

[3Phase]

Hi Jeff
Thanks for posting more pictures. It does look like another great adventure.

I am a fan of the rolling rally. I really enjoyed the Atlanta to Key West ride with you a few years ago now.

A rolling rally is not that difficult for a couple of bikes but would quickly escalate into serious work if the group were large.

Phil

How so? You meet, eat, ride to the next motel or KOA for them as wants to pack tents and mattresses and then do it again the next day until folks want to go home. I suppose it'd get out of hand for a really large group if no one remembered how to use a phone to make reservations but most of us aren't that bad yet and I can do alright if I write stuff down ahead of time.

[Bonz]

Maybe a modified rolling Rally. Have a command central then take two or three days of riding in a loop to end up back where we started.

There were some other ideas tossed around at the rally, and Sebastian has a good suggestion for a central mountains of Colorado rally utilizing the newly and fully paved Cottonwood Pass for 2018.

[MaximPhil]

How so? You meet, eat, ride to the next motel or KOA for them as wants to pack tents and mattresses and then do it again the next day until folks want to go home. I suppose it'd get out of hand for a really large group if no one remembered how to use a phone to make reservations but most of us aren't that bad yet and I can do alright if I write stuff down ahead of time.

Hi Scott,
As an example of the meet and eat scenario. A few of us going for a ride next week and I think we are past 30 emails already and the lunch stops have yet to be found. Yes in Ontario you can be 2 hours from the next food especially if you get off the beaten path. Packing a sandwich is one option we are looking at
Phil

[3Phase]

Hi Scott,
As an example of the meet and eat scenario. A few of us going for a ride next week and I think we are past 30 emails already and the lunch stops have yet to be found. Yes in Ontario you can be 2 hours from the next food especially if you get off the beaten path. Packing a sandwich is one option we are looking at
Phil

I was with you until you mentioned a sandwich and I had to go make one....
Unless you (munch) forget how to read, e-mail flurries are good to find a general area, unless you're riding in a column of twos with road guards and all that or sharing a room, no one cares where the next motel is but (munch) two hou(munch)rs! That's outrageous, how d(munch)o you make it that far? Ah! Good sandwich, thanks!

Me, I can't plan past once around the fishbowl any more so I make lists but forget the list when I go out. I end up doing whatever I want, then I find the list when I get home and see what I was supposed to do.

[JeffH]

The winter season Rolling Rallies we have had, be it Key West or Galveston were 10-11 day trips. So riders took vacation time off to go ride. Not a good format for a weekend rally.

During the peak of Snow Bird season gotta plan in advance or there's no room at the Inn (or campground).

Jeff

[Bonz]

Maybe a modified rolling Rally. Have a command central then take two or three days of riding in a loop to end up back where we started.

This isn't a lot different than what we have done. Just larger loops and maybe more roads covered. JAT.

[JeffH]

Last Leg Home

Finally on my last leg home (not the bike or me on it's last legs, just the route)

Last left off a week ago somewhere east of Cleveland after getting very wet most of the day in Michigan. I got the things done I needed to do in NY last week so today I started for Atlanta. So what better way to get to the Peach State than going to Peach Street in Erie PA. That's US19 which will take me all the way home.

US19 is an interesting road. Good scenery. Pavement generally quite good except for in a few counties. Some sections are tricky. Wierd mountain curves. The Optical Illusion highway in some areas. Tough to read the road. Come over a rise in a right hander and you'd swear the curve continues to tighten into a right hairpin but then a second later you see it really breaks left. A lot of that fun stuff. Plus sections of really tight curves and a couple of those with lousy pavement. Like 18" diameter by 4" deep tire popper jobbies with some flicker vertigo going on from the shade on the road, all while you are scraping the pegs it's a fun road in both PA and WV and in fact all the way to GA.

Rode 420 miles today. Lots of elevation change in the rolling mountains. Another 420 tomorrow. Bigger mountains and more technical roads. In Beckley WV tonight. Had a real good beefsteak sandwich for lunch in Sheaklyville PA. Jumped on i-79 to get around Pittsburgh.

When I get home my Colorado Rally ride will be 6,000 + miles. That's quite a ride. Tires still in good shape and should go another 4,000 or more. E3's Got to see alot.

Got a pic of Malta MT to post. Greg left it in good shape. Really a nice town. I liked it. Friendly people.

Jeff

[JeffH]

Was thinking about all the great things on this 6K ride.

Rode in TN, KY, IN, IL, IA, NE, CO, WY, MT, ND, MN, WI, U.P., MI, OH, PA, NY, WV and VA + NC tomorrow to get me home. Jeez, what was I thinking. Kind of an odd way to get to Colorado from Georgia. Rode mostly on US highway and secondary state roads. Overall road condition in those 6K miles was much better than I expected. Maybe only 200 miles total of what I'd call too bumpy or rough for fun riding.

At least no breakdowns or flats.

Jeff