We had an early morning start trying to beat the heat and enjoyed our final day in the American Southwest. Northern New Mexico is very much desert in the west, lush mountains and meadows in the middle, and flat plains in the east. We dropped below 5,000 feet by mid afternoon for the first time …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Day 7 – Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park, I highly recommend it! This area wowed all of us today and it quickly became obvious that the few hours we had allotted was nowhere near enough time. The ancient Puebloans, or Anasazi, lived in the area over 700 years, from roughly 550 to 1300 AD. At it’s peak around 1200, …
Day 6 – Black Canyon of the Gunnison
The day started clear and cool with temps just shy of 50. This was our “easy” day to ride less, do laundry, and start packing what we can. Since the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is closed, we thought we would ride up Hwy 92 which runs on the north rim side. Turns …
Day 5 – The Million Dollar Highway and San Juan Skyway
The tablet is back up and running! Stellar day! Absolutely stunning and a little terrifying too. Ran Hwy 550 from Montrose to Durango this morning. And returned in the afternoon on the San Juan Skyway. Highway 550 between Ouray and Durango is often referred to as The Million Dollar Highway. The true Million Dollar Highway …
Continue reading “Day 5 – The Million Dollar Highway and San Juan Skyway”
Technical Difficulties
Well, the tablet I use to upload photos has crashed. I’ll keep working with it, but the blog may be done until I get home next week. Sorry
Day 4 – Great Sand Dunes National Park
After a stormy start to our visit, the weather did clear just before sunset. Approaching these dunes, they just look so out of place and you wonder how in world did they get here. The park contains the tallest and widest sand dunes in North America, rising to a maximum height of 750 feet from the floor …
Day 3 – Rocky Mountain National Park
This morning was beautiful! Hwy 34 runs through a narrow canyon between Loveland and Estes Park. It is amazing but I didn’t have the helmet camera on yet. Got into RMNP without any issues but traffic did pick up quickly. The overlooks have become crowded to the point that sometimes there’s not a spot to …
Day 2 – Kansas Bun Burner
We have survived Kansas, at least going out. We were fortunate enough to be just north of the storms this morning. And really loving hwy 36. Almost no traffic, 65 mph speed limit, and just enough small towns for gas and food without slowing you down. It was hot though. Saw 95 in Kansas, but …
Day 1 – Go West, Young Man (and 2 old men)
Well, it’s that time of year again and Don and l are on the road heading west to Colorado. This year, my nephew, Jordan, is with us. This will be his first trip with us west of the Ozarks. The itinerary changed a bit last week when lightning started a wildfire on the south rim …
Continue reading “Day 1 – Go West, Young Man (and 2 old men)”
Day 10 – Rain, Rain, Go Away
We woke to thunder and lightning. And then the rain started. The Talimena Scenic Drive will have to wait yet again. The lower half of Oklahoma and Arkansas was socked in for the day, so we headed north. We broke out of the rain in about an hour and eventually had a little blue sky …
Day 9 – Leaving Texas
Well, we left Odessa this morning 45 degrees cooler than when we arrived last night. It was a bit of a shock. After several days in the 90’s, we were in the 50’s for much of the day. Took most of the day to get out of Texas too. It is a big state! We …
Day 8 – Big Bend Part Dos and FM 170 River Road
We actually had clear skies this morning for the first time in Texas. Cooled off quite a bit too. We packed up camp and ran through Big Bend again. The helmet cam shots are mostly from yesterday. We finally left through the western gate of Big Bend and headed west through Study Butte and Terlingua. …
Continue reading “Day 8 – Big Bend Part Dos and FM 170 River Road”
Day 7 – Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is awesome! And huge! And remote! And hot! 801,163 acres and it seems even larger because you’re overlooking into the same remote area of Mexico. We spent the entire day in the park. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the elevation of the west. We have been …
Day 6 – A Run to the Border
We had a great travel day. It rained overnight and was foggy and misting when we pulled out but the day was beautiful by noon. Did see more flowers today as we left the hill country. Soon the landscape flattened out and trees and grass largely disappeared. This is how I always pictured south Texas. …
Day 5 – Texas Hill Country…meh
We made it to the famous Texas Hill Country today and our overwhelming opinion is “meh”. It is pretty in places but definitely much more arid. Trees are scrubby looking and the grass is thin. There are wildflowers but we didn’t see any stunning blankets of them. It is more rugged and mountainous than I …
Day 4 – This is MotoGP!
This is MotoGP! Multimillion dollar prototype motorcycles; riders paid millions to race these 350 pound and 260 horse power machines; running over 220 mph and up to 68 degrees of lean; dragging knees, elbows, and the occasional shoulder in recent years; racing within feet, inches, and sometimes less as elbows and carbon fiber flies. MotoGP …
Day 3 – Circuit of the Americas
Circuit of The Americas is the only purpose-built facility in the United States designed to host the premier motorsports championships in the world, including Formula 1, MotoGP, Indycar, and NASCAR. Set on 1,500 acres in the rolling hills just outside Downtown Austin. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack with 20 turns and significant elevation …
Day 2 – Deep in the Heart of Texas
We are in Elgin, Texas tonight just east of Austin. It’s been a beautiful day with sunny skies and low 80’s. It did start out in the low 40’s though. Heated seats and cruise control are things I never thought were needed on a motorcycle, but I’m really starting to like those features, along with …
Day 1 – New Year, New Bike, and New Adventures
Hello everyone and welcome to 2024! Don and I are both doing well and looking forward to a new year of riding. I did buy myself a retirement/Christmas gift late December. I upgraded my old Tiger 800 to a 2024 Tiger 900 GT Aragon Edition with all the bells and whistles. I haven’t had a …
Continue reading “Day 1 – New Year, New Bike, and New Adventures”
Day 9 – Home Again
Don and I are both home safe and sound. We’re beat and the bikes are filthy. It wasn’t the trip we planned but a good trip nonetheless. And it turned out to be a worthwhile detour for Don and Aunt Marilyn. We’ll try again for Colorado in the next year or two. Thanks all for …
TigerTracks 