First off, I'd like to apologize to all those Kansanites out there. Mainly for your geography and climate, but thanks for the corn.
This trip is becoming an annual thing with my Dad and brothers (I have five of them - three of them went this year). It came about as a way to both remember my neice (Sarah) that passed away at a young age and a way for us to spend time together. Riding motorcycles and seeing the country is just the mechanism. That's what we tell our wifes at least.
This year we met out in Denver and then headed up to the Black Hills. Some unnamed participants flew to Denver and rented HDs. Others trailered their bikes to Denver. I rode.
Three reasons why; 1) I wanted to, 2) Someone needed to haul the bulky stuff out (hence, the trailer shaped anchor attached to my bike) and 3) because I ain't getting any younger.
Since I was in a hurry to get out there it was going to be all interstate. Seems like a prime opportunity to become a certified Iron Bum (IBA). Now, slightly raising the bar is the fact that someone (not me) chose to do it in the middle of July during a continent-wide heat wave.
Beautiful. I took a look at the average highs along the route back in April. Kansas looked daunting even on paper.
I toyed with the idea of riding during the night and sleeping in A/C during the heat of the day. Someone asked me if hotels would charge me for two days - I really don't know, but in the end I figured I can sweat a lot better than I can stay up for 2 nights in a row.
So off I went after dinner on a Friday night in mid-July. I was heading west on I-40 and made it to TN before pulling over and pitching my tent on a Park Service road around 1am. I haven't been on that stretch of I-40 in about 20 years and I've got to tell you - riding it at night, in the rain, towing an anchor shaped trailer scared the crap out of me. Those truckers FLY through that stretch and there doesn't seem to be a lick of banking in the turns. 315 miles down - 1,300 to go.
After getting up I made a fairly uneventful 815 mile ride to get to Kansas City. It was muggy and hot. Or at least I thought it was hot at the time.
While I didn't get the required 1000mi/24hr for the IBA, I figured I could get up early the next day and get the other 185mi before 9am. Unfortunately, that's when I had what cyclists refer to as a "mechanical". Both trailer tires were beginning to come apart. On a Sunday too.
I figured another 8 hours of extreme heat and speed would probably cause some sort of catastrophic failure. I wasn't willing to see how that played out so I put in my call to ground control and had them searching for trailer tires on my route. Turns out Walmart has them in stock. Both 4 and 5 lugnut varieties. I'd know that if I ever went into Walmart.
After swapping them out in the only shade I could find in their parking lot (it sure doesn't look 100 degrees in the picture) I got back on the road. Lost my shot at an IBA ride but figured I would get another opportunity on the return.
I'm on the downhill section now, all I have to do is cross Kansas and half of Colorado and I'm in Denver. Except there are no hills.
And it's getting hot. Really hot.
Hot as in "full-body-blow-dryer" all day long. It got to 106 on the thermometer that day. At times I felt like a alpine climber - one mistake or miscue during fuel ups could spell certain death. I had a set routine.
1) drink water
2) get the gas going
2) put the headwrap and neckband in the cooler
3) go to the bathroom
4) buy more water
5) drink a bottle of Gatorade
6) apply more suncreen
7) put the ice-cold headwrap and neckband back on
8) ride another 140 miles
9) repeat until you see mountains
I've come to realize crossing Kansas on a motorcycle on 105+ degree days is a test of both man and machine. Everytime the rpms dipped ever so slightly I started looking around rapidly while someone in my head was shouting "SHE'S GONNA BLOW, SHE'S GONNA BLOW!!!"
Honestly, a ride that epic deserves a name. I deem it "Passing through the Dragon's Ass". With the patina of equal parts sweat, suntan lotion and bugs baked on you for the last eight hours, that's about how you feel when it's over.
Once I crossed into Colorado I could feel the temps begin to back off a bit and even saw it reflected in the engine temps. I actually gained some confidence that the motor was going to make it after all.
After a shower, meal and a good nights sleep it was time to start the real tour.
Here are the riders in our group...
Big Larry
Little Larry
Dave
Dan and his daughter Emily
Steve (myself)
The weather, while hot, was very good to us. We only saw a small rain shower on one day. We camped three of the 4 nights on the road - not a bad record for us. On the first day we simply got out of metro-Denver and up into Wyoming proper. Mainly followed the I-25 north - not a bad road at all. Spent the night at the Douglas KOA. Nothing spectacular but certainly functional.
The next day took us up into the Black Hills where we stayed at the Mt. Rushmore KOA. Quite a bit grander than the Douglas KOA. Perhaps a bit too grand. The next day we rode the Norbeck loop, saw the monuments (Rushmore, Crazyhorse) and then headed north to Deadwood.
After that we headed to Sturgis where I took no pictures. Mega-bars and souvenir shops simply didn't inspire me. Everyone did seem to buy me something or other with "I Rode Mine" on it though (shirt, pin, patch, etc). From there we had a beautiful ride west in the late afternoon to Devil's Tower. We passed through Belle Fourche and Hulett (SD 34/WY 24). Spent that night at the aptly named Devil's Tower KOA. That has to be one the most scenic KOA's in the country.
The next day we had to tighten up our timeline and headed south through the Thunder Basin National Grassland, passed through Douglas again and spent the night in a Wheatland motel.
On our last day we crossed the Laramie Mtn range (sounds more impressive than it was - but there were some very nice LONG views). Then south through Laramie and on into Colorado. I did cross paths with a fellow NGWer in Granby, CO. 5_19 was gassing up his Valkyrie along with 3 or 4 others. They were headed to a Valkyrie gathering in MI. I've got to tell you he has a sweet setup. No passenger footpegs. I am so envious.
Got back into Denver, slept a few hours and then headed east at dawn.
No, I did not make it in 26hrs and 19mins. This time I had to get my front tire replaced in Topeka which put me 39 miles short of 1500mi/36hrs.
But I Passed the Dragon Ass twice in one week. There ought to be a patch for that!
Next year we're headed up for a loop of Lake Superior. It sounds very COOL to me!
