My trip to Yellowstone in 2006 had set a precedent. After returning from that journey I decided that I would like to attempt a multi-day motorcycle trip at least once per year, if possible.
So, as summer approached I had a couple of different trip ideas floating around in my head. I finally decided that the mountains were calling me once again, and rather than repeating the previous year's journey (which would have been awesome had I gone that route) I would ride to a new mountainous area I could explore on two wheels.
I had been to Colorado three times before, but the most recent trip was 12 years prior. These three visits had been in a car, so going on a motorcycle would let me experience the Rocky Mountains in a much more intimate manner. Plus, I had some friends and family in Colorado that I could visit during my travels.
I spent some time planning and mapped out a route that would encompass 4 1/2 days of riding and take me through six states. Pretty much, I was going to head west and completely circle Nebraska. In the same way I did the previous year, I set a few goals that I wanted to see and do on this trip:
Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills
Devil's Tower in Wyoming
Attend a service at New Freedom Church in Loveland, CO
Ride through the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70
Pikes Peak
Royal Gorge
Complete the trip with an IBA Saddlesore 1000 endurance ride.
Once again, I carfully wrote up an itenerary with maps to assist me, and gave a copy of my wife so she could give it to the rescue workers searching for my corpse. I made a hotel reservation for my first night, but unlike the previous year's trip I would be staying with friends and family the remaining nights.
I did my usual pre-trip ritual the evening prior to my departure by gassing up my '99 Yamaha Road Star and giving it a good wash. I loaded up my luggage and strapped it to the bike so I had everything ready to go when I got off work the next day.
I've logged each day of my journey on it's own page. Note: these pages are pretty image intensive, so you may have to be patient while the page loads!
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This page last updated on 06/28/2018