The Tundra Man Goes To Colorado

06/29/2007 Through 07/03/2007

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 leave from Sioux Falls, 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 itinerary 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!

Introduction | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 (IBA SaddleSore 1000)