Southern Colorado - Take 5

Southern Colorado - Take 4

Southern Colorado - Take 3

Southern Colorado - Take 2

Southern Colorado

After the new engine was installed we decided to make a run for southern Colorado so we hit the road on August 29th to beat the hurricane heading north.  We had a great ride through Missouri  and west through Oklahoma and Texas.  Great stops in Shamrock and lunch at the Big Texan in Amarillo.  Spent a memorable night in Tucumcari, New Mexico where we stayed in a restored motor court on Rt. 66.   Albuquerque was our next stop with a ride on the tram to Sandia Peak and great views of the mountains.  We stopped in Madrid (Wild Hogs pilgrimage) on our way to Santa Fe and a great time walking through old town and a visit to the oldest house in the U.S.  A great ride to Chama and north into Colorado.

 We headed west to Durango for 2 nights.  Had a great ride on the Durango & Silverton narrow gauge railroad following by a trail ride by horseback into the foothills the morning we left Durango.  We rode the million dollar highway through Silverton to Montrose; then headed east.  Redwoods in Colorado?  Stop by the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument 30 miles west of Colorado Springs.  During our stay in Colorado Springs we visited the Olympic Training Center and the U.S. Air Force Academy.  We also rode Pikes Peak at 14,115 ft. which was quite a ride on the motorcycle.  All in all we rode 3 mountain passed over 10,000 ft. before we headed east.           

As we rode east through southern Kansas we stopped by to see the ruts from the Santa Fe trail and visited Dodge City.  We stopped by Greensburg to see the deepest hand dug well and realized this was the town destroyed by a F-5 tornado in 2007.  The new museum is built above the well and is also a tribute to lives lost during the tornado and the rebuilding of the town.   The ride through the gypsum hills was the surprise of the trip - we thought we were in the southwest.  We also stopped by the Rainbow Bridge on Rt. 66 outside Baxter Springs.  As we pulled up we saw a busload of tourists waving.  They were British and Irish on a tour of Rt. 66.  One guy told us of going to the Isle of Mann race and riding the course on his bike after the race was complete.

 Had a great trip and made it home on September 11th after 14 days and 3600 miles.  Camped 4 nights, KOA cabins 3 nights, and motels the rest of the trip (3 of which were free with rewards.