western tour

[mfmiller]

I just finishd a tour of western states with my brother. We left on Saturday 17 June from Vine Grove Ky. The first day was and 845 mile ride to Hayes Kansas. The second day was through Denver Colorada to Idaho Springs Colorada. The third day was through Skyline drive, New Mexica and on to Holbrook Arizona. The fourth day we rode to Kanab Utah to a VROC rally. We spent 4 days at Kanab, using it as a launch point to vist Pink Coral Dunes National Park, Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park. We left on 25 June and rode through Wyoming to Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. After a night in Cook City we headed towards Laramie Wyoming but ended up in Scottsbluff Arkansas due to a series of detours to avoid a thunderstorm blowing hard enough to cause sudden lane changes. Noting the increasinly bad weather forcast, we decided to ironbutt the last 1200+ mile leg to home. We left Scottsbluff Arkansas at 9:30 eastern time and rode 18 1/2 hours to Vine Grove Kentucky. We arrived home at 4:00 am eastern time.

We had ridden Skyline Drive, Beartooth Highway (30 miles due to road closure), Hogsback Ridge, Deals Gap and pretty much every scenic highway in Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming as well as some in Indiana,New Mexico, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas. Almost 7000 miles in 11 days. Not bad considering my longest trip prior was 600 miles.

All riding was on a stock VTX seat due to the slow shipping of my Mustang seat which was waiting for me when I got home.

[X Man]

Man! What a ride that must have been. I don't know if my back would hold up, but I'd like to try one day. :) Any pics?

[mfmiller]

of course I have pictures :D

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfmiller5 ... DBS8JR9C3Q (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfmiller5/album?.dir=/7f17&.src=ph&.tok=phRlUQDBS8JR9C3Q)

[RC]

Nice pics. I'm planning a trip out west for the month of August. What is up w/ Bear Tooth Pass, is alot of it closed. Would it be worth approaching it from the Wyoming side?

Looks like you hit a wide range in temp. Where was the coldest?

[mfmiller]

The high altitudes were all a little chilly. Cedar Breaks Utah was 52 degrees F. In Wyoming up on Beartooh Highway at 10,847 feet it was 42 degrees F. I carried a couple of long sleeve shirts for the desert, sweatshirt for mild temperatures, a good insulated leather jacket, leather chaps and vest, and a Tourmaster rainsuit. Various combinations of layered clothing at different times and altitudes during any given day kept me comfortable. Get a pair of 1/8 neophrene gloves from a scuba shop or from Walmart in the fishing section. They work great for cold and/or rainy weather. Even though most of the state have no helmet laws, a helmet with a face shield is a must for riding in the violent thunderstorms.

Due to mild conditions the weather never got hotter than 98 degrees F. We were lucky. It can hit 107. A friend made me a terry cloth bag about 15 inches long and a little bigger around than a Pringles Potato chip can with a velcro zipper and a velco strap to fill with ice and fasten around the neck. The ices melts and the water wets your tee shirt and cools you as it evaporates. Each fill at gas-up time lasted over an hour and the wetness lasted even longer. I was able to stay cool even in the hottest desert we went through.

[mfmiller]

I forgot to answer the Beartooth highway question. It is closed due to landslides and will be closed for maybe 2 years for repairs. You can ride 30 miles of it when approaching from the Yellowstone side. It is definately worth the ride up and back.

[RC]

Thanks for all the good info.

[dezzy7]

Sounds like a great ride, and definitely great pics. I'm headed out on a 6k trip myself on monday. Know of any great roads between new orleans and san diego ???