3000 miles out west

[livfree]

A friend of mine and I trailered our motorcycles from Maine to North Platte, Nebraska in late July. We parked the bikes at a Harley Dealership, then rode 3100 miles from there. I ride a 2002 VTX 1800 Retro and my friend rides a HD Road King. We rode through Colorado, northern Arizona, Utah (Zion Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Dixie National Forest), piece of Idaho, Wyoming (Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP), piece of Montana, South Dakota (Sturgis Rally, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument), and Nebraska. We tried to stay on as many scenic routes as possible. The Rand McNally Large Print map book was a huge help in trip planning. All of the scenic routes are well marked, and they are scenic. We reached almost 13,000 feet in elevation in Colorada on Independance Pass. It was one fabulous trip. Got caught in the rain only one night, which we could have avoided, but I had made an error in how many miles we were to travel that day. Turned out to be about 400 instead of 320. Live and learn. Every day was gorgeous. One day, we left Cooke City, Montana, at 6 a.m, it was 36 degrees at 8700 foot elevation. At 3 pm that afternoon, it read 112 degrees on my friends thermometer. It felt like it too. We took in the Sturgis Rally, but just for a couple of days. That was all I could take. The worst part of the trip was the ride from Maine to Nebraska and back in a truck, mostly on Rte 80. We drove an average of 600 miles each day hauling the trailer. During the bike trip, we rode an avearge of 320 miles per day. If I were to do it again, I would reduce that to 250 miles per day, to allow more time to take in the scenery and relax. The only mechanical problem that I had, was with my shifting linkage. Apparently, the swivel joints on each end of the linkage bar, got dry from the heat and got sand in the joints. As a result, the afternoon just before going to Sturgis, the linkage was locking up so that I couldn't get it in first gear. It finally worked loose but had me very worried for awhile. Can you imagine trying to ride through downtown Sturgis with a zillion other motorcycles, and no first gear. Anyway, clean out and lubricate those two joints every couple of years, especially before an extended trip. I am now thinking about the next West trip. Anyone else manage to squeeze in a great summer ride?

livfree

Baldwin, ME