Colorado/Utah/Arizona/New Mexico - and back

B

BeastieGirl

Well-known member
Absolutely amazing. I'm at a loss for words how to describe my trip and that doesn't happen very often. Spectacular, mind boggling and sometimes surreal scenery - to put it in perspective, the Grand Canyon actually comes in 4th on my list of favourite things. Bryce Canyon in Utah was mystical and spiritual, Trail Ridge Road through the Rockies in Colorado was awesome and humbling - and cold it just opened the week before I got there and in some spots the snow on the side of the road was over my head - not piled there, the road was carved out of the snow. Then a few days later I was standing in the Painted Desert in Arizona in 90+ degrees (F).

If you've ever thought gee I'd like to take that trip - but its so long a ride, is it worth it? The answer is yes, yes, yes!

Technically I'm not done yet - I'm sitting in a Super8 in Indiana. I took the Interstates out to save time, I left Hamilton on a Saturday morning, hit the Colorado border at 10:00 a.m. that Monday - the time zone changes helped - ha ha. But I'm doing a more leisurely route home - hopping on and off Rte 66 - and yes, I did "stand on the corner in Winslow Arizona".

I have to admit my little adventure pales compared with some of the people I've met along the way - such as the guy from Switzerlland who bought a Moto Guzzi just for his trip and shipped over from Switzerland to ride for ten weeks through America - but it was a grand trip for me.
 
I want to see more. I did some of this trip the year before last (on my fz-1 too!) and I'll be heading out that way again in August. How long is / was the trip?
 
Brilliant, isn't it ? Glad you are enjoying it.
We have just come through 3 days of thunderstorms in Louisiana & Texas, then today it got to around 50 deg C, we had to stop every 40 odd miles, just for cold drinks. Carlsbad Caverns tomorrow, then on to Roswell.
Anyone want pics o that, go to www.guzzimomma.com
Take Care Out There
 
Just got home yesterday and will post pics now that I'm working on a keyboard bigger than a postage stamp. I'm still wading through them to narrow it down a little.

In terms of time, it really depends on how you want to go. As mentioned earlier, I gained 3 hours heading out there, but I also made really good time riding that adrenaline high on the way out. The route I took out was boring (except for Iowa which I found lovely) - but I wanted to hit Colorado as soon as possible, and sometimes it is the destination not the journey that matters - or at least in this case it was for me. Personally (and I know a lot of people don't feel this way) I like to do the long haul the first couple of days, when aforesaid adrenaline is high. So I made it to Denver in 2 1/2 days and could have run those extra 2 hours a days to cut that down if the weather had been a little better. I don't know how many hours I spent riding, but its about 1500 miles and I had originally thought 500 miles a day, probably ended up more like 600/600/300.

I had 2 weeks, I wanted this weekend at home to relax before hitting work on Monday. Two weeks is not enough time to see everything and some hard choices had to be made. I could happily have spent more time in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico - but I'm trusting they will still be there when I save up enough to go back. I will have to revisit some places as well.

I spent the first Monday/Tuesday and in Colorado, Wednesday/Thursday in Utah, heading into Arizona, then Friday/Saturday/Sunday in Arizona, Monday in New Mexico - and continuing east Tuesday, etc. running a combination of interstates and secondary highways through Oklahoma and Missouri - but basically hitting the interstates again through Indiana and Michigan - there's nothing there I hadn't seen before and I was getting tired of washing my socks and underwear in motel room sinks :-)

I definitely tried to cram too much into too little time, but that amount of time was all I had available and there is no place I saw I would have passed up - so what do you do?
 
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Can't wait to see the pics beastie, sounds awesome.
Gary
BeastieGirl said:
Just got home yesterday and will post pics now that I'm working on a keyboard bigger than a postage stamp. I'm still wading through them to narrow it down a little.

In terms of time, it really depends on how you want to go. As mentioned earlier, I gained 3 hours heading out there, but I also made really good time riding that adrenaline high on the way out. The route I took out was boring (except for Iowa which I found lovely) - but I wanted to hit Colorado as soon as possible, and sometimes it is the destination not the journey that matters - or at least in this case it was for me. Personally (and I know a lot of people don't feel this way) I like to do the long haul the first couple of days, when aforesaid adrenaline is high. So I made it to Denver in 2 1/2 days and could have run those extra 2 hours a days to cut that down if the weather had been a little better. I don't know how many hours I spent riding, but its about 1500 miles and I had originally thought 500 miles a day, probably ended up more like 600/600/300.

I had 2 weeks, I wanted this weekend at home to relax before hitting work on Monday. Two weeks is not enough time to see everything and some hard choices had to be made. I could happily have spent more time in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico - but I'm trusting they will still be there when I save up enough to go back. I will have to revisit some places as well.

I spent the first Monday/Tuesday and in Colorado, Wednesday/Thursday in Utah, heading into Arizona, then Friday/Saturday/Sunday in Arizona, Monday in New Mexico - and continuing east Tuesday, etc. running a combination of interstates and secondary highways through Oklahoma and Missouri - but basically hitting the interstates again through Indiana and Michigan - there's nothing there I hadn't seen before and I was getting tired of washing my socks and underwear in motel room sinks :-)

I definitely tried to cram too much into too little time, but that amount of time was all I had available and there is no place I saw I would have passed up - so what do you do?
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Welcome home, BeastieGirl! Safe and sound! All I can say is "wow!" Honestly, I so admire you riders who are so adventurous. I hope one day I have the courage and desire to take such trips.

Like others have said, can't wait to see your pics.
 
glad you had such a great time.

I've done the southwest a few times now and totally understand your feelings about 2 weeks not being enough. I don't think 2 months would be near enough. In fact I think you could spend 2 months alone in Utah and not see all the amazing places.
 
I'm glad you had a good time. I really enjoy the roads in that part of the US as well. But seriously.... you thought Iowa was lovely? :D I hate Iowa. I try to drive through it at night, so that I don't have to see perpetual CORN. At least at night you get cool fireflies zinging past you. As you may have notice I said drive. Yes, I can't be bothered to ride between here and Colorado. I try to get out there and back as fast as possible.... and enjoy the greater amount of riding while I am there. However, I do understand some folks like the whole getting there bit. FYI, you and a friend + 24hrs of driving and you're in Colorado.

Would love to see the pictures. BTW, did you see any 70mph zones in New Mexico on back roads? I remember that was the case quite a few years ago, wondering if it is still like that.
 
Great Job BeastieGirl!! I LOVE that part of the country! You took some amazing photos!! Glad you made it home safe and sound.....now back to reality...doesn't it suck getting back from a roadtrip????
 
Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures in New Mexico, because I didn't charge my camera and it only uses the rechargeable battery that comes with it.

pecas said:
Great Job BeastieGirl!! I LOVE that part of the country! You took some amazing photos!! Glad you made it home safe and sound.....now back to reality...doesn't it suck getting back from a roadtrip????
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Yes it does. In fact, I haven't been on the motorcycle since I've been back, although I will go riding with some friends after work tonight.

Not that we don't have some beautiful areas within a day's ride - but I've seen them so many times and right now I just can't do the same ride for the umpteenth time. I know this feeling from other trips and I know it will go away - well somewhat. There was an old World War I song about returning farmboy soldiers (and no I'm not that old) that has a line "How do you keep them down on the farm, after they've seen Paree [sic]?"

That's kind of how I feel right now. Oh well - 3 1/2 weeks till my West Virginia jaunt.
 
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I understand completely! I've just returned from a trip to WV and Ohio. If you haven't been in those parts before, I could give you a few recommendations of some fun roads we travelled. Just PM me.
 
Very cool, I would love to do this trip next year. I was in Arizona this spring for dragon boat competition and we ended up going to Jerome and Sedona and fell in love!!! Told myself I have to do this trip with my bike!!!
 
rafiki911 said:
Very cool, I would love to do this trip next year. I was in Arizona this spring for dragon boat competition and we ended up going to Jerome and Sedona and fell in love!!! Told myself I have to do this trip with my bike!!!
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Isn't it beautiful??? I LOVE LOVE it there. The roads are amazing, scenery breathtaking. I ventured down to Tuscon to take in Mt. Lemmon...11,000 ft elevation...it was stunning. Steady 30mph sweepers all the way up and then all the way down. It reminded me a little of Grande Escalante in Utah.
 
pecas said:
Isn't it beautiful??? I LOVE LOVE it there. The roads are amazing, scenery breathtaking. I ventured down to Tuscon to take in Mt. Lemmon...11,000 ft elevation...it was stunning. Steady 30mph sweepers all the way up and then all the way down. It reminded me a little of Grande Escalante in Utah.
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I didn't want to come home after being there. Only one other place has made me feel that way and that is Greece. I really loved the amount of bikes I saw in Jerome and the two bikes I saw with Ontario plates.
 
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