Follow Along: 600rr to California
- Thread starter Wheelieboy
- Start date
Wheelieboy
Well-known member
You are in Boulder, right? Do you expect to be here Tue or Wed now? Making good time
I'm planning to be in California on Wednesday but Wednesday is a long 504mi trip from Prescott->Apache Trail->California (as far as I could go). I might just grab a motel somewhere on the east side of California near Palm Desert and see you on Thursday if thats good with you.
Wheelieboy
Well-known member
I have a lots of pictures and video footage from today. I've got to say that today's roads have topped any road I've ever been on. Mostly in South Dakota near Mt Rushmore. I'm sure I'll be saying the same thing tomorrow when I get up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
I'll post some teaser pictures, I'm too tired right now to sort/upload them all.
Wheelieboy
Well-known member
Laptop at night, iPhone/iPod Touch during the day when I get internet at the places I eat. The majority of major fast food chains have free wireless internet down here.
Wheelieboy
Well-known member
Must say, those roads look remarkable.
Wheelieboy
Well-known member
Mt Rushmore was pretty cool but I'll never forget the roads getting there. I've never been on more twisty, elevation changing, scenic, roads before. Experienced my first 360 degree turn
My chicken strips are now gone This is roughly the route. http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&sour...825611,-103.439713&spn=0.224903,0.676346&z=11
Move over deals gap!
The Colorado rockies shoudl be awesome today
Mt Rushmore was pretty cool but I'll never forget the roads getting there. I've never been on more twisty, elevation changing, scenic, roads before. Experienced my first 360 degree turn
Move over deals gap!
The Colorado rockies should be awesome today
The roads near Mount Rushmore are pretty awesome. What surprised me was how small Mount Rushmore was, I expected the president's to be much bigger.
You are correct, deals gap is nothing compared to riding in the west. As for the Colorado Rockies, my father-in-law lives at ~8,000', the last 2,000' are almost a vertical climb of switchbacks and 360's - totally awesome riding. Like being in heaven on earth.
One thing that may take your breath away is riding on the PCH, nothing but miles and miles of ocean ahead of you.
82CB900cNick
Member
Very jealous now. With your experience, I would be glad to join you for a trip in the future. I am heading up to James Bay this summer, most likely solo, and after that I want to do a cross US trip similar to yours, a 5 day trip to Deals Gap, BRP, and the Skyline, and in the further future, I want to do a trip up to Prudhoe Bay Alaska, 7500 km one way from Ottawa .
In any case, stay safe and enjoy your trip!
.In any case, stay safe and enjoy your trip!
Wheelieboy
Well-known member
It was freaking cold today!!
But cold isnt the word of the day.
Lets try...Breathtaking
You guys are going to love tonights update. Gotta eat first. Mexican food on the menu!
But cold isnt the word of the day.
Lets try...Breathtaking
You guys are going to love tonights update. Gotta eat first. Mexican food on the menu!
Wheelieboy
Well-known member
I got brand new tires before the trip. Theres about 60-70% left.
Metastable
Well-known member
Very cool so far dude.... let me know how you like Colorado and your favorite roads there. There are too many to hit, but they are awesome.
It was freaking cold today!!
But cold isnt the word of the day.
Lets try...Breathtaking
You guys are going to love tonights update. Gotta eat first. Mexican food on the menu!
What a great photo! Love this pic with the mountain range in the background!
Wheelieboy
Well-known member
Day 4: Mt Rushmore and First Couch Surfing Experience
Yesterday was a total bummer since it got cut short by strong winds in South Dakota. From what I heard from the locals, it was the strongest winds they've ever felt gusting from 60-80mph. The danger was real and it was evident when I left the motel and got back on I-90. An overturned truck. I guess I made the right decision to stop.
Today, I was to visit the Bandlands National Park which I was told not to miss out on by a fellow forum member. He was right, it was something that had to be seen when you visit South Dakota. Now, we have Badlands at home but they're Mickey Mouse compared to the ones in South Dakota. It was really something.
My next destination was Mount Rushmore. I was more looking forward to riding the mountains than seeing Rushmore since Rushmore is just a couple of faces sculpted into rock. I've never ridden real mountains before either so this would be a new experience for me. As the mountains were becoming more visible in the distance, I was getting pretty excited. Eventually I hopped onto one of the mountain roads and it was just heaven. Banked turns, 270 degree ramps, tunnels, lookout points...you name it, it was there. That continued until I got to Mount Rushmore where I stopped to take a picture and left. There was no sense in me paying the fee to get into the memorial area when my purpose was just to see it...which I did.
[Video to be added when uploaded]
Later on, I made it to Custer Park which was more twisting turns. I was loving this. How am I ever going to enjoy riding in Ontario again? I've spoiled myself.
Tonight was the night I was supposed to make it to a fellow ADVRider's (Osman) house in Boulder Colorado for couch surfing. This meant that I had to exit South Dakota, cross through Wyoming, and arrive in Colorado within a few hours. During that trek, I noticed huge storm clouds brewing on either side of me. I was pretty lucky since the storms missed me the whole way there. Even luckier because the strongest part of the storm was only 1-2km away where I could see heavy snow falling on the pasture. I did get some snow but not really that much. As I progressed through Wyoming, I noticed that the elevation kept increasing as the temperatures kept decreasing. It got to the point to where it was about 3 degrees which is pretty cold. This called for some drafting so the first pickup truck I saw was the one I was going to follow all the way to Boulder.
I made it to my destination and Osman and his wife prepared dinner for me which I was very grateful for. The past few days I've been eating fast food and it was nice to have some real food for a change. They were very accommodating and it gave me a sense of home. Osman took me out to a local couch surfing meet where I met other travelers with similar interests and after that, we called it a night.
Yesterday was a total bummer since it got cut short by strong winds in South Dakota. From what I heard from the locals, it was the strongest winds they've ever felt gusting from 60-80mph. The danger was real and it was evident when I left the motel and got back on I-90. An overturned truck. I guess I made the right decision to stop.
Today, I was to visit the Bandlands National Park which I was told not to miss out on by a fellow forum member. He was right, it was something that had to be seen when you visit South Dakota. Now, we have Badlands at home but they're Mickey Mouse compared to the ones in South Dakota. It was really something.
My next destination was Mount Rushmore. I was more looking forward to riding the mountains than seeing Rushmore since Rushmore is just a couple of faces sculpted into rock. I've never ridden real mountains before either so this would be a new experience for me. As the mountains were becoming more visible in the distance, I was getting pretty excited. Eventually I hopped onto one of the mountain roads and it was just heaven. Banked turns, 270 degree ramps, tunnels, lookout points...you name it, it was there. That continued until I got to Mount Rushmore where I stopped to take a picture and left. There was no sense in me paying the fee to get into the memorial area when my purpose was just to see it...which I did.
[Video to be added when uploaded]
Later on, I made it to Custer Park which was more twisting turns. I was loving this. How am I ever going to enjoy riding in Ontario again? I've spoiled myself.
Tonight was the night I was supposed to make it to a fellow ADVRider's (Osman) house in Boulder Colorado for couch surfing. This meant that I had to exit South Dakota, cross through Wyoming, and arrive in Colorado within a few hours. During that trek, I noticed huge storm clouds brewing on either side of me. I was pretty lucky since the storms missed me the whole way there. Even luckier because the strongest part of the storm was only 1-2km away where I could see heavy snow falling on the pasture. I did get some snow but not really that much. As I progressed through Wyoming, I noticed that the elevation kept increasing as the temperatures kept decreasing. It got to the point to where it was about 3 degrees which is pretty cold. This called for some drafting so the first pickup truck I saw was the one I was going to follow all the way to Boulder.
I made it to my destination and Osman and his wife prepared dinner for me which I was very grateful for. The past few days I've been eating fast food and it was nice to have some real food for a change. They were very accommodating and it gave me a sense of home. Osman took me out to a local couch surfing meet where I met other travelers with similar interests and after that, we called it a night.
Last edited:
Wheelieboy
Well-known member
Day 5: Its cold! But so awesome.
The Colorado Mountains. I've been dreaming of riding them ever since I started planning my trip a year ago. This would be the first time that I'd go up a real mountain and I was really excited. Last night, Osman helped me plan a route to get to my destination. He also recommended that I get a heated jacket since the temperature hovers or drops below freezing up in the mountains. I decided to test the waters and go up there with the gear that I already had. It was cold but still bearable. The rain suit that I was wearing did a very good job in keeping the wind out.
As soon as I started climbing the mountains, it started snowing. It wasnt really a big deal since nothing was sticking to the ground although I was getting a little worried that snow might cause another delay for me. I got a lot of thumbs up from cars that I passed and a couple of pedestrians. The more I climbed the mountain, the more amazing the views got. I'll let the pictures do the talking.
The Colorado Mountains. I've been dreaming of riding them ever since I started planning my trip a year ago. This would be the first time that I'd go up a real mountain and I was really excited. Last night, Osman helped me plan a route to get to my destination. He also recommended that I get a heated jacket since the temperature hovers or drops below freezing up in the mountains. I decided to test the waters and go up there with the gear that I already had. It was cold but still bearable. The rain suit that I was wearing did a very good job in keeping the wind out.
As soon as I started climbing the mountains, it started snowing. It wasnt really a big deal since nothing was sticking to the ground although I was getting a little worried that snow might cause another delay for me. I got a lot of thumbs up from cars that I passed and a couple of pedestrians. The more I climbed the mountain, the more amazing the views got. I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Last edited:
