Adventure Ride 2018 “On the Road”

Getting an early start to try and avoid some hot temperatures, I missed the early am rush and started on the traditional Colorado route.  Highway 287 is familiar after dozens of trips, rides, and journeys to points north.

Arriving in Amarillo about lunch time, I stopped for the first time at the Big Texan Steak House.  No, I didn’t eat the 72oz steak in one hour.  This place is iconic tourist trap Texas, kitschy, busy, and the food was not great. There was a roving musician playing and singing Willie Nelson songs, so that made the stop worthwhile.

I chatted with a lady from Fresno.  We had passed each other several times on the way, and she had stopped there too.  She was riding a big Yamaha cruiser, alone, and had traveled to Arkansas and was on her way back to Fresno.  It’s rare to see a female riding alone (she was about my age) , but it appears she rides a lot.  She was leaving for Canada in a few weeks for another long ride.

I had planned to stop in Raton, but arriving there about 3pm I decided to continue on.  Oddly, the further along I-25 I went, the hotter it got; into the upper 90’s when I arrived in Colorado Springs.  Sticking with my habit of avoiding chain motels, I found the Green Willow motel court in Manitou Springs.  Owned by the same family since 1953, it hadn’t changed much.  It felt familiar, and perhaps  I stayed there as a child, as we often vacationed there when I was growing up.  Most of the guests were from Texas.  Manitou Springs is still a popular place apparently, as most of the lodging had “No Vacancy” neon signs lit.

Fortunately, the night was cooler, as the room had no AC, but with the windows open  and a fan I got a good nights sleep, after 650 miles on the road.

Breakfast at Uncle Sams Pancake House fulfilled my contribution to “Make America Great Again” and I meandered my way north hrough Evergreen, Idaho Springs, Granby and Walden, Colorado stopping for the day in Laramie, WY.

Temperatures were all over the place, from the 90’s down to the 50’s while riding through rain near Walden.  I passed through some recent fire areas and the fire teams were still all around to prevent another outbreak.