Colorado Cruiser: South Dakota Ride

I slept really well after all of yesterday's riding. We all made comments about how comfortable we were in this cabin. Normally these camping cabins have a very thin mattress that's barely thicker than 1 inch. But these mattresses are nearly a foot thick and fairly firm. The cabin also has an air conditioner that we've had running on high since we arrived. Combine it all to get a very good sleeping environment.

Seanda got up at about 5:30 which woke both Seanley and myself as well. Not much was said, but we all started packing and getting ready to roll. We were all packed and on the road by 6:00.

It felt really good outside. The temperature was about 62 degrees.

On our way to the freeway we saw several packs of wild turkeys and about 10 deer. As we idled past the deer, all of them suddenly turned, jumped the fence and rushed across the road in front of Seanley and up a hill. But one lone little fawn got left behind and stuck back behind the fence. We idled slowly along and the fawn continued to run just a bit ahead of us and to our left. Finally it turned and ran back past us then hopped the fence and dashed after it's mother.

Around the corner we found another pack of wild turkeys. They were slowly crossing the road and seemed unimpressed by the rumble of Seanley's bike. He had to stop to let them pass.

We finally made it to the freeway. But we didn't stay on for long. There is a national veterans cemetery just up the freeway and we stopped by to pay our respects. As we stood talking, we spotted yet another turkey walking along a fence line. A man and his dog were just starting a little walk nearby, and the dog took off after the turkey. The turkey flew up out of the grass and into a tree about 40 feet high. I'm not sure I knew turkeys could fly so high, or even at all.

We got back on the freeway for a few miles until we got through Sturgis and took the exit back towards Deadwood and highway 85. As soon as we got out of Sturgis, the temperature started dropping. We hadn't really paid attention to the road last night in the dark, but this morning we noticed just how pretty the canyon was that lead down to Deadwood. The road had many fast sweeping turns that were fun to ride.

As we continued past Deadwood the temperatures kept dropping. Seanda was nice and warm with his headed gear on and Seanley had on his heavy leather jacket. I was wearing my mesh jacket and gloves. I felt a bit cold but it wasn't unbearable.

The sun finally cleared the clouds, but it didn't add much heat. The temp got down to 54 degrees at the coldest point. I was very tempted to stop and throw on something warmer, but I really wanted to cross as much of Wyoming as we could before the heat of the day really set in. We hadn't even stopped for breakfast yet.

About 5 miles from the South Dakota state line we approached the spot where Friday's accident occurred. I thought about stopping but it was cold and I didn't really want to relive that experience. When we got to the border we stopped to take a picture and have a break. Seanley and Seanda both echoed the opinion that they didn't want to stop at the accident scene either.

We took some pictures and stretched out a bit. I thought about warmer clothes. I carry a full set of heated gear on my bike, but we were just a few miles from leaving the forest and I figured the heat would set in quickly once we did. Back on the road, the temps warmed up into the 70s within just a few miles. We gassed in Newcastle, Lusk, and Torrington.

Since we were in Torrington and it was lunch time, we headed over to the Pineapple Grill where we'd eaten 2 days before on our way up. Both Seanley and I got the peanut butter burgers after Seanda's great review last time. Seanda got a texas burger. The PBB was an ok burger but I don't think I'd get it again. I liked the grilled jalapenos but the peanut butter and jelly didn't fit. The strawberry jam got on everything including the fries and kind of ruined them.

From Torrington to Cheyenne we rode through warmer temps and a bit more traffic than last time. We had one idiot pass us on a blind corner at 95mph. Luckily no one was coming past. We later saw him pulled over by the police and I felt that little bit of self satisfaction you get when see good decisions rewarded or poor decisions have consequences.

We gassed up together for the last time in Cheyenne because Seanley is going to break of at Berthoud to meet his family. We sat for a while sitting on a block wall in the shade of the store and talked about the ride, reliving the great parts. We said our goodbyes then headed off toward the freeway, Denver, and ultimately home.

The traffic quickly grew as much of the I-80 traffic turned South to join us. The road noise increased, and the little bit of cloud cover we've had seemed to go away and let the sun beat directly down on us. Seanley peeled off leaving Seanda and I to continue through Denver. We had decided not to take the toll road around, but to just follow I-25 right through the middle of the city. The traffic was very heavy and we had to struggle a bit to stay within sight of each other as any tiny gap was instantly exploited by the cagers. (NOTE "Cagers" is a mildly derogatory term for people who prefer to travel around in enclosed cages rather than to be open and free like any sane person would. Bless their hearts).

Once we were across Denver the traffic eased allot and we were able to ride with some nice gap around us. We stopped in Castle Rock to gas up. I told Seanda I was going to break off the Freeway and take some back roads home.

When I am traveling a motorcycle, I consider the relaxing part of the vacation to be the journey itself. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. So I hate riding a motorcycle in the same way as I drive a car. In a car I'm usually in "gotta get there" mode. On a motorcycle I want to be in "Wow, look at that" mode. We'd done almost all of the trip in a relaxed way where we enjoyed the ride and felt no rush to get anywhere. But once you start heading home, there is a real tendency to fall back into "gotta get home" mode where you rush and speed and don't pay any attention to anything but what's directly ahead of you. All of the traffic through Denver had me back in "gotta get there" mode and I didn't want to arrive home with all of that tension. I figured the best thing I could do would be to get off the freeway and cruise some back roads at a nice slow pace.

I said my goodbyes to Seanda and watched him pull back onto the freeway.

As I pulled out I felt a few sprinkles on my face, and looking West I saw a pretty big storm near the mountains. I decided to adjust my plans a bit more. Rather than heading straight toward the foothills, I took the road that parallels the freeway. It let me drive allot slower and with no one around me. At Larkspur I followed the road which led away from the freeway and into Palmer Lake, then Monument, and finally to my home.

I didn't check exact mileage, but we had ridden about 1,300 miles in 3 days.

Without a doubt, my favorite ride was Iron Mountain Road, followed by the Needles Highway.

I'd probably skip the campground and cabin next time. If we could have had a fire I think it would be worth the cabin, but as it was, the cost was nearly the same as a hotel room but without the added comfort or convenience of our own bathroom.

I think our route was nearly perfect for the time we had. In the future, I would still like to ride the wildlife loop through Custer State Park and a few more roads in the area. With a few more days, we could have ridden the badlands, Devil's tower, and spent 2 days riding the Black Hills. I'd have ridden Iron Mountain road 2 or 3 times more just for the fun of it.

Packing up the bikes as sunrise approaches