Friday, July 24, 2009

AK '09 - Day 34

Last night I slept good and it was the alarm clock that woke me up. By now I'm on my normal morning routine. We were ready to go by 6:30. We went to the front office to check out the continental breakfast. There were no eggs for John so we went down the street to the 7-11 Ranch Restaurant where we had dinner the night before. Breakfast was good. By 7:30 we were ready to leave town.

We stopped for gas on the way out of town and then we left via US 40. Reagan took the rider seat so she could check off Utah and Colorado on her riding map. Temperatures were in the 70s and I knew they were going to rise as we continued south. The cool mornings were now a thing of the past.

We crossed into Colorado and turned south onto Hwy 64 at Dinosaur. The road got a little twisty and made things fun. Just before 10am CDT we pulled over so Reagan could get on a conference call. Unfortunately there was no cell service available so she kept the driver's seat and we continued on down the road. No conference call for her today.

At Meeker, we headed south on Hwy 13. We decided to stop in Rifle for fuel and a mid-morning snack. After getting fuel we went over to the Back Country cafe. Since it was 10:25 local time we could have had breakfast or lunch but I wasn't really that hungry. I had some hot tea and an apple pie a la mode. Yummmm! We met the owner who had made a 28 day motorcycle trip himself. He told us of his trip and how he ended up buying a house in Oregon. On the way out of the restaurant he asked us if we wanted to buy a ranch. It went right along with the story he told us. Before we got our gear on, he was out in the street talking to us some more and gave us some suggestions on our way down to Salida.

It was my turn to be the rider as we left town on I-70 east. We followed the Colorado River along I-70 for many miles. The view was fantastic.

We eventually turned onto Hwy 24 and I took the lead as we were getting into the twisities. Reagan and I got hung up behind a pickup truck for part of the way, until we could finally pass him. We stopped at the Pizza Hut in Leadville for lunch. Unfortunately when I went to the restroom, I found that someone had vomitted in the sink. That was enough for me to decide the place probably wasn't the wisest choice to eat. We went downtown and ate at a nice little cafe before continuing on toward Salida.

We turned onto Hwy 291 for the last 10 miles into Salida. It seemed like we came in the back way or something because we were driving through residential areas but eventually we got on the main drag and found the Super 8. We had arrived early enough to take a nap, the first one of the trip.

After a nap, and a drink, we walked over to the Country Bounty for dinner. Their menu was vast and their food was good. Then it was time to retire to the rooms and have a night cap.

Tomorrow we are planning to leave at 6am. We have 500 miles to cover in order to reach Childress, TX. This will be the longest day with the girls so far. But we have reservations at the Hampton Inn so there's something to look forward to.

BTW: I was successful in uploading my first YouTube video. It's of Reagan riding on Beartooth Highway after we stopped at Top of the World for lunch and gas.



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