MKO
Well-known member
I went on a 4-day 1600-mile motorcycle trip last week through the mountains of CO and NM. I left Wichita, KS Wednesday evening after work and drove 3.5 hours to Garden City, KS, which turns out to be the Hog shit capital of the world. I resisted the temptation to send Debbie the Hogs and Kisses from Garden City postcard they had in the lobby of the Best Western there. I rode through Greensburg, KS on the way. The news reports and pictures did not do justice to the total devastation or the stark contrast to the surrounding area, which was totally unscathed by the twister.
The next day I road 460 miles to Durango, CO, where I met up with seven other guys that had left earlier that week. The day started off with a ticket from the KHP for following too close (1.8 sec) behind a Hog truck. I had just finished breakfast and didn’t want to lose it, so I was waiting for a passing zone to get around it. $126 – Ouch!
Thursday night we stayed at another Best Western in Durango that smelled considerably more pleasant. The hot tub and pool were a welcomed sight after riding through the rain for the last two hours into town. We would see a little rain each afternoon in the mountains. After a suitably long soak in the hot tub the nine of us went to a great Italian restaurant in town to celebrate Doug’s birthday. Doug’s buddy, who lives in Durango, chauffeured him there in style in his red (naturally) GT 308 Ferrari.
The next morning, with the Chianti a distant memory, I was up early and ready to ride. Doug headed back to Atlanta and Randy back to Wichita. The rest of the gang decided to depart to El Vado, NM around 10:30 – 11 AM, so I had time for a quick ride 45 miles west to Silverton, CO and back. I turned up the wick a little bit and did the round trip in about 1:45. Paid a record high $3.69/gal for a fill up in Silverton, but it was worth every penny. What a great motorcycle road US 64 is and what breathtaking scenery.
Before leaving Durango we stopped and bought steaks for our steak night BBQ at Heron Lake State Park near El Vado, NM. We had a beautiful campsite, a great dinner, smooth Jack Daniels and cigars. In the morning Cookie did up some brawts, pepper bacon and French toast with real maple syrup. We broke camp and set off on the scenic route to Red River, NM. Cookie and John packed up the Chuck Wagon and headed back to Wichita.
Kevin, Peter, Kyle and I went up to Taos Ski Valley for a Green Chili Cheeseburger. On the decent Kyle got a little wide in a left-hander and laid down the Boulevard M109 he had only had for two weeks. Luckily he was wearing a helmet and rain gear, and only ended up with a few nasty bruises. The bike ended up at a local Suzuki dealer in Taos for repair and he flew home the next day from Albuquerque, NM.
We had a nice dinner in Red River Saturday night and got an early start home on Sunday ourselves. Peter, Kevin and I were the last of the Navajos for the trip back to Wichita, KS. We didn’t synchronize the route home, so after Peter, on his Moto Guzzi Norge, and I, on the FJR, ran away from Kevin on his Silverado in the mountains, we became separated. Kevin took a southerly route through Guymon, OK, while Peter and I decided to head east via KS 96 to the north. Kevin only stopped once to eat and got home around 7 PM. We stopped twice and got home around 7:55PM after logging 600 miles on the day.
It was a great trip with some of the best riding in the country.
Greensburg, KS - Re-growth
US 160 Colorado
The road to El Vado, NM
Campsite Heron Lake State Park
Rearview of Kyle on his M109 and Peter on his Guzzi Norge
MKO with a mouthful of Jack. It don't get no better than this!
Photo op at CO-NM border
Back in Wichita after 600 miles in 10 hours and 40 minutes on Sunday
The next day I road 460 miles to Durango, CO, where I met up with seven other guys that had left earlier that week. The day started off with a ticket from the KHP for following too close (1.8 sec) behind a Hog truck. I had just finished breakfast and didn’t want to lose it, so I was waiting for a passing zone to get around it. $126 – Ouch!
Thursday night we stayed at another Best Western in Durango that smelled considerably more pleasant. The hot tub and pool were a welcomed sight after riding through the rain for the last two hours into town. We would see a little rain each afternoon in the mountains. After a suitably long soak in the hot tub the nine of us went to a great Italian restaurant in town to celebrate Doug’s birthday. Doug’s buddy, who lives in Durango, chauffeured him there in style in his red (naturally) GT 308 Ferrari.
The next morning, with the Chianti a distant memory, I was up early and ready to ride. Doug headed back to Atlanta and Randy back to Wichita. The rest of the gang decided to depart to El Vado, NM around 10:30 – 11 AM, so I had time for a quick ride 45 miles west to Silverton, CO and back. I turned up the wick a little bit and did the round trip in about 1:45. Paid a record high $3.69/gal for a fill up in Silverton, but it was worth every penny. What a great motorcycle road US 64 is and what breathtaking scenery.
Before leaving Durango we stopped and bought steaks for our steak night BBQ at Heron Lake State Park near El Vado, NM. We had a beautiful campsite, a great dinner, smooth Jack Daniels and cigars. In the morning Cookie did up some brawts, pepper bacon and French toast with real maple syrup. We broke camp and set off on the scenic route to Red River, NM. Cookie and John packed up the Chuck Wagon and headed back to Wichita.
Kevin, Peter, Kyle and I went up to Taos Ski Valley for a Green Chili Cheeseburger. On the decent Kyle got a little wide in a left-hander and laid down the Boulevard M109 he had only had for two weeks. Luckily he was wearing a helmet and rain gear, and only ended up with a few nasty bruises. The bike ended up at a local Suzuki dealer in Taos for repair and he flew home the next day from Albuquerque, NM.
We had a nice dinner in Red River Saturday night and got an early start home on Sunday ourselves. Peter, Kevin and I were the last of the Navajos for the trip back to Wichita, KS. We didn’t synchronize the route home, so after Peter, on his Moto Guzzi Norge, and I, on the FJR, ran away from Kevin on his Silverado in the mountains, we became separated. Kevin took a southerly route through Guymon, OK, while Peter and I decided to head east via KS 96 to the north. Kevin only stopped once to eat and got home around 7 PM. We stopped twice and got home around 7:55PM after logging 600 miles on the day.
It was a great trip with some of the best riding in the country.
Greensburg, KS - Re-growth
US 160 Colorado
The road to El Vado, NM
Campsite Heron Lake State Park
Rearview of Kyle on his M109 and Peter on his Guzzi Norge
MKO with a mouthful of Jack. It don't get no better than this!
Photo op at CO-NM border
Back in Wichita after 600 miles in 10 hours and 40 minutes on Sunday
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