IDiggItAll
Active member
The story goes something like this 
A good friend of mine was holding a wedding celebration in Fort Collins Colorado on 8/7. My wife and I were going to make it a couples trip and leave the 4 daughters behind while we flew in from Cincinnati. Well the wife couldn't get the time off and I was still desparate to get out in the mountains and didn't want to miss my buddies day of demize. So I started kicking around ideas on how I might be able to do it on my own and quickly found that the cost to do it commercially was a bit daunting for a 1 man trip. The very next thought was of twisting through the Rockies on my trusty 2005 FJR1300 ABS. Alas, only having rode as far as Front Royal Virginia from Cincinnati in a single day I knew that I had to extend my trip significantly. I also hadn't ridden solo for more than 4 hours so I was a little aprehensive to consider a solo trip. Alas, none of my riding buddies were able to convince their significant others or come up with the cajones to put it on the schedule. Time was ticking, my job was eating me alive, I was ready to shred my way out of my shell, there simply was no way to excuse myself I had to do it. So I pulled all my logistic intellegence and plotted out a plan;
8/5 - Leave Cincinnati @ 4:00PM after work head to Topeka Kansas = 700ish miles.
8/6 - Work 1/2 day in Topeka at Hyatt Place leave Topeka towards Fort Collins at 12PM ET = 600ish miles
8/6 - Party Friday night with friends in Fort Collins till 2AM MT
8/7 - Ride the mountains from 8AM MT to about 1PM MT
8/7 - Wedding Celebration till 3AM MT
8/8 - Leave Fort Collins headed to Topeka Kansas by 12PM MT going the long way through Poudre canyon and down to 70
8/9 - Leave Topeka at 12PM ET after 1/2 of work headed towards Cincy = 700ish miles
8/9 - Arrive home in Cincinnati around 11:30PM ET
Finally the time came to hit the road. I hopped on my FJ1300 and got out of town just before rush hour. I passed a couple Harley Chicks on the way to Indianapolis, they were pretty cute on their loud ass pink and flame bikes. I tried to ride with them for a bit but knew that if I kept at their pace it would be 8am CT before I got to Topeka so I waved and road off in haste. Indianapolis never seemed so close as it did that night; on to St. Louis. Somewhere between Indy and St. Louis I stopped at a rest stop and chatted with a kind not so young fellow on a Road King from Guam, he was knocking down the bucket list going coast to coast with a week stop at Sturgis, a retired marine. I forget his name but he was a kind character and I hope to be able to ride as long as him! Once I got to the city of Blues I took the long way through it to see the city and the arch I figured it would be better at night (12am ish?), boy did it smell. Coming out of the city I saw a cycle light coming from behind me at a pretty good pace so I maintained my modest 75mph till he was right on my tail and then nailed 4th gear with force. If you know your FJR the roll on power can be a bit daunting to the unexpecting; needless to say he was planning on surprising me but I think I turned the tables (thank you FJ). For the next 10 miles or so the GSXR 600 tried to keep up but I never let him get close enough to see my Ohio plates. I backed her off a bit and let him pass and followed him a while and traded places a couple times while playing cat and mouse. He got off somewhere between St. Louis and Kansas City I kept on rolling. The night was dark and comfortable, I passed countless groups of cyclists on their way to Sturgis I presumed while grinding through the miles and listening to my constant companion; I love my ipod. I got into Topeka around 3am ish (I know there are a lot of ishes)and turned down the comfy bed at the Hyatt place. Sleep didn't come on as easily as I expected, I was imagining mountains.
The next day came bright and early, I was at the laptop by 7:45AM ET and cranking through emails and the like. After a couple calls a couple coups of tea and some yogurt 12PM ET was on me. Bam back on the road! I took it slow for the first little bit and saw two cops outside the airforce base (remember police positioning). After the Airforce base I was clearly at the edge of the great plains because all of a sudden there was nothing but fields and flat. Slowly but surely the FJR started to grumble beneath me beckoning at my right wrist to giver a twist; 85,90,90,95,... you get the picture. Before I knew it I was filling up every hour and 45 minutes and I was racing towards Colorado. I could almost see the mountains; nope that was the worlds largest prarie dog.
Finally I got to the border of Colorado and got the camera out for the first picture of the trip. All seemed just fine, no weather no cops, no nothing (emphasis on nothing)and the land was starting to have a little bit of contour about 1/2 thought Colorado when some dark clouds developed on the horizon. At first it didn't seem like there was anything to worry about until I got closer and closer and saw that these weren't any old clouds. There was a little spatter and it looked like I might be able to ride 70 right through a gap in the storm but all of a sudden the storm enveloped the highway. Wind, thunder, lightening enveloped me almost instantly. I barely had time to get my rain gear on and my water proof socks under my Doc Martens (Kroger bags)then the sky opened up and let me have it. I would have pulled off for shelter if there was any, I would have hung out on the shoulder of the highway if there was one; there was nothing left to do but ride ride ride. I must have looked like a lunatic riding 25mph leaning at a 120d angle (that's to the left) with my flashers on. Ironically, most of the cars on the road got behind me, put their blinkers on, and white knuckled through the storm with me. When I came through it I was very thankfull and pulled of to gather my thoughts for a second when I caught a glimpse of a rainbow off in the distance. Back on the bike I got back up to speed and pulled the last 3 hours off with no drama.
Saturday morning (skipping all the non bike stuff) I hopped on my girl (who still hasn't been named but has earned a very special place in my heart now) and headed into the Rocky Mountains; this is why I had to do the trip. I took off into Poudre canyon and after getting past the Saturday recreation crowds got into the twisties for the first time on the trip. The scenery was magnificent, the cool mountain air refreshing, the turns spectacular, my ipod gave out somewhere around 10K feet (it's done this 3 times now). On the backside of Poudre canyon I stopped at a little town for fuel (Waldon) and some water. After a quick break I headed south through the highland plains towards Rocky Mountain National Forest. The high plains are fantastic you can see forever and are surrounded by mountains. I opened her up and broke my personal land speed record while rocking out (ipod back on). I zoomed through Arapahoe National Forest on some really nice turns and turned left into Rocky Mountain National Forest. I took the big road over the Continental divide (this is a tourist trap 20Mph for 2 hours) and caught some fantastic sites I thought I'd never see on a motorcycle. At the end of the journey across the mountains I came through tourist hell Estes Park (it looks a lot like Gatlinburgh if you've been through the Smokies). Once throught that it was HOT 90 and it was beer:30. I got into Fort Collins just in time to help put the goat on the spict and start celebrating (4ish).
The next day came too quick, I was up and ready to roll by 12PM MT. I wanted to get my Iron Butt 1500 on this trip so I headed the long way home. Through Poudre Canyon (14), down through Arapahoe National Forest again (125 South), through Winter Park, down to 70 and god knows how many miles East. I made great time through the mountains again; this time I expected the ipod to take a nap. I did pick up a couple local sport bike enthusiasts heading through Poudre and played cat and mouse with them for the majority of the way, I got the feeling they were thinking this F'er from Ohio has got some cajones. Alas, I was probably just patting myself on the back for keeping up with them through the twisties without breaking a sweat. After that the road was mine pretty much the entire way until I got to 70 East. After the traffic cleared I was back into the plains and hade to make good time. I kept on top of it all the way through Colorado and somewhere after several gas stops into Kansas I felt something flutter by me; WTF? It happened again, this time I pulled over. To my horror my make shift IBA log (a pocket full of reciepts with writing on them) was empty!!!! Oh freaking well, back on the road. I was ripping through the miles as fast as I could manage and came across the endless field of wind mills I didn't mention on the way out. What a crazy site 500+ 200ft towers flashing read in a chaotic order; mezmorizing. I kept rolling and was just a bit out of Topeka when something caught my eye; could it be a car with lights on top??? From 95 down to 60 in zero seconds flat, he pulled a Uey and crept up on me. I afixed my eyes on the horizon (of blackness) and kept rolling just over the speed limit. When he got from behind me and pulled up next to me I looked to the left and matched his nod; he pulled off to the left and headed back home I presumed (note location of cop same as on way West just outside airbase). I got to the Hotel at about 3:30AM CT and was pulling Z turns in under 5 minutes.
The next day I was up at 8AM ET (yes you got it that's 3.5 hours rest)and done working by 12PM ET; back on the road. I headed East and was making pretty good time. All was not so bad till about 4pm when traffic picked up and the heat was crushing. I got off the highway and got a Red Bull (note - I had lost my IBA log anyway)and tried to cool off. The gas attendant told me that it was 105 degrees and 70% humidity. No wonder I felt like I was going to fall over dead. He then explained that a bunch of Harley guys had just rode through and gotten all their T-Shirts wet. I lost the mesh jacket and gave it a try; oh my what a relief. Heading through St. Louis a guy in a rush tried to occupy the same space I and FJ were in; fortunately my accute awareness saved my arse and my finger communicated my displeasure with him. After St. Louis, Indianapolis whizzed by, and I was headed towards Dayton Ohio (still going the long way for self gratification of 1500 in 36 hours). Just south of Dayton I came across a guy on a nice BMW sport touring bike; he and I rode together for a bit and then there were only 30 miles till home. I slowed it down real far and took her easy to the Taco Bell just around the corner. I got home at about 11:45pm and woke the wife for a victory photo.
Well, I must say that after my first real solo trip I am hooked. I am constantly going back to that happy place in my mind that I found somewhere across the 3200 miles I burned between home and home. I now have an immense respect for the engineers who designed our FJRs and hope that they get to see what they're made of the way I did. I can't wait for my next big trip; Montana, Alaska, California?????
Thanks to all the positive encourgement from the Forum, the support of my wife, and to Mr. and Mrs. Handlesman for the opportunity to head out west!
We've arrived.
A good friend of mine was holding a wedding celebration in Fort Collins Colorado on 8/7. My wife and I were going to make it a couples trip and leave the 4 daughters behind while we flew in from Cincinnati. Well the wife couldn't get the time off and I was still desparate to get out in the mountains and didn't want to miss my buddies day of demize. So I started kicking around ideas on how I might be able to do it on my own and quickly found that the cost to do it commercially was a bit daunting for a 1 man trip. The very next thought was of twisting through the Rockies on my trusty 2005 FJR1300 ABS. Alas, only having rode as far as Front Royal Virginia from Cincinnati in a single day I knew that I had to extend my trip significantly. I also hadn't ridden solo for more than 4 hours so I was a little aprehensive to consider a solo trip. Alas, none of my riding buddies were able to convince their significant others or come up with the cajones to put it on the schedule. Time was ticking, my job was eating me alive, I was ready to shred my way out of my shell, there simply was no way to excuse myself I had to do it. So I pulled all my logistic intellegence and plotted out a plan;
8/5 - Leave Cincinnati @ 4:00PM after work head to Topeka Kansas = 700ish miles.
8/6 - Work 1/2 day in Topeka at Hyatt Place leave Topeka towards Fort Collins at 12PM ET = 600ish miles
8/6 - Party Friday night with friends in Fort Collins till 2AM MT
8/7 - Ride the mountains from 8AM MT to about 1PM MT
8/7 - Wedding Celebration till 3AM MT
8/8 - Leave Fort Collins headed to Topeka Kansas by 12PM MT going the long way through Poudre canyon and down to 70
8/9 - Leave Topeka at 12PM ET after 1/2 of work headed towards Cincy = 700ish miles
8/9 - Arrive home in Cincinnati around 11:30PM ET
Finally the time came to hit the road. I hopped on my FJ1300 and got out of town just before rush hour. I passed a couple Harley Chicks on the way to Indianapolis, they were pretty cute on their loud ass pink and flame bikes. I tried to ride with them for a bit but knew that if I kept at their pace it would be 8am CT before I got to Topeka so I waved and road off in haste. Indianapolis never seemed so close as it did that night; on to St. Louis. Somewhere between Indy and St. Louis I stopped at a rest stop and chatted with a kind not so young fellow on a Road King from Guam, he was knocking down the bucket list going coast to coast with a week stop at Sturgis, a retired marine. I forget his name but he was a kind character and I hope to be able to ride as long as him! Once I got to the city of Blues I took the long way through it to see the city and the arch I figured it would be better at night (12am ish?), boy did it smell. Coming out of the city I saw a cycle light coming from behind me at a pretty good pace so I maintained my modest 75mph till he was right on my tail and then nailed 4th gear with force. If you know your FJR the roll on power can be a bit daunting to the unexpecting; needless to say he was planning on surprising me but I think I turned the tables (thank you FJ). For the next 10 miles or so the GSXR 600 tried to keep up but I never let him get close enough to see my Ohio plates. I backed her off a bit and let him pass and followed him a while and traded places a couple times while playing cat and mouse. He got off somewhere between St. Louis and Kansas City I kept on rolling. The night was dark and comfortable, I passed countless groups of cyclists on their way to Sturgis I presumed while grinding through the miles and listening to my constant companion; I love my ipod. I got into Topeka around 3am ish (I know there are a lot of ishes)and turned down the comfy bed at the Hyatt place. Sleep didn't come on as easily as I expected, I was imagining mountains.
The next day came bright and early, I was at the laptop by 7:45AM ET and cranking through emails and the like. After a couple calls a couple coups of tea and some yogurt 12PM ET was on me. Bam back on the road! I took it slow for the first little bit and saw two cops outside the airforce base (remember police positioning). After the Airforce base I was clearly at the edge of the great plains because all of a sudden there was nothing but fields and flat. Slowly but surely the FJR started to grumble beneath me beckoning at my right wrist to giver a twist; 85,90,90,95,... you get the picture. Before I knew it I was filling up every hour and 45 minutes and I was racing towards Colorado. I could almost see the mountains; nope that was the worlds largest prarie dog.
Finally I got to the border of Colorado and got the camera out for the first picture of the trip. All seemed just fine, no weather no cops, no nothing (emphasis on nothing)and the land was starting to have a little bit of contour about 1/2 thought Colorado when some dark clouds developed on the horizon. At first it didn't seem like there was anything to worry about until I got closer and closer and saw that these weren't any old clouds. There was a little spatter and it looked like I might be able to ride 70 right through a gap in the storm but all of a sudden the storm enveloped the highway. Wind, thunder, lightening enveloped me almost instantly. I barely had time to get my rain gear on and my water proof socks under my Doc Martens (Kroger bags)then the sky opened up and let me have it. I would have pulled off for shelter if there was any, I would have hung out on the shoulder of the highway if there was one; there was nothing left to do but ride ride ride. I must have looked like a lunatic riding 25mph leaning at a 120d angle (that's to the left) with my flashers on. Ironically, most of the cars on the road got behind me, put their blinkers on, and white knuckled through the storm with me. When I came through it I was very thankfull and pulled of to gather my thoughts for a second when I caught a glimpse of a rainbow off in the distance. Back on the bike I got back up to speed and pulled the last 3 hours off with no drama.
Saturday morning (skipping all the non bike stuff) I hopped on my girl (who still hasn't been named but has earned a very special place in my heart now) and headed into the Rocky Mountains; this is why I had to do the trip. I took off into Poudre canyon and after getting past the Saturday recreation crowds got into the twisties for the first time on the trip. The scenery was magnificent, the cool mountain air refreshing, the turns spectacular, my ipod gave out somewhere around 10K feet (it's done this 3 times now). On the backside of Poudre canyon I stopped at a little town for fuel (Waldon) and some water. After a quick break I headed south through the highland plains towards Rocky Mountain National Forest. The high plains are fantastic you can see forever and are surrounded by mountains. I opened her up and broke my personal land speed record while rocking out (ipod back on). I zoomed through Arapahoe National Forest on some really nice turns and turned left into Rocky Mountain National Forest. I took the big road over the Continental divide (this is a tourist trap 20Mph for 2 hours) and caught some fantastic sites I thought I'd never see on a motorcycle. At the end of the journey across the mountains I came through tourist hell Estes Park (it looks a lot like Gatlinburgh if you've been through the Smokies). Once throught that it was HOT 90 and it was beer:30. I got into Fort Collins just in time to help put the goat on the spict and start celebrating (4ish).
The next day came too quick, I was up and ready to roll by 12PM MT. I wanted to get my Iron Butt 1500 on this trip so I headed the long way home. Through Poudre Canyon (14), down through Arapahoe National Forest again (125 South), through Winter Park, down to 70 and god knows how many miles East. I made great time through the mountains again; this time I expected the ipod to take a nap. I did pick up a couple local sport bike enthusiasts heading through Poudre and played cat and mouse with them for the majority of the way, I got the feeling they were thinking this F'er from Ohio has got some cajones. Alas, I was probably just patting myself on the back for keeping up with them through the twisties without breaking a sweat. After that the road was mine pretty much the entire way until I got to 70 East. After the traffic cleared I was back into the plains and hade to make good time. I kept on top of it all the way through Colorado and somewhere after several gas stops into Kansas I felt something flutter by me; WTF? It happened again, this time I pulled over. To my horror my make shift IBA log (a pocket full of reciepts with writing on them) was empty!!!! Oh freaking well, back on the road. I was ripping through the miles as fast as I could manage and came across the endless field of wind mills I didn't mention on the way out. What a crazy site 500+ 200ft towers flashing read in a chaotic order; mezmorizing. I kept rolling and was just a bit out of Topeka when something caught my eye; could it be a car with lights on top??? From 95 down to 60 in zero seconds flat, he pulled a Uey and crept up on me. I afixed my eyes on the horizon (of blackness) and kept rolling just over the speed limit. When he got from behind me and pulled up next to me I looked to the left and matched his nod; he pulled off to the left and headed back home I presumed (note location of cop same as on way West just outside airbase). I got to the Hotel at about 3:30AM CT and was pulling Z turns in under 5 minutes.
The next day I was up at 8AM ET (yes you got it that's 3.5 hours rest)and done working by 12PM ET; back on the road. I headed East and was making pretty good time. All was not so bad till about 4pm when traffic picked up and the heat was crushing. I got off the highway and got a Red Bull (note - I had lost my IBA log anyway)and tried to cool off. The gas attendant told me that it was 105 degrees and 70% humidity. No wonder I felt like I was going to fall over dead. He then explained that a bunch of Harley guys had just rode through and gotten all their T-Shirts wet. I lost the mesh jacket and gave it a try; oh my what a relief. Heading through St. Louis a guy in a rush tried to occupy the same space I and FJ were in; fortunately my accute awareness saved my arse and my finger communicated my displeasure with him. After St. Louis, Indianapolis whizzed by, and I was headed towards Dayton Ohio (still going the long way for self gratification of 1500 in 36 hours). Just south of Dayton I came across a guy on a nice BMW sport touring bike; he and I rode together for a bit and then there were only 30 miles till home. I slowed it down real far and took her easy to the Taco Bell just around the corner. I got home at about 11:45pm and woke the wife for a victory photo.
Well, I must say that after my first real solo trip I am hooked. I am constantly going back to that happy place in my mind that I found somewhere across the 3200 miles I burned between home and home. I now have an immense respect for the engineers who designed our FJRs and hope that they get to see what they're made of the way I did. I can't wait for my next big trip; Montana, Alaska, California?????
Thanks to all the positive encourgement from the Forum, the support of my wife, and to Mr. and Mrs. Handlesman for the opportunity to head out west!
We've arrived.
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