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Trip Report: First off, I really want to thank all of you who helped me with great tips and suggestions for my first long bike trip. You provided me with confidence. Thanks again for your help!
I set out late Thursday morning, watching the Denver skyline disappear in my rearview mirrors, for Yellowstone National Park. I was heading North on the constipated slab known as I-25. Oh my god... I am not a religous person, but I was prayin whilst tooling along this slab just at the speed limit in the slow lane. Had all these cagers gone insane? Are there no rules, parameters, respect, consideration of any kind on this road? Yup, I was freaked out, all the way 'till just north of Ft Collins. What a nightmare.
My first pit stop found me just outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I gassed up, moved my bike into a parking stall and went in the store to get a bottle of water. Coming out of the store, I see four biker folks standing around my Triumph America. Joining them, we talk and I learn they are two couples heading to Sturgis, SD, from Houston. Each one of them is driving a beautiful full dresser HD. One of the guys reports that he is really impressed with how I have re-built my Triumph. When I explain its a 2007 stock bike, he 'bout jumps out of his chaps with surprise. We had a great conversation, lasting almost a half an hour.
Back on the bike, I remember one of the tips I learned on this site; earplugs! cause I couldnt hear a dang thing but the wind whistling in my ears. I made a mental note to pick some up as soon as possible.
About half way to my next stop, Douglas Wyoming, I think, the sky is filled with beautiful massive thunderheads. Not unusual fot this time of day along the front range and based upon the last few months of near 100 degree temps and no rain, I just enjoyed the view and watching them form. About 15 minutes later, the sky settled in on top of me, grey, black swirls of clouds so close I thought I had gone to heaven. Being so close to my next stop, I thought I could surely beat any rain, if it actually even did rain, so nope, I didnt stop to put on the rain gear. Of course you know the rest, the sky unleased its fury. I could actually see the torrential downpour coming sideways. It hurt, I got soaked, and had to pull over on to the shoulder. I had zero confidence of riding in this kind of rain, so there I sat, like a little boy calling for his mommy, in the rain, digging through my Bagtec luggage for some rain gear, not knowing what the ****** to do. I continued stting there with my gear on, pleading with the sky to turn it off. After about 15 minutes, the sky just growing darker and sending the rain down harder, and with my mother not answering my calls, I knew I had to get back on the bike and beat it to Douglas. So there I was, a shaken, afraid, soaking wet pup, cruizin down I-25 at about 50mph, in a 75 mph speed zone, just wanting to get in the fetal position and cry like a baby. I remembered some of what I learned on this site; Be steady, no sudden moves and dont fight the wind. So thats how I rode, for the next 45 minutes or so in the drivng rain, to Douglas.
I hit the pit stop in Douglas, filled my tank, in the continuing driving rain. I got one more leg to Casper, where I thought I would spend about an hour or more just resting and eating. After talking to the folks in the store, and listening to the weather report of continued rain through Friday, I am debating on baggin the whole dang trip and hunkering down in Douglas 'till the rain stops. So I am at this cross road of sorts. Do I just call stay here and bag the whole trip? Or do I continue on and enter this challenge and get to Casper. My hand was forced, when I learned there was no place to stay in Douglas. The store owner, who had a small RV park in the back kindly suggested that she was sure one of the guests she knew staying in the park would let me camp out there for the night if I would like. As I was contemplating her offer, I saw through the glass store front, my teacher,(unbeknowst to him), pulling up on his BMW to the gas pump and calmly fueling up. He hung up the handle, put the cap on his tank, and was off again, in the driving rain.
I am back on my bike, heading north to Casper, trying my best to model my teachers calm approach and demeanor. I wished I could have thanked him, but I never saw him again. I am just outside of Casper, a little town called Evansville, the rain stops but the sky remains dark. Pulling in I see a wal-mart, a restaurant, and Super 8 motel, and yep, and an automotive store all with three or four blocks of each other. I ate and decided to settle down by spending the night as it was just about 6pm. I needed to dry off, myself and the bike, eat, and calm down and figure out what the ****** just happened.
So I did. Had a nice dinner of fish, rice and some veggies, checked into the motel, where they let me park the bike under the cover of their entrance! I went to the room got out of the wetness, took a shower and turned on the weather channel. So I am stting there watching te tube thinking about what had just transpired over the last 6 hours or so, drowing in misery. Then I got to thinking about the way kool harley riders I met, the kind woman in the store in Douglas, my teacher, and the fact that I made it to Casper. Decided that these were all really good things, and remembered another piece of advice learned from this site; "Its not about the destination, its about the journey". So all of a sudden, I am feeling extremely fortunate. It was really almost a spiritual kind of moment, without trying to sound too dramatic.
I headed out the door to check out and see if I could find some ear-plugs and rain pants at either Wal-Mart or the automotive store. Wal-mart had both so bought them and headed back to my room, after a big fat cold Fat Tire at a bar around the corner from the hotel.
I fall asleep thinking about maybe changing my destination closer by and thoguth about heading out to Sturgis, half the drive as it would have been to Yellowstone...
I am up early, around 4:30am. Its still raining, but just a light shower. I pack up my bike and head back to Douglas where I would pick up hwy 18 / 20 to Lusk Wyoming and then on to Sturgis. Hloy cow, are the ear-plugs ever awesome. it reduced the anxiety scale to near zero. I felt confident and in control the rest of the trip.
Cruizin through the eastern plains of Wyoming, without a soul in sight, I was introduced to big sky. I have never seen so much sky, it was huge and overwhelming, and another of what was to be many spiritual kinds of moments to come. I was overcome with just how incredible of a space we live in. Another admirer of Triumph in Lusk where I gassed up, commented upon my observation of the big sky, that there is just 500,000 folks living in the entire state of Wyoming. Could this be right?
My ride to Sturgis, thanks to another friendly biker in Newcastle, had me taking roads called the Needles hwy, to the Rushmore memorial, the Crazy horse memorial, that seemd to be designed specifically for motorcycle travel. I suppose this is why Sturgis is the motorcycle mecca? What incredible riding, and the sun began peeking out throught he clouds on occassion. I booked another room, at yet another Super 8, in Sturgis, and cruized around town. Ate, talked to some folks, and walked around all the exhibits that were going up. While the rally doesnt actually begin untill next week I think, there were alot of bikers, all on HD's, not a single Triumph was seen. : (
I ate and went to bed, dreamin of all the roads I had yet to explore in this area tomorrow. I spent all day Saturday just really taking everything in, feeling confident enought to take the beautiful sweeping roads at speed with a big 'ole grin on my face the whole time.
The America is a dream machine, never failing to impress the heck out of me and everyone else who saw her. She was steady all the way through and not even a single hic-up at any time. She seemed happiest at about 80mph, just growling along smoothly the entire trip. I cant wait to clean her up tomorrow!
I headed back to Denver Sunday am arriving home about 3pm. What a trip it was and many lessons learned, namely:
1. Yes, you can.
2. Heed advice of experienced riders and wise people.
3. Open yourself up to whats around you, lessons often seem to come from some unlikey places, and in unlikely ways.
4. Fear is not a bad thing.
5. Ride with the wind.
6. Its a wonderful world.
7. People are kool, okay, well with the exception of the crotch rocket that blew by me, and everyone else, doing well over one-hundred while adjusting his backpack near Ft. Collin, CO.
8. Ear-plugs are a good thing too.
9. Put on your rain gear when it starts to look lke rain, in that moment.
10. Respect everything and everyone around you, even if t appears others arent.
11. A screen might not be a bad idea for long tours...

Sorry no pics, the wife had the digital in AR and so I had to buy a disposable. I will post after getting them on the cd.

Thanks again everyone for all your help and reading this report!

"Well done, young Grasshopper"

a great achievement and a wonderful write up.
this should be the first of many wonderful journies...

Great post with a self-deprecating slant to it that you don't often see. I take my rain gear with me on any overnighter or longer trip, and I pack it in the top of the right saddlebag for easy access in case I need it. Why the right one? When the bike is on the sidestand, the right saddlebag sits taller than the left so you don't have to bend over as far to dig it out.

Knowing when it's going to rain is an art form. I've ridden with some who just seem to have some psychic ability to know when that drizzle is going to turn into a downpour. They have an uncanny sense about it and pull over to don the rain gear just before the deluge comes. Sure wish I had the same ability, but I always seem to wait until one exit too late before getting dumped on.

A windshield is a good idea for long trips not only in the rain, but also just to keep the windblast off your chest which can lead to fatigue after a few hundred miles. Sadly, my windshield let me down on my trip 2 weeks ago. With the adjustments I had to make to it after putting on different risers, I was getting too much head buffeting and wound up with a splitting headache so it did more harm than good. I was dumb for breaking one of my rules....always try out a piece of equipment/gear BEFORE going on a long trip.

I also forgot to fill up my Camelbak bladder with water in Kayenta, Utah, and almost paid the price for it when it was empty 40 miles from the nearest gas station and in 105 degree heat. I was guzzling a big bottle of water when I got to Hanksville for gas.

So even though I made a list before setting out on my trip, I still forgot to pack some essentials, like sunscreen. Road trips always seem to be that though, you always forget to pack something.

Thanks for the kind words. Speakin of risers, as I was touring tis weekend, the thought occured to me that it might be more comfortable if I could drop my elbows a little more. Would risers bring the handlebars back closer to me to get more drop in my elbows?

Well I only know about the Speedmaster, since that's what I have. You could try lowering the bars a bit by loosening the riser clamps and rotating the bar. That won't bring the bars back closer to you, but it will lower your hands positions while riding. Others have gone with Jim's Spacers with some success.

another reason to put your rain gear in the right side saddle bag
(for those of us who live in countries where we drive on the right hand side of the road)
is if you wind up pulling over on the side of the road, to tend to getting gear on, you're not
out on the traffic side of things while you're
getting your stuff together.

John, what a great experience you had, and thank you so much for sharing. I've been told that the week to hit Sturgis is the week before it starts.

Big smiling. I especially like your #6 lesson.

Nice story & write-up. I've been on I-25 between Denver and Ft Collins, it's nuts. Next time, and there'll be a next time, go to Sheridan, Wyo turn left over the Bighorn Mtns and head across the basin to Beartooth pass

What's rain like? I remember something like that, but it's been so long, the details are sketchy

jh