Epic Journey Continued- Part 4

          Sorry Wild Cat for taking so long on the posts, I know you are anxious to get to the good parts but you know what? Its all good parts LOL jk. Ok so where were we? Oh ya somewhere around Denver Colorado waiting out the storm in a hotel. Well like I said the last I remember was looking at the clock and seeing 5:00pm and thinking about the rain. I really wanted to ride through the mountains on a sunny day so I could take in the sights and really get into the curvy roads but I actually had a very bad surprise waiting for me. I woke up around 10:00pm to a dark hotel room glowing from the light of the tv, it was still on the news channel which was good because I was so beat and lazy there was no way I was getting up to change the channel. The weatherman just said the same thing, that it was going to rain into the day the following day. Hearing this I decided to get up and take a look outside to see what it was like right then, I struggled out of bed sore from the ride so far and opened the curtians. The ground was wet but as far as I could tell it wasn't raining anymore, being as compulsive as I am about some things I strained my eyes looking into the sky and every puddle on the ground looking for splashes from the rain drops. Much to my dismay there were just the slightest of sprinkles still falling from the sky, more like mist than rain drops. Either way I had a choice to make, wait it out and see what the weather was like and risk being stuck there for another day; or suck it up and hit the road. I chose the latter, I decided that I did not want to be stuck in Denver Colorado another min let alone another day, that and I was anxious about getting to Cali and seeing my son. In hindsight I probably could have survived just waiting another day and probably enjoyed the ride a lot more, of course I'm not going to tell you why now but you will find out. My jacket and clothes were still wet from before, being that I had dried off and warmed up, putting them back on was not much fun. I packed everything back into the bags and through them on the bike seat as I worked my way out of the stairwell, it had been a lot easier getting the bike in then it was getting it out.

          I finally get back on the road, I dont know if you remember me telling you about cars and trucks kicking up road filth into a bikers visor but when the rain settles it gets even worst, especially from the semi's! It was dark and a little hazy so I turned the red LED lights I had inside my bike to make me easier to see, its always a risk turning them on since every state has its own rules and you never know when a cop is going to be a dick.

My bike with the red LED lights 

During the day from where I was on the interstate you can see the mountains ahead of you but at night its like an eerie things because you know they are out there, you just dont know when you will hit them. As I rode I remembered from years ago when my family took a trip to the Rockies with out dirt bikes and we rode them to the top, we had a hell of a time making the accent since the bikes were not fuel injected and we didnt re-jet the carborators before the ride, of course my Hayabusa was fuel injected so I had nothing to worry about.... except the fact that I was riding by myself through the mountians at night on wet roads. You think that isnt so bad right? Well it gets worst, the rain had brought in a cold front so the temperature outside went from about 60 degrees at the base to around 35-40 degrees as I reached the summit! I am not a total fool, I knew the mountains can get cold so I did pack some gloves and hand warmers which really helped me keep the feeling in my hands so I could keep control of the bike. What I didnt pack for was riding through the mountains on a cold day with wet clothes! I had to fill up about 1/4 a way up, I was so frozen I could barley stand all the way up from being froze into the riding position. The hand warmers were helping but my hands still felt cold, and I was so frozen to my core that I had 3 cups of hot coffee to warm myself back up. I had no idea how I was going to make it all the way through, it was only around 11:30 to midnight and I knew that it was just going to get colder as the night wore on. People think that the coldest point of the day is midnight but in fact its actually right before sunrise when the part of the earth has been out of sunlight the longest. 

          If you have never made a trip through the mountains then I need to educate you a little bit about how things go down up there. First there are often long stretches of interstate without exits and a lot of those exits lead to just open wilderness with no buildings, gas stations, or even houses. The rest stops in the middle of the night are dimmly lit and most of the time vacant, maybe a car or truck with a sleeping driver. There is a lot of wildlife up there! I dont know how many rest stops I made where there were coyotes or other animals lurking around, it its pretty scary when your on a bike with no doors to close! I dont remember how many times I had to fill up but I do remember everytime I did I had to drink at least two cups of hot coffee to warm up, most of the time I dreaded getting back on the bike because as soon as you were back on the road you started to freeze! I had to make the whole ride with my visor up and riding with caution because cars and trucks were blinding me with road gunk and throwing me around by speeding past me. The moon came visible halfway across the mountains, on the way up its mostly curvy roads, tunnels through mountain, and wilderness; but on the way down there is a river that flows next to the road and curves with it. In the moonlight the river has a dark blueish glow that reflects the stars and the moon in the sky, so besides the blistering cold and shitty weather it was a least a nice site to see. Near the summit so 10-14000 ft above sea level there is a small town called Veil, there the air is cold and crisp, the town has a warm homely feeling to it and would probably be a very nice vacation spot it I could ever have the time to stop there.

Vail shot from Google Earth 

This is a frame image from Google Earth of Vail, of course I cant get the town but as you can see it is a very nice sight to see. 

          Back to the road as you come down in elevation you near Utah, you dont come all the way down until about half way through so it was still cold as I neared the border. It was about 5:00am when I first got into Utah, I remember this because after I crossed into Utah I stopped at a Denny's to grab some warm food and drink. I walked in about half frozen and bloodshot eyes from all the crap I was getting thrown in my face. There was a very beautiful smalltown girl working who welcomed me in and sat me down, she noticed that I had road in on a motorcycle and saw that I had a great deal of baggage. I ordered a cup of coffee and talked to the waitress about the journey that I was taking. Outside the sun was just barely starting to rise behind the mountains I had just come from, after about 5 cups of coffee and a light breakfast I was warm enough to get back on the road. I almost regretting leaving that girl behind, she was very good looking and she was a breath of fresh air on the rugged ride, but like all good things they will come to an end eventually so it is what it is. I had missed riding through the mountains and seeing the sights in Colorado but in Utah there are some equally awe aspiring sights if you make the trip at the right time of day! With the sun rising behind me it cast an orange glow on the mountains in front of me, there is a part in Utah where you come down from the higher mountains and follow this road down through a valley and through what looks like a gate cut into the mountains, the sun made everything glow red like fire, it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The sun was starting to warm me up and I was finally able to see some great scenery and hit some really nice curves through the mountains of Utah. To Be Continued...