The first half of my day started early with Merlin the cat nuzzling my face around 4:30. I managed to doze off for awhile and sleep until 6:30. I was the first one up so I packed my bag and started getting dressed for my 2-hour ride to Denver. After about 15 minutes everyone was up and moving around. Geoff and I had some breakfast tea and looked at the view of the valley that we rode through last night in the dark.  I loved their house. Even though it’s ten years old, the house is completely off “the grid”, meaning no bills. They get their water from a well and have solar panels that charge batteries. There is a generator for backup and no plumbing out side the house.  A lot of the wood used in the house was taken from the mountain behind them and milled into trim and some larger support beams. There is even a full tree holding up the staircase.

I was on the road around 8:30 and headed toward Foothills BMW in Denver for my new tires and oil change. That turned into a very expensive trip since my bike was due for a 24,000 miles service. At least I can be confident that my machine will be running well for the long trip home and to Key West. While I waited for the repair I was given a loaner bike, so I could drive around town. I went to have lunch at Chipotle, then went to Barnes & Nobel to read travel books and waste as much time as possible. I returned to the shop and waited it out for a couple more hours. Around 4:30 Ponderosa was ready to ride. I loaded all my gear back on with the help of Mike from the service desk and got on the expressway heading south. I found a nice RV/camp site at the base of Pike’s Peak outside of Colorado Springs, and I now have a little corner spot beside a stream and a major road. The white noise of the traffic will help me fall asleep.

As I was leaving the mountains this morning I went over a pass at almost 11.000 feet. Then I passed through the Johnson tunnel for about a mile. Since today is Saturday I saw tons of people out riding bikes and jogging up and down the mountain. It’s nice to be in a place where people care about the environment and themselves. Once again the weather is nice and sunny topping out at around 78 degrees. I will just have to wait a couple more days until I hit the southeastern heat.

Tomorrow I will drive up Pike’s Peak reaching a summit of 14,110. I will take my picture, breathe the thin air, and maybe buy a sticker or two. Then from there, I will point my wheels toward home. I still have over 1000 miles but the roads will be mostly flat boring highways so the miles will go faster unless I get stuck in the flooding in the Midwest.  

                                   Eyes on the road please.

                                   Check out the new horse shoes.

                                    My zippy F800s loaner bike.
                                   My new address #74

Today was my longest and fullest and most epic day all rolled into one. It's very late and I am completely exhausted, so I will be more to the point than usual. I woke up in my little room at the Budget Inn in Helena Montana at 5:30 and got an early start on the road by 6:30. I hit the road heading south toward Yellowstone Park. As I was traveling south through Montana, I came upon a town named Cameron. My mom has property here so I called them to get directions to go take a look. I drove up on the ridge and saw the amazing view from where there will will be a house someday. I moved on to Yellowstone and entered the park. Once I saw the lines to get in I started to wonder if this was a good idea.  I got in the express lane and sailed right through with my park pass in hand. Once in the park it wasn't long before I was stuck behind a massive line of RV's and gawkers watching some bald eagles do their thing. I passed most of them on the narrow shoulder and sped away. Round the next corner the same thing. This went on all day, combined with some road work in a few spots inside the park it made for slow miles. I made a few stops to look at some geysers and smell the smelly sulfur gases. Even on foot I had to battle traffic and pass people blocking the entire boardwalk. I eventually exited the park  and made a swoop around Grand Teton park, just to snap a couple quick photos of the impressive mountain range. From there I worked my way up and over a 9000 foot pass, which still had lots of snow still sitting in the fields. I stopped for a late lunch in Dubois Wyoming, and met another BMW rider named Jeff. He lives in Florida, originally from New Zealand, and has a step-daughter who lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  That is where he was heading. He and I ended up riding together to my planned stop of Rawlins, WY. When we got there we both gassed up and looked at the map. I decided I would push on into Colorado with him since I needed to be in Denver the next day. We rode south leaving Wyoming and crossed into Colorado as the sun was setting and the deer were lining up to cross the road. There were so many deer in the fields that my eyes were moving like I was watching a ping-pong game worried about one jumping out. It got real dark as I followed him to his step-daughter's house way up in the hills. We went over a pass at 9500 feet then dropped into a valley where we twisted and turned though back roads. Then gravel for a couple more miles until we found the house.  I will take some pictures when the sun is out tomorrow of this very cool house. 

I rode for 14 hours and did about 700 miles today. I am sore in my hands and knees and very tired. I will have to get up early and ride to Denver for some new tires and oil in the morning.  Enjoy the pictures.

                                   Morning Sun 

                                    An onlooker
                                    Yea! 10,000k


















                                    Night Sun