Once again I rode too far today. I wanted to push it a bit so the next few days would be easier as I get closer to home. I got out of my tent early after a good deep sleep to prepare for my summit to the top of Pike's Peak. The road to the top is about 19 miles and about 50% dirt. I made it to mile 13 and saw a sign that said road will be closed until 9am. It was 8:00, so I had to kill an hour at the gift shop. The Pike's Peak hill climb race will be held in a couple weeks, so some of the racers were doing tire tests. The road opened as promised and I followed a slow line of cars up the very twisty and steep road. I had stopped at one of the switch backs to take a picture and I had parked on a slope at the side of the road. I guess I leaned to far to the right and my bike started falling and all I could do was jump off and get away from the 800 lbs death trap. I said a few choice words, and then had to unload all my luggage so I could pick the bike up alone. I got it upright on the third try and repacked the bike on more level ground. A bit embarrassing, but I guess it's better to fall while stopped then at speed. There are around 352 turns in this 19 mile stretch climbing about 7,000 feet and topping out at 14,110. There are very few guardrails at the tight turns, which make the sheer drops off the side very scary to look down. I got to the top and enjoyed the views and the thin air, but I didn't stay long since I knew I needed to start my trek eastward. So I descended slowly and safely with only a couple scary braking moments in the gravel. On the way out of Colorado Springs, I made a quick stop at the Garden of the Gods. This is a small park with large red rock formations similar to what I saw in Southern Utah five weeks ago. I only took a few pictures and then got on the road. After about an hour and a half I hit the Kansas border and the flat terrain . I had been dreading this part of the trip so I kept the speed high and the music flowing through my helmet to keep me awake. I stopped for lunch in one town and then gas and dinner in another. I had picked Salina, Kansas as my stop for the night, but when I got there I figured I had another 100 miles in me and plenty of daylight. I then chose the Missouri state line as my stop. My "devil box" (GPS) got me on a back road which led me through the country side of Kansas in the dark. I had a couple deer run across my path so I had to play it safe and ride much slower. I decided to grab a Super 8 motel room to end my long painful day. My total miles were well over 600 with a 14 hour ride time. A bit too much for this far into my adventure, but I hear home calling and I want to be in the east again. I'm not sure where I will end up tomorrow but I hope I don't push too far. I do plan on starting early and covering some ground but hopefully not in the dark hours of the night.

Pike's Peak is on the left
Pavement ends
Sandy Switchback....
And the bike falls.





















Wind Farm

Kansas Sunset