Hello from Deadwood

Yesterday we spent the day in Sturgis and today we rode up to a quaint town called Deadwood. The days have been packed and not much time for blogging. Hope to get caught up in the next few days before we start the ride home.

Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota

The good news is rain did not greet us in Cheyenne last night.  The bad news is we have had  to wear our rain gear everyday so far. But it's all part of the experience, right?  Leaving Montrose, Colorado yesterday we started the day in our rain suits (which is pants and a jacket that go over all your clothes/gear) and spent half our day in and out of rain.

So, riding in the rain isn't as bad I thought it was going to be.  Don't get me wrong, I think we can all agree no rain is ideal, but if you are suited up appropriately, you stay nice and dry.  You feel like the Michelin Man, but you're dry! As a passenger it's not too bad, but the rider (that's Mike) says it's a little nerve wracking.

We are hoping maybe tomorrow we can skip the rain gear.

Riding through Colorado....

One of the memorable moments yesterday was riding through Colorado and Mike and I were nearly decapitated by a pterodactyl.  Seriously, the biggest bird I've ever seen up close decided to swoop down across the road about 2 feet above our heads.  Obviously we avoided decapitation due to Mike's quick reflexes.  Derek and Cari were riding behind and witnessed the show.  They estimated it was probably an American Eagle with a wingspan of 5-6 feet.  Yeah, so that happened.

We made into Wyoming and ate an amazing steak dinner at Wyoming Rib and Chop House in Cheyenne.  One of the best steaks I've ever had! The gang went there on their trip last year and it was so good that we had to plan a stop around it.    

 

Today was our shortest ride yet at 289 miles...and my butt didn't even hurt!  We arrived in Rapid City, South Dakota this afternoon and will be staying here until we start the journey back home on Thursday morning.  It's beautiful here and will plan to share photos throughout the week.

Tomorrow we are off to check out Sturgis and some other sights in the area.

P.S. Thanks to Cari for helping with pictures!

Cheyenne

We made it to Cheyenne Wyoming.  More to come tomorrow.

Rain, Rain Go Away

The rain loves us.  

On our way to Flagstaff last night, we rode through desert experiencing temperatures between 98 and 100 degrees (accompanied by some pretty cool lightening storms off in the distance), followed by a steadily dropping temperature and then a lot of heavy rain.  We started the evening hot and dry with temps in the 90's and arrived in Flagstaff chilly and wet with temps in the mid 50's...at 2:30 am local time.  Definitely a long day!

Heading out of Flagstaff this morning, we saw rain in the first 10 minutes on the road.  It rained off and on for about half the day.  Part of which involved riding through flash floods.  A first for everyone.

And guess what? Looks like more rain will greet us in Cheyenne, Wyoming tomorrow.

I guess the good news is we are all getting very good at putting on and taking off super awkward and bulky rain gear?  I was secretly hoping that we wouldn't have to bring out the rain gear.  That dream has been dashed!  

Despite the rain, we saw a fair amount of sun too.  Along with lots of beautiful countryside.  Sometimes I forget how big our country is and how much there is too see.

One of the highlights of today was our stop at Four Corners.  We each stood on a different state and took an awesome photo thanks to Cari's selfie stick.  Cari's on Arizona, Derek on Utah, Mike on New Mexico and I was on Colorado.  Thanks Cari!

Day 1 started at 6:45 pm in Riverside, CA and finished in Flagstaff at 2:30 am 430 miles later

Day 2 started in Flagstaff at 11:30 am and concluded in Montrose, Colorado at 10:30 pm 410 miles later

Day 3 is going to start a little earlier so we can make it to Cheyenne in time for 7:30 dinner at amazing steakhouse.  Hopefully we are not too drenched from rain when we get there. 

P.S.  Our butts are doing better than expected.  They only start really hurting after the first 300 miles!

We made it to Flagstaff

At 2:30 am. More to come tomorrow.

Traveling Light

When I started contemplating this trip, one of my first questions was how in the heck do you pack for 12 days on a motorcycle?  For 2 people??  Is that even possible?  I had my doubts.

Mike and I recently went on a 9 day trip to Hawaii and I brought a seriously HUGE suitcase. The kind that must be checked. And it was just for me.  That suitcase is about half the size of the bike so definitely not an option here.  I had to switch gears and get comfortable with the idea of major downsizing. 

The key to traveling light?  Laundry.  Or so I've heard (Mike, Derek and Cari did this trip last year for the first time). 

The magic number is 4...
4 days to get to Sturgis
4 days in Sturgis
4 days to get home
4 outfits

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

We actually snuck in one extra outfit each so when we do laundry, we have clean clothes to put on and can wash all the dirty clothes at once. 

To maximize space, the daily outfits are squished down into vacuum bags that you sit on and push out all the air until it turns into a flat-ish pancake (no vacuum required).  Also in the bag are flip flops, bathing suits, sweatshirts, toiletries, PJs, phone chargers, etc. 

The amazing part?  We have a little room to spare.  Which really is amazing, because I rarely have extra room.

Our bag is a little smaller than a standard roller bag that fits overhead on a plane. And no, we aren't bringing the cowboy hat.  It's just for size perspective.

In addition to the bag above, we have a duffle that contains our jackets and 2 saddlebags with rain gear, water bottles and other miscellaneous stuff. 

The bags are packed and ready to go!  And in about 12 hours the butt test begins! 

Sturgisbound

On Wednesday, August 3rd, Mike and I, and friends Derek and Cari, are hitting the road on a journey from Southern California to Sturgis, South Dakota on 2 motorcycles.  The four of us will cover 3,000+ miles through 9 states in 12 days! 

Not going to lie, this is totally outside my comfort zone.  I've ridden (as a passenger) many, many times.  Mostly day rides totaling 200 - 250 hundred miles max in a day.  THIS trip is a day ride on steroids. 

One of my biggest concerns? My butt's ability to withstand this kind of mileage.  However, a big comfy new seat and some assurance from my riding partners, has given me (and my butt) the confidence to go on this crazy amazing ride of a lifetime!   

The route:

Day 1: So Cal to Flagstaff, AZ
Day 2: Montrose, CO
Day 3: Cheyenne, WY
Day 4: Sturgis, SD
Day 5 - 8: Day rides in South Dakota and surrounding area
Day 9: Golden, CO
Day 10: Richfield, UT
Day 11: Vegas Baby!
Day 12: Back home

By the way, if you counted the states above, you probably noticed it doesn't add up to 9.  Our route also takes us through Nebraska and very briefly through New Mexico where we will stop at 4 Corners.
 
For those of you wondering why Sturgis?  We aren't headed to the Black Hills just to see Mount Rushmore or Badlands National Park (both of which I am super excited to see).  We are headed to SD to also take part in the 76th annual Sturgis motorcycle rally.  Google Sturgis and check out the photos (beware of excessive use of pasties).  Pretty sure the people watching will not disappoint!

The countdown is on...2 days until lift off!

Holy crap, this is getting real.