See America Ride ~ Overview
A few months ago, Richard L. came up with the idea of taking a ride based on an article he found in the GWRRA Wingworld Magazine. This article describes a loop through Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. Well, needless to say, he sat down at his trusty computer and started laying it out. He brought it to the attention of a few of us. Lesley and I asked if we could join him on this ride. He continued with the planning, and by the time he got it pretty much hammered out, four parties were going with five bikes.
So now, let the planning begin. The choice has been made that we will motel it during this adventure. It's by far the best way to go. It takes about 3 to 4 hours to set up the camper and take it down. So, we will be pulling cargo trailers. Motelling it is the best way to travel this adventure.
Our trip will take us through Montana, Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. While our schedule is extremely flexible, here is a general schedule of stopovers. We want to take the Durango/Silverton Train ride, but upon reviewing the reservations, it's unclear whether we can secure a spot.
- June 14 ~ Missoula, MT
- June 15 ~ Idaho Falls, ID
- June 16 ~ Vernal, UT
- June 17 ~ Poncha Springs, CO
- June 18 ~ Durango, CO
- June 19 ~ Blanding, UT
- June 20 ~ Bryce Canyon City, UT
- June 21 ~ Green River, WY
- June 22 ~ Rock Springs, WY
- June 23 ~ Idaho Falls, ID
- June 24 ~ Cascade, ID
- June 25 ~ Spokane, WA
What do we hope to see on this adventure? Well, we hope to check out the Dinosaurs at the Dinosaur National Monument. I just don't know yet what we'll but I've been told we will be having some fun. I've included a few videos to wet the appetite. I know we're hoping to get to 4 Corners, but last time we heard, it was closed due to COVID-19. I guess we're going to run into a lot of that. Right now, it looks like the Arches National Park in Utah is open with restrictions in place.
Missoula, here we come!!!
June 14 ~ See America Ride - Day 1
Well, what a day this was. We got a good night's sleep and completed packing the trailer for our trip. Once everything was packed, we donned our riding apparel for the short trip to Coeur d'Alene, ID. Here we were to meet up with Richard at the Black Sheep sporting goods location on Government Way. We found a small piece of shade and tried to stay somewhat cool during our wait. We saw Richard pull into the location and thought he saw us parked up front.
Well, we were in error there. After a few minutes, we went on the hunt looking for him. Well, we found him in our parking lot, but on the back side. I guess we didn't hear the words "...in the corner by the Costco gas pumps." After some conversation, we were off. We picked up Alex & Anne at Exit 17, officially started our trip to see America. Everything went as planned. The rides performed without issue, and travel was good. It was a little warm, but we were ok. We stopped at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar for lunch. Salad was the order of the day all. We didn't see the need to top off the tanks so off we went to Missoula. Here we stayed at the Super 8 on Reserve Street.
We got checked in and went off to our rooms. At first glance, everything seemed to be ok. Well, the first night didn't go so well. When we got back from dinner at the Montana Club, the floor in our room was vibrating like crazy. I remarked that it felt like the vibrating beds that used to be in Motel 6 locations, but only WORSE! We went to get water from the vending machines, and we were met with a sign saying it was out of order. Well, we had ice so we'll use the water out of the faucet. Not the best tasting, but it would have to do. Then I decided to check out the coffee pot in the morning and found that one of the cups had a hole in it. And there were only TWO. YIKES, this is not good. So, we made the call to the front desk and complained about the vibration, the coffee cups, the issue with the vending machine, and not being able to get any water from it. It was just a few minutes, and someone showed up with more towels, which I forgot about, and two bottles of water. She walked into the room and let out a sound of surprise at the vibration and noise. She advised that she would check it out and let us know. Well, as it turns out, it was the washer/dryer that must have been beating itself against the wall. She was able to stop it by opening the doors. She advised that we would have to listen to this until 10 PM. So we sat there and waited, and at 10 PM, everything got quiet
Off to Idaho Falls
June 15 ~ See America Ride ~ Day 2
Well, we managed to get a pretty good night's sleep. Once up, we shared a cup of coffee since there was only ONE cup. They forgot to bring us more the night before. We met Alex, Annie, and Richard down in the breakfast room. That was a disappointment, if ever there was one. The continental breakfast was a lot to being desired. There was juice, fruit, coffee, and some cereal. I guess that is what they call a continental breakfast. They did have some prepackaged rolls, but they didn't look so good. So, juice and fruit it was.
After fueling up the tanks in Missoula, we departed Missoula for Idaho Falls. We followed US 93 down through Salmon, ID, and on to Idaho Falls. All in all, this is a good ride. We passed through Darby, which is home to the Chief Joseph Ranch. In case you're not aware, this is where they film the show "Yellowstone." We didn't stop, but Lesley did see the sign letting us know it was there. We hit Salmon and decided it was best to fuel up. The tanks were getting a little low on petrol.
To Rock Springs, WY!
June 16 ~ See America Ride ~ Day 3
Departing Idaho Falls bound for Rock Springs, Wyoming
Back to Idaho Falls
June 17 ~ See America Ride ~ Day 4
It's over. After some discussion, it was determined by all that we head back home.
Return to Missula
June 18 ~ See America Ride ~ Day 5
It's over
Homeward Bound
June 19 ~ See America Ride ~ Day 6
It's over