Atlanta to Denver

[Water Warrior 2]

Sounds like the long ride was successful. The 50th celebration was obviously good too. Sure like the sounds of the planned fly/ride adventure. Keeps life interesting.

[BillInGA]

Ok, I'm back home now. Flew back to Atlanta on Tuesday. I gotta say I'm really missing the Vulcan - I can't wait to bring it back home.

I'm listing the GZ250 on eBay and Craig's List this weekend, so I'll be taking it for a farewell ride tomorrow before I give it a bath and get it ready for sale.

I couldn't ride all the way to the foot of the Rockies and not ride through them at all. So, after all the festivities, I took an afternoon ride along the Peak to Peak Highway: from Boulder on Colorado 119 to Nederland, then Colorado 72 / Colorado 7 through Allenspark into Estes Park. From Estes Park I took US-36 back to Boulder, completing the loop.

It was about 20 degrees cooler in the mountains (70's vs. 90's) and a gorgeous ride.

Here's a shot of me at the scenic overlook heading into Boulder Valley:






I stopped to take a break along the Peak to Peak Highway. The road is paved asphalt, but you can't see it in the photos:






Passing through Allenspark the weather started looking iffy, so I put on the Frogg Toggs. The rain started as I crested the next hill and stayed with me all the way back to my parent's house in Broomfield. I'm happy to report that the Frogg Toggs kept my totally dry. I had water-proofed my boots with Kiwi Wet Pruf before leaving Georgia and my feet stayed dry as well.

After hearing more details about my ride out and having a few days to think about it, I think my brother may be reconsidering helping me ride back to Georgia. No matter, I'm still psyched to do the return trip - especially in cooler weather and with my planned enhancements.

Stay tuned for a new thread in a few weeks - Denver to Atlanta!

Bill

[alanmcorcoran]

Looks like a pretty epic ride.

[BillInGA]

One drawback of such an aggressive schedule is that I felt like I couldn't take the time to stop and take pictures along the way. I think I may take four days to come back so I don't feel so rushed and can stop a more often. That would only be 400 miles per day.

Also, I had to leave my Joe Rocket Manta tank bag at home for the trip. It works great on the GZ250, but not on the Vulcan with its tank-mounted instruments. It's a lot less convenient to try and fish the camera (or anything else, for that matter) out of the tail bag without getting off the bike, so no such thing as a quick stop to snap a photo. I need to find a tank bag that will work with the Vulcan...

[alantf]

Originally Posted by BillInGA

I had water-proofed my boots with Kiwi Wet Pruf before leaving Georgia and my feet stayed dry as well.

My boots were factory treated with IMPRAPERM when I got them. Totally waterproof, & never need treating afterwards. If you can get them in America, they're well worth having. :2tup:

[alanmcorcoran]

I put my camera in my front right jacket pocket with the loop hanging out. If I am in picture taking mood (usually I'm not) I can qucikly fish it out without taking off my gloves, sna a photo and be on my way. I do find that riding and picture taking don't really go well together and have resigned myself to taking pictures mostly at scheduled stops. also, 400 miles a day is still a lot of miles.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by BillInGA

I'm listing the GZ250 on eBay and Craig's List this weekend, so I'll be taking it for a farewell ride tomorrow before I give it a bath and get it ready for sale.

Unless somebody grabs it up right away, it would be good to take it out every few days to keep it from getting "stale" from just sitting around.

If you still have it in mid-September, I'd be happy to help with keeping it fresh !!! :biggrin: