DAY 21 Sunday, May 22, 2011

Another late night last night. I got to bed at 1:35 PM. My alarm sounded at 6:30 AM. I got up, dressed and packed. I took a bag out to my Motor while Bruce was still getting dressed. We were on the 4th floor of the hotel and the elevator was very slow. It took the cover off of my Motor and packed the bag in the trunk. I was too tired to clean the Motor. I went in for breakfast. I served myself and sat down. Chuck came in and joined me. C.E. came in also and sat at a different table. The others soon joined us. We all had breakfast and we went back to our rooms to gather our stuff. We packed our Motors and did a little cleaning and we were ready to go. We left at 8:20 AM under cloudy skies.

Ken was leading. It's funny to watch Ken when he is on his Motor and trying to remember how to get back on the Interstate. You can almost see the gears working in his head. We got back on I-80 and headed west. Our destination for today was Denver, CO., we started in Lincoln, NE. We were on I-80 going about 80 mph on a 65 mph zone. We also noticed that there were many "big rigs" on the interstate. We rode for 71 miles and stopped in Aurora, NE at 9:19 AM for gas. Not only did we gas up, but we made a pit stop and then reloaded our bladders with coffee and water! We left at 9:35 AM.

Now that we got gas, we needed to change leaders. It was my turn to lead. We continued on I-80 westbound. I set my cruise control at 79 mph. We passed several small cities and a lot of farms. Again, we noticed that Nebraska is FLAT. I think that it may even be flatter that Iowa. We constantly had to dodge the semis on the road and pass them. We rode for 72 miles and we stopped at Odessa, NE at 11:56 AM for a pit stop. We still had our jackets on as it was 68 degrees. We had some water and coffee and we continued. This place was also a truck stop. We even had to dodge the semis in the parking lot. We left at 10:46 AM.

I knew that by the next time we stopped, it would be time for lunch. I was hoping to go about 110 miles before we stopped. We would also be needing gas. Chuck had ridden next to me and motioned to me that he needed to gas up. I acknowledged him and we pulled off at the next exit. We had ridden 89 miles before we stopped at a Love's Truck Stop in North Platte, NE. I turned into the Love's because there was also a sign for a Subway. It was 11:56 PM when we stopped. We all gassed up and parked in front of the Subway. Next to the Subway was a McDonald's. We went into the Subway, got our meals and walked into the McDonald's and sat down at a table for the six of us. We had our lunch and then went outside to our Motors. Chuck got the map out and was showing it to C.E. and Bruce.

Bruce took the lead at this point and off we went westbound on I-80. We continued riding about 80 mph on a 75 mph zone. We came across a sign that told us that we were now in Mountain Standard Time. We had gained an hour! I got my camera and fixed the time as we were rolling along the Interstate. I couldn't fix the time on my Motor because the Motor has to be stopped before I can change it. I'll do it later. We rode on through more farm land...flat farm land! After riding for 75 miles, we stopped in Big Springs, NE at 12:55 PM. We made a pit stop and didn't stay long. We left at 1:11 PM.

We continued on, knowing that within 7 to 10 miles, we would be crossing into Colorado. We did and there was a sign for the Colorado Welcoming Center in a small town named, "Julesburg." Ken had told us that his Grandmother was born in Julesburg. We passed by Julesburg and I took some pictures of the little town. We rode for 70 miles and at 2:05 PM, we stopped in Sterling, CO for gas. We gassed our Motors and I rode next door to a Best Western to see if I could get a Best Western Map. When I was preparing for our trip, I collected a bunch of maps that I knew that we would need. I didn't think that we would need a Colorado map, so I didn't. I have one now! I returned to the gas station and Jan was talking with a couple who had ridden in on a blue Gold Wing. We had some drinks and a pit stop. We left at 2:29 PM.

C.E. was up to lead. We continued on I-76, westbound. The more we rode into Colorado, the more mountains we could see. WE rode for 80 miles and stopped at 3:30 PM in Roggen, CO for a pit stop. The mini-mart that we stopped at was an old business run by Asian people. There was a sign in the bathroom that stated that no one should drink the water from the faucet. The water was NOT potable. It could be harmful to those who drink it. With that in mind, Chuck told me that he decided against getting any coffee from the store. Who knows where they get the water to make the coffee. I thought that it was a wise choice! When we were ready to go, C.E. shouted, "OK, let's move out!" Jan and I looked at each other and I asked Jan if C.E. was allowed to say that to us. After all, he is still a rookie with only 3 years with our Group! We left at 3:52 PM.

We continued on I-76 and soon we were in the outskirts of Denver, CO. We passed the Denver Airport and it was far from downtown. We rode into Denver and transitioned onto I-25. C.E. led us at about 80 mph through Denver. That's OK, everybody else was driving at 80 mph! C.E. was only keeping up the with traffic. I-25 had a lot of curves. We were not wearing our jackets and it was comfortable. It was about 74 degrees. I was enjoying the view and was taking pictures as we rode. We rode for 73 miles and at 4:51 PM, we stopped in Castle Rock, CO for gas. Castle Rock is a suburb of Denver. We gassed up and made the required pit stop and purchase of waters. We talked about how far we were going. Colorado Springs and Pueblo were among the suggestions. Chuck told me that he was going to go as far as Colorado Springs and look for a place to stay the night. We looked to the south and the clouds didn't look very promising for us. The clouds were dark and it appeared as though it was raining. We left at 5:12 PM.

Chuck led us south on I-26. We were about 18 miles from Castle Rock when it started to sprinkle. We rode for a short distance and it stopped sprinkling. It sprinkled off and on until we reached Colorado Springs. We rode in Colorado Springs and we passed the U.S. Air Force Academy. Soon after we passed it, there was a Holiday Inn Express to our right. We had missed the exit so Chuck got off at the next exit and turned right and then right onto a street that led us back to the Holiday Inn Express. We went in to make the deal but they wanted over $130 per night. The clerk told us that $130 would be the standard rate for all of the hotels in the area. There is a graduation a the USAF Academy on Wednesday and a lot of the hotels were already booked. There were some cookies on a tray on the counter of the Front Desk. We all had some cookies. We walked outside and told the guys. Chuck got on his Droid and got the phone number of a Best Western that was about 2 miles away. He spoke with the clerk on the phone and the clerk have Chuck a rate almost half of what the Holiday Inn Express wanted to charge us. Chuck gave me the address to the Best Western to put in my navigation system and away we went. We arrived in no time and contacted the clerk. We got a good rate and we checked in. We rode around the building to our rooms, got our bags and took them to the rooms. We came back out to our Motors and tucked them in for the night. Did I tell you that the Best Western had a restaurant on site? I have now! That is where we had dinner.

Today, we gassed up 4 times and had 5 leaders. We rode for 577 miles. So far this trip, we have ridden 7,119 miles. We hope to get to Gallup, NM tomorrow. That would mean a lot or riding. It's a good thing that we all like to ride! So, until tomorrow...