I decided to take a ride yesterday and wanted to go further than the local spots I normally ride to. It was 41 degrees at 5:45 am and talked my wife in joining me....to the coffee shop of course, before the ride. Warming up with a hot cup and deciding that I might take the back roads was the plan. From start to destination I was on a 363 mile trek to the Rock.

To my surprise as I started heading NE the temp started to drop. After about 20 minutes of riding the chill was causing my legs and hands to freeze up. Pulled over and checked the weather on my iPhone and I was enjoying 25 degrees. I fortunately had a pair of Carhart rain gear in my side bags so I threw these on to stop the wind chill and get through this section of the trip. I rode for an hour and finally started to feel a warming trend as I stopped for fuel. Wow a balmy 33 degrees.....

This can't stay cold forever, the forecast said 75 degrees as a high. I reached a junction to start heading east but the sun was right at eye level so I just pushed on north. Once I hit Cheyenne and took the 80 east with the sun up enough to not be so bothersome. As I exited at the town of Burns I could feel the rise in temp so the day will only get better. Continued to Torrington and filled her up. The heat of the sun while pumping fuel was a God send by the way.

Calculating fuel stops for the trip since this was my first ride to Custer, SD. I was not really sure of the location of stations or if they were still open. Just to be safe I made another fuel stop in Lusk. The next leg was perfect weather and road conditions, I was starting to forget the cold at the beginning of the trip. Well I finally made it to the end of my journey and enjoyed the park, monument and the view. The ride was very relaxing and with a few wrong turns in the small towns it took longer than expected but I saw a lot of culture.




Drove down to Custer and had lunch at Baker's Cafe while taking a little rest.



I chose an alternate route back and rode through Black Hills National Forest, due west and was able to see the devastation of the last fire. Hit New Castle, then headed south to Lusk. This time I went West to the I25 and a fast ride home. From Custer to home with two fuel stops, where I didn't get off the bike type, it was a 5:15 minute ride. Made it home at 7:55 pm. Looking for another ride next weekend.

I can't find anyone to ride with me. Most want to ride 30 minutes to the local mountain town, have a beer then ride home. What is this world coming to.

 

Are you located somewhere in Northern Colorado?

That's a hell of a "lunch" trip!

Thankfully my regular riding buddies are just that...RIDING buddies and we often do 200-400 mile days through the mountains here. However, they have too many dogs at home and can't usually be gone for more than 10 hours or so. But in the winter, mountain riding is not a great option...so rides like yours, out on the high plains, are the next best option.

I did a solo trip up to Scottsbluff and Fort Laramie back in November when the weather here was not ideal for the mountains. It was a fantastic ride, with beautiful weather, to two places I might have never even thought to visit. As it were, I got back really, really late because Fort Laramie had so many amazing historical things to check out and I spent a few hours there. I highly recommend it the next time you are looking to get a good day ride in.

 

yeah I agree---that's a helliva lunch trip

 

Good to see someone in my area that likes to ride. I'm in Boulder and usually ride solo because the lack of riders like yourself. I'm going to Moab as soon as I feel the passes are clear since it was snowing here today. That's under a 6 hour ride each way so another lunch stop in Utah coming soon.

 

Lol, those are some LONG lunch rides! Lots of highway miles. I'm sure the passes will be clear this weekend, and it will be warm.

If you ever go over to Utah and pull an overnighter, there's a great little restaurant in Provo called Dave & Cranky's. The owners are actually from Castle Rock originally. It's hard to find but the food is outstanding.

Sadly, my bike is in the shop for a few weeks....dealer scratched and dented my tank while it was in for service and now it's being repainted. But I'm itching to get up north and ride Cache La Poudre canyon while the river is roaring.