Points North Trip, or, Denton to Deadwood Redux * FINAL *

[NCGhostrider]

What a great time you must have had!  I still have Rushmore and the other places you visited on my "List."    Just never seem to make it past Colorado!!

Craig
NcGhostrider
99 I/S

[Hollyday]

I'm starting to wonder if you have a fondness for bugs, VP.

Hollyday

[Valkpilot]

I'm starting to wonder if you have a fondness for bugs, VP.

Hollyday

Opportunistic journalism.

[Valkpilot]

Man, the trip of a lifetime...  Thanks for taking the time to put this together....  Dare I day, "Day 7"?

Hay 
Jimmyt

Thanks, Jimmy.

I'd live on the bike if I could, but one day I'm going to plan one of these trips that sticks to 400 miles a day, tops, and doesn't try and pack so much in. 

One day...

[Valkpilot]

What a great time you must have had!  I still have Rushmore and the other places you visited on my "List."    Just never seem to make it past Colorado!!

Craig
NcGhostrider
99 I/S

It was a great time.  Indescribable.  This write up is a pale shadow of the actual ride experience.

And you're right.  Colorado is amazing and the bike just doesn't seem to want to leave it!

[Hollyday]

You need to go on one of our trips, VP.   This next one has us basing out of Montrose, CO.. day trips under 350/miles a day.   Rides planned:   Arches National Park, Million Dollar Highway Loop, Unaweep scenic byway loop, and a Black Canyon of the Gunnison/Grand Mesa ride.    Lotsa scenery and picture opptys.

However, you'd have to travel with me (and Randy of course)!



Hollyday

[Valkpilot]

You need to go on one of our trips, VP.   This next one has us basing out of Montrose, CO.. day trips under 350/miles a day.   Rides planned:   Arches National Park, Million Dollar Highway Loop, Unaweep scenic byway loop, and a Black Canyon of the Gunnison/Grand Mesa ride.    Lotsa scenery and picture opptys.

However, you'd have to travel with me (and Randy of course)!



Hollyday

You're going to love it up there.

[lucky_1_chris]

Great report, and it looks like it was a great ride even with the rain. 

Someday...

[BnB Tom]

At least day 6 was a 'little drier'. 

The last half of day 6 looked very much like the flats of Kansas ..   but what the hey ..  I'm sure a good time was STILL had by all. 

[RainMaker]

Thanks for taking us along on the ride with the words and pictures.  Great report!

Just missed you guys in Council Bluffs - we got there on Monday (1st day of Inzane) after driving in from Greenfield, Iowa and visiting the (drumroll) only Danish windmill in the United States.   



Sorry you missed this!

[Valkpilot]

DAY 7 & 8: The Inzane Ride Home


DAY 7

Today, we're heading for Inzane!  Chauffer and I were up early for the 430 mile trek to Eureka Springs.  JC and Jaime intend to follow at a more reasonable hour.



The bikes are up before the dawn too, and kicking the slats of their stalls in anticipation of the day's ride.




The morning was foggy, and cool compared to mornings on the trip so far.  We figured that would change as we moved away from the river and got closer to to Ground Zero.   We were right.  I'm searching for an adjective to use...uhm...hmmmm...oh, yeah, STEAMY is the word that applies.

The roads were pretty much straight and flat until we hit the Arkansas border.  We had a great time on the roads into Eureka Springs and got to Ground Zero about 1:00 pm.

Two hours later, it rained.

It was during Daniel's tech session on servicing the rear drive line. We're standing under a metal-skeleton sun (now rain) canopy in an ill-tempered thunderstorm.  The structure is grounded only by casual contact with the surface of the earth through a layer of asphalt and through the human lightning rods leaning against the poles.  I'm thinking to myself, "I just rode 3000 some miles through slippery mountain passes, braving clueless cage drivers, and clubbing malevolent roadside barriers, and this, THIS is the most dangerous situation I've been in!"

We fortunately were not turned into crispy critters and enjoyed the rest of the day and evening, including the awards dinner where we almost won the prize for longest roundabout route to the event.

The plan for the next morning is to ride out with some of the other Texans, with KSU at 0830.  Time for some shut-eye.


DAY 8


HOME is the day's objective, approximately 380 miles to the southwest.




We were KSU pretty much on time, after breakfast and gas.  (No cause and effect implied or expressed by that statement.)

With Hayhauler in the lead, we headed down the Pig Trail toward I-40.  What a great road!

Along the way, a pickup truck in front of us slowed suddenly without apparent reason.  When he speeded back up, Hayhauler, Disco, and Christbiker, who were in front of me, speeded up with him.  As I approached the slow-down spot, I realized why the truck had slowed.  A fawn was running beside the road in the ditch.  I get on the brakes and watch as the fawn leaps from the ditch to the shoulder and now runs beside me.  I'm still slowing and waiting to see which way it will dart.  Suddenly, it crossed right in front of me, missing my front tire by what seemed like inches.

Maybe it was safer under the canopy.

After the intersection with I-40, it was highway all the way to Sherman, TX.  Hayhauler and Chauffer continued on in order to try and beat rush hour as they had to ride through the metromess.  TJ, Disco, Christbiker, and I stopped in Sherman for lunch.

After lunch, Christbiker headed south for McKinney.  TJ, Disco, and I started west on Route 82.

It began to rain.

We were going to tough it out, but the air-to-ground lightning bolts striking directly in our path ahead discouraged this.  We turned north on a side road and found an abandoned house were we could use the driveway to wait out the storm.

An hour after the storm passed, we were home.

[Valkpilot]

We had a great time.  It was one of the best, if not the best, long rides I've done.

At the end of every day, we said, "How can it get better?"  But every next day it did.

I've made too big a deal of the rain in the write-up.  In actual fact, most of the time the rain was short in duration and not heavy and even if we got wet, we dried out soon after.  Make no mistake though, it dramatically increased the challenge of the MDH.

I also have to say that I enjoyed the company greatly.  I'd make a long trip with any of them again, and I hope to.

Here's Chauffer's record of the trip:




And, at the wrap party at JC's soon after, The Final Pose:

[keepinon]

Thanks for the great reports. Truly enjoyed them.

Must have been you two I saw, east of OKC on I40 Wed morning, as I was headed for Lubbock. Don't remember if Red Diamond was still with me, or had already turned south. I was on the purple trike.

[HayHauler]

Thanks for the excellent ride report VP.  I enjoyed the day trip on the way home with y'all. 

Can't wait until next time. 

Hay
Jimmyt

[BnB Tom]

  Great ride.  Great report. 

And best of all . .    only GOOD events and a safe trip home!