3 Harleys, 13 days, 9 states, 3700 miles

julie j · 07-05-2011, 11:51 AM

June 4th - My husband, a close friend and I started our 2 week vacation. We had planned to head to the Badlands but the closer the trip got, the worse the weather was looking. I live in Seattle so I don’t mind riding in a little rain but that does not mean I am signing up for 2 weeks of thunderstorms and flooding. At the last minute we changed to the backup plan and headed south. Hello sunshine!

We started our journey early Saturday morning, taking I-90 out of Seattle, WA. We stuck to the freeways the first two days of our trip. We wanted to get to our first destination of Bryce Canyon, UT as fast as possible. We would start taking the road less traveled after that.
First day was Seattle to Boise, ID. Second day we made it to Provo, UT. The next day, Monday June 6th, we headed toward Bryce Canyon and rode right into the worst wind I have every ridden in my life. Sustained winds of 30-40 with gusts of 50-60. We stopped for gas at one point and I was thankful to have my helmet on. The people trying to gas up their cars were getting sandblasted. My gas light normally comes on at about 100 miles. During this wind I made it 70 before my light came on.
We made it to our hotel just outside Bryce National park around 3:00. By this time I have a sinus cold from hell kicking in. Not what I wanted for vacation. We decided that we would stay the next night at the lodge inside the national park and I am so glad we did. Bryce Canyon is known for stargazing. At the first hotel there were too many city lights to see anything. At the lodge inside the park it was completely dark at night and the stars were incredible.
Bryce Canyon was absolutely spectacular. Since we were staying the night I left my bike at the lodge and two uped with my husband. That way I could take cold medicine to try and beat the bug I had caught. It also allowed me to get some great shots of our buddy.

We arrived at the Grand Canyon on Wednesday, June 8. We rode through part of the park on our way to the hotel in Tusayan. Pictures just do not do the Grand Canyon justice. On Thursday we headed back into the park for more sightseeing.

OneSickPsycho · 07-05-2011, 11:53 AM

Nice pics!

Man, I long for another bike trip....

julie j · 07-05-2011, 11:55 AM

Friday we headed out towards Four Corners. We were a little nervous about this leg of the tour since my tank is really small and we had heard gas was scarce. My husband was carrying an extra gallon for me in case of emergency but we did not need it. There is some long hot sections of road out here and we did get stuck sitting in some construction. Here is a picture of my husband, Brandon, standing in Colorado & Utah while I am in Arizona & New Mexico. After that we pushed on though to Cortez, CO.

Saturday morning we are were feeling lazy and got a late start. We did make it to Mesa Vera but did not have as much time to explore as I had hoped. The road in the park is really twisting and fun so not all was lost but I could tell me husband was antsy.

Little did I know he had us headed for the Million Dollar Hwy later that afternoon. This was a bucket list item for him. Not so much for me. I am afraid of highs and having a guardrail makes all the difference in the world to me. At one point I remember thinking “Does Colorado not believe in guardrails?” then it dawned on me what highway I am on. It was one lane traffic at one point on the highway. I pulled up next to him and asked, “You have me on that highway don’t you?” He did not have to answer. I could tell by the grin on his face which could be see even with a full face on.
Brandon knows me better then myself. He did not tell me where we were headed because he knew I would worry about it. I was thankful I did it and actually want to go do it again. He did buy me this shirt to make up for it.

We stayed the night in Ouray, Co and had an excellent dinner at the Outlaw Steakhouse. Ouray is this awesome little town that I could have easily spent another day at. The whole town is nestled in the valley of the mountains and views were incredible.

Fleck750 · 07-05-2011, 11:59 AM

Great pics, glad you had fun.

julie j · 07-05-2011, 11:59 AM

Next stop on our list was Jackson Hole, WY. The weather was not looking so good for Monday but was looking great for Tuesday so we took our time getting there. This whole time I am still fighting a cold. It kept changing so I kept thinking I was kicking it. On Monday morning I finally gave up and admitted I needed a doctor. Brandon asked the hotel about walk-in clinics nearby and was informed there was one 15 minutes up the rode in the direction we were headed. We stopped there, got a prescription for antibiotic, hit the Walgreens around the corner and still made it on the road by 11:00.
I was so thankful we stopped because Monday night was the first night we hit rain and there might have even been a little snow in it. It was freezing! By the time we got into Jackson we all were frozen solid and a little wet. Our friend, Scooter, told me, “I don’t want to play motorcycle anymore!” I could not agree more at that point. It was kind of silly. We all had put on rain gear but we had warmer gear we could have been wearing under it. When we started out we did not need it. By the time we did our outer layer was soaked and we are only another 40 miles away from Jackson. I did not want to stand on the side of the road in the pouring rain to try and layer up. If I had not got antibiotic that morning I probably would have got pneumonia.
After finding a hotel and warming up we went and had a really good meal at a restaurant named the Gunslinger if my memory serves me. I had an excellent buffalo steak while the boys both had elk. After that we all crashed hard with tired bodies and full bellies. I woke up the next morning feeling like myself again.
Tuesday, June 14 would be a very light day of riding. We walked around Jackson for a while then it was off to the Tetons and Yellowstone. The plan for today was to play in the park and stay the night in West Yellowstone. This was my second trip to Yellowstone it has to be one of my favorite places to be. I just love it there.

Wednesday we started to head back home. We spent the night in Coeur d’Alene, ID and easily made it home on Thursday. It was an excellent trip with no major problems. No bikes broke down, no flats, we were not at each other’s throats by the end. I could not have asked for a better trip. We have already started planning next year!

julie j · 07-05-2011, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

Nice pics!

Man, I long for another bike trip....

Me too! That is the thing about touring. It does not really scratch that itch. It just makes it worse.

tached1000rr · 07-05-2011, 12:46 PM

love the pics

marko138 · 07-05-2011, 01:09 PM

Cool pictures.

Particle Man · 07-05-2011, 01:36 PM

Really dig the pics.

Nice!

Trip · 07-05-2011, 01:39 PM

A lot of that looks famaliar. I bet we bypassed each other during our trips. LOL

07-05-2011, 11:51 AM	#1
julie j WERA Yellow Plate Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lynnwood, WA Moto: F650GS & XT250 Posts: 666	3 Harleys, 13 days, 9 states, 3700 miles June 4th - My husband, a close friend and I started our 2 week vacation. We had planned to head to the Badlands but the closer the trip got, the worse the weather was looking. I live in Seattle so I don’t mind riding in a little rain but that does not mean I am signing up for 2 weeks of thunderstorms and flooding. At the last minute we changed to the backup plan and headed south. Hello sunshine! We started our journey early Saturday morning, taking I-90 out of Seattle, WA. We stuck to the freeways the first two days of our trip. We wanted to get to our first destination of Bryce Canyon, UT as fast as possible. We would start taking the road less traveled after that. First day was Seattle to Boise, ID. Second day we made it to Provo, UT. The next day, Monday June 6th, we headed toward Bryce Canyon and rode right into the worst wind I have every ridden in my life. Sustained winds of 30-40 with gusts of 50-60. We stopped for gas at one point and I was thankful to have my helmet on. The people trying to gas up their cars were getting sandblasted. My gas light normally comes on at about 100 miles. During this wind I made it 70 before my light came on. We made it to our hotel just outside Bryce National park around 3:00. By this time I have a sinus cold from hell kicking in. Not what I wanted for vacation. We decided that we would stay the next night at the lodge inside the national park and I am so glad we did. Bryce Canyon is known for stargazing. At the first hotel there were too many city lights to see anything. At the lodge inside the park it was completely dark at night and the stars were incredible. Bryce Canyon was absolutely spectacular. Since we were staying the night I left my bike at the lodge and two uped with my husband. That way I could take cold medicine to try and beat the bug I had caught. It also allowed me to get some great shots of our buddy. We arrived at the Grand Canyon on Wednesday, June 8. We rode through part of the park on our way to the hotel in Tusayan. Pictures just do not do the Grand Canyon justice. On Thursday we headed back into the park for more sightseeing.

07-05-2011, 11:59 AM	#4
Fleck750 Spiker bike Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: KCK Moto: KZ750 Posts: 1,629	Great pics, glad you had fun. __________________ I ride way too fast to worry about cholesterol. ~Author Unknown

07-05-2011, 01:36 PM	#9
Particle Man Custom User Title Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Central NY Moto: 2003 SV650S Posts: 14,959	Really dig the pics. Nice! __________________ I'm not "fat." I'm "Enlarged to show texture." Handle every stressful situation like a DOG: If you can't eat it or hump it, pi$$ on it & walk away.

07-05-2011, 11:53 AM	#2
OneSickPsycho Ride Like an Asshole Join Date: Feb 2008 Moto: nothing... Posts: 11,254	Nice pics! Man, I long for another bike trip....

07-05-2011, 11:55 AM	#3
julie j WERA Yellow Plate Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lynnwood, WA Moto: F650GS & XT250 Posts: 666	Friday we headed out towards Four Corners. We were a little nervous about this leg of the tour since my tank is really small and we had heard gas was scarce. My husband was carrying an extra gallon for me in case of emergency but we did not need it. There is some long hot sections of road out here and we did get stuck sitting in some construction. Here is a picture of my husband, Brandon, standing in Colorado & Utah while I am in Arizona & New Mexico. After that we pushed on though to Cortez, CO. Saturday morning we are were feeling lazy and got a late start. We did make it to Mesa Vera but did not have as much time to explore as I had hoped. The road in the park is really twisting and fun so not all was lost but I could tell me husband was antsy. Little did I know he had us headed for the Million Dollar Hwy later that afternoon. This was a bucket list item for him. Not so much for me. I am afraid of highs and having a guardrail makes all the difference in the world to me. At one point I remember thinking “Does Colorado not believe in guardrails?” then it dawned on me what highway I am on. It was one lane traffic at one point on the highway. I pulled up next to him and asked, “You have me on that highway don’t you?” He did not have to answer. I could tell by the grin on his face which could be see even with a full face on. Brandon knows me better then myself. He did not tell me where we were headed because he knew I would worry about it. I was thankful I did it and actually want to go do it again. He did buy me this shirt to make up for it. We stayed the night in Ouray, Co and had an excellent dinner at the Outlaw Steakhouse. Ouray is this awesome little town that I could have easily spent another day at. The whole town is nestled in the valley of the mountains and views were incredible.

07-05-2011, 12:46 PM	#7
tached1000rr WERA White Plate Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NC Moto: 2009 GSXR 1300 Posts: 2,448	love the pics

07-05-2011, 01:39 PM	#10
Trip Hold mah beer! Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: 80 Miles South of Moto Heaven Moto: 08 R1200GS Posts: 23,268	A lot of that looks famaliar. I bet we bypassed each other during our trips. LOL