Dinner in Ely

Evening in Ely is a bit cooler, the wind would whip up and be furious, and then calm down. We just sat on the patio and chatted and munched. Here's the view from the patio, Tom is riding on the train in the background.
See, we graduated from wine in a box to wine purchased at the Chevron gas station.

This is our dinner, purchased at the deli up the street from super friendly ladies.

Chips...the hot spicy cheese things were really good. And a gallon of sweet tea. Total munchie pig out, we're like kids on spring break.

And COOKIES!

Manti, UT to Ely, NV

The people at the Yardley Inn were kind enough to prepare our breakfast at 6 am. The woman in charge was off on a training session so I don't think the breakfast was up to their usual standards. We learned quite a bit about the Mormon faith, all about how the temple is used, and a bit more about the Miracle Pageant.

We were fed, prayed, and off by 6:30 ish. We fueled down the road, but it is a little concerning that the prices have skyrocketed and then we pulled up and they were out of gas!

This is Edie's view....the back of Dave's helmet
Yep, this is about how boring the ride was today. And it was hot. And VERY windy. It was tough to keep the bikes up and our heads were whipped around.

This is the place where Rick went to gamble. In case you can't read the sign the rooms started at $35, biker friendly, open the door and smoke wafted out on to the street, advertising for penny slots (which sucked Scott right in, and Rick followed). The penny slots required a $20 investment. Scott said "no way" it was too rich for his blood. But Rick jumped right in, waved his $20, pulled the one armed bandit and......Rick held his breath.....bells, whistles, and lights went off....Rick had no idea what was going on, but he grabbed his winnings (over $100)...finished off his comped rum and coke.....and he ran for the door. Everyone jumped on his machine as he crossed the street waving his cash at the gang. Scott asked for his commission but I'm pretty sure he won't be seeing anything.

Margaret enjoying a huckleberry mocha in the flower shop. These people take on many different ways to earn a living. They combined a coffee shop, tuxedo rental, gift shop, and flower shop.

Very small and simple rooms at the Steptoe Valley Inn.

Tom went to visit the Train Museum and then ride the diesel engine train for $24. The rest of us are too lazy to get up and go. This train is a lot like the Sunol train.

Montrose, CO to Manti, UT

Due to the high temps and late afternoon thunderstorms, our AIS was 6 am! We were fueled, prayed, and on the road at 6:01. Our first stop was Fruita, CO for Mike the Headless Chicken and a visit with the Byers and Summer-Leigh.

Wish there were photos of the scenery but Edie slept all afternoon and didn't get the photos from Donna & Tom, who actually took photos of the scenery. Perhaps you will see them tomorrow. The view is actually very nice, with lovely red rock formations.

We did stop in Salina, UT for lunch at Famous Mom's Cafe, the only place to eat in that town. Here's the special of the day.
This is a "scone" in this part of the country. It is deep fried and tastes like a donut. They served the same thing at our dinner place, as "bread" before dinner.

Here's a chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with real gravy. You don't see this too often in CA.

The midnight and lace room at the Yardley Inn

Some took a walk around town, the big thing is the Temple. We just missed the Pageant, which is a big Mormon event they hold at Temples each year. It tells the story of the miracle of Joseph being given the tablets.

Fruita, CO

Mike the Headless Chicken was the center of our ride today. Lindsay (Dave & Edie's sports daughter, which is a whole story) told them about Mike since she's from Fruita. Then Dave & Edie tried to explain the story to the gang, but they didn't believe this. So the gang Googled Mike and read up on him. At that point, it was a goal to get the full experience. Especially since we were riding through the city to meet with Bill & Retha Byers (Lindsay's parents) for breakfast.

For those of you who will not click on the link, Mike was to be dinner and had his head whacked off. But they left enough of the brain stem that he did not die. He lived for almost 2 years without a head. He was feed with a dropper. Mike eventually choked on a kernal. Or something really close to that. The main point is he lived for a long time without a head. And now the city has an annual festival.

This is Edie and Dave standing next to the Mike the Headless Chicken statue

Bryce, Dave, Bill, Edie, & Retha

So Bill (who was unaware of the T-shirts and a little embarrassed about it) called the Chamber and found out they had T-shirts at City Hall. He led us there, found the right people to talk to, and then we searched the inventory.

And this is what a T-shirt looks like. Our loved ones will be seeing these close up.

Dinner in Montrose, CO

Here's proof of how far we have fallen...but wait...it gets worse...we drank this out of plastic cups...with ice cubes in it!







We stayed at the Country Lodge which is really odd because Margaret did the lodging arrangements and this is the same place that Dave & Edie stayed six years ago.....hasn't changed. The price was less than $90, including tax, which should tell you something. We decided to make a simple dinner since there was a kitchen in Scott & Margaret's room. So with the hot plate, we went with hot dogs. The resident manager was so happy to get the left overs. It's the least we could do because they washed out jeans...and did an expert folding job.

We met a couple from Madison, WI who were dismayed to meet Californians who are conservative. He was trying to convince us that we should vote Moonbeam back in.

Colorado Springs, CO to Montrose, CO

This is a view of Pike's Peak

We were on the road by 7:30 am, hoping to beat the heat and the afternoon thunderstorms that seem to be the norm around these parts. Our first stop was a visit to the Garden of the Gods




Another canyon to ride along...actually this is Royal Gorge.


Patio Pancake Palace in Salida, CO
Dave should have gone with the half order
We arrived safely at the Country Lodge in Montrose, CO
We're going' to have our dinner here....Scott and Margaret have a kitchen so we're making hot dogs, with all the fixings, a salad, chips, cheese & crackers, with a watermelon for dessert. And a box of the best Chardonnay they had at the beer store....that's another whole story!

Cheyenne, WY to Colorado Springs, CO

Tom having a really good time

Margaret & Scott in Greeley, CO

Donna and Bret in Colorado Springs, CO

The breakfast at the B&B was set for 8:30, but they graciously moved it up one hour so we could leave by 8:30, after our prayer. It was so much warmer today when we left.

We started out with very flat and boring scenery. The drive through Denver, as Scott describes it, is much like driving from SF to SJ....and this was on a Sunday. We passed Coors Field and Invesco at Mile High (choruses of "Denver Sucks" were heard over the CB's). For those who have never been to Denver, they were disappointed because they were expecting that "Rocky Mountain High" and all they got was a big, crowded city.

But soon we were off the main drag and among the trees. Then there was the twisties on a dirt road. More sweeping curves and turns on the road along the Platte River. The pine trees are actually having a nice smell. Not as nice as the pines in Tahoe, but at least they smell. The pine trees in Wyoming did not smell, very odd to us.

We saw Pike's Peak among the clouds....black clouds...and lightening. Good thing we didn't get there because it was closed today for the annual race. We stopped to put on rain gear, just in case, but we didn't need it.

We road in to Manitou Springs, found a parking spot (VERY difficult to do in this cute, hip little town), ate a wonderful lunch,got stuck in major traffic, and did some shopping. A certain someone (TOM!!!!) has been searching high and low for the perfect gift for his daughter. We have all been helping him. His daughter is very particular it seems, but I think she'll LOVE what he bought her. We were all getting a tad bit nervous that the perfect gift would not be found.....panic was beginning to set in.

Then off we went to Colorado Springs to check in to our hotel, the Antlers Hilton. It's located in the middle of downtown Colorado Springs. And wouldn't you know, today is the big one day motorcycle rally. So after we checked in, we walked across the street to see what was up. Well...not much....it doesn't compare to Street Vibrations in Reno, or the old Hollister Rally. Bret did go up the street to see the bikini contest as we all sat at Starbucks watching people walk by.

We had a quick dinner at the pub in the hotel. All the appetizers were 1/2 priced, so that's what we bought for dinner. It could be our lowest cost dinner....so far.

Tomorrow morning AIS is 7:30. We're hoping to beat the heat, and late afternoon thunderstorms on our way to Montrose, CO.

Rapid City, SD to Cheyenne, WY

After our long day yesterday, we decided to sleep in to a 7:30 AIS, and we were on time, even including the prayer...what a group.

Here's our breakfast stop in Chadron, Nebraska....it was awesome and the people are so friendly.

Pigs in a blanket....now how long has it been since you've seen this?

Eggs Benedict

This is just the beginning of the afternoon thunder storm that we got caught in. We finally got caught. The weather has toyed with us, but our luck ran out. They sky was black, the wind was whipping, and there was rain and hail. The hail was in the last 2 miles and was pelting us as we made a dash for the Nagle Warren Mansion in Cheyenne, Wy.


A big meeting to develop the ride for tomorrow. Somehow a 170 mile day turns in to 208 miles....we'll see.

Gillette, WY to Rapid City, SD

We're back on schedule with our AIS, which was set at 7 am and we ended up leaving a bit early, and we remembered our prayer.

Now remember when we said that it was the best day ever for riding? Well guess what, Friday may have beat that!

This is the hotel where we slept Friday night, Hotel Alex Johnson. We arrived totally and completely spent from the 12+ hour day. And we were all still sporting grins from all the fun we had.
This is where we ate dinner. One of us HATED the hipster California cuisine, there were a few who LOVED it, and the rest were simply glad to be eating.

We made it to Mt. Rushmore. It was very late in the day and we were exhausted.

This is Tom coming around one of the MANY S turns at 10 mph. This is the Iron Mountain Highway....motorcycle nirvana. Here's a link from You Tube that shows what it is like.

Dave and Edie in front of the Sturgis Harley dealer. This is mecca for Harley riders (Tom liked it too).

This is how Rick and Tom rode in to Sturgis....not there's anything wrong with that...:) It was hilarious watching Tom try to get on the back of the bike....he needs lots of practice. Tom swears this is the one and only time he's doing this. Rick taunts him that a Harley had to bail out the BMW.

Actually this is a friend helping a friend. Tom dropped his BMW at the dealer for a new tire so we spent that time to go in to Sturgis and visit the dealer, have lunch at a fabulous place, walk the streets, and make some purchases.

Awesome riding.

Real men do read maps! This is Dave and Bret checking things out. We stopped for a comfort stop at Cheyenne Crossing. This is sort of like Alice's in Woodside. We started to talk with the other riders and found a few good loops that were MUSTS. Good thing because it is some of the best riding EVER. But it did mean we were on the road for over 12 hours!

More map reading....by real men! Scott, Dave, and Bret.

Dave and Edie at Devil's Tower.

Devil's Tower.......