9.26.18 - Goin' west... Utah, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and more

Originally I was going to break this trip down by the day, but with the busy schedule i’ve had that just became too much of a daunting task, so I decided a summary of the trip with lots of pictures will do the job!

THE PLAN

The goal of this trip was for Chris and I to have as much fun as we could on our motorcycles for a week, camping, exploring back country and parts unknown, staying with a couple friends here and there and taking in all the dust our lungs could stand with how dry the west has been. We would cover ground in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and end back in western Colorado for a couple days before returning to my place in Eastern Colorado.

Our days would be filled by lots of mileage and views like this. EXACTLY what we wanted.

THE OUTCOME

We nailed it. Simply put. Everyday we found the best roads to ride, our campsites had stunning views and the beer just always some how hit the spot! I was extremely happy with my gear set-up and how my bike performed…flawless again. There was only one minor issue, Chris had to bleed his brakes after arriving in Colorado for the elevation change.

Just outside of Elk Springs, Colorado. The theme of the trip was play dodge ball with incoming storms for a week.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

The entire trip honestly was a highlight! Any time I get to travel on my motorcycle to somewhere new is great with me. This trip was made even better however with the company of Chris who I hadn’t really seen or rode with in almost TWO YEARS! It was great sitting around a campfire almost every night, drinking few beers and catching up with him. This was his first time riding out west and I don’t think this trip disappointed.

My favorite days of the trip were day 2 and day 6.

Day 2 took us from Jensen, Utah to Etna, Wyoming a little over 400 miles. The original goal was to make it to Jackson, WY but those stormed I mentioned caught us, This coupled with an entire day of riding in cold temperatures (55 degrees and lower) with rain and sleet, the trail we were on seemingly disappearing and causing us a major back track re-route, pretty much did us in. All of that aside this was also some of the best off-road riding on the entire trip, the views were incredible, the dirt was perfect giving us lots of traction and confidence to push the pace high to make up lost time.

Flaming Gorge was quite a sight to see, unfortunately fog, and low cloud cover limited our views and ability to snag more pictures. Would love to go back again on a clear day.

No matter what age, if we see a puddle… we are still gonna splash in it.

Hauling the mail to get to Jackson, it didn’t work out as the night came so did the rain again. Not knowing the roads, riding through canyons and a mountain pass we decided to play it safe and got a cabin room for the night in Etna, Wyoming. A warm … — Hauling the mail to get to Jackson, it didn’t work out as the night came so did the rain again. Not knowing the roads, riding through canyons and a mountain pass we decided to play it safe and got a cabin room for the night in Etna, Wyoming. A warm shower, case of beer, cozy bed and some cable tv ended up being just the re-charge we needed.

Day 6 took us from Steamboat Springs, Colorado to the Ruedi Reservoir just outside of Bassalt, CO. This was one of the shorter days mileage wise on the trip but the riding was incredible. We left Stage Coach State Park where we had camped the night before and hopped on to Lynx Pass which is part of the Colorado Backcountry Discover Route (COBDR). This would keep us off pavement the entire day, get us into some high elevation that would lead to some glimpses at wildlife, old mining buildings, and 13-14,000ft peaks.

The endgame of this day was to meet with a friend of Chris who had reserved us a camping site with her and she would take us out on her boat. Before we stopped for the night we made a pit stop at the infamous “Woody Creek Tavern” in Woody Creek. This was something I had been looking forwards to, This was made famous by one of my favorite authors Hunter S. Thompson (best known for “fear and loathing in Las Vegas, The hells angels, as well as his contributions to ESPN, and the New York Times).

After a few drinks, we made the short ride down to the campsite and got the blessing of setting up camp in the rain. (seriously?) the rain was short lived though and we proceeded to enjoy another night around the campfire and exchanging stories with new friends.

We came, We saw, We rode 2000+ miles, and we would do it all over again tomorrow.

The trip was everything I had planned, and everything I could have asked for. The grand Tetons were incredible, the riding was incredible, the weather….well that could have been better, but for the most part we got lucky and only had short stints of rain. Its hard to find any negative when you get to wake up and ride your motorcycle all day for a week, and enjoy a campfire almost every night. Two of my favorite things. The trip was just over 2,000 miles and after coming home, I was ready to leave the next day for another 2,000 miles. More trips in the works… for now i’ll just look back and remember the incredible trip.