Rench's Epic Ride Out West

[renchinrider]

A few more pics from our descent out of the San Juan National Forest.  No need to narrate for now...

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[renchinrider]

A couple more hours riding west, and we reached Durango, Colorado.  Both Durango H-D and Serious Texas BBQ were adjacent to each other, right on U.S. 160.  It was time to stretch our legs and get lunch! 



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I guess it's from all those old westerns I enjoy watching, but place names like "Durango" sound mystically exciting, and I almost expect some cowboys and outlaws to step out into the street at any moment.  However, at lunch, we met a different group--The Hangmen, who are a MC club that appears to be mainly concentrated on the west coast.  The club was having its national gathering in Durango at the same time as our visit.  The two members that came and talked to us at lunch had come down from Fairbanks, Alaska! ???  Later, the club's vice president came over and chatted with Jake for a while before we each headed out to our respective ride destinations.

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[renchinrider]

We resumed our trek to Four Corners, making one last gas stop in Cortez.  It was amazing that, seemingly at the city limits sign, the topography westward from Cortez changed from semi-arid with some grass, a few trees and even a few alfalfa fields to barren desert!  Perhaps the founders of Cortez discovered the place to be an oasis, and that's how it wound up situated at such a notable location.

Anyway, the ride from Cortez to Four Corners wasn't much more than an hour.  At last, we had made it!



I learned as we rode that the Colorado side of Four Corners area is territory of the Ute Indian Nation, and most of the surrounding area (Arizona and New Mexico--not sure about Utah) is territory of the Navajo Indian Nation.  The Four Corners monument is actually administered by the Indian Nations.  As the picture above shows, the monumental point is surrounded on all four sides by booths in which native American people sell souvenirs.  I couldn't help wondering if each side of the square was dedicated to use by the Indian Nation represented in that state.

Anyway, we paid our entry and headed in straightaway to get some pictures and have a look around (it was getting late in the day when we arrived).  We waited our turn in line...

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...And then shot a few pics for ourselves

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There is a 3-photo limit for each visitor to the photo site, so we took another turn in line, and then snapped this commemorative photo containing our silver dollars:

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And then I hurried to this lady's booth before she closed, to buy a souvenir for my wife ;)!

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With all that done, we needed to be on our way to our overnight destination in Farmington, NM.  Jake couldn't get a signal on his GPS, so he, Buddy and Shawn whipped out the map.  (Notice they did NOT invite the lieutenant (colonel) to help with the map reading! :D)

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[renchinrider]

I'm gonna take this (rare) opportunity to continue on with this ride report, and share some of the rest of the story:

My buddies found the optimal route to our overnight lodging.  Interestingly, it took us to the Teec Nos Pos, where we met the terminus of U.S. Highway 64.  We turned left, and headed east until we reached Farmington, NM.  We were beat by the time we got there, so we grabbed dinner and then didn't hang out too long before getting a sound night's sleep.

The next morning, it was time for me to separate from the others.  They would ride on to El Paso where they were participating in a special event at Fort Bliss.  I backtracked across Colorado and much of Kansas, enroute to a family reunion in Davis City, IA.  Jake took this pic of me as I got ready to depart Farmington.



I took a shortcut to Durango, then backtracked across Colorado on U.S. Highway 160.  I then took a different route due east through La Junta, CO and toward Garden City, KS.  It was at La Junta that I re-joined the historic Santa Fe trail, this time traveling east.  Another item of interest at La Junta:  Just eight miles east is historic Bent's Fort, named for its founder, William Bent.  According to "Road Trip USA", author Jamie Jensen says that, "From 1833, when it was built by the fur traders William and Charles Bent, until 1848 when war with Mexico and increasing unrest among the local Arapahoe, Apache and Cheyenne tribes put an end to their business, Bent's Fort was the Southwest's most important outpost of white civilization, and a stopping place for travelers, trappers and explorers[.]"

I didn't have time to stop and visit the Fort, but at least I knew what I was missing when I passed the sign pointing toward the fort.  I had to press on and stay on schedule.  I rode on to Hays, where I stopped for the night.

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[renchinrider]

Next morning, I was up, out and rolling.  I was eager to get to Junction City, where I would get to ride around Fort Riley a little, and then have lunch with an old friend and mentor. 

I gassed up and headed straight to Junction City via I-70.  My buddy Jake is a retired Army Aviator, so I took the interstate exit that leads directly to Marshal Army Airfield.  Of course, I had to stop and take a picture, which I texted to Jake straightaway.



Then I traversed Fort Riley and stopped to take a picture of the house we lived in when I was assigned there, and from which I retired from the Army.  The house was built in 1890, and was, at some point, divided into a duplex.  We occupied the half of the house on the left side, and just that half alone was over 3,000 square feet! ???

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There is a great deal of history on Fort Riley:  Most poignant right now is that it's the home of the 1st Infantry Division--The "Big Red One".  The First Infantry Division was the U.S.'s first expeditionary force, deployed to France in 1917.  The Division earned its fame quickly, beginning with its first direct engagement with the Germans at Cantigny.  All of these events are being celebrated this year, on the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of World War I.

[renchinrider]

But I was on a schedule, so I departed Fort Riley, and rode across town to City Cycles.  There, I met up with my old friend and mentor, Dean.  Dean is the service manager at City Cycles.  I'm not joking when I say that Dean has forgotten more about Harleys than I'll ever know.



The interesting thing is that Dean's not really a Harley guy, per se.  He's raced motocross bikes for years, and has competed twice in the International Pikes Peak Hill Climb.  He spent several years training a boy who is now a competitive motocross racer himself.  Dean's even been known to ride one of his dirt bikes through the snow in wintertime to get to/from work! :o

I took this picture with Dean in front of his custom-built Kawasaki before we headed off to have lunch together.

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[renchinrider]

After lunch, I headed out of Junction City enroute to Lamoni, IA.  I rode steadily until I reached St. Joseph, MO.  There, I pulled into St. Joseph Harley Davidson to browse around and stretch my legs.  To my surprise, I discovered that St Joe H-D has a "swap" room, where the dealership and customers offer excess items for sale.  I dove right in, wishing for a moment I had my truck with me :P!

But alas, I had less than 1/2 a saddlebag, so I settled for a "new" rear brake rotor for my Road King.  Time to get back on the road!

[renchinrider]

In just a couple of hours, I was settled in my motel room in Lamoni.  Whew!  I had made it in time for the next day's family reunion!

The next morning, I rode around the local area for a while, and stumbled into a farmers market.  There, I was able to buy some homemade muffins filled with local berries which I could share at the reunion.  Soon after, I was on my way to the reunion.  I didn't realize how beautiful this area of Iowa is, so I stopped and took this picture.

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Then I rode the three additional miles to Davis City and the family reunion.  I arrived at the reunion only having ever met one of the attendees before.  But those attending are related to my Dad, who was actually born just a few miles from Davis City, so I entered the reunion looking to meet as many of the others as possible.  I was really glad I did!

I can't help it:  I have to share this one picture of my delightful great-aunt who, at 94 years old, still heads up all of the coordination for the family reunion, still lives independently on her farm, and drives wherever she wishes.  What a symbol of strength!

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[renchinrider]

After the reunion, I took a ride around the local area, then got to bed early.  The next day, I was going to do an Iron Butt Saddle Sore 1000 from Lamoni back to Huntsville.

At 6 am I was at the adjacent convenience store getting my Iron Butt paperwork signed and taking my first odometer photo...



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And, at 1 am the next morning, I reached my destination in Huntsville, and took my "finish" odometer photo...I made it! ;D

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[renchinrider]

The next day, I texted Jake and confirmed that he, Shawn and Buddy all completed their Iron Butt qualification from Midland, TX to Enterprise, AL.  Everyone was safe and sound.

This definitely rates as one of the most enjoyable rides I have ever done, mostly because of the great friends and family I spent my time with throughout the trip.

Can't wait to do the next one!