Wyoming-Utah mid-week mini-tour. Image heavy, but only marginally entertaining.

[sky_blue]

Jen's Wyoming-Utah mid-week mini-tour.
Or, how many hyphens can one use at a time, really?

Jen, we need you to go to Wyoming.

So after flogging the bike round the track in Pueblo last weekend, I still hadn’t had enough fun on two wheels, so off the 600RR and I went to Wyoming. The destination is a place about 50 miles south of Rock Springs. Yeah, I know, “Where?”. It’s near the Utah-Wyoming border…this is where you keep nodding as you try to remember that these two states actually share a border…

I mentioned the bike to the Project Manager, and she was cool with it, so Tuesday night, all the bits pulled for the track went right back on.

I left Fort Collins around 7:30am on Wednesday to meet the client at the site at 1 pm. I took the most direct route, taking the 287 north to Laramie, then busting west on the big, flat 80 across Wyoming. I managed to avoid the woman coming right at me who decided to pass a semi by using my lane, with me still in it. Yeah, she got the shoulder shrug WTF and the finger. The wind in Wyoming was minimal. I had been warned, and saw a bunch of scary signs, but I lucked out.

The biggest drag was stopping for gas all the time. In town, I usually get gas after about 130 miles. But here I am where towns are 50+ miles apart, and gas stations are even farther sometimes. So I tried to get gas about every 100 miles. Damn sportbike. I think I got gas 4 times on my way out. Overkill, possibly, but I didn’t feel like trying out AAA Wyoming.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/thesite.jpg

This is the site. What a b1tch to find. Had to bust out the GPS. No landmarks, 50 miles south of nothing. It is on the Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway. Pretty huh?

Yes, that’s a hard hat strapped to my bike. The project site is for a gas pipeline, and those guys are SAFETY #1, so I brought the hard hat and orange vest and the works.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/escarpment1.jpg

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/02grass.jpg

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/elk.jpg
Saw this guy, and a couple wild horses.

Worked for about 5 hours climbing around that slope. Went back to the RR once, when I saw a SUV with a trailer and tie downs pull up next to it…turned out they were there to pick up a surveyor who rolled in shortly on a quad. Also, stopped along the road above to take pictures and talk to the client. A car and 2 bikes stopped to see what we were all staring at. Middle of nowhere, and all these people keep showing up.


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http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/existing.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/existing.jpg)
See those two lines with no trees? Those are existing buried pipelines. There’s actually 3 of them in this area, we’re permitting the fourth.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/scenic.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/scenic.jpg)
Stopped at a few picturesque spots on the way to my skanky hotel.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/hotel.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/hotel.jpg)
Stayed at the marginal Best Western Outlaw Inn in Rock Springs. Cool name. I had to take a smoking room to get one on the outside where I could keep an eye on the bike. I have stayed in much much worse. Trust me.

Rock Springs is an oil town. I swear every other pickup truck there said Halliburton or Schlumberger on the side, or was loaded with pipe. I was amazed at how much dust was blowing around, even as it was raining. The afternoon rain stuck around, and some good lightning and thunder action knocked out the power for a bit. Next door was a liquor store and a Burger King. What more does a girl need?

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/gas_day2.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/gas_day2.jpg)
Headed out before 8 am the next morning, with the intent of taking the long way home. A lot of head scratching and free coffee at this gas station, as the power outage had knocked out their computers.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/divine.jpg
Stopped by the project site again. Returned to the RR to find it bathed in divine light…

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[64BonnieLass]

HOLY MOTHER OF CRAPPING SHIT.

Very nice pics. What an adventure that had to have been. Really great shots too. :bow:

[sky_blue]

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/road.jpg
Went south on the 191 towards Flaming Gorge Dam. Sounded impressive on the map, so I went that way. Cool overcast weather, twisty roads. Nice.

It’s interesting riding alone. You can go as fast or slow as you want. I had one vague thought of someone I wished was riding with me, but for the most part, I kept my mind clear and absorbed the scenery. Relaxing. Well, mentally.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/cows.jpg

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/damn.jpg
Cool dam. Insert cheesy dam joke here.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/redrock.jpg

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/bridge.jpg

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http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/deer.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/deer.jpg)
Oh yeah, got the club name in there.

Continued south past Flaming Gorge dam, through a cool aspen forest. Took about 50 pics of my bike in there, but I’m sure you’re getting tired of that RR.

Went south to Vernal, Utah. Another winner of a town. Big Simplot phosphate mine there. Can’t think of any other redeeming qualities. Lots of lame dinosaur gimmics.

Turned east onto the 40 bound for Colorado. Let me tell you, buy this point, my a$$ is hurting. The padded bike shorts work wonders, but by now, they are losing their effectiveness. I wanted to put on miles toward home, so no pictures of dino crap from Vernal, or from Dinosaur Utah.

Entered Colorado. (Colorful Colorado). Was impressed with a Harley that almost stayed with me as I used my GPS to test the error in my speedo at 130mph. It’s about 6 mph off, btw. We cruised probably 75 miles together. He stopped at a light with me in Craig. “I was trying to catch you and let you know the speed limit is 65 back there.”

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/paststeamboat.jpg (http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/paststeamboat.jpg)
What? No pics of Steamboat?!?!? Did I mention my ass was hurting? Also, it was hot, and damn that town has a bunch of stoplights! Was nice to see pine trees again!
This pic is the turn onto the 18(?) that heads to Walden. Got gas in Walden. Luckily there was no town parade like when Cathy and Mayo and I rolled through a few months ago.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/mountains.jpg
So nice to be back in the mountains!! Got a little rain, nothing compared to what would fall on Fort Collins later that night.

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http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/cameron.jpg
Had to get this one. Almost home!! Larimer County!

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/pouderkirk.jpg
And how many times have I chased people up Poudre Canyon without getting to stop for a picture ::cough::Cathy::cough::. Here, my traveling companion Captain Kirk poses at the Poudre River.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/pouderbridge.jpg

Made it home at about 4:20 pm.

810 miles.

[pilot]

I'm going to have to say, "That there was just about the best mini-travel-log I've seen to date." Not just any ol, we rode today, but a ride with work involved. Damn fine, Jenn, damn fine.

[dirkterrell]

J
The biggest drag was stopping for gas all the time. In town, I usually get gas after about 130 miles. But here I am where towns are 50+ miles apart, and gas stations are even farther sometimes. So I tried to get gas about every 100 miles. Damn sportbike.

Nice pics and writeup. Next time you have to take a trip like that, ask and you can take my Interceptor. 250 on a tank easily and probably a little more comfortable than the CBR. :)

Dirk

[sky_blue]

HOLY MOTHER OF CRAPPING SHIT.


Oh, you quit your sweet talkin!!

[sky_blue]

Nice pics and writeup. Next time you have to take a trip like that, ask and you can take my Interceptor. 250 on a tank easily and probably a little more comfortable than the CBR. :)


Thanks, I may do that. Had to try it once on the RR, just say I did it, ya know? Also, at the project site I went a couple hundred feet down a very very rutted out dirt road, and turned around in a weedy field. I was happy for the low mass, low seat, and small frame of the CBR at that point.

Also, the CBR has a great WTF factor when you park it next to a bunch of Harleys and big tourers. :crazy: Alas, you won't be seeing me adding heli-bars and a corbin seat to my bike...sport-tourer she's not. For me, I'd say about 1000 miles is the limit. Unless your favorite thing is stopping a podunk gas stations.

[Jason ON]

Nice. When I read the title I couldn't think for the life of my why anyone would go to Wyoming on purpose, and then I remembered a former job of mine when I had to go to all the worst parts following an interstate fiber-line.

Boss wouldn't let me take the bike -- it was "unprofessional."

Looks like fun - minus Wyoming.

[crunch]

And how many times have I chased people up Poudre Canyon without getting to stop for a picture ::cough::Cathy::cough::. Here, my traveling companion Captain Kirk poses at the Poudre River.

http://idisk.mac.com/jenstrona/Public/Pictures/kandatrip_aug07/pouderbridge.jpg

Made it home at about 4:20 pm.

810 miles.

Funny thing that is. I've been on alot of the roads I love to ride on without realizing how many things I miss because I'm watching for gravel, LEOs, and generally the turns. A friend who is a pretty newbish rider came to visit with his bike. We rode a pretty slow pace, and I couldn't believe how many things I noticed that I never had before on roads I frequent.

[Flyin Hawaiian]

Looks like you had a great time! I will be riding out west and hope I have some scenery that you rode through.

[mtnairlover]

And how many times have I chased people up Poudre Canyon without getting to stop for a picture ::cough::Cathy::cough::. Here, my traveling companion Captain Kirk poses at the Poudre River.


Tee hee...man am I late to this party, or what?!! I do remember your talking about this trip, so maybe not so late, but late in posting.

I'm hoping to do more trips next summer with lots more scenery and time for pics and view gazing. Sooo, maybe a coupla over-nighters will be in order.:)

Still hoping to get out on a couple more long rides this season before the snow flies as well. We'll see how that goes.

Oh, and I love those pics!

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Cool pics! Nice ride. Good on ya!:)