OK, I forgot to add one more weird thing from Deadwood on Monday night……
As I am walking into Saloon #10 I run into a friend from my hometown! Actually he is the owner of the HD dealership in Statesville, Don Tilley. We shot the breeze for about 30 mins.
Now for the updates for Aug 10th:
Pulled out of Fort Collins around 0930 hours. Needed to wait for some fog to burn off and clouds to clear. Picked an out of the way road to start the day. I always tell my friend Andy that life should be measured by width, not distance. I am notorious for picking roads that add sometimes 100’s of miles to a day ride. Anyone who is ever in the area needs to take Rist Canyon Rd. You will thank me. What an awesome ride. That dead ended into CO Rd 27. Again, just a joy to ride. When you have 10 mph speed signs….it gives you a motorcycle woody!
From there we headed on into Rocky Mountain National Park. I am so glad I ran into the guy on the way from Sturgis to Fort Collins who suggested this ride. Just spectacular! Elevation went in excess of 12,500!
At the top there is a typical, “here, let us rip you off for a t-shirt made in China in a US National Park” store. We pulled in. Sit down…I know this is going to surprise you…but, I started talking to someone. It was actually the Park Ranger. Great kid named Matthew. If you are a VET you will know what I mean when I say this…”he carried himself like a VET.” I asked and sure enough, Navy Corpsman. He had been shot twice in Iraq. We had a terrific conversation. Come to find out he owns a bike and I talked him into looking up the CO Chapter of CVMA. He is from MS and wants to get a job in the Smokey Mountains!
From there we headed down for the exit of the park. As we were exiting….HERE GOES SOME MORE WEIRD STUFF: