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I didn't realize how
much Utah there really was. Turns out I had a hundred miles before hitting
Colorado. Then when I got to Colorado, there was a hundred miles of
Utah terrain before it actually turns into Colorado.
However, the middle part of Colorado is fantastic! The mountains go up and up and up until I was riding in some very cool air. The weather held nicely and I really enjoyed the scenery. The best part was Glenwood Canyon. This portion of I-70 was built long before I-70 was dreamt of as part of a grand interstate system, with the governor at the time hoping his little trail would eventually become part of a national trail. It did and because of that, I got to enjoy the view.
I stopped several times in the canyon at their rest stops. The canyon isn't particularly long, but the rest stops are there for the scenery. They even have access to the Colorado River, which is quite small that far north. The scenery is splendid, but the real breathtaking views are of the canyon itself. The road was built to wind through the canyon pretty organically, with only a couple of tunnels, including one that one side of the highway goes through, but not the other. The entire roadway is built elevated style, so it almost feels like flying through the canyon.
I was disappointed to leave the portion of the mountains behind, but still had plenty ahead of me, including Denver. Before the day was over, I'd made it a little past Denver, to Limon, CO. I made plans to make it to my parents' home the next day, as it would be my father's birthday.
I was packed and on the road by 6 a.m., but I had not counted on just how big Colorado is. I still had a hundred miles of that state left before I hit Kansas!
And then Kansas.... well, I learned a few things there and will avoid Kansas in the future. There is nothing there as far as I could see -- and the wind takes advantage of it! Kansas was SO windy my gas mileage was cut by 1/3. During one stretch, I went through the entire tank in 87 miles, resulting in gas mileage of about 27 miles per gallon. Just over half what I usually make.
I stopped for gas and ate
lunch at a Subway. A couple on a very sweet Valkyrie tourer w/ matching
trailer was there, bickering a bit. Apparently the wind had been too much
for them too, as they were sitting and resting, particularly the husband
who, if he'd been fighting the wind like I had, had to have been exhausted.
I got on the phone with a friend and was describing Kansas as the couple
was leaving. I said something about "find a picture of any part of
Kansas -- and that's all of Kansas" and got a big laugh out of the
guy.
Finally, Kansas ended. And, like a switch, so did the wind. Going through Kansas City was miserable, with miles of traffic snarls. I hit the shoulder and made decent time, all the time expecting flashing reds and blues, but my luck held. (As a matter of fact, I didn't get pulled over once the entire trip; though one tollgate failed to read my EZ Pass and I probably have a bill coming for that.)
Now for Missouri. These roads I used to know pretty well, but time changes everything I guess. I found I-70 between KC and Columbia to be a miserable experience. The roads are poor and the amount of signage dedicated to adult stores outranks any other state I visited. It presents a very poor picture.
In Columbia, I fueled and asked directions of some guy in a rattle-can-black truck. I quickly realized that though he was looking at my map of Missouri he thought he was looking at a map of Columbia. I thanked him for his help and walked away. I eventually found highway 63; which was, hands down, the worst portion of the ride of the whole three-week trip. 63 is extremely poorly maintained and is not consistent from county to county. Marion county, as a matter of fact, doesn't bother to stripe the sides, nor put up roadsigns for the curves. At all. I was crawling along at 35 much of the way, which put me way behind schedule.
Finally a quick blast along I-44 to T highway and my parents' gravel driveway. Hell of a way to cap off a stressful, 776 mile* drive: a mile of gravel road, then a dark house. It was 11:30 and I'd missed the birthday party. I know my parents were happy to see me, but I didn't get to spend any time with the rest of my family.
The next morning both my nephew and I felt a little ill, so I decided to stay for the day and just enjoy my parents company. For dinner, we had t-bone steaks, baked potatos, and sauteed mushrooms. I haven't had that meal in years.
*the longest day of the trip, by the way
