Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Mississipi River, RedLegs & Glenwood Canyon

August 2013:     After my excursion through the backroads of Indiana it was time to make time.   I had a long brunch with Biker Baby (read here)  and got a late start to my day so I had to make up for lost time.   It was a pedal to the metal kind of day and I ended up in Avoca, IA where I got an early start the next morning.   Little did I know that this was to be my highest mileage day of my trip.


There was nothing really to see except the straight ribbon of road dead ahead.   A few days earlier I was in Toronto contemplating riding home via the Canadian route and now I was deep in the south riding along I-80 and heading towards Colorado


I knew that I had a long ride ahead when I left Chicago so when I received an email inviting me to spend a night in Centennial,  I jumped at the chance.   About half a day later I diverted south to I-76 where I soon came to the Colorado border


Here I am at the visitor's centre where you have to give your email address to obtain the official State Map.   This section of highway doe not seem very well maintained and there are virtually no services


and I was physically in the middle of storms.  I could see menacing clouds all around me and I was just waiting for a deluge of rain, but luckily I outran the clouds

I left Avoca, IA around 7am and arrived in Dom's garage around 6:15pm,   11 hours on the road and 603 miles later stopping only for gas and quick snacks.   read  here1

I can't thank Dom enough for hosting me.  I had a great time and stayed two days.  One was a non-riding day for me as I played monkey   read here2     and he took me to Red Rock Canyon


 it was hot and we were walking around in our riding boots and getting tired watching all these people exercising up and down the steps/chairs


We even managed to spot some wild life



And snap a few photos of Valencia

Eventually all good things come to an end and I had to move on   read here3     Dom took the lead and led me out of town.   He just wanted to make sure I was safely on my way

Along the way I  went through the Eisenhower Tunnel    read here4  

Most of those links (above)  have video and I am just recaping some of my highlights so you can understand the sequence in my video below and also to thank my hosts Dom and Martha for inviting me into their home and and putting up with me for a couple of days.    I can't thank you enough for being thoughtful and kind to a lonely traveler.   I am honoured to be part of your extended family
 

And also a very big thank you for taking a day from your schedule to show me around as I relaxed in your Hack watching the scenery go by at Ural speed.   All I can say is those tires on those big rigs are sure big as they go barreling by

 Oh, another thing.  I am not one to wash my bike.  My windshield was plastered with bugs and I could barely see through it.  Remember that I am now on the return leg of my trip and this was the first time that my windshield had been cleaned.   Dom took one look, shook his head and grabbed his windex bottle and went to work



It wasn't long before I had the cleanest windshield in town.   Thanks again Dom

After I left Denver  I took I-70 and headed West and found myself in Glenwood Canyon.  I decided to record longer video than usual and add some video from the day before I arrived at Dom's .  My normal practice is to keep my videos on the shorter side and certainly less than 5 minutes, but the Glenwood section alone was over 8 minutes so sorry if it may be a bit too long but I didn't mean for it to be boring.

Glenwood Canyon is an engineering marvel,  read more here.    They tried to preserve the natural landscape and built the freeway "in the air" so as not to disturb the environment and more facts here.   I wanted so much to stop and look over the edge to get a better view but thought it to be too unsafe.  As you are riding on the roadway you don't even realize you are on an elevated road . . .





20 comments:

  1. Great video Bob. I feel like I know how to get to the west coast now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David:

      I thought I would just cram in the first bit rather than produce two videos. I recorded more of Glenwood Canyon so you could get a feel for it, whilst riding a bike. I am authorized by Youtube to be able to upload longer videos, but this is my first one over 10 minutes. I recently viewed Glenwood Canyon from the air on cable and the road is a feat of engineering.

      Delete
  2. That is quite the mileage in one day Bob. Nice job. Of course it helps to have that warm welcome when you step off the bike.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trobairitz:

      Imagine that this was the 2nd time of this trip that I have raced to be part of the Dom family. When you are riding alone it is nice to see friends and familiar faces. I also had a high mileage day as I raced to Holmen, WI when I started my journey

      The hardest part of riding alone is finding a home "for the night". It's hard to say when to stop and when to have a meal. I was lucky to aim for a destination and relax. It was nice at the beginning to be able to stop and wander this way and that way, on a whim but now I had to be back at work on a specific day

      Delete
  3. You're always welcome at our house Bob....thanks for the mentions and kind words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dom:

      You were my saviour twice on this trip. Riding solo has challenges for someone like me who craves for company. In the beginning it took a bit of adjustment. Now that I look back I am thinking that now " I Can Do It " , but it's very nice to be able to welcomed when you are far from home.

      I can't thank you enough for everything. My/our visit this year (2014) may be short, but next year (2015) you may have to kick me out

      Delete
  4. I like the video. Keep them coming...

    I don't think I've ever been on the Glenwood Canyon section of I-70. The last time I went from Denver to Snowmass for a meeting, I went through Leadville and Independence Pass.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard:

      I noticed all the exits along the way, Mount Evans, Independence Pass, etc but I had no more time. I had to rush home and get ready for work. The next time I get down here I will have the time, but not the funds

      Delete
  5. RichardM, Glenwood Canyon really is very nice....high rocky canyon walls with the highway hugging their sides.....hard to find a good spot to take pictures though as Bobskoot mentioned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard/Dom:

      I was really tempted to stop but the best views are on the left side of the fast lane, not on the Canyon Side but I was afraid of being hit from behind. The shoulder is not that wide and the traffic flows very fast

      It is like a super highway between canyon walls and it was hard to slow down to snap photos, that's why I resorted to video being safer than riding one-handed with a camera in my left hand.

      Dom, if you liked Glenwood Canyon then you will like our BC highway 99 north of Lillooet, BC where you are riding on a shelf road within the Fraser Canyon with views of the mighty Fraser River

      Delete
  6. Nice recap of your trip. My oh my that's some high mileage riding. Ouch! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kari:

      where there's a will, there's a way. I was hungry for a familiar face and it wasn't that bad as I was on a fast interstate highway. I had several 500 mile days during this trip, but also a few non-riding days. I am just trying to link video which I could not work on during my trip

      Delete
  7. Bob --

    Sorry you had to rush through that stretch. I hate being under the gun of a deadline.

    I wonder if, somewhere in that broad green countryside west of Chicago, there's a seldom-traveled two-lane road that wanders westward through the countryside.

    Spectacular trip through Glenwood Canyon. It would be nice if they built a few overlooks to allow views well off traffic, of the roadway. But those canyon walls, and the tunnels, especially that one . . . .

    I also like tunnels. Maybe you've already done the Wawona tunnel in Yosemite. If you haven't, it may be worth choosing Highway 41 if you're headed into Yosemite when the streams are high.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John:

      It was not a deadline but there was not much to see anyway, so I just headed in the direction of my waiting dinner. I like tunnels and bridges too and this is when I turn on my GoPro. One day I shall get to Yosemite. I should be in that area this coming September 2014

      Delete
  8. Great recap and video Bob! It's hard to get too much of that part of the country.

    Regarding Glenwood Canyon, there's a Rest Stop that no one should miss along I-70 and worthy of a stop even if rest isn't needed. I stop every trip. http://tinyurl.com/pluqv52

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coop:

      I generally start recording when I approach a tunnel or bridge. I check my GPS so I can see what is coming up. I guess I must have missed the Rest Stop. I may have seen the sign but it may not have said "viewpoint ahead". If it said "rest stop" I may not have needed to use one and just rode past

      Delete
  9. Bob - that's the way it goes. Where there are breathtaking vistas, there's no place to stop ... where there is place to stop, there's nothing to see. Who are these highway planners anyway? Luckily you were armed and ready with your GoPro.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Karen:

      There may have been a place to pull over safely but I missed it, or perhaps was looking the other way. I knew I was somewhere special but you can't tell from riding on the roadway

      Delete
  10. Wow that Canyon was spectacular Bob. Thanks for sharing it. Thats one for the bucket list. America sure has some beautiful scenery hasn't it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve:

      As someone said, "So much to see, so little time". There is lots to see in Colorado if only I had an extra week. I was so close to so many scenic places, like Arches NP but I had no time to divert. I had to rush back to work

      Delete