Susie's memories of the trip

Every day of our trip was a Joy to me. The ride on day one was beautiful. I always love riding Monitor Pass and 395 we turned off right after Lee Vining and headed off across the desert and over to Tonopah every aspect of the ride was perfect and we found an extra gas station so the Sportys made it all the way on their little tanks.
On day two I was so happy to find that the little portable SLIME brand air pump plugged into my battery proved to be very useful and it was really amazing that the Sportsters went 170 miles on one tank and 1 extra gallon of gas because when we reached the gas station at Ash Springs it was about 110 degrees and there was nothing in between there and Tonopah on the Extraterrestial Highway which made me wonder where it got it’s name since it is nowhere near Roswell. When the Sporsters were adding that gallon out on the E.T. Hwy I was waiting for Scotty to beam us up, but we didn’t lose any time so guess we didn’t get that bonus trip. When we reached Cedar Breaks it was like a smaller Bryce Canyon and so beautiful, the road from there to Panaca had the best scenery on the trip and the town of Panaca was quiet, peaceful and clean. Rubys Inn turned out to be a great place to stay when visiting Bryce and it had everything we needed . After the 12 hour ride today I was wondering if there was another part of my body that I could put on the seat because I was bruising. I might need to look into a softer seat.
Friday was a relief from so much riding, we took a tour bus around Bryce Canyon and hiked a trail around the edge. Then in the afternoon we rode about 100 miles toured Capital Reef and then found our 3 bedroom apt. at Austin’s Chuckwagon in Torrey Utah. I had my own Queen Size bedroom and finally had a full night of glorious sleep.
Day 4 was another full day of beautiful desert scenery. We made our own picnic lunch in a city park and really enjoyed a break from restaurants. We finally arrived at 4 corners and did a little light shopping and then rode on into Cortez Colorado where I cooled off in the pool. I think it was in Cortez where we ate at a cute Italian Restaurant one night and a cowboy bar and restaurant the next both were good and fun.
Sunday we rode over to Mesa Verde and enjoyed the many Indian Ruins in the area. It was amazing that they lived there for so many centuries and then disappeared and nobody knows why and it was long before the evil white man drove them out.
The following day we were back in the saddle again big time. My ace was killing me by the time we reached Aspen. I almost pulled Linda off her bike and stole her sheepskin seat cover. The ride on hwy 92 was extremely enjoyable and I was one with my FJR. When we started out early in the morning and came across almost freezing temps., I must say I was enjoying every minute of it and the scenery was fantastic and Telluride was a cute little town with beautiful mountains and waterfalls all around it. We arrived there the day after the bluegrass festival. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison was very impressive.
After that day we cut quite a few miles off our original itenerary because we were all getting pretty worn out and just headed over to Ouray, past the continental divide and much beautiful scenery where we relaxed and swam in a hot springs pool and had time to get millions of bugs off our bikes.
Then it was Wednesday and we headed straight over to Moab, got there around noon for an early check in and decided to get some more rest and ride out to Arches National Monument in the evening which turned out to be a perfect plan because it was very hot there and the setting sun proved to be excellent for showing off the color and dimension. If we had been full of energy we might have gone to Canyonlands Natl. park which was another 30 miles down the road but we will be sure and make that stop next time.
After that we were pretty much just headed home so on day 9 we went about 550 miles, we were all feeling pretty good, got an early start, arrived in Ely very early and knew we could do at least another 150 miles to make our last day much easier so that’s what we did, we also gained an hour due to the time change.
The last day we just flew home from Austin, after taking our picture at Boomtown we flew down 80.
I think this trip was a great time for all of us, we all got along great, we traded who got to sleep alone, spaced our showers apart, each found a corner for all of our saddlebag contents, nobody snored too loud and best of all I only gained 3 pounds.
This is the position I wanted to ride in after so many hours in the saddle.

Reflections on the Colorado trip by Jeanie

I am still reveling in the visual memories of the National Parks; the immensely beautiful color palette of reds, gold’s, peaches, beige and silvers in rock and sandstone…..all created by water; at least that is what the National Park Rangers said. Water surpassed even John Wayne as the star in all the park movies. Water created the awesome sculptures, natural arches, and gaping deep canyons. The first view of these parks always took my breath away, they were so amazing. I loved the quote by Ebenezer Bryce who said of Bryce Canyon, “it’s a hell of a place to loose a cow”.

Being on the bike for hours every day was my sanctuary. Even fully loaded, I was comfortable in the saddle and continually delighted with the responsiveness of the BMW engine. Just by slightly rolling my wrist, the bike would leap forward which was just so darn fun! Early on I gave up listening to music, choosing instead to tune into the sound of the engine, trying to identify the many different smells, and appreciating the constantly changing scenery. Colorado's State Highway 92, just past Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was a twisty rider’s dream, hundreds of curves, few guardrails to obstruct the magnificent views, great pavement and blessedly little traffic! Overall motorcyclists across all four states were friendly, interested in where you had been, or were headed and were happy to share road conditions and weather.

Group riding with these women was a joy. Each of us took a turn at leading, and it was enlightening to ride behind each of the different riders. Group riding over 10 days requires you to have and maintain patience, (yes, I am still working on that); appreciation for your fellow riders and how they view the road; the need to know at all times where you are and where you are going (it’s darn hard to catch the Texas boys on HDs if you aren’t on the same highway!); and the importance of being able to anticipate what the woman in front of you is going to do! Splitting meals means you have extra money for desserts, and also surprisingly I was never hungry! A group of five also means sometimes someone will be left out. Five women sharing rooms and bathrooms for 10 days reminded me of college dorm life and eventually gave meaning to the bumper sticker I saw that read: “The more you know, the less you need”. Well, alrighty, then. And....a special thanks to Pat E. who offered to be our "contact point" in case we got separated for keeping her cell phone on for 10 days!

3000 trip miles divided by 120 miles per stop equates to about 25 gas stations. That’s a lot of card swipes through gasoline pumps and a lot of interactions with convenience store clerks. We were blessed with remarkably good weather (no rain, little wind, tolerable heat), and mostly good internet connections which was essential to do a blog. Realistically one person should do it but what fun is that when you have five digital cameras! Because these women were good riders, and exemplary human beings, this trip was a remarkable and wonderful vacation. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.

Karey's Trip Overview

The 10 day trip to Colorado was a wonderful opportunity to ride, visit 7 National parks, experience group touring and grow my riding skills. The most important lesson learned was the value of the right equipment for the weather. My clothing in general was pretty good, but my helmet was not sufficient. It should have been full face. The wind takes a toll after beating on you for 10 hours, especially the dry heat. I packed light, but even at that, I found myself in a ‘favorite’ pair of pants most days, and 2 tops were hand washed and re-worn. I was pleasantly surprised to find good food from local family restaurants. Best Western’s internet capabilities were a pleasure. I was really anxious the first day as we started out across the Nevada forbidden land. My nervousness added no value, only kept me in a state of anxiousness, and because of it, I can’t really remember the first two days. I think on the next trip I’ll be able to leave that uncertainty at home.

The most beautiful part of the trip for me was the early morning riding, with the cool air and light traffic. Independence pass was breathtaking, and Mesa Verde was like a photograph.

I really appreciate the other chic’s allowing me to grow and learn on my first big road trip!!!!

Karey

10 Top Phrases

1. Where is my ....
2. Have you seen my .....
3. I need air
4. I need gas
5. Is that my .....
6. Who has my room key?
7. I need air, NO!!
8. Ride faster
9. WOW! That was a great road!
10 Another U-Turn

Day 10 Austin, Nevada to Sacramento, California

Austin to Sacramento. Last leg of the 5 hip chic's ride:

many bittersweet memories as we ride along in the cool morning air today. In the Lincoln hotel parking lot we met the president of the Sacramento River Rats motorcycle group demonstrating again how small the motorcycle world can be! 291 miles to home. We stopped at the infamous “shoe tree” and took pics, and had a good breakfast in Fallon at Jerry’s café. In Boomtown we stopped for our last picture. HW 50 may be the loneliest road in America but I-80 has to be the bumpiest road. Lots of traffic and construction but we were spared the Tahoe fire smoke. Also no sight of the dreaded Mormon Crickets- Yeah! We are all looking forward to sleeping in our own beds!

Day 9 Moab, Utah to Austin, Nevada

How far can you ride? How early can you wake up to ride? 4:00 AM on vacation? Right. We wanted to beat the heat, when we left Moab at 5 am it was 70 degrees. One chic’s odometer read 559 miles; slightly higher than the average of 541 miles, attributed to the retrieval of another chic’s jacket which blew off in high winds across the desert. That resulted in meeting a Nevada state trooper but with good results!

We had coffee and pastries at Chevron in Salina, UT, a picnic breakfast at the park in Delta UT, and an excellent lunch in Eureka, NV. One chic spotted the “Pony Expresso Deli” 101 Bullion Rd. but when we walked up to it we noticed that it closed at 2 pm it was 1:50 pm so we started to leave but the owner came out and insisted we come in and he would stay open till we were finished eating, and it was worth it, especially the pie and ice cream, yummy. Eureka claims to be the friendliest town on the loneliest highway and judging from the people in the deli we will agree with that, and in between rode up and down mountain passes in the desert.

People in Austin were very friendly, the gas station called the Lincoln hotel (only three to choose from) when one chic left a card there because everyone in town already knew that 5 hip chics were in town. At the International Bar they let three chics buy a bottle of wine! We had an enjoyable dinner at Toyabe Café (again one of three choices) and fell into bed exhausted. Even having our hotel rooms about 30 feet away from HW 50 failed to keep any of us awake. In the morning the Café at the International gave one chic a pot of coffee and a tray with cream & sugar to take back to the rooms to help get a jump start on the trip.

Day 8 Ouray to Moab

The clerk at the motel told us it would take about 4 hrs by freeway to get to Moab, we said we’re taking the scenic route, he replied oh it’s going to take you about 6 hrs at 25 mph, we all looked at each and said not us, we were there in 4 hrs, which included 1 gas stop, chasing down 2 chics that missed a turn and road construction. “That Silly Boy”.

Moab was HOT-103, but Arches National Park was drop dead gorgeous. We had a fabulous lunch at the Moab Diner of Indian Tacos, green Chile, and shredded chicken on Indian fry bread. After an early check in, (thanks BW Greenville Inn) some chics napped, walked around town or downloaded pics on the laptop. Hint: Don’t miss Walker’s Drug and Hardware store in Moab! We left for Arches in the cool of the late afternoon (104 degrees).

We saw the requisite movie in the Visitor Center, and took a riding tour of the entire park, about 40 miles round trip. Several times we got off the bikes and hiked up into the canyons to get a closer look. Coming back through the park with the late afternoon sunset casting intense shadows on the rocks combined with the rising almost full moon was one of those great visual experiences one gets on motorcycles. Dinner at Pasta Jays was good, and we had a fun shopping excursion into a t-shirt store. Coming attractions include chics in rhinestone adorned t’s.

Day 7

What happens on the road, stays on the road. Period.

We changed our itinerary and rode the Independence Pass to the Continental Divide. Independence Pass was tight, twisty and an awesome blue sky. From there we rode down highway 24 through Buena Vista and went on to Poncha Springs and turned east to highway 50. We had a picnic lunch at Gunnison and headed along the Blue Mesa Reservoir. At Montrose we turn south to the town of Ouray.

Ouray is the Switzerland of the Americas and is named after a historic Indian chief.

We had dinner at the Outlaw restaurant and bar, where John Wayne's (supposedly) 'cowboy hat' is hung at the bar.

One chic had her picture taken with John Wayne, and another chic rode helmet less down part of the Million Dollar Highway.

Today we got a lot of 'honks' from a train engineer, a Fedex truck, and a cute garbage truck guy. We encountered road construction on hwy 50, including one construction barrel in the middle of the road. We maneuvered the barrel,
but are still pondering how the cars behind us would navigate it.

After a few days now on the road we are getting to know each other

Day 6

We started out as a chilly willy day, 37 degrees at 12,930 feet, as we rode into Telluride. We had breakfest at Maggies cafe and bakery, the sweetest buns in Telluride. Telluride was beautiful, scenic and the marshalls were motorcycle friendly. Then, we headed off to Black Canyon in Gunnison National Park.
We passed the 'wild hogs', who later caught up with us after we'd finished our ride and picnic lunch. Highway 92, named the 'West Elk Trail', ran along the gunnison river, climbing and winding up the canyon, was a motorcycle, twister riding dream come true. We were all smiles when we pulled over for our picnic at the top.
At Hotchiss, we headed north on 133, then right at Carbondale, and into Aspen. 133 had speed changes every few miles, plus the heavy tourist traffic, made this part of the ride a bit tiresome.
In Aspen we had a gourmet dinner at D19. Mountain House Lodge had a deck, which one chic slept out on. The manager reprimanded this chic because the deck was not safety secured. This day was 329 miles, and 12 hours in the saddle. One chic had a close encounter with a rock, which
cracked the headlight cover.

Day 5

Today we got our groove on at 7000 feet on our way to Mesa Verde NP. Mesa Verde is a area where Ancestral Puebloans lived for a period of 700 years. Then in the late 1200's they left their homes and moved away. There are many ruins of villages scattered all over this area, it is not known if this was the center of their government or their religion.

Between tours at the geological sites, one chic used a new method to keep cool, or be cool. (see attached photo)

The afternoon was ours to relax as we wanted, some chics napped, yapped on the cell phones, checked out routes, road to Durango or enjoyed the hot tub.

We stayed in Cortez for two nites at the Best Western Turquoise Inn & Suites. Accomodations were perfert for us, but if you want to relax in the jet pool you have to play Marco Polo, so you can guess it is a very family oriented place. Another cool feature of this hotel is the free bike wash! They are very motorcycle friendly here. The internet connection was the most stable we've found to date.

After the semi-religious experience of Mesa Verde, one chic headed east 26 miles on HW 120 to Durango to see the sights. Durango boasts a huge HD store, a very fun and interesting downtown (college atmosphere) with lots of stores, restaurants and of course bars. Lots of non-helmet wearing bikers cruising main street today, but all were quite friendly. There is a very cool jewelery store owned by a BMW rider named Lanka Blue Jewelery:check it out at www.lankablue.com. (Thanks Gary!)

One chic went riding around Cortez without a helmet!!!!

3 out of 5 chics want to know "How is Paris Hilton doing??"

Day 4-Four Corners

Four chics wandered for 40 miles and finally made it to Four Corners.

Day 4

*** Note, to post comments, you do not have to have a google ID. That problem was resolved, and anyone can add comments now ***

One chic is not allowed to cook anymore. Left early in the cool morning air. Winding along the Fremont river in the morning air along the cliffs of Capitol Reef, is what riding is all about.

First gas spot found us in a station carved into the rock. A wall was actually made of stone.

The ride on HW 95 east from Hog Springs through Fry Canyon into the Natural Bridges National Momument was breathtaking. Long sweeping curves through majestic red rock canyons. Not to be missed.

Emergency gas was obtained from a ranger at Natural Bridges State Park. We were allocated 2 gallons, 1 for each Harley. This is a little known fact, the ranger offered this after we realized that we could not view the bridge because we could not make it to the next station.

We have a new friend from France who is traveling from Costa Rica to Alaska. He was expecially charming in that he spoke no English, and we spoke no French. We felt this relationship had hope. (kidding husbands/friends!) Because we could split him 5 ways, we left him at the side of the road. Only to see him 3 more times in our travels.

Lunch was unique in a open park, wonderful bathroom with clean, full pressure, hot/cold water. We had a`picnic. Later, one hip chic had to take a picture, and became seperated from the group. This started the confusion, follow soon thereafter by a missed turn. 3 of the wandering nomad's ran across a herd of wild horses on the road. A chic quietly eased them off the road, and then another chic felt the irrestible urge to honk. At this point, one chic was worried about gas, and headed to the hotel (again) and the other chics went searching for the other wandering chic's through the desert for 40 miles.

high temperature was 107, low was 55.

-Capitol Reef Natural park
-Four Corners Monumenent
-Natural Bridges
-Jacob's chair
-Crossed Colorado River
-Cheese Box Butte

278 route milage, plus detours, u-turns and .....

Day 3

One Chic got pulled over early in the morning by the Park Ranger but lucked out and didn't get ticketed. We went on the shuttle bus to Bryce Canyon major scenic attractions, watch the park video and walked the half mile rim trail. We also watched the Ravens soar in the sky playfully. The chic's had a nice leisurely picnic lunch at Ruby Inn's patio and viewed rally bikers cruising the area. Susie had her picture taken with her Mohawk by a guy from Florida who is creating a 'travel adventure' website. (photo to be posted at www.bobclendenin.com later)

The highway through the Escalante staircase was awesome. So beautiful it was hard to keep our eyes on the road. We meet and seen alot of fellow motorcyclists, especially at gas stations. One chic is no longer allowed to have a room key, and another chic wants to go faster.

Highest temperature was 104 and lowest was 65. Dinner at Capitol Reef resturant was wonderful, and surprisingly in the middle of Nevada we listened to early BB King blues. And only a short 4 blocks from the hotel. The suite at Austin Chuckwagon in Torrey was a three bedroom apartment, with laundry, store, a nice big pool but no cell service.

Day 2

We got off to a slow start because one chic went to put air in her tire and at the Chevron but the machine wasn't working and instead let air out of the tire. But thanks to Susie who had a battery powered air pump and was able to air the tire up. Then we headed south and had to do a U-turn to go east to Warm Springs. The good news the HDs made it to Ash Springs, 171 miles thanks to the extra gas cans. ET highway was hot, long but provided a bath room stop behind the bush. Had lunch in Alamo ,NV, excellent food. On to Utah where the scenery improved dramatically especially at Cedar Breaks National Monument. The ride continued to improve with cooler temperatures and increasingly beautiful scenery to Bryce NP. The low temperature was 56 and the high was 102, we survived with our hydration vests. The highest elevation 10,750 at Cedar Breaks. We're getting along great even though it was a 12 hour day on the bikes. There was some confusion at Ruby's Inn and was lucky to get a room and a roll away bed. We had a good dinner at Ruby's Inn and are planning to hike Bryce tomorrow.

Day 1

All of us were on time and didn't have to make any U-turns. Cindy Swan of A&S BMW arrived to wish us off and take pictures, Susie's husband Jack came to also wish us off. The best road was hwy 120 out of LeeVining it was 12 miles of rolling roller coaster. The weather was great, low - 54, high - 95. The highest elevation was 8,800 feet. And there was gas between LeeVining and Tonopah in a little town of Bently, which isn't even on the map. So the two HD's lucked out and didn't have to fill up their gas cans. We should of stayed at the Clown Motel - "Motorcylist Friendly" rates $24.95. Well we off for Mexican food and margaritas, and then to the swimming pool.

Maggy

I had the luxury of having two days off before we left. But as usual I tried to do everything; and I also overpacked; but I need to be prepared for any adventure that we should encounter. Unfortunately, my windshield didn't come in, so I will be braving the bugs, wind, rain, and crickets??. I've been drooling over the maps and so ready to ride my new motorcycle on all those scenic, twisty, curvy roads.
But mostly the camaraderie of 5 women who share the passion of riding motorcycles.

Susie

I am so excited about this trip. For weeks I have worried
about everything. The heat, my tires, a duffel bag, a tank
bag, break downs, my back, my neck, my legs, etc. I even went to the Chiropractor 3 times and had a massage to tune up my back, and had a pedicure for my feet. I am done worrying now and just plain excited. I have had my bike loaded for 4 days and keep going back and forth taking things out and adding things. Still I have way more than I need, but, I am a former Girl Scout and Be Prepared is my motto. So tomorrow morning I will be ready and waiting at 7:00 a.m. in El Dorado Hills for the rest of you. Clutches out at 7:30, I have to worry about that now because my FJR has no clutch.

Jeanie

Motorcycle Mental Trip Preparation Emotions:
Excitement-Getting to know these 4 other women better; exploring 7 national park sites; getting on the road and being "out there"!
Anxiety-What if we get lost and are wandering around for 40 days?
Happiness-So many positive comments from friends about the trip and how interesting it will be; a chance to see some of this beautiful country!
Stress-Packing for 10 days; I have piles of clothes all over the house and list everywhere.
Appreciation-for my husband who feeds Homer(the dog)and fend for himself for 10 days; for the ability to take time off work; for friends who have gifted me with advice and support; grace.
Yippee--Lets ride; it's almost time to leave!!

Karey

I''m so thrilled to be going along on this trip. It was an act of fate (thanks Susie) that I get to go!! I've been trying very hard to be correctly prepared, and still packed light. I've focused on warm clothes as primary goal, and no frills in any category. Deodorant is a frill item (sorry girls, I'm packing light!!)

Linda

Getting ready for this trip was lots of fun. Each trip seems to require new equipment like a sheep skin seat cover to keep me comfy, or the new "summer" gloves to keep my hands cool and safe at the same time. I keep taking more stuff out of my T-bag so that I'll have room for my for the gas can on the days we need the extra fuel. Hopefully the new camelbac will keep me hydrated, I think I was the only one who didn't have one. Harley just got his 25,000 mile check up, a new front tire and a new battery. Oils checked as well as the air in the tires. I'll really excited to start out in the morning.

5 Hip Chics

5 Hips Chics embarking on an adventurous 10 day motorcycle trip. We'll be leaving ElDorado Hills, CA on Wed, June 20, 2007

We are:
Susie - 2006 Yamaha FJR 1300A
Karey - 2003 Harley Davidson Sportster Hugger
Linda - 2001 1200 Custom Harley Davidson Sportster
Jeanie - 2004 BMW R1150RS
Maggy - 2007 BMW R1200R

Trip Itinerary

Day 1 -Sacramento, CA to Tonopah, NV = 329 miles

Day 2- Tonopah, NV to Bryce NP, UT = 377 miles

Day 3-Bryce NP, UT to Torrey, UT = 163 miles

Day 4-Torrey, UT to Cortez, CO = 278 miles

Day 5-Tour Mesa Verde NP, CO

Day 6-Durango, CO to Aspen, CO = 330 miles

Day 7-Aspen, CO to Pagosa Springs, CO = 400 miles

Day 8-Pagosa Springs, CO to Moab, UT = 302 miles

Day 9-Moab, UT to Ely, NV = 403 miles

Day 10-Ely, NV to Rocklin, CA = 444 miles

Total miles - 3071