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The day was fast approaching...August 21st...the Iron Butt Association (IBA) National Meet in Denver. I'd made hotel reservations several weeks prior with the faint glimmer of hope that I would be able to meet up with some old friends and some of the other crazy fools that I knew from the LDRider list, however had never met in person.
Apparently the stars were in my favor. I was able to take some time off, signed up for the event, and on the 20th headed out from Surprise (Phoenix) to Denver. I had a couple of choices to make, the first being the bike. The STeed ('94 ST1100) is a reliable commuter (PHX to SF once or twice a month) but I had recently gotten the '80 GoldWing back from a major overhaul at i-Bike. I'd taken the 'Wing out for a few short (200 miles or so) jaunts and all seemed great. I decided that given the crowd, and the fact that probably a quarter of them had owned one of these magnificant beasts at one time or another, I'd take the 'Wing.
The second choice was the route. I decided to head up via through some back routes via Moab, UT and then head out over I-70 into Denver.
Outside of some really nasty highway grooving work near Vail the trip was uneventful. I wore my Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket with a JR Sierra vest (it was 110 degrees when I left Phoenix). I brought along my Warm & Safe jacket liner just in case (and really needed it when it hit 25 degrees over the Vail Summit). I had just gotten some Sidi boots that worked out very well.
The Meet was outstanding. I hooked up with some old friends and met some new ones. Pics can be located here. There were some really awesome bikes in the parking lot, excellent training, and great food.
I decided to head home via Capitol Reef (UT 24 to US 89). My Garmin MapSource gave me what I *thought* was gong to be a great shortcut from 24 back to 89 through Kodachrome Basin State Park. It turns out that the shortcut is a 40 mile dirt road. Pulling into the park entrance near the road I asked the ranger about any alternatives. I decided that it would be best to forego that adventure and headed back up (the long way - adding another 200 miles or so) to US 89. He was kind enough to let me take a free loop through the park (it was gorgeous).
I reached US 89 near twilight. I immediately got behind a van as I could see deer starting to congregate on the sides of the road. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are safe. I was following a couple of car lengths behind the van when a deer literally decided to play *chicken* and dart out between us (and I know that the deer saw me). I decided to pull over for the night. I stayed at a very nice hotel that was fairly reasonable (given the season). I also got the pleasure of finally being able to sample some Polygamy Porter ("Bring some home to the Wives"). It is a truly excellent brew.
The next morning I belatedly headed down to Phoenix. For some strange reason I once again decided to trust my Garmin as it took me down US 89a. Little did I know that this would turn out to be one of the most beautiful motorcycle roads in the world. I've been riding a LOT in the West over the course of the past 20 odd years and this one is DEFINITELY a keeper.
Overall it was a great weekend; 2194 miles through some of the best country on the planet.
See you on the road,
Brian Zaleski
i-Bike Webmaster
'80 Honda GL1100 (RYDSFAR)
'94 Honda ST1100
'95 Kawasaki ZX-11 (ETIX RD)
'97 Ducati M750 (soon to be M900) (LD RYDER)
PS If you are interested in long distance events, please check out RallyMasters.org. I'm the webmaster of the site, and i-Bike generously provides the hosting.
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