Autumn ride to Des Moines, Iowa

In the 1950s and early 1960s Henry Gregor Felsen wrote several books aimed at teenage boys who,were also car nuts. These were not particularly happy novels - there were violent deaths, abusive and alcoholic parents, and much general angst. I of course read and enjoyed every one. Recently, I discovered that Mr. Felsen's children organized a car show - The Henry Gregor Felsen Tribute - that has been held annually for the last several years in West Des Moines, Iowa. That seemed like a good excuse for a long ride.

After breakfast and Walter's morning walk I left San Francisco a little after 10:30 on Tuesday morning, September 22. The hot weather had finally broken and San Francisco was a cool 60 or so and overcast, but once in Marin the sky cleared and by the time I was in Vallejo the temperature had risen to a pleasant 70 or so, and it gradually warmed as I headed east into the Sacramento Valley on I-80. There was a brief slowdown for road work after Donner Summit, but all in all it was about as pleasant a ride on I-80 as can be imagined. At Fernley I turned on US 50, which I followed to Fallon where I had an early dinner at a Mexican/Italian (!) restaurant in the old downtown. Just before sunset I arrived at the Pony Canyon Motel in Austin, Nevada where I'd made a reservation. Once I saw the place I realized that I'd stayed there before, and the place I really wanted was next door (the Cozy Mountain Motel). No matter, the place was OK, although the floors were slanted, and there was even a friendly cat hanging around. I'm riding the Suzuki DL650 V-Strom (AKA the Wee-Strom, or the Wee) on this  trip, so I lubed the chain as soon as I checked it.

This morning I left a little after 7:30 when it was still 55 degrees. I climbed  out  of town over the Austin Summit (7900 feet) and descended down the twisty, well-paved road on the other side of the summit towards Eureka. I was little worried about wandering wildlife that early in the morning and in the hills, but the only wildlife I saw were a couple of touring bicyclists and a dog. It was a sunny and pleasant morning with little traffic, as you might expect on that road at this time of year. In Eureka I was disappointed to learn that the Owl Club Cafe, my intended breakfast stop, didn't open until 10:30 - must be post-Labor Day hours. I finally had breakfast at 10:30 in Ely, and also put 5.3 gallons in the Wee's tank. The tank is supposed to hold 5.8 gallons, so at 265 miles I  was pushing my range a bit.

Mural on a building in downtown Ely

After Ely US 50 goes over several passes in the 6500-7500 foot range before descending into Utah and going straight to Delta, where I stopped at a city park for water break. The temperature was in the mid-80s and very pleasant as long as you were moving. Outside Delta I followed US 6 northeast to Lynndyl and UT 132 to Leamington and Nephi at I-15.

                                    The art project in Leamington hasn't changed

In Nephi I looked around the old downtown for a restaurant, but failed to find one and finally stopped at a One Man Band cafe at I-15 - part of a small, Utah chain.

Veterans memorial garden in Nephi, Utah

I-15 is posted for 80 MPH for several miles and I followed the Interstate to Provo, where I exited at US 189, which goes right through town on University Avenue. Downtown Provo and the University are impressive, but at 4:30 on a weekday afternoon there was a lot of traffic. Outside of town the traffic thinned and it was a pleasant ride through Provo Canyon along Deer Creek. Many years ago this was a very twisty, bumpy, poorly maintained, and probably dangerous ride, although it was a lot of  fun if you weren't stuck behind a truck, motorhome, or slow-moving car. The road has been improved and straightened over the years and much of it is even four lanes, so an exciting ride has become less so but more enjoyable overall.


.At Heber City I turned east on US 40 and climbed over 8000 foot Daniels Pass and then descended to Duchesne, where I spent the night at the River Inn. When I called from Heber City to make the reservation I asked the lady for directions, and she said that the motel was on the northwest corner of the only traffic light in town, so I didn't have any trouble finding the place. After doing chain maintenance, I had dinner at Cowan's Cafe, where I realized that I'd eaten there before and that the service had been very slow - that hasn't changed, although to be fair there was only one waitress and one person working in the kitchen.

This morning was a chilly 55 degrees and I wore my overpants and jacket  liner again as I rode east to Vernal. It's pretty country - high desert, and some interesting rock formations in the otherwise bleak landscape. However, that part of US 40 carries a lot of truck traffic - apparently from local extractive industries - which, along with more car traffic than I would have expected, made  for a ride that wasn't quite as lonely and pleasant as it might have been.

Over the years I've ridden on US 50 and US 40 many times. This year alone I've been on 50 three times and US 40 twice. I have to say that the charms are beginning to wear thin.

Overlooking Vernal, Utah from the west

 After breakfast at the 7-11 Ranch Restaurant in Vernal, I took a few pictures downtown and stopped at the coffee shop. Earlier this summer I had coffee there and spent quite a bit of time talking with Anna Maria, a very lively and pleasant young Macedonian woman. Fortunately, she was there this morning and we chatted for a bit. She said that a lot of the employment in town is with the oil industry, and that with the slump in prices the companies are laying  off people, which has affected the housing market and the local businesses. Still, Vernal is a lot bigger and more vibrant than when Carol and I drove through there 35 years ago on our way to Steamboat Springs to go skiing. There are several museums, new public buildings, and dozens of flower planters lining the main street - not  to mention the dinosaur statues. Vernal does love it's dinosaurs.

A couple of dinos in a park

Apparently this Tyranosaurus likes hamburgers.

Leaving Vernal the traffic gradually eased and I was able to enjoy the scenery - more high desert, hills, and  harsh landscape. Inside Colorado I rode through the town of Dinosaur and continued to Craig, the desert gradually turning into range land as US 40 went into the Yampa River Valley.

In Craig I looked for a coffee shop in the downtown area and finally stopped at a bakery where I had coffee and a sandwich. Riding around in Craig I went by a park that had several wood sculptures.

Old hippie says "peace" in Craig

 

It's a short ride to Steamboat Springs from Craig, and the traffic increased. Steamboat spreads along the US 40 to the west, so it was slow going for several miles until the downtown, where I finally found a Conoco station. The coffee in Craig was mediocre and I should have waited until Steamboat - the gas station advertised a local roast and there was a Starbucks next door.

An old Royal Enfield rests outside a gas station in Steamboat Springs

 US 40 quickly climbs to Rabbit Ears Pass (9500 feet) east of Steamboat, and on the right I looked across to the side of a mountain where golden pockets of Aspen trees stood out against the dark green of the surrounding pines. There were more golden Aspens along the road, and although I hated to stop I had to take a few pictures.

Aspens on the hillside

Aspens along the road

More Aspens - you really had to be there

Not far past Rabbit Ears Pass I turned north on CO 14 towards Walden, CO. This is a high mountain plateau through forest and range land, and it's a thoroughly pleasant ride, especially on a sunny and crisp Autumn day. At Walden 14 goes southeast towards Fort Collins, climbing over Cameron Pass at 10,200 feet before descending through scenic mountain terrain and eventually following the Poudre River. I've been on the road twice before, both times from the other direction and both times in the summer with a lot more traffic. It's a great road with a lot of variation in the surface, sharp turns, and many recreation areas alongside, so the low (45 MPH) speed limit on much of it probably makes some sense, although I rode considerably faster than that. Fortunately, the Park Rangers, Sheriffs, State Patrolmen, and other constabulary were otherwise occupied this day and I didn't see a one.

Fort Collins may be an interesting town, but every time I've been through it for the last several years the roads have been torn up and under construction. I had thought that I would find a place in town and wander around a bit, especially since I was stopping early for once, but the motels in town that I passed were surrounded by road construction, so I finally gave up and settled for a Motel 6 near I-25. To put a cap on my choice of lodging, I had dinner at a Denny's.

Tomorrow across the Great Plains. Again.