Posted Sunday, July 13, 2025. (Left San Francisco on July 12)
Someone said that you can’t travel well if you are always trying to get somewhere, but I’ve found that having a destination serves to maintain focus along the way. This trip encompasses the world’s largest organism, an opera and a friend in Indianola, Iowa, and a short visit with my daughter in Golden, Colorado.
Unfortunately, the trip had an inauspicious beginning even before I left home. The Friday night before I was leave on Saturday I did a final tire pressure check on my 2008 BMW R1200R and noticed that the front tire was beginning to cup and that the tread was close to the wear indicator. I am obsessive about the tires on my motorcycles, but somehow this slipped my notice. The wear indicator is at 3mm and I measured a little over 4mm, which is probably good for 1000 miles, although I’ve noticed that when a front tire begins to cup (wear unevenly around the tread blocks) the tire wears faster. Once you reach the wear indicator there is still tread left, and in the past I’ve run tires beyond the wear bar, but it’s not a good idea for safety and I worried about the tire for every mile. Almost every motorcycle shop in the country is closed on Sunday and Monday, so that meant that if I didn’t get a tire on Saturday, when I already had a 400 mile day ahead of me, I would have to wait until Tuesday in Colorado (Centennial near Denver and Colorado Springs), which would upset my schedule and I wouldn’t have enjoyed the ride for worrying about the tire. There are three BMW shops on my route on Saturday - San Francisco, Roseville, CA, and Sparks, NV.
(Saturday, July 12) I was up early and skipped my normal exercises and stretches and immediately walked Walter so I could leave early and be at BMW of San Francisco when they opened at 9. Of course I had slept poorly, worried about the tire, my change in plans, and what I would do if I couldn’t get a tire on Saturday. I even had a crazy moment when I thought about taking my car instead of the bike. I was at the BMW shop in SF shortly after they opened and went to the service department, but the service manager said that they were booked with appointments all morning and the earliest they could install a tire would be 3 PM. He suggested trying KC Engineering, an independent shop, around the corner, but they didn’t open until 10. I called A&S BMW in Roseville, but the service manager said that he was down three technicians out of six and couldn’t fit me in. Fortunately, Sierra BMW in Sparks (near Reno) had a cancellation for a major service and they could install a new tire in the afternoon, so I told him I’d be there around 3 in the afternoon.
I left the BMW shop before 10 and crossed the Bay Bridge, which at that time of morning on a Saturday didn’t have much traffic, and neither did I-80 through Berkeley and Fairfield. The day was foggy and cool, typical Bay Area summer weather, but began to warm up once past Vallejo. I stopped at the Starbuck’s in Dixon for coffee and a sandwich wrap - an early lunch - and fuel for the bike, and I also opened my jacket and pants vents and switched to light gloves. The day had warmed considerably, but traffic wasn’t bad - there was a slowdown near Sacramento when I-80 lost a lane due to construction, but it wasn’t slow enough that I split lanes. The temperature was 95 in Auburn, but once in the mountains it cooled a bit. I noticed that the Gold Run and Donner Summit rest areas are both closed, which means that eastbound there are zero open rest areas in all of I-80 in California. Another California failure, since Interstate rest area maintenance is primarily the responsibility of the state Department of Transportation.
After a stop for fuel in Boomtown west of Reno I continued through Reno to Sparks where I checked in at the BMW shop at about 2 PM - I had made good time. The one tech on duty was finishing up another bike, so I waited around in the lounge area, read a BMW club magazine, and chatted with another customer - an old guy like me, as are most motorcycle riders these days, especially BMW and Harley riders. I even walked outside for a few minutes, but since it was 95 degrees I soon went back in the shop. After an hour and a half my bike was ready and I got back on I-80, exiting after 30 miles in Fernley, where I picked up US 50 east towards Fallon. I saw a high temperature of 105 around Fallon. The 110 miles from Fallon to Austin went by quickly, US 50 slowly gaining elevation and becoming interesting (hills and curves) for the last 50 miles before Austin. I filled up the bike at Champ’s and arrived next door at the Cozy Mountain Motel at 6:30, got my key for room 5 (where I’ve stayed before - a bit small) and immediately took a shower and changed into shorts and a T-shirt. Austin is at about 6500 feet so it was cooler than Fallon, but still hot at 95. I ate too much at Grandma’s, and asked Brandon, the waiter and co-owner along with his wife, Sarah, of the Cozy Mountain Motel as well as Grandma’s, if the Toiyabe Cafe was open for breakfast. Brandon went onto a bit of a rant about the owner of Champ’s gas station and food store, who had been promising to open the Toiyabe Cafe for 5 years but had made no progress. He went on to say that the owner of Champ’s (Champ?) also purchased the long closed Lincoln Motel (where I stayed many years ago) as well as a couple of other properties in town. This being Saturday night the bar across the street had a few Harley’s parked outside and people standing around drinking beer. The biker couple at the table next to me at Grandma’s were speaking German, and the Harley Road Glide CVO parked next to my bike at the Cozy Mountain had Quebec tags, so there was an international group of motorcyclists in Austin that evening. (about 400 miles)
(Sunday, July 13) I was up early because I would lose an hour in Utah and I had a side trip to Fish Lake. However, after coffee (Keurig machine in the unattended motel office with pods for Peet’s Major Dickson blend) I did a walk around town and took a few pictures of Austin, which is still struggling for a comeback, although with a population of less than 200 it has a way to go.
The turkey (?) and chickens wander around US 50 early Sunday morning
The International (inn, bar, restaurant), which was closed the last couple of times I was in town, appeared to be open for business last night
Bikes still in front of the saloon
Maybe I’ll stay here next time I’m in Austin (kidding)
Nice old church - wonder if it will be open for business later in the day
Back at the motel I took a shower, packed, and was on the road before 8. Right outside of Austin US 50 climbs and twists, but I was taking it easy with a cold engine. After 7 miles I passed by the Bob Scott campground, where I’ve camped three times over the years, and I noticed that it was closed. I first camped there about 50 years ago, and it was primitive camping - pit toilets, pumps for well water. Then Carol and I camped there once and there wasn’t even water. Then it had been closed for several years, but the last time I stayed there 10 years ago was with two friends and the place had been considerably upgraded with running water, improved camp sites, and flush toilets. Closed again, though. The 70 miles to Eureka went quickly, US 50 climbing over several passes with interesting curves although nothing technical (we motorcyclists call very tight curves “technical” for some reason). In Eureka the Owl Club Restaurant was quiet with only another couple from Canon City (near Royal Gorge and Pike’s Peak in Colorado) in an RV who were returning from Sacramento where they attended a friend’s 95th birthday party. Carl is a retired LEO who worked as a motorcycle officer in Phoenix and Santa Clara for many years and at 87 was considering buying another bike. I noticed that the former Chevron across the street from the Owl Club is now called “Champs” - part of the ever-growing Champs empire.
The day had warmed considerably from the 60 degrees when I left Austin, so I opened all the vents on my jacket and pants and switched to light gloves. The 75 miles to Ely passed quickly - three passes (6500-7500 feet) with hills and curves and very little car traffic. In Ely I got fuel at a Shell station and continued on 50. Austin and Eureka may look somewhat abandoned, but Ely was bustling, even on a Sunday. Ely is a junction of US 6 and US 50 and US 93 and that may help. There are a couple of food stores, casinos, bars and restaurants, a NAPA (auto parts), and many motels and gas stations. After about 20 miles US 50 began to climb and the road became more interesting. On the east side of the last pass the curves became downright entertaining, but there were also many long tar snakes (long strips of tar used to fill cracks so water doesn’t freeze and wreck the asphalt) in the direction of travel which become slick and treacherous in hot weather if your tire catches one, so my enjoyment was tempered by the necessity of having to dodge around them. It had been 90-95 degrees in Nevada, but once in Utah where the elevation was lower and the road became straight and boring the temperature went up to 95-100.
After 150 miles I stopped in Delta for gas and to drink some water, and continued on US 50, which joins I-15 north at Holden (speed limit 80) and after 10 miles exits at Scipio where it goes southeast to Salina.The speed limit on 50 had dropped from 70 in Nevada to 65 in Utah and I was conscious of my speed because the Utah sheriffs and their deputies are enthusiastic and numerous - I saw a couple of them lying in wait before Salina, and another one had pulled someone over. I stopped at Mom’s in Salina for a slice of pie and an iced tea and to cool off.
Strawberry rhubarb pie at Mom’s in Salina
Refreshed, I joined UT 24 just outside of Salina and went southeast towards Canyonlands, passing through a couple of small towns and going over one pass (8500 feet). In the distance to the west I could see smoke from a large fire - probably west of Koosharem (love that name) and towards Richfield.
A distant wildfire south of Koosharem
I turned east onto UT 25 towards Fish Lake (a popular recreation area) and after a summit of over 9000 feet I was in the Pando Aspen Clone, which looks like a normal if scenic aspen grove except that the “grove” is one very large single organism, the individual trees being clones that sprang from the root system of an original tree 16,000 to 80,000 years ago. And then of course more clones sprang from the roots of the clones. Pando Aspen consists of 17,000 clones and takes up over 100 acres.
A small part of the Pando Aspen Clone
I rode east a few miles to Fish Lake, which looked to be busy with boats, campgrounds, and RV lots, and then turned around and headed back to UT 24. I continued to Bicknell where I found my lodging for the night, the SunGlow Motel. I checked in and discovered that the nearby Family Restaurant was closed on Sunday. I unloaded the bike and rode 10 miles to Torrey, where I got gas at the Philips 66 station and had a chicken salad dinner at Slacker’s Burger Joint. The staff wear black T-shirts with the following slogan written on the back: Born a Genius, Slacker By Choice. Back at the motel I took a shower, organized my stuff for the next day, and (finally) worked on this blog. (458 miles)
(Monday, July 14)
It was 60 degrees and hazy when I left Bicknell this morning a little after 8. I rode through a very quiet Torrey and noticed that the motels all had their Vacancy signs lit - there were only two cars in the parking lot of my motel. After a very pleasant 60 mile ride through Canyonlands - hills and curves, red rock formations, interesting geography - I stopped in Hanksville at Duke’s Slip Rock Inn for breakfast. There were only a couple of other customers, and I was soon tucking into my eggs, hashed browns, toast, bacon, and a biscuit. I asked the waitress (the same one I think who was there when Carol and I ate there a decade or so ago) about the few visitors to the Canyonlands area and the lack of traffic, and she said that it was probably the heat - their busy season is May and June, and then September when it cools off again.
I opened the vents on my riding gear and switched to light gloves at Duke’s and back on the road I followed UT 24 northeast for 45 miles (mostly flat road with some interesting rock formations) to I-70 where I went east at a legal 80 mph. Somewhere between Green River and my turnoff at Crescent Junction I was in the left lane about to pass a semi when one of its tires came apart and suddenly there were bits and pieces of tire carcass all over the road. Fortunately, it was a rear inner tire so the only pieces in my lane were small and easily avoided. This happened to me and Carol many (many!) years ago; we were on Boris (my 1973 BMW R75/5) and loaded with camping gear and we were right alongside the truck when the tire blew out, but fortunately again did not get hit with any pieces.
At Crescent Junction I rode south on US 191 towards Moab. This is a busy road and the heat (95-100) didn’t faze the outdoorsy Moab visitors of which there were many. The scenery isn’t particularly interesting until you get near Moab and there was a fair amount of traffic, but it moved along. I had no reason to stop except for gas, so I did that and drank a lot of water and bought an iced tea at the gas station. After 25 miles I went east on UT 46 at La Sal Junction and followed that to higher elevation (which brought some relief from the heat). I could see smoke from several small fires to the east and there were firefighting staging areas along the road. A few miles before Colorado the road becomes more interesting and climbs and twists to the border where it becomes CO 90 and it climbs and twists some more with cliffs on one side and drops on the other. It finally descends very quickly with many 180 degree hairpin turns marked for 20 mph, which I didn’t take much faster. I made a quick detour to Paradox just to take a picture of the bike in front of the long abandoned building “downtown.”
I have an identical picture of my old R1150R, although now the building paint has faded even more.
Back on CO 90 I continued east to CO 145 and east to Naturita then on CO 62 to Ridgway (no “e”). The road is interesting and well-maintained but not particularly exciting until it climbs over the Dallas Divide at 9000 feet before descending to Ridgway, a Colorado outdoorsy mountain town that was very busy. There were very dark thunderclouds over the Dallas Divide and it looked like I had just missed a shower in Ridgway, where I turned north on US 550. I found out later that in Ridgway is the True Grit Cafe, so-called because the John Wayne movie, True Grit, was filmed in the area. US 550 to the south is a scenic road but to the north towards Montrose is rather boring with a lot of traffic, which moved right along to be sure. I got fuel in Montrose, then went east on US 50, where I noticed that the Black Canyon of the Gunnison was closed due to fire. There are many places to pass on 50 and there wasn’t much traffic considering that it is the middle of summer. It’s a scenic road that goes by ranches, lakes, and the Blue Mesa reservoir. The weather was hazy and there were even a few raindrops about 5 miles outside Gunnison. I arrived at the Alpine Inn and Suites at 4:30, checked in and unloaded the bike, which is parked under an overhang by the entrance. Gunnison is at 7700 feet, so there is a reason that I was puffing as I carried my luggage up the stairs to my room on the second floor. I changed into shorts and regular shoes and walked a half mile to Pie-Zan’s, a pizza and Italian food place that seems to be very popular with families with small children. Back at the motel I’m looking at the map and deciding on the scenic but shorter route tomorrow or the more scenic but longer route on a road I’ve never been on. (400 miles)
(Tuesday, July 15) After breakfast at the motel I left at 8:15 and immediately stopped to fill up the bike; although I had a half tank, I wasn’t sure about the availability of gas on my route. The day was hazy and around 60 degrees, although it slowly warmed up to the 70s. After a few miles I went south on CO 114 towards Saguache and the first 20 miles were a lot of fun. No traffic going my way, although there were several logging truck heading the opposite direction towards US 50. The road is in a long valley with a few ranches, cabins, and vacation homes. As the road climbed the scenery changed to pine forest, and the descended into another long valley eventually coming to US 285 and Saguache, which is a typical Colorado mountain vacation town. I followed 285 north to Salida, where I got gas. Most of the towns in the Colorado rockies are pleasant and charming, but not Salida. I went east on US 50 to the turnoff for CO 69 south, another scenic road, and in Silver Cliff went east on CO 96 which joins US 50 in Pueblo. By this time I was out of the mountains and into the plains and the temperature was in the mid-90s.
Main St. in Saguache.
Near the Pueblo airport I exited US 50 onto Paul Harvey Expressway and followed the GPS to the Pueblo Military Air Museum, which provided air-conditioned comfort and many interesting planes and military gear. There is everything from a Stearman bi-plane to an F-16 fighter and a lot in between. There are two large hangers with planes, displays, and informative placards for each item.
Naturally, one of the first displays to catch my eye is this 1990 Ural motorcycle and sidecar, which is a licensed copy of an earlier BMW. The story is that an American officer became friendly with an inebriated Russian general, who gifted the American the bike. Not being able to ship the motorcycle home through regular channels, the officer dismantled the bike and sent it to his mother in multiple packages. Back home he reassembled the bike and some time later donated it to the museum. I have my doubts about this story, but that it what it says on the placard next to the bike.
An outdoor area has several airplanes on display, including a Korean war era Russian MIG-15 and a MIG-17.
The Learjet looks as sleek today as it did in 1980.
An A-10 Warthog on the right.
The insanely complicated four row, 28 cylinder radial engine as used in the B-29 bomber. There is also a B-29 bomber in the hanger.
The affordable Piper Cub introduced many people to flying.
I’d intended to spend an hour at the museum, but ended up staying for two. Back outside the heat was unwelcome but expected, and I continued on US 50 east for 20 miles or so until CO 96 split off at an angle towards the northeast. The heat was tiring, the scenery was monotonous, and the road was straight and flat. US 50 to the south was probably more scenic since it follows the Arkansas River.
CO 96 keeps its number in Kansas and the scenery didn’t change. This is the western edge of the plains and there were cattle ranches and hay fields and a small town every 25 or 30 miles, although some consisted of a grain elevator and little else. I arrived at the Lazy R motel in Scott City later than I intended, but was able to join our Taco Tuesday Zoom meeting with Carol and my sister and friends for a half hour.
The Lazy R turned out to be a good choice - $69, clean, roomy, good Wi-Fi, and comfortable. (450 miles)
(Wednesday, July 16) For all its virtues The Lazy R did not include coffee, so I walked to the nearby The Grill and got a cup to go to drink as I loaded the bike, leaving the motel at 8. It was 60 degrees when I started the bike and I was wearing warm gloves, but the temperature rose quickly and when I stopped at the Cactus Grill in Ness City it had warmed to 75. The breakfast was good and substantial and the place was friendly. Ness City is a typical plains town with a downtown area that was marred by a truck detour right through town due to road construction.
After an hour I went outside where it had warmed up to about 85 and I continued east on 96 towards Lyons, KS where I made a stop at the office of the local newspaper, the Lyons News. The namesake and grandfather of my friend, Clark, was the owner and publisher of the Lyons Republican before it was purchased and became the Lyons Daily News and he continued to work there until he retired. Later a company that purchases small town newspapers purchased the paper and it went to a weekly edition of local news and became the Lyons News. Clark had asked me to pick up a copy for the paper, so I stopped by the newspaper office and asked to buy one. Kathi, the office manager, took my dollar and offered me a Gatorade and apologized for not having the latest edition, which wasn’t out until later in the week, then asked my why I wanted the paper since I was obviously not from those parts. I told her the story, and she related it to her husband, Manuel Gomez, the reporter for the paper. They took my picture and said that maybe they would run a story in a week or two, although I suppose if something more newsworthy came up I would be bumped.
Apparently, Lyons is also known for its salt and right next to the newspaper office is what Kathi claimed to be the world’s largest salt shaker.
There is also an impressive town square with county courthouse.
The original brick streets in the old towns are charming, but after a many decades the bricks settle, which made for a bumpy ride out of town.
The temperature had warmed up to the low 90s, where it would stay for the rest of the day. KS 96 splits southeast towards Wichita but US 56 continued dead east to Strong City where I went north on KS 177 through the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve to Council Grove where I picked up US 56 again and followed that east. The scenery changed from large, flat prairie and ranches to the farms and forests and rolling hills of the Flint Hills area of Kansas - very pleasant riding, the heat notwithstanding. I continued on US 56 to Ottawa, where I got on I-35 northeast, thinking to save some time since it was getting late in the afternoon. However, I caught the beginning of the evening rush and there was a lot of slow traffic all the way to the south ends of Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, Missouri. Now on I-435 and I-470 I followed the GPS to Lee’s Summit, MO where I exited to US 50, a four lane divided highway at this point, and followed it to my Quality Inn in Warrensburg, MO, arriving at 6:30. I dined at the nearby Player’s restaurant, which was OK but slow and returned to my room to do a much needed laundry. (450 miles)
For the rest of the trip see Indianola - Part 2.
enjoying your trip!
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