Days 2 & 3 - From Cedar City, Utah to Omaha, Nebraska

Segment 1 - Planned Route and Stops

DAY #2 – Heading to Denver

Today I covered 613 miles in 14-hours.

I left Cedar City, Utah around 9:00 AM in the morning. It was sunny and in the low 70’s. I wore a hooded sweatshirt for most of the morning. I went over some mountain passes in Utah and It got cool at 7,000 feet. The stretch of I-70 in Utah is quite beautiful. There are a lot of mesas and buttes in different shades of color. It is also a lonely highway with a 106-mile gap in services followed by another 85 miles. There are several canyons with lots of twists and turns. When I hit the far end of the desert the temperatures had jumped into the 90’s. I stopped in Fruita, CO for a rest break and to cool down.

The ride earlier in the morning got me ready for the Colorado portion of the trip where the views were even more spectacular. The Glenwood Canyon is about 15-miles of the most unique interstate highway. The weather was cloudy and I hit a couple of patches of rain. I didn’t get very wet, but I did get chilled so I changed into warmer gear.

When I got closer to Vail, I put on the leather jacket because I knew it would be cold going over the Vail and Loveland Passes. I should have broken out the winter gloves as well to keep my hands warmer. I know that I spend time talking about the weather but this is the major factor on a motorcycle that you will never experience in a car with computer controlled climate control. It was cloudy and foggy, so I did not take any pictures because of time.

I arrived at the wrong hotel and overheard the clerk tell the person ahead of me that all guests had to be registered in advance, the hotel was non-smoking and marijuana-free. There were a group of young kids just off premises that were partying. I was grateful that this was not where I was going to stay.

The correct hotel was 5-miles back so it wasn’t too inconvenient. I chatted with two gentlemen from Orland Park, Illinois while I was checking in and they were bikers as well. I gave them one of my business cards for the trip. The hotel was “just okay” but when I found out that there was no Wi-Fi, I knew that I had hit rock-bottom. Since I was tired, ready for bed, and no one answered the phone when I called the front desk, I can guarantee that they will not be getting a good review.

One of the important things to do at this stop was to determine whether to head to Maine or Florida next. I spent some time looking at the weather and decided to head to Maine next. I had to use my phone to book my hotel for Friday evening.

DAY #3 – The Geographic Center of the Continental US

Today I reached the second checkpoint on the trip. I covered 595 miles in 11-hours. There were 236 miles of two-lane highway that were traveled.

I left the motel around 5:30 AM after about 30 minutes getting the bike packed and ready to go. I still had gas in the tank, so I decided to see how far I could get. Since my last gas stop was high in the Rocky Mountains, I got 222-miles on a tank of fuel which is nearly 40 miles further than normal. I stopped for gas a second time after a 3-hour non-stop run in Goodland, Kansas. I got chatting with two bikers that were headed to Steamboat Springs.

I had some initial problems with the GPS which turned out to be “operator error”. I selected the wrong waypoint and it was trying to take me back to San Diego. Because the unit was designed for motorcycle use, I could re-select my destination without taking off my gloves while I was riding.

I reached Lebanon and got gas around 12:45 PM and the manager asked me if I was one of those “Crisscrossed Bikers”. I told him I would see him in eight days if everything remained on schedule. I then drove two miles further north to the small park that has the monument to the Geographic Center of the Continental United States. There were several couples/families that stopped while I was there. I obtained the necessary documentation for the SCMA sanctioning body and left after 15 minutes.

I stopped for lunch in Hastings, Nebraska and chatted with a truck driver about our families and life in general. I then proceeded to my “home away from home” at the Courtyard-La Vista. This is where I stay while I am in Omaha for work. I had dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant before heading back to the hotel to catch up on email, bills and starting on this posting.

Today was a good travel day. I am starting to get into the grove of this process. It just takes some time to adjust to a different pattern.

TOMORROW:

I head to Kalamazoo, Michigan for the night. I am meeting my two younger brothers for dinner when I go through Northwest Indiana.