“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the
journey.” – Babs Hoffman
I ride out of Rocky Mountain National Park and into Estes
Park. Estes Park is full of development
and traffic. It is still a pretty area
but congested. That is a problem with
nice places. Too many people move there
and then it becomes not so nice.
I head east towards Loveland. I realize I am going the wrong direction but
the mountains interfere with travelling in an efficient manner. I ride down a Highway 34. It is a scenic two lane highway that follows
a river. I am stuck behind a pickup
towing a RV trailer for what seems like forever. I get frustrated to go so slow on such a nice road. It has been a long day already. He is apparently
a proud ex-Marine. Semper fi.
After a suitable period of reflection (not a bad life
travelling around in an RV at a leisurely pace), I get a break, kick the bike
down a gear and blow by the Marine. It
is great to be freed from slow moving vehicles.
I regroup at a McDonalds in Loveland. They have Wi-Fi and I am tired and need a
break. I review the maps. Damn, it is over 500 miles to
Yellowstone. That seems more than a little daunting. There are forest fires in Glacier so that is
off the table. I briefly consider continuing to head east to Minnesota
to stay with my mother. I would get a
nice bed, some good cooking and a very pleasant environment by the lake. She is also lonely and would like my company. It would be easy.
That visit will wait.
The adventure will continue. It
is time for my second wind and to make some time and distance.
Full speed ahead, I will do this. I am a
road warrior, a machine. I am back in the plains where the deer and the
antelope play. I see antelope
and more plains. At one point, being bored
and on a lonely stretch, I crank it up to 100 mph. As some of my packing is suspect, I decide
this probably is not a good idea. Six
hours and 300 miles later, as the sun is setting, I arrive in Riverton, WY and
find a nice hotel.
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