Day Two - Crossing the Plains

I spent a very pleasant and relaxing afternoon in St. Louis with my cousin Dorothy. I arrived right about the time I thought I would and having found a good deal on a hotel five minutes from her place I called her when I was settling in and unloading the bike. She got to the hotel not long after I had freshened up from the ride and was ready to put a plate in front of my famished self. The last time I was in St. Louis she took me to a local café that specializes in crepes and I left Cleveland that morning bound and determined to have a crepe and with the day having gone well
I was rewareded with good food and great company.

We relaxed at the creperie and then went across the street to Cardwell’s and just chilled out in the breeze letting the world go by as we chatted about all sorts of things. After three beers I was ready for some coffee but their coffee was terrible so we walked over to Starbucks and I got some of the real thing. After that we went for dinner at an Indian restaurant and then hung out some more. It was later on into the evening that we said our goodbyes and I settled in for the night.
I was up and at ‘em at two in the morning but I didn’t get on the road until after 4:00 as I was checking weather and possibilities for accommodations. My initial plan had been to ride to Denver and then on to Zion but, as luck would have it, circumstance changed my plans. I had called and spoken with someone at a campground by Zion and asked if I needed to make reservations to tent camp and was told that there was no need and I should just show up. However when I called them that afternoon they said they were fully booked and I could not get in unless I had already made a reservation.

Well, with no place to pitch my tent in Zion I called what would have been my second stop and they told me that they would always be able to find space for a tent so, change of plans.

With the comfort of having attended to making arrangements for accommodations I had the peace of mind that allowed me to devote my thoughts to the crossing.
Thankfully, as the day before had been, this one also turned out to be a completely uneventful trip to the Denver area. I made good time and was able to do long pulls between stops and with the blessing of clear skies I didn’t even have to worry about pulling my rain gear on and off at various points through the day …….. until, that is, I was about an hour from Denver and the western sky darkened with what looked to be a powerful storm. Boy, was it powerful!! It had the full combination of heavy rain, lightning and then, the one thing that really is no fun on a motorcycle …. hail. Thankfully, the way storms go, the more powerful they are, the faster they are moving and the shorter they last. I got it hard for fifteen minutes or so and then it was clear skies for the last half hour into Denver.

When I got in my friends Terry and Claudia were watching the Cleveland Cavaliers playing the Orlando Majic in the basketball playoffs. It was great to see them again and to be welcomed into their home. We went for dinner at a tasty local joint and got to visit as we watched the game on the big screen. We got back home in time to see the end of the game which had a very exciting ending with the Cavaliers squeaking to victory with a last second basket.

After the game I settled into the most comfortable bed in the world for a night of deep sleep. The next morning we munched on cereal as I plotted my route for the day. Terry recommended route six up Clear Creek Canyon and, as always, the route he gave me was a beautiful way to start the day. We said our goodbyes and I was soon on my way for the first day in the mountains.