Russell, KS to Parker, CO
Day four was the final leg of my westbound trip to the Denver
area. Prior to leaving on the trip, I
was unable to find any noteworthy point of interest to stop and see along the
way. Besides, the wind was still blowing
very strongly when I woke up, so I decided that I should simply ride directly to
my next destination, the home of Steve and Suzanne Weston in Parker, Colorado. Parker is located just south of Denver.
After a quick breakfast, I packed up the motorcycle and started
west on Interstate 70. The wind was
still blowing out of the south at 25 to 30 mph.
I continued to find myself having to lean the motorcycle about 15 to 20
degrees to the left, into the wind, just to maintain a path straight forward. Somewhere along the way, the winds shifted
and began blowing from the north (my right-to-left). As a result, I now found myself having to
lean the bike to the right to maintain a path of travel straight ahead. This made passing tractor-trailer trucks
hazardous. As I would approach the truck
(with me in the left lane and the truck in the right lane), the wind would
abate and I would shift the bike to straight upright. As I passed alongside, I often found the bike
wanting to lean into the truck, and as I completed the pass, the winds would
immediately hit me as soon as I cleared the truck’s cab. All in all, it made for a tiring ride.
The temperature started out in the low 70s and rode a bit. However, as I continued into Colorado itself,
the temperature started to drop a bit. I
soon find myself chilled, but continued to push onward. Once I exited I-70, I stopped and put on a
wind liner since the temperature had dropped to 67 degrees. As I continued on Colorado Highway 86, and
climbed in altitude, the temperature continued to drop, eventually reaching a
brisk 61 degrees (with the winds continuing to blow).
I eventually reached Franktown and turned northward on Colorado
83. I safely arrived at the home of Steve and Suzanne Weston around mid-day. By the time I arrived at their house, the temperature had dropped to the low 60s and about three hours later, rain showers started as a front moved through the area. I made it there in the nick of time!
