Western Trip Summary

Having spent the last 3 weeks on an 8,463 mile trip to the far west, I'll share some statistics and summaries of things.

States we visited included: Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia. 19 States, not including North Carolina.

Total mileage by GPS was 8,463 miles. Odometer mileage was 8,701 ( I trust the GPS more than the bike odometer). In any case, a long distance. Bike now shows 51,001 miles on it.

Longest single day of riding was 789 miles. Shortest day was just under 100. No days without riding.

Bike issues: Chain and sprockets that had to be replaced on the road. The folks at Jorgensen's Honda in Richfield were super to get the parts and work in the repair on a Friday afternoon. A BIG thank you to them! Rear tire that got increasingly slick, but got me home safely. Oil leak developed somewhere along the way. Added one quart of oil over the ride. Initially thought it was a bad "O" ring around the oil filler plug, but, after replacing it, decided it's leaking somewhere else. Most likely a crankcase vent tube that is leaking because the leaks showed up on solid parts of the engine much more than around a seal. Bike is absolutely filthy. Needs a day's work to detail it and find the oil leak.

Fuel mileage varied quite a bit, depending on the riding we did. The best was just over 60 mpg when piddling around in parks areas (speed 40-60mph). The worst was just under 40 when riding hard into a heavy side and head wind in South Dakota (speeds usually about 80mph).

Visually, the trip was great. From volcanic action in Yellowstone to the red rock area around Moab, to the desolate areas that cover much of the west, it was quite an eyeful of sights. Colors that covered the palate. Huge vistas of roads going straight as far as the eye would see.

Wildlife, including bear, deer, buffalo, antelope, prairie dogs, elk--too many to mention all of them. Probably the bear were the most impressive because I've only seen one in the wild before this trip.

Most fun were Pike's Peak and Beartooth Pass. Pike's Peak was realizing a dream I've had for a long time. Beartooth Pass was a great surprise--very much like the Alps in Europe. High and beautiful.

The Superbike races were good, especially when my man Miguel made it to the podium.

I guess that's it for this series. It was an amazing adventure! Hope you enjoyed reading about it even 1 percent as much as I enjoyed doing it.