Memorial Weekend Memories

Memorial Weekend and my husband and I have, for more than 20 years, celebrated the yearly riding season beginning each Memorial Weekend. Rarely has a short ride, somewhere, ever been denied or cancelled because of weather. In fact, I remember many a WET riding Memorial trips! This year's plans were to ride up Poudre Canyon in Colorado, up to Walden, and then North into Wyoming to the Snowy Mass Range. And, we wouldn't be going alone. In our early years of going on these Memorial Weekend rides we were accompanied by one or more bikes with several other couples. Couples that we have become friends with and treasure the many special memories that only traveling on a motorcycle can offer. Over the years, though, growing children and lots of changes, my husband and I often headed out for this weekend trip on a lone Harley. Not so this year. Our friend, Bill Davis, and a couple he knew, rode to our home Thursday night from Iowa. My husband and Bill have known each other since my husband's days in Columbus, NE where he worked in the photography department at NPPD over 30+ years. Bill lost his wife and our dear friend, Eva, in January 2010. Bill was her primary care giver as she battled with MS. This consumed much of his time, though he gave it lovingly and without complaint. That's just the way Bill rolls. He rarely rode, though. Last year my husband finally talked him into a two week ride. I think it gave him some much needed healing time. And he must of relished it because this year, they plan to go on a three week ride. This short ride on Memorial Weekend was good practice for those longer rides coming this summer. Bill's friends, Adam and Erin Bartles, had never been to Colorado, nor seen the Rockies. The trip we were going on was very familiar to old timers like my husband and I and even Bill. But I can tell you all now, these two made the trip seem fresh and new. AND I got to see some stuff from different perspectives ... through their eyes. They were a joy to travel with and as with couples we've traveled with in past years, may they also become life long friends.

Yes, even from the parking lot of our first nights motel (photo above), a sunset can be inspiring. Well, we didn't get to leave on Friday morning as early as planned. We had to wait out an early morning thundershower. The old timers had no desire to ride in the rain (my husband and I and, you, too, Bill). Besides, our youngest couple didn't have any rain gear with them anyway. Wet, it could have made for some miserable riding. Little did we know that we were gona be tested on weather elements that weekend with ice cold and blustery winds! So wet would have maybe got us all sick. It was good we waited. Friday night found us in a motel in Ft Collins after a ride up Hwy 14, bucking a strong, cold headwind. We ate supper with Bill's daughter, Casey. The first time I met Casey was at Eva's funeral. What a beautiful woman. She has a twin sister we didn't get to meet. You could tell that was a sad point in Bill's heart. Casey was going to go on the rest of the trip with us and so we made our plans to meet at the motel to begin our journey into the mountains via Poudre Canyon, on Saturday morning. Bill was staying with his daughter for the night. So, after meeting up with us in the motel parking lot Saturday morning, we took a quick trip to Laporte, CO for breakfast. After breakfast we were off up Poudre Canyon road which protected us from the wind that would slam us on the mountain table, the closer we got to Walden, CO. What a beautiful ride up that canyon! Don't know how many times I've been on that canyon road going either way ... but it has been alot. I'm thinking I'll always be back ... til I can't.

We left Poudre Falls and canyon and was greeted by snow on Cameron Pass, but not as much as last year when my husband and I rode through as compared in the pictures below. This year:

Last year:

When we reached the mountain table in route to Walden, CO, a biting cold wind made riding miserable and zapped much of our energy. Adam and Erin lost their bike registration in this wind but luckily retrieved it from a cow pasture. I didn't enjoy this open table ride as I have in the past. I was too busy hunkering down behind my husband to stay warm and battling to keep my hat from blowing off! We took a brief break in Walden and then battled the wind North to Wyoming. We spent our second night in Saratoga, WY.

Saratoga is a small Wyoming community along the North Platte River and home to Saratoga Hot Springs. Our motel was about three blocks away from the springs. I was almost too exhausted to venture out to the hot springs and probably would not have even gone if Erin and Adam hadn't wanted to check it out. And we were the only ones who packed swimsuits! Before Erin, Adam and I set off for a soak in those hot springs, we discovered a small herd of deer feeding in a near-by residents yard. They were so at home ... like pets. As we began walking down the street by them, to the hot springs, they each jumped the fence and walked slowly, like we were herding them, back towards the river only two blocks away. And the hot springs? Very hot! They had a Lobster Pool that at 120 degrees was impossible to get into ... except for Adam. He jumped in ... and .... he jumped right back out. The larger pool was around 106+ degrees and full of a thick coating of green moss on everything. Only that Lobster Pool was moss free. Is a hot springs suppose to be mossy? Well, my back hurt enough that a soak in this hot pool was my goal, moss or not. Aside from all the moss, the soak was heaven! But because of the moss, I decided to shower in the shower room instead of walking back and showering at the motel room. Besides the showers were awesomely hot. (Back at the motel, we would later learn that the room that Bill and his daughter got ... shower was COLD. Note: when traveling in a group, don't be afraid to poll your comrades for their room conditions and you will find those comrades will share their HOT shower with ya.) Anyway, I decide to shower at the springs and, here, was my 1st and only blunder of the trip. I seem to ALWAYS lose something on most of our bike trips! And this would be my moment ... this trip, I would forget to retrieve my wet swim suit and Mary Kay face wash! Remembered em at 2:30 am the next day and, no, they were NOT still there when we went back to get them later that morning. We had arrived early that evening and shared the hot springs with only 6 people and left when there were near 25 people and more coming up the walk as we headed back to the room (without my swimsuit). On our walk home, as we passed where the deer, earlier, had disappeared into the river area ... one lone muley deer stood near the road and watched us walk by. I bet she knew I forgot my swimsuit. :) The next morning we headed out to cross Snowy Range Pass. What another cold ride. And what stark, cold, beauty.

We left Snow Range Pass, stopped at Centennial for a chance to warm up in this really cool bar behind a very small restaurant and then off to Laramie and back South to Colorado and our third night out brought us back to the motel we spent our first night in. We came back for the hot tub baths but our rooms for this night lacked the hot tub feature. We still had large, comfortable, clean rooms though noisy. Our ground floor rooms could hear the upstairs room movement. :/ Supper was at a near by Mexican restaurant with Casey again and, this time, we also met her fella. After supper, we said our good byes to Casey and then back to our rooms so the boys could watch sports. Everyone got to bed early, Not sure my husband slept well as he was worried over some issues with his Harley that, later, would work themselves out by the time we were near home. So he wasted some good rest time. But who knew, huh? Memorial Day Monday was a beautiful day to ride. We ate breakfast in Ault, CO at Gray's Cafe. My son and his family were able to join us and so breakfast time was a bit longer this time, to give us some special time. Then it was off to Nebraska where Bill, Adam and Erin spent one more night before they were off to Iowa Tuesday morning. My husband and I rode to Paxton with them for breakfast and then to North Platte, NE where we said our good-byes. Then they headed home and we detoured to shop for plants to plant in the now late garden. As we headed our separate ways, it felt strange for a bit. Like we were missing something ... funny how hanging out together should make one happy to be alone again. But when you have such a good time with folks then parting seems kinda sad. Sound strange, I know. But until one experiences time on a motorcycle, experiencing memories that are unique to motorcycle riding. This was one of those trips. A weekend of sweet memories and warmer than the actual ride was itself. Next Memorial Weekend my vote will be for New Mexico ... or someplace warm.