The trip out from Colorado was excellently blogged by Sherm. See his blog at http://kyvroc09.blogspot.com/
It's not just a motorcycle, it's an adventure! Our trip home the first day was uneventful. We anticipated rain, but it never appeared. If ever there was a perfect day for riding, that was it. I was very grateful to have the Zumo thru St. Louis. Emily did a wonderful job of keeping us on the right roads and motoring along thru confusing interchanges. You paper-map guys can keep em! We stopped in Manhattan KS, some 730 miles from Richmond. We got a late start on Monday morning and woke to rain, but the weather had cleared by the time we were ready to roll. It was windy thru Kansas, but the sun was shining and it looked like we had purchased the rain suits for nothing. One thing about Kansas, the next time I ride across the state I'm bringing a PEZ dispenser loaded with No-doze.... The weather held until we hit Colorado, then we started seeing storm clouds. The storm clouds just kept getting bigger and blacker. I called my friend Stu (Go go gadget Zumo) and had him check out the weather channel. Severe thunderstorms capable of hail with a tornado watch for western central Colorado.. Uh-oh... We kept motoring on hoping to get to the Flying J truckstop just past Limon. We could see the edge of the rain ahead of us, and stopped to gear up when we felt the first drops. After gearing up, we made it 500 yards before the storm hit. I felt several stings and knew we had met the hail and tried to slow down to lessen the impact. No good, the hail hurt too badly and visibility was near zero so I turned on my flashers and we pulled over to the side of the road to wait it out. Several cars joined us, one stopped behind us with his flashers, I believe to make sure we weren't hit. The hail bounced off our helmets and we stood with our backs to it to lessen the stings. It didn't last long, and Emily said the Flying J was only 1.9 miles up the road so we motored on. I took the wrong exit and drove thru Limon a bit. There was piles of hail on the ground, and rivers running down the gutters. We pulled into a Wendy's to get a bite to eat, and I had to fix my flasher switch. I knew it stuck when I used it but pushed it in anyway, and figured a stuck switch was better than getting creamed on the side of the road. I had to disassemble the housing to get to it. Then I lost the little spring so the switch wouldn't stay in the 'out' position. Since the flashers take over the turn signals I needed to fix the switch. I MacGuyvered the switch using a piece of a plastic fork wedged into the housing to keep the switch in the 'out' position that my lovely assistant found for me and reassembled the housing. Once inside we heard that I-70 was closed in both directions due to flooding, but quickly heard it was open again. The new rainsuits were a disapointment, they failed to keep us dry. We could see blue sky again to the west so we motored on without changing clothes, not counting on the fact that the cold front that caused the storm in the first place would keep the temp's depressed. We saw bits and pieces of sunlight, but not enough to really warm us up. We stopped in Idaho Springs for our last gas stop and I geared up in my Gerbing electric jacket liner and gloves. Now before you say it, I offered to switch bikes with Betsie so she could wear the electrics but she didn't want to ride the Wing up the passes. Probably didn't want to take the chance of falling in love with it... =/ She dried out as much as possible without changing gear, and used the hair dryer in the bathroom to thaw out her gloves. They were mostly dry just from riding, but the heat felt good. We gassed up and motored on. Oh, and I offered to stop in Denver. We have several friends who would have put us up, Solo included, but Betsie wanted to be home. I fully understood and agreed. We didn't count on the cold tho... The temps dropped rapidly as we rose in elevation. It was 43º at the Eisenhower tunnel, slightly warmer inside. By the time we got to Copper Mountain Ski resort, Betsie needed to change clothes. The rain gear had allowed her to get wet down below, and she was cold. So we stopped again, and she changed out her pants, put on her cheap plastic rain pants that would keep her dry and we were ready to roll once again. However, it was now 9 pm and we had to cross Vail pass. That is where we encountered the 37º temperatures. I was very concerned about the rain freezing to the road, but that was as cold as it got, so no ice. By the time we got over the pass and down to Vail, the roads were dry, but it was still cold. It never got above 52º for the rest of the ride home. Since it was dark, we rode home below the speed limit and took it easy. By Glenwood Springs, my seat felt like it was plywood shaped to conform to my ass, and I was unaware of any give or take in it. I was in a zone tho, and could have ridden for several more hours. I'm pretty sure any Iron Butt rider out there knows what I'm referring to. We pulled into our drive way at 10:30pm, we had been riding for 13 hours, and managed to go 650+ miles. The total distance of our trip, from start to finish was 3433 miles, a high mark for us! We got to put faces to some old friends, and visit with other old friends. We had a great time, and I'm already looking at routes for the next trip. This VROC family of ours is exceptional and not for the first time, we are so very grateful to be a part of it...
We took a few pictures... Remember, you can expand any picture by clicking on it!
It's not just a motorcycle, it's an adventure! Our trip home the first day was uneventful. We anticipated rain, but it never appeared. If ever there was a perfect day for riding, that was it. I was very grateful to have the Zumo thru St. Louis. Emily did a wonderful job of keeping us on the right roads and motoring along thru confusing interchanges. You paper-map guys can keep em! We stopped in Manhattan KS, some 730 miles from Richmond. We got a late start on Monday morning and woke to rain, but the weather had cleared by the time we were ready to roll. It was windy thru Kansas, but the sun was shining and it looked like we had purchased the rain suits for nothing. One thing about Kansas, the next time I ride across the state I'm bringing a PEZ dispenser loaded with No-doze.... The weather held until we hit Colorado, then we started seeing storm clouds. The storm clouds just kept getting bigger and blacker. I called my friend Stu (Go go gadget Zumo) and had him check out the weather channel. Severe thunderstorms capable of hail with a tornado watch for western central Colorado.. Uh-oh... We kept motoring on hoping to get to the Flying J truckstop just past Limon. We could see the edge of the rain ahead of us, and stopped to gear up when we felt the first drops. After gearing up, we made it 500 yards before the storm hit. I felt several stings and knew we had met the hail and tried to slow down to lessen the impact. No good, the hail hurt too badly and visibility was near zero so I turned on my flashers and we pulled over to the side of the road to wait it out. Several cars joined us, one stopped behind us with his flashers, I believe to make sure we weren't hit. The hail bounced off our helmets and we stood with our backs to it to lessen the stings. It didn't last long, and Emily said the Flying J was only 1.9 miles up the road so we motored on. I took the wrong exit and drove thru Limon a bit. There was piles of hail on the ground, and rivers running down the gutters. We pulled into a Wendy's to get a bite to eat, and I had to fix my flasher switch. I knew it stuck when I used it but pushed it in anyway, and figured a stuck switch was better than getting creamed on the side of the road. I had to disassemble the housing to get to it. Then I lost the little spring so the switch wouldn't stay in the 'out' position. Since the flashers take over the turn signals I needed to fix the switch. I MacGuyvered the switch using a piece of a plastic fork wedged into the housing to keep the switch in the 'out' position that my lovely assistant found for me and reassembled the housing. Once inside we heard that I-70 was closed in both directions due to flooding, but quickly heard it was open again. The new rainsuits were a disapointment, they failed to keep us dry. We could see blue sky again to the west so we motored on without changing clothes, not counting on the fact that the cold front that caused the storm in the first place would keep the temp's depressed. We saw bits and pieces of sunlight, but not enough to really warm us up. We stopped in Idaho Springs for our last gas stop and I geared up in my Gerbing electric jacket liner and gloves. Now before you say it, I offered to switch bikes with Betsie so she could wear the electrics but she didn't want to ride the Wing up the passes. Probably didn't want to take the chance of falling in love with it... =/ She dried out as much as possible without changing gear, and used the hair dryer in the bathroom to thaw out her gloves. They were mostly dry just from riding, but the heat felt good. We gassed up and motored on. Oh, and I offered to stop in Denver. We have several friends who would have put us up, Solo included, but Betsie wanted to be home. I fully understood and agreed. We didn't count on the cold tho... The temps dropped rapidly as we rose in elevation. It was 43º at the Eisenhower tunnel, slightly warmer inside. By the time we got to Copper Mountain Ski resort, Betsie needed to change clothes. The rain gear had allowed her to get wet down below, and she was cold. So we stopped again, and she changed out her pants, put on her cheap plastic rain pants that would keep her dry and we were ready to roll once again. However, it was now 9 pm and we had to cross Vail pass. That is where we encountered the 37º temperatures. I was very concerned about the rain freezing to the road, but that was as cold as it got, so no ice. By the time we got over the pass and down to Vail, the roads were dry, but it was still cold. It never got above 52º for the rest of the ride home. Since it was dark, we rode home below the speed limit and took it easy. By Glenwood Springs, my seat felt like it was plywood shaped to conform to my ass, and I was unaware of any give or take in it. I was in a zone tho, and could have ridden for several more hours. I'm pretty sure any Iron Butt rider out there knows what I'm referring to. We pulled into our drive way at 10:30pm, we had been riding for 13 hours, and managed to go 650+ miles. The total distance of our trip, from start to finish was 3433 miles, a high mark for us! We got to put faces to some old friends, and visit with other old friends. We had a great time, and I'm already looking at routes for the next trip. This VROC family of ours is exceptional and not for the first time, we are so very grateful to be a part of it...
We took a few pictures... Remember, you can expand any picture by clicking on it!
A very cool train engine at Boot Hill in Dodge City.
We found an Indian in the parking lot...
Boot Hill. They were selling tickets but We didn't go in...
Lovely Ladies.
The sign says "gentlemen".
An interesting McDonalds. The 'Arch' goes right over the highway.
A mural inside.
A rest stop line up.
Don't they make those toggs in any other color? 
I think we might eat here often!
Marlene, Scotty, Cargo, Hotsauce, Margo and Nickles.
Wild Rose.
Steve and Solo.
Installing a Vista Cruise.
Yummy and Blondy in her 4-door Goldwing.
Getting ready to ride to the distillery tour.
Does this passenger know she is riding with 'Wrong Turn'? =)
I think Y was trying for a rear-view mirror shot...
On the road to the distillery.
We have arrived!
Group Photo!
Nobody wanted to sit up front...
Gravity makes the barrels slowly roll from the distillery to the warehouse down these tracks.
These are full barrels but they are not Bourbon yet...
Tasting building
Warehouse
Ingredients
Decorated Barrel
14' deep vat of fermenting ingredients
Bottling room
This contraption contols the flow of the alcohol thru the three copper distillers.
Six Pack Jack wanted a closer look.
A copper distiller.
Cistern's for storing water.
The tax man had an onsite office...
Friendly kitty.
Yvette likes plants, so she takes pictures of them...
A warehouse
Wow...
An artsy hourse.
The inside of the reception center.
We took over the patio at Hooters four our evening meal.
Biker, Pam Gates (boo boo), and Purple 500 (Drifty?)
JameyT, Biker, and Purple500 (all standing) Hunnymom and Killbuckkid seated...
C.C. Rider and ?
U-turn and Trucker
U-turn, Trucker's daughter Julie, Trucker and Sandy
E.T. (Tom) and Sleepy (Heather). Heather is Skid and Sandy's daughter.
Skid and Wiliedog
Allen, Mike Miller and Wiliedog
C.C. Rider, JameyT, me, Jim Lutters, Skid, Evil, and RabbiJameyT rode from SD with a borken hand...
Daley gets a Thrillseeker hug.
Parking lot full of friends and their bikes.
Wrong turn showing off his 'safety gear'.
VSP's 4 wheeled scooter.
Rain, rain, go away...
Impressive rock faces lining the highway
On the road to Cumberland Falls. If you look close you can see JameyT's new treble hook... 
Rivers are much bigger here than in CO... More scenery shots follow.
We've reached Cumberland Falls.
Let's take the sign down and let natural selection take over...
Top of the falls.
This is a very nice park.
View from the bottom
We had lunch at a lodge just up the road from the falls. It was a beautiful lodge.
I like woodland creatures, so there are pictures of them. This is a turtle dove.
Oh look! A squirrel !
The view from the resaurant window.
A suprise visitor!
Skid, Sandy and Heather.
Tom Miller, Scotty, Wiliedog, and Pam.
Me and U-turn
Lucky Al and JameyT
Long line for the BBQ
First in line! Skid and Sandy.
Lots of folks waiting...
Couple of photo bombers
Looks good, don't it!?!
Wiliedog and Pam
Terri Conrad, John Hoover and Joker.
Six Pack Jack 'pigging' out... 
Slammer, Stewey, and Randy.
CheapB and Wrong Turn.
Howard and Max
Six Pack, Rubbergator, Kudzu and Cargo 
Joe Aggro Sr., me, Dufu (Joe Aggro Jr.)
Epibunny's bike ready to roll.
Bunny's like leather I guess...
BillyG, Blondie, and Yummy.
"Little Snake" had a buch of folks sign his battery cover.
BillyG, Dutch, Purple500, Mike Miller, Corvette, zmean1, Thrillseeker, U-turn and Rubbergator.
Seated - Utemike, Hotsauce and Margo.
Jax and Gale.
Ron, Bassman, BillyG, ?, Dutch and JameyT
The good, the bad, and the ugly... 
Brillo and Deb...
Phillip and Jamie
Badluck
Toj, ?, Oldman, and Coyote.
BillyG's newest accessory. 
Jim Lutters
Flamekiller, ?, Reverse, Rem, Teri Conrad.
A Hooligan on a chopper!
Lucky Al getting clearance for liftoff...
Piper, Lucky Al, and Sherm.
zmean1, Sherm, Jax, Thrillseeker, and Margo.
"Lucky" Al.... grabbing Kudzu's keys.No, really...
Jax, Kudzu, Cargo, Thrillseeker, Phillip.
U-turn, Skid, Stewey, Tom Miller.
Coyote, Stewey, and JamieT.
Dad's and Daughters - Trucker, Julie, Alex, and Borys.
Jim Ayers and Mark Hicks.
Stewey, Borys, CheapB and Shelby.
KT and Chunk.
Borys, Utemike and Wrong Turn.Tons of fun, tons of good friends, and some of the best BBQ I've ever eaten. Another rally over, and time to start panning our route to the next one.
