Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to 
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2005
- Messages
- 456
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- NW Houston, TX
- First Name
- Larry
- Last Name
- Wilson
Took off from IAH around 9am June 10th, I landed in Denver around 11:30 and was picked up by the guy I bought the bike from. He took me to his house and opened the garage. There sitting on the center stand was the 1994 red BMW R1100RS, I had bought on Ebay in May. I looked over the bike and it looked like it was just out of the showroom. A small scratch on the tail and a couple vertical scapes in the left valve cover is all I saw. 8001 miles on the odo. He invited me in and made me lunch. We ate talked about the bike and went back into the garage. I brought all of my gear along with some gadgets to make my trip more enjoyable and a tank bag. Not knowing what I would run into as far as weather and temps going over the mountains I brought my perforated leathers along with my Moto Guzzi, Grandraid cold weather gear, my GPS and my trusty Valentine One as well as ram mounts for both units. I proceeded to hook everything up and Doug went into the house to get ready for the trip he and his wife were taking after I left. Everything was mounted; I brought a wiring harness that I attached to the battery that would supply power to the Lowrance iWay 500c, V One and my heated vest should I need it.
I shook his hand, he told me I had a full tank of gas as well as fresh oil and rear drive oil. I slipped it off the center stand and headed off into the cloudy Denver afternoon. A quick stop to see an old friend where he took my picture
and I was off up I25 headed for, I didn't know where.
I was above Cheyenne, Wy riding with about a 200 mph crosswind that was pushing my tank bag off the bike. I had to hold it with my arm and try to keep the bike upright and straight when I realized I had about 150 miles on the tank and would need gas soon. The GPS told me I had gas 20 miles behind or 20 mile ahead, I decided to forge on and made it to Chugwater
174 miles and the light had just come on. Dumb move but. I filled her up, had a bottle of water and got out the map. I had intended to go to Yellowstone but when reviewing the map decided to go to Mt Rushmore 1st. I stayed on I25 for a few miles to Orin got off to head east towards South Dakota. I was getting a bit concerned because there were some mighty big elk standing alongside the road and not knowing the area and decided to stay in Lusk, WY for the night.
The next morning was picture perfect around 50 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. I had breakfast in a local café and headed back to the motel. I loaded up the bike and took some pictures. I went to stick the key into the ignition but couldn’t find the key. I looked everywhere for it but it was no where to be found. Retracing my steps, I had taken off the front and rear seat to hook the GPS back up and decided that the key was under the seat. I had only gotten 1 key with the bike so I was somewhat screwed. I fiddled around and finally was able to snake my hand in and feel the key, I hooked it and pulled it out. Whew. I was buying a lanyard first chance I got. I finally reloaded the bike and took off. I like traveling alone because you can stop whenever you want and take pictures sightsee what ever without getting on anyone’s nerves, I took 500 pictures.
I went east to Custer, SD and was saved the first of many times on this trip by my Valentine, a local sheriff got the guy next to me for somewhere around 50 in a 30 he apparently didn’t have a valentine and didn’t slow down. I headed up towards the Crazy Horse monument and stopped in for the tour.
It’s a pretty impressive rock, and will be nice when it’s done. Then it was over to Mt Rushmore. I was a bit disappointed because I had a vision of it being much bigger. Still it was pretty impressive and I’m glad I finally got to see it
After leaving there I looked at the map and realized since I used to be a Harley guy I should go to Mecca, (Sturgis if you didn’t guess) Not too much to look at there, but I was there. Next destination was Devils Tower. This was one of the most unusual places I have ever been to but in the afternoon light it lost a lot of it’s grandeur so I decided to back track and spend the night in Holett, WY. There is nothing in Holett, WY but a couple of Cafesand 3 motels. But it is a nice little town and the people were very nice.
The next day I was up and back to Devils Tower and was glad I had waited. It was much more impressive in the morning light. I walked around the base and was glad I did.
After leaving there I went west into Buffalo and west on 16 over the mountains down into Worland north along the Powder River and east back over the mountains down into Sheridan, WY. The next day it was up and north towards The Little Big Horn. This is also a must see. It puts the entire battle into perspective when you can look over the field of battle and imagine what it must have been like for both sides.
Back on the road I went north from there and stopped into a Montana visitors center and got a map, I was talking to the ladies there and one told me that if I was going to go to Yellowstone she recommended going over the Bear Tooth out of Red Lodge which is south west of Billings, MT. Since I wasn’t from around there and she was I decided to take her advice and headed towards Billings. I was sitting in a gas station gnawing on a sandwich, drinking a Mountain Dew and talking to the wife on the phone. I was trying to decide if I should go up to Glacier National park or not and she told me a friend said he would meet me in southern CO if I could be there by Saturday night. I decided to put Glacier on hold for the trip next year when my wife can be there and headed for Red Lodge, and up over the Bear Tooth. The lady at the Visitor Center was not lying, I was totally impressed and awe struck by the scenery. Snow fields and the like.
I rode al the way into Cooke City to get gas, just to the Silver, NW gate of Yellowstone. It was getting late and I didn’t want to set up camp in Yellowstone in the dark, especially since I didn’t know where I was going and had no reservations so I backtracked and took the Chief Joseph Scenic highway down into Cody, WY. Had dinner in a little restaurant and got back to the motel in time to get a call from my brother. As I was talking to him I was feeling like I had over eaten and having only a cup of soup and a salad knew that wasn’t case. As the night wore on I realized I hadn’t over eaten I had food poisoning. I won’t go into details but you can imagine what happened all that night and most of the next day. The up side is that there were severe thunderstorms all day, the Emergency Broadcast kind so I couldn’t ride anyway and I was getting a bit gamey and needed to do laundry so I limped over the washateria, they don’t know what a washateria is in Wyoming but directed me sorry butt to a laundramat.
Next morning I was fit as a $10 fiddle and knew the best remedy for me was to ride. I bid a fond farewell to the toilet and the inn keeper and took off towards Yellowstone. About a mile out it started to rain so I stopped and put on the ole Frog Toggs and wore the rest of the day as it rained snowed sleeted and hailed on me. I was sitting in traffic because they are working on the east entrance to the park and took this picture.
Notice the flag girl is bundled up.
Anyway, I spent the rest of the day wandering around Yellowstone and towards dark headed west towards West Yellowstone. I asked a guy where I could get a room and he told me there were few to be had because all of the campers from the park were tired of sleeping in the mud and had come out and taken up all the rooms. A quick call to the wife, she jumps in the internet and found me a “cheap” $89.00 a night room. Next morning I’m up and headed towards Old Faithful. Along the way there was a bit of a traffic snarl while people were watching a moose eat on the left. I saw movement above and to the right and quick focused on it. An eagle was flying along the stream and paused then dove into the water coming up empty taloned. I guessed he/she would try again and followed him/her along the road until he/she stopped and hovered and pulled off the road and watched as he/she dove straight down into the water and came up with a fish about twice as long as the eagle was wide. The eagle flapped and flapped and finally gained some altitude and disappeared into the woods. One of the most impressive thing I’ seen since Alaska. Down to Old Faithful and was there 10 minutes or so and got to see O.F. spit its stream up into the sky, another childhood dream realized.
After a quick luck it was south towards the Grand Tetons, man them is some kinda mountains. That’s all I’m saying about that,
Down into Jackson Hole and did a little sightseeing made sure I got a picture of the antler arch
I worked my way down through Utah, got pictures of Fiery Gorge and down through Colorado to Leadville, and Independence Pass to Pikes Peak. If you’ve never been there go, now. They are paving the road all the way to the top and half the adventure is riding along a dirt road so high up and with shear drop offs. Thinking in relative terms, airliners fly at 30,000 feet and you are at 14,000 ft and took a dirt road to get there. That’s cool, I don’t care who you are.
After I came down from there I went down towards Royal Gorge, I have been there a few times but never on a bike and wanted to ride over it. Another place you should see and it ain’t that far from here.
Well after Royal Gorge things started to get a bit calmer and a lot warmer. I went down to The Great Sand Dunes National Park. I hadn’t planned on going there but was happy I did.
I went down through Taos, NM then spent the night in Santa Fe. Went down the Turquoise Trail, was caught up in a John Travolta movie in Madrid, NM and worked my way over to see Ol’ Pinecone and Sandia BMW. Spent some time with Jeff and took off towards Amarillo. It was 110 and another 200 mile an hour cross wind. I stopped at a road side gas station for some water and got talking to a Harley guy who had left Tulsa early that morning we gave each other road reports and climbed back on our bikes, he had a pillow for a back support and relocated it under his butt. He gave off a big sigh and said, that’s better. We laughed and went our separate ways
The last night of the trip I stopped in a Hedley at a motel called It’ll Do Motel, $40 bucks a night with tax, no credit cards and she gives you soap and a town as well as a roll of TP, in case you need it. If you ever go through there stop and stay the night say hi to the lady with the walker she could use the business.
Well that’s about it. 4000 miles and all in all it was an adventure to remember and one I would like to do again and again. I’ve think I’m going to keep the BMW but may sell it next year, put the money in the bank and start to look at Ebay for something in Maine
Hope I didn’t bore you
I shook his hand, he told me I had a full tank of gas as well as fresh oil and rear drive oil. I slipped it off the center stand and headed off into the cloudy Denver afternoon. A quick stop to see an old friend where he took my picture
and I was off up I25 headed for, I didn't know where.
I was above Cheyenne, Wy riding with about a 200 mph crosswind that was pushing my tank bag off the bike. I had to hold it with my arm and try to keep the bike upright and straight when I realized I had about 150 miles on the tank and would need gas soon. The GPS told me I had gas 20 miles behind or 20 mile ahead, I decided to forge on and made it to Chugwater
174 miles and the light had just come on. Dumb move but. I filled her up, had a bottle of water and got out the map. I had intended to go to Yellowstone but when reviewing the map decided to go to Mt Rushmore 1st. I stayed on I25 for a few miles to Orin got off to head east towards South Dakota. I was getting a bit concerned because there were some mighty big elk standing alongside the road and not knowing the area and decided to stay in Lusk, WY for the night.
The next morning was picture perfect around 50 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. I had breakfast in a local café and headed back to the motel. I loaded up the bike and took some pictures. I went to stick the key into the ignition but couldn’t find the key. I looked everywhere for it but it was no where to be found. Retracing my steps, I had taken off the front and rear seat to hook the GPS back up and decided that the key was under the seat. I had only gotten 1 key with the bike so I was somewhat screwed. I fiddled around and finally was able to snake my hand in and feel the key, I hooked it and pulled it out. Whew. I was buying a lanyard first chance I got. I finally reloaded the bike and took off. I like traveling alone because you can stop whenever you want and take pictures sightsee what ever without getting on anyone’s nerves, I took 500 pictures.
I went east to Custer, SD and was saved the first of many times on this trip by my Valentine, a local sheriff got the guy next to me for somewhere around 50 in a 30 he apparently didn’t have a valentine and didn’t slow down. I headed up towards the Crazy Horse monument and stopped in for the tour.
It’s a pretty impressive rock, and will be nice when it’s done. Then it was over to Mt Rushmore. I was a bit disappointed because I had a vision of it being much bigger. Still it was pretty impressive and I’m glad I finally got to see it
After leaving there I looked at the map and realized since I used to be a Harley guy I should go to Mecca, (Sturgis if you didn’t guess) Not too much to look at there, but I was there. Next destination was Devils Tower. This was one of the most unusual places I have ever been to but in the afternoon light it lost a lot of it’s grandeur so I decided to back track and spend the night in Holett, WY. There is nothing in Holett, WY but a couple of Cafesand 3 motels. But it is a nice little town and the people were very nice.
The next day I was up and back to Devils Tower and was glad I had waited. It was much more impressive in the morning light. I walked around the base and was glad I did.
After leaving there I went west into Buffalo and west on 16 over the mountains down into Worland north along the Powder River and east back over the mountains down into Sheridan, WY. The next day it was up and north towards The Little Big Horn. This is also a must see. It puts the entire battle into perspective when you can look over the field of battle and imagine what it must have been like for both sides.
Back on the road I went north from there and stopped into a Montana visitors center and got a map, I was talking to the ladies there and one told me that if I was going to go to Yellowstone she recommended going over the Bear Tooth out of Red Lodge which is south west of Billings, MT. Since I wasn’t from around there and she was I decided to take her advice and headed towards Billings. I was sitting in a gas station gnawing on a sandwich, drinking a Mountain Dew and talking to the wife on the phone. I was trying to decide if I should go up to Glacier National park or not and she told me a friend said he would meet me in southern CO if I could be there by Saturday night. I decided to put Glacier on hold for the trip next year when my wife can be there and headed for Red Lodge, and up over the Bear Tooth. The lady at the Visitor Center was not lying, I was totally impressed and awe struck by the scenery. Snow fields and the like.
I rode al the way into Cooke City to get gas, just to the Silver, NW gate of Yellowstone. It was getting late and I didn’t want to set up camp in Yellowstone in the dark, especially since I didn’t know where I was going and had no reservations so I backtracked and took the Chief Joseph Scenic highway down into Cody, WY. Had dinner in a little restaurant and got back to the motel in time to get a call from my brother. As I was talking to him I was feeling like I had over eaten and having only a cup of soup and a salad knew that wasn’t case. As the night wore on I realized I hadn’t over eaten I had food poisoning. I won’t go into details but you can imagine what happened all that night and most of the next day. The up side is that there were severe thunderstorms all day, the Emergency Broadcast kind so I couldn’t ride anyway and I was getting a bit gamey and needed to do laundry so I limped over the washateria, they don’t know what a washateria is in Wyoming but directed me sorry butt to a laundramat.
Next morning I was fit as a $10 fiddle and knew the best remedy for me was to ride. I bid a fond farewell to the toilet and the inn keeper and took off towards Yellowstone. About a mile out it started to rain so I stopped and put on the ole Frog Toggs and wore the rest of the day as it rained snowed sleeted and hailed on me. I was sitting in traffic because they are working on the east entrance to the park and took this picture.
Notice the flag girl is bundled up.
Anyway, I spent the rest of the day wandering around Yellowstone and towards dark headed west towards West Yellowstone. I asked a guy where I could get a room and he told me there were few to be had because all of the campers from the park were tired of sleeping in the mud and had come out and taken up all the rooms. A quick call to the wife, she jumps in the internet and found me a “cheap” $89.00 a night room. Next morning I’m up and headed towards Old Faithful. Along the way there was a bit of a traffic snarl while people were watching a moose eat on the left. I saw movement above and to the right and quick focused on it. An eagle was flying along the stream and paused then dove into the water coming up empty taloned. I guessed he/she would try again and followed him/her along the road until he/she stopped and hovered and pulled off the road and watched as he/she dove straight down into the water and came up with a fish about twice as long as the eagle was wide. The eagle flapped and flapped and finally gained some altitude and disappeared into the woods. One of the most impressive thing I’ seen since Alaska. Down to Old Faithful and was there 10 minutes or so and got to see O.F. spit its stream up into the sky, another childhood dream realized.
After a quick luck it was south towards the Grand Tetons, man them is some kinda mountains. That’s all I’m saying about that,
Down into Jackson Hole and did a little sightseeing made sure I got a picture of the antler arch
I worked my way down through Utah, got pictures of Fiery Gorge and down through Colorado to Leadville, and Independence Pass to Pikes Peak. If you’ve never been there go, now. They are paving the road all the way to the top and half the adventure is riding along a dirt road so high up and with shear drop offs. Thinking in relative terms, airliners fly at 30,000 feet and you are at 14,000 ft and took a dirt road to get there. That’s cool, I don’t care who you are.
After I came down from there I went down towards Royal Gorge, I have been there a few times but never on a bike and wanted to ride over it. Another place you should see and it ain’t that far from here.
Well after Royal Gorge things started to get a bit calmer and a lot warmer. I went down to The Great Sand Dunes National Park. I hadn’t planned on going there but was happy I did.
I went down through Taos, NM then spent the night in Santa Fe. Went down the Turquoise Trail, was caught up in a John Travolta movie in Madrid, NM and worked my way over to see Ol’ Pinecone and Sandia BMW. Spent some time with Jeff and took off towards Amarillo. It was 110 and another 200 mile an hour cross wind. I stopped at a road side gas station for some water and got talking to a Harley guy who had left Tulsa early that morning we gave each other road reports and climbed back on our bikes, he had a pillow for a back support and relocated it under his butt. He gave off a big sigh and said, that’s better. We laughed and went our separate ways
The last night of the trip I stopped in a Hedley at a motel called It’ll Do Motel, $40 bucks a night with tax, no credit cards and she gives you soap and a town as well as a roll of TP, in case you need it. If you ever go through there stop and stay the night say hi to the lady with the walker she could use the business.
Well that’s about it. 4000 miles and all in all it was an adventure to remember and one I would like to do again and again. I’ve think I’m going to keep the BMW but may sell it next year, put the money in the bank and start to look at Ebay for something in Maine
Hope I didn’t bore you
It may be a bit risky buying a bike sight unseen, but the ride home makes for good fun! I did the same thing when I bought my GS a few years ago. Picked it up just North of Denver and then cruised the mountains all day. Next day hauled across NM and TX as a front was blasting through. The bike normally tops out around 125mph. I could hardly hold 85mph with the throttle pinned for most of the trip... My mpg was LOW... hehe. Later that night when trying to go to sleep, it felt like the bed was swaying around the room and I had not had a drop to drink 
