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[KiwiTex]

All this long lasting snow is making me think about switching to Arkansas.

ummmm maybe...?

'Slow-motion disaster' along Arkansas River: Every large community will see major flooding within 7-10 days

The National Weather Service says every large community along the Arkansas River will see major or record flooding within the next week to 10 days.

www.usatoday.com

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2019-05-28/the-latest-officials-reopen-2-arkansas-bridges

Arkansas River reaches record levels as flooding turns deadly

Many homes are still taking on water

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Tourmeister]

All this long lasting snow is making me think about switching to Arkansas.

If you want to maximize the riding, this would be a good plan! I was just up there this past weekend. We were always North of I-40 and water/flooding was not an issue anywhere. We also got up into Southwestern Missouri around Ava (just East of Branson). The riding is fantastic and you could easily spend 4-5 days there riding paved and unpaved roads. I know you were thinking of taking the VFR 1200X, but I really think you'd have more fun on the AT (if you still have it) if you include the dirt roads. Less weight is the biggest reason why I think the AT would be more fun.

Here are our tracks from last weekend.

Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri - Based in Harrison, Ar.

Here are the track files from our ride Memorial Day weekend 2019. I was riding two up on my 2017 R1200 GS Rallye. We had a KTM 1290 Super Adv, KTM 1090 Adventure, and one rider with a KTM 1190 Adventure and KTM 690 Enduro (he rode one each day). These routes are a nice mix of street and dirt...

www.twtex.com

There are SO MANY more roads that we didn't even touch! I would recommend though that you ride with at least one other person if you plan to do the dirt roads. Cell service can be very iffy when you get in the mountains, so if you need help, it might be a while before someone comes along.

I could easily add 3-4 more day ride loops to what we did based out of Harrison. It is just convenient to stay in the same place each night. However, if you want to stay in a different place each night, there is no end to the winding and twisting you can do!

 

[misterk]

Meet us in Telluride. Wednesday, June 26th we will be on our return leg from Alaska, we will be riding from Vernal Utah to Telluride CO (camping). Then telluride to Del Norte Thursday. Del Norte to Amarillo Friday.

we will be leaving Friday June 14th to get to Amarillo. Saturday we are doing 950 miles to Billings MT, if you want your Iron Butt Certification this would be a good ride LOL. After Billings montana we will average about 300 miles a day.

 

[Jarrett]

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[Jarrett]

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[kickstand~prophet]

I don't want to do dirt roads solo much. Too many chances for issues. Maybe I'll do a short Arkansas trip soon and plan on a later Colorado run due to the unpredictable weather up there.

Weather is unpredictable in many places you go. Example in October 2018 Arizona snow off of AZ 191. We never even in our wildest dreams would picture snow there. Was so beautiful but unexpected. So you never know.

 

[Tourmeister]

I don't want to do dirt roads solo much. Too many chances for issues. Maybe I'll do a short Arkansas trip soon and plan on a later Colorado run due to the unpredictable weather up there.

IF there are mountains, there will be unpredictable weather... I have been in heavy snow in July in Colorado while crossing Independence Pass. The good thing is that it usually doesn't last long because it can change so fast. You just have to be prepared for anything.

September is nice in Colorado and the weather is generally decent. That said, I don't know that I have ever been to Colorado and not been rained on at least one day of the trip if not more. I've been there as early as mid April and as late as late September.

 

[kickstand~prophet]

IF there are mountains, there will be unpredictable weather... I have been in heavy snow in July in Colorado while crossing Independence Pass. The good thing is that it usually doesn't last long because it can change so fast. You just have to be prepared for anything.

September is nice in Colorado and the weather is generally decent. That said, I don't know that I have ever been to Colorado and not been rained on at least one day of the trip if not more. I've been there as early as mid April and as late as late September.

This ^^^^Amen, yes seems to rain a minimum of once but normally twice. Last it rained on us on two killer roads CO 149 and CO 141. When we got to the end of 149 and 50 it looked like it had snowed or ice pellets had fallen on both sides on 149 like twenty bean bags were ripped open and scattered out on the road for miles.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Keebler Pass (NW of Crested Butte).

Kebler Pass is iffy depending on the type of rider you are. I've ridden it twice and it was a different experience each time. First time there'd been rain the day before. It was hard pack and dry most everywhere except where there was shade, and that was wet snot. Last time I rode it it was all good hard packed, but many sections were complete washboard. I thought I was going to rattle my top box enough to break the weak FJR subframe...again. I know some folks don't like venturing off the pavement, so this would definitely depend on the rider and type of bike.

 

[misterk]

I was thinking about that, but your plan said option 1/2 meaning you might not be coming back that way, so I had kind of ruled it out.

Ahhhh young grasshopper...first rule is you must be flexible when touring on a motorcycle [emoji1787][emoji1787]

Also, never factor in weather in Colorado. It will rain, snow and be beautiful all at the same time.

 

[jsb223]

Things I learned about Colorado from my trip a few years back.

Altitude ...it affected me more than I thought it would

road construction... they can't do it during the winter

crowds...every town along paved roads will be crowded

rain... most showers are short and you'll be through them in a few miles
20 minutes after that you'll be dry again.

But if the clouds look like this...best take cover.

That system resulted in 2" hail in Cortez.

Make sure you have a good battery...my decision to squeeze one more trip
out of mine made for some interesting decisions.

Hwy 82 from Hwy 24 to Aspen is a good ride.

As is 92 from Hwy 50 towards Crawford.

 

[Irishcoffee]

+1 on trailering to Colorado. Boring, and you'll grind off half the tread on your tires before you cross the state line.

Buy a Colorado Butler Map - paved roads version.

Yep! Passed it for twenty years, dumb.

First and last days are too short. Heck, we stay in Amarillo when leaving after work. Slab it and make it to Walsenberg and stay at the Best Western and ask for a room out back so you can park right in front of your door. Then, get up in the morning, and hit 69 into the mountains. 69 is the perfect Colorado appetizer as it's not too twisty but has beautiful meadows between the mountains with some easy sweeping curves to get you ready for the good stuff. After you get to 50, pick a direction and have fun.

Tourmeister is right though, once you get to the mountains, the miles are slower and more taxing, but also more fun. Don't try to cram too much in there.

On your way back, stay in Tucumcari NM at the Blue Swallow Motel. Stop by the store for a six pack so you can sit outside and enjoy the nice weather, company of the other travelers as you bask in some very retro restored neon glow.

My trip I did a few years ago I had a similar time frame, but I overdid it a bit. I had to cut some out of my plans and I'd cut a little more out if I were you, but this could serve as a guide for you with some photos to assist and make you eager to go.

https://www.twtex.com/forums/threads/long-awaited-trip-colorado-in-september.105735/

Yep. Like several have mentioned I think the OP is overdoing it in that time frame. And the trailer idea is a good one too, maybe leave it in Clayton NM. The scenery from there to Raton always blows my mind after leaving the flat coast of SE TX. Once in Raton there are several options/directions you can head. Salida is a great spot to base for a couple days, Red River NM is another. Never pass up a bunch of 8-9s looking for an elusive 10!

 

[gixxerjasen]

Red River NM is another.

This is a dangerous recommendation.

We went there for vacation last year. Seems like every restaurant or store went into the conversation started off like this...

Clerk: Hi, where are you from?
Me: Texas.
Clerk: Wow, me too! I came here for vacation and decided to stay!

Every
Single
Time.

On our way back home, we stopped and got out of the car somewhere in western Texas and were hit with the 104F heat and I looked around and said to my wife "It's only one tank of gas to get back, wanna go?"

 

[Jarrett]

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[gixxerjasen]

I'd recommend late September or early October. Aspens are beautiful in the fall. The above mentioned Kebler pass is the largest Aspen grove in the world supposedly, however when I went through they were all confused, some gold, some already brown and many still green. But I did find beautiful Aspens elsewhere.

 

[2WheelNut]

If I were planning this trip, I would try something like this map.
View attachment 234720

Maypearl-Clayton NM 507 miles ~8 hrs
Clayton to Lake City 330 miles ~5.5 hrs
lake city to Ouray 136 miles ~3 hrs I would ride to Black Canyon of the Gunnison and spend some time there and then there are plenty of great dirt roads just to the north and west of Ouray (last dollar road in between Telluride and Ridgeway and 10 to 8 up to Silver Jack Reservior)
Ouray to Pagosa Springs 138 miles ~3 hrs Explore around Ouray again, then head south to Durango and east to Pagosa
Pagosa to Lubbock 450 miles ~7.5 hours
Lubbock to Maypearl 365 miles ~6 hrs

The dirt in the areas mentioned above around Ouray are easy mountain dirt roads that you should not have any problems with traveling and exploring by yourself. There are also easy roads going up to Animas Forks just east out of Silverton which is part of the CoBDR, but something that I think you could handle on your own. There is enough traffic on that section that if something happened, you could get help relatively quickly.

I totally get wanting to ride the whole way, this is my preferred method of taking a bike trip, but the last two times we went up there, we hauled our bike to Santa Fe NM, and better yet, South Fork CO.

Let me know if you have questions or if I could be of any further help.

This is a really good route. I'd defintiely explore the Black Canyon of the Gunnison on the North side as suggested or even ride it all the way to Hotchkiss and back down to Montrose like the following... https://goo.gl/maps/G8xsMgncKBRLdufq8

If you wanted to camp a bit, lots of good camping around Ouray and Lake City and / or between Creede and Lake City. On day 5 you could go into South Fork instead of stopping at Pagosa Springs and camp at Fun Valley. You could camp 3 nights on this trip in great places pretty easily if you wanted to.

 

[2WheelNut]

Thanks for all the info. I'm going to aim the bike towards Arkansas this month and maybe try Colorado in September.

Arkansas is great but this might not be a great time. There is a lot of flooding around I40. The Arkansas river and all it's upstream tributaries and feeder streams are all at flood stage. I think the Arkansas is something like 40+ feet above normal and hit a record.

You may want to wait a few weeks or at a minimum, check for closures as you plan your route.

 

[kickstand~prophet]

This is a really good route. I'd defintiely explore the Black Canyon of the Gunnison on the North side as suggested or even ride it all the way to Hotchkiss and back down to Montrose like the following... https://goo.gl/maps/G8xsMgncKBRLdufq8

If you wanted to camp a bit, lots of good camping around Ouray and Lake City and / or between Creede and Lake City. On day 5 you could go into South Fork instead of stopping at Pagosa Springs and camp at Fun Valley. You could camp 3 nights on this trip in great places pretty easily if you wanted to.

Great idea. Ride 92 behind the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. There is a place to pull over and take some killer pictures there. The road is very twisty and plenty of curves.

 

[Jarrett]

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[tshelfer]

Go where you're comfortable going. But don't be put off by too many weather horror stories. Weather happens, but in Colorado, June is usually comfortably warm in the daytime and cool at night - more like cold if you're camped at higher altitudes. I've seen rain and snow (starting to sound like a James Taylor song) and sleet, but the norm is sunny with occasional afternoon rain showers. Anything else, you can stay put and sit out, and it really isn't that common. I mean, we have tornadoes in Texas in the spring, but you still ride, right?

If you're doing 5 days, time rather than weather is the best reason to consider Arkansas rather than Colorado. It's a long ride & a bit of a beating getting across Texas. Like (I think it was) Jason mentioned, you can always trailer the bike. You'll probably make better time & be a lot more comfortable. In Raton, go to the Summerlan RV Park (on left by the Chevron station), and store the vehicle & trailer for $1 a day; they're very friendly & accommodating. Unload the bike, point it north, & have a ball. Just be sure to take your rain gear; you're much more likely to need that than a snow shovel.

 

[tshelfer]

And one more suggestion.....

If it's all about twisty roads, just go to Arkansas & be done with it. The fun starts only 3 or 4 hours from your house.

If you'd like pine trees, cool riding temps, and snow capped peaks, you need to go west. Considering your time limitations, an option may be New Mexico rather than Colorado. In one 10-hour day, you can be either in the Cloudcroft/Ruidoso area or somewhere on the Enchanted Circle (Taos, Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Red River). Both offer good camping, reasonable motels if you hunt & peck a bit, and endless windy scenic pine-tree-lined roads that are motorcycle mecca. Set up camp in either a Cloudcroft national forest campground, or Cimarron State Park near Eagle Nest, and use your camp as a base to ride all day without the bulk of your camping gear tied on.

Let us know what you ultimately decide. As long as you're having fun, it was the right decision.

 

[kickstand~prophet]

And one more suggestion.....

If it's all about twisty roads, just go to Arkansas & be done with it. The fun starts only 3 or 4 hours from your house.

If you'd like pine trees, cool riding temps, and snow capped peaks, you need to go west. Considering your time limitations, an option may be New Mexico rather than Colorado. In one 10-hour day, you can be either in the Cloudcroft/Ruidoso area or somewhere on the Enchanted Circle (Taos, Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Red River). Both offer good camping, reasonable motels if you hunt & peck a bit, and endless windy scenic pine-tree-lined roads that are motorcycle mecca. Set up camp in either a Cloudcroft national forest campground, or Cimarron State Park near Eagle Nest, and use your camp as a base to ride all day without the bulk of your camping gear tied on.

Let us know what you ultimately decide. As long as you're having fun, it was the right decision.

This ^^^^^Having fun is what it is all about. And do not forget the pictures.

 

[kickstand~prophet]

Go where you're comfortable going. But don't be put off by too many weather horror stories. Weather happens, but in Colorado, June is usually comfortably warm in the daytime and cool at night - more like cold if you're camped at higher altitudes. I've seen rain and snow (starting to sound like a James Taylor song) and sleet, but the norm is sunny with occasional afternoon rain showers. Anything else, you can stay put and sit out, and it really isn't that common. I mean, we have tornadoes in Texas in the spring, but you still ride, right?

If you're doing 5 days, time rather than weather is the best reason to consider Arkansas rather than Colorado. It's a long ride & a bit of a beating getting across Texas. Like (I think it was) Jason mentioned, you can always trailer the bike. You'll probably make better time & be a lot more comfortable. In Raton, go to the Summerlan RV Park (on left by the Chevron station), and store the vehicle & trailer for $1 a day; they're very friendly & accommodating. Unload the bike, point it north, & have a ball. Just be sure to take your rain gear; you're much more likely to need that than a snow shovel.

Okay darn it, now I've almost talked myself into going to Colorado.

 

[Tourmeister]

On Memorial Day we crossed the Arkansas River on I-40 and exited at Conway to head up US 65. We rode all over the place heading back down towards I-40 and up into Southern Missouri in the Ava area. We had no problems. None of the creeks/rivers were exceptionally high. All the crossings were easy. Most of the tributary stuff flows pretty fast and drains within days of a hard rain. So the low area may be flooding, but once you get up into the Ozarks, it isn't usually bad unless it is actually raining or just recently rained.

IF temps are a concern, which they would be for me if I were heading to Arkansas for dual sport riding right now, I would definitely consider Cloudcroft. It is MUCH cooler and also has much less humidity. For street riding, Arkansas would be fine. But if you get into any slow going DS riding, you will bake down in the woods. Cloudcroft has LOADS of nice DS riding that isn't exceptionally challenging even for a big bike and also has plenty of street riding to keep you busy for a few days.

 

[kickstand~prophet]

On Memorial Day we crossed the Arkansas River on I-40 and exited at Conway to head up US 65. We rode all over the place heading back down towards I-40 and up into Southern Missouri in the Ava area. We had no problems. None of the creeks/rivers were exceptionally high. All the crossings were easy. Most of the tributary stuff flows pretty fast and drains within days of a hard rain. So the low area may be flooding, but once you get up into the Ozarks, it isn't usually bad unless it is actually raining or just recently rained.

IF temps are a concern, which they would be for me if I were heading to Arkansas for dual sport riding right now, I would definitely consider Cloudcroft. It is MUCH cooler and also has much less humidity. For street riding, Arkansas would be fine. But if you get into any slow going DS riding, you will bake down in the woods. Cloudcroft has LOADS of nice DS riding that isn't exceptionally challenging even for a big bike and also has plenty of street riding to keep you busy for a few days.

Cloudcroft, NM 10-Day Weather Forecast - The Weather Channel | Weather.com

Be prepared with the most accurate 10-day forecast for Cloudcroft, NM with highs, lows, chance of precipitation from The Weather Channel and Weather.com

weather.com