The Motorcycle Diaries, Kansas Edition, Day 4 (June 29)

(Posted late due to internet issues, and then forgetting about it once I got to Kansas.  This was Monday, June 29)

Well thank goodness I'm out of the bad weather.  That was just horrible. Finally I can now relax and enjoy the rest of my ride.

Is there any way that anyone knows to take a picture of wind?

This morning, leaving Montpelier, ID, I decided to avoid the interstate highways.  I have to be in Abilene by July 1 (have to is strong, but that's when I said I'd be there).  I have two solid days plus could theoretically arrive on July 1, so more than two days.

East on Highway 89.  Otherwise you follow US-30 to the Interstate.  What a beautiful ride.  Sweeping curves, canyons, a KOA campground in which I could have also stayed.  Then you turn right on some little back highway which takes you to ...

... US-30?  Are you freaking kidding me?  But then it gets you off 30 eventually and takes you north and east through Wyoming.

OK, keep in mind that the plan was to poke around, visit little town museums, etc.  Except that the highways going through Wyoming don't have ANY towns!!!!  So I rode an extra 200 miles  to get on the Interstate highway at Rawling, WY.  

Wouldn't have been so bad, it was a nice ride, except, did I mention wind?

The Wind River range, panorama view:

Insert picture here when I have proper internet:  🤔  (Struggling to get things to upload from hotels.)

I should have turned around when I saw the signs saying "Closed to high profile vehicles weighing less than 26,000 lbs due to winds 55+".  What can I say.  I'm stubborn and I process slowly.  By the time it occurred to me that I should go back, it was a long way back and might as well push on. 

Nope.  It was about 200 miles back to the interstate that way, with a howling gale bashing me the whole way.  The interstate was no better, once I reached it, but it was three hours shorter according to Google Maps.  Sigh.  I mean at least it didn't rain.

Well, by the time I reached Colorado it had started to warm up.  I stopped and stripped off all the gear (sweatshirt, jacket, gaiter, beanie, First Gear gloves), just in time to hit Fort Collins rush hour traffic.  I took the toll lanes, no idea if motorcycles are free but the last thing I needed was two hours of rush hour back up.