Leadville and back: Heading home...good things come to an end

Eventually, it was time for all good things to come to an end. Nearly everyone was scrambling to break camp Sunday morning. Bud was packing away, as he warned me again about his Ignition switch.... This time I went over and tried the switch myself.

Hummmm.....the switch turned to the on position easily, but the dash lights didn't come on....That's different than what I thought he was talking about. Turning the switch on 5 or 6 more times produced dash lights. Oh,...the common ignition switch problem....damn, I hoped that I wouldn't have to deal with that by the side of the road.

So about 10am Nip, Bud and I hit the long trail home. I vowed to shorten the trip home as I'd added 600 miles to the outward bound journey. Still, I had no real plan. I was way worried about crossing the hot desert. I limited the heat abuse on the trip out, but didn't want to bungle into any sustained 110+ degree riding on the way back.

We started off North toward I-70 at Minturn. We'd be needing gas around there. The ride to there was beautimus of course. I was looking right when the gas station went by on the left. Oh well, there'd be gas at I-70 a couple miles down the road, no doubt. Bud would soon hit reserve, but he had at least 30 miles after that.

Usually, I keep tabs on Bud's where-abouts in my mirrors. This time I had let myself get a 1/4 mile out front as I turned onto the freeway, but I did see a couple bikes way back there. I'd go slow and they would catch up, I thought. Nert, Bud had fallen back when he went on reserve, and that unnerved him on the gas subject.....and with me out of sight, he decided to stop at the freeway entrance.

I didn't know what was going on so I waited by the side of the road some 2 or three miles west on the freeway. Eventually, I figured I had to go back.....maybe those 2 bikes I'd seen weren't them. They had no cell phones. I went 5 miles before I could find a turnaround and head back. Then the couple miles back to that gas station in Minturn looking for Bud. No Bud, but I was there so I gassed up.

Now I really didn't know what to do. I could see this really becoming a disaster. I knew that Nip was with Bud and would take care of him, but Bud was my responsibility. I could see the possibility of never finding Bud. Maybe he had crashed before Minturn....maybe they had decided to find me on down the freeway. Shit, shit, shit.....why wasn't I paying more attention?

Well, about that time I hear Half-a-bike pull into the station. Bud had decided to backtrack and get gas leaving Nip to answer questions if I should show up there at the fwy where the'd been waiting. I was way relieved to make the reunion with the Budmeister. I resolved to watch Budman like a hawk from then on. Reunion with Nip at Minturn near I-70

Glenwood Canyon on I-70

Railroad on the left and double-decker I-70 on the right. They've even color matched the Hwy concrete to the stone walls.

So we are running down the freeway toward Glenwood Springs, and I pull off at a gas station for coffee or summat. Nip's been thinking. He was raised till a young man in Kansas, and he decides that he wants to go back as he's so close and dig up some family and buddies from the old days. He had mentioned it before, and we all were independent of one another, so I respected his choice. After our refreshment Nip lit out for Larado, Kansas. I was sorry to see him go, he had been a good travel partner and new friend. A fact of life is that you don't make many new friends once you hit the golden years.

I had no idea how Nip being gone would make keeping track of Bud that much harder....

50 mile down I-70 I spied a rest area by the Co R. We stopped for Bud's afternoon siesta. While we were sitting there Tom Whitelaw rumbled in for a break as well. It was like old home week. I hadn't seen Tom for over 4 hrs. :) Although we were going the same direction, Tom was traveling fast so we couldn't ride together, but it's always nice to stumble onto a friend.

While Bud napped, a sidecar BMW came in with his Goldwinged partner. We sniffed bikes and he told us all about the BMW rally he was coming from. He was a nice old coot. Soon Bud was revived and we rolled westward.

So Bud and I blazed on toward Grand Junction. Gassing there, once again Bud had ignition problems. The bike started a few times and then the motor stalled as the lights went out. Eventually, it stayed running.....that is until I entered the freeway a quarter mile away. But Bud didn't make it more than 50 yds up the onramp before his bike went dead. Me, I'm a mile down the freeway before I notice him missing, Shit, I lost him again. I figure he might have missed the freeway entrance and was wandering around town somewhere, and this time without Nip to keep track of him. Damn!

Well, I found him on the onramp, scheesh....and some switch jiggling got him underway permanently this time. I decided to get back to the little roads where I could turn around and go get him if necessary without dealing with mega traffic and freeway turnarounds. We would go past Fruita and turn south toward Moab on Hwy 128. 128 is a great road that goes along about 35 miles of the Colorado River thru a magnificent red cliff gorge.

Approaching the Co R on 128 in Ut

Bud had been watching the Co R all the way down I-70 and he had a cooling swim on his mind. I had talked him out of it until now, but once he saw the river again it was now a must do.

Evening was working on us, and no sooner did we get to the Co River, and a BLM campground appeared. We stopped for pictures and a dip, but decided to spend the night. $6, I can do that. Hang the cost.