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Seattle to Pike's Peak and back.


roderunner

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We also highly recommend the restaurant "La Fiesta" in Twin Falls.  It was really funny later when we were on the Bonneville Salt Flats and we ran into another rider and when we said we were on the way back to Twin Falls he said "you gotta try this restaurant..."  I interjected "La fiesta?" , that's the one!
 
 
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Day 3 we went from Twin Falls Idaho to Rock Springs Wyoming.
I would not repeat the route we took for this part of our trip.  The portion from Twin Falls across toward Utah was fine.  We took it early in the morning and it was cool and pretty calm.  It wouldn't surprise me if it gets pretty windy later in the day though.  The portion coming into Utah all the way through Utah and into Wyoming was very nice.  Once we got a ways into Wyoming on I-80 it was open, pretty flat and very windy with a lot of trucks on the road.  It was a pretty grueling stretch and I would definitely try a different route in the future. 
I would love to try the route up through Idaho Falls and Teton National Forest.  It's an extra 60 miles of riding but it looks intriguing.
Another Route would be dropping down to take highway 40 across.  We did take 40 for part of the return trip and it was very pleasant.
We also could have dropped all the way down to I-70 and gone through Moab.  I'm definitely going to hit that one day but we didn't make it there this trip.
 
 
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The positive side of blasting up I-80 is that we got a lot of miles done pretty quickly. We got to the Holiday Inn Express in the early afternoon and after getting our gear up to our room, grabbing a shower and change of clothes, we had plenty of time for some exploring.  We decided to head down to Flaming Gorge.  This looked like an amazing area for off road vehicles.  We did most of our exploring on the pavement, but I did poke around on some dirt roads as well and found some cool rock formations...
 
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I would love to try the route up through Idaho Falls and Teton National Forest.  It's an extra 60 miles of riding but it looks intriguing.
 

 
That was my thought as well, Idaho Falls to Alpine and then South to Rock Springs.  A. you get to avoid slabbing on the interstate, and B. that route takes you into Flaming Gorge.  
 
 
 
**Edit**  You beat me to it, just as I suggested Flaming Gorge, I see you were already there.
 
 

***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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I would love to try the route up through Idaho Falls and Teton National Forest.  It's an extra 60 miles of riding but it looks intriguing. 

 
That was my thought as well, Idaho Falls to Alpine and then South to Rock Springs.  A. you get to avoid slabbing on the interstate, and B. that route takes you into Flaming Gorge.  
 
 
 
**Edit**  You beat me to it, just as I suggested Flaming Gorge, I see you were already there.
 

Yeah, I wasn't aware of it being there before we got to Rock Springs, we just saw some travel brochures in the hotel lobby and had to get out there.  I think we barely scratched the surface of what is there but it was a great little side trip.  We were told that further south into Utah it is even more spectacular. I'd love to get back there on my dual sport some day...
 
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I would love to try the route up through Idaho Falls and Teton National Forest.  It's an extra 60 miles of riding but it looks intriguing. 

 
That was my thought as well, Idaho Falls to Alpine and then South to Rock Springs.  A. you get to avoid slabbing on the interstate, and B. that route takes you into Flaming Gorge.  
 
 
 
**Edit**  You beat me to it, just as I suggested Flaming Gorge, I see you were already there.
 

Idaho Falls to Swan Valley 26, up into Victor 31, over the pass and drop down into Wilson and Jackson Wyoming 33, then south on 89 to Alpine, through Afton and tie into the 30. 89 south from Jackson runs along the Snake River with lots of scenic stops. I grew up in Wilson/Jackson WY, absolutely beautiful country just south of Yellowstone. Slight detour on 89 north once in Jackson to Moose and you can sit right in front of the Tetons which is a sight. Dornan's link in Moose is a good stop for eats and the view. Awesome roads starting late May through September. Fall colors on south 89 from Jackson is something I'll always remember. You can hit some wet weather but spectacular riding and well worth it. 
Everyday's a good day when your able to ride
 
15 FJ-09 - 2WDW ECU flash, Givi SV201, Nelson Rigg tail bag, OES sliders, Koubalink extenders, Ermax Sport, Vista Cruise, OEM seat mod, (smiles)
07 Honda ST1300A (sold)
06 Kawi KLR650 - Big Gun full exhaust, Corbin, Givi, PMR racks, carb mod (keeper)
97 Honda VFR750 - Traxxion Dynamics, Penske, Givi 3 piece, carbon exhaust (keeper?)
20+ years of snowmobiles
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That was my thought as well, Idaho Falls to Alpine and then South to Rock Springs.  A. you get to avoid slabbing on the interstate, and B. that route takes you into Flaming Gorge.  
 
 
 
**Edit**  You beat me to it, just as I suggested Flaming Gorge, I see you were already there.
 

Idaho Falls to Swan Valley 26, up into Victor 31, over the pass and drop down into Wilson and Jackson Wyoming 33, then south on 89 to Alpine, through Afton and tie into the 30. 89 south from Jackson runs along the Snake River with lots of scenic stops. I grew up in Wilson/Jackson WY, absolutely beautiful country just south of Yellowstone. Slight detour on 89 north once in Jackson to Moose and you can sit right in front of the Tetons which is a sight. Dornan's link in Moose is a good stop for eats and the view. Awesome roads starting late May through September. Fall colors on south 89 from Jackson is something I'll always remember. You can hit some wet weather but spectacular riding and well worth it. 
Thats perfect info, I am hoping to travel through Idaho into Wyoming in September. Thank you!

***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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You bet betoney. Try early September if possible. Later in the fall can have some undesirable thunderstorms. I've been in them but not on a motorcycle which best to avoid if possible. No overpasses to sit under in that part of the country as noted above. Can always find cover but no fun in a thunderstorm as there are some stretches between civilization.
Everyday's a good day when your able to ride
 
15 FJ-09 - 2WDW ECU flash, Givi SV201, Nelson Rigg tail bag, OES sliders, Koubalink extenders, Ermax Sport, Vista Cruise, OEM seat mod, (smiles)
07 Honda ST1300A (sold)
06 Kawi KLR650 - Big Gun full exhaust, Corbin, Givi, PMR racks, carb mod (keeper)
97 Honda VFR750 - Traxxion Dynamics, Penske, Givi 3 piece, carbon exhaust (keeper?)
20+ years of snowmobiles
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Day 4 - Rock Springs, Wyoming to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Our original plan was to take I-80 all the way to Laramie, then 287 to I-25.  We felt pretty beat up from battling the winds the day before though, so we decided to change our route.  We left early Saturday morning and made tracks down I-80 before the wind would pick up.  We turned South at 789 and had a very enjoyable ride on this nearly empty highway.  We had to keep our eyes open for the abundant antelope and prairie dogs but other than that it was a very relaxing ride. 
 
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I-70 was beautiful as well but more frenetic with all the traffic. The 470 skirting around Denver looked like a good idea on the map but the highway was terrible due to construction. Couple that with a long backup down I-25 into Colorado Springs and we were more than ready to get off the bikes for the night. Other than that we got some great BBQ at Front Range Barbeque and got our stuff packed for an early departure Sunday morning for the "Race to the Clouds" on Pike's Peak.
 
Here is our route for the day...
 
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Day 5 was race day, we got out around 4:30 am and rode in the dark up to our spot at "Halfway Campground" by about 5:15.  We chose that spot because we heard it was the fastest part of the course.  This was confirmed during the races by the fact that we were sitting directly across from the guy with the radar gun who was recording a top speed for each car.  It was also a spot near where the cars would transition from being on the gas to hitting the brakes so you could tell how aggressive the racers were by how long they waited to hit the brakes.
 
The weather was really nice most of the day but there was a hailstorm in the afternoon and weather at the top of the mountain caused them to shorten the course for the last dozen or so riders.  The variety of cars and motorcycles made it interesting and there were amazing sights and sounds all through the day.
 
 
 
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