A ride too far?
 

Hi all,
Those of you who have read, or are reading my RTW blog will already know of the delays caused by 2 crashes in NFLD and NS, there are more delay to come in the next couple of chapters though. This is proving to be a hard journey, not at all like the ones I've read about.

Anyway I'm in the safe hands of a HU member in Red Deer, Alberta at the moment, planning my journey south into the USA.
Trouble is I need to be in Dallas for early October to meet my brother who is flying out from England to see me.

I do not want to miss the delights of Glacier NP, The Little Big Horn Monument, Yellowstone Park and a possible meeting with other HU members in Helena, following communications while I was planning my journey.
Seems to me my options are
1/ Get as far south as I can (Denver?), store the bike, then get a train (I like trains) to Dallas. Returning afterward to carry on my journey.

2/ Rent a car and drive to Dallas; I can only ride for about 5 hour a day on my bike before my shoulder begins to pain me, but a car should be ok for 12 hrs or more. Then return, pick up the bike and carry on my journey

3/ Rent a one way trip pick-up and drive down to Dallas with the bike on the back.

Trouble is, not knowing the availability of either storage for the bike, or rental options, I need some local input to let me know how easy these options are, or maybe other options that I haven't even thought about.

Any input would be most welcome.

hey Stagbeetle,

for a deadline like that, i would park the bike and fly. it's much cheaper than a rental car + gas, and you won't miss anything.

you should be able to find a roundtrip ticket from spokane, washington to dallas for $200 or 250. check the travel websites (travelosity, cheaptickets, expedia, etc.), then go directly to the airline's site and see if it's any cheaper. or, better yet, get your brother a ticket from dallas.

you could also take your time, then fly from calgary for about $100 more. i really enjoyed banff, jasper and a few of the smaller parks in Alberta and BC --lots of wildlife.

i'm sure you can find an HU member or a friendly mechanic\dealer in one of these areas to store your bike for free.

Stagbeetle;

I live on a ranch in southwest Co. (Pagosa Springs) on 1 Oct. I will begin moving equipment from here to our winter facility in Florida. I will be using our 18 wheeler and flatbed trailer and could easily haul you and motorbike to Dallas as I go right through there.If you didn't want to take your bike you could leave it here, I could drop you in Dallas on my way to Florida, pick you up on my way back to Co. and bobs your uncle...

Cheers Amigos
 

Thanks very much for the offer BigTex, you're a diamond. :D I'm plotting a route now with the help of better maps than I had earlier, and it looks to me that I might just be able to make Dallas on my bike by the 8th. I need to get the guys here to check out the route to make sure I'm not being silly, but will let you know as soon as I can.

I need to get heading south as soon as possible now, we've already had frost on 2 mornings this week,:( so flying from Calgary sounds great Dunkee, but when I get back some of the passes may have snow on them. :stormy: From my experience snow and motorcycles don't mix too well. That's why I thought of getting as far south as possible before parking the bike up.:mchappy: :Beach:

Thanks for your suggestions, all are appreciated.

I think you are smart to try to get as far south as you can as soon as you can. We have already had frost here and it always snows on halloween. If i can help in any way just let me know. Have a great trip-ride safe (but not too safe!) cheers...:thumbup1:

Heading south
 

Hello from Helena Mt. I PMed you as well. We are driving down to new mexico the first of october. My wife is a nurse who also does natural medicine and we have several healing hot springs as well as radon health mines in the area. We have storage here for a bike. Trains are fun. Plains are fast. Buses are cheap and a way to meet a side of america you won't see to many other ways, I just rode one from kansas to montana after delivering a bike. Hey, I'll quit my job and ride your bike to texas for you..........well it would be fun.

Thanks Amigos
 

Thank All,
I figure that I can get down ok now that I have actally put the route on the map.

Red Deer > Kananaskis
Kananaskis > Waterton NP
Waterton NP > Apgar
Apgar > Helena
Helena > Billings
Billings > Gary Owen
Gary Owen > Yellowstone
Yellowstone > Jeffrey City
Jeffrey City > Empire (Denver)
Empire > Des Moins
Des Moins > Logan
Logan > Snyder
Snyder > Dallas

13 or 14 days, I will take longer and may stay in other places, but this is the general idea.

Wave to me as I pass by:thumbup1:

Thanks for the input guys, and if anyone is riding that way, well, sometimes two's company.:mchappy: :mchappy:

Stagbeetle headed south
 

He stayed with us and left saturday for points south. If you see him along the way invite him for a pint. A great conversationalist with a wide range of knowledge.