Wyoming 210 heading east from Laramie to Cheyenne.

I needed to go up to Cheyenne but there was no way I wanted to take the interstate. I-25 was certainly the most direct way. I live about 1 mile from the highway and it takes you straight up to Cheyenne, less than a mile from my destination. Nope. Not gonna happen.

Instead, I figured I would cruise out to the west side of town and take Colorado 93 up from Morrison, to Golden, and on to Boulder. Then I’d head to Longmont, catch US 287 north to Laramie, and then cut east on a short stretch of I-80 and the rest of the way in on Wyoming 210. Much better, but a lot slower. Hey, I’m in no hurry. I just want to get out for a nice ride.

It has been blazing hot lately, and it was when I headed out on the V-Strom on Thursday. But we’ve also had a lot of smoke from forest fires further west and that smoke, while making the air hazardous to breathe, does provide some relief from the heat. You don’t have that blistering sun beating down on you. So it was a hot ride across town but a bit nicer along the foothills.

I got through Golden and up to the turn-off up Eldorado Canyon, just south of Boulder, and turned east to pick up Cherryvale Road to continue north. I wanted the bypass around Boulder and then the Longmont Diagonal up to Longmont. But I must have missed a turn somewhere. Doesn’t matter, as long as I take roads going either east or north they’re all heading in my direction. What this wandering did though was to add a lot of slow travel in the heat. There’s a reason I try to avoid Boulder County and this is a big part of it.

Coming into Longmont I knew I could skirt around the more congested parts of town but I intentionally wanted to go straight to 287 because I had not been this way recently and wanted to see the changes. There is so much development and redevelopment going on up and I’m curious. And what I saw confirms that Longmont more and more seems like a place it could be really nice to live. Not that I have any intention of moving. But a very nice smaller town.

Once I finally got through Longmont I was able to pick up speed a bit. Meanwhile, the sky ahead was looking decidedly wet. Bring it on. As long as it doesn’t come down too hard I won’t even stop to put on my rain suit. And I did get a bit wet as I got close to Loveland. I got through Loveland surprisingly quickly and then on to Fort Collins. Even Fort Collins was less of a traffic jam than Longmont and going out of town I needed a break.

I stopped for gas–not that I needed it but it’s a reason to stop–and spotted an ice cream shop right next door. Score! I had been thinking about an ice cream stop. I enjoyed the air conditioning and the ice cream, then looked out to see that it was actually pouring rain. OK, I guess I’m in no hurry.

The rain didn’t last that long and I went out and now had to decide what gear I needed. I knew the roads would be wet and even if it didn’t rain any more I could still end up with wet, dirty pants. But I decided against pants. I did put on my rain jacket, just in case I did run into actual rain. Somewhat to my surprise those were both good decisions.

Yes, at first my pants legs got a bit damp but soon the road was drying out and that was that. Meanwhile, the rain had cooled things off enough that the extra warmth and wind-breaking quality of the jacket was appreciated. It was actually a little chilly.

Then it was a direct cruise up to Laramie. I stopped again to stretch and have a bit to eat and what a difference Wyoming was. It was a good bit cooler than Colorado and no smoke in the air.

Heading east out of Laramie you have little choice but the interstate but in just a few miles you can get off onto the two lane. I took the exit, crossed over the highway, and then came to a T intersection. Going left seemed to go straight north, while going right was headed east. Easy choice. Until I went about half a mile, crossed a small bridge, and found nothing but gravel on the other side. What the hey?

I turned around and went back, then consulted the map. It turned out the road that appeared to go due north only did so for a very short distance and then it bent east. This was my road. And what a nice road! Not mountains but hills and a much nicer transit to Cheyenne than the interstate would have been. Time to find my hotel.

Biker Quote for Today

A true biker knows that life begins at the end of your comfort zone.