Day 5 - Thermopolis, WY to Denver, CO

Today was planned to be long day of primarily riding the interstate to make time getting to Denver.  We were on our way after a wonderful night's sleep in Thermopolis, WY.  Our route took us south down US20 through the Wind River Canyon.  This is a canyon unlike any I've ridden in before.  The rock formations were such that one would think that Wylie Coyote and the Roadrunner would appear at any moment.  It was nice and twisty and early in the morning there was little sun. 

We did encounter road construction at the top of the canyon just before the dam.  We also noted 3 very nice camping areas which if we knew they were there, we might have camped last night. THIS IS A MJST RIDE ROAD.

Following a refueling at Shoshoni, we took US26 east.  Let me tell you, Wyoming has some pretty big sky that rivals Montana.  The day was spent with the cruise set at 75 and eating up miles.  There were construction zones from time to time and pilot cars through paving projects.

Eventually we connected up with I-25 at Cheyenne, WY and began to see LOTS of HD's heading to/from Sturgis (even more than the day before).  For every 100 or so bikers, we'd see bikes on trailers.  At our refueling and lunch stop, there was a group of 10 or so bikes and 3 support trucks carrying the coolers.  These folks were having fun headed for Sturgis.

As we approached Denver, the traffic really intensified.  We arrived at the hotel right around 5pm.  Shortly after us, Terry & Lynda from Sammamish arrived towing a trailer as well.  So far, it's the two Washington couples who arrived at the convention towing trailers.

We checked into the hotel and the convention and freshened up with quick showers.   We then went out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, "Garcia's".  Sorry no pictures as the food was quickly devoured.

I spent the evening meeting IBA folks that previously I had only met via the internet.  It was a good time.

Tomorrow our plan is to ride up Mt. Evans and do some touring in the mountainous area to the west of Denver.

Daily Miles:  400 plus
Animal sightings:  LOTS of pronghorns (many were in large herds)