Day 39 - Nampa, ID. to Rock Springs, WY. Through the Wasatch. 478 miles but all on the Interstate!

Day 39 – Sunday, June 28, 2009
Start: Nampa, ID
End: Rock Springs, WY
Trip Miles Today: 478
Total Trip Miles: 9757

What can I say about today? 478 miles (3rd longest day of the trip!) but all on the Interstate. My route of travel is easily described – I left Nampa, ID on I-84 East. I stayed on I-84 until it ends in Utah East of Salt Lake City and at that point I jumped on I-80 East for the rest of the day. You can certainly make good time on the Interstates, especially in the west where the speed limits are high (like 75 all day today!) You do miss out, however, on much of the scenery and interesting elements of how people live their lives in the localities that you pass through. That being said, for tomorrow I’m going to leave the Interstate for a few hours and cut through the Northeast corner of Colorado via secondary roads. It’s my last day in the mountains and I’m really looking forward to the diversion, regardless of how long it may take me to reach tomorrow’s overnight destination, Limon, CO.

Highlights for today were few but the one which always stands out for me is the ride from the Salt Lake City area heading east. The climb up through the mountains is eye-popping and even the Interstate is interesting here, with sweeping s-turns, many posted for 45 or 55 mph but capable of being negotiated at higher speeds. I am definitely looking forward to lots of mountain twisties tomorrow.

The bike continues to handle the miles without complaint. I did confirm today an observation I made at the beginning of the trip coming across North Dakota and Montana. That is that the gas mileage really goes in the pot when you try to cruise at speeds above 75. While I would suspect that the overall gas mileage for the trip is about 57mpg, by really twisting the throttle to cover ground quickly the rider can drive the mpg value into the 40s. On the other hand, proceeding at more “sedate” speeds on secondary roads often yields over 60 mpg. Take your pick!

As I mentioned, tomorrow it’s Limon, CO. I’m getting far enough along that it’s getting possible to predict where I’m gonna land for the rest of the trip. That projection kinda looks like this: Monday night-Limon, CO; Tuesday night- somewhere around Salina or Lawrence, KS; Wednesday night-St Louis area; Thursday night- Columbus, Ohio area; Friday night – HOME in Malvern, PA. Still lots of miles to go but the end is coming in sight! Thanks for being here with me. Jack

There are more pictures available to see at http://jackb1.smugmug.com

The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.