Well, it is that time of year for us to take the long ride that we try do every year. But the trip planning this year has been a little more interesting. The original plan was to go ride the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were going to fly into Nashville, rent a bike for 7 days, ride the area and fly back. That seemed like a good plan until I started looking at the weather forecast and saw that they were predicting solid rain for 5 of the 7 days that we were going to be riding there. I understand that if you are going to do a few thousand miles over a 7-9 day period, chances are you might find some rain along the way and I can deal with that. But knowingly flying to a place to ride a motorcycle where it is supposed to be raining for 5 days in a row didn't seem that appealing to me. So even though I had already bought the plane tickets, special maps, books of places to go, etc., We decided to pull the plug on that trip a couple of days ago. The plane tickets can be used at a later date and there was no deposit on the bike.

Since Mrs. C. had the time scheduled off work and my Sister and Husband were already set up to come out from Kansas to stay at the house while we were gone, we decided to take both bikes and do a 3000 mile round trip to Sturgis. Even though we will be there the week prior to the official start, there should still be some vendors set up, we won't have to deal with the crush of traffic, and doing the rides on Needles Hwy. Custer State Park and Mt. Rushmore should be great. We were there back in 2006, but this will be the first time for Mrs. C. to ride her own bike there which she is looking forward to.

There are many ways to get to Sturgis from Phoenix, but we wanted to see a few places we haven't seen before as well as visiting a few favorites for the second time. The first day will take us through Payson, Eager, Snowflake and up to our first destination of Canyon De Chelly National Monument. This is one of those out of the way places kind of like Chiricahua National Monument that you have to want to go to. Not only that, I'm intrigued because it seems to show up on nightly news weather reports as having extreme temps. Ok, that is a stretch, CDC is a place that we haven't been and is just an excuse for a destination to take a ride.

From Canyon De Chelly we will continue Northeast through Shiprock on Hwy. 13 and on to Durango. Given the afternoon thunderstorms this time of the year, I would guess that would be where we will stop for the night. From there we will take the million dollar highway through Ouray to Delta, Carbondale and Aspen. As you can see by the map, that is not the most direct way to Sturgis, but the ride from Aspen southeast over Independence Pass to Hwy. 24 is exceptional. We did it once going the other direction a few years ago and have always wanted to do it again. Hwy. 24 will take us to Leadville to Hwy. 6 to Dillon to I-70. Our next main attraction is Mount Evans, which boasts the highest paved road in America climbing 7,000 feet to 14,260 feet in elevation. Evans is located just South of I-70 and Idaho Springs. Riding up Mount Evans through the clouds to the top of the mountain is not only a one of a kind experience, the view is incredible in all directions even picking out Pikes Peak. If you are on I-70 in that area, I would encourage you to take the 25 mile detour to do the ride.

Don't know where we will be staying on night 2, but Day 3 we will head North on the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway to Estes Park, Loveland and Cheyenne, WY where we will divert to Nebraska to take some back roads up through Ogala National Grassland into Custer, SD and on in to the Sturgis are to find a place to stay, hopefully somewhere in the Custer area so we can do the riding in that area before moving on to Sturgis. We only plan on spending a couple of days in the Black Hills area to do some riding and catch some early vendors before heading West to Red Lodge Montana to do the Beartooth Pass for the second time. From there we will go into the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park, cut across to the West side and exit to the South to the Grand Tetons leading to Jackson, WY.

We've been to Jackson a couple of times but never really explored the backroads. This time I would like to get up close to the Tetons and hopefully find some wildlife. From Jackson I really haven't figured what roads we are going to take South, but our next destination will be to take the All American Road Hwy. 12 in Utah heading south out of Torrey, UT to Bryce Canyon. This is an awesome road. Next stop will be back home after 9 days and probably over 3000 miles riding. I will be adding to the odometer on the yellow Road Glide and Mrs. C. will be on her '08 VROD. Click Here for Projected Route.

**If you missed the newsletter last week, you can Click Here to read. Two weeks ago we flew over the Wallow fire area to see all the damage. See my report of the area as it pertains to riding. I have included 53 photos taken from the air to let you see the damage for yourself. While thousands of acres were burned, it did very little damage next to Hwy. 191 and the area is still great for riding. You can also see the start of my new 2010 Road Glide project bike that will be getting the full treatment over the next couple of months.

Patriot Guard Riders Documentary Movie "Soldier Down, Kickstands Up". The new documentary, Patriot Guard Riders, will be screened in Tempe at the Pollack Tempe Cinemas, located at 1825 E. Elliot Rd. in Tempe on Saturday, July 30 at 10:00am. (View Trailer). Patriot Guard Riders traces a motorcycle group that formed to protect people attending military funerals from the Westboro Baptist Church, a hate group who claims that American war casualties are divine retribution for the country's tolerance of homosexuality. Now over 200,000 strong, bereaved families nationwide invite the group to escort fallen soldiers from the airport to the burial grounds where they stand in flag lines even when the protesters don't show up. Chester's Harley Davidson is sponsoring the event. Tickets can be pre-purchased through Chester's and there will be a ride Saturday morning leaving Chester's at 9:00am and arriving prior to the start of the film. Tickets will also be sold at the door. Part of the proceeds will go to a local Veteran's charity. Then we are back to Chester’s for our Party on the Patio with 74th Street Band

**I'm sure many of you heard about the horrible shooting that took place at the Too Broke For Sturgis event last weekend leaving 3 people dead and one woman in critical condition with gunshot wounds. If not, click here to read the story and watch video. Apparently it stemmed from an argument over food that lead one man to shoot 3 people before turning the gun on himself. What a senseless loss of life in a situation that could have happened anywhere. Hopefully this won't lead to a worse reflection on the motorcycle community. Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of those who lost their lives and we wish a full recovery for the injured.

This Week

Saturday, July 30th

Buddy Stubbs Hogs and Dogs. Ride over to Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson on Saturday, July 30th, where there will be an indoor summer SALE on some of your favorite H-D products! Save up to 75% on select boots, helmets, women’s jeans and leather jackets! Drop by and enjoy these great deals along with live music, FREE food and drinks, a bikini bike wash and tours of Buddy’s museum! Summer is heating up so be sure to stop in from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. and take advantage of these hot deals before they’re gone! For more information regarding this event go to www.buddystubbshd.com or call (602) 971-3400. Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson is located at 13850 N. Cave Creek Road in Phoenix, AZ.

Saturday, July 30th

Chester's Harley-Davidson Party on the Patio. This week we have a very special event and charity with The patriot Guard. Come into Chester’s and get your $10.00 ticket for “Soldier Down-Kickstands Up” as we ride from Chester’s at 9am to Pollack Tempe Cinemas for this incredible documentary. Then we are back to Chester’s for our Party on the Patio with 74th Street Band. Proceeds from each ticket helps Jared Allen Homes for Wounded Warriors thru Captain Katie Charity Fundation. This is Truly a Saturday not to miss. Food, Fun and much more and it’s FREE. Chester's Harley-Davidson is located at 922 S. Country Club Dr. in Mesa, AZ. 480-894-0404.

Saturday, July 30th

Extras

Mid Week Updates will be made on the Cyclerides.com Facebook. New Easy to remember Facebook address. Go to Cyclerides.com Facebook. Over 3200 FANS! Take a look at all the new photos posted on the wall. If you are not on Facebook, you can still view the page, but you will not be able to post. There will be a link there for you to sign up for Facebook if you are inclined. Click the LIKE button!

This could go down as one of the most creative Nascar prayers ever as this Pastor thanks the Lord for his Smokin' Hot Wife and Goodyear tires. Boogity, Boogity, Boogity. Click Here to View.

If you saw a bobcat take on a rattlesnake, who do you think would win? See the results. Click Here to View.

Video of the Week: Need a good laugh? This will do it for you. John Pinette do his around the world in 80 buffets comedy routine. Has had over 1.4 million views on You Tube. Click Here to View. Click on the Video of the Week graphic on the page.

If you would like to sign up for the Cyclerides.com Weekly Update Click Here.

Until Next Week,
Blessings and Safe Riding To All,

Barry Caraway
"The Road Is Yours - Take The Ride"
www.cyclerides.com