Chicago Region BMW Motorcycle Owners Assoccrbmw

This article first appeared in the November, 2007 issue of Chicago Region News. 

by Catalin Hategan

This is the first long trip that I have ever done. Since I love to ride alone most of the time, I decided to ride to Colorado by myself, but my friend Dragos convinced me to go instead to Blue Ridge Parkway with him and one of his friends from New York.

I said yes and I dropped my plans for Colorado. But two weeks before our departure, Dragos called and said his friend took his vacation a week earlier than ours and it looks that the trip it will not happen.

I put myself together after such a disappointment, and I decided to ride to Colorado. My bike was ready to go and I said to myself that I have to do this trip or else I go nuts. I need adventure and a good time.

Dragos was in doubt what to do but finally decided to join me.

We left on Saturday, Aug. 25 around 2 p.m. because Dragos forgot to change the oil on his Suzuki VStrom 650 and also we mounted a top case. I got a bit upset for loosing a half a day but we made it that day all the way to Nebraska late into the night where we stopped at a motel.

Sights to Blow Your Mind

It was a really nice trip for us and I have seen so many amazing things that blows your mind. After 4,600 miles, 9-1/2 days through 11 states ( Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois ) it's really hard to remember all the roads and places I have been since I had no GPS, only maps and advice from locals. We took over 1,000 photos and made at least 1/2 hour of videos, on-road and off-road and staying away as much as possible from Interstates.

Lunch stop somewhere in the western mountains

After we left Nebraska we head down to Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak (14,000 feet elevation) then Rocky National Park and Dinosaur National Park (Colorado), Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks (Wyoming), Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills and the Badlands (South Dakota), and Wild Cat Mountain (Wisconsin) and back to our beloved City of Chicago. Most of the rods that we have taken were local and the only time that we used interstate was from Chicago to Colorado Springs and Black Hills to Chicago.

Our usual day of riding was at least 300 to 400 miles since we didn't do as much off -road riding as I wanted to because of the lack of time and bad off-road tires on the V Strom. Total of the miles done off-road were maybe around 150, from nice gravel to big rocks in places in the Teton National Park where Dragos dropped his bike in a pile of rocks because it sunk in.

Pikes Peak Teaches a Lesson

I almost did the same coming down Pikes Peak at a sharp turn where I lost control over the steering because I was trying to be a racer. Do not try that with the weight of gear and bags on your bike, it's not safe at all.

Pikes Peak is not a really good place to play with your bike if you do not know how to ride a bike off road as a professional. It's kind of scary when you ride up-hill to14,000 feet elevation where there is no barrier between you, the road and the cliff. We did alot of short cuts going off road on routes told by locals who were really friendly and always had good advice for us.

From beautiful Pikes Peak we went to Rocky Mountain National Park where we had a great time seeing some amazing places, wild animals and nature. We took U.S. Rt. 34 through the park and then Old River Road - 11 miles of adventure on a not-so-well maintained off-road trail that goes only one way. Really bumpy and a lot of gravel on those sharp turns that had some big grooves from the rain.

We took some great photos and then we left for Dinosaur and Yellowstone.

Fortunate Change of Plans

Catalin Hategan's F650GSA
in the Teton Mountains, Wyoming

My initial plan was to go to Moab National Park and Staircase National Park but Dragos wanted to go Yellowstone and after a short dispute I let it go and we rode up to Yellowstone. No regrets whatsoever because Yellowstone is probably the most amazing National Park I have ever seen. It's not about the roads because you have an enforced speed limit of 45 mph.

It's all about the nature with all it's beauty -- plants, trees, wild animals, water falls, geysers. You need at least one week to explore everything in the park and see all the wild animals. Except for bears and wolves, we saw everything -- elk, bison, fox, coyote, deer etc. We drove our bike between bisons, something that I never tought possible. The thermal waters, geysers and mud volcanoes are really nice, and we waited to see Old Faithful which goes off every 90 minutes so.

We left Yellowstone after a day and a half, and the plan was to see Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore and the best roads that I have ever seen in the Black Hills. After a long day of riding some incredibly boring flat roads we got really late to Rapid City, South Dakota, near the Black Hills where we couldn't find room in any hotel or camp ground. It was around Labor Day and ever spot was full.

Danger!

Disappointed, we left town around 11 p.m. and we stopped 30 miles away at a gas station where they had a nice motel. Riding at night in the Black Hills is not a safe place—we spotted at lest 20 deer. The same is true of all the remote places we have been. There were a lot of wild animals, and you better go slow or just stop.

In the morning we turned back to Mt. Rushmore and Black Hills where we spend a great, fast riding day. What a day!!!!

Cooling off on a hot day in the Badlands

It looked that our trip is going to an end and one of the last amazing stop that we made was Badlands National Park. We rode to Badlands in a very hot, dry day and guess who we meet at gas station, Joe Finn, our good friend from the club who was riding from Los Angeles. When I was riding in Colorado I know for a fact that Scott Weber was riding too and I believe that we passed by each other one day but I am not sure. At Badlands we spend just a bit of time because we were running out of time. One thing that I notice here was that you should be aware of rattle snakes.

The ride back home was boring, long and we spend some really good time in traffic once we hit the southern part of Wisconsin.

Overall, A Great Ride

Catalin's riding partner Dragos Pribeagu
and his VStrom in the Tetons

Overall it was a great ride: no tickets, no mechanical problems (changed oil one time in at a camp ground and dumped the oil at a service shop), good weather, safe as it can be. We camped out, stayed in a motel, eat good and not so good, and we didn't spend that much money since we shared almost everything.

Riders and Bikes

Catalin V. Hategan: BMW F650GSA 2002 , 35,000 miles at the end of the trip

Dragos Pribeagu: Suzuki VStrom 650 2006. 9,000 miles at the end of the trip