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8 June
6 AM, we are fueling at the Circle K 76 station as Don Beyer pulls in. He tops off his tank, we exchange good mornings and we're off. It's the start of the 2005 Posse Ride Eastern Campaign. Well not the Posse Ride itself but the ride to the Posse Ride. Today's plan is to make it to Boise Id and we begin by going over Chinook Pass just as last year however the conditions this year are not quite as good. From the turn off to Cayuse Pass to the summit we have to deal with heavy fog and rain and then a section of one lane road around a washout just east of the summit. As we descend the eastern side of the pass the fog clears and once we reach Yakima the skies are clear and the sun is shinning. The rest of the day is spent on the interstates, I-82 and I-84, and we all would like to thank the Highway Departments of Washington, Oregon and Idaho for laying that ribbon of asphalt and concrete between all the thundershowers. Since we have traveled these roads many times before the scenery was familiar but we still enjoyed the ride and Barb managed to point out a coyote, a heron, an elk (she says spotting one in a elk ranch pasture isn't cheating) several deer and multiple pronghorn. It was still early when we reached Boise so we decided to continue on to Twin Falls Idaho where we checked in to the Days Inn for a well-deserved rest after a 600-mile days ride.
9 June
Morning broke very chilly today. As a matter of fact most of the day it never rose above 40 degrees, thankfully we have our electric gloves and jacket liners. Oh the wonders of modern technology. Our ride for the day took us to Pocatello on I-84 and I-86 then south on I-15 to exit 47 where we finally reached some two-lane asphalt as we headed east on US 30. Cruising at 65 MPH with a brisk wind in your face, it can't get much better. The landscape is green and spotted with colorful blossoms while the surrounding mountains are capped in white. Most of my previous cross country rides have occurred in late July and August when everything is brown and dry. Through the first hours of riding it appeared the animals were taking the day off, but as we traveled the two-lanes several deer and an unmanageably large number of pronghorn began to appear. Barb plans to continue pointing out her finds but counting all the wildlife has come to an end. Stopping in Kemmerer for a midmorning meal we entered a small café where along with great food we learned the town was the birthplace of JC Penney. Following US 30 brought us to I-80 where we turned east for the few miles to Green River Utah and South Wyo. 530. This, along with Hwy 44 and Hwy 191 to Vernal Utah was a route my older brother had told me about. It is a quiet two-lane road alongside Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. Through a canyon, snaking up to the rim with gorgeous views then climbing further over an eight thousand foot Pass, deep brownish red rock outcroppings and large patches of white and green Aspen groves. A warning sign, Steep Grade Ahead, 8 percent with 10 switchbacks, prefaced the trip down off the pass and into Vernal UT. What an end to a great day.
10 June
It only being 330 miles to Denver we planned to sleep in and start a little later today but we all woke up early so decided to ride a while then stop for coffee. The sun was
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