I wanted to ride my motorcycle from Colorado Springs, Co to Austin, Tx for SXSW mostly to get some experience on longer rides. The weather can be unpredictable in Colorado any time of year and March is works than normal. It had been in the 70s the week before I left but turned much colder as my departure date approached. Still it didn't look impossible so I decided to give it a shot.
On Wednesday, I got a late start but it was sunny and it was in the high thirties when I left the springs. I took the back roads and stayed off the interstate for various reasons. I did not get as far (225 miles) as I had hoped because I had to keep stopping every 1.5-2 hours to get warm and the wind kept my speed way down. They came from 3 o'clock as I headed east and then 11 to 1 o'clock when I turned south. I was estimating winds of 20 mph based on the wind socks and flags that I saw standing straight out. When I finally stopped the weather station said they were having winds of 25-35 mpg.
The wind also killed my gas mileage and I had a scary half hour when I noticed I was running really low on gas and the next town was still far away. I had estimated my range based on prior trips and was focused on the weather so did not realize I how low on gas I had gotten. I slowed down a bit and crossed my fingers and made it to the next town.
It was a tough start to the trip and I thought it was because of the temperature but it was definitely the wind.
The next day, Thursday, was colder but not nearly as windy so was much more pleasant. I waited till 10 am for the temp to get to 27 and to make sure any rain in the south had evaporated. I also changed my route to go south and then east rather than southeast to try to avoid some weather. It was not bad at all and warmed up to the low 40s by the end of the day. I went just over 400 miles and physically could have done a lot more but stopped early because the dark clouds and sudden temperature drop seemed threatening.
I had thermals, fleece, and the liner with my pants and jacket. My chin and face got a little cold and my toes too but I could wiggle them around and it was not too bad. The worst part by far was my hands but luckily Meghan had told me to take some chemical hand warmers she had. I activated them and shoved them in my gloves and that made a huge difference.
Friday I woke to freezing rain. It warmed up a bit to just above freezing but I did not want to chance it. I knew that bridges, diches and parts of the highway could get icy and wanted to stay away from that. So I forced my self to do the safe thing and stay in my cheap hotel an extra night. I had my laptop with me so I could work, though I have to admit I took a long break and watched too many old cop show reruns.
I walked to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and took a couple of photos with my phone. I wish I had a better camera with me.
Its supposed to stay cold and even snow tonight but then warm up quickly tomorrow. I'm about 8 hours away from Austin and will leave here as soon as I think the roads are warm and clear of snow and ice. I've enjoyed the trip but it will feel good to finally be at SXSW.
