Take the much-needed long haul with Eagle Rider

Being an ambassador in any industry can be challenging. You have to be fluid to cope with the lifestyle that flies by the seat of your pants. Recently, I was in Loveland, Colorado, finishing a gig as an anchor and was ready to move on to the next job as an anchor for the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally, when I suddenly realized that my flight was never booked. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right? Luckily for me, the answer to this problem was a motorcycle through EagleRider Motorcycle Rentals.

For the unplanned, spontaneous trip from Loveland to Durango, my buddy Jordan from Hot Bike said I should give EagleRider a try. They have a lot of cool bikes for sale and luckily there was a store nearby in Denver. Things were already looking up. Since it was my first time renting with EagleRider, I didn’t know what to expect. I called the local dealer, told him what I wanted and had him drive me to his location.

When I arrived at the Denver store, I was immediately greeted by the entire troop of motorcycles lined up on the side of the road ready to party. They even had my nameplate on the bike they reserved for me. As I entered the building, I immediately knew I wasn’t the only one who wanted a ride. The place was packed with riders from all over the world! I think I was the only American out of the 30+ people who signed up for the time of their life. It’s always a cool atmosphere to be in a diverse circle full of people who love motorcycles.

When I got there, I quickly noticed that EagleRider also has plenty of motorcycle gear in stock, so if you forget something, not everything is lost. Whether helmet, gloves, jackets, vests… EagleRider is there for you. Check-in and preparations for the start also went smoothly. They quickly found my reservation in the system, walked me through the controls of the new ’23 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide, and got me out on the road with my knees in the wind.

As it was, with limited resources, I still had four days until my appearance at Four Corners. And since I didn’t have any accommodation booked for a few days and didn’t have a roof over my head, I was left with only one choice: drive off and get lost.

It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve ridden for the sake of riding. It’s definitely not what this part of the trip should be, but then again, the trip is rarely like that. After picking up my vehicle for the week, I called my buddy Cody Kiebler to see if he would come with me. After his wife obliged, we giggled like a couple of idiots and off we went, just two guys equipped with a couple of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, a hammock, no sleeping bags, and hardly any idea where we planned to ride or camp along the way . But we didn’t care. We were too excited for the ride, something I hadn’t felt in a while. There’s just something about throwing caution to the wind and watching where the chips fall that makes the adventure more exciting and memorable.

Knowing it would take a while to get going, we decided a short drive south on 285 to Salida was the best way to go. I absolutely love this route. It’s mostly two lanes and takes me through Bailey and South Park/FairPlay – I used to live in Colorado and this was my old beer delivery route from 2005 to 2011. After a three-hour hike through the stunning eastern Colorado country and a stop in Buena Vista for a second hammock and sleeping bag, we rolled into camp and set up right next to the creek, 15 minutes outside of Salida, where we filled our faces with Calories before camping for the night.

The next morning we set off early. We experienced many wonderful distractions and unexpected changes along the way. We started on Highway 50 with Monarch Pass (also a US watershed) just half an hour away. We knew we were in for some breathtaking views and epic winding roads, so I highly recommend this.

Unfortunately, extreme weather destroyed the portion of HWY 50 that runs along Blue Mesa Reservoir. We had to take a detour onto 149 South. We quickly got over it as it meant exploring new territory for both Cody and me. After all the years we have lived as hikers, new trails are always welcome. Thanks to this side quest, we were able to enjoy the surrounding mountains as we drove past Tolvar Peak and down to Lake Fork. After completely messing up traffic flows, we did what you should never do: blindly follow the navigation of our phones.

Cody and I had so much fun breathing in the majesty of Colorado along the way that we had no qualms or intentions about making it even remotely efficient. The universe aligned with this energy enough to “guide” us onto the alpine snowmobile trail, and like a couple of lost l’assez faire boys, we just kept going. Mainly because we had no idea where we actually were and refused to pull out the Butler map that could have helped us get back on track. The point was that we got a little lost, so we stayed on course. Happy too. I can’t remember the last time I cared less about how I got somewhere.

In the end, the Alpine was a 20+ mile long, obstacle-filled Forrest access road designed for a dirt bike, not the CVO I was rolling heavily on. Regardless of the facts and the “no passage” sign, we drove on without a clue. I’m not going to lie, there were a few parts that made us both a little nervous. The best part was passing the overlanding rigs loaded to the hilt like the apocalypse was at hand. They had no idea what to make of the two Harley dummies speeding past on backhoes somewhere around 40 miles per hour in the dirt. Hell, neither do we. In that moment we realized that we really were the lost boys we wanted to be.

After consuming our weight in airborne dirt and stopping frequently to laugh at ourselves, we reached camp tired and grinning from ear to ear. Luckily for us, there was a hut just a mile further out in the country that was still open for food and drinks. After some treats and a few laughs, we headed back to light the fire and stare at the stars.

The next morning came early thanks to the birds, squirrels and deer welcoming the fabulous digger boys. We were super excited for a day where we didn’t have to set up camp. We wasted no time in making our way to breakfast and then we hit Highway 141. Cody chose this road when we first discussed the drive, so we were both excited for a day of exploring along it the fabled “Lost Highway,” which is a… part of the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway, which takes you 133 miles through the Colorado Plateau Canyon Country. It’s definitely worth exploring. Once inhabited by the Ute tribe and like many remote western villages, the mining rush of the early 20th century came and went, leaving behind a shell of itself like a two-track time capsule.

With nothing human-made to block our view most of the day, we began to understand the street’s nickname. Most of the southbound route between Naturita and Dove Creek is over a wide, open plateau with some gentle curves. This was the perfect testing ground for the CVO’s performance. Cody and I had a lot of fun playing cat and mouse over a fairly long stretch without any competing traffic. It reminded me of the empty streets of 2020, when everywhere you went it felt like you could drive as fast and as far as you wanted without fear of being hassled by “the man.”

Then we hit the last few miles of 141 through Slick Rock. With a killer stretch of road winding through the red sandstone canyons, this place felt much bigger than it was. My partner and I decided it would be so much fun to play this 20 mile route until it was time to go back the way we came. We raced back and forth, racing against each other and laughing like a couple of puppies at a dog park. That was pure, unadulterated motorcycling happiness.

I’ve experienced many motorcycles in my time, but the CVO was the newest and most beautiful Harley-Davidson I’ve ridden to date. It had an answer to everything I accused it of. I definitely got to test its abilities on and off the road, no matter how unintentional the experience ended up being. It was an absolute blast using the American-made 121ci engines and I was definitely impressed that you could rent such a machine from EagleRider.

As the sun began to set and the wind picked up, it was time to return to the 160 mile route we had been traveling. The walk back to camp was pretty pleasant, but I enjoyed thinking about how I got here in the first place.

It all started when I needed a ride from Denver to Durango. After travel plans fell through at the last minute. That’s when I discovered that I could easily ride a top-of-the-line Harley-Davidson to my destination and turn my commute into an adventure I wouldn’t soon forget. I am a blessed man to have the opportunity to have this experience and grateful to have a friend like Cody to share it with. Thank you EagleRider and Hot bike Magazine for memories and a road less traveled.

Overall, Eagle Rider gets a 10 out of 10 from me. Not only do they provide some much needed transportation, but they have also reignited my love of riding for the sake of riding. This was by far one of the best experiences of my riding life. I’m just glad my original plans to fly to Durango fell through.