Day 20–Those feet were made for walking.

It was an awesome day here in Moab, Ut. with clear skies, a cool morning that later on in the day warmed up to 87 degrees. My neck and arms are now red as a beet and I may pay for that tonight, but it was worth it. Lori has been going to a tanning salon so she did not get burnt today.

First thing out we hit Highway 128 for a 14 mile sprint in one direction, then made a U-turn and came running back the other way. That was a beautiful road and on the way back, I had Lori shoot a video so if I can get a little of it cut down an loaded to the Internet, I will post a link at the bottom or in the future. After that little bit of fun we made our way down the road to Arches National Park. I was told by a friend that he could have easily have spent two weeks hiking and looking around all the parks here in Moab and it is true. We spent at least 5 to 6 hours in this park and we did not eat lunch or leave the park for lunch. We just snacked on some Granola bars and drank water or Gatorade. We also got our exercise today and I put all that whining from Lori about doing nothing but riding an no exercise to rest. We hiked a total of 14 miles of trails today without proper footwear and my poor big toes agree. When you walk downhill at steep grades and you have slip-on tennis shoes, your feet tend to jam to front of the shoe with all your body weight. After 6 hours of this, my toes said uncle.

The view and scenery inside the Arches park is another must see by all at least once in your life time. Put it on your list of things to do with kids or without, just make sure those kids are more than 7 or 8 years old or you will be carrying them on your back. We took another 127 pictures that I consider keepers so beware when you hit the picture link at the bottom it is going to play for a bit but it was so beautiful.

We finally saw all we wanted to see and left the park for the hotel room. We rested for only 15 or 20 minutes and left to go get dinner slant lunch at the same time. Once we finished dinner the time was around 6pm and that left enough daylight to try to squeeze in one more short ride before we called it a day. So we took off to Potash Road and unlike 128 early in the day, this road was much less traveled and a bit tighter. We also so at least three groups of folk repealing up and down the cliff walls. We were going to stop and get pictures on the way back by, but they had called it a day by the time we made the return pass. All in all, today was another great day.

Tomorrow I had a 400 mile loop laid out, but I’m going to be forced to modify this because we did not make Canyonlands today. So first thing in the morning we will do a 120 mile ride down to Natural Bridges, then reverse course and stop in Monticello at a Honda shop. After that we will comeback through the town of Moab and up to Canyonlands. We will also have to make a decision tomorrow to stay or go another day in Moab. It is going to depend on how much we can get done tomorrow.

John Cassarly, if you read this post, you need to take 2 or 3 weeks off next summer and come park in Moab. The hiking, camping, and boating will fill your bill nicely. If you really feel frisky, you can rent a Jeep, ATV, Dirt bike, and or a Side-by-Side to enjoy the scenery. It’s only 2000 miles out here!!!

One more thing to note here that I did research on this afternoon after our riding. The new back tire that we put on will likely not make the trip back to Virginia. It is going to be so very close because I currently have 5462 miles on that tire and I have a minimum of 3300 miles to go to get home. The tire is indicating that it is 75-80% wore out now. It started with 8-9mm of tread depth and is currently reading 1-3mm depending on where you read it. The center tread is wearing quickly. I have a tire with me that has 3000 miles left on it and if I have to get a new tire prior to making Virginia, I will have someone throw that tire on. The broken shock is holding up ok, the bike just bounces more than normal in some situations. The GPS is no factor because I have been able to work around that broken charging cable and only turn it on when I need information. The front tire is holding very well with over 7000 miles on it, so it is no factor. The Trailer tires will likely make it home but they will be bald on arrival. So oil change and rear tire is the only things I should have to deal with before I return to Virginia.

Todays run was 130 miles, and our total is now 7164.

Click here for todays pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 19 - A reward for changing our route, Nice!!

When I looked out the window this morning in Las Vegas there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was the bluest of blues. The starting temperature was 60 degrees at 7 in morning and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. I did a quick check of what to expect down the road and it was also nice, but maybe a little cooler in places because of elevation. Some of the places we had to cross were within a 100 or so feet of 8000.

So after breakfast, we loaded up once again and we took off to Hoover Dam. I’ve taken the Damn Tour in the past, so I was really interested in seeing the new bridge that was built to relieve local traffic from traveling over the dam and mixing with tourist. You know the locals had to hate that commute knowing everyday in the summer they would get caught up in the tourist zoo. To drive directly across the bridge is not exciting at all and you can barely see over the edge. Maybe if you’re in an SUV or Tractor-trailer you might get a better view, but on the motorcycle all I could see was the tops of hills. So we turned around and drove under the bridge and across the dam and that is where the magic is. It is an awesome sight underneath and it makes you wonder how the laid all that concrete. We also walked halfway across the bridge and took some shots of the Dam from the best vantage point ever. You have to see these shots, amazing.

After the visit to the bridge and dam, our long journey to Moab began and even though I was not looking forward to the long Interstate ride, I was looking forward to the sights. I must warn you, Lori took and I keep about 130 pictures because so many were keepers. The rock formations and all the different colors is something you never see on the east coast and is even more amazing to see in person. I cannot count how many times I came around a corner and said inside my helmet, Amazing or Awesome. No sweeping turning, no exciting twisties, and nothing abnormal in the road, just sights that I have never seen in person. The other thing that stood out was the weather all day long was pretty much perfect. I loved how the big puffy white clouds lingered over top of some the snow covered mountain tops to make them look almost like a Hallmark card.

About the only negative that happen all day was the fact that the Honda shop in Richfield, Utah was closed so I could not purchase the oil and filter to do another oil change while in Moab. I will have to push this oil change into Colorado as soon as I can find the supplies. I still have another 1500 miles to burn before she is actually ready for another change. Today we also officially put more miles on the Valkyrie in one trip than any trip I have done in the past and we are not done yet. We have done 2 other one month trips and neither one of those trips exceeded 6700 miles, but both were over 6000 miles.

So today was very rewarding day for taking that re-route through Las Vegas to avoid the cold, rain, and snow that we would have hit going through Salt Lake City. Lori and I were a little bit tired when we rolled into Moab, Utah but we will sit here for three nights an see the sights that Gary Mace recommended to me in the past. I’m also considering doing a Hummer ride through the desert called “Hell’s Revenge”, if we decide to stay an extra night. Tomorrow we will take it easy and see the sights and do no more than 200 miles. Our 2 main goals tomorrow will be to see Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.

Todays run was 547 miles, and our total is now 7034.

Click here for todays pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 18–Brrr, it was a bit chilly.

I knew before we walked outside it was going to be brisk and the possibility of rain along part of my route was highly likely. But unlike driving to Salt Lake City where I knew it was going to be cold and rainy the entire ride, the Las Vegas route would break into sunshine and warmer temperatures around Tonopah. So we loaded the trailer and then we layered up the best we could. Lori having the heated suit did not have to many worries, me on the other hand was a bit worried about the hands. It was just 39 degrees and cruising at 65-70 mph the wind chill would be around 7 degrees. Even with my Gerbing gloves, this was extreme. Now add rain, and it is a bad combination.

Luckily, we pulled out of Reno there was no rain but the skies looked like they could break open at anytime. What was even more impressive was the view of the mountains that surrounded Reno from about 5000 feet and up were covered in a fresh blanket of snow. It was an amazing sight to see in combination with clouds and sun trying to peak through. I wish we had taken some pictures of this, but we didn’t.

We made our first run about 135 miles as we passed Lake Walker and entered Hawthorne. Along this route we ran into rain and sleet but they were so brief that my gloves never got wet. Lori actually dipped off into a nap until the sleet started pinging her helmet and woke her, so I can only assume she was cozy. My fingers were approaching numb so we stopped for coffee, gas, and a warm up for me.

When we finally reached Tonopah the wind gust were approaching 30 – 40 knots and were most impressive just trying to walk across the parking lot. We stopped here for lunch and gas and then jumped back on the road to where I hope in the next few miles, we would break the cold. As soon as we left the town limits we were hit broadside with one of the strongest cross wind that I have ever experienced. No clue to it’s strength, but my initial lean did nothing to stop it from pushing me 4 feet across the lane. As I approached the center line I just gave it more lean, let off the throttle and was just about to hit the back brake when the bike finally started moving right. It felt as if someone was pushing me on my shoulder and I couldn’t stop it. I think it spooked Lori a little too, but since there was no traffic on coming or behind me, I have no idea why it bothered her.

As we rolled into Beatty the weather had finally calmed down and warmed up to the point that I could change back to summer gloves. Since this entire leg was long and tiring, I decided that Death Valley was a no go and we just cruised into Las Vegas for the night.

Tomorrow we have another long day in front of us to make Moab where we will stay for 3 nights, maybe 4. I’m considering renting ATV’s or a Jeep for riding the country side or desert. The weather for most of this leg should be perfect until we hit the northern edge. There we might find temperatures in the 50’s which is fine compares to high 30’s and low 40’s. I see no rain in the forecast.

Todays run was 443 miles, and our total is now 6487.

Click here for todays pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 17–One of those days you just say, “Wow”.

Ok, I did the weather report thing last night and then the morning of and it made me load 3 routes into the GPS in case I need to bail out on the fly. All the information that I gained from 3 different sources told me to go south and enter Lake Tahoe from the southwest side and get through it before 4pm and I should be good. All the weather forecast indicated that higher elevations 4000 and above around Lake Tahoe could get 1-3 inches of snow and they were warning all the Holiday campers.

So we left Sacramento about 7:30, stop at McD’s, Lori ‘s request to get oatmeal, and then we were on the road. We had a beautiful ride through little towns like El Dorado, Jackson, MickelLumne Hill, and a few more that I have forgotten. We turned on one road that ran for about 10-15 miles that had grades that would make most people in a car cringe but we plowed ahead. That same section of road gave my poor broken shock a work out and it kept my speed back to 20 mph of less most of that 20 mile run. There was just to much bouncing. Where as if I had my F650GS Dakar Dual Sport, I would have been doing 50-60 mph most of the time because the bike it built for absorbing those types of bumps.

Now the Fun really started, we pulled out of Avery and the road started climbing and climbing and it made me turn the GPS on to check elevation.  I also bought a temperature gauge to hang on the handle bar so I could keep tabs of outside temps in case it got close to freezing, I was turning around. Before I could blink, we were climbing through 7000 and enter the bases of the clouds. If that wasn’t enough snow was on the sides of the roads and it was high. How high you ask? In some places it was stacked 10 feet tall at least. I could not see over the top of the snow from side to side. So it was like we were driving in a snow tunnel with no top. Do you think that was as bad as it got? Not quite!!! It started snowing on us again. By this time I had hooked up with another Fool, excuse me, I mean motorcycle rider that I didn’t know but I was following him and we were going to make sure that we both got through it. The outside air temperature fell to somewhere between 38-39 and I was bit cold in some of my fingers and toes, but my core was good and warm. Lori on the other hand, she was just warm and little worried. I saw the guy and gal on the bike in front of us give celebration wave and then I noticed the sign they were pointing to was the high point of 8730 which is just short of 9000 feet. After this point we started to descend and after 5 or so miles he pulled over and we chatted a bit. They lived just 100 miles away and travel this road a lot. They were caught off guard with the snow to. I do not know how they did it, open face helmets and really thin gloves and maybe three layers total including a jacket. To Damn cold for me and riding in the snow, even knowing it isn’t cold enough to stick, sucks.

We parted ways with the Johnson’s from California and made our way into Lake Tahoe. It is a very busy place and reminded me of Gatlinburg, Tn. The Lake itself was very large from what I could see, but due to the cloud, rain, snow, and mist, you just couldn’t see all the way across to the other side. We stopped once again at McDonald’s for a Apple pie and coffee and watched a 5 minute blizzard rush by. Lori and I just looked at each and laughed. So, after driving through all that stuff, I loaded up the GPS and told it to go with plan B and shoot me out of Lake Tahoe and into Carson City so we could drive out of all these snow showers.  Even though Carson City is still about 5000’, it was enough to drop us out of the snow and freezing cold. Yes, even 50 degree feels warm after riding for 2 or 3 hours at 38-42.

Our day ended in Reno as planned with the skies overcast and spiting rain. We are staying in the Peppermill Casino Hotel and we country bumpkins do not belong here. To many people and we do not gamble, but it sure is pretty. Neither Lori or I drop a penny in a slot, just returned to our room to post this blog, watch a little TV, and read. Ahhhhh.

Tomorrow’s plan is going to be another dramatic route change. After studying the weather reports along Interstate 80 from Reno to Salt Lake City, it is going to rain the entire route and the temps are going to be between 38-45 all day. I could not wrap my mind around that ride for 522 miles and 9 hours, just to see the Salt Flats. So, we are turning southeast and we will stay at a Hampton Inn in Las Vegas. I was trying to figure all along how to fit this in my route, so this just makes it easy. Las Vegas forecast is sunny and 72. I also might look into driving through Death Valley and crossing that new bridge at Hoover Dam. I have to review some of Gary Mace’s routes and Road Runner routes and try to keep it under 500 miles. So, below you will see a GPS route from Reno to Vegas, but it is hotel to hotel and it might change after this post.

The Motorcycle, Trailer, and us are holding up well and it has been a very, very, interesting trip that I will remember the rest of my life.

Todays run was 273 miles, and our total is now 6044.

Click here for todays pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 16–We slowed to Smell the Roses.

Some old guy and fellow rider recently told me that he only plans about 300 miles a day max so he and his wife could smell the roses while they travel. Well today, thanks to the weather at the higher elevations above 5300 feet, we did just that. I had a 400 mile loop laid out, but once we got about 25 miles northeast of Nevada City, it started to mist and then rain as we were climbing. I was not in the mood for this, so I just made a different plan on the fly and went with it.

Before we entered the rain levels, we had passed through a little town named Nevada City, Ca. It looked like it was taken out of the 1800’s and just placed in our current time. So I retraced our path and found a place to park the beast and it’s attachment, and set a foot to look around. We found a little place to eat tucked away in one of it’s corners called “New Moon Café”. Their niche seemed to be organic food because Lori and I both had Quesadilla with no meat. Click here for the About on their webpage. Once we were done with lunch, we walk some more around the town of 3000 residents, talked to about our motorcycle, our rig, and where we from and where we are going.

During our riding today, we actually got to ride some pretty nice twisty but they were just to short. We also got to ride in and about the snow that cover large portions of the side of the roads and most of the mountain tops. We reached our highest elevation of 5800 feet and the temperatures were right around 45 degrees. Then we head back to Sacramento which is only 25 feet above sea level and it was 75 degrees. So in 60 miles the temperature changed almost 30 degrees.

As we approached Sacramento the 6 lane Interstate started to come to a stand still, so I magically detoured off the Interstate and into a BMW dealership just to look around. I swear it was just like magic, teehee. I love my GPS. I also setup the GPS to stay off the Interstate and we took nothing but primary roads back to the hotel. It gives you a good look at the city you are staying, instead of blasting by on the Interstate system.

So we ended our day with just a small run just over 200 miles and we stayed dry and one of us stayed warm the entire ride. Lori doesn’t get on the bike now without the Gerbing Heated Suit plugged in ready to go. No Gerbings, no go!!

Tomorrow we move to Reno and I have 3 different routes laid out. I have once that swings westside of Lake Tahoe and into Reno and one that swings to the east of Lake Tahoe. The third route is a straight Interstate shot which only guarantees me that if it rains or snows that should be able to cross the mountain range between Sacramento and Reno. Depending on the weather reports I get in the morning, I will make my decision and go. What I see right now is just cold temperature until after 5 or 6pm and at that point it is suppose to start raining and depending on elevation, snow. I will only show my preferred route below.

One last notes to all the ladies tracking Lori here and may be wondering why you do not see her two cents worth. I setup her IPAD to allow her to post, but she reads my post after I put it up and just says, “you covered it, so I guess I do not need to post anything.”

Todays run was 213 miles, and our total is now 5771.

Click here for todays pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 15 was Golden

With a new 3 day plan in hand and new reservations made we started our journey this morning to partly cloudy skies and cool temperatures around 55. No rain in the forecast for are entire route so things were looking good. Still I could not be just a little disappointed that after 5000 miles covered that we were going to miss the Redwood forest, the drive thru tree, and Crater Lake. Lori and I will just have to fly out here some August, their dry season, rent a motorcycle and drive up there a see the sights.

 

 

 

First order of business today was to travel back to San Francisco to see the Golden Gate Bridge. As we headed toward that way using the morning commute interstate, Mark got his first chance at lane splitting. In California it is legal, but I wasn’t 100% sure of the rules. So I saw a police getting ready to join the traffic flow and I flagged him down. Traffic must be moving 30 mph or slower, your speed cannot exceed 10 mph of the traffic flow. You cannot do it on two lane roads. You can use it at stop lights. When traffic comes to a complete halt, it is a great tool to have and their lanes here are a little wider. But, Lori still held here breath the few times that I did it. Pulling a trailer made it a little tricky but most drivers see you coming and give you more room. Pretty cool. In DC it would never work with all the road rage, here it is accepted and the law.

The Golden Gate bridge is a sight to see in person and no picture will do it justice. It’s pretty, it’s unique, it’s old, it’s weathered, but it is still a cool sight to see. I think Lori and I were the only English speaking people on the ground. Nothing like being strangers in our own country.

Leaving the Golden Gate, we venture back the wine country of Napa Valley and the rest. We did not stop at any of the Vineyards but they were pretty, the vineyards themselves covered so many acres I would only be guessing how much land they covered. If I had to guess looking at all the vineyards, there is gold in them there grapes. I’m glad we decided to cover this ride we missed yesterday because I finally got to use the sidewalls of those motorcycle tires. Where there were flats running around the middle, I rounded them flats out today. I would say we did at least 200 miles of curvy roads thanks to the layout from Road Runner Magazine. I also did not drag a peg the entire day. I feel very limited pushing the motorcycle so far from home, on a broken shock, and pulling a trailer. I’ll drag them pegs when I get home. Today would have been a great day to have two good shocks!!!!

About the only negative of the day was, in the middle of nowhere USA,  we got stopped for road construction for such a long period, it was engine off and kickstand down. We sat for a total of 30 minutes in the construction zone. Ugh! At least it wasn’t a 100 degrees.

Last highlight of the day, we rolled into and through Dixon California and maybe just maybe, I might retire here. That’ll never happen because it is to far from Virginia and family. Also of note, today officially marked our turn eastbound toward Virginia even if it is just a gradual turn until Pueblo Colorado. Once I reach Pueblo, it will be a three day sprint across the country just to get home and through Tornado Alley.

We are currently in Sacramento, Ca. and will be spending two nights here. I have a 400 mile loop laid out to run here tomorrow, but I will make the decision in the morning with Lori to see what she feels like doing. If she would like to do something other than ride, then we will do it.

Todays run was 336 miles, and our total is now 5558.

Click here for todays pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

he Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 14–Wasn’t a total wash.

When we stepped outside this morning and looked outside a fog had rolled in and it was a bit chilly. So we walked over to the restaurant had some Blueberry pancakes an then headed back to our room to pack. Between the longer than normal breakfast, time wise, and our long winded conversation with a local about our travels, it put us an hour behind our normal 8am departure time.

By the time we rolled out of the parking lot and fueled up the bike, the fog had burned off and we were riding up the PCH with mostly clear skies and mid 50’s. Lori was all cozy testing out her heated suit for the first time this trip and she was all smiles. We arrived at the Hearst Castle and that bad boy was tucked away on top a hillside and there would be no taking pictures of this place so I proceeded to focus on the new problem we had. 30 miles up the road the PCH had washed out and we had to reverse course. There was a construction crew working near by so ask best route to get around. He said that I had to back track 6 miles to HWY 46 then pickup HWY 101 northbound and the intercept PCH in Salinas. I wasn’t to happy about it but at least I didn’t travel the total way up to the dead-end or washout to figure out there was no pass except behind me.

The ride on 46 was great, swooping around corners and climbing and descending terrain and dotted with an occasional Vineyard. Then we turn north on 101 and let me tell you, there is a lot of veggies grown in this area and it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that your eating some right now from California. Looked like Dole was a big investor in these parts. We stopped at a rest area on 101 and got caught up in another motorcycle conversation with a local that took another 20-30 minutes of time. So now about 1.5 hours behind schedule. The re-route cost me another 20 or 30 minutes, so I knew that we would not be doing wine country on todays plan.

We stopped in Salinas at a Subway for a quick sub and when we stepped outside, rain!! Oh no, someone is raining on our parade!! The other thing I changed was my choice of gloves and off we went. One of us was dry and warm and the other was dry and a bit chilly, we will not mention names. I got a little frustrated with the traffic we hit in Watsonville because it came to a stand still. Nothing like sitting in traffic in the cold rain. I jumped off the primary route, scouted through town and accidently found my way around the traffic jam. We traveled for about another 30 minutes in the rain and I was considering highly just setting a direct route to our destination and we suddenly broke out of the rain. I’m glad I didn’t do that because the scenery once again was awesome.

We finally bounced off of the PCH and into San Francisco heading toward the Bay Bridge, not the Golden Gate, and talked about a ZOO. Cars zooming everywhere and you better know what lane you want well in advance because there was 6 lanes and sometimes they came to a stop in a hurry. Housing! It looked like toy boxes stacked on top of each other and now it makes more sense why there is so much damage when there is a earthquake. It just didn’t look safe. Crossing the bridge was kind of cool knowing you had one level going one way and another level going the other way. Once we crossed the bridge, I set a direct course for Hotel La Rose.

I didn’t think I was staying so far outside of San Fran but we are about 45 miles outside of town. Apparently someone’s dog got lose on the Interstate and cars were swerving, stopping, people from different cars jumping out trying to catch the damn dog. Only in California, on the east coast I’m afraid that dog would have been a pancaked and no human lives would have been put at risk. Let’s just say I made one evasive maneuver to avoid a rear-ender.

Finally at our hotel it was another pleasant surprise on a non-name hotel and the details to decoration are very nice. Once again, Lori had to take pictures before I was allowed to enter the room to unload luggage. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel so I could do some real work.

We cancelled our reservations at Crescent City and Crater Lake due to rain, snow, and freezing temperatures and Mark was not willing to risk life an limb to see a lake and the redwood forest. I will fly back another day and catch them. Quick story, when I called Crater lake reservations they told me just this morning that a hearty motorcyclist made the trip the day before, stayed the night, and then had to wait to follow the snowplow out because of snow and ice. No thank you and you can just call me chicken.

So I just spent the last 2 hours planning, re-routing, an making reservations for our new route. We still will have cold weather issues because we have to cross the Sierra's somehow eventually. Tomorrow we get up, ride down to the Golden Gate Bridge and then turn around an tour the Wine Country we missed today. When the day is done we will end up in Sacramento. We will stay there 2 nights and either goof off on day 2 or do a 400 mile ride I laid out with the help of Road Runner Magazine.

So today could have been just an over all bad day but it wasn’t. The west coast actually looks pretty cool with clouds sweeping in off the ocean. Then we could have either pushed it or pouted about the weather in Crescent and Crater, but we didn’t, we just made a different plan on the fly.

Todays run was 359 miles, and our total is now 5222.

Click here for todays pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Things are going to be fluid the next few days.

Looking at the weather for Crescent City and Crater Lake the next few days there is a real high chance that we will not make this run. Plan B will be a direct shot from San Francisco Area to Reno once I figure out the hotel thing. But I’m thinking of staying in the San Fran area and creating a couple of rides that I can get from Road Runner Magazine on moments notice.

Decision will have to be made tonight with weather forecast.

Day 13–Cool, Sunny, and that’s California

It was a picture perfect day because the skies were clear and the temperatures held between 60-68 all day. We pulled out of San Diego and got a good dose of West Coast traffic and most of the time all six lanes were full, dicey, and fast moving. There was not a lot of time to be staring at a GPS while negotiating traffic and watching out for all the Police on Motorcycles. Motorcyclists are motorcyclist and even if they are police on the job, they still give that courteous wave or greeting that all cyclist do with each other. If you happen to stop in the same location by chance, the conversation will immediately turn to motorcycles, which is kind of cool. No, I didn’t speak to one today and I do not need to speak to one anytime soon. After 45 miles of Interstate riding, we finally dropped off onto what I considered the Pacific Coast Highway and the mood and scenery changed dramatically. One minute your in the city doing 25 mph mixing with cars and people and the next minute your doing 65 mph all by yourself. We also skimmed by Camp Pendleton and they were playing war games along the hillside when we drove by. Didn’t get any pictures of that and was thinking I might get shot at if we did.

As we approached Los Angeles and still on PCH, with saw an port that was full ships, container boxes, and cranes from imports and likely a few exports that seem to go on forever. Also at this point, turned into the city and off the PCH to go visit the Hollywood sign and see the Observatory at the same time. We got caught in a 6 to 7 lane traffic jam, that was awesome and made Lori and I feel like the Clampett’s came to Hollywood. The drive through Hollywood was not that impressive and to me, it looked like it was time for a do over. We got our sign pictures and tookoff. As we were spinning back and forth down the hill, what crosses the road in front of us? I coyote! Look out Lori he thinking Prime Rib! Traffic in and out of LA was not fun and we were both glad to back on the PCH.

For the remainder of the day we drove the coast and the scenery was unique. We saw surfing, crashing waves, oil rigs, houses built on cliffs, expensive cars (Lambo!!), CHIPS, all without incident. Today was a good day.

Our story of the day comes from a rest stop from an elderly lady, say 55-60, who asked the this questions after seeing our plates. Are you guys really from Virginia? Nope, here’s your sign.

To Lori, the best highlight of the day is our hotel in San Luis Obispo, the Apple Farm. I will say that it is very nicely decorated and the room are ridiculous. We’ve got a gas fireplace in our room!! This place is way to nice for a country bumpkin. We ate at the restaurant that is part of the hotel. I had chicken and dumplings and the dumplings were rolled up into what looked like meatballs. How weird is that? Lori had roast beef laid over toasted bread. We both had salads and Raspberry Tea to drink.

Tomorrow’s run  could be a long for Lori and I because I’m asking us to do 471 miles through all kinds of traffic situations. So, we will make sure to cover the main attractions and then cover the minors if we can. One thing folks have to keep in mind, is that this is a long, long, long motorcycle ride to see things as I pass and sometimes stop to visit for a bit. Lori let’s me do this every other year then the following year we do what she wants to do. I had a suggestion come to me via Facebook and a friend from work that I stop an see the Hearst Castle. It is right in my path, so I will at least stop for pictures, if allowed, and the some from the beach. We will also be riding more of the PCH, cruise through San Francisco and across the Bay Bridge. Exiting San Francisco, I have planned to ride through some of the Wine Country, but since this is toward the end of the ride, I may have to forgo it. Time and weather will determine Wine Country ride.

Last thing to mention is that it is now time to start watching and deciding what I will or will not do about Crater Lake in Oregon. You may Click Here, for the webcams and see why I’m concerned. I will have to make a decision no later than Crescent City, California. As long as there in no snow in the forecast and I can get there before the temperature falls below 32, I will go. Looking at the weather forecast HERE, it is going to be close. We are due to arrive May 27th. The last picture of the post shows a purple route which is my plan B route if Crater lake does not workout.

Todays run was 383 miles, and our total is now 4863.

Click here for todays pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 12–work and rest

Today was a down day as far as riding goes and Lori and I spent part of the day working our assigned duties and the rest of the day shopping and resting. I left Lori at the hotel around 10am to start picking up all the items that I needed to do an oil change and hookup Lori’s Gerbing suit.

First stop was San Diego BMW and I found my next Motorcycle. I went there to get the electrical hookups for Lori’s suit and spent at least 15 minutes talking to them about the new 1600GTL. What a pretty piece of machinery this was. They wanted me to take it for a test ride, but I declined because if I did that, I would buy it. Once the trailer company, Bushtec designs a hitch for this bike and some other company designs armrest for Lori so she doesn’t fall off the bike when sleeping, I will buy one. Yes, if you didn’t know this you do now, Lori sleeps on the motorcycle as we are riding down the road.

Next I went to Fun Bike Center where all the Honda’s are sold and picked up 4 quarts of Oil and a filter. They had the new Goldwing on the floor and I do not like it at all with the new bag change in the rear. From here I drove to Autozone and purchased a oil pan, a couple of rags, an a funnel and I did the change in the parking lot in about 15 minutes. I took the old oil back into the store and poured it into their recycle center and left the pan for anyone who wanted it. Then I drove back to our hotel to do the last of my duties and that was to wire Lori’s heated suit connection permanent to bike so it can never be forgotten again. So I disassemble the seat, moved the radio out of the way, and hooked the new wires directly to the battery post. Did a quick test to she if all was working and then re-assembled the bike. So now if we encounter any more cold or snow, Princess will have a heated suit. And all is well !!

Lori and I both finished up our jobs about the same time, so we caught a quick lunch and then I took her shopping for a new purse. Seems the zipper broke beyond repair and we had to have a new one. So we are now ready to resume the trip and we will turn north tomorrow.

Tomorrows ride should be cool reaching a high of 65 degrees and sunny the entire ride. I plan to ride up the Pacific Coast highway, cruise through Hollywood, and end up in San Luis Obispo. I been told by some locals that parts of the road is closed and I will be re-routed but I cannot find that information to pin point it, so I will just ride and take it as it comes.

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

Day 11–We arrived in California…Yea!

We made it to California and except for a flat tire, rain, snow, sleet, cold, heat, leaking shock, and a GPS cradle failure, it’s been a challenge that I relished. I’m still surprised that Lori choose to go with me on this adventure but she is not one to be left behind. I’m sure sometime in the future when I’m dead an gone, she will be telling stories about this trip to all her friends and laughing about what a silly man I was to drive a motorcycle from coast to coast. I have a saying that I live by mainly because of my Dad who never got to do all the things that were on his bucket list and it goes like this, “Live life as to leave no regrets”. So with that said it gives me the eternal power not to fear the things that would stop most in their tracks and I hope my 2 boys both do as I did and not do because their Dad wished he did. I loved my Dad but it always pained me that he did not follow his dreams.

 

We woke up this morning to a bright warm sun and by 8am, our normal departure time, it was 80 degrees forecasting close to a 100. I took this opportunity to dress in only Under Armor tee-shirt and shorts and then put on the riding gear. I told Lori to do the same, but Princess would not have it. Well we didn’t get far and I got the request to stop so she could make some adjustments. I knew it was going to be hot and I knew the desert still lay between us an San Diego. So with both dressed to fight the heat and geared for safety, off we went crossing into California and into the long hot straight drive across a desert of no name. It lays between Lake Havasu City and Panama Springs but for the life of me I cannot find it. I think Mojava, but not sure. We saw a few funny things crossing like and sign giving directions to all points of the compass. Then a abandon gas station and a fence row of hundreds of tennis shoes tied to them. It looked like some club thing happening there, but what it meant was a mystery to me. We also went through a vegetable or plant check point and I thought we were going to have give up our Hampton Inn apple that we took for a snack, but they let it pass. Then we went through a border patrol looking for aliens. Aliens?? We looked like aliens in our suits and we are from Virginia, so are we like in trouble? Nah! Let the old people through….Lori will read this soon and I will catch grief, but it funny trying to hide it here.

Going through Palm Springs and feeling how hot it was, it made me wonder why Bob Hope loved it so much. To me, the only thing that was interesting was the 1000’s of windmills they had installed to generate power. The wind in this area was a little disturbing at times when it hit you hard broad side and your moving at 70 mph. Nothing dangerous, but alarming at times. I guess Bob loved this place because he could play golf year around.

I do not know what the highest temperature was along our route today but it was hot. I loved it but I do not think Lori was to keen on it. Then we made a dramatic climb out of the Barrago Desert from 700 to 4700 feet in short order. As we dropped into the San Diego area the temps dropped by 20 to 25 degrees by just crossing the ridge. It dropped fast enough we had to stop and put a liner into our jackets. Then we cutoff on a road named East Grade road and it was incredible twist-o-thon of a road that made a great ending of the day compared to hot straights that we had ridden this day. I do not know why, but I’m really surprised at how green it is here. I really was expecting it to be brown all over California but it’s not.

Tomorrow will be a none travel day for us but it will be a day full of motion in a different way. Lori will be taking care of the laundry, and I know what all the women out there are thinking, but I got change the oil, wash the bike, and try to find a Gerbing heat cord duty tomorrow. Yes, I’m changing the oil myself, I brought my tools. So I will end this blog here, because I have to plan my route tomorrow to get all this done.

Todays run was 445 miles, and our total is now 4480.

Click here for todays pictures:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 9 Pictures–oops.

Just a quick note that I forgot to put the Day picture link up and you can find them here:

Click here for Day 9 picture link:

Day 10–A Marvelous Day

This is what makes trips like this worth while when you wakeup first thing in the morning and this is staring you in the face. It was beautiful skies, great temps at 48-50 and the snow cover top of Mount Humphrey’s. With all the worries of yesterday behind us, we started fresh today and improvised with what we had. Throughout the day I used the GPS just when needed to navigate through a city or make a turn in the country side and it worked all day with plenty of battery to spare. After speaking with a few shock sales people, trying to rendezvous with a pair of shocks might be difficult and other than a little bouncing at high speed, don’t even notice it. Well except for the leaking oil that I clean off from time to time. The noise in the rear is the tire and that I can deal with.

Today’s ride took us first east 40 miles east to see the best preserved crater impact sight in the world. Estimated that it hit about 50,000 years ago and is about 4000’ across and 700’ deep. If you stand at the rim and look to the bottom, if a 6’ tall person was standing in the center, they would appear to be 12 inches tall. Why is that important? It really doesn’t look all that big once you have viewed the Grand Canyon. Lori and I took some nice shots here, so take a peek at the end.

Once we left the crater, we headed back west toward Flagstaff and made the entry into the Sedona area and stopped on the side of the road for a picnic. We travel through Sliding Rock, Sedona and then down into Cottonwood. This portion of the ride was beautiful and we made a mental note that we want to come back to the Sedona Area to visit for a week.

Out of Cottonwood we climbed very rapidly into Jerome on Hwy 89alt and this town appeared to be hanging on the side of a hill. Some of the streets and turns inside the city, if you can call it a city, that two cars might have a hard time passing. We were turning corners, clutching and riding the rear brake going uphill trying to hold the bike upright. That was a challenge but it was fun at the same time. Only once did I have to come to a complete stop to allow the slow moving cars some distance because I felt that I could not hold the bike upright, going uphill pulling a trailer at speeds slower than my speed odometer could register. It was also hot, hot, and once we got on the backside of the town, we stopped to remove all layers and ride with just the air flow suits.

Riding from Jerome to Prescott was the thrill of the day and proved there was nothing wrong with the gears in this Valkyrie. We are talking high speed, up, down, peg scraping corners for almost 20-30 miles. I was following one fellow, (I will not mention the brand of bike), that did not want me to pass him with a trailer. I found one passing lane and this dummy tried to out brake me into the corner. Dummy, I just held the inside and out cornered him and then it was, Goodbye! Even Lori asked if he was keeping up with us to which I said, I think not. That old boy did not know how to corner with a bike. He could have been on a sport bike and it would not matter. No matter the equipment, if you can’t drive it, it will not corner by itself. Once we made the bottom we got stopped by a stop light or two and here he came. As soon as the light turned green he went speeding down the road 20-30 plus the limit and I was really impressed. Really I was, just think of the chances he was taking on going to jail to impress me on his straight away speed. Meh! I just let him go and stayed 5 over as usual.

Well after Meteor Crater, a long picnic lunch, playing in Jerome, and yik-yaking with another rider at a fuel station,  that didn’t leave much time to do the section of Hwy-66. So we set a direct line for Lake Havasu City and off we went. Pulling into town, it was a smoking 95 degrees. I was loving it, but Lori had not taking off all her layers and she was a bit toasty. We went out for an Italian dinner which was nice and then left for our last viewing of the day. In 1968, some rich guy along with the city went over to England and purchased the London bridge. The took it apart, shipped it back to the states, and then re-assembled it here for about 9 million dollars. Why? I have no clue but it sure looks nice. Check the picture link for that and a beautiful sunset.

Today was a picture perfect day and not one issued raised it’s head. Tomorrow morning the weather here will be sunny an 80 degrees by the time we get started for San Diego. The weather in San Diego is calling for mostly cloudy and a high of 65. Sounds like a another good day for riding. Tomorrow will complete the cross country ride from East coast to West coast. I actually can’t believe that I actually pulled it off, specially after some of the things we have experienced. But it’s been 90% fun an 10% of worry and frustration. So still worth it. Highlights for tomorrow ride will be the 4000 windmills, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and Salton Sea.

Todays run was 371 miles, and our total is now 4135.

Click here for todays pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 9–It was a beautiful Morning

When we awoke in Page, Az. this morning the skies were mostly clear and the temps were around 48-50. A much better start to the day than just 24 hours prior. After we ate breakfast and loaded up the bike, I noticed when I turned on my Garmin GPS that it was running on batteries and not being charged by the bike. This is not good. The Garmin was only half charged and it wouldn’t last all day in this condition. Next issue, the right shock or main drive for the rear wheel where the drive meets is leaking oil. The Honda shop in Albuquerque notice the same thing and thought it was the shock, but told me to watch it. After I filled up with gas, I wiped her down to see if I could Id which one was guilty. I departed the gas station and went directly to an auto parts store to fix the GPS. I took the fairing apart where all the connections where and one by one eliminated each connection until I had eliminated everything until it pointed at the main GPS cable which I cannot fix. That has to be replaced and I will have to improvise by just using the GPS when I need it for turn information.

So we headed over to the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon as planned and the ride over at lower elevation than 6000 were very comfortable and sunny. Then we started climbing and soon we were at an elevation of 8840 and we were back in the snow cover ground roads clear. We also had to add more layers to stay warm.

Once we arrived at the actual Canyon, the temps were once again comfortable and mostly sunny. We went directly to the restaurant to sit and relax and have a good meal. After lunch, we took off hiking some of the trails around the park. To my surprise, we found the overhang bridge was actually on the South Rim, but from what we saw here today, it didn’t matter. The paths were sometimes only 3 feet wide, winds gusting, and 6 to 8000 feet above the floor. Guess what? I’m still scared of heights, specially when the wind is blowing. Once I removed the hat, I was fine, but it still bother me a bit to cross some of those small paths. We spent so much time at the park that attempting to go to the south rim was impossible. The pictures we took here and what we saw here were awesome and well worth the trip. I would love to comeback and stay at one of their cabins.

We left the Northern Rim about 1:30-2:00pm and headed for Flagstaff for the night. As we started climbing out, you could see a nasty looking cloud bank in front of us. Where we were just sweating a bit in are suits in the park, the temps started falling fast. Then it started, spat on the windshield and the splat on my facemask. It started to snow very heavy wet flakes. There was no turning around and if was like most storms I have hit in this part of the country I would breakout in 5 minutes or so. It got pretty bad, I was wiping the building of snow off my mask, the road was starting to cover with slush, and Lori could not see at all with her single layered face shield. I have a special two layer fog prevention system and worked as described. To say I was bit un-nerved driving a motorcycle through a snow shower and it was building on the road is putting lightly. Just as with all storms so far here, we broke out in 5 minutes of riding. In the distance I could see a sportbike sitting on the side of the road and I figured they were contemplating whether to go forward or turn around, so I pulled over to give them a briefing on what laid ahead. I was surprised just how well the bike did in those conditions and it never even hinted at slipping and I guess that just proves that motorcycle tires are pretty awesome. I have no idea what the sportbike rider decided, but I felt better knowing that they knew what was ahead. If someone would have briefed me, I would have waited it out. But I also know that if I would driven as far as I have to get here and got that same briefing, I would have pushed through it knowing that I had almost brand new tires. The second thing that happened going through this today, it gave me more confidence in my bike and myself to motor through.

So the remainder of our day was spent riding to Flagstaff and nothing new happened to the Valkyrie or my components that I use. The change in scenery was dramatic and it looked to both of us as we riding through parts of the dessert. Off in the distance some 70 miles away, you could see a snow cover mountain sticking up above the horizon and I knew that Flagstaff was in range. The mountain top is at 12,633 feet and I believe it is called Humphrey’s Peak.

The last little bit to go here. When I stopped for gas a few times today, I determined that the right rear shock was leaking and not the hub. I’m about 90% sure. Seems to me that if that hub loses to much oil, we are done and those gears will burn up and make noise. Then as we are pulling into the motel, I hear a roar in the rearend. What the hell was that? After unpacking and leaving Lori in the room, I tried to get the bolt off to check fluids in that hub, but that wasn’t gong to happen with my tools. So I road it around the parking lot and it only makes the noise leaning left or right. It doesn’t matter if I apply power or not, it makes the noise. If I accelerate hard in a straight line no noise. If that gear box was going bad, it would make noise no matter leaning, without power, and specially applying power. So, I sent Gary Mace an email asking about those Metzelers ME880 and noise he had and I will have to wait what he says. I have already put 2000 miles on that new rear tire and it looks to me that it is already starting to cup, just as he mention to me in a email. Today was also the first day that I actually got to do some hard cornering in dry conditions and you can see that new wear also in the tire. Do not know how to describe that look. Maybe tomorrow I will take some shots of the tire so all can see.

Last thing was cool. We drove out for dinner to a restaurant that was located on historic route 66 and it was named Galaxy Diner. It was all dressed out in 1950ish details and the atmosphere was great until 3 bus loads of tourist showed up to eat. Damn tourist! Oh, I am one! Hehe!! I had a Hot Diggied Dog and Onion rings and I can’t remember what Lori had. After dinner, I ordered a Red Float which was Dr.Pepper and Vanilla ice cream float. Yum, and I guess I will have to diet when I get home.

So since this trip started 9 days ago, I had my first flat ever on a motorcycle on the road, GPS charging cradle broke, Right rear shock appears to be blown, and now I got a noise in the rearend of the bike that I hope is the tire. I’ve also driven around snow, in snow, and freezing temperature. So I’ve had enough of the drama and just want to enjoy the ride. This will likely be the last long distance ride for the Valkyrie, which is sad.

Tomorrow we will leave Flagstaff and the forecast is sunny in the morning with increasing clouds in the afternoon. We should wake to 48 or greater temps. As we head west toward our destination of Lake Havasu, should be Sunny and 95 by the time we arrive. What a dramatic change that will be. Tomorrow our plan is to see the Meteor Crater East of Flagstaff and then a cruise through Mingus Mountain around Flagstaff. Leaving Flagstaff we will ride a section of Historic highway 66. In Lake Havasu we will also visit the old London Bridge that was bought and shipped to the United States and re-assembled in Lake Havasu.

Todays run was 329 miles, and our total is now 3764.

Click here for today’s pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 8–Was a little ridiculous

What was ridiculous was the fact that when I stepped outside to bring the Valkyrie around to load her up, it was snowing. I kid you not. It was 35 degrees and the skies looked like they could bust loose any moment with rain, sleet, or snow. To say I had reservations about going anywhere was putting it lightly. I did weather checks before bed and weather checks all morning before I had to make a decision. Two major considerations were, if the temperatures where high enough so the roads would not freeze and if Lori could ride and stay warm without her heated suit. I’ll give her credit, she was game to go. I was really considering staying another night and trying again tomorrow.

We decided to give it a go based on everything we knew. The Interstate was good, but the first road that I turned onto didn’t last long. I first saw snow on a mountain ridge about 500 to 1000’ above my current elevation and then as I crested a hill, sleet started pounding my face shield. I looked down the road an all I saw was what looked like a wall of snow heading in my direction. I pulled over, checked my elevation of 7000’ and decided to find a lower altitude and hope for warmer temperatures and rain. It worked, I reversed course to the Interstate, 6300’, and headed west to Arizona. I pulled off at the Welcome center to warm up a bit and find another route to Page. I plotted a new route and intercepted my original route around Chinle.

As the day wore on the temperatures rose to around 47-50 and the skies stayed mostly overcast with rain showers sliding by in all directions and sizes. We got one picture where the rain shower was about 100’ in diameter and you could see the rain bouncing off the ground. What can I say about the scenery we saw? Wow is the only thing that comes to mind and our pictures do the landscape no justice. You must all make a mental note that before you leave this earth that drive through the Navajo Indian Reservation. I also want to thank Gary Mace for suggesting this part of the country to me and I will catch the rest of it when I come back through the Moab in 10 or so days.

One thing that kind of bummed us out was getting caught up in some road construction that delayed us three times for a total of 45 minutes. I didn’t expect that in the middle of what looked like the desert. Let’s just say their road skills would not fly in the high traffic areas like DC or all of Northern Virginia.

We rolled into Page Az, around 6:10 with temperatures still holding 45 degrees. The skies were still overcast and misting but at the same time the sun was trying to bust through. Tomorrow forecast around 8am should be almost 58 and calling for a high of 73. Rain forecast is 20%. Much better than Gallup this morning. I did a quick weather scan when we arrive in Lake Havasu in 2 days and it will be 95! I think I can safely say as far as weather goes, we have seen almost everything now.

So tomorrow’s plan will be to head the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon and walk out on the ledge that looks pretty scary. Did I mention I’m scared of heights? Well I am, but I will walk out on the ledge/platform as long as it is open to the public. The road getting to the northern rim also looks like it’s going to be fun with lot’s of switch backs. That means I will finally get to use the sidewalls on the Valkyrie if traffic permits. Then we will slide over to the more popular south rim for another viewing. After we visit both sides we will head for Flagstaff , AZ for our overnight stay. The weather in Flagstaff has only a 10% chance of rain but low of 36 overnight and the first thing in the morning. What a day that will be, we leave Flagstaff at 35-40 degrees and arrive in Lake Havasu and it will be 93-95 degrees. 

Todays run was 386 miles, and our total is now 3435.

Click here for today’s pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 7–What a Cool day.

Today we made are way out of Texas and into New Mexico and saw some very interesting landscape. Once we reached Brownsfield Tx., as far as the eye could see was nothing but new farmland planted with whatever, but my guess is cotton or corn. Mixed into these fields were oil pumps steady pumping that black gold out of the ground and into our endless need for gasoline. What made me wonder is if the land owners get anything back letting these big time oil companies pump on their property. My guess is no looking at the towns and housing that surrounded all of these pumping fields. I’m sure that all these companies own the mineral rights under the property of all such land owners.

As we crossed into New Mexico I noticed quickly that the Valkyrie seemed to be burning fuel at a higher than normal rate. Sure enough it had dropped to 25 mpg. I was fighting a 20-30 knot head winds all day today plus we were climbing. When I was in New Orleans a few days back, I forgot to mention that I one point my GPS indicated that I was 9 feet below sea level. Today I left Lubbock reading 3400 feet above sea level and I reached the max height of 8000 feet as I crossed the Continental Divide. Lori thought this was a time zone change, which we did cross another today and I’m now 2 hours behind the East Coast, but the Continental Divide separates the direction the water flows out of the Mountains, either Pacific Ocean or Atlantic. This is the first time that the Valkyrie has been this high running at 70-75mph steady pace and I’m thinking the atmosphere combined with head wind is affecting my 6 carburetor system that runs those 6 cylinders. What else do you think happen with that elevation change today? Let me give you a hint, brrrr!!! We stopped more than once on this leg today to change our riding gear to fit the temperatures. I’ll talk more about the temps later.

I had a fear before I left on this trip that sometimes fuel would be a major issue. I had two legs today where the fuel stops where more than 130 miles apart. For the normal vehicle this is not a issue, but when your bike is getting 25mpg and your carrying 6.87 gallons in your fuel tank, that gives you 171 miles burning every drop. My reserve system kicks in when I have burned 5.8 gallons or 145, so I flipped to reserve twice today and twice yesterday and I haven’t even hit the part of the country that I was worried about. That is tomorrow. Now you know why I bought and keep filled those spare tanks in my trailer. That is 4 more gallons or 108 miles getting the worst fuel mileage so far and about 115 using my average.

When we rolled into Roswell, NM., you could see and tell that everything basically was a tourist trap for Alien attractions. Alien Zone that I was going to visit was closed, so we just cruised through town and moseyed on. We should have stopped for lunch early in Roswell, but at 11am, neither of us was hungry. So about an hour out of town, I did a quick search and the next eats was 1.5 to 2 hours out in front of us. Great!! We were once again in the middle of no where and we ate granola snacks for lunch that Lori had packed. Then came Albuquerque, the scenery changed dramatically into rolling hills and lot’s of rocks and red dirt. Very pretty and Lori took lot’s of picture.

We also stopped at El Morro National Monument to look at the Inscriptions and petroglyphs that dated back to the 1450’s from Indians, Spanish, and the new settlers of the land. The rock formation itself was very impressive but it’s real purpose meant so much more to all the travels of those times. It was a major landmark to help navigate the surrounding land and at it’s base was a never ending supply of drinking water that saved many a traveler by foot or horse. We took many pictures of the writings and the formation itself so enjoy.

Remember those temperatures I was speaking of earlier? Well when we crossed the Continental Divide is was cold enough that I even needed to stop. Lori claimed it was hailing, but I was there also, so I can tell you it wasn’t. It was around 45 degrees and it was drizzling which made it feel even colder when your driving at 65mph. Once we rolled into Gallup, Nm the rain was even more steady and I did one short blast on the Interstate trying to beat the big rain coming and didn’t quite make it. Needless to say when we rolled in the Hampton Inn parking lot, Lori was in a full body shake cold. I told her to go inside and leave the suit on and she will warm quickly, which she did. We were both dry, but the outside temperature of 45 combined with moisture and 70 mph wind is not a good combination. So we went from getting smoked yesterday to freezing today. None of this should have happen. Some how, someway, we are missing the one special cord that connects Lori’s heated suit to my bike. I do not know if it got missed placed when we got the tire changed or I just left it home. I will have a chance of getting a new one in San Diego, but until then, I will have to bundle her with some of my gear. Tomorrow morning the forecasted temperature when we leave is 35, plus it might snow. Ugh! I might have to delay our departure time a couple of hours to wait until it hits 45.

Tomorrow, weather permitting we are heading to Page, AZ to setup the next days entry to the Grand Canyon. On the way to Page, we will cross a very large portion of the Navajo Indian Reservation. Inside the reservation we hope to visit the Canyon de Chelly, Mexican Hat, and Monument Valley. Mileage wise, it’s a short 423 miles.

Todays run was 552 miles, and our total is now 3049.

Click here for today’s pictures

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

Day 6–It was a Smoker!

Another beautiful rainless and for the most part cloudless, but the wind and temperature took it’s toll toward the end of the day. We got started by taking our time heading west and bumped into a cute little town named Hico. The first thing that caught my eye was the old saloon so I turned down main street and took some shots of the old building. Neat place, but small and looked sort of like things are currently tough. Check the photo link at the end.

Next we came rolling into to Dublin and little early than I planned so we had to wait almost 20 minutes before the Dr.Pepper store opened up. It wasn’t like they had 100’s of people lined up to get in and there was 4 employees inside and they waited until 5 minutes after opening time before they unlocked the door. I think they saw me walking to the bike to dress and leave, then unlocked the door. Kids!!! I had a long day of driving in front of me, so I didn’t take the 30 minute tour of the shop where they actually make the drink, but I got to tour the store. First things first though, I reached in their cooler and grab a 8oz bottle of pure cane sugar Dr.Pepper and I pigged that boy down by myself with no help from Lori. They had a sample of Dr.Pepper Fudge and cake, and we ended up buying the mix for the cake. I also bought a 6 pack (cans) for me to drink on the road, a coffee cup, and a bottle opener to mount on the wall. I should have gotten a Dr.Pepper float, but it was way to early in the morning for that. But, as I type this blog, I’m savoring one of those 6. You’ll have to check the pictures at the end of this blog to see the store, neat stuff.

The rest of the day was nothing but riding, riding, and more riding. The one thing that I did not expect to see was the 1000’s upon 1000’s of Windmill power generators. I’ve never seen one up close and these things are monsters. I would estimate 4 to 5 story tall at a minimum. The landscape that we were riding through made me think that at any moment John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, or maybe some Indians would come riding across the plains to meet us. This stuff was right out of every western I have ever seen. It has it’s own beauty that is distinct to the area. We actually ran into some hilly curvy turns but they didn’t last anywhere long enough for me. On one particular leg, we were due westbound into a 20-30 knot headwind and I was doing 75mph on the Valkyrie, so can you guess what happen to my fuel mileage? 24 mpg into the wind and when I turned due northbound at 75 mph, I got 32 mpg. What an affect the wind has.

Somewhere about 4:30 in the afternoon or about 420 mile mark, Lori asked, does your GPS time match the Valkyrie clock time? I knew what that meant and I was feeling the heat of the day myself. So, when I enter Post, Tx., I set a direct course for Lubbock and we pulled in dirty, hot, and a bit beat.

Ok, we got our room in Lubbock and it was already 5:45 and we had to eat and go see the Buddy Holly Statue on the walk of fame. First up we ate dinner at Buns over Texas that is famous for the Hamburgers and Cheese fries. Both were equally good and there should be a couple of pictures from dinner. Then we headed over to see Buddy and to our disappointment, they had remove his statue for refurbishing and they were going to relocate him in the process. Well Boo! Oh well, we headed back to our room and called it a day.

Is anyone considering retiring in Waco Texas out there? Do you know yesterday I was looking at some Real Estate Ads and found a 155 acre farm for $152,000 just 5 miles outside of town. Um, that is a wow!

Tomorrow is going to be another long day for the two of us at 545 miles. It will also be the day we leave the state of Texas and cross most of New Mexico. If Lori and I go missing tomorrow make sure the first place you look is Roswell NM. where all the alien UFO stuff is suppose to be kept. I’m hoping that just maybe I find ET !! The other attraction we will try to visit is El Morro national Monument. You want to talk about climate change? Today we rode through temps between 90-95 and when we wake up in Gallup, NM., not tomorrow morning but the next, it will be 32-35 degree. Um, that’s cold!!

Todays run was 482 miles, and our total is now 2497.

Click here for today’s pictures:

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.

30 Years

This day marks 30 years of marriage for Lori and I, May 16, 1981. We got married as babies and we raised each other. Obvious to most, I got the best end of the deal and I would do it all over again with the same woman. So even though I give this poor woman a hard time, I pick on her constantly, and I take her on 30 day, 12,000 mile motorcycle rides when most good husbands would do a cruise or overseas trip. I love her more today then the day I married her.

I’m willing to go another 30, but I do wonder if she can take it.

I love you,

M

Day 5–We’re back in the saddle….

Well first thing this morning I called the Honda shop here in Austin and they had a new tire and were willing to install it immediately. So I loaded up the gear and the wife, pumped up the old tire and took off to get her done. While the guy was under the bike looking at everything he noticed that my rear brake pads were looking a little thin. So I crawled under there and sure enough, something I should have changed before I left on this trip and it slipped through the cracks. So I had them slid a set on since they had her on the lift and it only cost me an extra $40. To say I was please with everything that Honda Woods Fun Center did for us on the spot is putting it lightly. We were in and out in about 2 hours. In case my motorcycle riding friends are wondering, they installed a new ME880 Metzeler Marathon. I have never run a set or individual tire on the Valkyrie so I do not know what to expect, but I do run the Metzeler Tourance on my BMW F650GS Dakar and love them on the street, but not so much in the dirt. Two different worlds with these bikes.

So after a quick lunch at Subway, I plotted a route to intercept the planned route of the day, uploaded it to the GPS and with new rubber on the ground we took off leaving Austin behind. The ride itself was so so with not much to see but the wide open spaces of Texas. We actually ran into a few nice sweepers and some hilly terrain but nothing that stood out. Weather wise, it was absolutely perfect without a cloud in the sky. We ended the day in Waco as planned and on time, just a shorter ride than I planned originally.

Tomorrow’s is going to be a little ambitious because of length and things that I have on the list. Mileage we are looking at 541 miles on a mix of back roads and Interstate and we should end up in Lubbuck, Tx. First on my things to see, and those that know me well will understand completely, is Old Doc’s Dr.Pepper Shop in Dublin. I can’t pass this close without seeing where my favorite soda got it’s start. Then it’s more riding for scenery and there is apparently a location name Mulberry Canyons where the buffalo use to pass that now has some nice sweepers to play on. We will see. Then in Lubbock, there is a Walk of Fame dedicated to Buddy Holly and Mac Davis. If your old enough you know, if not, Google it. For dinner we are eating at, Buns over Texas!

Todays run was 230 miles, and our total is now 2015.

Click here for today’s pictures.

Tomorrows route is pictured below:

The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.