Day 21 - Another really nice day.

Once again we were blessed with another really nice day all around. The sun was out, it’s wasn’t to hot and no rain or snow. We got a little chatty with a couple of Motorcycle riders in Moab and then again down the road at natural bridges. So all this talking and not doing put us a little behind, but we enjoyed that almost as much as riding and looking at scenery.

First off I got the oil for the Motorcycle and I will be changing that on the road sometime in the near future when opportunity strikes. Second item is that I thought my trailer tires were good but closer examination this morning showed tread starting to peak through the rubber of one tire. Grrr! I got a call into Bushtec Trailers to see if they can ship pronto to a designated location so I can ensure that the trailer will make it home without grief. If I can get the tires in my hands, I can do the change myself. I knew tires was going to be an issue with this entire trip and it is living up to that fear. Moving on…..

We drove down to Nature Bridges National Park just southwest of Blanding Utah this morning and there were three bridges here that we really wanted to checkout. What we didn’t know was how difficult the first two trails were going to be. To be as brief as possible, trail one had 3 ladders that we had to transition, two set of steps that were about 30 steps each, and too many rails attached to rocks to keep you from slipping down the rock face to fast to count. Going down to the first bridge I told Lori this is all cool right now, but wait for the return trip. It was steep and we needed three rest breaks on the way back to catch a breath. I consider myself in pretty good shape, but this was almost straight up climbs without ropes.

The second bridge trail wasn’t quite as steep but it was longer in distance so since we were already taxed from the first trail, this just added to it. The last trail was like a relief for the first two in that it wasn’t steep at all and much, much, shorter. The reward at the end of each trail of the natural bridges that were formed from erosion from millions of years was spectacular. Once again the picture are nice, but do the size no justice.

We were at this park for more than 4 hours, so by the time we did lunch and drove back to Moab it was already 5pm. So I turned into Moab Adventure to ask about a Hummer Desert ride for this evening and unfortunately they were booked. So we didn’t get to do this, nor did we make Canyonlands for the second straight day. Like Mr. Mace said, you will need a couple of weeks here to see everything that it has to offer and he is right.

Tomorrow we are not going to extend are stay in Moab because to be honest, I’m ready to roll-on. I like to ride and like driving to see things and it is not important to me to stop to see stuff. Sometimes it is just as much fun to fill the senses with all that surrounds you as you are driving by. So tomorrow we will leave Moab and make are way into Colorado. One of the roads is classified as one of the Top 10 most dangerous roads in the United States. It is really not all that bad for cars an or motorcycles, but for big rigs, buses, and large RV’s, it is a dangerous road. The road in question is Highway 550.

Todays run was 238 miles, and our total is now 7402.

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 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.