Wednesday - July 23, 2008

We got on the road and pointed our bikes towards Durango Colorado.  Between Flagstaff and Durango its pretty much all high desert.  And a majority of the ride takes you through the Navajo Nation.  I’ve gone through this area a few times and it seems like the area is improving quite abit in the last five years.  A lot of nice new housing and fewer broken bottles along the road.  I always have mixed emotions when riding through this area with everything that has happened to these people and the choices everyone made.

4 States at Once!

If you like desert landscape then you’d like it here.  There are a few interesting things to see, both natural and man made.  Monument Valley, Mexican Hat, Four Corners, and the Electric Railroad.  The electric railroad is for a coal train that supplies the cleanest burning coal power plant over by Page.  Monument Valley and Mexican Hat are natural features.  Some spectacular views.  And, of course Four Corners where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico all come together.  On the way to Durango we only stopped at Four Corners.  Apparently its a pretty big tourist attraction.  You actually have to wait your turn to get the token “I”m standing on four states” picture.  Then, you get families who have to take about 8 different poses with 12 different cameras.  Kevin just gave up on trying to get his picture taken as the line was getting enormous.

I didn’t mention that it was also very hot.  So, finding some shade and cold beverages we did some people watching.  There was a group of Harley Riders all parked in a line polishing their bikes under the hot sun.  Then, another BMW rider came in riding a GS as well and parked next to us.  We watched him take the normal walk about the bikes and look at the farkles.  Then, oddly he took out his camera and took a close up of my right rear luggage bag.  After cooling off we went back to the bikes and geared up and had a short conversation.  Apparently he had seen a picture of my bike somewhere on ADV Rider.  Small world!

A do, a deer

Being done with the heat we got on our way to Durango.  Something of note in this region.  During the summer they call it Monsoon Season.  This is because during the day clouds build up and then sometime around mid-afternoon they dump everything they have resulting in heavy rain and thunderstorms.  We could see the results of this with the washes being full of muddy rushing water and lightning off in the distance.  But for some reason it would never directly rain on us.  As we rode through Cortez and started gaining altitude it appeared that we might get rained on.  The roads were wet, there was lightning all around.  But mysteriously no rain directly on us.

We got to visit with Marc and Sher and enjoy some of Marc’s delicious cooking!  Along with do some much needed laundry (Thank you Marc & Sher!!!)  After dinner we had a nice walk down the Animus River and got within ten feet of a young deer.  Then wrapped up the evening with some desert at Sher’s favorite coffee shop.  In exchange, I fixed Marc’s computer and we shared our road stories with them.  A nice visit indeed.

Thursday - July 24, 2008

US 550 - Million Dollar Highway

After some breakfast we got on the road with plans to get to Steamboat Springs that afternoon.  I was very interested in hitting the hotsprings up there after we got settled in.  The road out of Durango to Ouray and Silverton is spectacular.  It is called The Million Dollar Highway and is very twisty and has no guardrails.  (That last part sounds better if you say it in the Disneyland Haunted House voice)  Some of the turns are so tight that when the tractor trailers go through them them basically take up both lanes.  Not something you want to ride into on a motorcycle.  You will loose.  At one point you are over 12,000 feet and the air is nice and crisp.  It was about lunch time when we hit Ouray so we rode through town and looked for a spot to eat.  I really wanted Colorado mexican food.  Its very different than California mexican but good in its own ways.  We found a place on the main drag that was pretty good.  I can’t remember the name of it unfortunately.

See, flat desert

Shortly after Ouray I discovered that my childhood memory of Colorado failed me.  As a child I lived in north-central Colorado in a small town called Northglenn.  My memory of the Rockies is they went from one end of the state to the other and were huge.  Well, that’s not the case.  Somewhere north of Ouray and south of Montrose.  It turns into generally flat desert again.  Bummer.  I do have to admit that Interstate 70 is quite impressive.  The amount of engineering that went into building that section of the freeway is impressive.  I suggest the drive to everyone!  While we were riding my remote research team (Alison) looked up info on the hotsprings and emailed it to me.  Turns out the hot springs just outside Steamboat Springs is clothing optional after dark.  We better get a move on because my prior ‘clothing optional’ hot springs usually consisted of naked overweight old dudes :-/

So, as if reading my mind Kevin got a move on.  I lost him about two hours out of Steamboat.  Apparently his luxury after market seat was so comfortable that he wanted to get to our destination fast </sarcasm>  Someday he’s gonna go get a real seat for that bike.  That’s two rear-end failures now (Rear final drive seal on BMW and rear-end on Kevin)  Hehe.  We meet up in town and go about finding a place to stay.  I was keen on camping if we could find someplace near town.  The GPS showed a campsite two miles from us so we went to investigate.  No luck, back to town to find a hotel.  I had no idea Steamboat Springs was so damn expensive or I wouldn’t have chosen it as a stopping point.  I’ll have to remember to research lodging rates on future destinations.

We found the cheapest hotel at $120 a night.  Let’s just say I slept in my sleeping bag.  But they did have hot showers and it was within walking distance of food and adult beverages.  Since it was getting close to dark I skipped the hot springs and the possibility of viewing naked dudes.  We took down the main drag to find some food and hopefully find a sheep skin for Kevin’s seat.  We did find a sheep skin and started to discuss pricing when two guys walked up and said “Hey, do you want that for  your motorcycle saddle? We’re looking for one too!”  I say “Yeah, he is, you three should split this so you all score.”  It was a pretty big piece and would easily work as a cover for three saddles.  Both of them waffle and walk off.  Pretty silly actually.  We got some dinner at a bar and grill.  I had a great burger and brew.  Kevin had some messy sandwich but it smelled good!  Then back to the room to crash out.

Friday - July 25th, 2008

Only Dino I found in Dinosaur

The prior night Kevin decided he was going to head on home since we were at the closest point to home for him on the trip.  That left me with a couple of options.  Go to Salt Lake and see some friends.  Go to St George and see some friends.  Ride to Boise with Kevin then home.  Iron Butt it from Steamboat to San Diego (1022 miles).  Or take the slow road and meander for three days.  I chose the last option.  Kevin and I rode together to Dinosaur CO.  I assumed that there would be dinosaur bones there or something since Dinosaur National Monument was there.  Guess what!?  There are no dino bones in Dinosaur CO.  There used to be bones there but they hauled 320 tons of fossils away and put them in museums.  There used to be a museum in Dinosaur but that closed a few years ago.  So, all that is left is a gas station, a sandwich shop, and some random other things.

Towards Fruita

Kevin and I parted ways.  He shot off towards Boise and I steered towards Fruita CO.  He was planning on making it home that night.  I was hoping to camp somewhere outside Fruita.  The road to Fruita is a little less traveled than I had expected.  Some of it was in disrepair and other sections were being repaired.  It was pretty nice to ride for a while in solitude.  The road went back up in altitude which cooled things down quite a bit.  As I drew closer to Fruita I dropped a few thousand feet into the Colorado River Valley.  And it was hot!  Fruita is a mountain bike mecca so I thought I would check out a few of the shops while I was in town.  Since it was so hot I decided I would keep moving rather than spend the rest of a hot afternoon here.  Grand Junction was nearby so I searched for a Starbucks to get some free internet and look at the map some.

While doing so I caught up with some friends to see how things are going.  Found out one of my best friends was at the Army recruiter considering enlisting.  Caught him on the phone along with his upset wife.  If he thinks his current commute is bad, try commuting from Afghanastan!  While doing all that I looked at the maps and decided either Moab or St George would be a good stopping place for the night.  I hopped back on Interstate 70 and motored along.  I didn’t really decide which place I was going until I saw the sign for Moab and took the exit.  I’m so glad I did!

Camping on the Colorado River

Not knowing the area I stopped at the first motorcycle related place I could find.  It happened to be a Harley centric place but so what.  Motorcyclists all have one thing in common.  We ride.  The shop owner was a nice older guy missing a few fingers.  He gave me a great lay of the land and where to find some great camping spots.  He pointed me towards the 128 and said there were places along the river to camp.  He also gave me a great Arches National Monument walk through.  Now I wish I could just remember the name of his shop.  With this information I set out to find a spot for the night.  The first campground I came to was right on the river and had plenty of spots.  I got my tent setup and hopped on the bike to head to town for supplies and change for the campspot.  As I was rolling out I got to meet Doug and his family.  Who happened to have change so I could pay for the site right there.  I still ran into town to get some ice and beverages and then filled up my water from a natural spring coming out of the cliff side.

Colorado River outside Moab

Upon returning to the campsite I was really wishing there was a shower.  Some of my co-campers had jumped in the river so I figured what the hell and did the same.  After a 30 minute swim in the river I was refreshed and feeling great!  I prepped some camp food and Doug came over and invited me to his familes camp.  Patty (his wife) ended up playing cards with the kids while Doug and I shared a few beers laying on the picnic table and do what all guys do.  Discuss the meaning of life.  We stared at the stars, pondered the weather, our experiences and just enjoyed hanging out.  They were heading up to Steamboat for his son’s baseball world series.  Eventually we bid each other good night and went to bed.

Saturday - July 25, 2008

I didn’t sleep too well the prior night.  It was hot, lots of animal sounds, and I woke up with a severe nose bleed.  I must have looked like Mike Tyson punched me in the face.  When morning came I was still pretty tired but I wanted to get moving before it got hot.  I packed up and bid farewell to Doug and his family and headed on up to Arches National Monument.  I’m not going to write about Arches, you can experience the pictures.

After Arches I went back into Moab to get some breakfast and check out some of the mountain bike shops.  They have some neat shops in town and I got a sticker or two for my motorcycle.  I had breakfast at a neat place on the main street.  The waffle and bacon were awesome.  Again, I failed to write down the name of the place so I can’t share that with you.  I was entertained watching people gawk at my motorcycle.  Of all the bikes I’ve owned this one seems to draw the most attention.  Not sure if its how it looks, all the crap on it, or the stickers.  Its kinda neat anyway.

Monument Valley

After Moab I rode through Monument Valley and back through the Navajo Nation.  I figured I would be able to make to Flagstaff and find someplace to stay there.  Monument Valley has some really intersesting scenery.  It was frankly too hot to stop anywhere for long and there were storms heading my way.  I thought it was interesting how it would seem to only rain on the mountains rather than everywhere.  The nice thing about the storms is they shield you from the sun.  That must drop at least 10 degrees off the temperature.

It turned out I was making good time and I arrived in Flagstaff around 4 PM.  Doug had told me about Sedona and a park they have with a natural sliding rock.  New destination set, Sedona it is!.  I had no idea what to expect and believe me, Sedona is stunning.  I could have easily spent a few days here camping and exploring.  I came in from the north down a really winding road with incredible scenery.  As you drop into the valley it turns into a rain forest.  There is so much growth you can’t even believe you’re in Arizona.  The road then follows the river with campsites all along the way.  Unfortunately every campsite was full.  I tried the find a fellow motorcyclist and mooch a campspot plan but there were no others to be found.  So, I enjoyed the scenery and vowed to return.  I would have stayed in town at a hotel but their roads were all torn up and it was impossible to get around.  With regret I left Sedona and kept heading south.  With the sun going down soon and it still being hot I decided to shoot for Prescott where the altitude would keep it cool.

Sunday - July 26, 2008

I woke up refreshed after a descent room in a small hotel on the edge of Prescott.  It was dark when I arrived so I opted for a room rather than try to find a campground in the dark.  I’m going to start making a point-of-interest file with all the campgrounds in it because the ones the Garmin has are junk.  Since I was going to be heading through the desert I ate a Clif bar and had a Dr Pepper and hit the road.  If you have never been to Prescott the road heading south out of town is a fun and twisty ride.  It gets interesting when there are 50 or so bicyclists riding on the same road.  I ride bikes myself, but I don’t ride out in middle of a lane on a mountain highway.  Not sure why they do so I had to take the road with caution.

From Prescott to Borrego Springs it was pretty tame.  I rode Interstate 10 for a little while then took a back road to the Salton Sea and then on to Borrego Springs.  Pretty neat road, I’m glad I have a GS and not a sport bike.  I ran into a group of 15 or so guys riding VFR’s at the gas station filling up.  At first they asked why I’d carry all that junk on my bike but became interested when I told them why.  I got ready to leave and they said “See you up the mountain!”  I never saw them again

I got to the house around 2 PM.  Lately its always a mixed emotion coming ‘home’  It hasn’t felt like home in some time.  Its just a place that I live.  I’m sure eventually I’ll leave it for good and find a new home or become some motorcycle vagabond. Who know!?  Gregg was there to great me which was really nice.  Karma and Pookie gave me the “Where the hell have you been” look.  Eventually they wouldn’t get off me.  Took a shower and a nice nap.

Ride Recap

Happy Jason

The ride took us from California through Arizona, New Mexico (A sliver), Nevada, Colorado, Utah and back.  Kevin returned to Idaho so he got to see a bit more than I did.  I rode about 3800 miles over the 12 days.  I discovered why my bike was backfiring so bad.  A dent in the exhaust turned into a 4 inch crack.  Found my front tire is out of true, and was giving me a high speed wobble.  But to have a long trip with no major mishaps is fantastic.  Thank you everyone for following my Dot.  Made me feel good to know people were watching and interested.  Please enjoy the pictures.

Until next time, Ciao!