380 miles today--- Kalispell to Bozeman, Montana
We started off losing an hour today due to the time change, one less hour sleep. We also lost Grant today (4th Aussie from Canada) He went back home to Canada. It was nice having him with us. Back to 9. So we are in Glacier NP and take pics of the falls, they are sporadic water falls coming out and seeping down the mountain. They range in all sizes. They are very nice to look at and easily spotted from afar. We also stopped just after a tunnel and walked back through it to take pics off the side. Some pics include Heaven's Peak, and Bird Woman falls. This particular fall was very large, it spanned 492 feet in length. It was also one of the prettiest because of the bridge it flowed under. I just love bridges. Anyway, John stayed back at the pull off while we moved forward over the bridge so he could get pictures of us driving by it. There was construction a few miles before Logan's Pass and 1-2 miles afterwards. This construction consisted of one lane road and having to stop for a while to wait. The worst part was the road condition itself. We are on top of a mountain on our bikes with little to no guardrail and the road completely tore up. Down to rocks, gravel and with the mountain naturally seeping water... mud! Wasn't fun, but the views sure made up for it. So astounding in fact I didn't even notice my bike overheated and spewed coolant all over the road and into the parking lot of Logan's Pass. It was okay though. We let her cool down as we took more pictures. Leaving Glacier NP we stopped to snap pictures of Goose Island then stopped to eat. It was about 1:45pm. We still had 300miles to go! We ended up re-routing a bit, took the 287. This was a good decision as it was gorgeous country. Rolling hills with mountains and fields, then miles of flats with curves. The I-15 was also nice change up to 75mph speed limit with nice sweepers on the interstate, through the mountains. We stopped for gas and met a nice Hermandite, who invited us to stay for dinner at the colony. We had many miles to do so we declined. The locals insisted we go because they said 'they will feed you and booze you up'. This was more reason NOT to go! Stopped in Helena, then reached Bozeman. Actually made good time, but still got in later than planned.
for pictures Clicky Clicky
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Pre RMR Day 9, Aug 28th, Sunday
200 miles today--Coeur D'Alene to Kalispell
Another easy day. So stopping for pictures and lunch was no big deal. The Coeur D'Alene River Rd rt 9 ran along side of the mountain and river, very nice ride. These mountains were extremely rocky yet full of trees. Nice curvy roads with lots of long straights. Nice for doing the ton, if you in club that is :) Stopped at nice scenery of mountain and took pics. Also stopped in Thompson falls and ate at the Thompson Grill. Lynch Creek was the next stop of pictures. Rolled into our destination about 4:30pm. Gassed and lubed up and hit the hotel. We were going to roll into Glacier NP this evening but they had closed so we will save it for tomorrow as planned. Also saw the Flathead Lake, it was huge!
picture link finally here Click Here
Another easy day. So stopping for pictures and lunch was no big deal. The Coeur D'Alene River Rd rt 9 ran along side of the mountain and river, very nice ride. These mountains were extremely rocky yet full of trees. Nice curvy roads with lots of long straights. Nice for doing the ton, if you in club that is :) Stopped at nice scenery of mountain and took pics. Also stopped in Thompson falls and ate at the Thompson Grill. Lynch Creek was the next stop of pictures. Rolled into our destination about 4:30pm. Gassed and lubed up and hit the hotel. We were going to roll into Glacier NP this evening but they had closed so we will save it for tomorrow as planned. Also saw the Flathead Lake, it was huge!
picture link finally here Click Here
Pre RMR Day 8, Aug 27th, Saturday
230 miles today-- cut off about 60 miles-- Yakima to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho
Not so difficult today with only 230 miles. Road 82 to 182 highways. Nice mountains with us riding in the valley. Mountains are all brown with no vegetation on them. Then miles and miles of flat plains with your occasional farm here and there. We decided as a group to go ahead and take the 2 lane highway and just get there. Especially since there really wasn't much to see. I suppose this is just Washington state. We rode onto our final stopping point at Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Getting in early was much needed as I got all the laundry done and had some time to upload some pictures. Tried to update this blog and then relaxed a little, though being the only female in the group, that doesn't really happen in the evenings. I'm busy charging everything, from cell phones, chatter boxes, camera batteries to laptops and doing laundry and repacking bags. Not just my laundry either. Of course you cant just do your own. We ate dinner at the Cabin and I was able to talk to family who are going through a hurricane back home. After the earthquake, I'm sure they are just loving mother nature!
For pictures Clicky Clicky
Not so difficult today with only 230 miles. Road 82 to 182 highways. Nice mountains with us riding in the valley. Mountains are all brown with no vegetation on them. Then miles and miles of flat plains with your occasional farm here and there. We decided as a group to go ahead and take the 2 lane highway and just get there. Especially since there really wasn't much to see. I suppose this is just Washington state. We rode onto our final stopping point at Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Getting in early was much needed as I got all the laundry done and had some time to upload some pictures. Tried to update this blog and then relaxed a little, though being the only female in the group, that doesn't really happen in the evenings. I'm busy charging everything, from cell phones, chatter boxes, camera batteries to laptops and doing laundry and repacking bags. Not just my laundry either. Of course you cant just do your own. We ate dinner at the Cabin and I was able to talk to family who are going through a hurricane back home. After the earthquake, I'm sure they are just loving mother nature!
For pictures Clicky Clicky
Pre RMR Day 7, Aug 26th, Friday
417 miles today-- Sisters, Oregon to Yakima Washington
We have a ton of miles to do today. Well 417, its not really hard but when you are traveling with 10 bikes and stopping to take pictures it makes for a long day. Starting off nicely we took route 224 which of course was a sweet twisty road. In fact all the roads we took today were sweet. Even added 20 minutes of interstate in there. We took route 25 which was so twisty and corners were tight, extremely nice curves but road condition itself wasn't so good. I felt like I was riding a dirt bike. There were so many lumpy cracks and waves in the road. At one point, I came out of the seat and landed so hard that I thought I broke something. My shoulders were burning when the ride was done. In fact everyone was feeling it. I had to slow down on one part because it was so heavily populated with trees, almost a canopy of dark shade, I couldn't see with my dark sunglasses and dark tinted visor, even opening the visor, going in and out of the sun and shade made it difficult. I waved everyone pass and hung out in the back for a while. Highway 12east was much better, in and out of mountains and flat plains. We left the shell to gas up around 6:30pm with 75 miles left to go. We made it an hour and a half later. After gassing and lubing up the bikes we made it to the hotel.
Click here for more photos
Disappointing day for pictures as we went right by Mt St. Helens and didn't get any good pictures. Needless to say tension in the group was icky!
We have a ton of miles to do today. Well 417, its not really hard but when you are traveling with 10 bikes and stopping to take pictures it makes for a long day. Starting off nicely we took route 224 which of course was a sweet twisty road. In fact all the roads we took today were sweet. Even added 20 minutes of interstate in there. We took route 25 which was so twisty and corners were tight, extremely nice curves but road condition itself wasn't so good. I felt like I was riding a dirt bike. There were so many lumpy cracks and waves in the road. At one point, I came out of the seat and landed so hard that I thought I broke something. My shoulders were burning when the ride was done. In fact everyone was feeling it. I had to slow down on one part because it was so heavily populated with trees, almost a canopy of dark shade, I couldn't see with my dark sunglasses and dark tinted visor, even opening the visor, going in and out of the sun and shade made it difficult. I waved everyone pass and hung out in the back for a while. Highway 12east was much better, in and out of mountains and flat plains. We left the shell to gas up around 6:30pm with 75 miles left to go. We made it an hour and a half later. After gassing and lubing up the bikes we made it to the hotel.
Click here for more photos
Disappointing day for pictures as we went right by Mt St. Helens and didn't get any good pictures. Needless to say tension in the group was icky!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Pre RMR Day 6, Aug 25th, Thursday
317 miles today-- Medford to Sisters Oregon
Off to Crater Lake today. We are traveling with 9 and picked up Crash (from the speed triple site) today first thing. Now we are traveling with 10. After Crater Lake on to Sisters, Oregon.
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. Its just under 2000 feet deep. We spent much time at Crater Lake as it was gorgeous. It was about 3:30pm when we realized we had 200 miles left to do. So we re-thought our route. We ended up cutting off 100 miles of scenic drive, this was perfectly fine with the group as it couldn't have matched the view at the lake. The chipmunks and birds here at the lake were extremely friendly looking for a handout. So we gave in with the only thing we had, granola bars. After our long stop we booked out of there on 97 to make it to Bend, Oregon just outside of Sisters. Due to hotel stay. We stayed at the Westward Ho Motel :0 Hysterically named, the place appeared a dump on the outside but actually was nice on the inside with more amenities than motel 6. We walked across the street to Chan's Chinese. It was very good. Eating way too much, I have gained weight on this trip, as it seems like all we do is eat!
Click Here
Off to Crater Lake today. We are traveling with 9 and picked up Crash (from the speed triple site) today first thing. Now we are traveling with 10. After Crater Lake on to Sisters, Oregon.
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. Its just under 2000 feet deep. We spent much time at Crater Lake as it was gorgeous. It was about 3:30pm when we realized we had 200 miles left to do. So we re-thought our route. We ended up cutting off 100 miles of scenic drive, this was perfectly fine with the group as it couldn't have matched the view at the lake. The chipmunks and birds here at the lake were extremely friendly looking for a handout. So we gave in with the only thing we had, granola bars. After our long stop we booked out of there on 97 to make it to Bend, Oregon just outside of Sisters. Due to hotel stay. We stayed at the Westward Ho Motel :0 Hysterically named, the place appeared a dump on the outside but actually was nice on the inside with more amenities than motel 6. We walked across the street to Chan's Chinese. It was very good. Eating way too much, I have gained weight on this trip, as it seems like all we do is eat!
Click Here
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Pre RMR Day 5, Aug 24th, Wednesday
250 miles today-- Chester to Medford, Oregon
Bumpy morning. Steve, our newest guest, misplaced his key to his bike. We searched his hotel room top and bottom. Searched through all his things, bags, clothes and toiletries. Nothing. A dealership was called to get a blank key. Bill was going to bring the lock from his seat there so they could make a key. It was a ways a way and would take about 2.5hrs round trip. We were going to leave him and Bill behind and they would catch up, when we found the key at the last minute stuck between the double bagged beer. We were off, to Dan's buddy's house to stay a free night. Stopping at Lassen Volcanic National Park was surprisingly gorgeous! We didn't expect this. The elevation was 7500 and snow on the ground. We were on 89 which of course, well you guessed it was curvy and nice. Stopped in Shasta, Ca where we took pictures of Mt Shasta and met Officer Chris Lynch. He was really cool. He saw us pull into the gas station. Being a rider himself he came over to admire the bikes and kindly let us take a few pics. We ate at the Black Bear Diner. We then rode I-5 to Dan's friends house CR and Jen. They were most accommodating and very hospitable. Thanks again guys. They fixed us some delicious roast on the grill with taters and corn.
changing things up a bit. You get oneor two pictures. If you would like to see more click link below (hopefully it will work )
Mt Shasta
Lassen Volcanic Park CLICKY CLICKY
Bumpy morning. Steve, our newest guest, misplaced his key to his bike. We searched his hotel room top and bottom. Searched through all his things, bags, clothes and toiletries. Nothing. A dealership was called to get a blank key. Bill was going to bring the lock from his seat there so they could make a key. It was a ways a way and would take about 2.5hrs round trip. We were going to leave him and Bill behind and they would catch up, when we found the key at the last minute stuck between the double bagged beer. We were off, to Dan's buddy's house to stay a free night. Stopping at Lassen Volcanic National Park was surprisingly gorgeous! We didn't expect this. The elevation was 7500 and snow on the ground. We were on 89 which of course, well you guessed it was curvy and nice. Stopped in Shasta, Ca where we took pictures of Mt Shasta and met Officer Chris Lynch. He was really cool. He saw us pull into the gas station. Being a rider himself he came over to admire the bikes and kindly let us take a few pics. We ate at the Black Bear Diner. We then rode I-5 to Dan's friends house CR and Jen. They were most accommodating and very hospitable. Thanks again guys. They fixed us some delicious roast on the grill with taters and corn.
changing things up a bit. You get oneor two pictures. If you would like to see more click link below (hopefully it will work )
Pre RMR day 4, Aug 23rd, Tuesday
304 miles today-- Mammoth Lake to Chester, Cali
Onward to Chester, Oregon. We waited until 8am until Napa opened to get a light for the SV. We then were on our way. Took 395 to 89 passing though Nevada. I found out that on this day about 10:30am eastern standard time an earthquake happened back home in Virginia right by my house! Its so crazy that this happened on the eastern part of the states. They say it was 5.9 which is pretty large even for California. The girls called me almost immediately. I didn't believe them until I heard it from others. Things in the house were knocked down from shelves and cabinets and broken glass etc, but other than the girls and the dogs being frightened to death all was okay. Had neighbors check for damage. Thanks Matt! Not letting a small earthquake ruin our beautiful sight seeing in Lake Tahoe, we pressed on. Lake Tahoe was amazing. I learned that the woman used to live in the castle on the shore of Lake Tahoe and boat over to the island where she had a day house and would spend the day on the island. The 'strip' in Lake Tahoe was quaint with log cabin look even on the fast food restaurants. Still had the beach-like mall strips on a much small scale of course (near Tahoe beach).
Traveling with 9 there are going to be disagreements, like should we stop for food or continue when we only have an hour until destination. Keep in mind we have Bill the machine Cooper with us, who must eat all the time, and amazingly enough stays so skinny. Anyway we moved on, and on we did to some sweet, sweet twisites. I jumped up front and stayed behind Dan and had a great ride on 89. These roads are just so nice sweeping back and forth between the mountains and tall redwoods. That night we ate at Knotbenders right beside where we stayed at the Antler Motel. We picked up another rider, Steve. Now we are ten.
Meanwhile back home there was an earthquake. Yes in Virginia, right in our back yard. All is okay, thanks to neighbors! Its a shame they must endure such weather while we are enjoying ours!
random scenes while riding
Onward to Chester, Oregon. We waited until 8am until Napa opened to get a light for the SV. We then were on our way. Took 395 to 89 passing though Nevada. I found out that on this day about 10:30am eastern standard time an earthquake happened back home in Virginia right by my house! Its so crazy that this happened on the eastern part of the states. They say it was 5.9 which is pretty large even for California. The girls called me almost immediately. I didn't believe them until I heard it from others. Things in the house were knocked down from shelves and cabinets and broken glass etc, but other than the girls and the dogs being frightened to death all was okay. Had neighbors check for damage. Thanks Matt! Not letting a small earthquake ruin our beautiful sight seeing in Lake Tahoe, we pressed on. Lake Tahoe was amazing. I learned that the woman used to live in the castle on the shore of Lake Tahoe and boat over to the island where she had a day house and would spend the day on the island. The 'strip' in Lake Tahoe was quaint with log cabin look even on the fast food restaurants. Still had the beach-like mall strips on a much small scale of course (near Tahoe beach).
Traveling with 9 there are going to be disagreements, like should we stop for food or continue when we only have an hour until destination. Keep in mind we have Bill the machine Cooper with us, who must eat all the time, and amazingly enough stays so skinny. Anyway we moved on, and on we did to some sweet, sweet twisites. I jumped up front and stayed behind Dan and had a great ride on 89. These roads are just so nice sweeping back and forth between the mountains and tall redwoods. That night we ate at Knotbenders right beside where we stayed at the Antler Motel. We picked up another rider, Steve. Now we are ten.
Meanwhile back home there was an earthquake. Yes in Virginia, right in our back yard. All is okay, thanks to neighbors! Its a shame they must endure such weather while we are enjoying ours!
random scenes while riding
Lake Tahoe Castle by the beach
Day house on the island
Pre RMR day 3, Aug 22, Monday
298 miles today-- cut some out-- ended up at 216-- Oakdale to Mammoth Lake, Cali
Fewer miles today at 216. We are 'becoming one with nature' and spending a lot of the day riding around Yosemite National Park. Absolutely beautiful! First we road though rolling hills and mountains with brown grassy plains. Then got to 120 for 10 miles of twisted roads in and out of the mountains with valleys of water....gorgeous. We got into the Yosemite NP and stopped at whats referred to as the 'half dome'. Its so serene and quiet. Headed back out of Yosemite on 120. The more we road the prettier the Sierra Nevada mountains became with snow tops and vivid blue waters below. Didn't stop for pictures but did get some good video footage, David claims. We will post a link to those soon. Mono Lake was beautiful too. We actually ended up at our destination early for a change in Mammoth Lake.
^ Yosemite half dome
^ just a pic of the roadside views
Fewer miles today at 216. We are 'becoming one with nature' and spending a lot of the day riding around Yosemite National Park. Absolutely beautiful! First we road though rolling hills and mountains with brown grassy plains. Then got to 120 for 10 miles of twisted roads in and out of the mountains with valleys of water....gorgeous. We got into the Yosemite NP and stopped at whats referred to as the 'half dome'. Its so serene and quiet. Headed back out of Yosemite on 120. The more we road the prettier the Sierra Nevada mountains became with snow tops and vivid blue waters below. Didn't stop for pictures but did get some good video footage, David claims. We will post a link to those soon. Mono Lake was beautiful too. We actually ended up at our destination early for a change in Mammoth Lake.
Just a end cap
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Pre RMR day 2, Aug 21st Sunday
358 miles-- shaved some off ended up with 315--Morro Bay to Oakdale, Cali
We have about 315 miles to do today. We took the San Rosa Creek Rd, 14 miles of curves and mountain scenery. The actual road condition itself was fairly poor but like I said the curves and scenery made up for it. It reminded me of an inside joke "Lets go to Dolly Sod's, its the greatest place on earth". We stopped in Cambria, Cali and ate at a quaint little French Corner Bakery. The turkey and cranberry sandwich was tasty. The bikes at this point were being a little finicky, I believe they may actually have been adjusting to the high altitudes. David's didn't want to start easily and my clutch was acting funny and my headlight blew. No biggie though we pressed on. We road the PCH (pacific coast highway) and stopped at the Sea Lion. We road though Monterrey and Salina. Beautiful beach area with kayak's and canoes in the water. Afterwards there were flat farm lands which was a nice change of scenery because it was green! Then road along the mountains on the right side of ridge from the coast. Took hwy 280 to get to San Fran to make up time. We stopped just past the San Fran bridge and took pics then met up with Bucket's Aunt and ate dinner at Denny's. It was dark when we headed on toward our final destination of Oakdale. Not literally 1 minute after getting onto on ramp did we lose 5 people. They got separated by vehicles trying to enter on the hwy. The 3 of us that were in front had a minor GPS detour and were told to move onward to Oakdale that the rest would meet up with us. Well the five somehow managed to lose 2. Long story short, the 3 of us ended up in Oakdale, the 2 lost Aussies finally found their way to us and the others spent the night an hour behind us but met up with us the next morning. What a day!
Cambria, Cali-- french bakery
Sea Lion beach above with a little one dusting himself with sand below
Pacific Coast Hwy. Very hazy and overcast. The locals say this is normal due to the clouds just sitting against the ridge line. You can actually see over the mountains where its blue skies, sunny and beautiful
We have about 315 miles to do today. We took the San Rosa Creek Rd, 14 miles of curves and mountain scenery. The actual road condition itself was fairly poor but like I said the curves and scenery made up for it. It reminded me of an inside joke "Lets go to Dolly Sod's, its the greatest place on earth". We stopped in Cambria, Cali and ate at a quaint little French Corner Bakery. The turkey and cranberry sandwich was tasty. The bikes at this point were being a little finicky, I believe they may actually have been adjusting to the high altitudes. David's didn't want to start easily and my clutch was acting funny and my headlight blew. No biggie though we pressed on. We road the PCH (pacific coast highway) and stopped at the Sea Lion. We road though Monterrey and Salina. Beautiful beach area with kayak's and canoes in the water. Afterwards there were flat farm lands which was a nice change of scenery because it was green! Then road along the mountains on the right side of ridge from the coast. Took hwy 280 to get to San Fran to make up time. We stopped just past the San Fran bridge and took pics then met up with Bucket's Aunt and ate dinner at Denny's. It was dark when we headed on toward our final destination of Oakdale. Not literally 1 minute after getting onto on ramp did we lose 5 people. They got separated by vehicles trying to enter on the hwy. The 3 of us that were in front had a minor GPS detour and were told to move onward to Oakdale that the rest would meet up with us. Well the five somehow managed to lose 2. Long story short, the 3 of us ended up in Oakdale, the 2 lost Aussies finally found their way to us and the others spent the night an hour behind us but met up with us the next morning. What a day!
Cambria, Cali-- french bakery
Pacific Coast Hwy. Very hazy and overcast. The locals say this is normal due to the clouds just sitting against the ridge line. You can actually see over the mountains where its blue skies, sunny and beautiful
Pre RMR (Rocky Mt Rally) day 1, Saturday Aug 20th
353 miles today-- Dan's house to Morro Bay, Cali
We leave, well not as early as we wanted but we still left! Procrastinator Dan had to get his hair cut and get insurance on a bike or two. We rode through San Beradino, absolutely gorgeous views. The rock shadowed mountains were so plain with no greenery it was just breathtaking. We rode interstate 5 for a bit then route 58 which was nice and twisty. We were bypassing Lake arrowhead, Lake Gregory and the Angelis Crest Hwy. This highway is suppose to be one of the best roads in America. But it is so highly policed and crowded that its not a good idea for bikers any longer. There are many accidents on this road. We ended up in San Miguel. There were so many nice vehicles we passed along the way in Cali like porches, vettes, triumphs, Lamborghini's, and fierris to name a few. Our total mileage was 315 for today.
notice I'm the first one on the bike ready to roll
This is Bucket, one of the Australians. He is riding a sprint.
We leave, well not as early as we wanted but we still left! Procrastinator Dan had to get his hair cut and get insurance on a bike or two. We rode through San Beradino, absolutely gorgeous views. The rock shadowed mountains were so plain with no greenery it was just breathtaking. We rode interstate 5 for a bit then route 58 which was nice and twisty. We were bypassing Lake arrowhead, Lake Gregory and the Angelis Crest Hwy. This highway is suppose to be one of the best roads in America. But it is so highly policed and crowded that its not a good idea for bikers any longer. There are many accidents on this road. We ended up in San Miguel. There were so many nice vehicles we passed along the way in Cali like porches, vettes, triumphs, Lamborghini's, and fierris to name a few. Our total mileage was 315 for today.
notice I'm the first one on the bike ready to roll
This is Bucket, one of the Australians. He is riding a sprint.
Aug 17th- 19th Dans house
We had much work to do. The Australian's bikes (3) needed servicing, chain replacements, tire changes, oil, filter and fluid changes. One was making a ticking noise when done so they took the head off again and readjusted. Purrs like a kitten. John's bike needed a front seal which had to be ordered and they would have in Friday. Dan's bike was a mess. He had rode it 2 weeks prior after redoing it and motor blew. It needed an engine swap. The plan was to get the Australian's bikes up and running, service both mine and Davids as well, ours needed oil changes and mine tires, then do the engine swap on Friday as well as finish up John's seal. With much efforts and working into the late nights, they were right on schedule. Dan did a bunch of running around and last minute things so he was busy. David and Keith did most of the work on the bikes. Dan and the Aussies chipped in. We picked them up at the airport on Thursday and Bill on Friday. Becky and I did errands and grocery shopping. We kept the boys fed and happy. Though they did not even drink until Friday night I believe. What a record! With all the stress that was running around the guys managed to get all bikes running and ready to go for Saturday morning. Way to go!
Problem with Dan's bike
Problem with Dan's bike
And there were many, many trips to Chaparrals!
Dan and Becky's new house!
the view from the back porch
the back porch
The front-- side angle
there are lemon, orange and ruby red grapefruit trees. I picked fresh fruit daily and made fresh lemon water. The grapefruit after being in fridge was delicious!
Aug 15th-16th
These days are really just a blur at this point. We were trying so hard to just make it to Dan's house so we could help work on the bikes and get them ready for the Australians. Monday the 15th we went from Santa Rosa, NM to Kingman Arizona. Arizona is gorgeous! we must make a trip back just to visit Arizona. The mountains are beautiful and I just love Flagstaff. The elevation is 5500 ft. Just prior to that we went though mountains of 7700ft elevation. It drizzled a bit while we were there but an hour prior we could see the cloud hovering over Flagstaff. So we prepared for rain. Just a few drops we got, but Flagstaff had been dumped on earlier so you could still smell the wet pine trees on the mountain as you road through them. We arrived to our destination around 8pm just as dark set in. We had a shower, had dinner than off to bed as we were exhausted.
The next morning we got up early and headed toward the desert. Good thing we got an early start, because it was actually quite pleasant. Still dry and warming up as we went though it. Not much to describe. Flat with mountains in the back ground. All dirt not really sand like I was expecting. We arrived at Dan's house mid morning. I think we surprised Becky as she later told me she wasnt ready for us, that we were earlier than expected. Dan and Becky's new home is very nice. The view is awesome! The house is so open inside and flows nicely. I had so much to do, and so did David and Dan. We relaxed the rest of the day and after dinner the guys got busy on the bikes. Becky and I just chatted and caught up. I didn't get much done. The heat did a number on me and just wiped me out.
The next morning we got up early and headed toward the desert. Good thing we got an early start, because it was actually quite pleasant. Still dry and warming up as we went though it. Not much to describe. Flat with mountains in the back ground. All dirt not really sand like I was expecting. We arrived at Dan's house mid morning. I think we surprised Becky as she later told me she wasnt ready for us, that we were earlier than expected. Dan and Becky's new home is very nice. The view is awesome! The house is so open inside and flows nicely. I had so much to do, and so did David and Dan. We relaxed the rest of the day and after dinner the guys got busy on the bikes. Becky and I just chatted and caught up. I didn't get much done. The heat did a number on me and just wiped me out.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Sunday Aug 14th, 2011
Jarhead decided it would be nice to bring us on rt 540 to see the kind of roads they have around them to ride on. This road was actually very beautiful. Aside from the twists, curves, deer and horse in the road, we stopped at Devil's Den Park. Very nice scenery. This quick 30 min of detour started our day nicely. The weather was beautiful as we headed across Oklahoma. Very flat and not really much to see. We were issued a warning by the very nice and generous state trooper of Oklahoma. Continuing further we reached our site seeing destination in Groom Texas. This is the tallest cross in the US. The people of Groom donated some land to a metal smith who in turn casted statues of the last days of Jesus. These were very humbling. We also noticed while in Texas that there were a lot of hitch hiker's along the highway. Apparently it is legal to walk along the interstate. Riding into New Mexico the scenery changes a bit. Eastern NM is mostly flat while the western part is quite beautiful with rolling mountains. The entire state is brown dirt, with a sprinkling of green bushes. What is neat is to see the difference between their mountains and our mountains. It does make me appreciate the beauty of Virginia's green, green trees. Real trees, not some small bushes. We finally made it to our final destination of the day, Santa Rosa, NM. Not much to see as we just basically crashed for the night, after rolling in just after dark. Total mileage...632
this is Devils Den that Jarhead took us to see the morning we left his place, Westfork, Arizona
Groom Texas
above and below just texas and NM
this is Devils Den that Jarhead took us to see the morning we left his place, Westfork, Arizona
Groom Texas
Saturday, Aug 13th 2011
We got a pretty good and early start. Left just after 7am. Made it to West Fork, Arkansas. We arrived to a delicious steak dinner, with steamed veggies, grilled asparagus, baked potato, stuffed jalapenos, and garlic bread, cooked by our friends from the Speed Triple site, Jarhead and his wife. They were very hospitable and we appreciated it greatly. Bed was comfy, dog was friendly and got a good nights rest. Thanks Brah! Total miles today 637miles.
Friday Aug 12th, 2011 We leave
It's the day before our scheduled leave, we are both off, I'm packed and David is mostly ready. We decided to leave today. As we are finishing up last minute 'to dos' around the house time is ticking away. It's about noon when we finally left. We made it to Kingston, Tennessee. We quickly found a hotel and went for a walk to find something to eat. We found a place called Buddy's BBQ. It was really delicious. If you are ever in Kingston, TN try the BBQ nachos. The people there were very friendly. I had to giggle everytime I heard them speak though. Kind of sounded like 'those folk down yonder in Kaang, NC!' They talk fuunny too :) We also found some water, which I will post up pictures in a couple of days, when things settle down. Total miles today 432.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Getting Ready
The bikes have been serviced, the routes have been set, and Dina has her bags packed. We're getting close but not close enough so I feel like I'm being lazy by not packing yet. I'll wait till next week. David
Where do you start with getting ready really? It started a year and a half ago. With an idea and thus our trip was born, our money began to get saved and routes started getting planned. I am excited to share such an adventure with family and friends. With 12 days to go, the anticipation of just our first day, doing an iron butt (1000 miles in a day), is overwhelming enough. I am positive that once my helmet is on and my boots hit the pegs there will be 6 weeks of pure enjoyment and appreciation for the world we live in. The 13th can not come quickly enough. Dina
Where do you start with getting ready really? It started a year and a half ago. With an idea and thus our trip was born, our money began to get saved and routes started getting planned. I am excited to share such an adventure with family and friends. With 12 days to go, the anticipation of just our first day, doing an iron butt (1000 miles in a day), is overwhelming enough. I am positive that once my helmet is on and my boots hit the pegs there will be 6 weeks of pure enjoyment and appreciation for the world we live in. The 13th can not come quickly enough. Dina
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