Category: Cross Country Motorcycling West Coast

Tuesday, 5/24/2016

Started the day off right; doughnuts, the breakfast of happiness.

We are in the city of Altus, OK
for the night. We have traveled today around 375 in miles, arriving here at around 5:30pm.

We crossed into Texas on some two lane back road and crossed our way through the pan handle on into OK.

Tomorrow HOME!

The long flat, boring, straight back roads are very unpopulated and gives way to much thinking, much meditating and prayer too.

We wrestled with some cross winds. We neither one even mentioned it. We laughed as we agreed; after the monstrosity of the winds (25-35 mph with 50 mph gusts) we battled a few days ago, upon leaving Hoover Dam all the way to Flagstaff Arizona, it will be a long time before a few crosswinds shakes our boats.

Of course I have no high points of interest to share from today’s journey’s. Barren land, lots of fields, farm equipment; although there is a particular farm contraption that I find fascinating. I’ll google up a picture of it.

I tell Al – I think we could drive right under one of these.  🙂

The giant wind mills.

I really worked at getting this particular picture on the way by – the small ole wind mill was spinning diligently serving its purpose while the bigger ones on either side it, they were facing the wrong direction and not spinning at all. Many of the big ones were facing the right direction and spinning strong.

***********

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:5-8

Nicodemus; he ask all the right questions for all the world of people that came after him needing the same questions answered.

Freedom from sin – Freedom to spin with our purposes in Christ.

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I do follow a very fascinating fellow. And we are well over 5000 miles together on this trip.

As a service we have provided you this image for COMPING/VIEWING purposes ONLY. To purchase a larger version of this image, search for the 6-character Image Name at: http://www.painetworks.com Search for the 6-character Image Name at the above website, then click on the Shopping Cart icon link next to the thumbnail image. Note: If the original Image Name has been changed, open the image in Photoshop. Go to File:File Info:Section:Keywords The Image Name will be the top keyword. painetstock@gmail.com tel: Google Voice 701-484-1251 (toll-free in USA)

Yeah – still not stopping at the state signs. They don’t have them on the 2 lanes we cruise on. Some of them have been on bridges and some just too risky. So …..I fabricate my own now.   🙂

Oh WOW – it will be a full 8 hours of riding tomorrow.

ALWAYS bittersweet that last day of riding.

Sweet as in – Home Sweet Home

Bitter – The journey comes to an END.

Monday, 5/23/2016

We missed our state entrance pictures from both Arizona and New Mexico. So…hey, I just googled me up a couple.

All day today when we drove past unique interesting stuff. I just thought hey – I’ll just google it and thief the pictures. At this stage in the trip, both Al and I are not stopping on any of the pull outs and tour stops, we are in high gear and logging up miles; homeward bound.

We have been through some of the New Mexico mountain ranges today – knowing we are leaving the last of our favored mountain riding behind, we are all too familiar with the mountains that begin to move out to the distance all around us as we drop in elevations we feel the temperature changes and then all the mountains are in our rear view mirrors. And there they go.

We are in Roswell, NM for the evening.

Things that made us go – hhmmm, today

We passed by some fields with these huge strange satellites all over.

And here is the interesting story ;

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/14701

And then strange black broken lava looking rock formations that went on for a few miles.

And here is the interesting story ;

http://southernnewmexico.com/Articles/Southeast/Lincoln/ValleyofFires.html

When the road goes mile after mile after mile, you see the end and you know when you get to the end; you will see the whole thing all over again. Over and over and over. FLAT LANDS……………………..

Traveling off the main paths; staying away from the interstates leads to open range and really out of the way cowboy fuel ups, it becomes just really interesting. This below was our lunch and fuel up around 2pm today.

welcome to Arizona sign state line

HAPPY TRAILS heading homeward.

Day 17

We packed up at our ‘Primative’ camp site, loaded and strapped it all down to our bikes. My Hubby does most all of that stuff. I organize and reorganize and forget where I put stuff. Between the 2 of us we are fairly quick at setting up camp and taking it all apart too.

We found a Great breakfast place called the Coffee Pot in Sedona. Just stumbled in and realized everyone else did too. There were people standing around everywhere and a sign in sheet with a 20 minute wait, a shopping store with it. Not a Cracker Barrel but it was good.

After we had full tummies we fueled the bikes and then attended a church that Al found.

Cathedral Rock was next, one of the many Red Rock hiking mountains in the surrounding Sedona area. I say we…and well… I sit under a cool shade tree and relax. Today I seemed to be completely out of the path of all the many hikers.
Just sitting in peace. It’s a beautiful day, as was yesterday.
Al texted me when he was at one of the highest points, I tried to see him but he was to high. Then I went back to my perch and waited.

It was around 2pm when we headed out of town in the direction of the interstate, simply to get us to a two lane. We stopped at a McDonalds off the interstate to evaluate the two lane roads most scenic for our homeward journeys. Al is the navigator as we both assess the map over our Coke, sweet tea, hot fudge sundae and Al’s ice cream cone.

Sometimes when we walk out to our bikes there is someone looking at them and our Arkansas tags and waiting to ask about our journey. Usually it is a rider who relates. This time it was a friendly guy from Alabama. We always enjoy relating and bantering- motorcycle talk.

We passed through what is called the Mogollon Rim, another very beautiful range of mountains, bringing us within 50 miles of the New Mexico border, spending the night at a town called Show Low here in Arizona yet.

As a side note when riding motorcycles cross country, passing through high and low elevations we have an arsenal of riding jackets. A mesh jacket is light weight, I think of it as an air conditioned jacket. And then we have heavier jackets. I have one that is my warmest, a combo jacket, with a zip out jacket. I wear either of these two, alone or together, I can with stand temperatures into the upper 30s with both together.
As we pass through a day from morning to evening we shuffle jackets and outer wear along side the road many times. There is also rain gear.
And if I really need it, I have a heated jacket that electrically connects to power from my bike battery.
Two set of gloves – I wear a fingerless pair in heat, they protect my upper hands from burning. And then a warmer pair for cold protection.

We keep all this in our saddle bags handy to shuffle at any given temperature changes.

We even may charge our phone and helmet intercom on board our bikes.

Today is Monday morning. I did not have internet service last night, just could not connect to it.

So I am scripting this as we are getting ready to load up and head on into New Mexico.

That is me not HIKING.

Al loves to hike and I enjoy relaxing peacefully in the shade. It’s ALL GOOD.

This guy pulls up with his gas trailer as we are standing by our bikes deciding how much further down the road we want to go today. Using our hotel apps for best rates and such. He waves to us no problem he has plenty of room as he drives a few feet right by us and misses my bike by less then, I believe 10 inches and we just stood there and laughed at his great confidence and my despair.

Saturday, 5/21/2016

We continued on from the Flag Staff, Arizona area to our next destination of Sedona. A place we love to visit; a beautiful winding mountain ride that leads into the very interesting red rock mountain terrain of the infamous Sedona land. I always get excited as we reach the bottom of this mountain to see Slide Rock.

Years ago when we came through here on a family road trip with our daughters, Lindsey and Laurie, we had our first experience on slide Rock.

Slide Rock State Park provides a very popular swimming experience along the Oak Creek Canyon where there is a long series of natural water sliding FUN. I will provide a picture, as it is really indescribable.

We have been on some interesting motorcycle rides in this area and Al also loves the hiking here. I hike until I find a comfortable place to just sit and relax while Al hikes on….and then comes back to retrieve me. I sit and have interesting conversations with passer by hikers or I read and just enjoy the views. There are MANY serious hikers in the Sedona Red Rock and Forrest surrounding areas, it is simply a very beautiful interesting terrain of land.

But….when we rode in yesterday the crowds were massive just as when we were at Big Sur just a few days ago. SCHOOLS OUT and the crowds are everywhere in the bigger tourist attraction areas. Our plan was to leave early enough in May to beat the crowds and not so early as to be in the yet cold climates. That is a narrow margin in time. And my sprained knee docked us a week. But it is what it is.

Cars lined the side of the road as we neared the Oak Creek water attraction of Slide Rock. As we drove by we could see the multitudes of people sliding away, all along the creek bed as the water rushes them all along. So much FUN.

Well, we drove on in and went to figure out a good camping area. Long story short; every camp ground was full. Al and I had never seen Sedona so full of people. It was a beautiful Saturday and every one came. We did walk around down town, ate a very late lunch, got the T-shirts and then headed to look for a campsite.

We finally were directed by a nice fellow at one of the campgrounds to an over flow, “primitive” tent camp area, where we set up camp.

We were set up by 5pm with both of us exhausted. We bedded down early in our coziness, complete with wiring off Al’s bike as we always hook up and recharge our devices (Phones, iPads and helmets). We even have service on this mountain we are camping on. So there we lay watching Netfix together on my iPad in the twilight of a very full moon, tucked into our huge cloud like queen size sleeping bag. The only disturbance were the strong gust of winds rushing through the trees and also blowing our rain flap. Winds must want their own season around here.

And that was the ending of day 16.

The pictures I am going to provide will be fabricated from Mr.Google.

Oak Creek runs through Slide Rock Park in Sedona, Arizona

Winnie Pooh ain’t never seen a Blustery Day like we just Seen.

Friday, 5/20/2016

Today was by far our hardest riding day to date. We fought 25 to 35 mph winds with gust into 50 mph all day after leaving Hoover Dam. We wrestled with our bikes moving in waves back and forth on our lane all day. Early on, we both, just kept thinking we would ride out of it or away from it. It’s a fearful thing watching Al’s bike lean hard into the fierce winds over and over, pushing up against the strong winds. Bracing for unpredictable very strong gust. Passing semi’s and bracing along side them and also as you get around them, the burst that hits. UGH !

Once when we stopped to take a break at a real dumpy place where we stopped out of desperation and fatigue, Al was turning my bike around for me, I sat down to poor my Coke into my thermal mug, sand was flying all around us. I gave up to go inside to pour it. When I went to pull the door open, the wind was so severe, I could not pull it. A man walked up and opened it for me.

When I came back out, Al and I both expressed one to another the dread of getting back on our bikes and on the road again. But mile after mile we both just simple became more fierce warriors and determined to fight hard and push through. Seriously; a day we are both glad that it is over.

We are in a small motel about 12 miles from Flagstaff. Our length of travel today was only 260 miles, it felt like 500.

Those of you who are riders, are thinking – yes I have had days just like that.
Those who are not riders, are thinking – WHY ! 🙂

We will be entering into different terrain tomorrow. Really great riding. I simply LOVE to ride, always have and always will.
Can’t be explained.
For those who don’t know; I began riding at age 9, I was licensed at age 14.

Flat lands, prairie lands and desert lands are never my favorite. Curves, hills, mountains and twisties will always be my Favorite.

Hoover Dam has a story and it was a hard fought battle for taming the Colorado river and turning it into power and productivity for a wild dry thirsty land and all the people who had a future vision.

This is a brief explained summary – https://www.nps.gov/nr/TWHP/wwwlps/lessons/140HooverDam/140Hoover_Dam.htm

And this is a time lapsed Youtube video

That information is mainly for my following GRANDS, as they are following this blog. I LOVE you my GRANDS !!
I miss all my babies – all of you. 😉

Big bug splat – went BLAAM, Al said he heard it hit over the intercom. I rarely ride with my shield down. This is my 1st modular helmet and I only flip it forward in rain, wind or cold. Fortunately I had my shield down and my modular flipped forward also today. Ironically, also I have a Great wind shield on my bike and yet that bug found me. I have NEVER had such a big bug go right into my vision. YUCK !   Pledge – bug remover too.

This was the highlight of our day. YUMMY for our TUMMY’s

Thursday, 5/19/2016

TEMPERATURES – HOT
Desert terrain – UGH

At the beginning of everyday I am Ms Optimism. And then I dwindle as the day goes on.

Yesterday at the end of the day, I went into what I call, Jonah syndrome – ‘I am dying’ – ‘I just know I am dying’

I survived and a nights sleep always revives me.

Today :

Really I weathered it well – we rolled into Las Vegas around 3pm, so a short day helps.

Al’s smart bike has a temperature read out on board.

Me – what’s the temperature
Al – you don’t want to know.

(He does not want to tell me.)

Me – what is it, I want to know.
This was are intercom speak for about 4 hours, in temperatures ranging from 88 to 98. I know it could be worse.

Snow/hail, sleet, mountain top passes last about 45 minutes. You get through it and have a happy dance.

Heat and hot dessert winds all day …….. UGH just UGH.

We take extra long fuel ups. A large Coke and my favorite chocolate zingers push me
through. Al always gets a monster energy drink.

We had DQ for lunch as it was at one of our fuel ups. The smallest hamburger was $6. Al and I each ate a hamburger and I got a chocolate dilly bar, Al got a small cone, his cone cost $3.49.
Gouging in the middle of the desert !!!

Price line.com pulled through for us once again. We are holed up for the night on the 10th floor of The Red Rock Hotel a few miles away from the heart of Las Vegas.

Valet parking kinda frowns on motorcycles. But we worked it out when the head valet shouted from one of the cars – follow me.

We are in a huge beautiful room
With a full on marble bathroom.
A bath tub with a television above it. Inside where the toilet is located there is a
telephone ??   🙂    Seriously !

We walked through this very Luxurious Hotel lobby sweaty and desert grimy with our helmets, wondering where the guy rolled off with our 3 tons of bags and gear. They said it would show up in our room. When we got off the elevator on the 10th floor, magically a Bell guy rolls off another elevator with all of it. Big black gentlemen who is a rider and named off two different bikes he owns both Harley’s. One was a V-Rod, that’s the ONLY Harley I like. (muscle engine)

We both showered and cleaned up nice. I tried to style my hair with the blow dryer and melted a clump of hair. When I tried brushing through it in the bathroom, Al looked on the floor and there lay a mess of my hair as if I had cut a chunk out.
I put a couple bobbie pins in it, hoping to look nice and GLAD to not have helmet hair. Put on my light weight mary-jane crocks, GLAD to not have motorcycle boots on.

Off we went to indulge in a bountiful, all you can eat buffet.

Al and I both observed; this Hotel is like a cruise ship with multiple restaurants, high class boutiques, bowling, a movie theater with many movies to choose, lots of gambling and a massive beautiful pool.

We ate and then walked around watching people. We thought about going to a movie and then decided to go to our room where we rented – ‘In the Heart of the Sea’, Moby Dick movie.

With a full glass wall of a window, we have our curtains fully opened where we can see all the lights of Las Vegas in full view tonight – and that is COOL.

Tomorrow we plan on going to Hoover Dam and then head in the direction of Sedona. That will offer good riding and a little cooler climate.

Wednesday 5/18/2016

We left our camp before most campers were up. Our neighbor next to us, who we shared their fire and long conversation with the night before got up to see us off.

It was around 7:30am. We were getting away before the big bicycle race event. We rolled quietly up the steep grade out of the camp valley area and laughed as Al had to get off his bike and open a large gate, we drove through and then he closed it, like we are escaping.

We drove about an hour in heavy sea fog; south from the San Simeon area to the small town of Cambria where we fueled our bikes, ate breakfast and did our laundry, all in a quaint village area clumped together.

On the way there we did see the elephant seals in their notorious place. We had watched the shore line for long enough we thought we might have passed it when suddenly appeared on the beach 100s and on and on in several areas of beach area 100s upon 100s they lay populating and wedged together covering the beach area very visibly. We stopped on a couple of different viewing areas complete with decks built for the observances of tourists. Here is a very good article on their domain there on this particular California coastal beach of Piedras Blancas.

http://www.elephantseal.org/

We headed California inland from Cambria, leaving on 46 hwy and through a small mountain range that overlooked the clouds covering the sea below where we were leaving. It was a view of good- bye route one – you will be a sweet cherished memory.

We journed on and ate a combined lunch/dinner around 6:00pm in Bakersfield CA. and took that time to plan how much further we could go in the 90s temperatures we had been experiencing when we came down out of the mountainous regions and into the flat dessert heats. When we stopped I felt over heated and exhausted of energy, though after we ate and cooled down as we looked at our map we decided to ride a few hours longer. Al checked temperatures; where we were heading was not any better and was not even cooling off later. Although the elevation of the mountain ranges we would be riding through were cooler so we journeyed on into the evening with a purpose to cover some miles.

Gorgeous mountains with a rocky western flare in appearance, driving into swooping long curves, some of these mountains seemed to fold up around us.

Al navigates us well as we chose this particular direction over the heat of the interstate. We drove on through Lake Isabella CA, a gorgeous oasis in the mountains there and on into Ridgecrest, CA where we are lodging after a long hot day of riding.

Ahhhh
We were exhausted, it was nearing dark and 9pm when we checked in.

Hoover Dam is our destination tomorrow.

And that is a wrap for this 13th day.

Tuesday, 5/17/2016

The campground we stayed at south of San Francisco last night cost $47.50 for TENT camping. Yeah ! Because that one was the 1st on the other side of SF and the next ones were quite a ways further down the road. Even Big Sur campgrounds were cheaper.

For our next stay we arrived on down the coast to one that I had researched long before we left home, the other side of Big Sur and before San Simeon. A very well regarded campground called Lime Kiln State Park with a very big waterfall on it. It is on a mountain side and has a large babbling brook that runs through it into the ocean all in one area – Gorgeous surroundings.

I script this, as Al is scaling the side of the mountain that our campground sets at the base of, to get a site of the waterfall. My knee is doing great but I feel twinges if I push it and that would be pushing it. So here I sit beside the babbling of rushing water over big round boulders coming from the water fall that feeds into the ocean.

We checked in around 4pm and began to set up camp. The couple beside us are locals and they were very shocked that we even got a tent site, as this particular camp is usually booked up and requires reservations to get in. She said they got their reservation for their favorite spot beside us, over 6 months ago, and even then they told her the weekends were already booked up at that time. I had prayed on the way in because there is no phone signal for us to check vacancies ahead. And when you travel by bike you simple can not predict a time plan. So once again prayer and God’s providence goes on before us.

After we set up camp, our neighbors were nice enough to watch our site while we ran back up to eat at a mountain top place with a Magnificent view. Expensive dining, but Al and I split a Salmon dish and then at a small camp grocery bought a little container of Ben and Jerry’s, Jimmy Fallon flavor for desert. (Gina and Matt E.) 🙂

The campsite by comparison to last nights inflated price and tonight’s being much more economical; well last night’s by comparison, a card board box to tonight’s Hilton. Yeh !

Big Sur was a mass of people every where and the visibility very poor; hazy low hanging clouds, cool and foggy with glimpses of views here and there. As we advanced up the seaside mountains the sun would shine with warmth. The locals said this is usual when summer heat rolls inland it causes such visibility conditions this time of year. Though the crowds were massive and with many surfers too.

I am so glad we have had the past few days of clear sky’s and sunshine, the other side (north) of San Francisco. And we so enjoyed the freedom we had on those parts of hwy. #1, the riding was an experience I will not soon forget. Because after SF the traffic was congested all the way to where we are here and…..it’s a weekday !

Tomorrow they have given us a heads up; a HUGE state of California bicycle race coming down through this whole area. So we will have to get out early or be stuck till late afternoon here. Maybe we could just jump out in there with them and act like we’re peddling. 🙂

Ironically 2 years ago on our motorcycle trip to Breckinridge, CO. there was a HUGE bicycle race there, a nationally recognized event.

We are Rolling Stones, my guy and I. We are gathering NO moss. Are wheels are turning. Everyday of this trip we pack up and go some more.

Al just got back and oh my ! He has some beautiful pictures – God illustrates his power of creation in his endless presence with ocean, rivers, streams and babbling brooks it is presently all around us.

I have complained about not seeing seals in the wild and I complained to the right people, those locals have assured me just a few miles down the road we WILL see elephant seals. If not….you will here my groaning all the way back to Arkansas.

Just before our camp site

Cool bridge

We are now in Cambria, it is Wedneday and we will be taking that #46 leaving the coastal highway. It’s is around 1pm, we just finished our laundry after having a good breakfast in this really unique tour village.

As I have sat here doing my blog, Al has folded all the laundry 🙂

so off we go….mount up time.  HAPPY TRAILS to you !