Motorcycle Road Trip

CHRONICLES OF A LOOP

TO THE WEST AND BACK

With six Mad Max's and two

Maxines (also slightly mad)

Translation: "DON'T GET

IN OUR WAY!"

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Met at Riverside Baptist Church 6 a.m. Bro. Fred Morris prayed with us for a safe trip.

Headed for Sherman, TX and Days Inn.

Nelly Belle developed clutch line leak. Repaired on the side of the highway with a Honda rubber band and blue shop towel. Arrived at Days Inn. Bro. Travis and Bev came to see us and helped with the continued repair of Nelly Belle.

Had a great breakfast at Travis' and Bev's church the next morning.

Very good 1^st day!

p.s. (added after our trip)

It had been raining daily in East TX for a month. Our motel had been flooded the week before. Began raining during the night but stopped before we loaded the bikes. A definite omen of our future travel weather.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Good riding weather. Bob's bike developed problem with back wheel wobbling.

Made it to comfort Inn in Dumas, TX and spent several hours tightening wheel spokes. Tools courtesy of Walmart and my personal tool pouch, in particular the "tuning" hammer.

Thurman got excellent pictures from a Honda viewpoint of the Harley repair progress. Payback, of course, was when he fell backwards over a Harley beer cooler!

Another good day!

Monday, July 2, 2007

Arrived 4:30 p.m. Estes Park, CO

First day in Estes at KOA campground. Four cabins reserved for our two-day stay. Met up with Chuck and Cindy. Had Buffalo Burgers at The

Grubsteak in Estes. Travel provided by shuttle bus.

Great time at dinner with neat waitress from Russia and shuttle entertainment from Bob and the "daughter Julie look-alike" driver and Chuck who had ample opportunities to "expel" his chew at all the bus stops.

(Monday night extra)

Camp cat named "Hurricane" selected Gary as his bed partner. Gary escaped with only a bruised leg as he exited backwards out of the bottom bunk bed. Thurman, who tells the tale wonderfully well, helped Gary extract his leg from the bunk bed ladder.

Tuesday, July 3 (2^nd day in Estes)

Breakfast at the "Egg and I". K's and my favorite breakfast place - good food, service, and classical music in the background. Group rode the Estes Tram with the exception of this writer. Took a ride down the Big Thompson Canyon and made loop through Glen Haven winding up at the "Figure 8" very steep climb as we topped the hill overlooking Estes. Panoramic view of the beautiful valley. Continued up Trail Ridge Road to the store at the top; elevation 11,000 plus. Shopped and got pictures of elk on the way down. Came back via Mary's Lake road to Fish Creek. Rain clouds looming over the mountains. Made it to the beer store and back to KOA for beer on our porches and laundry.

Dinner at Local's.

Wonderful day!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007 (369 miles)

Breakfast at the "Egg and I" at 6 a.m. Chuck's garnishment in his breakfast potatoes was a small nail - he declined and we called the mamager. Really great restaurant - very unfortunate incident.

Trip over Tail Ridge was beautiful and very cold! Came down west side to Grand Lake. Like riding through a graveyard - dead brown trees decimated by pine beetles. Acres and acres - very sad to see. Ride from Kremmling to Craig was beautiful. Saw antelopes and mule deer. Big antelope crossed the road right in front of us. From there to I-80 in WY it was very stark - no houses, no stores, lots of rock formations. Very hot! Arrived Days Inn in Rock Springs, WY at 3:15.

Ordered pizza from Domino's - all tired and sleepy....

Good day - good weather.

Thursday, July 5, 2007 (234 miles)

Left Rock Springs at 8:30 a.m. heading for local Harley shop. Departed there at 9:30 with many "goodies". Stopped for gas and K had to return to Harley shop for the main item he went there for and left behind. One more stop back at the Day's Inn for "special" post cards he had forgotten to buy the day before. Finally headed out of town looking like a veritable AARP Convention on wheels.

Arrived Super 8, Jackson Hole, WY at 6:30 p.m. Great ride with the Tetons getting closer with each mile. Saw antelope, buffalo eating hay in a backyard. Stopped on road (completely devoid of service stations) for Cindy and Chuck to scale a fence in search of "tall bushes". Sir Chuck gallantly swept Lady Cindy off her feet and gently set her down on the other side. On their return she declared they found a "Sonic" over the hill. The rest of the group took a pit stop at Hobart River pull-off. Beautiful little stream. Pictures were taken of the flowing stream and the back-sides of streams flowing.

Rode through Jackson and on up toward Yellowstone for pictures of the Tetons and Snake River. Got great shot of a big buffalo crossing the highway in front of us.

Ate at Teton Steakhouse. Had a great time.

Friday, July 6, 2007 (267 miles)

Left motel at 7:20 - K and I running late. We have group prayer each morning before we depart. One morning this writer was praying fervently asking God to grant us another safe day. Ended prayer with "...we ask this in Your Name Lord...Bye!" God surely has a sense of humor because he created laughter. I will, however, try to stick to "Amen" from now on.

Had a great ride through Yellowstone. Old Faithful still is and the Tetons/Snake River are spectacular. Saw a black bear digging under a log for his breakfast. Saw buffalo along the road and got pictures of a huge herd. Eagles and hawks have been sighted. Came through Beartooth Pass. It was an awesome ride! Rain all around but we only got sprinkles. Our weather has been perfect so far and there is no doubt among our group that God is watching over us.

Arrived at Super 8 in Red Lodge, MT at 5 p.m. Ate a Red Box Car - great burgers alfresco with a running stream as accompaniment.

Super Day!!

p.s.

The writer also managed to lay Nelly Belle down pulling into a parking area in Yellowstone. My goal was to stay upright the entire trip. So much for lofty goals!

p.p.s.

Bob graciously allowed room service to check his coffee pot before retiring for the night.

Saturday, July 7 (272 miles) (2700 plus total miles)

Arrived Fairfield Inn, Great Falls, MT at 3 p.m.

Drove straight to Harley shop for "goodies". Cindy and Chuck headed for the Lewis & Clark Museum. Thurman and Gary hit the pool and hot tub and rested (smart guys). Wayne, Bob, K & I rode around and around and around trying to find Uncle C.B.'s house. Finally gave up and Uncle C.B. drove to the Fairfield to show Wayne the way to his and Aunt Inez' place. We'll visit tomorrow. Plans are to ride to Canada in the morning.

The ride to Great Falls was wonderful. Cool and overcast early in the day. The ride through mountain canyons to Great Falls was a biker's delight. Long, fast curves through beautiful scenery. Montana is a beautiful state and great for motorcycles.

I admit to bias, but I think, after a week and a day on the road, Kenneth has done a great job leading our group. Good riding, timely pit stops (with the exceptions of Bob (I gotta go!) and Thurman (the Red Flash!). Smooth rolling each day. More good days to come.

Took Taxi #13 to Jakers for dinner. Lucky ride and good choice for us. Very good food. As usual we met some very nice people and had a grand, old time.

Sunday, July 8 - 2^nd day in Gt. Falls (337 miles sightseeing)

I got up at 5 a.m. and did our laundry. This was our "rest" day so no one had to hurry. K & I, Bob, Wayne, Gary, and Thurman headed out for Canada around 8:30 a.m. Went up Hwy. 87 to Havre, MT, hit Hwy. 2 to the border. Cindy and Chuck slept in and they later took I-15 into Canada. Our ride up 87 was beautiful - light cloud cover and cool temps. We seemed to be riding at the top of the world. Open farmland where the clouds seemed to touch the earth at the horizon. Miles and miles of fields with broad bands of color: lush green and golden wheat and earth tones of newly planted seed. Old weathered farm buildings leaning against each other like old friends headed for the ultimate collapse of age. Among all this serene beauty a newly constructed casino stood along side the highway. It looked alien and out of place - just wrong somehow - like an intrusion. We also saw a real Alice's Restaurant on the edge of a small town. Surely Arlo Gutherie's rendition is a favorite.

We arrived back in Gt. Falls at 4 p.m. Absolutely great ride! Stopped by to see Uncle C.B. and Aunt Inez. Both in their 80's. Had a good visit with these very gracious and sharp, interesting people. Wayne's goal all year has been to see them on this trip - in all probability for the last time. But that's what life is all about - friends and family and lots of love to go around and keep us all close.

A special super day!!

Dinner with Colonel Sanders and all the trimmings...

Monday, July 9 (412 miles)

Left Great Falls at 7 a.m. Chuck (in his words) lost his back support and "dipper". Duty calls and Cindy had to fly back to MS this morning. This writer will especially miss her. Attempting to corral this bunch, I suspect, would be like herding cats.

Our ride to Missoula was beautiful. Early morning cool through rolling hills with the smell of fresh cut hay and reminders of previous Montana days and the smell of warm rain as it hits the hot asphalt. The warming sun on our backs and the wind in our faces - what a wonderful way to see this beautiful country. One can almost feel the spirits of Indians on horseback looking down on us from the hills as we travel through their land.

From Missoula we ran Hwy 12 to Lewiston, ID. 80-plus miles through steep canyons of the Bitterroot Mountains following the sparkling Clearwater River on the historic Lewis and Clark Trail. The smell of spruce, fir, and pine around us as we ran 45-50 mph around long, winding roads. An absolute must for every biker to experience. Arrived at Lewiston at 3:30 Pacific Time. Hot, tired, wired, and ready for a cool brew. Those (and you know who you are) who refused to change their watches maintained "It's 5 o-clock somewhere".

Had a great meal at Antonio's and retired early - or late - depending on whose watch you consulted.

Another great day with God's guardian angels watching over us.

Tuesday, July 10 (3700 total miles)

Left Lewiston at 8 a.m. after breakfast. Took pictures a few blocks down as we crossed into Washington state headed for Walla Walla. Very scenic ride. Winding roads through low, rolling mountains. An artist's pallet of colors. Cultivated hills of long, plowed strips and wide circles of velvet shades of green, the lacy gold of rice, and warm beiges and browns of new plantings. We digressed from our planned route at Walla Walla in search of a Washington state Harley shop. Headed for Kinnewick. Rode through wine country. Miles of vineyards and wineries, saw loaded apple trees, onions being harvested, fresh-picked cherries, apricots, and other fruits and vegetables not grown in our Southern areas. Bought "goodies" in Kinnewick and from there toThe Dalles, OR it was hot and dry. Ran parallel with the Columbia River in the scenic Columbia River Gorge area. Beautiful blue water with locks and dams of frothy white cascading falls. Rounding one of the last curves we were rewarded with the awesome sight of Mt. Hood crowned in snowy white.

Pulled into a Comfort Inn and the pit crew began work on Bob's bike - rear wheel problems once again. Bike finally repaired; everyone hot and tired and hungry. A McDonald's nite for all.

We reach the Oregon Coast tomorrow and hope for some cooler temps. Long day for everyone....

Wednesday, July 11 (393 miles - 4100 total)

Left The Dalles at 7 a.m. Ran beside the beautiful Columbia River for miles. Enjoying the early morning cool in anticipation of the afternoon heat. Today, however, proved to be the exception. Continued to get colder as the day went on. Came through Portland and no one of us ever wants to repeat that ride! Denver is challenging and fast - Portland is horrendously congested and slow!! Amazingly we wound up on the right road going in the right direction. Given our trip so far though, maybe not so amazing. Just divine guidance! We could smell the Pacific Ocean before we ever turned onto Oregon Coast Hwy. 101. Awesome sight! Stark, powerful, forbidding and absolutely magnificent!! We finally pulled over to take pictures and found artists perched on the rocks like pastel colored birds. Each with their folding chairs, easels, and canvases. There was a hush among them - a respectful silence as each painted. All painting the same scene but none would be alike. As each artist was unique so their pictures would be. A reminder for us that God created each of us as individuals with special qualities that belong only to us - no two will ever be alike.

Made it to Gold Beach, OR at 4:30 p.m. Rode through clouds and strong gusting winds. Settled in Motel 6 just before the rain began. As others before us we have come as far West as can be traveled on land. Our reward is the privilege of seeing an awesome vista of rock cliffs, sand beaches with shorebirds wading and feeding, and crashing, frothy white surf continually claiming their territory.

Very humbling and uplifting experience.

Thursday, July 12 (419 miles)

Left Gold Beach, OR at 7 a.m. Ate breakfast looking out at the Pacific Ocean. Continued down Hwy. 101 on the Rocky Oregon coast. Beautiful views. Tall rocky spires standing tall like sentinels guarding their coves. Rocks jutting out of the sea like fins of some huge unseen sea monster. Entered California and turned east on Hwy. 299 heading for the Redwoods National Forest. Amazing huge trees that dwarfed us by their size. It was as if a magic wand had been waved and we were suddenly miniature beings in a giant land. Surreal experience and very humbling.

Stopped at a Harley shop in Redding, CA for more "goodies". Headed to Susanville through Ponderosa pines and Redwoods on beautiful winding roads. Longest day on the road so far - 12 ½ hours.

Dinner at Hispanic restaurant with gracious hosts and crashed for the night.

Friday, July 13 (324 miles)

Left Susanville at 8 a.m. after a good breakfast. California Hwy. 395 parallels mountain peaks and beautiful lakes. Hot and dry land - evidences of several forest fires. Took scenic route to Lake Tahoe - pictures won't do the gorgeous scenery justice.

Best part of the day was losing Chuck (please wait for the next part) at Tahoe, then finding him again.

Checked into the Vagabond Lodge in Bishop, CA at 3:30 p.m. Uneventful day all in all. At least for recording purposes.

Tomorrow - Sequoias!!

Saturday, July 14 (378 miles)

Left Bishop at 7 a.m. still traveling CA Hwy. 395. Heading for the Sequoia National Forest. Our ride paralled the Sierra's with towering granite peaks tinged in shadowly blues and deep purples. On each side of the road lay the sagebrushed desert at 4000 ft. elevation. Intermittent smell of smoke in the air as we passed burned-out brush fires.

After traveling a narrow, steep winding road we entered the Sequoia National Forest and parked at the Trail of 100 Giants. Walking this trail was breathtaking. These magnificent trees towered over the forest and looked down on us puny humans. We posed around, in front of, and even inside of them and must have looked like small creatures scurrying for nesting spots under these gargantuan giants. God's creations are truly wonderful sights to see.

Checked into the Mt. Whitney Motel in Lone Pine, CA at 5:15 p.m.

Carl's Jr. burger suppers all around and early bed.

Heading for Death Valley at 6 a.m.

Sunday, July 15 (252 miles - 16 days on the road)

Departed Lone Pine, CA at 5:50 a.m. headed for Death Valley. Sun not quite over the mountains. The forbidding granite peaks turn to pink beauties in the early morning light. Riding across the sagebrushed desert interspersed with Joshua trees is an opportune time for prayer and random thoughts. Maybe God looks favorably down on motorcycles and understands the passion for riding because he has certainly blessed every mile of our trip. The more I thought of this I decided that maybe the blessings have been for the "messengers" on the bikes. I believe we have all tried to be good ones. We have met so many friendly and helpful people and the phrase "pass it on" is very fitting. Martin Luther King said, I believe, "I have seen the beauty of this land" and so have we. We have seen it, felt it, and smelled it! What an exhilarating experience!

Heading for Death Valley we rode 1 ½ hours on moto-cross-like roads with "dips" which were much like the races seen on television. No wonder the kids are so passionate about the sport. It was great riding! We arrived at Stovepipe Wells - elevation at sea level - at 7:30 a.m. and began the ride across Death Valley. We had prepared ourselves for the most intense heat of the trip. The clear skies suddenly clouded up and we could see rain on one side of the mountains and sun on the other with our road running between. We completed the run through Death Valley under clouds and sprinkles of rain. Just lucky? We think not.

Arrived at the Las Vegas Harley shop at 12 noon for "goodies" and checked into Motel 6 for the night - a block from the "strip". The lights on the strip are incredible. Beautiful fountains dancing to wonderful music at The Bellagio Casino. Amazing place! Had buffet dinner at Caesar's Palace. Tried our luck at the slots in a very frugal manner and as far as the writer knows no one managed to pay for his trip.

Up and out tomorrow at 6 a.m. to beat the traffic and head for Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.

Monday, July 16 (347 miles - 5800 total)

Departed Vegas at 6 a.m. Rode to Hoover Dam - under construction - no longer allows visitors to visit the site (for national security reasons). Took pictures of the surroundings. Lake Mead's water level, like all the other lakes and rivers we have seen on this trip, very low.

Crossed into Arizona immediately upon leaving the Dam site and started across the Arizona desert. Very dry, desolate area for miles. Began climbing in altitude and the high desert began to change. The green of round cedar bushes on the desert bed gave way to Ponderosa pines, taller cedars and other trees. Temps became much cooler at 5000 ft. elevation. We arrived at the Grand Canyon Village at 12:50 p.m. in Tusayan, AZ - 6540 ft. elevation. Arrived at Bright Angel Lodge, South Rim and walked to the observation area. Seeing the Canyon for the first time is really indescribable. It is so vast and breathtaking. One visitor turned and said, "It's like looking at an ancient city" and that probably is as good a description as any. Our time there was far too short and our camera shots will be far too inadequate, but the scene will be in our memories forever.

We left just as clouds were gathering and rain threatening. We rode through rain for several miles and then the clouds moved on. We continued toward Cameron, AZ where we had reservations. As we descended toward lower elevations the wind suddenly increased in the winding canyon roads and we were buffeted with gale-like, gusting assaults which blew our bikes at will. It continued for miles as we tried to keep our bikes upright and safe from on-coming traffic. As we topped a hill and were within 3-4 miles from Cameron we saw an unbelievable sight. A dust storm was just ahead of us and it was huge! We turned into an area where Indian vendors were hastily loading their wares into vans and trucks in an effort to leave the on-coming storm. We took shelter in their stalls until the storm subsided. As we prepared to leave, Bob's bike, which was heavily packed, took a gust of strong wind and went down. Luckily there were no injuries; he was repacked and we finally reached our destination.

The Cameron Trading Post is an oasis in the middle of a desert. A most unique place with stores, restaurants, and rooms nestled in the rocks. A place K & I will definitely want to visit again. Even discussed attempting a short hike down into the Grand Canyon. Am sure it would be a much longer hike coming back up. Hopefully we will be able to write it about it next year.

A full day and a definite "memory maker".

Tuesday, July 17 (390 miles - 6190 total)

Departed Cameron at 7 a.m. after breakfast. Rode to Flagstaff, AZ motorcycle shop for back tires on K's and Gary's bikes. Again we just seemed to be guided to our destination. The people at the shop were friendly and helpful and we had two new tires in 1 ½ hours. That in itself was amazing!

Still traveling through AZ desert. Crossed into New Mexico and entered the Mountain time zone at Gallup. Coming out of Gallup the scenery changed again. The road wound through rocky fortresses of pink decorated with green cedar shrubs. Flat-topped mesas, concave semi-circles in the sides of the rocks forming natural amphitheaters, and tall spires resembling ancient castles and pyramids. Rounding one curve there was an impressive line of formations reminding one of an armada of ships with their bows pointing into the wind. Such imagery!!

Stopped at Comfort Inn in Albuquerque for the night. The pit crew tightened Bob's back spokes for the final run home.

Long day for all. Dinner at Denny's and early bed.

Destination tomorrow Amarillo and the Big Texan!!

Wednesday, July 18 (302 miles - 6400 total)

Departed Albuquerque at 7 a.m. Bobby Earl's Heritage and Billie Merle's Nelly Belle are officially on the "injured list" but still in the game. Bob's back wheel requires "tuning" every 3 days and Nelly Belle's starter quit. As K says, "No problem - we have six 2-legged starters to push her off." And so they did at every stop today - really quite a sight!

Traveling I-40 toward Amarillo in the early morning cool of the desert was a great way to start the day. The desert is a land of ever-changing scenes with a beauty and an allure all its own. We exchanged waves with a hang-glider soaring over I-40. Another adventurer and kindred soul. Fifty miles from Santa Rosa, NM the terrain changed from dry desert to green grass and hazy, rolling hills. Crossed into Texas 30-40 miles from Amarillo where the trees are permanently bowed to the persistent onslaught of the blowing West wind. For several miles we saw wind turbines on the plains looking like gymnasts executing their somersaults in beautifully fluid motions. Arrived Big Texas Motel at 3 p.m.

Had a great dinner. The writer was serenaded with a "Happy Birthday" by the Big Texas Trio - bass, fiddle and guitar. Also played "Walk Across Texas" for my Mom, and Bob requested a "fiddle" tune which they did and. as Wayne says, "Jam-up!!.

Good ending to a very good day....

Thursday, July 19 (465 miles - 6940 total)

Left Amarillo at 6 a.m. before sunrise. Riding with white lines, tail-lights, and on a "squiggle" road, to make matters worse. But, we made it and welcomed the sun's warmth as it arose. Texas is uncharacteristically green from the Panhandle to the Eastern side due to the abundant rains. Riding down the highways there is still evidence of the Black Gold era in Texas when oil was King. The rod pumps scattered throughout the state resemble praying mantis' bowing to the Oil Gods.

Good ride with clouds beginning to form. Our goal was Tyler and we arrived at a Best Western as stormy clouds threatened. Pulled under the motel canopy as the bottom dropped out. We got our rooms and were warmly welcomed by a fellow biker-lady and manager. Gave us her parking spot under the canopy and rags to clean our bikes. How much better can it get??

Dinner at Juanita's restaurant where everyone ate very well to put it mildly. To bed and up and out at 6 a.m. Homeward bound!!

I've run out of adjectives to describe the last 20 days!!!

A get-together is planned for Friday, August 17 at our home.

Truly an unforgettable trip - one that we will treasure the rest of our lives.