West 16 Day 13

Ottawa, Kansas to Home:  647.8 miles

September is usually a month when the Midwest begins to feel like fall, but we woke up to a hot and exceedingly humid morning.  It felt more like late July than early September.  A quick check of the bike and some hotel instant oatmeal, and we were on the road.

The interstate is probably the least engaging way to get anywhere - actually an airplane is the least.  But we were ready to be home.  We were not ready for the adventure to be over, but it was hot and humid, there were some fairly energetic storms headed through the Midwest, we missed the dogs, etc.
And so we prepared ourselves for a day of the superslab.
If the weather had been more temperate, and/or the forecast better, we may have diverted down to the Ozarks for the trip home.  There will be other opportunities for that.

Getting through Kansas City during the beginning of rush hour was not too fun, nor was it too terrible.  We were soon in Missouri.  Even on the interstate the sunrise can be pretty.

The miles went by pretty fast in the morning.  Although it was muggy, the temperatures were nice.  We motored on and soon enough crossed the Mississippi river - some time I'll have to try to figure out how many times I've crossed it on two wheels.

As the day wore on, the bike racked up more miles and it got very warm and sticky.  In the western dryness, it is possible to soak the t-shirt and have evaporation cool very effectively, but when humidity is already very high, this doesn't help at all.  Clouds did start to form which helped temper the weather a bit.

I never hit "the wall" where it felt like we weren't getting anywhere, but it was a long slog of a day.  A few mind games did help though.  On the first day west, I hit 50,000 miles on the bike.  It was fitting that on the last day on the road I hit all 5's 55,555 miles.

Once through Indianapolis, it felt like we were almost on our home turf.  The final hour on 2-lanes to home was a nice change from a long day on the interstate - and fitting end to the road trip adventure.

Totals for the trip:
19 States
5897.1 Miles
1 Rear Tire
1 Oil Change
Uncountable elevation changes

I rolled into the driveway to a ferociously  long lawn.  With a bit of luck, I'll get that taken care of soon.  We had nearly two weeks without any rain, which is not only lucky, but also results in a disgustingly grubby Goldwing.  With a bit of luck, I'll get that taken care of too.

It was good to be home even if we did get back too late to get the dogs.  I've read in various magazines about people talking about the motorcycle tour of a lifetime.  I've been very fortunate to have many motorcycle tours of a lifetime and this one is no exception.
Even better, this trip has given me yet even more ideas for future adventures.

West 16 Day 12

Alamosa, Colorado to Ottawa, Kansas:  646.7 miles

Morning woke up cool and almost sticky with humidity, but it didn't actually feel humid.
We waited to leave until I could have some hotel Waffles!  They just about made my morning.  Then we were on the road around 7:00.

As we headed east, there were very few other cars on the road and most of them were headed west toward town.  Some fog could be seen which was a change from the last few days in the desert.
As we started down the road, the mountains loomed above.  In the deep morning shadows, they almost looked imposing.

We curved around some of the mountains and started our way up.  It was a gorgeous morning and I was glad we waited to do the last mountain run until early in the morning.  It would have been a mistake to go farther the previous evening.

La Veta Pass was pretty mild compared to many of the other passes we've taken on this adventure.  I kept a close eye out for deer and elk though since the cool morning would have been the perfect time for them to be out.  Thankfully, I saw none.  We saw few, if any, cars while traversing the pass.

Making our way past Walsenburg, I was reminded of our first trip out West in 2004.  We rode CO10 from La Junta to Walsenburg as we entered the Rocky Mountains for the first time on a motorcycle - then a 2004 Electraglide.  I was mesmerized by the looming mountains in the distance as they grew ever larger.  On this trip, I watched them fade into the distance in my rear view mirrors on the same road.
Much has changed in the last 12 years of roaming the country on two-wheels.  But much has not changed.  I ruminated on this for much of the morning.  The scenery change through La Junta is shocking.  Safe to say, we knew we were in the plains.

We continued east.  Elevation dropped.  Temperatures rose.  The scenery was still pretty in its own way, just not quite as majestic as the mountains.  We saw many pronghorn antelope as we rode - many of them hanging out with the cows.
It was hard to stop the mind from wander back to home:  how long the lawn probably is, how the dogs are.

By the time we crossed the state line into Kansas, it was getting hot.  Humidity was just starting to build, but it wasn't oppressive ... yet.
We continued into Kansas and I noticed the turn off for Holcomb.  Holcomb is where the Clutter's lived, and were they were brutally murdered.  The murders were written about by Truman Capote in In Cold Blood.  I have read another more factual book on the murders and I think the house still stands.  Unlike Lizzie Borden's House, which is now a museum and Bed and Breakfast, the Clutter house, if it still exists, is a private residence and as I understand, the area does not like the notoriety that came from Truman Capote's book.  As an aside, there is evidence the Harper Lee wrote as much of In Cold Blood as Truman Capote did - which may explain why it is so much better than Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Shortly after Holcomb, I think the GPS had a brain meltdown as it routed us way down to Dodge City.  I chose my own route going in a more northerly direction.  I think this was the better option.

We continued riding east throughout the afternoon.  The heat and humidity grew to oppressive levels.  The wind picked up to an unruly horror.  The effect of the wind was that it felt at times like someone was trying to tear my head off, or beat me over the head with a sack of potatoes.  At least the wind was from the south, had it been from the north, then every truck going by would have smacked us with a huge wind wall.
Between the heat, humidity and wind, the last few hours were not the most fun of this adventure.  But we soldiered on, never even finding a good place for lunch.  Snacks at the gas station it was...

Eventually we made it to Ottawa, Kansas for the night.  Our reservation was accidentally made for one person.  The hotel guy started to get into a big explanation of one vs. two guests.  We were both tired and just wanted a room.

Dinner options were limited as neither of us wanted to get back on the bike to go eat.  Papa John's pizza from the gas station next door tasted much better than it should have.

West 16 Day 11

Saint George, Utah to Alamosa, Colorado:  587.9 miles

We packed up the bike at first light.  Having a day off of the bike and time to spend with D and the boys was great.  But it was time to hit the road again.

Morning was absolutely perfect riding weather.  Dry desert air.  Cool temperatures.  Bright clear skies.  It doesn't get any better.

We stayed on 2-lane roads the whole day.  I thought about heading up to the Interstate, but that would have been a mistake.  We were headed east, toward home.  This brought a sense of melancholy throughout the day.  Vacation was winding down.
And yet, one of the great thing about motorcycle adventures is the travel is a great part of it!  It was a splendid day on the bike.

Scenery throughout the early morning was grand.  Red rocks, mesas, scrubby brush land.  The ride was mesmerizing.

Skies stayed crystal clear as the terrain turned more to canyons and large rock formations.  We've been through this area before, but it never gets old.  We were on a slightly different route from our 2009 and 2014 Southwest adventure and this allowed us to see new scenery.

As we approached New Mexico, I saw a rock formation that I thought was Ship Rock, and we got a few pictures of it.  As we continued on, I remembered Ship Rock is inside New Mexico, so I'm not sure what the formation was, but it looked a lot like Ship Rock.

We did cross briefly into New Mexico, going past the Four Corners.  Those poor bastards we saw turning into Four Corners...  I yelled out that it was a trick as we went past.

Crossing into Colorado, the scenery changed from mostly rock formations to more mountainous and wooded.  It was still beautiful, but totally different than the morning.  The skies stayed bright and clear with a tolerable level of heating throughout the afternoon.

We had a great lunch and Jack and Janelle's Country Kitchen in Cortez, Colorado.  The service was scary fast and the food was great.
Back on the road, SO tried to make hotel reservations on her phone, but it was an exercise in frustration between the areas without service and difficulties with the account.  It all worked out in the end.

We crossed the first ridge of the Rockies at Wolf Creek Pass, crossing just below 11,000 feet.  Dirty snow was still seen not too far from the road.  I spiritedly drove through the area to make sure I would not get behind this jack-wad ass-brain who was pulling a camper with the effluent valve cracked open.  Spraying his shit water all over those behind him should come with the punishment of having raw sewage sprayed all over his living room for a week.  Yet another reason to despise motorhomes - guilt by association!
Despite the exceedingly rude camper behavior, the pass was a gorgeous ride.  It was nice to leave a lot of the traffic behind.

Once we descended from the pass, we stopped in Alamosa, Colorado.  One of the reasons we wanted to stop in Alamosa was to see if we could actually see the Milky Way.  Great Sand Dunes National Park is only about 30 minutes away and is a great area to stargaze with little light pollution and high elevation.  Alas, there was rain to the east with clouds skirting the area.  Maybe things will clear up by early morning.  Maybe.

Dinner was at True Grit Steak House.  It is a pretty neat Western TV/Movie themed restaurant and the food was quite good - probably one of the better dinners we've had on the road this trip.

West 16 Day 10

In Saint George, Utah:  0 miles (on the bike)

After lollygagging around in the morning, the whole group of us left to go to Red Reef BLM Land.  It was going to get hot again, so we wanted to spend time there early, before it got too hot.
The area is just north of Saint George and has lots to see both near and far from parking areas.  We chose a few hikes that weren't too strenuous, but allowed some neat things to see.

First on the list were petrified dinosaur tracks.  This was a bit anticlimactic, but was less so when we considered they were made by beasts that had gone extinct long, long ago.  Apparently, I have dinosaur sized feet (Yes, I was careful not to actually step on the or near the actual track).

From there, we hiked toward a set of cliffs which seemed to hold an interesting looking canyon.  As is often the case, it was farther away than it first appeared.  Still, it was a nice walk as the morning was still quite comfortable.

A few of us climbed up a ways where the views were absolutely stunning.

We also hiked over to the Anasazi archaeological site.  It was interesting to see, especially with the historical significance.
From there we went to the actual Red Reef Trail.  This was a really neat canyon that became a slot canyon farther in.  This was a ton of fun to hike back into, on, over, around...
The hike in brought us past an old gnarled tree.  As I hiked past the tree, I wondered about what history this tree was witness to.

The hike brought us to several small pools that in wetter periods are likely part of raging streams.  There was a surprising amount of life living in the fetid waters, including hoards of small frogs.

The canyon itself winds itself is not too difficult to get back into, but it did take effort and some climbing.  The effort was worth it.  Again, the view from the top was dramatic.

And the view from inside got increasingly narrow.  I stopped when I reached a point where I had to think about whether it would be difficult to get back out.  This was prudent.  Besides, I was hungry.

After a nice lunch in a shady area, we left the Red Reef Area and went to another park.  Pioneer Park is a local park and much smaller.  Despite the small size, it was still fun to see.  Here, the slot canyon is very short.  But it was exceeding narrow.  I decided not to go through it when I reach a point that both my front and back touched the walls.  I didn't want to be the guy on the news that they show oiled up with olive oil, getting pulled out naked by firefighters.

Looking up from the narrow part of the canyon was a bit disconcerting.

I climbed around in the upper elevations of the park.  There were several small arches.  From one high vantage point, I could see most of Saint George with the gorgeous Southwest mountains in the background.

It was starting to get really hot and we were ready to be done hiking.  My cheap imitation Chuck Taylor's were not really hiking boots and my legs were starting to hurt.
We went back to the condo for a raging game of shuffleboard.  SO and I lost.

Dinner that night was at Pancho & Lefty's.  I was surprised how few restaurants were open on Sunday.  Someone could make a killing in Saint George by having a restaurant open on Sunday...
Food was good, but it was slow since they were swamped.

Back at the condo we played an exceedingly confusing game of Munchkins Pathfinder.  I'm not sure the rules were not being made up on the fly.  I think SO won, but we were all ready to be done for the night and turn in - at least the adults were.

West 16 Day 9

Eureka, Nevada to Saint George, Utah:  308.2 miles

The hotel gave vouchers for coffee at the gas station next door.  So after an early cup of gratis joe, we packed up the bike and headed out.  We left early since it was forecast to get hot as we went south - it got hot despite the early leaving.

We've had many sunrises push us down the road so far this trip, but this was the first day when we rode into the sun.  The bright sun made it hard to see the road, and when three deer ran out in front of the bike, it was cause to be vigilant.

The morning was cool and as with previous mornings, the upper elevations were warmed quickly, while the cold air pooled into the valleys.
Most of the road was quite straight, but there were another set of mild switchbacks near Ely, Nevada.

We turned off of US50 - The Loneliest Road - and onto US93 - which was still quite lonely.  Traffic did start to pick up as we got South, as it was Labor Day Weekend.  There were hoards of off road vehicles being dragged all over Utah and Nevada.

We crossed into Utah, and made our way to Saint George.  The geological formations outside of Saint George were very pretty.
Because we got to Saint George earlier than anticipated, I looked up a Honda dealer to get the Goldwing an oil change.  It wasn't panic time, but getting the oil changed gives me one less thing to worry about for the rest of the trip.
The dealership ended up not being a Honda dealership, but they were a sister dealer to one.  I found this slightly disconcerting which was stupid.  I was just glad they could get us in and the oil changed quickly.

Once the lubricants were refreshed, we headed to D's condo.  It was easy to find, and nobody had claimed the garage so I was able to park the Goldwing in it.  This was also nice since I was planning on taking a day off of the bike.

The condo was in a really nice area and the view from the condo was also pretty.  Yet another place I could get used to.

We visited for a while, before taking a walk/hike into a nearby gulch.  It was fun, but it was hot.  It was hot, hot.  I wished I had more sunscreen and my vacation hat.

Dinner was at Costa Vida - which was surprisingly like Cafe Rio from a few days previous.  It was good, but the quesadillas were better than the enchiladas.

We all talked for a while and made plans for the next day before turning in for the night.

West 16 Day 8

Loleta, California to Eureka, Nevada:  597.3 miles

Day 8 was a day of contrasts.  From damp, cool, and tight twisty roads in the morning to hot and dry in the mid day to cool, dry with mostly straight roads in the afternoon.

Day 8 was also a day to pour on the miles, so we were out the door near sunrise, despite the fog and cool weather.
Most of the morning was spent on CA36 - which has been called one of the best motorcycle roads in California.  Early on, CA36 twists and winds its way from the coast.  There were several redwood groves that were nearly nighttime dark with the clouds, fog and trees.  I was a little paranoid about deer, since it seemed likely they were around.  Thankfully, none showed themselves.

At one point as we gained elevation, the clouds/fog could be seen pooling in the valleys around us.  Once inland a few miles, the fog dissipated quickly.

CA36 continues to twist and wind aggressively.  Many of the curves and elevation changes are quite technical.  There are a few straight stretches, but the road is a bit of work on a large loaded touring bike.  Fun work, but still work.  A group of bikes passed us in the opposite direction toward the end of the morning - likely taking advantage of the great road.  Traffic was nonexistent, and the couple commercial vehicles in front of us were quick to move over to let faster vehicles pass.

It was tons of fun running CA36, but it would have been even more fun if it wasn't on a day where making tracks was important.
As CA36 wound down in elevation to Red Bluff, the area quickly turned noticeably drier - everything looked unhealthily dry.  The contrast to the wetter mountains was shocking.  Through the second half of the day, we saw several dry lake beds - a clear sign of the ongoing California drought.

The road also changed after Red Bluff to more sweeping turns - even the switchbacks were much more gentle and most could be taken at speed.
While looking at routes the previous evening, I had noticed and read about Lassen National Park.  It looks like a great park to explore, and crowds are supposedly pretty thin much of the year.  But alas, there was no time to do the park justice on this trip.  We may have to make a trip back at some time in the future to see it.  As it was, riding through the park was almost as nice as the previous 140 miles.

Once outside of the Lassen area, the traffic picked up for a while as we made our way to and through Reno.  Lunch was at Ranch House outside Reno; very good burgers.
I've always wanted to ride US50 - The Loneliest Road - through northern Nevada.  While it was totally different than the morning ride, it was still extremely enjoyable.  At first, it wasn't very lonely as Fallon, Nevada wasn't very much fun to get through.  Once out of Fallon, the road opened up into huge expanses of nothing.  Nope - not true or fair.  The terrain subtly changed throughout the afternoon and it was beautifully scenic in its own way.  It was also much easier to rack up the miles.

Burning Man is occurring only about a hundred miles away in the Nevada desert.  This could be a great contrast to the previous day's encounter with Bohemian Grove.  Both rural Western Events now turned ultra exclusive by wealthy people whose political persuasions are probably diametrically opposed.  There is a lesson there...

There was even one set of curves near Austin, Nevada that pushed us up to the highest elevation for the day.  I was surprised the tight twisties on CA36 didn't actually bring us up higher than the average elevation in the Nevada desert.

After Austin, The Loneliest Road earned its moniker.  The few other vehicles seemed to dry up and there was a continued lack of evidence of civilization, other than the road.  The sky was partly cloudy with temperatures near 75 and very dry air.  It was wonderful.

We ended the day in Eureka, Nevada.  We were surprisingly not exhausted, but still ready to be done for the day.  Dinner was at a bar across from the hotel; probably one of the better dinners of the trip so far.

West 16 Day 7

Chemult, Oregon to Loleta, California:  403.1 miles

We knew it was going to be cold, but the combination of temperatures in the mid 30's with the fog was brutal.
We headed out near daylight, going south; the fog was intermittent, yet sticky.  The roads still had a level of truck traffic that surprised me, but the trucks stayed on US97 while we turned off toward Crater Lake.  Elevation rose from around 4500 feet to above 7500 at some points in the park.  The cool damp air pooled into the valleys.

We got to Crater Lake National Park before anyone was at the gate.  A sign said to pay on the way out.  We made our way into the park.  In some places, the fog created a surreal scene that was almost too hard to comprehend.

We got to Crater Rim Drive with the intention of taking the west loop.  A construction worker was flagging traffic and said there was several miles of gravel and some dirt as well.  He also commented that motorcycles were having a tough time of it the previous day.  I'm sure I could have handled it (how bad can it be after the Alaska Highway near Destruction Bay), but we were not in a hurry, so we took the slightly longer east fork.

Taking the east loop of Crater Rim Drive had the added benefit of the sun at hour backs for views and pictures of the lake.  The lake itself was stunning.

We stopped a few times to view the lake and take pictures.  This allowed the weather, and us, to warm up to a tolerable level.  As expected, we basically had the road to ourselves so early in the morning.  The road was a fun drive, with parts of the surface being in somewhat tough shape - still better than a gravel construction zone.

One other view on the east fork of Crater Rim Drive was Mount Scott.  Everest it is not, but the effect of the mountain making its own weather, as Everest does, could be seen.  The phenomenon of clouds forming on the upper slope and curling away in the wind was interesting to watch.

I guess the National Parks assumes that morning people don't exist, because even after putzing around in the park for quite a while, the gate was not manned as we left.

We started to work our way farther south and west.  Traffic ebbed and flowed through the morning.  We snacked at a gas station since it would still be breakfast time and lunch was on our minds.  As it was, lunch came much later down in California.

We had been in California in 2009, but only briefly as our schedule didn't allow the planned trip the Salton Sea.  2016 comes with the intent to spend much more time.
As we got into California, we started to drive through the amazing redwood forests.  It was slightly disorienting driving through the immense trees at first.
We turned onto the Newton P Drury Scenic Parkway.  Again, more fantastically large trees.  Roads were a mix of straight and tight curves as the road rose from near sea level to well over 1000 feet.

There were intermittent views of the Pacific Ocean as US101 hugged the coast.  We stopped a couple times, but the views were almost completely shrouded in fog.  This thick coastal fog only stayed right near the water, only  a few hundred yards inland, there wasn't any fog.
Our spirits were high, but since we are loosely following Robert Pirsig's journey from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, I'll quote him as he finally reached the Pacific Ocean.

"Coastal people never really know what the ocean symbolizes to landlocked inland people - what a great distant dream it is, present but unseen in the deepest levels of subconsciousness, and when they arrive at the ocean and the conscious images are compared with the subconscious dream there is a sense of defeat at having come so far to be so stopped by a mystery that can never be fathomed."

We stopped a couple times to look at the trees.  The area was almost jungle-like in some places, with only hints of any paths with rotting spongy earth.  The scale of the trees can be seen in comparison to the Goldwing - a bike large enough to have its own zip code.

Some of the most interesting views were straight up - a view which almost causes vertigo.

We stopped for lunch at the Lighthouse Grill in Trinidad.  Food and prices were both good, even if the refills on soda cost one clam and the place smelled loudly of rosemary.

We continued south, working our way through Eureka, where we had at one time almost thought of staying.  Eureka was lousy with traffic, and we were glad we didn't make reservations there.
We made our way to Bear River Casino, checking in and unloading the bike.
We rode farther south to the Avenue of the Giants.  This area was a little less busy, or maybe it just seemed that way since there were less evil motorhomes and caravans.  We stopped to get up close and personal with a few more redwoods.  The area was more open, less jungle, which made the short hikes we did much easier.  I couldn't help but think that this was what Bohemian Grove looks like.  Or at least what I think it looks like based on pictures I've seen.  However this grove was a bit farther north and not infested with the rich and powerful planning what will happen to us plebeians.
I really thought the root structures of the blow down trees was interesting.  They almost looked like enormous nontypical deer antlers.

After taking more pictures, we basically decided that as impressive as the redwoods were, they were, in fact, just big trees, so we headed back north to Bear River.

Dinner that night was at the Casino, followed by a few minutes of gambling.  I lost my financial input, SO won that back plus some.  We left early and slightly ahead.