Motorcycling - from Bluff, Utah to Capitol Reef N.P.

Panguich, Utah

I made it here to Panguitch late yesterday afternoon after another great day (2 in a row) of motorcycling. Southern Utah has to be one of the prettiest places I've ever been. I'm going to skip over the trip from Show Low to Bluff because again, it was one of those I'd rather forget-- it was basically a slog through a cold day with a ton of wind buffeting the bike almost continuously. We got up early and found that the temperature was only 29 degrees. Ooops, I reckon there's no need to leave right away. We had coffee, looked at Google Maps and the weather north of Show Low trying to come up with a plan and a destination that would avoid the cold weather that continued to plague us. Finally we decided to head to Bluff or maybe even Torrey, near Capitol Reef National Park, if the day proved favorable. With that in mind we set off heading north through Navajo country on Arizona Rte 77.

By the time we got to Bluff it was late afternoon. It had been a hard day on the bike (252 miles in 5 hours in the saddle) but the evening here in Bluff was shaping up nicely with blue skies overhead and a temperature of about 70 degrees. I was all for stopping but Donna was feeling the draw of her home and husband in Sacramento and wanted to press on to Torrey another 2-3 hours away. I told her to go on ahead. I was finished for the day. I wanted nothing more than to get some chow and pack it in. We had talked about splitting up at some point so I could do some camping. And now that we had finally reached our elusive goal of southern Utah, I was really wanting to take my time. It was great traveling with Donna but our pace on the road is slightly different. She likes to rip along at speed whereas I like to dawdle. Part of the reason for that is my inexperience, part is that my bike isn't as well suited as her Bandit for racing along on these big western straightaways. Nothing but kudus go to Donna - she frequently reminds me "always do your own ride. Don't do anything that you are uncomfortable doing. I'll be waiting up ahead." I'm grateful for that and for her vast storehouse of knowledge about biking in the southwest. She made it an exciting and interesting trip through some of the nicest territory on the planet. I owe her many thanks.

Donna refers to me a "returning rider" because once upon a time I had a bike, a 4-cylinder Honda CB750. But I never drove it on roads like these and I didn't fully understand the mechanics of driving a motorcycle back in 1975. It was fast, sure, and I had a good time with it but touring like we're doing is fairly new to me. My travels in Thailand taught me a few basics and reminded me of the joy of being out on the open road on a bike but the reality of my situation is that I need to go slow while gaining mileage, and experience. I had a few close calls in Thailand -- curves in which I went in too hot and had to drift into the opposite lane halfway through. Luckily traffic was always light and our speeds low -- nothing bad happened. But here in this open country I'm cruising at speeds the old Phantom can't even get to let alone maintain.

So it was that the time came to say goodbye to my traveling companion for the past two weeks. Donna made for Torrey and I looked around for a place to camp. I ended up in a little RV campground right in town. I set up my tiny 3 lb backpacking tent, distributed my gear inside it and then walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

It was a fitful night. It got down to 39 degrees and I didn't sleep well. I was chilly despite the fact that I was wearing everything I had with me. I never had trouble sleeping in a tent before -- I guess I've gotten too soft, too used to a big bed with a warm girlfriend beside me. Plus, the dry air irritates my nose and gave me a headache, neither of which helped my sleep situation. Along about dawn I did catch a couple of winks because when I woke it was 8:30 and the air had warmed up some. I walked over to the Comb Ridge Coffeehouse for breakfast. Had a very good quad latte, very unusual in these parts, and a helping of blue corn pancakes. Afterward I packed up and headed off to Capitol Reef National Park. The roads Donna suggested were fabulous and the day a fine one, at last.

Scene along U.S 163 just west of Bluff

Donna had suggested taking a road called the Moki Dugway (Utah Rte 261) even though I had to go out of my way a bit to do it. I went and I'm glad I did. It starts with a switchback gravel road that climbs up onto a plateau. Fortunately, the switchback turns are paved. I would never have driven it were that not the case.

The Moki Dugway

The plateau above was nice road and good riding. And totally without traffic.

Utah Route 261

After Rte 261 I turned onto Arizona Rte 95, perhaps the most scenic highway I've ever driven on. I include in that comparison one my favorite roads from Alaska, the Seward Highway from Anchorage to Seward. Beautiful surely, but different. Here the colors are vivid and varied, the rock exposed and weathered, the vistas practically endless, the sky overhead a brilliant blue.

Along the highway - Utah Rte 95

I don't have a lot of pics of 95 - my jaw was hanging open and I just couldn't decide which scenes could best communicate my sense of wonder at what I was seeing. I'd run up over a rise in the highway and when the view ahead opened up I'd say to myself, wow, wow, this is what it's all about. I took a break at a coffee shop in Hanksville and then turned west onto Utah Rte 24 and Capitol Reef N.P. The wind on 95 had been very moderate, almost not noticeable, but now a strong headwind battered me once again. But the roadside scenes were sublime and the sun full out making the colors jump out at me. I just slowed down to 45-50 mph and took it easy. Before long I found I was entering the park. The road runs along the Fremont River. I stopped to take a couple of photos.

Fremont River - Capitol Reef National Park

Fremont River - Capitol Reef National Park

I arrived at the campground soon afterward and asked what the prediction was for the night's low. The campground host said they were calling for about 40 degrees. I decided to stay but this time I'd go ahead and use the rain fly. Not for rain, because it seldom rains here, but to add a few degrees of warmth. Last night I foolishly left it off thinking I'd be warm enough. Wrong! I drove into nearby Torrey for supper, bought a Caesar chicken wrap and a couple of beers. I took this photo on the way there. You can see the highway to the right side of the photo.

Utah Rte 24 - Capitol Reef N.P.

After supper, and after writing in my journal, chatting with my neighbors, and finishing my setup work for the night I hit the sack. As it turned out, it never got below about 50 degrees that night. How do I know? I was awake most of the night even though I was plenty warm. Go figure.

My tent in Capitol Reef N.P. just before sundown

The ride to Panguitch along Utah Rte 12 was, once again, utterly spectacular. The day started out chilly but it soon warmed up and the biking was excellent. I'm out of time this morning so I can't write about it now but I'll try to get to it tonight. I'm headed to Ely, Nevada today where I'll again spend the night in a motel. This trip is coming to an end. Next day I'll bolt through Nevada to Winnemucca and then turn north into eastern Oregon. In a few days I'll be back in Eugene

A bad day for motorcycling

Show Low, Arizona

We left Truth or Consequences early yesterday morning after spending three fun days with Dave and Annie. Alas, all good things must come to an end so we somewhat reluctantly packed up, dressed for the chilly morning air and took off heading north to Gallup, NM, by way of U.S. Rte 60 from Socorro, through Magdalena, to Quemado and NM Rte 36 to Gallup. Our goal was to get within attack distance of those parks we had missed by going south to Tucson in last week's big cold snap. But almost as soon as we got up to highway speed Donna signaled me to pull over -- she was wanting another layer to help fight off the morning chill.

We wanted to stay off I-25 and ride Arizona Rte 181 to Socorro but after only a few miles 181 dead-ended and we were forced onto the super slab once again. The 70 mile ride on I-25 to the junction of US 60 was totally miserable. Strong cross winds, cold and gusty, assaulted us the whole way. The sun was out but didn't provide much in the way of heat. As we raced along at 75 mph virtually alone on the big highway I was watching the miles click off ever so slowly, slowly on my GPS when my thoughts turned to motorcycling in Thailand. In Thailand the weather is never a factor. You don't have to carry cold weather gear or even rain gear for much of the "winter" over there. Pretty easy. Today I'm carrying enough clothing for at least three separate climates: rainy Oregon, sun-baked Tucson, and these frigid Rocky Mountains. And it's May 1st! Why the hell isn't spring already here?

Finally we got free of I-25 and began our trek west on US 60, a nice, scenic highway even though a bit too straight for fun biking. We stopped in Magdalena for coffee and to add extra warm clothes to the mix. We ate breakfast at the Bear Mountain Coffee Shop in Magdalena -- wonderful homey atmosphere and honest-to-god homemade pies and biscuits.  Before mounting up I put on my heavy gauntlet gloves, wind pants and an extra polypro shirt while Donna put on her heated gloves and jacket.

We filled up at the local Conoco station and began a discussion of just where we were heading because rather than warming up, the day was still decidedly cool, er, cold. Magdalena, and the rest of our intended route for that matter, is at about 6000 feet above sea level; the temperature was only about 50 degrees at  11 o'clock. Then too, we noticed what looked like storm clouds building in the north. Were we really going to turn north to Gallup when we were both feeling chilly already? Nope. We decided to bail. Donna was familiar with Show Low from many previous trips through here so we decided to head that-a-way and wait for the cold to moderate; we continued driving west on 60 until we got to Show Low at about 4 pm. We hit the room and immediately cranked the heater up to 75. But once again we had been forced to ditch our plans. Once again the weather had screwed us royally.

US 60 near Show Low Arizona on a cold May Day afternoon

Today dawned clear and cold. Very cold. It was a bracing 29 degrees at 6 am this morning. To make matters worse, my grip heaters are not working. Quick checks of fuses and connections turned up nothing. Oh well, I'll just have to mark it up as an interesting experience, this springtime motorcycling in the Rocky Mountains. Yep, sure.

The forecasts for later today and tomorrow are promising much warmer weather. St. George, Torrey, and Bluff, all in southern Utah, should have temps in the high 70s or low 80s by tomorrow. All we have to do is get through this chilly morning before suiting up and heading north. I'm starting to believe that old adage: the third time's the charm. It took three tries to get out of Eugene and if we're lucky, this third attempt to get into Utah will be the one that works.

Motorcycling: Eugene to New Mexico

New Mexico highway near T or C

Truth or Consequences, NM

I've had trouble motivating myself to blog lately. We've been riding hard and I have had little time to write. So this is a catch up entry. I've traveled many miles, about 2700 of them, since leaving Eugene. I visited Kay and Bruce, old Homer tennis friends, in Redding California and then traveled to Sacramento to meet with Donna for the major part of the tour. The ride to Kay's was tricky because of the horrible weather in Eugene and eastern Oregon. I waited several days for the Oregon weather to clear after my ride to Cottage Grove. I actually tried to leave Eugene one day and didn't get 5 miles before the rain came pelting down. The day's forecast had mentioned only occasional showers and a tenth of an inch of rain so I pulled off the highway, parked at a service station that had a roofed pump area and began what I hoped would be a short wait for the rain to quit. After four hours I gave up and returned to Tuli's.

I got up early the next morning and stuck my head outside for a look at the weather. Overhead, rather than the dark gray I'd become accustomed to, the Oregon sky was only partly cloudy. I quickly packed, made my hurried goodbyes to Harper and family and then flew out the door before the weather could turn ugly again. At last I was on my way south.

Dressed for the weather, I'm anxious to get going!

I wanted to stay away from I-5 so I chose to go over the 5200 foot Willamette Pass on Oregon Rte 58 to join US 97 just north of Klamath Falls. From there I'd head down 97 to Weed, California and do the last 80 or so miles to Redding on the Interstate. My idea in climbing over the pass was to get out of the nasty coastal weather that was afflicting Eugene and into what I hoped would be warmer, sunnier weather on the other side. I was in good spirits as I approached the foot of the pass about an hour out of Eugene. There I saw a sign that warned "Be alert for ice on the highway!"

Great, I thought. I've escaped the god damned rain only to be turned back by icy roads. Do I now go back to I-5 and waste two valuable hours of daylight, or should I chance going on and hitting ice? I decided to push on rationalizing my decision by telling myself I will go slowly, slowly and at the very first suggestion of ice on the road, I will immediately turn back. The road began its slow climb out up into the forest up into higher country. I proceeded cautiously, gingerly. I carry a small thermometer and with it I checked the temperature -- 42 degrees. No problem, yet. I made several more stops to check the temperature, and the pavement, and despite a brief period of light showers I never saw real rain or any sign of ice except for snow berms left from the winter's plowing. But I was nervous as a cat watching birds at a feeder all the way to the top.

Oregon 58 to Willamette Pass

Sure enough, the weather improved after I crested the pass. It stayed cool but at least it was dry. Those heated grips came in handy too as I was pushing 70 mph over the smooth sunny roads on my way to Klamath Falls. And that's where I hit the first rain -- light at first but after a dozen or so miles, heavy and constant. My First Gear jacket, rain pants and waterproof Joe Rocket boots kept me surprisingly dry as I hurried along in pouring rain to cover the remaining distance to Redding.

I spent two nights in Redding at Bruce and Kay's. Bruce retired from his job on the north slope several years ago and they left Homer a couple of years after that. They sold their big home on the bluff above town and had a beautiful place built down here. We had a good time gossiping about Homer and Homeroids. Their newest possession is a 2008 Corvette. Sheesh! What a car! I told Bruce I had always wanted to own a Corvette. He replied, "Me too. So I went out and bought one!" Kay and I even got out to get in a bit of tennis. I won't bore you with the results of the two sets we played because, well, just because.

After a truly wonderful visit I left Redding on a bright sunny morning. Again, I avoided the most direct route to Sacramento on I-5 by driving east toward Lassen Park. I had intended to tour the park but about half way there a sign informed me that the park was closed. Spring comes late to the high country - the roads were still blocked by snow. I detoured south from Shingletown and hit some nice roads. California Routes 36, 89, and especially Rte 70 along the Feather River, offered lovely views, nice curves, and smooth sailing.

Along the Feather River on CA Rte 70

I arrived safely at Donna's in Sacramento after a very enjoyable ride. Rides like the one I had along the Feather River are the reason I bought the bike and the reason I'm traveling this way. The distance traveled via my route between Eugene and Redding was approximately 329 miles, the ride to Sacramento 316 miles. The VStrom with its high profile and upright seating provided a very comfortable ride on these two trips, by far the longest I'd made on a motorcycle up to then.

Donna was having some sort of problem with her bike that delayed our departure for a couple of days. The problem turned out to be a minor one, very minor, ahem. (You can read about it in Donna's blog.) But finally we did make our break. Perhaps the best way to get from her place to where we were heading would have been to go through Yosemite Park, a park I've never visited and one that's on my list of places I want to visit someday, but like Lassen it was still closed to through traffic. We went the long way around and after a strenuous day that covered 450 miles (breaking my distance record again), on some truly gorgeous California roads, US Rte 395 and California Routes 120,  168 and 266, we arrived pretty beat up in Beatty, Nevada. We hit cold weather and even a few snow flakes near Mono Lake. Donna wore her heated vest and gloves to fight the chill.

Views above (and below) from Rte 395 near Mono Lake

It was warm in Beatty. Unfortunately, all of our intended destinations in southern Utah, St George, Torrey, Cedar Breaks, Arches NP, were having terrible weather -- cold, very cold temperatures and even some snow in their short-term forecasts. We decided to change our route and head south to Tucson where we could wait out the chilly weather. That meant a longish ride (325 miles) to Needles, California next day. Beatty is near Death Valley and since I had never been there, we first took a short detour through the park on CA 178.

Two Sukukis touring Death Valley

Gas prices in the Valley were atrocious -- the highest I'd ever seen in the states. Since I posted this photo on Facebook I've heard from friends living overseas and they tell me, no worries. Petrol costs more there than in Death Valley. Perhaps if gas cost this much in the rest of the U.S. people like me wouldn't waste as much fuel as we do. But Americans can justify almost anything, don't ya know?

The riding in the Valley was sublime. We had made an early start and the temperature was quite fine for riding when we went through even though the sun bore down pretty hard. Massive vistas, stark and colorful, were the order of the day.

Next day was a hard slog. We went from Needles to Tucson on a hot and very windy day, much of it on Interstate 10. We later learned that the wind was gusting to 45 mph on the super slab. This is no fun on a motorcycle especially if you throw into the mix of high speed traffic countless big semis buffeting your bike with powerful, turbulent wakes both fore and aft. My bike is high and I'm tall so my wind profile is especially troublesome in such conditions. I hate riding the Interstates, especially because even when maintaining the 75 mph speed limit my 650 cc motor is spinning at an astounding 6000 RPM. One thing I learned on this leg is that for extended cruising on fast highways, the wee-Strom is literally screaming along at what, to my mind and ears at least, is an uncomfortable pitch. Donna's Suzuki Bandit, OTOH, is loafing along at about 4K at 80 MPH with its monster 1200 cc engine barely breaking a sweat. Perhaps there is a 4-cylinder cruiser in my future. We persevered though and after  a voyage of 352 miles of 7.5 hours duration we finally arrived in Tucson. I was overjoyed to be in Mike & Mimi's back yard sipping a cold Longhammer IPA, recounting my tough day on the super slab.

We were pretty fagged out and considering how much I enjoy spending time with Mike & Mimi (Homer buddy Mako's parents) I called Donna next day and suggested we stay an extra night or two in Tucson. She readily agreed. She was having her own issues resulting from our long rides and was also staying in pleasant surroundings with good friends. I had a most excellent visit with my friends. I slept outside in their cozy backyard all three nights. The weather in Tucson is practically perfect at this time of the year.

Although we hadn't planned to go that far, our next stop would be Silver City, New Mexico. We drove some fantastic highways to get there -- beautiful country, big sky country, with marvelous twisty highways. US Rte 191 north to Alpine was spectacular. Some photos:

U.S. Route 191, Arizona

U.S. Rte 191 - click to enlarge

U.S. Route 191, Arizona

 

Riding U.S. Route 191, Arizona

It was a long ride to Silver City but when you're seeing roads and country like this the time and the miles pass all too quickly. We covered 390 miles in a little over 7 hours of actual ride time. After a fat lunch at the Bear Wallow in Alpine, we first headed east on Rte 180 which after passing into New Mexico and cresting at 8000 ft above sea level plunged south to Silver City. Another magnificent highway, empty but challenging nonetheless, curvaceous and beautiful -- it was a pleasure to ride.

 

Longhorn cattle cross Rte 191

While in Silver City I noticed that my rear tire, a 150/70x17 Metzeler Tourance, was worn almost smooth in the center. The previous owner had advertised them as "almost new" in his Craigslist ad but when I questioned him about them later he replied, "They're practically new. I think they only have about 5,000 miles on them." Since then I've learned to my chagrin that the lifetime of a motorcycle tire is shorter than that of a car tire, far shorter.

I called all around Albuquerque, the nearest city of any size, and learned that none of the dealers had my particular size tire in stock. Ordering one and waiting a week for it to arrive simply wasn't an option. Then I called Bear Mountain Motorcycles in Silver City. They had a tire that would serve, a Dunlop K591, in stock. When I asked if they could install it the owner said the shop was actually closed. He was leaving for a short trip later in the morning. I groaned when I heard that. So close and yet so far. He must have heard that groan over the wire. After a short interval of dead air he says to me, "If you can get over here fast I guess I can mount it for you." I hopped on my bike and headed over to 108 College Street pronto. Forty minutes later I was back at the hotel, in time for breakfast and ready to continue my trip with a brand new rear tire. If you're biking in this area and find yourself in need of motorcycle services, please stop at Bear Mountain. You won't be disappointed.

Our trip here to David and Annie's in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, was the shortest to date. Only 89 miles of highway separates the two cities but the highway is lovely. Almost before I knew it the clock was chiming beer-thirty in T or C. We drove NM Rte 152 through Kingston and Hillsboro to get here.

Donna takes a turn on Rte 152

We've been here for two days and we're enjoying our visit with these good Homer friends. David just recently took the Alaska plates off his car, exchanging them at last for New Mexico plates. He says they're very happy here and have no plans to move back to Homer. The dry climate is a blessing for Annie's rheumatism and both of them are tanned and looking very healthy and contented. Donna and I had planned to stay only overnight but once again the weather has turned its ugly face toward us and denied us a peaceful trip north. This time, it's high winds. Apparently, they're normal in this part of the U.S. in springtime. Who knew?

We were prepared to slog north today but Annie talked us out of it last night. She convinced us to stay over and wait for the winds to subside. I'm looking outdoors while I write and notice the trees in this sheltered place twisting and bending with its gusts. I can hear the wind howling in the wires too and I'm glad we're not on the road trying to make it into Gallup before nightfall. The forecast is for moderate winds tomorrow. We'll see. The weather has been the consistent bad actor in this little vacation and I won't believe that forecast until it proves true.

New Mexico dry lands near T or C

Motorcycling Oregon

At last I have a bike and some plans. I found a Suzuki VStrom DL650 on Craigslist during my last week in Thailand. It was located in Myrtle Creek, about 100 miles south of Eugene. Using Skype I called the seller, gave him a verbal commitment to buy the bike and then, after some hassles with cashier's checks which necessitated two separate trips to Myrtle Creek, I finally managed to pay for the bike, take possession of it, and drive it back to my son Tuli's last Monday. There are two VStrom models made by Suzuki. The DL1000 (1000 cc) and the DL650, dubbed the wee-Strom for it's "diminutive" 650 cc engine. But that 650 cc motor moves the wee-Strom plenty fast enough for my liking. The engine has a 10,500 RPM redline -- in 300 miles of goofing around I've never taken it above 8,000 RPM. With a more daring driver in command it will do 0-60 mph in something like 4 seconds.

The trip back from Myrtle Creek with the bike was spent on I-5 mostly and during the latter part of it, for about an hour, I was driving through a veritable wall-o-rain. Luckily for me the previous owner had offered to sell me his top of the line foul weather riding suit (a First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket and Hypertex pants) for a fraction of what it cost new. I jumped at the chance and was glad I did. With it I stayed warm and dry in a very hard rain. If I had been caught in that storm with only the light weight rain pants and jacket I use for hiking I have no doubt I'd have gotten soaked and frozen stiff in that hour on the super-slab. Best $100 I've spent in a while. During the past week I've dedicated a lot of time and money to preparing the bike and myself for travel; I bought a pair of tough waterproof boots, heavy gloves with gauntlets, lighter weight ones without, a GPS mount for my Garmin 60Cx, chain lube, a few extra tools to supplement the spartan toolkit that came with the bike and a tank bag to hold incidentals like camera, drinking water and cellphone. The bike has three lockable, hard luggage cases that should hold most of my other gear. It also has heated hand grips which will keep the chill out of my hands, I hope.

The weather's been a bit rough here in Eugene compared to Bangkok. It's been chilly and rainy for the most part although a good day has appeared here and there and on one of those I took a short trip southeast to Cottage Grove -- my first real pleasure ride.

On the Territorial Highway south of Eugene

The countryside around Eugene is verdant and green, as it should be considering the amount of rain that falls here during the winter. Daffodils and tulips are out in force and the leaves on the trees are looking fat and ripe -- ready to pop open any day now.

I spotted what looked to be an interesting side road, the Gowdyville Road, and took a left onto it. A sign promised curves ahead. I thought those might be fun and they were, until the road turned to gravel. I'm told that driving on gravel is good training for driving in less than ideal conditions on pavement and I guess I believe that but being as I haven't driven on dirt or gravel in over 30 years, I was less than pleased at the change in the road surface. I proceeded cautiously, gingerly, hoping I wouldn't take a tumble. After a few miles the gravel gave way to good pavement and I ambled into the little town of Cottage Grove. On the return trip I rode the Cottage Grove - Lorane Road NW out of Cottage Grove and enjoyed some really nice twisties and hills. And perfectly smooth pavement.

Wee-Strom on the Gowdyville Road

I have been in contact lately with Donna, an old Homer friend, ex-hairdresser, practicing artist, and now motorcycle maven, who with her husband Gary has done a ton of riding since leaving Homer back in 1996. Somehow I found her on Facebook and because I was interested in buying a motorcycle we had several long conversations about bikes and riding gear last summer. She was the person who first mentioned VStroms as worthy candidates for consideration because they are virtually maintenance free and are great bikes for the money. I had been looking at BMWs from the get-go because in my mind they have always been the ultimate motorcycle. Be that as it may, I quickly learned they're expensive to buy and hideously expensive to maintain. I noticed that many of the Craigslist ads for Bimmers in my price range contained references about how much the owners had spent before putting the bike on the market. A typical ad for a 1998 RT or K-series bike might read, "Nice bike, always garaged, adult owned, in immaculate condition, just spent $2300 on tune up, new front brake pads, rear tire. Ready to travel." Sheesh, I hope so! For another $2300 I bought a bike that is 10 years newer, commensurately more modern and better equipped than any comparably priced Bimmer. I did a lot reading in the various online forums and found that what I was reading was pretty much in agreement with what Donna had told me. VStrom owners love their bikes and one of the things they love most is how trouble free they are over the long haul. With that in mind, I decided on a VStrom. As for the choice between the 1000 cc and the smaller 650, the information provided by Jack Phelps swayed me to choose the DL650. Check out his site. Jack's comparison and the fact that the bike I've spent so much time with in Thailand is a 200 cc machine, downright puny by comparison to either VStrom, finally pushed me firmly into the wee-Strom camp.

Donna and I will team up to make a foray into desert country next week. She drives a Suzuki Bandit, a 1200cc 4-cylinder road warrior. We have a bunch of friends, some mutual others not, scattered here and there throughout California, New Mexico and Arizona. Donna authors a motorcycling blog called Ride Like a Girl at Demenshea.com. Read it to see what she's been up to in the past few years. She lives in Sacramento, about a 2-day drive from here. I'll stop overnight in Redding, California, to visit my old tennis buddy Kay and husband Bruce. I'll be avoiding I-5, the prominent North-South super-slab, and sticking to secondary roads or "blue highways" whenever possible. The super-slab is mind numbing, and especially so on a motorcycle.

Harper in his motorcycling shirt

My grandson Harper was thrilled to hear the word motorcycle when I was talking about it before the actual fact of its arrival in the garage. Now, he's become uncharacteristically shy when the term pops up in conversation. When I ask him, "Want to go ride the motorcycle?" he very quickly, and in a very small voice, says "no". We laugh out loud every time he responds this way. He'll get over his fears in time I reckon.

So, off I go on another motorcycle adventure, this one in my own country. It will be fun to see the beautiful parks in the southwest; Arches, Bryce Canyon,  Zion, Canyonlands, etc. However, I am definitely not looking forward to having  to eat the horrible food available along the average American highway. After experiencing Thailand's delicious "fast food", this stuff is pretty nasty.
I reckon I'll just have to tough it out!

I'm leaving on a jet plane

This is a fairly gloomy day for Nut and me. In a few hours I'll hop a taxi to the airport and begin the long, arduous trip back to the states. We've been saying goodbye for at least the past week and we're both feeling pretty bummed. The weather here in Bangkok, usually stiflingly hot and humid at this time of year, has been appropriately gloomy too. Chilly and windy with overcast skies, very untypical but oh, so easy for this falang to feel comfortable. I've been thoroughly enjoying it although my feet are actually cold as I sit writing this. I'm so used to being in hot climates that today's 70 degree temperature actually feels a bit on the chilly side. Reality will undoubtedly hit with a vengeance when I get back to Oregon. I'll probably end up using my down sleeping bag at Tuli's.

Our gated yard on Soi 4 Samsen Road

I'll also miss the fantastic food available a short walk from our gate. The area of Banglamphu is a paradise of sidewalk cafes: we have a world class tom-yum kitchen nearby, and another that sells the best koy teow pet (duck noodles), and yet another that boasts the best som tam (green papaya salad) I've ever had. But you're heard me rave about Thai food before. It's going to be a huge disappointment to be thrust back into the world of American restaurant food.

The entrance to our place

Looking on the bright side, I'll soon be back with family, visiting with my little grandson Harper and dear friends Max and Alice in Eugene. I'm sure Harper will be in command of many new words and skills. Tuli tells me he's learned how to swear and that I must watch my language. Wow, that's gonna be tough. I could manage that once upon a time -- had to when I worked at KBBI, our public radio station LOL. I'll get to read him stories and take him to the park. (Actually it's me that gets taken to the park in his wake -- he runs all the way.) That'll be fun.

Also, after weeks of searching I finally managed to find a motorcycle on Craigslist. Tuli and I will drive down to Myrtle Creek, an hour south of Eugene, on Saturday to pick it up. It's the one I wanted, a 2008 Suzuki DL650, equipped with a full set of touring luggage and heated grips for those colder mornings. It also has brand new tires and chain/sprockets so it should be road worthy and ready to travel. Seeing as I've committed to buying it I hope I like it. I'll tour around Oregon to familiarize myself with the new bike and then maybe I'll journey south to California and even Arizona. As usual I have no definite plan and don't need one. That's one of the nicest things about retirement I must say. There are a few people I'd love to visit; Demenshea in Sacramento, Kay & Bruce in Redding, Kim and Gordon in Bisby, Peggy and Dan in Bellingham. One thing I am sure of is that I'm not going back to Alaska until the snow's gone. I just read in the Anchorage paper that 6-9 inches are on the way to southcentral Alaska. I get colder just reading about snow. No thanks! But I'll be happy to be back in Homer for the outrageous spring and summer, the season when Alaska is the absolute best place in the world to be.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I have one other little acquisition to report: I bought an old Dodge Caravan from Kevin, long time Alaska buddy and card holding member of the Dull Men's Club. I want to fix it up a bit and use it to "camp" in my son's cul-de-sac on Cheryl Street. It will give them some privacy from snoopy in-laws (namely me), provide me all weather transportation when I visit and serve as a back-up vehicle for Tuli and Shannon.

I reckon it's time to end this blathering. Nut is cleaning up to go to lunch. I'll take my bags along and pick up a taxi from wherever we decide to eat. My 6-month long Thailand adventure is finally drawing to a close. It's been wonderful being here and it's especially difficult to make my exit this year because of how close Nut and I have become in that time. But it's time to go. I've only got to throw this Netbook into my day pack and we're literally out the door.

See you on the other side.

Visa run to Betong

Visa Hassles - March 12, 2011

We're in Betong, the Las Vegas of southern Thailand and former home of Nut, my BTGF. I'm here on a "visa run", a frequent and unavoidable nuisance for foreign travelers in Thailand. We picked this city for a couple of reasons, one sentimental and one practical: Nut lived here for 8 years before moving to Bangkok and hasn't been back for more than 2 years. And coming here by a route she has often used, a route that involves a short traverse through northern Malaysia, offered a chance to leave the country and thus not overstay my visa as well as for Nut to visit a part of Thailand that holds many good friends and memories. We took an overnight train to Hat Yai and then came by minivan here to Betong. I checked out of Thailand, entered Malaysia and then reentered Thailand a few hours later with a new Visa On Arrival (VOA) all in the same day. The visa I obtained in this manner is, unfortunately, only good for 14 days until the 24th of March. Read on if you want to hear my visa rant, otherwise skip down to the Betong heading.

[begin rant...]

One of the many idiosyncrasies in the Thailand visa rules is that if you enter the country by air and do not already have an official Tourist Visa, you are issued what's called a Visa On Arrival which is valid for 30 days. If, however, you enter the country by land your VOA is valid for only 14 days. Why this is so is anybody's guess, especially in a country that depends so heavily upon tourist dollars. I had obtained a "triple entry" Tourist Visa from the Thai embassy in Los Angeles last summer. It entitled me to three 60-day visits. Typically when your first 60-day period is almost up you would make a quick trip outside the country (a visa run), to Laos or Cambodia usually, stay for a day (or a week), or turn around and come back immediately to begin your next 60-day period. If I had been careful with those three visits my Tourist Visa would have allowed me to stay for 6 months as long as I made two exits and re-entries. But when Nut and I left Laos back in mid December to come back to Bangkok we only stayed about a week before going to Cambodia. In this way I more or less wasted one of the entries on the original triple entry visa -- I used only a small portion of the 60 days I was entitled to. I used the last of my three entries to get back into the country after leaving Cambodia. Three weeks later I went to Africa.

Fast forward to February 10. Upon my return from Africa I was only allowed the standard VOA of 30 days. That visa, a VOA by air, expired on March 11th, long before my March 31 departure date. Hence the need to make a visa run and the reason we made this long journey to Betong. In addition, because this new VOA, the VOA by ground I got when we entered Thailand on a bus, is only good through March 24 I must kill at least a week here so that when I cross back into Thailand on the way back the new 14 day VOA will take me up to the 31st. That means we must stay here until the 17th. You might ask, why not just stay longer than your visa allows? Because it's expensive to do that, very expensive.

A friend unintentionally overstayed his visa when he mixed up the "Must be Used Before Date" with the "Valid Until Date" on his 60-day Tourist Visa. He missed his flight home because he couldn't immediately come up with the fine levied at the airport by Thai Immigration: 500 baht for each day he was in Thailand illegally. His fine amounted to a total of about 13,000 baht ($390 USD). If you add to that the $150 re-booking fee charged by his airline, it was a costly oversight.

To make matters worse, I recently learned from my friend Henry that when Nut and I returned to Bangkok from Laos back in December I was not required to use one of those precious 60-day entries. I could have requested a 14-day VOA at that point and saved one of the 60-day visas for my return from Africa. DOH! I didn't know you could do that. My apparently incorrect understanding was that you had to use all the entries on your Tourist Visa  before you could use a VOA to get into the country. None of this is spelled out anywhere. It is stuff learned only through experience.

[end rant]

Betong (March 11-17, 2011)

There's not much going on in Betong to interest the typical falang traveler. I referred to it as the Las Vegas of southern Thailand because it's a travel destination for many well paid Malaysian workers. Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country where drinking alcohol and partying are frowned upon, in fairly sharp contrast to Thailand. Consequently Thailand is considered wide open to the many Muslims who live near the border and Betong attracts droves of these fun seekers. They party in the discos, eat out and get massages, hire willing Thai bargirls for fun and frolic and in the process drive the prices of everything skyward. The modest hotel we're staying at here, the Cathay Hotel (N5.77290 E101.07012), costs 550 baht, about $17 USD, and food seems to cost about double what it does in Bangkok. Nor is the food as much to my liking as that of Bangkok and the northern provinces. The curries and sauces here tend to be Indian influenced and contain some ingredient, as yet unidentified, that offends my sense of taste. We went to a nearby street-side restaurant the other night and the bill for a fried fish, a Heineken, some rice and stir-fried veggies, came to 680 baht. Although the fish in its chili-garlic-citrus sauce was delicious the price would be considered exorbitant in the rest of Thailand. The food commonly available on the street is a mixture of Thai, Muslim, and Chinese. The local Chinese food I've had is bland to the point of tastelessness. Nut however is loving this reintroduction to the food she remembers from her years here.

Betong skyline from our hotel room

Swallows roosting for the night near the Clock Tower

Seeing as we're so much nearer the equator I expected to be uncomfortably hot most of the time but the climate is surprisingly pleasant, quite a bit cooler and rainier than Bangkok. We've been here four days and it's been partly cloudy all day every day with occasional short, intense rain showers. At night it's actually cool enough to make you feel chilly were you aboard a moto. Nut says that's the way the weather here usually is — Betong has no rainy or dry season as up north — it rains almost every day and it's generally cloudy. I'm positively loving this relief from Bangkok's hot and muggy March weather. Nut rented us a small moto for 200 baht a day and we've been going for rides here and there in the surrounding countryside. The area is beautiful — mountainous terrain clothed in cool, verdant forest interspersed with groves of rubber and orange trees. Rubber is the big cash industry here. Rubber workers earn good salaries, sometimes as much as 3000 baht per day ($100 USD), a huge salary in rural Thailand. Most of the rubber in the world is synthetic like the product used for tires but there must be a substantial market for pure gum rubber and latex which is what will be made from this material.

Raw rubber mats

We visited Betong's Winter Flower Garden (N5.88605 E101.02075) on a cloudy day with rain threatening to fall at any minute. It's about 15 miles out of town at an elevation of about 1000 feet. We wandered around shooting pictures on this cool, breezy day, a day that ended up being quite lovely. We got back to town just before the big afternoon downpour.

Relaxing in the shade - Betong Winter Flower Garden

My BTGF

Rain threatens to dampen our outing - it's time to leave

During our last days here we took a couple of random motorcycle rides into the surrounding country just for something to do. I was fascinated by the rubber trees. The method of gathering the sap or milk is similar to the way we collect maple sap for making maple syrup. The rubber tree groves, each tree with its collecting cup attached, also look similar. In the closeup below the cup is positioned so as to not collect anything either because the sap isn't flowing or there's too much rain at the moment. Diluting the milk with rain water renders the collected product less valuable. The trees in the rubber groves in the hilly area around Betong are again reminiscent of New England sugar bushes because most aren't regularly spaced in neat rows nor do they appear to be intensively cultivated.
(Note added 07/22/12 - I recently learned that rubber tress are native to South America. These and all other rubber trees in S.E. Asia were brought here by the British and other colonial powers because rubber was, and remains, a strategically and economically important material.)

This tree bears the marks of many collections

Finally it was time to head back to Bangkok. We had traveled as far as Hat Yai on an overnight train, something I'd always wanted to try. It was both more, and less, than I had expected, especially considering the cost of 1,500 baht (~$45 USD) each. The compartment was tiny even with the upper berth folded up — there was barely room to sit with my legs out in front of me. Of course for most Thais legroom is a non-issue. When the porter came round to set us up for sleeping we found the beds quite comfortable. However, the air-conditioning was set so low as to chill us both to the bone despite the blankets, or that we had donned our socks and long sleeve shirts. Nut, who was in the top berth nearest the cold air outlets, slept fitfully that night. Was there a temperature adjustment in the compartment? Are you serious? I had heard stories about the frigid aircon in those sleepers but I guess I didn't believe they would keep them that cold. Now, I believe. The trip took about 15 hours and, aside from the chilly night, was quite comfy. For our return trip I opted to travel in a  so-called VIP bus. The bus trip is quicker by about 4 hours (go figure), cheaper — 1000 baht vs 1,500 baht  and our only other experience with such a bus, back in October when we made a 9-hour trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, had been good. But first we had to get back to Hat Yai. For 250 baht apiece we booked a minivan to take us there.

Nut with some friends at Cathay Hotel - Betong

The 4-hour trip from Betong in the minivan was dreadful. I swear I will never ride with one of these crazy-ass cowboys again. The drivers are aggressive, drive like they own the road, and are totally unconcerned if the other 12 people in the vehicle live or die. You read about minivan accidents all the time in the Bangkok papers: "Minivan rear ends truck — 8 dead including the driver!"; "Minivan leaves highway at 140 km/hr — driver to blame!" Before overtaking a vehicle these guys pull up to within a few feet of it and stay glued to its bumper until the other driver sees him and pulls over with stark terror in his eyes. Often as not the other vehicle is a small motorcycle carrying a passenger or passengers, frequently children. Do they give a shit? Nope, just business as usual. They'll come to within a few feet of it and just squeeze right by totally unconcerned about any oncoming traffic or whether the bike is being forced off the road. One tiny error in judgment at this critical time could kill or maim several people. In this particular van, the driver had a seat belt (unused of course - he wouldn't want to appear weak or unmanly) but there were none for the passengers. He never hesitated to attempt a pass on curves or hills and NO PASSING  zones meant absolutely nothing to him. The minivan ride going to Betong was bad but this one was downright scary. By keeping silent the Thai passengers, long schooled to keep mum as a matter of politeness, as a point of honer almost, only encourage the continuance of this stupid and reckless behavior. And I, unable to speak Thai, sit in frozen anger waiting for the truck to suddenly appear in our lane, or the moto we're now crowding off the road to spill its occupants out onto the pavement in the path of our wheels. Never again, I swear.

Against all odds we did make it alive to Hat Yai. After buying our bus tickets we booked a hotel room near the terminal and then took dinner at a restaurant Nut remembered. After a nice meal we hit the sack. Next day at 5 pm we left for Bangkok. If you've never seen a Thai VIP bus some of the shots below will introduce you. They're pretty cool. Spotlessly clean and nicely furnished with thick curtains that always work (rule #1: all Thais hate the sun!) they have seating for only 24-32 people in a double-decker configuration allowing plenty of room for everyone.

Interior of upper deck - VIP bus

The view from our lower deck seats - VIP bus interior- Hat Yai

Some might consider the color scheme a bit garish. Thais love vibrant colors and these bus interiors show that. The exteriors are pretty wild too — I love the way the Thais decorate their vehicles. Same for taxis: brilliant colors; hot pinks, bright greens, shades of orange.

We're on our way home - Hat Yai to Bangkok by VIP bus

Bangkok, March 22, 2011

After an 11-hour overnight trip that wasn't nearly as comfortable as I'd hoped we were back in our little place on Soi 4, Samsen Road, where Nut and I will bide our time until the flight that will carry me to Oregon leaves. While it's good to be back in these familiar surroundings I'm also feeling sort of blue. I'll enjoy my months stateside, of course. I'll visit with my family and spend the summer in Alaska with my old and dear friends. But I'll be looking forward to returning next October.

I'm actively trying to buy a used motorcycle in the general neighborhood of Eugene before I leave here. I found a snippet of HTML code somewhere on the net that I modified to search the Craigslists in cities close to Eugene for a Suzuki DL650. I also have several eBay Saved Searches that alert me by email whenever a new DL650 listing appears. It's only a matter of time before a good and workable deal shows up. Buying a bike sight unseen is a tricky situation considering I would be unable to inspect it before I buy nor would it be easy, and maybe not smart, to pay four thousand dollars for a bike without being right there to receive the signed title in my name. Perhaps I'd best wait until I'm at Tuli's to buy it. I'll try to keep you in the loop.