Motorcycling from Ely, NV to Redding, CA

Eugene, Oregon

I've come full circle and I'm back in Eugene as I write this post. My long anticipated motorcycle trip is over and I'm glad to be back safe and sound after traveling more than 4600 miles over the past few weeks. The weather was a constant hassle and surprisingly, the sheer geographical size of the United States was too. I'll explain that a little more as I go. But first I need to tie up a few loose ends before closing this portion of my blog, the journal of my motorcycle trip through the American southwest.

I left Panguitch, Utah, on my way to Ely, Nevada on May 5th. I took Rte 89 north to Utah 20 and hung a left to Beaver. From there I rode Utah Rte 21 west all the way to the junction with Nevada Rte 487 which skirts Great Basin National Park. I detoured into the park and took a short ride on a park road up to about the 8,000 foot level before it terminated in a snow berm. Even though the air was decidedly cool at that altitude, it was a pleasant day with the heady fragrance of fir trees wafting in the light breeze.

Great Basin N.P.

Jeff Davis Peak - Great Basin N.P.

From the park it was only a short jaunt into Ely. Trip stats: 250 miles (including the side trip to Great Basin) -- 4 hours moving -- 83 mph max speed -- 6 hours total time.

In Ely I again stayed in a small motel. I first stopped at a few chain motel offices to inquire about rooms and prices and learned that the going rate in this town was around $70/night. The place I ended up staying, the Great Basin Inn, was cheaper at $50 and nicer too. The exterior wasn't much to look at but it had old fashioned doilys adorning the end tables and lace curtains backing the venetian window blinds. The huge bathroom was tiled with those white octagonal tiles that were popular back in the 40s and 50s. I liked it just fine.

There wasn't much going on in Ely except gambling. I pushed on to Winnemucca the next day. I was expecting to face a long trek through the dessicated and barren northern Nevada desert. If my past experiences were any guide, there would likely be headwinds as well. Instead, and to my great surprise, the desert was green and there were even flowers, great masses of flowers, in some areas. The first part of that trip was over U.S. 50, aptly nicknamed "The Nation's Loneliest Highway". It was definitely that. With its open spaces, huge magnificent vistas, few towns, and no traffic to speak of, it lived up to its namesake. Because it had been a warm morning I was able to get an early start --  before the wind could build to any velocity -- so the ride west was easy. Just outside of Austin I turned north on Nevada 305. Again I was pleased to see green fields and rafts of flowers here and there. I stopped for lunch at a stone house ruin, pictured below.

Lunch stop along NV Route 305

Lunch stop along NV Route 305

VStrom in the sagebrush -- NV Route 305

I stayed at the Town House Motel in Winnemucca. Another nice place, run by the owners, neat as a pin inside and conveniently located just off the main drag - about $60 for the night. Ride stats: 322 miles -- 5:18 ride time -- 6:56 total time.

I had always intended to end my tour with a visit to eastern Oregon. But the goddamn weather simply would not cooperate. As I've mentioned earlier, the forecasts for all of eastern Oregon had rain, cold temps, and even snow in them for the next few days. It was either wait it out in Winnemucca (no thanks) or call it quits and head back to California where the weather was decent and where I had friends to stay with.  My trip log follows:

May 7, 2011: Winnemucca, NV to Redding, CA: 395 miles -- 6:40 ride time -- 85 mph max speed -- 8:50 total time -- a long day but not too uncomfortable -- a  testimony to the riding characteristics of the VStrom.

The rides were unpleasant, and boring, heading west on I-80 (163 miles) and north on US 395. I-80 was head-windy by late morning and it was very windy and gusty on 395 until I reached Susanville. The roads from Susanville to Redding were awesome (retraced my route from Chester to Shingletown) although I was racing the rain as I fled out of the mountains. I had to stop to don my fleece liner and rain pants near Lassen when it got chilly at higher altitudes. I hit a bit of rain in Manton and was worried because my front tire was almost treadless now. I managed to escape the rain when I turned west on Oregon Rte 44 at Shingletown. Arrived Redding in good spirits, staying just ahead of the rain. The weather report indicates a break in Eugene's persistent nastiness on Tuesday. Hmmmm.... It took three days to get out of Eugene and from the looks of the forecast, it was going to take three days to get back.

I stayed again with my Homer expat friends Kay and Bruce. Kay and I played some tennis on two of those days and I did better than when I was here a few weeks ago. I reckon I won't have to give up tennis right away. I can still hit the ball and if I can manage to lose a few of the pounds I picked up during the past month of extreme non-aerobic activity, I might even do alright this summer ;-))

Bruce and Kay at their home in Redding

Soon it came time to pack up for my trip to Eugene -- the last leg of the "big tour". When I arrived in Redding I joked with Kay and Bruce that I was thinking of selling the bike. The trip had been fun, and exciting even, but overall I had to rate it as not as much fun as motorcycling in Thailand. As the days passed I found myself thinking more and more about that. We gossiped about Homer, I cooked some Thai food for an appreciative audience, Bruce took me for a ride in his Corvette, Kay and I played some tennis -- but in the back of my mind that thought had taken root and lodged itself firmly.

Motorcycling through southern Utah

Winnemucca, Nevada

I know I've said it before; that this or that particular highway is the most spectacular, the prettiest, (or the curviest, the most enjoyable on a bike), but Utah Route 12 takes the cake. Fantastic scenery everywhere you look, many nice curves, amazing vistas, stunning colors, massive geological displays -- it has it all. Someone was telling me it's one of the top 10 motorcycling roads in the country and now, after experiencing it for myself, I can totally agree with that assessment. I'm in Winnemucca, Nevada, and in position to run up into southeastern Oregon tomorrow, to stay at a hot springs a fellow Dull Men's Club member, name of Kevin, recommended but once again the Oregon weather has snubbed me. In the forecast: rain, rain, and then later, possibly some snow!

Snow! What a bummer. I'm reading, and hearing from random people I've run into over the past few days, about how awful this spring has been for so many people, for so many communities. All I can say is, I've been there and experienced the bad weather first hand. Motorcycling during a threat of snow is bad business, dangerous business.

I left Capitol Reef at about 9:15 on a nice, but cool, morning. I had camped in my tent that night and, although it wasn't a particularly cold night, I didn't sleep well. I can't figure out what's going on with me and tent camping but for now at least, it seems I simply cannot sleep in one. On this night, I had put the rain fly over the tent in a move to keep it warmer, put all my warmest clothing in it too, including the heavy fleece liner from my motorcycling jacket, in a bid to beat the chill.  You can see the tent site again (repost of that photo) in the photo above. Wunderground weather later informed me it never got down to lower than 50 degrees that night. Still, I didn't get much sleep.

Oh well, off I went, groggy and in need of a cuppa. Dressed for a cool ride I headed back into Torrey where I got that much needed chance to stop for coffee and get online with the free wi-fi in a little cafe at the junction of Utah Routes 12 and 24. The plan was to do a slow, casual tour along Utah Rte 12 visiting the Burr Trail and Bryce Canyon N.P. The trip along Rte 12 was possibly the best motorcycling I've ever experienced and the little side trip along the Burr Trail out of the little town of Boulder was special beyond that. Donna had told me not to miss it and I'm glad I took her advice.

View south from Utah Route 12 - chilly at 9000 ft above sea level

Along Utah Route 12

The Burr Trail is mostly within Capitol Reef National Park. It's a paved road that meanders through a fantastical, lovely red-rock canyon. It's early spring in these photos so the cottonwoods are just unfurling their leaves.

My VStrom on the Burr Trail

Burr Trail dry creek

 

Burr Trail cottonwoods

Burr Trail cottonwoods

After the Burr Trail and Capitol Reef N.P., Bryce Canyon was something of an anticlimax. Sure, it was pretty and offered some great long distance views but it's a popular park and the overlooks were crowded with tourists. Give me the peace and quiet of off-the-beaten-path places like the Burr Trail any day.

Bryce Canyon National Park

I arrived in Panguich (Paiute for "big fish") shortly after leaving Bryce and turned in to a little motel on Route 89 on the east side of town. By this time I was in need of a shower and a real bed. I opted to stay at the locally owned Purple Sage motel. It was a nice place, furnished more like a home than a standard motel and at $49/night, affordable too. Stats for the day: 230 miles -- 72.6 mph max speed -- 5:19 total time moving. I encountered blustery winds a couple of times but overall the biking was pretty nice, a welcome change from the norm for this trip. And the scenery? Fantastic!

It was gonna be another chill night so I made no effort to get up early. Had a cup or two of terrible dishwater-blend coffee and plain toast that cost me more that $4 in a local greasy spoon before heading west to Ely, Nevada, my next stop.

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.