Pre-Ride

With Alaska out of the question (for now), I thought about the places I’ve yet to see that would be worthy of a Trippin’ Connies trip.  The first place that came to mind was Crater Lake National Park.  I brought it up to dad and he didn’t have any objections, so I began planning this year’s route around a ride through there.  I initially planned on 10 days, taking my required 10 consecutive days off of work.  When I told me wife I would be leaving on Wednesday, she asked why.  I explained to her that I was trying to not be gone for too long, and she basically said 2 extra days wasn’t going to kill her, so just leave on Monday.  She's the best and there was no need for her to repeat herself!  The extra time would allow us to fit in a few extra roads I’ve been wanting to revisit, at the top of that list was US 191 in Arizona.

With the route planned along with hotel reservations made, my attention turned to my bike.  To be honest, it was a mess.  I’d ridden it twice since last year’s trip.  Both were trips out to COTA, one for the MotoAmerica tire test and the other for MotoGP.  When cleaning it prior to that first trip to COTA, I noticed the bottoms of the forks were covered in grime.  I’ve changed the fork oil before, but replacing the seals felt a bit out of my league.  I decided to turn them over to a professional and gave Patrick a call at Motorcycles Unlimited for a quote.  It sounded reasonable to me, so I pulled my forks off the bike and brought them to his shop at 2 pm.  He called me at 5 and said they were ready for pickup!  I couldn’t make it back out that night, so I picked them up the next day.  Great service and I’d definitely recommend them.

I decided to tackle the rest of the bike myself.  I’ve had a nagging oil leak for a couple years now, so I decided to investigate.  After pulling off the plastics it was evident that oil was coming from the cam sensors, both as far as I could tell.  There seemed to be a layer of oil on everything, stacked with miles and miles of road grime.  Leaking cam sensors are a known problem with the Connie.  Murphs’ Kits sells a 2 pack of “Oversize Cam Sensor O-Rings.”  They are just slightly thicker than the OEM o-rings and supposed to solve the problem. 

Several weeks out from the trip, I began spending every night out the garage from the time my daughters went to bed until midnight or later.  This went on for about two weeks straight.  I work slowly when it comes to my bike.  I’m terrified of forgetting to properly cinch something down, causing problems down the road.  Thus, I work slow and methodical.  It takes me about 5 hours just to get to where I can pull the valve cover off the engine.  The list I completed prior to takeoff is below:
-Replaced both cam sensor o-rings
-Checked valve clearances (first time since 18k miles, and all were still in spec)
-Synced the throttle bodies
-Replaced spark plugs
-Changed engine oil and filter
-Changed air filter
-Removed and reinstalled forks for fork seal change
-Replaced front and rear brake fluid
-Replaced clutch fluid
-Flushed and changed coolant
-Cleaned all brake calipers and replaced front brake pads
-Replaced front and rear tires
-Installed 90-degree valve stems (batteries on the TPMS finally quit, too expensive to replace)
-Removed old Autocom wiring
-Installed Ronnie’s highway pegs (explanation below)

In mid-May, I found a set of Buck’s Sport Touring pegs posted for sale.  I told dad about them and he said one of us should get them.  I bought them and decided to give them to him as a present.  Being jealous that he would be riding in more comfort, I posted a WTB thread on here for a set of highway pegs of any variety.  I about gave up, but a week later “cogger” offered to sell a brand new set of Ronnie’s highway pegs.  With the deal done, I could now rest a bit easier.  The installation for my pegs was much more involved, which for me, took a full night.  Dads took about 10 minutes. 





22 Days prior to takeoff, dad had an incident with the battery on his travel trailer.  He was tightening down the connection on one of the terminals when he completed the circuit between positive, the wrench, his gold ring, and the negative.  Once he let go, he was able to get his ring off prior to it swelling up, but he said his finger felt like it was on fire.  It was perfect timing to mess up his throttle hand.  Over the next few days layer after layer began to peel off where his ring was.  He ended up going to the doctor to have it checked out because it wasn’t healing up.  The doc gave him some ointment to keep on it, but there wasn’t much he could do other than that.  Below is what it looked like 10 days after in incident.  It ended up starting to heal right before the trip began but certainly was not 100%.  Luckily, the best position for it to stay in was slightly curled, so it was ok when he was holding the throttle.

Holy crap, Kory! That looks bad!

OW!!! Damn!

Holy crap, Kory! That looks bad!

Jimmy!  Yeah, I felt bad for him.  Just a lack of attention for one split second.  Almost 3 months later now its basically all healed up.  I'll never install a battery again without thinking of it, that's for sure.

Day 1 – 6/19/2017 – Houston, TX to El Paso, TX – 758 Miles

Houston, TX to El Paso, TX – 758 Miles – MAP LINK


This year dad met me at my house at 6:30 for the launch.  This gave me the chance to see my girls in the morning and wave bye as we began the journey.   Also, my wife was able to get this picture of us, unfortunately it was through a layer of fog on the lens due to the extreme humidity.



The starting mileage for my bike was 55,855.



Morning traffic leaving town was fairly uneventful as we were going against the grain and able to make use of the HOV lane on I-10.  The first stop for gas was in Seguin.



The man, the myth, the legend…



“Which card do I use?”



Continuing on, there were no problems getting through San Antonio at all.  I was expecting construction and traffic, but we breezed right through.  Past Kerrville gas begins to get sparse.  Knowing this, I told dad that I planned on stopping at shorter distances than usual, which I knew he wouldn’t argue with.  The second place we stopped was in Junction.  We took some time to snack and be out of the saddle here.  I found a nice shady spot where we avoided the tow trucks and bird poop.



Chugging on, I wasn’t sure if we could make it all the way to Fort Stockton, so we decided to do a quick splash in Ozona.  I ended up seeing an exit sign with gas on it, so I took that exit.  As we approached the gas station I didn’t know if it was still opened, it looked abandoned.  Turns out it was open, and while we were there a few other people pulled in as well.  A couple miles up the road was the actual town of Ozona, I had stopped short, but all was good.







Sticking with the shorter stretches, we stopped in Fort Stockton for gas as well.  In preparation for the ride, I stocked up on almonds, smoked sausages, and beef jerky.  The good news is I have the snacks I want on me at all times and it costs much less getting them before than at gas stations.  The bad news is the extra weight and room it took up, but it was worth it. 





The first test for both our highway pegs was crossing west Texas.  My pegs do not allow my legs to stretch as much as dads do, but they make the slabbing experience manageable.  Dad was enjoying his.  The only complaint he had was that the heat deflectors on the bike dug into his legs a bit while they were on the pegs.  We both wondered why we waited so long to add something like this.  The last gas stop for the day was in Van Horn.







30 Miles outside of Van Horn, a wicked looking storm appeared on the horizon, but no worries, it was to the southwest of us.  A few miles later the road took a turn to the southwest and right at the storm.  As we approached we could see it was quick-moving and stirring up lots of dust across the desert.  The road straightened out to the west and I thought we may be able to miss it, right about that time I got hit with a ping pong sized piece of hail on my finger.  Of course, it hit right below my knuckle protector.  It was the only one at that time and I started wondering if I was dreaming and it was actually a rock.  As we rode on, people in cars were freaking out and pulling along the shoulder of the road and waiting.  We pulled over for a brief second and discussed what to do.  We’ve never been riding and caught in a hail storm before, much less in the middle of the desert.  We took off again and started to get pelted with hail.  For some reason I was getting hit much more than dad.  Then, we approached an overpass that had cars jammed under it.  I tried to find a spot to fit into to wait it out, but we ended up still somewhat exposed.  After a few minutes of watching everyone panic, we took off again.  It was still hailing but we could see that we were right on the edge of the storm.  A couple of slow-riding miles later and we were clear of it and on our way to El Paso.  Getting caught on the edge of a hail storm was the last thing I expected in El Paso, but it was an interesting experience. 

As we rode into El Paso there was a huge wreck on the other side of the freeway involving an 18-wheeler that had that side shut down.  Luckily our side was clear and we didn’t have any problems until we hit the west side of town, and it was all due to some construction.  We arrived at the Best Western Sunland Park Inn on the west side of El Paso at 5:40 MT.  12 Hours on the road, but it helped the actual arrival time that we gained an hour going west.  I checked my GPS and the moving average for Day 1 was 75mph and our overall average was 60 mph.  I FaceTimed with my daughters before checking in as it was almost their bedtime. 

My wife and girls and I had lunch with our good friends Ryan and Lynda the day prior to going on the trip.  In casual conversation my wife asked Ryan where he was traveling next, and he said he was leaving in the morning for El Paso.  I told him I’d be there tomorrow night and we struck up plans to go to dinner. 

After checking in I gave Ryan a call and he said he’d be by to pick us up at 7.  I jumped in the shower and by the time I got out it was hailing outside.  Funny thing, the guy at the front desk said the weather always seems to miss this specific part of town.  Always, except for this particular night, I guess. 



Ryan arrived at the end of the storm.  Since one of the offices he has to visit frequently is in El Paso, he’s pretty familiar with the town.  He gave us 2 good options for dinner and we chose Track One.  It was on the other side of town but as Ryan says, “it’s just El Paso.”  It was Monday night and we had to wait for a table.  Not a problem, we just hung out at the bar and grabbed a beverage.



Here’s Ryan, my brotha from anotha motha, enjoying a wing he’d been looking forward to…



I had a chopped steak, and while it may not look like much, it was delicious.







After dinner, Ryan dropped us back off at the hotel and we went straight to bed.

Over 750 miles of riding  in one direction and we’re still in Texas.  Day 2 we escape.

Day 2 – 6/20/2017 – El Paso, TX to Eagar, AZ – 391 Miles

El Paso, TX to Eagar, AZ – 391 Miles – MAP LINK

My alarm went off at 6 MT, except it wasn’t my alarm, it was my wife calling because the girls wanted to talk to me on the way to school.  After talking for a bit there was no going back to sleep, so I started getting ready.  Breakfast was supposed to start at 6:30, but they didn’t open it up until 7.  After eating a bit and getting some coffee, we hit the road around 7:30.  Things looked a bit different in the morning.





Into New Mexico we headed towards Las Cruces.  I was telling dad I wanted to make sure to stop for gas early, because I remember when you get on the north side of town on I-25, there aren’t many options.  Well, I didn’t even do what I was saying and ended up waiting too long.  I was worried I blew our chance but we ended up catching the last exit on the north side.





We continued north on I-25 until we hit NM152 where we headed west, and onto one of my favorite roads in New Mexico.  After climbing in elevation, we took a break. 







While we were here, a lady slowed down and approached us.  She rolled down her window and said that she had just seen a bear a few turns back and to be careful.









With our eyes peeled for bear, we continued on making a stop at the Emory Pass Vista. 




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As I was walking around and taking pictures, a guy on a Moto Guzzi pulled up.  We chatted with him for a bit.  He was a local, from Silver City; just a retired guy out for a Tuesday ride.  He said he had never seen the view with the haze like it was this day, certainly from wildfires.  We told him about the lady seeing a bear and he said he’d been up and down the road at least 100 times and has never seen one.  I did look it up and black bears do exist in Gila National Forest.  Enough of the bear talk and back to the Guzzi.  What a beautiful bike! 







With a long day still ahead of us, we had to break up the conversation and get going.  We finished off the good part of NM152 and headed towards Silver City.  As we passed by the Chino (Santa Rita) Mine, it peaked my interest, so we turned around to have a look.  It’s the third oldest active open pit copper mine in the world.







Moving on we stopped for a quick fill-and-go in Silver City.  We took US 180 out of Silver City and towards Arizona.  We continued west on NM 78, which crosses over into Arizona.  78 Is a nice road that I always enjoy.  Once in Arizona there is a great view and then the road twists down the mountain.  This time I didn’t stop for any pictures.  At Three Way we came to the junction with US 191 and rode north.   We stopped for gas again in Clifton since I knew there would be no opportunities once we left there.







The beginning to one of the best motorcycle roads in the country…



The road quickly climbs out of Clifton and then you are suddenly engulfed in the Morenci Mine, the largest copper mine in the country.  We passed a nice overlook and I thought I would stop at the next one to have a good look.  The next overlook was about 3 miles down the road, and of course it was closed.  Dad and I had gotten disconnected with our Sena headsets, so I pulled over.  I told him I was going to go back to the first overlook.  We did, but it cost us a bit of time and some extra miles.





The mine is something to behold and you can only understand the magnitude of size if see it in person.  The overlook is only of one area, it goes on for miles.  Those little black dots on the right side of the pano below are huge trucks, with tires the size of the ones our bikes are next to above.  Humongous is the only way I know to describe the mine.
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Moving on, we only stopped one time in the extremely twisty part of US 191.  This stop was right after getting out a sketchy section where there was a layer of dust/dirt on the road for miles.  We ended up seeing a few construction type trucks that I guess were making the mess.  That section had me puckered up, I was thankful when it ended. 

















And when we’re taking an extended break, things like this happen…



As you can see from the pictures above, the sky began to threaten us with rain.  Right after taking off it started to sprinkle on us, but it only lasted a few miles.  The next stop was somewhere south of Alpine, but I have no idea where.  The temperature here was perfect, and almost a bit cool. 











We continued north and stopped for another break along Nelson Reservoir. 
















We arrived at the hotel in Eagar at 4:30, Pacific Time now because we gained another hour in Arizona.  As we were going back and forth to the bikes unloading them, dad noticed that our stands were digging into the asphalt.  It must have been newly paved, and combined with the heat, it was a recipe for bad news.  We both put our bikes on the side stand with pucks under it for the night.



We went next door to TrailRiders Family Restaurant for food, it was supposed to be one of the best places to eat in town.  It wasn’t spectacular, but it was good food.  I had the chicken fried steak along with a Four Peaks – Kilt Lifter.  I asked for a local beer, and Tempe was as local as they had.  I was completely fine with it though because I’ve actually been to the brewery before and enjoyed their beer.  Dad, on the other hand, was happy to have his lightly flavored water.  We both went back to the hotel absolutely stuffed and passed out.

Great pics! I went to HS in Grants NM and have ridden all over northern NM. I've been meaning to ride in the SW area for long time and now I know what I've been missing. Riding 152, 180, 12 etc. is in my near future!

Great pics! I went to HS in Grants NM and have ridden all over northern NM. I've been meaning to ride in the SW area for long time and now I know what I've been missing. Riding 152, 180, 12 etc. is in my near future!

Thanks!  Northern NM is beautiful and there are lots of great roads up that way, but there's something about 152 I really like.

I'm hooked, Buddy. Thanks for sharing!

 

Great pic's and write up.

Thanks, guys, more to come.  Slowly, but surely.   

Day 3 – 6/21/2017 – Eagar, AZ to Kanab, UT – 489 Miles

Eagar, AZ to Kanab, UT – 489 Miles – MAP LINK

The time change had me a bit wonky, I ended up waking up around 4 PT and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I just laid there.  An hour later my wife and girls called on their morning ride to school/work.  We were already up and had breakfast by 6, and left 15 minutes later. 

We took off north on Main Street and rode into Springerville.  I was hoping there would be gas there, but it didn’t look like it.  We were supposed to take a left on US 191, but I turned right and headed back into town to hope to find gas.  There was a Shell station there, so we filled up.   We also bought a bag of ice to fill our CamelBaks with, since the hotel’s ice machine wasn’t working. 



We took off and headed north on US 191.  About 10 minutes later dad said he could see something shiny flashing at him from off my top box.  It was my key.  We pulled over so I could grab it out and safely put it in my pocket.  The ride north was pretty uneventful.  We crossed over I-40 and then hit the first construction stop of the trip in Ganado. 



The next stop was for gas in Chinle.  This station was busy!



After filling up, we headed for Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  I was expecting a station at the entrance to pay at, but that wasn’t the case.  There was a Visitor Center, but I told dad we’d stop there on the way back out.  It was my decision in route planning to ride along the south canyon and not spend time on the north side.  The south is known for better views of the canyon and rock formations.  On the north side you can see more native dwellings.  I’d prefer the views.  The plan was also to ride to the farthest viewpoint first, then make our way back out.  That being said, the first overlook we checked out and the farthest one was the Spider Rock Overlook.  There was a 200 yard walk out to the overlook point and a great panoramic view from there.  It was already hot and for some reason I didn’t bring my hat with me. 


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Of course, I had to take a cell phone selfie as well.



On our way back out, the next stop was at the Sliding House Overlook.  The walk out to the viewpoint of this one was about half as long as the last. 














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The third stop was at White House Overlook.  This one was much more crowded than the last two, there was only a car or two at those.  I believe this spot was the start to a trail that you could use to walk down into the canyon.






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We skipped a couple of the next overlooks and made a final stop at Tunnel Overlook, which was right off of South Rim Drive Highway. 





We made our way back to the visitor center and went in to pick up some stickers and magnets.  By this time it was scorching hot outside, and would be for the rest of the day.  Back out on US 191 we continued north to Many Farms, where we cut over to US 160 using AZ 59.  At this point I was starting to get concerned about finding a gas station.  We hadn’t seen one for a long time.  Our route had us turning right on AZ 98, and thankfully there was a gas station there.  There was nothing else around there, just big oasis gas station in the desert.  It was completely covered and unlike anything I’d ever seen.  The pumps would not take credit cards, so I had to go in and give them an amount.  Not paying attention to how much I’d been spending on gas, I had no idea what to say.  I just told them to put $10 on each of our pumps.  I was able to squeeze all $10 into mine, but dad could only fit $8 in his.  They had to put $2 back on my card.  The whole process was antiquated and a pain in the butt, but at least it was all shaded.



We ventured back out into the heat after a break and took AZ 98 northwest for 67 miles to Page, where we turned south on US 89.  One of these days I have to make a point of going back here and doing a tour of the Antelope Slot Canyon.  It looks right up my alley, but there was no time to fit it into this year’s trip.  On US 89 we’d be passing right by Horseshoe Bend.  I debated all day on if we should stop there or not.  Dad didn’t care.  We’ve been there before, but what bothered me is that at that time I was just getting into photography and didn’t have the equipment to get the full bend in one frame.  We spent so much time in Canyon de Chelly National Park it was already getting later in the day.  But, not knowing when the next time I’d be back by there would be, I decided to stop.  It was also later in the day and I knew that due to the time difference, I’d only have a small window to FaceTime with my girls.  We pulled into the parking lot and I did just that.  Then we decided to make the hike over the hill to the bend.  We didn’t even change pants or boots, just grabbed our hats and headed out. 

This is after cresting the hill and on the way down.  Many sections of the hike have nice loamy sand, lots of fun with motorcycle boots on. 



It was crawling with people, including a couple of people flying drones over the edge, which I’m not exactly sure was legal.



But, I feel like I was able to exact my revenge on the bend.  Here are my favorites…


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I remembered to get a selfie before leaving.



We headed back over the hill.  Dad took off before me while I was still shooting a few pictures.  I’m not in great shape, but there were some people that shouldn’t have attempted the hike, especially in the extreme heat.  There was a lady who had to be stretchered out.  Here’s the view heading back to the bikes.



You can’t say they didn’t try to warn people.



We took off and for a few minutes it felt like A/C since we were drenched in sweat.  It didn’t last long, but at it sure felt good to be moving.  Continuing south on US 89 we twisted down into the canyon and took a right on US 89A.  We stopped at a place along there solely because I thought it would be a good spot for a couple pictures.  These are some of my favorite shots of the entire trip.















Riding on we stopped again at the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River.  We checked out the bridge and then looked to see what the vendors there had for sale.  Hoping my daughters would like it, I bought each of them a dream catcher in their favorite colors.















We rode over the new bridge and continued on US 89A.  We began climbing and stopped for a bit to take in the view.


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US 89A took us into Utah and to our destination for the night, Kanab.  We lost an hour crossing the state line.  We arrived at the hotel at 7 MT.  I planned on eating at the Rocking V Café, which was basically next door to our hotel.  But, mom had looked it up earlier in the day and told us it was closed on Wednesdays.  Bummer!  She suggested that we eat at Iron Horse, which was still within walking distance, so that was a win.  We took off walking and I realized I left my camera in the room.  Instead of turning around, I just decided to use my cell phone for any pictures.  I don’t think the restaurant had A/C, but we ended up cooling down after sitting there for a while. 

Sticking with my local beer theme, when in Utah…





We sat right by the entertainment for the night, a guy playing and singing random songs.



I had a burger piled high with goodness.  Dad had a pulled pork sandwich.





After watching the entertainment for a bit, dad said, “I don’t think he’s actually playing that guitar.” While we were trying to figure it out, I introduced dad to the “skeptical hippo” and other skeptical memes.  We quickly came up with the “skeptical Larry” face.  Ha!



I started really watching his hands, and it became blatantly obvious he wasn’t playing it.  We got a good laugh out of the whole situation and watching a guy by us with his own skeptical look on his face, it seemed as if he was trying to figure out if the guy was playing the guitar or not as well.  We then began to wonder if he was actually singing because he was able to mimic voices really good, especially Willie Nelson.  The jury is still out, but I think his voice was for real.

We walked back to the hotel and hunkered down for the night.  Today we spent quite a bit of time in blazing heat.  For the next day’s ride I planned a shorter route in hopes to recover from this one.

Mind blowing pics, Kory. You're looking nice and trim BTW. 

Mind blowing pics, Kory. You're looking nice and trim BTW. 

Thanks, Jimmy!  Down 87 lbs at the start of the trip.  I put on a few pounds on this trip and then the wife and I went to Mexico, so I gained a few more.     I'm doing good now, I need to get back to where I was prior to taking off for this trip! 

Day 4 – 6/22/2017 – Kanab, UT to Ely, NV – 303 Miles

Kanab, UT to Ely, NV – 303 Miles – MAP LINK

After my usual wake up call we had some breakfast and coffee and took our time getting going. 



We took off from Kanab at 7:40.  We got some gas at Shell before leaving town.  We rode up US 89 to UT 9, where we turned towards Zion National Park.  When we arrived at the entrance, we were greeted with a short line, but it went pretty quick.  I let dad go first and flash his senior pass.  It seems like half the people will let me in with it as well.  This time, the lady was extremely nice let me in on Dad’s pass, but she said not to tell anyone.  Whoops!



About a mile down the road there was a car stopped on the side and you could tell they were looking at an animal.  We slowly rode by and then I spotted the three bighorn sheep.  I grabbed a quick picture and we moved on.



The shorter mileage day today would afford for more stops in Zion.  I took advantage of that and soaked in the scenery.  We made 3 stops prior to getting to the tunnel.  Here’s stop #1.

















Here’s what I got from the second stop.

















And here are my pictures from the third stop prior to the tunnel.  While we were here a guy pulled up and parked, then set up his easel and started to paint. 





















We continued on and rode through the tunnel, emerging into the canyon and stopping for a nice break at the first overlook.  We snacked and watched buzzards soar.































From there we twisted down and stopped in the bottom of the canyon.
















Moving on, the next stop was at the Visitor Center on the west side of the park.  We lucked out and a spot opened up right as we pulled into the parking lot.  The place was packed and there were cars hovering over people waiting for spots.  In the Visitor Center I picked up some stickers, magnets, and some stuffed bighorn sheep toys for my girls.  Right by the Visitor Center is where you can catch the shuttle to view the other part of the park, Floor of the Valley Road/Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.  This part of the park is only accessible by the shuttle.  The line for the shuttle looked like it was several hundred people deep, so that was out of the question.  It really just gives me a reason to go back with my wife and explore the rest of the park. 

Leaving there, we had a car sit and wait for us as we geared up and left the parking spot.   We exited the park and continued on UT 9 all the way to I-15.  Getting through the towns of La Verkin and Hurricane seemed to take forever as we caught light after light.  Riding a couple miles south on I-15 landed us in St. George, where we exited and took the Red Hills Parkway to avoid town.  We then turned north on UT 18.  As we were cruising along, I saw a sign that had “Massacre” on it.  I thought it may be and interesting stop, so we turned around and went back to check it out.  The official road off of UT 18 was FR375 then FR4018.  As we were taking our helmets off, another car pulled up.  Two guys got out, and struck up a conversation about the bikes.  They were brothers, and the oldest owns a FJR.  We talked bikes for a moment, and then the older brother asked if we new anything about the site.  I said we had no idea, we just decided to pull in after seeing the sign.  They lived on opposite sides of the country and had met up in Utah to do some outdoor activities together.  They specifically came to the site this day because the older brother had just finished reading a book about the massacre.  The book is Blood of the Prophets, by Will Bagley.  It was pretty neat because as we walked out to the memorial, he gave us the Cliffs Notes version of the Mountain Meadows massacre (occurring in 1857). 








The actual site was down the road in the distance.  The road was being worked on and completely tore up at the moment.



Continuing north on UT 18, we took it to Beryl Junction and turned left on UT 56, which took us into Nevada.  After crossing the border, the road number changed to NV 319.  The next stop was for gas in Panaca.   This was the most entertaining gas stop I think we’ve ever had.  I had been getting a “Transponder Battery Low” error on my display, so I checked in the station to see if they had a battery.  They did, and at a reasonable price, so I went ahead and swapped it out. 











After filling the bikes we were standing around eating some snacks and having a drink.  Then we heard a loud slam, which turned out to be the back door of an enclosed trailer.  They pushed out a short dragster.  A couple of guys opened the doors of the “Y Service” building and then set up some cones in the parking lot.  I assumed they were just going to wheel the dragster into the shop to work on it.  I was wrong.  It took them a minute, but they fired it up.



Our interest was peaked, so we stood around and watched the show. 



It wasn’t exactly a Top Fuel Dragster, but the thing was still pretty loud.  He backed up from the position in the picture above and everyone got their cell phones out.  I got my camera ready.  He did a burnout, turned, and headed right for us.  Looking through the lens of my camera, I thought he was going to mow ourselves and the bikes over, but I guess the brakes on it work.







He backed it up, and this time I protected myself with the pillar of the gas station… just in case.



He did several burnouts, literally going between the pumps and the station store, then looping back around. 







It was at this point that dad and I learned a very valuable lesson.  There was a guy getting gas next to us and we were talking saying what are the odds of us in the middle of Nevada, watching a guy doing burnouts in a dragster, in the gas station parking lot?  He quickly said, “it’s Ne-VA-duh, NOT Ne-VAH-duh.  You’re liable to get shot around here saying it the wrong way.”  Yikes!

Back to the drag strip action, the final time he did a burnout the opposite direction, starting right by us at the gas pumps.  For some stupid reason, I squatted down right beside him for pictures.  He took off and nearly blew out my eardrums. 









After that one, he shut it down and the show was over.  People started taking turns sitting in it.  I tried to get dad to get in it, you know, for the ride report.  He refused.  I think he was just being a sizeist.  If it would’ve been a Top Fuel Dragster, he would have done it. 

And possibly the best part of the whole stop, after everything was over an older lady came walking out of the store, looked at us and said, “it’s always excitin’ at the Y!”  After she walked away we just looked at each other and laughed.  Moving on from the Y, we headed north on US 93.  In the 81 mile stretch between Pioche and Majors Place there is absolutely nothing!  We stopped for a break somewhere in the middle because I wanted a couple pictures, just to break up the monotony. 



















US 93 intersected with US 50 and we took that to Ely.  We ended up topping off our tanks prior to getting to the hotel, so we would be good to go in the morning.  We had gained an hour coming into Ne-VA-duh, so we ended up arriving at the hotel at 3:30 PT, most likely the earliest we’ve ever gotten to a nightly destination.  We stayed at Hotel Nevada 5 years ago, and it was such a unique place, I wanted to stay there again.  At check-in, they give each person a complimentary drink ticket, good for one drink at the bar in the casino.  After lugging our stuff upstairs, we came down and used our tickets.  I tried the Hotel Nevada IPA.





I had planned on eating at the restaurant in the hotel, which used to be a neat little café.  Mom called us during the day and informed us that the hotel restaurant was now a Denny’s.  Not wanting that, she told us that Rack’s Bar & Grill down the road sounded good.  It was within walking distance, so that’s where we headed. 





I had the beef dip with onion rings and a local amber beer, but I can’t remember the name.  Dad had a southwestern burger.



Dad had been feeling pretty congested ever since we got into Ne-VA-duh.  (See picture of him on US 93 above with tissue in hand.)  His nose was a constant draining faucet combined with lots of sneezing.  Walking back to the hotel, there was an old school drug store and I convinced him to go in and get some medicine.  We ended up talking to the pharmacist and he recommended something that he thought was more effective than what he originally picked as well as being non-drowsy.  No longer “skeptical Larry,” he was now “drainage Larry.”



It was still fairly early, but I wanted to take some night pictures of the hotel.  I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to stay awake, but watched TV and managed to keep my eyes open until the sun went down.  I headed outside and played around with camera exposures. 















When I’d had my fill, I headed inside and gambled with $5 for about 30 minutes.  First with electronic black jack and then with nickel slots.  After 30 minutes I stopped caring at that point because I couldn’t take the cigarette smoke any longer, it was killing my eyes.  I called it quits, headed up to the room and went to bed.

Day 5 – 6/23/2017 – Ely, NV to Red Bluff, CA – 545 Miles

Ely, NV to Red Bluff, CA – 545 Miles – MAP LINK

As mentioned we stayed at the Hotel Nevada 5 years ago.  When we had woke up that next morning, we had planned to take off and ride US 50, dubbed the Loneliest Highway in America.   But, as we were getting ready to go, my battery was absolutely dead.  I was able to find something in town that worked, and as I was installing it, it started to snow on us.  We waited it out for a bit, but were told the weather was coming from the west, so we changed our course that day and missed US 50.  When we woke up this morning, my bike started and there was no snow, we were already off to a great start.  It was pretty chilly though.

I had set my alarm for 5 and it sure came quickly after staying up to take pictures last night.  My wife and daughters called right on cue. 

Since the hotel doesn’t have a continental breakfast, we decided to forego breakfast and get going, taking off around 6:30.  It was about 50 degrees at launch.  Our first stop was a mile up the road, to get a picture of the sign.





US 50 was more entertaining than I expected, and that’s not just because there were jack rabbits running everywhere in the morning.  Sure, there were long boring straight sections, but I haven’t been on a road in Nevada where that wasn’t the case.  There were also several nice curvy sections, most notably just west of Ely.   We took a break during one of the straight sections.

















A Nevadan mirage…



There was a nice twisty section as we rode into Austin.  We ended up stopping while we were there to get some gas. 



Located inside was the friendliest gas station employee ever.  She was about 7 months pregnant and drove an hour and a half one way to her job at the Chevron.  We had seen several groups of people running along US 50, so I asked her if she knew what was going on.  She said it was a multi-day run down US 50 to raise money for a charity.  The rest of our conversation included her describing carnage she’s run across in the middle of nowhere Nevada to a group of guys riding their bicycles naked across US 50.  I asked her if she had any US 50 stickers.  She not only gave us stickers but also “Survival Guides” and stamped Austin for us.  I guess if you get stamps from each of the locations in the guide and send it in they send you a fancy pin. 





Continuing on, the next place we took a break as just along the road, with Sand Mountain Recreation Area in the background. 













It was here where the salt/sand section began.  It basically seemed like a mini salt flats.  On each side of the road for miles there were shapes, designs, words and phrases spelled out with black rocks.  We started seeing them shortly after taking off and I didn’t want to stop again, but I regret not putting a “TC9” out there.


As we were riding along, a military jet roared across the road in the distance and disappeared behind the mountains flying low.    Several miles later we saw road signs warning of aircraft testing in the area.  Then, while were entering the town of Fallon, we watched a jet land at Fallon Naval Air Station as we rode along.  Things slowed down considerably getting through Fallon and to Fernley.  Once there, we hopped on I-80 and cruised to Reno.  Our final conclusion was that US 50 was lonely, but the detour route we took 5 years ago down US 6 takes the lonely cake. 


This was my first time seeing Reno, and it wasn’t at all what I expected being that it was nestled in snow-capped mountains.  We turned north on US 395 and stopped for gas on the north side of town.  I was looking at snow in the distance, yet I was sweating at the gas station.





Heading on we passed by White Lake, which was appropriately named and oddly white.  After passing the lake we crossed over into California.  We rode north, passing through several construction zones and took CA 36 to CA 44.  It was slow going on US 395 because the truck speed limit was 55 mph and there were long stretches where one lane was closed, so we got stacked up behind the trucks.  On CA44 I started looking for a place to take a break, I couldn’t find a good spot by a lake as they were all tucked away behind trees, so I just pulled off on a side road and we rested there.



From there we rode to CA 89 with the intention of riding through Lassen Volcanic National Park.   We got to the entrance station and I had dad go first as usual.  This ranger was not as sweet as the one we encountered at Zion.  First, she gave us the bad news that the road was closed 9 miles up the road and we would not be able to ride through.  We discussed what to do.  This was one of the places I was looking forward to seeing, so I figured let’s see as much as we could while we were there.  Dad got in for free with his pass, but I had to pay $15, just to ride down the road 9 miles and turn around.  She said she felt bad for charging me just to do that.  She obviously didn’t feel bad enough because she still took my money.  So off we went, and just when things were starting to get good we hit the temporary end, snow keeping us out.







We were shocked when we looked around and could see snow where we were at as it felt pretty warm.  These pictures were to send to my girls.





We headed back and stopped for a quick shot to show the snow in the distance.  I’d love to be able to ride all the way through some day.



Almost back to the entrance, I pulled into the Loomis Museum in hopes of them having a sticker and magnet.  They did, so we purchased a few of those.  There were a couple of lakes right at the entrance, so I told dad I was going to stop at one for a bit.  The lake we stopped at was Manzanita Lake. 









I started looking at my GPS and phone, trying to figure out how we were going to get to the hotel in Red Bluff with our detour.  There wasn’t a clear-cut option.  Taking CA 44 to Redding and then down I-5 to Red Bluff would have been a bit out of the way.  All the roads that cut across to CA 36 looked small, but I picked one and we took a chance on it.  The decision was to go Wilson Hill Road to A6 to get to CA 36.  We turned onto Wilson Hill Road and started descending in a hurry, to the tune of a 15% grade with a 15 mph speed limit.  I was poking along because it was basically a one lane road with lots of blind turns.  A local driving a raggedy Chevy Cobalt caught us in a hurry and we waived him by.  He blasted by with his loud muffler and took off.  It reminded me of getting dusted by a station wagon on the Blue Ridge Parkway last year.  Ha! 

By the time we got to A6, we were getting down in the valley and it was getting extremely hot.  The lady back at the museum tried to warn us that the valley was going to be hot.  We had basically laughed her off.  Well, it didn’t take long before both dad and I were just miserable.  It felt like we were riding in a hair dryer, one of the top 5 hottest experiences ever on a bike.  How could it be that we were snowed out of Lassen Volcanic National Park and a few miles down the valley we were in scorching heat?  At Dales we turned right on CA 36 and went as fast as we could to get to Red Bluff and some AC.  I convinced dad to stop for gas prior to reaching the hotel.  From there we rode down to the hotel and got into the lobby as soon as we could, arriving at 5:30.  We sat in front of the AC and waited for the lady behind the desk to check in the people in front of us.  She worked slowly and we just wanted to get into our room, but at least we were indoors.  I checked my phone to see what the temperature was in Red Bluff, to see if we were exaggerating.  We were not, it showed the current temp was 108.  I had no idea it got that hot in northern California! 

The Rocking R Restaurant was next door, but it took some convincing to get dad to leave the room.  The heat had sucked all the energy out of him.  I wanted to go eat real quickly so we could get back and relax.  We were seated, but it took forever to get service.  It was hot in there.  Waitresses were running around sweating and customers were fanning themselves with menus.  We thought the AC wasn’t working, but apparently they said it was and it just couldn’t keep up with the heat later in the day.  They served breakfast all day, so once we finally got some help that’s what we both ordered.  Beer and breakfast go hand in hand.  By the end of the meal we finally cooled off from sitting still.  And if you are wondering, I devoured ALL of that.





After dinner we walked back to the hotel, cleaned up, and relaxed watching TV until we fell asleep.

Day 6 – 6/24/2017 – Red Bluff, CA to Bandon, OR – 360 Miles

Red Bluff, CA to Bandon, OR – 360 Miles – MAP LINK


The lady that checked us in the pervious afternoon was super slow, but she was nice.  She let us park our bikes up front in a blocked off zone.  She also said that there were rags and Windex that we could use to clean off our windshields.  I took advantage of that in the morning after breakfast, cleaning up our bikes in preparation for potential glamour shots of the bikes on the coast.

We took off and did a quick hop on and off of I-5 to get to CA 36 on the other side of town.  CA 36 was immediately a blast to ride.  It was an absolute treat for 130 miles all the way to the coast.  We stopped along the way for a couple of breaks.  Here are some shots from the first break.



















Mid-way through, the scenery changed from rolling hills to mountains in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. 









There was a section west of Dinsmore that was really tight and twisty, and the center stripe went away.  I wondered if we were still on the correct road, but the GPS said we were.  It looked like they have plans of expanding the road in the future and have started with tearing down trees.  We came across a nice little overlook and I told dad I was going to loop back and stop there.  We turned and passed it, then planned to do another 180 degree turn to get back on the right side of the road.  I pulled on the edge of the black-top to make my turn and stopped as a truck was coming the opposite way.  Dad pulled up behind me, and then all of the sudden I heard a commotion behind.  I looked back to watch him tip over on his bike.  He had pulled off the edge of the back-top to make his turn, and when we went to put his right food down, it was a little too far downhill and once it started going over, he couldn’t save it.  I felt bad that it was my idea to make the stop.  But, I also gave him a hard time for pulling off the road and basically into the ditch to make the turn.  The lady in the truck got a good show as she drove by.
HERE’S THE SCENE, LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD


Thankfully dad didn’t hurt anything on himself other than his pride.  It took a little extra effort for us to get the bike upright since it was down at more than a 90 degree angle.  We finally completed the turn and pulled off at my intended spot, accessing the damage to the bike.  His right mirror was crunched and the saddle bag was scratched up.





And here are the costly shots that I stopped for.

















After shaking off the tip-over, we moved on and continued riding towards the coast.  The road began to follow a river as we entered the Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park area.  It was absolutely beautiful through there, but a bit crowded.  We found a little spot to pull over to take in the trees, looking at these giants never gets old.















In Fortuna we intersected with US 101 and headed north.  We worked our way through Fortuna, Eureka, and Arcata, just waiting for a grand view of the Pacific.  It wasn’t to be just yet, and it was time to look for gas, so we exited US 101 in Trinidad and found a Chevron station.  We filled up and then moved under a nice shade tree for a break.  We both noticed a guy sitting on the corner by the station, you can just make him out in my picture below, directly above my bike.  He had, what looked to be, all of his belongings scattered around him, including a couple jars of cannabis.  Dad went into the store and then a couple Sheriffs pulled up, with jet skis in tow.  They went into the store, then came out and started talking to the guy.  They started walking back to their truck and then the guy started yelling something at them.  They came back over to him and I’m assuming they told him to pack up his stuff and leave.  They left, then dad came out so I headed into the store to use the restroom.  As I was walking by the guy, he asked me where we were from.  I told him Houston, and he asked me what I thought of California.  It was a very brief conversation and I entered the store.  When I came back out, he was in the same spot, but when I walked over to dad he looked at me and asked what in the world I told that guy.  I told him I said we were from Houston, and that was about it.  Apparently as soon as I went into the store the guy walked over to dad and was speaking in tongues with a few “F” Texas’ thrown in.  Dad just kind of stood there shaking his head in agreement and the guy walked back over to his spot.  For the rest of the trip, and for all eternity, we will refer to him as the crazy hippie leprechaun.  Another guy pulled up on a ratted-out cruiser (I should have taken a picture) that could have been the crazy hippie leprechaun’s uncle.  He mumbled something to us and walked across the street.  We started to wonder if everyone in Trinidad, CA was a little bit different. 



 

A family from Illinois pulled up next to us in a car.  They appeared to be on a road trip.  A guy, probably in his mid 20s, was letting the dog walk around.  It was then that the crazy hippie leprechaun made his final performance.  He had packed up his bag and headed our way.  This time he chose the young man for his victim.  He noticed their license plate and started aggressively asking him about Illinois.  The young man acted as if they guy wasn’t there, and dad and I sat back and watched the show.  When the young man wasn’t answering, the CHL started speaking his gibberish and dropping “F” bombs.  He finally moved on, and when we looked at the dog we started laughing because it had a very skeptical look on his face.  Ha!



With fond thoughts of Trinidad, it was time to move on.  We continued north and took a little detour off of US 101 on Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.  It’s a 9 mile ride a then meets back up with US 101.  It was a scenic little ride through some beautiful redwoods within Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. 





















We stopped one more time along the parkway because dad wanted a shot of the bikes in front of a tree for perspective. 











The next stop was a planned one at the Klamath Tour Thru Tree.  When we pulled up to the booth to pay, there was no one there.  No worries though, they had clearly written instructions on their signs.  Dad put our money in the slot and we headed for the tree. 



It was a short, but steep trip there.  The paved road took us right to the tree, and did I mention it was steep!  There was one car in front of us, so we waited until they took their pictures and then I drove through and took a picture of dad as he went through.



A few miles up the road is Trees of Mystery.  We pulled in there, not to do the gondola ride, but because I wanted a picture of the bikes with Paul and Babe.



A couple turns later and we finally hit a good view of the Pacific Ocean. 

We ran into several construction zones with the automated signals.  It seemed like every time we were able to clear the traffic in front of us we’d catch one these and had to do it all again.  We crossed the state line into Oregon and continued north, making our next stop at an overlook just south of Gold Beach.




















(Click for larger pano size)



The next attraction I had planned on stopping at was the Cape Blanco Lighthouse.  It’s a short 2 mile ride one way down Cape Blanco Road.  Access was restricted past a certain point, so we couldn’t get close.  The breeze off the ocean was strong here and it was chilly! 











There was a guy here flying a RC sailplane.  As I was taking the pictures above it went flying by my head, a little too close for comfort.







We rode back out to US 101 and finished off the day’s route, arriving at the Bandon Beach Motel at around 6.  We checked in and unloaded our stuff into the room.  Mom had told us earlier that the place I was planning on eating at this night closed at 7.  It was a mile and a half from the hotel, so we just kept our gear on and headed that way.  We found a spot to park on the street and walked down to the Bandon Fish Market.



The line to order was just outside the door, but moved at a reasonable pace.  There are maybe 12 tables inside with more picnic tables outside, but we definitely wanted to sit inside.  After ordering, a small table opened up and I was able to snag it.  Dad ordered his food and then we waited. 



It took about 20 minutes until our food came out.  Right before it did, we started discussing what we got.  I told dad I couldn’t believe he didn’t get fish and chips.  He didn’t offer a good explanation, and then said if I’d split some with him, he’d get them to try.  So he got back in line, this time shorter and ordered more food.  The first round came out, I had ordered jumbo prawns.  Dad ordered a shrimp and crab sandwich along with some chowder.  As we were eating that, the Rockfish and chips came out.  Dad ended up taking half of his sandwich to go.



After eating we walked back to the bikes along the water.



My plan was to get some sunset shots on the beach directly in front of our motel.  When we got back to the motel I had a little bit of time to get my stuff together and ready to shoot.  At the Bandon Beach Motel, every room has a great view.  The rooms are updated enough, but it’s really not about that, it’s about the location.  It overlooks the beach and the rocks directly in front of it.  I had the choice of several rooms when I called to make the reservations.  They asked if I wanted first or second floor, which I chose second, and then if I wanted a better view of the beach or the rocks, which I chose the rocks.  Here’s the view from our room.



Dad had taken off to walk around and explore on his own.  Once I was ready, I headed out.  There was a nice golden light at first.



The stairs in the shot above lead down to the beach, about 120 steps later.  I started looking for different angles and photo opportunities along the beach. 













As the sun started to get lower, I tried walking for a better view of the sunset over the water, since it was blocked where I was at by the rocks.





There wasn’t a way to get past those rocks on the beach without doing some serious climbing, and that wasn’t going to happen.  So I settled for walking around on the south side of the point.





















After playing with some longer shots, I broke out the wide angle.  It was definitely nice having waterproof riding boots.













































I made my way back over to the stairs.  Before walking up, these logs and puddle caught my eye.  While I was taking pictures here a young couple walked by that I had seen earlier on the beach.  He ran through a flock of seagulls and made them take off.  I made a comment to him, joking about it and we talked for a bit.  They were asking me how I was getting pictures, since it was almost dark and not much light.  I gave them a quick lesson on exposures.  It turns out that they just picked up moved to Bandon 2 days prior from St. Louis.  When I asked them why, they said they wanted to move away from the hustle and experience life at a slower pace.  The feeling of jealousy washed over me.











I headed back up, took a few final shots and then went to bed.

Day 7 – 6/25/2017 – Bandon, OR to Oakridge, OR – 280 Miles

Bandon, OR to Oakridge, OR – 280 Miles – MAP LINK

My morning wake-up call comes super early on the west coast.  We had left the window open and fell asleep to the sound of waves and birds.  It was nice and cool in the room in the morning.  There was no breakfast, so I made some coffee for us in the room.  Dad ended up eating his leftover shrimp and crab sandwich for breakfast and I gave him a hard time about it.  Here was the morning view…



And here’s the Bandon Beach Motel in all its glory.  Our room was the second door from the right on the second floor.



Before taking off, I walked back out to the point and took a couple of pictures while taking in the view for the last time.




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It was in the 50s when we took off.  We rode across town to head out, but got gas before leaving.  This was our first experience with filling the bikes in Oregon.  For those that don’t know, Oregon does gas fill-ups differently.  All stations are full-service.  But with motorcycles, all the ones we went to let us pump the gas ourselves.  You just have to give the attendant your card and they do that part for you.  Then they hand you the nozzle. 

On the east side of town we took OR 42S, which follows the Coquille River for a while.  In the town of Coquille we took OR 42 north and back to US 101.  It was a nice little ride to start the day off.  The first stop was at the Umpqua River Lighthouse, 6 miles south of Reedsport.  The lighthouse is within a state park, but we went in and out without seeing anywhere to pay. 












On the way in, we passed Lake Marie.  It looked neat so we stopped there for a few shots on the way back out.







We continued north and the next stop was at the Oregon Dunes Overlook on the other side of Reedsport.  I followed the wooden path to a nice viewpoint and explored a bit.






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We moved on up the coast and the plan was to stop at the Heceta Head Lighthouse.  We tried viewing the lighthouse from the scenic viewpoint area along the beach. 







There was a bunch of Model As (I believe) in the area, and we finally saw a few up close here.



I was disappointed in the view from here, and I knew a few curves back there was an overlook where we could see it clearly, although at a distance.  Dad was fine with heading back, so we did.  We parked and I started taking some pictures of the lighthouse at distance.





Tried to get a little selfie in, and the color was so bad I had to make it black and white.



I started putting my lens up, getting ready to leave and a lady walked over and said there was a bald eagle that landed nearby.  I put my 70-200mm back on and tried to find it.  She let dad borrow her binoculars to do some glassin’. 



See that white head in the picture below?  I had to crop this even at 200mm.  I was really regretting not dragging along my 200-500mm.  It would have been perfect for this and I probably could have gotten some really good shots.



The bald eagle was just trying to relax, but it kept getting dive-bombed by other birds.  First a crow…



Then a seagull…









The seagull made about 15 passes, and the bald eagle had enough and took off.  It basically went under us and out of our sight.







I tried walking around the overlook to find it, but no dice.  Then I noticed a sea lion sunbathing on the rocks below. We were just a few hundred yards down from Sea Lion Caves.





I started looking down the coast to the south toward the caves and then spotted a juvenile bald eagle.  Several different species of birds were attacking it as well.



















After the juvenile was chased away, I took a couple shots of the view toward the Sea Lion Caves.







With the aerial show over, it was time to put my gear up and move on.
 






We continued riding along the beautiful coastline, not stopping again until we passed through Newport.  We rode through town, which had lots of lights and traffic, and then up to Yaquina Head Lighthouse.  The fog was thick when we arrived.







We were able to walk up and see it up close, along with check out the coast behind it.






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We walked around the area and I noticed a neat looking beach below, which turned out to be Cobble Beach.  I told dad I was going to go down there and dad said he was staying up by the bikes.  100 Stairs later I was down on the beach and the climb down and up were definitely worth it.  The sound of the waives crashing up on the rocks and then rolling back down sounded like one of those rain sticks.  I loved listening to it.

















By the time I got back to the bikes the fog had basically all cleared out.



We rode back down to Newport, said goodbye to the coast, and took US 20 east to Corvallis.  Then we took OR 34 to I-5 and stopped for gas at the Chevron before getting on the interstate.  The station was really busy, so after we were done we went to the parking lot in the back for a break.  It’s so glamorous being on a road trip.







After the break we cruised down I-5 to Eugene and exited on OR 58.  We started climbing in elevation and then ran across Dexter Reservoir, where I spotted a covered bridge.  We pulled over to check out Lowell Covered Bridge.











We finished off the day’s ride by getting into Oakridge and to our hotel.  We pulled up, and as usual, parked under the porte cochere and off to the side so we didn’t block any cars.  I walked in and the lady immediately had an attitude with me and started grilling me on where we parked.  I guess she assumed we parked on the sidewalk, and she made a big deal about how there were people there with wheelchairs and we were blocking them.  I ensured her we weren’t on the sidewalks and we’d move them as soon as we got our room.  Sheesh, if I was psychic and knew the room number before getting there, we would have just parked straight in front of our room.  Dad walked in and almost immediately the lady changed her tune.  I don’t know why she was acting so crazy with me.  She finally did her job and checked us in, and we promptly parked our bikes in front of our room. 

While we were unloading them, one of the wheelchair guests came out and chatted dad up.  One of the first things he said was, “what happened there?”  He was in eye level with the scratches on his saddlebag. 



There was a guy in the room next to us that was riding a BMW F800GS.  I talked to him for a bit, he was headed home after attending a rally.  After unloading and settling in, we walked across the street to grab a burger at Stewart’s 58 Drive-In. 



They had a ton of options, along with about 25 different shake flavors.  When I saw one come out, I knew I had to have one.  We ordered our food to-go and took it back to eat in the room so we could watch the UFC fights.





We stuffed ourselves stayed put for the rest of the night.