Motorcycling around USA

The end of our Journey

2010-11-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we checked out of the motel and headed to visit another friend and metal sculptor, Heath. He is in the middle of setting up his new workshop after moving out of smaller premises. After a fairly quiet time over the last year or so, a whiole bunch of work has come along all at once, so he is as busy as a one-armed wallpaper hanger with piles.

Nevertheless, he generously gave a couple of hours of his 18 hour workday to show us his huge new place, and have lunch with us.

With a few hours to kill before we had to head to the airport, we drove to Venice Beach which was only a few miles from Heath's studio and a similar distance from LAX. We visited the boardwalk there when we arrived in LA, and figured it worth revisiting to finish off our last minute shopping.

Metal figures.

As the sun sank lower over the water we took off for the airport. It was nearly dark when we arrived, but after going through security and into the soulless departure lounge we were surprised to find we were an hour early. Daylight saving ended at 2 am this morning, and Chris's cell phone had not registered the change. This was a little surprising because through out all our travels the phone had been rigourously updating the time as we passed through different time zones - sometimes twice or more in the same day as we zig-zagged through the 4 corner states. We had a long wait in the departure lounge, compounded by our flight departing later than scheduled.

The drug squad at the airport was really cute. We could have taken this dog home.

The flight home was surprisingly good. We bounced around a few times in the night. Being seated near the back of the plane amplified every bump. However, we managed to get some sleep through the 14 hour flight, and arrived in Sydney feeling less jet-lagged than on other trips.

The last leg of our journey from Sydney to Canberra was a 3 hour bus ride. Chris's parents met us at the bus station and drove us home. We arrived to find our house sittters had moved out and left the place spotless. Our dogs were happy to see us (and vice versa).

So now it's all over. Life will soon be back to normal (at least a different "normal" to that of the last six months). The transition imparts mixed feelings, perhaps best described as "travel inertia", a phrased we learned from Peter, one of our friends in the US.

The trip has been a wonderful experience. We rode 27,000 miles in six months. We took an estimated 50,000 photos, and over 600 Mb of video. We met and stayed with many, many friends - some of whom we had previously only met on-line through the "Sandbox" where we share information about all aspects of metal art.

We set out to achieve a number of things: to "look for America" as Simon and Garfunkel once sang, to visit old friends and make new ones, to see the spectacular beauty of America and to ride some of the best motorcycling roads in the world. We comprehensively nailed everyone of those aims except the last. Late snow last winter kept us from riding some much anticipated routes - Tioga Pass in Yosemite and the nearby Sonora, Carsons and Ebbet passes, and later the "Going to the Sun" road in Wyoming's Glacier National Park. Towards the end of our journey we missed the chance to ride to the top of Mt Evans (at 14,000 ft, the highest paved road in the US) because it closed for winter a month before we arrived. We also missed the experience of riding Independence Pass in Colorado because winter weather was closing in on us. Mind you, we still rode some amazing roads, and what we missed is just a reason to have another go.

The goals we set ourselves were: firstly not to die on the US roads as more than 30,000 people do every year, secondly not to have an accident, thirdly not to drop the bike, then not to get any traffic citations, and to have fun.

Chris put the bike down once when he hit a patch of oil on a wet road, but other than that we achieved all our goals.

America is such a great country. It's people are friendly, polite, warm hearted, caring, open and generous to a fault. It was sad to see the impact of the GEC - shops and commercial premises boarded up and abandoned, "for sale" signs out everywhere...

Thanks to everyone who has been reading our blog and sending us encouraging feedback. If anyone has any specific questions they would like to ask about our adventure, drop us an email to bridglan(at)pcug.org.au. Substitute "@" for "(at)" and you will find us (and hopefully the spammers won't)..

This has truly been the journey of a lifetime. We hope you have enjoyed the ride, too.

Selling our bike

2010-11-05T23:16:00.001-07:00

This morning we took the Beemer back to Long Beach BMW (LA, California)where we bought it. Robyn offered us a good price to buy it outright (rather than sell it on consignment) and we couldn't refuse.

It is a fantastic bike and we were sad to let it go in some ways. (We toyed with the idea of leaving it with a friend and coming back in six months to start again. Importing it back home gave us tax issues.). If any readers are interested in a 2010 BMW R 1200 RT that is nicely run-in, fully serviced, has a GPS, radio and all its bags, detailed and sitting on new rubber, be sure to contact Robyn Smietan at Long Beach BMW Motorcycles. We have never ridden something as powerful before. It took every challenge we gave it with ease. We did avoid dirt roads however.

However, while we have recently enjoyed the benefits of an Aussie dollar being par with the US dollar, this has bitten us in the hip pocket as we sell the bike. The Aussie has incresed in value by over 10% since we bought the bike. Ce la vie! Que sera, sera...

We also had to have the bike serviced again, put two new tyres on it and get it detailed which added to our costs. Whoever buys our bike will get a real bargain...

After leavin LBBMW we drove into LA to pick up our suitcases from Vaike who has been minding them for the last six months. Vaike (aka Alex in Welderland) is a metal artist who specialises in making pet urns for holding the ashes of cremated "fur kids".

We met her friend Brenda
and spent some time chatting over a rather lovely bottle of Pinot Grigio in the warm afternoon sun before having dinner together. With another bottle of vino.

Completing our lap of the US

2010-11-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

Natalia and Aurea, two lovely girls who live with Terrie, inspected Chris' bike before making a fond farewell.

Terrie, her son Greg, and Jay web-cast an on-line blog radio segment each Thursday from 3 to 4 pm PDT, in which Jay interviews metal artists. Chris was invited to be the guest for today, so we rode back into San Diego, California around lunch time. Instead of taking the highways, we rode down the Coast Highway, which was slower but more interesting. There were people swimming, surfing and exercising. Greg is a keen surfer staying out until it gets dark.

It seemed pretty warm, and when we arrived at Jay's learned that the temperature was 99 F.

We also learned that an engine on a QANTAS A380 had exploded on takeoff from Singapore, and their fleet of 5 aircraft were grounded pending safety checks (3 at LAX airport, apparently). Our flight back to Oz on Sunday is supposed to be on an A380 - who knows if it will be cancelled? (If QANTAS know, they aren't telling).

Chris's talk with Jay went off well. You can read/hear it here. Jay translated for the benefit of American listeners, explaining "aluminium" is actually "aluminum", and so on.

Greg(left) was in control of the technology while Jay(right) directed the interview with Chris.
When it was over, we said a rushed goodbye to Jay and Terrie and headed up the freeway to LA. We were expecting peak traffic and long delays and had a sense of dread in our hearts.

It was still 98 F as we mounted up. The first part of the journey onto the freeway was slow, but as we entered the on ramp we gunned the bike to merge into the traffic at 80 mph. There was a spot of congestion and we slowed to a complete stop briefly. Once we reached the carpool lane we picked up speed - motorcycles are allowed to use this lane on the extreme left of the road, along with vehicles carrying two or more people. There aren't many of the latter, so we enjoyed a smooth fast run when the other 5 lanes slowed to a crawl.

The traffic became quite heavy when we approached LA, and in the end it took us 2 hrs 15 minutes to cover the 105 miles. It was quite dark when we arrived.

We checked into the Carlton Motel on Long Beach Bvd, the same place we stayed in when we arrived in May. AJ, the friendly young manager was pleased to see us again and hear of our exploits.

We ate at a local Chinese restaurant before riding over to Long Beach Airport to pick up a hire car.

Meeting Jay Whaley

2010-11-05T22:09:00.001-07:00

Today was a scheduled rest day with nothing planned so we spent some of the morning relaxing in Terrie's home which is only a few miles from the ocean.

These budgies are safe from the hawks that sometimes terrorise them.

The garden is full of fruit trees and flowers. It still feels like spring here.

The ocean is only a few miles away. There are plenty of people surfing and swimming.

Terrie works for Jay Whaley, a jeweller who runs a workshop and teaches classes in San Diego, and had to leave at 6 am. We decided to follow her in (at a more respectable hour) so we could meet Jay and see his shop. Even in the middle of the day the main road to San Diego was a mad rush of traffic, 5 lanes wide all going 80+ in a 65 zone.

We were welcomed by Jay saying "So you're the biker trash from Australia?!" and were instantly friends. We had lunch with Terrie and Jay and spent some time admiring his well-equipped workspace. Not wanting to get underfoot, we left mid afternoon.

Some of Jay's artwork.

Students working on jewelery in his workshop.

It was pizza for lunch.

The ride back was even more frenetic in the heat of a very warm autumn day. We were glad to reach Oceanside and exit to some quieter, tree-lined streets.

We stopped at a supermarket to stock up on supplies for the evening meal - another barbeque.
Terrie relaxed after a hard day's work.

Thankfully we bought ample supplies - we thought it would just be Terrie and us eating in tonight, but were pleased when Greg (Terrie's son), and Natalia joined us to eat out under the pergola in the cool of the evening. This weather is remarkably balmy. We felt sorry for Elizabeth and Nick from Ohio. They are already preparing for the winter.

Getting lost again

2010-11-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Gary has a beautiful outfit. We met him while filling up with petrol.

Our plan for today was first to ride south through Joshua Tree National Park, California to Mecca. The Joshua trees are distinctive and grow quite large for a desert plant. WWe have seen them in other places, but here they were most abundant.

Our GPS was set for Mecca and off we went. After an hours travel we left the Park and entered a town where we stopped at a diner for lunch.

The service was slow, and while we were waiting Chris decided to check the map. It was only then we realised we had gone the wrong way.

Unfortunately the GPS couldn't computer that the shortest distance to Mecca was through the Park, and it took us on a semi-circular route that led to Joshua Tree, 15 miles due west of Twenty-nine Palms.

It was already early afteroon by the time we left the diner, and we were effectively yet to start our journey to Oceanside, 35 miles north of San Diego.

We re-traced our path through Joshus Tree NP and found the road south to Mecca. On the way there were varied and huge rock formations. The cactus garden also amazed us. There was a chipmunk living in these arid conditions.

Although there were postings about Tarantula spiders, we did not see any. An occasional fleeing bird would catch our eye.

The weather was quite hot (unseasonably so, we have been told) so we were pleased to stop for drinks.

Continuing south on 86, we passed the Salton Sea, 235 ft below sea level, before heading west to Borrego Springs on S22. The S22 road out of there is a great motorcycle journey, winding its way up the Montezuma Grade which climbs over 3000 feet in six miles.

The views changed from a dry desert to green grass and beautiful trees, something we have not seen for some time. We soon found ourselves on CA 76, another scenic road that took us all the way into Oceanside, where we were invited to stay with Teresa, another of our metal artist friends. Terrie has a beatiful home just a few miles from the ocean. The suburb is lush, green and full of trees. She welcomed us with cold drinks before we settled down to a Barbecue dinner with wine. Yum!

Squeek greets everyone.

We met Terrie's son Greg and her housemates Natalia and Aurea who live with her.

Moving on

2010-11-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

Homes in Las vegus are enclosed by walls keeping their ecosystems protected from the desert.

From Las Vegas,Nevada we rode to Twenty-nine Palms, California. We travelled through more desert country, with no particularly scenic points of interest along the way.

The most interesting thing about the route is that it was used by the Rat Pack to travel back to their homes in Palm Springs after their gigs in Las Vegas .

One of many dry waterways.
The first leg of the journey ran down I-15. Once into California we took a left onto the Nipton Road (Route 164) followed by 2 right turns in fairly quick succession to take us across the Mojave National Preserve to Cima and Kelso.

We stopped in Kelso for lunch at the old railway depot building, now preserved as the visitor centre.

We continued south on Kelbaker Road. (We rode up this section of road a week or so ago when we travelled from Needles to Shoshone.).

Salt mining on the way.

We passed under I-40 and soon after turned right to Amboy. Heading south from there we passed the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. Turning right at a T junction put us on the raod into Twenty-nine Palms. where we stopped for the night.

(The Rat Pack would have continued down CA 62 to Palm Springs)

An even more restful day in Las Vegas

2010-11-01T21:24:00.001-07:00

We spent part of the day resting by the Hard Rock Hotel poolside, a luxurious array of pools, sand and numerous tents and outdooor seating at various levels. Shade cloths were strung across palm trees. It was too cold in the water for swimming, but a few people came to enjoy the warm autumn sunshine.

Gym facilities.

There are various pools.

Private outdoor facilities.

Imported sand, and numerous lounge facilities.

You can drink and gamble at the bar in the pool.Fountain.

Shade sails tied to palm trees.

After partying til late, we welcomed the opportunity to sleep in this morning. It was midday when we surfaced for brunch.

View of Las Vegas from our window.

We checked out some local eateries and decided the best value was to be found in one of the hotels eateries, and returned there for dinner. The complex also included various stores for shopping. Las Vegas is so spread out it is easier to shop at the motel complex you are in.

A rest day in Las Vegas

2010-11-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of BMW riders we met in Oatman earlier in the week (Gary and Grant) invited us to have lunch with the European Motorcycle Owners group today. On our way there we took a ride up the strip (it's not nearly as sparkly in daylight but the structures are still impressive).

The BMW dealers are a few miles south of the main part of town.

When we arrived Gary welcomed us and introduced us to the rest of the group. Mimi's where we headed for lunch was about 400 yards away as the crow flies, but on the other side of the Interstate. so it was about a mile to ride there. Actually, we were the only ones who rode - the rest were all in cars (!).

Lunch was very enjoyable and we talked about bikes and rides and adventures . All too soon it was over. Gary very generously paid for our lunches - despite our protestations that we pay our own bill.

We returned to our hotel to catch up on blogs and rest ahead of tonight's Halloween party. Americans take Halloween seriously, and it's not just for kids.

The shops have been full of pumpkins and Halloween related merchandise for at least a month, which means there is no sign of Christmas decorations yet - as we get in Australia from early October. There is also Thanksgiving at the end of November, so this is a crowded season of celebrations for Americans.

We enjoyed the festivities long into the night.

A surprise, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas

2010-10-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

It was only a short hop over the mountains into Las Vegas, Nevada this morning. However, we rode straight through there and the adjoining municipality of Henderson en route to Boulder City and the Hoover Dam.

There was a surprise in store for us when we arrived: the main road across the Colorado River no longer takes you across the Hoover Dam. An amazing new bridge takes traffic high across the Colorado River without having to wind down and up one lane switchbacks on either side of the Dam.

The Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge opened less than 3 weeks ago on 20 October. Pedestrians can walk across the bridge from a carpark on the Nevada side of the river. It was jam packed when we were there and we didn't understand why until we learned the bridge had just opened.

The view of the Hoover Dam from the bridge is quite spectacular - and vice versa.

The water level behind the dam seems very low.

Returning to Las Vegas, we checked into our hotel and rested up.

After dinner, we walked to "The Strip", the main road with all the big casinos. It was crowded with people all ogling the ostentatious glitter and glam. An amazing place.

Everything is so over the top - for example, The Venetian casino is modelled on the Doge's Palace and has a pool out the front that is so big they offer gondola rides. on it

The Paris casino has its own replica of the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower...

One of the casinos has a simulated volcano, while Bellagio's has a two hundred metre wide fountain that puts on a show every hour.

Here's some of the other casinos:

By the time we walked back to our hotel we were exhausted, but it made for a good night's sleep.

2010-10-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

This young man works very hard to keep this place going. Many people were attracted to the area for its remoteness. The trailbike riders we met last night, loved the area and return regularly. We heard them leave at daybreak this morning prepared with GPSs and specialised equipment.

First priority was to fill the bike - even at these prices. Isolated places seem to be more expensive as importing of goods is far more difficult. There are few luxuries except for a clean bed and the restaurant, which fortunately does a good meal.

The road west of Panamint Springs, California was a squiggly red line on the map. The barman had told us yesterday that the 12 miles to the top of the pass was a favourite with motorcyclists. Although this was in the opposite direction to our destinatiion, we rode up and back before breakfast, to build up an appetite for food and more adventures in Death Valley.

At breakfast we shared a table with two other bikers who pulled into the cafe at the same time as we did, and swapped yarns before heading our separate ways.

Our route was west on 190. The road from Panamint Springs rose steeply as it crossed Towne Pass at nearly 5,000 ft before descending into Death Valley, taking us back through Stovepipe Wells and on to Furnace Creek.

Our first stop was a few miles beyond Furnace Creek at Zabriskie Point. A short climb from the car park leads to an overlook surrounded by barren, yellow, eroded landforms. Through a gap in the hills we could see across Death Valley. An incredible formation.

Further east on 190 we turned off to Dante's View. The road initially was fast and fairly straight, but towards the higher sections became tighter and steeper, culminating in a short stretch of tight bends and 12% grade that required 1st gear. At 5475 ft above sea level we were rewarded with panoramic views of the southern parts of Death Valley. Directly below us but hidden under the cliffs was Badwater. This was amazing and a must see for anyone in the area. You begin to realise how vast this area is. (These four photos join to make one view.)

From the car park there is a trail we followed for a short distance to take in some other perspectives of the landscape. Far below we could see the road we had travelled two days earlier. Once back on 190 we were soon out of the National Park.

We have greatly enjoyed the last three days. Death Valley is so beautiful and seducive. Like a siren's song it attracts you and draws you in, but at the same time you sense it is a dangerous and unforgiving place. Both heat and rapid floods make it this way.

We continued to Death Valley Junction, a motley collection of decaying buildings. Putting up some resistance is the Amargosa Hotel with the "Amargosa Opera House" and a cafe. We stopped there for lunch. The staff were a cheery lot, all dressed in Halloween cotumes and make-up.

As we moved on there were beautiful desert scenes.

Our destination for the night was Pahrunp in Nevada, a vast, sprawling, dusty town in the middle of the desert. On a peak high above and behinfd the town the first winter snows have fallen. Careful watering make parts of this town feel like a small oasis.

Beamer us up Scotty...

2010-10-28T20:58:00.001-07:00

We left Beatty Nevada this morning, heading north on Us 95. We soon came upon Angel's Ladies, in the middle of nowhere.

Twenty miles further down the road was Shady Lady Ranch.

When we went to fill our bike before leaving Beatty we found the service station has half a dozen poker machines lining one wall, each with a seat to encourage players to linger. Even supermarkets have areas set aside for pokies...

These activities have been legal in Nevada ever since the government realised they could tax these industries.

About 40 miles up the road we reached Scotty's Junction and turned west back into California and Death Valley on route 267.

Not far over the border in California is Scotty's Castle.

This amazing place in the middle of nowhere has a story that is so bizarre we would not believe a word of it were it not for the presence of the Castle. It would take us far too long to explain, but you can read more about it here.

We spent an hour on the guided tour which was most interesting.

From Scotty's Castle we soon reached a T Junction where we turned south east back towards Furnace Creek (where we stopped yesterday). However, a few miles short of there we took a right turn onto Route 190.

Six miles down the road we dismounted briefly at the Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes. It was like being on a beach without the ocean.

A short distance away was the town of Stovepipe Wells where we stopped for a cool drink.

Continuing west on 190, the road climbed steeply out of Stovepipe Wells.

About 10 miles down the road we turned off towards Wildrose Canyon. This road continued to climb first to Emmigrant Pass then even higher to Towne Pass at 4956 ft. In the space of about 20 miles we had climbed over 5,000 ft from more than 100 ft below sea level - amazing!

The ride down the back of the passes was a motorcyclist's dream - twisting back and forth and hardly another vehicle anywhere. The weather at this time of year is great.

As the road took a sharp turn down Wildrose Canyon we had 3 miles of winding broken pavement, dirt and loose gravel to negotiate before emerging onto a smooth straight road down into the Panamint Valley. We headed north back towards Route 190 where we took a left west for a couple of miles into the resort of Panamint Springs where we stooped for the night.

There were quite a few dirt bike riders staying there, getting ready for a weekend of fun riding out in the bush.

How Low Can We Go?

2010-10-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

Answer: In the US, about 280 ft below sea level.

Our journey for the next three days will take us through and around Death Valley. Starting this morning, we fuelled the bike and ate breakfast in Shoshone, California. Places to refuel bikes and people are few and far between out here.

Just north of Shoshone we turned left onto Route 178. Initially climbing as we travelled west, we soon crossed Salisbury Pass at 3315 ft and then Jubilee Pass at 1290 ft before heading steadily downhill to the ruins of Ashford Mill. From here the road turned north, heading steadily lower.

We have both been awed by the lonely desolation and emptiness of the desert here It is a majestic and foreboding place that can be extremely hot (134 F) and extremely cold. (10 F). It is incredibly dry, with an average rainfall of 2.5 inches a year. At one time they went 40 months with less than half an inch of rain. Salt lakes reflect the sun with a white intensity that scorches the eyes. Hardly anything grows here.

As we rode further north, we came upon dried salt lakes

By the time we reached Badwater we were 282 feet below sea level, A white sign on the cliffs above us indicated sea level. (It was so small and so far away you cant see it in the photos). A boardwalk led out onto the salt flats.

Two bikers on trail bikes rode into the car park, hoping to find mobile phone coverage. One of their party of about six had broken his leg twenty miles up in the mountains to the west, and they were on a mission to get assistance. They rode on ahead of us to Furnace Creek where they could get help.

We stopped briefly at Golden Canyon for a shortr hike.

At Furnace Creek there is a large resort overlooking Death Valley.

Below it is the Furnace Creek Ranch, with campgrounds, general store, petrol station, golf course, bar, restaurant... A real oasis in the desert. We stopped there for an iced drink and a close look at Dinah, an 1890's steam tractor once used to pull carts of Borax from the mines, replacing the 20 mule teams.

From here we continued north on 178 for about 9 miles before turning east towards Beatty in Nevada, where we are staying the night. Leaving Death Valley involved a winding climb on a virtually deserted road across Daylight Pass at 4317 ft. Heading down the other side we quickly crossed into Nevada, where the road ran as straight as a die all the way to the horizon.

Beatty is an historic town - just like every other town in Americaclaims to be. (American communities seem to have a much stronger sense of history than Australian towns.). There doesn't seem to be much here apart from a couple of Casinos and a good selection of motels.

We found a comfortable place close to shops and settled in, even though it was early afternoon. For this part of our ride Chris did not set ambitious mileages for us to cover in case it was hot. It has been pleasantly warm - great for riding, and the roads allow enough pace that we can get off the road early.

Having brought our blog up to date in the last 24 hours, we were almost at a loss for something to fill in the time til dinner.

Getting Lost in the Mojave Desert

2010-10-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

We took off on I-40 again this morning, heading west through the Mojave Desert.

The desert is mostly flat and dry, with craggy mountains growing out of the sand.

A deep low pressure system passed through the region a day or so ago, and the result was high winds with gusts up to 65 mph in some parts of California. We didn't get the really high winds, but they were gusty and strong enough to blow us all over the road - a scary experience on a highway posted at 70 mph. We had to slow down and ride with our hazard lights on as cars flashed past us with a speed differential of 30 to 40 mph.

Our aim was to head north to Shoshone, and we turned north at exit 100. The road led us through the desert to Mitchell Caverns where the road turned to gravel. Chris realised a better route would have been to turn north at exit 78, so we returned to I-40 and turned west. With the strong head winds and the extra miles we travelled, we were in need of fuel before we headed out again across the desert. This is not a place to run out of fuel.

This meant riding 49 miles west to Ludlow. The winds seemed to get stronger the further we went. By the time we arrived there, we were both frazzled from fighting the winds. We stopped for a slow lunch at a fast food joint. You can see how the wind was nearly ripping the top off this palm tree...
The winds had died down a bit by the time we were ready to go. Also, we had to ride 29 miles east back to Kelbaker Road, which meant the winds were at our back and had less effect on us.

Turning north on Kelbacker Road we soon reached Kelso. There wasn't a single wheel barrow in sight, let alone a factory to make them... Taking a left at the fork in the road we wound across the desert towards the town of Baker. This is a wild and lonely place..

We had decided earlier that if the weqather was still bad we woulkd stay here the night. As it turned out we had a good run across the desert and so we decided to push on to Shoshone, our planned destination for the night. Besides, the "Bun Boy Motel" didn't seem like our kind of place. Before tackling the last 56 miles we stopped for coffee and a rest at the Mad Greek Cafe (appropriately decorated with dozens of fibreglass replicas of classical sculptures.)

The road to Shoshone took us through more desert, with a very different flora to the more southerly parts of Mojave.

The road to Shoshone was even lonlier than those we rode earlier in the day.

The desert became more arid and the vegetation more sparse as we rode on.

Shoshone is a very small town (Population: 25). It does have a hot spring in which we could have bathed.

We ate at the Crowbar Cafe, the only restaurant in town.

Getting our kicks...

2010-10-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

We left Williams this morning after hearing the "all aboard" call from the nearby railway station form which trains run to the South Rim of Grand Canyon, 57 miles north. That sounds like a neat way to visit the canyon...

Twenty five miles down I-40 we took exit 139 to Seligman, and in doing so began our journey down one of the last remaining stretches of historic Route 66, the "Mother Road" od America.

Seligman is a quirky little town that is cashing in BIG time on Route 66 tourism.

We didn't stop there. but rather just cruised through slowly before pressing on to Peach Springs where we planned to get petrol. That was pretty much a ghost town, with no services. We were able to fill up in Truxton, but apart from the service station, there was nothing much there either.

We took our lunch break at Mr D's Route 66 Diner in Kingman AZ.

From Kingman, Route 66 headed across Sitgreaves Pass. At less than 4000 ft, it is not particularly high, but the road up to the top is a narrow strip of old blacktop that clings to the side of the mountain and winds in and out of every gully on the hillside. There are no guard rails, and some off the drop-offs at the side of the road are high and steep.

Once across the top, the road down the other side is much easier, and not far from the pass we reached the tourist mecca of Oatman.

This was a mining town, but the ore ran out. The miners then released their donkeys, used to pull carts of ore out of the mines, into the wild, and they bred as furry animals with long ears usually do. Now they wander the main street looking for tourists with carrots or other food, all of which are in plentiful supply.

There were a lot of bikes in town, and a greater than usual proportion were BMWs. We quickly got talking to Grant and Gary, two members of EMO, the European Motorcycle Owners club (aka Eat More Often) based in Las Vegas.

They told us of a meeting of BMW owners every Saturday morning at the BMW dealer's, from where they ride to lunch somewhere. Since we are going to be in Las Vegas next Saturday, we are planning to join them.

Every building in Oatman is given over to selling t shirts/handbags/carrots/junk food/beer/all manner of tacky souvenirs. We couldn't resist stopping, wandering around and feeding some of the donkeys.

Route 66 rejoined I-40 in Topock, where they crossed the Colorado River into California. We stopped for the night in Needles, CA. Once again we were lucky and found a motel within walking distance of a supermarket. It was a shame the internet didn't work in our room...

Meteor Crater

2010-10-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful night at the La Posada hotel, we rode off west on I-40.

We met a Yamaha rider at the petrol station, going out to enjoy the day on his spotless bike.

About 20 miles down the road we turned off down Meteor Crater Road to visit the world's "first identified and best preserved" meteor crater. They reckon that a 45 m diameter iron meteor landed here about 50,000 years ago. It weighed a lot and was travelling very fast, so it dug a very big hole - 1.2 km across and several hundred metres deep.

Returning back to I-40, we continued into Flagstaff, where we had lunch and rang around to see if we could get a back tyre for our motorbike on a Saturday afternoon. The last one was getting pretty ratty, with pronounced "scoops" on either side of the centre tread. There was a bloke at the restaurant in desperate need of a life. We soon found a place that could do it and headed off after lunch. Finding them was something of a challenge. Their address was "E(ast) Route 66". When Chris typed it into the GPS it found the road, but when Chris "accepted" this, the GPS inextricably changed the address to W(est) Route 66. This was not expected and went unnoticed until we ended up in the middle of nowhere, 7 miles west off Flagstaff.

Eventually we found the place and had a new rear tyre fitted. By then it was getting late, so we decided to continue only to Williams, another 30 miles down I-40, rather than press on to Seligman. It was a good decision. We found a motel across the road from a supermarket that was comfortable, well appointed and very reasonably priced.

Standin' on the Corner in Winslow Arizona

2010-10-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

Our alarm woke us to a cloudy but dry day.

Once packed we rode the short distance to the Yavapai Overlook, Arizona. The clouds were very heavy, but at least the ceiling was above the canyon, and we were able to take in the magnificent view, hazy though it was. In some places the sun broke through the clouds and illuminated parts of the canyon in the distance, so we could see some of the magnificent colours in the rocks.

We rode to another overlook a mile or so further on and took in another perspective.

The weather conditions were not improving, so we decided to head off to Flagstaff rather than spend more time at the canyon.

Flagstaff was about 90 miles away, and we managed to put 70 miles under our wheels before running into rain. The last 20 miles int o Flagstaff were quite unpleasant. The road took us to over 8,000 ft so it was not only wet but extremely cold. Our bike said it was 41 F, but it felt much colder. Chris had 4 layers of clothing under his wet weather gear and was still shivering. It was good to stop at the first diner we saw and warm up.

By the time we were back on the road the rain had stopped. We left our wet weather gear on for warmth as we headed east on I-40 to Winslow, made famous in the Eagle's song "Takin' it Easy"

Winslow has been cashing in ever since. There is a bronze statue on the corner of E 2nd St and N Kinsley Ave, and a trompe l'oeil mural of the girl in the flatbed truck. A real flatbed truck is parked in the street.

Our main reason for visiting Winslow was to stay in the famous and historic La Posada Hotel, the last of the great railway hotels, and an icon for Route 66 fans. (E Second St that runs past the hotel was part of Route 66.). This was a birthday present to Chris from a very good friend.

Our room had a luxurious spa bath, great for soaking away the miles. We spent some time exploring the building and grounds before making a booking for dinner in the Turquoise Room, one of the best restaurants in Arizona, according to the reviews.

We had a bath in the spa, dressed for dinner, and went down to the bar for predinner drinks. We both chose elk steaks for dinner, accompanied by a fine bottle of shiraz. In our opinion the cheff is world class. The creme brulee we had for dessert was very nice, nearly as good as Kim or Michel make for us back home. It was a superb place to stay and eat. Very special.

Heading to Grand Canyon

2010-10-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

A friendly rider we met at the Rodeway Inn in Page.

We started off in Page, Arizona, in a promising, if cool 54°F, and headed for the cloudy sky in the distance. The landscape was low desert plants, layered red or white rocks in unusual shapes and orientations, with beautiful sedimentary red and white cliffs in the distance. (The landscapes throughout the “Four Corners” states has been exciting and exceptional. Geologically, there is nothing else quite like it.)

About 30 miles south of Page we hit bad weather, and were quickly into our wet weather gear. After riding a further 40 miles in the pouring rain we stopped at Cameron, which has the oldest trading post still operating in the area. We fuelled our bike and visited the trading post, a beautiful building with numerous high quality Indian arts and crafts. It was a much needed stop as we had travelled through some pelting rain at reduced speed, concentrating on oncoming headlights, and making the journey longer and colder than usual.

Leaving civilisation, we had to make a decision about whether or not we would go to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We could go straight on to Flagstaff into clearing weather or turn right into ominous clouds covering the Canyon. We chose the Canyon in the hope the weather would improve tomorrow.

As we passed empty shelters, basic timber structures to protect Indian jewellery sellers from the heat, Wanda suddenly decided that she wanted some jewellery. Only one woman was at her stall in this weather, surrounded by puddles, gravel and mud. We struck a highly satisfactory deal for some lovely necklaces. She knew her stones well and described each one in detail.
By the time we entered the Grand Canyon National Park our gloves were cold and wet. It was constant, heavy rain for 35 miles. The park ranger at the entrance informed us that our planned stop was only a coffee shop. Accommodation was another 26 miles on. That would take almost an hour in these conditions. On the way we saw glimpses of the canyon rim, but nothing else was visible in the cloud cover that filled the canyon. The visitors' centre directed us to a tourist complex with accommodation, cafe, and a supermarket with a good selection of foods.

It was essential to become warm and comfortable as soon as possible. Of course the weather cleared up as soon as we had settled in...

Zion National Park

2010-10-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today we left Cedar City, Utah heading south on I-15 in brilliant weather. About 20 miles down the road we turned off into Kolob Canyons, part of Zion National Park. The road led up into the canyons, quickly gaining altitude throughout its five and a half mile length. The scenery was quite spectacular even though it was a very hazy day.

Returning back to I-15 we continued south to Toquerville and turned left onto UT 17 to La Verkin where we stopped for lunch. The market had lots of pumpkins ready for Halloween.

Continuing east we travelled through Virgin where we missed a turn off that would have taken us to a scenic 19 mile spur road deep into Zion., Damn! We soon arrived at Springdale, the western entrance to Zion National Park The weather was fast changing for the worse when we arrived at the Visitor Centre.The most interesting parts of Zion National Park lie on a spur road to the north and Route 9 that leads out to the eastern side of the Park. The road north up the canyon is now only accessible by catching the free hop-on/hop-off shuttle bus. There are only 400 car parks along the road, and in the mid 1980's they had 3500 cars and Rvs competing for those spaces every day. The only solution was to introduce the shuttle buses, and it works well. The buses run every few minutes and stop at strategic points along the road.

We rode the bus all the way to the end of the road where the canyon narrows to the width of the Virgin River that flows through the canyon. Here we met Sue and Steven from Sussex, England who were visiting as many national parks as they could in 8 weeks (and that was a lot!).

Our next stop was at Weeping Rock where a short steep walk led to a cliff where water was seeping from the rocks, sustaining hanging gardens of plants and mosses.

As we continued our bus journey the rain began to pick up, and by the time we returned to the Visitor Centre, we were resigned to having to get into our wet weather gear for the ride east on Route 9. The lady at the Visitor Centre had told us that the road was under repair and that there were stretches of dirt road that could get slippery after rain. This was not encouraging.
Surprisingly, the rain stopped as we returned to our bike, and the sky above Route 9 was clear and blue. We decided to head off without getting the wet weather gear out, and were rewarded with clear skies for the rest of the day.
The road out of Zion climbed in a zigzag that led back and forth up the side of a steep canyon, a part of it wet and muddy, before entering a series of long dark tunnels.

On the far side of the tunnels we emerged to a completely different landscape,

Leaving the park we continued east to Mt Carmel Junction where we turned right on US 89. We rode up this road a few days ago on our way to Bryce Canyon: now we took it in the opposite direction to Kanab where we stopped for lunch – at a different diner to the one that took so long to serve us when we stopped here last time.
From Kanab we rode to Page on US 89, a more direct route than we took westbound when we visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.As we rode toward Page we realised we were heading directly into some really stinking weather.
Fortunately, it seemed to be going in the same direction as we were. In any case, we reached Page before riding into the storm.
Taking advantage of our local knowledge of Page, we found a motel right in the centre of town that was not only directly across the road from the supermarket, but also half the price of the motel we stayed at earlier. As an added bonus the room was HUGE and comfortable. On the downside there WiFi only worked in the motel lobby, but we were able to live with that.

Looping around Utah

2010-10-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

For several weeks our itinerary has been torn up and flushed down the drain. We are now at the part of our journey that was last to be planned - and the least planned.

We are following our itinerary generally, but improvising on a day to day basis. The most significant outcome of our hasty planning is that we have been riding north and south, east and west, all over Colorado, Utah and Arizona, zigging and zagging like a drunken sailor staggering between taverns. This happened because our guide books have featured rides that are not well presented in any overall context, and Chris strung them together without the benefit of seeing the big picture (a map of the four corner states with our planned route would have been enlightening). Never mind, we'll get it right next time...

The weather gods were kind to us again this moruing, and we left Torrey in bright sunshine. Our plans were to continue north to Richfield before turning back south to Panguitch.

The road from Torrey to Richfield was not as exciting or interesting as the road from Boulder to Torrey, but we enjoyed the sunshine as we rode. It was chilly (45F), but with the right gear on we didn't feel cold, and we were just happy that the rain of last nighbt had cleared.

Turning south from Richfield US 89 took us through the Marysvale Canyon to Marysvale where we stopped for lunch at the Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort. Further south the valley opened out into a broad expanse of farmland bounded in the distance by mountains. On our right, there was fresh snow on the higher peaks.

We continued to Panguitch where we took a break and topped up the caffeine in our blood streams. Leaving there, we took a road that was not US 89. (It was UT 143)
We climbed higher and higher to the Cedar Breaks National Monument at over 10,000 ft.
There was fresh snow everywhere around us, but thankfully not on the road. At the end of UT 143 we turned right onto UT 14 and began our descent in to Cedar City on a road that was just made for motorcycling.
The autumn leaves were beautiful. We found a good motel, purchased the makings of dinner, washed our clothes and finally enjoyed a great meal of Alaskan crab legs washed down with a tasty Sauvignon Blanc.

(It's a tough life, but someone has to live it.)

Hoodoo Gurus

2010-10-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

After last night's rain the day dawned clear and bright, vindicating our decision to stay near Bryce Canyon, Utah and hope for clear weather.

We lost no tme getting underway as the forecast was for more rain later today.

Bryce Canyon is a 15 mile trip in and out on the same road, so we decided to head for the end of the road to Rainbow Point, the highest point in the National Park, and work our way out, stopping at all the other overlooks along the way. This was a serendipitous decision, because the views became more impressive with every stop.

Although called a canyon, the spectacular rock formations are actually all on an escarpment that looks out over a wide valley, and the viewpoints are all on the top of the ridgeline. The cliffs have eroded unevenly, leaving thousands of towers - called Hoodoos. Trying to describe this is beyond words - the photos speak more eloquently...

If you've seen as many Hoodoos as we have, you'd be a Hoodoo Guru, too.

We came across some interesting wildlife in the park.

From Bryce Canyon we turned back through Tropic and continued through Escalante to Boulder. The road took us through some spectacular country. At one point the road we were on ran along a mountain ridge with steep drop offs on either side.

We stopped in Boulder for a coffee, only to be told the shop was closed, but there was a good coffee shop in Torrey. We rode on and suddenly found our selves climbing into thick black clouds. As the rain started we dressed into our wet weather gear (surrounded by aspens in their autumn colours), again, just before the rain really hit us..

We continued climbing and the weather closed in even more. Our speed dropped as visibility in the fog decreased. We finally crossed the highest point and began descending. We soon dropped out of the clouds and visibility improved. Even though conditions were better we deceided that to stop overnight in Torrey, and booked into the first motel we saw.

Heading to Bryce Canyon

2010-10-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

This morning (Monday) we left Jacob Lake in Arizona and rode through Fredonia. Yesterday we were told this was a very small community - with the implication being we would be beter staying in Jacob Lake Well, Fredonia was a lot bigger than Jacob Lake and there were several motels we could have chosen from. We're pretty sure that would have been a better option. Never mind...

From Fredonia we crossed the border into Utah and continued to Kanab. "Utah's Little Hollywood" they call themselves, because the film and spin-off TV series "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams" was filmed here.

We stopped at a diner for luinch,. It took nearly an hour to get our meal. If Adams had eaten here, that would explain why he was Grizzly.

We continued up US 88 through a number of small towns. The landscape continued to intrigue us with its wildly sculpted forms.

Good weather prevailed until we reached Hatch, but we had been watching the dark clouds roll in for some time and it eventually started to rain. We stopped and donned our wet weather gear in the nick of time before it started pouring down.
We turned east on Utah 12 to take us to Bryce Canyon. Along the way the road passes through the aptly named Red Canyon and two arches cut through sandstone walls that cross the road.

We stopped at the turnoff to Bryce Canyon to have a cup of coffee and see if the weather might improve. There we met three Swiss bikers who had come in from the other direction and caught the worst of the weather. Only one spoke any English, so we never really got a conversation going. We also met some heavily armed National Park Rangers, carrying pistols, Tasers and goodness knows what else on their utility belts. (Maybe they have a problem with squirrels in the park?). However, they were very friendly and when asked about the weather at Bryce Canyon told us it was much higher in altitude there and it was probably worse than where we were.
Our options were to ride up Bryce Canyon and take a chance with the weather, stop overnight in the nearby town of Tropic and hope for better weather tomorrow morning, or ride on as far as we could get around the scenic loop we are on, returning to Bryce Canyon later.

We took the second option and rode into Tropic. The road there led through more amazing rock formations.

Once there we quickly found a good motel in the early afternoon and settled in with the thermostat turned up.

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon

2010-10-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Before leaving Page, Arizona this morning we rode down to a scenic overlook for a last look at the Glen Canyon Bridge and Dam.

Riding south on US 89 we rode up over a pass and down a steep escarpment into the broad Colorado River Valley. We turned north on Alt 89 for about ten miles until we reached the Navajo Bridge, yet another spectacular steel arch bridge, anchored into the sides of a deep canyon. Actually there are two bridges. The older bridge, built in the late 1920,s is now a pedestrian only bridge, with the newer bridge just metres away. A condor sitting on the rocks below the new bridge was creating a lot of interest among the people walking the old bridge.
Turning south on the other side of the river, we passed the cliffs of Marble Canyon to our right.

Our path led through a broad flat valley until eventually climbing up the other side on a road that would delight any motocyclist with a detectable pulse.

Once on top of the plateaui we rode through low forest until reaching Jacob Lake. This "town" is not known to our GPS, but to be fair, consists only of a service station, lodge (with restaurant and shops) and a variety of accommodation from rustic cabins to two storey brick lodgings.
It is sited at the top of a dead end road that leads 45 miles south to the north Rim of the Grand Canyon at Bright Angel Point. Outside the lodge was a group of about 20 bikers from Germany and Belgium, mostly riding Harleys. Our BMW attracted quite a lot of attention, and we ended up chatting with various memebers of the group for about 15 minutes until their leader put out the call to mount up.
We stopped at the restaurant for lunch, and were told that Fredonia, our planned destination for tonight, had little in the way of facilities. We decided to stay in Jacob Lake and booked into a cabin before setting off to Bright Age Point. The ride there was uneventful, passing through a burnt out section of forest, across alpine meadows with the aspens still in their best autumn dress.
Bright Angel point is 8235 ft above sea level and offers amazing views. To the east is the steep and deep Roaring Srings Canyon. Southwest is Bright Angel Canyon leading to the Colorado River and the South Rim Visitors Centre, 11 miles away. Nothing, not even the canyons and gorges we have seen before, prepared us for this. The scale is simply immense, and what is even more amazing, it is estimated the canyon has only taken 5 to 6 million years to form. That sounds like a long time, but consider that the rock at the bottom ot the canyon is 2,000 million years old...
Marble Canyon(above) would fit into the top coloured layers of the picture below.

We spent an hour at Bright Angel Point, where the best views are from a viewing point at the end of a narrow walkway along a rocky and precipitous spine.
Riding back to Jacob Lake we had a real scare: a huge male deer made a crazy dash across the road in front of us. Chris saw something in the corner of his eye and instinctively grabbed the brakes (thank goodness for antilock brakes!). We missed it by perhaps 10 yards, but it seemed much closer - Chris reckons he could see the whites of the deer's eyes, if not the yolks. As we rode on it dawned on us just how lucky we had been. Hitting a big deer at 50 mph would have really spoilt our day - if it didn't kill us. We caught it on video thanks to Chris's helmet camera, but it is not all that easy to see the deer because everything was in shadow, and the wide angle lens makes it look like it was much further away than it really was. If you want to see it, click here. The deer is about 25 seconds into the video. You need to look closely to see it.

Arriving back at Jacob Lake we picked up the keys to our cabin. It was a very small room and had no facilities other than the bathroom: no fridge, no microwave, no coffee maker, no internet access, not even a TV!, but then it only cost $92.6. It must be a tourist attraction.

Arizona, Monument Valley and Lake Powell

2010-10-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

We left Mexican Hat to follow San Juan River for a while.

A huge crow watched us pass from Utah to Arizona.

We had lunch at the Golden Sands Restaurant in Kayenta, Arizona. These tablecloths apppear to be felted.

Artwork on skins.
Indian corn varieties once grown.

Historical photographs.

Many were waiting for a street parade as we left town.

Layered rocks wear with fascinating results.

Coal fired electricity plant as you approach Page.

Page is a small, sprawling, sophisticated, tourist city with many churches.

It was never thought the Colorado River could be tamed.

The Carl Hayden visitor centre children were sworn in as junior rangers. It had a great display on the dam construction.

Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam

Glen Canyon Bridge

Page is very spread out.

Motel 6

Stone Bridges

2010-10-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

We left Green River with our GPS programmed to take us to Hanksville.

This took us 10 miles west on I-70 before turning south on UT 24. This road was gun barrel straight for most of the trip and we made good speed. The scenery was impressive. Wildly sculpted rocks and moutains grew out of the surrounding landscape

We stopped at the Red Rock restaurant for brunch before turning onto UT 96. In the distance we could see a dusting of snow on some high peaks.

UT 95 crossed the Colorado River in Glen Canyon at the upper end of Lake Powell.

All around the scenery was wild and rugged.

The road we travelled tracked along the top of White Canyon but offered no views into it.

Further down the road we passed Cheese Box Butte.

A little further on we turned into the Stone Bridges National Monument, where a 9 mile loop road leads to three spectaculr stone bridges in White Canyon. There were also some Anasazi cliff dwellings that could be viewed at the end of a path.

Our road south crossed the tableland...

...until it suddenly ended, and we had to thread our way down into the valley below on three miles of gravel road with no barriers.

Our destination for the night was Mexican Hat, a tiny town named for the rock formation nearby.

Wanda went down by the river at San Juan Inn where we stayed for the night and took these photos.

Arches

2010-10-14T20:00:00.001-07:00

The reason for staying overnight in Moab was so we could visit Arches Natiional Park today.
Almost anywhere in the world, one stone arch would be enough to make a tourist attraction. Here they have catalogued over 2000 stone arches, ranging in size from 3 ft (the minimum span that qualifies as an arch) up to an improbable 300 ft.

Even as we entered the National Park, we sensed this was going to be quite mind blowing, just looking at some of the rock formations.

One of the first attractions we came upon was balancing rock

Two miles further on was the huge North Window.

Here is another view through the North Window
The equally impressive South Window was quite close by

This is Turret Arch, that was within a quarte of a mile
Looking back from Turret Arch you can see the North and South Windows looking like a pair of evil eyes
On the other side of the carpark was the improbable Double ArchOur next stop was the lower viewing point for the Delicate Arch. The upper viewing point and acces to the arch itself involve much longer and more strenuous hikes.
At the furthest end of the park are a number of arches that require a bit of hiking to find, but the views justify the effort. The path to these arches leads through a narrow gap in the rocks with this huge vertical face on one side.

The first place we walked to was Pine Tree Arch

The Tunnel Arch was not far away

The hike to Landscape Arch was quite strenuous, but rewarding with gob-smacking views in every direction.

Along the way we caught up again with this couple we had met at earlier stops. They were celebrating their 75th birthdays with a trip to Arches and other nearby National parks.
At the end of our hike we reached the gravity-defiying Landscape Arch, a slender piece of rock reaching 300 feet across the desert
Everywhere we looked we found more to wonder at.

As we left the Park we got a final glimpse of Balancing Rock, looking like the profile of Marg Simpson in a Victorian dress.

We returned to Moab at 3 pm to get a late lunch and fuel for the bike before setting off north towards our overnight stop in Green River, a truck stop town on I-70. The town is named after the Green River on which it is sited. It may be green by name, but it was a muddy brown colour to look at.

We found a motel and headed off to a highly recommended diner for dinner.

How could anything be more dramatic than Colorado?

2010-10-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

Our plans for today were to head from Glenwood Springs, Colorado to Moab in Utah. This basically entailed a long ride down I-70 into Utah. A left turn through Cisco, another left to head down UT 128 and a third left onto US191 into Moab. We were not expecting an exciting ride.

The run down I-70 was insane - the limit was 75 mph but everything on the road, including the big trucks, was travelling at 80+.
Note how the mountains in the background dwarfed any buildings or vehicles.

Following the Colorado River valley, the scenery was initially striking, but the further we travelled, the wider the valley became. We found ourselves in gently undulating desert, surrounded by distant mountains.

We took exit 44 and rode the slower side road into Grand Junction where lunch in the Village Inn restaurant met our needs. It was difficult to find a distinctive marker in such a sprawling town.

After feeding the bike, we resumed our mad dash down I-70, soon crossing the border into Utah.

When we turned off I-70, the bumpy little road we found ourselves on ran parallel to it through the ghost town of Cisco. Continuing down UT 128 was pretty much like all the other roads we had been on until...

...our route met up again with the Colorado River.

Suddenly we plunged into a canyon more spectacular than any other we have travelled down. Words fail us: even our photos cannot properly convey the unique grandeur of this place.

We popped our eyeballs back in at the end of the road and turned into Moab where we found a motel close to a supermarket. The motel had a barbeque that we took advantage of when it came to dinner.

Decision time

2010-10-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

Walden, Colorado is a small town that feels exposed and miles from anywhere. This morning we awoke to find our bike covered in frost.When Chris first cranked the bike over the bike's engine fired but didn't catch. Subsequent attempts to crank the bike resulted in the solenoid cutting in and out but the bike not cranking.
Chris pushed the bike out into the sun to warm it, and poured warm water over the battery. Even after half an hour the bike still refused to crank. It seemed as if the battery had failed after the first crank when everything was cold. We tried pushing the bike up to the top of the motel carpark and roll starting it, with no luck. On the second try a motorist driving by saw our predicament and stopped to help. He had some jumper leads and gave us a start from his truck battery.

We thanked him, but didn;t get his name before he drove away...
Once the bike was running, we wasted no time getting underway from Walden, taking CO 14 south to US 40 where we turned south to Kremmling. In the distance the mountains were dusted with snow.

Sheep are rare.

We needed fuel and food but didn't know if the bike would restart if we turned it off. Chris spotted a business selling snowmobiles and thought it worth checking if they had a suitable replacement battery. We left the bike running while they checked. They didn't have one but suggested we try turning the engine off and see if the battery would start it - which it did. A little relieved, we ate lunch at The Moose restaurant before fuelling the bike.

We left Kremmling on CO 9 which took us along a broad valley to Silverthorne. Although cold and crisp it was a magnificent ride.

Arriving there was crunch time for itinerary planning. We had intended to ride south from Silverthorne on CO 91 to Leadville, pick up US 24 and then turn west on CO 82 to Aspen. This route would take us over Independence Pass at 12,003 ft in the shadow of Mt Elbert = at 14,433 ft the highest peak in Colorado.
It was already 2 pm and the visitor information centre had a weather forecast that indicated weather was closing in that night, and that tomorrow's weather was going to be the worst for the week. With a 2-3 hour ride to Aspen it could be touch and go if we got there before the weather.

The prospect of crossing a 12,000ft pass in poor weather after yesterday's experience was not attractive, so we opted for plan B - to continue down I-70 to Glenwood Springs.
A few miles from Silverthorne we crossed Vail Pass at 10,666ft with no sign of snow. From there the road was downhill all the way through Vail to Glenwood Springs. The mountain scenery was spectacular. The valley was about a half a mile wide for miles. There were very few farms, only homes and multi storey condos, a highly desirable along the mighty Colorado River.

About 20 miles from Glenwood Springs, I-70 met the Colorado River and followed it down the valley.

Ten miles from Glenwood Springs we rode into Glenwood Canyon, a spectacular gorge into which 4 lanes of high speed road have been shoe-horned. In many places the up and down roads were separated vertically to squeeze them in. The higher road, heading down the canyon, was a viaduct balanced on concrete pillars for part of the way. In places the roads rushed into tunnels before emerging back into the bright sunlight. It was an exhilarating and breathtaking journey at 65 mph.

This road never appeared on our radar when Chris was planning our journey, so it was a pleasant surprise for us. Indeed, had we taken our original route through Aspen, we would have arrived in Glenwood Springs on a different route and not seen the canyon. There is indeed a silver lining in every cloud! This was a great ride. Colorado has such great variety in landscape. It never ceases to surprise you. It's just magnificent.

Starlight Lodge had a pleasant European feel.

Motorcycle Hell

2010-10-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

This morning Richard and Marianne took us out to breakfast at one of the busiest cafes we have seen (in Boulder Colrado), before we said our farewells.

We rode off up Canyon Road to Nederlands under a heavily overcast sky that soon turned to drizzle.
We stopped in Nederlands briefly for fuel and ended up chatting with a group of motorcyclists on a Sunday ride.
Before continuing we put on our wet weather gear - to keep warm as much as dry. We turned onto the Peak to Peak Highway and headed north through light rain and broad vistas.

The road should have been motorcycle Heaven with its sweeping bends and good surface. Instead, we were trapped in a conga-line of cars that never exceeded the conservative speed limit, and religously slowed down to the recommended speed limits on every bend. ARRRRGH! If they ride motorcycles in Hell, this is what it will be like. The views were very pleasant however.
At the end of the highway we rode trhough Estes Park for a second time before heading up a beautiful road that wound along the side of a river and into a rocky, gorgeous canyon.

Again we were caught in a mobile traffic jam that slowed us to frustration. Once through this canyon, our route took us quite a few miles through fairly flat open country as we by-passed Ft Collins to the west.

Entering the Cache le Poudre Canyon took us through a narrow gap in the cliffs, barely wide enough for the river and the road to share.

Further on it was not so narrow, but most beautiful all the same.
A number of miles up the canyon we stopped at a cafe/store for coffee and were told that there was snow falling on the road ahead of us in Cameron Pass, and that we should think twice about trying to cross it. The only alternatives were to go on immediately, stay in the Canyon overnight (and hope the weather cleared so we could continue tomorrow) or turn back to Fort Collins and take a very lengthy and time consuming detour north through Wyoming.

We decided to go on and have a look at the conditions. As we climbed towards the top of Cameron Pass at 10,276 ft the rain initially intensified.

We pressed on and were heartened that the rain stopped and there were patches of blue sky to be seen ahead.

As we climbed above the snow line we entered a winter wonderland. The road was wet but not covered in snow. Crossing the pass lifted our confidence briefly.

As we began our descent on the western side, the road was covered with slushy snow. Our bike's computer was flashing a warning that the temperature was below 36 F and that there could be ice on the road. (The temperature could have much lower but the LCD display screen is impossible to read in most lighting conditions...) It may have been cold and snowing, but it was another version of what it might be to ride in Hell.

Chris slowed right down and rode in the tyre tracks of vehicles that had preceded us. He was also very careful to keep the bike vertical and not test tyre lean angles. It was scary because we have never ridden in such conditions and were beginning to think we should have paid more credence to the local's warnings.

Having said that, the views and scenery were quite captivating and beautiful.

It was quite a relief to finally get below the snow line again. Our speed picked up and we made good time to our planned overnight destination of Walden. We found a motel, checked in and walked a short distance up the road to the River Rock Cafe for dinner.

We were tired and it was really cold, so we hopped into the sack quite early. Unfortunately the people in the room next door had a party going and the walls were uncomfortably thin, so we didn't get to sleep for some time.

PS If they don't have motorcycles in Heaven, we're not going there...

Art sampling, wine tasting

2010-10-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

Wanda and Marianne slept in this morning, so Richard and Chris went out to the garage to look at tools. Richard and Chris are both of the same mind here: a man cannot have too many tools.

Chris was particularly interested in Richard's home made English wheels. Both are small as E-wheels go. The first is a unique configuration that allows wheeling closed pieces because the upper and lower wheels are supported from horizontal arms that are axial to the wheels.The two arms are hinged, and a bolt between the two arms allows pressure on the wheels to be adjusted.

The slightly larger E-wheel is more conventional, but still unique in that the screw for adjusting the pressure on the wheels acts on the upper wheel rather than the lower.

Wanda joined us in the garage as we looked at Richard's welders - TIG, MIG, stick and Oxy-acetylene. He also has a plasma cutter and a large collection of electric and air powered tools with a substantial air compressor to power the latter.
Once a rock climber Richard now has an interest white water rafting with several canoes hanging from his workshop ceiling. Marianne' interests include bridge and quilting. Several of her finely sewn pieces grace the walls of their home.

This weekend more than 100 Boulder artists were holding an open studio event where the public could view a sample of their work in a joint exhibition at the Boulder Library, and then visit their studios.

We went first to visit a friend of Richard's, Doug Green, who does the most exquisite parquetry.

He demonstrated the secret of his art, which involves large quantities of masking tape, a saw table with an inbuilt lean and some extremely fine saw blades.

From there we proceeded to the library to view the art exhibition.

Brian Grossman's colorado alabaster.

William Stoehr's work.

We picked three artisits to visit, and as it happened Richard knew them all. First we stopped at Matt Cohn's studio. He is a wood turner who does some extremely delicate work prodicing wooden vessels with remarkably thin walls.

Matt Cohn's delicate woodwork.

When we spoke with Matt Cohn he told us he had been to Canberra, and had even visited the Bungendore Woodworks Gallery when he did a trip to Australia and NewZealand to study with master wood turners. We asked if he was familiar with such timbers as Huon Pine and Kauri, and were not really surprised to find a shelf with samples of many Australian and New Zealand timders that he had collected on his trip. Chris took a quick lesson in wood turning before we all moved on to the next studio.

At the next studio we met Susan Erikson. She too was familiar with Canberra, having studied Earth Sciences at the Australian National University in Canberra. What a small world we live in!

Susan's work draws heavily on her geology background with layers of patterned strips referencing strata in the rocks and earth.

Our last studio visit was to meet Cha Cha, who works in ceramics and steel. She has a collection of whimsical and imaginary birds as well as works in steel. Her studio has a large iron working shop behind it with forges, anvils, power hammers and so on. Obviously other people work there, for we saw all manner of gates and railings in different stages of assembly.

Leaving Cha Cha's we make a quick trip to a shoe store so Wanda could replace her worn out sneakers.

One of the incentives for staying an extra day with Richard and Marianne (apart from enjoying their company and hospitality) was that they had been invited to a blind wine tasting being organised by Margot, a friend and benefactor of the College of Music. The event was a fundraiser for the college, and we were invited to go along, too.

The wine tasting was organised by a very knowledgeable man who owned a liquor store and was a sommelier. He spoke about how wine is evaluated at tastings and invited everyone to participate in the discussion relating to each of the four wines. This led to a merry night.

Eliza, Margot(the hostess for the night) and Kathleen.

Marianne, Rosemary and Harriet.

After the formal tasting we chatted with other guests there and finished off the food and wine. They had somehow all heard we were motorcycling around the US and were most interested to hear about that. We returned to Richard and Marianne's and chatted late into the night over another boittle of wine.

Goofing Off

2010-10-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today we slept in. Over breakfast Chris and Richard looked at our itinerary for the next two days. Chris had planned heading north, making a loop around/through the mountains along the Cache le Poudre Valley and riding through the Rocky Mountains National Park a second time in order to iride the Peak to Peak Highway (as the name suggests, a very scenic route) from north to south.

After a little discussion, Chris realised we could ride out of Boulder, Colorado, pick up the Peak to Peak Highway a little way north of its southern end and take this route north to le Poudre River. This saves a whole day and meant we could stay longer with Richard and Mariannne.

With that resolved Richard drove us all into the Denver Art Museum to see the King Tutenkhamun exhibition. This was a well presented exhibition of antiquities from Egypt with many objects related to Tut or found in his tomb.

Following this we surrendered to our hunger pangs and ate lunch in the very elegant Museum restaurant

before heading to the permanent collection to take in some of their very fine Western art.

This piece is by Theodore Baur.

Images of Denver.

Denver Art Museum

Denver City

Old building in Denver.

\]

When our thirst for art was sated we headed back "home", stopping briefly to buy dinner and wine.

The Boulder shopping centre near Richard and Marianne's has a colourful display.

It was a generous meal with more than we could eat. We even had a bottle of wine left over...

Rocky Mountains High

2010-10-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

After over night rain the sun was shining and the skies were clear. It was 45 F as we rode out of Georgetown, Colorado, back-tracing east on I-70 for a few miles until we picked up US 40 north.

This took us almost immediately into the cute Victorian town of Empire. A few of the higher hills had a light dusting of snow. The ride was refreshing and brisk and beautifully sunny. Vissibility was excellent.

We soon began climbing towards Berthoud Pass. The road up was double lane which meant we didn't have to sit behind slower vehicles. We had an exhilarating ride until we crested the top at 11315 ft and began our descent on a single lane that offered few places to overtake.

At the bottom of the descent the road emptied out into a wide flat valley with a backdrop of hills, that led to a series of towns whose sole existence seemed to be to support the ski industry; endless, lovely skiing holiday homes and units.
We stopped in Granby for brunch, obviously another ski town.

There must have been a competition for the best straw man, as one sat outside each business.

Remington's Family Cafe was an efficiently run and a relaxing stay.

We turned onto Us 34 to take us into the Rocky Mountain National Park. This is a spectacularly wild place. The road through the park led due north for a few miles. Along the way a startled elk fled as we approached. The road soon began to climb and snake its way up to Milner Pass at 11758 ft.

From there things just got more interesting as the road climbed up into the treeless tundra at 12383 ft. The traffic was quite heavy and the going slow, but that gave us time to look at the views that seemed to go on forever in the crystal clear air. A spectacular ride. This road will only be open for a short time now as the winter snows are starting.

After traversing a ridge for several miles the road began to descend. From high up we could see the road way down below in the distance.

We eventually left the Park and rolled into the beautiful town of Estes Park where we stopped for coffee and bun break (which primarily involves giving your buns a rest. Eating pastries is optional). From Estes Park we had a quick ride into Boulder. Our GPS took us straight to Richard and Marianne's home where we received a very warm welcome and cold beer. We talked about where we had been and where we are going next.

We enjoyed watching the wildlife outside their window.

Missing Mount Evans

2010-10-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

It was cold (49 F) and overcast when we got up this morning. We took some time to admire the wild river running past the back of our motel before leaving. Typical of the wild rivers of the west the likes of which we had not seen since we had left the north west corner. Fishing would be dangerous and difficult. It was time to put the warm liners back in our motorcyle suits and wear warmer gloves.

We followed the river most of the way. This is one of the few without a railway line following it..

Our ride today was scheduled to take us up to the summit of Mt Evans, Colorado, the highest paved road in the US topping out at over 14,000 ft at the summit.

This involved backtracking from Grant to Bailey before turning north where we had a pleasant stop for brunch and fuel at 'The Deli in Evergreen South'. Hot coffee and plenty of it is suddenly essential.

Unfortunately, when researching this trip, Chris did not read the fine print closely enough; - The Mt Evans road is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and Labor Day was four weeks ago.

However, we were still able to ride the scenic road 103 to Echo Lake which was S bend after S bend through the groves of pines, and aspens which are still holding onto there golden leaves at the lower altitudes.

Descending from Echo Lake we soon reached Idaho Springs after an exhilarating descent. Here we picked up I-70 (the only road available) and turned west to Georgetown, our destination for the night.

Our ride today was not a long one and we arrived in Georgetown in the early afternoon. It is situated in a steep valley surrounded by mountains. Everywhere you looked you faced a steep rock wall with a few pines, some of which are dead, affected by a beetle. We found the Georgetown Mountain Inn quickly thanks to the help of the Visitors Centre. The alpine design of the motel made you feel that this was a skiing area. It has the feel of Queenstown in New Zealand. All it needs is the gondala that takes you up to a restaurant on top of the mountain.
The Visitors Centre also suggested a ride on the Georgetown Loop Railway (discounted for the off season). This was a very short run covering about one mile as the crow flies, but taking three miles of track as the railway winds its way back and forth up a steep gorge. A pleasant way to relax.

Our tickets were for a round trip by train, so we went both ways along the track. The railway is famous for the Georgetown loop, where the line gains altitude by making a complete loop and passing over itself on a narrow and high curved steel viaduct. Today the four carriages were pulled by a diesel locomotive rather than the steam locomotive they show in all the promotional material. It did the job, but without the atmospheric chuffing and smoke of a steam train. The electric horns don't have the romance of a steam whistle but the ride was very pleasant in the open air carriages.

On the way down it started raining, but that cleared up soon after we returned to Devil's Gate Station.
We got on our bike and rode back to the motel through the historic old town with its lovely old Victorian buildings.
We stopped at the local market, purchased the makings of a simple dinner and retired to our very warm room for the evening.

Getting the bike serviced

2010-10-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

This morning we took our bike for its 24,000 mile service. It was a 0.3 mile drive from our motel to the BMW/Harely Davidson dealer. By getting up at an un-natural hour we managed to be there at 8:30, half an hour after their service department opened, as it turned out.

We ended up sitting around the dealer's until our bike was ready at 2 pm. Wanda revisited an earlier blog and populated it with photos. Chris climbed up the walls most ot the time, although he did make a few new friends, too. Jack has two motorbikes at home and is looking for another one.

We were keen to get on the road. The day had dawned bright and sunny, but now it was getting very overcast. Our original schedule (that did not include any allowance for motorbike servicing) had us travelling to Bailey via a scenic loop. Given the late start, we took the shorter route there, but not without a detour to Cripple Creek and Victor. As it turned out, these were all damn fine motorcycle roads.
We also had the option of riding up Pike's Peak, famous since 1916 as the sight of the Annual 4 July Pike's Peak Hillclimb. This is a 12 mile ride up a steep dirt road. We opted out of that. "Dirt road" isn't really attractive when riding a heavy bike, two-up, with heavy bags - and we were short of time. At least they're Chris's excuses, and as they say in the classics, "He's sticking to it"...

Turning left at Woodland Park and left again at CO 67. we headed for the old gold mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor. These are historic old towns full of interesting buildings that amply demonstrate the wealth that was won from the hills around here.
In Cripple Creek they are still mining gold - but in casinos. The central block of Maiin street in Cripple Creek is entirely taken up by two casinos - one on each side of the road. We stopped in one casino for a coffee before heading for Bailey, another 60-odd miles away. The ride was most enjoyable, and we arived there around 5 pm, and were keen to find lodgings.

There are no motels in Bailey, just a few B&B's. The girls at the store tried hard to contact a B&B for us but no-one answered their phone. We checked out one but they were not prepared, and the asking price varied depending on who we asked. It ended up double our budget. We were cold, damp, hungry and tired and a little annoyed that this town could not get its act together. Eleven miles down the road in the tiny town of Grant there was a motel. It was getting dark and started raining as we rode there.

When we got there, the proprietors were not in - they had to go to Denver for a doctor's appointment. The only other choice we had was to ride another 30 miles to look for another motel. We rang their cell phone and learned they had a room available, but would not be back until 9 pm.

They suggested we get dinner and come back later. As it turned out, there is no restaurant in Grant, so we had to return to Bailey. It was almost dark when we arrived at the diner. The food was basic, but filled our bellies.

It was completely dark when we rode back to Grant. Riding in the dark is something we are most anxious to avoid. So far we have done so successfully. Chris's eyesight is not as good as it used to be, and night driving presents challenges. Then there is the wildlife you wouldn't want to meet in the dark... At least it wasn't raining.

Our relief in reaching Grant safely again was almost palpable. It was getting quite cold, but fortunately the motel owners had left their foyer open and lit. We were able to fit two chairs we found outside the rooms into the foyer, and sat down to await their arrival at 9:30 pm. They were really nice poeple, and gave us a discount for waiting for them (as if we had much choice - they could have charged us double, and we probably would have paid it!). It was a lovely room. Fortunately these people were a little more professional and organised for guests.

Colorado Springs and Shocks

2010-10-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

We love the way pets are allowed to stay in some motels. Owners are of course expected to be responsible. This one is a big fluffy pup. He goes to work with his owner every day.We have our bike booked in for a 24,000 miles service tomorrow in Colorado Springs, which is not very far from Salida, so we were looking forward to a fairly easy day. Leaving at 9:30, we headed east into the rising sun and soon found ourselves riding down the Arkansas River gorge, with train tracks shadowing us on the opposite side of the river. Riding in bright sunshine one second and in deep shadows of the hills the next is not the most relaxing riding.

The bright sun and dark shadows of early morning riding.

We stopped at a diner in Cotopaxi for breakfast. The morning light improved as we followed the river.
All rivers seem to have a road and railway following them most of the way.

Riding on, we were looking for our firsrt distraction of the day, the Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge.

This is the highest suspension bridge in the US, at 955 ft from the deck to the river below. From 1929 to 2003 it was the highest bridge in rthe world. it was never intended as a transportation route, but rather a tourist attraction. When we got there, we saw signs indicating it cost $25 per person to get anywhere near the bridge. We only wished to see the gorge and did not want to spend the whole day there so we explored some nearby views and rode off.

As we approached Canon City we found the second attraction we were looking for: Skyline Drive. This is a one lane, one way strip of road featured in our ride guide that runs for 1.5 miles along a ridge with 800 ft drop-offs on each side of the road.

When we arrived we found the entry gated closed off, and the nearby diner deserted. Disappointed, we rode through Canon City and turned north for Colorado Springs. We stopped on the way into town to check the address of the BMW dealer. (When we booked our bike for the service the service manager was thoughtful enought to let us know they were at a different address to that shown in our GPS.) By chance we stopped at Mollica's Italian market, and took the opportunity to buy some gourmet ham and cheese for dinner.

We found the BMW dealer without too much backtracking. Best of all, there was a good motel nearby. Extended StayAmerica has units with kitchenettes. This is ideal for the long term traveller. We booked ourselves in and went shopping for some extra items for dinner. Safeway is a great store with plenty of choices.

Killing Time

2010-10-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

We are currently running a day ahead of our itinerary. Somewhere back in New Mexico Chris had scheduled a ride that covered less than 100 miles. Maybe he was thinking of a circuitous route at the time - but in his defence it was 6 months ago and he is a senior citizen. In any case we travelled on a direct route and now have a day to spare.

We reviewed our itinerary and decided to take a few detours today. We decided to take a look at Black Canyon, west of Gunnison, Colorado before turning back east to Salida.
Black Canyon is so named because it is so deep, steep and narrow that it is hidden in shadows for much of the time. The road out there ran along the shore of Blue Mesa Lake formed by a dam at the entrance to the canyon.

The dam.
The road along the north rim was a spectacular ride. We stopped at a scenic overlook and walked to the best photography points.

We met another biker, Bill at the overlook and spent some time chatting with him about different motorbikes and journeys on two wheels.

From the overlook we rode on further up the road which climbed as it twisted to provide magnificent views over the San Juan Mountains. We eventually turned around and retraced our steps. This was no burden - rather, it was a joy as the road was a biker's dream.
These two riders helped us with a better map.

Back in Gunnison we stopped for lunch in the main street. Here we met Fred and Freda, a lovely couple travelling on their Harley Davidson. They recommended we eat at the W Cafe, and in particular to have the "special" (scrambled eggs, fries and toast) with a side of green chilli.
We took their photo and their advice. It was a great choice. We're determined to try some of these recipes back home.

After feeding the bike, we set off for Salida - not by the direct route, but via a loop south through Sagauche. The road initially followed a small river through a small canyon that in places was barely wide enough to accomodate the river and road at the same time. We crested North Pass at 10149 ft as we crossed the continetal divide for the nth time on this journey (we first crossed it - several times - up in Yellowstone NP, Wyoming).

Riding on, we saw dark clouds and rain off to our left. We stopped at Saguache for a break and coffee, hoping the rain would go away.

We rode off into a broad valley where for a time we were buffeted by strong winds.

We were glad to eventually arrive in Salida where we rode around the town and discovered the historic downtown area which was full of charm - and doing a lot better in tough times than some places we have seen. For the second time in two nights, and only the second time on this journey, we have checked into a motel owned by Polish people. They have a lovely dog, Sandy.

The Silver Thread Trail

2010-10-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

When Chris woke this morning he heard the whistle of the Durango - Silverton historic steam train in the distance as it left town heading north. The sound of the train could be heard for some time - it must have passed close to our motel.

Our journey took a different direction. We headed east on US 160 past Chimney Rock and on to Pagosa Springs where we had brunch at the ElkhornCafe.

At the service station we saw this. It flies with a parachute; a powered parachute.

From there US 160 climbed into the San Juan Mountains.

The scenery was mesmerising and the road seductively beckoned to be ridden much faster than the speed limits permitted. We reached Wolf Creek Pass at 10,850 ft before we knew it, and stopped briefly at the top before setting off down the other side to the town of South Fork, where we met an old friend, the Rio Grande. It is a beautiful clear river in the mountains. It passes through yellow soils on the mexican border which changes its colour.

Turning northwest onto CO 149, our route took us up the valley of the Rio Grande to the delightful town of Creede, nestled at the south end of a narrow canyon. All these towns in the mountainous area are cool and pleasant, a stark contrast to the lower areas of the last few days.

We stopped here for coffee and some delicious Key Lime Pie at Ric's Grill. We were given a warning that the cold weather could set in within two weeks.

Continuing on 149, the road kept following the Rio Grande before striking off and upwards again, this time to Spring Creek Pass at 10898 ft. The higher we went the further Autumn had advanced. Many trees in the highest regions had completely lost their leaves already.

Our descent was shortlived and we were soon climbing again, this time to Shamgullion Pass. At 11361 ft it was the highest point of our journey today, and the third pass we crossed at over 10,000 ft. (You can't do that in Australia) Going down gave elevated views.

As we rode north to lake city the vegetation changed from high alpine to something similar to the New Mexico desert - bare hills with no vegetation except Rabbit Bush. The winds blew strongly and uninhibited across the high plains, buffetting our bike relentlessly. We looked for Powderhorn, our planned stop for the night, but saw nothing except a few straggling buildings and a sign pointing down a side rode to the Post Office.

Except for the occasional car you were quite alone on the way to Gunnison. The landscape changed.

We rode on to Gunnison where we found a comfortable motel, washed our clothes and purchased dinner at a local supermarket. Pumpkins are ready for Halloween.

Autumn leaves as we entered the town.

When we arrived back at the motel there were another 5 bikes there. We met Ernie, one of the riders who had travelled today from Las Vegas, Nevada on his Indian and was a bit saddle sore. We chatted for a while before settling down to dinner and blogging.

Four corners

2010-10-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

A friendly rider on the way out of Farmington.

Wanda took some time to feed the pidgeons before we left Motel 6 in Farmington NM heading west initially for Shiprock, a town named after the rock formation that leaps abruptly out of the surrounding plain.

From there we continued west into Arizona and the tiny trading post town of Teec Nos Pos where we stopped for a drink. Here was evidence in someone's small back yard that some people grew their own vegetables in the desert. There was corn (now dry), melons etc.
There were also some long horned sheep in a pen.
As most of the landscape looks like this, it is a remarkable effort.
A few miles north from there we reached the Four Corners - the point where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arisona meet. This is the only place in the US where four states meet together, and so it has a unique mystique that attracts tourists like moths to a candle.
We posed for the obligatory photo with a hand and foot in each state, making sure not to have our buns pointing skyward at the same time, as some undignified visitors do.

There we met Werner and Heike who came from Switzerland, hired a Harley, and are touring for two months.They own a BMW back home, and offered to swap their Harley fo my BMW. The road from there continued into Colorado. We stopped at Cortez, the first major town and had lunch at the 'Once Upon a Sandwhich' cafe on the main street. It was very busy. When we emerged to get on our bike there was a parade approaching - something to do with a homecoming for the local football team - and the police were stopping traffic from using the main street, so we high-tailed it down a side street and east towards Mesa Verde.

Mesa Verde is the site of the largest cliff dwellings in the US. Our National Park pass meant we could visit th park without paying the entry fee applicable to casual visitors. The cliff dwellings were 20 miles from the entrance along a road that would justify the entry fee just to ride it, even if there were nothing at the end. It twisted and wound itself up onto the mesa in a series of torturous bends. Just when we thought we could go no higher the road started upwards again. The views were breathtaking.

We stopped at the visitor centre and booked a guided tour of the largest site, called Cliff Palace. Unfortunately we arrived too late to take any other tours of other sites. (Traveller's tip: if visiting Mesa Verde, allow at least a full day)

The Cliff Palace is magnificent, but the tour (which took up a whole hour) was mainly listening to commentary. When we did descend into the canyon to visit the ruins, we were only allowed to walk past them, and not through them as we did earlier at the Gila cliff dwellings.

We left the site fairly late, and had a 40 minute ride out of the park before turning east towards Durango, 36 miles away, our destination for the night. It became cooler as we ascended out of the desert into a pine forest. By the time we arrived there and found a motel it was almost dark.

Durango is an exciting town on a Friday night. There are cars, people and bright lights everywhere.

We walked two blocks to the nearest source of food - 'Munchies'. The decor and fittings were designed for the friendly teenagers that came in and out. The pizza was pretty damn good and bigger than we could eat.

Rock(et)ing along on the C&TSRR

2010-10-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

Rated as one of the top 20 train rides in the worlf, the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad is America's longest (64 miles) and highest (11,500 ft) narrow guage railroad. It usually runs from Chama in New Mexico to Antonita in Colorado, but a fire damaged a trestle bridge last June and until it is repaired the trains can only run from Cumbres Pass to Antonito.

We had to be at the station in Chama at 8 am for the bus ride to Antonito. We set our alarms for 6:30, but were both wide awake well before then. We arrived at the station at 7 am and found the Boxcar Cafe open and serving breakfast.

After a bus ride to Antonito, which itself was a spectacular ride, we boarded our train for the trip up to Cumbres Pass. The train left on fairly flat ground and wound its way across the desert avoiding eroded drainage areas. Having a guage of only 3 ft. the train rocked along at the heady speed of 18-20 mph. The benefit of using a narrow guage is that the bends in the tracks can be tighter than for standard guage - which is helpful when laying tracks through mountainous terrain. What impressed us was that the entire 64 miles of track were laid in just 9 months - with nothing more than manual labour, mule carts and black powder. The train went up incredably high and teetered on cliff edges which had the most incredible views, made more beautiful by the golden aspens.

We soon crossed the Colorado-New Mexico border for the first of ten times and the train began its climb through hilly desert country up the 1% grade towards Cumbres Pass. Along the way we passed many interesting features of the landscape and the railroad, all pointed out and explained by Bob, our docent for the trip.

Pronghorn sheep scared off by the train.
The gold leaves were spectacular. Volcanic rock stood above the surroundings.
Although we had comfortable seats in a closed carriage, we spent much of the journey standing in the open car that allowed more expansive views.

The tracks wound their way inexorably up the mountains on the north side of El Rio de los Pinos (the river of the Pines) valley. As we entered the spectacular Toltec Gorge we were 600 feet above the river.

The train stopped at Osier where the Antonito bound train was already waiting on a siding. Here we were fed a hearty lunch, with a choice of meat loaf, turkey or soup and salad. We were not surprised to find the queue for turkey longer than the other two lines combined. The staff there have to serve several hundred people from two trains in a fairly short time. They did a magnificent job, and the food was really very good - and filling. Here we met Lyn and Chris from Dorset, England, having a great holiday. They are train enthusiasts and are riding a number of historic trains over here.
From Osier the train continued its relentless 1% climb. El Rio de los Pinos flows down the valley on a much steeper course and when we eventually crossed it the tracks were only a few feet above the crystal clear water.

After negotiating more tight 180 degree bends our train eventually reached Cumbres Pass at 11,500 feet.
At Cumbres Pass we had to catch a bus back to Chama, due to the fire damaged trestle.
Arrriving back at 3:30 pm, we immediately set off west for Farmington, our overnight stop. The 100 mile ride was into the lowering sun which was no fun. The landscape was now a contrast to the mountain area the train went through. We were now taking a ride through dry land with huge rocks and scrubland. Much of it was totally unpopulated. You felt alone.

It was nearly 6 pm by the time we booked ourselves into a motel. We wasted no time finding a supermarket to buy dinner. The sun was setting as we returned to our motel. Farmington is a tidy, clean, dry city set in a desert.

There is a large river through this area but no large trees except through one of the main streets. People eagerly wait for the cool of the evenings for social activities.

The days are really getting much shorter, and in general the days seem to be cooler. Being at altitude also takes the edge off the heat. It was 46 F when we left the motel (at 8000ft) this morning. It was pleasantly warm at Cumbres Pass, but by the time we reached Farmington - back down in the desert, it was 92 F.

Santa Fe, Taos and Chama

2010-09-30T19:22:00.001-07:00

After leaving our quaint village style motel with floral murals and small mosaics we visited the Sante Fe Plaza. Although the town architecture was Abode in style the population was a mixture of Mexican and English speaking individuals. For the last two or three weeks we have not seen abundant strip malls or huge supermarkets. Fresh vegetables were limited in some places so we assumed people grew what they needed in their back yard. People would have a very different style of eating which included chillies and lime juice. If you knew what to ask for the new flavours would be quite exciting or refreshing. Mexican and Indian food, art and architecture predominate in this area. Shops around Santa Fe Plaza are small, personal and highly individual. The 'deep south' feels quite alien to the rest of America. A total change in cultural experience.

The Burrito Co. Cafe, located just off the square, served traditional bacon and eggs, and made a light , fluffy bacon and egg tortea with potato folded in. It worked well. We then inspected the numerous jewellry stalls displayed under the cover of the Palace of Governers walkway

Our next visit was to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. As an artis she loved to draw inspiration from the beautiful landscapes of the area.

One of the beautiful Adobe style buildings comon to this area.

Frida Kahlo's work also features in this area.

As we left Sante Fe we could not help but notice the beautiful Indian and Mexican designs on the bridges and walls along the freeway.

One of the churches along the road. Adjacent cemetaries are totally packed with floral tributes. Roadway casualties have a similar treatment.

Heading out of Espanola we travelled on gravel for a mile or two where they were upgrading the highway. The breezes are quite cool in the morning and it is not until you stop at roadworks that you realise that this beautiful clear blue sky can be quite hot.

We turned off the road on TX76 to Chimayo, passing through several sleepy villages, some with large trees. You realise that they must be on a river as the other side of the road is a desert.
(Road upgrade metioned above)

The TX518 turnoff took us to Taos, another Adobe style village with a central square.

Carpet design outside a store.

A mural in the parking area.

Pottery and carpets.

The central square has plenty of seating.

Stopping for a drink at Noula's Cafe we noticed some striking artwork by Miguel Martinez in the foyer of the hotel next door.

The outdoor sculpture by Charles Collins also had some interesting features.

Taling US 64 to Chama we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. This stunning gorge can really give you vertigo if you are that way inclined. The bridge is 650ft above the river. You could feel it tremble as the trucks rolled across it without slowing down. Just past the gorge there is the Earthship Project where sustainable homes, made from recycled materials can be viewed from the roadside. These homes are embedded in desert conditions, yet completely off the grid.

We followed two motorcycles crossing the San Juan Mountains. As the elevation increased the landscape changed from small desert (Rabbit and Sage) bushes, to stunted Cedars and eventually int fully grown furs, pines and Aspens which were changing into a brilliant yellow. Autumn has set in in the highlands. The road followed a small winding creek which glistened in the sunlight. Cattle and horses had a regular, clear supply of water.

The highest point was about 10,500ft, after which was a spectacular view as the road dropped much more rapidly than it rose, giving views of a colourful and never ending valley below.

The other two motorbikes stopped for fuel while we continued on our own to Chama NM, arriving just in time to book our Cumbres to Toltec Scenic Railroad Trip for tomorrow. It must be popular because accommodation was not easy to find. We finally found a very reasonable motel on the outskirts of town with a flaky Wi Fi connection. The High Country Bar and Restaurant was packed and we hadto wait almost an hour to get a table. TThe meals were excellent and well worth the wait.

Walking back to our motel in the dark we had the weird experience of each street light switching off just as we approached it. Spooky! (We aren't anywhere near Roswell are we?)

Back on the road again

2010-09-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

We woke early to ensure we could be at the BMW dealers when they opened at 8:30 am.

Chris took the bike there while Wanda stayed back at the motel. Fortunately the service manager was sympathetic to our situation and took our bike in to have two tyres fitted even though we had not booked it in.

Chris walked back to the motel – 10 minutes away and with Wanda walked down to the dealers with our computer. The motel we stayed in was not able to give us access to the internet, but the BMW dealer had wifi for its customers. We were able to download emails, check banking arrangements and catch up with the latest news from Australia and the rest of the world. We were ready to go by 9.30am.

We rode back to our motel on new tyres and packed our belongings. Before checking out of the motel we walked across the road to Weck's diner to have brunch. It was a hearty meal that sustained us through to dinner. Jason was a friendly character. He had shared a room at college with Luc Longely, and travelled with him to Sydney and Perth in Australia, so we had something to talk about.

Leaving Alberquerque we headed for San Ysidro where we turned onto TX 4, a scenic roiute heading north east. We turned off onto State route 485 an impossibly beautiful ride up into the red mountains and the Gilman tunnels, two short tunnels that allow the road to wind through the narrow canyon. Not far beyond the tunnels the paving stops and the surface reverts to gravel. We turned back and continued along TX 4 to the funky town of Jemez Springs. Compared to the towns around the area, Jemez Springs was alive with people visiting art galleries, diners and taverns.

From Jemez Springs the road climbed relentlessly to a high ridge that we followed for a few miles before beginning a steep descent into White Rock. This had a huge supermarket and a fancy playground with a skateboard park for children in the middle of nowhere. We stopped there for drinks and a break to stretch our legs. We set the GPS to take us to Santa Fe, our stop for the night. The shortest route bypassed Los Alamos and had us in Sante Fe by late afternoon.

Motels near the centre of town were out of our budget, so we ended up a few miles away in a motel of great charm but few amenities – not even internet access!

Our first priority was finding a coin laundry and while our clothes were being washed, a supermarket.

We returned to our room with clean clothes and all the makings of a great dinner – the supermarket had Alaskan crab legs, a delicacy we haven't had for quite a while.

A Harrowing Ride

2010-09-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when riding up the Devil's Tail, Chris noticed the bike felt ”squirrelly” - particularly on left hand corners.

Inspection of the rear tyre revealed it was severely worn, and more so on the left side. It had deteriorated very badly in the last day or so. We set our itinerary to take us into Alberquerque where our GPS said there was a BMW dealer and we could expect to get a new tyre. It was "only" 250 miles away.

Before leaving Alpine, we said farewell to the friends we had made last night and ate breakfast at the Bear Wallow Cafe.

We left with enough fuel for at 154 miles according to the bike computer but found none until we reached the tiny town of Datil 84 miles away at the intersection of US 60 and NM 12, at which point the computer indicated we had about 14 miles left to empty. We also wanted to put some extra air in the rear tyre to save the little tread that was left, but the air compressor at the service station there was not working.

By this stage we had well and truly left the lovely high altitude hills of Alpine with its green cattle pastures and weird elk noises heard from the pine trees. The land slowly became dryer, then low bushes, then scrub and finally flat, bleak yellow grass plains with very dry looking mountains in the far distant background. Cattle were trying to find shade under trees, they curled up under low bushes, but on the plains they had nowhere to go. We saw two or three groups (about six in each group) of deer congregating near the waterholes that were available to the cattle. On our journey we had noticed that most farmers had provided shelter for their animals. Even in cooler areas a few cows huddled under tents provided by the farmer. Only a few horses were seen in enclosures with no shade. Where shade was available the animals used it. You could see them under a tree, next to a barn, or poking their noses out of a barn door. These hot, dry flat plains offered nothing.

Closer to Alberquerque we followed the Rio Grande which was very green because of intensive farming. The lush tree line indicated the flow of the river. All the tributaries however were nothing but dry river beds at this time of year. Surrounding the river is desert.

We rode the 26 miles to Magdalena at reduced speed to hopefully reduce tyre wear. The first service station we stopped at didn't have air – vandals had cut the air hose and damaged the inflator some time ago and the proprietor's response was simply not to fix them.

A little further on, at a repair shop, we increased the pressure from 40 to 46 psi.- 4 psi above the recommended value.

About 30 miles further on we reached I-25 in Socorro and turned north to Alberquerque. The speed limit was 75 mph. Given the condition of our tyre, Chris chose to ride at 60 mph, but with all the other traffic doing 80 or more that was a bit scary...

We reached Alberquerque at 4 pm, and wasted 45 minutes trying to find the BMW dealer which we ultimately did – 0.3 miles from where the GPS took us. We had hoped to get the tyre replaced today, only to find the bike people don't work on Mondays (doh!).

We went looking for a motel. The first was $130 or so + tax – no thanks! We phoned a few more around the same price or more before finding one close to the BMW dealer for $55 including tax. The room was large, with a kitchen and comfortable.

We were really exhausted after travelling over 250 miles in temperatures that climbed into the mid 90's as the day wore on. We could walk to the Oasis restaurant which was next door to our Studio 6 motel. Apart from being a real dining experience with white tablecloths, wine glasses etc., the food was really good, and we came out feeling more relaxed, and happier than when we went in.

The Devil's Tail

2010-09-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

Can it be we have only 6 weeks left to complete our journey? We are suddenly at an exciting point, with many great motorcycle roads to discover in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

Our ride today initially took us northwest out of Silver City on NM 180, This road took us through familiar hill country, with low scrubby ground cover and omnipresent mountains lurking off in the distance.

We turned west on route 78 which took us across the border into Arizona. The change in vegetation was sudden and profound as we rode into the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest. The road suddenly started twisting as we bagan a dramatic descent of several thousand feet down to the junction of US 191. A few miles north on 191 lies Clifton, an old town set deep in a canyon. Clifton has a real character that is hard to define. A lot of its old architecture has been preserved, and with the cliffs and hills all around it just seems to nestle comfortably in the lanscape like a chook in a nest. We stopped there for lunch and a well-earned break.

From Clifton, the road leads to Morenci, site of the largest open-cut copper mine in the US.,

US 191 climbs 5,000 feet over the next 60 miles heading north to Alpine AZ. It has no towns, no services and virtually no traffic. Once designated US 666, this road has become known to bikers as the Tail of the Devil, a not-so-gentle prod at the much-hyped Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee. Trucks over 40 feet are turned back by advisory signs.

Along the wat the vistas were breathtaking - from 4000 feet above the valley floor you can (we are told) see peaks 100 miles away.

The 2000 ft descent towards Alpine was on a more open road that allowed for much higher speeds and we made good time getting there, The town is appropriately named. In the space of a few hours we had travelled from desert to wildflower filled alpine meadows at 8000ft altitude.

We went to several motels before we found one to our liking and budget. The afternoon was still young, so we walked into town, checked out the shopping and had a beer before returning to our room.

There we met three Americans (Stan, Mike and Tom) and a Swiss lady (Barbara) all travelling together on motorbikes. We chatted for a while before heading back into town for dinner. We shared one meal- which was just as well, because the steak was too big for one person to eat.

On returning to the motel we picked up again on our conversation with our new made friends, until we all decided it was ime to bunker down.

The Gila Cliff Dwellings

2010-09-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

We left Truth or Consequences in New Mexico this morning and backtracked 10 miles south on I-25 before turning west on NM 152 towards Silver City.

Rather than go directly there, we elected to follow some scenic routes, first turning south on NM 27. Initially we crossed broad flat plains covered in low scrub, but for a few miles found ourselves winding through a range of hills before emptying out onto flat plains on he other side. At the intersection with NM 26 we turned right and headed into the town of Deming, where we stopped for lunch at

Our route then took us north on US 180 for about 20 miles on a gun-barrel straight road. We turned off onto NM 61 that took us past the City of Stones State Park and another hot springs resort in the middle of the desert.

We crossed NM 152 and continued north on NM 35, This was a road that started out through the sleepy little town of Nimbres but soon led into the Gila National Forest. The road started twisting through the stands of pine trees, some huge, that grew everywhere around us. After several weeks of riding straight roads and high speed highways, we are finally back on roads that remind us why we are doing this trip on a motorcycle.

At the end of the road we turned right onto NM 15 to head for the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. NM 15 is a great road for motorcycling: it crosses a mountain ridge at almost 7500 ft and the climb up and run down the other side follow the profile of the hills, winding back and forth with breathtaking drops and huge views on either side as we rode the crest of the hill..

The view from the top of the climb was spectacular.

The Gila Cliff Dwellings are an amazing place. To reach them involves a hike of a mile, with some steep climbing along the way, but the effort is richly rewarded. The Mogollon people built an city of stone and mud buildings inside a series of caves approximately 700 years ago.

From there we headed directly to Silver City. This meant retracing our path for about 10 miles on NM 15. Rather than turning back down NM 35, the road we came in on, we stayed on NM15. This road climbed steeply up onto a mountain ridge in a series of switchbacks and tight corners. Most of the way the road was a narrow strip of bitumen with no centre markings and lots of blind corners. For a while the road followed the ridge where it was almost straight, before heading down again through more switchbacks and tight turns. Motorcycle heaven!

We arrived at Silver City at 5 pm, found a motel and supermarket, and settled in for the evening.

Laundering Money

2010-09-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

This man had to take a long journey with his pups.

We left Van Horn Motel 6, heading west on I-10. The land was fairly flat and barren, albeit with rugged mountains in the distance.

At 80 mph we passed through El Paso (no pun intended) after an hour and a half. We stopped just north of the city for brunch and a well earned rest.

From there we took off on a series of roads that led up the valley of the Rio Grande.

A few miles north of El Paso we crossed the border into New Mexico. The valley was broad and flat, and the land obviously fertile. The fields were planted with cotton, pecan, chilli, cabbages and other crops.

We rode straight past Las Cruces and on to our planned destination of Hatch. We arrived there fairly early in the afternoon, to find the only motel had closed down. This necessitated a change in plan, so we rode on up I-25 to the town of Truth or Consequence.

Originally called Hot Springs, the town changed its name in 1950 as a publicity stunt for the radio program of the same name hosted by Ralph Edwards.

We arrived there quite tired and found a motel that was confortable, if basic It's best feature was that it had a bath house fed from the hot springs that gave the town its original name, and use of the baths was included in the tariff.

Our first priority was to do our laundry. We threw all our clothes in the front loading washer and started it up. A loud clunking noise alerted us to the fact that there was something in there that didn't belong. It was Wanda's wallet with all her money, keys and crdit cards. We stopped the machine, but it had an interlock that prevented the door from being opened until the cycle was complete. Wanda now has the cleanest money in New Mexico! The credit cards and other "plastic" seems to have survived OK, but unfortunately the wallet came off badly and needs replacing.

We returned to our motel and had a soak in the mineral springs before walking across the road to buy our dinner in the local supermarket..

The maximum temperature of 90 F was reached late in the afternoon, but the evening soon cooled off. We can definitely sense the seasons changing and the weather seems to be cooling. We even heard reports of the first snow up in Colorado.

Westward Ho!

2010-09-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Architecture outside the Riato Inn.

We went back into central Marfa to post a few items home.
It is remarkable how parts of Texas closely resembles various desert areas of Australia. A few days ago we were travelling acros flat open land covered in low grey bushes (Sage bush) that resembled saltbush. Other parts were covered in low scrubby trees (possibly stunted Cedars) reminiscent of the Murray mallee. The vegetation is sparse but this reveals the soul.

Today we first crossed broad grassy plains as we rode east from Marfa towards Alpine. A few miles out of Marfa we stopped at the Marfa Lights viewing area to see what we could learn of this mysterious phenomenon first reported in the 1880's. (Any thoughts of going there last night were put aside when it started raining). These lights apparently dance around merging and splitting and changing colour. No one has been able to provide any explanation for them. Atmospheric effects would seem to be involved, but contemporary suggestions that they are light refracted from the headlights of cars on Highway 67 seems unlikely, since neither cars nor Highway 67 existed in 1883...
We rode on without solving the mystery and were soon in the town of Alpine, one of the larger towns in the region. Interestingly, Alpine is only 30 miles west of Marathon where we stayed 2 nights ago - our trip to Big Bend essentially took us on a huge loop.

Wanda was keen to have a hair cut. We parked the bike outside Eva's hair and nails salon purely by chance. It was too good to be true that she could simply walk in and have it done immediately. Eva's next customer was due in less than a half an hour so she kindly fit Wanda in.

Chris wandered a few shops down the road and walked into an art gallery owned by a group of 20 or so artists who have formed a cooperative. Marjie Erkkila who was minding the gallery is a talented sculptor and jeweller. It was interesting to note that each of the artists in the cooperative had a distinct style in which they worked.

We particuarly liked the unique styling she has in her bronze pieces.

When Wanda's haircut was finished we had coffee and shared a gigantic, fresh, cinnamon scroll in a cafe between the hairdresser and the gallery. It's a good thing for our weight that all the bakeries are not this good. The dress shop next door was quite creative too.

From Alpine we headed north to Fort Davis, another interesting West Texas town that forms a triangle on the map with Marfa and Alpine.

A stellar attraction about 20 miles northwest of Fort Davis is the McDonald Observatory, home to one of the largets telescopes in the world

Our journey continued northwest on TX 118 which had the relatively modest speed limit of 70 mph. When we reached I-10 and turned west the speed limit picked up to a serious 80 mph. The 38 miles to Van Horn, our overnight stop, quickly passed underneath our wheels.

Van Horn is a truckstop town servicing the Interstate traffic. It is pretty much spread out along a single road parallel to the Interstate and has about a dozen motels, lots of mechanics shops, a few Mexican style restaurants and a gas station.
We ate in a restaurant that didn't promise much but had great home made corn chips and salsa.

Big Bend

2010-09-23T01:50:00.000-07:00

Big Bend National Park is in a remote area of Texas and right on the border of Mexico. Having been stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint yesterday and dig for our passports, Chris decided to pack them in a more accesible place.

Leaving the beautifully appointed Marathon Inn we rode south on US 385.

The road gradually wound into some hilly country that became more rugged the further we travelled. By the time we reached the park entry at Persimmon Gap we were entering rugged country.

We almost collected a grey deer.

Here's a trip for the serious traveller - having a National Park Annual Pass meant we did not have to pay to enter. This Annual Pass cost $80, and is saving us $10 to $20 every time we enter a National Park. It is well and truly saving us money.

We asked about where we could buy food in the park, as we had not yet had breakfast. The attendant at the entry station told us there was a restaurant at Chisos Basin, and that we should definitely go there if only for the views. Almost anywhere else we were able to obtain refreshment. Here, in the remote corners of Texas, there was nothing for miles. Fortunately the sky was overcast most of the day, keeping us relatively cool. Food markets had limited fresh supplies and as a result food was more expensive. Perhaps there were sources over the border. We are not here long enough to explore that possibility.

The scenery became spectacular as we continued to Panther Junction where we turned right at the T junction. A few miles later we turned down the road to Chisos Basin, 6 miles away. As we climbed into the mountains and down into Chisos Basin the scenery became breathtaking. It is a time when you realised the forces of nature are phenominal, almost beyond our grasp.

Peregrine Falcon sculpture by Bob Coffee at the visitors centre.

Our lunch was relatively expensive, but we were so far from any civilisation, it could easily have cost more in hindsight. The waitress commented on two turkey vultures with distinct personalities vying for the same space.

A few people work in this tiny village. We were unsure if they were permanent residents. There were very few visitors.

After lunch we took a short and easy walk to Window View, high mountains giving a view of the tiny world below.

Returning back to the main road through the park afforded more incredible views of the rugged Chisos mountains.

We left the National Park about 15 miles along the road, and stopped in the dusty town of Terlingua.

We had been given the names of some people to meet there, but only the answering machine connected, so we rode on. A few miles further was the Old Terlingua Ghost Town.

This is a collection of ruined adobe dwellings with a few modern dwellings. At the centre of the town is the old Starlight Theatre, now a restaurant and bar.

TX 170 or the Camino del Rio(river road) continued west through the town of Lajitas on the Rio Grande. As the road followed the course of the Rio Grande it twisted back and forth and rode up and down like a roller coaster, the scenery rugged and spectacular.

We stopped briefly at the Contrabando movie set, a group of crumbling buildings in a spectacular location on the banks of the very fast moving yellow river, and a background of spectacular mountains. This set was used in a number of movies.including Streets of Larado, Rio Diablo, and the 1985 western comedy, Uphill All the Way.

Following the Rio Grande was done with a little apprehension. It is the border of Mexico and Texas but very spectacular.

The going was quite slow.The road was like a roller coaster at times. Eventually we reached the town of Presidio where we stopped for fuel and a drink while admiring the mural next door.

We turned north onto US 67 for the 60 mile journey to Marfa. The road has a 70 mph speed limit so we made good time. There was of course a border patrol on the way as Chris predicted. This time our passports were accessible. Our top box did not have to be reorganised, a real hastle in the wind. We arrived in Marfa shortly after 5 pm. (Chris has a theory that the town was supposed to be called Martha, but it was named by a man with a lisp.)

Our GPS suggested the nearest lodging was 20 miles away, so we called in at the Chamber of Commerce which was still open. They put us onto several places where we could stay. We picked the better value, which was reasonable.

We enjoy B&Bs but find no great pleasure in spas, etc. so these add up to an expense we do not need. We would never get away if we succumbed to this way of life every night. Often these places do not have suitable parking and no internet. There are places with reasonable rates that offer internet, a fridge, microwave and/or coffee maker. It amazes me when some also offer breakfast, swimming pools, spas, laundry facilities, and a lovely seating area for outdoor use. A few places ask exorbitant prices for a beautiful room and nothing else. These are not up to date with the modern travellers' needs. There are places of course where the price reflects the facilities or location. This keeps most people happy.

We went into town to an Italian restaurant for dinner. It was rather upmarket: the least expensive bottle of wine was $42, the average about $60. At least the beer was affordable.

As we rode back to the motel some serious looking weather came over and we caught the leading edge of the rain.

Out in the Wild West

2010-09-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

We left our motel under heavily clouded skies which kept us cool. The chance of rain was forecast to be 30% with scattered thunderstorms. We were hoping recent weather patterns would prevail and that the rain would hold off until the afternoon.

Riding out of Del Rio the landscape was initially flat and covered with low scrub. We rode across one arm of Lake Amistad, formed by the Amistad dam on Rio Grande.

These birds feast on road kill.

About 20 miles out from Del Rio we were stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint where we had to show our passports and visas. They were, of course at the bottom of our bag, being amongst the least used items we are carrying. The Border Patrol guards were very courteous and patient as we unpacked. They inquired about our travel plans and once the formalities were out of the way, chatted with us about where we had travelled in the US so far, where we lived in Australia and so on.

As we went further the landscape changed dramatically to rolling hills and rugged canyons.

There were very few towns along the way, and miles between them. For much of the time we were alone on the road except for the occasional border control utes. Along the way we passed through many road cuts.

These revealed the strata of the underlying rocks. In places white limestone overlaid red rock - and vice versa. In others there were thick layers of limestone with vertical cracks in the strata that gave them the appearnce of man-made stone walls.

We travelled 110 miles to Sanderson, Texas before stopping for lunch in a local diner that made a terrific BLT sandwich, but only had "non-dairy" creamer for us to whiten our coffee. Dairy products are probably less attainable here.There were more Border Security personnel in the diner, and we passed several of their patrols along the way.

Goats were farmed in a few places only. There was the occasional derelict farm house. It is possibly too isolated and too difficult to make a living. A few horses and cattle appeared only as we approached Marathon.

Our destination for tonight was Marathon, which is about 2 marathons' distance from Sanderson. At times the road was straight for miles. The soil appears to be limestone.

We have not seen dry river beds in the US before.

We arrived early in the afternoon and went chasing accommodation.

We didn't have much choice, and the only motel in town charges like a wounded buffalo. We went exploring the town, but everything was shut mid-afternoon, presumably for siesta.

Trains with about a hundred carriages pass through the town on a regular basis. We were given ear plugs for the night but the problem is not that serious.

We bought some chips and beer. That's when we learned everything costs big $ out here: $4.39 for a bag of potato chips and over $11 for a six pack of beer. An avocado, tomato and apple cost nearly $5.

As the day wore on and the air cooled off we sat outside our motel room and ate a dinner of last night's leftovers. Watching the sunset as the evening cooled down was very pleasant. The breeze whistled through the stunted pine.

Wildlife.

About 4 ins. long

This bee is alost an inch long.

Butterflies

Heading West

2010-09-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Our journey west through Texas took us today from San Antonio to Del Rio, a distance of 158 miles.
Once we cleared the city we found ourselves on open roads across a flat landscape. There were no trees, only low scrub and what looked like saltbush covering the ground.

Highway 90 has speed limits that are as high as 70 mph for much of the way. Our bike never missed a beat and just hummed along the whole way. Maybe we should teach it the words...

As we travelled further, we drove into the approaching storm. We reached Del Rio in the early afternoon just before the rain arrived and quickly found a suitable motel.
Americas Best Value Inn a pool which Wanda relaxed in for a while.

Before we could head out to the laundromat and supermarket the rain began. At one stage it was very heavy, so we waited it out.

We only had a mile or two to travel, but the roads were incredibly slippery, and Chris even had trouble finding grip under his shoes when stopped in car parks. Flooding in gutters was consideable and slowed down traffic.

Del Rio is a border town just 4 miles north of the Rio Grande. Hardly anyone we met or sought directions from spoke English.

We ate dinner in our room as the rain set in for the night.

We have no photos of today's journey - they were amongst those acccidently deleted.

San Antonio

2010-09-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

Today we travelled from Austin to San Antonio, a modest distance of 80 miles. We left in cool and cloudy conditions and travelled the whole way on Interstate 35 because there was no reasonable alternative. This also meant we arrived before lunch and had plenty of time to explore San Antonio's two major tourist draws: The Alamo and Riverwalk.

Our Journey down I-35 took us down a corridor of businesses, malls and other developments that was pretty much continuous all the way from Austin to San Antonio.

Along the way we ran into some rain, but not enought to warrant getting into wet weather gear. Driving into San Antonio gave us a less than welcoming feeling. It seemed to be an sprawling city with little of beauty.

But then, right in the middle of the downtown area was the Alamo, easily recognised by the stone walls surrounding it.

We spent quite a lot of time exploring the buildings and grounds.

There were many fine exhibits in the museum and a diorama in the souvenir shop. Chris was struggling to reconcile the diorama and maps of the Alamo in 1836 with the current buildings, walls and structures. It turns out that there is very little of the Alamo still extant, and that there are a lot of modern buildings walls and gardens that look old but are unrelated to the fort that was heroicly defended to the death by Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Travis and the two hundred men in their command. A major road runs through the old structure, and a few stones on the other side mark the southwest corner of the original fort.

Next to these stones was a visitor centre where we were given a map of the city showing the other major attraction - the Riverwalk. Before tackling that, we stopped for a late lunch in a store a few doors down the road.

Do chimeras really exist?

The Riverwalk is a series of picturesque paths below street level that meander along both sides of the San Antonio River and the network of connected canals. It is a most attractive haven in the centre of the city as the walk is lined with restaurants, hotels, bars and shops. Bridges allow easy passage fron one side to the other at various points along the walkways.

Unfortunately we have no photographs of the Riverwalk. They were accidently deleted from our camera before they were downloaded. However you can find pictures of it here.

Once you walked down these steps it was another world. It is one of the prettiest city walks we have seen.
It was a beautiful loop walk, through trees, plants and restaurants with colourful umbrellas. You could cross over the river at any time on bridges that would rival those in Venice. People walked out onto their hotel balconies to watch the scene from above. The tourist boat ride was very busy so we walked around it instead.

After walking around the central network of canals, we booked ourselves on a boat tour. We had an hour and a half wait for the next available tour, so we returned to the Visitor Centre and asked for some help finding a motel. We found one that was close to the city but surprisingly inexpensive and booked ourselves in.

Returning to the cruise dock, it began raining - a drizzle at first. As it began to build in intensity, we sat down at a bar for a drink. We wanted to sit outside under the large umbrellas, a proposal that was resisted - ultimately in vain - by the bar staff. The cruise boat didn't turn up and on investigation we learned it was cancelled. We took our refund and headed off in the rain to find our motel. Our GPS gave us no help in finding it, and we ended up riding miles past it. We telephoned the motel for help and headed back towards the city following their directions. It turned out the motel was within walking distance of the Riverwalk... It was also very good value although it was in a neighbourhood that looked a little rough.

We were tired and with all the rain couldn't be bothered looking for a supermarket to make our own dinner, so we ate in a lovely Italian restaurant that was a short walk from our motel.

A Rest Day

2010-09-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

After staying up late last night we turned off our alarms and slept in until 9:30 am.

Everyone else was up by then. John was repairing an old violin case for his niece. We spent the morning chatting with Susan and Mark before they had to leave for home.

They drove off just before Judi returned from her overnight "gigglefest", so she never did meet them.
John and Judi had plenty to keep them busy especially in the garden, so we had a rest - and fell asleep all afternoon. We hope Susan and Mark survived their three hour trip back home to Dallas.

The only pet that John and Judy now have is a young owl which perches itself high in a branch high above their front door. It is inactive during the day making it difficult to photograph. They were lucky enough to watch it develop, with its siblings which have now moved on.

We offered to take John and Judi out to dinner. As it happened there was an al fresco dining area at the Central Market. It is within walking distance of their home, with live music and dancing. We made our way there and enjoyed some good Cajun cooking washed down with beer.

The music was a mix of Cajun, Creole and Zydeco. Austin is a town known for it's music. It's played regularly and is designed to make people happy. There is a friendly community spirit that is not apparent in other places.

Young and old danced like no one was watching (but they were...)