Iron Butt Association Membership # 8613
This ride was done as part of
May 20, 2002
The MTF 50CC banquet was over around 2:30 p.m. PDST, Monday, May 20, 2002 and I headed out soon after. My plan was to stay in Las Vegas for the night. I headed west on I-8 and picked up I-15 northbound. As I proceed north, the traffic began to build. I now realized why Steve Hobart, our ending witness for the MTF 50CC decided to head out and skip the lunch. Traffic was going 30-40 mph as I saw another rider in my mirrors splitting lanes. I knew from various posts on the MTF that lane splitting was legal in California, but I guess I was surprised to see someone doing it. The rider was on a smaller BMW and was moving along at what appeared to be 10-15 mph above the other traffic. Although it seemed like the distance between adjacent cars was pretty close, he seemed to be managing fine. What if someone opened a door in front of him. Ouch! I doubt that he would be able to react. Heck, when in Rome... I decided that if someone was going to open their door, they would do it on him. So AL2000 makes the decision to give lane splitting a shot! I would have never thought that I would try this, but here a go. Big old wing trying to sneak down the white line between two adjacent cars. I can hear Saftnut, my instructor for the MSF experienced riding course say, look where you are going. That sounds great but I can't seem to get my eyes off my mirrors and how close the mirrors of the adjacent cars are to them. Next thing you know, I am getting comfortable splitting. lanes. Now that is a scary thought. Several miles later, the traffic cleared out and I have a whole lane to myself. Would I do it again? I'm not sure, but it was quite an experience.
The diversity of landscape in California is amazing - beaches, sand dunes, deserts, and mountains. I enjoyed them all. I would provide pictures but I lost my camera on the 50CC. My first gas stop was in Barstow. The temperatures had dropped to about 55 degrees and the winds are blowing pretty good. I am wearing a t-shirt and my Phoenix Jacket. Mr. Cold Weather Rider is cold and it is only 55. I ask the attendant if I could expect it to get warmer or colder. He said colder. Ok, enough of this, so I decide to put on my electric vest and long underwear shirt. Man, it just does not seem like the electrics are doing much good. I figure that the cold air blowing through the Phoenix jacket is nullifying the heat from the vest. I find out later that one of the wires had pulled out of the plug -- no heat!
As I approach Las Vegas the winds are steadily picking up. I have a reservation at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino, which is about a mile off the strip at a whopping cost of $27.75 including tax.. As I exit the interstate and stop at a light to enter the hotel the winds are blowing fiercely. I'm having a hard time holding up my bike as the winds blast me from the side. I check in and decide to park in the garage because I am afraid the winds will blow the bike over. It is about 9:00 p.m. local time and I search out the buffet. It closes at 10:00 so I have to hurry. I can't really eat that much because but the variety and quality of the food is very good, including a fresh cooked pasta bar. The only other time that I have been to Las Vegas was with my wife, and I am wishing that she was here. I decided to try to find a camera as I am about to head into what I know are going to be some beautiful areas and want to be able to document the trip. About my only choice was a Walmart SuperCenter. My camera choices started to dwindle as I realized all but the Kodak took different memory cards than I already had. Ok, I guess I will take the Kodak DX3600 at about $278.00 and a lot of tax! I head back to the room and briefly review how to use the camera, verify that the memory cards that I have will fit, and turn in for the night. I decided that I would leave at 8:00 a.m. Indiana time so as to maintain a habit so my body would not be out of shape by the time I got to Eau Claire, which is the starting point for the GLC. This means a 6:00 a.m. start Las Vegas time.
May 21, 2002
Day 2 of the trip to Eau Claire would take me from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyons North Rim and on to Keyenta, AZ in the middle of the Navajo Indian Reservation. My intent was to mark the location of the pictures that I took along the way. I was so inconsistent in doing this, I'll just provide the pictures and guess where they are.
As was my accustom along this trip, I passed out MTF business cards and stopped for a chat with anybody that looked like they were touring. Somewhere before arriving at the North Rim, I met a couple at a scenic overlook and gave them one of my cards. I have since learned by email that the couple was Frans and Marjolein from Holland or The Nederlands. They were riding Shadow VT750's and were spending a couple of weeks touring the Southwest, logging some 3300 miles. We shared a shiver or two together. It was 31 degrees at the north rim and I was still wearing my Phoenix Jacket, Electric Vest (still not working, but I didn't know it yet), and electric gloves. I purchased some Indian Jewelry at the lookout for my wife. The classic Indian flute player and a lizard.
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I believe that this was somewhere along Interstate 15 on the way to Hurricane, UT. |
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I only spent a brief time in southern Utah. This was taken either there or in Northern Arizona. One of many view that you can expect like this. |
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The pictures from the north rim of the Grand Canyon do not even closely resemble the majesty of this area. |
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I had lunch at Jacob Lake Inn after an hour or so at the North Rim. It was cold, so I had a casual lunch and warmed up. Desert was homemade cookies which seemed to be one of their specialties. There were quite a few bikes here given the temperatures. |
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Oh yeah! Isn't northern Arizona beautiful. Notice the twisties in the second and third pictures. This was somewhere just east of the North Rim. |
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I stumbled across this abandoned stone cabin in Marble
Canyon, Arizona. I stopped at a lodge down the road and learned that the
guy that built the Marble Canyon Lodge in the 1920's lived here while he
was building the lodge. The second picture is from inside the cabin
looking out the back window. The rock formations were quite unique. The
rock in the right forefront of the second picture looks like a skull of
some sort.
I have gotten myself in trouble several times trying to get a picture that included my bike. This is another one of those instances. I ride up and put down my kickstand. This is not red clay, it red sand. I put down my kickstand and it just sinks. Darn near drop the bike. I reach behind and get my kickstand pad and get it placed under the kickstand. Take my pictures and remount. The window is blowing so hard against the kickstand side and the bike is leaning so far over, I can't upright the bike. I dismount and try to raise the bike to a vertical position. After about 10 minutes of fighting. I was able to get the bike vertical and walked it down to the road. I went back and retrieved my kickstand pad. Sat along the side of the road, completely exhausted, trying to catch my breath before proceeding. |
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I didn't find the spot of the North Rim that allow me to see the Colorado River. Just after leaving Marble Canyon, that disappointment was rectified. What a beautiful site.Things were starting to warm up by now. Or maybe I was still recovering from my wrestling match with the Red Wing. At any rate, I decided it was time to remove the electrics. Once you cross the Colorado River, you enter the Navajo Indian Reservation. |
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As I was entering Page, AZ, I could see Lake Powell up ahead. I couldn't resist going a few miles out of the way to get an up close view of the lake. I had been packing and unpacking the camera in one of the bags packed on my seat. (Not a bag with a draw string as I had already lost one camera this way on the 50CC). I stopped at Walmart and bought a camera big that I could strap to the outside of the bag and make it easier to get to. |
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Here are a couple of views of a rock formation that I ran across between Page and Kayenta, AZ |
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Most of us have seen signs along the highway warning of deer crossing. On the Indian Reservation, this is one of the more common signs. I didn't see any, but then I don't always see deer when warned either. |
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Inside the Burger King in Kayenta, AZ is a display documenting the Navajo Code talkers. I had remembered this from the Roadside America site and decided I should stop and check it out. Besides, I might want to enter the MTF Roadside Monstrosities Contest and this would be worth some points. |
I spent the night at Best Western in Kayenta, AZ. There were several motorcycles there, but I had a long day so decided to retire. I found out the next morning that they were from B.C. and had shipped there bikes south for a few weeks of riding.
May 22, 2002
My original plan for Day 3 of the trip to Eau Claire was to leave from Kayenta, AZ and then spend the night in Pueblo, CO. I had purposefully planned on pushing the front end of the ride and the back end of the ride so I would have more time in Colorado. Being on a short time frame, I had to make a lot of compromises. It ended up that I had such a great time in Colorado that I was running about three hours behind schedule and spent the night in Gunnison, CO instead of Pueblo to avoid traveling through Monarch Pass at night.
The route was US163 North out of Kayenta, AZ to Bluff, UT. Note. US 163 runs with US 191 for a few miles. You want to make sure to take US 163 east, just north of Bluff, UT. US 163 will intersect with Utah 262 and then will turn into Utah 41. Take Utah 41 to US 160 and then southwest to 4-Corners. Leaving 4-Corners head back northeast on US 160 to Durango, CO where you will take US 550, the Million Dollar Highway, north to US 50 in Montrose, CO. Take US 50 to Gunnison.
When doing endurance riding it is important not to depend on new equipment. I found out the hard way that this also applies to flower sniffing. My new camera had knob at the top to select menu, review, still, or video. I was not taking time to review each picture. Big mistake, this is one of the advantages of a digital camera. I caught myself several times taking pictures while the camera were in review mode. Evidently, this happened more than I thought. End result, I only have a fraction of the pictures that I thought I took.
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There was some pretty good scenery on the way to my first stop which was Monument Valley which is just outside of Kayenta, AZ. |
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Monument Valley is the place where many of John Waynes western movies were shot. This is on the Navajo Indian Reservation and there is a $5.00 entry fee. If you do not have time to take the tour, there is no real reason to enter as you can see several of the formations from the road. There is a drive through tour, but I was warned that I should not try to ride the Wing as this was an unpaved road and there was a good possibility that I would get stuck. Given my previous fight with the Wing in soft sand I opted not to try the ride. I didn't have time for the tour, so I took as many shots as possible without taking the tour. |
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I can't remember exactly where this is or what it was called. I think it was twin something and was at the intersection of 163 and 262. I know it was somewhere along my route between Monument Valley and 4-Corners. |
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You saw earlier the Cow Warning sign. There were numerous Deer Warning signs as well. They forgot to warn of goats. This herd of goats had just crossed the road as I rounded the turn. I went down and turned around to get a picture. |
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I thought I was going to have to skip 4-corners. The only
place in the United States that four states join at a single point.
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. However, Don Kime (Safetnut of
the Motorcycle
Tourer's Forum) tipped me that MS S&T was inaccurate showing that 163
was disjointed and that 163 actually was a good road that I could catch it
just outside of Bluff, UT and take to 262 and then on to 4-Corners. Great
advise and this portion of the trip went without a hitch.
You will notice that I am wearing my leather jacket. With the freezing temperature at the North Rim and the thought of entering the Rockies, I decided it was time for a switch. 4-Corners is part of the Indian Reservations and has a $2.00 entry fee. Several Indian craftsman are there selling there wears. Few take credit cards and most do not have change. I picked up a small handmade arrow for my Grandson here. |
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At Cortez, CO the scenery is starting to change from
"Red Rock" to Green. Outside of Cortez I saw this large rock
formation. The first picture is actually a view from the east as I didn't
take a picture from the west and did not want to backtrack. I discovered
that the rock was actually Mesa Verde National Park. I had purchased a
National Parks Pass earlier in the year and decided that I should check it
out.
I was told that the trip to Visitors Center was about 15 miles. I did not realize that this was going to be 15 miles up to the top of the rock formation that I had just seen. The second picture shows some of the cliff hanging twisties. Little did I know that this was nothing compared to what I would encounter on the Million Dollar Highway. But it was well worth the stop. I didn't have time but there are also cliff dwelling here. I am now running more than an hour behind schedule and I am just really getting started. |
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As I left Durango to take US 550, the million dollar highway, I became a bit disillusioned. Four-lane highway with a lot of traffic. This would all soon end. Welcome to the Colorado. I think this was taken just outside of Durango. This is just one of many breathtaking views. Is it any wonder, I ended up three hours behind schedule at the end of the day? |
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I have posted many times on the Motorcycle
Tourer's Forum about my love for riding in the Smokie Mountains. Well as
much as I love the Smokies, they just don't compare to the Rockies.
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Notice the twisties and the fact that there are no guard rails. As I told my wife, a mistake in the Rockies = Death. Enjoy the scenery, but pay attention to your ride. |
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The view looking down into Silverton, CO. Once arriving in Silverton, you will find a quaint little town. Wish I had more time to discover it. They did have a paved street, however, this was not it. |
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The twisties didn't stop after Silverton. |
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I spotted this small waterfall and had to walk back to get a better shot. Looks surreal doesn't it. |
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Did I mention cliff hangers and the lack of guard rails? |
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I had lunch at the True Grit Cafe in Ridgeway, CO. Had a great meal in this quaint little restaurant. |
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I'm not sure but I think this is the bridge that crosses the Blue Mesa Reservoir which is west of Gunnison. |
What can I say. If you haven't been to Colorado. You need to make sure that you get there. A big thanks to B.J. and Warhawk of the Motorcycle Tourer's Forum who continually tell us how great Colorado is. They are right. I ended up running three hours late and could have easily made this little stretch and extra day or two. I spent the night in Gunnison, CO. The German attendant at the Days Inn explained why they had so little crime. There are no towns close enough to which to escape.
May 23, 2002
I am extremely happy that I planned most of my free time in Colorado. It was just absolutely magnificent. I am now three hours behind, so I set the alarm an hour early. I walk outside and it is very cold. I decide I better see why my electrics have not been working. I discover that one of the wires has pulled out of the plug. I spend about 45 minutes making the necessary repairs. While making the repairs the news reports a winter storm watch and that 6-8" of snow is expected. I hope I don't run into this. It is going to be a long day the way it is. I will be travel to Pueblo, CO where I intended to stop the night before. I could bypass Garden City, KS and miss my visit with Jeff Salyer of the Motorcycle Tourer's Forum but I promised a stop, so I will just push a little harder. From Garden City, I will push on to Lincoln, NE to spend the night.
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I had spent the night at Gunnison because I was told that I had my largest pass to go through and I shouldn't do it at night. Monarch Crest 11,312 feet. The visitors center wasn't open when I got there. There is also a chair lift to the top of the mountain that was not open. That has to be a thrill. The view was magnificent the way it was. |
I called Jeff to tell him that I was on my way but would be about 2-1/2 hours late but I would be there. He said that he had met Jason (Jonas aka Nankoweap) who was doing an Iron Butt Association 48+ on his way to Hyderseek, AK. Jason and I were criss-crossing each other as we crossed the country but were not close enough to meet. Jeff offered to meet me at the truck stop, but I decided it would be best if I just met him at his hotel Wheatlands Best Western, in Garden City, CO.
If you don't know, you will see a lot of cows in eastern Colorado and Western Kansas. These are not open ranges but feed lots with what appeared to be 1000's of cows. Oh, you will smell them as well. If you think the smell is bad, try to avoid areas that raise pigs.
I met Jeff, while I ate a turkey reuben, we chatted about his visit with Jason, the MTF, his riding, how he got into the motel business. It was a great opportunity to get to know another MTF'er just a bit better. As I mentioned to Jeff, God said to Kansas, "We are going to have to short you on trees, but we will make up for it by giving you extra wind." I made the longest sharp right hand turn that I have ever taken while going through Kansas and this was on a straight road.
I pushed hard the rest of the way to Lincoln, NE and got checked to an Inns4Less near the airport about 10:00 p.m. The first think that I noticed as I pulled up to my room which was in a secondary building was the strong vibration of the base coming from the night club a block or so away. Good a vibrating bed. After unpacking, I noticed that there was no alarm clock. I always like to have two means of waking. Too many times I have not gotten my wake up call. I could set my Screaming Meanie and wake up the neighborhood. My wife agrees to give me a call that next morning. I have been gone awhile, so it will be good to hear her voice again anyway. As has been my custom, I go straight to bed and skip dinner. I'm not sure if was the 12-16 hour days of riding or all the flower sniffing, but sleep seemed like a higher priority than eating.
May 24, 2002
The price I paid for spending extra time in Colorado was that I was now going to have to super slab it to Bloomington, MN. I was supposed to meet Dave Nelson, Patrick (all you need to know is that this is Flamingojake), Jules (Jules) Davis, and Matt Osterman (mosterma13) at Dave's place for a NLT 3:30 p.m. departure. I-80 to I-35 and then a few detailed directions to Dave's place. When I plotted the route I noticed that Bloomington was close to Minneapolis/St. Paul but I didn't realize that I could expect heavy traffic. Friday afternoon on a three-day weekend. I was making great time until I hit construction zone after construction zone just south of Bloomington. I started looking for alternate routes but none looked too attractive. I should have been an hour early and now I going to be pushing 3:30 p.m.
My GPS tell me I am close. I have ridden in circles a few times now, but can't seem to find Dave's place. Better call, it is right at 3:30 and they are going to be leaving. I would hate to be this close and miss them. About that time up rides a fellow on a beauty of a bike. You must be Patrick (I probably called him Jake, that nickname is just too confusing). Yep, as he pulls up his pant leg to show the Flamingo tattooed on his leg. I figured I had to be close but couldn't find it. I was about to call. It is on the other side of the road Patrick says. Matt happened to see you and I tracked you down. I pull up and Matt and Dave are working on their bikes, while Jules is standing outside the garage with Thor.
Alan and Patrick |
Matt |
The MTF Gang |
We leave Dave's place and are smack dab in rush hour traffic. Patrick and Dave are leading, I'm next, then Jules, and Matt. Matt and I have CB's and are communicating as we seem to constantly be getting cut off and split. Jules is starting to worry about overheating and we all are wondering how much longer we are going to be in this traffic. Basically, we have to go about 20 miles or so around the southeast corner of the I-494 loop to I-94. We finally hit I-94 and things start to clear up. As we approach Eau Claire, we exit at US 12. It looks from my GPS that we are heading the wrong way but Patrick has called for Dave to return to the front as he is not sure where the hotel is located and I figure Dave knows where we are going. US 12 intersects with WI 124. I am now in the rear and I see Jules looking at her GPS and turn on her turn signal. Dave, Matt, and Patrick go straight on WI 124 instead of right onto US 12. Jules and I follow. A couple of wrong turns and we finally decide that maybe one of the two people with a GPS who are riding in the back should lead. Jules tells Alan to go ahead. In all fairness to Dave and Patrick, it may be that they were distracted by Matt who had decided to relax by resting his legs across the handlebars. How can a human get in that position?
I take the lead and soon find myself in front of the Hampton Inn. This is my hotel as I was late registering and could not get a room in the host hotel. I tell Patrick that I am going to check in and will meet them at the host hotel. I say the Park Inn should be just down the road. That is what they told me when I registered at the Hampton Inn. Well it was just down the road, but you need to make a left. From what I understand, a few more wrong turns were made before Patrick, Dave, Matt, and Jules found their mark.
