Here’s what I’ve been doing every morning before I head out on the road.
Advil – max dose. My hands need it more than anything else. The clutch hand especially is having problems.
Drink a bottle of water.
Wash visor and sunglasses. Vision is pretty important on the road, and bugs and fogging do their best to reduce it.
Shower.
Repack. Everything I expect to need during the ride goes into either the Kriega US-20 (top bag on the rear of the bike) or the US-10 on the tank. All else goes in the bigger US-30. The saddlebags for the most part are covered with the waterproof covers – a real hassle getting into them and then outing those covers back on.
Load up the bike.
Grab the hotel breakfast if I can.
Verify my route. Since I don’t usually have a good cell signal on the road, I’ll usually write down directions in the notes app on my phone. I’ll also leave my stop queued up on the maps app since the GPS does still work regardless of signal.
Gear up.
Double check that all the bags are strapped down good and tight.
Double check that I didn’t leave anything in the hotel room. I end up charging my phone, iPad, rechargeable batteries for the GPS tracker, my camera, and my GoPro (although the memory on that is full – need to buy a new card) every night, so that’s a lot of stuff I could end up forgetting.
Double check fuel levels. I try to refuel before I call it quits every night, but just in case…
I made good progress today. I crossed all the way through Utah, even after making a detour for both Salt Lake City and Arches National Park.
After the bad luck with the Ducati service station in Reno, I was pleasantly surprised with the difference in attitude at the one in Salt Lake City. They took a look at my bike, discovered that I had a warped front brake rotor, and even said they’d fix it for me today if they had the part. Sadly, they did not, but they also said that the warp wasn’t serious enough that I wouldn’t be able to make it to New England with the same rotor.
I stopped at another burger chain that I had not only not been to, but I had not even known this one existed – JCW’s. The chain is only in Utah, and currently has three locations, with a fourth about to open. The big selection of shake flavors did it for me. I went with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup one to go with my guacamole bacon burger. The burger patty itself seemed a little on the dry side, but the guac fixed it for me.
From Salt Lake City I headed back to US-50 via Provo, which was a lot greener than I’d expected. The rain chased me for a little while, but I avoided it for most of the day.
My next big stop was Arches National Park to see their main attraction – Delicate Arch. The arch was formerly on the Utah license plates, as it is one of the main natural attractions of the state.
I wasn’t expecting the hike to get to the arch. It is a tough climb from the parking lot up to the arch’s location, which left me pretty winded, but it is well worth the trip, even for the trip itself. One part of the climb close to the finish has visitors walking a ledge that gives a great view of the surrounding areas.
The trip to the hotel was a rainy one. This was my first night ride paired with rain, which I’m hoping to not repeat anytime soon.
Tomorrow I’ll continue east down US-50. I’m thinking I might check out South Park, CO for the usual reasons one would visit that town, then continue on to Colorado Springs before heading towards Kansas.
Getting my brakes fixed in Reno was a no-go. I was told that the service department was booked up for the next two weeks, and only one tech was available. They didn’t even offer to look at the bike to see if they could make a diagnosis. So after another overnight at the Atlantis Casino, I headed on.
On 341, a winding road southeast of Reno leading to US-50, is a sign that states, “motorcyclists, be careful on this road or RIP,” which I took to heart. Unfortunately, just ahead of me, someone else found out what the sign was all about the hard way. A street bike appeared to have crashed into the cliff face before a curve and the first responders had the rider on a stretcher. It was a reminder to me that riding a motorcycle has some serious risks, and that the fun can come with a price.
Today I finally started on US Route 50, which runs from Sacramento to Maryland. The stretch in Nevada is known as The Loneliest Road, thanks to TIME coining the name in 1986. It is a fitting name. The road stretches through empty basins, and there were so few cars on the road, which you can see for miles, that you feel as though you are the sole survivor in a post-apocalyptic world.
The weather gods came back to haunt me. After a week in California with amazing weather, I am back to the lands of summer storms. The one I hit today had extremely strong winds. The clouds were moving at pre-tornado clips, although they weren’t low enough for one of those. It was also cold, which I hadn’t been expecting.
After powering through one storm and narrowly avoiding another, I came to the Utah border, where a huge one sat in my path. As it was late anyway, I stopped at The Border Inn – a hybrid motel, gas station, casino, general store. It looked sketchy, but the room was pretty solid.
Tomorrow I’m making my way to Salt Lake City for another attempt to fix my bike’s brake problems.
I’m taking an extended stop in Reno while I have my brakes checked out. Something is up with my front brake…might need a new rotor. While I’m here, I might as well get my 7,500 mile service done (big thing there is a engine valve check) since I’m about 200-300 miles overdue. The nice thing about towns like Reno and Las Vegas is how cheap hotels are, and the hotel you get is better than usual. I’m staying in a deluxe room in Atlantis for under my budget per night, so that’s a win for me.
Today took me through the Sonora Pass towards Carson City along 108 and US Route 395. 108 is a fantastic road. Twisties, 25% grades, gorgeous vistas, areas to trek through. From what I saw today, I’m sure I missed a ton riding through the woods last night.
If you’re ever in Reno and need some sushi, the sushi bar at Atlantis is surprisingly good for an all-you-can-eat establishment. Usually the quality of those menus is sub-par, but this wasn’t the case here.
That’s all for now. I’ll report back next time I’m on the road (hopefully that will be the day after tomorrow).
Thanks to a friend of mine, I had an unexpected stop at a fantastic resort near Sonora Pass.
Before that though, I saw the scenic view of the Golden Gate Bridge (briefly), drove through Muir National Monument (briefly), had a great burger, saw a friend and colleague from my times in Afghanistan, and had a night drive through a national park.
Golden Gate Bridge is obviously a huge tourist attraction, and here I am trying to see it during summer vacation. It was mobbed. On the north side of the bridge is a series of overlook vista points which were completely packed. I took a couple quick photos and moved on. More interesting were the military sites on the Marin Headway that I hadn’t known existed, including a missile site (closed when I was there) and a fort that looked rather similar to Fort Hunt in Alexandria, VA (so I’m assuming it was WWI era).
Another big attraction was Muir National Monument. I hadn’t expected the park to be so overrun with people, so I took a ride through the pedestrian- and bicyclist-packed park before heading towards my next destination. Muir looked like a good hiking area, but I didn’t stick around to find out.
After Muir, I cruised through wine country. Sonoma and Napa are gorgeous areas that clearly have a lot of money, based on the pristine conditions of the fields, buildings, and roads I saw.
I continued on to Turlock, a town of around sixty-eight thousand people south of Modesto, to visit a friend and colleague from my days in Afghanistan. Gary Soiseth, a candidate for mayor for November’s election, graciously had me over at his home where we caught up on Afghanistan, careers, and futures. I also got some almonds from the Soiseth family farm. Gary also gave me a heads up on the place I ended up stopping at for the night.
After a night ride through the Stanislaus National Forest, I finally arrived at Kennedy Meadows Resort. A haunt for out-of-town hikers and farmers from the surrounding areas, it has a much more homey feel than the corporate hotels I have been staying at as of late. Besides a general store, bunks, and a restaurant, there is a saloon-style bar with regulars that adds some personality to the location. I watched the bartender dance with some regulars, listened to some spectacular fail of a pickup attempt, and felt like I belonged for a little while before retiring. The generator turned off around 12:15 AM while I was still typing this post, which was okay, because it was time for me to finish it up.
Oh yeah – the burger. I got a mini burger (i.e. a normal sized burger) with portobello mushrooms at Super Duper Burgers, a small chain with four locations around San Francisco. It was excellently seasoned and a tasty send off for my five hour long trek to Turlock. I’d recommend you check them out if you’re ever in town.
I’ve been on this trip for half a month and I haven’t even started heading east yet. That comes tomorrow. I’ll be checking out Muir National Monument and walk some of the Golden Gate Bridge, then I’ll be heading to Turlock, CA before I get on US-50.
Today was pretty action-packed. I rode through Big Sur, hiked a couple trails, checked out a lighthouse, saw some elephant seals, ate a great carne asada burrito, and hung out with some squirrels.
There are some pretty tough trails in Big Sur. One that I tried for a little bit was Redwood Grove. This one featured some angles and dropoffs I’ve never seen on a park trail before. I was definitely underprepared for it, and I’d recommend you go with a buddy.
Along Highway 1 was an elephant seal vista point that was pretty touristy, but for good reason. There was a large pack (?) of them – probably more than you’d usually see in one place. Several of the males were fighting, and making a noise that sounded like the last dregs of water going down a drain.
Just up the road from my hotel in San Simeon was a vista point with a whole bunch of very friendly squirrels. Initially scared into the brush when I rolled up, they quickly came back out once I killed the engine. I saw six at one point hanging out near me, and several were bold enough to come right up to me.
I had a great carne asada burrito for lunch at Papa Chevo’s Taco Shop in Seaside (just northeast of Monterey). They’ve got a 4.5 from Google, and I’d say it’s well deserved.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse was a picturesque stop, but unfortunately the lighthouse is closed off to the public and is in disrepair.
Obviously going over the Golden Gate Bridge is an impressive experience. I missed golden hour for photos, but I still got a couple photos from the adjacent northern vista before it got too dark.
The views along the PCH are amazing. The canyon roads slightly inland are as well. I got the best of both worlds by starting out going west via Mulholland Highway. Some extrenely twisty roads between there and Encinal Canyon Road. I’ll upload the GoPro videos when I can, but for now, here’s some of the phenomenal views from the heights:
My first planned destination was Hitching Post Restaurant in
Casmalia. As usual, my timing was off, so I hung around Orcutt and Santa Maria until 4:30 so I could try this place out.
Dinner was great. I went with my waitress’ suggestions of grilled artichoke as an appetizer, followed up with a substantial medium rare ribeye. If you ever find yourself near Vandenberg AFB and want a good meal, check them out.
Continuing up Highway 1, I saw something happening on a rock off of Pismo Beach. After getting closer, I realized it was a huge flock (?) of pelicans. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than a couple at a time prior to today.
Beyond Pismo was a promontory and a hill that allowed for a great view. I’m glad I pulled over to walk around the area. So far the random stops have been some of the best. Even though I’m not rushing this trip, it occasionally feels like I’m getting off track, which has sometimes resulted in me deciding to not stop to see those things that pique my interest. I’m glad I did this time.
Tonight I’m holed up in San Simeon, about 70 miles south of Big Sur. I should have some good shots tomorrow.
I spent more time than I thought I would in San Diego, and it was definitely time to continue the trip. Today I made my way up to Calabasas, which is just north of Malibu.
The ride up, mostly via historic 101 and California State Route 1 had some great views of the Pacific.
Rolling through Marina del Rey, Venice Beach, and Santa Monica brought back some memories. I lived in Marina del Rey back in 2006-2007, and I remembered it as a place with great weather, views, and food. The weather up this way was definitely perfect. Sunny, clear skies, great visibility, perfect temperature. I think the only things stopping me from moving out here are the taxes and higher prices on everything. I would have never been able to afford life in Marina del Rey if my employer at the time had not been paying directly for my lodging.
I encountered a bit more traffic than I had anticipated once I hit SR 1, so my clutch hand is out of commission. I’m drinking lots of water, popping the ibuprofin, and picked up some bananas for tomorrow morning.
I ran into an old friend from high school out here and caught up over dinner at Marmalade Cafe. Decent food. We had been trying to get into two different sushi places, but both had half hour waits. On a Wednesday night. I’ll wait for my friend’s review of them and hit them next time.
Tomorrow I’ll be heading up the PCH. Not sure how far I’ll make it, but I’d expect that by the following day I’ll be starting east towards the east coast.
The trip from Flagstaff to San Diego was a challenge in motorcycling. Between slaloming the twisties around Jerome, AZ, to the challenges of I-8, it was certainly not a boring ride.
Jerome is a mountain town with the curviest roads I’ve hit up to this point. At the highest point of the town is the Jerome Grand Hotel, which was formerly a hospital, and is reportedly haunted. While I didn’t stop there, I’ve heard that the attached Asylum Restaurant is apparently very good.
The road back down to Jerome.
A scenic view from above Jerome.
My route through Jerome led me to Prescott and Embry-Riddle University. My father’s former co-pilot at the now-shuttered Griffiss AFB is a senior executive at the school. After lunch, he gave me a tour of the campus. The school boasts some impressive stats, including large placement rates for Air Force pilots, and significant numbers of scholar athlete designations and USAF ROTC candidates. I was also interested in learning that their security studies program boasts five hundred members – I hadn’t realized they had programs outside of flight or aviation engineering. I am currently looking for a change in career, and I wouldn’t mind finishing my pilot’s license, so Embry-Riddle is a school I will be researching.
From Prescott, I decided to ride directly to San Diego, and to make up for the extra day spent in Flagstaff, I decided to take a segment of I-8. I know, against my initial guidelines for this trip, but I made an exception in this case. The route took me through sand dunes, where I got hit by sand drifts, climbed over four thousand feet (and dropped outside temps a whole bunch) in about forty miles, and went though a segment with such high winds that I was blown across a lane at one point. It was certainly an exciting route. I don’t anticipate hitting any others from here on out – should be mostly SR 1 and US-50 until I get to the east coast.
I’ve already had some great food here in Ocean Beach. I had breakfast one day at Tower II Beach Cafe, including some nice and tender grilled calamari, and for dinner I had some sushi at a sushi and tapas place called The Joint….really good stuff.
Grilled Calamari at Tower II Beach Cafe in Ocean Beach, San Diego.
The OBeef Roll from The Joint in Ocean Beach.
I’ll probably be here in San Diego for another day or two. My hand has gotten to the point where it’s very difficult for me to perform fine motor functions, such as using chopsticks (embarassingly, I had to use a fork to eat my sushi), so I’m giving myself a short rest before continuing on.
Ocean Beach, from Tower II Restaurant.
I also hit Hodad’s, a highly rated burger joint with three locations in the city. If you want a solid burger that’s nearly too big to eat, good seasoned fries, and some great ice cream shakes, this is your place.
The view from the Ocean Beach Pier is impressive. I’m looking forward to taking some similar photos from the Atlantic side in the next couple of weeks.
I closed off this trip with a Comic-Con party hosted by comic industry insiders. Besides being a artistic haven, the venue had some fantastic salvaged artwork from Gaslamp Quarter days past. Great way to close out this stop.
While I had been expecting to end yesterday in Prescott, AZ, I had some issues with my tires that necessitated a detour to Flagstaff. I noticed my very worn tires after fueling up past Page, AZ. I probably should not have run them down to the level I did, but fortunately I made it into town in one piece. This morning I upgraded into sport touring tires which should last me a little longer and are better designed for the type of riding I’m currently doing. Lots of thanks to Northland Motorsports for making it quick and painless for me.
Oops.
Antelope Canyon is amazing. I already mentioned how Carlsbad Caverns is an American natural wonder, and Antelope Canyon is certainly another one. I took about fifty photos there, and each one is a work of art. I can’t take all the credit for that – the canyon is truly one of the most photogenic locations on Earth.
The canyon is part of the Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park, and as part of the Navajo Nations Parks, I wasn’t able to use my National Parks Annual Pass. You must join a guided tour to see the canyon, which cost me about $29. I visited the lower canyon, which I had read was the more impressive of the two. It requires a bit of mobility, as you’re occasionally climbing up and down steep stairways. I’ve read that the upper canyon is much more flat, so if mobility is an issue, you might want to look into that option.
Normally I’d be averse to spending so much on a single tour, but apparently the Navajo Nation maintains the canyon quite a bit. Besides taking care of the various stairwells within the canyon (the main entry one having been completely rebuilt after water washed it away last year), they also remove water and replace sand on the canyon floor to give some parts flat floors following floods. Apparently, rain within 15 miles can flood the entire canyon up to the top (a sight which must be pretty impressive itself).
Protip: don’t ride a street bike to the tour location. The roadway is soft sand, as I quickly learned as I descended the hill. I managed to keep my bike upright, but had a couple harrowing moments. The trip back up was a little easier since I knew what I was getting into, but it was still tricky. It looked like some cars were having issues as well, but probably not as many.
Antelope Canyon. Gorgeous.
After limping into Flagstaff, I checked out Mia’s lounge on the advice of my cousin. It’s one of the only bars I’ve been to that allowed dogs (there were three last night), and I have to say that many bars would be better off with dogs…it adds character. Last night was amateur night, and there were several stand up comedians and musicians on stage while I was there. Flagstaff sort of reminds me of Austin….lots of live acts, even on weekdays. And hippies.
Dogs in a bar.
Tomorrow I’m expecting to take a fun route through Jerome, AZ down AZ-89A, which is a very twisty road that goes through the hills. From Jerome, I’ll hit Prescott, the continue on towards San Diego.
I’ll leave you with a selection of other photos from Antelope Canyon.
The Road 