Comshaw
VAGITARIAN
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2000
- Posts
- 12,046
Sunday we pulled into our garage after riding a circle route through a few western and central states. God this country is gorgeous! We started here in the Northwest and rode south to Oregon. We rode east through Oregon into Idaho, then south into Utah.
The third day on the road we rode through Arches National Park. Those red rock sculptures are fantastically beautiful. The only distraction was the 102 degree temperature. We spent the night in a little town call Bluff at a campground called Cadillac Ranch. The next day we rode into Monument Valley, had lunch at the trading post then rode on to Four Corners then to Mesa Verde and the cliff pueblos. We spent the night in Cortez NM and the next day rode on to Tucumcara.
60 miles west of Tucumcara we ran into a wind storm that was so strong, my wife pulled a muscle in her leg, from gripping the tank as she fought to keep her bike on the road. We did manage to make it to a motel with out getting blown off the hiway. I made her take a hot bath and rubbed her down with Icy-Hot before bed. The next morning her leg was better and we were able to continue the journey.
We rode across the Texas panhandle and managed to spy the real Cadillac Ranch just outside of Amarillo. It's a bit hard to find unless you know where it's at, or are looking for it. There are no signs to guide you and it sits in the middle of a plowed farm field.
After snapping a few pictures, we continued our ride; destination, Muskogee Oklahoma (I have family there}. We stopped for the night about 80 miles East of Oklahoma City and pulled into Muskogee the nest day. We spent two days visiting with relatives, then rode on to Springdale Arkansas for Stars Days, a Yamaha bike rally. We spent the better part of the day there, then rode on and spent the night in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
The next day we rode into Missouri Destination; Raymondville and then Licking. Yep that's right, Licking Missouri! In Raymondville we were invited to a Baptist church barbeque. I wish we would have had time to take up the invitation. I would have liked to have spent some time talking to the locals. We stayed that night at a little motel in Vienna and were on the road at 7:30 the next morning. The sun was just coming up over the Ozarks. Damn was that a soul moving sight!
We rode north found I-70 and headed west. We circled around Kansas City and rode north to St. Joseph, crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska and had lunch in Preston. After lunch we rode south into Kansas a short ways, just to say we had been in the state, then headed north towards Iowa.
We spent the night in Denison and the next morning rode out for Albert City. I've never seen so damned much corn in all my life! And flat! I told my riding companions if we could find a knoll 30 feet in height, we could see the town we pasted through 20 miles back!
We hit Albert City around noon and my riding buddy went to find the people he had spent 3 summers working for 35 years ago. He not only found them, but found their parents! Dean and his brother were in their 70's and his parents were in their mid 90's. We spent an hour and a half standing in the shade in the park in the middle of town talking to Dean. During that time it seems all 600 residents drove by and waved. My wife said they all wanted to see these people dressed in black leather and riding motorcycles. An unusual sight in Albert City I think.
After leaving Albert City we rode north into Minnesota then west to South Dakota. We did have to stop for a picture at a town sign declaring "Manley" Minnesota population 13. We spent the night in Sioux Falls and rode on across South Dakota and into the Badlands the next day. I never really understood why they were called them badlands until we got there. An impressively desolate piece of real estate they are! We spent that night in Wall and rode on to Mt. Rushmore, Then to the Crazy Horse Monument. I was totally and utterly impressed by the scope, vision and commitment of those working on and giving their lives to that project.
We spent most of the day at Crazy Horse then rode on to and through Deadwood intending to spend the night in Spearfish. We were stopped by one of the thunderstorms that had surrounded us for days, and so spent the night in the little town of Whitewood.
The next day we rode into Wyoming and stopped at Devils tower. We spent a short while there, then headed for Montana and the Little Bighorn battle field. Instead of following I-90 through Wyoming, we back tracked to Belle Fouche and followed US 212 through the Montana countryside to Little Bighorn. We stayed that night in Livingston and rode 500 miles the next day across western Montana and the Idaho panhandle, stopping in Spokane for the night. The next day we rode 348 miles across Washington.
The amazing thing about that last part of the trip; we pasted through a micro-representation of everything we had seen over our entire trip. Just out of Spokane we rode through miles of wheat fields, then into the sagebrush country. Next we dropped into the canyon country of the Columbia gorge. We climbed out of that into the Pine forests of the East side of the Cascades, then pasted over the crest into the cool damp green fir, cedar and hemlock forests of home. We pulled into our garage at 9:00 PM. We had been on the road 17 days, pasted through 18 states and covered 5613 miles. When I told my wife I was proud of her, she said it wasn't any big deal. You decide; How many 50 year old women will jump on a bike and ride it 5613 miles across the country? Not many I think. She is one special lady.
Anyway that was our vacation for the year. Next year? We've been wanting to ride across Norway, Ireland or New Zeland. I think we'll start with the Emerald Island.
They'll be a few pictures we took with our digital camera coming up.
Comshaw
The third day on the road we rode through Arches National Park. Those red rock sculptures are fantastically beautiful. The only distraction was the 102 degree temperature. We spent the night in a little town call Bluff at a campground called Cadillac Ranch. The next day we rode into Monument Valley, had lunch at the trading post then rode on to Four Corners then to Mesa Verde and the cliff pueblos. We spent the night in Cortez NM and the next day rode on to Tucumcara.
60 miles west of Tucumcara we ran into a wind storm that was so strong, my wife pulled a muscle in her leg, from gripping the tank as she fought to keep her bike on the road. We did manage to make it to a motel with out getting blown off the hiway. I made her take a hot bath and rubbed her down with Icy-Hot before bed. The next morning her leg was better and we were able to continue the journey.
We rode across the Texas panhandle and managed to spy the real Cadillac Ranch just outside of Amarillo. It's a bit hard to find unless you know where it's at, or are looking for it. There are no signs to guide you and it sits in the middle of a plowed farm field.
After snapping a few pictures, we continued our ride; destination, Muskogee Oklahoma (I have family there}. We stopped for the night about 80 miles East of Oklahoma City and pulled into Muskogee the nest day. We spent two days visiting with relatives, then rode on to Springdale Arkansas for Stars Days, a Yamaha bike rally. We spent the better part of the day there, then rode on and spent the night in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
The next day we rode into Missouri Destination; Raymondville and then Licking. Yep that's right, Licking Missouri! In Raymondville we were invited to a Baptist church barbeque. I wish we would have had time to take up the invitation. I would have liked to have spent some time talking to the locals. We stayed that night at a little motel in Vienna and were on the road at 7:30 the next morning. The sun was just coming up over the Ozarks. Damn was that a soul moving sight!
We rode north found I-70 and headed west. We circled around Kansas City and rode north to St. Joseph, crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska and had lunch in Preston. After lunch we rode south into Kansas a short ways, just to say we had been in the state, then headed north towards Iowa.
We spent the night in Denison and the next morning rode out for Albert City. I've never seen so damned much corn in all my life! And flat! I told my riding companions if we could find a knoll 30 feet in height, we could see the town we pasted through 20 miles back!
We hit Albert City around noon and my riding buddy went to find the people he had spent 3 summers working for 35 years ago. He not only found them, but found their parents! Dean and his brother were in their 70's and his parents were in their mid 90's. We spent an hour and a half standing in the shade in the park in the middle of town talking to Dean. During that time it seems all 600 residents drove by and waved. My wife said they all wanted to see these people dressed in black leather and riding motorcycles. An unusual sight in Albert City I think.
After leaving Albert City we rode north into Minnesota then west to South Dakota. We did have to stop for a picture at a town sign declaring "Manley" Minnesota population 13. We spent the night in Sioux Falls and rode on across South Dakota and into the Badlands the next day. I never really understood why they were called them badlands until we got there. An impressively desolate piece of real estate they are! We spent that night in Wall and rode on to Mt. Rushmore, Then to the Crazy Horse Monument. I was totally and utterly impressed by the scope, vision and commitment of those working on and giving their lives to that project.
We spent most of the day at Crazy Horse then rode on to and through Deadwood intending to spend the night in Spearfish. We were stopped by one of the thunderstorms that had surrounded us for days, and so spent the night in the little town of Whitewood.
The next day we rode into Wyoming and stopped at Devils tower. We spent a short while there, then headed for Montana and the Little Bighorn battle field. Instead of following I-90 through Wyoming, we back tracked to Belle Fouche and followed US 212 through the Montana countryside to Little Bighorn. We stayed that night in Livingston and rode 500 miles the next day across western Montana and the Idaho panhandle, stopping in Spokane for the night. The next day we rode 348 miles across Washington.
The amazing thing about that last part of the trip; we pasted through a micro-representation of everything we had seen over our entire trip. Just out of Spokane we rode through miles of wheat fields, then into the sagebrush country. Next we dropped into the canyon country of the Columbia gorge. We climbed out of that into the Pine forests of the East side of the Cascades, then pasted over the crest into the cool damp green fir, cedar and hemlock forests of home. We pulled into our garage at 9:00 PM. We had been on the road 17 days, pasted through 18 states and covered 5613 miles. When I told my wife I was proud of her, she said it wasn't any big deal. You decide; How many 50 year old women will jump on a bike and ride it 5613 miles across the country? Not many I think. She is one special lady.
Anyway that was our vacation for the year. Next year? We've been wanting to ride across Norway, Ireland or New Zeland. I think we'll start with the Emerald Island.
They'll be a few pictures we took with our digital camera coming up.
Comshaw
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