Saturday, June 1, 2013

This Year's Route


Here is the "Plan B" route for this year's ride.  The original plan would have taken me from Santa Fe across Texas and Oklahoma and into Arkansas and the Ozarks. From there I was going to go up the Missouri River to Pierce, SD and then west to Montana and south through Yellowstone, Wyoming, and Colorado back to New Mexico.   However this year's active tornado season in Tornado Alley caused me to rethink that trip; maybe I'll plan it for the fall season some year.

One of the nice things about this Plan B ride is that I will be mostly taking roads I have not been on and going to a few new places as well as some that I have visited on previous rides. The overall trip should be about 3,700 miles.

Note the guard-peacock watching over the bike.
Click any image to enlarge.

Day 1, Saturday 6/1/2013


I had to hold the bike back this morning, it was so eager to go. About 409 miles later I'm in my $35 room at the Robber's Roost in Green River, UT. There's a great hamburger & beer joint right next door. All the essentials are taken care of.


Unlike my nut-job, whacked-out, angst-ridden friend...  Did I say nut-job? He's certifiable.  Here, check out his self-induced horrowshow road trip:

http://www.peeniewallie.com/

I met him at 5:30 in the morning one day a few years ago as we were waiting to get on the Port Hardy, BC ferry to go to Prince Rupert.

Tomorrow, somewhere in Wyoming.



Gratuitous picture of a peacock taking a dirt bath at the house yesterday.
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Day 2 - Sunday 6/2/2013

This morning started off with an ok cappucino served up by a woman with a very bad attitude.  Avoid Green River Coffee, in Green River Utah.  Unless you get off on bad attitude.

After the coffee I had a beautiful ride up through Helper, UT and over to Duchesne, UT.  Along the way I took a small side road up into Horse Canyon, where my bike asked me if I would take another picture of it.  So I did.



I got to Duchesne, UT around noon, where the good mormons there served me some very bad, weak mormon coffee, and a decent omelette.

After that it was just 145 miles over to Evanston, WY where I scored a super nice, clean, large room at the Prairie Inn for $45.  Dinner prospects look a bit dim, though, because all the good beer-serving restaurants in Evanston are closed on Sunday.  More mormon influence?  We wonder.



Starvation Reservoir, just north of Duchesne.













UPDATE!  I have have just had the *second* best Burrito Colorado I've ever had.

The first best is another story.

If you are ever in Evanston, you need to go to Don Pedro Family Mexican Restaurant. 

Great. Mexican. Food.

Day 3 - Monday 6/3/2012

It was 57 degrees when I left Evanston this morning, and as I headed north it got windier and cooler. By the time I was in the Bridger National Forest where this picture was taken it was 52 degrees.

It was a bit chilly most of the day.  When I got to my Motel 6 in Dillon, MT -- a very nice motel, btw, most un-Motel-6-like -- I cranked the heat up and had a nice drink of 12 year old rum to knock the chill off.



Along the way I passed through a number of small ranching towns, like Randolph, Idaho. This one old guy looked at me very suspiciously when I stopped to take a picture.


I liked the name of this town.



Later I stopped off at an overlook site of the Snake River about 30 miles East of Idaho Falls.


Finally, one more picture (remember, I promised two per day) of the bike.


Day 4 - Tuesday 6/4/2013


It was a chilly 42 degrees outside the coffee shop in Dillon this morning.  The first 150 miles or so was cool, occasionally dipping in and out of mist. 



By the time I got to Missoula, it had warmed all the way up to 67 degrees again, so I stopped for some more coffee at a Starbucks.


I stopped for the night at a little motel/restaurant about 30 miles west of Misoulla called the River's Edge, right next to the Clark fork. The back door of my room was just 15 feet from the river.






Montana bars usually feature lots of dead animals.  The food was also made from dead animals, but it was excellent.



Day 5 - Wednesday 6/5/2013


You know, it's not that I have anything against Roger Miller.  I actually like his music. But the thing is, mile after mile, hour after hour, sometimes a song just pops into your head.  And then won't pop back out again.

"Kansas city star, that's what I arrrrrre."

or

"Dang me, dang me, they oughta take a rope and hang me."

Earlier in the day I stopped at a rest area on I-90.  The little guy was looking for a handout.  The guy is a trucker who apparently stops and gives them crackers each time he's in the neighborhood.




Anyhow, I finally got to Grand Coulee, and now it's sweltering hot. So I got a motel room and then went down to the Visitor Center.  How would you like to have to trust two of your fellow work monkeys to hand pump air to you with this contraption:



While you're about 80 feet under water wearing this:


No thanks. I'm getting claustrophobic just thinking about it.

Tomorrow: British Colombia.

Day 6 - Thursday 6/6/2-13

So continuing my nice, relaxing ride, in nearly complete contrast to my nut-job friend Rob Kisor who is taking a love-lorn, finding-himself, let's-make-this-as-angst-full-as possible ride to Panama (http://www.peeniewallie.com/), this nut-job's ride is as nearly angst-less as they come.

Well, that's not totally true. Technically.  I'll do my Rob impression here:  "Oh, Lordy! All my clothes are dirty! What a tribulation!  Now I have to go incredibly far out of my way to find what passes for a laundry in this God-forsaken town of Grand Coulee! And to make matters even more angsty, I have to get change to buy laundry detergent!

Ok, I'm done with the angsty Rob Kisor impression now. Anyhow, after having a peaceful hour doing my dirty laundry, I drove to Osoyoos, BC. A relatively short ride of a hundred or so miles. The Canadians made me wait in the customs office for about 15 minutes while they did a background check on me.  They must have heard that I knew Rob Kisor.

The first thing I did upon arriving at Osoyoos was to buy the beer pictured above at the first pub I came across.  Then a rode through town to get to my motel.  Here's  Lake Osoyoos, which the town basically wraps around. The temperature was about 90F when I took this shot.



I found the motel, which is right on the shore of the lake.  The desk clerk said that I could ride my bike up a ramp and park it right next to my room inside the courtyard.  Cool!

Check out the ramp and hallway:


My big fat-assed bike had about a millimeter to spare on either side. But it is now enjoying its view of the pool.


The Sahara Courtyard Hotel turns out to be a pretty cool place to stay.  Pub just around the corner, on the beach.  All in all, a pretty angst-less day.  Unlike certain other riders I know.

Day 7, Friday 6/7/2013

Not much to say today.  This was a cool place to stay, and the ride from Osoyoos to Cranbrook was interesting. The last 20 miles was in a huge BC downpour. A little two-wheel hydroplaning is good for the soul.

A few pictures.



I had to take both side cases off to make it down ramp this morning.  Don't know how the bike fit through that small opening yesterday.



The Colombia River in Castlegar.


Canadian humor.

Day 8 - Saturday 6/8/2013

British Colombia really does have serene rest stops.  They seem to always be located next or a lake, or a river, with trees, and grass, and elk, and deer, and bear.

No bear at this one this morning though.


I've stopped in Sparwood, BC before.  Home of the world's biggest truck. Guys like trucks, it seems.



Anyhow, I was taking pictures of the truck, and this geezer rode up in the little electric cart.



According to his story, he used to drive that truck.  But when I asked his name, he handed me a religious pamphlet proclaiming some miracle regarding some sainted female or another.  And then he proceeded to complain that these days women with just a regular driver's license can drive the big ore trucks up at the mine. So I wished him a good day and left.



135 miles later I was back at Waterton Lakes, and the Prince of Wales Hotel.



I did what I usually do when at the P of W. Walked into the bar and ordered a Big Rock Traditional.  And then I looked around and realized that I was the only one there.  So when the waiter brought my beer I asked him about that, and he said that I was the P of W's very first customer of the season, as they had just opened for the season that very morning.  Wish I could say that I planned it that way.


A few more shots from around Waterton.










And finally, this is Courtney, who brought me a beer at the Fireside Lounge and Wine Bar in Waterton.  She's a very nice person.