CA to Oshkosh for the big airshow -- father & son share the open road

[foobert]

My dad rides his bike from Idaho to Wisconsin nearly every year to hit the EAA Airventure show -- one of the (if not THE) biggest airshows in the world.   He's been asking me to go with him since I've owned a cycle, but, I've never had one I've really trusted for such a trip until this year.  I'm truly looking forward to hit'n the road with my dad and spending some time together without the usual interruptions that invariable happen when the family gets together for a visit.

I leave in 4 days.  I have every intention of updating this into a full-fledged ride report along the way (please don't moderate this out quite *just* yet  )

In the mean time, I'd like to solicit some input about the route.  The plan is for me to spend 2 days on the road and meet my dad along the way, somewhere around Salt Lake.  He'll be heading southeast from western ID, so, that'll work well for a meet-up Wednesday evening, if all goes to plan.  

I'm departing from San Jose, rolling Tioga Pass through Yosemite and burn across NV (probably literally -- gonna be a scorcher in the mid-afternoon).  Make a small detour to head for Zion park, and then turn north to meet my dad.  From there, we've got 4 days to get to Oshkosh for the show.  I know the Midwest is nothing all too exciting to ride, but, I'm open to suggestions.  We are generally trying to avoid the superslabs.

Link to the rough route plan: http://tinyurl.com/osh-rt1  
[
(can't seam to post an iframe -- click the map to go interactive)

You can also follow along on twitter if you are so inclined: @foobert

[Prubert]

Nice screen name....are we related?  

There are a lot of nice roads in SW WI that you can ride and then thru the middle of WI up to OSH.

Check out Wis Moto: http://www.wisconsinmotorcycling.com/maps/

I can't tell ya much about the roads before ya reach WI, I have just slabbed it when I have come in from the west.  When you get to the WI I would suggest taking anything but the major highways.

Enjoy the show!

Later.

[JimWilliamson]

Northwest Colorado: US-40 from the Utah state line to Steamboat Springs - a whole lotta nuttn.

From Steamboat to the plains, from your map, you have two choices:

1) From the town of Granby CO you can either head north on US-34 and process through Rocky Mountain National Park (something like $6.00 entry cost), that'll get you to Estes Park CO. From EP you can head out three ways - east on US34 (Bighorn Canyon - can be heavy traffic, 34 has tighter turns than US-36), or US-36 - straighter, faster, can still have heavy traffic (I don't travel this too much as I'm in Fort Collins), or head south on CO-7 (Peak to Peak highway) and then head east to Lyons CO (St. Vrain canyon has more in line of sweepers, and less traffic than 34 and 36).

2) From just west of Granby CO area head north on CO-125. It's a nice, remote (forest area - few marks of people - driveways, signs, side roads) and is full of sweepers between US-40 and 4 miles south of Rand CO. It's in my top 5 for CO roads. I've been told that a portion of the road is being repaved this season (?southern 12 miles?). FWIW. From Walden (north end of CO-125) you'll head east on CO-14. This is a nice canyon ride (traffic can be heavy with campers heading to the hills).

Either way - good views and depending when you go can have traffic. I'm in Fort Collins - if you need a hand just write or call 970-219-0004. Have a nice trip!

Oh, if you're processing east from Loveland / Fort Collins - I'd take CO-14 from FC to Sterling vs. 34 east (though if you're in the area of 34 it's not that big of a deal). CO-14 is two lane, nice surface, EMPTY for most of the trip - relaxing, open space, easy, low traffic, quick.

[foobert]

Thanks for the suggestions on roads, especially CO-14 -- looks like a decent time saver.  

I've got the bike prepped. Just need to pack my trash and throw on the bags.  Unfortunately, work is going to keep part day tomorrow to tie up some loose ends.  Not going to make it to Zion Ntl Park this trip. Will have to take a more direct route to Springville to meet up with my dad. Still going to shoot Tioga pass, because, really, it never gets old.  Then take 6 across NV.  More details to follow...

[X1rider]

Looks like a grand adventure.

Stop by the JAARS display and talk to my brother, Dane. He is introducing his book there-Jungle Flight, Spiritual Adventures at the End of the Earth, a collection of short stories about missionary aviators and the challenges they face every day.

He also rides a BMW R1200.

[rajflyboy]

My dad rides his bike from Idaho to Wisconsin nearly every year to hit the EAA Airventure show -- one of the (if not THE) biggest airshows in the world.   He's been asking me to go with him since I've owned a cycle, but, I've never had one I've really trusted for such a trip until this year.  I'm truly looking forward to hit'n the road with my dad and spending some time together without the usual interruptions that invariable happen when the family gets together for a visit.

I leave in 4 days.  I have every intention of updating this into a full-fledged ride report along the way (please don't moderate this out quite *just* yet  )

In the mean time, I'd like to solicit some input about the route.  The plan is for me to spend 2 days on the road and meet my dad along the way, somewhere around Salt Lake.  He'll be heading southeast from western ID, so, that'll work well for a meet-up Wednesday evening, if all goes to plan.  

I'm departing from San Jose, rolling Tioga Pass through Yosemite and burn across NV (probably literally -- gonna be a scorcher in the mid-afternoon).  Make a small detour to head for Zion park, and then turn north to meet my dad.  From there, we've got 4 days to get to Oshkosh for the show.  I know the Midwest is nothing all too exciting to ride, but, I'm open to suggestions.  We are generally trying to avoid the superslabs.

Link to the rough route plan: http://tinyurl.com/osh-rt1  
[
(can't seam to post an iframe -- click the map to go interactive)

You can also follow along on twitter if you are so inclined: @foobert

This is gonna rock!!

We Want Airplane Pics too with this Ride Report!

[foobert]

Airshow pictures -- you can count on it.   I'll definitely say "hi" to Dane if I find myself in the right place at the right time (it's a *big* show).

I got a late start Tuesday and have been playing catch up since. I did meet up with my dad this evening.  He wants to be on the road by 0600, that means bed-time and picture sorting tonight (*sigh*) . The running-out-of-gas stories (yes, more than once) will have to wait for another day...

[rajflyboy]

If you haven't seen it yet >>  The Waco Jet is pretty amazing.  

[stromgal]

I'll be up at EAA sometime next week, always an astonishing array. Plus guaranteed mojo thunderstorms.  

[foobert]

Day 1: San Jose, CA to Lee Vining, CA -- 229 miles


[click to go interactive]

The plan for the day was to get out on the road "first" thing in the morning. Unfortunately, I just wasn't ready to go.



Gased and ready to go -- The adventure begins....


I had to finish some bike prep, pack, and get loaded up. Then, it was off to work to hand-over projects to the temporary owners. I was finally gassed up and on the road a bit after 4:00 PM; just in time to hit Bay Area traffic. Ohh Joy.

Lane split all the way through to the Altamont Pass and then was able to make some time.  Finally relaxed enough to get my wits and take the first picture of the trip.


HWY 120 -- Don Pedro Reservoir on the way to Yosemite

NIKON D70, ISO 640, F3.5, 27 mm, 1/4000 second. Location

I'm headed to Tioga Pass through Yosemite. This was the first real up-hill climb, taking the short-cut through the old road.


Old Priest Rd -- Short cut around traffic on HWY 120.

NIKON D70, ISO 640, F3.5, 27 mm, 1/5000 second. Location


The foothills east of the Central Valley are loaded with old gold-rush era towns. Grovland is a perfect example.


Groveland, CA -- Old boomtown.

NIKON D70, ISO 640, F3.5, 27 mm, 1/8000 second. Location

I'd had the sum total of a bowl of cereal to eat. My destination of Lee Vinning was *just* past the edge of comfort on my fuel range. I ate at Buck Meadows Restaurant and as walked in I was greeted with the sound of an old up-right saloon piano -- you know with that "twang" sound from western movies where the piano player inevitably gets shot during the bar shoot out. I thought it was just the ambiance of the place, but, it turns out it was a customer (I think) that was just bang'n out an exaggerated classic western style tune.

I burned an hour+ fueling myself and the bike.  By the time I got to Yosemite, it was dusk, which put a dampner on picture taking.


Fire on the horizon -- Planned fire to clear brush.

NIKON D70, ISO 200, F5.0, 27 mm, 1/5 second. Location

Ambient light night shots are some of my favs. There was no moon out, so, this was the last of the dusk light. Star light after this just isn't enough for my camera gear -- it was dark, dark, dark.

The F800ST has decent lights, but, I was glad to have been following a car when we came across a deer in the road.


Mt Hoffman at Dusk -- Tioga Pass  HWY 120

NIKON D70, ISO 500, F5.0, 40 mm, 30 second. Location

There was a lovely view of the stars that night. I made it into Lee Vining a bit after 10PM and the motel operator had left the room key in the drop-box, just as planned. Checked in on my wife and kids (who'd long since had gone to bed), and attempted to crash out.

Its funny how you need to take a vacation, precisely because you are *preparing* to take a vacation. My job doesn't lend itself to just "dropping" things, so I'd been burning the candle at both ends in preparation for being gone for ~3 weeks.  I was too worked up, and there were too many strange noises for me to get a good night's rest.

Tomorrow: A burn through the desert.

[MisterSmooth]

What a great trip!  Color me jealous  


Keep the photos coming and don't forget the airplane pics!  


I'd love to go to Oshkosh sometime.  STN meet in Oshkosh next year?    

[bomber]

what a great trip with your Dad --

I knew Oshkosh was coming up soon -- I live south of it by a ways, near an airport where many stop to refuel on their way, and I hear a couple/'three big round engines heading north . . . .

have BIG fun!

[foobert]

Well, don't be bashful and come on up! The weather should be better tomorrow. Had to use the rain suit for the first time on the way back from the show this evening. The afternoon airshow was cancelled due to weather

Airplane pics -- check! Should have some decent ones from today...

[rajflyboy]

A little off topic but I thought I'd post this for you aviation enthusiasts:

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dO3nbWcERw

>>>>>>>   Can't wait to see the rest of this ride report    

[foobert]

Yeah, I have to say, that's one unique show -- prop & jet noise all at the same time!  I got to see him at the Reno Air Races a few years back - including a routine with his daughter wing walking    

[rajflyboy]

Yeah, I have to say, that's one unique show -- prop & jet noise all at the same time!  I got to see him at the Reno Air Races a few years back - including a routine with his daughter wing walking    

I saw him down at Sun N Fun in Florida.   Very cool stuff!

[rajflyboy]

No love from Oshkosh Yet ??

[foobert]

There has been much love from Osh -- just none typed up yet. I have new found respect for those that are capable of doing their trip reports on the fly.  Dad and I have been on the go most of the time, and generally making good use of the company and time -- but, truth be told, I'll be Just as happy after a few days rest in ID and see my wife and kids and then be on my way (solo) back to CA.

Currently fighting rain through MT. Ok, that's enough iPhone pecking for now...

 

[rajflyboy]

There has been much love from Osh -- just none typed up yet. I have new found respect for those that are capable of doing their trip reports on the fly.  Dad and I have been on the go most of the time, and generally making good use of the company and time -- but, truth be told, I'll be Just as happy after a few days rest in ID and see my wife and kids and then be on my way (solo) back to CA.

Currently fighting rain through MT. Ok, that's enough iPhone pecking for now...

 

Understand completely!    Enjoy your trip and take care!

[foobert]

Day 2: Lee Vining, CA to Springville, UT -- 541 miles



[click to go interactive]


Seams like no sooner than I really finally fell into a good sleep after tossing and turning most of the night, my alarm was prodding me in the ears to wake up. Mornings aren't exactly my forte, but I had miles to make up for after the late start the day before and my Dad was most certainly going to be waiting for me by the time I got to Utah. My visions of spending a few days ambling to our meeting point had long since evaporated, and now I just had to cover the miles -- something I had really wanted to avoid until getting to middle America. At least I wasn't on the super slabs, and the mountains were still stunning in the not-so-early morning light.




Departing Lee Vining -- rolling out of town about 7:30am.

NIKON D70, ISO 500, F4.0, 27 mm, 1/1000 s, @56 MPH, map


Mono Lake has always been a spot I've wanted to do some dawn photography to capture the tufa towers
around the alkali lake.  You can see a few at the lake's edge below, but, the day's miles were already feeling like a burden having to pass on by without taking a closer look.



Mono Lake -- "Navy Beach" was used by the Navy in the 50's & early 60's for weapons testing.

NIKON D70, ISO 500, F8.0, 105 mm, 1/400 s, ~5.2mi from prev photo, map


The area south of Mono Lake is full of volcanic remnants. I need to come back here and do some exploring of this area.



North range of Crater Mountain -- Once upon a time, these volcanic cones  exploded filling the plains with pumice pebbles (foreground) to a depth of 20 ft

NIKON D70, ISO 500, F9.0, 33 mm, 1/250 s, ~3.0mi from prev photo, map


The volcanic peaks quickly turned into a forest that sprang up from the pumice fields. Those are literally pea sized bits of pumice making up most of the top layer of "soil".



HWY 120 -- Rolling through the Inyo forest, east of Yosemite. This was a very fun stripe of tarmac.

NIKON D70, ISO 500, F5.0, 27 mm, 1/200 s, @54 MPH, ~3.6mi from prev photo, map


HWY 120 east of Yosemite was a very pleasant surprise. The short bit through the forest transitioned into  the the high desert I'd expected from the start with rocky vistas, fun sweepers between the valleys, and smooth, fast straights the rest of the time with almost no other vehicles in sight.



Into the high desert -- After leaving the Inyo Forest, HWY 120 carves its way through the high desert.

NIKON D70, ISO 500, F5.0, 27 mm, 1/1600 s, @52 MPH, ~13mi from prev photo, map




Jumbled up rock outcropping -- HWY 120 heading towards Benton, CA.

NIKON D70, ISO 500, F7.1, 27 mm, 1/640 s, @44 MPH, ~16mi from prev photo, map


There's not much out here and this section of US 6 was almost as empty as HWY 120.



US 6 & the Toiyabe Ntl Forest -- Heading east from Benton out the valley, looking back over my shoulder.

NIKON D70, ISO 500, F7.1, 27 mm, 1/500 s, @40 MPH, ~19mi from prev photo, map


I had planned on stopping in Tonopah for gas and breakfast.  I didn't bother fueling up before departing -- it'd be about 220 miles on the tank, but I had made great mileage trough Yosemite according to the fuel computer and my own reasoning with ~15 miles practically coasting down Tioga Pass.  I should easily be good for 250.

As I coasted into Tonopah, I started to ease into the throttle for the slow-roll through town and she just didn't respond. The engine made a feeble amount of power and more throttle kept it going another second and then it was done.  Well, huh; out of gas!  Was my math off by that much?

I'd actually passed a gas station a block behind me (now, down hill from me), but, just for giggles I hit the starter, and sure enough, it fired right back to life. So, I continued into town another block and pulled into the next gas station and proceeded to fill the tank to the brim with only 3.78 gallons -- about what I expected.  The F800 has a 4.2 gallon tank, maybe a bit more when you take it all the way full like I often do -- clearly, it was not out of gas.

A bit flustered, I rolled through Tonopah looking for a place to eat, only to find much of the town had seen better days. I circled back and pulled into the parking lot of the casino/restaurant.  Still miffed about why the bike died, I turned off the key and leaned the bike over to get off when it became all too clear that the parking lot was most certainly not sloped *that* much and before I could catch it, the bike and I toppled over with the kick-stand still safely stowed away.   What a dumb ass!  And, to add insult to injury, my attempts at righting the bike only resulted in the bike rolling down the hill and me losing balance and putting it back down again.

A somewhat frail looking older man wearing a Harley hat had seen my last lift attempt as he exited the building and he came over to offer some assistance. With his help, he kept it from rolling and I lifted and we got it sorted out. I thanked him for the help and asked him if he rode while eying his hat, to which he muttered through a toothless scowl something about his ole'lady kicking him out for the night.  Not exactly the conversation I was look'n to start, so, I thanked him again and started gathering the yard sale of cycle gear that I'd hastily thrown off after realizing I wasn't going to quickly hide my embarrassing incident before any might notice.

Yes, I needed some breakfast, and coffee too.

I called my Dad and we sorted out where the motel was that he'd gotten for us.  I couldn't find that address in Springville UT, so, I called the motel and they assured me it was at the intersection of a HWY such and such. More searching, and I called them back a second time and asked what city and *state* they were located in -- sure enough, Google maps failed and the lady confirmed that the motel we'd been calling was actually in Springville, NY, not Springville, UT.  Good job Google...    

Finally, back on the road, I'd been waiting for the classic Looney Toons desert scene with high buttes and this was starting to look encouraging...



Still in the Toiyabe "forest". Not much more than scrub...

NIKON D70, ISO 500, F7.1, 27 mm, 1/800 s, @81 MPH, ~99mi from prev photo, map