Bikes and Planes -- 7k miles of friends, family, and open roads

[foobert]

And so begins the tale of what turned into a 7K mile motorcycle adventure on my trusty 2008 BMW F800ST.  The "final" destination is Oshkosh, WI to catch the big airshow that happens each year around the end of July.  Some of you may be thinking this all sounds so familiar, but, with an extra week, 40% more miles, better roads, more solo time, more destinations, and ...  Let's just say it turned into a much different trip for me than the prior year's adventure.

2010 route -- a little teaser of what's to come...


(click to go to an interactive map)

The general plan is to tour around CO, head down to the Dallas area to visit a friend, meet my dad in Memphis and hang out there for a day, and then the two of us head up to Oshkosh for the air show.  After the show, we'll turn west and to Idaho to join up with the rest of my extended family and meet up with my wife and kids to hang out for a week.  About 3 weeks after it all started, we'll then head back to CA.

[foobert]

Day 1: San Jose, CA to Tonopah, NV -- 370 Miles

(click to go to an interactive map)

The previous weeks were preoccupied by scheming routes that would pack the most into the days of freedom from work and the regular routine of life. Friday, July 16th had finally arrived. After tying up the last fews ends at work, I met up with my wife and 3 girls for a quick lunch before hitting the road.  I couldn't help but feel guilty for abandoning them in the most selfish of ways in order to chase the winds of the open road.

Quick lunch with the family -- One last chance to see my wife and 3 girls before hitting the road.

iPhone, map

After saying goodbyes and promising to be safe, and call, and have fun while still being safe -- I was off with just one last niggling detail to take care of: find a gas station.  

There were some surface streets along the way get to the freeway and surely one would have a station. And, indeed there was; but the station wasn't on on my side of the street, so, I just kept on going rather than waste time with U-turns and backtracking.  Hmmm, the fuel computer claimed there's 3 miles of gas left in the tank, but, it's always erred on the conservative side, so, there must be another station around the corner.

Wrong! A mile past the gas station that I should have stopped at, the bike dies. There is no sinking feeling of stupidity quite like that of trying to save a few seconds and instead wasting almost an hour pushing the bike to the nearest gas station that I had just passed.

While pushing the bike through one intersection, the crosswalk timer had expired and the light was about to turn green enabling a dozen anxious cars to barrel through my path. At the same time, the strap holding my helmet onto the bike gave way and I hear that sickening sound of fiberglass bouncing on pavement as it goes sailing into the middle of the intersection. As if I was unaware of this, some folks started honking and pointing to get my attention. The light turned green just as I got to the side of road with the kickstand down. Thankfully, the cars spared me from a real game of Frogger while running into the middle of the intersection to retrieve my freshly scratched helmet.

Pushing a bike gives plenty of time to reflect and I couldn't shake that nagging feeling about this rather inauspicious beginning of the trip.  To add insult to injury, my well timed departure was delayed enough to coincide with the miserable Bay Area Friday flee (read: parking lot) heading over the Altamont pass.  

The first of the twisties -- Finally have the central valley behind me...

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/3.5, 1sec, 18mm focal L. @66 MPH, ~111mi from prev photomap

The Central Valley was in typical form for mid July with the temperature peaking out at 106˚F according to bike's thermometer -- there's just nothing fun or interesting about getting across the salad bowl of California. But, the payoff comes on the other side when starting up the hills, the intense smell of pine forests put a smile inside my helmet. When the traffic disappeared past the town of Strawberry and I had Sonora pass to myself, the smile was all grin. The pavement was in good condition with the only worries being the gravel kicked into the sharpest of the corners from RV's cutting the corners.

CA 108 -- Sonora pass is my favorite way to get over the Sierras.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/3.5, 1/400sec, 18mm focal L. @40 MPH, ~22mi from prev photomap

[foobert]

CA 108 -- 26% grade ahead!  It's a real roller coaster.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/3.5, 1sec, 18mm focal L. @42 MPH, ~0.8mi from prev photomap

CA 108 -- The trees are really starting to thin out and the rocks are getting more baren.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/3.5, 1/800sec, 18mm focal L. @38 MPH, ~0.7mi from prev photomap

The fun part of Sonora pass is that it is cut along a path that made it easy to build the road, but did almost nothing to make it an "easy" road to travel on.  Well, that is, unless you're on cycle that loves corners and has enough pep to power through 10K ft elevations with ease -- a naturally aspirated engine is only making ~2/3's of the power it does at the at sea level (all else being equal).

CA 108 -- Not the steepest section, but, getting there.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.0, 1/500sec, 18mm focal L. @27 MPH, ~314ft from prev photomap

CA 108 -- Getting close to the top.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.0, 18mm focal L. @45 MPH, ~3.9mi from prev photomap

After this, I put the camera away and enjoyed the ride down. Always takes more focus going down, what with gravity doing all it can to keep the speed up for you, even if you don't want it.

CA 108 -- Time to go down...

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/3.5, 1/320sec, 18mm focal L. @10 MPH, ~1.9mi from prev photomap

At the bottom of the grade, just before getting to US 395, there's a Marine training complex complete with a short helicopter runway next to the road.  Never once seen any action here, but, I suppose I've never made the trip during a weekday either.

CA 108 -- USMC Mountain Warfare School

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.0, 1/640sec, 31mm focal L. @60 MPH, ~6.5mi from prev photomap

[foobert]

US 395 -- Just turned south off 108.

Nikon D70, ISO 500, ƒ/4.5, 1/400sec, 52mm focal L. @58 MPH, ~3.9mi from prev photomap

Heading through Devil's Gate Pass -- Picturesque place to build a house. Must be brutal in the winter...

Nikon D70, ISO 500, ƒ/4.2, 1/1000sec, 34mm focal L. @74 MPH, ~4.5mi from prev photomap

I'd come across patches of wet roads, but, never got any rain. Heading into Bryant, I was enjoying the rainbow left behind, even though the radar detector was pleading with me to slow down.  Turns out, it was just a mobile "your speed is" trailer parked on the edge of town.  But, there is a CHP shop in town, so, I wasn't taking any chances.

Spotty patches of rain -- terrible picture

Nikon D70, ISO 500, ƒ/4.5, 1/1000sec, 70mm focal L. @61 MPH, ~8.6mi from prev photomap

It was gett'n on 7:30 and lunch with the family had long faded away, especially after the unplanned exercise workout trying to get out of town.  The fish tacos at "The Barn" were just what I needed.  When I ordered, the price came up a wee spot more than I expected and after inquiring about it, the response was a dismissive, "it's this price plus some tax" and a what's-your-problem attitude.  OK, whatever, here's the money, don't expect me to rattle that tip jar.

When I went to pick the order, there was 57 cents next to my basket of tacos and an apology to boot.  The tacos were delish and earned them a tip after all.

Dinner stop

Nikon D70, ISO 500, ƒ/3.8, 1/1000sec, 22mm focal L. ~1.9mi from prev photomap

Heading east on CA 120 past Mono Lake is a great stretch of road that I rolled during the previous year's trip.  It was quite different at night. I don't much care for riding beyond what the lights can safely show in time to handle unexpected obstacles and it's taxing to stay focused when the only thing visible is black tarmac and a few mesmerizing stripes painted on it.

Evening colors -- The last of the evening light hits the clouds for a warming good night.

Nikon D70, ISO 500, ƒ/4.5, 1/30sec, 18mm focal L. @53 MPH, ~25mi from prev photomap

There's very little on the way to Tonopah and it was a very dark night roll'n through the desert.  I never really spooked myself, but, neither was it relaxing in any way.  Quite frankly, arriving into my planned destination of Tonopah around 10:30 was one of the few times I was really glad to be done riding for the day.

Drink'n alone, tonight -- After the late push through the dessert, it was more than the beer making my eyes blurry.

Nikon D70, ISO 800, ƒ/5.6, 0.6sec, 25mm focal L. ~98mi from prev photomap

The National 9 motel looked to be a reasonable enough place on the outside, but, the price of $39.23 (inclusive of tax) was low enough to think twice about moving on down the road to see what else Tonopah had to offer. It turned out it wasn't half as scary as I'd have guessed it would be and I actually managed a good night's rest.

[PirateT7]

 

[UHOH]

great write up & photos.  more to come, I hope.

 I was off with just one last niggling detail to take care of: find a gas station.  
...
 the bike dies. There is no sinking feeling of stupidity quite like that of trying to save a few seconds and instead wasting almost an hour pushing the bike to the nearest gas station that I had just passed.

While pushing the bike ... the strap holding my helmet onto the bike gave way and I hear that sickening sound of fiberglass bouncing on pavement as it goes sailing into the middle of the intersection. As if I was unaware of this, some folks started honking...

LOL -  I have been equaled and surpassed in my ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, thank you  

[Mastros2]

   Great so far! Keep it coming!!!

[foobert]

LOL -  I have been equaled and surpassed in my ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, thank you  

Uhh, thanks, I guess    


And, thanks to the rest for the comments.  Here comes day 2...

[foobert]

Day 2: Tonopah, NV to Tropic, UT -- 406 Miles

[click to go to an interactive map]

Last year I passed through Tonopah around breakfast time and found a very limited few choices. The motel clerk recommended the restaurant at the Ramada and it was indeed better than the Banc Club.  The Ramada was practically like a mining museum with all sorts of equipment stashed throughout for decor.  I had a few burdensome quarters that I intended to lighten from pockets on the way through the casino, but not a single one armed bandit accepted quarters. Very few actually had any vestige of an arm for which to pick your pocket with.

And yet, one of them somehow managed to lighten my wallet of a dollar bill -- guess that's why they don't take coins any more...

US 6 -- Heading west out of Tonapah.

Nikon D70, ISO 320, ƒ/4.5, 1/1600sec, 62mm focal L. @94 MPH, map

It was a fairly late start with some sleeping in and then having breakfast before scooting down the road. Shameful, but, what good is vacation if you don't get to sleep in a little?  The mining days of Tonopah ended around WWII and the military has largely pulled out of the area leaving the town in a state of decline.  I was all too happy to be on my way.

The buzzards are circling -- If you look careful, there's one on the ground too.

Nikon D70, ISO 320, ƒ/5.0, 1/1600sec, 18mm focal L. @95 MPH, ~46mi from prev photo, map

In all of the planning, it never occurred to me that the route was near Groom Lake (Area 51). NV 375 is also known as the "Extra Terrestrial Highway" and I'd seen all the same pictures in other ride reports.  None-the-less, the surprise of seeing the sign warranted turning around and snapping a few pics.

Queue the cliché  pictures -- I had no idea that I was near Area 51 and Groom Lake.

Nikon D70, ISO 320, ƒ/5.0, 1/1000sec, 31mm focal L., ~17mi from prev photo, map

Inside the store/tavern at Rachel, NV, was a wide assortment of alien chotchkies with all sorts of photos of lens flair, errant reflections, and other gimics that look like something flying in the sky.  A few of them looked fairly convincing, but, it was all in good fun.  What really perked my interest was the signed photos of famous test pilots that have been through, like Chuck Yeager and Scott Crossfield and several others that I no longer remember.

A mandatory stop -- for more cliché pictures

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/8.0, 1/250sec, 22mm focal L., ~0.3mi from prev photo, map

Back on the road, I was enjoying the desert fauna and wondering how anything could possibly survive out here.

Joshua trees

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.0, 1/640sec, 70mm focal L. @81 MPH, ~19mi from prev photo, map

[foobert]

Gett'n crazy with the tar snake machine on NV 375 -- Fortunately, they weren't terribly slippery like some of'm get.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.0, 1/400sec, 35mm focal L. @81 MPH, ~6.5mi from prev photo, map

On open roads, the F800 normally gets about 50-55 MPG which nets an out-of-gas range of ~220-230 miles. Trouble is: I really wasn't paying any mind to what the fuel computer might have been saying about my heavy right wrist until the low fuel light came on near the NV 375/US 93 junction.

Hmmm, 24 miles of gas left.  Tonopah to Caliente is 192 miles.  

Let's see, 149 plus 24 ... carry the one, and ... No sir, not gonna make it! Not even close!  

Paying the piper -- Should have had plenty to get to Caliente.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.0, 1/100sec, 70mm focal L. @84 MPH, ~7.1mi from prev photo, map

Several miles away from the US 93 junction, it was clear there were some buildings ahead ... just maybe ... cross my fingers ... maybe one of them would be as gas station??  

No sir ... I don't like it!

Paging Mr. Garmin to the white courtesy phone.

Me: Mr. Garmin, is there a gas station within a 20 mile radius of me?

Mr. G: How the hell should I know, you cheep bastard never coughed up $50 to update my database.

Me: Ahhhhuhhhhhmmm.  Gas stations don't just get up and walk away.

Mr. G: No, but, they do go out of business. And sometimes they even jump ship and change over to the competition's brand. The traitors!

Me: Can you please just tell me if, 3 years ago, there was a gas station within 20 miles of me?

Mr. G: Yes, but it's not along your current route.

Me: I've already learned on this trip that I don't like pushing the bike. Do you think I care if it's on my way anymore?

Mr. G: Turn right onto US 93.

Me: Yes sir!

The end of NV 375 -- I'd really, really hoped there'd be a gas station here.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.0, 1/400sec, 70mm focal L., ~4.0mi from prev photo, map

Maybe I was abducted while on the ET highway, because, that's exactly how that conversation with the GPS played out.  It talks to me, you know....

Even the handicapped Mr. Garmin was spot on finding some petrol about 6 miles out of the way. The cold drink and a cool down inside made for a refreshing break to regain my sanity.

After getting ready to roll, the audio/music feed from the GPS wasn't working. Had I insulted Mr. Garmin one too many times such that it was refusing to play music?  Odd.  Huh, nor did the radar detector audio work either. Well, crapolla.  

Just prior to the trip, I had installed an Amplirider audio mixer to sum together various audio sources and give a master volume control. I figured one of the plugs must have pulled loose.  Might as well bust into it and sort it out...

In the process, there must have been a half dozen people that saw the bike in various stages of disassembly that asked if I needed any help, bless their hearts. But, then a few of them proceeded to yak at me in a one-way, ad nauseam "conversation" about random stuff. It was almost as if they thought I needed company since I obviously couldn't go anywhere for a short while. I was polite and feigned interest, but, I really just wanted to focus on debugging, and didn't have it in me to overtly shut them down.

Yard sale on bike parts -- No, I didn't need any help. Thanks for offering...

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.5, 1/40sec, 35mm focal L., ~4.8mi from prev photo, map

I had all but given searching for the problem before getting to the point of cracking into the Amplirider itself.  Sure enough, the moment the lid was off, the problem was perfectly clear: the voltage regulator fell onto the ground after the slightest of wiggles. It had been soldered to far away from the package body such that it vibrated the leads into oblivion.  I carry a wide assortment of tools and repair stuff, but, a soldering iron was not in my abbreviated arsenal.

Geee, why doesn't my audio work -- Now, who's got a soldering iron?

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.5, 1/15sec, 70mm focal L., map

I had to give up on the audio and get to some place that had a modest hardware store to get a soldering iron and solder.  Got the bike all buttoned up and plugged the ear buds directly into the radar detector and hit the road.  I could survive the rest of the day without listening to the comforting voice of Mr. Garmin assuring me I needed to make a U-turn, "when possible".

US 93 -- Back on the road, still no audio, but, enjoying the road.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.0, 1/250sec, 18mm focal L. @74 MPH, ~36mi from prev photo, map

[foobert]

Through the canyon into Caliente -- Love the strata that the water cut through.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.5, 1/640sec, 40mm focal L. @77 MPH, ~1.5mi from prev photo, map

The town of Caliente is another example of having seen better days.  It was a railroad town that kept the steamers chugging through the area.  But, the advent of diesel locomotives took care of any need to stop here.  Now it seems that the primary employer is the BLM office.

By-gone era -- the 1923 train station/depot is long unused for its original purpose.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.0, 1/1000sec, 18mm focal L. @28 MPH, ~2.0mi from prev photo, map

NV 319 -- Heading to the Utah state line.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.0, 1/640sec, 31mm focal L. @73 MPH, ~20mi from prev photo, map

[foobert]

UT 56 -- Welcome to Utah.  Now, cool off with a brief shower.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.5, 1/640sec, 48mm focal L. @78 MPH, ~27mi from prev photo, map

Desert showers are usually a welcome respite from the midday heat and it's always a gamble on whether to stop and don the rain gear. This one looked wimpy enough, but, still managed to soak well through my mesh riding gear.  Incidentally, all that air flow through the gear makes for a fantastic swamp cooler effect inside.  By the time the shower was over, I was quite literally shivering, even though it was still 88˚ outside.

Brrrr. -- 88˚F is chilly compared to the 100+ a few minutes prior.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/80sec, 70mm focal L. @80 MPH, ~15mi from prev photo, map

In Cedar City, UT, I dorked around trying to find a hardware store to get a soldering iron. First couple of stops were a bust and I was about to give up when I stumbled across a brand new Ace Hardware that was the best one I'd ever been into.  There were multiple choices to pick from in the soldering and welding section -- I was shocked.

UT 14 -- Leaving Cedar City

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/125sec, 24mm focal L. @52 MPH, ~23mi from prev photo, map

UT 14 through Cedar Canyon was a blast. There was a fair bit of traffic, but, plenty of places to pass and keep moving.

UT 14 -- through Cedar Canyon

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1sec, 18mm focal L. @66 MPH, ~7.0mi from prev photo, map

UT 14 is heading toward the general direction of Cedar Breaks National Monument, for which I'd never heard anything about. But, they usually have good reasons to designate places as such, so it'd be worth a looksee. The painted hills were giving some clues as to what may be in store.

Painted cliff -- A little teaser for the main attraction into Cedar Breaks Natl Monument

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/320sec, 52mm focal L. @42 MPH, ~3.4mi from prev photo, map

Yeah, it's a big tear in the ground, but, the interesting thing is that it's sedimentary rock at 10k Ft elevation. Once upon a prehistoric time, a great lake about the size of Lake Erie covered much of southwestern Utah. The erosion into the Claron basin lake formed the sediment layers and, later, a fault pushed them far above the lake level to the elevation they are at today.  Much of the Bryce area was formed by the same lake.  More info here.

Cedar Breaks National Monument -- well worth taking the turn-off

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/8.0, 1/50sec, 18mm focal L., ~4.3mi from prev photo, map

A fellow STN'r recommended eating at the Bump and Grind in Brian Head a short hop away from Cedar Breaks.  Brian Head is cool little tourist/vacation town that'd probably make for a great ski or snowmobile destination. I happened to be visiting during the middle of Harley Days, and the little town was just swarming with hogs. For the life of me, I couldn't remember the name of the Bump and Grind and touring through the town didn't aid the recollection. With all the Harley's parked at every restaurant, I just motored on down the road.

A ski run over-pass -- They take their skiing very seriously in Brian Head.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/8.0, 1sec, 18mm focal L. @35 MPH, ~5.0mi from prev photo, map

[foobert]

UT 143 -- An easy road to cruise on.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/8.0, 1/160sec, 18mm focal L. @62 MPH, ~7.7mi from prev photo, map

Panguitch Lake -- Would make a great summer home retreat.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/8.0, 1/160sec, 18mm focal L. @30 MPH, ~4.7mi from prev photo, map

After giving up the food quest in Brian Head, the Burger Barn was an inviting lunch spot. The BBQ pork sandwich was all bonus.

Burger Barn -- on the side of UT 143

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/8.0, 1/60sec, 18mm focal L., ~0.2mi from prev photo, map

BBQ Pork sandwhich -- at the Burger Barn in Panguitch

iPhone, map

UT 143 was a hoot of a road -- not too much traffic and generally in good shape.  Although too late for my trip, a STN member recommended Mammoth Creek Rd (Forest Service 68) as a better alternative. Next time ....

UT 143 -- Following Panguitch Creek

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/8.0, 1/160sec, 18mm focal L. @64 MPH, ~3.4mi from prev photo, map

Hello Bryce

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.5, 1/500sec, 46mm focal L. @52 MPH, ~15mi from prev photo, map

Bryce Canyon was another treat that I'd always wanted to see.  Gorgeous area that is worthy of coming back and doing some mountain biking or hiking.

UT 12 -- Heading toward the park.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/4.5, 1/500sec, 35mm focal L. @52 MPH, map

Weathered spires

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/320sec, 27mm focal L. @51 MPH, ~1.0mi from prev photo, map

It's such an American thing to do -- find some of the best scenery in the country, and build a road through it.  I couldn't be happier that they did!

Coming through

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/320sec, 18mm focal L. @47 MPH, ~0.8mi from prev photo, map

[foobert]

Inside Bryce Canyon Natl Park

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/320sec, 31mm focal L. @58 MPH, ~11mi from prev photo, map

The day was a fairly low mileage day, what with the late start, impromptu audio debugging, and then scrounging to find the needed tools in Cedar City.  But, the afternoon light was fading and the town of Tropic looked like a decent place to spend the night, albeit more touristy than I normally prefer. But, after my whopping room expense the night before, a small step up on class wasn't going to break the bank.

This being Utah, there wasn't much happening in the way of night life, but, I managed to find a tall boy in the local grocery store.

The repair of the Amplirider was simple enough to do. Clean out the old solder, fit the (now) shorter legs of the regulator into the holes and get some fresh solder in.  As added insurance to keep it from vibrating to oblivion a second time, I mixed up some epoxy and potted the regulator onto the board -- no way it was happening again...

Road repairs -- Noth'ns too hard after the proper nourishment.

Nikon D70, ISO 200, ƒ/5.6, 1/30sec, 18mm focal L., ~3.6mi from prev photo, map

The repair worked and everything was buttoned up in the darkness just in time to get a root beer float from the pizza joint before they closed at 9 PM.  

Life was good on the road.

[foobert]

OK folks, I need your opinion.  Day 3 was an incredibly fun day and I took over 350 pictures, of which 85ish made the first cut and deemed "interesting enough" to actually post.  I'll probably whittle that down some more, but still, that's a lot ...

So:
 a) more pictures?
 b) It's about right thus far?
 c) Less pictures?  
 d) WTF cares because this RR sucks balls?

I know my server's internet connection rides the short bus to school every day, but, that may change in a week or so -- in any case, I hope the load time is worth the wait..

[Troppo]

There can never be enough pics!

Post em all up!

 


Regards from Australia.

[Guy]

If the pics made the first cut, then they should good. Post 'em up!

[JimWilliamson]

`have a close-up of the fixed audio box?

Oh, and...

a) more pictures!

[Tyrroneous]

I think you've got a pretty good words:pictures ration going on so far.  

[Yankee Dog]

I think the pics are about right, maybe a few more, but one can get jadded by too many, but you have certainly picked out some good one. .  More maps would be cool if you have the time.

Yankee Dog