Special Delivery

[PaulG]

Day8  - October 1, 2019
Escalante, Utah to Hurricane, Utah






BRRRRRRR     ..... 7am and ready to go, but it's 24F, so I wait until after 8am - hopefully it warms to 28F.  The trip back over the mountains was thankfully lonely.  Nary a car, and only a couple of cows, though I was surprised by one that was a dun colour and blended in with the vegetation on the side of the road.  Very sunny and clear made me forget the cold.  The speeds were low, and my layers kept me warm.  Just the tips of my fingers got a bit nippy by the time I got to Loa.  Just before town I saw the irrigation out in the alfalfa fields.  They seemed everywhere, and all coated in a layer of ice, with ice on the ground around them.  Looks like it hasn't warmed up quite yet and it's close to 10am.





I found the courthouse with the Sherriff's office and had a nice talk with Teresa at the desk.  When I asked her about the cows, she said people hit them all the time, and they have to pay for them on top the damage to their vehicle (if they live I thought...).  I asked if I could donate to their coffee fund, and she smiled and said there's no need to.  As I left i realized "Duuhhh, they're probably Mormons. And if they keep the faith they don't drink coffee."     I stopped in town for a late brekky, then instead of tripling back over the mountains I decided to dog-leg NW to Koosharem then head south towards Bryce.  This bonehead move of dropping my wallet has cost me 3hrs already today, and it was quicker to go this way I reckoned.

This took me along a nice stretch called John's Valley Road.  Barely two lanes wide with a section of lotso twisties, and one sheep.  It eventually flattened out to reveal a dead cow by the road then a motley group of them blundering further on.  Thankfully my last encounter with the lumbering beasts.   




The cock-up with the wallet meant I had to bypass a ride through Bryce Canyon, so I headed west to Zion National Park on the way to Hurricane, Utah (pernounced Hurrikin in these parts) on the border with Nevada. In true fashion I missed the turn-off for the park, and continued to Kanab, UT.  Of course this caused me another hour diversion, so Zion was just a ride through.    I think it was another $17 toll drive through.  Next time in the USA I'll get a Natl Park Pass.  It costs more than the tolls I've paid, but opens up more possibilities and less headaches.

It did live up to it's reputation with the stunning scenery and a nice twisty route, albeit at a snails pace.  This felt weird as for the last 8 days I've been the slowest thing on the roads.  Despite the 30mph speed limit, most vehicles putted along.  Yes I know it's a park, but I would've liked to get it out of 2nd gear.  I'll have to keep it on the list for the future and spend some time there.  The one oddity was a tunnel no longer fit for 2-way traffic (if it ever was).  Had to sit there for about 15min waiting for the eastbound traffic to clear.

Once out of the park the trip to Hurricane was quick.  Checked into another Rodeway Inn, then walked down the street to Alfredo's A Restaurant. A real Mexican food joint with one of the best burritos I ever had.  Met some Norwegians at the motel courtyard doing a SW tour on rented HDs.  "How do you know we're Norwegian?"  I pointed to the Norwegian flags they had hanging off the HDs.  "College finally paid off", I replied.  They were past 1/2 in the bag already drinking beer and shots, and fun to talk to.   They were going to Vegas to lose whatever money they had left before making their way back to San Fransisco (I think).

Despite the self inflicted delays, and the disappointment of missing out on Bryce Canyon and Zion Park, it was still a good day.  Discovering John's Valley Road was an unexpected treat and made up for some of it.  Oh yeah!  In the afternoon, for the first time I started to strip out some layers of gear.  It was starting to get warmer finally.   

I found this portion of Utah amazing.  Despite the weather issues when I entered from Wyoming it was one of the more memorable rides of my life, and the highlight of this whole trip.


Escalante to Zion Park, Utah
Special Delivery Day 8 Part 1,  2004 KLR650,  Escalante, UT to Hurricane, UT


Zion Park to Hurricane, Utah
Special Delivery Day 8 Part 2,  2004 KLR650,  Escalante, UT to Hurricane, UT

[PaulG]

Day9 - October 2, 2019 
Hurricane, Utah to Needles, California





While packing up I struck up a conversation with a guy who was travelling with his wife on an HD.  Turns out he was from Ottawa and they were heading back after a 3 week tour.  He saw my Ontario plate as I was parked two spots from him.  I wished him good luck as the weather was really shitty back home, and will be until spring.  The Norwegians were already rumbling out - none the worse for wear from the previous night's bingeing.  I didn't take much video as it was basically a a straight trip to Needles, CA via a quick stop at the Hoover Dam SE of Las Vegas.    A deservedly impressive site, though the water level was something like 140 ft below normal.  I was there for less than 2 hrs just enjoying a walk around and snapping pics.  And it was hot, +80 degF.  Quite a change from the previous 8 days.  All layers were packed away and it was nice to feel the air blow through me.















I considered a trip to the Skywalk on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, but it was a 4hr diversion from the dam, then 3hrs south to Needles would have made it a 10pm check-in.  Plus some guy fell/jumped from it the previous week, and I didn't know if it was open. There were no pics allowed (WTF?).  You had to pay a "professional" to take your pic.  ("But I don't want a pic of me...")

So from the dam to Needles it was an uneventful interstate trip.  Except for a late lunch stop in Searchlight, Nevada at Terrible's Roadhouse.  I saw the sign and I thought how bad could it be?  Once in the door, the left side was the lounge/casino  (i.e.slots) and the right side was a Denny's.  Well I hadn't eaten at a Denny's in years/decades(?).  I realized there was a reason for that which I apparently forgot.  Halfway through my omelette I noticed it was bleeding grease.  In for a penny in for a pound, when in Rome, blah, blah blah...  I will pay for this tomorrow.  But that's tomorrow, so down it slid.

I called ahead to the Red Roof Inn and reserved a room.  Then on my way made a quick stop at Wal Mart in Fort Mojave to get some more memory cards for my cameras. Turns out my room in Needles was a "suite". What luck!!  What video I did, several of the files got corrupted again, so no videos for Day 9.  I suspect it was from swapping them between camera and phone while reviewing them at night.  I can just hear the "Awww Geeeee.... That's toooo baaadd..."





Day10 October 3. 2019
Needles, CA to Ridgecrest, CA  via the Mojave National Preserve and Death Valley.




Ever since I started planning for this trip I tried to find some dirt to ride on.  So my plan was the Seminoe Road in Wyoming and something in California.  Death Valley was always on the list, but the main roads are all paved, and if I had a couple of days it would have been worth it to stick around and explore the back roads.  Then I found the Mojave National Preserve on the map, which I could incorporate directly into my route.  That's the only reason Needles was a destination, as my starting point for the Mojave.  My launch point at Goffs was less than 45 min west of Needles, with most of it unknowingly on fabled Rte 66.  Where do I get my patch?

From Goffs it was basically north along Lanfair Road, which turned into Ivanpah Road.  Lanfair was flat and straight and bone shaking washboard with deep sand washouts. .  It was so bad my teeth chattered if I didn't clench them.  It really showed how awful the stock shock was.  After about a 1/2 hr at max 30mph I stopped and reduced the air pressures back down to 20F/25R.  Much better handling, but the washboard still sent a vibration up into my teeth.  This caused me to stand most of the time, and with stock rubber footpegs I had to turn my toes in for extra stability.  A little later a sign said "Pavement Ends",  but it didn't say what decade.  I had a good laugh at that.  The names on the map which I rode through were just that.  Not even the ruin of a house to mark them.  There were a handful of houses off the road with big "No Trespassing" signs.  Nope, not gonna even entertain the thought.

I noticed that all the Joshua trees (1000's of them) all seemed to be the same size.  As far as wildlife, I think I saw a lizard scoot across the road, or was it one of those desert rat things?

It finally got real interesting once Lanfair Rd changed into Ivanpah Rd.  It got a lot hillier and twistier which is where the bulk of the video for Part 1 started.  The road condition changed markedly.  The low spots collected the deeper sand, and most parts were strewn with large rocks (+ fist sized) with exposed bedrock.  My legs got a real workout between standing and squatting, with an occasional sit until the pavement returned at the end.  With the tire pressure change I was able to get up to 40-50mph comfortably, but having to slow down on the blind crests.  I learned the hard way when the rear end came off the road when I hit a chunk of bedrock on the downside of one.  As I exited Ivanpah Rd there was a plastic roadblock in the way (which I just drove around).  There was no sign, so I stopped to check out my phone for alternate routes.  That's when I noticed on the reverse side there was a "Road Closed" sign attached to it.  WTF? (again), but I just came from there...




I also saw something reflecting the sun way off in the distance...



... as I got closer I surmised it might be a solar energy site, (what else could it be other than ... aliens!!!)  Google told me it was the  Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System.  It wasn't as close as I thought as it was still miles north of me across the interstate.  I had a few butt clenching moments, but came out unscathed and happy. 

A quick jog west on I15 to Baker, CA and gas up and reinflate the tires.  While there I talked with a group of guyz'n'galz out for a day tour.  Gave them the spiel of the trip, an told them I'll be going north through Death Valley to Ridgecrest, CA.  They gave me some tips on where to stop for gas.  When I told them I just came through the Mojave Reserve up Ivanpah Rd.  "On That?  Cool!  We take our dirt bikes out there all the time."  We had a few minutes conversation then went our separate ways.  Nice people.

Now forward to conquer Death Valley.




Probably most of you SoCal people have done this route up Death Valley Rd (CA 127) to Death Valley Junction...



... with a top up of gas in Shoshone then go WNW on CA 190 and another pit stop in Furnace Creek at -180 ft below sea level.  The road continues slowly climbing to 2000 ft, up around Tucki Mountain, then climbing sharply up to 5,000 ft through Towne Pass and down the other side.  As I began to crest the pass the winds really kicked up fast, and a strong gale was coming from the south (my left) along the the Panamint Valley.   I descended through through the shelter of the rock cuts, and once out get buffeted around  again.  As I hit the valley floor, (the road's name changes again to Nadeau Trail), I had to resume the position hanging off the left.  Somehow I missed Panamint Valley Rd going south, and continued up the other side west to Panamint Springs.  I should have just kept on going as the road got really squiggly, but I stuck to the plan and doubled back (only a 10 min loss) and went south down the valley.

Looking down from the north side of the road as it continues west where it turns into the Nadeau Trail (still CA 190)



Now that I was heading into the wind the buffeting stopped, but I regretted not wearing the earplugs.  It was OK up until now, but the shriek of the wind in my helmet was deafening.  Panamint Valley Rd changed to Trona Wildrose Rd, then just Trona Rd (CA 178) to Ridgecrest.  I climbed back out of the valley through Homewood Canyon, a nice ending to the day.  The sun had set beyond the western hills leaving a pink stripe dissolving to magenta as twilight set in, and the last 30 min or so to Ridgecrest was in the dark.

My cheap motel room was as expected with the bonus of having the A/C unit right beside my ear.  Clean as long as I didn't turn on a UV light, and no bugs that I could feel.






The only food within walking distance was an Arby's, so I braved it and managed to keep it down.  Fatigue rapidly set in.  It was Thursday night and I had one last day of touring before getting to the Marriot at SD airport for Sat morning. I had an inkling of heading south via Barstow, CA and take a trip through Joshua Tree NP.  Then the plan was to find a cheap motel outside SD and head in there Sat morning.  I had to drop the KLR off at a shop to get some knobbies installed for it's Baja trip.

I did some mental gymnastics and eventually said fuggitt.  I needed a day to decompress before the flight home Sat aft, so I called the Marriott and splurged on a single room for Fri night.  I would move to the reserved suite for Sat afternoon when David and Eric arrived.  This is the end of my videos.  I didn't bother for the ride down to San Diego.  It was only supposed to be about a 4hr trip all highway/interstate.  I forgot it was Friday.  It was OK until the halfway point at San Ber'dino, I mean San Bernardino (can't resist the Zappa reference).  Traffic came to a halt.  I wasn't going to stop for lunch but at Riverside I gave up.  I anticipated getting to the hotel by 2-3pm.  I got there after 6pm.  When I checked in I asked them why it smelled like a new car.  The hotel had just opened a few weeks before.  "Oh Great!  I won't be up to my ankles in water by the time I'm done showering!"  I used the night to do laundry and separate my gear for the flight home.


Overall, despite the near-death experiences in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah I'd do it again... and again... and again...  The KLR was a MULE!!!  Other than the gear lever breaking off - (to be fair it was already broken before I left) - it never missed a beat and didn't lose a drop of oil, and it was comfortable.  I would buy one - but ditch the rear shock and front springs, and maybe do some carb changes.

I'll try and follow up with with an epilogue about what happened to the KLR in Mexico after I handed her over.

Special Delivery Day 10 Part 1

Special Delivery Day 10 Part 2

[Firehawk068]

Awesome trip!

I came across one of those Solar Energy stations on my way into Tonopah Nevada, on my way home from my Northwest Tour in August-2018