Special Delivery

[PaulG]

Day7 cont....  Gassed up by the hotel before I left this morning.  Started talking to a guy about the trip and all the wind.  He said "Yeah it's terrible.  Our aluminum flagpole snapped in half".  So now I don't feel so insignificant anymore. What a confidence booster!!!  Rte 12 from Loa to Esacalante UT was effing amazing. 77 miles of near continuous curves,  switchbacks, 9000ft passes, and cows.  Lots of them. On the effing road. It's free range pasture out here, and they mean free to go wherever they want.

I gassed up in Loa and reserved a room at the Prospector Inn in Escalante.  When I got there I had a voice mail from a sheriff's deputy. Uh Oh. What did I do?  I call him, and he says "Do you have your wallett?" Immediately I see my pocket unzipped with nothing in it. DOOOOOHHHH!!! "No I don't "  "Well we have it here. With all your cash, ID, and cards."  I'm so brain dead I put it in my right pocket, instead of inside. It fell out when I got on the bike. Luckily my room was already reserved with all my credit info, and they charged $50 on it and gave me cash. Now after sunrise I'll be heading back to Loa to get my wallet,  and drive through those roads again, then back here again to continue the trip. Stupid is as Stupid does.

[Charlie-brm]

It would be great if we got at least a  from you Mr. G, to know you're doing fine. It's been a while since you checked in.

[PaulG]

It would be great if we got at least a  from you Mr. G, to know you're doing fine. It's been a while since you checked in.

My appalogies.    Got back last Sun night.  I'll post some brief updates on the last few days in a bit.  Currently working on a montage video of the whole trip of approx 5m 24s as a teaser.    Hope to post this within the next couple of days.

I will eventually post more indepth descriptions as I complete more videos over the next few weeks.

[PaulG]

Day8 : Back to Loa I go to pick up my wallet. It was 24degF when I woke up at 7am, so I waited til after 8 to let it warm up to 26.  It was an even more amazing ride back as there was nil traffic. Only one camper going in my direction and they pulled off before I caught up to them.  The cold didn't bother me even at the three different 9000ft summits.  But those damn cows were still lurking in the most inconvenient spots ready to pounce.

I found the courthouse in Loa about 10am, where the sheriff's office was.  At the desk was the very helpful Teresa. We chatted for a bit, and I asked her if people often hit the cows on the road. "Oh yeah, all the time. And because the whole state of Utah is free range, if you hit it, you bought it." I told her, "That's funny, they do the same thing in Saudi Arabia with their camels." 

So off I go, but instead of tripling back over the mountain,  I jogged NW for a bit to Koosharem then due south through a valley to Bryce, still dodging cows on the road, and an occasional sheep.  I stopped and did some logistics, and decided to forgo a jaunt down and back through Bryce Canyon. My target was Hurricane Utah near the Nevada border, and I didn't want to be riding in the dark again. The diversion to go back for my wallett ate up all the time alloted for that.  So down Hwy89 I go to Rte9 through Zion National Park.  A lovely drive if it wasn't for the traffic jam going through it. Note to self : Next time in the USA get  Natl Park Pass. Tell you why later.

Had a Nerf Football sized burrito at Alfredo's A Restaurant. Real Mexican not quite fast food joint. A must be for awesome,  cuz it was.  Met some Norwegians at the motel doing a SW tour on rented HDs.

More later, saying to many spoilers already.  My montage video is slowly creeping along. The Windows Moviemaker on our laptop crapped out, and I lost the video that was almost finished FFS. Had to start all over again with another video editor that I downloaded.

Oh yeah,  no more of that gawdawful wind.

[PaulG]

Day9 :  Not much planned for the day except do a sidetrip to the Hoover Dam, and possible diversion to the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon, on my way from Hurricane Utah to Needles California.  Mundane highway riding, though there was a section of I-15 that went through Purgatory Canyon and along the Virgin River that was a nice surprise.

Vegas.... meh... not my thing. But the F15s flying around Nellis AFB doing some take off/landing drills was cool.  I can say though that I was actually in Vegas, only because a made a wrong exit and spent 20min trying to get back on the interstate. 

The weather is now hot and sunny. I've stripped off the layers of cold weather linings, summer gloves with jacket cuffs open. First time in 8 days that I don't feel like Jimmy Dean Pancake Wrapped Sausage.

And I'm sweating!

Spent a couple hrs at the Hoover Dam just snapping pics and wandering around.  It was odd to here a dozen different languages spoken other than English.  Felt like I was back in Toronto.   After 85yrs it still attracts so many people from all over the world.   Und die deutschen Mädchen waren die Bombe... (via google translate)

After checking out the Skywalk online, and again with the eye on the clock I decided to pass on it. Would have been a minimum 4hr diversion plus the  3hrs to Needles.

I had a big day planned for Day9.  Looping back up through the Mojave National Preserve and then Death Valley.

[aviationfred]

I just missed you, I got into Las Vegas around 5:30pm. I came in from the North West having run through Death Valley and Puhrump, Nevada.


Fred

[PaulG]

I just missed you, I got into Las Vegas around 5:30pm. I came in from the North West having run through Death Valley and Puhrump, Nevada.


Fred

I passed through Vegas about midday on Wednesday Oct 2.  One of the downers of the trip was the 3 rest/tour days that were used up by the bad weather, instead of just travel.  Would have been ideal to send shout-outs to meet up with anybody.  Next time I'll just have to take an extra week.

Day10 : Finally some "off-roading", and that deathly Death Valley.  I left Needles, CA west to the Mojave National Preserve, totally forgetting I was on Rte 66 for about 30min.  Didn't even get a pic.  Shameful.  So I took Lanfar/Ivanpah Rd north through the Preserve.   Whatever names were on the map had longed turned to dust.  It started out (somewhat) paved then crumbled to a washboard covered in sand.  A real molar remover.  Almost thought of turning around cuz I was afraid of breaking something on the bike.  Only 2nd/3rd gear was possible, then I realized the left side of the road looked smoother, and it was.  Strange.  So I rode Brit style for the next 1/2 hour or so until the sign said "Pavement Ends".  Then it got rocky/sandy/rutty and twisty.   It was a lot of standing/shifting weight and a few "JumpinBeJeezers!!".  Been a while since I did some backroad offroading, but I managed my Dakar moment with a preponderance of horshoes falling out the back.

Next conquest for the day, the loop back north through Death Valley.  Actually, it's all paved so more of a leisurely drive.  It was as expected, and more.  The subtle flat desert of the south end gave way to ever rising peaks in the north end.  Near the end of the day I had gone from below sea level at Furnace Creek to 5,000ft or so up through Towne Pass with twisties galore.... aaannnnd.... a vicious southern croswind as I descended westward towards Panamint Springs.  I headed due south into the now headwind, down Panamint Valley Rd/Trona Rd to Ridgecrest CA.  Again I rode for about 45 min in the dark as I miscalculated the time/distance required.  Didn't use my earplugs the whole day.  Wasn't an issue until I hit the wind.  I think I lost a few dB or Hz or whatever from the freight train of a noise in my helmut.


Days11&12&13 : I was worn out.  I decided to boot it down to San Diego a day early.  No videos.  I splurged and managed to book a different room at the Marriot where we were to meet up on Saturday.  I didn't leave til 10ish figuring it's only 5hrs or less there.  Figured I'd get there before check-in at 4pm.  But it was Friday.  It started out OK despite some construction on Rte 395 south out of Ridgecrest.  It all went to shit once I got onto I-215/I-15 from San Bernadino to San Diego.  A near continuous traffic jam of 100 miles interspersed with brief periods of near highway speeds.  The northbound lanes didn't seem to be moving the whole way.  I didn't get there til after 6pm.  I finally met the legendary California traffic.  The hotel was brand new, it even smelled new.  And they had a laundry room.  So before dinner that was my task for the day.

I was to drop David's KLR off at a bike shop Saturday morning to get it changed over to knobbies.  Luckily it was only 10min from the hotel.  I walked the 2mi or so back to the hotel, as my legs needed it.  And it was "hot".  By Cali standards it was pretty mild, but I was sweating rather uncomfortably.  It's only been the last 3 days that I hadn't been cocooned in multiple layers of cold gear.  I was thinking "I could get used to this", like the +30M people before me.  Dave and Eric were arriving at similar times after noonish.  The hotel is within spittin distance of the runway.  Eric had sent by truck his newly purchased-tricked out (used) DR650 several days before to the same shop for a once over.  After they arrived we grabbed a bite, then they cabbed it over to the shop.  Once back we spent the night sorting through our gear to swap stuff out for their trip on Sunday.

Sunday - the big day.  They're off to conquer unknown roads, and I'm on a flight from hell back to Toronto.  People back home kept asking me how can you spend all day on a bike, day after day?  Up til now, I haven't been on an airplane in 13yrs.  After that I know why I'd rather spend 10 days on a bike than 5hrs in a plane.

As I type my first video is uploading to Youtube.  It's a montage of the whole trip in 10min.  I'll post the link soon.

[PaulG]

This is the montage video I just finished.

Montage : KLR650 Delivery Toronto to San Diego


I'll be compiling a few more detailed videos over the next while, with some more indepth description of each day/phase of the trip.  For the curious I used an open source video editing software called OpenShot.  It has similar and better functions to MovieMaker, but has some teething issues.  The laptops have the minimum RAM required so it tends to hang (new one), or even crash (old one).  But it has features I like so I was willing to put up with it for now.  Since it's open source they have a steady stream of upgrades you can download frequently.

For now, I'll have to focus on the FJ to get her ready for winter.  I've neglected her for a month now sitting undercover 

[moparman70]

excellent video --- perfect song for the trip all things considered --  la villa strangiato moved perfectly though the video --- you can tell you didn't Rush making it. 
sorry I missed this earlier as I live in SD now but from TO -- but it wouldnt have mattered as I was away during that time on vacation.

I did a similar trip in the 90's when I lived in TO on the FJ -- its a blast travelling across -- so much to see.

[Millietant]

This is the montage video I just finished.

Montage : KLR650 Delivery Toronto to San Diego


I'll be compiling a few more detailed videos over the next while, with some more indepth description of each day/phase of the trip.  For the curious I used an open source video editing software called OpenShot.  It has similar and better functions to MovieMaker, but has some teething issues.  The laptops have the minimum RAM required so it tends to hang (new one), or even crash (old one).  But it has features I like so I was willing to put up with it for now.  Since it's open source they have a steady stream of upgrades you can download frequently.

For now, I'll have to focus on the FJ to get her ready for winter.  I've neglected her for a month now sitting undercover 

It's amazing Paul that I recognise so much of the scenery and roads in your footage from SD to NV - back in 2010, as part of a family tour we went from Sturgis to Las Vegas (with a detour into Yellowstone) and followed a lot of the route you took - the video brought back some great memories 

Many Thanks !

[PaulG]

A far too detailed account of my first three days on the road.  The video link is waaayyyyy down there


Day1 - Sept 24, 2019 :




I left Toronto Tues 24 Sept 6:15am. Later than I wanted as I caught the first tsunami rush hour wave.  I had to divert up to the dreaded 407 toll highway to get out of the traffic. Dreaded not for it's traffic but the exhorbitant fees.  I could fill a page of ranting about this, but another time. The balaclava I was wearing had hem stiching that was pinching my forehead, and I hadn't attached my Air-Hawk seat pad yet.  I thought I would ride most of the day without it, then put it on later.  The seat was like straddling a log, even with the extra padding of the riding pants.  Once I was on the 401 I had to pull over after 90min at the rest station in Woodstock, ON, to readjust the balaclava which had now given me a headache, and the Air-Hawk seat 'cuz of my assache.  Not an auspicious start, but things went well after that.  Once I reached London, ON, I headed west on the 402, passed by my home town of Delaware, ON, and headed to the border at Sarnia/Port Huron, Michigan. 

These are my old stomping grounds, but it was still an eye opener as to the hundreds of windmills that have sprung up in this part of the country.  Wilst minding my own biddness, a work van passed me then slowed down beside me. "WTF is this idiot doing?", I thought.  Then I noticed the driver waving at me.  "Oh shit, somethings falling off the bike?".... Noooo...  It's my friend of +50yrs, Eric.  Driving the van with a co-worker. (I've known him since pre-school as his mother used to baby-sit me).  So what are the chances of that happening?  So this might be a good omen.... 

Despite the nit-picking delays of traffic, a literal PIA, and construction, I made decent time to the border.  This was the only part of the trip that I had any anxiety about.  The crossing usually goes "ID please - Where ya' from - Where ya' goin' - How long?" etc...  But since this wasn't my bike and it's a one-way trip with a flight back, David the owner (who's a lawyer) printed up a lawyerly-like-letter just in case.  (One-way trips are a flag for drug mules.)

I got the lane with the stern looking middle-aged lady ( gulp!).  "Is that camera on?!!!" - "No Ma'am!" (gulp-I saw the sign to turn off ALL devices).  "ID?"  (giver her my passport) "Where ya' going'?" - "San Diego"... "Business or Pleasure?" - "Pleasure, I'm on vacation" - "How long?" - "About two weeks" (this is where I thought she would call BS on that, but instead...) - "What's your plate number, I can't see it due to the camera angle?" - (gulp! Oh Shit... I don't remember it  , that's it I'm gonna' get poked and prodded now... ) - "Hang on a sec" (as I move the bike forward - I was going to get off and check it but...) - "Oh that's OK I can see it now.  OK have a nice trip." - "Thank you ma'am!  I intend to!" (...sphincter relaxes  ).

I pull into Port Huron to gas up.  Oh great my phone doesn't work.  Immediately I get a txt from Bell which basically said, "Ha! Ha! You dumb fuck!     You're out of our service area.  Now you're gonna pay and pay and pay!!!  Unless you call us and change your plan RIGHT NOW!  Bwaaaaha-hahahahahaaaaahhh..."  I wasn't in the mood at the moment, and decided to deal with it at my next gas stop, which was in Battle Creek, Michigan, continuing west on I69 to I94.  Over the phone I purchased a new plan to cover the US and Canada. (Surprise!  What I thought I bought wasn't at all what I got, once I saw the bill a month later... ).

A couple of hours later I'm in Michigan City, Illinois, at the lovely Red Roof Inn.  My first "cheap" motel of many.  Throughout the trip, I tried to get the older type of motels where you could park outside your door.  Of course there are things you have to put up with: like showers that don't drain, showers that you don't want to step into, carpet that shouldn't be walked on in your bare feet, bugs that come out of the sink when you turn on the water, 1970's decor (called nostalgia-that's free!).  I had considered bringing camping gear, but realized the few hours taken up making/breaking camp would eat into too much time every day.  And I'm glad I didn't, considering how the weather was going to turn in a few days.

This area of Michigan City was a bit weird.  There were no sidewalks anywhere.  I took a 15min walk to a Wal-Mart for some food supplies, and it was like an escape/evade exercise that miltary pilots take.




Day2 - Sept 25, 2019 :





Gas for Her, Coffee for Me, and ready to go


More slab straight across to Atlantic Iowa about an hr east of Omaha Nebraska.  I crossed the Mississippi River at Davenport, Iowa, which also serves as the border with Illinois.  I decided to start my days at 5am cuz I'm not a morning person, and it takes me a bit to shuffle around and get going, and hoping to be on the road by 7am-ish.  When I finally got on the road I thought "Gee it's still awfully dark. The sun should be coming up by now.  "  It wasn't until my first gas stop that I realized I hadn't turned on the location function on my phone, so my clock didn't automatically advance 1hr to Central Time.  So I woke up at 4am instead.  Oh well, that just means I'll cover some extra mileage for the day.

I passed hundreds of thousands of acres of corn a soy beans, and the "The Iowa80 Truck Stop", apparently the largest in the world.  It was flat and straight until nightfall.  An uneventful day except for a brief encounter at a gas stop in Des Moines, Iowa.  As I finished gassing up I rode the bike over near a Suzuki DR650.  It was fully kitted with the extra big gas tank, ADV stuff, soft luggage, and campimg gear.  The rider came out and was getting ready to leave.  I walked over and realized it was a young woman.  I struck up a conversation and we each exchanged our stories.      Of all the coincidences she was also on her way to San Diego, to do a solo Baja trip.  I exclaim, "Nooo Waaayyyy! Really?!  Do you mind if I take your picture?  The reason being most of my friends thing I'm nuts to do this.  And I want to prove to them I'm not the only one (that's nuts?... ).  And my wife was definitely not in favour either."  She replies. "That's funny, my parents said the same thing.  And my husband didn't want me to do it either, but.... so what! (as she shrugs)".  What a keeper I thought   .  I didn't get her name, I forgot where she said she was from (somewhere east?), but it made me feel good to know there were kindred spirits out there, especially in the "younger ones".  (I'm guessing she was +/-30ish).  I wonder if I could find out if she posted her trip on-line also?






I had another 2hrs on the road then pulled into a Days Inn near Atlantic, Iowa, (actually nearer the village of Lorah).  Now I had noticed since I took possesion of the KLR about 10 days previous, I had some issues usually shifting up from 1st-2nd.  Throughout this day it was getting worse, even shifting up in higher gears.  Initially I thought it was cuz of the shape of the beaten up off-road boots my brother gave me.  Theye weren't very flexible with limited up/down ankle movement, so I thought it was just me.  Throughout the day, I checked the up/down movement of the shifter and it seemed alright, so I was getting paranoid if the shift dogs were fucked.

"Luckily", after I checked in at thew Days Inn and pulled over to my room, the shifter fell off at my feet.  I discovered a diaganol crack where the shifter was welded to the cog had finally let go. The up/down movement was occassionally disrupted when the shifter would move sideways.  Something I didn't notice when I was inspecting it earlier in the day. "Phew!  That's a relief!"  How so you ask?  A) Because it didn't happen while on the road, and B) David had bought a new replacement for a spare, in case he dumped the bike in Baja and broke it.   So it was a fairly-easy-in-the-dark-parking-lot-fix.  Now it's corn tortillas and tuna for dinner then off to bed.








Day3 - Sept 26, 2019 :





Sunrise in Lorah, Iowa



Target Hot Springs, South Dakota. An extra long haul but doable.  After that I was going to take a rest day, and see the Crazy Horse and Mt Rushmore monuments.  It was a nice sunrise to start the day thoigh chilly, and the low angle lit up the ground in a brilliant way.  Now I've seen mentioned how people call this area of the US "fly-over country" cuz there's nothing worth seeing (I'm assuming).  Not necessarily so.  If you pay attention and not zombie out and scan the scenery you pick up fleeting moments that break the monotony.  (I remembered a documentary about our Canadian WWII ace George "Buzz" Beurling, and how he taught himself to keep scanning the skies to better pick out moving objects, rather than just stare at it and lose focus - and get shot down.) 

Well I have no fear of that, but using this helped a lot.  Seeing the mule deer bounding through the cattails down the embankment from the interstate, or the hawks perched on the hydro poles waiting for the thermals, or that carcass of unknown species on the road that everyone can't seem to avoid!  And if the scenery doesn't cut it anymore, there's always the sky.  I saw a cloud in the shape of a dog, as if it's head was hanging out of a car window (It's true!  No drugs required this time!   )


I continued west still on I80 to just before Omaha, Nebraska, then headed north on I29 for a bit then finally got off the interstate system and headed west on US175 over the Missouri River, into Decatur, Nebraska, then US51/US275/US20 for the rest of the day.  The terrain changed to rolling hills, the sun was out and it was turning into a great day. Then after Norfolk, Nebraska (the planned 1/2 way point for the day) the winds gradually picked up from the south (my left).  After an hour, once past O'Niell the winds really became a problem.

I had been riding the KLR for less than a week before I left (mostly commuting), to familiarize myself with it.  There weren't conditions that came even close to this, so I had no idea how a high cross-wind made the bike behave.  Gusts made the front wheel very skittish, and the bike was getting shoved perilously close to the shoulder.  I slowed down from my standard 65mph, but that made it worse, so I decided that inertia was my friend and sped back up.  I then leaned forward as far as the tank bag would let me to get some weight on the front tire.  I felt it behave a little better, but the winds kept getting stronger.  I had to be careful with the steering, as putting too much effort countersteering into the wind caused overcorrections, making the bike swerve too close or over the centre line.  I had to stiffen my arms to act as shock absorbers to keep the bike as straight as possible.  I was still getting blown around, but it wasn't so chaotic.  I then started to hang my ass off the left side.  Gradually, bit by bit, I had my whole left cheek off with my knee out, bent forward.

It was like being on a race bike entering a fast sweeping corner, but but never actually cornering.  Just suspended in this weird Twighlight Zone.     I kept trying to convince myself, "Don't worry about it.  We can ride through it.  It'll be over soon..."  Well then the semi trucks coming the opposite way began to get scary.  Their buffeting along with the wind was like getting belted with a mattress at 100mph.  It didn't help that one oncoming truck was pushed into my lane briefly, causing much puckering in the nethers.  Remember the final scene in Mad Max?

I pulled in at Bassett, NE to gas up and catch my breath and contemplate my mortality.  Just my luck a guy on an HD came in from the west.  I asked him how it was going that way.  He said "It Sucks!".  He just came from the Black Hills in South Dakota (my goal for the day).  "It's been like this the whole way."  So I guess if an 800lb HD is getting blown around, it doesn't bode well for me.  I waited for 1/2hr or so, convincing myself that it looked like it was subsiding.  Nebraska is mostly sandy soil, and it was creating dust clouds that would peal your eyeballs out if you didn't have protection.  It was then I watched a crow trying to fly against the wind.  I watched it go backwards then give up.    It wasn't yet 2pm so I thought lets just try a bit more. 

The next town, Ainsworth was only about 20min down the road.  After about 5min I realized things were actually worse.  After 10 min there was an overpass above a rail line.  I saw it had a windsock.  I thought. "A windsock?  WTF do they need that for?"     DUUUUHHHHH!!!!  I leaned off as far as I could, then wham!  The bike shook worse than ever but stayed on the road.  OK that's enough FFS!  I'm not getting paid to do this!    I was only a few more minutes til Ainsworth and the Rodeway Inn.  I didn't care what it was going to cost, I've had enough. (Actually it wasn't that bad).  I had no video after Bassett as I couldn't let go of the bar to switch on the camera. 


Google Street View of the wind sock



It was around 230pm.  Luckily my room was on the lee side of the wind so I could park the bike in relative calm to do the daily maintenance check.  While out there, I struck up a conversation with a cell tower generator mechanic.  His company gave him directions to a tower that didn't seem to exist, so he said fuck it and booked a room.  This was his 2nd career.  He spent the first 1/2 of his life in the USAF as a mechanic in charge of the fire suppression systems.  He had a lot of good tales to tell, and it was greatly appreciated as it took my mind off the previous 2hrs of terror.  By about 7pm the winds had died down and I ventured over to the local roadhouse, called Local House 20 as it happens, for some really good craft brew nut brown ale, and food, then a deep sleep.   





The safety vest I was wearing in the pic at the beginning of the video was ditched before I even got on the road. It was a cheap one from work and fell apart as soon as I hoisted myself on the bike.


Special Delivery Days 1-3, 2004 KLR650 Toronto, CAN to Ainsworth, NE, USA

[PaulG]

Sorry for the delay.  Had a virus through Nov/Dec that wouldn't go away.  Then I binged on Star Trek Discovery and GoT, cuz we cut the cable and went online.  Video is at the end. Try to get another one posted soon.



Day4 - September 27, 2019 :





Awoke to chilly, clear skies, no wind, and another beautiful sunrise.     A few minutes out of Ainsworth something caught the corner of my eye on a sideroad.  I turned around and found a collection of buildings that looked like a set from Bonnie and Clyde.  Some kind of general store I think, on one side, and a tavern on the other.  In the middle of nowhere it seemed.  Actually it was the tiny village of Johnstown.  Everything was closed still so a quick pic, and off I went.






The morning sun revealed a myriad of colours on the open plain, otherwise unseen once the sun rises further in the day.  Yellows/golds/greens/ with flecks of red made it feel like I was riding through a Claude Monet painting (at least to me).






The further west I went the land became more undulating, the sky cloudier, the temperature cooler.  Traffic was near non-existant.  For a country with +300M people, I'm always surprised how long you can travel in near isolation.  I did a dog-leg north into South Dakota then west, stopping in  Martin SD to gas up.  While packing up the water I just bought (as I had left everything in the fridge in Ainsworth), I started talking to some local Lakota kids and (I'm assuming) their mother.  Once again in awe/shock/flabbergasted that I'm riding from Toronto to San Diego.  After a few minutes she earnestly wished me a safe journey, which I appreciated.  Maybe she knew something I didn't.

I took the "back way" into Wounded Knee along several miles of gravel road. It was at first straight, then started to twist through the hills.  I've driven on plenty of gravel with the FJ without issues.  But here I was floating on marbles, especially as it started to get twisty.  Oh yeah, my tires pressures have been set for highway riding at +/- 38-40 psi.  So I pull over and reduce them to 25R/20F.  A big difference, but still tended to drift out on the left corners due to the steep camber of the road. I just stuck to the inside of the corners regardless since there was no traffic with plenty of visibility.  Managed to see a coyote cross my path a ways ahead too, but the camera never picked him up.




At Wounded Knee there was a lonely roadside stand where an older Lakota woman was selling her wares.  She acted as an unofficial interperator and told me and another couple of the history of the place,  She was selling the usual stuff you would expect.  Dreamcatchers, and key fobs mostly.  So I forked out $20 for an eagle feather key fob made from deer antler smaller than my thumb.  What the hell, I haven't spent money on anything except food, gas, and lodging so far.  She also warned us if we go accross to the grave site, there will be a man and woman there who will be begging for money.  "Don't give them anything.  They'll just spend it on drugs and alcohol."  There was a large two sided sign just above the stand on the parking/pull off by the side of the highway.  As I read it, I realized it was exactly word-for-word what the woman had just described.








You could see the memorial from the road.  It was a non-decsript gravesite on top of a sandy knoll, with a very rough path up to it fit only for a 4x4.  As I rode up to it I circled around to the far side, and put my right foot down onto nothing.

Oh shit.  I'm on a right leaning slope and she's going over.  I immediately jump off the bike and roll up into my ninja stance.    What that means is:  I flopped off the bike so as not to get my leg caught, and hit the ground with a resounding "Ooooooffffuuuuck!!!".  The bike is still running, so I haul my ass up and turn it off.  The magnetic tank bag fell off, and the side bags kept it slightly propped up.  I am now on an upward facing slope and removed the left bag.  I squatted and straddled the right bar to pull it.  Damn thing won't move! WTF?!  I then realize the mirror is getting stuck in my crotch as I lift it, but didn't feel it due to the multi layers of riding gear.  DOH!     I change my stance and manage to almost get it to the tipping point when the front wheel begins to slide out in the sand.  FFS!  After a couple of tries, I drag the front end of the bike over so it's pointed more directly down the slope.  With a multitude of invective cursing   I managed to get her upright.  The only damage being the PVC tool carrier clamped in front of the engine was slightly wonky.

As I turn around, standing there was the couple the lady had warned my about staring at me.  They weren't there when I arrived.  "You all-right?", they ask.  She saunters up to me and asks if I had any money for cigarettes.  "Gee sorry, I just gave the other lady down there my last bit of cash", I lied.  Now if they had given me a hand, I would have forgone the advice and given them a few bucks in appreciation.

There was another couple in the cemetary and she set her sights on them, so off she went.  I didn't enter the cemetary.  I saw some crosses and tombstones were dated recently within the last few decades, and realized the local Lakotas had adopted this mass gravesite (which included the white soldiers killed) as their own.  I didn't take any pics (the ones in the video I grabbed off of Google).  My vibes weren't feeling right.  I think my eagle feather charm wasn't working.  So I decided before I fall off again to continue my journey.

Given the significance of the site, it was underwhelming.  There was a chapel on the hill beside the cemetary, but it was boarded up.  No interperative centre.  If you want to learn anything about it, all you had was the sign on the road.  Or find out on the web for yourself:

https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/the-truth-about-the-wounded-knee-massacre-PIQqUKeCEEmnLeQn0Q5SOQ

https://www.britannica.com/event/Wounded-Knee-Massacre


As I leave the clouds are closing in and it starts to drizzle, and the temperature is still dropping. The drizzle gradually turns into a steady rain so I pull off and get on the rain suit.  But I forgot to put on the rain overshoes.  The beat-up old off road boots have the rubber skin on the inner ankle portion falling off in chunks exposing the inner liner.  My feet are soon cold and wet,   but it's less than 2hrs to Hot Springs.  By the time I get there it's pissing down rain and the temperature seem hovering around 50F.  It's not even 2pm yet, but time to call it an early day again.  I find a USA Stay Hotel to check in, except I can't until 3pm, so I reserve a room then head into town for some lunch.  Once checked in, I lay out everything that needs drying by the heater unit.  The rain is coming down hard, the hills are hidden in clouds, so I'm in for the rest of the day/night.  I spend it monitoring The Weather Channel and tweaking my route for tomorrow.

There was just enough time left in the day to tour up to the Rushmore/Crazy Horse memorials, but with the weather, slick unfamilar roads, and soaking wet boots, I decided to wait and see if I could do it in the morning, then continue into Wyoming.




Day5 - September 28. 2019 :




Woke up at my usual 5am.  It's raining even harder, 45F, windy enough to shake the flag poles, and the hills shrouded in clouds still.  I should have just crawled back into to bed.  Checking the weather, it was supposed to be like this until noon.  It was heading NE, while I was to go directly into it S-SW.  I decided to wait til about 10am, that way I would still ride in the rain/wind, but not for long as I should pass through it fairly quickly.




The only oddity for the day would be breakfast.  Though it was the ubiquitous hotel buffet, I noticed on my way out one of the patrons had a bowl of what I thought looked like oatmeal.  "But there wasn't any oatmeal", I said to myself, "But there is a big pot of sausage gravy!!"  She was what my dad used to say... "someone with two midgets wrestling in her pants."  I should be ashamed for such thoughts.  But man she was huge.  

The Black Hills tour is a write off.    The previous two early days, and today's late start has used up my rest day.  So it's off to Wyoming, the goal being Rock Springs.  In less than an hour I was through the rain, but the wind was once again trying to kill me.  It was basically coming from my left (S-SE) for the most part, and gusting.  So once again I am leaning into the neverending corner for the next 2hrs on my way to Lusk, WY.  I had to pull over twice to convince myself to keep going, and catch my breath.     There were a few other bikes that passed me.  Big heay HD's and a Honda Valkyrie.  Didn't seem to bother them at all, which just pissed me off even more.  When I finally rolled into Lusk, I pulled into a gas station that seemed to be where every bike around was seeking a respite from the wind.  A couple on a BMW GT1600 had just arrived coming up from Cheyenne saying the weather was just as bad going that way.  One guy on an HD came out and started talking to me, "I passed you coming out of Hot Springs. I thought I was having problems on this thing, but man I felt sorry for you!"  He immediately offered up his spray bomb of RainX to coat my visor, and related that it's always windy in Wyoming, and it comes from every direction at the same time.  That's why you need an 800lb bike out here I guess.  Inside at the cash register, the lady was giving out her sage advice, "You shouldn't be riding between Labour Day and Memorial Day, I keep telling everyone that! NEXT!"

After considering alternates to keep the wind at a minimum, I decided my original route was still the best option.  I would be heading west to Caspar, WY, about 2hrs further and the wind would basically be at my back.  I would be on the I25 for some of it which doesn't seem so bad... except the speed limit here is 80mph and I was at my usual 65mph.  Anything more and the girl just gasped and died at 70mph.  Stock carb jetting just not up for this altitude I guess.  A dumptruck had pulled onto the interstate so I went into the left lane to pass it, but it accelerated away from me.  Embarrassing.     Needless to say I was checking my mirrors more than usual.  The wind seemed managable for the most part, and as I headed south from Caspar it thankfully died down to nil.

I essentially followed the North Platte River valley to Alcova.  Here I was to peel off and head down through the Seminoe Road, but due to the late start I was sure I would end up riding in the dark in the middle of bush country.






This was on my to-do list for the trip, so I was peeved that I couldn't do it.  I supposed I could have used up my 2nd rest day to do it, but I was barely 1/2 way through the trip and I thought I should keep that in reserve.  Rock Springs looked out of reach for the night, so I decided to end the day in Rawlins. The remaining ride down was very nice and scenic, with a sunset that wouldn't quit, (which is when I turned off the camera).  I rode for about 45min after dark which was something I told myself not to do, but I had no choice.  I could just see the lights of Rawlins when a crosswind from the west (my right) came out of nowhere and blasted me almost into the oncoming lane.  Traffic was more than usual, so again into the position, but now to the right side.  I made it into Rawlins shaken and stirred, but in one piece and time travelled back to the '70's with my motel room.  I settled in for a dinner of a can of tuna and some tortillas, then hit the hay.  I was beat.






Oh yeah, the video

Special Delivery Days 4-5, 2004 KLR650 Ainsworth, NE, USA to Rawlins, WY

[Firehawk068]

That is quite the adventure on such a (I'll say "Under-powered") machine!
I totally understand about the wind in Wyoming......It always blows!
New mexico is the same way.

Glad you made it ok. 

[PaulG]

Deadly winds finally give way to some awesome riding.

Day 6 - September 30, 2019:




Woke up 6am as I was sore as hell from fighting the winds the last 2 days.  My neck was especially strained due to the constant force - like a giant hand pushing on the side of my head all day.  As I packed up the bike I struck up a discussion with an older gent who lived at the hotel with his wife, in the next room.  A grizzled face, handlebar moustache, cowboy hat.  It looked like he came right out of a classic western movie.  Well it is Wyoming I guess.  I summarized my trip for him, and he said Rawlins is the second windiest town in Wyoming, next to Casper.  At least things are improving I thought.  Since nothing was open yet to eat breakfast, he suggested a place in Rock Springs just off the interstate, which I thanked him for.  They were on their way there too so I might meet up with them later.

As I rolled out onto the Interstate 80, the overhead sign was lit up in big letters "High Wind Warning +60mph Gusts 9am-7pm".  I think my reaction was,  "Awwwwwww C'mmmmoooooooonnnnn... YOUGOTTABEFUCKINGKIDDINGMEEEEEE!!!!!".    It was just before 8am, I just might be able to get to Rock Springs before it gets too bad.  Well I still have no luck with this.  It's funny looking back on it when I thought at the time I couldn't get scared more shitless than in the last couple of days.  Well you'd be amazed how much more shit can still be scared out of you if needs be.






I quickly realized I wasn't going to beat the wind.  I had to again assume the never-ending-left-hand-corner-position.  Since I was basically maxed out at 65mph, and the speed limit was still 80mph, I was the moving speed bump.  This was a busy strech of interstate and Semis were passing me every couple of minutes, usually in small groups.  I'm already fighting the crosswind from the south (my left), so as they pass me their wake pushes me more to the right, then I hit their turbulence as the trailer passes me, then I get sucked back to the left into their draft.  The first few made me wonder again, "WhatthefuckamIdoingouthere?"    But I managed to adapt a rhythym to it, and when a small convoy would pass me, it actually blocked the wind for a bit, giving me a chance to stretch my neck and readjust.

I couldn't take any video of this stretch as I couldn't let go of the bars to switch on the left bar cam, let alone reach up and turn on my helmet cam.  About 1/2 way there I saw a weather front approaching and decided to pull of at an "interchange" to change into the rainsuit.  I use quotes because it seemed to disappear into dirt roads to nowhere.  I parked under the overpass and struggled to get on the suit in the wind.  BTW under high wind conditions, especially tornado warnings - never park under a bridge.  The wind gets funneled underneath and actually increaes in velocity.  The bike was shaking as it sat there.  I spent some time searching the forecast on my phone, watched which direction the front was moving, and wondered if I'm going to be trapped here until after dark.





So I did the usual and told myself, "Shut the fuck up you whining pussy!  This is what adventure is all about!  It's only one more hour 'til Rock Springs.  You've made it this far haven't you?"  "Shut up asshole! ", myself said to myself. (I wonder if anyone else has these conversations... with themselves... ).  Well, the weather front was slowly going NE, but it looked very narrow as I thought I could see some blueish skies through some pockets of it.  Off I go again, only to see the trucks are pulling off into the rest stops as it's too windy for them.  Gulp...., As if on cue, about a 1/2hr from Rock Springs the railroad sweeps into view parallelling less than a mile on the south side of the interstate.  Big Deal right?  Except that its built on top of a berm/dyke that must be almost 100ft (it seemed) tall in places.  This created a huge windbreak and I was actually able to sit upright (though with a cheek still hanging off) for the rest of the ride into Rock Springs.  The 2hr ride took nearly 4.

It was almost noon and I was already beat and starving.  I found the Renegade Restaurant that the old-timer told me about, but they had obviously already left.  I decompressed on a huge breakfast enough for two people.  Their breakfast burrittos (which I did not have) were almost as big as an NFL football.  Rhetorical Question:  why is it once you get all your three layers of gear back on, you suddenly have to go take a crap.  And I mean suddenly!!  The stress of the last couple of days has finally caught up to me. 

Also I will have a doctoral thesis at the end of the trip report on the state of motel/restaurant toilets in America.  I mean WTF??!!  It's like everybody buys them from Fisher Price!

So 1/2 my day is gone and I'm only 1/4 the way to my destination.  From Rock Springs I was now heading more-or-less south now.  I head down US191 which was supposed to be outside the western edge of the wind warning.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Jolly Joke!  As Sgt. Schultz used to say.  The old-timer told me the first portion was wide open, and to watch out for antelopes and especially cows.  Cows?  "Yes, Utah is all free range.  Outside of the interstates, cows are everywhere.", I remember him saying.  "And stupid as hell.  They'll walk right out in front of you."  Just what I need.  Surviving near hurricane winds, only to mash into a slab of beef.

He would be more right than I knew at the time.  This was later that afternoon, the first of many encounters in the coming days. 





Anyhow, initially it seemed promising, but now the wind started blasting from the west (my right), and into the position I go.  You will notice in the videos there are shots where you can see the front fender or even the tip of the windshield.  That's from my helmet cam when I'm in "the position".  Finally, when I got to Dutch John, Utah about an hour south of Rock Springs I was out of most of the wind.  There was some dicey points on the way down.  The road travelled along a ridgeline at times.  At one point I had a rainy crosswind from my right while in a left turn at the peak of the ridge.  I had to hang off the right side and steer the bike to the right, while going left.  Hard to explain, but it was a very alien feeling.

Again in Dutch John I had to decompress.  I asked a couple in an RV how it was coming from the south.  Not windy but they saw a few snowflakes.  Snowflakes?  I'll take that anyday.  It was mid afternoon and still a few hours to Price.  The weather was fickle.  Sunny bits interspersed with dense rain clouds.   But now the terrain and scenery began to change quite a bit.  High desert interspersed between low mountains made for wonderful riding.  The ride from Dutch John to Vernal included the Flamimg Gorge Dam, and then down miles of switchbacks.  It flattened out a bit after Vernal, but then into the twisties just before Price.




I splurged on a room at a Ramada Inn.  Then I gorged on a Cowboy Burger at Wingers next door.  I don't see it on their menu anymore.  Good thing.  I should have just stuck a grease gun in my mouth.  But the beer is good.  Funny though.  Considering Utah is like 80% (or more) Mormon, they have some excellent craft brews here.  Even funnier, they are also the No.1 users of on-line porn in America...  I had the Hazy Hefeweizen to end the day.




Despite the weather the last few days, I go to bed optimistic.  The weather forecasts seem good, though near freezing at night.  Past the 1/2 way mark now.  It starts to creep into the back of my mind that this will soon be over, but before that I still have lots of mountains and desert to explore.

Day 6 Part 1, Sept. 29, 2019 Rawlins, WY to Price, UT  (Rawlins, WY to Bush Creek, UT)


Day 6 Part 2, Sept. 29, 2019 Rawlins, WY to Price, UT  (Bush Creek, UT to Price, UT)



PS - let me know if the videos turn out alright on Youtube.  I previewed them direct from my new laptop to TV and they were fine.  I just checked the links on my 10yr old laptop while typing this out, and both videos were intermittently freezing for a second at many points.  Don't know if there was a problem uploading or the old laptop.

[PaulG]

Day7 -  Deptember 30, 2019
(yes I know Day 6 said it was the 30th, but I f'd up - it was the 29th)




I again wake up sore, with the neck worse than yesterday.  My shoulders have taken a beating too, with that familair arthritic ache setting in.  The cold and wet hasn't helped, but I'll soon be into the considerably warmer climes of Nevada, Arizona, and So Cal.

The night before I had an intersting conversation with a guy salvaging a Beechcraft cargo plane from the desert.  He worked for the company that owned a fleet of them.  Older twin engine craft, meant for short and rough airstrips.  Can't remember what model he said they were but it wasn't the old twin-tailfin types.  They had been waiting for over a year due to the haggling between the FAA/NTSB and the insurance company.  The problem was the contractors they hired to help weren't in the salvage business - but the scrap business. He was trying to save what they could, especially the avionics, but they were keen on using torches and saws instead of wrenches.  I could just imagine the scene.

By skipping The Black Hills in SD, and the Seminoe Rd in WY I was back on track, if not a little ahead of schedule.  My goal for today is Escalante, so it is technically not that far so I eased into the day and started late.  It was well after 10am by the time I started gassing up.  This is where I heard the story of a guy's aluminum flag pole snapping the day before due to the high winds.  The same ones I had just rode through.  Made me feel special, or more-so especially stupid.  I realized what I did yesterday wasn't the smartest thing I've done.  I feel I was lucky just to pull through with a sore neck.  But ignorance being bliss, that was then and this was a new sunny day.  Unseasonably cold too according to locals I talked to.  The Arctic cold front that was wreaking havoc on the western side of the Rockies, was thankfully staying there, though it's side effects were still felt on the eastern half.

Taking UT10 SSW towards I70, my phone depicted a short jaunt onto I70 west, then south again on UT72.  Except it didn't.  Again confuse-a-cat got a hold of me, and I took a wrong turn.  Later as I zoomed into the google map further, it shows the UT10 goes under the I70, then turns into UT72 which parralells the south side of the interstate for a mile or so, then heads south.  Of course I didn't bother fiddling with my phone enough to realize this, and it cost me about a 1/2hr detour as I headed west on I70.  Well that's all part of the fun innit'?

The next several hours made up for that.  Once south of I70, UT10 went wound through the western edge of Capital Reef National Park , then later as it turned into UT12, a portion of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  One day I might find some time to put the bike down and walk around these places.


A brief stop in Loa to gas up and lose my wallett, and off I went into the monument (not knowing what exactly a monument is - except a statue).  The scenery was (to not be too banal) breathtaking.  I had so much video I decided to split the day up into three parts.  I'll bet you just can't wait...  Unfortuneately, there were some corrupted files and I lost several more minutes of awesomeness.

Now you might remember what ye olde tymer in WY told me the previous day regarding the free range cows.  Yes he was right.  They're everywhere waiting to kill you.  Revenge for all those steaks, and roasts, and ribs...mmmmmmmm... rrrriiiiibbbbsssss....

Never look them in the eye I'm told.  They's just as soon stomp on you like you were a salt lick.



And never think they're just running away... they could be leading you into a trap.

.


After a few hours of this I finally arrived in Escalante around 6pm at the Prospector Inn.  If you're in the area give it a try, cheap and clean. 

Here the satire of my wallett escapade began.  Since I described it in enough detail previously I'll skip it.  I was freaking out for a few minutes, but once I had things straightened out with the deputy, I realized I will have to double back over the mountains again in the morning.  Every cloud has it's silver lining.

I ate just down the street at the Circle D Motel/Restaurant.  Good food and beer.



After checking the forecast - yikes!  Mid 20's degF in the morning!  I decided to call it a night.

You will notice as the turns get tighter I tend to hacksaw my way through them like a newbie.  That's because the tank bag doesn't fit (I use it on my FJ), and is jammed up against the bars so I can fit between it and the baggage on the back.  It limited my countersteering a bit, so I had to resort to the classic pre 1960's F1 style of steering.


Day 7 part 1  September 30, 2019 Price, Utah to Torrey, Utah

Day 7 part 2  September 30, 2019, Torrey, Utah to Boulder, Utah

Day 7 part 3  September 30, 2019, Boulder, Utah to Escalante, Utah