Into Glory Ride

Wow, is it Wednesday already? Ok.

We left Vegas for LA on Monday, and rode up the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica through Malibu and to Oxnard. We started heading east and spent the night in a ‘discount’ hotel in the middle of the Mojave desert (in the town of Mojave, no less). Tuesday we went back through Barstow and headed east on 40 until we came to the Grand Canyon where we camped for the night. (I’ll let Vargo post the details on that one). Today has been relatively uneventful: we spent the morning at the Grand Canyon National Park and then headed east. We’re currently in a motel in Albuquerque, NM; washing our clothes and taking the first showers we’ve had in days. (gross)

In non-shower related news, one of the lids to the hardcase saddle bags on the touring bike blew off and slid under the wheels of an 18 wheeler, but when we circled back to pick up the pieces it miraculously survived save some scrapes across the top. The Motorcycle Gods are indeed smiling on us.

I’ll be posting a lot of pictures before the evening is up, so check back for that.

We’ll be on the road again in the morning, and we should be hitting the Pacific by about 2pm. Pics and happiness to follow. Then we’ll begin the long trek to the east. We’ve adjusted the route to head back through the middle of the country rather than the top. We can hit the northern states during the Alaska run, and we can clean up the south on a trip to New Orleans. So for now we’ll be heading back through Oklahoma, Tennessee, and the like.

Thanks to the Billers for letting me shack up with them for my last night in Vegas. Next post will be from Cali or Arizona with some tasty pics (hopefully).

FYI – we haven’t had Internet access for the past few days since none of the hotels in Vegas offer free wireless. We’ll resume regular postings when we get on the road again.

After waking up in Golden  CO, Everything was 5 by 5. Putting the cold and rain behind us we hit the Rockies. It was quite possibly the coolest sight i have ever seen, but there is the Pacific yet to come. The weather was amazing for a ride, we burned up the road for near 750 miles, putting us at near 18 hours before reaching Vegas. Riding in to the ocean of lights the fatigue of the road melted away and we road parallel to the strip with new vigor. This was by far the best day of riding I have ever seen. See some of you later today in Vegas! Oh and take Ken’s advice on the Rockies… you won’t regret it.

I can’t express to you how awesome and beautiful the Rocky mountains and the desert badlands in Colorado/Utah are. There is nothing I can say that could make you feel how I felt as I passed through the snowcapped peaks and burning basins. These pictures are the best I can do and even they don’t do it justice.

Before you die, you must:

• fly to Denver in the late spring/early summer
• wait for good weather
• rent a fast convertible
• leave at 7am
• drive west on 70 then south on 15 through Utah.

Bring snacks and lots of water.  There is a section of 110 miles without any services.

The Rockies and the Badlands

We made it through Denver in the rain and the fog and decided to stay at a La Quinta Inn in Golden Colorado. This brings up another fundamental of the road: if you have a choice, avoid morning rush hour by sleeping on the outside of the city. So since we were heading west we stayed on the west side of the city, and we shot right out in the morning with no outbound traffic.

Anyway, when we went to sleep it was supposed to rain the next day with periodic thunderstorms, but when we awoke they had changed the forecast to no rain, scattered thunderstorms later in the day. It was like Christmas when I read that weather report. I was certain we would be in for another cold, rainy day, but instead we were able to sneak out of there without seeing a single drop.

That brings me to my next point: VEGAS. Both of us seem to be building a tolerance to fatigue, so we opted to bang through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada yesterday and get to Vegas ahead of schedule. It took us 18 hours from start to finish (including rest stops and food) to do it, and we traveled something like 750 miles. Booyah. To be fair, miles out here are different than miles in the east: the speed limit it much higher here, and miles just seem to disappear before you know it. Of course, so does your fuel.

We probably would have stopped in southern Utah, but I put the idea into Vargo’s head that we should see the lights of Vegas at night. From that point on he was like a man possessed. I wanted to stop in Mesquite, NV, but he urged me to get some coffee and finish the ride. Then he pounded a “Monster” energy drink and his pupils became fixed and dilated, so I figured I should do what he said before he hulked out and started wrecking the place.

So we got into Vegas around 1AM PT and stopped in another hotel (so we can be showered and not stink too much like exhaust fumes and roadkill). I’m meeting Katy at 2:30PM today and after that we’ll be gathering up with everyone else as they arrive. Vegas, baby. VEGAS!

I’ve got about 8-10 hours a day with little to do but think. As the miles and hours wear on I’m occasionally daydreaming about things to come, but most often I’m reliving past exploits and trying to remember the name of the kid that sat across from me in 1st grade.

Chances are really good that within the past 5 days I’ve thought about you, dear reader. If you’ve interacted with me enough to know about this site then you’ve surely made the cut. Every family/extended family member, coworker, most classmates, teachers, bosses… everyone.

I will concede that most of my thoughts are mundane (I hope that car doesn’t merge into my lane. Bleh, my feet are wet. We better get gas within 10 miles.) and another portion are quotes from movies or songs (‘There is a terrible storm in the mountain”,”You will see things, wonderful to tell.” “Houston, we have a problem”), at least half are me reliving things that happened 20 years ago.

So, like it or not, you’re with me on this trip.

Kansas has turned on us. It’s about 50F and raining, with a 20mph crosswind. Couple that with the ever present 75mph wind from riding and we’re looking at a wind chill factor of -1,000F. Bleh.

We got rain gear but Vargo’s pants were shredded within 10 miles from the wind flapping them around. So he’s in jeans currently.

Thanks to Ashley for letting us stay last night.

Oh yeah, someone said there is snow in Colorado, and that it’s 26F.

I posted a new photo gallery.

PA to Kansas

Greetings from Kansas!  Some notes from the road:

• Stopped in Xenia/Springfield OH to get breakfast and gas up.  We went to Kims(?) donuts.  The clerk looked very similar to a character in the movie Gummo. (look it up, I’ll wait)  She was so taken by us she gave us as many free donuts as we wanted.
• We went to White Castle (first time for me).  Vargo already posted about this.
• Vargo lost his gloves.
• We met a crazy biker chick from Texas who cornered us at the gas pumps and talked so much we finally just had to turn the bikes on and ride away.
• We crossed the Mississippi river.  The St Louis arch is much bigger than I would have thought.
• We made camp with some of the reddest rednecks I’ve ever met.  Cue the ‘Deliverance’ banjo.  Yikes.
• Got up at 6:00am and breakfast was Waffle House outside St Louis.  I <3 Grits.
• There weren’t many other notable stops today.  We left 70 and headed towards Wichita over some back country roads.  These weren’t like the country roads in PA though: they were flat with a 65 mph speed limit and very little traffic.  *grin*
• We’re bedding down in Derby, KS at Vargos friend’s apartment. (Thanks Ash!)