My trip out west

[Fitty]

Leaving tomorrow morning. Visiting old friends I haven't seen in 13 years in Springfield, MO the first night. Mitchell, SD, just west of Sioux Falls the second night. Somewhere near Yellowstone the third night and then it's up in the air a little. Arriving at the FZ1 Owner's Association West Coast Gather in Portland, OR, Monday afternoon and leaving Wednesday morning.

Major goals are to ride Beartooth Pass in Wyoming and then follow 212 into Montana a little and then turn around and come back through Beartooth. You have to ride it at least twice I hear. Then on to Glacier NP for Going to the Sun highway. Possibly going through the Hell's Canyon area in northeast Oregon, but I may not have enough time for that and still get to the Gather in time.

Coming back will ride UT 12 through Bryce and then on to Zion then down into AZ to ride Hwy 191. Hope to spend one night here: http://www.cliffdwellerslodge.com/ in northern AZ.

Staying with scooterhose and klrno2 in Alamogordo, NM, so they can show me some of the good roads around there, and then back to Baton Rouge.

I've "maintained" everything on the bike and hopefully will have no problems on the road.

Hope to have lots of pictures and video when I get back. I have an onboard video setup that I plan on running as much as possible. I've got three camcorder batteries and lots of tapes.

I'll post pics and a ride report when I return. It probably won't be as eloquent as Ted's, but I'll give it a shot.

My route:

http://www.dualsportridersoflouisiana.com/photopost/data/500/medium/WCG-06-Route_Medium_.jpg

[Juice]

Ride Safe Brother!

[scooterhose]

See ya the 25th...Ride safe!!!rocket.ride

[Juice]

And don't dirty the Harvey Mushman Suite.............

[JayD]

Ride on bro!

Keep us posted

[Doug]

Wow, that's quite a trek!
Safe journeys...

[monkey's_love]

Don't forget your DSRL shirt. Lots of states left for the fifty state race - especially out west:) !



Leaving tomorrow morning. Visiting old friends I haven't seen in 13 years in Springfield, MO the first night. Mitchell, SD, just west of Sioux Falls the second night. Somewhere near Yellowstone the third night and then it's up in the air a little. Arriving at the FZ1 Owner's Association West Coast Gather in Portland, OR, Monday afternoon and leaving Wednesday morning.

Major goals are to ride Beartooth Pass in Wyoming and then follow 212 into Montana a little and then turn around and come back through Beartooth. You have to ride it at least twice I hear. Then on to Glacier NP for Going to the Sun highway. Possibly going through the Hell's Canyon area in northeast Oregon, but I may not have enough time for that and still get to the Gather in time.

Coming back will ride UT 12 through Bryce and then on to Zion then down into AZ to ride Hwy 191. Hope to spend one night here: http://www.cliffdwellerslodge.com/ in northern AZ.

Staying with scooterhose and klrno2 in Alamogordo, NM, so they can show me some of the good roads around there, and then back to Baton Rouge.

I've "maintained" everything on the bike and hopefully will have no problems on the road.

Hope to have lots of pictures and video when I get back. I have an onboard video setup that I plan on running as much as possible. I've got three camcorder batteries and lots of tapes.

I'll post pics and a ride report when I return. It probably won't be as eloquent as Ted's, but I'll give it a shot.

My route:

http://www.dualsportridersoflouisiana.com/photopost/data/500/medium/WCG-06-Route_Medium_.jpg

[Fitty]

Thanks everybody. That reminds me. I've got to go find my shirt.

[Ritten]

Looks like it's going to be an epic ride Fitty!!! The determination of a good ride report isn't it's eloquence, but rather the passion that it represents. I can't wait to read about this trip knowing how much you're going to enjoy it. Godspeed and good luck.

[Flying Low]

have a great trip Fitty! I know Scooterhose and KLRNO2 will have some great roads for you to enjoy. LNF is a great place. oh, and the rest of your trip won't be shabby either. we look forward to your report.

[Rocky]

Farewell my Friend.

[Fitty]

Only got a sec. Pecking on my PDA. Yellowstone today and Glacier tomorrow. Why does my neck hurt? Thanks for the encouragement.

[Ritten]

Why does my neck hurt?



That's caused by a rare condition known as "holycrapthatsbeautifulitus". It's aggrivated by copius amounts of awe inspiring scenery, and exacerbated when one is on a vehicle traveling in one direction and he's trying to look in every other direction. I'm extremely jealous, Fitty, as I know the sights you're about to experience.

Looking forward to the report and pictures...Popcorn2 Popcorn2

[JayD]

That's caused by a rare condition known as "holycrapthatsbeautifulitus". It's aggrivated by copius amounts of awe inspiring scenery,



Indeed...
The entrance to Yellowstone



http://www.pbase.com/jaydee/image/44040224/original.jpg

http://k53.pbase.com/u26/jaydee/large/44042240.wildflowers.jpg

[weave]

Fitty soak up that cool mountain air for us,keep us posted and jealous

[Fitty]

Hey guys! Speaking of cool mountain air, it was 33 F the morning I left Yellowstone. And that's COLD!

I'm in Portland now. Rested today. Dinner tonight with the FZ1 people and then it's off to Salt Lake City tomorrow - 750 miles. Then I get to some more good roads. :D

Ted, thanks for the explanation on the neck thing.

Glacier was crowded and hot, but beautiful. Don't go on a weekend afternoon. And the road up the east side of Beartooth Pass had fresh chipseal in every corner. That amounts to fresh gravel and is no fun. I almost lost it in the first corner, and I got it on tape.

Oh well, that's what makes it interesting.

[Save-the-Manatee]

Awesome thanks for the update. Keep us posted....

[scooterhose]

qwer Hows it going? Whats your progress? Any idea of your ETA? I get a pic preview of the trip right? Do you like steaks? Beer or mixed?

[scooterhose]

http://klrno2.smugmug.com/photos/90781941-M.jpg

http://klrno2.smugmug.com/photos/90781942-M.jpg

Down the driveway.
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Out on the road.
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[Juice]

Nice Job Scooter........You got my boy off on any fire roads yet?

[weave]

I like your driveway Scooter

[scooterhose]

Nice Job Scooter........You got my boy off on any fire roads yet?




He went D/Sin before he got here.qwer


I'll let hinm tell the tale.:)

[Juice]

Nice toys. Not.Worthy Scooterhose




I like your driveway Scooter

[Ritten]

He went D/Sin before he got here.qwer


I'll let hinm tell the tale.:)


Popcorn2 Popcorn2

[scooterhose]

I like your driveway Scooter


Thanks...I don't think fitty did.:)

[scooterhose]

Nice toys. Not.Worthy Scooterhose

Not even half of whats parked around here....Unfortunately not all of them are mine.Bable12

[JayD]

Nice shots Scooter & Klrno2

[Fitty]

Well I'm home. Thought, briefly, about going straight through from Scooter's, but spent the night in Kerrville instead. Yep, Scooter's driveway isn't too bad once you get used to it - gravel, straight up hill. But the worst part is following your GPS to his house and having it send you on an undeveloped road that is also straight up, with rocks and big holes in it. That's the part I don't want to do again. Can't believe I did it the first time, but there was no going back. Yes I am a dualsport rider. Riding a 650 lb, with luggage, dualsport. I could have used some lower gearing and better tires. :D

I have pics of that road, plus many others that I'll post later when I get everything together, along with a ride report. Too tired to deal with it now.

Great meeting Scott and Sandy!! Fantastic people. HIGHLY recommended as a place to visit. Didn't ride any roads with them. I did enough of that getting there, believe me. Steaks with all the trimmings that night, and eggs, bacon, hash browns, biscuits and cream gravey for breakfast!! Then rode the ATVs to go take pictures of my road, and then headed out.

Thanks for posting those pics Scott. Oh, they've got two beautiful German Shepherds too.

It's good to be home.

[Juice]

Welcome home Dude. I am anxiously awaiting the ride report......Bow12

[scooterhose]

qwer So whats up Bill? Did the highway peg repairs hold? Didja lose all the pics or sompin? Where's that report?Head Bang Don't make it too good so the rest of us don't look bad.

[Fitty]

I working on it. Just stopped to go to bed. Yes the highway pegs held up fine, thanks. I had to get the pics uploaded to my site so I could link to them. I will hopefully get it finished tomorrow night and get it posted. It probably won't be that great, but it will be long. It was a long trip. My pics came out pretty well, including the ones I took in your area. Bear with me. :D

[Flying Low]

fitty,
glad you are back safely. i can't wait to see/read your ride report.

[Juice]

Hurry up already!!!!!!!!!!!!! Danc.en I want to include your trip in this months News letter..... No pressure just when you can get to it..........Head Bang

[Fitty]

Ever since I found out I could get almost 8,000 miles out of a Conti Road Attack, I've been a threat to go out west. Well twice at least. And that mileage usually includes a lot of twisties. I don't spin it up coming out of corners, but no chicken strips either. The careful hooligan, that's me.

After stating last year at the FZ1 West Coast Gather that I wouldn't be back this year, I changed my mind and decided to go after all. Besides seeing a different part of the country, I also wanted to get to some areas I missed last year - Hwy 12 in Utah including Bryce and Zion. The only problem is I didn't have as many days vacation available this year as I did last year. I had 16 days last year, but didn't quite use all of them when I called my son from my campground at Half Moon Bay and found out he had wrecked my '93 Mustang coupe, which ended up being a total. I was going to keep that car forever. I made it home in 3 days using only interstates.

Well this year my plans started with 11 days, but I later added 1 sick day to get it to 12. I planned on covering 6,000-6,500 miles depending on route, and only had 11 riding days to do it in, allowing 1 day off the bike in Portland. This was to be my trip to "ride the roads I've heard about and want to ride". The only sight-seeing I would do would be from the seat of the bike. Not much time for stopping except for the occasional pic. My plans included visits to Yellowstone and Glacier, with rides on 212 in Montana and Wyoming over Beartooth Pass, Going to the Sun in Glacier, 12 in Utah and 191 in Arizona. Anything cool I came across between these would be gravy. The only thing I wasn't sure of was Hell's Canyon in northeastern Oregon. I read about it in "Motorcycle Escapes". It's the deepest river gorge in the U.S. - deeper than the Grand Canyon - and the road goes down into it, if I remember correctly. Well I didn't make it there, but I did everything else. My GPS lost power for a few miles, but I covered at least 6,200 miles in those 11 days of riding, for an average of 564 per day. My moving average speed was 65.8 mph, and my overall average was 54.2. Not bad. And that includes the slow travel in the parks and small towns, plus I left it on at all stops for the overall average. I only turned it off when I stopped for the night. My highest speed was only 93.2. No 100+ cruising for me. I wanted to be sure my tire lasted, plus I don't like tickets. I also found out that in the 70's-90's indicated, my speedometer is 5-7 mph optimistic. I only watched the GPS speedo. I lived on Little Debbie snacks, Powerbars and trail mix bought at gas stops. At night I sometimes had a decent meal if I wasn't too tired, but just as often it was something out of the vending machine, or leftover trail mix. I think I lost a little weight. You think there's a market for my "Cross-country Diet"?

Well this is the picture that started it all. Going to the Sun Highway in Glacer NP.

http://images15.fotki.com/v343/photos/6/613910/3964819/going_sun2Medium-vi.jpg

When former FZ1OA member Cyclenerd posted this a couple of years ago I thought it was one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen. I knew I had to go there one day and ride that road. Thanks Cyclenerd. Now I have. (After riding cross country from Vancouver, WA to our eastern rally in Deals Gap in '04, he returned home only to be hit and killed by a left turning pickup near his home shortly thereafter.)

The trip.

Day one took me from Baton Rouge, LA to Springfield, MO, via Memphis. Not a route I would have picked, but the GPS did and I took it. The quickest because of the interstate usage. There's just no good way to get through AR quickly, south to north. There I stayed with some old friends from the college days, that I hadn't seen in about 13 years. Jim's an architect and also teaches some, and Rebecca's an artist. Very interesting people. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed their company. I hope they felt the same. I'm now planning a reunion of the 20-25 people that regularly hung out together during that time.

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Day two took me to Mitchell, SD. I made good use of the interstates in order to make time and get me to the good roads. Please forgive me. I carried a tent and sleeping bag for emergency use only, but usually camped at the Motel 6. I only camped once during last year's trip, and none this year. Looks good on the bike though. Like the real world traveler.

http://images18.fotki.com/v348/photos/6/613910/3964819/P8170004Medium-vi.jpg

I had my worst weather after leaving Mitchell, but it didn't last long. The rain wasn't too bad, but the wind was blowing perpendicular to the road and about 30-40 mph. I couldn't keep the bike in the right lane so I stopped under an overpass with some cars. The cars soon left and I was joined by two couples on Goldwings.

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After about a 30 minute wait I headed out and the rain soon quit. It stayed dreary and cool for most of the day though. I failed to make it to Devil's Tower or Mt. Rushmore, but they weren't in the original plans anyway. I had to make sacrifices. I saw Sturgis from the interstate, one week after the rally. And that's as close as I'll ever get to it. Still, the Harley's were all over the place, and to their credit, not all on trailers. At a gas stop I met this couple, and being the first non-Harley either of us had seen for a while, we had to stop and talk. I forgot to ask where they were from and I can't read the license plate, but he told me he also keeps a 'Busa in north Georgia just to ride on visits there. He also knew and had ridden most of the good roads in CA. "Gainfully retired" I'd say. I can only hope.

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About 8 miles after leaving one of my gas stops this day, I patted my pocket and realized my wallet wasn't in there. The last place I remember putting it was on top of my saddle bag. I turned around and it was still there. It was in a plastic bag with my receipts, and still didn't blow off. I gave thanks and made a mental note not to do that again. Then I did it again the next day, except this time I had put it in the crevice between my sleeping bag and my top case. It's hell getting old.

Here are my first "mountain" pics, taken on Alt-14 in Wyoming.

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A very nice road. Things were getting good. I stayed the night in Lovell, WY. The old movie theater in town was still in business. Only one screen and look what was showing there. I was going to go just for the experience and trip back in time, but I missed the early showing. Now I wish I had gone. You don't get opportunities like this very often.

http://images18.fotki.com/v346/photos/6/613910/3964819/P8190017Medium-vi.jpg

The next morning I headed up to Red Lodge in Montana for a trip back down 212 over Beartooth Pass. Heading from north to south, the twisty part in Montana looked interesting.

http://images18.fotki.com/v347/photos/6/613910/3964819/Beartooth-vi.jpg

Running video, I entered the first switchback marked 25 mph, at something higher than that. After a few quick downshifts I started to lean the bike into the turn and had a rude awakening - FRESH CHIPSEAL! LOOSE GRAVEL! And no warning signs anywhere. Luckily the turn had enough room and I wasn't going too fast. I put my left foot down and slid a little in the gravel while slowing down. No wreck, but a very close call. Most of the turns after that also had gravel in them, taking a lot of the fun out of an otherwise great road. I will try to get the short video of that turn hosted somewhere. Doesn't show much, but you can hear me cussing and hear the gravel hitting the bike. I later met a guy in Kalispell that turned around and went back the other way after getting to the gravel.

After getting up on Beartooth the pavement was older and a little rough, but at least no gravel. But the scenery was beautiful. Since I was running video I only stopped and took one pic that showed some snow. Certainly not the most picturesque shot available up there, but the only one I took.

http://images15.fotki.com/v343/photos/6/613910/3964819/P8190022Medium-vi.jpg

I found another one I took on the way up.

http://images18.fotki.com/v342/photos/6/613910/3964819/P8190021Medium-vi.jpg

Ok, I'm working from memory and the chronological order of the pics. I'm pretty sure these pics of an old mine were taken on the way south to Beartooth too, before the ones above.

http://images15.fotki.com/v344/photos/6/613910/3964819/P8190019Medium-vi.jpg

http://images18.fotki.com/v345/photos/6/613910/3964819/P8190020Medium-vi.jpg

After Beartooth I headed on into Yellowstone to meet up with an FZ1OA member who I knew was in the area for a business trip/family vacation, that night. The plan was to call him when I was ready to meet for dinner, but we managed to run into each other accidentally at a scenic overlook. Yellowstone is a big place. What are the odds? I took a few random pics and headed down to Artists' Point at his recommendation to take some pics of the waterfall.

http://images15.fotki.com/v343/photos/6/613910/3964819/P8190026Medium-vi.jpg

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Artists' Point

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After checking motel prices in West Yellowstone and finding they were in the $100+ range, I briefly considered camping. Then I remembered Dave had told me it got down to around 30 the night before. Not exactly camping weather for me. I kept looking and found this place for about $70, including tax. A nice place with very clean rooms and cable. What more could you want? No a/c, but I didn't think I would need it. The owner is a cool old guy, and very motorcycle friendly. He brought me out a piece of wood to put under my kickstand, and offered some old towels for me to clean the bike with, until I told him I don't clean my bike. He said he has a regular customer out of Seattle that has a blue bike that looked like mine. I wonder if it's an FZ1 and if he's a member here. About 10:30 that night I went out to check something on the bike and locked myself out of my room. I had on jeans with no shirt or shoes. The lobby was closed and a sign said to check in at the One Horse Motel around the corner. So barefooted, I "hoofed" it over there and that lobby was closed too. I rang the doorbell and a woman finally came out, laughed at me, and gave me another key. It's hell getting old.

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I head out to meet Dave, and after parking right in front of the place I look up and here he comes.

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I had a buffalo burger with him and his family. It was great to meet them, and hear his daughters talk about everything they had done since they'd been there. Later his mom took this pic.

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I ate a buffalo burger and I saw some buffalo, but I never saw an elk or a moose. Kind of disappointing, as that was one of my goals. Of course I wanted to see one in Yellowstone when I was going about 30, instead of at 70 or so on some highway. I later saw plenty of signs telling me to look out for them, but never saw one.

When I headed out the next morning it was about 33. I was fine for the first 30 minutes or so, but it soon got a little cold. After an hour I had just about had all I could take and was looking for a sunny place to pull off and warm up. Problem is I was riding in a valley of sorts, and the sun was blocked by the mountains. Finally I started to warm up, and never did pull off. Here's a pic I took somewhere in Montana that morning.

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Shortly after that I truly found Paradise, and here's the pic to prove it.

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Right after leaving Paradise I took this one.

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I stopped just before the eastern entrance to Glacier in the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to switch my remote video camera mount from under my fairing to my helmet. During that time I was panhandled by two older Indians looking for beer money. I made the mistake of giving them a dollar and then couldn't get rid of them. I was worried for a minute, but they finally left after I suggested they do so. I entered Glacier from the north at St. Mary. Since I was running video I didn't take any pictures. After getting home I realized the second tape I put in stopped I guess when I accidentally hit the stop button while putting the camcorder back in my tank bag. Therefore I only have video for about half the trip through. I also learned not to go through on a weekend in the middle of the day. There was a never-ending stream of cars going about 10-15 mph. But at least the scenery was great.

While headed south I looked over my shoulder once and realized I had just passed the place where Cyclenerd took his picture. I went to the next overlook and turned around to head back. While turning around a Honda CRV pulled in and blocked my path a little. While going around them my right saddlebag hit their rear bumper and I almost went down. I waited for them to decide there was no damage and headed back to the previous overlook. One goal realized. I was at the spot where the picture was taken. This was what it was all about.

I lied. I just found this pic I took as I was entering Glacier.

http://images18.fotki.com/v346/photos/6/613910/3964819/P8200001Medium-vi.jpg

I stayed the night in Kalispell at another Motel 6. While checking in the woman told me if I had been there the night before the rate would have been over $100 due to the Montana rodeo that was going on. I replied no it wouldn't have because I would have kept on going. Good timing on my part though. While there I saw a fellow traveler's bike. Remember, it's not what you ride, just that you ride. :D

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The bike had Montana plates so he hadn't traveled too far, but I was really impressed. He rides this because it's all he's got, but he's a biker. I had dinner at a mexican restaurant that night with another fellow traveler on a V-Strom. He's the guy I mentioned before that turned around after encountering the fresh chipseal on the way to Beartooth. He was from Redding, CA, and was on a 17 day vacation just riding around on his bike. I was impressed that his wife was ok with this, but someone later pointed out that she may have been on a 17 day vacation from him. This was one of the few good evening meals I had on the trip besides what I had at the Gather. He originally stopped me to ask about my Rick Mayer seat. After talking to me he decided to do a ride in and get a seat custom made by Rick since he's located near him.

[Fitty]

Monday morning I headed out for Troutdale, OR, just east of Portland, the location of the FZ1 West Coast Gather. The ride down to I-90 went along Flathead Lake, which was very large and beautiful. You'll have to trust me on that because I don't have any pics. I never saw a good enough location to take any. I may get grief for taking the interstates so much, but even they are fun in Montana and Idaho. And the scenery is great. I was running about 80 or so, and some of the curves are marked as low as 45-50, so it was not boring at all. Near Coeur d'Alene I ran into this guy at a gas stop. We had a good visit and he suggested I take 14 along the Columbia River in Washington, instead of I-84 in Oregon, to head over to the Portland area. He had me cross back over to Oregon at Biggs, OR, but looking at the map now I wish I had stayed on 14 a little longer. Either way it was beautiful.

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Here's the view from 14. You can see the interstate along the shore on the other side. The pictures don't really convey how impressive it looked.

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I saw this right before I crossed back over to Oregon.

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A man named Sam Hill had it built to honor 13 men from the area who gave their lives in WW I.

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Looking down from Stonehenge, this is where I crossed the river back into Oregon.

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Headed west on I-84 that afternoon I ran into some of the worst wind I've ever ridden in. West Texas has nothing on this area. Running 75-80 took a lot of concentration and effort. I regularly found myself dropping down to 65 or so before I cranked it back up. I reached Troutdale, OR around 6:00 pm. We were staying at The Edgefield, a McMenamins' property. I'm not sure if this was always a hotel, but the buildings are very old. At this location they have a vineyard and winery, plus they also have a distillery and brewery, making whiskey, gin and some great beers. I highly recommend the Hammerhead ale. My room was very reasonable at about $50 per night, but it's European style with the bathrooms down the hall. No TV or phones in the room, but the beds are very comfortable. It's like staying at someone's house. On the grounds they also have a movie theater, a par 3 "pitch and putt" golf course and an outdoor stage for concerts. Here are some pics of the grounds.

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They had artwork on all the walls in the hotel.

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An FZ1OA member and good friend of mine from Arkansas, Ed, walked up while I was checking in, just in time to help me unload my bike and carry my stuff up to the third floor. What a pal.

Tuesday morning I played a little par 3 golf with three other members. Ed and Rick have actually played a little golf fairly recently, I used to, and Erik thinks about it every now and then. On the back nine we paired off - Rick and I against Ed and Erik - and we played to a match play tie. Rick and Ed carried their teams, and Erik contributed more to his than I did. It was all a good time, with much laughter at our own expenses. Bad golf does that to you.

Rick

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Ed

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Erik

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Yours truly. I've either got to wear shorts more, or not at all, if you know what I mean.

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Since I was only there to eat Tuesday night, I took the afternoon off and did a little mainteance on my bike. I changed my oil in a Wal-Mart parking lot and took the old oil right back in for recycling. Worked out pretty well.

Tuesday night after the dinner I went to the bathroom down the hall to take out my contacts and locked myself out of my room again. Do I detect a trend here? At least I didn't have to go around the block barefooted to get another key. It's hell getting old.

Well, party's over, gotta head home. The first day I had to hit I-84 for the 750 miles to Salt Lake City and another Motel 6. On the way I came up behind a truck towing a trailer with two bikes on it. I totally ignored one of them, trying to figure out if the other was a red '06 FZ1. It was. I wonder who this is. And then it hit me. Sometimes I'm stupid. O.K., a lot of the time I'm stupid. As I passed them Rick just looked at me and grinned. It was Rick and Ed from Arkansas headed home. They got past me again when I stopped for gas, but I caught them at a gas stop just as we came into the north side of SLC. They were driving straight through so we said our goodbyes and I headed off to find another Motel 6 and wash some clothes.

The next morning I headed south some more and split off the interstate on 50, to 24 and over to 12 - one of the roads I came to ride. And man was it worth it! I took these somewhere on 24 I think.

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I met the owner of this '70 Bonneville just as I turned onto 12 to head south, and he took my picture. I showed these to a girl I work with and she said, "Hey, that guy looks a lot like you!" Yes, she's blonde. I forgive her. Believe me I do.

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[Fitty]

It starts to get interesting in the area of the Grand Staircase-Escalante. I only got rained on a little. Widely spaced, large drops. You know the kind. The ones that hit you like small bullets. You don't get wet, you get bruised. I'm riding down the road, taking in the beautiful scenery, while flinching and yelling "ow....shit....crap.....that hurt....stop it....man, look at that".

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As usual the pictures don't really do it justice. I didn't actually ride through Bryce NP, I stayed on 12. But I did go right through Zion, and it is very impressive. In it's own way probably just as much as Glacier. At Zion you seem to be riding "in" it, and not above or below. It's a more intimate experience and one I enjoyed very much. Even though I had to make it from SLC to Flagstaff that day, I still made time to stop and take some pictures.

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For the next two days I would skirt disaster, weather-wise, at every turn. I saw some very impressive lightening shows and thunderstorms, but rarely rode through much rain. Many times the road was covered in water after the recent rain that had apparently stopped not long before I came through. Thank you for that. I took the opportunity to catch the late afternoon light as I headed down into AZ, past the north rim of the Grand Canyon and down to Flagstaff.

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I got into Flagstaff around 8:30 local time, I'm pretty sure they don't observe daylight savings time, cold and tired. It was dark and cold and my face shield was fogging up. I was so ready to get a room I didn't mind stopping to ask for directions to the nearest Motel 6. As I was leaving the motel office after checking in I noticed a little sign that said something about the railroad and the trains tooting their horns. Something of a local color kind of thing I thought. How nice. Not so. The tracks were very close, and the trains, sometimes two at a time, blew their horns about every 15-20 minutes. I was so tired it didn't bother me that much, but if you are in the area you might want to consider staying somewhere else.

The next day my goal was to ride Hwy 191 in the southeastern part of AZ, and later make it to Scooterhose' place between Alamogordo and Cloud Croft, NM. Someone on the FZ1 board posted pics of this road once, and it looked, and sounded, like something I wanted to ride. I made a mental note that if I was ever in the area I would. Well I did, and I wasn't disappointed. This is one hell of a road. Over 100 miles of curves, altitude changes, wildlife and beautiful views. In fact I got a little tired before it was over. This was only part of my day, but it is probably better dealt with as a day ride by itself, with stops for rest. Riding north to south, I soon hit an area of road construction for the next 14 miles with fresh gravel. Well it turned out to not be so bad. The gravel was minimal and this area was soon behind me. I did hit a little more loose gravel further down the road, but no real problem. I saw it in time to slow down. On this road I saw more different types of warning signs than on any other road. I saw signs warning for Rocks, Loose Gravel, Deer, Elk, Equestrians, Hikers, Animals in general, and something that looked like a Bighorn sheep. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. This all kept me pretty busy. Out of all these I saw two deer, who luckily bolted away from the road as I approached, and the sheep. I also saw some chipmunks or ground squirrels run across the road that I guess the "Animals" signs were for.

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After a few miles of curves I saw this and thought the curves were over.

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[Fitty]

False alarm.

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Look closely and you can see the road curving down on the left and heading off into the distance.

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Near the end of the road I came to an area where they are mining something, copper maybe? Their handiwork formed designs with colors that looked very interesting.

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Near the end I finally saw the bighorn sheep, or whatever they were. Unlike deer, they showed no tendancy to run into the road in front of you. They just sort of ambled away while I took their picture.

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I highly recommend this road, but you should probably allow a little more time for it than I did. I then hit I-10 to Las Cruces where I left it to head up to Alamogordo. A nice ride on a straight road, after crossing the mountains, with beautiful scenery in the background.

Scott (Scooterhose) and Sandy had offered to show me the roads in the area when I came through, and I offered to stay at their house while they did. I'm nothing if not generous. Scott said they lived at the end of a remote road, and offered to meet me and ride me in. After finding their address on my GPS, I told him not to bother. I should have no problem finding their house. Wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllll, as it turns out there are two ways to get to their house once you leave the main highway. One is a very narrow paved road that hardly qualifies as such, and the other is almost impassable by anything short of a jeep, pickup, ATV or dirtbike. Guess which one my GPS chose? Yep. It started out innocently enough with a nice hard-packed gravel road headed slightly downhill. This might be fun I thought. Then I looked up and saw that it headed what looked like straight up, with rocks and holes in the road. Oh crap. It's not easy to turn a 500 or so pound motorcycle with 100 pounds of luggage on it around on a rough narrow gravel road so, onward and upward! I guess the combination of the 7,500' altitude, the incline, the loose gravel and relatively high gearing all contributed to making this very difficult. I stopped 3 times while attempting the climb. And each time the front brake locked the wheel and I slid backward. I had to dig my feet into the ground and hold the tank with my knees to keep from sliding all the way back down the hill. Disconcerting to say the least. What am I going to do now? What a dumbass I am. I thought if I could just get the rpms up and maybe get the back wheel spinning a little I could make it up, but no go. It just kept bogging. I finally made progress by letting out the clutch to the friction point while holding the front brake, and then letting off the brake and giving it just enough throttle to get moving, but not enough to race the motor and burn up the clutch. Then I just held it at that point and bogged on up the hill at somewhere less than 2,000 rpms. After 3 stops total I finally made it to the top and back to the pavement. What a relief! I then headed on to their house only to find Scott waiting for me on his ATV. Of course he was expecting me to be coming from the other direction and was surprised to see me. He pointed to his DSRL t-shirt so I knew it was him and stopped. I thought the worst was over, but I still had to negotiate his driveway. Not an easy task. It was also uphill, but at least the surface was better. Good, packed gravel, but you had to keep your speed up. Finally I was there. I promise you the pics don't adequately convey the steepness of the incline or the condition of that first part of the road, but here they are. First the bad road and then their driveway.

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Riding the ATV to go take pic of my "road".

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Scott had put a sign up for my arrival, but as I said, was waiting in person when I got there.

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Their two beautiful German Shepherds, Willie and Bronson. Scott has law enforcement "connections" and was able to buy these two from a lady that breeds dogs for police work. All of her breeding stock comes from Germany. They are very well trained and will defend their owners if necessary, but they are also very friendly. A great combination. Scott had them sit still for this picture. You can see them looking at him for the o.k. to get back up. I love these dogs.

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Group picture before I left.

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We didn't ride any roads while I was there, we just sat up until 1:00 am talking, and that was great. As I said before, they fed me like a king. My brief stay there was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. And the bad road I took to the house at least provided for a good story.

I rolled out around 11:45 am local time, and briefly considered riding the 1,200 or so miles home straight through. That thought lasted until it got dark and I saw a Motel 6 sign at the Kerrville, TX exit.

Guess where. Yep, west Texas. Got a little bored so I locked the throttle and took a few pics.

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I wonder if I'm going to go through that rain? As it turned out once again I missed it. It almost caught me at a gas stop at Fort Stockton, but I filled up quickly and outran it.

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The next day my luck finally ran out and I got rained on a little in the Houston area. By then it was welcome because it was hot again, after several days of mild weather. I made what would turn out to be my last gas stop about 30 miles west of Beaumont, TX. I got the tank extra full and luckily made it the 215 or so miles home without stopping. Lucky because I guess after being distracted by the weather and the two phone calls I made to my son, I was finally successful in losing my wallet. Third time's a charm. It's hell getting old.

[scooterhose]

Popcorn2 Really great repoert fitty. Would still be even if I wasn't in it.asdf


Great pics too. Cool12


Oh wait I said not to make it too good. damn now I'll have to try harder Head Bang

[JayD]

Outstanding report and pics Fitty !

[Juice]

Nice Job Man

Wow, That was an Incredible read about beautiful places, beautiful people and the freedom of the ride. Very inspirational and it kept me interested. You had me wanting to jump on my bike and ride. I especially liked the way you put people in the spotlight and you wasn't just focused on mother nature, the roads and the ride.

[Flying Low]

very nice report. thanks for sharing and helping fuel all of our fires to get out on the open road to see new places.

[chappy]

Wonderful report and pics Fitty, thanks!

[Ritten]

You certainly don't disappoint Fitty. Thank you so much for taking us along on the trip. Great pictures and an amazing description of one hell of an adventure!!

[Fitty]

Thanks everybody. I had almost as much fun putting that together as I did on the trip. Almost.

[Juice]

How was Vegas? where are the Vegas Pictures?



Thanks everybody. I had almost as much fun putting that together as I did on the trip. Almost.

[Fitty]

What Vegas pictures? Didn't go there. Too far west for my southern route home. I came down through Flagstaff instead.

[Rocky]

Absolutely brilliant man........

[K2]

Great report Dale, I mean Bill. ROFL

Just razzing ya...I really enjoyed your photos, especially the Zion canyon and AZ stuff! I'm so glad that you got to come by and stay with me n Scooter, we had fun yakking with you. Cool12

[Juice]

Cool12


http://www.dualsportridersoflouisiana.com/photopost/data/500/P8260116Medium-vi.jpg

[Fitty]

Thanks again klrno2. The visit with you and Scooter was definitely a highlight of the trip. Right up there with Going to the Sun Highway. :D

And your cooking......................man!! It wouldn't do for me to have access to that very often. I'd weight 300 lbs.

[Doug]

Excellent!
Thanks for bringin' us along for the ride!

[weave]

Just got around to this, Nice job. What kind of scanner did you use to scan all dem postcards!!!!

[K2]

Thanks again klrno2. The visit with you and Scooter was definitely a highlight of the trip. Right up there with Going to the Sun Highway. :D

And your cooking......................man!! It wouldn't do for me to have access to that very often. I'd weight 300 lbs.

Glad you enjoyed the food Fitty...next time, bring your KLR and we'll ride off any calories we consume! :)

[Fitty]

Yeah Sandy, I posted that in Scott's ride report on the Labor Day ride. I've got to get back out there with the KLR. It's on my list of things to do. :D

[Dusty]

Another awesome report. Beautiful display and nice choice of words. Thanks for sharing

[Dirty_Sanchez]

Worthy Bump for a trip of a lifetime!

Fitty- thanks for sending me the link and telling me a bit about your trip at the Harley Bike Night yesterday eve.

Dirty

[Fitty]

Thanks Dirty. I need to go back and re-live it myself.

[ONE LOVE]

Thanks for taking us a long. Spectacular sights!Thanks12

[Fitty]

One Love, do you have a connection to Louisiana of some sort, or did you just find this board while wandering the internet?

Welcome to the group by the way. Why don't you post an introduction thread in that area and introduce yourself?

[Ritten]

Actually, he did...lol

http://www.dualsportridersoflouisiana.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3380

[Fitty]

Actually, he did...lol

http://www.dualsportridersoflouisiana.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3380
Thanks. Juice pointed it out to me. :)

[Juice]

Bump for Phil......

[I_FLY_LOW]

Thanks for the bump!

As eluded to in another post, Awesome report fitty, er' Bill!

Just goes to show, how sheltered a person lives... One day... I gotta do some rides like this...

[Zutopong]

Wow, spectacular report and photos. I really enjoyed the read. Thanks

[Fitty]

Thanks Zutopong. Did you see this one?

http://www.dualsportridersoflouisiana.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3832

It was the next year, and has wrecks and a meeting with AdventureGirl in the middle of the Nevada desert at midnight, with no headlights. :D

[mattc]

First time I'd read this one. That's a hurried pace you rode there!