Grand Canyon Trip Day9

Left Woodward, OK at 7am on the last leg of the journey. Cool and clear again. Except for a shower on day 1, the rest of the trip has been dry.

I'm pleased to report to you that eastern Oklahoma is nice country! The grass and crops were green, there were hills, trees, wildlife, and towns. I plan to come back some day, will start on highway 60 as it was nice to me today.

I would like to give glory and praise to God for giving us a good trip and keeping us safe the whole way!

I made many new friends, and have no regrets going on the trip. Group riding, I will warn you, is a little slower and you stop where and when the group wants to. Thanks to everyone who rode with me and helped make my trip memorable. Special thanks to my roommate, Roy, who is so easy to get along with, I appreciate you.

Rode 327 miles today, 3035 miles total for the trip, rode in 7 states, and crossed the continental divide twice. Lowest temp was 37 and highest was 104.

It was so incredibly good to get home and hug my wife, daughter, and dog. No sign of the boy yet, but will hug him when he shows up. Next, I will see if I remember how to drive a car!

Grand Canyon Trip Day 8

Had no good photo opps today, so here is a pic of the T-shirt I picked-up in Bellmont, AZ

Left Pueblo, CO today at 7am to head home, will take two days to get there. The weather once again was cool with clear skies. The scenery wasn't scenic, it was eastern Colorado and western Oklahoma, a bit on the plain side. Feeling a bit fatigued, and without good things to look at, staying awake was at times difficult for all of us.

When we pulled into Boise City, OK for lunch, we were suprised to see Scott and Nancy there! They had ridden out the night before so that they could ride back with us and spend some time with us. It sure was nice to have them with us again, sure did buoy our spirits. (Scott and Nancy are the owners of Cycle Connection in case you didn't know that)

The afternoon riding in OK was sick hot, we were toasted by the time we stopped for the night in Woodward. We ate pizza together in the lobby rather than go back out into the heat. Rode 408 miles today, have 308 still to go. Joplin here we come!

Grand Canyon Trip Day 7

Day 7 started with clean jeans, every 3rd day! Once again we had perfect riding weather--cool, crisp, sunny blue skies! Headed east on highway 50 and rode in the mountains, smelling the pine trees, enjoying the fresh air.

Our first stop was Cimmaron Canyon, steep cliffs, narrow pass, sharing the canyon with a stream.

Next, we came to Lake Fork, a lake that we rode next to for some 15 or 20 miles or so. Then it changed to the Gunnison River Canyon, then a wide, green valley until we got into Gunnison.
Did I mention the weather was perfect, the rodes were ideal, the sun was shining, it was cool, and we were surrounded by beauty every where we looked.

Started a long, twistie climb up the mountains until we got to Monarch Pass, which is the Continental Divide. We had lunch there, celebrated Roy's birthday (we suprised him, his wife tipped us off and he didn't know we knew). Took our time there, enjoying the snow and pine trees. A few snow balls were thrown. The ride down was fun, a long, twistie downhill run. By the time we got to the bottom it was HOT! Stopped and took off the cold weather gear and got ready for the heat. Rain clouds were starting to form, so we ran as fast as we could and got away from them, only to see our next obstacle come into view.

SMOKE! There were some fires, and the canyon in front of us was smokey. We tied bandanas over our noses and mouths and rode through it, not too bad really. The canyon we were riding trough had us next to the Arkansas River, the same canyon you see if you visit Royal Gorge. Watched the rafters on the river and saw trains on the train tracks.

Then it was just plain, super hot, drab landscape the rest of the way into Pueblo where we are spending the night. Nice to get in earlier today and cool off some. Traveled a meer 230 miles today, 2300 so far for the trip. Tomorrow we shart the long drive towards home.

Grand Canyon Trip Day 6

Best night sleep yet, loved the pillow at the Desert Rose Inn.

We had breakfast at this diner a couple miles down the road from where we stayed.
Tip of the day: tie a red bandana on the back of your bike somewhere to flap in the wind and cause you to be seen better by the car drivers (tip courtesy of Ken).

Riding through Utah this morning, warm enough to start the day in T-shirts. The Utah landscape is still very harsh, dry, and vast. They have signs that warn you to watch for cows and horses--we saw some of both. Also noticed jack-rabbit as a common road-kill. We crossed the San Juan River, a good sized river with a ribbon of green growth along both sides, a start contrast to the desert.

We stopped at "Four Corners", where Utah, AZ, NM, and Colorado meet. Happens to be on Indian land, so they charge you $3 per head to come in and see it, and then surround you with booths selling Indian souvenirs. The souvenirs were reasonably priced, though.

Stopped at the Mesa Verde National Park, a winding road takes you to a high elevation there in Colorado. We saw these wild horses. Roy had a bear run across the road in front of him. We spent a little too much time in there looking at these cliff dwellings (see pic below)

Stopped in Durango next, went to the Harley Davidson dealership, not a very nice one.

Then embarked on the last leg of todays journey, a 2 hr and 45 min ride through two mountain passes to get to final destination of Montrose. The concern was that the passes are closed at sundown, and we just had 3 hrs to make it through. We went high up winding, mountain roads, though the pass and down to Silverton, was super scenic, though.

I took this pic in Silverton. Then over the 2nd pass (longer and scarier) to end at Montrose. We saw flashing signs warning of elk that could be on the road, and we actually saw 2 or 3 elk. There was snow up in the mountains, and it was very cold, dawned our warmest gear. Rolled in about 8:35, quick snack, then get ready for bed. We went an even 300 miles today. Tomorrow we head toward Pueblo, CO.

Grand Canyon Trip Day 5

Tip of the day: dirty clothes can make a good lumbar support when placed in a pocket of your lugage near your back.

Left Flagstaff at 7am today and headed south to Sedona. The run down the canyon was a blast! Started off rather cool, but by the time we got to the bottom at Sedona it was hot! We saw folks with umbrellas at 8 in the morning!

This picute is out of order, it is the Sunset Crater Volcano, we stopped to see it north of Flagstaff, there was lava flows, black sand, the whole nine yards!

In Sedona, we said goodbye to Ken. He was formerly from Joplin, but now in Texarcana, TX. He joined us in Amarillo to ride with old friends for a few days. Our ride was enriched in many ways by Ken. Hope to see him again some day.

Here is a shot outside of Sedona in Red Rock Canyon. From there, we headed north again. The cars tried to run us over on I-17. We could ride 80 mph and still too slow for them, they would come right up behind and tailgate us, cut into us, it was tense!

North of Flagstff on our way to Utah, we stopped to see the Wupatki ruins. These were aboriginal people who lived in this area almost 800 years ago.

The desert we rode through was so harsh, so hot! I was glad that I always bring a small cooler on my bike with some cold water. A person wouldn't last very long out here if stranded.

In Utah, we rode through Monument Valley on our way to Bluff to stay the night. Utah wowed me, in that it is so big, vast harsh, and deserted. We had the roads all to ourselves--not many people live out here.

This is David and Carol, we were almost done, and we were pretty hot, dusty, and tired. The showers sure did feel good! We rode 359 miles today. Tomorrow we head into Colorado.

Grand Canyon Trip Day 4

Day 4 and that means clean jeans! Clean pair every 3rd day.

Did I mention we're staying at the Hilton? It's nice! Had a great full breakfast today.

Was a chilly 35 degrees at sunrise and about mid 40s when we headed out at 730am. We were wearing long sleeves, thermal socks, full leathers, and our warmest gloves. Face was only part exposed, but the crisp morning air felt refreshing. The sun was shining bright and the sky was blue. We took a route north from Flagstaff through the mountains on our way to the Grand Canyon.

About 10 miles before we got to the canyon it started warming up and we stopped to get those hot leathers off. The rest of the day was absolutely perfect riding weather. To me it seems that one's senses are five times better on a motorcycle vs. a car--sight, smell, sound, feel, hearing.

The Grand Canyon is just breathtaking in beauty and vastness! We rode a winding route along the southern rim from east to west, stopping at many of the overlooks. I enjoyed the riding as much as the stops to look.

Oh, I took a lot of pictures for sure, but showing you a couple. We were early and beat the big crowds. At one spot as we pulled in (it is a sight when 14 Harley Davidsons come roaring in) we saw about 12 girls excitedly waving at us. They were all from France and were spellbound by our bikes, wanted to sit on them and take pictures. Ken put one on the back of his bike and gave her a short ride, the look on her face was like a kid at Christmas! Ken got kisses on both cheeks afterwards, and had to pose for lots of pictures. All day long people came by and looked and took pictures of our bikes. Are we living their dreams?

This is a picture of a tower at the east end that you can climb to get a great view. Joyce and Shirley are cutting up a little. The group has gotten to know each other pretty well by now and are therefore having more fun!

We stopped at a pizza place after we left then canyon for lunch, then a nice leisurely ride south towards Williams.

Stopped at the Grand Canyon Harley Davidson dealership between Williams and Flagstaff on I-40. Most bought souvenier T-shirts. Mear minutes after we parked, three couples from Pittsburgh, Kansas pulled in. David recognized them and their bikes, he remembered selling them. It's a small world.

Tomorrow we will leave Flagstaff and head south to Sedona, then north to Monument Valley in Utah. Bring it on! I think I'm getting into my biker groove, when after a few days of living on a motorcycle, you get to be real comfortable on it. It is so much fun!

Grand Canyon Trip Day 3

Got another 8am start today, it was 50 degrees with sunny, blue skies. Didn't take long for the day to warm up and get HOT! And yes, it is still windy, we just deal with it. The air here is so dry, our noses are getting dry from being in the wind. I'm sure if you camped here there would be no dew in the morning.

Our first stop was the painted desert and petrified forest. We're talking really beautiful riding! We met lots of other bikers, talked to some from Germany, France, and South Africa!. Apparently Route 66 is a poplular destination for foreign biker tourists. We met a couple riding from Monett, MO, too. Motorcycling is really a very social, friendly bunch.

This is just a pic of our bikes parked at an overlook in the desert.

This is my roomate, Dave. Our second trip rooming together, we get along well.

Our second stop was Winslow, Arizona, where we "stood on the corner." There was an old flatbed ford there, too, in case you were wondering.

Next we went to the Meteor Crater, a big hole in the ground. The altitude was 5780 feet. The clouds rolled in and we rode the last leg for the day, a 45 min trek up to Flagstaff, we gained about 2000 more feet in that distance, it cooled off a lot more, and now we can smell the pine trees. We rode around 200 miles today.

Tomorrow we head out at 0730 to see the Grand Canyon itself. Supposed to get down to 39 degrees tonight. I brought warm clothes, but hope it warms up fast.

Grand Canyon Trip Day 2

Headed out at 8am from Amarillo, stopped just down the road at Cadillac Ranch. Larry did some spray painting and the rest of us took pictures. The temp was rather cool starting out, we all wore jackets. I thought it would warm up, but as we eventually climbed to altitude 7158 it got even cooler. Then a long downhill run to Albuquerque where it got really hot and stayed that way for the rest of the day. Wind was again a factor, even saw signs warning of severe cross winds. You could see the bike in front of you constantly leaning to the left to stay on the road, and the tractor trailer rigs, the trailers were dog-legging to the right. Sure made for a tiring, stressful ride at times.

The New Mexico landscape was a joy to ride through, amazing views and vistas. The stops are few and far between, not a lot of populaion that I saw. And then there was the smoke from the fires. We were prepared to pull over and put bandanas over our noses and mouths if needed, but was never quite that bad. Ate lunch at the HD dealer in Albuquerque and dinner at Denny's.

Covered 552 miles today, a new personal best for me. Our leader, Larry, is training for an iron butt ride later this month when he'll ride 1000 miles in one day, raising money for MDA. We are in Holbrook, AZ tonight. Will be a slower day tomorrow with lots of sight seeing, projecting less than 200 miles.

Grand Canyon Trip Day 1

Met up at Cycle Connection in Joplin, had a word of prayer, group photo, and hit the road at 7am. Wasn't long before we hit some rain showers, not enough to stop and put on rain gear, but enough to get our bikes real dirty. It was fun to be on day 1 of our much anticipated trip, though. We did some thinking after the tornado about whether to cancel or continue the trip, and decided we could use the break and there would be plenty of work for a long time to come.

We met up with Don and Anita when we went past Venita, later Joe and Jill met us in Oklahoma City.

Joyce had a pin break on her bag, and Larry fixed this temporary cover for it until she could get it fixed in Amarillo. Lots of heads turned to look at her bike!

Battled horrible cross winds for a while that really unsettled me and many of the others.

We stopped for lunch at Sids Diner (of Food Network fame) for lunch. Had the world famous onion burgers, they were really good!

The rest of the ride was uneventfull. The Texas landscape was interesting, the land doesn't look very fertile or green, but the dirt and gullys and scrub are not what you see everyday, so youcould call them scenic? Got into Amarillo at 7pm, decided to eat at the mexican place next door to the hotel, was really pretty good food! Showers were badly needed and felt good. Ready for bed. Kickstands up at 0800 tomorrow, heading through New Mexico and into Arizona.