Motorcycling Trip #18: Sept 2018

Motorcycle #18, 2018-09

Trip Highlights:

• Dinosaur Nat'l Monument
• Pony Express Nat'l Historic Trail
• Transcontinental Railroad RR
• Golden Spike
• Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway
• Gravellies
• Yellowstone N.P.

Day 1

September 18, 2018: Arizona City to BB+ Camp - 370 mi

Wheeling the loaded motorcycle out the front door for an early morning departure.

Engine started, lights on ... ready to roll.

At a rest stop along the highway.

Fuel stop in Willcox, southeastern AZ.

One of the problems with doing multi-repeat trips, is that the gear wears out. And because I can't afford to buy new gear each time, some items are bound fail. And so it was with my camera, which failed on the first day. Setting up to take a photo, the display went dark. Odd that it was working fine at home. So reaching Silver City NM I stopped to buy a new camera. I took my old camera into the store and found a darkened corner. There, the display screen was not very bright, but at least it was visible. So on the theory the camera was still capable of taking photos, I decided to hold off on a new camera, and continue using the old one. Subsequently during the trip, I was shooting blind; ("Point and Shoot" taken literally) and it wasn't until I returned home that I learned that the photos were coming out fine, when seeing them on the computer screen.

Lots of rain this afternoon, with some lightning and hail. A continually rough road caused the yellow bag to shift.

Wall Lake. Shallow and on private land, but pretty nonetheless.

Elk tracks across the mud. The herd is large and lives the general vicinity. I see them every now and then.

Camp below Elk Mountain, New Mexico

Day-1 Highlights:

• Depart home 5:30 am
• Arrive Silver City at noon
• Got soaked on N. Star Rd, north of Mimbres. Lightning, hail, and pouring rain.
• Was shooting for Baby Bird campsite, but found it occupied so camped another quarter-mile further on.
• 14 hours of riding

Day 2

September 19, 2018: BB+ to Vacas Camp - 278 mi

Collins Park

Nice riding this morning.

The Plains of San Agustin (site of the Roswell UFO incident)

Prickly poppies dot the landscape in NM, and they seem to bloom all summer long.

Obligatory stop at the Toaster House.

Making camp in a pouring rain.

The rain has let up, leaving the landscape fresh and clean (and the roads muddy).

Day-2 Highlights:

• Grants 1:15 pm.
• Arrived Cuba 4:40 pm looking at wall of dark thunderstorm clouds.
• Thought about motel but carried on into the pouring rain, and camped south of Teakettle Rock.
• Rained all night.

Day 3

September 20, 2018: Vacas to Del Norte Camp - 187 mi

Teakettle Rock

Rest stop at Abiquiu Reservoir, drying the tarp after a night of rain. I don't need to dry the tarp; it works as well dry or wet. But since I have the time, might as well. It takes only a few minutes.

Fresh off the highway, I stopped to air-down the tires.

A pleasant late-fall ride down the mountain.

I don't eat in restaurants so don't have the antibodies to fight the usual colds and flu viruses that people bring into them. This evening I was extra hungry, so ordered a Mexican dinner to go, and ate it elsewhere.

Camped in the city park, Del Norte CO

Del Norte is a pretty laid-back town, with lots of friendly residents. During the summer it is a stop-over point for those hardy souls riding the tour-divide and GDR.

Day 3 Highlights:

• Stopped raining about 9 am
• Chama 12:40 pm
• Del Norte 6:00 pm
• Camped at city park in Del Norte
• Locals are nice, friendly
• Rough riding all afternoon
• Really cold during the night

Day 4

September 21, 2018: Del Norte to Dunckley Camp - 278 mi

Basalt formation known as Hell's Gate.

Day 4 Highlights:

• Poncha Springs 1 pm
• Really cold, riding with insulated jacket.
• Going Hwy 24 from Leadville to I70, then west to Wolcott.
• Hwy 131 north of Wolcott 3 pmv
• Camped between Yampa and Meeker

Day 5

September 22, 2018: Dunckley to Wagon Wheel Camp - 172 mi

Coming down from Dunckley Pass, on the Forever West route.

Gassing up in Meeker CO, I talked with the two guys for half an hour. They had been riding together for 20 years and joked that they were "brothers." They no longer lived in the same town, but every now and then would meet up for a ride. The fellow on the quad pulled up, and the two guys started talking to him. The guy with the brown hat said he recognized the voice of the quad rider, then remarked, "You used to be my foreman! Best foreman I ever had!"

Nice day for a swim at Rio Blanco Lake. I hadn't taken a shower for several days, because of the camping out. So the water sure felt good, even though the bottom was mucky.

Hard to tell from this photo, but this ten miles of the Forever West (FW) route was soft sand, sometimes deep.

Entering Dinosaur.

Interesting landscapes at every turn. And this late in the season there are very few people out here. I saw only two other vehicles all afternoon.

Camped near Wagon Wheel Overlook in Dinosaur National Monument

I love camping in areas like this; and if a cold wind is blowing, I just pitch the tarp a bit lower.

And talk about magical, that's the full moon rising - the evening of the Autumnal Equinox!

Day-5 Highlights:

• Meeker 10:40 am COLD! Going to ride slab Hwy 64 to Road 65 turn-off. The stretch between the paved roads was really sandy.
• Just west of Elk Springs turn-off 2:30 pm (Hwy 40 and Road 14).
• Camped at Wagon Wheel in Dinosaur.
• To tired from riding to hike out to the lookout.

Day 6

September 23, 2018: Wagon Wheel to Heber City - 207 mi

The climb out of Echo Park.

Same road, looking back down.

I stopped to enjoy the view, when a couple pulled up and parked their car close by (in an otherwise empty parking lot). And this is when I learned that my bike and I are invisible. The fellow and his wife ignored me as if I was not there. As if they could see completely through me. As though I was not just highly translucent, but totally transparent. As if I cast no shadow. :) In the cities people tend to treat each other like that, but out here it is not good manners. Fortunately, it was an isolated incident, but for someone reading this, here is a tip: If afraid of a stranger with a motorcycle, don't park close. Otherwise, exchange a few words of small talk, if nothing else just to acknowledge the other person's existence. Treat people as though we are all going around the Sun on the same planet.

Day 6 (2018-09-23) Highlights:

• Naples/Vernal 11 am
• Rode slab to Heber City
• Stayed at Swiss Alps Inn, Heber City, same room as before.

Day 7

September 24, 2018: Heber to Donner Spring Camp - 207 mi

After a long stretch of slab, followed by a motel in Heber City, the next morning I departed well before first light and slabbed to Salt Lake City where I endured a wild stint of freeway riding at 75 mph in the dark with only a smokey shield on my helmet (I am not caring a clear shield). I landed at this convenience store at dawn, and what a bonanza. It had some good food. So at last, I was ready to ride the Pony Express.

128 miles along the original Pony Express Overland Stage Trail. Link

Lookout Pass on the Pony Express Overland Stage Trail.

Simpson Springs Historic Marker

Black Rock Station Historic Marker

Boyd Station

Canyon Station

The 40 some-odd miles north of Wendover were pretty rough, and slow going. The washboards were often so large that I couldn't get on top of them by going fast.

I camped at Donner Spring on the original Transcontinental Railroad. I remembered this place and its big cottonwoods from last time I rode the route, and this year I was able to pass on through Wendover and its motels, and reach this place in time to make camp. However, last time I didn't stop and explore, so I didn't see the pond. Pretty amazing place far out in the desert, and about the only trees for a hundred miles.

Tarp pitched perpendicular to a strong wind.

Day-7 Highlights:

• Lookout Pass on Pony Express Road 8:30 am
• Rough riding but interesting.
• West Wendover 2:30 pm. Stopped at park, got gas, then sandwich place to sit down and eat.
• Left West Wendover 3 pm
• Camped at Donner Spring (cottonwoods/pond) where modern RR crosses at Lucin

Day 8

September 25, 2018: Donner Spring to Burly - 216 mi

Route along part of the original Transcontinental Railroad.

One hundred miles of the original Transcontinental Railroad.

Each time the railroad came to a wash, the crew had to build a bridge. So there are a few hundred of these, large and small, along the route. But now in modern times, the bridges are unsafe to drive over, so the route makes short bypasses of each one.

One hundred miles of this. Pretty fun, and super historic. Just to think that a person can ride a part of the original Transcontinental Railroad!

Golden Spike National Historic Site. First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, completed in 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah.

Day-8 Highlights:

• Golden Spike 1:30 [m
• All gear is coated in dirt, salt and dust.
• Burley Id, Budget Motel. 100 Flies in room. Moved to different room. Only 5 flies in that room.

Day 9

September 26, 2018: Burly to Phifer Creek Camp - 192 mi

Camp on the Middle Fork of Boise River. Link

Day-9 Highlights:

• Glenns Ferry 8:45 am
• Camped at campground, Middle Fork Boise River

Day 10

September 27, 2018: Phifer to Bench Creek Camp - 145 mi

At Bench Creek Campground, along the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway, I have the whole place to myself.

Day-10 Highlights:

• Idaho City 2:30 pm
• Didn't care for Idaho Backcountry Route during hunting season.
• Camped at Bench Creek Campground.
• Loved Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway.

Day 11

September 28, 2018: Bench Creek to Stockyard Camp - 312 mi

Taking a break at the city park in Challis, Idaho.

On the GDR east of Lima, MT. Link

Day-11 Highlights:

• Stanley Id 10 am
• Super enjoyed ride to Challis
• Pretty country but lots of burned forest
• Challis 1 pm
• Lima MT 5 pm, then headed for the Gravellies
• Camped out of stockyard

Day 12

September 29, 2018: Stockyard to Dillon - 109 mi

Frost

Black Butte in the Gravelly Range (The Gravellies) Idaho

Day-12 Highlights:

• Gravellies northbound
• Dillon MT (Dill Pickle) 2:45 pm, ate at "best Mexican food in Montana," the school bus.
• Stayed at Sundowner Motel. Discovered right fork leaking oil! Can't ride anymore dirt.

Day 13

September 30, 2018: Dillon to Lava Mountain Lodge - 272 mi

Mud pot at West Thumb, Yellowstone NP.

Tetons

Small cabin at Lava Mt Lodge.

Day-13 Highlights:

• West Yellowstone Noon. COLD! Light rain and snow. Going to slab it home.
• Near the Tetons was going 50 mph, a deer ran out in front. Quickly applied brakes.
• Stayed at Cabin #2 at Lava Mtn Lodge.

Day 14

October 1, 2018: Lava to Kremmling - 390 mi

It's not every day that you see something like this.

A flock of wild turkeys. Location

I don't carry a telephoto lens, so have to take photos of wildlife at close range.

Forest fire in northern CO.

Day-14 Highlights:

• Lost eye glasses while packing up outside Cabin #2. Don't need them.
• Fort Washakie WY 10:15 am
• Headed for Breckenridge. Temperature is warming. Bike is running good.
• Walden CO 4 pm. GPS not working very well.
• Saw huge gopher snake near Split Rock WY.
• Saw a bunch of wild turkeys, came up close to moto. Near Encampment WY.
• Kremmling 6 pm, Stayed at Super 8.

Day 15

October 2, 2018: Kremmling to Bernalillo - 406 mi

Day-15 Highlights:

• Buena Vista CO 9:20 am
• RAIN most of the day.
• Bernalillo NM 5 pm, Stayed at Day's Inn

Day 16

October 3, 2018: Bernalillo to AZ-city - 534 mi

Separ, AZ on the GDR.

Returning home.

Happy to be home again.

Day-16 Highlights:

• Killed battery by using wheel lock position on ignition key, which I haven't used before, and didn't notice the parking light was on. Got jump start from kind construction worker staying at motel.
• Socorro NM 8:15 am
• Deming 10 am
• Wilcox AZ 12:30 pm
• Home 3pm

Closing thoughts

It was a good trip. A very good trip.

During my two year hiatus from riding, I began to have doubts that I would ever be able to do another motorcycle trip again. But once back on the bike, it was like old times. The first day of the trip I rode for fourteen hours, then the next day it was much the same. I'm so wired to this bike that I feel like a different person when I climb on. The bike becomes an extension of myself - the result of riding 85,000 miles on gravel roads mostly.

Some days were rough, and many times I thought to myself: I can't believe I'm able to pull this off, at my age of 73, handling a big motorcycle on rough terrain - way out there, all by myself, in late season when all other dirt bikers have long since gone home. Yet the trip was a blast, and I can't hardly wait to do it again, next year hopefully.

Only next time not quite so late in the season. My problem this year was that I bought a new-to-me bike for this trip, and after working on it for two months and not achieving the desired results, I said to heck with it, I'm taking the Dakar. And by then it was late season. I don't like to go on trips during hunting season, because I don't feel safe around the hunters. The main problem is their driving. They come out in droves, and some of them come around blind corners fast and in the wrong lane. This is dangerous. Then they look at you like: What are you doing on MY road? However, this is not meant to stereotype hunters - most are very nice. Three or four days ago I was far out in the bush, and a hunter asked whether I needed more gas. I didn't need gas, but that guy made my day.

Speaking of blind corners, I started the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route, and found it was one blind corner after another - by the hundreds. And due to the late season, the hunters had come out of the woodwork. I rode one day of blind corners and changed my mind on the Idaho BDR. A person needs to ride that route well before hunting season. And even then, a person can't rip, like I sometimes like to do on the other routes.

At this stage in my life my plans are much more flexible. If I'm not enjoying something, I change plans. I left the IBD route and rode the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway instead, and that proved one of the highlights of the trip.

But my main goal of the trip was to ride the Gravellies. Been wanting to do that for years, and this year I finally pulled it off. Even though the weather that day was nip and tuck. I rode through that range alone, I saw no other people up there. And that night it snowed up there, closing the route until snowmobile season in mid-December.

I was intending to ride to the Canadian border, then follow the GDR back to NM. Until one of the front forks blew a seal. That brought an end to riding dirt. I could have taken a few days to fix the seal, but the internal dialog was urging me to slab home.

Home again, it will take only a few hours to repair the fork seal. (I lacked the tools to do the job during the trip.) Then I think I'll replace the water pump and lube the swingarm. And replace the valve adjustment shims for the first time on this bike.

I can't believe I put my Dakar up for sale last year, and that I had no buyers. In the ad I stated that the bike was ready to go again - and it did just that. Its a GREAT bike, and I'm going to keep it.

Note: During much of the trip I used heated gloves and a home-made heated jacket. They were a big success. To make them work, I replaced the stock halogen headlight bulb drawing 55 watts with an LED headlight unit drawing only 20 watts. I also installed a voltmeter so I could keep tabs of the stator output. I also installed a switch to turn off the headlight, but found that the switch was not needed.