7 week Motorcycle Trip 2018

[Cholo]

WAYNO asked a while back if I was going to post pics from my 7 week, 9,400 mile trip. Sure!

Various things kept me from taking a vacation since 2012. I was ready! I left just after the 4th of July simply heading west. My only itinerary was seeing the west coast. Only about 500 miles were on the interstate and it was just because there were no other roads to get me from here to there.

I wanted to take this trip on my '04 Harley Deuce with no windshield or saddle bags, just my stuff strapped on the back. It was to be similar to the 11k bike trip I took in '73. 30 minutes due west and I was crossing Lookout Mountain, GA, the southern most mtn. in the Appalachians. After crossing Sand Mountain, AL I snaked NW up to TN heading NW. I really do live in a beautiful lush green part of the country! 96*, and that was the coolest it would be for the next 5 weeks, except for one or 2 days.



In AR I always seem to call it a day in Harrison, great roads all around. I've ridden NW AR for years, love it! I've heard that you have to ride the Pig Trail. www.ozarkrides.com/pig%20trail.htm I left Kingston and caught it west of me. When I got done I was like--where is it? Nice road but nothing special at all. Spent the night in Mena, AR. Now we're talking!



The Talimena National Scenic Byway is the most serene road I've ridden between the Rockies and the Appalachians. You just ride the crest of the Ozarks from Mena, AR to hwy. 271 in OK. Non stop gorgeous! Pics mean nothing. 54 miles of serenity, and hardly a soul to be seen from one end to the other. This was the 3rd time I've ridden it end to end (I crossed it in '12) but the 1st time I've ridden it east to west. It took me 5 hours to go 54 miles if that tells you anything. I've got so many videos and pics, but I'll only post a few pics.









Across OK south of OKC into TX and north thru the panhandle to west OK 412. I love panhandles. I always wanted to know what the panhandle of OK was like and if people actually lived there. Yup! And it was just like TX to the south LOL. On to NM and the Rockies.

Is there any interest in this? I'm just about into week 2 here and don't want to take up unnecessary space. So many amazing people, so many sights to come. I'll cover traveling with a handgun on the dreaded, Oooo, west coast LOL.

Let's keep this out of the Politics section, okay?

 

[Kevin]

I’d like to see more! Those are great pictures!

 

[gatling]

Great photos and story...please keep both coming.

 

[WAYNO]

WAY COOL! Yes!






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[Bear Paw Jack]

You traveled through some nice country. Keep them coming.

 

[protoolman]

Keep going. Just what I've read so far has me charging batteries and changing oil for my spring ride through the Rockies in Montana. I can't wait to point my bike West and just roll the power on! Good stuff! I love ride reports.

 

[BDM1]

Good pics, thanks.

 

[Poco Oso]

I'd like to see more too. I must say I'm envious. Between you and gatling I'm living vicariously. I'm trying to get my bike back on the road but my divorce, and the financial fallout from it, really slowed me down. Please keep 'em coming.

 

[Mag-force]

nothing like it on the open road on a harley! Way Cool

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Cholo,
That my friend is a pretty dumb question. About as dumb as me shooting a black powder 12 ga. next to you when you weren't ready.
OF COURSE we at least I want you to post more. I think all of us on here live a little in what others post.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Keep rollin' . . .

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[bogus bill]

Bring it on!!

 

[Slyk Willy]

Thnx for taking me along on your ride!

 

[T.A. WORKMAN]

Thanks for sharing your ride & pictures with us. By all means continue the journey,

Terry

 

[pisgah]

Please continue. I am planning something similar this summer.

 

[graygun]

mas y mas

 

[Heliman]

Bring it on Ken! I have been waiting for the stories of your trip!

Dave

 

[exavid]

Yes indeed, keep posting the pictures. Makes me jealous I haven't ridden on a long road trip since I went with two friends in my Goldwing from Oregon to Georgia and North Carolina over ten year ago now. I just gotta get out on the road this summer. Even if I have to do it on my 650cc touring scooter. It's a far cry from my GW but does the job. Maybe my knee surgery will allow me to get back on a K1100LT again.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I bought a 1979 Goldwing with 5k on it in 1980 and put 60K+ on it. An outstanding scooter. A much better bike than the Harley that I now have :wink:

 

[bogus bill]

I rode from southern california to wisconsin and back solo in 1968 on this 1963 harley. Frankly it was a rough trip. I think it rained on me 90 % of the trip and even snowed. It was grueling but I am glad I did it. The last day of the trip I did exactly 1,000 miles. I left Jackson wyoming and at salt lake I needed a rear tire. I was next to broke and bought a recap. Never heard of one used on a motorcycle before or since. I was going to spend the night in vegas but decided to ride home to tujunga california. I got to whiskey petes and gassed. They were talking about Robert Kennedy being shot. I got home exactly 24 hours from jackson and 1,000 miles. When I got off the bike I didnt even unload it. Walked in the house in a riding crouch, didnt even undress and hit the sack. A week later I and a GF were riding and the recap split around in two like you had cut it with a knife! I was lucky not to drop it.
Like everyone else I have had good and bad trips on motors. Unless you get hurt on them and I have multiable times, I am glad I done them.

 

[exavid]

I've been lucky I haven't had an unplanned dismount since one on black ice in Ketchikan on a little Italian Harley. Lucky it was ice, no road rash. Other than that I've been able avoid any accidents other than dropping the Goldwing a couple of times. Once was a long day that shold have earned me an Iron Butt. At a gas stop I got off the bike and it fell over. Seems like you can't park one without putting the kick stand down.

I like bikes because they lean on the turns, just like an aircraft. In fact running on a country road in the dark on a Goldwing is kinda like flying an open cockpit aircraft. Just you and glowing instrument panel along with the headlight ahead. It's more pleasant on a warm summer night and where there aren't any forest rats otherwise known as deer.

 

[CGDustDevil]

I rode from southern california to wisconsin and back solo in 1968 on this 1963 harley. Frankly it was a rough trip. I think it rained on me 90 % of the trip and even snowed. It was grueling but I am glad I did it. The last day of the trip I did exactly 1,000 miles. I left Jackson wyoming and at salt lake I needed a rear tire. I was next to broke and bought a recap. Never heard of one used on a motorcycle before or since. I was going to spend the night in vegas but decided to ride home to tujunga california. I got to whiskey petes and gassed. They were talking about Robert Kennedy being shot. I got home exactly 24 hours from jackson and 1,000 miles. When I got off the bike I didnt even unload it. Walked in the house in a riding crouch, didnt even undress and hit the sack. A week later I and a GF were riding and the recap split around in two like you had cut it with a knife! I was lucky not to drop it.
Like everyone else I have had good and bad trips on motors. Unless you get hurt on them and I have multiable times, I am glad I done them.

That sure is a handsome old Panhead...

 

[Cholo]

A few things first.

1) I was just wandering west. I hate riding in the rain. If rain is west, I'm going north or south etc. and so on.

2) My Georgia carry permission slip isn't good in several states I wanted to visit so I got an AZ and UT slip that gave me: NM, NE, NV, and WA.

YOU are responsible for knowing the gun laws of the states you'll be visiting! Do you know which states require you to immediately notify an LEO if you're carrying? Find out here: www.handgunlaw.us. Never forget to reference this when crossing a state line. I just wrote out a list of the states I had to declare in. Gary Slider, a member of this Forum, has done an amazing job with this website. I trust it!

Yesterday in OK and the day before heading to Mena were the 1st of many days to break 100*+. It's simply draining. I only brought 2 long sleeved white t-shirts. One I got at a thrift store and the cuffs were so big it blew the sleeves up to my elbows. Nice. You have to stop often to cool down. A fast food joint is the best place. Get a $1 tea and fill it with ice, or better yet just dump it out and fill it with ice water. Drink at least 10 of them and chew up the ice each time.

For anyone contemplating a trip like this, let me tell you how not to get sunburned even when out in the full sun all day. I'm Irish so I have fair skin that burns easily, but I can also get a dark tan. I've ridden motorcycles many times in the Amazon region of Peru, Colombia and Brazil where the sun is almost directly over you. You'll need to have 3 things:

1) SPF 30 to 50 sunscreen. I like Neutrogena. Over 50 SPF and it's like ointment that you can't rub in.
2) A stack of baby wipes in a zip lock bag with extra water added.
3) Discipline to stop every 90 minutes to 2 hours no matter what.

Apply to all exposed skin areas before you leave in the AM! I don't care if it's cool out! After 90 minutes or so find shade or a bathroom. Use the wipes to remove all the old sunscreen and dirt that sticks to it. Dry your skin and re-apply sunscreen. This really works! If you don't use the wipes and simply apply more sunscreen, you will burn!

I came into NM in Clayton heading for Taos. Here's my 1st view of the Rockies that I havn't seen since '83. Every song about Colorado was playing in my head even though I was in NM. Good Feeling To Know/Poco. Colorado/Stephen Stills and Manassas



I have 2 mtn. ranges to cross before I get to Taos. Piece of cake, right? I crossed one in the rain, the larger one is coming up. Swell...



I got soaked, and it was cold! I had a rain suit, but I'll never bring one again. By the time you put it on you're already drenched. So, I'd be there standing in the rain trying to get this thing on instead of trying to ride out of it or finding shelter? Riiight...

Mountains are like rivers, there are only so many places you can cross them. The rain was all around me so all I could do was keep on heading to Taos. I had to hole up there for an extra day because there was torrential rain around me, including flooding. I ride to enjoy myself, not get to some pre-planned destination.

I'm now trying to trace some of the trip I took in '73, so on to Pagosa Springs, CO. I missed Wolf Creek Pass, a memory from '73 that had a song written about it later. West to Durango, where I slid out in '73 after hitting some gravel at speeds I shouldn't have been doing. I fared better than the bike. Nothing that couldn't have been beaten out with a rock.

Got a motel in Cortez and headed to 4 Corners where CO, UT, NM and AZ all come together on a Reservation. Wild horses were all over the place and I had to stop until they finally decided to GTF out of the road Your carry permission slip means nothing on a Reservation. Be cool and all will be well. They have a sign that limits a person to have 2 pics taken of them on the emblem and you were to move on. There's a reason they have this rule, that was followed, and I'll cover why at another location in a National Park. There was a line and a gent offered to take my pic with my phone. Great people all around! I literally scorched my hands on that hot metal plaque:



Back to the motel in Cortez. Hey Look! There was a card in the motel and the key card to get into your motel room was this:




Simply FYI: I won't use it. In CO you can buy it but not use it in public. They want to keep it under the table. I came back from the 4 Corners and the aroma in the motel lobby was so strong that I believe I couldn't have passed a drug test :mrgreen: The shops were all over the place, quite obvious. Not so in other states I visited where it's legal.

Tomorrow I'll head back to Durango and head north on Hwy. 550, retracing the steps I took in '73. I recognized almost nothing

 

[Base Pin Maker]

Great report, more please!

 

[exavid]

I hope I'll be in good enough shape this summer to make a good road trip. I don't mind rain too much, with the Frogg Toggs rain gear and waterproof gloves it's not bad on a faired bike, only when you stop then you get damp.

Going from San Diego to Phoenix a few years ago my brother and I hit 115 degree weather. I wear a mesh jacket in hot weather, it's actually cooler than a short sleeve shirt. On that trip I had a water vest under the jacket. That does a good job of cooling for about an hour or so before rewetting it. Less time without the jacket over it.

 

[exavid]

Seems odd but somehow bikes, guns and airplanes just seem to go together.

 

[bogus bill]

[Seems odd but somehow bikes, guns and airplanes just seem to go together.]
That`s been the story of my past life! Now that I am old I no longer have or can afford the harleys and planes. Probley cant pass the flying physical so sold my plane two years ago. I and the wife together are too heavy together to enjoy sitting on the harley and gas would be nice to take along in the plane. I have always noticed too that most of my old friends that I used to ride, fly and shoot with all like dthe same stuff. Sadly all those friends I out lived and now dont know any of the type since I retired and moved. Do what you like while you can! Here is another 64 panhead I used to have. And a 69 I almost got killed on.

 

[gatling]

Great stories and photos from all you guys. I agree; those Panheads are beautiful.

I once did 1000 miles in one day on a rigid mount EVO motor. Doing it on a Panhead: I'm in awe.

 

[bogus bill]

One most memorable ride I had: About November of 1967 I and a girl friend took my 63 Harley up highway 395 from the L.A. area on a unplanned ride. We hit lone pine and it was a cold rain/snow. The next morning I said lets go to Death Valley it will be hotter. We went and seen Scottys castle and I climbed north east of there to HYW 95 north of Beatty Nev.
It was snowing. The freeway was closed and didnt meet a vehicle. I had to ride slow and bulldoze it through snowdrifts. Finaly got to a small service station in the middle of nowhere. The owner come out and said, I dont believe what I am seeing! I looked back at the bike and it looked like a mound of snow! I pulled marge`s wellington boots off and dumped out the snow water. Got shop rags from the owner and stuffed them around her feet. Finally we hit Vegas and got a room. She wouldn't get out of bed for another day. She was a good sport though she died on me many years ago.
I have found through the years we more remember the hard difficult and dramatic rides more than the easy nice ones.

 

[Cholo]

exavid, I brought Frogg Toggs, too. With no fairing/windshield you get instantly soaked. Also, I couldn't get the tops on over my leather jacket. I have a Harley bagger, but I didn't want to take it this trip because I was trying to do it like I did in '73. Well, except for sleeping on the ground and picnic tables. LOL

If you're going to visit several National Parks I highly recommend getting an America The Beautiful pass, $80 for anyone to get an annual pass. For seniors it's $90 for a lifetime or $30 for an annual. I made the mistake of getting the annual. www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm

I was on the road by 6-7 AM every day, and at a motel around 3 PM on the hottest days even if I kept riding the area after checking in. Being in Cortez, CO I hit Mesa Verde NP 1st thing in the AM. Right off the bat there's this sign. Only in Colorado :mrgreen:





Back to Durango for the beautiful trip north on Hwy. 550. There was only one tiny glitch. There must have been a world wide rally of Mini Coopers. I didn't think that many were even made! There were millions of billions and trillions of millions of them! (Carl Sagan :mrgreen: ) www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZmafy_v8g8 LOL.

I looked for Molas Lake, just south of Silverton, where I camped for 5 days in '73. In '83 it was a campground. Now? Nothing but vehicles and new roads I couldn't get a decent pic for all the Mini Coopers and campers; I tried. I found a pic on the net from how it looked in '73 before it became a campground. I camped in the grove of pine trees across the lake near the center. It's right above the word Dale. Much prettier back then.



I'd forgotten how quickly the mtns. end north of Ouray. Hwy. 550 has 3 passes that were right around 11,000'. The cool temps felt great! Once out of the mtns. it was like someone was blasting me with an industrial hair dryer; upper 90's. I wanted to get to Steamboat Springs, CO in order to retrace a memorable route I took in '73. The weather was looking questionable so I was limited in options on how to get there. Anything beats cold rain in a twisty mtn. pass. I ended up getting a room in Rifle. It dawned on me that the restaurant where all the waitresses carry loaded handguns is in Rifle. http://www.denverpost.com/2018/06/22/shooters-grill-rifle-waitresses-guns





Well, guess which one I got



I left bright and early heading north to Craig then east to Steamboat Springs. That place sure has grown! Well, it has been 45 years since I was last there. In '73 I left SS early and instantly got soaked. The only weather gear I had was a Levis denim jacket and hardware store gloves. I got hypothermia after going thru Rabbit Ears Pass on Hwy. 40. After the cold it starts by being incapable of rational thoughts. I came to a sign that said Kremmling straight Toponas right. A rational person would have stopped and looked at a map. I turned right and up into the mtns. where it sleeted on me for 30 miles. Oh, Kremmling was 5 miles ahead of me in a valley if I had just gone straight.

Toponas was hardly a town. I saw that one store. I literally staggered in shaking violently and barely able to walk. I tried to tell the 2 women behind the counter that I just wanted to warm up but all that came out was garble like I was going to start drooling. Here was this long haired kid with a pony tail looking like the wild man of Borneo--who couldn't even talk. I can't believe they didn't call the law. 2 hours later I was feeling okay. When I started moving, they started staring at me again. I knew better that to approach the counter so I stayed away, told them what happened, and thanked them. I think they were glad I was finally gone.

Guess what? History repeated itself, but I made the right decision this time...