Midnight Son's Biker Madness

10/28/08 - Zion's National Park/Last Day

2008-10-29T21:10:00.007-06:00

I started out the day with a small detour over to Zion's National Park. This is one beautiful place with lots of interesting rock formations. Here are a few I liked best. I think the last one is especially nice.

I then took Route 89 most of the way back to Salt Lake City. I stopped near Nephi to take a picture of the Wasatch mountains side on. You can just see where they make a bit of an S-curve up near Provo. Though I didn't take any of them today, these mountains also have some great passes.

So I'm home now. I have somewhat mixed feelings on this. While it is great to relax after my two month, 7,000 mile road trip. I really enjoyed the traveling and will miss it. For anyone who thinks that this would be fun, I highly recommend it. Don't know about a car, but for me, the open road on a motorcycle, though sometimes difficult, has really helped me renew my spirit and love for this great continent I live on. I traveled through 21 of the 50 states and one province in Canada. Maybe next time I'll get the rest, though Alaska and Hawaii might be a bit difficult.

Again, More photos on Photobucket.

So long, and thanks for reading.

10/27/08 - Grand Canyon!

2008-10-29T20:32:00.008-06:00

Have I ever told you all how much I enjoy riding the mountain passes? More on that later, but first...

Sweet Mama, that's a big hole in the ground!

I pulled into the parking lot at the visitor's center and then took the bus to the other end of the park, planning to walk the rim back. I took several photos along the way, including this California Condor that happened by.

At one point, I wanted to get a pic of myself standing by the edge, so I asked this nice gentleman to take one of me. He kept saying, "Back up. Back up." and before I realized, I was standing five feet off the canyon edge. I then made the rookie mistake of looking down. Luckily, I was able to windmill my legs really fast and propel myself to the edge just in time to catch hold.

I did get a couple of me at the very edge. Here, I found a nice ledge of rock sticking out.

Then later, I decided to get one with my legs dangling over the edge. I had such a severe case of vertigo, though, that I could barely snap this one. Yes, the big bad biker is afraid of heights. Funny, I was fine standing right on the edge looking down, but sitting with a body part out in the air freaked me out.
I didn't quite finish the rim walk, since it was getting on and I needed to get to Utah, so I took the bus back to the bike and took off for Kanab. About three quarters of the way there, the sun started to set and I got some great photos of the nearby cliffs. As the sun set, I had a choice to make. I was right at the point where Route 89 splits. 89 would take me up onto the mesa and then straight over to Kanab. 89-Alternate goes over a mountain. If you've been reading my blog at all, you know which one I chose. 89A crosses the Colorado River pretty quick, then it's the long, windy road to Jacobs Lake at the top, where you can also go over to see the north rim of the canyon. It was full dark by the time I started climbing up to about 8,000 feet. At that height, full dark means very cold, too; and so worth it! I tried to get a picture of the stars, as they are meant to be seen, without city lights to fade them out, but my camera wasn't willing to focus on the night sky(and I haven't figured out how to adjust the manual settings for it yet).

Lots more in Photobucket this time.

10/26/08 - Short Trip, Long Day

2008-10-26T19:58:00.002-06:00

Today was supposed to be a short trip up to the Grand Canyon. It's only a 250 mile trip. Unfortunately, there was a major Hazmat accident going north out of Phoenix. They had closed I-17 going both directions. The traffic for several miles was traveling at a snails pace. In fact, my engine overheated at one point and I had to get off and let it rest. I took these pics then. It is amazing how many people are actually on our highways at any given time. It felt like the entire city of Phoenix was trying to get out.

After it had cooled down, I did something I really detest other people doing, but I had no AC, and if I didn't get to some water and shelter soon, they were going to have a heat stroke victim to deal with in addition to the accident, so I rode the shoulder to the next exit. I'd been on the highway for two hours and was really sweltering. After the exit, it took me only about 30 more minutes to go around the accident and get back on I-17 again. Here's another pic I took nearing Flagstaff. I really love this area. Just some gorgeous country. About 6,000 feet up.

Anyway, I made it to the Grand canyon at about 5:30pm. I'll do a little touring tomorrow, then its on to Kenab, Utah. Only two more days on this little adventure of mine.

As always, more on Photobucket.

10/24/06 - Into Phoenix

2008-10-26T19:45:00.003-06:00

I had a decision to make today. Do I continue into Phoenix on I-10 or head up Route 70 from lordsburg. Yeah right. Like that's even a hard choice. State routes are always better if you don't have a long trip for the day.

Anyway, heres a pic of me just a bit after entering Arizona. Yes, this is officially desert(has been a while, but these were the first Saguaro I'd come across). Also, a pic of my bike. Arizona makes it look small.

I ended up in Phoenix, where I will be spending a day visiting friends and relatives in the area.

10/23/08 - Cold Mountain

2008-10-23T20:14:00.006-06:00

Holy carp, that was fun! *

I was absolutely right about that stretch of Route 82. It took me 90 miles from leaving Artesia to get from 4,000 feet up to about 9,000 feet. The trip down the other side was only 15 miles.

And the twists and turns...Oh, the lovely twists and turns. I'm so glad I didn't chicken out due to the cold. It was quite chilly when I arrived at the top in a small town of Cloudcroft...where I was promptly pulled over by the local sheriff for going 10mph over. But seriously, no one, I mean no one at all, could have kept it down to 45 on those mountain turns with a motorcycle. He was really cool and we had a nice chat about my trip as well as what I thought of the area. He ended up just giving me a warning.

But what a beautiful town, and the view from the top was fantastic! I don't know how well you can see them, but those are other mountains in the far background, with the white sands valley in between.

Here's another shot from 9 miles down the mountain.

This portion of the trip was, hands down, the best stretch of road I have encountered.

After that it was all normal road and getting back to I-10 in Las Cruces. I stopped for the evening in Lordsburg, my pop's hometown. The way he described it, I was thinking it would be a small village with a few stores and a local motel, but it actually rates 3 exits off the highway. Shoot, Cheyenne, way back in Wyoming, a largish town by all accounts, only rated 6. Lordsburg is a fairly small town, but I was really expecting a bit smaller than this.

On the plus, if you ever do stop here, you need to check out Kranberry's. They served me up a delicious bacon, swiss, and pineapple burger.

10/22/08 - Carlsbad

2008-10-22T17:41:00.002-06:00

Okay, in the future, remind me to do the proper research on national parks first. I only had to ride 150 miles today to get to Carlsbad, New Mexico. The plan was to then head up to the park and see Carlsbad Caverns. Unfortunately, I didn't look into it till today. In order to go see the best parts of the cave, you need to sign up for a guided tour. Reservations are full till Friday for guided tours. I then considered taking the short trip up to Roswell to see the alien stuff, but frankly, I'm really only interested if I can see actual aliens, a comodity that is likely to be scarce there. Instead, I decided to take a nap, since I haven't managed a full night's sleep in a few days. Rested and recharged, I can now head over to Lordsbug, New Mexico tomorrow. This is the town where my dad was raised. I'm really looking forward to this ride, given the following image I took from Google:

Route 82 is going to be a blast!

10/21/08 - Texas part II

2008-10-21T23:39:00.002-06:00

Today was really fun! Remember way back, when I was telling you all about the roads in Nebraska? Well, ignore that. Stay away from Nebraska's roads unless they are between you and Texas' roads. I-10 is still long and mostly straight, but unlike Nebraska, it goes through some long rolling hills and the scenery is 100 times better. Plus, they upped the speed limit to 80mph(130kph for the rest of the world). I do believe that stretch through Central Texas, is the best bit of highway I have been on yet. The non-highway portions have been better and I think the best is yet to come(foreshadowing the road out of Carlsbad toward Phoenix). Anyway, it dropped my miles per gallon down from 35 to 25, but was so worth it.

This is the only photo I took today, as I was approaching my destination at Fort Stockton.

Weather fronts are interesting. I'm just glad the rain was way south of me. It looked to be dumping quite hard.

10/20/08 - Texas!

2008-10-21T23:05:00.003-06:00

What a long day! I had to go about 100 more miles than I had planned, due to staying in New Orleans last night. All good though, and I did have a full day as you will see.

So, I started by crossing the Mississippi in Baton Rouge. I gotta admit, I was expecting it to be wider. I mean, its not really any wider than where I crossed in Iowa. And the Columbia is wider, though not as long. Still, it is an impressive river. I then headed west for Texas. I think I may have crossed the longest bridge anywhere. I-10 goes right through the Louisiana swamps and was elevated at about tree height for approximately 15 miles.

Upon reaching Texas, I realized that I-10 would take me within 20 miles of the coast(I know Houston's on the coast, but I'm not about to drive through downtown Houston to get there). Anyway, I decided to take the hours detour to see the Gulf of Mexico and have a pic at all the large bodies of water that border the USA. What I failed to realize, though it became quite obvious almost as soon as I left the highway, is that I was about to hit the coast very close to the same place Ike did. I could see damage everywhere I looked. Out of respect for the people there, I only took a picture of the coastal road for damage.I love my country, and have grown to love it even more as I've been on this trip. This was quite painful to see. I am not ashamed to admit that as I got on my bike and headed past the FEMA outpost, there were several tears in my eyes.

Still, I did take the pics, so here you go, the Gulf of Mexico.

And me, in front of it. There was no level place to put the camera, understandably, so I did the best I could. A few more pics on Photobucket.

10/19/08 - New Orleans

2008-10-21T22:37:00.002-06:00

Thatsalotabirds!

My trip was a bit shortened today, because my brother convinced me that I'd be a fool to pass up New Orleans(I was going to stay in Baton Rouge). This means that I'll have a long trip tomorrow. Anyway, since I got in early, I thought I'd wander around a bit. I went down to the riverfront where I saw this ship, the Steamer Natchez.Turns out, they have a tour. So I got on and took a trip downriver and back. Took 3 hours and I was served an excellent meal and listened to a great jazz band, the Dukes of Dixieland.It was full dark by the time we got back to port, so I got this excellent shot of New Orleans skyline at night, from the river.
Upon exiting the ship, I still had a couple hours till bedtime, so I wandered into the French Quarter to see what the hullabaloo was. It is actually quite nice and I loved the architecture.

Then I arrived at Bourbon Street.

Now, I'm sure it may be different during Mardi Gras, but in October, it is fairly empty of citizens. What I saw was a street with a bar through every other entrance. Every one of them had a live band playing, so, at any given time, I was listening to three or four different songs. These bars all had a person out front, trying to coax "revelers" inside to join the few other patrons who were there. It was really quite sad. I guess they make their fortunes in the spring. Either way, I'll take Vegas over New Orleans for partying. The rest of the city was quite nice, though. I'm glad I was talked into going.

10/17/08 - Tennessee

2008-10-18T06:04:00.002-06:00

No pics today. I never took out the camera, though I should have last night. I spent the day here in Johnson City, TN, visiting some the friends that I met last June, when I was here for an online convention. We spent the day modifying some Nerf guns, then had a wild time playing The Good, The Bad, and The Munchkin, which is a game that makes pun of the western genre.(not a typo)

Next stop, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; half way between here and Baton Rouge, where I plan to cross the Mississippi again.

10/15/08 - Its Official

2008-10-15T22:10:00.003-06:00

Well folks, this is officially a cross country road trip. That is the Atlantic Ocean you see behind me there...

And look, I'm standin' in it.

10/14/08 - For Patriots

2008-10-15T20:20:00.006-06:00

So I figure, since this trip is cross country, I should probably take the time to visit my nation's capital. We spent about six hours walking around the monument area and Smithsonian in DC. We started by going by the White House.I was quite dissappointed not to be invited in for tea.

Next up was the Vietnam Memorial. It was cool, but as far as I know, no one close to me died there, so I didn't have a name to look up. We then moved on to the Lincoln Memorial. I think this one touched me the most, as his presidency was the catalyst for freedoms for all, not just white males, like myself. Granted, it wasn't a quick change, but there is a reason Martin Luther king Jr. chose that spot to make his speech. I also got me by the reflecting pool from there. From there, we headed over to the Korean War Memorial. I didn't even know we had one for that war, and it was probably the coolest of the war memorials. It's a bit hard to see because of the reflection, but they have etchings of soldiers on the wall here.
The World War I Memorial was pretty, though not as grand as the World War II. It also is only a memorial to the soldiers from DC who died in that war, rather than to all, as with the other memorials.
From those, we passed by the Washington Monument, which is quite a bit bigger than it looks from most photos and movies I've seen.

After several hours of walking the area, we were quite glad to come to this final monument. :)

Next came the Museums. I really wanted to see the American History Museum, but it has apparently been closed for some time. We did go to the Air and Space Museum as well as the National Gallery of Art. I took a few photos in the art museum, as well as one of Jefferson's Memorial and a statue of John Paul Jones. These can be seen in the Photobucket along with a great photo of the US Capitol Building.

10/11/08 - More than a month

2008-10-12T12:19:00.004-06:00

Good golly, I've been on this trip for more than a month now! Still having quite the good time, though. I'm now in Maryland, visiting some more friends here. We all got dressed up and went to a renaissance fair today. No pics of me. I had a horrible shaving accident and am loathe to post more till I can grow the beard back. :) I loved seeing all the varied costumes and watching the jousts and such. I also was made aware of a new comedy duo, Puke and Snot. I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. Didn't get a pic of them, though. Best not to draw their attention, unless one wants a carrot shower.

I am definitely going to have to attend more of these. I wonder how on earth I missed them in the past.

A few more photos on Photobucket.

10/08/08 - Day...Ummm...that one

2008-10-08T20:07:00.002-06:00

I left Ontario today to head south toward Maryland. The idea was to get to central Pennsylvania today in order to have a very short journey tomorrow. Problem is, I awoke to a blanket cloud cover and rain. It rained the entire time I was riding, which was not long(only 150 miles). I was going to stop and get a picture of Niagara in the rain for you all, because its just gorgeous, but by the time I got there, I was quite soaked. You'll have to live with one I took a week or so ago, when it was sunny.

Anyway, the rain trip was actually quite fun, till it managed to soak through all the leathers. Then it started getting cold. I had on a rain coat(improvised with a plastic garbage bag), so my torso never got wet, and the helmet kept my head dry, but I did get a late start and it got dark well before my destination. Since I was getting cold, I decided to stop in Batavia, NY, which is just outside of Rochester. Hopefully tomorrow will be less drizzly and I'll be able to make it the remaining distance to Maryland.

09/21/08 - Day 19

2008-10-01T13:16:00.002-06:00

We went to the Toronto Zoo today. this is where the thing with the bee happened(as mentioned previously). The zoo here is quite different than the one in Salt Lake City. In SLC, the exibits are quite close together. You go from one to the other quite quickly. This zoo has a 1.5 kilometer walk to get to one of the exibits. We didn't do that, so we missed the Canadian stuff; Bears and the like. Still, it was quite fun. I'm posting a few of my favorites here, but there are many more on the Photobucket acct.

This beautiful hawk has used in the bird show. I had trouble deciding which to use here. I have some close-ups taken after the show, but this action shot shows the bird's talents quite well, I think.

Next we have the Komodo Dragon. This guy was quite large, though it's hard to tell in the shot due to there being nothing in his enclosure by which to compare his size.

We found this little guy getting himself a snack outside the Snow Leopard enclosure. the leopards were awesome to see. I would so love one as a pet. :) Why is it that I want to have all the big, dangerous animals?
Next we have the Lionfish. I honestly am surprised at how well this photo came out, since he's behind a plate of glass.
And, of course, the Lions. What zoo trip is complete without these majestic creatures. The male was off behind some rocks, so we missed him in all but the roaring. He was doing that quite loudly at the time we were passing by.
The zoo also has a natural habitat for small amphibians. We didn't see any turtles, but the frog here was quite willing to pose for a glamour shot. Any of you ladies in need of a prince?

09/18/08 - Day16

2008-09-29T15:13:00.004-06:00

Very delayed. Sorry. I will be posting more with more frequency, but the last week was quite hectic. On the plus side, I'm adding about 200 photos to the photobucket for you all.

Today was the final push to Canada and a much needed rest. I will be spending a couple weeks here visiting a friend and touring the area.

I decided to cross the border using one of the ferries, instead of taking the highways. Here's my first view of Ontario from the Marine City, Michigan docks.

I was somewhat surprised to see a very nice cathedral in Marine City. Its a fairly small town, after all. These next few are of the crossing. I waited till the middle of the river, then got one looking back, one looking downriver, and one looking ahead.
After crossing, I started north in order to hook up with the 402 towards Toronto. About half way there, in the middle of No and Where, I ran into a traffic jam. Cars were moving at a snails pace for about 2 miles. Upon reaching the cause, I saw three police cars blocking off an intersection for no apparent reason. No accident on the road; There were no businesses around for a crime scene. I can only surmise that they were looking for Hog Goblins, but I evaded them and went on my merry way.

Oh yeah, For the first time ever, I was grilled mercilessly by the authorities at the border. usually they snag the little old ladies for the searches and such and let me go with barely a glance. I knew the scruffiness would catch up to me sooner or later.

Toronto Area Interim

2008-09-24T18:12:00.003-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted here in a few days. I have been having a fun time visiting a friend here in Toronto, Ontario, who has kept me quite busy. On the plus side for you, that means that when I do get some time to post pictures and such here, you will have quite a lot to enjoy.

A tidbit of fun information. We were at the Toronto Zoo and stopped for some lunch. As I was sitting there eating, a bee flew up and landed on my cup and started drinking all the droplets of root beer around the rim. He was so cute, sticking his tiny little head into the droplet and then slurping it all up. I sat there and watched him for a bit, since I was done with the root beer. I almost felt sorry to throw the cup away when we had to leave. I'd have got a pic, but my camera that day wasn't the one with the macro function, so you'll just have to suffer with the written description.

9/17/08 - Day15

2008-09-17T20:02:00.009-06:00

I only took on photo today, of the Indiana sunset.

Though Illinois and Indiana are quite beautiful, I'm gettung a bit worn down by the daily ride. Good thing I'll be stopping for a while after tomorrow's ride, eh.

The day started out with an interesting twist. Because I did not have internet last night, I was unable to map my cousre for the day. The hotel, which is on the Illinois border, did not have a map. neither did any of the convenience stores I stopped at after entering Illinois. I did know that I wanted to go east and north. got a bit lost till I was 50 miles in and found a store with a map.

Then I reached Indianapolis at 5pm. It took me an hour to go the 20 miles to get through it. Poor planning on my part, I guess.

Anyway, I'm now in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Tomorrow, I push on to Toronto, Ontario.

09/16/08 - Day 14

2008-09-17T20:02:00.003-06:00

Sorry this one's late; No internet yesterday. I took a lot of pictures today, so I'm actually suggesting you take a gander at the Photobucket page.

While riding, I have a lot of time for introspection. Today, as I left Nebraska, I decided to stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa for this photo.

The funny thing is, I grew up my whole life hearing stories about how my ancestors crossed the great plains. Now, intellectually, I knew the great plains were quite lush, but the stories always conjured images in my mind of pioneers crossing vast wastelands. The reality is, they crossed some of the most prime real estate in the country in order to settle in a valley who's primary feature is a large body of extremely salty water. Apparently, they got to the vast wasteland and said, "Oh! don't want to cross that. Let's stop here." :)

Moving on...I stopped today in Burlington, Iowa and put my stuff into my hotel room. I then ran out to my bike and took off for Nauvoo, Illinois. I raced the sunset the entire 38 miles, though I did stop to get a shot of my first view of the Mississippi.
As you can see, I beat the sunset by a few minutes... And here is why I was so all fired up to get there before sunset. This is a shot of the Nauvoo Temple as the sun is setting. It's quite spectacular I think. I wish I could have stayed a couple hours more in order to get a shot of the full moon rising behind it. For those of you who do not know, this is a temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is built in an historic city for our religion. The following pictures are part of why it is so historic. The first is a statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, depicting their last ride out of Nauvoo before they were slain. The picture below actually explains it better, though it might be too small to read here, so I direct linked it to the photobucket pic.
After the temple, I went down into the old Nauvoo streets and took some more photos. Everything was closed for the evening, but that was okay, since I am not one to go in for all the touristy stuff, but prefer to look around on my own.

heading back to Burlington, I stopped to get another shot of the Mississippi; this time with the moon rising over the bridge. I cannot fully describe how excited I am to be here. For some reason, the Mississippi River just makes me giddy. Maybe it's all the Mark Twain I've read over the years...or maybe its just a big, freakin' river. Either way, I'm loving it.
...and, of course, I couldn't pass up the chance to get a shot of me in the Mississippi. Yeah, I know. Its only an inch deep here, but you should see the eddies and currents in this river. No way I'm going deeper.

09/15/08 - Day 13

2008-09-15T21:53:00.003-06:00

Welcome to Nebraska...The Good Life. Don't ask me; It was on the brochure. Personally, I would have gone with something like, Nebraska...They ain't called the great plains fer nothin'. I do believe I actually went over a hill at some point on my trip today, but I may have hallucinated it.

Also, to any of you wishing to test the limits of your speedometer, this is the state for you.* The highways are very straight, and when they do turn, its a long, gradual turn.

Anyway, I stopped at the border to pick up a map, and the lady there said I just had to stop in Kearney(pronounced Carney) to see the historic arch there. I saw the historic arch. I drove under it at 75mph. It looked to me like an arch built over the highway so that people could be told to stop in Kearney to see their historic arch.

A bit further down the road was something I actually did find quite interesting. I pulled off the highway in Gothenburg to wipe the bugs off my faceshield, and found this old Sod Hut.

They also had one of the original Pony Express waystations there, though they had moved it a few miles in order to make it fit in their park and such. Gothenburg was a very nice looking town, with old, interesting looking homes. I quite liked it there.

So I am now in Lincoln, NE and am further east than I have ever been by land.

Photobucket

*Midnight Son does not support or condone the breaking of state or local traffic laws. Furthermore, he will not be held liable for any issues, both legal or monetary, that may arise due to the decidedly dim view the Nebraska State Troopers will likely take of your explanation as to why you were doing such.

09/14/08 - Day 12

2008-09-14T19:41:00.004-06:00

I got very high today. I crossed the continental divide at about 7000 feet. Most of the trip today was at a high elevation. I'm glad it was sunny, cause it was cold and probably would have snowed in places otherwise.

I left Salt Lake City, heading east into Wyoming. There is a reservoir about half way to the border that I always enjoy. It looks like a great place to go boating. Almost half way through my trip todayI came to the aptly named Green River. I thought the area was quite pretty. Looking in the opposite direction from the previous photo, there are some very interesting formations. Rock climbing anyone? I took this next one about 65 miles later when I stopped to rest my poor aching backside. Needless to say, I'm quite happy that i stopped at this unapproved rest stop instead of the one I came accross a few miles down the road from here. I believe that is an Elk. there was a whole herd of them, but only two came out to investigate.

Photobucket

09/13/08 - Days 10-11

2008-09-13T20:39:00.005-06:00

So I wasn't able to get on last night. As a result, you are getting both of the days for my trip back to Salt Lake City in one go.

Day 10:
I took the central route through Oregon today. As you can see, the route goes through some pristine wilderness.I stopped in the quaint little town of Sisters for lunch. I could see myself living in a place like this. Small town; not too far from things. I could certainly set up shop and see what happens. After Sisters, the road took me up onto the high plains. It’s full of Scrub Pine and Sagebrush. There’s also some excellent mountains in the background.Then, coming off the plains, I followed this river into Ontario OR, which is right on the border of Idaho. The river was very pretty and I wish I could have found a good place to pull over and get you all a pic of the sun setting on the buttes. It was quite spectacular. Of lesser, but more annoying spectacle, the last hundred miles into Ontario are a haven for bugs, most of which committed suicide on my person.

Day 11
Today was just a reverse of day one, but I did manage to stop at an excellent place to get you all a pic of the Snake River. Despite the name, I failed to see any snakes. :(
Tomorrow, I shall be heading east again toward Cheyenne, WY.

The (now mandatory) link to photobucket, where there are a few more pics.

09/11/08 - Day 9

2008-09-11T21:42:00.003-06:00

Today was quite an exciting day. We decided to take an excursion on the sand dunes. For this cause, we embarked on a grueling journey to 4 miles south of town to the Sand Dunes Frontier.
Now, if you know me at all, you know that I was quite excitied to rent one and go blasting through the dunes. Alas, it was not to be. It seems that the rental areas around here look quite harshly on the possibility of their equipment being damaged. In order to rent one for yourself, there is quite a deposit to be made, and they charge more in the eventuality of things like it getting wet, rolling over, or being sat on crooked(I imagine).

Anyway, we purchased an hour tour in one of their 4 man dunebugs. Kinda looks like I'm driving. How I wish it were so.

The Crew of the dread bug Dunechaser.

We embarked upon our journey with our captain Justin, in search of the unholy usurpers on individual ATVs. On the way we stopped by the ocean for a scenic photo op.

Upon completion of this, we set out again, in search of the scallywags. What Ho, Cap! I see one on the horizon!We gave chase, not realizing that it was a trap. The foul wretch left a sand mine for us.

(I really hope this does not become a theme for my trip)
Stranded, with no food or water, we were forced to crawl toward our base. I was afraid I would not make it. But what is this? The noise of an engine coming over the dunes?

Huzzah! 'Tis our companion ship, the Red Devil, captained by none other than some guy we left behind with our broke down craft.

For those who wish, I also took a video of some of the trip through the dunes. I held the camera as steady as I could. most of the jumble is bouncing around.

The tour was quite fun, even with the flat. If any of you get the chance to visit the central Oregon Coast, I highly recommend it.

As always, I took more photos than posted here.

09/09/08 - Day 7

2008-09-09T22:15:00.004-06:00

As promised, here are some pics of my family. The first is my brother and my mom, relaxing at my brother's home. The cat, Scooter, is just a bonus.
Next we have my dad. This serious looking fellow is probably just enjoying watching my brother's kids playing in the living room.
What trip to the Oregon coast would be complete without a trip to the dunes. You got a picture from a distance in a previous installment. Here's a dune at close range, followed up by me sliding down it. I still want to get an ATV and go blasting through them. That's slated for Thursday hopefully.

Finally, I have a pic near the mouth of the Siuslaw River. The great thing about it is that its shape causes the waves to funnel in. Surf's up, Dudes!

09/07/08 - day 5

2008-09-07T22:57:00.002-06:00

Just visiting with family today. I'll have pics tomorrow I think.

09/05/08 - Day 3

2008-09-05T23:58:00.005-06:00

Today was a rest from the biking as I spent the day with my parents(pics of them to come on a later date), looking at various things on the Oregon coast. Our first stop was overlooking this lighthouse. Ain't I just gorgeous?
Since this is a cross country trip, I figured I'd better have proof that I started out on one coast, so I rolled up the jeans and went for a wade. Rolling them up didn't save them, though, as the waves decided that they needed to get bigger as I was walking out.
Next up was an interesting place called Cook's Chasm. Apparently the famous Captain Cook decided that it belongs to him. I didn't hear him complaining about us taking a stroll down, so he must not be too possessive. At high tide(or in a storm surge) the waves flow into the chasm and cause the spout you see here. I'd be interested in seeing it at high tide in a storm surge.
On the way back, we stopped at this little lookout that overlooks the north end of the Oregon Sand Dunes. I have decided that, on a future ride, I'm going to have to run the entire Pacific Coast Highway

If you are interested, I do have some additional pics available on Photobucket.

09/04/08 - Day 2

2008-09-05T01:34:00.002-06:00

Today was a very interesting day. It started out as a normal ride as I traversed the Eastern Oregon Mountains. Here's a shot looking down from them toward Pendleton, OR.
Then things got really interesting as I reached The Dalles, about 80 miles east of Portland. My Motorcycle started feeling a bit off, but not bad, so I didn't pay much heed at first. I stopped for Lunch at an excellent burger joint called Big Jim's.
The burger was delicious and I must say, the peppermint milkshake was just about the best I've ever had. Their service really shone, though as, when I walked out, I noticed that I had a flat rear tire. They called the local motorcycle place for me, and I got a tow over. The repairs delayed me about three hours, a fact that will come into play later.

My poor Beast!So, anyway, I moved on, riding along the Columbia River to Portland. The Columbia is the widest river I can recall seeing. I may have seen larger, as I was in Mexico as a very young kid, but do not recall if we crossed the Rio Grande. I do know I have crossed the Yukon in Alaska, but can't recall if it was this wide or not. Either way, my trip plans are going to fix this, as I plan to eventually cross the Mississippi at the widest point possible.

Traveling south from Portland, it started to get dark around Salem. I won't even start on Salem, except to say that whoever planned the city needs to be exhumed and then burned at the stake(I know bad reference to the wrong Salem).

Upon reaching my turning point in Eugene, it was full dark. The road from Eugene to the coast, where my parents live, is about 50 miles of the most twisty, winding road one is likely to ever see. Even in the light, this would be a bit of a challenge. Needless to say, I had the time of my life navigating it at full dark, in the middle of the night. What a blast! I even had the trip blessed by the local wildlife. About 10 miles out, a couple deer were crossing the road. I passed right between them with about 10 feet to spare on either side.

So, I have arrived safely in Florence. I will be here for a few days, but plan to post some of my activities here for your enjoyment.

The Columbia River, about 100 miles inland.

09/03/08 - Day 1

2008-09-03T22:21:00.001-06:00

I left Utah today, on my way to visit my parents in Florence, Oregon. This is a two day trip, which, unfortunately, takes me straight through Idaho. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is Idaho...
It is quite flat and usually smells of manure. I kid, but there's really not a lot to see in the state. On the plus side, looking at my helmet, they apparently have a wide variety of small winged insects. So there's that. (Its not all bad. I once spent a very lovely week in Farragut, ID as a Boy Scout)

Anyway, my first stop is in Baker City, Oregon. This is a small town just a few miles west of the Idaho border. Its not a bad place as small towns go. I did find a very interesting restaurant here by the name of Sumpter Junction.

The food was par for a restaurant, though I hear the breakfast is great. We shall see. What really stands out is the train track on the inside going around and around the place.

And, just cause I enjoy tweaking them a bit more, here's a picture of Mos Boise, which is definitely a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. ;)