Reconstructed to the best of my memory...
Day 1 From
Riverside, California to Mexican Hat,
I rode through Monument
Valley but there was a dust storm in the area and at dusk I could only
barely make out the towering rocks that make this area so famous. The wind was
also very strong; keeping a straight line on the road was difficult. I arrived
at Gooseneck
state park, ready to pitch my tent, but my motorcycle was wobbling in the
wind, ready to topple over. So I rode back into Mexican Hat to get a motel
room. The motel tenant didn't have any 'rooms' left, so he rented this to me
for $20:
I hung out with the locals and took a few snorts of whiskey with some old guy.
Day 2 From
Mexican Hat,
To my relief, the weather was beautiful. No wind, warm sun. Rocks and dirt
transformed into grass, then into shrubs, and finally into conifer forests
about 100 miles into
were taken while a line of cars waited for road
construction at
I stayed with my friend Marie Johnson for a few days at her place in
Day 4
Day 5
While I was in southern
I also went riding around the Bull Shoals dam /
Day 1 is actually day 0, because I didn't go anywhere. As I was about to leave town my throttle cable anchor snapped. This is a tiny piece of metal attached to one end of a steel cable, housed inside of the throttle grip (the thing on the right handle bar that a person twists to rev the engine). As it was late in the day, nothing could be done. The next morning (Sunday) I took the cable assembly to a very friendly custom bike shop on Sunshine Ave. and some clever mechanic took a lead sinker (for fishing!) and squeezed (squoze?) it onto the end of my throttle cable with great force. It held all the way back to California. So Sunday was actually...
Day 1 Springfield, Missouri to Devil's Den state park, Arkansas. There was some bike rally on the way to Eureka Springs, as the highway to this town in Arkansas rivals even the Branson/Kimberling City area for scenic twisties. Wish I would've taken some pictures from the highway in this area. Didn't arrive at Devil's den until dark. Nice night sleeping under the stars, but I remember going to bed really hungry.
Day 2 Devil's Den to ??? New Mexico. I can't quite remember where I stopped; I think it was Tucumcari. As I approached the Texas/New Mexico border, I saw for the first time signs of the southwest desert monsoon season. I had accidentally entered the New Mexico/Arizona area during the peak of summer thunderstorm activity. Lots of thunderheads visible on the horizon, cruising through the desert valleys. The monsoon season is characterized by 'bursts' and 'breaks' (see link), strong winds, occasional tornados, and brief thunderstorms. I tried to capture the downpours on the horizon with my camera phone (see below), but the result is washed out and disappointing. Near Tucumcari, the weather became frightening; everywhere I stopped people told me to take shelter soon. I think there were some tornado watches. I found a small motel for $18, though; really nice guy. He let me park my bike next to his little office under an awning. Watched a great electrical storm move across the desert but never saw any rain.
Day 3 Tucumcari to Tuba City. A long haul on this day. Soon after I crossed the Arizona border, I left interstate 40 and turned north on hwy 191 to ride through the Navajo indian reservation. I missed a turn, traveling much farther north than I had intended, coming close to the four corners area I had been through on the way out to missouri. Some of the most beautiful roads I've seen in the southwest on the reservation. I spent most of the day outrunning the thunderstorms, but I finally got nailed in the afternoon for about 20 minutes.
The following two images were taken in Tuba City, Arizona.
The plan was to camp out in Grand Canyon national park, but as I approached Tuba City (about 30 miles to the west), more thunderheads were gathering over the area. It was also late in the day, and people told me that finding a first come/first serve camping spot would be unlikely. So I got some Taco Bell and out of desperation spent $40 on a cheap hotel room. No cheap rooms in this town, located as close as it was to Grand Canyon national park.
Day 4 Tuba City To Joshua Tree National park. I left very early and saw the sun rise over the desert on my way out to the Grand Canyon.
I arrived at the Grand Canyon early and at the east entrance. I had no wait and paid no entrance fee. I spent about 3 hours here, riding to various lookouts and stopping to hike into the canyon for about an hour before the crowds and the heat became too much. Here's a bunch of pictures.
The desert heat after I left the canyon made the following stretch of the trip, from the canyon to Joshua Tree, the most difficult to endure. I was afterwards told of a 'blowdryer' effect that often plagues motorcyclists traveling through dry, hot regions: although a person sweats, the wind wicks away the sweat too quickly for it to lower body temperature, as it is designed to do. As a result I was actually hotter riding down the highway at 60 mph than I would've been standing on the side of the road. Like riding through a blast furnace. The combination of heat, wind, and dust also makes it more difficult to breathe. I finally bought a bandana and tied it around my face, cowboy-stick-'em-up-style. People do this for a reason. It works great and it looks pretty tough.
Somewhere around western Arizona I left the interstate and took several old stretches of route 66 out of curiosity. Found some very desolate, isolated stretches of highway. Old gas stations that had been abandoned for at least 30 years. The desert looked like nuclear war here.
And I also found