Colorado - Cortez & Mesa Verde National Park

It was again a great morning for riding when we pulled out of Montrose and headed south down the 550. Crisp, cool morning air and once again, awesome forested, alpine scenery. We turned on to 145 and passed many small communities with names such as 'Sawpit' (wonder how that town got that name?). We rode over Lizzard Head Pass - the road surface was very tricky with lots of grooves that could easily pull the bike off centre if you are not alert. I guess the roads get a real hammering in the winter months - hence why we see so many road works on our travels as roads are repaired/improved over the summer months before the snow comes again.

We briefly stopped at a small town called 'Rico' hoping to get a coffee at a cafe'. We walked inside and no-ine was around. Went out on the street and the whole place looked eirily deserted (apart from another tourist wandering around looking desperatly for something worth taking a photo of). It had that look of a town well past it's heydey with almost Wild West store frontages. It was a little bit creepy really - I almost expected to see Ma Bates walk out (Alfred Hitchcocks 'Psycho').

We connected with 535 and came out at the town of Dolores. It was then just a short hop down 145 to our destination for the day - Cortez (I can't get the Neil Young song 'Cortez the Killer' out of my head).

After we checked into our motel and unpacked, we jumped back on the bike and rode 16km down the road to Mesa Verde National Park. I had been looking forward to this visit - as this place fascinated me when I read about it.

Mesa Verde was home to the Anasazi (ancestral Puebloan people) who were cliff dwellers and made their homes in the walls of the canyon that ran through the mesa. The National Park is the largest archaelogical preserve in the USA. There are 4000 archaeological sites (including 600 cliff dwellings). To get to the sites you have to drive 21 miles up a steep winding road to the top of the Mesa. You can then choose to visit selected sites by yourself or have guided tours by a Ranger.

While at the information centre we met a nice couple (Chris & Blane) who were excited to meet New Zealanders as they had some good Kiwi friends in Wellington. I invited them to hop on the Harley for some photos. They were stoked with this and said they would send copies to their friends in NZ.

One of the sites we visited was 'The Spruce Tree House' (so named because the cowboys who discovered it in the 1800's had to climb down a spruce tree to get to it). The house was home to about 100 people around AD 1200 and had 114 rooms.

We also rode around a 10km one way road called Mesa Loop where you can pull over at selected archaelogical dwellings and digs (oven pits etc).

By this stage the weather was starting to look dodgy. I have learnt since we have been here that in summer you are most likely to get thunder and lightening storms around mid-afternoon. We made our exit from the park and got back to our motel in Cortez just before the rain and thunder came!

Colorado - Montrose

One of our key objectives for this trip is to spend time exploring some of the states we are particularly interested in. Some travellers have a goal of covering as many states and kilometres as possible - and that is fine if you enjoy long hours in the saddle and riding nothing but Interstate Highways. As for us - we would rather cover less distance and make sure we see everything we want to - especially the national parks (& some shops for Tracee!).

Colorado is one of those states I wanted to spend some time in and have a good look around. It is a beautiful state and a bikers dream to ride in - lots of alpine riding, sweeping curves, mountain passes and cool, mild temperatures - a welcome change from the heatwave conditions we have encountered elsewhere.

We were up early at 5:30am and on the road after breakfast around 6:30am to beat the freeway traffic as we passsed through Denver on our way south down the 25, then flicked onto the 70 and headed west for a short time before turning south on the 285. The temperature was nice and cool, the day overcast with the feel of rain in the air. We were steadily climbing in altitude and decided to stop and put our rain jackets and gloves on in case we were caught in a shower and also to give a bit of additional warmth. The terrain reminded me a little of the Lewis Pass as we wound our way up the road. You could see some of the different ethnic historic influences in some of the smaller settlement names as we passed through them - Shawnee (Native Indian), Boxcart Gulch (European) and Santa Maria (Spanish).

We passed over the crest of Kenosha Pass (10.000ft) and spread out before us below as we descended was the valley of South Park, once a favourite Indian hunting ground and also the site of Indian battles.

We stopped to fuel up in the town of Fairplay and one of the locals struck up a conversation with us. We told him of our plans to visit Mesa Verde National Park, travel through Monument Valley and then head east again through New Mexico and up into Kansas. He warned us to watch our speed through the Ute Indian Reservation, as the Ute people are strapped for cash and the police will nail any motorist who is a fraction over the speed limit (sounds like NZ!). We thanked him, gave him a NZ key ring as a gift and filed his information away for future reference.

We continued on our way through the San Isabel Forest and near Poncha Springs swung right on to the 50 that took us over Monarch Pass (11312ft). We passed Blue Mesa Lake and then stopped at a shop near Black Canyon where we got chatting to a group of local bikers from Montrose (our destination for the day). They were very friendly and intrigued that we were New Zealanders who had shipped our bike to the States for 8 weeks of touring (and a little jealous I think).

We arrived in Montrose (where there is a rodeo on today) around 1:30pm after 5 hours in the saddle and 500kms under our belt.

Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park

We left Denver at around 7:30 am and headed north on the Interstate 25 for about half an hour to the town of Frederick (not far from Boulder) where I had the Harley booked in for a 8000 km service. I had phoned the Service department at High Country Harley Davidson the day before and explained that I was on a motorcycle tour and could they service the bike while I waited if I dropped it in at opening time. They were very obliging and in fact had an 'express lube' service where you did not really need to book in.

We arrived at the dealership just before 8:30am and dropped the bike off. We walked a short distance down the road to a nearby Starbucks for breakfast and when we arrived back at the dealership about an hour and a half later the technician was just taking the bike for a test run before washing it. We were back on the road just after 10:30am.

We continued north and took the 36 through to the holiday town of Estes Park - the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was bedlam - with cars and people clogging the tiny town. We rode up to the Park entrance where the Ranger advised that it would not be suitable to take the motorbike all the way through over the mountain pass as major road re-construction was underway and the road surface was very rough. There were signs announcing expected delays of up to half an hour at the road works. While a little disappointed we could not ride the entire Trail Ridge Road - (80km of highway that climbs up to 12.183 feet before descending to the valley north of the town of Grand Lake.), I knew that if I had the patience to queue for up to half an hour on a mountain incline (which I don't) then also have to concentrate while I navigated my way through miles of potholes and ruts etc on 325 kg of motorbike plus passenger and luggage - I just wouldn't enjoy the ride or have time to take in the scenery. We were still really pleased however, to be able to ride through to an altitude of over 10,000 feet up the ridge before we saw a large queue of cars and road works signs and turned around.

We saw some spectacular mountain and forest views. To me, riding a Harley in the Rocky Mountains is the epitomy of what the USA is all about. The Park is huge - it covers over 1000 sq km and has 114 named peaks. It is the middle of summer and there is still some snow up there!

After we spent a couple of hours riding around the Park we exited and stopped at a garage in Estes Park for fuel and a late lunch. We met Mark, a Canadian on a BMW while we were there. He was quite excited to find out we were from New Zealand as he has visited Christchurch a couple of times and has friends there who run motorcycle tours. Mark himself is a motorcycle tour guide and was amazed that we had ridden Death Valley in the middle of summer! He only ever takes tours through there in the winter. He joked with us about shipping our bike out to tour the States when we have such a beautiful countyry back home. He does have a point - but from what I have seen of the States so far, there are some similarities to NZ (only on a much larger scale) - but also an incredible diversity in the landscape from state to state that we just don't see at home to the same extent.

We made our way back south down 36 and 25 where we branched off at the town of Longmont to check in to a motel for the night.

Colorado - Denver

We left Glenwood Springs after breakfast and it was only a relatively short ride of around 2 hours down Interstate 70 to Denver. Denver is quite a large city of 3.5 million people. Normally, I would avoid big cities like the plaque on this trip - but it just so happenned that we were in the vicinity of Colorado the same time as a friend from New Zealand (Olivia Burns). As we are reasonably flexible with our itinerary, we included a stopover in Denver into our plans so we could connect up. Liv is engaged to Cody Blackler who is a keyboardist/vocalist with an up and coming rock band in the USA called Paper Tongues. They are currently on tour and were playing a concert at the Bluebird Theatre in Denver that night.

Just as a bit of background, the band is managed by Randy Jackson (of American Idol fame) and as Randy would say "Yo, this band's sound is very current Dog". The band has an album out at the moment that is getting airplay on radio in the States. They have chartered in the American Billboard Top 40, have made a couple of music videos (see Youtube link below) and have opened for Coldplay when they last toured. It is a gruelling lifestyle - basically they go to bed on the bus at around 3:00am and they have a driver who drives through the night to their next venue. They normally get up at around noon and start preparing for the concert that evening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCzFYU17Soo&a=4oVf-d_DwKD7hyXIE1mf9R7ECHNQHDiT

This trip has had many 'first' experiences for us - and as a huge fan of many different genres of music, it was a priveledge to meet the band (a great bunch of humble young guys) who didn't mind in the least that we were on the tour bus hanging out with them as they went through their pre-concert preperation of vocal warm up excercises.

We got to go to the concert of course and really enjoyed the experience. They have a sound of their own - and while I am loathe to compare them to other groups, The nearest comparison I could make (from my generation) are elements of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers & U2 blended in their sound - sort of Hip Hop Rock fusion.

I have also attached the link to their website below - see what you think.

http://papertongues.ning.com/


The next day we went to Cody's Aunty in Wheatridge for lunch and generally chilling out talking with his extended family and band, before heading back to our motel in Lakeland to prepare for the next day.

Utah - Arches National Park

Moab is an interesting place. Reading the history it has had a boom and bust time over the last 50 years. The discovery of Uranium made it one of the wealthiest towns in the USA. With the decline of this market in the 1970's tourism has taken over with two major National Parks on the doorstep (Arches & Canyonlands). Also John Wayne made movies here & Harrison Ford filmed all the classic Indiana Jones movies in the area.

Tracee & I hit the road after breakfast and went straight to Arches National Park (2 miles out of Moab) before the day heated up. Arches has the highest concentration of natural sandstone arches in the world (over 80). We spent a good 2 hours in the park (about 18 miles in one way) and then decided to exit and head East.

We made the decision to miss visiting Canyonlands National Park about 33 miles further up the road. With the high temperatures one park a day is enough (you need to spend a good couple of hours in each one). We could have stayed on an extra day - but we were a bit 'canyoned out'. In the last few days we had visited Sedona, The Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon & Arches. While all distinctive in their own way, and awesome to visit - they are all variations on a theme - rock and lot's of it!

We took the Scenic Byway (HWY 128) out of Moab and connected with Interstate 70 again and headed across the state line into Colorado. We had a fuel stop & lunch at Grand Junction and then pushed on to Glenwood Springs where we checked into a cheap motel for the night. It was a shorter day today - we were off the road before 3:00pm and had covered 401km for the day.

We jumped on the Harley later on in the evening and went for a cruise around the town to find something to eat. We found a nice restuarant that did a good steak. One thing I have noticed about Glenwood Springs - about half the men are wearing cowboy hats and drive large modern 4 door pick-up wagons. We must be getting into the heart of the 'Wild West'!

Utah - Bryce Canyon National Park

We left Cedar City just after 7:00am and tuned right on to HWY 14 East. This took us up into the Dixie National Forest. There was a nice morning chill to the air and much of the gully we rode up was in shade. We turned left at Long Valley Junction on to HWY 89 North and then further up the road turned right at Hillsdale on to HWY 12 East. This took us to Red Canyon and on into Bryce Canyon National Park.

The road in to Bryce Canyon winds for about 17 miles with many viewing areas. Wildlife to be seen in the park include deer and prairie dogs. The Canyon constrasts some really interesting rock formations with green meadows and nearby forests of Pinyon and junipers at lower elevations and Ponderosa pines, spruce, fir and aspen at higher elevations.

After spending a good couple of hours in the Park we retraced our route and hung a right on to HWY 89 North at the junction and headed towards Interstate 70 East. We stopped for lunch at a nice cafe at Wind River. Luckily we had managed to get our lunch order in just before 20 Dirt Bike riders showed up in their 'dayglo' riding gear - all trying to shout over each other about the great ride they had just had. It was quite irritating - but once the food arrived I quickly lost interest in them!

Only about 7 miles after Wind River we swung right on to Interstate 70 East, where I wound the bike out to a good cruising speed - over the speed limit like everyone else (which is 75 mph or 120 km/hr) set the cruise control and put my feet up on the highway pegs. One good thing about the Interstate Highways - you can cover a lot of ground quickly!

As we made our way East the landscape became increasingly like a 'moon scape' as we headed through desert country. It was very hot riding (we had removed our jackets at Bryce Canyon) and we were being buffeted by a strong wind (not unlike a Canterbury Nor-Wester - only hotter). After what seemed an eternity we turned off the Interstate on to HWY 91 and had a quick break and an icecream at the Junction Garage to stretch the legs and get the blood circulating again around my sore bum!

It was only a short hop of around 70km down the rode to Moab where we were to spend the night - or so I thought! Not far down the road we struck the first of about 3 sections of roadworks where traffic was backed up! Here we were, fatigued and tired at the end of a long ride, the sun beating down on us and all we wanted was to get off the road and check in to a motel. I had to turn the motor off at each stop to keep any additional heat off our legs. The mood I was in - I could have happily kicked over all the road cones as I rode past!

It was after 5:00pm - and I was a little concerned that we may have trouble getting accommodation at such a popular spot in holiday season with two national parks close by. Sure enough, the first 2 motels were full, but we managed to find one at a reasonable price. It was a relief to get off the road. A big day in the hot sun. We had been on the road from 7:00am to 5:30pm, seen one national park and covered 626 km's.

Utah - Zion National Park

We got up early and had breakfast at The Cameron Trading Post before hitting the road just after 7:00am. The Navajo staff run a great establishment there and were very friendly. At that time of the morning the riding was very pleasant. We headed north up Hwy 89 and by the time we had reached Marble Canyon the day was heating up! We stopped and took photos of the Colorado River from the bridge then decided as the roads were not busy we would take our riding jackets off and ride in our underwear (just kidding - I mean T Shirts). The landscape was arid with the typical rocky outcrops & buttes typical of Arizona with a type of pastel green plant covering the flats and foothills.

We starting gaining altitude as we entered the Kalibah National Forest and the hills, winding roads and cooler conditions were a welcome relief. We wound our way up to 7000 feet before descending again into the warmer flats below with sparse vegetation. Not long up the road we said goodbye to Arizona and crossed the State line into Utah. We immediately gained an hour as the State is in a different time zone.

Not far past the town of Kanab we turned on to Hwy 9 West and headed into Zion National Park. The landscape in the Park was striking with huge red rock hills covered with brush and pine. The patterns in the rock formations were quite distinct from what we had seen down in Sedona. You actually descend down a steep road through a couple of tunnels (one very long) with quite a few hard corners and switchbacks. This would have been really fun if it wasn't for the fact that someone in their wisdom had decided that it would be a brilliant idea to do roadworks in the National Park during peak holiday season. We had some lengthy waits behind traffic in very hot conditions. Parts of the road were like a goat track - a trail bike the Harley is not! There were many pot holes and pools of water where the road had been watered, which served to make a very sticky red clay substance stick tto the underside of my frame and under the fenders. When we got off the road later that afternnon, the heat had baked it hard. A job I will have to do in the next day or so after we have finished visiting Utah's National parks - clean the bike!

After we left the Park we had lunch at Springdale then took Hwy 15 North to Cedar City where we checked in to the motel for the night. It had been a reasonable effort for he day, around 400 km's and one National Park.

At the motel I met 'Big Al' a retired welder who was making his way back to Michigan. Al told me that he used to own Harleys and to be careful when we get to South Dakota as there have been many accidents involving deer being hit by motorists. He told me that in Michigan, about 4000 deer have been killed on the roads this year (gives new meaning to the term 'road kill'). In fact 'Big Al's Uncle has written off two Harleys after hitting deer. I did believe him as I had met a couple in Christchurch from South Dakota who had said a similar warning about wildlife on roads. In fact we have seen many warning signs on the side of the highways as we have travelled around.

Big Al is quite the hunter - he shot 25 deer last year. I thought this was very impressive until he told me that he can't grow anything at his home in the country as his wife keeps feeding the deer, chipmunks and squirrels and his property is in fact overrun by deer. I have this picture of 'Mrs Al' taming the deer with food over a period of weeks, until one day the door opens and instead of Bambi getting grits from Mrs Al, it gets lead poisoning from Big Al! Al said that he never shoots more than what he needs to fill the freezer. At 25 deer - he must have a really big freezer - or he eats a whole lot of venison!

Sedona & The Grand Canyon

We were up at about 7:00am and after a complimentary breakfast at the Super 8 motel we packed up the bike and headed along the old Rout 66/Highway 89A out of Flagstaff and then headed south on a 50 km ride to Sedona. I would have to say it was the ride of the tour do far. The morning was nice & cool, the road undulating and winding and lined with Ponderosa pine. About 20km out of Sedona we cornered a bend and then saw a draw dropping sight of high buttes of red rock covered in pine. The road gradient dropped away as we descended and wound our way down a canyon into Sedona. The town looks like a very tidy Alpine community surrounded by some amazing scenery - I recommend you make the effort to visit if you ever get the chance.

After fuelling up we made our way back to Flagstaff and then took the 180 up to The Grand Canyon National Park. We had lunch at Tusayan and then drove a short distance to the Park entrance. We had purchased an annual National Park pass during our flight stopover in San Francisco for $80. This will get us into any National Park in the States. If we did not have this we would had to have paid a $25 vehicle fee at The Grand Canyon. The Forest Ranger who checked our pass advised us to ride past the Grand Canyon Village and pull into a park about a mile past the village. We parked the bike and then had a short walk of about 400 metres to the South Rim. The view was stunning. I sort of new it would be impressive - but the vastness of the canyon stretching out to the horizon cannot be portrayed accurately by a photo in a book - you have to see it to appreciate it.

After this walk we rode away from our parking area a short distance and took the Canyon exit on to Highway 64 and headed east. It was great riding, again undulating winding road with stunning views over the Grand Canyon with viewing areas on the side of the road. There was even a warning sign to watch for mountain lions! We saw some deer grazing by the side of the road and I pulled over so Tracee could get some photos (you have to watch they don't jump out in front of you when you are riding along!).

One thing about a major tourist attraction like The Grand Canyon in the USA vacation season - is that there are a lot of distracted holiday makers around in cars. We were riding past a viewing area when a young motorist decided it would be a good idea to pull out to cross the road in front of us without looking! One thing they teach you at Defensive Driving is to scan the road about 12 seconds ahead - so I saw what was happening and had enough time to react. She saw me at the last moment and slammed on the brakes to stop half way across the road while I nicked around past her. I had all 3 headlamps on and back in NZ had the baffles on my pipes opened up a bit to make the bike a little noisier - so I must have looked and sounded like a John Deere tractor coming down the road!

As we rode down 64 we saw a lot of Native Indian roadside market stalls selling crafts and jewelry. We turned left at the Junction of 64 and Hwy 89 and pulled over into Camerons Trading Post to spend the night. This is run by Native Americans and has a Store, Gift shop, gallery and lodgings. The Native American craftwork is of high quality and Tracee & I enjoyed looking at the extensive selection on display (we even purchased a few small momentos!).

The food is great value for money here. Tonight we had a main meal at The Trading Post with complimentary bread, soup or salad and drink - all for $11! And the word 'small' does not seem to feature much in the American culinary vocabularly - the helpings are always generous. Love this place...

Arizona

Tracee & I were up at 5:30am and on the road just after 6:00am to beat the morning rush hour traffic and take the Freeway out of 'Sin City'. It must have been close to about 40 degrees (100 F) even at that time of the morning. We headed out on the 93 to Boulder City and the Hoover Dam. After fueling up in Boulder we rode to the Dam - very impressive. The Dam is named after Herbert Hoover (31st President). It was built across the Colorado River's Black Canyon and opened in 1935. It gives a reliable water supply to the desert region.

We rode over the Dam and crossed into Arizona. There was a parking area at the side of the road where we got some good photos. There has been some major construction on a huge bridge that spans over the Dam and this is due to open next year. We carried on down to Kingman where we stopped for breakfast and then branched on to Interstate 40 and headed East. The heat was still stifling and we rode past some pretty arid looking country. We made a slight detour off the Interstate and rode through the town of Seligman - which is part of the historic Route 66 Road. There were many stores decorated with relics of the Route 66 heyday (Pink Cadillacs etc). After stopping for a drink in Seligman we swung back on to the Interstate and made our way to Williams where we made a fuel stop.

While at the Fuel Station I could see some very black clouds over the mountain range in the distance and a few flashes of lightening. Just down the road things got a little exciting! We had been steadily climbing altitude and the scenery was starting to look more green and the hills were covered in pine forest. There were quite a few warning signs to watch for Elk & Deer. There was a sudden drop in temperature and a gale started to pick up. We could see the lightening getting closer to us (not good in the USA when you are on a motorbike!). We saw two other bikes ahead parked under the Interstate overpass. We quickly pulled over hard against the roadside barrier (as the Big Rigs were whizzing by at about 80mph). We both jumped over the barrier and stood hard against the supporting struts of the overpass just as the storm moved overhead and the rain came. There was quite a bit of thunder and lightening around us and we must have waited a good 45 minutes for the worst of it to pass over. There were two old bikers (imagine the rock group ZZ Top without the beards) sitting hard up the side of the overpass just under the road in a little sheltered ledge (they only had T shirts on). A couple on a Ultra Classic Harley arrived soon after and joined us. They were from Chicago and had been doing a big tour through the northern States and West Coast & had also left Vegas today on their way down to Texas.

Once we could see the lightening moving past us into the distance and the rain eased to a light drizzel we put some wet weather gear on and mounted up again. It was only a short 20 minute ride down the road to Flagstaff where we decided to call it a day and have checked in to a motel for the night.

Flagstaff is quite an attractive town of about 60,000 people and is about 7000 feet above sea level. It is located in the pine forests of northern Arizona's San Francisco Peaks. The town developed in the 1890's as a lumber centre.

We are both enjoying the cooler temperatures!

Las Vegas - Day 2

This morning at around 7:00am we said farewell to the group we had traveled from Long Beach with. Dave, Mary, Bob, Maurie & Evan set off for the Hoover Dam & Grand Canyon. Their route will take them through to Indiana to watch some NASCAR racing. We will meet up with them again in South Dakota for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in mid August.

The primary focus for Tracee & I for the tour will be to take our time appreciating many of the National Parks, so we will head towards the Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon & then swing back North and do a loop around many of the National Parks that Utah has to offer before moving on to Colorado.

Tracee & I also wanted to stay an extra day in Vegas to watch a show at the Mirage Hotel. We had dinner at the buffet at the Hotel and then watched Cirque Du Soleil perform the 'Love' show - a performance of acrobatics and dance set to the soundtrack based on Beatles classics. It would be the best live performance I have seen (& that is saying something). The costumes, lighting, sound, visual effects, athleticism & skill of the perfomers made the show quite extraordinary. We were both really pleased we made the effort of going. A link of the website about the show is posted below.
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/love/default.aspx

After the show we walked the strip and watched some of the outside entertainment that the Hotels put on such as the water fountain light show in the pool outside Ceaser Palace & the fire and smoke show at the Mirage rockery/pool.

We spent a good part of the morning at the Las Vegas Harley Dealership (the largest in the world) waiting while the Service Dept fitted an auxillary (cigarette lighter) wired up to the battery on the bilke so I can power my GPS from the bike and not have to risk my GPS battery running out when I need it the most! I had left my auxillary cable for the GPS back in NZ, so we called into Radioshack to buy another one (about $25). However, the shop had a special on brand new Tom Tom GPS units for $98 - with a bigger screen, more features - so guess what I did!

Tomorrow we will set off at around 6:00am for the Hoover Dam on our way South to Arizona. It was a blazing 110F in Vegas today (45C) - so will be another hot ride (hence the early start).

Las Vegas - Day 1

We left Beatty about 7:00am in the morning and headed down the 95 to Vegas. We stopped at Indian Springs for breakfast (next to the Nellis US Air Force Range where we saw them testing some remote controlled Drones) and then continued the short hop in to Vegas, around 130km total for the morning. After swtopping at a rather dodgy looking Motel in downtown (Fremont St) we were all getting a little 'over the heat' and wanting to get off the road quickly. Evan had done a marvellous job as group leader with the GPS and he led us a little further up the road. We found a Super 8 Motel that gave us a good deal of $48 for the night (8ft deep swimming pool, free wireless and good air conditioning - all good). Vegas is in the grip of a heatwave with today about 113 F and excessive heat warnings for the remainder of the week.

Evan had noticed at Indian Spring that battery acid was leaking out of the battery housing on his Triumph (probably the extreme heat in Death Valley the day before had cracked the case). He headed off with Maurie to find a replacement after we had checked in. After Tracee & I hads a swim in the pool we joined up with Dave, Mary & Bob and walked a couple of blocks to the old downtown Vegas strip and caught a bus down to the new strip. We took a few photos, had a drink in Ceasars Palace and then Dave, Mary & Bob walked off to visit a gun shop while Tracee & I cooled off in the Harley Davidson Cafe. It was awesome, with vintage bikes on display and a conveyor belt with Harleys revolving between the two floors.

We caught a taxi home and then re-grouped with the others for a walk down to the old strip/Mall for a Steak & Lobster $16 special at the California Hotel. Dave received a quick lesson in how to play 'craps' at one of the many Casinos and then Tracee & I headed off to the motel while the others carried on for a bit longer as they were heading out the next day (Tracee & I will stay on an additional day).

Death Valley

We set off from Long Beach at 8:30am on the 710 and then on to Route 5 where we quickly got snarled up in the last of the rush hour traffic. It was slow going for about 10km but as we progressed on to Route 14 the lanes started to open up and we could cruise more comfortably. It is quite a rush to be cruising down some of these multi-lane freeways at around 120 - 140km/hr.

We travelled over the East Sierra range and then stopped for fuel at Mojave. The temperature was slowly getting hotter the further we progressed towards the desert country. We went past Red Rock Canyon and then the 14 merged into Route 395. We stopped for lunch at the small roadside community of Olancha. After lunch we travelled a short distance up the road and turned right on to Route 190 - the road to Death Valley National Park!

It is hard to describe what riding in Death Valley is like. Try to think of riding for an hour and a half in an oven. It was very challenging and we had to make sure we were well hydrated along the way. The temperature soared to around 120F (49-50C) as we descended into the valley. The USA Weather Service takes it's readings from the community named 'Furnace' in the valley (a very appropriate name!).

I thought we were being very heroic to attempt the trip with black motorcycle gear on - until we saw that an international ultra-marathon event was also being run in the valley and to see people actually running in these conditions made me realise that we were not so special after all!

We swung on to Route 374 and climbed out of the valley into cooler air (in the low 40's!) and arrived at the town of Beatty just across the State line of Nevada at around 4:00pm. It has been a huge day with over 600km's of riding in some extreme conditions.

After we settled in to the motel we fuelled up the bikes ready for tomorrow and passed the time with the locals at one of the four saloons in town & had some dinner.

We will have just a short hop down Route 95 to Las Vegas tomorrow.

Reunion with Harley

This morning Bruce, Dave, Evan, Maurie & I shared a cab to Mainfreight USA to pick up our bikes. The staff there were great to deal with and the whole process of uncrating went smoothly. I put the fuse back in the bike and it started without a hitch.

The ride back to the motel went a bit pear shaped. First, Bruce couldn't start his Triumph, so Dave left him with a map while he sorted out his problem & he agreed to make his own way back. The rest of us set off and with some detours (& deciding not to follow Dave down the wrong exit), Evan, Maurie & I made it back first to the motel. We had just parked and unpacked our gear when Dave turned up. Bruce arrived about an hour later after getting his bike running and getting lost! Thank goodness for GPS I say!

One hitch today was that the motel refused to store our suitcases for us (even though this had not been a problem when the last Kiwi group stayed there 2 years ago). Dave managed to talk his way around them (he had smaller bags - and the person he had dealt with over the phone when he booked the room had agreed to do it). Tracee & I had two large cases (as we had purchased some motorcycle gear in Boston) and the manager was not keen to accommodate us. I rang the guys at Mainfreight and Rhonda in the office there said it would not be a problem and they would put them in a lock up for us until we returned. It meant another taxi ride which was a pain - but got it sorted in the end.

We took the Metro train down to the waterfront tonight for a great meal (& a Guinness) in a great resturant.

We set off on our adventure by Harley tomorrow...

Boston to Los Angeles

We had a good flight to Los Angeles from Boston on an American Airlines flight. Flew out of Logan International at 8:00am and landed in LAX at 11:00am. It is a 6 hour flight, but you gain 3 hours due to a time zone change. I was not looking forward to the flight as we had a revolting flight from San Francisco to Boston with the same airline. We left San Fran at 11:15pm on July 2nd and could not sleep due to cramped seating and a lack of air conditioning. That flight contributed most to ‘jet lag’. The flight yesterday however was a bigger plane & our seat allocation was at the front (just behind first class) – so we seemed to have plenty of room. One thing to watch out for with flying with most domestic airlines within the USA – if you are not connecting from an international flight you get charged for check in baggage ($25 USD per case.

The flight over the mid west gave clear views of the Grand Canyon, New Mexico, Arizona & Colorado. We hit overcast conditions once we hit the East Coast. It was a ‘coolish’ 18 degrees when we landed in LA, but warmed up as the day went on. We booked a ‘shared shuttle ride’ that picked us up from the airport and dropped us off at the Best Western at Long Beach for a cheap $14 per head. This same ride would have cost us around $100 if we had taken a taxi.

The rest of the group were already at the motel when we arrived. Maurie, Evan, Dave, Mary & Bob were just walking out the door of the motel when our van pulled up. Tracee & I quickly checked in and jumped on the Metro Train with them ($6 per person for an all day pass) and took the Blue line into Union Station, then the Red Line to Hollywood Boulevard. We had a walk around the Boulevard (where the ‘Star’s’ have their names on the pavement), visited an Army Surplus store & then had a stop for lunch at a Hooters Bar - which all the men (apart from me of course) seemed to find very entertaining! We then caught the Metro back to Long Beach where Tracee & I left the group & went back to the Best Western. We caught the Metro later in the evening down to 1st Street (near Ocean Boulevard) to meet the rest of the group for dinner at a Buffet (Hometown Restaurant). It was my kind of place – all you can eat for $10!

My first impression of LA is that it appears rather a dirty place. Hollywood Boulevard was pretty tacky with cheap novelty shops and hawkers selling tours. There appears to be a lot of poverty around (when looking at residential properties from the train) and every carriage we were on seemed to have at least one person who was mentally unstable and ranting about something!

Reflections so far

You get a real sense of the vigilance around border control when you enter the USA. When we flew into San Francisco on the 2nd July – the intercom was announcing every few minutes that Homeland Security has an ‘amber’ alert staus and not to leave bags unattended. When we were processed through immigration we were digitally fingerprinted with a scanner pad & photographed. Also a lot of questions were asked about how long we were staying, who with, purpose of visit etc. The young woman who processed us through was very officious and business-like to start with, but once the formalities were out of the way she was very interested in our motorcycle tour – although she could not get her head around how we could be away from work for so long (most Americans only get around 2 weeks vacation each year).

When we arrived in Boston I opened my case to find a note from Customs to state that my bag had been searched. It might have something to do with the battery screwdriver (that looks like a small pistol) and the zip lock bag with all our laptop, camera, GPS, phone charger cables – that when viewed with XRay would probably would all look like the fixings for something more sinister!

In one way I was pleased not to have my Harley in Massachusetts as the drivers there have a ‘bad rep’ for their general driving habits. Speed, wearing seatbelts, using indicators, slowing down for amber lights, stopping for red lights – are all considered purely optional by many drivers – you need to have your wits about you. Also the road conditions seemed quite rough and in need of repair. Probably due to a combination of lack of investment, harsh winters and the salt they pour on the roads when it snows.
It has also been strange to feel what it is like to be a foreigner – many Americans could not understand me. Those of Hispanic descent especially had problems, with English being a second language, trying to understand a Kiwi was a double challenge!

I am amazed by the variety in the stores. Where we in NZ have maybe half a dozen varieties of Coca Cola, the US seem to have about twenty! You also need to be aware of the difference in the quoted price and what you actually pay, as most states apply a ‘sales tax’ on purchases (although New Hampshire was one State that did not).

I went shopping at the local Supermarket with my friend Neil and the variety and choice of items nearly did my head in! I also realized that after a while we were the only 2 men shopping together in the supermarket with a trolley and then felt quite awkward about how this was probably being perceived!

There are literally ‘Dunkin Donut’ outlets in nearly every block wherever you go.
Ice Cream in the USA is awesome (especially in the Boston heat wave!).There were tremendous combinations of flavours (e.g. caramel & walnut, peanut butter & chocolate).

The one place where I felt I was in control was shopping at the Harley Davidson Dealership at Everett in Boston (great store). I was looking at the helmet rack with Neil & Tracee when the young store assistant came up and asked if I needed any help. I replied no – as I knew what I was looking for. She turned and walked away and then looked back over her shoulder and with a small smirk said.. “That’s a woman’s helmet you’re holding.”

Massachusetts - Salem

The heat wave finally broke today - with a storm that caused flash flooding in Massachusetts. We were in Salem (home of the infamous Witch Trials) when the downpour came.

We visited The Witch House, home of Judge Jonathan Corwin. This is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the Witchcraft Trials of 1692. It contains many examples of household articles and furniture from the period as well as transcripts from the Witch Trials. As a local magistrate and civic leader, Corwin was called upon to investigate the claims when a surge of witchcraft accusations arose in Salem and neighboring communities. He served on the Court that sent nineteen to the gallows (plus two dogs!). All nineteen refused to admit to witchcraft and maintained their innocence.

We also toured the House of the Seven Gables, built in 1668 by Captain John Turner and was the inspiration for the novel of the same name written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1851 (author of The Scarlett Letter).

New Hampshire - White Mountain National Forest

Today we travelled with our friends Karen & Neil and children to the state of New Hampshire to spend the day in White Mountain National Forest. We started in the Lincoln region with a visit to Clarke's Trading Post - a combination of circus acts. amusement rides and museums. The main attraction is a Bear show with Black Bears rescued from the wild. There are about 4500 Black Bears in the wilds of New Hampshire. Due to harsh winters their average life span is around 4-6 years. The Clarke Trading Post has trained bears that have lived for up to around 28 years.

We then completed the Kancamagus Highway - regarded as the most beautiful highway in New England. The 34 mile (55 km) road runs through the Forest and climbs up to 3000 ft through the Kancamgus Pass. There were literally 100's of Harleys out today. The weather was perfect - around 29 degress celcius and the views stunning.

New Hampshire - Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a historic town, established in 1623 and became a hub of maritime commerce by the 18th century. Today, there is still a US Navy Shipyard and also the infamous Portsmouth Naval Prison (now closed). No-one ever escaped from this harsh prison as it was guarded by Marines - who, if they let a prisoner escape, had to serve the remaining term of the sentence themselves. Quite an incentive to do your job well eh?

We did a cruise of the harbour and saw old naval forts & lighthouses, plus a submarine in dock for a service.

Rhode Island - Newport

The smallest state in the Union with about 1 Million people. We visited the town of Newport - well known for it's mansions. We drove around a scenic route of beachfront properties and then completed a tour of the mansion of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt - a powerful figure in American finance & commerce during the early part of last centruy. This 4 story, 70 room mansion was modelled after 16th century palaces in Turin and Genoa. It's interior is adorned with marble, stained glass, gilt and crystal. Completed in in 1895 it took 2500 people 2 years to complete! Stunning - unfortunately photos are not permitted inside.

Maine - York

Went in to Boston and took a 'Duck Tour' - an amphibeous vehicle that tours historic sites in the city & on water (Charles River). We went past places such as the cemetary where Paul Revere is buried, the Old State House where the Declaration of Independance was read, the birth place of Edgar Alan Poe and saw the old warship (The Constitution) in the dock etc.

It was extremely warm today - around 100 degrees farenheight (40 degrees celcius). Due to the humidity the weather forecaster warned it would feel more like 110! It was rather suffocating!

Later in the afternoon we drove through the State of New Hampshire to the State of Maine and visited the historic seaside town of York. The houses in the New England states are amazing and very colonial looking, some date back to the late 1600's. You easily forget that unlike the rest of the USA this area was established first by Europeans and it was some time before the population pushed West to settle other areas.

Maine is known for a 'simpler' lifestyle and friendy people. Most of the men seem to have names such as 'Abner' and hunt Moose.

The town of York is very pituresque with a great holiday atmosphere. It was awesome sitting at the beach in the evening looking out over the Atlantic. Had a nice meal of lobster & crabmeat at a local restuarant.

It is very noticible the number of Harleys in these States in New England - it seems like every minute we hear one going by. Helmets are required in Massachusetts, but once in New Hampshire or Maine most riders were not wearing a helmet.

I have also mastered the local dialect. Basically in Boston all you need to do is substitue an 'r' with an 'ah'. So 'car' becomes 'cah' and clam chowder becomes 'clam chowdah'.

4th of July

Tracee & I experienced our first American Independance Day celebration in the birthplace of American Independance - Massachusetts. We are staying with friends Neil & Karen in Wakefield (Boston). Karen baked a cake in the shape of the USA with our proposed Harley route traced out in icing!

We attended the largest street parade in Massachusetts and experienced just how strong the patriotism and importance of the date is to Americans (after all - they did kick the Poms out!).

This evening we saw an amazing fireworks display over Lake Quannapowitt.

It is very warm here with 37 degrees today. More high temperatures are predicted over the next few days - with an increase in humidity.

San Francisco

Great flight from NZ to San Francisco, landed at 1:00pm. We both had a good sleep (left NZ at 7:30pm) thanks to some sleeping pills!

Nice warm weather in the mid-twenties. Had a 10 hour stopover before catching an American Airlines flight to Boston at 11:25pm.

Jumped in a taxi and headed into Fishermans Wharf (Pier 39) - great carnival atmosphere with variety of different shops and entertainment. Caught a Bay Cruise out to the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz 'The Rock'. Fascinating history - once the temporary home of gangster Al Capone. Wanted to book a tour of the prison, but tours fully booked 3 days in advance due to holiday season.

Harley has arrived at Long Beach

The Cap Blanche arived at Long Beach port on 26th June - which is a huge relief. I had visions of some Indonesian Pirate riding it around some rocky outcrop of an island somewhere.

The link below allows you to track the ship (& view a photo).

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?MMSI=305347000