Planned Route for 2017 (subject to some modification)
Day 1: Phoenix to Panguitch, UT
This morning I left about an hour later than expected, but it was good to hang out with the dogs a little longer. The ride from Phoenix to Flagstaff was horrible, some of the worst drivers I’ve experienced in a long time. Tailgaters riding me at 75-80mph at about 10-15 feet behind me. As soon as I could move over they zoomed past me right up the rear end of the person in front of me. I’ve officially added Jeep to the list and should have known since they are in the Dodge family. 3 Jeeps ranging rom the “Patriot” to the Cherokee. I put patriot in quotes because Jeep is obviously pandering to the ‘Murica crowd who thinks because it has a Jeep brand on it, it must be capable. Hardly. Junk. I saw two Jeeps broken down on the side of the road during today’s ride. When will people learn to not buy them, but “it’s a Jeep thing” and I definitely do not understand. (If you knew how many times Dodge vehicles have almost hit me, you’d understand why I do not have high regard for them and I know not ALL drivers of that brand drives poorly, but they are such a high percentage that it’s not a coincidence.) Anyway…had to vent, back to the road.
I stopped in Flagstaff for my usual coffee and breakfast burrito from Matador Coffee and when I walked in I noticed two of my Phoenix friends sitting there drinking coffee. That was such a nice surprise! Two of my favorite people! We parted ways and I continued north out of Flagstaff to Page, then from Page northwest towards Kanab, then north towards Bryce Canyon and onto Patliotch, UT to stay at the KOA campground. I have a tiny little cabin and the campground is nice. The hosts are super nice!
Oh, after I left Kanab, UT and headed north towards Bryce Canyon I caught up with a large group of motorcyclists who were part of the “Combat Veterans Association”. I rode with them for 20-30 miles before they turned off and I kept riding onto Patliotch. Tomorrow I head north to the Jackson Hole, WY area…now to find a place to sleep. 🙂
My home for the night.
Day 2: Panguitch, UT to Near Jackson Hole, WY
This morning started out so well! I woke up well rested, boiled water, made coffee and planned my route for today. I knew where I wanted to go, but wanted to make sure I knew how to get there. After leaving the campground I rode north towards Provo on the 89, and then was supposed to turn off to Provo, but I hit some rain and missed my turn. About 45 minutes later I realized I was way off course and turned around, thus wasting an hour and a half of ride time. On the way back I hit an even harder rainstorm and even with my rain suit I got pretty wet. The bike handled it all well, but I was pretty mad at myself for making such a stupid mistake. Today was already going to be a 8-9 hour riding day and it turned into a 11-12 hour day due to the weather I wouldn’t have hit and the extra 1.5 hours I wouldn’t have used up. Back to the Jeep thing. It happened again today and this time in the pouring rain. There was a Jeep “Liberty” behind me, tailgating me when I could not go any faster due to the car in front of me. This jackass would not back off! At some point there was finally a passing lane and of course he passes me and starts tailgating the person who was also passing someone else. Do these people not realize how dangerously they are driving? I don’t remember it being this bad before…before Trump came into office. Another thing to blame on that orange piece of shit. Oh, if you like that bullying asshat some like to call Drumpf or 45…too bad. I really don’t know how any of his followers could still like him after these first 7 months of shit-baggery unless they are just too stubborn to admit they messed up. No one really cares if you say, “well, that didn’t quite work out the way I had wanted.” We understand, everyone messes up…however; this time you and many millions of others were the suckers born every minute who didn’t see this coming and thought that what he had done for decades prior had no bearing on what kind or person he is. It’s actually worse than I had thought, I really didn’t think he was as big of an idiot as he has turned out to be. Anyway! YUUUUGE tangent there…back to the ride. Once I got back on track and I headed northwest to Provo, then a bit northeast, then northwest, then northeast again…mountain highways tend to do that. I finally made it to Evanston, WY where I stopped for some quick food and gas. The road from Evanston, WY to Jackson, WY takes such a circuitous route…you go into Wyoming, then back to Utah, then into Idaho, then back into Wyoming. Due to my screw up I ended up riding into the evening. I really do not like riding at night due to the amount of wildlife in the area. My helmet’s shield quickly covered with bugs so I had to clean that and also realized that I needed to adjust my headlights down due to the weight on the bike. Once I did that I am sure there were many drivers who were much happier with me.
It’s dark now, I have no phone signal, no wifi…but I do have a bed and my sleeping bag so I’m going to go to sleep and sleep in a little bit tomorrow morning. Good night.
Day 3: Jackson Hole, WY to Bozeman, MT
Due to yesterday’s long ride I decided to sleep in a little while longer and then head north into Tetons and Yellowstone NPs. It was a beautiful morning and I realized that my tire pressure gauge had been left somewhere along the way so I stopped into a parts store and picked one up. During that short visit I talked to two guys on their dual sports. The first guy was riding a Suzuki DRZ600 and it looked like it had really been used for some awesome off-roading and touring. The second guy was on a BMW 800 and he also had a great setup for off road fun. We compared notes, talked about our old bikes and where we were off to this round. I sure to love meeting people while I’m out riding. The Africa Twin certainly gets more comments and people coming up to ask me about it compared to my DL650, but a bike is a bike and we’ve all got plenty of great stories about our rides. Once I left JH I went into Tetons and Yellowstone NPs to retrace some of my route from 2 years ago. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be as busy since many schools are now back in session, but I was wrong. The park was packed and this time there were two spots with road construction and everything was backed up. I think I sat for a total of at least an hour or so just getting through the park to head out the west gate and then north to Bozeman.
During one of the construction delays I met a nice couple from Phoenix who were out riding their Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 and that bike was awesome. The guy said they wanted a bike like a Harley, but one that he could trust. He said he had had a few Harleys in the past and he was just tired of “fiddling around” with them. The bike sure sounded like a Harley. Loud. I rode with them for about 45 minutes and they turned to the north and I went west. The day also included another Jeep driving. This was another “patriot” and he was also a tailgater. I am to the point now where I just move to the right at a turn-off and let them pass so they can tailgate the next person. What is going on?! Got into Bozeman, had a little snack and got settled in for an early night. Tomorrow morning I ride to Missoula for a 10am appointment at the Honda shop because the Honda shop in Phoenix didn’t seem to balance the wheels when they put on my new tires. This is the second time they haven’t fully completed a job, or done it in a way where I don’t think I’ll go back to them.
Day 4 – Missoula, MT
Bozeman to Missoula – see what the shop says and then I can call the Phoenix Honda service to let them know they need to do ALL of the work required. There are a bunch of fires all around the Missoula area and the smoke is heavy. I stopped in Missoula to get my tires balanced because they were acting like they were not after getting my new Heidenau K60 Scouts put on last week. Sure enough, they were off and I can really tell the difference. So glad that I took a day off and got this resolved.
Day 5: Missoula, MT to Glacier National Park (US/MT)
Today’s ride started out well, except for a jerk neighbor of the friend I stayed with in Missoula. She’s a friend from my running group and her landlords said it was fine for me to park in the driveway next to a truck that never moves. All good…right? Wrong. I came out to find my motorcycle blocked in by the renter in the back house and when I said, “Hey! Good morning, glad you are here, is that your truck?” I had expected him to say, “Yes, it sure is…do you need me to move so you can get out?” Well, instead he replied with, “Yeah, you blocked my truck so I can’t get into it. I won’t move my other car because you shouldn’t park there.” I said that it was only for one night and the owners said I could park right there. He said, “Well, they never asked me.” Trying to still be nice to this jerk, I said that I was sorry and that if he could please move his truck I could be on my way. He said, “No, I have to go. It’s your problem” or something like that and he took off on his longboard skateboard. The truck he said I blocked in hadn’t been moved in months according to my host. Some people are just jerks. Then the day was super windy until I got a bit north of Missoula heading to Seeley (sp?) and heading toward Kalispell, MT. I even drove by Swan Lake which is in a valley to the east of Flathead Lake. Our families got together there for a family reunion back in 1985. I was a kid, but still remember the amazing vacation we all had in Montana. From there I rode west and north to Kalispell, then onto the KOA campground I am staying in tonight. These little Kabins…yes, they do spell it that way…are really basic, but perfect for a comfortable night’s sleep. There is no bathroom, but an empty Gatorade bottle will keep you from having to brave the dark and night time creepy crawlies until morning. After I checked in I rode west to Glacier NP and rode one of the forest roads north from the “Road to the Sun” for an hour or so in the direction of PoleBridge (sp?). It was a mix of blacktop and gravel. The gravel was so washed out that it wasn’t even fun. I don’t mind gravel or forest service roads, but when it’s just a grooved mess and somewhat dangerous due to the driving of people in cars/trucks it ruins what could be a good time. I went back to the main intersection and rode on the “Road to the Sun” for a little while, but since I wanted to eat and get a good night’s sleep, knowing I’d be riding it tomorrow on my way to Canada, I turned back. Halfway back I pulled off and sat by a lake for a while. I’m very happy that the National Parks are as busy as they are, but I’m still surprised at the amount of people this late into the year when I figured most kids would be back in school. Time to do some laundry and get some rest. Last minute update… While I enjoy the cost of the “kabins” compared to the astronomical nightly fees for area hotels, the shared bathrooms are a bit annoying. I am not sure what these people are eating, but eating meat is eating something that is dead/rotting and that rotting continues in your body after you eat it and what comes out is even more rotten. Laundry done, shower complete…time to relax and get some sleep so I can get an early-ish morning start. They have a buffet style breakfast here, but if you know me, you know I am not a fan of buffets of any type. They remind me of my first least favorite dining experiences…pot luck meals. Good night!
Day : Glacier NP to Canada.
Hopefully the WiFi is good…I’m at a Ramada! I didn’t find much on my way to Banff/Lake Louise that worked well for my hammock, or a cabin so private quarters it is! And the price was about the same as what my KOA cabins had cost. Glacier NP still holds the top spot for me in our National Parks. I haven’t been to another that is so beautiful and so grand. The “Going to the sun road” did not disappoint, the edge of the narrow two lane road was so close and the small ledge wouldn’t have stopped any motorcycle from toppling over the edge…well, when there was a ledge. In many spots there was no ledge. I wanted to stop every few minutes because around every bend there was another view that made me catch my breath.
Once again, there was an unexpectedly large amount of visitors to the park, but with Glacier NP’s distance from the many population centers it makes it a little more difficult to visit. I wish it was more difficult. 🙂 The ride to High River went well. I also learned how to change my speedometer to Kilometers from Miles per hour. On the east side of Glacier I had a good lunch at a little place called “Park Cafe” where they had Huckleberry Pie for dessert. The Canadian border guards were much more polite than last April as I was traveling to go ski in Nelson, which is north of Spokane, WA. I stopped at the first Tim Horton’s, had a cup of coffee and a donut. My Canadian adventure was on! Next door to the excellent Ramada Inn in High Point was “Boston Pizza” where I had their hummus tray for dinner, it was quite good.
Day: High River -> Banff -> Lake Louise -> Radium Springs
The morning started out quite cool (around 50F) as I rode west and then north to Banff. Banff is spectacular! The mountains were made to feel even more enormous as I rode through valleys, their rocky faces looming over every corner. It was truly awe inspiring.
There were may “Watch for Mountain Goats” signs and without fail, there were mountain goats chomping on grasses by the road. The Lake Louise area was packed with tourists from all over, but I mostly saw Canadian license plates around the parking lot. The lake itself is very beautiful with the white-blue water, the mountains rising around and the glaciers above. I wanted to go to the Moraine lake, but they weren’t letting anyone else in due to the amount of traffic. From there I rode onto Radium Springs for the night.
Day: Radim Springs, BC to Priest Lake, ID
Time to head back to the U.S. this morning. I had one more visit to Tim Horton’s for coffee and breakfast and rode southwest to the border. It took almost an hour to get across the border back into the U.S. 
From there I road to Bonners Ferry, ID where I stopped for lunch at a little cafe downtown. I had the vegetarian enchilada and it was one of the best I’ve had anywhere! Through Sandpoint and then west to Priest River where I stopped for a coffee before heading north to Priest Lake.
Priest Lake had some haze from the numerous fires throughout the northwest, but overall it was a beautiful day. I rode to my Uncle’s cabin on the north side of the lake where my many of his family were staying. It was so great to see them all! We all played on the beach by their cabin, had some snacks and then a delicious dinner. Later that night I rode down to the “kids” cabin down the lake where we continued to visit. This morning I woke up and went on a morning coffee boat ride with my cousin Brian and their new dog, Basho. The lake was quiet and smooth. After returning to the cabin I cleaned up, packed up the bike, said goodbye to everyone and rode south.
Day: Priest Lake, ID to Ritzville, WA
Today was a fairly short day (5 hour ride) due to me not getting enough sleep the previous night, and it being over 100 degrees with the addition of humidity. I stopped in Spokane for lunch and then continued west. At a certain point in the day I pulled over to a rest stop and decided that I was done. It was getting miserable and I wanted some AC and a bed so I could catch up on some sleep. I’m here now in Ritzville, WA at their local Best Western hotel. It’s quiet, clean, and the laundry room is across from my room. I hadn’t realized until this morning how low on clothing I was.
Day: Ritzville, QA to Portland area
I’ll be getting an oil change on the motorcycle on Monday since I hit 3,000 miles. Good time for an oil change and check on the bike.
I was happy to leave the middle of Washington state behind. Ugh, what a wasteland…sorry if you live there.
Went to Mount Saint Helens visitor center with my friends from Longview, WA and also went into Portland to meet up with friends from Phoenix who now live in Portland as well as two guys I haven’t seen in a long time. I was so happy to see them again.
Day: Longview to Mount Hood to Crater Lake
Today started out well as I rode east along the Columbia River Gorge and then south across the Bridge of the Gods (or something) and then south to Mount Hood and then to Crater Lake.
I stopped in a little town for lunch and had a spinach omelette that was so amazingly good. Mount hood was so impressive! I came over a ridge heading south and there it was! SO HUGE! I spent a little time riding around, but had to hurry to find a place with wifi so I could login to work and quickly help with a couple items. Once that was fixed I kept going south to Crater Lake.
The temperatures ranged from around 80 when I left the Portland area to 70s up on Hood, to 111 in the wasteland above Bend, to 52 in a storm on top of Crater Lake.
I rode up to Crater Lake to find that the road I had expected to take was closed due to fires, then had to ride around the lake into a fairly intense storm in the dark. Darkness isn’t too bad, but the heavy rain was causing rocks to fall off of the cliffs onto the road. I did okay avoiding them, but was worried of one falling onto me as I was riding. Luckily that didn’t happen and I finally made it to my hotel at the Crater Lake Lodge on top of Crater Lake! It was too dark to see anything when I arrived, but I look forward to the morning with a clear sky due to all of the rain tonight.
Day: Crater Lake, OR to Reno, NV
Today’s ride was a good one with perfect temperatures and little traffic. I meandered my way to Reno on small highways through lots of wooded/forested areas. Had a few sprinkles as well that helped when I got to a section that was a bit warmer.
In Reno I am staying with my cousin and her family. This is one of the other things I cherish so much about my rides…getting to see and reconnect with family since we’re so spread out across the country.
I had such a great time visiting with my cousin and her family. The one bad thing about seeing relatives so infrequently is that their children who were tiny the last time you saw them are now almost teenagers. Their children are pretty disciplined and it was so good to see parents who truly care about every aspect of their lives. I always expect that my family and extended family are responsible parents, but seeing it in action is heart warming.
Day: Reno, NV to Las Vegas, NV
I was able to get on the road around 830am from Reno and headed southeast to Las Vegas. The route was primarily on small two lane highways through small towns since there really isn’t anything else going north to south in Nevada. I’d take the highways anyway, but not having that option means that the highways had to handle ALL traffic so there were more trucks on this route than what I would normally see.
Stopped for breakfast in Fallon, NV along the way at a little cafe called “Main Street Cafe”. They had excellent breakfast options and I like to support local businesses over those fast food places that do not provide delicious and healthy meals.
After breakfast I continued south through the state of Nevada and it once again proved itself to be one of the hottest and ugliest states to ride through. It was so windy and so hot as I skirted Death Valley (again) which required me to stop often to re-hydrate. I drank so much water and gatorade, but rarely had to stop to discard the waste fluids proving that my body was sucking up all the moisture it could. I also soaked myself with water, but the air was so hot that it didn’t help at all. It just seemed to heat up the water and not cool me down.
Finally near the end of the ride as I was 75 or so miles north of Las Vegas I hit some rain and that really helped! I love a light rain while riding in hot weather!
In Las Vegas I stayed with friends and we all went out into the desert to watch the meteor shower.
Woke up and got on the bike for my last day of riding on this trip.
Day: Las Vegas, NV to Phoenix, AZ
Left a little later than expected, but it was good to catch up with my friends.
Stopped in Boulder City, NV for breakfast and continued south towards Phoenix. It was another hot day of riding, but luckily there were clouds for more than half of the ride and even had some light rain.
Las Vegas to Phoenix is a fairly short ride and I was able to complete it in around 5 hours.
The dogs went crazy and I am so happy to be home again with my dogs.
Time to clean all my gear and the motorcycle.