Coast to Coast 2023

Click the link below for the 2023 Coast to Coast Journey in chronological order.

CLICK HERE

The latest trip is depicted by the rusty orange line on the map below.

CLICK HERE

Badlands to NYC ’23

I declared Sturgis over earlier than I ever have in the past. I am usually the last guy standing, packing up my shit on Sunday while the Buffalo Chip crew gathers the folded-up tents, chairs, and other various goodies left behind by the nomadic residents. This time I packed up two days earlier than usual on Friday. Def Leppard was the last big headliner on Thursday night. That was enough for me. I had been on the road for 7 weeks and it was time to head home. My old Sturgis buddy Jacob stopped by for the last day. I met Jacob two years ago. Jacob is a smart dude with a lot of great ideas. Last time he had a cigar box guitar. This time he had a genuine US-made, Telecaster. I wish he had come to the Chip sooner this year. I said my goodbyes and headed out.

I decided to take an indirect route through the Badlands.

The town that is the gateway to the Badlands is Wall, SD. It has become a tourist attraction for folks who need a break between the hours of driving on Interstate 90 in either direction. I was in Wall looking for some spray for my chain. I had no luck finding spray in Wall, but I did find the largest Jack-a-lope that I have ever seen. According to Google, beyond the big bunny was supposed to be an auto supply store. It was a restaurant.

From Wall, the Badlands is due South. I still had two weeks left on my annual National Parks Pass so that made things simpler.

It was nice to casually ride through this surreal landscape after a week and a half of craziness during Sturgis.

It was also comforting to know that I had a place to stay for the night. I booked a campsite at a State Park right along the Missouri River. It was nice to camp out in a calm place with a star filled sky.

In the morning I found the spray I needed for my chain. An old guy Layne stopped to talk for a while in the parking lot as I lubed up the chain. I finished spraying the chain but Layne still had plenty to say about his youthful motorcycle adventures.

I did my best to find two-lane highways on my route home that I hadn’t ridden. I have taken so many routes back from Sturgis that there really wasn’t much left to see. Any of the good highways with marked attractions I have seen already. It makes this stretch between SD and NY tedious at times. I mean, It’s nice. It’s just that I know what to expect for the rest of the ride and it still is a long way before I get home. I passed this accumulation of old buildings that comprised Calliope Village in Iowa.

The town of Le Mars, Iowa is considered the ice cream capital of the world.

I passed through the small town of Pocahontas as I continued east on Route 3.

There were numerous roads that were closed due to construction. One of the many detours took me by this old service station in Illinois. I was getting tired of detours.

It was supposed to be a dry day. It wasn’t. Just as I finished strapping down the bike it started raining. I watched the local weather before leaving the hotel. I checked my weather and radar apps. ‘No rain’ was the information I got from those sources. The sky had different, more reliable information for me. Since the rain had just started I figured it was either a small brief undetected sprinkle or I could quickly get ahead of it before I got wet. Neither of those things happened. I persevered but I got soaked.

Just as the rain cleared up, I came upon another construction site. This time I was following a dump truck with no brake lights. As the dump truck driver was calling out to the flaggers, I noticed the 18-wheeler and another car ahead of the dump truck shifting to the left lane. The dump truck stayed to the right. I wasn’t sure what to do. The flaggers didn’t signal me at all. Thinking that the dump truck had a mission at this construction site, I followed the pattern of traffic ahead of the dump truck. Well, this driver went ballistic. He was screaming at me and blaring his horn. I got back behind him where I had been moments before.

Unfortunately, my GoPro stopped functioning for this scene. I am sure the video would have been something to see. This driver ahead of me got out of his truck and had a fit. He was going nuts like a crazy Karen. I just lifted my mask and tried to explain my thinking but he wasn’t listening and I didn’t care. I told him to get the fuck back in his truck. He did, for a moment or two. Then he got back out and started screaming at me again. I was wet, tired, and not in the mood. He eventually got back in his truck and traffic began to move. I threw him the bird as I passed. I could hear his horn blowing and the screaming that predictably followed. I have to say I was amused.

From here I continued on to Route 244 which I have taken many times before. It is a calm two-lane all the way to Akron, Ohio. From there, I hopped on the Interstate and headed home.

Two months and a day on the road.

This year’s journey is represented by a rusty orange line on the map below.

Sturgis 2023

Here we go again. It is Sturgis time!

I wasn’t sure I was going to Sturgis when I left New York almost 2 months ago. The band lineup wasn’t that exciting to me. In fact, I had already seen pretty much everyone on the week’s lineup in the past. After meeting up with some Sturgis friends during the journey in Kentucky and California, I was reminded that the Sturgis experience is about more than the bands that are playing. It’s the people you meet. People who are all there because of a common interest. We love to ride.

I may have already seen ZZ Top before but they were still great. They were the first headline band to play. It had rained earlier in the day and the crowd was a little thin. This meant I could get close without any resistance.

The gentleman below was playing along with ZZ on his prosthetic leg.

I was at the bar talking to this dude Leonard who is camping near me. Leonard turned to me and said, “You know, I strip.” I thought I misunderstood him. Then he hopped up on stage, grabbed the pole, and made more money than the ladies.

In Sturgis you can’t be topless, (unless you’re Leonard). After Leonard was assisted off stage by security, his replacement had pasties that looked like the real thing.

The place where I pitch my tent at the Buffalo Chip is especially cool for a few reasons. 1) it has more shade trees than most areas. 2) it has a dry creek bed that swerves around creating a peninsula with a protective moat. 3) It is for bikers only. No cars or trucks or golf carts. And 4) It has a School Bus Bridge to cross the moat.

Below is Ben crossing the bridge coming in from Denver. We saved him a spot.

Many folks leave their mark on the bus. I left mine along with a few stickers.

Here is Charlie with his Indian. If you have been following along then you know that I visited Charlie in Kentucky on my way west. Seems like a long time ago.

In case you don’t know…one of the great things about the Buffalo Chip is that you can bring your bikes into the show. Folks arrive early to get their bike up near the stage.

After the show it is mayhem getting the bikes out. Sometimes folks drink a bit too much. The traffic made for a slow ride out for the bikers. One dude was riding past me when I noticed he was wobbly. I knew he was going down, so I ran over to him and caught the bike just before he went down. Someone else ran up too and we actually managed to prevent it from hitting the ground. Then, once the guy was upright, he went about 10 feet and fell to the other side.

This is Peter AKA Rooster. He and some of his Polish buddies were camping on the peninsula. He came back to the camp after a bad storm one day. He looked cold, wet, and traumatized. He said there was a tornado in the Badlands.

Each Sturgis I get to hang with some old friends and meet new ones. From left to right is Joe, Eric, Brenda, Leonard, Ryan, Ludwig, Craig and Karen.

Ludwig and Joe rode here all the way from Mexico City. Juan in the center rode down from Canada.

Ben, Paul, Joe, and Ludwig enjoy smoking cigars. Joe bought this black jacket while in the States. He kept his cigars in what he called his “fun” pocket. He was showing his cigar stash to Ben. Ben giggled. He said that’s not a fun pocket, it’s a gun pocket. Joe looked up with surprise and joy as he raised his hands and said, “God Bless America!”

Below: Ludwig, Joe, Ben, and Paul head out of camp for a day in the Black Hills. Three of them would return. One spent the night in the pokey.

Here is my setup. I had a great spot this year. Jeff, Mary, and Charlie got here early and blocked off this chunk of real estate for me.

I stopped by Danny Waitzman’s place where he and Darren McKeag were showing their artwork. Danny told me to have a look at the side of his truck. He had slapped up a sticker of mine right next to Mad Stork on his back window. Cool!

Each year there is a gallery that displays shiny motorcycles and motorcycle related artwork. I didn’t like this year’s show as much as the ones I had seen in the past. I found out there was a new curator. In the past, the curator was Micheal Lichter.

I put a large 8” sticker on the Buffalo Chip Map sign. If you don’t know what all this sticker talk is, I have been doing a great deal of artwork this year. Check out some of what’s been going on here: carnivorousflora

Lynyrd Skynyrd was there again. This is the first time they have been there since the passing of Gary Rossington. That means that there are none of the original members left. Yet here they are. That is Johnnie the younger brother of the original singer Ronnie Van Zant behind the microphone. He is the closest thing to the real deal but it is kind of strange. They sounded great and I had a great time. Just saying, it is weird that they are all gone.

Below is Baltimore Bob. Bob is always the first one here so that he can pitch his tiny tent directly under the biggest tree. Unfortunately, Bob was the first to leave. He had an accident and spent a couple nights in the hospital. Bob is 82 and he misjudged the width of his big bike and hit a cement barrier. He wasn’t going fast but he fell off the bike and it rolled over his foot. He takes blood thinners so he ended up with a large hematoma where his leg hit the bike when he fell. Everybody in camp helped him out and everyone including his family thought he should fly home but Bob insisted that he ride back to Baltimore with his new walker strapped on tight behind him.

This is Salty Bitch. The name suits her. She was riding by when she wiped out in the mud. I went over to help pick the bike up with some others. Then one guy was holding her bike up while she was still on the ground and she started yelling at him. “Get the fuck off my bike. I got this. Don’t touch my fucking bike! Meanwhile, she was literally pissing herself. What a scene. She continued yelling at everyone who was trying to help until everyone walked away and her wet Salty Bitch ass rode off.

Night time at camp. My bike, Charlie’s Teepee, Jeff and Mary’s orange tent, and Ben’s lights.

I took a ride to Deadwood to see David Uhl and his artwork. I turned the GoPro on myself for a change. I was hoping to see Danial James too but he was back in downtown Sturgis. Danial gave me some awesome Triumph T-shirts a few years back.

Here is one of Danial’s paintings.

I was happy to see one of my stickers hanging tough in the window of Sasha’s Cycles. I slapped this one up last year.

I went to meet some friends at The Full Throttle Saloon. First I went up to the pool to see if this sticker was still there from last year as well. Oh yeah!

Both the Full Throttle and The Buffalo Chip had a Wheel of Death this year.

I happened to pass by and say hi to this crew at the perfect time. They were having a feast and invited me for dinner. This is Mike and Donna’s set up. They come down from Canada each year. They bring the goods and plenty of shade. Besides a giant trailer, they have a stand up tent that is a food pantry filled with goodies. That’s Travis to the right. I first met him back in 2014 or 15. Back then he was actually camped out in the exact location where I was this year.

This guy below walked into camp with cameras strapped all over. This is Micheal Lichter, world-renowned motorcycle photographer and former curator of some great shows at the gallery I mentioned previously.

https://www.lichterphoto.com/

I got to watch and talk with Nick Sawyers as he worked on this large mural for Progressive. Here is the finished product.

Charlie, Jeff, Mary, and I took a ride through the Black Hills to see the Crazy Horse monument.

A bike show at the entrance of the Chip had this chromed-out beauty.

Sturgis ended on Sunday. I actually saw this bike being trailered on the road today (Tuesday).

Until next time…Happy Sturgis!

Idaho and Montana

I crossed into Idaho and booked a room. I was wiped out from the day before after riding into the night. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I thought about going all the way to Kalispell, Montana which would have added another hour and a half to the ride. Instead I found a nice looking place in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

The Dodge Peak Lodge is a charming motel. About a 1/2 mile from the motel was this sign.

Welcome to Trump Country. Love God, Guns, Family, Freedom & your Neighbor. That is, unless your neighbor is from out of state. The guy who runs the motel told me that when people move in from another state he recommends that they change their license plates as soon as possible. He didn’t mention Trump but he told me that he does yearn for the days of Ronald Reagan.

I like the historical markers in Idaho. They are large, bold signs depicting historical events throughout the state.

The fact that the local hardware store sells these vehicles in the parking lot gives you some idea of what Winter is like here in Idaho.

The last thing that happened before crossing the border into Montana was a near miss with the local fauna. It’s probably good that it happened in Idaho where the speed limit was 60. A few miles later the same road becomes 70 mph which may have produced different results.

This is a still from a video. I’ll add videos to the posts when I get home. Whew! That was a close one!

Idaho is rather thin geographically if traveling from west to east. It didn’t take long before I was in Montana. I topped off the gas tank to be safe. (Always a wise thing to do when riding out west). I figured it would be no problem to find fuel but began to worry as I passed two stations with plastic bags over the pump handles. Fortunately I found a working pump before running out of gas. Parked at the station was this UPS truck. You can see that they are built for a different type of environment than the big vans that I am used to seeing back home.

I kept debating whether I should go to Glacier National Park or not. Folks kept warning me about the crowds and the fact that you need to have a reservation to enter. Those reservations had booked up months ago. I was told however, that you could enter after 3 o’clock without a reservation. Since I was arriving a before 3, I thought I would stay on Route 2 and go around the park.

Then, as I was riding, a couple friends from New York called. Distracted by the phone, I passed a bar/restaurant that I knew from years ago called Packers Roost. I pulled over to call them back. They wanted to pick up a painting from my apartment and couldn’t find it.

After talking to them, I decided to turn around and check out Packers Roost.

As well as I was here, I decided to get one of their 1/2 pound burgers. Thanks for the interruption James and Jake!

It was 15 years ago that I first came to Packers Roost. I had a fun evening here. There was a live band and talk of creating a campground behind the place. I asked whether they had bands there every night or just on weekends. The bartender told me they never have bands anymore. I asked why not, and she pointed to a sign on the wall and said, “That’s why!”

Apparently things get a little wild here during the performances. I asked about camping as well. The bartender said I could ask the owner. He’d probably let me. So, not exactly a campground.

Since I stopped to have lunch, it was now past 3 o’clock so I made the decision to enter the park. It was beautiful.

I was yearning for the camera that was destroyed in Los Angeles when I saw these Bighorn Sheep. It had a great zoom lens.

People often ask me what my favorite place is during all my journeys across the nation. I have to say that Glacier ranks up there with Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.

When I entered the park I had to traverse a 9 mile dirt road due to construction before the pavement began. The road then serpentines its way up and up until you are twisting your way along a cliffs edge above the tree line. It’s magnificent.

Not only that, traffic was really not bad at all. It was an incredible ride. There was a forest fire to the south, so had I stayed on Route 2 these mountains may have been obstructed and I would have been breathing heavy smoke for most of the day. What you see in the background (in the photo below) is not clouds. It’s smoke from the fire.

The GoPro vids from up here are going to be really cool as I ride along the cliffs edge with 3000 foot drops. I am so glad I decided to take this route.

Once you leave Glacier National Park to the east, things get flat quickly.

One point of interest that caused me to turn around was this historical marker below. This is Camp Disappointment from Louis and Clark’s journey. It’s the farthest point north that they had traveled. It is called ‘disappointment’ because they really hoped that they would have found a river route that ran to the Pacific by now. No luck.

If you want to read a great book about their journey, Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose is one of my favorite books that I’ve ever read. It is remarkable what Louis and Clark achieved.

I booked a room at a Super 8 in Cut Bank, Montana. You can see the same Cut Bank River that William Clark and his party traveled upon in the photo below.

The hotel was a little disappointing because of my awkward, heavy luggage. I was booked on the 3rd floor and the place had no elevator. Fortunately the young man who worked the desk was happy to help me with my bags. I didn’t ask. He practically insisted.

The cleaning staff however were not so accommodating. This room didn’t come with a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign and the house service lady started banging on my door at 9am. I really don’t like that. Then at 10:30 while I was finishing packing, she walked right into my room. WTF?

Behind the hotel it looks as though people had disposed of a few vehicles many decades ago. I guess they pushed them over the cliff for fun to get rid of them. Here they sit a half century later.

The hood of one vehicle was being used as a modern day cliff dwelling.

I continued east on Route 2. As you can see, if I had made a left I would be at the Canadian border.

In town was a mural that depicted William Clark and his party at Cape Disappointment.

It’s Summer now but as you can see written below the penguin that this will soon be the coldest part of the nation.

I was somewhat surprised to see this graffiti on the train below. Duel is an artist from NYC. In fact, one of his paintings hangs on my wall at home.

I thought Havre, Montana would be more interesting. I know there is a tour of underground tunnels here that date back to the early days when they were building the first tracks for the railroad. I also saw an episode of Ghost Adventures that took place here. Ultimately, I only took a photo of this old sign.

As I mentioned earlier, after Glacier things get flat. Not only that, these roads are covered with suicidal grasshoppers.

When I finally stopped for the day, I had to pick grasshoppers out of my boot laces. One of the legs was still moving. Fun!

Culbertson, Montana is the last town before reaching North Dakota. If it weren’t for all the construction workers from the road work being done in town, there may have been no one at my hotel at all.

The same was true at the only place to get a bite to eat. I asked the bartender if the place ever gets filled up. She said, sometimes on Halloween. She also told me that one day last year, Culbertson broke the record for the coldest place on Earth.

It is questionable whether the next place should be considered Montana or North Dakota. The border crosses directly through its property. This is Fort Union. Although it is called a fort it has no relation to the US military. It was a very successful trading post well before the military traveled this far west.

Fort Union traded with several Northern Plain Indian Tribes, including the Assiniboine, Crow, Blackfeet, Cree, Hidatsa, Mandan, Arikara, Lakota, and Dakota.

From the outside one only sees four giant walls and two large bastions at opposite corners.

Within the walls is the headquarters and various storage areas and offices decorated like they once were.

These fellas below were working their butts off in the hot sun. It looked as if the were erecting a large canvas tent but they do it the old way as they hammered in large iron spikes to hold down the tent from the harsh environment along the states border.

The bastions like you see here with the weather vane atop, were for lookouts and protection but they were also used as guest houses. The American artist George Carlin who depicted much of Native American life in his paintings stayed here.

Here is one of Carlin’s paintings.

While staying in the bastion, Carlin would paint while sitting on the cannons to keep cool in the Summer heat.

My last stop before heading down to South Dakota was Fort Buford.

The native tribes were not happy with the establishment of this fort and it was repeatedly attacked. The Hunkpapa repeatedly raided the fort led by Sitting Bull. Years later after fleeing to Canada, Sitting Bull would return here to the building seen below to surrender his rifle.

“I surrender this rifle to you through my young son, whom I now desire to teach in this manner that he has become a friend of the Americans. I wish him to learn the habits of the whites and to be educated as their sons are educated. I wish it to be remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle. This boy has given it to you, and he now wants to know how he is going to make a living.”

-Sitting Bull

Sadly Sitting Bull would later be killed in 1890 at the hands of another Native American.

An old volunteer veteran showed me the barracks. This was not an original building but he was interesting to listen to.

He told me that a few times a year people come here for a reenactment. They all stay here at the barracks and wear the clothing hanging on the wall.

This spoon was bent to hold a candle, pre-electricity.

This plant looked like some sort of succulent. I had never seen one in bloom before.

I asked about this gnarly Cottonwood Tree on the Fort Buford grounds. The parks employee said they know for sure it was there during Sitting Bull’s surrender and it was probably there when Louis and Clark were here as well.

OK Folks! That’s all for now. It’s Sturgis time!

Oregon and Washington

As I rolled up the final bit of coast in California, I looked for the ‘Welcome to Oregon’ sign. I didn’t see one. I did see this instead. And from the parking lot I could see the Welcome to California sign in the other direction. Priorities!

It was great being on the cool coast. There are many pullovers and vista views. I kind of wish I had time and a place to stay here. Campgrounds were booked up and down the coast. I was lucky to get that one in Cali.

I mentioned before that my friend Nick in San Francisco had given me the number of someone I had lost touch with. Since I had seen him last, my friend Adam had gotten married, had 4 kids, and moved to Hawaii. What I didn’t know is that he also has a place in Washington, so I gave him a call.

My original plan was to camp around Mount Rainer. Seeing Adam again was a much better plan. My first time tearing up on a dirt bike was with Adam. It made me want to ride. Below is a shot from that time period. This is Adam and his dog Inca in Nova Scotia 30 years ago.

So I had a plan. Adam said he was about 2 1/12 hours from Portland. I figured I could make it in two days from where I was.

This old shipwreck is cool. This is the Mary D. Hume, an old steamer in the port at Gold Beach.

I was going to continue up the coast but Adam saying that he is 2 1/2 hours from Portland stuck in my head. Besides, I have ridden up and down this coast a couple times before. So I decided to head inland at Florence toward Eugene.

After Portland, I hopped on Route 30 and rode along the river for a while instead of taking the Interstate.

I’ve never seen a blackberry bush that hadn’t been mostly picked.

I later hopped on the Interstate and then on to 101 North. What’s funny is, if I stayed on 101 North it would eventually wrap around the Olympic Peninsula and become 101 South coming down the coast.

When I arrived, I thought Adam’s house was on a lake. It sure looked like a lake but something was peculiar. I saw a seal. And then I noticed there were oysters and mussels all over the beach. Adam told me it’s not a lake. It’s a fjord! In fact, back in June there were a pack of Killer Whales rounding up seals in front of his cousin’s place a few houses down.

I confirmed that it was sea water later when I attempted to go wake surfing and got a mouthful of ocean water. I was unsuccessful at the wake surfing but Adam and his cousins made it look easy. Not only was I unsuccessful at staying up, I saw Adam giggling at me. I had my wet suit on with the zipper unzipped to my belly. He was laughing because the zipper goes on the back. Duh! Live and learn.

I know that I am a goofball on the water. Always have been, but we had a hell of a time!

Adam has some cousins and real nice neighbors. We hung out with the neighbors on their deck and had some drinks and blabbed away.

It’s good living here along the fjord.

There were jellyfish in the water as well. I was told not to worry about the white ones but the red ones hurt bad.

There was a burn ban in effect in the area. Adam’s cousin Terry didn’t care for the rules so we sat around the fire pit for the rest of the evening.

The next day we tried something I could handle, kayaking. It was real nice to cruise up the coast of the fjord to a state park with a creek that salmon will later swim upstream during the spawning season.

After kayaking we got to pick our meal right off the beach. Oysters galore. Fresh as can be.

We grilled some up and watched the seals.

There were plenty of mussels too but we stuck to the oysters. Delicious!

A fat mama seal hopped up on the back of Adam’s boat as a couple pups frolicked around. It was funny. The youngsters would attempt to join mom on the platform and she would smack them on the head with her flipper with a quick repeated slap the way a cat does.

Adam also has a ridiculously cool electric pick up truck. This thing does 0-60 in seconds. In fact, he wanted to show me how fast it goes on a straightaway. I thought I would film it. Ha! The force was so great that the camera nearly flew out of my hand. It was similar to what you feel when a plane takes off, If this thing had wings we would have been airborne.

It’s called a Rivian. I had never heard of such a vehicle. On the dash is a touch screen where you can heat or cool any individual part of the bike. And when you are driving, it shows a satellite view of you driving down the road. Amazing!

The next day Adam was setting a crab trap. I wouldn’t be able to stay for a crab dinner, I had miles to make. It sure was great getting back in touch with a good old friend

I decided to take a ferry across the channel instead of riding south and around through big cities. It was nice and it took me right to where I wanted to be.

Now I was taking Route 2 East through the Northern Cascade Mountains. This actually was part of my original plan. I am going to take Route 2 all the way to the border of North Dakota then I will dip south because it’s Sturgis time!

I passed through this strange little town that mimics a European city in the Swiss Alps. It’s called Leavenworth.

Soon after Leavenworth, Route 2 was closed. I had to ride 50 miles north in order to get further east. I don’t really have a problem with that per se but it was getting late and I had nowhere to sleep. I stopped by a couple campgrounds. They were full. I stopped by a hotel. It was full. So now I was riding into the dark which I do not like to do. I finally found a crap motel in Omak, WA. I was exhausted.

The only cool thing about being at this shit motel was that it put me in line to visit the grave of Chief Joseph on my way to Coulee Dam. I had already planned on going a little out of my way to the dam, but I wouldn’t have gone further north than that.

Chief Joseph’s grave is in a small graveyard on the reservation. There was a sign on the road for a Chief Joseph rest stop but I hadn’t seen any signs for the grave. I had marked it as a place to go long ago so I knew it was somewhere around here. A ride through town and then a dirt road took me there.

It was a rather unremarkable site for a remarkable human being.

Then a pass by Coulee Dam. It’s one of the largest concrete structures in the world.

After a stop by the old dam it was east into Idaho and Montana.

My only stop after the dam was at this old Wild West style hotel. It was cool looking but I was basically there to change my GoPro battery. Onward. See ya in Idaho!

California 2

Now that I made it to the coast to cool off, I really did not look forward to returning to the heat. I wanted to visit friends in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I could have done a straight shot to the mountains through the valley in 106 degree heat. That really did not appeal to me. I decided it would be best to hug the coast and make it a two day trip.

As soon as I started rolling through the cool breeze as I headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway, I knew I made the right choice. I stopped in Santa Barbara for some lunch across from El Presidio.

Next to the guard house built in 1782 was a fig and an orange tree.

From Santa Barbara, I continued north. I hopped on Route 154 which took you away from the coast into the mountains for a while. It was a fun road to ride but it did get considerably hotter. The road then meets up with 101 again just before Pismo Beach where I decided to stay for the night.

A sign on the motel office said ‘Be back soon’, so I crossed the street and took some pictures of this old Ford.

I had been told that clam chowder is a must when visiting Pismo Beach. On my way to the recommended restaurant, I saw a large sticker by one of my favorite street artists GATS. I slapped a sticker up right underneath him.

Pismo Beach is also a serious surfing town. This surf shop however drew me in because of two vintage Triumphs.

Next stop The Splash Cafe to try some of that clam chowder in a bread bowl and a shrimp sandwich that was on special this day. Not bad.

It also provided another sticker opportunity on the mirror before me.

Another surf shop had all sorts of vintage skateboards on the wall. These were super cool.

I am fairly certain that I had that orange board with the grid on the deck when I was a kid.

I also rode and still have a Tony Alva board from the late 70s.

From the Pismo Beach Pier, you can watch dozens of surfers awaiting that perfect wave.

I no longer have my good camera that fell off my bike and broke in LA. It had a great zoom lens. I’ll be missing that. Fortunately, I have a new iPhone that takes nice shots.

I guess that structure behind the Pismo Beach sign is designed to provide shade. It sure looks like a giant bra in the wind to me.

After Pismo, it was time to move inland and head for the Sierra Nevada Mountains. On the way, I stopped in the town of San Luis Obispo to see this alley. The entire alley is covered in gum. It looks gross and smells great!

I’ve seen these purple flowered trees all over California. My friend Marc said to never park underneath one. They are a sappy mess.

I passed the Madonna Inn on the way to Bubble Gum Alley. I had to turn back and investigate.

As I was approaching this 56 Chevy a guy in a white pick up rolled right alongside it. I think he realized it was a ‘dick’ move and dismissed it by saying that thing has been parked there for 30 years. I said, it’s the first time I’ve seen it.

The outside of the Madonna Inn looks like a piecemeal mess. I had asked a guy in town if he knew anything about it. His response was, “If you like pink, you’ll love it.”

That gentleman was not wrong. Pink was everywhere. Besides the pink banquet room, apparently, all the 110 guest rooms are each uniquely designed and themed.

The place is as kitschy as can be. I found out later that they even have a waterfall urinal in the bathroom. Missed it.

I suppose this was a lemon tree outside. They were thick skinned and mushy.

From The Madonna Inn, I took Route 46 across the hot valley. It was at the intersection of Route 46 and Route 41 where James Dean lost his life in a crash at the age of 24. I must say that people were driving crazy there. In fact, I was distracted by some asshole who was trying to mimic James Dean and nearly missed the turn onto 41. I didn’t notice any type of landmark depicting the crash site.

The craziness along with the heat made me just want to carry on. I was headed for the mountains to see my friend Frank.

Frank is an awesome dude that I met in Sturgis a few years ago. He has a nice piece of land in the Sierras. Well, nice except for the fire that blasted through his property 3 years ago. The fire burnt his house to the ground but left much of his property and big boy toys unharmed.

When walking through the mountains of California, beware… you may come across a Cougar.

Frank and I went for a nice ride through the mountains and up to a reservoir that feeds multiple lakes below.

We also stopped at a grove of sequoia trees on the way. The trees even make Frank look small as he stands 6’3”.

This wooden bridge across Dinky Creek was (up until recently) a treasured historic landmark. It collapsed recently.

On our way back we stopped by Jeff’s place to have a beer at his Burnout Bar. It was nice to see one of my stickers already slapped up above the bar. I had seen Jeff and his wife Mary in Kentucky when I was visiting my friend Charlie. They just happened to be there at the same time.

That evening Frank fired up the grill to cook some burgers. Like I said before, Frank has big toys. He once had a BBQ place at nearby Shaver Lake. When he sold the place, they didn’t want the outdoor grill and smoker, so Frank brought it home.

When Frank bought this property there was nothing but a well and a shack on it. He used this backhoe to clear and level a spot to build his house.

Behind the trailer trash tree is Frank’s Lamborghini.

Did you know Lamborghini made construction vehicles well before they made luxury vehicles?

In Frank’s workshop (that amazingly did not burn in the forest fire) are many of his bikes. Here is his Knucklehead chopper and a Panhead.

This is his hybrid Shovelhead with an Indian front end. He calls it Half Breed. There is a reason he is known as Dr. Frankenstein.

Out back is his school bus that he used to fill with folks and drive to Daytona Beach for bike week.

Frank hates woodpeckers. Nuff said.

One day Frank had to take his girlfriend Nancy to physical therapy. Nancy had a recent knee replacement. So, I joined Jeff, Mary, and AJ for a fun ride. We stopped at The Buckhorn Saloon for a burger.

Afterward, we went to The Pines Bar along Bass Lake for a beer. It was in this bar that they filmed a scene for the movie The Great Outdoors with John Candy and Dan Ackroyd.

AJ and I replaced John and Dan for this shot.

When I returned from the ride, Frank had the smoker fired up to cook a rack of ribs.

One thing Frank did not want to be cooked was this 1907 Marsh Metz. It is one of the few things he salvaged from his house.

Before the fire, the bike looked like this:

Inside one of Frank’s storage containers, things didn’t burn but some stuff melted from the heat outside

Notice the stickers on the tool chest behind Half Breed.

This is Franks’ old Indian in his other garage. He has a new Indian as well which is his daily riding bike. He has put over 100,000 miles on it since I’ve known him.

Before I hit the road, Frank gave my Bonnie a good looking over.

Everything looked good. The chain was a little loose so we tightened that up a bit.

We returned to Jeff’s house for a bit. He lives about a mile down the road. His house is right on a canyon edge with a great view.

Then I packed up and was off. As you can see below, all the trees are toast. The mountains around here are starting to get some of the green shrubs back. The last time I was here all the mountains looked like giant porcupines with black quills sticking up.

I really planned on going north on a highway that ran through historic California Gold Rush country but again…the heat. It was predicted to be 110 degrees. I once again headed for the coast. This would be my 3rd trip to the Pacific during this trip.

I have an old friend Nick in San Francisco that I have known since junior high school. I gave him a call and made plans to meet up.

Frank recommended an awesome road to take that followed the crest of the mountains between San Jose and San Francisco.

Not only was the road fun to ride, but Alice’s Restaurant is also there. Yes, that Alice’s Restaurant.

I got to San Francisco. I really had no interest in exploring the city on this trip. I was just going to say hi to Nick and continue north.

I had a feeling I had arrived at the right place when I saw this beautiful station wagon. It seems a number of my friends have nice toys.

Nick told me that normally he would tell me to park right in front of his building but one of his cars had been stolen the night before. So I parked in his garage next to his 1975 Moto Guzzi.

Beyond the Guzzi and VW Bug convertible was this mint 1971 Buick Riviera with a 455.

And the sexy boat tail. Nick also gave me the number of another friend from junior high that I hadn’t seen in a couple decades.

After having a late lunch with Nick, his wife, and one of his kids, I crossed the Golden Gate and got outta town.

I spent the night in Santa Rosa then once again hit the coast. As I rolled into Bodega Bay, I saw this old school. I saw many one room schoolhouses on last year’s trip. This one was more sizable and has been here since 1873.

Then, back to the coast. The Northern coast is much rockier than down south.

Another sticker slap in Jenner.

This is Fort Ross, a Russian settlement on the coast of California. Things could have gone a lot differently for this country if Napoleon hadn’t sold us a nice chunk of it.

Fort Ross was active from 1812 to 1841.

They have restocked some of the storerooms for display purposes.

The coast here is beautiful. Occasionally you will hear a seal barking in the background over the crashing sounds of waves hitting the rocks and beach.

I stopped for a mighty fine grilled sandwich at the Elk Store.

I was somewhat concerned about where I would stay this night. All campsites were booked for 100 miles and the hotels I looked at were frightfully expensive.

I rolled past this Super 8 sign. I hadn’t seen this place on my hotel apps. I slowed down to turn around. It was a good thing I did, because on the next block was a cop with his radar ready. Whew!

I was shocked to see that this hotel right on the Pacific Ocean was less than 100 bucks. Everything else I had seen was over $200.

When I turned on the TV, I was reminded why I am riding the coast.

I had to stop for what I thought was a train. The barricades came down, the lights were blinking, and the bells were ringing. It was however a train of pedal cars on the train tracks.

Then I rolled into Humboldt County where they have a large section of old redwood trees.

Chandelier Tree is one of the more famous drive through trees out this way.

I had never stopped at Confusion Hill before. I didn’t pay the admission but it was good to stop for a coffee and some fries.

This family below was causing a ruckus. The kids had already been kicked out of the gift shop. The dogs were tied up at the entrance blocking everyone’s passage. And everyone was yelling at each other. What a mess!

Then came the end of Route 1 which rides along the coast. 101 goes inland and sets a faster pace.

There is a beautiful road that parallels Route 101 called Avenue of the Giants. It serpentines through the redwood forest. I have a GoPro on this trip. I will include videos when I get home.

Eureka is a port city in Northern California and has some beautiful Victorian style homes.

The Carson Mansion below is considered one of the finest examples of Victorian architecture in the country.

In 1950 it was purchased for $35,000 and since then it’s a private club

In Klamath is another drive through tree. I would say it is not as popular as Chandelier Tree but every time I have ridden through here it is late in the day.

I have stopped at many Paul Bunyan statues on my journeys. This one at the Trees of Mystery is a large one.

This is also Bigfoot country. It seems wherever there are large dark forests I see evidence of Bigfoot lore.

This shot gives a better scale of old Paul.

It seems crazy to me that I hadn’t camped out since Pennsylvania. I feel silly bringing all this gear with me and not camping but the heat was unbearable inland and on the coast, campsites were booked in all the state and National Parks. I found this site at a private campground in the Northernmost part of California. It was pricey but it felt good to pitch the tent again.

This fallen redwood at the campsite really shows how massive these trees are.

One of the last things I stopped to see before crossing into Oregon was this beached behemoth. I figured I’d continue up the coast all the way to Washington.

California 1

I made it to the Colorado River and into California. I had already been crossing the desert heat in Arizona for about two hours. I had many hours of desolate desert heat to deal with ahead of me.

After crossing into California I passed through a mandatory agricultural check. California has had these checks for as long as I can remember. They just waved me through. This is Vidal Junction. All there is here is the checkpoint and a gas station. Vidal itself is a ghost town about 6 miles south. After this there was no sign of life for nearly 4 hours with the exception of an occasional passing car. It was brutal. The recorded heat was 115 but am sure it was hotter in the desert where they aren’t recording the temperature.

Pretty much the only sign of civilization was this abandoned service station which has now become a place for folks to deposit their shoes. It has a sign that says Laura’s Shoe Memorial. I know nothing more than that. But I do know that, anything to distract me from the desert was welcome.

I didn’t have any shoes to spare but I did slap up a sticker or two.

After Laura’s Shoe Memorial there was nothing but desert all the way until you reach Twenty Nine Palms many scorching hours later. It seemed endless. I soaked my cooling vest one last time at Vidal Junction. It didn’t take long for the vest to evaporate in this heat. I started to worry that my brain was getting hard boiled in my helmet.

My original plan was to stop in Twenty Nine Palms for the night and check out Joshua Tree National Park. After 6 hours in the desert heat I decided that I just wouldn’t enjoy myself.

My friend Marc said that his place was just a couple more hours away. I decided it would me wise for me to push it two more hours and have a safe comfortable place to stay. Not only that, Marc is at a higher elevation so it would be a lot cooler and nicer to hang with an old friend.

I stayed with Marc two years ago when he was living in Big Bear up in the mountains. He now has a nice house below the mountains with a yard for his crazy dogs to run around. Below is Bruno. I met Bruno when he was only 6 months old. He was an aggressive pup and didn’t particularly care for me. Apparently he doesn’t like men in general. This time however, I think he recognized me and my smells and we got along just fine.

Rosie is a new addition to the family. She is another big dog. She definitely did not like the motorcycle but once I dismounted and removed my helmet, she was a sweetheart.

Marc has a girlfriend who lives and works in Redlands. We went into town and met her for lunch. Here, there was an alley with many colorful umbrellas above. The town was nice. It had an old timey vibe with a nice Main Street.

After lunch we stopped by Marc’s girlfriend Felicia’s house. She has a nicely landscaped backyard where Elvis oversees the garden.

She grows all kinds of veggies. In fact the first night I was there she made a yummy meal with some of the vegetables from her garden.

Felicia’s 85 year old mom lives with her. She once lived in NYC. In fact she told me that her husband worked for the phone company in NYC. As we talked I realized that she was talking about Westbeth a block from where I grew up. Westbeth was a giant building that housed the phone company but later became an artists community and is to this day. Felicia’s mom was pleased to hear of this.

We took Felicia’s dog Neto back to the house. Neto likes to stick his head out of the sunroof when Marc was driving. So now there were three large animals in the house. And all three were happy to greet me with kisses when they awoke at 6am. Thanks pups!

When I left Marc’s place, I visited another spot that I missed on my Route 66 trip 2 years ago. This was the location of the very first McDonalds. It is a museum now dedicated to McDonalds’ history.

I am not sure what Scooby Doo has to do with McDonalds but The Mystery Machine was parked out back.

Although I did visit California’s Wig Wam Motel on my first Route 66 journey, I had to see it again completing the Wig Wam experience. I have now visited all three of the Wig Wam Motels in the US during this trip.

This Wig Wam Motel is kept in great condition. The wig wams here in San Bernardino are more tan colored than the ones in Kentucky and Arizona.

The tall palms are a nice effect as well.

Then finally I had achieved a major milestone of the trip. I made it to Redondo Beach and the Pacific Ocean completing my coast to coast journey.

I stayed at The Redondo Pier Inn. I have stayed in hotels this trip more than any other I have ever done. It’s the heat. I have been dealing with heatwaves since before I crossed the Mississippi River. The Southwest is now having another major heatwave. In fact they are expecting the highest recorded temperature on Earth in Death Valley this weekend. Here in Redondo it is a comfortable 75 degrees.

I dropped off my bags and met a childhood friend for lunch. I have known my friend Danny since the 4th grade at PS 41 in NYC. We had a quick lunch at his place then he had to get ready for a show.

You see, Danny is a singer and on this evening he was doing a concert on The Redondo Beach Pier. Danny did a Frank Sinatra set. He is great. If you close your eyes you would swear you were listening to Frank himself.

There was a large crowd of people who brought lawn chairs and many who got up to dance to the sounds of Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr.

This was the first time Danny played with this keyboardist. They seemed to be having a blast.

Danny was supposed to fly to NY right after the show. That’s why we had a quick lunch before the performance. As it turned out his flight was delayed so we went out for a good dinner as well.

The next morning I was going out for a cup of coffee when I saw this interesting antique store on the corner.

I stopped in the middle of the Pacific Coast Highway to take a photo of the place. There were many old porcelain ad signs and other cool old objects placed outside. It looked like objects that may have been taken out of the many abandoned places that I have witnessed along my journey.

When I walked into the shop, the owner was talking to an older gentleman. He must have stood about 6’ 2’’. She commented that I was lucky I didn’t get run over. I said, I guess. I suppose it’s a NY thing. That was that.

I browsed a bit, then I eavesdropped on a conversation about a young lady on the autistic spectrum. I began talking to the owner of the antique store and this older gentleman. The lady at the antique store was telling this man about a girl at her son’s school who has a crush on him but is socially awkward and it freaks him out. It was an endearing story. We talked a bit more about some folks we knew with autism. Then the antique lady had to excuse herself to talk with some customers. That’s when things got really interesting.

Ya see, Rich comes from a mafia family and he is not afraid to talk about it. After hearing the cute story about the woman’s son and crush. The conversation took a sharp turn. Rich didn’t seem as charmed by the story. When the lady walked away, he said that he had to raise his two boys by himself. His wife killed herself when they were 2 years old. He started with how he dealt with his two sons. Rich told he just whacked one of his kids upside the head so hard that he flipped over and knocked his head a second time. Then he said he no longer had a problem with either of them. He said he could teach any kid to socialize properly in a matter of minutes. He told many fascinating stories and I was happy to soak it all up.

Rich said he grew up in Philadelphia raised in a mob family. He was soft spoken but the context of what he had to say was deafeningly loud and clear. He mentioned someone who wronged him and said he had to take him up the hill. He pointed toward Pablo Alto which is an affluent area high on an oceanfront plateau. He said that one time he was carrying a couple duffle bags up there. Someone asked him, What’s in the bag? He said, body parts. I thought he might be kidding. He wasn’t. He said he had to do that a lot growing up. He spoke about it so casually, it was mesmerizing.

We talked for while. He asked me what I do since I retired. I told him I painted. Then he said that he had some nice paintings…some hot, some not. He has a Millet, a Corot, and an unsigned Renoir. He said that Renoir moved to Switzerland for a while and didn’t sign any paintings he did while he was there. He also said he has a missing Vermeer, amongst others. I said that I heard of a Vermeer that went missing during WWII. He just gave me a stern look and a smirk.

Like many people often do when they hear that I am traveling solo on a motorcycle, he asked if I carry a gun. When I told him that I didn’t. He talked about the options of poisons and blow darts. How a steel welding rod makes an excellent weapon if you file the ends. He pointed out the lady from the antique store who was in the other room. He said, “I could take her out from here with a welding rod”. I asked about his technique. He said that it only spins once.

He told me about a Derringer that he carried. It had ammo that shot a cone shape of sharp BBs when fired. He told me of the massive carnage that it inflicts.

He said that he was driving along a mountain road and some guys in a truck rolled up on him and pointed a shotgun at him. He said he used that Derringer and the pick up truck…? Well, he gestured an ‘over the edge’ motion with his hand and arm.

There was more. A story about a Karman Gaia and the Air Force and a fast moving river and more. We also talked about some of the antiques in the shop. In the end Rich said, well Pat, if I ever see on the road, I’ll toss you a gun.

I walked to the beach after the antique store and saw this squirrel. In Marc’s backyard these are also known as dinner. Those dogs of his have acquired the taste for lizard and squirrel. His girlfriend is not thrilled that Bruno and Rosie have taught her dog Neto how to hunt as well. She found this out when her dog proudly brought her a freshly killed lizard sticking halfway out of his mouth and started slamming it on the sidewalk with a nodding motion.

Many mornings at the beach start with foggy skies. The fog generally burns off as the day gets warmer.

Although it is foggy and cool, I did the mandatory dipping of the toes in the ocean.

As I walked back toward the hotel to finally get that cup of coffee, I noticed a few vintage cars passing by. I asked a guy walking his dog if he knew of a car show nearby. He told me he thinks they have one every Friday.

I went back to the hotel and looked it up. Sure enough. Every Friday at the Redondo Marina parking lot there would be a car show for the rest of the summer. This would be the second week.

It was way bigger than I expected. There were tons of vintage vehicles of all sorts.

It is time to let some of the pictures do the talking. It was great to give the bike a rest for a day and check out these amazing rides.

This ‘59 Impala Wagon was a pristine green vintage machine.

This fake dog below amused me. When I was little, my friend Jack and I had a daily contest to see who’s dog could pee on the finest cars.

This Rat Ride was awesome. The owner let some guy have a seat in it. The guy was completely uncomfortable and was happy to quickly jump out.

I stopped for a beer and talked with these guys Roman and Lalo. They gave me some tips on locations to find graffiti and street art in the city.

Next door was a seafood market.

Another bar on the pier was upstairs and had a 360 degree view. From here you could see my hotel two blocks away. It’s the place between the buildings with the brown roof.

The following day I went gallery hopping. A guy I know from a gallery back in NYC gave me a list of places to visit. But first I stopped for a photo in front of the giant clamshell at Chez Jay. Chez Jay and the motel I am facing in the is photo are prominent in the TV series Goliath.

The thing about LA is, everything is far apart and it is not easy getting around this town. In fact, it’s maniacal riding around this city.

Some of the galleries I went to were closed for installations. Across from one of the closed galleries was a few Kenny Scharf paintings.

Thinkspace Gallery was open. I have purchased a few prints from this gallery over the years.

They actually have a number of spaces next to one another. The folks who worked here were super nice. Reen Barrera was showing in the main gallery.

The small figurines were especially interesting. I noticed a switch on the boxes below the figures. When I went to the gallery next door I asked about the switch and the guy showed me a video on his phone of these pieces in action. They are strangely lifelike as they move around when the switch is flicked.

The showroom next door was showing work by Benzilla.

They also had a mini gallery in a large doghouse out back showing the work of Cody Jimenez.

Upstairs was the work of Sarah Joncas. These paintings reminded me of Audrey Kawasaki’s work. I asked about it and was told they were contemporaries and would often show together earlier in their careers.

There were some private offices upstairs as well with lots of fun pieces.

One of the gallerists at Thinkspace recommended Hole Gallery. They had a show called Storage Wars, a group show with art looking as if it just came out of the crate.

This colorful bouquet was interesting in it’s texture. It was painted as if the paint was applied like icing on a cake.

Must have weighed a ton.

I bumped into an artist at another gallery who told me more about this piece below. I thought it was some sort of Mao mosaic in Warhol style. He told me, No. Each color is injected into bubble wrap. The whole thing is bubble wrap filled with paint. Crazy!

Next was Jeffrey Deitch Gallery.

Jeffery Deitch was having a ceramics group show.

It was here that I met an artist who had seen the previous show at Hole Gallery and told me of the bubble wrap injections. He was there with his wife. They were from Connecticut. He was an artist and she was a retired Special Ed teacher. Ha. I am both. His name is Ron de Felice and he was having a show in LA. He paints clay figures hyper realistically that his wife and daughter create. They are really interesting and fun. Check him out if you use Instagram: @rondefliceart

Around the corner from the gallery I saw this painting by Adam Dare. Adam used to be based in NYC but he moved to LA a few years back. I bought a small painting of his just before his move.

Next stop was Beyond the Streets. I slapped stickers of a few NYC artists on the meter including my own. All the meters in this area are covered with stickers.

This gallery was showing the work of mister CARTOON. The car above was a beauty.

His paintings seemed very personal. Very LA.

I used to have this poster. I found in the garbage. I think it belonged to Adam Horowitz of the Beastie Boys. He lived on my block and was just hitting it big when I saw a bunch of posters in the bin. One poster that I still have is of Brian and the Tom Cats who would later be called the Stray Cats.

It was too late to hit another gallery so I tried riding up to Griffith Park. From my location, Google directed me through this incredibly tiny twisty road passing by entrances to what I assume are opulent LA homes.

There was a lot of traffic up here. It was single file and I didn’t really feel like wasting time or parking far away and walking. Plus, it was getting late and I was far from Redondo.

A motorcycle passed me and rode along side the gridlock traffic. I followed suit riding to the top.

When I got to the there, there was the observatory. It was confusing and somewhat chaotic with Park staff directing traffic and cones forcing you in specific directions. I thought about parking but then proceeded back down the hill.

It was a crazy ride back to Redondo Beach. I rode down Hollywood Boulevard past Grumman’s Chinese Theater. I turned at Beverly Hills Hotel, then jumped Sunset Boulevard which gets twisty and people drive competitively fast on it. Then it was on to the even crazier freeway. It was a long day of LA riding.

I went out for a couple beers to check out life on the Redondo Pier then called it a night.

It was great to have escaped the heat. I watched the local news reports and see that everything east of here is burning up with record setting temperatures. Along the coast it stays nice and cool.

I want to go visit some friends in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. If I ride directly there it will be 6 hours in the heat again. That just doesn’t appeal to me. The desert crossing was really tough. I think when I leave here I will hug the coast a bit longer.

Since California is a big state I am going to break it up into multiple posts. See ya up north a bit.

Arizona

Continuing on Interstate 40 and into Arizona, I hopped off at Holbrook to see another rainbow next to this old place by to the railroad tracks.

I rode around on some of the lesser known streets and saw things I had never seen on previous visits.

This horse was super friendly and seemed to want attention but you never know if the owners are also friendly, so I didn’t try to ride him.

Shops of yesteryear.

Notice the pedestal at the bottom of the column on the left. It is a huge piece of petrified wood. There was a time in this area where petrified wood was abundant. There was a beautiful multi-colored desert full of it! The government eventually established Petrified Forest National Park that protected many square miles of what was left after the pillaging.

I didn’t visit the park this time. I will provide the photo below from a previous visit to the National Park. One, because it shows the petrified wood, and two, because it’s awesome.

More shops of yesteryear.

Despite the decayed condition it feels like a lot of these places are well maintained. I think that a lot of work goes into keeping the vintage look. These dinosaurs are looking good in front of a shop that sells petrified wood.

Now, my second Wig Wam Motel visit of the journey. Of the 3 Wig Wam Motels, this is my favorite. If you have been following, you know that I tried to stay at one in Kentucky but they double booked the room and canceled my reservation. GRRR! It may be possible for me to see all 3 motels on this journey.

The great thing about this Wig Wam Motel is the vintage cars and trucks. All the Wig Wam Motels are awesome in their own way, but this one feels more special somehow.

While in Holbrook I stayed at Brad’s Desert Inn. It’s a classic, drive up to your door, old Route 66 motel.

Outside my room there were chairs and a table for an evening snack. My favorite way to re-hydrate.

In the morning I continued on to Winslow, Arizona. Winslow is most famous for The Eagles lyrics in the song Take it Easy.

I stopped by this old Texaco station a block away from that corner in Winslow Arizona… The older gentleman who owned the place moved his day to day modern pick up to keep his station’s vintage look. I was lucky to arrive at that time and to have a chat with him

He also had this ‘67 Mercury Cougar. My friend Scottie in high school had one of these bad boys. Crazy days in that car!

The next stop is an old vintage Route 66 stop called 2 Guns. Many people will ride up to this service station not realizing that there is much more to this desolate exit.

Beyond the service station is an old outdoor pool. There is even an old zoo adjacent to this pool a short rough dirt road ride away. I didn’t visit the zoo this time around but you can see it in previous posts.

You can see in the photo above that an artist had made this kneeling figure on the edge of the pool. It is made of sticks and moss, seemingly all organic. In the photo below I re-attached the head.

There are places along the way where I have slapped up a sticker of my artwork

I still had half a sandwich from the grocery store in Holbrook for lunch.

I brought a few pieces to wheat paste art as well. Below is a Batman, Catwoman, and Joker piece that I made in the early carnivorousflora days.

You can see another piece in that teardrop shape in the pool.

A few miles down the highway is a place called Two Arrows. I always missed this exit when I have passed here in the past. I was certain to stop this time.

It seems the same artist that made the figure by the pool, built this other organic figure peering through a wall.

Two Arrow’s namesake is only one arrow these days. The guy who took this picture told me how he came here with his parents when there were still two arrows.

At Flagstaff I changed course and rode south through Sedona.

Sedona is beautiful but it is also touristy. The town itself can be overwhelming with humans and the roads can be frustrating with folks who drive well below the speed limit.

I continued through Sedona and then through Cottonwood, (where I was almost eliminated by an elderly woman making and illegal turn into may lane). I was able to adjust my path and get behind her. Barely.

Then it’s a few switchbacks up the mountain to Jerome. Jerome apparently has many haunted establishments.

Then, from Jerome to Prescott there is a fun twisty road through the mountains. Unfortunately it rained pretty hard just after I took the photo below.

This rain wasn’t the refreshing type. It kinda sucked but I did not stop to put on rain gear. It was on to Prescott where I stayed for the night.

I pulled into a Trader Joe’s to get some grub. I saw an empty parking spot and rolled into it. After pulling in, I realized someone was waiting to park there. She didn’t have a blinker on or anything but I saw her backing up after I parked.

I walked over to her as she was getting out the car to apologize. I said sorry. She said, “No you are not. You are lucky it’s me and not someone else!” Hmm. I no longer felt lucky. Now I was just sorry that I had said sorry.

As I left Trader Joe’s there were some actual carnivorous flora.

After the parking incident at Trader Joe’s, I began to think that Prescott people sucked. Then I met this dude. He was joyfully riding around on this little mini motorcycle. He rolled up and told me how this is the only thing he is allowed to ride after they took his license to operate any other type of vehicle. It was good for me to see a lighthearted person after the witchy woman incident.

Prescott is at a high elevation so it is nice and cool. After another great riding road across the mountains, you end up in this valley below.

It heats up quickly once you come down from the mountains.

When I first saw these objects in a train car, I though it was filled with parts of the wall between the USA and Mexico. It is just sections of train tracks with the railroad ties still attached. Railroad ties seem shorter when you see them horizontally.

One may have thought this cafe was another abandoned business along the highway. This one however had a few pick up trucks and a car or two parked outside, so I stopped for lunch.

It was a great place. I asked for their steak and eggs figuring I should fuel up before crossing the hot desert ahead. They were out of steak so the waitress recommended this awesome late breakfast with two fried eggs over chorizo and all sorts of yummy veggies and cheese on a hot sizzling skillet.

It’s is bizarre what you come across in the desert. A boat in the desert is a strange sight.

Then even stranger was a couple helicopters.

As I stopped for gas, this farm labor bus showed up. I figured I’d better get to the bathroom quick. There was one lady on the bus who was obviously in a greater hurry than me so I held the door for her. Everyone else formed what became quite a long line. Adios Arizona. California here I come.

Texas and New Mexico

My plan before my bike fiasco was to head south a little and ride a lonely highway west. Since I lost a few days stuck in OKC, I decided to hop on the Interstate. However as I mentioned, this is Interstate 40 that runs perpendicular to Old Route 66.

I returned to the classic Conoco Station in Shamrock, TX.

This place is beautifully preserved with a cafe adjacent.

The diner was locked up but it looks great through the window.

A couple showed up while I was there. They were headed in the opposite direction driving to New York. The guy was wearing a yellow T-shirt that said ‘Think Link’ with an image of a young Link Wray playing guitar. I mentioned to him that I went to high school with one of Link’s daughters Belinda Wray. The guy recommended that I stay in one of the old Route 66 motels in Tucumcari.

I made a quick stop to the Big Texan. It was packed with a long line of people waiting to be seated.

I took the guys advice from Shamrock and booked a room at the Route 66 motel in Tucumcari. The Blue Swallow and Safari Motel were already booked up. When I was about an hour away the sky looked daunting. I checked the radar and saw that we were destined to make contact.

I put on the rain gear and figured I would plow through it. Then I saw that lightning popping. I decided it would be best if I waited it out under a bridge. Wise move. It was fast and furious. I have video where you can see the horizontal rain blasting by. Even all the 18 wheelers pulled over to let this furious storm pass.

Then a glorious full double rainbow.

It was a nice payoff for waiting it out.

When I rolled through Tucumcari a couple years ago it was raining so hard that I couldn’t even take may camera out. No photos at all. This time would be different.

The clouds after the passing storm were mesmerizing.

I enjoy taking reflection photos. Check out reflectionsofnyc.com for plenty more.

This would be my home for the night.

I had a nice dinner at La Cita, one of the old classic Route 66 dining experiences.

As I mentioned, The Blue Swallow and Safari were booked. I hadn’t checked the Palomino but this was a Saturday night. I am sure it was booked too. It was great to see these places lit up at night.

There is a sadness to much of what you see along 66. So many places are abandoned and shut down. It is true of many of the old two lane highways.

There are constant reminders of meth out this way. If it is not the homeless toothless vagabonds all around, they have signs to let you know.

Besides meth, Santa Rosa, NM is known for it’s auto museum.

There a few vintage and wacky vehicles outside

Inside things are a little more pristine. A number of these vintage beauties are for sale.

This Buick below looks fantastic but I have mixed feelings about painted bumpers. How is this better than a polished chrome?

All in all it’s a fine museum and a great way to break up the ride and get out of the noon day sun.

What are those? Bullet holes? Oh shit! Between the meth and the guns, I’d better get out of here!

Oklahoma

An awesome twisty highway, Route 88 in Arkansas turns into a continuous thrill across the state line into Oklahoma. For those who like a great riding road, this one is amongst the best. This was my second occasion ripping this road. It is rather desolate. Even when I have caught up to people they have been, good, respectful drivers and let me pass.

Just as I approached the Oklahoma state line, drops from a heavy cloud I had seen from afar began to fall. It was one of those brief, light, passing showers which turned out to be quite a relief. A quick light rain is awesome on a hot Summer day. After passing through the shower, it’s like instant AC as the water evaporates around you. You become a human swamp bucket. GTS.

The more I learn about Oklahoma the more intriguing it becomes. Oklahoma was on the Southern edge of the Louisiana Purchase. Oklahoma ended up being the destination for a nation of indigenous people who were forced to move west from their homelands. As I rode west on this journey I saw a few signs depicting the fact that the highway mimicked The Trail of Tears.
I’ve seen road signs for the Trail of Tears since before I crossed the Mississippi River. Looking at the map, I saw that a section of Oklahoma was for the Choctaw nation. My friend Charlie back in Bowling Green is Choctaw. He wears a beautiful ring handed down from his great grandfather. His immediate family was born on the reservation.

One town after another is land designated for displaced Native Americans.

Here I am in Seminole, Oklahoma. You know…like the Florida State Seminoles? Hmmm. We are far from Florida. There were a number of things that caught my eye in Seminole.

Seminole also had this great Coca Cola mural.

Speaking of Coca Cola, my artwork is in a recent Coca Coca commercial. Check it out. It is the big yellow artwork in the background on the right side wall.

After rolling through a few more reservations, I made a reservation! I booked a room at the Sheraton in OKC.

Amazingly the Sheraton in downtown Oklahoma City cost about the same as a Motel 6 in most towns I have traveled to. I came to OKC in need of a new rear tire. It has been an experience.

One of the things I like about this hotel is that they let you park right out front. Cars have to go into a multi level garage in the back.

So, like I said, I came here to get a tire. I called ahead from Arkansas to try and make the city visit as brief as possible. There were problems. One problem was that this was a July 4th holiday weekend. Also, July 4th is a Tuesday. Most bike shops are closed on Sunday and Monday. However, The Motorcycle Tire Shop here in town keeps Monday hours and I was told they could take care of me. I put a deposit on a new tire. They told me it would be delivered on Monday. Great!. I saw a window of opportunity. While I waited for Monday to roll around, I found a piece of Route 66 that I missed 2 years ago.

In many towns Route 66 had various locations depending on which decade we are talking about. This particular section was from the 20s.

Knowing I was getting a new tire, I decided to give Bonnie a wash. She was filthy!

After a wash, I headed to the shop hoping for that Monday tire delivery. I arrived at The Motorcycle Tire Shop hopeful. The front of the store was closed to give some of the employees a nice long holiday weekend. Only the garage shop was open, and no one seemed to know what I was talking about when I asked about my tire. I was only told that it was not delivered on this day. I was afraid this might happen. So I figured I will have it taken care of Wednesday morning and be on my way. Tuesday, July 4. Nothing is open.

Atop the Capital dome here in OKC is The Guardian. This statue was created by former Oklahoma State Senator, Enoch Kelly Haney. It has only been there since 2002. Oklahoma seems to appreciate their role in the displacement of native peoples. The Guardian stands high in the sky representing the indigenous folks here. The statue in the foreground as well.

There is an area called the Brickyard near my hotel. There are many restaurants and bars that line a canal. I had my first meal at The Bourbon Street Cafe. They make a pretty decent Gumbo. I prefer seafood Gumbo, but not in a landlocked state. I had chicken and sausage.

Happy 4th of July from OKC!

I first discovered the BIRD scooters in Paris. I rode these suckers all over Paris and Rome a few years ago so I already had the app ready to go. It is a great way to get around especially in a desolate downtown this holiday.

Since I was stuck here in OKC for July 4th, I figured I’d make the best of it. I went and got a ticket to the local ball game.

I got a decent seat behind the dugout to see the Oklahoma City Dodgers play the Albuquerque Isotopes.

It was a great way to spend July 4th!

This was the largest crowd of white people I have seen since I went to a Springsteen Concert.

I walked around a bit. I think it’s only 12 bucks for a lawn seat.

Winner takes half? Who came up with that slogan. Who wants half. Even if you win the lottery, who wants half?

It was a great game. OKC wins. Then after the game there were fireworks!

A few of the tunnels beneath the train tracks are covered with murals.

The next day I called to make sure my tire had been delivered to the Motorcycle Tire Shop. I was told NO! What? They said they canceled the order. The lady said her boss told her to cancel it because it would not be here by Monday. WTF? Are you kidding me? I paid a deposit and thought it was a done deal. They canceled the order without informing me. I booked a hotel in town waiting for this delivery. Fuckers! I used them to get s new tire a couple years ago and had good service. I put my faith in them for a second go round. Bad move.

I should have got on the phone right away with other shops but I was furious so I went for a ride to cool off. On that ride I had more bike problems. I won’t go into details but I needed more than a tire now. I called a place in town that sells Triumph bikes. I should have called them sooner. They were very helpful and told me they had my tire in stock. I was too far to turn back in time, so I continued the ride and figured I would take the bike to the shop in the morning.

This old service station and general merchandise store may look familiar. It has changed slightly since being used in the iconic phone booth scene in Rain Man.

If you don’t remember the scene, here it is below.

It started getting hot as I rode south a bit. I rolled through Anadarko, OK where I saw the Redskin Theater. I grew up a Washington Redskins fan when I was a boy in Maryland. They are now the Washington Commanders so it’s been a while since I’ve seen the name.

This was my destination. The Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Mt. Scott is part of this mountainous region with a small road that snakes around to the top. It is somewhat bizarre to suddenly being so high after hundreds of miles of relatively flat lands.

This is an old homestead on the wildlife refuge. When I arrived there was a family huddled around the small structure behind the house to the left. As I was walking toward the house, the young boy in the family ran up to me excitedly to tell me he just seen a rattlesnake and he was psyched! I was excited too. I wanted to see the rattlesnake. Then the Mom told me they scared it away. But she showed that she got a good photo first. I went up there hoping to get a shot myself but indeed, they had frightened it away.

I was hoping to see some buffalo on the refuge. I saw one. It was far away.

I would have searched for more but I could see a storm moving in my direction. I was still an hour and a half away from OKC and I did not bring rain gear. So, my wildlife search ended quickly.

I stopped in Cache hoping to see a particular site. Behind a locked gate at this old run down Indian Trading Post is the former home of Quanah Parker, the great Comanche Chief.

I saw movement in the Trading Post and approached the door. A man cautiously opened it. I asked about the house. He told me he does tours to see the outside of the house but not the interior. He said the tour is earlier in the day. It was already 5 at this point and I knew I had to outrun the storm. So I was off. I did not take the scenic route back.

I beat the storm. Even had time to stop at the grocery store.

The next morning I was to bring the bike in. It was pouring. Fortunately, (in this case), these storms move fast. I waited it out then rode to the shop. I need a part that had to be ordered. They told me my bike wouldn’t be ready until Tuesday. Today was Thursday. UGH! Ya see, most bike shops are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Otherwise it’s a two day order.

The Triumph Bobber has the option of a chrome tank. Pretty cool!

The fastest motorcycle you can buy off an assembly line is the Triumph Rocket. Here is one stripped down in the shop. It’s a monster.

The next morning I got a call from the shop. Rich, the service manager said the part I needed would actually take 3 weeks to arrive. What? I could ride without it but that would mean my rear brake wouldn’t function. Then he said, maybe there is something else he could do. He told me a guy had just wrecked his T120 Bonnie. He could call the guy and ask if we could swap the part I needed out from his bike and then he could have the one on order. His bike was a mess and was going to take a while to fix. The guy agreed. They fixed my bike and I picked it up the next day! Amazing! Hooray!

Thank you good people of EuroTek in OKC.

Because of the delay in Oklahoma City I changed my planned route. I decided I would hop on Interstate 40. I took this route 2 years ago when I was riding Route 66. A long portion of 66 Interstate 40 are one in the same. When I rode 66 two years ago I got clobbered with rain during a large part of this section. Therefor I could easily rationalize riding it again to see things I may have missed do to bad weather.

Here at the Cherokee Travel Mart two years ago, I sat on that picnic table in the background with an old timer biker. We both just stared at a wicked storm to the west knowing that we had to go into it. We bullshitted a while and then he hopped on 40. This was an area where some of old 66 still exists. So I went that way. It’s a funny story if you want to check that post from back then.

I missed this old service station 2 years ago. The guy who took this photo used to live in NYC on 89th and York. His name is Drake. He said someone asked if he was named after the rapper. He is probably three times that Drake’s age. I said like the cup cakes. He said, yes. Kids used to give him a hard time about that.

The photo above and below are of a painted wing from a windmill. These things are huge. I bet it is 4 subway cars long.

I had stopped at this big ‘ol sign before but couldn’t resist another stop. Not only that but it is one of the last towns before crossing into Arizona. See ya in Zona.