Why Ride in January?

Because I Have To!

Brooklyn Ride

A sunny day and not too cold made for a nice ride to Brooklyn. I headed out to Red Hook then road about the city a little. Winter has just begun. I can’t wait until Spring.

December

Yes, December. Generally a foul word for motorcyclists in this area, but the weather has been mild in NYC and my foot is doing much better. My riding has pretty much been within the city (four out of 5 boroughs and a sliver of Jersey). I crossed the Hudson and checked out where Alexander Hamilton lost his duel with Aaron Burr. It’s right off the Lincoln Tunnel exit in Weehawkin.

The view of the city is great from Weehawkin.

Not only did Alexander Hamilton die of his wounds here in Weekawkin, his son died in a duel here a few years earlier.

I was watching Lawrence of Arabia and was curious about the bike he is riding in the beginning of the film.

I found out it’s a Brough Superior. In the movie there is a ‘JAP‘ logo on the engine. This stands for J.A.Prestwich, an engine company that made engines for many British motorcycles. Looking further into this matter I found some cool sites I’d like to share.

Some Brough links

http://www.coffinman.co.uk/brough_superiors.htm

http://thevintagent.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html

http://www.coffinman.co.uk/brough_pictures.htm

If you like vintage bikes, this guys got a great blog.

http://thevintagent.blogspot.com/

And while looking for JAP engines I found these shots.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8328632@N06/sets/72157612757443903/

Motorcycle Roads

So the day after my Bonnie came back to me, I came up lame. I just can’t seem to leap from a building in a single bound the way I once did. OK I was jumping from a flimsy gate, but the result is that I am still not riding and it’s killing me. Jumping from this wobbly platform resulted in a 7 hour stay at the emergency room and this boot for my foot.

But, just because I am not able to ride on this glorious day doesn’t mean I can’t recommend a site I came across in American Motorcyclist Magazine for those of you still on the road.

http://www.motorcycleroads.us

My foot is feeling better than it did a few days ago. I am tempted to go for a ride to test my shifting foot. I’ll keep ya posted.

One of my favorite local roads is on the site as well as many others. If you are a NY’er and want a nice day trip, take Route 23 out to Port Jervis and then ride along the Delaware on 97.

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/roads/ny97.html

Enjoy the ride. I hope to join you soon!

My Bonnie is Back

Yes, my Bonnie is back. Where was she you ask? A little over a month ago I was hit by a car. It was only my second ride in the city since I returned from my 12,000 mile trip across the nation. I turned on to my street and this lady jumped out of a parking spot and hit me from the side with her car. There was no room for me to maneuver as there were parked cars to my right and she pulled out on my left. She hit the front of the bike and BAM I went down. I wasn’t injured but the bike got a little banged up on the right side. I wasn’t going to mention this in the blog. But, it is part of the journey and there were lessons to be learned.

As I lay on the ground with the bike on top of me, I could hear the lady screaming when she got out of her car. A waiter from the restaurant nearby and a couple others lifted the bike off me and I pushed it to the side of the road and put the kick stand down. This lady was in a panic. blah blah blah. She was requesting that we not use insurance. This didn’t sit well with me, but I figured maybe it would be OK. We started to exchange info. She just wanted to give me her phone number and settle it via telephone. Ha! I asked for her drivers license. She didn’t have it on her. We went upstairs to talk to her husband. He walked back downstairs with me and we exchanged all the proper documents. We decided I would take the bike in for an assessment and then they would decide whether to use insurance or not. A few days later I got an estimate and called them. It turns out that they had already called their insurance company anyway. Then it took a while to contact their appraiser. Then it took a while for the appraiser to appraise. Delay. Delay. Meanwhile, beautiful riding days were passing me by.

The reason I mention this is because I can share the lesson:

Always call your Insurance Co. right away!

That’s what they are there for. My willingness to negotiate with the lady who hit me cost me unnecessary weeks of great weather without my bike. I have been a grumpy MF’er without my Bonnie.

I would like to say that the people at Freehold Triumph have been great.  It’s a hike for me to get to Freehold, but the satisfaction I get from the good work and good service makes it worthwhile to me. I bought my first Bonnie in NYC. I had it serviced in the city as well. It was always a pain in the ass. My 2009 Bonneville was bought at the store in Freehold, NJ and I have been bringing it there for all my work and maintenance. The people there have been friendly and professional. Jason at service has always been attentive and helpful. Thanks Freehold Triumph.

Cross Country 2009

12.000 miles counter clockwise around the United States. A new year. A new journey.

Below is the blog I kept as I rode across the country. I have added a few photos and put things in chronological order.

Cross Country 2009
2009/07/07
I am leaving NYC today. Onward!

Heading South
So the journey began with a stop at Gettysburg. The site of the battlefield and Lincoln’s Address.

Gettysburg is an interesting place. It’s loaded with Old Timey characters who display stars and bars somewhere on their person like a tatoo, baseball cap or t-shirt or perhaps a sticker on their back windshield. They have a twinkle in their eye and Dixie playing over and over in their heads as they reminisce of days gone by.

I didn’t spend too much time in Gettysburg as I was heading to see an old friend in Frederick MD. Meet my friend Dave from my college days.

We went out in Frederick and behaved much like we did 20 years ago.

And this cute little biker girl is Dave and Joi’s daughter, Noa.

Heading South I made a quick stop at Harpers Ferry. It has changed quite a bit since I last visited. Less access for those prone to mischief. When I was younger I climbed that cliff in the background and got a ticket for my efforts.

These days there is a fenced off path to walk across the old railroad bridge that crosses the river. No fun. In the tavern and throughout the town they have hired help to bring back the past.

Another big difference is an expectation that you should park 2 miles away and pay 6 bucks to take a shuttle bus to the town. I don’t think so. I just rode into town and found a spot.

I planned on seeing some evidence of dinosaurs having roamed the planet on this trip, but I thought I would have to wait until Texas. Not so. Here they were in Virginia.

I saw this little fella along Skyline Drive. A black bear.

And here is an overlook.

Unfortunately as I approach the Blue Ridge Parkway today, the sky looks nothing like the photo above. It’s dark with patches of rain, but I must move on!

From the Blue Ridge to Jacksonville
Yesterday I traveled almost 500 miles on some tiny roads. I rode from 9am to 11pm. Long Day! I wanted to make it to Jacksonsville to see my oldest friend Alex. When I say oldest it’s not that Alex is old, it’s just that I have known him since I was 3 years old when my family moved from New Orleans to Maryland. He now lives in Florida. But first let’s back up a couple days.
I had a nice ride down the Blue Ridge Parkway. Combined with Skyline Drive it’s over 500 miles without a traffic signal and very little traffic as you glide along mountain tops. Awesome! This is Mabry Mill along the way.

Here is a typical view from an outlook along the Blue Ridge.

I saw this beautiful animal fly across the road ahead of me. I immediately pulled over and caught him up in the trees.

I stopped to camp just past Asheville NC.

At the campsite I posed with my old friend Smokey. I used to visit Smokey at the National Zoo when I was a kid.

The next morning it was time for the long haul to Florida. However, I was not taking the Interstate. I took Route 81 along the Savannah River. On this route you pass many a forgotten old town. I stopped when I saw this curious little building.

I’ve seen little buildings like this out west, but didn’t expect it in South Carolina. It turns out it is an old bank. Check out the safe inside.

There were numerous old towns and abandoned buildings along the way.

I got to Georgia and along with the heat I started seeing the Spanish moss hanging from the trees.

It was so hot. I stopped at a Dairy Queen for an ice cream. As I was sitting there enjoying my cone a local feller came up to me and asked about the bike. He has an offroad bike and was thinking about getting a cruiser. I could tell he had more on his mind. He was filthy and he looked tired. Then he told me what his deal was. He was exhausted from having wrestled and killed two wild boar after trapping them. He told me about the box trap he made and how everyone told him he couldn’t do it. He called it his Elmer Fudd trap. He was convinced he could catch this boar. It had been snooping around the fence where he kept his domestic pigs. He was surprised however to find two boar in his trap. He strung them up by their necks and said they were amazingly calm when he took the razor to their throats.

I made a quick stop in Savannah. It was a crowded Saturday and I can’t just leave my bike and gear unattended to walk around so I rode around for a short while before flying down I95 to Jacksonville. It felt good to take the new ride over 100mph.

Now I am Florida. Stay tuned.

Jacksonville Florida
Today is an off day in the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong is in third place and the Alps are still ahead. He just may do it again. And so, I begin today’s post with a Happy Bastille Day to all!

Yesterday my friend Alex, his wife Isabelle and I headed to the beach to see the Space Shuttle launching. Below is me and Alex.

Alex and Isabelle. They have been most gracious during my stay. I’ve had a great time. Gracias!

While we were waiting, a man told us the launch had been cancelled. But I was glad to be at the beach. It’s not officially a coast to coast trip unless you go from one ocean to the other. Yes Pat, that’s the Atlantic.

There was a party atmosphere around town. And it’s not a party without dancing girls!

Followed by a colorful sunset.

After that we headed home. Isabelle is from Cuba and she had some excellent Cuban Rum which she shared. Yum! The following day Alex took me to a spot in St. Augustine where he catches crabs. Here is Alex tying the bait to a string.

I caught my first crab with a chicken leg and a string!

There was lots of wildlife in the area. This guy hung out throughout the day. We would swipe our nets across the water and knock small minnows to the beach. This bird would wait anxiously to eat ’em up!

There is a good reason this bird is hiding his face.

What an ugly mug.

Some dolphins did some fishing in the waters beyond us.

Pretty Bird. Birdie Num Num!

I spotted this sea turtle.

And then a tortoise on land.

And finally on the way home we stopped at the Spanish fortress in St. Augustine.

Mmmmmm! Alex steamed those crabs with seasoned water and some Old Bay. Delicious!

The seasoning of the Latin flavored newspaper place mats certainly added to the experience.

Jacksonville to New Orleans
I left Jacksonville and began my journey west. I decided to check out a bit of the Gulf Coast. It was a pain in the ass driving through beach towns, but what the heck. I had to see it.

I passed the Shark museum on the way and posed with this Tiger Shark.

That night I stayed at Big Lagoon State Park in Florida. It was basically a swamp. It was hot and muggy but had some interesting wildlife. I saw two cotttonmouth snakes. They are poisonous so that freaked me out a little.

In the morning I saw this nest in a tree with 2 osprey.

Then it was off to New Orleans. The town where I was born.

I didn’t plan on staying in the city, but it turned out that my dad was in town. So, I stayed with him in the French Quarter. Actually the first night I stayed with my cousin across the river in Gretna, but I didn’t take any photos that night. I’ll hang with her again tomorrow and take some shots.

I really wanted to ride up River Road and see some plantations, but a mean storm rolled in so I stayed in town. After the storm blew over I walked around and took some pictures.

In the evening we ate at Acme Oyster House. I had some gumbo and a shrimp and oyster po-boy. There was a line to get in, but well worth the wait.

More New Orleans to come.

New Orleans
I went to a magical place from my childhood today. City Park. Within City Park is Story Land where my Grandma and Grandma Lu (great grand mother) would take me when I was a little boy.

It was filled with large sculptures from stories and fairy tales that kids can go in and climb on. I always like the old woman who lived in a shoe.

City Park is also home to some fantastic old Live Oak Trees.

These trees are amazing. Old and wise trees.

After City Park I crossed Lake Ponchatrain to visit my uncle. He was at the Abbey where he used to be the Abbott. He is retired now but was there to celebrate his 50th anniversary as a monk.

There are some really cool murals where the monks eat.

From the Abbey I headed to my cousins place in Gretna. I rode through a storm and like a dope did not put my rain gear on. DUMB. Now my boots are soaked and I’ll have to ride with sneakers on for a bit today. My cousin and her family took me out for some New Orleans seafood. Mmmmm Mmmmm Good!

Ya can’t visit New Orleans with out having some crawfish.

This little feller slept with me last. Cute kitten prrrrrrred under my arm throughout the night.

Louisiana and Texas
So I was packing the bike to leave New Orleans after a big breakfast with my cousin and her family when I noticed a problem.

My clutch cable was about to snap. Fortunately it was Saturday and I was still in New Orleans. First we went to Smitty’s bike shop in Gretna and spoke to Lurch. They didn’t have the cable but they let my call the Triumph dealer from their bike shop. Triumph had two cables in stock and fixed it in a jiffy. So I said good bye to my cousin and headed toward River Road along the Mississippi. I had a great visit. It felt like family should. Bye Cuz!

So it was on to Plantation land. This one is called Evergreen.

This shot is a little piece of a plantation called Laura. It cost $15 to get in and I could not afford the time anyway.

And finally, a place I have always wanted to see, Oak Alley.

I rode South to check out some Cajun Country. In a town called Franklin I saw this wise old tree. This tree looks as though branches have come an gone, but it remains standing strong.

Then I rode through a wicked storm to Lafayette. When the storm broke the sun was just setting.

The next day I rode North along the Western edge of Louisiana. I stopped by this yard full of old trucks and fire engines. I met this old guy there. He was a lot like Goober from Mayberry with overalls cut off just below the knee. Goober’s handshake was so firm he is just the one you would want around if you slipped at a cliffs edge. He brought me into the garage to show me an old Mack truck they were working on.

I rode all day and into the night where I arrive at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas. There is a river bed here with actual dinosaur tracks.

It’s really cool. The tracks behind the campsite are the best ones.

It started raining as I snooped around. I was told later it was the first rain they’ve had in 6 months. Below are Brontosaurus tracks.

The other tracks are from the guy in this painting jumping on the Brontosaur.

From Dinosaur land it was time to cross Texas. I stopped to stretch my legs when I saw this old car.

I stopped again when I saw Bob’s well. You have to take a break every once in a while.

There is lots of debris on the roads. Most of it is bits of rubber from truck tires. As I was flying down the highway at 85 I noticed one of those pieces of debris moving. I turned around to investigate.

Yes! That piece of debris was a tarantula. I played with him for a little while before finding a place to camp for the night.

I am off to Cadillac Ranch. See ya next time. I should be in New Mexico by nightfall.

In honor of Texas let’s make a big post!
It’s been a long ride since my last post. And it has only gotten better. Once I hit the Rocky Mountains everything has been perfect. So back to Texas. I had the scariest night to date as far as weather goes. I pulled into Caprock Canyon for the night. The sky was magnificent. Stars galore. So I figured I’d crash in my hammock for the night. Bad idea. I saw some lights on the horizon before falling asleep, but I thought it was just a little heat lighting. WRONG! At about 2:30 am I woke to a bright flash and a sonic BOOM! Then came the winds and sideways rain. I had not time to set up the tent. I covered what I could and ran to the bathrooms where I waited out the storm. Intense! One of the two tarantulas I played with was in Caprock Canyon. Here are some of my bathroom buddies.

In Turkey Texas, home of Bob Wills, I saw this great old gas station. Route 66 eat your heart out.

As I continued across Texas I saw this old jail in the town of Silverton. It’s now a museum of sorts. Inside was this great old guy, Jerry Baker is his name, who told a little of the jail’s history.

Here is Jerry who told the stories. Man this guy loved to talk. Real nice guy with an awesome Texas accent. He said some of Bonnie and Clydes gang did some time here. He told me he is self educated and signed a copy of the brochure for me. His claim to fame: He told me he met Kelsey Grammer once.

Then I came across one of my planned stops. CADILLAC RANCH!

Hey! Does it say nygumbo.com on that gas tank?

It’s too cool.

Texas Mission accomplished. It was on to New Mexico. I had to crash at a hotel. It threw my budget off but I couldn’t deal with another storm like the night before and it was comin’ for sure! The next day I went to Taos. While checking out the former home of Kit Carson I spoke to basket maker Bob. He came to Taos with aspirations of being an electricians. The natives told him they don’t need any electricians. What they need is basket makers. So Bob learned a new trade. He told me how to get to the Pueblo where he learned his trade. I believe it’s the oldest habited pueblo in the States.

From Taos I rode to Bandelier National Monument.

This place has mountain ranges with unique cavernous formations. The ancient natives built homes on the mountain side making use of the caves as rooms.

Here is how the would have looked with the adjacent buildings.

Here you can see the uniform holes that would hold the joists in place.

I saw a sign which read “Stay on Path”. I just couldn’t resist. Most of the sites open to the public have been cleaned up and the floors cemented. I needed to explore and find something more pristine. That’s just what I did. I found this old site and the most amazing thing happened. As I sat there meditating and contemplating on how life must have been for the natives I began to feel myself lift from the ground.

There were some strange areas nearby fenced off with signs that said “No Trespassing and Beware of Explosives. These sites were only marked by numbers and were frequented by unmarked trucks. I stopped at the local tourist bureau to inquire. Bandelier is in the mountains of Los Alamos, home of the Manhattan Project. It is still a government site with some of the most up to date nuclear reasearch to date.

So many amazing sites to see out here, like this beautiful Butterfly. Hi Butterfly!

There is more to post, but I don’t want to spend my day in Starbucks. I’m in Arizona now. I haven’t even looked at my photos from The Petrified Forest yet. That place was super cool!

The Four Corners
The four corner is what they call the section of the states where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado meet. It is the only four states that meet at right angles in this way. It is also where you can find most of the ancient ruins left by the native people of this country. I’ve already introduced you to a couple spots in New Mexico. Let’s move on.

I headed south a bit to a place called El Morro. El Morro’s history involves the native people, the Spanish and the early Americans headed West. Here is how it looks from my campsite.

It has also been called Inscription Rock as many who have crossed it’s path have left their mark.

The Natives.

Spanish Conquistadors.

The new Americans.

Another unique feature of El Morro was an oasis. The water that ran of the side of the cliff was situated so it would not evaporate. A source of water in this climate was valuable.

I climbed to the top of El Morro where there were ancient ruins.

When I returned to pack up the campsite I found this peculiar bug crawling across the floor.

And I found a snake skin.

From El Morro it was off to the Petrified Forest. It began with the Painted Desert.

There were ruins and petroglyphs there as well.

Then along with the terrain the skies got grayer and the wind started kicking up. I was getting sand blasted as I rode. I think the strong winds is what prevented this guy from flying away.

And of course there was petrified wood. Lots of it!

Then there was something I was not expecting. Ruins made from Petrified wood!

I saw this great old ride outside of a vendor just beyond the park.

If you pull off at exits along Route 40 you may find bits and pieces of old Route 66. This is the Wig Wam Motel.

From there I had hoped to find a place to camp, no problem. But I lose track of time sometimes and now it was the weekend. Campsites were filled. So I had to camp in the local forest.

Well I am tired and it’s been days since I’ve had a hot shower. I’ll try to catch up in the morning.

More of the 4 Corners
In that same forest where I slept there were some old ruins.

Then I rode south to Monezuma’s Castle. It is a huge multilevel ruin on the side of a mountain.

Just north of Cottonwood AZ there was this ruin on the top of a hill.

Cottonwood and the adjacent small towns are filled with old hippies. I passed a huge drum circle on the way to this ruin.

From the ruin I had to zoom to get ahead of this oncoming storm. I have been surrounded by storms for days but somehow have remained dry.

Unfortunately that storm blocked the sun as I drove through Sedona. Sedona is surrounded by huge red rock formations. Without light it wasn’t worth taking photos. I did stop at this stream and take a shot.

I might have stuck around this area, but that storm was moving toward me as I made my way north. Besides it was pretty touristy. Not my scene.

That night I camped out at Navajo National Monument. At the visitor center I bumped into my new Korean friends I had seen earlier in the day at Starbucks. They were amazed that a guy could travel by himself as I was. They wanted to have their picture taken with me. So I had a shot taken too.

From the mountaintop where the campsite was I could see storms all around, but amazingly none hit me. I caught a lightning strike as a watched what I thought was the impending storm.

I was safe with the Captain on my side.

In the morning I hiked to see the ruins. The only way to see them upclose is register for an overnight hike. I was asking the Park Ranger about it. She is Navajo. I must say I had a hard time keeping a straight face as she kept reminding me I have to make a “reservation” for the hike. Instead I settled for the overlook.

Here is a closer look.

Then I was going back to New Mexico to see a couple more ruins.

This is Salmon Ruins.

This is an old kiva. Kivas were the big round room for ceremonies.

The old bunks where the original surveyors lived were still intact too.

Next I went to Aztec National Monument. It is called Aztec because it was first believed Aztecs had built the site.

It’s rare to find ruins with the original roof. At Aztec they have rooms with the original roofs.

I ended up visiting all four states of the four corners on this day. After passing through Durango CO I saw these elk.

From there I rode to Bluff UT where I had been last year. I hadn’t showered in days and I knew the campsite there hot great showers and WIFI. I fell asleep to the sounds of frogs croaking in the pond.

When I woke up the next morning I could see the sun glowing on the bluff.

I decided to go to the Valley of the Gods. I was afraid to go there last year as it is a 16 mile dirt road. Now it was time.

It was an exhilarating ride through the monumental cliffs and bluffs.

Then I went back to the site to pack up camp where this lizard watched over me.

I then had the unpleasant task of riding all the way back to Navajo National Monument where I had left my camera battery charger with the Ranger. How funny is that “reservation” thing now pale face! I made the best of it and took a few shots on the way. This huge rock can be seen from 20 miles away.

I found an old pull tab can.

Then in order to get where I wanted to go I had to ride up an 8 mile switchback.

The view on the way up was incredible as you look down into the Valley of the Gods.

Next stop Natural Bridges National Park. It’s in the middle of nowhere. I was low on gas. Fortunately they had a supply for emergencies. I had to fill out some paperwork and pay a premium price but I needed it to get to the next nearest gas station. So I bought one gallon. I’d like to go back there and hike to the bridges. They aren’t so exciting from above. But the flora was interesting.

I rode on not sure how far I’d get. Then the sun began to set.

I love a good sunset.

Got to go this place is closing.

UTAH
Utah is where I left off and where I remain. I left you at sunset 2 days ago. So let’s ketchup!!

Oh, first let me go back to New Mexico for a moment. As I was riding from Taos something funny happened. When you ride on a motorcycle there are many of things to worry about. Loose gravel, deer in the road, and of course bad drivers. If you read my post from the Catskills you heard of a story about an owl flying into this guys chest. Since then I have been super aware of birds. They are nuts! They dodge in and out of the rode before you coming so close you often duck (get it, duck) uncontrollably expecting that the bird will fly into your head. Well, I was riding through the mountains from Taos and there was this bird in front of me. I expected him to cut to the left or the right, but no. This bird wanted to go ahead and race me. Well he lost the race. I caught up to him all right. Face first! That little bird landed right in my mouth. I could actually feel the cold texture of his feet entering my mouth. That’s when he decided it would be a good idea to make a sharp left turn. No harm no foul. I am just glad I didn’t scare the shit out of him because I was firmly in place for a hot meal.

UTAH:

With every turn in the area around Glen Canyon I would yell out loud because of the shear beauty before me. Especially at sunset. I want to pull over and take it in at every corner.

I didn’t care that it was getting dark. I didn’t care where I would stay the night. I just wanted this moment to last. I was told by the ranger at Natural Bridges of this place to get gas. He said the store would be closed but I could still get gas. Much to my surprise I could camp there too. And it was magnificent. A place to camp right on the edge of Lake Powell.

I love this part of the country.

If anyone is interested in gear. This folding saw called the Big Boy by Silky cut through wood like butter.

I almost stepped on this guy before going to bed.

I am just going to post some photos. I want to hit the road. I may have a thing or two to say along the way.

I will add text at another time. There is still so much to see out there. Not that sitting here is bad. This is the view from where I am now.

Laundry Time at Bryce
Howdy Folks! I am at Bryce Canyon now. Here they have lots of facilities. Laundry, Wireless Internet and Showers! I will take advantage of all 3.

Yesterday was fun. After posting I rode right into a storm. I have to admit, I try to look cool when I am taking a photo of myself, but when it rains there is not time for cool.

Many riders have waterproof gloves. I find that the xtra large heavy duty chemical proof rubber gloves over my riding gloves do the trick. The storm was heavy and a little frightening but fortunately brief.

So from Capital Reef I headed toward Bryce Canyon.

Between the two parks is a state park called Kodachrome.

Needless to say they have free range cattle in the area.

These storms appear out of nowhere. But the effects in the sky is great for photos once the sun hits your subject.

These folks learned what a flash flood was the hard way. When they crossed it was a dry creek bed.

Another storm was approaching as I neared Bryce.

And then came Bryce Canyon. Having been here before I thought about skipping it. I am so glad I didn’t.

Not too shabby huh? And now it’s shower time with fresh clean clothes to put on afterward. Oh yeah!

Just got to California
Hey there nygumbo fans! I thought I would have time to post in Vegas, but that didn’t work out. I was only able to pay tribute to the Mook. Now I am camped out in California amongst the Sierra Mountains and I am able to get a wireless signal from a nearby radio station. So I am back. When I left off I was in Bryce Canyon, so let’s return there. There is so much to share. At Bryce I did my laundry, I posted, I showered. Then I went to see the rest of the canyon. I have to admit the first few stops at Bryce Canyon are exceptional. The other stops are far away and not nearly as scenic, but I had to check it out. I saw this jive turkey. I have seen a few turkeys but they are not very good subject for photos. They are quick to run away. I was rather annoyed at having spent so much time at Bryce. The latter part was anticlimactic and it looked like storms were inevitable. Not that it’s not an amazing place. It is. But I was hoping to be at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before dark so I was beginning to stress a bit. I left Bryce with worry on my mind. On the way was Red Canyon. I felt the need to fly by, but I just can’t help stopping everywhere. I get real caught up in the natural beauty of this part of the country. I’d like to come back in December and decorate this big sucker. As I was riding away I passed this place Mugwumps. I turned around to take a photo. Besides, the storms ahead were making it cold and I had to put on a couple layers. As I was taking this picture a lady came up from behind me and asked, “What is it about that place that people want to take a picture?” I said “It’s tacky.” She said, “It’s mine.” Oops! So now I was cold, and stressed about the time. I started flying south toward Arizona. I realized I wasn’t enjoying myself. It felt like work. Then I saw something on the side of the road, a tree that I wanted to photograph. I pulled over. I started noticing all the flora around me. It was growing out of this bright orange sand. All sorts of bizarre plant life. I calmed down and began to take the time to smell the roses (and take some pictures). There’s my Bonnie on the horizon. There were these strange patches of grass that would grow in a circle. And this colorful little cactus. So mother nature taught me a lesson. I needed to relax and take it all in. If I didn’t make it to the canyon, so what? It’s not as if I had a reservation. So I moved on at a different pace and with a better attitude. I rode by this small canyon about 8 miles north of Kanab, Utah and felt the need to investigate. I found out most of the area is leased by an organization called Best Friends. They care for animals. It’s a remarkable place. The canyon itself is beautiful and it’s valleys are lush. It’s called Angels Canyon. The shades of green between the white and orange rock formations are innumerable. I’ve never seen so many shades of green! It was like the garden of Eden and I lost all care for time. Of course getting around here meant taking my Bonnie on another dirt road. Here are some of the horses they care for. I saw this garden with wind chimes and small markers on the ground. I thought it was some artist’s creation. It was very Zen. Upon further investigation I discovered it was a pet cemetery. This is a memorial for all the animals lost in Hurricane Katrina. For those that don’t know, the “Gumbo” in Nygumbo was my dog’s name when I was a child. I think Gumbo would have liked it here. Here is an old mule spending the twilight of his life in style. It was time to leave this little piece of heaven on earth and head to the Grand Canyon. Now there was no way I would make it there before dark. And, as I have mentioned before, I only have a high beam headlight. This would certainly be most annoying to all I come across and indeed it was. This one guy ahead of me started blinking his lights when I came up from behind. Then he put is hazards on. Finally he slowed down and signaled me to pass him. Then he blasted me with his high beams. I twisted the throttle and moved on quickly. After a long cold ride at an elevation of 8000 feet I arrived at the entrance to the North Rim to find a sign that read “CAMPSITE FULL”. I couldn’t believe it. I was under the impression that the North Rim was not a popular destination. WRONG! I remebered seeing a campsite 8 miles back. I went there to find the same sign, FULL. Then a pick up truck pulled in. It was the same guy who I had annoyed so much with my high beam. I apologized immediately. It turns out he is the host of the campsite. He said don’t worry about the light and he was sorry that he could not put me up for the the night. But he said if I don’t mind “dry camping” there was a dirt road I could pull off on and camp in the woods for free. Free is right about where my budget needs to be right now, so that was great. I drove down this dirt road for about a mile and found this nice spot where someone had already built a fire pit and laid out pine cones, kindling, and wood for a fire. I took the campsite photo the following day after I napped from my sunrise excursion. I saw on a sign that if I rode down that dirt road another 3 miles I could get to the East Rim of the canyon. So I decided to get up at sunrise and check it out. The sunrise itself was beautiful but there wasn’t much canyon. I guess if there had been the National Parks Service would have grabbed this spot as well. After a nap I awoke again and headed for the North Rim at last. Waking up to nothing but the sound of wind blowing through the trees is a treat. Have you ever watched a birch tree as the wind hits it. The birch has little round shaped leaves, each one doing it’s own little happy dance as it glistens in the morning sun. Together they create a swooshing symphony you can hear as the winds travel through the thick forest. First I scoped out the area around the lodge. When it comes to canyon views, these vultures have it made. After the lodge view I went to see the rest of the vistas. You have to drive down a 20 mile road to see the rest of the North Rim. While bouncing from one lookout to the next I met a family from France who was traveling with a couple who had recently moved to Page, Utah. It started when I offered to take a photo of them. Then they took one of me and so forth. I continued bumping into them from place to place and we would talk and take pictures. This picture Christine took of me reminded me of my friend Thierry’s photos. He often turns the camera at a diagonal angle. Have a look at my links page to see Thierry’s work. It’s damn good. It was funny, I kept saying goodbye to these people I met thinking it would be the last time, but then we would see each other again at the next lookout.

Learning from my experience the previous day I stopped to have a look at the local flora. The families I had met must have passed me while I was taking these pictures. I noticed their camper stopped ahead of me in the middle of the road. Then I noticed everything turned orange. A lightning strike had caused a fire creating this apocalyptic image as the smoke came before the sun. There was one last lookout left and of course I saw everyone again and we shared our enthusiasm about the vision created by the fire. Jean Bernard offered me a Dr.Pepper. I hadn’t had one in many years. And as we took our last look at the canyon we noticed, what I found out to be, dust devils. Little tornados that blow up debris in the open valleys. It is very much like when you see the Tazmanian Devil show up in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. We saw one then another. There ended up being 4 all together in the valley far below us. Then I noticed something else. A rainbow appeared over the canyon. A perfect way to end this time at this amazing setting. So we said our final farewells and I gave them the address to this blog since they were contributers having taken my picture. I stopped a couple more times. Once I pulled my Bonnie to the edge of the canyon. I stopped again to talk to some of the fire fighters who had gathered at a lookout. They were distraught. They had no idea how they were going to get to this fire. It was not accessible by any roads, so they met to plan their attack. Then 50 miles later, what do you know? There was the camper again as my new friends were admiring the Vermillion Cliffs during the setting sun. When I mentioned my plan to find a forest road to pull off and camp on, Lloyd from Page offered to have me stay with them. He said there may be some of those forest roads ahead, but there is no forest. It’s all desert and cliffs. It was getting dark and there was no way I was going to find a road as I envisioned it. And it was a Friday evening. All campsites were surely filled. So I joyfully accepted the offer. These are some great folks indeed. I met up with them in Page and they set me up to sleep in the camper. We sat around, talked and had a couple beers. We were all tired so we called it a night. The next morning I awoke at sunrise again. The previous night Lloyd had shown me some photos of the views from his back yard. Truly impressive. I had to see for myself. This is what they wake up to every morning! There is a golf course behind the house then a drop so this view is theirs for keeps. Not too shabby! And here’s the whole gang! I can’t say enough how grateful I am for their hospitality and quality company. Thank you all so very much! From left to right we have, Lloyd, Sarah, Christine, Jean-Bernard, Maude, and your truly, Pat. There is more to the journey but his blogging takes time and I need to crash. I’ll try to get everything up to date in the morning. Goodnight all!

NEXT DAY

Good Morning Everybody! I will just continue this post instead of starting another. I heard from Sarah. She told me I left my sandwich in the fridge of the camper. I realized that soon enough as I rode through blazing heat the next morning. She also informed me that the aforementioned North Rim blaze had closed that 20 mile rode of scenic views to the public. It’s all in the timing! So after a great night in Page with the gang I took their recommendation to backtrack just a bit to a place called Horseshoe Canyon. I am glad I did. Pretty cool huh? Then I stopped at the dam which creates Lake Powell. Remember I camped at Lake Powell the week before. That was at a place called High at the opposite end of the lake. This is the Glen Canyon Dam. I don’t know how I feel about dams. They destroy so much but then create a whole new interesting environment. I can say, I enjoyed my time along and in Lake Powell. Someday I’d like to go out there on a boat. Hey Nikki! Are you still doing that? So I continued the ride. Today was hotter than many of my days during this trip. I came across another spot Lloyd had recommended. It’s called the Paria Pass(or something like that). It is a 5 1/2 mile dirt road that brings you to an old movie set. Actually it’s the recreation of an old movie set since the first one burnt down. I figured since it’s all fake who cares if it’s the original fake town or another. Besides, the mountainous terrain had amazing multicolored stripes from the many layers created over millions of years. Beautiful.

So at about 4 miles down this road I came to a hill. This hill was eroded with cuts and grooves, potholes and loose debris. I figure with me on it my bike and I combine for at least 800 pounds. So of course I went for it! Holy Shit!!! To date this was the greatest challenge of my riding life. How I stayed upright is completely unbelievable. My guardian angels must have been holding on tight flapping their wings with all their might to keep me up. I was sliding, and fishtailing, and bouncing down this hill. Scared the hell out of me! When I got to the bottom I was a nervous wreck, sweating profusely. At the bottom of the hill I looked down at my mileage gauge. It read 666. I decided to turn back.

But I’ll tell ya…had anyone been watching what I had done, they’d be saying, That is one crazy bad ass mother fucker!

So thanks for that recommendation Lloyd. It truly tested my skills.

I decided to go check out the Pink Corral Sand Dunes. Those photos I had taken of the plants on the side of the road with the orange sand are adjacent to these dunes so i thought it would be cool. It turned out it was a costly state park, not included in my annual parks pass and you had to hoof it. I decided to pass. I did creep up over a hill to have a look though.

I found this odd looking whatchacallit along the way.

Then it was through Zion Canyon. Here’s the rub. Things have changed at Zion since I was last there 10 years ago. If you want to go through the part of the park with the river, you have to park and take a shuttle service during the summer months. That’s not for me. Had I been camping there I would have considered it, but there was a King size bed in Vegas calling me so I stayed on Route 9 and rode through that part of the park. Nice enough in itself.

I met a nice biker couple who took this picture for me. They were totally digging Zion and each other. It’s nice to see happy couples. Sometimes as one travels you hear couples saying the most awful things to each other. It’s very distasteful.

So it was later to Zion and on toward Vegas. I did pass an elk farm and an ostrich farm on the way. Certainly worthy of a photo op.

Finally, Vegas. It seems strange, but I came to Vegas to escape the over stimulation of all the natural beauty and relax. That is just what I did. When I arrived at the hotel they told me they had run out of single rooms. So they upgraded me to a suite. And sweet it was! It was a crazy Saturday night outside and I didn’t care. I had a King sized bed and was happy to jump right in. The next day I went out for the champagne brunch buffet. I had checked another restaurant where an eggs benedict cost 13 bucks, so I figured a $20 all you can eat brunch was better for me. Boy was I right! I ate sooo much. I had tuna rolls, salmon rolls, mussels, clams, crawfish, shrimp, crab legs, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, bacon, sausage, roast beef, potatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, iced tea and of course champagne. Then I went back to my room and slept some more. That evening I went for a quiet Sunday night stroll about town.

After leaving Las Vegas I passed this beautiful rig. I was glad to catch up with it at a gas station later.

Last year while traversing the nation I had planned on visiting a number of ghost towns. Unfortunately my laptop crashed and I lost all my information. So I was happy when I stumbled across Rhyolite, an abandoned mining community which was on my list last year.

So that was yesterday. I will bring you more of Rhyolite in my next post. The clouds are clearing and over my shoulder I can see the snowcapped Sierra mountains. They are calling me. Later.

Sierra Nevada (it’s not just a beer)
In my last post I left off in Rhyolite, a ghost town in Nevada.

This is what’s left of the old bank.

Here is one of the mines which supplied the town with it’s profits. I could feel the cool air emanating from the depths of the mine. Most ghost towns are abandoned mining towns. Once the ore ran out the people left, leaving an empty town behind.

There were piles of old cans and debris from days gone by.

I guess some artist’s community decided Rhyolite would be a good place for a sculpture garden. There were a number of sculptures around, this one being my personal favorite.

Unfortunately I had to cross Death Valley to get into California. Last year when I went there it was 117 degrees in the shade. This time in was a balmy 115.

This thermometer was the only stop I made in Death Valley having seen it last year. After crossing in the blistering heat I got my first vision of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was a surreal sight as the smoke from a fire to the South had blown into the valley. I decided to pull over to take a picture on what I thought was solid ground. WRONG! As soon as I hit the sand I knew I was going down. I even said it out loud, “Going down!”

Fortunately I was able to pick the bike up myself after unstrapping the rear bag. This was something I had wondered about. I was pleased to know I can do it on my own. I mean. it’s not the kind of thing you want to practice. The photo that was the cause for the fall turned out less than spectacular.

I stayed at a campsite that night. At the campsite I met a nice gentleman from across the pond named John. Besides being a survivor of the “Big C”, John survived a hit and run while riding his Harley. Before that John was an avid rider. He still has an old Norton in his garage. We talked for a while and John gave me an extra token he had for the camp shower. Thanks John. Below is sunset from the campsite.

As I rode up route 395 I saw a small road that said ‘scenic loop’. I took it. It brought me to a beautiful vista 9000 feet up into the Sierras amongst the snowcapped mountains.

Then I walked down into an earthquake fault. That was cool, literally. Like the mine I could feel the cool air from the deep in the crevice. There was still snow packed down in a part of the fault where I dared not venture.

I may be a bit to confident at times. I keep taking poor Bonnie on dirt roads despite my fall in the sand.

This dirt road lead to a meteor crater.

Lake mono is a bizarre place. It is a salt water lake with a buoyancy 3 times that of the ocean.

I visited another ghost town called Bodie. This one was on my list last year as well. It’s one of the best preserved and biggest ghost towns.

I ended up crossing the Nevada border to camp last night. I found what looked like a nice site by a lake.

It looked like like a good site, but next to me was trouble. Trouble of the noisy kind. Meet Simka, she looks nice enough, but what an asshole. This dog barked at me constantly and barked at everything else through the night, and bright and early before 6am this morning. And during the night while Simka slept, one of the youngins next door awoke and cried for what seemed like hours. Ugh! Didn’t sleep well at all. I couldn’t get back to sleep after the dog alarm so I got up and moved on.

I began my trek west across the Sierra mountains. I stopped to take a photo when another guy on a bike pulled up. His name is Lenny and he lives in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. He is on a hell of an adventure himsellf. He bicycled West to Washington. Then hopped on a sailboat around the state into the Columbia River. He then sold his bike and bought a small motorcycle to head back east. Very impressive. He keeps a blog as well.

http://myfriendlenny.blogspot.com

So now I am just south of Lake Tahoe in a cafe with WIFI. I hope to make into the redwoods tonight for a good night sleep. If all goes to plan, tomorrow I will wind my way back East.

A Lassen Learned
As usual I overextended my planned mileage. I thought I would make it to the Redwood Forest. I was confident of this after speaking to Lenny. But Lenny took the fast road. I can’t blame him. The dude’s been on the road, (sea), for over 90 days already. When I wrote last I was just south of Lake Tahoe. The place ended up making me nuts. The lake itself is beautiful. If you have a boat and water skis it would be great!

If you are just riding through however, it’s a nightmare. Aside from the log jam of traffic, the roads have to be repaired every year once the snow melts so they have flaggers stopping you for long periods of time.

There is a river that offshoots from the lake, the Truckee River, where people innertube and raft. It looks like a blast, but I had no time for that. And that’s more fun with friends. I am not sure what this is in the picture below. I guess it’s some type of silo, but I have never seen one this shape before.

I remember learning about geography as a young student. Even now looking at a road map, it’s easy to figure out where everything is. It’s simple to to follow the lines and get from place to place. But no one tells you about the ups and downs. I am not talking about emotions, I’m talking about elevation. On a bike this is important because the temperature variations are extreme. Riders Beware! It gets cold at 9000 feet.

The Lassen Volcano blew up in 1914. It was active for 3 years. It’s at the southern end of the Cascades. I mention this because I was at the highest summit (over 9000 feet high) when the phone rang. It was my brother. He asked if I was in the Sierra’s and I honestly wasn’t sure anymore. I had been riding northwest through the mountains all day. It turns out the Sierras had ended and the Cascades had begun. Below is some thermal activity. Sulfur, smell like farts.

Man, it got cold as I got closer to the volcano. I even stopped to play in the snow.

It was getting late and I was on the dark side of the mountain now. The temperature was dropping and I had to get to the campsite. Finally, after many visually spectacular distractions I got to the campground. I rode around looking for a spot. Every site was full! Bad, bad, bad! Then, as I was making the final loop around the “tents only” section, a woman waved me down (happens all the time). She said they were leaving, they’d already paid for the night, and it was mine if I wanted. They even had a nice sized fire going which was great because I was cold from the ride. And by chance, the lady’s name was Bonnie.

That night was a full moon.

I passed my saw around the campsite. It cuts wood like butter, so when I saw people in need I had to share. In doing so I met a guy from Queens who works for a Hungarian TV show. He was at the site next to me with his girlfriend from Hungary. Then this morning I heard this guy chopping away with a hatchet. I lent him the saw too. He was camping with his wife. They are from Marin County. His name is Marcus. We talked for a while this morning. Good people.

I hadn’t planned on writing today. But it was cold this morning and I needed to warm up. I found a coffee shop and logged on. Later I will definitely make it to the Redwoods.

The Big Boy by Silky
This is the saw I have been using and sharing with people at campsites. I can’t say enough about what a great tool this is. At first I thought I was overdoing it bringing a saw and a tomahawk on this trip. Packing light is an important part of motorcycle travel. But I am glad to have both of these tools with me. I’ll show you why. The following video is the saw in action. In less than a minute I have a nice size log which will burn for hours.

The BigBoy by Silky.

http://www.silkysaws.com/

“Eureka! I have found it!”
I had the opportunity to post once since I last left, but I was in a foul mood. It would have been ugly and there is no place for ugly on nygumbo. I’m talking mean ugly. I hit some weather that just warped my whole outlook to a very dark place. I was cold and wet and feeling gloomy. I left Lassen Volcano and hit some bad weather along route 299 headed west. This road was difficult to ride with big trucks and bad drivers. Many parts were overgrown with shrubbery encrusted with despair.

This part of the country is Bigfoot country. The people here must have something to cling to or the suicide rate would bring them to extinction.

I ended up riding through fog with nearly zero visibility, adding to my miserable state of mind.

My choice for reaching the coast…Eureka, California. Sounds good right? Ha! When Archimedes said, “Eureka! I have found it!”, he most certainly was not speaking of Eureka, California the armpit of the Northwest Coast. There is no coast. It’s a swamp of sludge along side a town filled with broken dreams and wandering souls in search of what should have been. I ended up having to get a crappy hotel for the night. I needed to warm my worn down body. I was so sure I would make it to the Redwood Forest this day. But it left hope for another day. And things would be glorious from that day on.

The Redwood Forest is a mystical place. A place from a Tolkien novel where you are dwarfed by these towering giants.

I took Bonnie on 3 mile dirt road, deep into the woods.

And I wandered in and about amongst these wise old grandfathers of the forest.



And then, the coast. It was one month to day I left New York City that I touched the Pacific.


The coast was an ultimate destination but not where I wanted to spend my time. With the coast comes crowds and solitude was my favorite flavor. I wanted a greater taste. I rode northwest along the Smith River.

Having never been dammed, the Smith River is one of the cleanest and clearest rivers in the states. It is a natural beauty. As I rode along one of the bends I noticed a bridge ahead with what looked like a rope swing attached. I turned onto the small road where the bridge was and climbed underneath. I would not be disappointed!

I’ll be back in a bit. I have to pack up and check out, then I’ll sit in the lobby to finish the post.
OK. All checked out. Have you ever stayed at a Red Lion Hotel? These places are nice. I have walked in and asked about rooms before. In fact in Eureka I did this and was told a room would cost me $132!!! I booked it online in Boise for $60, but I get ahead of myself.

So I had fun swinging on a rope. A lot more fun than a lot of people have had swinging from a rope in this Wild West. Just next to the bridge were wild blackberries to provide a yummy snack before moving on.

Now it was on to Oregon. If you read about my trip last year you know that I didn’t care for Oregon. This was mostly do to the people. That didn’t change much this time, but there were a few colorful characters. Meet Mike James. He is the one in the cowboy hat.

As I ordered some fish tacos here in Kirby, Oregon home of Jamie Farr, I asked the waitress if she knew anywhere I might camp near or about Crater Lake. Well Mike interjected. Only Mike can’t seem to remember things like the names of places. There seems to be a lot of cobwebs that need cleaning in Mike’s attic. It didn’t seem the staff at Nacho Mama’s were keen on this fella. But Mike saddled up to the stool next to me and we were talking like it or not. Mike told me about camping in the woods on the way to the Lake. He said he camped in the woods there once. The only problem was there was some people being a little too loud for his taste. He said one shot from the 12 gauge took care of that. Mike used to ride too. He was hit by a woman driver and his back was broken in the accident. He said he told the woman, “Don’t worry I ain’t gonna shoot you, but I am gonna blast the hell out of your car.” It seems Mike likes his guns. Then he leaned over and whispered to me, “I think that chick’s a lesbian. It’s vogue you know.” I smiled. He than asked me, “You know what vogue is? Then, “You ain’t one of them gays are you, cause I’ll punch you right in the face! No, I wouldn’t hit ya, but you’re not are ya?” The funny thing is, I grew up in Greenwich Village in NYC and Mike is more colorful than most raging queens I’ve encountered. He’d fit right in. I think they’d like him. As I took that photo of Mike on my way out he screamed, “Ride on you Irish bastard!”
I ended up pulling off onto a dirt road into this forest for the night.

Here is where I spent the night.

I had turned into a couple dirt roads before choosing this one. In the morning I got back to the highway and made a left. In the dark I was disoriented. I should have made a right. And because it was dark, I didn’t recognize anything now that it was light. I rode a good 12 miles before I realized what I had done. But it all worked out I ended up finding these beautiful waterfalls that I had passed in the night.

There was another interesting thing I passed in the dark. I had heard Oregon’s laws were different than that of the rest of the states regarding a particular matter. That was confirmed when I passed this marijuana farm right off the side of the highway. I would have walked up to the fence and snapped a picture of the garden, but there was a no trespassing sign and the stories of “trigger happy” Mike still lingered in my head.

I was finally back in unchartered territory. I passed this gorge in the small town appropriately named Cascade Gorge. I stopped in to a place to eat and was greeted by a waitress who had that Oregon attitude that makes me loathe this state. Fortunately the natural wonders outweigh the assholes. I did not stay at the restaurant. A premade sandwich was enough to keep me going.

I am going to rush things a bit. I have to get going. Next stop Crater Lake. Oregon is full of post volcanic splendor.



I made a quick stop at this old lava tube but I was too late for the tour.

Missing that tour was a blessing. Had I gone on the tour I would never have gotten to this place below before dusk. This place blew my mind.

These are the Painted Hills in Oregon. My motivation for coming here was that they had found prehistoric fossils here. I had no idea that I would see this.




Wow! It’s one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. As you look at it you can’t believe it’s real. That night I slept in the cold mountains of Oregon. (there is a funny story that involves a Billy Bob and my personal fears, but I don’t have time for it right now).

Then next morning I went to another prehistoric fossil site. This one had a blue hue.


Then I found some old pictographs in this canyon.


These are actual tracks from the Oregon trail left by the covered wagons that first explored this part of the country.

Then I had a awesome ride through Hells Canyon.

Well folks I left out some details because the hour is getting late. I am in Boise Idaho now and headed toward Montana. I just checked the mileage and I don’t think I’ll make it to Montana tonight as I had hoped. Oh well, tomorrow I will make one of my few overlaps from last year and visit crystal mountain for some digging. Later my friends!

Happy Birthday Bonnie!
My Bonnie turned 10,000 miles yesterday. And what an appropriate place to to turn the digits on the odometer as I traversed the Beartooth Highway at 10,000 feet. Amazing! 10,000 @ 10,000! It’s the highest highway in the lower 48 states.

So Happy Birthday Bonnie! Two months and Ten Thousand miles old.
I was in Idaho when I last posted. I camped out in Chaliss then took a windy road through Idaho which traveled along various rivers that had cut their way through the scenic mountains. I stopped to take a photo of this bluff. It reminded me of how the indians would corral buffalo and drive them over the edge in the hunt.

In the river below I noticed this red color. At first I thought someone may have dropped something in the river. Then I saw them move upstream. They were salmon!

I passed through Idaho City, an old gold mining town.

The lady in the tourist office described this as the house with the attic that threw up all over the yard.

There was an old cemetery in town. Many of the old markers were made of wood and burned in a fire years ago.

It was a long ride between towns way up in the mountains, but a nice ride.



Here is something funny. The first picture I took this day was of the bluff that reminded me of the old indian hunts. The last picture I took that day 250 miles later was of an actual bluff where indians used to drive the buffalo.

Then next part of the trip is the only overlap from last year’s trip. This is Big Hole where there was a ferocious battle between the Nez Perce and the US Cavalry.

Then I rode down the Polaris Highway where I dug up crystals last year. As I was about 10 miles from the campsite, a bear ran across the road in front of me! He was a young bear with sandy colored hair. Could it have been a grizzly? I mentioned the bear to a parks employee the following day. She said it was most likely a black bear. It would be extremely rare for a Grizzly to be in these parts. The black bear often have light colored hair. Then I showed her my photos. She said, “I’m no bear expert, but I think I have to tell my boss we have a possible Grizzly sighting!”

Since my tent blew away in the storm I was forced to make my own shelter.

And I cooked up another healthy meal on the road.

Look at all those bales of hay.

I rode through Nevada City. It’s a little hoaky but cool. See it’s not really an old town. It’s a compilation of homes that were saved by a family and brought to this site. Some of the houses are from the old Nevada City. What intrigued me about the town was that Little Big Man (great movie) was filmed here as was Missouri Breaks with Brando and Nicholson. Besides, I wanted to give a mean storm some time to blow by. So I paid the 8 bucks and checked it out.



I know a thing or two about old vehicles, but this old truck had a name I was not familiar with.


Here was the storm I was hoping to avoid. Right where I wanted to be at the western entrance to Yellowstone.

The campgrounds at Yellowstone were full so I camped out at some mosquito infested site outside the park. I made up for it with a nice T-bone over the open fire. Beats Dinty Moore!
I didn’t spend a lot of time in Yellowstone. Last year I saw all but the northernmost area. So I took that route which brought me further East.

This is at Mammoth Springs. When I came here in 2002, this was the steamiest, smelliest part of the park. It seems to have dried up considerably.


This is a petrified tree. It’s still standing!



And of course there was buffalo!


And a bald eagle.

Then it was on the the Beartooth Highway where I began this post.
Here is Bonnie on her birthday high in the mountains.

It’s really beautiful up here. So clean and fresh above the treeline.

It’s been 5 weeks on the road. I have seen some amazing things but I am looking forward to getting home. Still a lot of miles to cover. But NYC here I come!

From What Was, to What Is.
I woke up in Billings, Montana and was determined to put on some miles in an eastward direction. Best laid plans and all… Haven’t figured out if I am George or Lenny. At times I guess I am either. I was headed East when I saw a sign for Pictograph Cave. Of course I had to turn off. That was my first diversion of the day. In the cave are some very faded and worn paintings on the walls.

It was a shame to see that this place had eroded so badly. As I spoke to the Ranger, she told me that excavation here was abandoned in 1941 because of the war and everything has been left exposed since. I told her I was on my way to see Pompey’s Pillar and The site of the Battle of Little Bighorn. She mentioned there was a Pow Wow at the Crow Council right by Little Bighorn.
Here is, Pompey’s Pillar.

To look at it from afar you may think, ‘What’s the big deal?’ But carved into the side of this large rock formation is the only physical evidence which still lies in the path of the Lewis and Clark expedition. William Clark carved his name in the stone.

The story of the Lewis and Clark adventure is tremendous. If you haven’t read Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose you are missing out on a hell of a story.
From there I went to the site of The Battle of Little Bighorn more commonly known as Custer’s Last Stand. The marker with the dark text is where Custer last stood.

There are markers placed all over the battlefield depicting where soldiers and native warriors fell to their deaths.

This is a memorial listing all the names of those who died during this fierce battle.

Te storm in the background of this photo was headed right toward the location of the Pow Wow.

I arrived at the Pow Wow not knowing what to expect or if I would even be welcome there. I had asked the Ranger at the battlefield if it was OK to stay at the Pow Wow. She seemed hesitant to say yes. So I rode passed the many tee pees looking for a spot where I could pitch my tent. As I rode through the grassy parking area a guy called out, “Where are you from?” I said New York City. He replied, “Brooklyn!” This is Cliff. He let me pull my bike under his tarp just before that storm let loose. Cliff is a Native, former Golden Gloves Champ, former Outlaw Biker, and all around nice guy.

Presently Cliff is the Cultural Director for the Redhawk Native American Arts Council in Brooklyn.
http://redhawkcouncil.org
I pitched my tent next to his camper and felt right at home. At 7pm the opening ceremonies began.



The dancing went on through the night. People from tribes around the United States and Canada come here to compete in this contest.


I wish I could remember this man’s name. He is a chief, a politician for his nation, and he is a funny guy.

The first day’s ceremonies ended around 1am. The sights and sounds were overwhelming.

There were young ones running around in packs shooting each other throughout the night with pellet guns. The next morning Cliff stopped one of these posse’s and asked if the pellets hurt. He got a mixed response. So Cliff blindfolded himself and told the kids to shoot him. It was hilarious!

I stayed to watch the morning parade then moved on.

I left only to ride 200 miles in the rain. Weary, I got a hotel in Sturgis. The party is long gone, the bikers had been replaced by old fellas on tractors at a small gathering after the weekend rodeo. I stopped to look around at some of the shops. It had been 6 weeks on the road and I was ready to go home.

I rode by the Badlands. I stopped in Scenic, SD for some gas. This is an old saloon across the street.

I saw 5 ring necked pheasant along the way in southern South Dakota. They seem to be the local favorite as depicted by this sculpture. I saw one in Central Park once in NYC. That was bizarre.

That night I camped out in Niobrara, Nebraska where Lewis & CLark had camped on September 04, 1803.

I was still determined to stay off the Interstates. To see the good stuff you have to travel the small highways.

As you move away from the Rockies the horizon stretches further and further to the mundane, the flatline. And with that went the life of this summer’s adventure. I had one last stop that swayed me from the straight path home. Had to check the old house and make sure everything was OK.

This old house from Grant Wood’s American Gothic is tucked away in Eldon, Iowa. The roads leading to this American icon would be the last unpaved roads I would venture on this trip. I crossed the Mississippi at Fort Madison.

The toll for the bridge that crosses the Mississippi is in the middle of the bridge. It cost 50 cents.

Once that river was crossed I stayed on old Route 9 for a while. When I got to Peoria I made the decision to get on the Interstate. I flew home from there. I forgot to thank Cliff in the last post for the Throttle Rocket. That thing makes those crazy mile days a lot less painful. I rode just passed Dayton and shacked up for the night. The next day I rode that final 600 miles in one shot. That was the most I ever rode in a day. I went through some thunderstorms in Ohio and Pennsylvania that had many cars pulling over with their hazard lights on. I plowed through. I full arch rainbow blasted out after one of the storms, but this was no sign of good things to come. Another storm lay ahead. And another. But as the night took over like my high beam on the open road, I crept home.

Now I have been home for a couple days. Today I rode a bit in the city. I felt like a wild animal fighting in an overcrowded cage. I just may need to go a little further after all.

Eureka! I have found it!

I had the opportunity to post once since I last left, but I was in a foul mood. It would have been ugly and there is no place for ugly on nygumbo. I’m talking mean ugly. I hit some weather that just warped my whole outlook to a very dark place. I was cold and wet and feeling gloomy. I left Lassen Volcano and hit some bad weather along route 299 headed west. This road was difficult to ride with big trucks and bad drivers. Many parts were overgrown with shrubbery encrusted with despair.

This part of the country is Bigfoot country. The people here must have something to cling to or the suicide rate would bring them to extinction.

I ended up riding through fog with nearly zero visibility, adding to my miserable state of mind.

My choice for reaching the coast…Eureka, California. Sounds good right? Ha! When Archimedes said, “Eureka! I have found it!”, he most certainly was not speaking of Eureka, California the armpit of the Northwest Coast. There is no coast. It’s a swamp of sludge along side a town filled with broken dreams and wandering souls in search of what should have been. I ended up having to get a crappy hotel for the night. I needed to warm my worn down body. I was so sure I would make it to the Redwood Forest this day. But it left hope for another day. And things would be glorious from that day on.

The Redwood Forest is a mystical place. A place from a Tolkien novel where you are dwarfed by these towering giants.

I took Bonnie on 3 mile dirt road, deep into the woods.

And I wandered in and about amongst these wise old grandfathers of the forest.



And then, the coast. It was one month to day I left New York City that I touched the Pacific.


The coast was an ultimate destination but not where I wanted to spend my time. With the coast comes crowds and solitude was my favorite flavor. I wanted a greater taste. I rode northwest along the Smith River.

Having never been dammed, the Smith River is one of the cleanest and clearest rivers in the states. It is a natural beauty. As I rode along one of the bends I noticed a bridge ahead with what looked like a rope swing attached. I turned onto the small road where the bridge was and climbed underneath. I would not be disappointed!

I’ll be back in a bit. I have to pack up and check out, then I’ll sit in the lobby to finish the post.
OK. All checked out. Have you ever stayed at a Red Lion Hotel? These places are nice. I have walked in and asked about rooms before. In fact in Eureka I did this and was told a room would cost me $132!!! I booked it online in Boise for $60, but I get ahead of myself.

So I had fun swinging on a rope. A lot more fun than a lot of people have had swinging from a rope in this Wild West. Just next to the bridge were wild blackberries to provide a yummy snack before moving on.

Now it was on to Oregon. If you read about my trip last year you know that I didn’t care for Oregon. This was mostly do to the people. That didn’t change much this time, but there were a few colorful characters. Meet Mike James. He is the one in the cowboy hat.

As I ordered some fish tacos here in Kirby, Oregon home of Jamie Farr, I asked the waitress if she knew anywhere I might camp near or about Crater Lake. Well Mike interjected. Only Mike can’t seem to remember things like the names of places. There seems to be a lot of cobwebs that need cleaning in Mike’s attic. It didn’t seem the staff at Nacho Mama’s were keen on this fella. But Mike saddled up to the stool next to me and we were talking like it or not. Mike told me about camping in the woods on the way to the Lake. He said he camped in the woods there once. The only problem was there was some people being a little too loud for his taste. He said one shot from the 12 gauge took care of that. Mike used to ride too. He was hit by a woman driver and his back was broken in the accident. He said he told the woman, “Don’t worry I ain’t gonna shoot you, but I am gonna blast the hell out of your car.” It seems Mike likes his guns. Then he leaned over and whispered to me, “I think that chick’s a lesbian. It’s vogue you know.” I smiled. He than asked me, “You know what vogue is? Then, “You ain’t one of them gays are you, cause I’ll punch you right in the face! No, I wouldn’t hit ya, but you’re not are ya?” The funny thing is, I grew up in Greenwich Village in NYC and Mike is more colorful than most raging queens I’ve encountered. He’d fit right in. I think they’d like him. As I took that photo of Mike on my way out he screamed, “Ride on you Irish bastard!”
I ended up pulling off onto a dirt road into this forest for the night.

Here is where I spent the night.

I had turned into a couple dirt roads before choosing this one. In the morning I got back to the highway and made a left. In the dark I was disoriented. I should have made a right. And because it was dark, I didn’t recognize anything now that it was light. I rode a good 12 miles before I realized what I had done. But it all worked out I ended up finding these beautiful waterfalls that I had passed in the night.

There was another interesting thing I passed in the dark. I had heard Oregon’s laws were different than that of the rest of the states regarding a particular matter. That was confirmed when I passed this marijuana farm right off the side of the highway. I would have walked up to the fence and snapped a picture of the garden, but there was a no trespassing sign and the stories of “trigger happy” Mike still lingered in my head.

I was finally back in unchartered territory. I passed this gorge in the small town appropriately named Cascade Gorge. I stopped in to a place to eat and was greeted by a waitress who had that Oregon attitude that makes me loathe this state. Fortunately the natural wonders outweigh the assholes. I did not stay at the restaurant. A premade sandwich was enough to keep me going.

I am going to rush things a bit. I have to get going. Next stop Crater Lake. Oregon is full of post volcanic splendor.



I made a quick stop at this old lava tube but I was too late for the tour.

Missing that tour was a blessing. Had I gone on the tour I would never have gotten to this place below before dusk. This place blew my mind.

These are the Painted Hills in Oregon. My motivation for coming here was that they had found prehistoric fossils here. I had no idea that I would see this.




Wow! It’s one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. As you look at it you can’t believe it’s real. That night I slept in the cold mountains of Oregon. (there is a funny story that involves a Billy Bob and my personal fears, but I don’t have time for it right now).

Then next morning I went to another prehistoric fossil site. This one had a blue hue.


Then I found some old petroglyphs in this canyon.


These are actual tracks from the Oregon trail left by the covered wagons that first explored this part of the country.

Then I had a awesome ride through Hells Canyon.

Well folks I left out some details because the hour is getting late. I am in Boise Idaho now and headed toward Montana. I just checked the mileage and I don’t think I’ll make it to Montana tonight as I had hoped. Oh well, tomorrow I will make one of my few overlaps from last year and visit crystal mountain for some digging. Later my friends!

The Big Boy by Silky

This is the saw I have been using and sharing with people at campsites. I can’t say enough about what a great tool this is. At first I thought I was overdoing it bringing a saw and a tomahawk on this trip. Packing light is an important part of motorcycle travel. But I am glad to have both of these tools with me. I’ll show you why. The following video is the saw in action. In less than a minute I have a nice size log which will burn for hours.

The BigBoy by Silky.

http://www.silkysaws.com/

New Orleans to California

Hey Folks! I have been on the road for a month now. Sorry I haven’t posted here in a while. I keep another blog with things other than motorcycle stuff @ nygumbo.com. So if you see any nygumbo references in the following text, that’s why. It has been difficult to work on two blogs while on the road. If you would like to check the other blog, feel free. But now that I am here, so let’s get caught up.

I went to a magical place from my childhood today. City Park. Within City Park is Story Land where my Grandma and Grandma Lu (great grand mother) would take me when I was a little boy.

It was filled with large sculptures from stories and fairy tales that kids can go in and climb on. I always like the old woman who lived in a shoe.

City Park is also home to some fantastic old Live Oak Trees.

These trees are amazing. Old and wise trees.

After City Park I crossed Lake Ponchatrain to visit my uncle. He was at the Abbey where he used to be the Abbott. He is retired now but was there to celebrate his 50th anniversary as a monk.

There are some really cool murals where the monks eat.

From the Abbey I headed to my cousins place in Gretna. I rode through a storm and like a dope did not put my rain gear on. DUMB. Now my boots are soaked and I’ll have to ride with sneakers on for a bit today. My cousin and her family took me out for some New Orleans seafood. Mmmmm Mmmmm Good!

Ya can’t visit New Orleans with out having some crawfish.

This little feller slept with me last. Cute kitten prrrrrrred under my arm throughout the night.

So I was packing the bike to leave New Orleans after a big breakfast with my cousin and her family when I noticed a problem.

My clutch cable was about to snap. Fortunately it was Saturday and I was still in New Orleans. First we went to Smitty’s bike shop in Gretna and spoke to Lurch. They didn’t have the cable but they let my call Triumph from their bike shop. They had two cables in stock and fixed it in a jiffy. So I said good bye to my cousin and headed toward River Road along the Mississippi. I had a great visit. It felt like family should. Bye Cuz!

So it was on to Plantation land. This one is called Evergreen.

This shot is a little piece of a plantation called Laura. It cost $15 to get it and I could afford the time.

And finally, a place I have always wanted to see, Oak Alley.

I rode South to check out some Cajun Country. In a town called Franklin I saw this wise old tree. This tree looks as though branches have come an gone, but it remains standing strong.

Then I rode through a wicked storm to Lafayette. When the storm broke the sun was just setting.

The next day I rode North along the Western edge of Louisiana. I stopped by this yard full of old trucks and fire engines. I met this old guy there. He was a lot like Goober from Mayberry with overalls cut off just below the knee. Goober’s handshake was so firm he is just the one you would want around if you slipped at a cliffs edge. He brought me into the garage to show me an old Mack truck they were working on.

I rode all day and into the night where I arrive at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas. There is a river bed here with actual dinosaur tracks.

It’s really cool. The tracks behind the campsite are the best ones.

It started raining as I snooped around. I was told later it was the first rain they’ve had in 6 months. Below are Brontosaurus tracks.

The other tracks are from the guy in this painting jumping on the Brontosaur.

From Dinosaur land it was time to cross Texas. I stopped to stretch my legs when I saw this old car.

I stopped again when I saw Bob’s well. You have to take a break every once in a while.

There is lots of debris on the roads. Most of it is bits of rubber from truck tires. As I was flying down the highway at 85 I noticed one of those pieces of debris moving. I turned around to investigate.

Yes! That piece of debris was a tarantula. I played with him for a little while before finding a place to camp for the night.

I am off to Cadillac Ranch. See ya next time. I should be in New Mexico by nightfall.

It’s been a long ride since my last post. And it has only gotten better. Once I hit the Rocky Mountains everything has been perfect. So back to Texas. I had the scariest night to date as far as weather goes. I pulled into Caprock Canyon for the night. The sky was magnificent. Stars galore. So I figured I’d crash in my hammock for the night. Bad idea. I saw some lights on the horizon before falling asleep, but I thought it was just a little heat lighting. WRONG! At about 2:30 am I woke to a bright flash and a sonic BOOM! Then came the winds and sideways rain. I had not time to set up the tent. I covered what I could and ran to the bathrooms where I waited out the storm. Intense! One of the two tarantulas I played with was in Caprock Canyon. Here are some of my bathroom buddies.

In Turkey Texas, home of Bob Wills, I saw this great old gas station. Route 66 eat your heart out.

As I continued across Texas I saw this old jail in the town of Silverton. It’s now a museum of sorts. Inside was this great old guy, Jerry Baker is his name, who told a little of the jail’s history.

Here is Jerry who told the stories. Man this guy loved to talk. Real nice guy with an awesome Texas accent. He said some of Bonnie and Clydes gang did some time here. He told me he is self educated and signed a copy of the brochure for me. His claim to fame: He told me he met Kelsey Grammer once.

Then I came across one of my planned stops. CADILLAC RANCH!

Hey! Does it say nygumbo.com on that gas tank?

It’s too cool.

Texas Mission accomplished. It was on to New Mexico. I had to crash at a hotel. It threw my budget off but I couldn’t deal with another storm like the night before and it was comin’ for sure! The next day I went to Taos. While checking out the former home of Kit Carson I spoke to basket maker Bob. He came to Taos with aspirations of being an electricians. The natives told him they don’t need any electricians. What they need is basket makers. So Bob learned a new trade. He told me how to get to the Pueblo where he learned his trade. I believe it’s the oldest habited pueblo in the States.

From Taos I rode to Bandelier Nation Monument.

This place has mountain ranges with unique cavernous formations. The ancient natives built homes on the mountain side making use of the caves as rooms.

Here is how the would have looked with the adjacent buildings.

Here you can see the uniform holes that would hole the joists in place.

I saw a sign which read “Stay on Path”. I just couldn’t resist. Most of the sites open to the public have been cleaned up and the floors cemented. I needed to explore and find something more pristine. That’s just what I did. I found this old site and the most amazing thing happened. As I sat there meditating and contemplating on how life must have been for the natives I began to feel myself lift from the ground.

There were some strange areas nearby fenced off with signs that said “No Trespassing and Beware of Explosives. These sites were only marked by numbers and were frequented by unmarked trucks. I stopped at the local tourist bureau to inquire. Bandelier is in the mountains of Los Alamos, home of the Manhattan Project. It is still a government site with some of the most up to date nuclear reasearch to date.

So many amazing sites to see out here, like this beautiful Butterfly. Hi Butterfly!

There is more to post, but I don’t want to spend my day in Starbucks. I’m in Arizona now. I haven’t even looked at my photos from The Petrified Forest yet. That place was super cool!

The four corner is what they call the section of the states where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado meet. It is the only four states that meet at right angles in this way. It is also where you can find most of the ancient ruins left by the native people of this country. I’ve already introduced you to a couple spots in New Mexico. Let’s move on.

I headed south a bit to a place called El Morro. El Morro’s history involves the native people, the Spanish and the early Americans headed West. Here is how it looks from my campsite.

It has also been called Inscription Rock as many who have crossed it’s path have left their mark.

The Natives.

Spanish Conquistadors.

The new Americans.

Another unique feature of El Morro was an oasis. The water that ran of the side of the cliff was situated so it would not evaporate. A source of water in this climate was valuable.

I climbed to the top of El Morro where there were ancient ruins.

When I returned to pack up the campsite I found this peculiar bug crawling across the floor.

And I found a snake skin.

From El Morro it was off to the Petrified Forest. It began with the Painted Desert.

There were ruins and petroglyphs there as well.

Then along with the terrain the skies got grayer and the wind started kicking up. I was getting sand blasted as I rode. I think the strong winds is what prevented this guy from flying away.

And of course there was petrified wood. Lots of it!

Then there was something I was not expecting. Ruins made from Petrified wood!

I saw this great old ride outside of a vendor just beyond the park.

If you pull off at exits along Route 40 you may find bits and pieces of old Route 66. This is the Wig Wam Motel.

From there I had hoped to find a place to camp, no problem. But I lose track of time sometimes and now it was the weekend. Campsites were filled. So I had to camp in the local forest.

Well I am tired and it’s been days since I’ve had a hot shower. I’ll try to catch up in the morning.

In that same forest where I slept there were some old ruins.

Then I rode south to Monezuma’s Castle. It is a huge multilevel ruin on the side of a mountain.

Just north of Cottonwood AZ there was this ruin on the top of a hill.

Cottonwood and the adjacent small towns are filled with old hippies. I past a huge drum circle on the way to this ruin.

From the ruin I had to zoom to get ahead of this oncoming storm. I have been surrounded by storms for days but somehow have remained dry.

Unfortunately that storm blocked the sun as I drove through Sedona. Sedona is surrounded by huge red rock formations. Without light it wasn’t worth taking photos. I did stop at this stream and take a shot.

I might have stuck around this area, but that storm was moving toward me as I made my way north. Besides it was pretty touristy. Not my scene.

That night I camped out at Navajo National Monument. At the visitor center I bumped into my new Korean friends I had seen earlier in the day at Starbucks. They were amazed that a guy could travel by himself as I was. They wanted to have their picture taken with me. So I had a shot taken too.

From the mountaintop where the campsite was I could see storms all around, but amazingly none hit me. I caught a lightning strike as a watched what I thought was the impending storm.

I was safe with the Captain on my side.

In the morning I hiked to see the ruins. The only way to see them upclose is register for an overnight hike. I was asking the Park Ranger about it. She is Navajo. I must say I had a hard time keeping a straight face as she kept reminding me I have to make a “reservation” for the hike. Instead I settled for the overlook.

Here is a closer look.

Then I was going back to New Mexico to see a couple more ruins.

This is Salmon Ruins.

This is an old kiva. Kivas were the big round room for ceremonies.

The old bunks where the original surveyors lived were still intact too.

Next I went to Aztec National Monument. It is called Aztec because it was first believed Aztecs had built the site.

It’s rare to find ruins with the original roof. At Aztec they have rooms with the original roofs.

I ended up visiting all four states of the four corners on this day. After passing through Durango CO I saw these elk.

From there I rode to Bluff UT where I had been last year. I hadn’t showered in days and I knew the campsite there hot great showers and WIFI. I fell asleep to the sounds of frogs croaking in the pond.

When I woke up the next morning I could see the sun glowing on the bluff.

I decided to go to the Valley of the Gods. I was afraid to go there last year as it is a 16 mile dirt road. Now it was time.

It was an exhilarating ride through the monumental cliffs and bluffs.

Then I went back to the site to pack up camp where this lizard watched over me.

I then had the unpleasant task of riding all the way back to Navajo National Monument where I had left my camera battery charger with the Ranger. How funny is that “reservation” thing now pale face! I made the best of it and took a few shots on the way. This huge rock can be seen from 20 miles away.

I found an old pull tab can.

Then in order to get where I wanted to go I had to ride up an 8 mile switchback.

The view on the way up was incredible as you look down into the Valley of the Gods.

Next stop Natural Bridges Nation Park. It’s in the middle of nowhere. I was low on gas. Fortunately they had a supply for emergencies. I had to fill out some paperwork and pay a premium price but I needed it to get to tghe next gas station. I’d like to go back there I hike to the bridges. They aren’t so exciting from above. But the flora was interesting.

I rode on not sure how far I’d get. Then the sun began to set.

I love a good sunset.

Got to go this place is closing.

Utah is where I left off and where I remain. I left you at sunset 2 days ago. So let’s ketchup!!

Oh, first let me go back to New Mexico for a moment. As I was riding from Taos something funny happened. When you ride on a motorcycle there are many of things to worry about. Loose gravel, deer in the road, and of course bad drivers. If you read my post from the Catskills you heard of a story about an owl flying into this guys chest. Since then I have been super aware of birds. They are nuts! They dodge in and out of the rode before you coming so close you often duck (get it, duck) uncontrollably expecting that the bird will fly into your head. Well, I was riding through the mountains from Taos and there was this bird in front of me. I expected him to cut to the left or the right, but no. This bird wanted to go ahead and race me. Well he lost the race. I caught up to him all right. Face first! That little bird landed right in my mouth. I could actually feel the cold texture of his feet entering my mouth. That’s when he decided it would be a good idea to make a sharp left turn. No harm no foul. I am just glad I didn’t scare the shit out of him because I was firmly in place for a hot meal.

UTAH:

With every turn in the area around Glen Canyon I would yell out loud because of the shear beauty before me. Especially at sunset. I want to pull over and take it in at every corner.

I didn’t care that it was getting dark. I didn’t care where I would stay the night. I just wanted this moment to last. I was told by the ranger at Natural Bridges of this place to get gas. He said the store would be closed but I could still get gas. Much to my surprise I could camp there too. And it was magnificent. A place to camp right on the edge of Lake Powell.

I love this part of the country.

If anyone is interested in gear. This folding saw called the Big Boy by Silky cut through wood like butter.

I almost stepped on this guy before going to bed.

I am just going to post some photos. I want to hit the road. I may have a thing or two to say along the way.

I will add text at another time. There is still so much to see out there. Not that sitting here is bad. This is the view from where I am now.

Howdy Folks! I am at Bryce Canyon now. Here they have lots of facilities. Laundry, Wireless Internet and Showers! I will take advantage of all 3.

Yesterday was fun. After posting I rode right into a storm. I have to admit, I try to look cool when I am taking a photo of myself, but when it rains there is not time for cool.

Many riders have waterproof gloves. I find that the xtra large heavy duty chemical proof rubber gloves over my riding gloves do the trick. The storm was heavy and a little frightening but fortunately brief.

So from Capital Reef I headed toward Bryce Canyon.

Between the two parks is a state park called Kodachrome.

Needless to say they have free range cattle in the area.

These storms appear out of nowhere. But the effects in the sky is great for photos once the sun hits your subject.

These folks learned what a flash flood was the hard way. When they crossed it was a dry creek bed.

Another storm was approaching as I neared Bryce.

And then came Bryce Canyon. Having been here before I thought about skipping it. I am so glad I didn’t.

Not too shabby huh? And now it’s shower time with fresh clean clothes to put on afterward. Oh yeah!

Hey there nygumbo fans! I thought I would have time to post in Vegas, but that didn’t work out. I was only able to pay tribute to the Mook. Now I am camped out in California amongst the Sierra Mountains and I am able to get a wireless signal from a nearby radio station. So I am back. When I left off I was in Bryce Canyon, so let’s return there. There is so much to share. At Bryce I did my laundry, I posted, I showered. Then I went to see the rest of the canyon. I have to admit the first few stops at Bryce Canyon are exceptional. The other stops are far away and not nearly as scenic, but I had to check it out. I saw this jive turkey. I have seen a few turkeys but they are not very good subject for photos. They are quick to run away. I was rather annoyed at having spent so much time at Bryce. The latter part was anticlimactic and it looked like storms were inevitable. Not that it’s not an amazing place. It is. But I was hoping to be at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before dark so I was beginning to stress a bit. I left Bryce with worry on my mind. On the way was Red Canyon. I felt the need to fly by, but I just can’t help stopping everywhere. I get real caught up in the natural beauty of this part of the country. I’d like to come back in December and decorate this big sucker. As I was riding away I passed this place Mugwumps. I turned around to take a photo. Besides, the storms ahead were making it cold and I had to put on a couple layers. As I was taking this picture a lady came up from behind me and asked, “What is it about that place that people want to take a picture?” I said “It’s tacky.” She said, “It’s mine.” Oops! So now I was cold, and stressed about the time. I started flying south toward Arizona. I realized I wasn’t enjoying myself. It felt like work. Then I saw something on the side of the road, a tree that I wanted to photograph. I pulled over. I started noticing all the flora around me. It was growing out of this bright orange sand. All sorts of bizarre plant life. I calmed down and began to take the time to smell the roses (and take some pictures). There’s my Bonnie on the horizon. There were these strange patches of grass that would grow in a circle. And this colorful little cactus. So mother nature taught me a lesson. I needed to relax and take it all in. If I didn’t make it to the canyon, so what? It’s not as if I had a reservation. So I moved on at a different pace and with a better attitude. I rode by this small canyon about 8 miles north of Kanab, Utah and felt the need to investigate. I found out most of the area is leased by an organization called Best Friends. They care for animals. It’s a remarkable place. The canyon itself is beautiful and it’s valleys are lush. It’s called Angels Canyon. The shades of green between the white and orange rock formations are innumerable. I’ve never seen so many shades of green! It was like the garden of Eden and I lost all care for time. Of course getting around here meant taking my Bonnie on another dirt road. Here are some of the horses they care for. I saw this garden with wind chimes and small markers on the ground. I thought it was some artist’s creation. It was very Zen. Upon further investigation I discovered it was a pet cemetery. This is a memorial for all the animals lost in Hurricane Katrina. For those that don’t know, the “Gumbo” in Nygumbo was my dog’s name when I was a child. I think Gumbo would have liked it here. Here is an old mule spending the twilight of his life in style. It was time to leave this little piece of heaven on earth and head to the Grand Canyon. Now there was no way I would make it there before dark. And, as I have mentioned before, I only have a high beam headlight. This would certainly be most annoying to all I come across and indeed it was. This one guy ahead of me started blinking his lights when I came up from behind. Then he put is hazards on. Finally he slowed down and signaled me to pass him. Then he blasted me with his high beams. I twisted the throttle and moved on quickly. After a long cold ride at an elevation of 8000 feet I arrived at the entrance to the North Rim to find a sign that read “CAMPSITE FULL”. I couldn’t believe it. I was under the impression that the North Rim was not a popular destination. WRONG! I remebered seeing a campsite 8 miles back. I went there to find the same sign, FULL. Then a pick up truck pulled in. It was the same guy who I had annoyed so much with my high beam. I apologized immediately. It turns out he is the host of the campsite. He said don’t worry about the light and he was sorry that he could not put me up for the the night. But he said if I don’t mind “dry camping” there was a dirt road I could pull off on and camp in the woods for free. Free is right about where my budget needs to be right now, so that was great. I drove down this dirt road for about a mile and found this nice spot where someone had already built a fire pit and laid out pine cones, kindling, and wood for a fire. I took the campsite photo the following day after I napped from my sunrise excursion. I saw on a sign that if I rode down that dirt road another 3 miles I could get to the East Rim of the canyon. So I decided to get up at sunrise and check it out. The sunrise itself was beautiful but there wasn’t much canyon. I guess if there had been the National Parks Service would have grabbed this spot as well. After a nap I awoke again and headed for the North Rim at last. Waking up to nothing but the sound of wind blowing through the trees is a treat. Have you ever watched a birch tree as the wind hits it. The birch has little round shaped leaves, each one doing it’s own little happy dance as it glistens in the morning sun. Together they create a swooshing symphony you can hear as the winds travel through the thick forest. First I scoped out the area around the lodge. When it comes to canyon views, these vultures have it made. After the lodge view I went to see the rest of the vistas. You have to drive down a 20 mile road to see the rest of the North Rim. While bouncing from one lookout to the next I met a family from France who was traveling with a couple who had recently moved to Page, Utah. It started when I offered to take a photo of them. Then they took one of me and so forth. I continued bumping into them from place to place and we would talk and take pictures. This picture Christine took of me reminded me of my friend Thierry’s photos. He often turns the camera at a diagonal angle. Have a look at my links page to see Thierry’s work. It’s damn good. It was funny, I kept saying goodbye to these people I met thinking it would be the last time, but then we would see each other again at the next lookout.

Learning from my experience the previous day I stopped to have a look at the local flora. The families I had met must have passed me while I was taking these pictures. I noticed their camper stopped ahead of me in the middle of the road. Then I noticed everything turned orange. A lightning strike had caused a fire creating this apocalyptic image as the smoke came before the sun. There was one last lookout left and of course I saw everyone again and we shared our enthusiasm about the vision created by the fire. Jean Bernard offered me a Dr.Pepper. I hadn’t had one in many years. And as we took our last look at the canyon we noticed, what I found out to be, dust devils. Little tornados that blow up debris in the open valleys. It is very much like when you see the Tazmanian Devil show up in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. We saw one then another. There ended up being 4 all together in the valley far below us. Then I noticed something else. A rainbow appeared over the canyon. A perfect way to end this time at this amazing setting. So we said our final farewells and I gave them the address to this blog since they were contributers having taken my picture. I stopped a couple more times. Once I pulled my Bonnie to the edge of the canyon. I stopped again to talk to some of the fire fighters who had gathered at a lookout. They were distraught. They had no idea how they were going to get to this fire. It was not accessible by any roads, so they met to plan their attack. Then 50 miles later, what do you know? There was the camper again as my new friends were admiring the Vermillion Cliffs during the setting sun. When I mentioned my plan to find a forest road to pull off and camp on, Lloyd from Page offered to have me stay with them. He said there may be some of those forest roads ahead, but there is no forest. It’s all desert and cliffs. It was getting dark and there was no way I was going to find a road as I envisioned it. And it was a Friday evening. All campsites were surely filled. So I joyfully accepted the offer. These are some great folks indeed. I met up with them in Page and they set me up to sleep in the camper. We sat around, talked and had a couple beers. We were all tired so we called it a night. The next morning I awoke at sunrise again. The previous night Lloyd had shown me some photos of the views from his back yard. Truly impressive. I had to see for myself. This is what they wake up to every morning! There is a golf course behind the house then a drop so this view is theirs for keeps. Not too shabby! And here’s the whole gang! I can’t say enough how grateful I am for their hospitality and quality company. Thank you all so very much! From left to right we have, Lloyd, Sarah, Christine, Jean-Bernard, Maude, and your truly, Pat. There is more to the journey but his blogging takes time and I need to crash. I’ll try to get everything up to date in the morning. Goodnight all!

NEXT DAY

Good Morning Everybody! I will just continue this post instead of starting another. I heard from Sarah. She told me I left my sandwich in the fridge of the camper. I realized that soon enough as I rode through blazing heat the next morning. She also informed me that the aforementioned North Rim blaze had closed that 20 mile rode of scenic views to the public. It’s all in the timing! So after a great night in Page with the gang I took their recommendation to backtrack just a bit to a place called Horseshoe Canyon. I am glad I did. Pretty cool huh? Then I stopped at the dam which creates Lake Powell. Remember I camped at Lake Powell the week before. That was at a place called High at the opposite end of the lake. This is the Glen Canyon Dam. I don’t know how I feel about dams. They destroy so much but then create a whole new interesting environment. I can say, I enjoyed my time along and in Lake Powell. Someday I’d like to go out there on a boat. Hey Nikki! Are you still doing that? So I continued the ride. Today was hotter than many of my days during this trip. I came across another spot Lloyd had recommended. It’s called the Paria Pass(or something like that). It is a 5 1/2 mile dirt road that brings you to an old movie set. Actually it’s the recreation of an old movie set since the first one burnt down. I figured since it’s all fake who cares if it’s the original fake town or another. Besides, the mountainous terrain had amazing multicolored stripes from the many layers created over millions of years. Beautiful.

So at about 4 miles down this road I came to a hill. This hill was eroded with cuts and grooves, potholes and loose debris. I figure with me on it my bike and I combine for at least 800 pounds. So of course I went for it! Holy Shit!!! To date this was the greatest challenge of my riding life. How I stayed upright is completely unbelievable. My guardian angels must have been holding on tight flapping their wings with all their might to keep me up. I was sliding, and fishtailing, and bouncing down this hill. Scared the hell out of me! When I got to the bottom I was a nervous wreck, sweating profusely. At the bottom of the hill I looked down at my mileage gauge. It read 666. I decided to turn back.

But I’ll tell ya…had anyone been watching what I had done, they’d be saying, That is one crazy bad ass mother fucker!

So thanks for that recommendation Lloyd. It truly tested my skills.

I decided to go check out the Pink Corral Sand Dunes. Those photos I had taken of the plants on the side of the road with the orange sand are adjacent to these dunes so i thought it would be cool. It turned out it was a costly state park, not included in my annual parks pass and you had to hoof it. I decided to pass. I did creep up over a hill to have a look though.

I found this odd looking whatchacallit along the way.

Then it was through Zion Canyon. Here’s the rub. Things have changed at Zion since I was last there 10 years ago. If you want to go through the part of the park with the river, you have to park and take a shuttle service during the summer months. That’s not for me. Had I been camping there I would have considered it, but there was a King size bed in Vegas calling me so I stayed on Route 9 and rode through that part of the park. Nice enough in itself.

I met a nice biker couple who took this picture for me. They were totally digging Zion and each other. It’s nice to see happy couples. Sometimes as one travels you hear couples saying the most awful things to each other. It’s very distasteful.

So it was later to Zion and on toward Vegas. I did pass an elk farm and an ostrich farm on the way. Certainly worthy of a photo op.

Finally, Vegas. It seems strange, but I came to Vegas to escape the over stimulation of all the natural beauty and relax. That is just what I did. When I arrived at the hotel they told me they had run out of single rooms. So they upgraded me to a suite. And sweet it was! It was a crazy Saturday night outside and I didn’t care. I had a King sized bed and was happy to jump right in. The next day I went out for the champagne brunch buffet. I had checked another restaurant where an eggs benedict cost 13 bucks, so I figured a $20 all you can eat brunch was better for me. Boy was I right! I ate sooo much. I had tuna rolls, salmon rolls, mussels, clams, crawfish, shrimp, crab legs, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, bacon, sausage, roast beef, potatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, iced tea and of course champagne. Then I went back to my room and slept some more. That evening I went for a quiet Sunday night stroll about town.

After leaving Las Vegas I passed this beautiful rig. I was glad to catch up with it at a gas station later.

Last year while traversing the nation I had planned on visiting a number of ghost towns. Unfortunately my laptop crashed and I lost all my information. So I was happy when I stumbled across Rhyolite, an abandoned mining community which was on my list last year.

So that was yesterday. I will bring you more of Rhyolite in my next post. The clouds are clearing and over my shoulder I can see the snowcapped Sierra mountains. They are calling me. Later.

In my last post I left off in Rhyolite, a ghost town in Nevada.

This is what’s left of the old bank.

Here is one of the mines which supplied the town with it’s profits. I could feel the cool air emanating from the depths of the mine. Most ghost towns are abandoned mining towns. Once the ore ran out the people left, leaving an empty town behind.

There were piles of old cans and debris from days gone by.

I guess some artist’s community decided Rhyolite would be a good place for a sculpture garden. There were a number of sculptures around, this one being my personal favorite.

Unfortunately I had to cross Death Valley to get into California. Last year when I went there it was 117 degrees in the shade. This time in was a balmy 115.

This thermometer was the only stop I made in Death Valley having seen it last year. After crossing in the blistering heat I got my first vision of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was a surreal sight as the smoke from a fire to the South had blown into the valley. I decided to pull over to take a picture on what I thought was solid ground. WRONG! As soon as I hit the sand I knew I was going down. I even said it out loud, “Going down!”

Fortunately I was able to pick the bike up myself after unstrapping the rear bag. This was something I had wondered about. I was pleased to know I can do it on my own. I mean. it’s not the kind of thing you want to practice. The photo that was the cause for the fall turned out less than spectacular.

I stayed at a campsite that night. At the campsite I met a nice gentleman from across the pond named John. Besides being a survivor of the “Big C”, John survived a hit and run while riding his Harley. Before that John was an avid rider. He still has an old Norton in his garage. We talked for a while and John gave me an extra token he had for the camp shower. Thanks John. Below is sunset from the campsite.

As I rode up route 395 I saw a small road that said ‘scenic loop’. I took it. It brought me to a beautiful vista 9000 feet up into the Sierras amongst the snowcapped mountains.

Then I walked down into an earthquake fault. That was cool, literally. Like the mine I could feel the cool air from the deep in the crevice. There was still snow packed down in a part of the fault where I dared not venture.

I may be a bit to confident at times. I keep taking poor Bonnie on dirt roads despite my fall in the sand.

This dirt road lead to a meteor crater.

Lake mono is a bizarre place. It is a salt water lake with a buoyancy 3 times that of the ocean.

I visited another ghost town called Bodie. This one was on my list last year as well. It’s one of the best preserved and biggest ghost towns.

I ended up crossing the Nevada border to camp last night. I found what looked like a nice site by a lake.

It looked like like a good site, but next to me was trouble. Trouble of the noisy kind. Meet Simka, she looks nice enough, but what an asshole. This dog barked at me constantly and barked at everything else through the night, and bright and early before 6am this morning. And during the night while Simka slept, one of the youngins next door awoke and cried for what seemed like hours. Ugh! Didn’t sleep well at all. I couldn’t get back to sleep after the dog alarm so I got up and moved on.

I began my trek west across the Sierra mountains. I stopped to take a photo when another guy on a bike pulled up. His name is Lenny and he lives in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. He is on a hell of an adventure himsellf. He bicycled West to Washington. Then hopped on a sailboat around the state into the Columbia River. He then sold his bike and bought a small motorcycle to head back east. Very impressive. He keeps a blog as well.

http://myfriendlenny.blogspot.com

So now I am just south of Lake Tahoe in a cafe with WIFI. I hope to make into the redwoods tonight for a good night sleep. If all goes to plan, tomorrow I will wind my way back East.

As usual I overextended my planned mileage. I thought I would make it to the Redwood Forest. I was confident of this after speaking to Lenny. But Lenny took the fast road. I can’t blame him. The dude’s been on the road, (sea), for over 90 days already. When I wrote last I was just south of Lake Tahoe. The place ended up making me nuts. The lake itself is beautiful. If you have a boat and water skiis It would bet it great!

If you are just riding through however, it’s a nightmare. Aside from the log jam of traffic, the roads have to be repaired every year once the snow melts so they have flaggers stopping you for long periods of time.

There is a river that offshoots from the lake, the Truckee River, where people innertube and raft. It looks like a blast, but I had no time for that. And that’s more fun with friends. I am not sure what this is in the picture below. I guess it’s some type of silo, but I have never seen one this shape before.

I remember learning about geography as a young student. Even now looking at a road map, it’s easy to figure out where everything is. It’s simple to to follow the lines and get from place to place. But no one tells you about the ups and downs. I am not talking about emotions, I’m talking about elevation. On a bike this is important because the temperature variations are extreme. Riders Beware! It gets cold at 9000 feet.

The Lassen Volcano blew up in 1914. It was active for 3 years. It’s at the southern end of the Cascades. I mention this because I was at the highest summit (over 9000 feet high) when the phone rang. It was my brother. He asked if I was in the Sierra’s and I honestly wasn’t sure anymore. I had been riding northwest through the mountains all day. It turns out the Sierras had ended and the Cascades had begun. Below is some thermal activity. Sulfur, smell like farts.

Man, it got cold as I got closer to the volcano. I even stopped to play in the snow.

It was getting late and I was on the dark side of the mountain now. The temperature was dropping and I had to get to the campsite. Finally, after many visually spectacular distractions I got to the campground. I rode around looking for a spot. Every site was full! Bad, bad, bad! Then, as I was making the final loop around the “tents only” section, a woman waved me down (happens all the time). She said they were leaving, they’d already paid for the night, and it was mine if I wanted. They even had a nice sized fire going which was great because I was cold from the ride. And by chance, the lady’s name was Bonnie.

That night was a full moon.

I passed my saw around the campsite. It cuts wood like butter, so when I saw people in need I had to share. In doing so I met a guy from Queens who works for a Hungarian TV show. He was at the site next to me with his girlfriend from Hungary. Then this morning I heard this guy chopping away with a hatchet. I lent him the saw too. He was camping with his wife. They are from Marin County. His name is Marcus. We talked for a while this morning. Good people.

I hadn’t planned on writing today. But it was cold this morning and I needed to warm up. I found a coffee shop and logged on. Later I will definitely make it to the Redwoods.

Jacksonville to New Orleans

I left Jacksonville and began my journey West. I decided to check out a bit of the Gulf Coast. It was a pain in the ass driving through beach towns, but what the heck. I had to see it.

I passed the Shark museum on the way and posed with this Tiger Shark.

That night I stayed at Big Lagoon State Park in Florida. It was basically a swamp. It was hot and muggy but had some interesting wildlife. I saw two cotttonmouth snakes. They are poisonous so that freaked me out a little. In the morning I saw this nest in a tree with 2 osprey.

Then it was off to New Orleans. The town where I was born.

I didn’t plan on staying in the city, but it turned out that my dad was in town. So, I stayed with him in the French Quarter. Actually the first night I stayed with my cousin across the river in Gretna, but I didn’t take any photos that night. I’ll hang with her again tomorrow and take some shots.

I really wanted to ride up River Road and see some plantations, but a mean storm rolled in so I stayed in town. After the storm blew over I walked around and took some pictures.

In the evening we ate at Acme Oyster House. I had some gumbo and a shrimp and oyster po-boy. There was a line to get in, but well worth the wait.

More New Orleans to come.