We be home

We've been home for one week exactly and I'm finally getting around to finishing the bits to the Alaskan trip. My brother and nephew from Oklahoma have been in town this past week and catching up with family so excuse the delay. We did go paddling 7 miles down the Little Hocking in Ohio today.

The bikes have been scrubbed down to go over and see what's been destroyed and in need of replacements. I'll be picking up goods for the BMW this coming week, not much, mainly carb bits and a throttle cable. Dad will be getting a new wheel from Harley and he's already sent a letter expressing his concerns with H-D quality issues.

Regardless, we completed a trip that was worth all measures. All said and done, we rode just over 12,000 miles on the bikes and another 1000 in the rented SUV to hit up Prudhoe Bay north of Fairbanks, Alaska. Overall the bikes did a fabulous job, though Dad says he has more faith in a 24 year old Beemer than a 2011 Harley. Each did what was expected and the 3 of us returned safely and with a smile on our faces.

The last leg of the trip consisted of finishing off western Colorado and cruise down the eastern slopes of the Rockies into the blast furnace of the broad Great Plains of eastern Colorado and all of scenic Kansas, into the Central Plains of Illinois, Indiana, bits of Ohio and back to the wonderful Appalachians of eastern Ohio and WV.

From outside of Denver all the way through Kansas the scenery goes flat with a sea of grass all around. The heat got obscenely ridiculously HOT as soon and we got out of the Rockies. Looking back with Denver a few miles behind us, the contrast of the flat grasslands with the jutting rocks of the Rocky Mountains are something else. It goes from one extreme to the other with no in between. About 30 or so miles east of Denver we got off of I70 and got on 36 which carried us allllllllll the way to Illinois.

Kansas was Kansas. I've been across Kansas in more ways than six and it's just a large swath of land that seems almost impossible to avoid. It's refreshing getting to the eastern side and start seeing some semi hills and trees. It is breathtaking the vast land and to think the buffalo used to be thick as flies. We attacked Kansas and onto Missouri which kept at a slight roll with more trees. Just outside of Illinois we give Aunt Sharon a call for the best route to shoot us south to Effingham, IL as Grandma (Mom's Mom) had a rather bad fall and was in the hospital. We stop over and checked in with Grandma, she's in good spirits but banged up her leg and arm and is in need of a bit of rehabilitation. Mom is returning to IL tomorrow to spend more time with the family. We had a quick stay at Aunt Sharon's and Uncle Mark's, hope we didn't keep you up too late and hit the road heading south back to route 50 with WV on our minds and 8-10 hours of riding away.

We flew through Indiana into the mess that is Cincinnati traffic, our last bane. We stuck it through missing the sparse north and before we knew it we were seeing the Wild and Wonderful sign of WV above the waters of the Ohio taking us up our adored route 2 straight home.

I hope this has been a pleasure to read, I can get a bit wordy at times and very possible not make any sense. I tried to keep up as best as possible but at time proved impossible. The road to Alaska was long but on a bike, every mile is pleasure and the people you meet on the road yet again, proved to be wonderful in nature. I'm plaining on hitting the road for Maine in the next few weeks with what bit I have left and will continue to use this blog.

See ya!

Again these are in no order.

I like the tracer pix. I believe this is crossing into WV.

I do know this is the sign announcing WV.

With Gary and Billy. A couple of riders we talked to for a good bit in Somewhere Indiana.

I think this is crossing into Kentucky for the Cincinnati bypass.

Just wonderful and I have no idea where this is.

The grain elevators of Kansas. These have proven to be places where to buy fuel when in need.

Mom just loves here helmet. At Mark and Sharon's, last night on the road.

Mom and Pops shadow

The patterns in the growth on the fields were pretty neat.

Wonderful Kansas scenery.

We napped here for a bit. East of Saint Joseph, MO. It was HOT.

Pumping the water.

This maybe in Atwood, KS. Pulled over for a break in the park.

Colorado went from this...

... to this in no time.

More great stuff

Mission complete. The last pic as we just pulled in the driveway.

We're in Parachute Colorado. We planned on Denver which was bold to begin with, but the cloud we watched for an hour in Utah hit us outside Grand Junction and opened up with rain and lightning, so here we are watching Fear and Marky Mark is about to go ape.

Utah was a great ride with the most unique and varied terrain with a huge sky splashed with clouds. Traffic picked up a tad where US50 and I-70 but all was good. Go figure, we get out of the desert like conditions we see a black billowing cloud. Once we cross into Colorado of course it rains. We waited a bit of it out got on the road and it wasn't going to cease so we called it a day.

We ate some Chinese with Tsingtoa and wished you were with us Edwin.

Like with the previous images not doing the land justice, these are even more so. The land is vast and absolutely huge and opened up.

Route for the day

The land had something new to look at at every turn and direction

The clouds were great

and the sandstone fortresses were something else 

Rock detail

Running around the land

It's amazing the terrain they had to build through.

Being on the interstate we dealt with these guys a good bit.

Looking down into canyon

This looks flat when it's the exact opposite.

We're cresting a hill and the land just opens up before us with wonderful desert colors.

These absolutely do no justice.

Another section knocked through.

These rocks are precariously placed as a sticky bun

Another cool slab

Contemplate this on the Tree of Woe

The day started with a bit of color

More landscape. I'm not apologizing for too many pictures.

More wonderful clouds.

More rock

And the cloud we watched for about an hour continously building up. We got quite the lightning storm leaving Grand Junction. News said lightning touched down over 800 times this evening.

Tomorrow is the wonderful world of the Colorado Rockies and we're supposed to have a clear morning and afternoon.

Till then... h

Riding the Desert

Greetings from Delta, Utah. Since the last post we've left the beautiful northern area of California, crossed the high desert of Nevada, and so far, more of the same with Utah.

The canyons heading away from the coast in California were spectacular and the roads proved to be some fun riding with twists of all sorts and decent road conditions and of course a dash of Winnebago traffic. We hit Reno two nights ago, cruised through town and decided it was probably worth it to leave and head to Fallon for the night.

From Fallon, NV to Delta, UT we had the most amazing scenery through the deserts whose elevation reached 7500 at times and higher yet in areas off of Highway 50. Traffic was sparse and at times no one in front or behind us for a time. 50 is known as the loneliest road. Time or one of the rags coined the term in 86 and go figure Nevada jumped on it for marketing reasons. Regardless, it was wide open and civilization with 80 miles or so gaps in between.

Route as of the last 2 days

California 299 heading towards Redding in the Trinity National Forest. Pulled off the road and hung around the river for a break.

Another one

An example of the canyon road

And of course with roads like this... It's the attack of the squids. These people have a complete lack of courtesy for the goofy girls hanging on the back, others on the road, and even themselves.

Yeah, uh, lets leave.

From the naval base in the desert following a convoy.

I can see for miles and miles. Some perspective end of the roads were at 10 miles going by landmarks. It could very easily be more.

We headed down this side road looking for earthquake faults. I don't know if we saw them or not.

The scenery was great regardless

Heading back. Highway 50 is about 4 or 5 miles ahead. See it?

It was all downhill so I coasted with the motor not running.

Middlegate, NV. An eclectic roadside stop. 

Austin, NV. This was a cool town and situated on the side of a slope close to the summit. Fun road in and out of town. Feasted on ham sandwiches at the International.

Heading out of Austin.

This was outside Eureka I think. A 'wideload' taking up both lanes. Pretty close if you ask me.

Same one as on the east side of the nation.

The high elevation in the desert.

Rock

YEAH! This bucket is as big as the RV's.

Desert sky

Government sanctioned vice

I like pictures from this angle.

Convoy truck. I think there were 6-8 trucks? Helicopters followed with one on each side of the road.

More...

... and more...

 ... and more...

... and more...

... and more... I couldn't get enough of the landscape. This desert is different from say Arizona, which was sandy and like riding on the moon. This northern desert was riotous with growth.

THis was my favorite rock

Playing with shadows

Playing with the sun

Dad had stuff dripping off the sides of the Harley. 

And to end the day with a wonderful sunset.

Next stop is Denver about 450 miles east. From here it's I-70 till Denver then jump on 36 for the rest of CO and through Kansas.

Till then... H