A Centennial National Park Tour

I've taken vacation every year since 2010 for the express purpose of running in a multi-day rally. Two Ten'n'Tens, Two Iron Butt Rallies, and a Utah 1088 3-day rally.  This year, I didn't have a rally commitment, and decided to take a nice road trip by motorcycle.  This year would also be special because this time, Wendy would be joining me for the adventure!

The idea was to visit some of our great national parks.  I had the week before labor day reserved, and ran the idea past Wendy. Surprisingly, she was up for the trip.  She's taken a few weekend rides, but never anything lasting nine days.  Her only requests, that we avoid the heat and not ride too long each day.  With that in mind, I plotted a trip north.

Day One: Yosemite and Beyond

We packed very light, and were each able to fit everything we needed in our respective saddle bags. A bag on the trunk rack held liners, and other light gear for off the bike. The plan for the day was to travel through Yosemite, enroute to our first stop, Winnemucca, Nevada.

All was going well, or so I thought. Wendy had developed a migraine-like headache, and was not a happy camper.  We rested a while, overlooking the Yosemite valley from high above  on Tioga Pass. Things got a little better and we made our way down the pass into LeeVining, CA.

I've heard good things about the Whoa Nellie Deli, a food delight hidden in thee Mobil station.  We were not disappointed.

From there, bellies full, we headed across the Owens Valley towards Nevada. its very straight and flat out here, with Mono lake off to the right

We made a short stop to collect a Tour of honor location in Nevada. This one is in Hawthorne, One of the USA's largest Ammunition Storage Facilities.

Note the large artillery shells for decoration.

From ther, we headed north past Walker lake, to I-80, then East to Winnemucca.  It was  a little warmer than we like, but soon we were tucked in at the Holiday Inn Express and having Mexican for dinner.  Wendy's headache had subsided and we were fully air conditioned.

Day Two: Going to Jackson Wyoming

We hit the road about 8:30, heading east for a while. then north into Idaho.  We stopped for another Tour of honor location in Twin Falls.

There wasn't much more to say about this day except that it was hot and boring, and Wendy was questioning my judgement, until we headed up over Teton Pass.  What a magnificent view! As we dropped into the valley and passed the river, we knew things were going to be different from then on.

We checked in to the Antler Inn Motel, in downtown Jackson. It's a nice older motel, well kept and vintage.  After cleaning up and cooling off, we walked to Snake river brewing for a delicious dinner of beer, home-made pretzel and Pizza.

Day Three: Grand Tetons:
In the morning we breakfasted at the Silver dollar, in the old Wort hotel. We walked over to the park to see the Antler arches. These are  constructed of shed Elk antlers, collected by local boy scouts.

We came back later with the bike for a Tour of Honor site, located in the center of the park.

Now it was time to head north into Grand Tetons National Park. There are very few words that can capture the grandeur of the Tetons, so I'll let the pictures do their best.

We rode up through the park, and around the main lake. Saw some elk and a huge buck Mule deer.

Mother nature threw a wrench into our plan for the day - a huge forest fire was burning at the south entrance to our next stop, Yellowstone.  Unfortunately, we had to make a large detour back through Jackson, over into Idaho, and up to West Yellopwstone, where we'd spend the night.

Arriving at West Yellowstone, we had planned to stay at the Dude & Roundup Motel.  However, the motel wasn't anything like its pictures. We were the only residents, and it felt like the prelude to a slasher movie.  We quickly arranged a much nicer place in town, and checked in there.  We spent a nice evening shopping and having dinner.

Day 4: Yellowstone National Park
We planned to be off the bike today.  Instead, a tour bus picked us up at the hotel for an all day tour of Yellowstone National Park.  I highly recommend the big yellow bus tours.

 Our guide was amazing, and took us to many beautiful locations. At one point, huge Bison came down next to our bus.

The tourguides keep in touch by radio, and we got word of wolves somewhere ahead.  Sure enough, a white female wolf was feeding off a killed elk calf.  Her partner sat watch on the hill above.  Soon, we saw a brown dot making its way down the hill towards the wolves.  It was a grizzly!  They kept their distance fro us and each other, but it was a real treat to see nature up close.

We stopped to watch Old Faithful, and visited other geothermal areas around the park.  It was a great day, letting someone else find parking, while we enjoyed the scenery.

Day 5: on the way to Glacier National Park

We rode north up HWY 89 from Yellowstone, skirting the edges of the massive mountain range.  By late afternoon, we reached Browning, MT, in the center of the Blackfoot reservation.  The Holiday InnExpress was great, and we were glad to be ready for the next day's epic ride.

Day 6: Glacier National Park

Heading north, we entered the eastern entrance to the park. We started onto the Going to the Sun road.  The highway winds tenuously along the sharp mountainsides.  The views are breathtaking.  Eventually, we stopped at the visitor center at the pass.

It was an ideal day for the ride. The road winds its way along the sheer cliffs, with stunning views out over lakes and meadows below. The smoke from Yellowstone fires hadn't touched these skies.

We passed out of the park, following the river southwest towards Flathead lake. We headed further west, eventually stopping for the night in Ritzville. We stayed at the Bronco Inn. It is a family-owned Best Western and the staff and facilities were wonderful.

Day 7: We headed west along the Columbia river. We stopped at Multnomah Falls. We had a little rain long the way.

Our eventual evening stop was Seaside, Oregon at the Shilo Inn. There was scattered rain through the evening, but we enjoyed walking in town and exploring the shops, and the sunset into the Pacific.


Day 8: Rain greeted us for our morning start. The original plan was to travel down the coast, but it was quite foggy, and we needed to make better time. We switched our route to I-5. I was expecting a boring slab trip, but I-5 in Oregon was a beautiful winding ribbon through mountains and valleys, We saw elk, Paul Bunyan, Bigfoot and Babe, the blue ox as we traveled to my mom's place in Fortuna, CA It was good to see her, and to share stories and pictures from the trip.

Day 9 was a last run home to Fremont. We got off 101 to travel along the Avenue of the Giants in the best way there is, on a motorcycle. The cool air and woodsy smells are amazing.

We rolled into our garage, 3k miles later. Wendy's first real tour went well, and she still likes riding with me, so that is a win!  Where to next?

Iron Butt Rally 2015: Winging it.

I've been in the habit of writing these blogs as a combination of ride report and reflections on the experience. Usually, they're a way to celebrate the accomplishment of completing an event or goal.  This time it's a little different. This time I was a DNF. Still I feel like I should write it up. A lot of friends have asked why, and a few short email lines isn't really enough. So here goes.

4:00 AM PDT June 26, 2015

Heading for Albuquerque

Checklists completed, everything packed, batteries changed, systems tested. All systems go. The GPS indicates 1065 miles and 14:56 to the Sheraton. Today's game is beat the clock. How much better can I do than Garmin's algorithm? Without braking any major speed laws of course.  I hit the road at 4:30 am. Once the sun was up, it was HOT. 95 at 10, 100 in Barstow, 108 in Needles. Stopped for lunch and air conditioning in Kingman, AZ. 105. Cooled to 90's in Flagstaff. As I arrived in Albuquerque, it was 90+ and a thunderstorm came in. Even with the lunch break, I bettered the Garmin algorithm.


Check-in and Tech-in

The Iron Butt Rally (IBR) has a very thorough process for riders, which includes forms and waivers, documentation, camera card certification, motorcycle technical inspection and odometer check. This process starts Saturday morning and continues through Sunday if needed. I have everything in order. Everything went smoothly. The IBR staff is a well prepared and trained team.

Our first clue to the theme was the poster.

It looks like national parks will be involved. Sunday I head over to REI and buy their last annual pass.

Banquet

This is the much anticipated last meal and first briefing on the rally. This year's theme turns out to be all national parks. No Canada. Finisher status requires 50 parks in at least 25 states. And an additional constraint: all but one bonus are daylight only, and many have more restricted hours. 

I have to admit that I was disappointed in this year's theme. National parks are a PITA because of tourist traffic, and I usually avoid NP bonuses. And almost all the park bonuses involved a photo of the visitor center. At least they're easy to find. I think 2013 jaded me.

At the end of the banquet, the packet comes out. We all go to our rooms for a long session of leg planning.

The Plan:
After studying the bonuses, and comparing against my skills, I have a plan that routes me west into Arizona, north to Montana, and back through the Dakotas, Wyoming , Colorado and back into ABQ by 8pm.


Leg One:
This leg starts at 10:00 AM and ends 4 days later at 8:00 PM
Day One:
Nothing can prepare you for the intensity that builds in the parking lot. Riders must be at their bikes 60 minutes before the start. Failure to be there at odometer check results in starting last.

Then there's the riders meeting. The ABQ Police Chief gave us our instructions for the police escort out of town, and wished us luck.   At 10, The Albuquerque PD gave us an amazing police escort to I-40.

I headed west to the Petroglyphs.  Almost everyone went for this one as it was so close to the start.

Next stop, El Malpais National Monument

Next stop, El Morro National Monument

Then it was on to the group photo bonus at the Petrified Forest.  The ride curved around south of I-40 through the Zuni homelands. It was cool to see the outdoor ovens and pueblo style homes I learned about in fourth grade.

I planned for a 40 minute layover, since there wasn't time to fit in another bonus. A number of riders didn't realize AZ was on standard time and were way early. Got gas, checked in at 2, photo at 2:45 and back on the road.

Next stop, Walnut Canyon, near Flagstaff.

Then it was on to the Sunset Crater monument

Next stop, Grand Canyon, for a picture from the south rim. I rode all the way into the park for a picture from the point nearest the provided waypoint.  Probably could've stopped somewhere sooner, but decided to stick to the waypoint, since it might matter at scoring.  A lot of other riders were at the same point.  A short walk to the rim for a picture or two, and a selfie with the phone for the family at home.

My last bonus of the day would be a stretch, the Glen Canyon Park. Despite making good time, darkness fell before I got there. This was disappointing, but more disappointing was my night vision. Oncoming lights were creating massive glare, and I was getting large halos off of every light source. This was not only annoying, it was scary.  The contacts must need changing.  Stopped for gas in Page, AZ. There was a hopping outdoor barbecue restaurant, with live music. Very tempting, but not on the plan. North of Page along Lake Powell, the wind was gusting hard across the road.

I stopped in Kanab UT for the night. I'd planned this to be the rest bonus, but I didn't get much. I got about 2 hours of sleep. I kept waking with massive leg and foot cramps. Despite drinking at least a gallon of water through the day.  670 miles.

Day 2:
I was back on the road at 5:27 AM.  I changed to fresh contacts and munched a banana on the way to Zion. I didn't go to Zion, but I've been to the visitor center.

The ride to the next bonus was beautiful. A steep winding road climbs out of Cedar City to over 10,000 ft and the alpine meadows of Cedar Breaks NP. Go there, it's beautiful.

I headed north through Brian Head. The next stop was Little Bighorn, in Montana, about 11 hours away. Wyoming was a hot, then rainy ride that included antelope, deer and a minivan in Casper that tried to run me off the road. WTF? Near Miss #1

As I got closer to the bonus, I saw Lynda & Terry Lahman heading south. Probably just bagged LIBO themselves. I arrived at the monument at 7:45, 15 minutes before closing. Entry is free after 6! Good to know. Getting the photo was tricky, since the wind was blowing hard. My flag was weighted down with a couple battery packs. 3333 points though, one of the best point value bonuses in that leg.  easily 6 times the average.

I pumped some gas at a closed station in GaryOwen, MT, then did the Call In Bonus. Mark Starrett, Rider 19, GaryOwen, MT, LIBO (Little Bighorn), THRO ( Teddy Roosevelts cabin, in North Dakota).

I was a bit disoriented by my GPS. It said to go west on I-90, when North Dakota was clearly east..  Zoomed out the map to see this was indeed true. The route took me through Hinden, so I stopped for a quick bite at a Dairy Queen. This was a truly emotional moment - my Goldwing's first DQ!

I headed east across I-94 until Miles City MT. It was late, and the new contacts hadn't been the solution I needed to fix the glare of oncoming lights. The town was packed with firefighters and smoke jumpers as there was a forest fire north of me.  Got a little more sleep, but the leg cramps were still messing with me big time. 1129 miles.

Day 3:
I decided to add some Gatorade to my intake, along with all the water and a banana. I-94 was shrouded in a smoky haze.

I headed on east and arrived at the Teddy Roosevelt cabin.

When I came back in through the visitor center, three rangers were staring at me. "hasn't anyone told you what they're doing". Nope.  I explained as quickly as I could. They were really enthused. One ranger knew about the IBA, and was a motorcyclist.  He really wanted to show me a better road on a map so I'd have a more interesting ride and avoid the traffic on the main highway. Nice guy.

When I went to my bike, another guy hopped out of his truck and ran over. "Are you in the rally?" He was so excited. He'd taken the morning off to see who might come through. " you stayed at the Comfort Inn last night didn't you!" He'd been watching the SPOT tracks. Just a little creepy, but he was a good guy.

From there it was off to Devil's Tower, WY. On the way, I got a strange crawly feeling in my helmet. I stopped on the shoulder, turned off the bike and took off the helmet.  Lots of bug parts fell out. They'd come in through the helmet scoop.  While  I was stopped, a patrol car stopped a ways down the shoulder and just sat there. Glad to see he was probably just watching out for me.  Helmet on, and down the road to the monument.

Another selfie for the family :)

Now it was on to South Dakota. I'd been here in the 70's, but it has turned into a heavily developed tourist trap in every town.  Stopped at Jewel Cave for another visitor center shot.

Then it was on to Wind Cave visitor center

Now it was time to head out to visit a lonely Minuteman Missile Silo, down a gravel road in the flattest place on earth.

Next stop, the badlands

Some friendly tourist took the picture or I'd still be there. The wind was howling.

Then I headed off towards Ft. Laramie, WY.  As the sun set, storms rolled in on both sides of the road. I was cutting back through the black hills, and there were lots of deer. I finally saw the on-ramp to 89. Yay, a better, wider road. Guess again. Fresh gravel, motorcycles use extreme caution. For about 10 miles and an extra helping of deer.  It was DARK, except for the technicolor lightning on either side. The glare was terrible, and then the gusting wind and rain started. The road became an invisible void, with a thin white line on one side.

Finally, around 11:30, I rolled into Lusk, WY. There were three motels, and two were booked. I ended up at the Covered Wagon motel, which was well kept and friendly, but older than me. Out cold by 12, up by 5, less cramps - more Gatorade. 898 miles.

Day 4:
 I headed for Ft. Laramie. Another rider was just finishing his paperwork as I arrived.

Riding back through town, a car ran through the red light, diagonally across the intersection. Near miss #2.

From there I went south towards Scotts Bluff, in Nebraska.  I arrived at opening. The road in the park was still closed for maintenance, but I only needed to see the Visitor Center and the bluffs.

I continued south into Colorado, on the way to Bent's Old Fort. Heading down 71, I came to a T and a sign - Detour, 71 closed 20 miles ahead.  Took the detour and decided that the Fort might be a scratch. But I found my way back to it later.  It seems not many people travel north and south in CO. There are big fast east-west routes, but mostly two-lane north-south.

I finally entered the town near the fort, I rounded a curve into an underpass beneath the RR tracks and discovered a foot of water with no time to adjust. Thank god the wing is heavy - we blasted through it.

I'd almost reached the fort, when a a large flat bed truck decided my Wing with yellow fog lights and headlight modulator wasn't there and ran the stop directly into my path. Full ABS, Full horn, followed by extended finger. Near miss #3.

Arrived at the fort and took the picture.

I was beginning to think I had a bad plan and shouldn't have come this way, when Eric Jewell rolled up.  I'm sure he took a better picture, as he got much closer.  But mine scored, so all's good.

I had planned two more bonuses, but I was running late from the detour, and the weather was turning all monsoon-y again. So I headed flat out for the checkpoint. I stopped to fill up just past Santa Fe. At least there would be no more night riding tonight. I checked in at 7:15, 769 miles.

Scoring went well. All my bonuses scored, the call in worked and I didn't leave any off like I did in 2013. 48th, with 15,453 points, 19 parks, 9 states and 3485 miles.  Not bad.

Still I was really worried about continuing. Last night was bad. I talked to Mike Kneebone about it. He encouraged me to keep at it, but only if I knew I could continue safely.  I decided to sleep on it and see how things looked in the morning.

Day 5:
In the morning, I packed and prepped, then went to the rider's meeting. We got our packets and headed up to the room to plan. I updated the bonus points and started a leg 2 plan. But the reality set in. I had no business going back out into 6 more nights of glare and halos, rain and darkness with my vision as it was. This really sucks. one thing that I had no control over was taking me out.

I carried my gear down to the lot, where I met Lisa Landry and gave her the news. It was a difficult discussion. I don't quit. I finish. Couldn't I just ride days and get enough parks & states to finish? I knew I couldn't.  If I went out, I'd go all out. It couldn't be just another 7 days riding around. I didn't want Lisa to open her red binder. In the end, she understood.

I packed the bike, and instead of heading east, it was back across the desert and home to Fremont, almost before dark.  It was a disappointing result, but I don't regret the decision. The goals were to be safe, have fun, finish and do well, in that order. If I couldn't be safe, I wasn't going to take that risk to do the others. I do regret not riding in Wisconsin or Minnesota. Those are the only two left in the lower 48.

Postscript:
I wasn't sure how the Goldwing would fare, compared to my old FJR. It rocked. Solid, reliable, comfortable and easy to maneuver in bonus-gathering mode. I used the trunk as an office, and my stop times were my best ever. It never really felt heavy and my mileage held around 38 mpg.

When something's not working, get it fixed.  Went to the eye doctor to see what was going on.  First, my prescription had changed. Second, I need to stop riding with contacts at night. The mono-vision lenses make the glare effects worse because my close up lens magnification is now too high.. So I have new prescription glasses on the way that fit well in my helmet. Third, and not great news is that I'm developing cataracts in both eyes. These also increase glare at night.  Eventually, I need to have my lenses replaced. :(  As Lisa said Friday, It sucks to get old.

So, while the rest of the world's toughest riders battled the rains and roads, Wendy and I took a nice ride up Hwy 1 through Mendocino, enjoyed a great dinner and night in Little River, and then rode across 20 and down 101 back home. Once my new glasses arrive, I'm going for some evening rides to see how things work.

Is there another IBR in my future? Too soon to think about, too many questions to answer first.