17 States in 17 Days (August/September 2010)
- Day 1: Fairfax, VA to Dayton, OH
- Day 2: Ohio to Missouri
- Day 3: Missouri to Kansas
- Day 4: Rocky Mountains
- Day 5: Rocky Mountains and Dinosaur, UT
- Day 6: Flaming River Gorge, UT
- Day 7: Arches National Park, UT
- Day 8: Arches and Canyonlands
- Day 9: Monument Valley, AZ, and Colorado River
- Day 10: Zion National Park, UT
- Day 11: Horseback riding in Bryce Canyon, UT
- Day 12: Grand Canyon, AZ
- Day 13: Mesa Verde, CO
- Day 14: Food poisoning in New Mexico...
- Day 15: New Mexico,Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas
- Day 16: Arkansas and Tennessee
- Day 17: Home at last! We made it!
Right after we bought our 2008 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail in July of 2009, we started dreaming about a cross-country motorcycle trip. Long trips are on every rider's bucket list, including ours. To us having a bike capable of such a trip was important. We felt that taking an epic motorcycle trip could be the chance of a lifetime.
But, we weren't sure how it would all work out. How many miles could we ride in a day? How often should we stop to rest? Where would we stay? What should we pack? How much would it cost? Which parks, forests, and landmarks should we visit? How much should we plan vs. how much should we relax and go with the flow? How much would bad weather slow us down? What if we ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere? What if we only made it from DC to Ohio, would the disappointment be worth the risk?
And most importantly... were we crazy for even considering a long-distance ride like this?!?!
Plenty of close friends and family members assured us that yes, we were definitely crazy. After all, our farthest trip by motorcycle had only been from DC to Pittsburgh and back, about 6 hours each way, and that trip was rough! It rained almost the entire time, and without leather coats or good rain gear, we were literally shaking from the cold. Before that we had rented a Harley in Florida during our honeymoon and put around 400 miles on it in 2 not so dry days. So to say the least heading "out west" seemed like a big hurdle.
Thankfully we were stubborn enough to try it anyway. We set a "realistic" goal: DC to the Rocky Mountains and back, camping as much as possible along the way to a) save money, and b) add to the adventure. Anything more then that would be "extra" in our eyes.
Here's the story of our adventure. Enjoy!
Alex and Ann
But, we weren't sure how it would all work out. How many miles could we ride in a day? How often should we stop to rest? Where would we stay? What should we pack? How much would it cost? Which parks, forests, and landmarks should we visit? How much should we plan vs. how much should we relax and go with the flow? How much would bad weather slow us down? What if we ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere? What if we only made it from DC to Ohio, would the disappointment be worth the risk?
And most importantly... were we crazy for even considering a long-distance ride like this?!?!
Plenty of close friends and family members assured us that yes, we were definitely crazy. After all, our farthest trip by motorcycle had only been from DC to Pittsburgh and back, about 6 hours each way, and that trip was rough! It rained almost the entire time, and without leather coats or good rain gear, we were literally shaking from the cold. Before that we had rented a Harley in Florida during our honeymoon and put around 400 miles on it in 2 not so dry days. So to say the least heading "out west" seemed like a big hurdle.
Thankfully we were stubborn enough to try it anyway. We set a "realistic" goal: DC to the Rocky Mountains and back, camping as much as possible along the way to a) save money, and b) add to the adventure. Anything more then that would be "extra" in our eyes.
Here's the story of our adventure. Enjoy!
Alex and Ann
Day 1 of 17: Fairfax, VA to Dayton, OH
Here we are leaving our apartment the morning of the 1st day. Forty miles ago, Alex changed both the tires to Michelin Commanders since the old tires wouldn't have made it very far.
We got lots of questions from riders who want to try a long-distance trip: "What do I pack? How do I fit all my gear on the back of the motorcycle?" Here's what we brought and where we put it.
Left saddle bag: A 2-person backpacking tent, 2 pairs of H-D rain pants, 2 H-D rain jackets, waterproof gloves for Alex.
Right saddle bag: 2 pairs of waterproof boots, paper map, GPS, 2 cell phone chargers, iPod, iPod charger.
Big bag on back: 2 backpacking sleeping bags in waterproof stuff sacks, 2 fleece jackets each, 3 pairs socks each, 3 pairs underwear each, MAKEUP, chapstick, sunscreen, razor to share, toothbrush to share, little toothpaste bottle to share,backpacking-sized sleeping pad for Ann.
Blue bag on back: Comfy full-size sleeping pad for Alex with 2 pairs of flip flops stuffed in the bag.
Smaller black duffle on back: "All" of our clothes, which included 3 t-shirts each, 1 spare pair of jeans each, and 1 long sleeve shirt (to share... we ended up buying another long sleeve shirt in Denver on Day 3).
Which means we couldn't fit... pillows, shampoo, soap, and SANITY. All riders know that motorcycle gear is expensive, and we didn't have leather jackets or chaps yet, which actually worked out for the best because there's no way we could've fit anything extra!
Day total: 489 miles
We got lots of questions from riders who want to try a long-distance trip: "What do I pack? How do I fit all my gear on the back of the motorcycle?" Here's what we brought and where we put it.
Left saddle bag: A 2-person backpacking tent, 2 pairs of H-D rain pants, 2 H-D rain jackets, waterproof gloves for Alex.
Right saddle bag: 2 pairs of waterproof boots, paper map, GPS, 2 cell phone chargers, iPod, iPod charger.
Big bag on back: 2 backpacking sleeping bags in waterproof stuff sacks, 2 fleece jackets each, 3 pairs socks each, 3 pairs underwear each, MAKEUP, chapstick, sunscreen, razor to share, toothbrush to share, little toothpaste bottle to share,backpacking-sized sleeping pad for Ann.
Blue bag on back: Comfy full-size sleeping pad for Alex with 2 pairs of flip flops stuffed in the bag.
Smaller black duffle on back: "All" of our clothes, which included 3 t-shirts each, 1 spare pair of jeans each, and 1 long sleeve shirt (to share... we ended up buying another long sleeve shirt in Denver on Day 3).
Which means we couldn't fit... pillows, shampoo, soap, and SANITY. All riders know that motorcycle gear is expensive, and we didn't have leather jackets or chaps yet, which actually worked out for the best because there's no way we could've fit anything extra!
Day total: 489 miles
Day 2 of 17: Dayton, OH to somewhere in Missouri
Another day of great weather and sunshine! When we woke up and noticed the great weather, we set a goal of 500 miles for the day. We made great progress, passing through several states before we even stopped for lunch at a local Cracker Barrel.
We also stopped in St. Louis to go up the arch, which Ann had done years ago as a kid but Alex hadn't tried yet. It's definitely worth a stop when you're in the area! We loved the views from the arch, and the "elevator" ride up the side of the arch is pretty fun. There's also a good museum at the base of the arch with plenty of midwest history.
By the end of Day 2, we met our goal, and ended up doing 508 miles. Even though we'd eaten steaks at Outback the night before, we decided to use the trusty GPS to find another Outback. This is vacation, right? No need for boring sandwiches.
We were still feeling good, except Alex didn't use enough sunscreen on his arms. Probably would have been better to wear long sleeves. Oh well.
Day total: 508.7 miles
Trip total: 997.7 miles so far
We also stopped in St. Louis to go up the arch, which Ann had done years ago as a kid but Alex hadn't tried yet. It's definitely worth a stop when you're in the area! We loved the views from the arch, and the "elevator" ride up the side of the arch is pretty fun. There's also a good museum at the base of the arch with plenty of midwest history.
By the end of Day 2, we met our goal, and ended up doing 508 miles. Even though we'd eaten steaks at Outback the night before, we decided to use the trusty GPS to find another Outback. This is vacation, right? No need for boring sandwiches.
We were still feeling good, except Alex didn't use enough sunscreen on his arms. Probably would have been better to wear long sleeves. Oh well.
Day total: 508.7 miles
Trip total: 997.7 miles so far
Day 3 of 17: Missouri to Kansas
When we woke up on Day 3, we decided to aim for another 500 miles, which would put us just 300 miles away from the Rockies. We'd both been looking forward to some good mountain views after spending a few days driving across the plains. We really wanted to camp in Rocky Mountain National Park and have some time to explore downtown Denver on our way there, so we wanted Day 4's mileage to stay at just 300 miles or below.
We pushed through Kansas all day, fighting the 30 mph winds. We needed to pull over and rest a few times because the wind was wearing us out. Ann also needed a "cry break" a few times because she was so exhausted from hanging on. The wind was so rough that it was even blowing her full-face helmet off her head, even with a tight chin strap, and finally the helmet mask broke and flew off. It was a rough day for Alex, too. You can see how his lips started swelling from windburn and sunburn.
Finally, after 516 miles, we collapsed at a campground in Goodland, Kansas.
Day 3: 516.3 miles
Trip total: 1,514 miles so far
We pushed through Kansas all day, fighting the 30 mph winds. We needed to pull over and rest a few times because the wind was wearing us out. Ann also needed a "cry break" a few times because she was so exhausted from hanging on. The wind was so rough that it was even blowing her full-face helmet off her head, even with a tight chin strap, and finally the helmet mask broke and flew off. It was a rough day for Alex, too. You can see how his lips started swelling from windburn and sunburn.
Finally, after 516 miles, we collapsed at a campground in Goodland, Kansas.
Day 3: 516.3 miles
Trip total: 1,514 miles so far
Day 4 of 17: We made it to Rocky Mountain National Park in the middle of Day 4!
After riding more than 500 miles across the windy, flat state of Kansas, we were really looking forward to seeing some mountains. 303 miles was all that stood between us and our next campsite in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was starting to feel like a real vacation at this point, and all the riding for the next 9-10 days was going to be so good. Such different scenery than back east and we both found ourselves saying "wow!" a lot.
Day 4: 303 miles
Trip total: 1,817 miles so far
Day 4: 303 miles
Trip total: 1,817 miles so far
Day 5 of 17: Colorado Rockies and Dinosaur, Utah
We packed up the camp site, no showers, got a quick breakfast at the lodge and got riding. First part of the day we explored the Rockies and took the loop up to more then 12,000 feet. It was about 38 degrees (you can tell we where cold in the pictures since we had our helmets and all the gear on). But so worth it, pictures tell the story. We even a group of motorcycle guys on a shorter trip from South Dakota. A couple of there bike had trouble running at high altitude, but our 08 Heritage never missed a beat.
Second part of the day we decided to head into Utah, and we could take 40 West and camp in Vernal right by Dinosaur. That would put us at 306 miles for the day and the KOA had laundry and showers. Very excited about that since I had been wearing the same pants since day one!
Here are some pictures along the way and one of the campsite. We where feeling silly and acted like the T-Rex on the Utah sign, turned around and got a picture with the Colorado sign since we missed it the other day.
Total trip mileage so far was at 2,123.4 miles, and loving it!
Second part of the day we decided to head into Utah, and we could take 40 West and camp in Vernal right by Dinosaur. That would put us at 306 miles for the day and the KOA had laundry and showers. Very excited about that since I had been wearing the same pants since day one!
Here are some pictures along the way and one of the campsite. We where feeling silly and acted like the T-Rex on the Utah sign, turned around and got a picture with the Colorado sign since we missed it the other day.
Total trip mileage so far was at 2,123.4 miles, and loving it!
Day 6 of 17: Flaming River Gorge, UT
We felt like everything was going good and had extra time to head up to Flaming River Gorge, UT and a little into Wyoming. On the way out there was a lot of free range cattle, so FYI if your out there keep an eye out. One could be right in the middle of the road like that guy there.
There is a Dam at Flaming River Gorge and they had free tours so we decided that would make for a good break and check it out. The specs of the Dam are 42 stories tall and as wide as the Empire state building is tall. Pretty neat inside and at the bottom there was fish food dispensers so you could make the fish go crazy.
We where so close to the Wyoming boarder that we headed up there to get a picture of the sign, but we defiantly plan on returning there and touring it right. Grand Junction CO would be our destination for the evening so we could be near Moab, Arches, and Canyonlands.
There is a Dam at Flaming River Gorge and they had free tours so we decided that would make for a good break and check it out. The specs of the Dam are 42 stories tall and as wide as the Empire state building is tall. Pretty neat inside and at the bottom there was fish food dispensers so you could make the fish go crazy.
We where so close to the Wyoming boarder that we headed up there to get a picture of the sign, but we defiantly plan on returning there and touring it right. Grand Junction CO would be our destination for the evening so we could be near Moab, Arches, and Canyonlands.
Day 7 of 17: Arches National Park in Utah
Leaving Grand Junction to go to Moab and explore Arches National Park. Just after leaving I figured there should be a gas station along the way and had about 75 miles to go till empty. I like to stop every 1 to 1 1/2 hours anyway to stretch and re-hydrate. Well, as it turned out, there was nothing out there in Utah. We were going for an hour and nothing, till I see a sign for a town 20 miles away. At this point the trip computer is telling me I only have 15 miles left till empty. At 10 miles it just says low and it leaves you guessing when the engine will cut off. We pass a sign that says the town is now 5 miles away. My wife saw the "Lo" light come on and says "what does that mean?" I said, "It means we have 10 miles till empty." She asked, "How long has it been on?" and I answered, "About 10 miles..."
Anyway I backed down to 60 mph hour for the last 5 miles and cut it off on the off ramp and was able to coast right into the gas station. Dodged a bullet. When I filled up(see picture) it was 5.002 in a 5 gallon tank! I told the story to the gas attendent and he said alot of people run out around there and he had a ton of empty gas cans for sale. He was laughing and said we where lucky. I'd rather be lucky then good I guess.
After that adventure we headed to Arches. Very cool scenery along the way and the park itself was just awesome. We hiked up to Delicate Arch and explored. So many good memories there and we can't wait to go back
Anyway I backed down to 60 mph hour for the last 5 miles and cut it off on the off ramp and was able to coast right into the gas station. Dodged a bullet. When I filled up(see picture) it was 5.002 in a 5 gallon tank! I told the story to the gas attendent and he said alot of people run out around there and he had a ton of empty gas cans for sale. He was laughing and said we where lucky. I'd rather be lucky then good I guess.
After that adventure we headed to Arches. Very cool scenery along the way and the park itself was just awesome. We hiked up to Delicate Arch and explored. So many good memories there and we can't wait to go back
Day 8 of 17: Arches and Canyonlands
We went back to Arches and explored a little more. Day 7 we only went 178 miles, but put us to over 2,500 miles. for the trip! We hiked to the Long Arch. It is as long as a football field and you can see in the picture that some of it fell in 1991. You could used to hike right under it but not anymore. They think that it will totally fall soon, so anyone on the fence going to Arches, you definitely should. We then headed toward the valley of Canyonlands. Really cool views and at one of the stops in the background you can see a wooden shoe. There is also Newspaper rock, real cravings from back in the day, like real back.
We just enjoyed the area and took our time but ended up deciding to go to Mexican Hat, Utah for the night. There is a cool place there called the Mexican Hat Lodge, it was sold out, but they had Swingin Steak. Really good food and some entertainment watching the guy work the grill.
We just enjoyed the area and took our time but ended up deciding to go to Mexican Hat, Utah for the night. There is a cool place there called the Mexican Hat Lodge, it was sold out, but they had Swingin Steak. Really good food and some entertainment watching the guy work the grill.
Day 9 of 17: Monument Valley, AZ, and Colorado River
Day 9: Waking up at Mexican Hat UT. we are greeted by a couple scorpions in our hotel room! Kinda funny to see, and glad that they didn't make it to our bed. That would have been not so funny.
We packed up and headed to Monument Valley and Arizona. Riding through the Navajo reservation/Monument Valley in southern Utah was fun, a lot of views. We stopped by the Az. sign both still smiling after about 3k miles! We stopped in Page AZ. at a Walmart to get some fresh laundry....cheap white tee shirts to hold us till the next washing machine.
We had heard about rafting down Glen Canyon on the Colorado River, and thought it would provide a good change of pace. Plus the Colorado water is very cool I think 46 degrees if I remember correctly, so being down there would help us cool off from the ride.
As you can see it was very beautiful down there. If anyone is riding by and has time it is definitely worth taking a break for. The hard hat was in case of falling rocks as we loaded into the raft. The raft stopped at one point so we could get off and explore. There were some rock carvings, many were of big horn sheep and the hunters that used to occupy the region a long time ago, but not many of the big horn are left.
Our guide/raft captain dared us to take the plunge into the Colorado River's 46 degree temp. waters. We ended up doing it 3 times!! Man that was cold! The guy next to me in the picture had just done a cross country trip on a Dyna with his son, and was sharing some of his stories with us. He was happy to hear about our journey as well. I wasn't sure I wanted to go in the water but he said "if you can ride a Harley cross country then this is no problem", he was right! Later on in the ride the guide turned the engines off and broke out his guitar. I was thinking man this is cheesy, but it was actually really cool, and people where singing along. I guess we were fortunate to get him as the capt. of our boat, really made it extra special for us.
After all of that we had to take a shuttle bus back to Page, Arizona. I was a little nervous about leaving the bike parked on the street with all of our stuff on it, but relieved that nothing was missing when we got back. We headed west and headed to a KOA between Zion and Bryce Utah. It was getting late and had over 100 miles to travel. It was COLD! (We were still wet from jumping into the 46 degree Colorado River!). We got the very last spot they had at the campground, but not bad in any way. There was a stream that we could hear and there were horses on both sides of the campground. We liked it so much we decided to camp in the same spot for 3 nights in a row.
Total trip: 3,098.5 mi so far
We packed up and headed to Monument Valley and Arizona. Riding through the Navajo reservation/Monument Valley in southern Utah was fun, a lot of views. We stopped by the Az. sign both still smiling after about 3k miles! We stopped in Page AZ. at a Walmart to get some fresh laundry....cheap white tee shirts to hold us till the next washing machine.
We had heard about rafting down Glen Canyon on the Colorado River, and thought it would provide a good change of pace. Plus the Colorado water is very cool I think 46 degrees if I remember correctly, so being down there would help us cool off from the ride.
As you can see it was very beautiful down there. If anyone is riding by and has time it is definitely worth taking a break for. The hard hat was in case of falling rocks as we loaded into the raft. The raft stopped at one point so we could get off and explore. There were some rock carvings, many were of big horn sheep and the hunters that used to occupy the region a long time ago, but not many of the big horn are left.
Our guide/raft captain dared us to take the plunge into the Colorado River's 46 degree temp. waters. We ended up doing it 3 times!! Man that was cold! The guy next to me in the picture had just done a cross country trip on a Dyna with his son, and was sharing some of his stories with us. He was happy to hear about our journey as well. I wasn't sure I wanted to go in the water but he said "if you can ride a Harley cross country then this is no problem", he was right! Later on in the ride the guide turned the engines off and broke out his guitar. I was thinking man this is cheesy, but it was actually really cool, and people where singing along. I guess we were fortunate to get him as the capt. of our boat, really made it extra special for us.
After all of that we had to take a shuttle bus back to Page, Arizona. I was a little nervous about leaving the bike parked on the street with all of our stuff on it, but relieved that nothing was missing when we got back. We headed west and headed to a KOA between Zion and Bryce Utah. It was getting late and had over 100 miles to travel. It was COLD! (We were still wet from jumping into the 46 degree Colorado River!). We got the very last spot they had at the campground, but not bad in any way. There was a stream that we could hear and there were horses on both sides of the campground. We liked it so much we decided to camp in the same spot for 3 nights in a row.
Total trip: 3,098.5 mi so far
Day 10 of 17: Zion National Park
Since we had committed to stay in the Zion/Bryce campground for 3 nights, we decided to take it easy the next couple of days as far riding goes. We got to sleep in and take our time getting ready. We even ate at a sit-down restaurant for breakfast (something we really hadn't been doing much of).
First stop would be at Zion National Park. We took the road down to the main parking lot and visitor center. There were a lot of road repairs going on and took a good amount of time to reach the parking lot since most the roads where one way at a time. There where a couple tunnels and lots of gravel areas. It had also started to get pretty hot outside and mixed with the heat coming off the bike it was pretty uncomfortable. So I had to keep cutting the bike off during our wait and Ann would feed me water.
If you have ever been there you know that they have a trolley system that takes you through the park. I knew we wouldn't be riding for a while so we changed into shorts and got in line for the trolley. It would make various stops in the park, and we picked a hike that sounded like fun and would have some views. We liked the first hike so much we decided to do another one that ended up at some waterfalls. Since it is in a valley they said if there is heavy thunderstorms it can flood and has been know to drown hikers. We only went to the opening and took some pictures.
It's hard to tell from the pictures, but some of the rock walls are 3,000 to 4,000 feet tall! Very strange since they go straight up, makes you feel small. During the ride on the trolley there where announcements to be careful during a hiking/climbing since there have been, on average, 5 deaths per year.
It had been a full day of exploring and enjoying the scenery. When we set off on this trip we had no idea if we would have time for low-mileage days like this but we where glad we did. We decided to go back to the campground and start a fire and catch up on some sleep. We only ended up doing 47 miles total for the day.
Day 10: 47 miles
Trip total: 3,146 miles so far
First stop would be at Zion National Park. We took the road down to the main parking lot and visitor center. There were a lot of road repairs going on and took a good amount of time to reach the parking lot since most the roads where one way at a time. There where a couple tunnels and lots of gravel areas. It had also started to get pretty hot outside and mixed with the heat coming off the bike it was pretty uncomfortable. So I had to keep cutting the bike off during our wait and Ann would feed me water.
If you have ever been there you know that they have a trolley system that takes you through the park. I knew we wouldn't be riding for a while so we changed into shorts and got in line for the trolley. It would make various stops in the park, and we picked a hike that sounded like fun and would have some views. We liked the first hike so much we decided to do another one that ended up at some waterfalls. Since it is in a valley they said if there is heavy thunderstorms it can flood and has been know to drown hikers. We only went to the opening and took some pictures.
It's hard to tell from the pictures, but some of the rock walls are 3,000 to 4,000 feet tall! Very strange since they go straight up, makes you feel small. During the ride on the trolley there where announcements to be careful during a hiking/climbing since there have been, on average, 5 deaths per year.
It had been a full day of exploring and enjoying the scenery. When we set off on this trip we had no idea if we would have time for low-mileage days like this but we where glad we did. We decided to go back to the campground and start a fire and catch up on some sleep. We only ended up doing 47 miles total for the day.
Day 10: 47 miles
Trip total: 3,146 miles so far
Day 11 of 17: Horseback riding in Bryce Canyon
We slept in again and headed over to Bryce Canyon after getting food. The ride over there was interesting because there were cool rocks to look at. Very different from Zion even though they are pretty close to each other.
We kept having these moments during the trip where we paused and were like "omg we're totally hardcore. I can't believe we're riding this many miles with so little gear and no itinerary." And then we'd meet other riders who would squash my idea - like the Australian guy we met at the Bryce Canyon sign who took THREE MONTHS off work to cruise around the US and Canada. And last year, he did the same thing, riding through South America for a few months!
We had heard that there was horseback riding at Bryce Canyon so we checked it out. We decided to go for the 4-hour tour that went down the canyon. I had never been on a real horse before so I was a little nervous. We got our group together and the trail leader guys helped us on the horses. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was easy, the horse knew what to do. We just got to sit and enjoy the scenery. A couple times the horse would get right up to the edge but the guys assured us that they were not suicidal. Good to know, but some people were getting uncomfortable on some parts of the trail.
So after 4 hours of horse back riding I was a little sore from the rocking of the horse, and having my legs spread pretty wide around him. In the future when we do this again I would opt for the shorter ride. I was glad we went for the big one this time. Our iron horse has a better suspension, haha. After the horse back ride we checked out the park some more and rode around to some of the lookouts, clicking some pictures.
We decided to go back to the camp site, grab a 6-pack and start a fire. Not a bad way to end the day! There were also a couple of horses near our campsite so Ann had fun feeding them grass and sugar cubes. A guy we had met at the camp site gave us the sugar cubes. We got to talking with him and he used to have a Goldwing that he went on trips with, and was glad to hear about our travels so far.
Day 11: 149 miles
Total trip: 3,295 miles so far
We kept having these moments during the trip where we paused and were like "omg we're totally hardcore. I can't believe we're riding this many miles with so little gear and no itinerary." And then we'd meet other riders who would squash my idea - like the Australian guy we met at the Bryce Canyon sign who took THREE MONTHS off work to cruise around the US and Canada. And last year, he did the same thing, riding through South America for a few months!
We had heard that there was horseback riding at Bryce Canyon so we checked it out. We decided to go for the 4-hour tour that went down the canyon. I had never been on a real horse before so I was a little nervous. We got our group together and the trail leader guys helped us on the horses. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was easy, the horse knew what to do. We just got to sit and enjoy the scenery. A couple times the horse would get right up to the edge but the guys assured us that they were not suicidal. Good to know, but some people were getting uncomfortable on some parts of the trail.
So after 4 hours of horse back riding I was a little sore from the rocking of the horse, and having my legs spread pretty wide around him. In the future when we do this again I would opt for the shorter ride. I was glad we went for the big one this time. Our iron horse has a better suspension, haha. After the horse back ride we checked out the park some more and rode around to some of the lookouts, clicking some pictures.
We decided to go back to the camp site, grab a 6-pack and start a fire. Not a bad way to end the day! There were also a couple of horses near our campsite so Ann had fun feeding them grass and sugar cubes. A guy we had met at the camp site gave us the sugar cubes. We got to talking with him and he used to have a Goldwing that he went on trips with, and was glad to hear about our travels so far.
Day 11: 149 miles
Total trip: 3,295 miles so far
Day 12 of 17: Grand Canyon
Five days left to get back to D.C. so we decided to head south toward the Grand Canyon north rim.
It had started to sprinkle a little as we packed up the campsite. This was the first rain of the trip, and I was hoping that it wouldn't get any worse. Oh well, we had anticipated some rain on a big trip like this, and had a couple of rain suits ready to go. We rode for a little ways without the suits on, but I could tell from the way the clouds looked we were in for some heavier rain. We pulled into a gas station and got suited up and filled the tank up. There were some other motorcyclists there getting their gear ready.
One of the biker guys started up a conversation with me about motorcycle gear. When we took this trip we didn't have leather chaps or jackets yet, so he was kinda making fun of that fact. Especially since it was raining and the temps were in the lower 60s. I told him we had planned to get some as I could afford it, but we had decided to make the trip anyways and layered other non-motorcycle clothes during the colder times. He was nice about it anyways and I came to find out his bike (older harley with an evo) had over 120k on it. He claimed nothing had been done to the motor and would still trust it to ride anywhere. I like when I run into people like that, as it inspires me to get out and ride more.
Anyways we headed out and decided to not stop till the North Rim. We heard there was a restaurant there at the lodge. By the time we got to the guards' gate we were pretty cold and wished we had the leather gear that the biker guy had been talking about. We got to the lodge and got soups, hot drinks, hamburgers, and dried off. The rain stopped again and we went on a couple of the trails near the lodge. We snapped most of these shots of the canyon from those trails and overlooks. Very cool, and way bigger then I had remembered it being as a kid. I would definitely go back if in the area and just stare at it.
By the time we left the Grand Canyon the sun was back out and it was feeling pretty warm outside. We decided to head for the Four Corners area and stop when we got tired. It didn't take long before it got dark again and started raining.
The scenery was nice pretty much the whole ride, even with the rain. My goal was still to make the Four Corners area, but it was getting late and if we did make it there it would be close to midnight. We decided to push on anyways. I had been there once as a kid, but didn't really remember much about it. I thought you could just drive up to it and take a picture and roll on, but when we got there it was all gated up. It had started raining again and was getting cold. We snapped a couple pictures of the signs and gated area and jumped back on the bike to find somewhere to stay.
I can't remember exactly where we stayed but it was within 30 minutes of the Four Corners area. We decided to stay close in case we wanted to go back during the day, even though we didn't end up doing that. Tomorrow we planned to go to Mesa Verde and enjoy one more day in Colorado before heading back home.
Day 12: 480 miles
Trip total: 3,776 miles so far
It had started to sprinkle a little as we packed up the campsite. This was the first rain of the trip, and I was hoping that it wouldn't get any worse. Oh well, we had anticipated some rain on a big trip like this, and had a couple of rain suits ready to go. We rode for a little ways without the suits on, but I could tell from the way the clouds looked we were in for some heavier rain. We pulled into a gas station and got suited up and filled the tank up. There were some other motorcyclists there getting their gear ready.
One of the biker guys started up a conversation with me about motorcycle gear. When we took this trip we didn't have leather chaps or jackets yet, so he was kinda making fun of that fact. Especially since it was raining and the temps were in the lower 60s. I told him we had planned to get some as I could afford it, but we had decided to make the trip anyways and layered other non-motorcycle clothes during the colder times. He was nice about it anyways and I came to find out his bike (older harley with an evo) had over 120k on it. He claimed nothing had been done to the motor and would still trust it to ride anywhere. I like when I run into people like that, as it inspires me to get out and ride more.
Anyways we headed out and decided to not stop till the North Rim. We heard there was a restaurant there at the lodge. By the time we got to the guards' gate we were pretty cold and wished we had the leather gear that the biker guy had been talking about. We got to the lodge and got soups, hot drinks, hamburgers, and dried off. The rain stopped again and we went on a couple of the trails near the lodge. We snapped most of these shots of the canyon from those trails and overlooks. Very cool, and way bigger then I had remembered it being as a kid. I would definitely go back if in the area and just stare at it.
By the time we left the Grand Canyon the sun was back out and it was feeling pretty warm outside. We decided to head for the Four Corners area and stop when we got tired. It didn't take long before it got dark again and started raining.
The scenery was nice pretty much the whole ride, even with the rain. My goal was still to make the Four Corners area, but it was getting late and if we did make it there it would be close to midnight. We decided to push on anyways. I had been there once as a kid, but didn't really remember much about it. I thought you could just drive up to it and take a picture and roll on, but when we got there it was all gated up. It had started raining again and was getting cold. We snapped a couple pictures of the signs and gated area and jumped back on the bike to find somewhere to stay.
I can't remember exactly where we stayed but it was within 30 minutes of the Four Corners area. We decided to stay close in case we wanted to go back during the day, even though we didn't end up doing that. Tomorrow we planned to go to Mesa Verde and enjoy one more day in Colorado before heading back home.
Day 12: 480 miles
Trip total: 3,776 miles so far
Day 13 of 17: Mesa Verde
We headed over to Mesa Verde. As we started up the road we encountered some fog, but when it had cleared there was a terrific view. There is a lot to see at Mesa Verde, and you could easily spend a few days exploring all the dwellings. We decided to check out the Spruce Tree House, which is just a short hike from the parking lot. Spruce Tree House was constructed between A.D. 1211 and 1278 by the ancestors of the Puebloan peoples of the Southwest. It was later discovered by two ranchers who found it by chance when they were chasing after some stray cattle. As you can see from the pictures, you can walk right up to the houses and even go down a ladder to one of the rooms.
After Mesa Verde, we headed toward Durango,Colorado. Good stopping point for lunch. There was a Harley dealer there so we stopped in to see if they had any recommendations for lunch. There was a BBQ place just across from the dealer that they said was good. So we hit that up, and everything tasted great.
After lunch we pushed on southeast toward Albuquerque, New Mexico. I didn't really want to stay in the city because we heard a lot of bikes get stolen or vandalized in downtown Albuquerque, so we rode another hour heading east on US 40 before getting a room for the night.
Day 13: 311.4 miles
Trip total: 4,087.4 miles so far
After Mesa Verde, we headed toward Durango,Colorado. Good stopping point for lunch. There was a Harley dealer there so we stopped in to see if they had any recommendations for lunch. There was a BBQ place just across from the dealer that they said was good. So we hit that up, and everything tasted great.
After lunch we pushed on southeast toward Albuquerque, New Mexico. I didn't really want to stay in the city because we heard a lot of bikes get stolen or vandalized in downtown Albuquerque, so we rode another hour heading east on US 40 before getting a room for the night.
Day 13: 311.4 miles
Trip total: 4,087.4 miles so far
Day 14 of 17: Food poisoning in New Mexico...
I'm not sure if it was the barbeque place in Durango, Colorado, but by Day 14, Ann felt like she had scorpions pinching her insides. Her guts were busted. We checked out of the hotel in the morning and we had to stop every 20 minutes so she could sit on the side of the road and cry. It was very uncomfortable for her to be on the bike. Then we stopped at a rest stop and she slept on the picnic table for about 2 hours. It started to hit Alex around this time. Finally, 4 hours later, we were able to check in to a hotel near Santa Rosa, NM. We got a room with 2 double beds and we each slept in our own death bed for the rest of the day. By 10pm, Ann was able to keep down water and ventured out to buy some juice and crackers from the nearest gas station while Alex was still dying with pain.
We only where able to do a whopping 84 miles. Ann says she is never eating pulled pork again! Our goal was to ride 500 miles and a get a head start riding home...
Alex had even called his job and told them he might be late coming back home due to this setback. There was nothing we could do but wait it out to see how we would feel.
Day 14: 84.2 miles
Trip total: 4,171.6 miles so far
We only where able to do a whopping 84 miles. Ann says she is never eating pulled pork again! Our goal was to ride 500 miles and a get a head start riding home...
Alex had even called his job and told them he might be late coming back home due to this setback. There was nothing we could do but wait it out to see how we would feel.
Day 14: 84.2 miles
Trip total: 4,171.6 miles so far
Day 15 of 17: Riding home through New Mexico,Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas
We both felt much better, not 100% but good enough to ride. We tried to eat a breakfast sandwich from burger king, but couldn't get much of it down. We decided to try and go as far as possible to make up for yesterday. We kept seeing signs for The Big Texan world famous restaurant. By lunch time we where near Amarillo, TX. and decided to go in. We still did not have much of a appetite, but we tried to eat as much as possible. Turned out to not be much, but it gave us some energy to keep riding.
Pretty much just rode the rest of the day with little to no breaks. It was pretty windy across TX and OK and the screws on both of our helmets came loose. There where so many bugs it also looked like it was snowing after the sun went down. By the end of the day we had rode 669.5 mi. A personal record for both of us. Not bad considering the day before and not being able to eat much still.
I can't remember where we stayed exactly but it was in Arkansas somewhere. We rested up for another big day of riding tomorrow.
Day 15: 669.5 miles
Trip total: 4,841.1 miles so far
Pretty much just rode the rest of the day with little to no breaks. It was pretty windy across TX and OK and the screws on both of our helmets came loose. There where so many bugs it also looked like it was snowing after the sun went down. By the end of the day we had rode 669.5 mi. A personal record for both of us. Not bad considering the day before and not being able to eat much still.
I can't remember where we stayed exactly but it was in Arkansas somewhere. We rested up for another big day of riding tomorrow.
Day 15: 669.5 miles
Trip total: 4,841.1 miles so far
Day 16 of 17: Zooming through the southeastern states on the way back to Virginia
Back at it again. Feeling better we ate a good breakfast at iHop. Back on US40 we kept on rolling. We didn't really have any plans to see anything. We just where trying to go as far as possible to make up for lost time.
At one point we hit a 10 mile back up caused by a drunk driver that had gone across the median and hit oncoming traffic. He ended up killing an elderly couple (the caravan pic). The drunk driver was in a Ford Super Duty (kinda hard to tell from the pic). Not sure if he survived but it was sad to see.
We ended up riding till about 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning due to time changes and such we lost track of time. That put us near Gatlingburg TN. We got a room to catch some z's.
Day 16: 644.1 miles
Trip total: 5,485.2 miles so far
At one point we hit a 10 mile back up caused by a drunk driver that had gone across the median and hit oncoming traffic. He ended up killing an elderly couple (the caravan pic). The drunk driver was in a Ford Super Duty (kinda hard to tell from the pic). Not sure if he survived but it was sad to see.
We ended up riding till about 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning due to time changes and such we lost track of time. That put us near Gatlingburg TN. We got a room to catch some z's.
Day 16: 644.1 miles
Trip total: 5,485.2 miles so far
Day 17 of 17: Home at last! Back to northern Virginia!
All that was left to do was head up 81 N toward Winchester, Virginia. We had made up for lost time and had less then 500 miles to complete before getting home. This was Sunday and we both needed to be back at work tomorrow. I wouldn't need to take any extra time off. We didn't take many pictures but when we got to Route 66 we were only an hour away! Yeah!
We both reflected on the trip during the last remaining hours of riding. We had felt such a sense of accomplishment. What an adventure, really a trip of a lifetime. There could have been a million reasons not to do it, but we decided to go for it and never looked back. Even though Ann had spent a few months traveling through South America and Europe, she said it was her favorite trip so far.
Day 17: 458.5 miles
Trip total: 5,943.7 miles
We both reflected on the trip during the last remaining hours of riding. We had felt such a sense of accomplishment. What an adventure, really a trip of a lifetime. There could have been a million reasons not to do it, but we decided to go for it and never looked back. Even though Ann had spent a few months traveling through South America and Europe, she said it was her favorite trip so far.
Day 17: 458.5 miles
Trip total: 5,943.7 miles