About Me
- SuperSportTouring
- At the age of 14, I saw my neighbors fly by on their Yamaha R6's everyday and I thought...how cool would it be to ride one day? And here I am. Initially I got into it for the thrill but recently discovered a different side of riding. Touring. And so this blog exists to document my motorcycle adventures.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Day 10: To the coast!
I'm in California, where its always warm and sunny!...Or not...
I would have thought it would be warmer and nicer today but apparently its not. Cloudy and about 13 degrees is what I woke up to. Oh well, at least I get to see the Pacific Coast Highway today!
A couple of days ago when I was staying with Clark and James, they told me that the Pacific Coast Highway was closed. In the hopes that it wasnt, I still headed that way.
At first, I got to the coast and I thought...oh okay, its just another beach but as I rode along, it started to get better. The road along the coast got twistier and higher so that you could see a lot more of the coast. It was beautiful.
As I progressed, I started seeing some road closed signs. Either way, I was going to go as far as I could. When I finally got to the "closure", there was a construction worker there holding a "stop/slow" sign. Hah, they just said it was closed to divert traffic I thought. They let me by and I enjoyed more of the heavenly road.
I rounded a curve and to my surprise, there was an unmanned road closed sign with a barrier going all the way across the road. Bummer. I guess this is where the fun ends. Just when it was getting good. Oh well, I tried my best and I have no regrets. Quote: William Hung.
Since there are not many roads leading from the Pacific Coast Highway back inland, I had to backtrack and head back to the main highway.
My goal was to get to Carson City which is near Reno, Nevada by sundown. Most of my afternoon consisted of long straight highways. It was late afternoon when I got to the bottom of the mountains between California and Nevada. It was getting cold but I was too lazy to take the wires for my heated gloves out from my luggage bags. It didnt look that far on the map...oh boy was I wrong.
The mountain passes got really high to the point where it was snowing pretty hard. Snowbanks were piled at least 6 ft high, I knew this wasnt going to be good. Sunlight was also disappearing and getting caught out in the mountains in darkness was not something I wanted to deal with.
I picked up the pace since I didnt see a cop all day and the roads were relatively predictable. As I rounded a curve, I saw a Sheriffs patrol car parked on the side of the road. Crap I thought. I passed him pretty fast since I didnt see him until the last minute but he didnt bother coming after me. About 5 minutes later, I was coming down a hill and another Sherrifs patrol car was coming the opposite way and lit the cherries. Busted.
Before he could turn around, I pulled over, turned off the bike and waited.
Cop: The reason why I stopped you was for your speed
Me: I was going pretty fast, I know. I'm just really cold and wanted to get out of the mountains before dark.
Cop: License and registration please
The first sheriffs patrol car that I passed earlier arrived and they started talking. The cop comes back to me...
Cop: So you came from Ontario huh?
Me: Yup.
Cop: What are you doing here?
Me: Just seeing the sights of America. Its a beautiful country.
Cop: Thats awesome.
Me: It was an amazing experience so far.
Cop: Well just slow it down. I dont want to be dragging you out of the trees down the road.
Anyhow, I took his advise because I knew that if I got stopped again in the same day, they're not going to be as easy on me.
Eventually, I made it to Carson City where I got a place to stay. No more mountains, no more cold. What a relief.
I would have thought it would be warmer and nicer today but apparently its not. Cloudy and about 13 degrees is what I woke up to. Oh well, at least I get to see the Pacific Coast Highway today!
A couple of days ago when I was staying with Clark and James, they told me that the Pacific Coast Highway was closed. In the hopes that it wasnt, I still headed that way.
At first, I got to the coast and I thought...oh okay, its just another beach but as I rode along, it started to get better. The road along the coast got twistier and higher so that you could see a lot more of the coast. It was beautiful.
As I progressed, I started seeing some road closed signs. Either way, I was going to go as far as I could. When I finally got to the "closure", there was a construction worker there holding a "stop/slow" sign. Hah, they just said it was closed to divert traffic I thought. They let me by and I enjoyed more of the heavenly road.
I rounded a curve and to my surprise, there was an unmanned road closed sign with a barrier going all the way across the road. Bummer. I guess this is where the fun ends. Just when it was getting good. Oh well, I tried my best and I have no regrets. Quote: William Hung.
Since there are not many roads leading from the Pacific Coast Highway back inland, I had to backtrack and head back to the main highway.
My goal was to get to Carson City which is near Reno, Nevada by sundown. Most of my afternoon consisted of long straight highways. It was late afternoon when I got to the bottom of the mountains between California and Nevada. It was getting cold but I was too lazy to take the wires for my heated gloves out from my luggage bags. It didnt look that far on the map...oh boy was I wrong.
The mountain passes got really high to the point where it was snowing pretty hard. Snowbanks were piled at least 6 ft high, I knew this wasnt going to be good. Sunlight was also disappearing and getting caught out in the mountains in darkness was not something I wanted to deal with.
I picked up the pace since I didnt see a cop all day and the roads were relatively predictable. As I rounded a curve, I saw a Sheriffs patrol car parked on the side of the road. Crap I thought. I passed him pretty fast since I didnt see him until the last minute but he didnt bother coming after me. About 5 minutes later, I was coming down a hill and another Sherrifs patrol car was coming the opposite way and lit the cherries. Busted.
Before he could turn around, I pulled over, turned off the bike and waited.
Cop: The reason why I stopped you was for your speed
Me: I was going pretty fast, I know. I'm just really cold and wanted to get out of the mountains before dark.
Cop: License and registration please
The first sheriffs patrol car that I passed earlier arrived and they started talking. The cop comes back to me...
Cop: So you came from Ontario huh?
Me: Yup.
Cop: What are you doing here?
Me: Just seeing the sights of America. Its a beautiful country.
Cop: Thats awesome.
Me: It was an amazing experience so far.
Cop: Well just slow it down. I dont want to be dragging you out of the trees down the road.
Anyhow, I took his advise because I knew that if I got stopped again in the same day, they're not going to be as easy on me.
Eventually, I made it to Carson City where I got a place to stay. No more mountains, no more cold. What a relief.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Day 15/16: An (un)eventful slab home
Well, nothing much to say here. My last 2 days were pretty uneventful. Hours and hours of long straight boring interstates. zzzzzzzzz. It was cold, raining, windy. I just wanted to go home.
4 hours left in my trip, my uneventful trip took a turn for the worse.
No I didnt get pulled over again. Had an encounter with an evil cager. Was taking the exit from the interstate junctions, cager in front of me started to take the right exit and I took the left exit. As I started to pass his rear bumper, he veered left into my and my arm struck his quarter panel pushing my right handlebar forward. As I tried to fight to keep the bike straight, my arm slipped off, handlebar turned the other way at lightning speed and I highsided. Bike went through a highway sign and I landed in the mud. Other car didnt stop and I picked my bike up from the mud. Not a minute later, a cop stopped behind me. I told him I was okay and not to call an ambulance since I'd end up racking up the bills. A while later, the cop let me go and I continued on my way home.
Coming home, visibility was horrible as heavy rain was coming down. I really only cared about going home so I pushed on. Got home, took a shower and had a nice long sleep in my comfy bed.
12000kms, 14 states, 4 police encounters, 2 crashes, thunderstorms, snowstorms and tornadoes...finally home and still alive!
4 hours left in my trip, my uneventful trip took a turn for the worse.
No I didnt get pulled over again. Had an encounter with an evil cager. Was taking the exit from the interstate junctions, cager in front of me started to take the right exit and I took the left exit. As I started to pass his rear bumper, he veered left into my and my arm struck his quarter panel pushing my right handlebar forward. As I tried to fight to keep the bike straight, my arm slipped off, handlebar turned the other way at lightning speed and I highsided. Bike went through a highway sign and I landed in the mud. Other car didnt stop and I picked my bike up from the mud. Not a minute later, a cop stopped behind me. I told him I was okay and not to call an ambulance since I'd end up racking up the bills. A while later, the cop let me go and I continued on my way home.
Coming home, visibility was horrible as heavy rain was coming down. I really only cared about going home so I pushed on. Got home, took a shower and had a nice long sleep in my comfy bed.
12000kms, 14 states, 4 police encounters, 2 crashes, thunderstorms, snowstorms and tornadoes...finally home and still alive!
Day 14: Snowstorm Pt 2
Well, I was hoping today would be a better day. The snowstorm went on for the rest of the night and the temperatures dropped.
Packed up and went to the Prairie Rose restaurant to meet Cowboy from advrider. On the phone the other night, he said look for a guy with a bright green jacket. Easy enough to spot him when I got there. Unfortunately he gave me the bad news and said I-80 was closed on the way to Cheyenne and there was really no other way to go East. Well, I guess I was stuck there for a while. We had breakfast and talked about riding, life, etc. By the end of our breakfast, we went back into his office to check the road conditions. I-80 was still closed, and the only other way out was a 150km detour. Only problem is that I would be going through a mountain pass and it was likely to be bad there. Well, you be the judge.
Road looks a bit slushy and the snow is just blowing across the road. It wouldnt be too much of a problem so I took the detour since I had to make up some ground. Although there was no snow or slush on the ground, it was worse than I thought. Black ice. The tire tracks were clear of black ice but the road surface between the tire tracks were covered in black ice. I started seeing cars spun out in the ditch and I started to wonder if I was a little crazy. It wasnt the first time someone thought I was a little crazy so maybe it was true.
Well, I eventually got to Fort Collins, Colorado, and headed East to Nebraska. My goal was to head as far East as possible before I took a break. I was in for another surprise....Tornadoes.
The storm was ahead and I knew it wasnt going to be good. Heavy rain is not too much of a problem for me, Ive ridden it before so I pushed on. The rain got heavier and rain turned into hail and storm winds. I think I've pushed my luck too far. Hail started to accumulate on the road and it sent me all wobbly. I managed to get the bike under control, I spotted a highway underpass where I stopped. Highway underpasses are not a good place to stop in tornado conditions but I could not risk wiping out on the hail. Visibility was 50-100m and if I wiped out, I surely would have been run over by the many trucks using I-80. Interestingly enough, across the interstate, there had been a spun out car, that is how bad the storm was. Ask this guy:
Eventually, the weather lightened up a little and I was able to head to the next exit where I found a place to stay. As I pulled up to the hotel, I saw another bike. A BMW. The rider asked me where I was from. It turns out that he was from Toronto too and runs his own site http://adventuremotorcycleroutes.ca/ Cool!
Called it a night and hoped tomorrow would be a little better...
Packed up and went to the Prairie Rose restaurant to meet Cowboy from advrider. On the phone the other night, he said look for a guy with a bright green jacket. Easy enough to spot him when I got there. Unfortunately he gave me the bad news and said I-80 was closed on the way to Cheyenne and there was really no other way to go East. Well, I guess I was stuck there for a while. We had breakfast and talked about riding, life, etc. By the end of our breakfast, we went back into his office to check the road conditions. I-80 was still closed, and the only other way out was a 150km detour. Only problem is that I would be going through a mountain pass and it was likely to be bad there. Well, you be the judge.
Road looks a bit slushy and the snow is just blowing across the road. It wouldnt be too much of a problem so I took the detour since I had to make up some ground. Although there was no snow or slush on the ground, it was worse than I thought. Black ice. The tire tracks were clear of black ice but the road surface between the tire tracks were covered in black ice. I started seeing cars spun out in the ditch and I started to wonder if I was a little crazy. It wasnt the first time someone thought I was a little crazy so maybe it was true.
Well, I eventually got to Fort Collins, Colorado, and headed East to Nebraska. My goal was to head as far East as possible before I took a break. I was in for another surprise....Tornadoes.
The storm was ahead and I knew it wasnt going to be good. Heavy rain is not too much of a problem for me, Ive ridden it before so I pushed on. The rain got heavier and rain turned into hail and storm winds. I think I've pushed my luck too far. Hail started to accumulate on the road and it sent me all wobbly. I managed to get the bike under control, I spotted a highway underpass where I stopped. Highway underpasses are not a good place to stop in tornado conditions but I could not risk wiping out on the hail. Visibility was 50-100m and if I wiped out, I surely would have been run over by the many trucks using I-80. Interestingly enough, across the interstate, there had been a spun out car, that is how bad the storm was. Ask this guy:
Eventually, the weather lightened up a little and I was able to head to the next exit where I found a place to stay. As I pulled up to the hotel, I saw another bike. A BMW. The rider asked me where I was from. It turns out that he was from Toronto too and runs his own site http://adventuremotorcycleroutes.ca/ Cool!
Called it a night and hoped tomorrow would be a little better...
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Day 13: Snowstorm!
Rain was the forcast today in Grand Junction. No big deal, I've ridden in rain before, its just going to be another wet day.
As I headed to the lobby for some breakfast, one of the ladies asked me where I was going. I told her that I planned to get to Denver that night. She looked at me and that look on her face did not look good. She told me that the main interstate was closed up in the mountains due to accidents and weather. I wouldnt be able to make it through there, motorcycle or car. There was a huge storm system that covered all of Colorado and there was no way around it. Denver was out of the question.
After breakfast, I immediately went online and checked the weather forecast and radar. The weather system literally covered all of Colorado and Wyoming. Not minutes after I checked the weather, zigyphoto from advrider texted me and told me to call him. I was supposed to stay at his place in Boulder and he was concerned for my safety crossing over the Rockies.
We talked for a while to determine the best route out of Grand Junction. It was obvious that I would not be making it to Denver that night but I wanted to cover some ground. I had two options. Go North to Wyoming and then East, or go South to New Mexico and go East. I figured I had to go a little North anyways so thats the route I took. We knew that I would hit the storm at some point but at least the elevation is lower than the Colorado Rockies. Thats the chance I took.
As I headed North, there was snow at higher elevations. Riding along the road, it started rising and eventually, the road surface was level to the snowline off in the distance. It was now snowing. Eventually, the elevation got up to about 8000ft and snow started coming down harder. A state trooper coming the other way saw me and pulled a u-turn. Great...I was in for another police encounter wasnt I? He followed me for about 10 kms before he pulled another u-turn and went the other way. Was he curious? Watching out for me? Who knows, I'll never know.
Elevation started declining and the snow turned to rain. I was pretty relieved because once the snow starts to accumulate on the road, my day is done. Eventually, I got to I-80 in Wyoming and before hitting the highway, there were 2 BMW riders hanging out at an abandoned building. I stopped by and talked to them. Their destination was Texas and they asked how long the snow went for. I told them not too long and in return, they told me I was in for some trouble if I was going East. I was going East...
Snow started coming down pretty hard, elevation was rising. I was in for a winter wonderland. It was cold, road splash was everywhere, snow was accumulating on my helmet, visor was fogging. It was pretty bad but I was going to ride until snow started accumulating. I ended up drafting behind a truck as it was pretty windy and my heated gloves were failing. The trucker was aware that I was drafting him and he put on his 4-ways everytime there was a bend in the road. Eventually I took an exit to warm up...my hands and toes were now freezing. Ended up in the town of Laurmie.
As I was eating my nice warm Chili, Osman from Colorado sent me a text message with Cowboy's from advrider. I thought Osman found me a place to stay for the night so I called Cowboy and talked to him about the weather and a place to stay for the night. But he wasnt aware about the offer to stay for the night and I didnt want to put him in a difficult situation so I found myself a motel for the night. What happened was another rider from Toronto was stuck in the same town as me because of the snow and created a rescue thread on advrider. He thought it was me and contacted cowboy to save me. Was a simple misunderstanding and I misinterpreted the text message but I was glad someone was out there looking out for me. A nice warm shower for the night was enough to keep me happy.
As I headed to the lobby for some breakfast, one of the ladies asked me where I was going. I told her that I planned to get to Denver that night. She looked at me and that look on her face did not look good. She told me that the main interstate was closed up in the mountains due to accidents and weather. I wouldnt be able to make it through there, motorcycle or car. There was a huge storm system that covered all of Colorado and there was no way around it. Denver was out of the question.
After breakfast, I immediately went online and checked the weather forecast and radar. The weather system literally covered all of Colorado and Wyoming. Not minutes after I checked the weather, zigyphoto from advrider texted me and told me to call him. I was supposed to stay at his place in Boulder and he was concerned for my safety crossing over the Rockies.
We talked for a while to determine the best route out of Grand Junction. It was obvious that I would not be making it to Denver that night but I wanted to cover some ground. I had two options. Go North to Wyoming and then East, or go South to New Mexico and go East. I figured I had to go a little North anyways so thats the route I took. We knew that I would hit the storm at some point but at least the elevation is lower than the Colorado Rockies. Thats the chance I took.
As I headed North, there was snow at higher elevations. Riding along the road, it started rising and eventually, the road surface was level to the snowline off in the distance. It was now snowing. Eventually, the elevation got up to about 8000ft and snow started coming down harder. A state trooper coming the other way saw me and pulled a u-turn. Great...I was in for another police encounter wasnt I? He followed me for about 10 kms before he pulled another u-turn and went the other way. Was he curious? Watching out for me? Who knows, I'll never know.
Elevation started declining and the snow turned to rain. I was pretty relieved because once the snow starts to accumulate on the road, my day is done. Eventually, I got to I-80 in Wyoming and before hitting the highway, there were 2 BMW riders hanging out at an abandoned building. I stopped by and talked to them. Their destination was Texas and they asked how long the snow went for. I told them not too long and in return, they told me I was in for some trouble if I was going East. I was going East...
Snow started coming down pretty hard, elevation was rising. I was in for a winter wonderland. It was cold, road splash was everywhere, snow was accumulating on my helmet, visor was fogging. It was pretty bad but I was going to ride until snow started accumulating. I ended up drafting behind a truck as it was pretty windy and my heated gloves were failing. The trucker was aware that I was drafting him and he put on his 4-ways everytime there was a bend in the road. Eventually I took an exit to warm up...my hands and toes were now freezing. Ended up in the town of Laurmie.
As I was eating my nice warm Chili, Osman from Colorado sent me a text message with Cowboy's from advrider. I thought Osman found me a place to stay for the night so I called Cowboy and talked to him about the weather and a place to stay for the night. But he wasnt aware about the offer to stay for the night and I didnt want to put him in a difficult situation so I found myself a motel for the night. What happened was another rider from Toronto was stuck in the same town as me because of the snow and created a rescue thread on advrider. He thought it was me and contacted cowboy to save me. Was a simple misunderstanding and I misinterpreted the text message but I was glad someone was out there looking out for me. A nice warm shower for the night was enough to keep me happy.
Day 12: Unexpected Roadblock
Today would be an early morning. Capital_E had to leave for work at around 8 so I had to get up and pack an hour before that. I’m nearly all packed and Capital_E offers to push my bike out to the front so that I could strap my stuff on the bike. A few minutes later, he comes back in with that look. “Your bike has a flat”. Uh oh…
I had a flat tire kit so he helped me plug it while I continued packing my stuff. I offered to do it myself since he would be late for work but he called in and let his coworkers know he was going to be late. We got it all patched up and I was directed to the nearest motorcycle shop to get my tire changed. I needed a change anyways so I guess it was a good time to get a nail in my tire.
Two blocks later, I end up at Honda Suzuki of Salt Lake where I was going to get my tire changed. Motorcycle Parts in America are typically cheaper than Canadian motorcycle parts so I was expecting a pretty good price. I was kind of shocked when I heard the prices but they gave me a couple of discounts to help me out.
While I waited, I started up a conversation with Tarik, the Chief Operating Officer. He took me into his office where we talked about bikes and his love for motorcycle racing. Nice guy, definitely made my morning a little better. Tires were done in 1.5 hours and I was good to go. Since I was a little bit behind, I had to make a decision whether to skip Canyonlands National Park or Arches National Park in Utah. The decision will be made when I get there.
A few hours later, the canyon and orange rocks start to show up. Finally, I’m getting closer to Moab! From the pictures that were posted on advrider, Moab looked like an amazing place and one of the highlights of the trip and amazing it was. Since the National Parks were only a few miles away, I decided to visit both of them. I’d regret it if I missed out.
There was one more destination that was planned along the route. Highway 141. This scenic highway ran between two rock cliffs for about 160kms.
Amazing views the whole way through. I was a little behind schedule so I ended up getting caught out as it was getting dark. Kind of scary when you see deer popping out every 5 minutes. I made it to Grand Junction safe and sound and hit the bed.
I had a flat tire kit so he helped me plug it while I continued packing my stuff. I offered to do it myself since he would be late for work but he called in and let his coworkers know he was going to be late. We got it all patched up and I was directed to the nearest motorcycle shop to get my tire changed. I needed a change anyways so I guess it was a good time to get a nail in my tire.
Two blocks later, I end up at Honda Suzuki of Salt Lake where I was going to get my tire changed. Motorcycle Parts in America are typically cheaper than Canadian motorcycle parts so I was expecting a pretty good price. I was kind of shocked when I heard the prices but they gave me a couple of discounts to help me out.
While I waited, I started up a conversation with Tarik, the Chief Operating Officer. He took me into his office where we talked about bikes and his love for motorcycle racing. Nice guy, definitely made my morning a little better. Tires were done in 1.5 hours and I was good to go. Since I was a little bit behind, I had to make a decision whether to skip Canyonlands National Park or Arches National Park in Utah. The decision will be made when I get there.
A few hours later, the canyon and orange rocks start to show up. Finally, I’m getting closer to Moab! From the pictures that were posted on advrider, Moab looked like an amazing place and one of the highlights of the trip and amazing it was. Since the National Parks were only a few miles away, I decided to visit both of them. I’d regret it if I missed out.
There was one more destination that was planned along the route. Highway 141. This scenic highway ran between two rock cliffs for about 160kms.
Amazing views the whole way through. I was a little behind schedule so I ended up getting caught out as it was getting dark. Kind of scary when you see deer popping out every 5 minutes. I made it to Grand Junction safe and sound and hit the bed.
Day 11: Salt Flats? Or Salt Lake?
Today I get to see the Bonneville Salt Flats! It’s the only highlight of the day so I’m looking forward to it. I’ve seen it on tv and in the movie “World’s Fastest Indian” and would like to check it out myself. Unfortunately, it was hours away and I’d have to deal with the boring Nevada desert
For most of the day, I was just droning along the highway. Well, more like flying down the highway. Unfortunately, Mr. Nice Policeman noticed my speed and stopped to chat. He told me I was doing 90 in a 75. Phew, I thought I was doing a lot faster. I actually slowed down to speed limit because I wanted to take the exit but there was a car in front of me who I wanted to overtake and that’s when I accelerated to 90. He’s a rider himself so he reduced my ticket from 15 over to 5 over. It’s still a $119 ticket though.
I eventually made it to the Salt Flats but it didn’t look like the Salt Flats. It looked more like a Salt Lake. For as far as you could see, the Salt Flats was filled with water. I was really looking forward to riding on the salt but I guess that wasn’t happening today. At least it looked nice.
After hanging out at the Salt Flats, I headed to Salt Lake City where I met up with Capital_E from advrider who was taking me in for the night. I settled in, and called it a night.
For most of the day, I was just droning along the highway. Well, more like flying down the highway. Unfortunately, Mr. Nice Policeman noticed my speed and stopped to chat. He told me I was doing 90 in a 75. Phew, I thought I was doing a lot faster. I actually slowed down to speed limit because I wanted to take the exit but there was a car in front of me who I wanted to overtake and that’s when I accelerated to 90. He’s a rider himself so he reduced my ticket from 15 over to 5 over. It’s still a $119 ticket though.
I eventually made it to the Salt Flats but it didn’t look like the Salt Flats. It looked more like a Salt Lake. For as far as you could see, the Salt Flats was filled with water. I was really looking forward to riding on the salt but I guess that wasn’t happening today. At least it looked nice.
After hanging out at the Salt Flats, I headed to Salt Lake City where I met up with Capital_E from advrider who was taking me in for the night. I settled in, and called it a night.
Day 10: To the coast!
I'm in California, where its always warm and sunny!...Or not...
I would have thought it would be warmer and nicer today but apparently its not. Cloudy and about 13 degrees is what I woke up to. Oh well, at least I get to see the Pacific Coast Highway today!
A couple of days ago when I was staying with Clark and James, they told me that the Pacific Coast Highway was closed. In the hopes that it wasnt, I still headed that way.
At first, I got to the coast and I thought...oh okay, its just another beach but as I rode along, it started to get better. The road along the coast got twistier and higher so that you could see a lot more of the coast. It was beautiful.
As I progressed, I started seeing some road closed signs. Either way, I was going to go as far as I could. When I finally got to the "closure", there was a construction worker there holding a "stop/slow" sign. Hah, they just said it was closed to divert traffic I thought. They let me by and I enjoyed more of the heavenly road.
I rounded a curve and to my surprise, there was an unmanned road closed sign with a barrier going all the way across the road. Bummer. I guess this is where the fun ends. Just when it was getting good. Oh well, I tried my best and I have no regrets. Quote: William Hung.
Since there are not many roads leading from the Pacific Coast Highway back inland, I had to backtrack and head back to the main highway.
My goal was to get to Carson City which is near Reno, Nevada by sundown. Most of my afternoon consisted of long straight highways. It was late afternoon when I got to the bottom of the mountains between California and Nevada. It was getting cold but I was too lazy to take the wires for my heated gloves out from my luggage bags. It didnt look that far on the map...oh boy was I wrong.
The mountain passes got really high to the point where it was snowing pretty hard. Snowbanks were piled at least 6 ft high, I knew this wasnt going to be good. Sunlight was also disappearing and getting caught out in the mountains in darkness was not something I wanted to deal with.
I picked up the pace since I didnt see a cop all day and the roads were relatively predictable. As I rounded a curve, I saw a Sheriffs patrol car parked on the side of the road. Crap I thought. I passed him pretty fast since I didnt see him until the last minute but he didnt bother coming after me. About 5 minutes later, I was coming down a hill and another Sherrifs patrol car was coming the opposite way and lit the cherries. Busted.
Before he could turn around, I pulled over, turned off the bike and waited.
Cop: The reason why I stopped you was for your speed
Me: I was going pretty fast, I know. I'm just really cold and wanted to get out of the mountains before dark.
Cop: License and registration please
The first sheriffs patrol car that I passed earlier arrived and they started talking. The cop comes back to me...
Cop: So you came from Ontario huh?
Me: Yup.
Cop: What are you doing here?
Me: Just seeing the sights of America. Its a beautiful country.
Cop: Thats awesome.
Me: It was an amazing experience so far.
Cop: Well just slow it down. I dont want to be dragging you out of the trees down the road.
Anyhow, I took his advise because I knew that if I got stopped again in the same day, they're not going to be as easy on me.
Eventually, I made it to Carson City where I got a place to stay. No more mountains, no more cold. What a relief.
I would have thought it would be warmer and nicer today but apparently its not. Cloudy and about 13 degrees is what I woke up to. Oh well, at least I get to see the Pacific Coast Highway today!
A couple of days ago when I was staying with Clark and James, they told me that the Pacific Coast Highway was closed. In the hopes that it wasnt, I still headed that way.
At first, I got to the coast and I thought...oh okay, its just another beach but as I rode along, it started to get better. The road along the coast got twistier and higher so that you could see a lot more of the coast. It was beautiful.
As I progressed, I started seeing some road closed signs. Either way, I was going to go as far as I could. When I finally got to the "closure", there was a construction worker there holding a "stop/slow" sign. Hah, they just said it was closed to divert traffic I thought. They let me by and I enjoyed more of the heavenly road.
I rounded a curve and to my surprise, there was an unmanned road closed sign with a barrier going all the way across the road. Bummer. I guess this is where the fun ends. Just when it was getting good. Oh well, I tried my best and I have no regrets. Quote: William Hung.
Since there are not many roads leading from the Pacific Coast Highway back inland, I had to backtrack and head back to the main highway.
My goal was to get to Carson City which is near Reno, Nevada by sundown. Most of my afternoon consisted of long straight highways. It was late afternoon when I got to the bottom of the mountains between California and Nevada. It was getting cold but I was too lazy to take the wires for my heated gloves out from my luggage bags. It didnt look that far on the map...oh boy was I wrong.
The mountain passes got really high to the point where it was snowing pretty hard. Snowbanks were piled at least 6 ft high, I knew this wasnt going to be good. Sunlight was also disappearing and getting caught out in the mountains in darkness was not something I wanted to deal with.
I picked up the pace since I didnt see a cop all day and the roads were relatively predictable. As I rounded a curve, I saw a Sheriffs patrol car parked on the side of the road. Crap I thought. I passed him pretty fast since I didnt see him until the last minute but he didnt bother coming after me. About 5 minutes later, I was coming down a hill and another Sherrifs patrol car was coming the opposite way and lit the cherries. Busted.
Before he could turn around, I pulled over, turned off the bike and waited.
Cop: The reason why I stopped you was for your speed
Me: I was going pretty fast, I know. I'm just really cold and wanted to get out of the mountains before dark.
Cop: License and registration please
The first sheriffs patrol car that I passed earlier arrived and they started talking. The cop comes back to me...
Cop: So you came from Ontario huh?
Me: Yup.
Cop: What are you doing here?
Me: Just seeing the sights of America. Its a beautiful country.
Cop: Thats awesome.
Me: It was an amazing experience so far.
Cop: Well just slow it down. I dont want to be dragging you out of the trees down the road.
Anyhow, I took his advise because I knew that if I got stopped again in the same day, they're not going to be as easy on me.
Eventually, I made it to Carson City where I got a place to stay. No more mountains, no more cold. What a relief.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Day 9: I've never ridden more twistier roads in my life!
I wake up and I'm finally in California. I made it. There were a couple of things that I was looking forward to doing while I was in California. 1) Canyon Riding, 2) Pacific Coast Highway, 3) Lane Splitting
The first thing that I did was head to the canyons. I picked a random canyon to go up and as soon as I entered the canyon road, twists and turns galore! You couldnt get enough. I had a little trouble getting used to it because of all the luggage on the back of my bike and the seating position that I was in. I could barely move myself off my bike because my backpack would catch onto my luggage. I made it to the top of one of the mountains and found two riders with the same bike as me. They were surprised to see that I've gone so far and we talked about my trip. Since they were local riders, they gave me some suggestions as to where to ride and what to watch out for. Of course they mentioned the snake (Mullholland Highway) which I was planning to go to. We then parted ways.
I ended up finding a road going down the mountain and it was quite exciting but very dangerous. A downhill road with twists and turns going downhill. One mistake and you're falling off the cliff. I treaded lightly since a mistake could spell disaster but I still had my fun.
Soon enough, I made it to the famous Mullholland Highway. The turns were faster and tighter than I've experienced the whole day. At one point, a decreasing radius turn caught me off guard and forced me to lean even harder into the turn at which point my peg scraped the ground. Yes, my peg scraped the ground even with all that luggage on it. I made it up to the top where the camera guys from RockStore Photos took a picture of me. I'm waiting for them to post it :D
At the top, the bikers hang out at the lookout point. I got off the bike and started looking around when I heard "Guys, this bike has Ontario plates! Is it yours?" It was definitely mine. I talked to a group of local riders who were very interested in my trip and I told them all about it. They eventually took me to another canyon called Latigo. That road is the best road I've ever ridden in my life. I know I keep saying that but its true! Now I know why they get 2000 miles off of their tires, they basically have a racetrack in their backyard.
It was time to head out and find a place to stay for the night. I ended up in some random town where I got a room in a motel and settled in.
Now a lot of people have been asking about this mysterious Nikki girl. As I was eating my Thai dinner, I decided to send her a text to see what she was about. A few texts later, we agreed to talk more on msn. I'm not made of gold and at 50 cents a text message, it gets expensive! We ended up talking all night and we hit it off. I really liked her, maybe Rico from the other day knew something about traveling that I didnt believe in. Its unfortunate that I dont really have time to go back to Arizona. But life is full of surprises and there's no telling what the future holds.
The first thing that I did was head to the canyons. I picked a random canyon to go up and as soon as I entered the canyon road, twists and turns galore! You couldnt get enough. I had a little trouble getting used to it because of all the luggage on the back of my bike and the seating position that I was in. I could barely move myself off my bike because my backpack would catch onto my luggage. I made it to the top of one of the mountains and found two riders with the same bike as me. They were surprised to see that I've gone so far and we talked about my trip. Since they were local riders, they gave me some suggestions as to where to ride and what to watch out for. Of course they mentioned the snake (Mullholland Highway) which I was planning to go to. We then parted ways.
I ended up finding a road going down the mountain and it was quite exciting but very dangerous. A downhill road with twists and turns going downhill. One mistake and you're falling off the cliff. I treaded lightly since a mistake could spell disaster but I still had my fun.
Soon enough, I made it to the famous Mullholland Highway. The turns were faster and tighter than I've experienced the whole day. At one point, a decreasing radius turn caught me off guard and forced me to lean even harder into the turn at which point my peg scraped the ground. Yes, my peg scraped the ground even with all that luggage on it. I made it up to the top where the camera guys from RockStore Photos took a picture of me. I'm waiting for them to post it :D
At the top, the bikers hang out at the lookout point. I got off the bike and started looking around when I heard "Guys, this bike has Ontario plates! Is it yours?" It was definitely mine. I talked to a group of local riders who were very interested in my trip and I told them all about it. They eventually took me to another canyon called Latigo. That road is the best road I've ever ridden in my life. I know I keep saying that but its true! Now I know why they get 2000 miles off of their tires, they basically have a racetrack in their backyard.
It was time to head out and find a place to stay for the night. I ended up in some random town where I got a room in a motel and settled in.
Now a lot of people have been asking about this mysterious Nikki girl. As I was eating my Thai dinner, I decided to send her a text to see what she was about. A few texts later, we agreed to talk more on msn. I'm not made of gold and at 50 cents a text message, it gets expensive! We ended up talking all night and we hit it off. I really liked her, maybe Rico from the other day knew something about traveling that I didnt believe in. Its unfortunate that I dont really have time to go back to Arizona. But life is full of surprises and there's no telling what the future holds.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Day 8: A love story
I started out my day in Prescott where I stayed at Clark and James' place. Destination was the Apache Trail out in the desert. I've only seen the Apache Trail on video and the scenery looked awesome. The Apache Trail is a gravel road starting from the Rosevelt Dam and goes for about 22 miles.
On the way to the Apache Trail I stopped by a restaurant and bar to eat lunch and hydrate myself before I head deeper into the desert. This is where I met Rico, a musician who rode a Harley. He soon found out that I came from Toronto and talked about where I was riding to. He mentioned that this was a long trip and one of the questions he asked me was "What if you fall in love?" I wasnt too sure how to take it, its not the first time love was mentioned on my trip. Out in South Dakota, I stopped at a gas station and talked to a gas station attendant who was trying to figure out why in the world I would ride so far. One of the things she asked me was "Are you going there to see a girl?" If I was, I'd admit, it would be a good story. Something that you'd see in movies. Maybe its an American cliche to travel the country to find that one love. I'm sure its happened before, but not as common today with the internet and plane travel. Who knows, maybe I will live out that story. Unlikely though, this adventure is not about finding love, its about enhancing my love for riding. Enough with the love talk, lets get back to my ride.
I made it to the Rosevelt Dam where the Apache Trail started. I knew that there would be 22 miles of gravel road and that the scenery would be amazing but I was quite caught off guard when the whole 22 miles were pretty much washboard. I've never ridden such a bumpy road in my life. By the time I got there, it was about 40 degrees celcius and riding in full gear was not an option. I usually ride all the gear all the time but I made an exception. When you're going a maximum of 50km/h in 40 degree desert temperatures, you have to make a decision of whether you want to risk scrapes and bruises, or heat stroke.
Going through the trail, I got many thumbs up and head nods. I guess they dont expect to see a sportbike go through. Going through the midway point of the trail, I did have a scary moment. It wasnt motorcycle related, I rode through a swarm of wasps only wearing a t shirt. I tucked in behind my windscreen and rode a little faster. Getting a wasp in my tshirt or helmet would be very bad. Near Fish Creek Hill which is the most dangerous but most scenic part of the trail, I got a wave from a group of travellers in a van who stopped to take pictures. I was ready to take a break so I stopped to take pictures and chat. It turns out that one of them used to ride a V-Storm and was pretty happy to see a rider on the Apache Trail. They were an interesting group and before we left, I gave them my blog address and email. If you guys see this, post a comment!
The fun was over and I was to make it to the Los Angles area by the end of the night. This ride was the most difficult ride I've ever had to do. 40 degree temperatures and 600 kms through the desert was not fun at all. I had one of my pant legs pulled up and the wind on my skin felt like I was in a convection oven. I just wanted to get the hell out of there and 100mph sounded like a good option since I did not see a cop in the desert the whole day...at least in the Arizona desert. I eventually made it to revrandy's house at 11:30pm California time (2:30am Toronto time) and I just hit the sack as I got there. I made it to California!
On the way to the Apache Trail I stopped by a restaurant and bar to eat lunch and hydrate myself before I head deeper into the desert. This is where I met Rico, a musician who rode a Harley. He soon found out that I came from Toronto and talked about where I was riding to. He mentioned that this was a long trip and one of the questions he asked me was "What if you fall in love?" I wasnt too sure how to take it, its not the first time love was mentioned on my trip. Out in South Dakota, I stopped at a gas station and talked to a gas station attendant who was trying to figure out why in the world I would ride so far. One of the things she asked me was "Are you going there to see a girl?" If I was, I'd admit, it would be a good story. Something that you'd see in movies. Maybe its an American cliche to travel the country to find that one love. I'm sure its happened before, but not as common today with the internet and plane travel. Who knows, maybe I will live out that story. Unlikely though, this adventure is not about finding love, its about enhancing my love for riding. Enough with the love talk, lets get back to my ride.
I made it to the Rosevelt Dam where the Apache Trail started. I knew that there would be 22 miles of gravel road and that the scenery would be amazing but I was quite caught off guard when the whole 22 miles were pretty much washboard. I've never ridden such a bumpy road in my life. By the time I got there, it was about 40 degrees celcius and riding in full gear was not an option. I usually ride all the gear all the time but I made an exception. When you're going a maximum of 50km/h in 40 degree desert temperatures, you have to make a decision of whether you want to risk scrapes and bruises, or heat stroke.
Going through the trail, I got many thumbs up and head nods. I guess they dont expect to see a sportbike go through. Going through the midway point of the trail, I did have a scary moment. It wasnt motorcycle related, I rode through a swarm of wasps only wearing a t shirt. I tucked in behind my windscreen and rode a little faster. Getting a wasp in my tshirt or helmet would be very bad. Near Fish Creek Hill which is the most dangerous but most scenic part of the trail, I got a wave from a group of travellers in a van who stopped to take pictures. I was ready to take a break so I stopped to take pictures and chat. It turns out that one of them used to ride a V-Storm and was pretty happy to see a rider on the Apache Trail. They were an interesting group and before we left, I gave them my blog address and email. If you guys see this, post a comment!
The fun was over and I was to make it to the Los Angles area by the end of the night. This ride was the most difficult ride I've ever had to do. 40 degree temperatures and 600 kms through the desert was not fun at all. I had one of my pant legs pulled up and the wind on my skin felt like I was in a convection oven. I just wanted to get the hell out of there and 100mph sounded like a good option since I did not see a cop in the desert the whole day...at least in the Arizona desert. I eventually made it to revrandy's house at 11:30pm California time (2:30am Toronto time) and I just hit the sack as I got there. I made it to California!
Day 7: Its goin down
Camping in Monument Valley was an amazing experience. Well, most of it. Watching the sunset, seeing the stars, watching the sunrise was something I've never experienced before. To be honest, this whole camping experience was new to me. I've never camped by myself so I was hoping I could figure out how to put up the tent. I woke up several times because it was really cold at night. It must have been about 5 degrees and I was freezing. I stayed in my sleeping bag until the sun came up and it warmed up.
I camped out in the Valley of the Gods which is a dirt road that runs between the big rock monuments. Filled with washboards, elevation changes, switchbacks, large rocks. It was quite challenging for a sportbike but it was done.
Next stop was the Grand Canyon. Although I knew it would be a sight to see, I was expecting a little more. The first few lookout points, I stopped and take pictures but after the first lookout point, every following one was about the same.
I was supposed to meet a fellow advrider down in Prescott Arizona so that was my next destination. I made sure to take highway 89A which is a scenic twisty canyon ride. Boy was that fun but as I descended lower into the mountains, it got a lot hotter. It came to the point where I wanted to take off my sweater. A pullout point was ahead and I took that opportunity. Unfortunately, I didnt notice that the pavement was about 6 inches higher than the gravel until it was too late. The result:
I was okay but was more about the damage that could potentially end my trip early. Luckily, my frame sliders and the jerry can hanging off the side of my bike took the impact and my bike was unscathed for the most part.
Eventually I made it to a town called Jerome where I met up with winterhk from advrider. We gave our introductions and talked about my trip while waiting for other advriders outside of the Haunted Hamburger. There had been 2 girls from inside the restaurant who had been watching us. As soon as we noticed, one of them walked up to us and gave us her number. Her name was Nikki and she was a cutie. Unfortunately, I was leaving the state the next day so I didnt take the opportunity to return her call. Maybe I should drop a line, just to make things interesting. What do you say? ;)
I camped out in the Valley of the Gods which is a dirt road that runs between the big rock monuments. Filled with washboards, elevation changes, switchbacks, large rocks. It was quite challenging for a sportbike but it was done.
Next stop was the Grand Canyon. Although I knew it would be a sight to see, I was expecting a little more. The first few lookout points, I stopped and take pictures but after the first lookout point, every following one was about the same.
I was supposed to meet a fellow advrider down in Prescott Arizona so that was my next destination. I made sure to take highway 89A which is a scenic twisty canyon ride. Boy was that fun but as I descended lower into the mountains, it got a lot hotter. It came to the point where I wanted to take off my sweater. A pullout point was ahead and I took that opportunity. Unfortunately, I didnt notice that the pavement was about 6 inches higher than the gravel until it was too late. The result:
I was okay but was more about the damage that could potentially end my trip early. Luckily, my frame sliders and the jerry can hanging off the side of my bike took the impact and my bike was unscathed for the most part.
Eventually I made it to a town called Jerome where I met up with winterhk from advrider. We gave our introductions and talked about my trip while waiting for other advriders outside of the Haunted Hamburger. There had been 2 girls from inside the restaurant who had been watching us. As soon as we noticed, one of them walked up to us and gave us her number. Her name was Nikki and she was a cutie. Unfortunately, I was leaving the state the next day so I didnt take the opportunity to return her call. Maybe I should drop a line, just to make things interesting. What do you say? ;)
Day 6: I've had the ride of my life
I woke up today looking forward to riding the million dollar highway (hwy 550) in Colorado. This road was featured on SpeedTV's "Dangerous Drives", they were talking about how truckers had to endure treacherous conditions including snow and ice to get across this mountain pass which runs from Montrose to Durango Colorado.
When I went through the Million Dollar Highway, there was snow and ice, but nothing stayed on the ground. The switchbacks, sweepers, and all the turns made this an awesome riding experience with breathtaking scenery everywhere you look.
As I was rounding a bend on Highway 50, I noticed a young man, about the same age as me with a little scooter. It wasnt just any ordinary scooter rider, he had a bag of luggage on his scooter. 50cc Honda Ruckus I believe. It made me curious as to what he was doing and where he was going so I stopped to find out. He told me that he had a couple of weeks off work and wanted to get on his scooter and cruise. Where to? California. But he was going North and then making his way West to San Fransisco and eventually to LA.
My goal of the day was to make it to Monument Valley to camp out in the Valley of the Gods. I've only seen pictures of Monument Valley and I knew it was going to be a sight to see.
On the way there, I saw a sign that said Four Corners Monument. Being ahead of schedule, I figured that there was enough time to stop by. I was expecting a big monument of the Four Corners but when I got there, I was a little disappointed. All I saw was a carve out of the 4 states on the ground.
My bike also decided to take a nap.
Eventually, I made it to Monument Valley.
Set up my tent.
And enjoyed the sunset.
When I went through the Million Dollar Highway, there was snow and ice, but nothing stayed on the ground. The switchbacks, sweepers, and all the turns made this an awesome riding experience with breathtaking scenery everywhere you look.
As I was rounding a bend on Highway 50, I noticed a young man, about the same age as me with a little scooter. It wasnt just any ordinary scooter rider, he had a bag of luggage on his scooter. 50cc Honda Ruckus I believe. It made me curious as to what he was doing and where he was going so I stopped to find out. He told me that he had a couple of weeks off work and wanted to get on his scooter and cruise. Where to? California. But he was going North and then making his way West to San Fransisco and eventually to LA.
My goal of the day was to make it to Monument Valley to camp out in the Valley of the Gods. I've only seen pictures of Monument Valley and I knew it was going to be a sight to see.
On the way there, I saw a sign that said Four Corners Monument. Being ahead of schedule, I figured that there was enough time to stop by. I was expecting a big monument of the Four Corners but when I got there, I was a little disappointed. All I saw was a carve out of the 4 states on the ground.
My bike also decided to take a nap.
Eventually, I made it to Monument Valley.
Set up my tent.
And enjoyed the sunset.
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