(Friday, June 17) Late this morning I met Dave at the Carson Valley Inn in Minden, Nevada (just a couple of miles from my motel in Gardnerville). I've known Dave for almost 30 years going back to when we both worked for a software company in Sunnyvale. He's five years older than me and could probably pass for 45. We had an excellent breakfast of French toast and talked about politics and physics. I rode straight south on US 395 with sunny but slightly chilly weather - I was glad that I was wearing my over pants. At Lee Vining I had coffee and a muffin at the La De Dah (?) coffee shop and gassed up before going east on Highway 120, where I stopped after a few miles to ride a half mile or so on a gravel road to Mono Lake where there was a good view of the Tufa mineral formations. Near the Nevada border where 120 ends at US 6 there is the town of Benton and Benton Hot Springs. The last couple of times I've been through there the Benton Inn has been closed, but this time it looked like it was open for business.
North of Lee Vining I went over Conway Summit at 8138 feet, but Sage Hen Summit on Highway 120 has it beat at 8139 feet. 120 is always a good ride with few cars and trucks, decent twisties and many whoop-de-dos - short steep hills where you can get air over the top if you aren't careful. I slowed down going through Benton Hot Springs, where I noticed that the Benton Inn seems to be back in business. Once in Nevada a crosswind came up and it followed me all the way to Tonopah, where I pulled into the Clown Motel, my bed for the night. I've stayed here before and the many clown statuettes in the lobby, the clown pictures on the room doors and on the walls of the rooms are just slightly creepy. Dinner at the Mizpah Hotel was probably the best
that Tonopah could do - at least they had Beck's NA beer. (234 miles)
(Saturday, June 18) This morning I was on the road before 8 AM, dressed in my over pants and jacket liner against the 60 degree temperature. 113 miles and 90 minutes later it had warmed up to about 80 degrees as I pulled into the parking lot of the Little A'le'Inn in Rachel, Nevada for breakfast. The food is just adequate, but it is the only game in town. Probably a dozen or so people live in Rachel. The "town" is near Area 51, part of the Groom Lake Air Force Base, where some people think that alien spacecraft (and maybe even aliens!) have been deconstructed. I don't know about that, but 25 miles south of Rachel I saw an actual black helicopter flying low over the Joshua trees and sage bushes in Tikapoo Valley. NV 375, the Extraterrestrial Highway, ends at US 93, which I followed through Caliente and 15 miles later turned east on NV 318 into Utah, where the road becomes UT 56. I stopped in Cedar City at the Brick House Cafe where I had coffee and a quick lunch before going east on UT 14, which goes over Midway Summit (9896 feet) and past Duck Creek, where Andrew and I once camped. A few miles past Duck Creek Village I had to stop for a herd of sheep that were wandering across the road in no particular hurry. After about half of them (including many lambs) were on the other side of the road, they suddenly turned around and came back - I could see the sheep dog herding them back to where they belonged. The road ends at US 89 where I went north and then east on UT 12 through Red Rock Canyon and past Bryce. There was bit of traffic, but it moved along - apparently people have learned to pull off the road to take their pictures. This is a very scenic road that Carol and I rode on last summer. After Escalante UT 12 becomes very twisty with many elevation changes and in places there is a sheer droppoff on each side of the road. The traffic was light in the late afternoon and I was able to enjoy. the road with quick glances at the spectacular scenery. The road goes over a 9200 foot summit and then gradually descends through a forest, where I had to stop again for a herd of animals crossing the road - this time it was cows. There were crosswinds off and on all day, but the temperature stayed at about 85, dropping to 70 over the passes. I'm spending the night at the Chuckwagon Lodge in Torrey, Utah. (491 miles)
(Sunday, June 19 - Happy Father's Day, Pete!) If you are lucky, and the gods are smiling on you, a couple of times a year you will have one of those perfect days where the weather, the roads, and the scenery just couldn't be better, and this was one of those days. It had warmed up to 65 degrees when I rolled out of Torrey a little before 8 AM. There were just a few wisps of cloud in the sky and the sun kept me warm as I rode through Canyonlands, which is always a fun ride, especially with few other people on the road. I stopped for gas in Hanksville and ate at Duke's Slickrock Grill, and then rode south on Highway 95, enjoying the road, the red rock cliffs and rock formations, and the pleasant temperature. South of Natural Bridges the road becomes twistier and the surface deteriorates with many tar snakes that are treacherously slippery on a hot day. UT 95 ends at US 191 and I went north to Monticello where I gassed up before heading east on US 491 into Colorado. I rode through Dove Creek, Pleasant View, and Yellow Jacket before going east on CO 184 to Dolores, where I passed the Anasazi Heritage Center, which I'll save for another time. US 491 was a pleasant enough ride over a high plateau and ranch land - hay and cattle. In Dolores I went north on CO 145 which goes into the mountains and follows the Dolores river. There was little traffic, opportunities to pass when there were a few cars, meadows, a tumbling river, and snow covered mountain peaks all around, which made for a great ride up to and over Lizard Head Pass (10,222 feet) and into Mountain Village outside of Telluride, where I stopped for coffee, pork dumplings, and a slice of apple pie. There is a big bluegrass festival going on in Telluride and Mountain Village, so there were many cars parked alongside the road, traffic control, and more congestion than usual even for a sunny Sunday in June. I rode the few miles into Telluride, and like Silverton and Ouray it isn't a town I need to see again, unless I went there to spend a few days. It's a typical old mountain/mining town that has become a vacation destination with crafts shops, restaurants, bars, and outfitters. Back on 145 there were more cars on the road and I went east on CO 62 to Ridgeway where I turned north on US 550 to Montrose, a sprawling place with malls, big box stores, and fast food restaurants. The signs routed me around the old downtown and onto US 50 which passes by the Black Canyon and Blue Mesa Reservoir. This is a major road with a fair amount of traffic on a Sunday afternoon, but there are many places to pass. This is another high plateau with a few ranches, a few small towns, and lot of empty space with mountains in the distance. Gunnison was busy on a Sunday evening with many motorcycles in the motel parking lots and in front of the bars downtown, The Western Motel has everything I need and even provides breakfast in the morning. (471 miles)
(Monday, June 20 - Summer solstice) The thermometer on the bike indicated a cool 48 degrees when I looked at it before going for coffee this morning, but by the time I left the motel it had warmed to 65. The ride up to and over Monarch Summit (11,200 feet) was an easy and pleasant ride with little traffic and many passing lanes, including the last 8 miles or so to the summit. The descent to Poncha Springs was likewise easy and traffic free, and the scenery was more interesting than the other side of the pass as the road follows the Monarch River and goes through meadows and woods. At Poncha Springs I turned north on US 285, a heavily traveled road that crosses several 9000 foot passes but is mostly valley ranch land. I stopped in Bailey for lunch and then continued on 285 to I-70 towards Denver. I followed the GPS to the Cussler Auto Museum in Arvada and spent the next two hours happily viewing the cars on display. There's a room that mostly contains 1950's convertibles, and another room with antiques and cars from the 1930's. The cars were all chosen because they interest Cussler, and they are all interesting to me as well. Highlights are a 1939 Mercedes 540K, Auburn V12, a blower Bentley, and several French cars - about 65 cars on display.
The Affordable Inn where I'm staying isn't one of my better choices - the Wi-Fi doesn't work in my room. At least I have a nice view of I-70, which is about 100 feet away. After parking the bike and unloading I noticed that the headlight lens was broken. I have a plastic film over the lens, which prevented the glass from smashing, but it will need to be replaced. Fortunately, there are three BMW shops in the area, so I have a Mission for tomorrow morning. Tonight I'm having dinner with Vanya near her place in Denver.
(Tuesday, June 21) The bike was covered with a thin layer of pollen this morning and the temperature was already 75 degrees at 8 AM. After breakfast at the Village Inn nearby I called five BMW shops in the area, none of which had a headlight lens in stock. Finally, I called a dealer in Kansas City who would order the part express shipment and it will be there when I go there on Wednesday. I found the Apple Store in Boulder and purchased the correct SD reader for my iPad, so now there are pictures. I visited Carol's sister, Liz and her husband, Jon, at their house in Boulder and we caught up with what our kids and their grandkids are doing, then they treated me to lunch at a nearby Thai restaurant. I picked up US 36 in Boulder and followed it through Denver to I-70, then exited 30 miles later in Byers when 36 leaves I-70. It was 100 degrees across the bleak grassland and I finally stopped in Last Chance, Colorado at the intersection with CO 71. There are a couple of abandoned houses and an abandoned Dairy Queen, and a small park with an historical marker for the Texas-Montana trail. Continuing on US 36 there were very few cars or trucks on the road. I stopped to take a picture of the view from the Prairie View Motel in Idalia, CO.
I'm spending the night at the Dusty Farmer Motel in St. Francis, Kansas. There's a new motorcycle museum in town that doesn't open until 10 AM, but I'll call them and see if they will open early for me tomorrow. (276 miles)
(Wednesday, June 22) It was 75 degrees when I rode to the Union Coffee shop this morning for oatmeal and an Americano - both were excellent. He and his wife, Heidi, lived in Arizona where Kale worked in telecommunications, but they moved to St. Francis (where Kale was originally from) a couple of years ago, bought the building, and remodeled it into a very cool coffee shop with a motorcycle shop next door. Kale does repairs, and sells apparel, parts, and other items.
I had planned to get back on the road as soon as I finished the coffee, but Kale convinced me that the museum was worth waiting for (they don't open until 10 AM), so I went back to the motel and finished packing the bike, then went back to Union and had another cup of coffee and hung out until the museum opened. The museum opened in May of this year, and the building is fresh and the bikes are laid out nicely with room around them for taking pictures. I stayed for about an hour, took lots of pictures, and enjoyed the museum.
Best road model Flying Merkel I've ever seen.
(Note the drip pans under the Harley's)
Back on the road I let the GPS direct me to the fastest route to Marquette, Kansas, location of the Kansas Motorcycle Museum, which opened in 2003. There was a hazy sky and a wind from the north, which kept the temperature down to 85 until the haze burned off in the early afternoon, the wind died down, and the temperature climbed to over 100. I continued on 36 to Atwood the south on KS 25 to Colby, where I got on I-70 for 120 miles or so to Elsworth, then followed back roads to Marquette, arriving at 4 PM, and hour before the close. The museum is in honor of local hero Stan (the man) Emdahl who raced in the 1940's and into the 1960's, winning the AMA #1 six times. Marquette is a quaint little place and worth a visit even if you aren't interested in the motorcycle museum.
When the museum closed I followed back roads to Council Grove, Kansas, where I'm spending the night at the Prairie Lodge motel. Kleenex but no shampoo, and no coffee in the morning. The temperature at 9 PM was 85 degrees, down from 98 when I had dinner in downtown Council Grove. (392 miles)
(Thursday, June 23) Leaving the motel at 8 AM and going east on US 56 the temperature on the bike was 78 degrees. It would warm up to 85 and then into the 90's at the sun burned off the morning haze. The pastures and grazing land of yesterday had become farm country and I began to see the first tall corn. I stopped in Burlingame at Aunt B's bakery for coffee and a cinnamon roll, then continued on 56 to I-135, which I took to I-435 east into Missouri and north into Kansas City, avoiding the I-70 toll road west of KC. I found Engle Motors with no trouble, they had the part, I installed it, and was on my way. There are 8 little, wire springs that hold the lens and ring to the headlight shell, and it's fiddly, but I'd done it once before 12 years ago, so I knew what to expect. By now it was almost noon, so I rode a couple of miles west into KC and had pig on a bun (pulled pork on a hamburger bun), the daily special at the famous Arthur Bryant's barbecue restaurant.
I rode out of KC and onto US 24 through Independence, which is home to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library. US 24 follows the Missouri River, but doesn't go right along it and there are woods and fields in between the road and the river so you can't see it. US 24 goes north and joins US 65 at Waverly and in Carrollton I stayed on US 65 to Chillicothe at US 36, where I went east. After 20 miles I went north on KS 5, which turned out to be the best riding of the day. It's a narrow farm road that goes by and through a few small towns over rolling hills and there are even a few twisties. At US 136 in Chillicothe I went east for 25 miles to US 63, which I took north into Iowa and Ottumwa, where I'm spending the night at the Stardust Motel, one of the tackier accommodations of my trip, but it seems to be a popular place with most of the 40 or so rooms occupied and the bar/restaurant nearby doing a lot of business. (447 miles)
(Friday, June 24) There being no coffee at the Stardust Motel when I left Friday morning I began to search for breakfast in the towns I rode through on US 63/SR 149 out of Ottumwa and stayed on 149 through Sigourney and finally found a place in South English, Iowa called Butch's Cafe. The food was just OK, but I had an interesting conversation with a gentleman there who had farmed all his life and also played in a band. He has a 1950 Ford pickup that he purchased new.
At I-80 I left 149 and went east around Cedar Rapids for 20 miles and took IA 1 north to US 151 in Mt. Vernon and then 151 northeast to Anamosa and the National Motorcycle Musuem. I visited the museum when it was in its old location in downtown Anamosa, and this was my third visit to the new location outside of town in what was once a Walmart store. There are always special exhibits and they rotate bikes in and out of the displays, but most of what was there I'd seen before, so I just spent an hour walking around and taking pictures.
The special exhibit was choppers and streamlines, neither of which I was particularly interested in, but there were a few bikes in the other displays that I hadn't seen before. A small number of the motorcycles on display have space to walk around them and look at the details, but most are jammed in right next to each other - the museum would benefit from fewer bikes on the floor. The Kansas Motorcycle museum was the same way - there's really no need for 20 Harley dressers from the 1950's. and 1960's that are all but identical except for the paint jobs.
US 151 runs northeast all the way to Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin and is a combination of two-lane, four-land, and divided four-lane. and I made good time riding around small towns and through farmland. I didn't listen carefully to Geo's instructions for getting around Madison, WI and instead followed the GPS on the official bypass, which was jammed with late afternoon traffic. The situation wasn't improved by a clearing accident at the intersection of 151 and the bypass, but eventually I got past the city and onto 151 again. WI 23 goes east from Fond Du Lac and I followed it for 13 miles and then County G south and after a few more miles turned onto Tower Land, which is Geo's gravel driveway. I rode right into the barn, parked the bike, and carried my stuff into the house where Geo and Annette greeted me. After a few minutes of catching up we got in Geo's truck and drove to Mike and Barb's house a few miles away where we joined a dinner party - vegetarian lasagna and Italian sausage and a delicious chocolate pudding for dessert. (382 miles)
(Saturday, June 25) George and Annette live on 90 acres of woods and fields with seven retired sled dogs and a cat. They had a warm Spring this year with abundant rain and their flower and vegetable gardens are thriving. When I got up in the morning Geo had already been out in the garden picking rhubarb.
While we had breakfast he cleaned and cut up the rhubarb and that afternoon Annette made a delicious pie which we had for dessert that evening. In the afternoon Geo and I went to nearby Elkhart Lake, a resort town where sports cars used to race on a road course through the town. Now all the races are are on a nearby track and that weekend Indy cars were running. We walked around town and along the lake and saw a few interesting cars driving through town by people who were there for the races. The Osthoff Hotel is a large and elegant resort hotel that dates back to the days when mom and the kids would spend the summer at the lake and the father would take the train up from Chicago on the weekends.
(Sunday, June 26) There was a thunderstorm overnight and in the morning the forcast was for showers, so I was wearing rain gloves and over pants as I left Geo and Annette and rode east on WI 23 to WI 57 south and then on I-94 through Milwaukee and into Illinois. I-94 becomes a toll road in Illinois and I had to stop twice to pay before the Dan Ryan expressway in Chicago, where I followed the GPS to Andrew's shared flat in the Logan Square neighborhood. The rain never materialized and the day had turned sunny and warm. Andrew came out of the flat as I parked the bike and after catching up we walked a few blocks to have lunch at Parson's restaurant, a local favorite of Andrew's.
My old friend, Tom, had invited me to stay at his place on the south side of Chicago, so I left Andrew and followed the GPS to where Tom and Mona live near a park and the old steel mills that are gradually returning to prairie. Their house is an elegant old place with a big yard that was owned by a judge for many years, and Tom also has a vegetable garden.
Tom does remodeling and custom carpentry and has lived in Chicago all his life (as has Mona), so he knows many people such as apartment managers and restaurant owners and has been a valuable resource for Andrew. Tom cooked up hickory smoked ribs and we had strawberry-rhubarb pie with homemade ice cream for dessert, and latter a trifle that Mona also made. Tom and I stayed up late talking about old times and what we'd been doing.
(Monday, June 27) After coffee with Tom and Mona I left and followed back roads to Grant Park, Illinois near the Indiana border to Paul and Dee's house, where Paul was recovering from a knee replacement. I visited with Paul and Emily, his daughter, for awhile and then followed Paul into Grant Park where Dee works at the village hall. I left Grant Park and followed IL 2 into Indiana and stopped in Hebron, IN at the Gold Star Cafe where I had a late breakfast of vegetable quiche. While I was eating two guys came in for lunch and asked about the motorcycle, so I spent the next 20 minutes in motorcycle talk, which is always enjoyable.
My plan had been to ride small back roads to US 6 which parallels the Indiana Toll Road, but I saw two large trucks turn onto the road I'd planned to take, and I decided instead to stay on 2 up to Valpariso. Unfortunately, there had been an accident or something in Valpariso, and I spent 20 minutes at an intersection in the hot sun without moving before I finally turned off the main road and followed several other cars through town to Highway 49, a four-lane road that went north to the turnpike. The tolls on the Indiana and Ohio turnpikes are quite steep for trucks (not cheap for cars and motorcyclists either) and many independent truckers take the old US east-west roads that parallel the toll road so they can save money. It was getting to be mid-afternoon and I was anxious to get to Cleveland, so I decided to take the turnpikes the rest of the way. It was about 95 degrees and a hot and boring ride, and there were about 30 miles of road construction in Indiana and another two 10 miles segments of road construction in Ohio. Not that I saw much work actually going on - in fact I think I only saw half a dozen workers standing around at one point and the rest of the construction zones were just orange barells blocking off a lane with no visible signs of road work past or present. Unlike previous times I'd been on the Ohio Turnpike I did not see any highway patrol, and soon I turned off onto I-90 and twenty minutes later I pulled up in front of Linda and Peter's house in Lakewood, where I am residing in the guest suite for the next couple of days.
(Tuesday, June 28) This morning I walked to the nearby Blackbird Baking Company and picked up a box of almond croissants, and several other tasty delights. If you are ever in Lakewood, Ohio you owe it to yourself to stop at the Blackbird.
Tonight Linda is making kebabcheta, a Bulgarian meat patty dish with ground lamb, ground beef, ground pork, and spices that is cooked on a grill. Nieces, nephew, and grand nieces and nephew will be here as well and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. My grand-nephew, Forde, is restoring a 1969 Mustang and doing all the work himself - wiring, sheet metal, welding, body work, and interior.
I've already done a laundry, so Wednesday will be spent hanging out and catching up with Linda and Peter, and watching my grand-nephew, Gavin, play baseball.
(Thursday, June 30) After one last visit to Blackbird Bakery for croissants I packed the bike and said "goodbye" to Linda and Peter. It was about 75 degrees and I followed Linda's instructions to I-71 which I followed south to Columbus. The temperature never became much higher than 80 degrees under a slightly cloudy sky, and I followed the GPS around I-270 to I-70 east and Pickerington, Ohio where the American Motorcyclist Association headquarters and museum is located.
There aren't a lot of bikes in the museum, but they are nicely displayed, the signage is good, and it's a new building. The theme is a history of American motorcycling with an emphasis on racing, so there are many race bikes on display. There's also industry history, and information about important people in motorcycling as well as posters, memorabilia, and several cases of motorcycle toys and models. I spent about two hours there, which was enough.
After coffee and a snack at a nearby Starbuck's I followed the GPS around Columbus to my niece's house on the west side of the city. She has two girls, one and three, and I visited with them for an hour or so before I got back on the ring road, I-270, to I-70 west. It was the beginning of rush hour, so there was a lot of traffic, but I'm used to California. I've stopped at the Harmony Motel (not one of my better choices) in Springfield Ohio for the night.
There's a forecast for showers tomorrow morning. (252 miles)
(Friday, July 1) It was gray and overcast when I left the motel at 8 this morning, but I didn't put on my overpants or rain gloves because I planned to stop at the first restaurant in Springfield that I saw. Unfortunately, what I saw was one franchise fast food place after another, and then I was out of town. Even riding around the center of town I couldn't find a small cafe or restaurant. By this time the rain had started, and when I finally gave up and pulled into a Frish's Big Boy my jeans and gloves were fairly well soaked. It is traditional for motorcyclists to wait until they are wet before putting on rain gear. The rain had let up by the time I finished breakfast, but I put on my overpants and rain gloves anyway for the short ride to the Air Force Museum in Dayton.
The museum consists of four large buildings, and since I only had an hour I confined myself to the WWII building. There is every plane imaginable from a German V-1 buzz bomb to a B-29 and cutaway of a twin wasp engine. Many of the displays have dioramas, and there are also planes and helicopters hanging from the ceiling.
I raced through the building (another hour would have been just about right, and probably another two hours in each of the other three buildings) and left for Cincinnati a little after 11 for my lunch date with Clark. There was road construction and the traffic on I-75 going into Cincinnati was heavy. The Mecklenburg Gardens is the oldest German restaurant in the city, and I found it after a little bit of driving around - the entrance is around the corner from the actual address, which looks like an abandoned brick building. Clark making good use of his time while he waited for me, and we sat in a booth and ordered lunch. In the picture below Clark tucks into his spicy wurst, which was actually hotter than the mustard. that came with it.
We discussed our plans for the rest of the day - Clark was taking a roundabout route back to Maryland to avoid going over the same roads that he drove getting to the restaurant - and soon we were outside saying our goodbyes, but not before I had a chance to admire Clark's new (to him) Audi A5.Xx
Before leaving Ohio let me comment on the excessive presence of law enforcement (no, I didn't get any tickets): In the past northern Ohio was notorious for its heavy patrols, but a few days ago when I rode on the Ohio Turnpike I don't think that I saw a single patrol car. Yesterday when I got near Columbus I saw seven highway patrol cars in a five mile stretch, and today when I got near Cincinnati I another five or so in a short distance. OK, rant over. Clark headed south on I-75 to Lexington and I continued on I-71 (more traffic) into Kentucky for 20 miles until I exited at US 127, which I followed south. It was good to get back on two-lane after all the Interstates and expressways of the last two days, and Highway 127 didn't disappoint with gentle curves, rolling hills, and good scenery. I stopped in Owenton at the Bird Dog's Cafe for a coffee and slice of cheesecake.
I continued on to Frankfort, then to the Bluegrass Parkway, which has several names, the Martha Lane Collins being just one. The parkway has far fewer trucks and less traffic overall than the Interstates of the last two days, and the wooded hills on either side make for pleasant surroundings. The day was mostly sunny with a temperature of 85, although I did hit a brief shower and I stopped to put on rain gear. This is bourbon country, and I passed by signs for the Four Roses distillery, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, and more. The Day's Inn where I'm staying in Central City, KY cost twice as much as the motel last night, but then the room is easily twice the size and twice as nice - shampoo, Kleenex, and a hair dryer. I believe that this is the first franchise motel of the trip. The Everly Brothers are from Central City, and after a bit of wandering around downtown (about a mile's walk from the motel) I managed to find the monument that was promised on the exit sign from the parkway.
I haven't figured out tomorrow's route, but Little Rock, Arkansas and the Lassis Inn (catfish restaurant) are only 400 miles away. (342 miles today)
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