Mellow
09-20-2006, 01:53 PM
Introduction:
This ride started during a ride back in October 2005. Buzz (Steve) stated he'd never ridden to California and neither had Blink (Rick) aka Trailace on this site. I was there before for an ST event and knew a few good places but also missed a couple like the giant Sequoias and Kings Canyon National Park.
We decided a week would be enough time to hit the coast and then maybe come back through Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Monument Valley, etc...
Well, after some more talk, we thought it would be cool to do Canada since we'd be so close. I had an ST event I had committed myself to attending the following week so the timing might be just right to come back home and hit that event along the way. Then, we I noticed this included the Labor Day holiday, it turned into a 2 week trip with me hitting 2 ST events, one in Colorado and one in Arkansas.
So, from this, The Big Ride emerged. We shaped and formed it day by day, mile by mile until we felt like we had an aggressive but not impossible path to unforgettable memories.
Starting Off - Friday/Saturday (Get to Joshua Tree)[B]Mellow and Buzz
The real Day 1 was classified as when we were all three on the ride so Friday I left about 1pm and headed for Amarillo to meet up with Buzz. I got there pretty early and Buzz showed up just before dark. It was hard to sleep at this particular KOA as one side has a freeway and airport and the other side has a railroad track which I don't remember being there in the past. Anyway, the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles came to mind. I got a couple calls from Blink during the night and I'll let him detail that below.
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In the morning, it was raining so we packed up and headed the 950 miles to Joshua Tree NP in southern California. It was a pretty easy ride with no issues other than the temps climbing up to 108 as soon as we got closer to the desert.
When we got to the park we drove around it and didn't see Blink anywhere and I needed gas so we stopped and gassed up and I checked my messages. Blink said the campground was more off the main road than the park road we had just been at. He also said, you'll see my tent, it's next to a big rock. Did I mention it was dark?
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We recanted the days' events and went to bed.
Blink
As Joe said, the plan was to meet at Joshua Tree NP on Saturday, August 26 and meet we did. However for me it was a ride that almost wasn?t.
I completed all the adjustments and maintenance the weekend before the ride and also did a 150-mile test ride. Everything seemed to be good to go or was it? 100 miles west of Fort Stockton on I10 in a work zone with no shoulder at a speed of 70 MPH it happened. At first I wasn?t sure what was going on but within a few seconds I knew and it was not good. There was a loud noise and the bike was vibrating and jerking all around. There was also a big rig right behind me just to make matters a little more fun. When the noise started, the first thing I did was pull in the clutch and hit the breaks. To my surprise the breaks did not work. Not having a shoulder to pull off on and that big truck coming up my rear I had to make a quick decision on what to do next. Still not sure what was going on I applied more rear break and headed off the road to my right at around 60 MPH. There was broken asphalt, rocks and grass to go through before coming to a stop at the bottom of a ditch. The GS was true all the way to the end. This all took place in less than a minute.
Now it was time to figure out what just happened and if I could still ride the bike. It was pitch dark so first I needed to find my light. With light in hand the problem was apparent, the front right brake caliper was off and just hanging by the break line. To make matters worse it had gone into the spokes and was forced past the front of the forks. The GS Adventure has steel break lines and the hose did not break even under all the force. There were also a few bent spokes (22) but the wheel still looked to be true. The only thing that could have happened was that I had forgotten to tighten the bolts after checking the brakes. I was going to replace them but there were still 50 % of wear left. I had a hard time removing the pad pin and removed the caliper to heat it. It was too hot to hold so I put it back on the bike hand tight and removed the stuck pin. Happy with the fact I got the pin out I forgot all about the bolts and now I?m stuck on the side of I10 in the middle of nowhere.
I removed the front wheel to get the caliper back to the rear of the fork, put it all back together but did not have any bolts to install the caliper. I took one bolt off the left side and would tie strap the other hole on both sides. This would work but would only be a temporary fix. Not liking the idea of a tie strap holding the brakes on I did a little more investigating and found that the bolts holding on the passengers pegs were the same size as the caliper bolts. With the new bolts on it was time to take it for a test ride. I started off slow and everything was working fine. Next I ran her up the 100 and again all was well. I was back on the road in under an hour and made it to Joshua Tree NP before dark, 900 miles later. This could have been real bad but I was extremely lucky it went as well as it did. Can you say Dumb Ass!
[B]Day1 (Joshua Tree to Morro Bay)
Sunday 8/27 (8:30am - 12:30am) 523 Miles
We wake up and watch the sunrise on the desert, great view. Someone, and I can't remember who now, states that Buzz's tire looks like it's not gonna make it.... More on that later.
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We hit the road, get gas and off we go. About 3 hrs later - around 11am - we pull in for some gas as we aren't familiar enough with the area to know where all the stations are and don't want to run out. Buzz opens up his face shield and asks, "Do you guys eat?". We finish up at the station and head down the road another few miles where we stop for breakfast in Kernville.
All of us have camelbaks on the bike so hydration is not even an issue, they were probably the best accessory we had on this ride. We stop for something to eat in this tourist town near Lake Isabella and a 15 year old girl is our waitress, we ask for water and she brings us 3 glasses.. down they go, we ask for 3 more and I think Blink makes the comment, "just bring us a pitcher", so she does. Then, and I don't remember who, we suggest getting the camelbaks off the bike and bringing them in to fill up. I think we went through 2 or 3 more pitchers of water/ice and she never saw up fill the camelbaks - she did keep rolling her eyes.
It was getting warm but we left w/full camelbaks and hit the road again. We hit a stretch of road that would have been incredible if it didn't have so many potholes,cracks, missing sections. I winded it's way up and down dry grass covered hills. It felt like we were there forever and the original route on the GPS wanted us to go through fire roads so it kept having to recalculate a new route. We finally left that area and were nearing the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
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Wow!... I did the Avenue of the Giants drive the last time I was in northern California but missed the big Sequoias and they are truly inspiring.
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We stopped off for some park stickers for the GS guys... The we rode through Kings Canyon NP and the GPS routed us a shortcut, Hwy 245. Holy Cow!... Maybe we were just tired with all the twisties we'd done so far and just wanted to reach the coast and setup our campsite but this road just kept twisting and twisting.
As we reached the coast it was late but you could just see the white outline of the breaking waves hitting the shoreline.
We finally reached Morro Bay State Park late and found a place to setup. It was dark and everyone appeared to be sleeping so we were as quiet as we could be. Once we setup the tents and had a chance to just stand around and talk we heard some flapping in the tall trees above. Not just normal flapping like you'd hear from a sparrow or crow but some midievil presence which implied a horrific man-eating creature was haunting these coastal areas. You could almost feel the wind the giant wings were pushing as the animal was striving to keep it's heavy body above us mere mortals. Then, more sounds, wasn't sure what they were... but there were multiple.
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Well, after closer inspection, the multiple sounds were a barrage of fecal matter fired from giant Turkey Buzzards which apparently roost in the trees above. We moved our bikes away from the target zone and I did what I could to get the 'stuff' off my bike. Interestingly enough, they only like to assault pretty blue bikes.
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Time to sleep.
[B]Day 2 - Morro Bay to Mackerricher
Monday 8/28 (8:30am - 10:00pm) 420 Miles
Today it was time to hit the coast. We woke up and took our time packing then hit the road once again.
It doesn't take long before you start seeing the calmn yet powerful affect of the Pacific.
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As we started on our way I was in the lead an quickly spied a Tour Bus on one of the overlooks and a sign that read "Seal Viewing Point"... I thought, "Cool, we haven't seen many animals on this trip yet". So, I pulled in... I immediately spot a bunch of people feeding squirrels and think to myself, "You bunch of idiots, there are seals somewhere and you are feeding stupid squirrels that you see everyday in your backyard". Well.....
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Need...
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I...
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Say...
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More....
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Now comes the first gas stop on the coast - I remember it was high the last time I was here so that's what I kept saying and our first one was high, the highest of the whole trip.
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This also started the first, and only, fight on the trip. Blink was so concerned about the high gas prices that anytime we saw something reasonable he'd tell me on the CB about it. After about 30 of them I got a little short tempered but it was my fault too for not realizing the first stop was just a typical tourist trap scenario and the rest of the gas we found was pretty much in line and reasonable.
A quick boxing match and we were okay the rest of the trip.
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Time to hit the road again. Got a pic of Buzz and Blink going across the Bixby Bridge.
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And now, time for the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco sure is crowded. But the view of the GGB was incredible.
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Blink even got some seals on a rock.
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It was getting late in the day and we had a long way to go still to our planned campground, Mackerricher State park. We got back on the road and continued until it was getting dark. Blink was leading followed by Buzz an then myself. They passed a pickup pulling a trailer and since it was dark we were taking it easy in case there were any animals however the pickup/trailer was trying to keep up with the two GSs and it was apparent that we had Ricky Bobby on the road with us that night.
We made it to Makerricher State Park to find it covered by little holes in the ground and some had sand on top of them, covering the holes. What was the sand supposed to keep out or in and why weren't ALL the holes covered? We concluded they were alien pods which had hatched and the offspring were hanging in the trees or dark shadows for their turn at eating our brains. Yeah, maybe we've been out too long.. but this was just day 2!...
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[B]Day 3 - Mackerricher to Crater Lake
Tuesday 8/29 (7:00am - 8:50pm) 386 Miles
Day 3 - The trip is really great and we are already dreading the end as we know it will creep up on us way too soon
We pack up and head out - Blink spies a turnout with a drive out to the beach, and tire marks. So, he tells me on the CB he's going for it. Well, the sand is a little deeper than it appeared and he's got full saddlebags/trunk as well as a full 8 gallon GS tank of gas and we just aired up our tires....
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We unload the bike and all three of us get it pointed back to the road. It started off as a cool day but now it's nice and warm... LOL
We continued along the coast some more and came to a great beach...
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Blink mentioned he'd put his foot in the Atlantic and he had to do the same in the Pacific so while we were here:
http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730483-Ti.jpg (http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730483-M.jpg) http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730484-Ti.jpg (http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730484-M.jpg) http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730485-Ti.jpg (http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730485-M.jpg)
After this little jaunt, it was time to get back to the ride. Off to Crater Lake we went and as usual, we showed up after dark.
[B]Day 4 - Crater Lake
Wednesday 8/30
Buzz's tire was looking VERY thin at this point and he was surely stressed about it. So, the options were to tour around Crater lake and then head to Eugene, OR where there was a BMW Dealer or head south to a closer dealer while Blink and myself took a day of rest. The day of rest seemed like a good idea as we'd been riding hard the past couple days and didn't want to get tired and make mistakes.
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Buzz left that morning, got a tire and returned by early afternoon.
We checked out Crater Lake
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Then, back to the campground for dinner and a couple beers.
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And, fire....
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Maybe one too many beers for Blink...
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That pretty much concluded the evening.....
[B]Day 5 - Crater Lake to Paradise Park State Park
Thursday 8/31 (7:20am - 8:00pm) 474 Miles
Hwy 138 north out of Crater Lake was an excellent road!
There were many bridges on this ride.
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The northern part of the coast offers more dramatic cliffs but also seems to have more cities and traffic.
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The city of Seaside was really cool, it had some rolling streets just like San Francisco and opened into a bay area with tankers in it. You could see some ship building areas as well.
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Buzz and Blink were finding stickers the whole trip to put on their luggage. Well, the one for Crater lake fell off Buzz's bike but the one on Blink's bike lasted the whole trip..LOL
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There was no way we were going to make it to Mt Rainier for the end of this day as it would mean we'd be riding through Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier in the dark. So, we found a park (Paradise Park State Park) just off he Highway and got a great spot.
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One thing Buzz learned on this trip was to try putting quarters in the shower to get the hot water working. We saw the water was running so assumed it was hot and cold well, at this park the cold water is free. Buzz didn't know this until he'd froze then after Blink came back, found out he could have taken a hot bath if he'd just tried putting in some quarters.
[B]Day 6 - Paradise Pt. to Citibank RV Park
Friday 9/1 (7:30am - 8:00pm) 458 Miles
Time to head towards Mt St Helens. It was a quick ride in the morning to get there. It was truly incredible to see this area. I saw recently on a Discovery Channel special that the last two years a bulge developed inside the crater area and smoke was coming out of it. It's a very humbling feeling being so close to something that powerful. The road was great but you could see many small cracks and stretches that seemed to imply the area is not as stable as you might think...but...that's how mother earth is..
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After that, we went to Mt Rainier but passed the best photo opportunity thinking there would be many good places to get a great shot.
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We had lunch at a Pizza Hut in Enumclaw, WA where Blink had to fix the toilet before using it... LOL
Now, time to get to Canada!... We hit a bunch of traffic in the Tacoma area and did our best to bypass the Seattle area and enter Canada at Sumas, WA.
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After a few questions from the Customs Agents, we got through..
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We headed north fast and ended up at the Citibank RV Park where we expected a typical RV Park setup with very few tent sites. But, just so happens there was a GoldWing Rally there and they invited us to throw darts and partake in a Turkey Broil the next evening.
The sites were small and we were able to get 3 tents, 3 bikes and a picnic table on a 20x20 site.
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[B]Day 7 - Citibank RV Park to Rampart Creek
Saturday 9/2 (8:00am - 6:00pm) 446 Miles
Today, we got back on the highway and headed towards Jasper. Needed gas so we stopped and met the foremost expert of U.S. crime statistics in Canada - We'll call him Goober. Apparently, EVERY major city in the U.S. is dangerous to live in eh?
We stopped in Jasper for lunch and some gifts for the family.
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Then rode down 93 from Jasper... Wow, that's all I have to say
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We got about half way between Jasper and Banff and decided to stop at a campground just off the road - later we found that due to the Labor Day holiday, it was probably the last one with available sites.
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[B]Day 8 - Rampart Creek to Glacier
Sunday 9/3 (7:00am - 4:00pm) 404 Miles
Today it was time to head towards Banff, the U.S. border and then Glacier National Park.
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We got through the border with no problems, I was the only one without a passport but that's okay until Jan '07 when passports will be mandatory. I had my birth cert. and that was fine. They asked us a bunch of questions and I think were having a little fun with us as it took a few mins...they just waived the car that was behind us through with little hassle.. LOL
We made it to Glacier National park and proabably found the last available site in this campground, again, due to the Labor Day holiday. Buzz pulled out his portable Laundry bucket thing and decided to wash a couple things.. Blink quickly took advantage of the opportunity to wash every single item he brought. He also hung them out to dry. Did I forget to mention our site was right next to the Ampitheatre where a park ranger was giving a speech about bears?... Sure looked like the hillbillies had shown up for a camping trip.
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The beer of the evening was Moose Drool, it was actually very good.
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[B]Day 9 - Glacier to Buffalo, WY
Monday 9/4 (7:00am - 10:00pm) 707 Miles
The next morning - it was time to ride the Going To The Sun Hwy
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We stopped for a picture and decided to test our balancing skills before hitting the twisties...
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One thing is certain, sure takes a long time to get out of Montana. But, there was almost no traffic which was good. Buzz finally decided to lead a little on this trip which was nice but Blink and I think his jetpack was stuck.... "To Infinity and Beyond!"
Lots of bugs today... yeow... I even took one in the right eyeglass as I was opening my faceshield for the only time today to see where Buzz was taking us for the next gas stop...
This is also a sad day as this is our last day before we split off and I head to a couple ST events in Colorado (WeSTOC) and Arkansas (NatSTOC) and Blink/Buzz head to the Badlands.
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[B]Day 10 - Buffalo, WY to Badlands, NP
Tuesday 9/5 (7:00am - 8:30pm) 507 Miles
Buzz wakes up as usual at 3:30 am to relieve himself of night's last few beers and finds Mellow already up and almost packed. They say their goodbyes and well wishes. Mellow takes off. Buzz goes back to sleep.
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Blink and Buzz take their time getting up since they only have around 250 miles or so to go before they hit the Badlands. On the way they stop by Devil's Tower.
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Nice, but after what they had seen on the coast and in Canada, the Tower wasn't that impressive . . . just a big rock rising out of the ground, surrounded by a bunch of gift shops and tour buses.
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We parked in spots marked reserved for Harleys while we picked up some stickers for our bikes.
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Then we took off for Sturgis . . . just to say we had been there. The town was deserted. Most of the wild bars that you hear about were closed. We stopped at a graphics store to get some more stickers for our bikes. Also picked up some oil at NAPA. The plan was to change our oil after we set up camp that night. Apparently, the 2005 Sturgis Rally was a bust -- everywhere we went there was a huge inventory of 2005 Sturgis stuff on sale. After Sturgis, we hit Mt. Rushmore.
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Very cool place, but both of us expected the monument to be larger than it actually was. Impressive nevertheless. So was the Park Ranger next to the teepee. Blink bought another sticker.
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It was late in the evening when we left for the Badlands, NP. When we arrived, the sun was setting and a nearly full moon was rising. It was an incredible sight. Lots of deer and antelope.
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Found a spot to camp, got something to eat at a restaurant in the nearby city of Wall, SD, then had a few beers and called it a night. 40 mile round trip for dinner.
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[B]Day 10 - Badlands, NP and Wall SD
Wednsday 9/6 (8:00am - 8:30pm) 39 Miles
This morning we took the picturesque road through the park and then went to town for breakfast and coffee.
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Mellow?
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Spent the rest of the day shopping for souvenirs, changing our oil, and taking pictures. Buzz turned his charm on a sweet lass sitting on a bench just outside the Wall Drug Store, but was rejected. She just sat there and smiled, didn't say a word.
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Changed our oil three blocks from the police station behind a school.
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Went back to town to cool off -- fudge and carmel ice cream sundaes helped a lot. Had a few beers at the Badlands Bar. Listened to some good music and had fun watching the locals. Buzz dared Blink to arm wrestle a cowgirl with chew in her cheek, but he thought she'd whip his ass 'cause her arms were the size of his legs. He did, however, get up the nerve to ask her if he could take her picture, but she denied him . . . she said she didn't want to end up on the cover of some magazine. Ha! fat chance of that ever happening.
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Ended the day by cruising the park at sunset, and watching the full moon rise over the rocks.
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[B]Day 10 - Badlands, NP to Home
Thurday 9/7 (5:30am - 6:30pm, 12:45AM) 840 Miles or 1305
Woke up before sunrise and headed for home at around 5:30 am. It was an uneventful day of interstate riding, Blink and Buzz switching the lead every 250 miles or so to pass the time. The Kansas Highway Patrol was out in force. One patrol car flashed his lights at Buzz as a friendly reminder of the speed limit and another turned around, but didn't pursue. 840 miles later, at 6:30 pm Buzz arrived home. In usual form, Blink decided to Keep going and made it home at 12:45 am. Nothing like doing 1305 miles on the last leg of a two-week trip!
[B]Here are all the pictures, slideshows and videos/Stats:
Mellow's Pictures
(http://mellow.smugmug.com/gallery/1880874)
Buzz's Pictures
(http://bzzjhnsn.smugmug.com/gallery/1761365)
Blink's Pictures
(http://blink.smugmug.com/gallery/1871804)
Blink's Sideshow (http://users4.ev1.net/%7Etrailace/Videos/The%20Big%20Ride%202006%202.wmv)Stats
Mileage:
Blink: 7,340
Buzz: 6,792
Mellow: 7,850
Highest Temp: 112 degrees (Southern CA Desert)
Lowest Temp: 26 degrees (Crater Lake)
Highest Elevation: 7,787
Lowest Elevation: -16.4
This ride started during a ride back in October 2005. Buzz (Steve) stated he'd never ridden to California and neither had Blink (Rick) aka Trailace on this site. I was there before for an ST event and knew a few good places but also missed a couple like the giant Sequoias and Kings Canyon National Park.
We decided a week would be enough time to hit the coast and then maybe come back through Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Monument Valley, etc...
Well, after some more talk, we thought it would be cool to do Canada since we'd be so close. I had an ST event I had committed myself to attending the following week so the timing might be just right to come back home and hit that event along the way. Then, we I noticed this included the Labor Day holiday, it turned into a 2 week trip with me hitting 2 ST events, one in Colorado and one in Arkansas.
So, from this, The Big Ride emerged. We shaped and formed it day by day, mile by mile until we felt like we had an aggressive but not impossible path to unforgettable memories.
Starting Off - Friday/Saturday (Get to Joshua Tree)[B]Mellow and Buzz
The real Day 1 was classified as when we were all three on the ride so Friday I left about 1pm and headed for Amarillo to meet up with Buzz. I got there pretty early and Buzz showed up just before dark. It was hard to sleep at this particular KOA as one side has a freeway and airport and the other side has a railroad track which I don't remember being there in the past. Anyway, the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles came to mind. I got a couple calls from Blink during the night and I'll let him detail that below.
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In the morning, it was raining so we packed up and headed the 950 miles to Joshua Tree NP in southern California. It was a pretty easy ride with no issues other than the temps climbing up to 108 as soon as we got closer to the desert.
When we got to the park we drove around it and didn't see Blink anywhere and I needed gas so we stopped and gassed up and I checked my messages. Blink said the campground was more off the main road than the park road we had just been at. He also said, you'll see my tent, it's next to a big rock. Did I mention it was dark?
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We recanted the days' events and went to bed.
Blink
As Joe said, the plan was to meet at Joshua Tree NP on Saturday, August 26 and meet we did. However for me it was a ride that almost wasn?t.
I completed all the adjustments and maintenance the weekend before the ride and also did a 150-mile test ride. Everything seemed to be good to go or was it? 100 miles west of Fort Stockton on I10 in a work zone with no shoulder at a speed of 70 MPH it happened. At first I wasn?t sure what was going on but within a few seconds I knew and it was not good. There was a loud noise and the bike was vibrating and jerking all around. There was also a big rig right behind me just to make matters a little more fun. When the noise started, the first thing I did was pull in the clutch and hit the breaks. To my surprise the breaks did not work. Not having a shoulder to pull off on and that big truck coming up my rear I had to make a quick decision on what to do next. Still not sure what was going on I applied more rear break and headed off the road to my right at around 60 MPH. There was broken asphalt, rocks and grass to go through before coming to a stop at the bottom of a ditch. The GS was true all the way to the end. This all took place in less than a minute.
Now it was time to figure out what just happened and if I could still ride the bike. It was pitch dark so first I needed to find my light. With light in hand the problem was apparent, the front right brake caliper was off and just hanging by the break line. To make matters worse it had gone into the spokes and was forced past the front of the forks. The GS Adventure has steel break lines and the hose did not break even under all the force. There were also a few bent spokes (22) but the wheel still looked to be true. The only thing that could have happened was that I had forgotten to tighten the bolts after checking the brakes. I was going to replace them but there were still 50 % of wear left. I had a hard time removing the pad pin and removed the caliper to heat it. It was too hot to hold so I put it back on the bike hand tight and removed the stuck pin. Happy with the fact I got the pin out I forgot all about the bolts and now I?m stuck on the side of I10 in the middle of nowhere.
I removed the front wheel to get the caliper back to the rear of the fork, put it all back together but did not have any bolts to install the caliper. I took one bolt off the left side and would tie strap the other hole on both sides. This would work but would only be a temporary fix. Not liking the idea of a tie strap holding the brakes on I did a little more investigating and found that the bolts holding on the passengers pegs were the same size as the caliper bolts. With the new bolts on it was time to take it for a test ride. I started off slow and everything was working fine. Next I ran her up the 100 and again all was well. I was back on the road in under an hour and made it to Joshua Tree NP before dark, 900 miles later. This could have been real bad but I was extremely lucky it went as well as it did. Can you say Dumb Ass!
[B]Day1 (Joshua Tree to Morro Bay)
Sunday 8/27 (8:30am - 12:30am) 523 Miles
We wake up and watch the sunrise on the desert, great view. Someone, and I can't remember who now, states that Buzz's tire looks like it's not gonna make it.... More on that later.
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We hit the road, get gas and off we go. About 3 hrs later - around 11am - we pull in for some gas as we aren't familiar enough with the area to know where all the stations are and don't want to run out. Buzz opens up his face shield and asks, "Do you guys eat?". We finish up at the station and head down the road another few miles where we stop for breakfast in Kernville.
All of us have camelbaks on the bike so hydration is not even an issue, they were probably the best accessory we had on this ride. We stop for something to eat in this tourist town near Lake Isabella and a 15 year old girl is our waitress, we ask for water and she brings us 3 glasses.. down they go, we ask for 3 more and I think Blink makes the comment, "just bring us a pitcher", so she does. Then, and I don't remember who, we suggest getting the camelbaks off the bike and bringing them in to fill up. I think we went through 2 or 3 more pitchers of water/ice and she never saw up fill the camelbaks - she did keep rolling her eyes.
It was getting warm but we left w/full camelbaks and hit the road again. We hit a stretch of road that would have been incredible if it didn't have so many potholes,cracks, missing sections. I winded it's way up and down dry grass covered hills. It felt like we were there forever and the original route on the GPS wanted us to go through fire roads so it kept having to recalculate a new route. We finally left that area and were nearing the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
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Wow!... I did the Avenue of the Giants drive the last time I was in northern California but missed the big Sequoias and they are truly inspiring.
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We stopped off for some park stickers for the GS guys... The we rode through Kings Canyon NP and the GPS routed us a shortcut, Hwy 245. Holy Cow!... Maybe we were just tired with all the twisties we'd done so far and just wanted to reach the coast and setup our campsite but this road just kept twisting and twisting.
As we reached the coast it was late but you could just see the white outline of the breaking waves hitting the shoreline.
We finally reached Morro Bay State Park late and found a place to setup. It was dark and everyone appeared to be sleeping so we were as quiet as we could be. Once we setup the tents and had a chance to just stand around and talk we heard some flapping in the tall trees above. Not just normal flapping like you'd hear from a sparrow or crow but some midievil presence which implied a horrific man-eating creature was haunting these coastal areas. You could almost feel the wind the giant wings were pushing as the animal was striving to keep it's heavy body above us mere mortals. Then, more sounds, wasn't sure what they were... but there were multiple.
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Well, after closer inspection, the multiple sounds were a barrage of fecal matter fired from giant Turkey Buzzards which apparently roost in the trees above. We moved our bikes away from the target zone and I did what I could to get the 'stuff' off my bike. Interestingly enough, they only like to assault pretty blue bikes.
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Time to sleep.
[B]Day 2 - Morro Bay to Mackerricher
Monday 8/28 (8:30am - 10:00pm) 420 Miles
Today it was time to hit the coast. We woke up and took our time packing then hit the road once again.
It doesn't take long before you start seeing the calmn yet powerful affect of the Pacific.
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As we started on our way I was in the lead an quickly spied a Tour Bus on one of the overlooks and a sign that read "Seal Viewing Point"... I thought, "Cool, we haven't seen many animals on this trip yet". So, I pulled in... I immediately spot a bunch of people feeding squirrels and think to myself, "You bunch of idiots, there are seals somewhere and you are feeding stupid squirrels that you see everyday in your backyard". Well.....
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Need...
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I...
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Say...
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More....
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Now comes the first gas stop on the coast - I remember it was high the last time I was here so that's what I kept saying and our first one was high, the highest of the whole trip.
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This also started the first, and only, fight on the trip. Blink was so concerned about the high gas prices that anytime we saw something reasonable he'd tell me on the CB about it. After about 30 of them I got a little short tempered but it was my fault too for not realizing the first stop was just a typical tourist trap scenario and the rest of the gas we found was pretty much in line and reasonable.
A quick boxing match and we were okay the rest of the trip.
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Time to hit the road again. Got a pic of Buzz and Blink going across the Bixby Bridge.
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And now, time for the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco sure is crowded. But the view of the GGB was incredible.
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Blink even got some seals on a rock.
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It was getting late in the day and we had a long way to go still to our planned campground, Mackerricher State park. We got back on the road and continued until it was getting dark. Blink was leading followed by Buzz an then myself. They passed a pickup pulling a trailer and since it was dark we were taking it easy in case there were any animals however the pickup/trailer was trying to keep up with the two GSs and it was apparent that we had Ricky Bobby on the road with us that night.
We made it to Makerricher State Park to find it covered by little holes in the ground and some had sand on top of them, covering the holes. What was the sand supposed to keep out or in and why weren't ALL the holes covered? We concluded they were alien pods which had hatched and the offspring were hanging in the trees or dark shadows for their turn at eating our brains. Yeah, maybe we've been out too long.. but this was just day 2!...
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[B]Day 3 - Mackerricher to Crater Lake
Tuesday 8/29 (7:00am - 8:50pm) 386 Miles
Day 3 - The trip is really great and we are already dreading the end as we know it will creep up on us way too soon
We pack up and head out - Blink spies a turnout with a drive out to the beach, and tire marks. So, he tells me on the CB he's going for it. Well, the sand is a little deeper than it appeared and he's got full saddlebags/trunk as well as a full 8 gallon GS tank of gas and we just aired up our tires....
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We unload the bike and all three of us get it pointed back to the road. It started off as a cool day but now it's nice and warm... LOL
We continued along the coast some more and came to a great beach...
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Blink mentioned he'd put his foot in the Atlantic and he had to do the same in the Pacific so while we were here:
http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730483-Ti.jpg (http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730483-M.jpg) http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730484-Ti.jpg (http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730484-M.jpg) http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730485-Ti.jpg (http://mellow.smugmug.com/photos/94730485-M.jpg)
After this little jaunt, it was time to get back to the ride. Off to Crater Lake we went and as usual, we showed up after dark.
[B]Day 4 - Crater Lake
Wednesday 8/30
Buzz's tire was looking VERY thin at this point and he was surely stressed about it. So, the options were to tour around Crater lake and then head to Eugene, OR where there was a BMW Dealer or head south to a closer dealer while Blink and myself took a day of rest. The day of rest seemed like a good idea as we'd been riding hard the past couple days and didn't want to get tired and make mistakes.
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Buzz left that morning, got a tire and returned by early afternoon.
We checked out Crater Lake
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Then, back to the campground for dinner and a couple beers.
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And, fire....
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Maybe one too many beers for Blink...
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That pretty much concluded the evening.....
[B]Day 5 - Crater Lake to Paradise Park State Park
Thursday 8/31 (7:20am - 8:00pm) 474 Miles
Hwy 138 north out of Crater Lake was an excellent road!
There were many bridges on this ride.
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The northern part of the coast offers more dramatic cliffs but also seems to have more cities and traffic.
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The city of Seaside was really cool, it had some rolling streets just like San Francisco and opened into a bay area with tankers in it. You could see some ship building areas as well.
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Buzz and Blink were finding stickers the whole trip to put on their luggage. Well, the one for Crater lake fell off Buzz's bike but the one on Blink's bike lasted the whole trip..LOL
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There was no way we were going to make it to Mt Rainier for the end of this day as it would mean we'd be riding through Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier in the dark. So, we found a park (Paradise Park State Park) just off he Highway and got a great spot.
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One thing Buzz learned on this trip was to try putting quarters in the shower to get the hot water working. We saw the water was running so assumed it was hot and cold well, at this park the cold water is free. Buzz didn't know this until he'd froze then after Blink came back, found out he could have taken a hot bath if he'd just tried putting in some quarters.
[B]Day 6 - Paradise Pt. to Citibank RV Park
Friday 9/1 (7:30am - 8:00pm) 458 Miles
Time to head towards Mt St Helens. It was a quick ride in the morning to get there. It was truly incredible to see this area. I saw recently on a Discovery Channel special that the last two years a bulge developed inside the crater area and smoke was coming out of it. It's a very humbling feeling being so close to something that powerful. The road was great but you could see many small cracks and stretches that seemed to imply the area is not as stable as you might think...but...that's how mother earth is..
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After that, we went to Mt Rainier but passed the best photo opportunity thinking there would be many good places to get a great shot.
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We had lunch at a Pizza Hut in Enumclaw, WA where Blink had to fix the toilet before using it... LOL
Now, time to get to Canada!... We hit a bunch of traffic in the Tacoma area and did our best to bypass the Seattle area and enter Canada at Sumas, WA.
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After a few questions from the Customs Agents, we got through..
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We headed north fast and ended up at the Citibank RV Park where we expected a typical RV Park setup with very few tent sites. But, just so happens there was a GoldWing Rally there and they invited us to throw darts and partake in a Turkey Broil the next evening.
The sites were small and we were able to get 3 tents, 3 bikes and a picnic table on a 20x20 site.
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[B]Day 7 - Citibank RV Park to Rampart Creek
Saturday 9/2 (8:00am - 6:00pm) 446 Miles
Today, we got back on the highway and headed towards Jasper. Needed gas so we stopped and met the foremost expert of U.S. crime statistics in Canada - We'll call him Goober. Apparently, EVERY major city in the U.S. is dangerous to live in eh?
We stopped in Jasper for lunch and some gifts for the family.
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Then rode down 93 from Jasper... Wow, that's all I have to say
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We got about half way between Jasper and Banff and decided to stop at a campground just off the road - later we found that due to the Labor Day holiday, it was probably the last one with available sites.
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[B]Day 8 - Rampart Creek to Glacier
Sunday 9/3 (7:00am - 4:00pm) 404 Miles
Today it was time to head towards Banff, the U.S. border and then Glacier National Park.
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We got through the border with no problems, I was the only one without a passport but that's okay until Jan '07 when passports will be mandatory. I had my birth cert. and that was fine. They asked us a bunch of questions and I think were having a little fun with us as it took a few mins...they just waived the car that was behind us through with little hassle.. LOL
We made it to Glacier National park and proabably found the last available site in this campground, again, due to the Labor Day holiday. Buzz pulled out his portable Laundry bucket thing and decided to wash a couple things.. Blink quickly took advantage of the opportunity to wash every single item he brought. He also hung them out to dry. Did I forget to mention our site was right next to the Ampitheatre where a park ranger was giving a speech about bears?... Sure looked like the hillbillies had shown up for a camping trip.
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The beer of the evening was Moose Drool, it was actually very good.
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[B]Day 9 - Glacier to Buffalo, WY
Monday 9/4 (7:00am - 10:00pm) 707 Miles
The next morning - it was time to ride the Going To The Sun Hwy
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We stopped for a picture and decided to test our balancing skills before hitting the twisties...
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One thing is certain, sure takes a long time to get out of Montana. But, there was almost no traffic which was good. Buzz finally decided to lead a little on this trip which was nice but Blink and I think his jetpack was stuck.... "To Infinity and Beyond!"
Lots of bugs today... yeow... I even took one in the right eyeglass as I was opening my faceshield for the only time today to see where Buzz was taking us for the next gas stop...
This is also a sad day as this is our last day before we split off and I head to a couple ST events in Colorado (WeSTOC) and Arkansas (NatSTOC) and Blink/Buzz head to the Badlands.
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[B]Day 10 - Buffalo, WY to Badlands, NP
Tuesday 9/5 (7:00am - 8:30pm) 507 Miles
Buzz wakes up as usual at 3:30 am to relieve himself of night's last few beers and finds Mellow already up and almost packed. They say their goodbyes and well wishes. Mellow takes off. Buzz goes back to sleep.
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Blink and Buzz take their time getting up since they only have around 250 miles or so to go before they hit the Badlands. On the way they stop by Devil's Tower.
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Nice, but after what they had seen on the coast and in Canada, the Tower wasn't that impressive . . . just a big rock rising out of the ground, surrounded by a bunch of gift shops and tour buses.
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We parked in spots marked reserved for Harleys while we picked up some stickers for our bikes.
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Then we took off for Sturgis . . . just to say we had been there. The town was deserted. Most of the wild bars that you hear about were closed. We stopped at a graphics store to get some more stickers for our bikes. Also picked up some oil at NAPA. The plan was to change our oil after we set up camp that night. Apparently, the 2005 Sturgis Rally was a bust -- everywhere we went there was a huge inventory of 2005 Sturgis stuff on sale. After Sturgis, we hit Mt. Rushmore.
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Very cool place, but both of us expected the monument to be larger than it actually was. Impressive nevertheless. So was the Park Ranger next to the teepee. Blink bought another sticker.
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It was late in the evening when we left for the Badlands, NP. When we arrived, the sun was setting and a nearly full moon was rising. It was an incredible sight. Lots of deer and antelope.
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Found a spot to camp, got something to eat at a restaurant in the nearby city of Wall, SD, then had a few beers and called it a night. 40 mile round trip for dinner.
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[B]Day 10 - Badlands, NP and Wall SD
Wednsday 9/6 (8:00am - 8:30pm) 39 Miles
This morning we took the picturesque road through the park and then went to town for breakfast and coffee.
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Mellow?
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Spent the rest of the day shopping for souvenirs, changing our oil, and taking pictures. Buzz turned his charm on a sweet lass sitting on a bench just outside the Wall Drug Store, but was rejected. She just sat there and smiled, didn't say a word.
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Changed our oil three blocks from the police station behind a school.
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Went back to town to cool off -- fudge and carmel ice cream sundaes helped a lot. Had a few beers at the Badlands Bar. Listened to some good music and had fun watching the locals. Buzz dared Blink to arm wrestle a cowgirl with chew in her cheek, but he thought she'd whip his ass 'cause her arms were the size of his legs. He did, however, get up the nerve to ask her if he could take her picture, but she denied him . . . she said she didn't want to end up on the cover of some magazine. Ha! fat chance of that ever happening.
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Ended the day by cruising the park at sunset, and watching the full moon rise over the rocks.
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[B]Day 10 - Badlands, NP to Home
Thurday 9/7 (5:30am - 6:30pm, 12:45AM) 840 Miles or 1305
Woke up before sunrise and headed for home at around 5:30 am. It was an uneventful day of interstate riding, Blink and Buzz switching the lead every 250 miles or so to pass the time. The Kansas Highway Patrol was out in force. One patrol car flashed his lights at Buzz as a friendly reminder of the speed limit and another turned around, but didn't pursue. 840 miles later, at 6:30 pm Buzz arrived home. In usual form, Blink decided to Keep going and made it home at 12:45 am. Nothing like doing 1305 miles on the last leg of a two-week trip!
[B]Here are all the pictures, slideshows and videos/Stats:
Mellow's Pictures
(http://mellow.smugmug.com/gallery/1880874)
Buzz's Pictures
(http://bzzjhnsn.smugmug.com/gallery/1761365)
Blink's Pictures
(http://blink.smugmug.com/gallery/1871804)
Blink's Sideshow (http://users4.ev1.net/%7Etrailace/Videos/The%20Big%20Ride%202006%202.wmv)Stats
Mileage:
Blink: 7,340
Buzz: 6,792
Mellow: 7,850
Highest Temp: 112 degrees (Southern CA Desert)
Lowest Temp: 26 degrees (Crater Lake)
Highest Elevation: 7,787
Lowest Elevation: -16.4