4 Corner States Ride

28 August 2009

My riding buddy Rick from Ft Worth, TX and I had been planning this ride for over a year. We planned to meet in Albuquerque, NM and ride for 15 days through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona, seeing about every National Park and many points of interest along the way. Hotel reservations were made as well and reservations to ride the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and the Verde Canyon Railroad during our trip.

Back when I started planning this ride, I coaxed Rick into fixing up his vintage Yamaha XS 1100, which he hadn’t ridden for over 15 years. Rick began the tedious process of tearing it down and restoring his bike from the bottom up right away. A lot of effort went into getting it ready to run for the first time. I was there visiting him and his family when he has about ready to try it out. We finished putting the carbs back together, connected the gas tank, with 15 year old gas in it, hook up the boat battery to give it plenty of spark and gave it a shot. We tried the electric starter and kicked it over several times. Then we checked to see if the carbs were getting gas and tried it again. After a few more kicks and leaning on the electric starter a few more times the bike began to show signs of life. It was running but only on two cylinders. Over the course of several weeks, Rick got it running on all four. Several new (old stock) parts had to be located and ordered, and the day finally arrived when Rick felt it was ready to test ride. It didn’t idle very well, but ran strong at higher RPM. Rick was satisfied with the bikes performance, so it was beginning to look like the Four Corner States Ride would happen.

Mean while I was getting my 2008 Road King Classic fixed up. I had Earl Burley of Burley Performance upgrade the engine from 96cc to 103cc including cam and gearing changes. I also had it dyno-tuned, so now puts out 98 HP and 106 ft/lbs of torque, that’s about a 30% improvement over stock. Over the course of the next month, I road it frequently to break the engine in smoothly. By the end of August it would be ready to go.

We made some changes to the plan, to work in the Cumbres Toltec Rail Road ride. So now we would be meeting in Durango, CO instead of Albuquerque, NM. With all the details worked out, I was packed and ready to head out on Friday August 28. I’d be stopping in Kingsman, AZ and again in Tuba City AZ before meeting up with Rick in Durango, CO.

August 28, 2009

Weather was cooperative, but hot. The hydrator vest I’d brought came in handy as well as the camelback filled with cold water. I made it to Kingman with no problems, but tired and hot. I’d planned to check out the Grand Canyon Skywalk if there was time and there was.

The Skywalk is a glass walkway on Hualapai tribal grounds which extends out over the Grand Canyon sixty-six feet. I was looking forward to the experience. I headed north out of Kingman on I-95 toward Bolder City, NV and turned east to head toward the Skywalk. This road eventually turned into dirt, but was grated fairly well, so not much of a problem for a street bike. Closer to the Indian reservation where the Skywalk is located the road worsened, but I’d come along way and decided to stick it out. It got worse yet. For a couple miles the road turns into thick gravel. This was a challenge to ride through, but I made to the reservation without any problems. The cost to experience the skywalk itself is additional to entering the reservation and the tram that gets you there. Plan to spend $100 if you decide to eat there as well. Admission to the park is $50 and it costs an additional $30 just to walk out onto the walkway. You are not permitted to take cameras onto the skywalk, but photographers stationed there are happy to take your picture for an additional fee. In all, I felt the experience was not worth the effort or cost and I still had the ride back through the gravel and dirt road. I took a more direct route back to Kingman when I made it back to the blacktop. The road was pretty deserted. I passed maybe ten cars the whole way back into town.

Back at Kingman, I was ready to check out the pool and get cooled off, but it was closed for repair and my bike was filthy with road dirt. I got some rags from the hotel front desk and got to work. After an hour, it was presentable again. The ice bucket from the hotel room was now a muddy mess, but it cleaned up alright.

August 29, 2009

The road to Tuba City was uneventful, albeit hot. The bike was running smoothly and strong with the engine upgrades. Passing slower vehicles was simply a matter of a little more throttle, even in sixth gear.

August 30, 2009

I made it to Durango in the early afternoon. The weather had cooled off considerably and there were some rain clouds in the area. I made it to the hotel room and check in. I expected Rick at any time.

No sooner had I unpacked and cleaned up the bike a bit that Rick arrived. His Yamaha ran great from Ft Worth with no problems. After unloading his gear we went for lunch and then a ride up the Million Dollar Highway north out of Durango toward Silverton. We didn’t get far before the rain clouds opened up, and poured out more rain than we cared to deal with, so we headed back to the hotel.

August 31, 2009

The next day the weather had improved and there was no rain in the forecast. We headed toward downtown on foot and caught the trolley to the train station. The Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a great train ride along the Animas River. The canyon route is narrow and very picturesque.

The train crosses the canyon half way up to Silverton and goes over an old trestle where the train releases extra steam to slow the train and stabilize the water in the boiler, before heading up the canyon on the eastern side. The effect of crossing the trestle and the train releasing steam is dramatic. The trip is pretty long since the train’s maximum speed is 13 mph, but we finally made it to Silverton. Silverton is a great little town that looks much the way it did a century ago. Most income in the town is based on based on tourism, but the town was started back in the mid-1800s for mining silver. We got several pictures had lunch at Sugar Bear’s café and hopped back on the train heading back to Durango.

Back in town we decided to head over to Mama Boy’s Italian Restaurant for dinner. Dinner was excellent and filling. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the next day. We needed to get up early to make it to the Cumbres Toltec Train Ride in Chama NM. That night however, I took my sleep medication a little late and spent a restless night.

September 1, 2009

In the morning, I mentioned to Rick that I felt half asleep still, but we started out anyway. We had a train to catch. We made it to Pagosa Springs and stopped for breakfast. After breakfast, I still felt tired, but I’d ridden tired before. Maybe not quite this tired however.

I few miles out of Pagosa Springs I was following Rick and became drowsy. The next thing I knew, I was riding on the shoulder of the road. I began slowing down and tried a couple of times to carefully get back on the asphalt, but was not successful. After the second attempt failed, I continued to slow, when the right-side engine guard and right floor board contacted the ground. The bike slowed down very fast, but I didn’t. I was airborne for a few seconds and hit the ground pretty hard, rolling several times before coming to a stop. I had some aches and pains, but got up and removed my gloves and helmet with some difficulty. I made my way up to the bike to check on it. There was some obvious damage to the engine guard and the saddle bags, but other than that it did not look in too bad of shape. I did some additional assessment on myself and could tell I had a few broken bones. Rick arrived back at the scene wondering what happened. I didn’t have a good answer for him, but felt I must have dozed off for a moment. I decided to sit down. No position felt very comfortable standing, sitting or laying down. A few cars stopped to help. One guy with a radio called Pagosa Springs Hospital and requested an ambulance. The ambulance arrived quickly, assessed my condition and carted me off to the hospital. There was not much activity at the hospital accept for those helping me. X-rays indicated three broken ribs on the left side a broken clavicle and pinky finger. On the right side, a severely commutated fracture of the wrist. With this much broken stuff, the ride was over.

While laying there trying to figure out what to do, my cell phone rang. Rick answered it. My wife Shanna was on the line. Rick handed me the phone. She had a question about the computer, it seemed the internet at home did not work. I explained how to reset it as best I could. She sensed something in my voice and asked it everything was okay. I had to tell her the bad news.
There were a couple of options from this point, stick around Durango area until the doctors could operate on me (three day wait) or head for home and check in with my own doctor. We decided on the latter. Rick volunteered to leave his bike at the hospital, rent a car and drive me home to Ridgecrest, some 800+ miles one way. I explained our plans to my wife and we started making preparations.

The bike has hauled to Durango Harley Davidson awaiting insurance agent inspection and direction to begin repairs. Rick got the rental car packed and the hospital staff helped me into the car. The drive home was good and bad. It was not easy to remain comfortable in one position very long. Rick had to continually stop and help me get adjusted. When we stopped for the night, he had to help me out of the car plus carry in all the baggage from both our bikes. He also helped me in and out of bed, etc. That was the bad. The good was we had a lot of time to talk about things and get to even better acquainted with each other.

September 3 – 4, 2009

A couple days later, we arrived home. Shanna was happy we made it safely and we were both grateful for Rick’s help. Rick spent the night and left the next day for Pagosa Springs. He arrived a couple days later without any trouble and found his bike just as he left it.

I spent the next few days generally in pain despite the great meds provided by the hospital and pharmacy. I was happy that I could at least use my XBOX 360 hand controller. Shanna had made an appointment with the Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI) in Bakersfield for Tuesday. Rick left on a Friday. So I had a few days to wait before seeing a doctor.

Rick decided to finish at least part of the ride we started and left Pagosa Springs to see Mesa Verde, but when he got there his Yamaha started running poorly. One of the coils quit functioning, so the motor was running on two of four cylinders. Finding a replacement coil would not easy in fact it turned out to be impossible. Rick headed back to Fort Worth TX on two cylinders, stopping at nearly every gas station along the way. Rick said of his experience, “It was like riding a 600 lb Moped at 50 mph, that gets 20 miles per gallon”. Rick did finally make it back safely to Ft Worth and is in the process of fixing up his bike again.

September 8, 2009

When we did finally get in to see the doctor, there was some good and bad news. X-rays showed that my left wrist was not that bad, but I also had broken my left ring finger. The doctor’s assistant for the broken ribs and clavicle said there was not much that could be done about them and that they would heal the way they were. That was not an acceptable answer to me, my clavicle simply had to be repaired. I could live with the broken ribs. The wrist doctor indicated he cold not fit me into his schedule for a few days, but that surgery needed to be performed sooner than that anyway. He recommended Dr. Shapiro. I asked him if Dr. Shapiro was as good as he was. He looked me in the eye and said he would let him work on himself. I decided that was good enough for me. Dr. Shapiro came in. He looked about in his mid twenties. I wondered how much experience he had. He introduced himself as a trauma surgeon and began to explain the situation to me. He began to draw on the paper sheet covering the examination bed what my situation was. He outlined my clavicle break and my wrist and finger breaks were. I could tell he knew what he was talking about I had already checkout the x-rays. His plans were to install an external fixator on my right wrist, a plate on the right ring finger and a plate on my clavicle after adjusting all the bones back into place. He indicated he was available tomorrow. I thought this was great news and was ready for him to get to work. After some initial hospital check-in procedures, we headed home and back again the next morning.

September 10, 2009

We got all checked in and the anesthesiologist came into see me. They hooked me up wheeled me into another room and that’s about all I remember. When I woke up a few hours later I felt great. The pain in my wrist was minimal and I was lying comfortable with the new plate holding my clavicle together. The ribs still hurt if I moved very much, but I felt much better. Dr. Shapiro had to leave right after he finished fixing me up for another accident injury. I found out later that he was called away to help another patient that had been admitted because he was not able to breathe very well due to several broken ribs and broken clavicle, another motorcyclist that had fallen asleep while riding his bike and wrecked. What a coincident I thought. With all the new hardware in place we headed for home.

Adjusting to the new hardware was relatively easy. I frequently changed the bandaging around the fixator to keep comfortable ad make sure it was healing properly. The healing process was going well. After a few days, the discomfort with my ribs subsided to where I could sleep on my right side. It is still difficult to sleep on the left side due to the pressure on the left clavicle and the plate that is in place there.

September 23, 2009

Today I went into see my personal physician. He was surprised to see my new hardware modifications. I told him the story and mentioned I needed to get off my current sleep medication and that I’d like to try something a little less intrusive a friend had told me about. This new medication called Clonazepam was supposed to calm down my brain activity allowing me to fall to sleep naturally. My doctor agreed to allow me to try if for a month and wrote me a prescription for the new medication. I began sleeping pretty well right away. After a few days, I was sleeping fine and waking up not feeling sleepy or half-drugged as I did on the previous medication. Hopefully this new medication will continue to allow me to sleep well with out the residual effects of the previous drug, if I happen to not get enough sleep the night before.

October 15, 1009

I went in to see the doctor at SCOI again today. Dr Shapiro was unavailable so I saw Dr Bowen instead. He was preparing to remove all the external fixator hardware, but all he had to work with was a pair of pliers. I thought I could have done the job more efficiently at home with my Dremmel kit, but in a few minutes the pliers did the job and all four posts and brackets were removed. I got to help a little and removed one of the pins by pulling it out with my fingers. The doctor removed the rest of the pins, five in all and applied several bandages to stop the bleeding from all nine separate punctures. The doctor gave me a wrist guard to wear and told me not to bend my wrist for the next couple of weeks. I wore it most of the time but took it off occasionally to exercise my hand and wrist a little. We scheduled therapy to begin Nov 2. I hoped Tracy Stoddard would still be there. She had worked with me on my left wrist when I broke it during another motorcycle accident two years ago.

November 2, 2009

Therapy commenced with Tracy as I hoped. She took some initial measurements of my current strength and range-of-motion and made some notes. Over the course of the next couple weeks she did a great job helping me increase my strength and range-of-motion.

November 12, 2009

Today I go back to see Dr Bowen for hopefully the last time. I have a report from Tracy on my initial measurements and current strength range-of-motion to give to him. Flexibility and strength are returning, but as with all things, it sill take some effort and some time to regain what I have lost.

Meanwhile, the motorcycle is still in Durango at the Harley Davidson shop waiting for a couple more specialized parts. I hope it will be completed soon after Thanksgiving so I can head back out there to retrieve it. I hope to do a little riding just to make sure everything is okay. There is a long list of parts that are being replaced. Thankfully the engine, transmission, frame, wheels and brakes are all in tact. A lot of superficial hardware was damaged even though when I looked it over months before, it did not look that bad. Evidently the HD shop in Durango found several things I had overlooked.

Another local riding buddy also named Tom has volunteered to ride back out to Durango with me to help trailer the bike back. I can’t wait to have it back.

November 24, 2009

I heard from the Harley Davidson Shop in Durango that my bike is finally ready to be picked up. Here’s the plan for retrieving it:
1. Another friend Wade volunteered his trailer. So I plan to pick it up Saturday.
2. Tom and I plan head out that afternoon
3. Stop in Williams the first night
4. Drive to Durango on Monday and stay the night there
5. Pick up the bike Tuesday from the shop and take it for a test ride.
6. Drive back to Williams that day
7. Return home Wednesday.

November 29, 2009 – December 1, 2009

We headed out as planned and made it to Durango with no problem. We picked up the bike Tuesday morning when the Durango Harley dealership opened up. We decided we wouldn’t use the trailer since the weather was so nice. Tom and I took turns riding it from Durango to Ridgecrest about 800+ miles.

We took a slight detour in Arizona and headed east off 89 onto 64 along the south rim of the Grand Canyon. This route was pretty cold and there was some snow and ice along the road in spots, but there were no problems navigating through any of it. The sun was beginning to go down when we got there and we got some great pictures from a few spots along the way. As we exited the park the sun was setting and we ended up driving in the dark for a little while getting into Williams. My electric jacket and gloves really came in handy on this part of the trip, but my dark visor didn’t help and I had to leave it up to be able to see. By the time we got back to the hotel my face was freezing.

December 2, 2009

The next day was warmer and the electric gear was not needed. We got back into Ridgecrest about sunset. The bike ran fine the entire trip. The exhaust is a bit louder than what was previously installed, but it sounds even more like a Harley in Tom’s words. I guess I’ll leave it that way.

Although my wife Shanna would like me to sell the bike, I’m not quite ready to give up. My passion for riding is still strong despite the accidents I’ve already had. The medication change and the lesson I learned the hard way to not ride tired should help prevent a similar accident in the future. Only time will tell. I’ll take it slow and easy to begin with and limit riding to back and forth to work and short trips on weekends. Maybe next year Rick and I can finish the ride we started without interruptions.

Ridgecrest CA to Gainesville TX and Back

March 2009

My name is Tom. This story is about a recent ride with a friend named Greg. The trip was Greg’s idea. There was some comfort knowing that, in case anything went wrong. Nothing did. Greg mentioned to me sometime ago, that he wanted to ride to Gainesville TX to visit his family. When I asked if he wanted some company he said yes. I’d recently gotten some new tires for my Road King (Dunlop Elite Series 3) and before placing too much confidence in a new tread pattern, I wanted to try them out on different riding conditions, roadway and weather. These tires would be fully tested before returning. Planned departure was Thursday Mar 18th from Ridgecrest, CA for Gainesville TX and return Saturday Mar 28th. This ten day trip would take all of four days at 400 miles per day to get to there and the same time but more miles per day on return. The total miles were 3273. Greg formed the ride plan and with some minor alterations we stuck to it.

Day 1: Ridgecrest, CA to Williams, AZ. Total miles: 452.7. Depart 0730

Greg and I left Ridgecrest for our first night stop in Williams AZ. We headed south on I-395 to I-58 east. The wild flowers at Kramer junction to Barstow were awesome and the smell was unbelievable. From Barstow we headed east on I-40 to Needles. This part of I-40 was particularly rough and bumpy. Across the border in Arizona, the road improved. We stopped for a burger at the In & Out in Kingman, AZ. As the altitude increased, the cooler air was a welcome refreshment to the warmer temperatures we’d come from.
We also stopped in Seligman AZ, birth place of Route 66. We topped off and headed out. We passed Williams to go to the Harley shop at Belleville (Grand Junction Harley). Not a big store, but they had just what we needed, t-shirts. We backtracked to Williams and stayed at the Days Inn, right next to Denny’s and a Shell station for convenience. The inconvenience part was our room was upstairs. Carting bike gear up and down, in and out is no way to spend time after a long ride. We were looking forward to a nice warm soak in the jacuzzi. As we headed to Denny’s for dinner, we found that the pool/jacuzzi at the hotel was indoors, heated, and full of noisy kids. We decided against the jacuzzi experience and looked forward to a warm soak at tomorrow night’s hotel.
After a rather lousy dinner, we headed back across the parking lot to the room, to complete our daily routine - bike cleaning, unpacking, ride debriefing, log entering, weather checking, ride planning, repacking, home phoning and eyes shutting.

Day 2: Williams, AZ To Socorro, NM. Total miles: 405. Depart 0620

The day started out at 18 degrees. That’s cold. Electric gear makes all the difference in such weather. Breakfast in Winslow, AZ (another Denny’s) was awful. Should we have expected different? I didn’t sleep very well in Williams, and spent the entire day groggy and tired. Not a good thing when riding several hours.
Going through the hills on the way down from Springerville we were behind a motor home going 45 in the curves. We followed for about 2 miles, when all of a sudden a New Mexico Highway Patrol car with lights passed us and stopped the motor home. I guess in New Mexico when motorcycles are slowed down behind motor homes, the motor home gets pulled over to let the motorcycles by. We then stopped in Reserve, NM for a break at a cool bar and had a chat with an older guy about motorcycle riding around the area. About 80 miles out of Socorro, NM the weather was threatening so we put on rain gear. It rained for 4 seconds. High winds from the south, gusting to 40 mph blew the storm out and us into Socorro, NM. The Days Inn at Socorro was okay (15 deer hunters partied till 1100 pm). The motel clerk recommended El Sombrero for dinner (excellent layered enchiladas with sopapias). Back to the hotel. Daily routine complete. Pool empty. No Jacuzzi.

Day 3: Socorro, NM. To Post, TX. Total miles: 351. Depart 0720

The ride from Lincoln to Picato road was awesome. A lot of tight turns and fun riding. The Roswell Harley shop was a cool place, but the help sucked. A 5 out of 10 rating from Greg. From 10 miles east of Roswell the horizon stretched out in front of us to infinity. It was here that Greg had a close encounter with a UFO. His face shield took a direct hit from a large bug, a real green, drippy, slimy mess, making a stop unavoidable. Next stop Post TX.
The Best Western clerk in Post recommended Georges for dinner, a Mexican restaurant that serves great BBQ, imagine that. The BBQ was awesome (get the sliced brisket rather than chopped). The clerk at the hotel also let us park our motorcycles right in front of the main entrance for security. Daily routine complete. The pool was open but freezing cold. No Jacuzzi.

Day 4: Post, TX To Gainesville, TX and Fort Worth, TX. Total miles: 279. Depart 0720

Departed at 0720 and it was not getting light yet because the sun was behind the clouds. We headed east for about 10 miles and then stopped to take pictures of the sun as it peaked through the clouds. Got a couple before the sun went back in the clouds. The road was nothing but long and straight for endless miles, with no scenery whatsoever. About the only entertainment to break the monotony was seeing an oil well that was not working. We were bored to tears and could not wait till there was a curve or hill. It was another windy day. When we arrived in Decatur, TX, we got gas/food and went to our separate destinations. Greg headed north on 51 to Gainesville, TX to visit his dad and I headed south to Weatherford, TX an on to Forth Worth, TX to stay with friends.

Day 5 Visit with family and friends

Day 6: Gainesville/Fort Worth to Vega, TX. Greg and Tom met at 1000 in Henrietta, TX off Highway 287. Total miles: 348.9. Depart 0815

Greg left Gainesville at 0820 and arrived in Henrietta, TX at 1000. I arrived at the same time, but had to look around to find the Shell station where Greg was waiting. The weather in Gainesville was cloudy and windy. Greg put on his raingear just in case, but did not need it. The clouds in Munster, TX were very unstable, warm below and cold above (perfect tornado weather). Although Greg got through the weather okay, he found out later that there were 2 tornados that touched down 30 minutes after he passed through Munster.
I departed Ft Worth expecting rain and hit it east of Weatherford just enough to appreciate that I’d worn my rain gear. After passing under the worst of the storm, the sky started to lighten up and pretty soon the clouds were gone, and the sky was clear. The wind picked up at this point and it was much colder than we’d been used to. We pressed to Vega, TX for the night stop. The long straight roads were the worst. One good point for the day was a stop at a BBQ place for a lunch break called LOVE’S Texas style BBQ restaurant. Although the restaurant was questionable-looking from the outside, we went in. There were no windows to see our bikes, but we weren’t too worried. I ordered the special, a prime rib sandwich and Greg got a brisket sandwich. The food was awesome, best food for the trip so far. Back on the road, we pressed on to Amarillo, TX to the Harley shop, where Greg traded his rain gear for a size larger. The Harley shop was very accommodating. I decided not to add to my already large collection of t-shirts but got a dip dot instead. Dip dots are coin size metal disks that each Harley dealer hands provides represent their shop. Some charge for them. The cool shops give them up for free. You need to ask at the counter for them. Greg and I would have a good collection of these before the trip was over.
On the way to Vega, TX we passed a few stockyards filled with cattle, unknowingly waiting their turn to become steaks. Vega is a small town that used to be more functional when Route 66 went through. All the gas stations are out of business except the Shell station just off the interstate. After filling up, we headed for the hotel. We asked the clerk about the best place to eat. She said there were only 2 choices, Dairy Queen or the Boot Hill Saloon and Grill. The decision was a no-brainer.
The saloon was awesome. We went in and a cute hostess (wearing typical 1800s saloon attire with black fishnet nylons, greeted us and told us to “find a table and relax”. She came back soon and asked us if we wanted drinks. Greg asked for a glass of Merlot and I asked for my usual O’Doul’s. The hostess replied that this is a private Saloon and if we wanted alcohol, we’d have to become members. She disappeared but soon returned with a form that Greg quickly filled out and paid the daily fee of $5.00. The yearly fee was a little more, but we couldn’t see the point.
Looking over the menu, we noticed an item called a Bucket O’ Crap. The description indicated it was fried whatever the cook decided to include. A group at a neighboring table ordered it. A large bucket of fried stuff was delivered. Enough to feed several people from the looks. We could only guess what was in the bucket but it smelled good.
Drinks soon arrived as well as dinner we ordered. I ordered nachos that came on a platter bigger than any I’d ever seen. Greg ordered a club something and salad with extra blue cheese. Greg’s order came in a big metal trough. The food was excellent, but way more than we could manage. We had a great time talking about the day and the ride. Our waitress brought the bill which arrived in a box and we joked with her for a while. We paid cash and arranged the bills in the box in such a way that it appeared overflowing. Our waitress was amused and thanked us.
We headed to the hotel. Daily routine complete, we were ready for next day’s ride to Chama, NM.

Day 7: Vega, TX to Chama, NM. Depart 0730. Total miles: 355.6

Morning came mighty early. I told Greg, “Senior, I can’t believe you’re making me load the bike in the dark”. Regardless of the time, we headed for Tucumcari, NM. There we stopped for gas and had breakfast. Then headed out on I-40 west with a thousand trucks. We saw numerous billboards for Clines Corner and stopped for gas and some trinkets. Whatever you might be looking for, it’s here. We then headed north on I-285 toward Santa Fe.
“Roadwork Ahead”, the sign read. The sign was not kidding. Only one lane was open, so we waited about 10 min for our turn. A slow truck escorted us for several miles on unpaved roadbed of dirt, gravel and scarified asphalt. We got through it okay but it was no fun. My Dunlop Elite Series tires worked great.
We headed for the location of the Santa Fe Harley Davidson shop. According to my new and improved Harley Davidson Garmin Zumo 5500 GPS, we were right on course for the previous address of the shop. Having found here the shop used to be, we looked it up the phone book and called for directions. The shop was really nice. Greg got yet another t-shirt and dip dots of copurse.
Time for lunch. While trying to find our way back onto the highway, I saw a strip mall that might be good to stop. Tucked into the corner of the mall was a Joe’s Diner. Greg loved this place, particularly because our very cute waitress carded him when he ordered up a beer. Totally made his day. Greg imagined she was hitting on him. Oh yeah, the food was excellent.
The ride to Chama was beautiful. There were lots of gentle high-speed twisties through the mountains, past a few lakes, along rivers and streams and lots of gorgeous country. We were continually climbing in altitude to about eight thousand feet. When we arrived in Chama the weather was looking like snow at anytime. Got gas and then checked into the Chama Trails Inn. Chester and his wife were very friendly, cordial and accommodating. They put us in the best room they had - a rustic mountain cottage room with an old-fashioned wall heater that heated the bathroom and bedroom area very nicely. Chester has a Harley Ultra Classic. He told us that during the summer he gives bike tours of the area to tourists from Europe. They come every year to rent Harley’s from Santa Fe and ride up to Chama, where Chester gives them tours all over north eastern New Mexico.
We were not sure how the weather was going to be over night, so Chester told us to bring our bikes around the back and park the on the covered patio. A friendly gesture. We went across the street to a steak house and had dinner. The place was empty when we got there. Then all of a sudden the entire town was there. With only 1 waitress, it got very busy. Greg ordered a rib eye, which was excellent. I had soup and a salad, followed by apple pie and ice cream. I always look at the dessert menu first, that way I’ll know how much room I have for dinner. My motto: “Life’s too short, eat dessert first”.
That night I slept pretty light. I imagined the room was much bigger than it was due to the rather large pile of freshly hewn logs I expected to see next to Greg’s bed. Morning came fast again. We were both anxious to see what the weather would be like.


Day 8: Chama, NM to Page, AZ. Depart 0720. Total miles: 400.5

I woke up early and heard Greg stirring. In a half-awake voice I said, “Senior, check the weather”. Greg announced, “Well, the good news is there’s no snow on the ground. The bad news is it is snowing”. I was immediately wide awake. We said our goodbyes to Chester and headed out at first light 0720. It snowed on us for about 1 hour. Snow was light and not sticking to the ground. It was cold, about 20 degrees. It cleared up when we arrived in Broomfield, NM for breakfast. Chicken fried steak and eggs (the best yet on this trip). Next we headed to Farmington, NM for the Harley dealership. Found it where the GPS said it would be this time. Greg got yet another t-shirt, a new smoke visor for his helmet and dip dots.
We gassed up and headed for the Four Corners monument. Slight rain, then heavy snow as we headed northwest. When we got to the monument we got a break from the weather, the rain and snow had stopped. After taking the usual obligatory pictures and were gearing up to take off , a kind-looking Indian wandered over to admire our bikes. “Pretty bikes” he said. Then he said, “You are not out of the bad weather yet”. We had no doubt he knew what he was talking about and expected more bad weather. We found it quickly and endured it nearly all the way to Page, AZ. Temps went from a low of 18 to a high of 50 degrees this day. Greg’s hands got very cold. I was wondering if my electric gloves were working, until I turned them off. Near Page the storm moved out, but the winds got even worse.

Freezing cold and wind beaten, we arrived at the Best Western in Page, to find they did not have us reserved. Wrong Best Western. The right one was just around the corner. Checked in rested from the long day then went to eat. We walked up the block a ways and found another awesome steak house. We got the special sandwich and a salad bar. Good stuff. Back at the hotel we completed our daily routine, less bike cleaning. We were too cold and too tired. You guesses it, the pool was inop and no jacuzzi.




Day 9: Page, AZ to Beatty, NV Depart 0720 Total miles: 436

Got up in the dark and cleaned bikes (best we could). They were pretty bad after the ride from the day before. We had the continental breakfast at BW which was adequate and headed out for Beatty. I suggested another route that looked more scenic than the planned route. We headed south 22 miles to 89 then went back to the north and crossed Marble Canyon. We also crossed the Navajo Bridge (nice pics) and headed to Jacob Lake. Awesome ride. No wind, blue sky, about 38 degrees. Near the summit, about 9000 feet, it got cold again (25 deg). When we headed back down it warmed up again. We continued to Kanab, got gas then stopped at Mt Carmel Junction for lunch. Great food.
With full bellies and gas tanks we headed to Zion National Park. Near the entrance, we encountered a large herd of deer. We slowed down since they were close to the road. In an instant, they easily jumped the tall fence near the road and bounded up the mountain right in front of us. We came into the park from the southwest entrance which was 43 miles of sheer beauty. Better than Yosemite in Greg’s opinion.



Took lots of pics. The two mile tunnel was so cool. The roads were made from red lava rock, the scenery was excellent. We took 50 mph curves at a comfortable 70 mph. Great day for a ride. No wind, no clouds, blue sky. You could not have ordered a more perfect day. We spent about 2 hours in Zion then headed to the Harley shop in Hurricane/Williams UT. Spent a little time there and headed south to Vegas. It was rather windy on I-15. Took the 215 loop to 95 and headed to Beatty, NV. Got to Beatty, about 1800 checked in, had dinner and called it a day. Today was an awesome day’s ride, the best of the trip. Daily routine completed. Believe it or not, there was a pool and a jacuzzi. Greg decided to check it out. I decided to turn in.

Day 10: Beatty, NV to R/C Depart 0730 Total miles: 139.2

Got up, loaded the bikes, had breakfast and headed for home through Death Valley. We expected more wild flowers but there were not very many. We took 95 to 190 and headed west through Stove Pipe Wells where we stopped briefly. From 190 we continued west to 178 and down to Trona, where we gassed up and headed home. We arrived in Ridgecrest at 1030. Trip complete! Awesome ride from start to finish.




Greg Vincent: writer, photographer

Tom Lystrup: editor



Note: During some of the more boring stretches of highway, we had a lot of fun inventing hand signals for passing and changing lanes. It was hard to come up with new ones, but we did and now have some favorites.

Note: Dunlop Elite Series 3 tires work great in all weather and especially for eliminating highway rain-groove vibration.

Note: Greg took great notes and completed the ride log each night. I’ve changed a few things and added some comments, but the story is Greg’s. Thanks Senior!

Patriot Guard Ride for Robert Clark Rhoades

Date: March 6, 2009 – 1 day
Departure: 0900 Return time: 1800 Miles: 250
Riders: Mike Cash, Greg Vincent and myself
Route: Ridgecrest - 14 - 178 - 99 - 58 - 14 - Ridgecrest


I first heard about the Patriot Guard Riders a couple months ago. They are a national organization that rides motorcycles to escort returning members of our military services from their tour of duty to their homes in the states or to their resting places for those killed in action.

The Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) organization was formed in 2005 to help protect returning members of the armed services from protestor interference. The organization started locally in Oklahoma, but spread throughout the United States rapidly. For more information, go here: http://www.patriotguard.org/AboutUs/OurHistory/tabid/145/Default.aspx

I went to the PGR website and joined as soon as I had heard about the group. I started receiving emails daily about rides in California to welcome home returning military and to escort home those that had sacrificed all for their country. Most of the emails I’d received were announcements for rides that were quite a distance from where I live and not convenient for me to attend. I anticipated something closer and was anxious to go on a ride to honor fellow military compatriots. Last week the email I’d been waiting for finally came.

There were three of us that met for breakfast the morning of my first Patriot Guard Ride. This was also the first PGR ride for one my friends, Greg Vincent. This ride was to honor the passing of Robert Clark Rhoads of Weldon, CA, a former Patriot Guard Rider and long time resident of Weldon.

A tribute to PGR member Robert Clark Rhoades can be found at:
http://www.patriotguard.org/ALLForums/tabid/61/view/topic/forumid/29/postid/1099976/Default.aspx

After breakfast, the leader of our little group, Mike Cash asked if we were fueled up. We nodded we were ready to ride. We departed Ridgecrest at 0900 for Lake Isabella to meet the other riders of the group. The morning was a cool 50 degrees, and we headed west on I-178 toward Inyokern. At I-14 we headed south to I-178 west again. Crossing Walker pass was freezing and wind chill was biting through all my ride gear. I wished I had some electric gear. I’d heard others in the Ridgecrest Activity Group praise electric gear in cold weather. I wished I could be one of them that had it at that moment. Clouds were forming to the west. We might get wet later. I was glad I at least had my rain gear along.

After arriving in Lake Isabella, we joined several other PGR riders, about 20 in all. All were very happy to see each other. Greetings, welcomes, latest stories and laughs were shared. Group Captain, Basil Mulkey introduced himself and called us all together to explain the plan. The chapel was close. We would ride there and stage our bikes at the ready to escort Brother Clark, when the time came. Captain Basil requested a road guard and my friend Greg volunteered. Kickstands up (KSU) at 1030. At 1029, we mounted and started, 1030-KSU and we were off. We arrived at the chapel and parked in rows. We dismounted awaiting the call to form the flag line. The call came in a little while and we lined up on both sides of the chapel doors forming a line to the hearse, protecting the path from the chapel to the hearse. When the casket carrying Brother Clark emerged from the chapel, Captain Basil called, “Attention”! We snapped too. “Hand salute!” Our flags held high, straight, eyes front. There was a strong wind and our flags ruffled and snapped in the breeze. The pallbearers carried Brother Clark with reverence and dignity to the hearse. Captain Basil called “Ready, Too” and “Dismissed”. We secured and stowed our flags and prepared to depart. Captain Basil explained that we were asked by the family to ride ahead and prepare another flag line at the cemetery in Wofford Heights. We mounted, started and headed out.

We held a steady place to Wofford Heights cemetery. I felt proud to ride with the PGR. Arriving at the cemetery, we quickly formed the flag line again awaiting Brother Clark and his family. Escorted by another motorcycle group, the hearse stopped and backed into the cemetery and the pallbearers again took their positions to escort Brother Clark to the gravesite. Again we were called to attention as the company went by. After the flag line was completed at the cemetery, the PGR was dismissed. We said our goodbyes until the next PGR ride and departed.

It was an honor to be part of this group and to ride in this event. I hope the next PGR ride I go on will be to welcome home another hero that is coming home to the waiting arms of his or her family. I’ll never forget this ride in honor of Robert Clark Rhoads.

Epilog – Greg and I suited up in rain gear and detoured to Bakersfield Harley down the canyon. No sooner than we got on the road, it started to rain. Harley rain gear is great. Wild flowers were beginning to show and some of the hills were covered in poppies. We stopped for lunch and made it to the shop at about 1400. As fast as I could I made my way to the electric gear. Jacket, gloves and credit card in hand I approached the counter. The young lady at the counter rang up my stuff and handed me the receipt. Then she asked if I wanted a barbecue. My puzzled look brought out the explanation that when someone spends more than $300 like I did, they get a free Harley barbecue. I carried out two armloads of stuff and asked Greg how I was going to get all this stuff home. He said, “Don’t look at me”. I got it all on and made it home. Do you know you need a thermostat to get this gear to work? I found that out when I got it all home. Good reason for another trip to the Harley shop. We logged 250 miles that memorable day.

Tom Lystrup

Keene Cafe

Date: Oct 4, 2008 – 1 day
Departure: 0800 Return time: 1330 Miles: 55
Riders: Greg Vincent and two others
Route: Ridgecrest - 14 - 395 - Garlock - 14 - 58 - Cameron - Tehachapi-Willows - Highland - Tehachapi-Keene - 58 - Caliente-Bodfish - 178 - 14 - Inyokern - Ridgecrest



I got invited to a ride that happened to be on my birthday October 4. Birthdays are another great reason for a ride. I jumped at the chance. We’ll be going to Keene Café which is halfway between Bakersfield and Tehachapi, and afterward taking the Caliente-Bodfish cutoff from 58 to 178 and back to Ridgecrest.

There’s two ways to get from Caliente to Bodfish and I’m not talking north to south and vice-versa. There is the quicker and shorter Caliente-Bodfish Rd that goes up some fairly steep twisties and there’s the longer, gentler, more scenic Caliente Creek route that winds slowly through the canyon and the quiet little community of Loraine. We’re going the latter this time.

Four of us met up in Ridgecrest and headed for Keene café. A little cool, but the sun is shining and the wind is calm. Calm winds are a real blessing and welcome anytime, since strong winds are something we learn to live with in Ridgecrest. From 395 headed south, we take the Garlock cutoff west to I-14 and headed south toward I-58. We took the California City cut-off which only appears on recent maps since the I-14 and I-58 intersections have been completely redone. It’s too bad it took such a long time. Many people lost their lives and loved-ones at the interchange of Cal City Road and I-14. Now there’s an overpass and the transition is easier and far less dangerous.

From I-58 west, we exit Cameron Rd. This road winds a little through ranch country and intersects Tehachapi-Willows Rd. near where the windmill farm is located. Willow Springs is off to the south a few miles, where many go to test their control at high speeds on several different race tracks. Here’s a link to Willow Springs. http://www.willowspringsraceway.com/mediainformation/mediainformation.asp

From Tehachapi-Willows, we turn left on Highland, which heads toward Tehachapi from the back side. We pass several ranches and farm lands and turn north on Tehachapi-Keene. This road takes us through the southwest part of town, past several big homes nestled in the hills. The road quickly becomes windy with several 20 mph corners. In a couple miles, we make a stop at the Tehachapi Loop. There is a couple of historical markers worth stopping here to read. The loop was completed in 1876 and helps trains eastbound make the steep climb over the pass, by looping around counter-clockwise. The front part of the train typically passes over the tail part about 70 feet below. On top of the hill, in the center of the loop is a large cross. The cross and monument erected nearby with a bench are a memorial to those that died during a train derailment and subsequent gas line eruption that killed 4 people and destroyed several homes in San Bernardino in May 1989. Here’s a link for more information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehachapi_Loop. I haven’t seen the memorial with the bench, but I intend to find it on a subsequent ride.

A few miles more and we arrive at the Keene Café. This is a favorite motorcycle destination for the location and the food, but today there are only a couple other bikes here besides ours. After a great breakfast, we head North on I-58 for the Caliente-Bodfish cutoff.

The Caliente-Bodfish Rd if only about 5 miles from the Keene exit. Caliente is a very small town, barely a dot on the map. The Southern Pacific railway that includes the Tehachapi Loop also makes a loop around Caliente. There’s two sets of railroad tracks to cross here. We have to wait at both of them for the same train.

While we’re waiting, I was reminded of an incident that occurred near here in the summer of last year. A woman, walking her two dogs in the morning was attacked and mauled pretty badly by a black bear. She survived the attack and was able to drive herself to a fire station to get help and was expected to fully recover. A large search party was organized intending to locate and exterminate the bear, but the bear was never found. There was speculation at the time that the bear was forced out of its habitat during the Piute fire, which burned roughly 37,000 acres north east of Caliente and south east of Lake Isabella.

The short route through the mountains on the Caliente-Bodfish Rd is only a few miles from Caliente and it intersects Caliente Creek at a blind corner. We stay to the right and follow the creek road. This creek crosses the road in several places and in the spring there’s usually water in it, but this time of year the road crossings are dry. This is open range area however and we have to keep an eye peeled for cattle all along the way to Loraine. There are several blind corners on this road, including a few that are 10 mph. A friend of mine had a collision at one of these while following me a little too closely. As I braked going into the corner, he avoided me but crossed the line into the path of an oncoming car and grazed the side of the car, knocking the driver’s mirror off with his shoulder. The bike’s left side crash bar impacted the car and caused the driver’s side rear tire to blowout. Despite the seriousness of the accident, my friend although a little shaken up was okay, no broken bones. His bike also a little banged up, was okay to ride home. Someone was watching out for him that day.

Other than a few tight curves through the canyon, the twistiest along the Caliente Creek Rd are mild and scenic. We come to the little town of Loraine which isn’t much more than a grouping of a few homes and a general store. We pass through several miles of expansive ranch lands where the road makes a couple of 10 mph, 90 degree corners going around a couple of ranches and then one additional right turn onto the Caliente Bodfish Rd.

From here, the road begins to get fairly twisty again and climbs up a thousand feet or so, before beginning a steep decent to Bodfish. At the summit is a little town called Havilah. There an old country store to the left if refreshments are necessary. Also at the summit is the first glimpse of Lake Isabella. The view from here of the lake and the surrounding mountains is breathtaking, a highlight of the trip. Unfortunately, there is no scenic view turnout and the shoulder areas are not easily negotiable (I would not recommend stopping). The road begins to twist and turn tightly down to Bodfish and then to Lake Isabella.

After topping off, we head onto I-178 east, passing Lake Isabella on the right. We pass through Paradise Cove, a great spot for camping, fishing, water craft and prime rib. The lodge at Paradise Cove has been serving prime rib on the weekends for more than 50 years and it’s still great dinner stop. They serve lunch and breakfast on the weekends as well. Although they take reservations, they are usually not required, unless you want a table by the window. The view of the lake from the lodge is spectacular, so make sure to get a table by the window. We pass through Mountain Mesa, Weldon and Onyx on the way to Walker Pass. I-178 is one of my favorite roads. The smell of the alfalfa fields, the giant cotton wood trees, the mountains, the Joshua trees and the twisting road are memories not soon forgotten.

We make the summit of Walker Pass and get our first look at the Mojave Desert below through a forest of Joshua Trees. From here, you can see a hundred miles to the east on a clear day and it’s nearly always clear. We head back down the mountain to I-14, Inyokern and finally Ridgecrest, home again.

The ride today was so good, I nearly forgot it was my birthday. Only one thing could top today’s ride, the smell of home-baked birthday cake and the hug of a loving wife that baked it. Perfect!

Tom Lystrup

Three trips to the Harley Shop

A couple weeks ago, I rode three times to the Antelope Valley Harley shop. 90 miles each way x3 = 540 miles. Here’s the story.

I’d been experiencing a shuddering effect when applying the front brakes for a long time. A mechanic at Bakersfield Harley told me he thought the front brake rotors were warped. My ‘08 Road King Classic has the new Brembo brakes. They stop really well. I ignored the shuddering, to the point I began tolerating it. Months passed. Since I plan to put a lot of miles on the bike this year, I decided to get the tires and brakes replaced. Over the weekend, I received some new tires I ordered (Dunlop Elite series 3). These are great tires and I recommend them.

I had Earl Burley Performance install the new tires and check my brakes. Earl said the rear brake pads had a few thousand miles left on them, but I had him replace them. He said the front were fine. I also told him there was a shuddering sensation when I applied the front brake. Earl said the rotors may be warped, but since the bike was still under warranty, I should take it to the shop for that. One more detail, Earl did this service for me the same day I called him.

New tires and rear brakes installed, I took it for a test drive east on 178 to the Randsburg Wash triangle. Very smooth up to 70 mph. Balance was perfect and rear brakes solid. Front brakes shudder still. Headed north on Searles Cut-off (downhill) and put on some excessive speed, still very smooth ride, better than I remember.

Monday I made an appointment to take the bike into the AV shop for the 25,000 mile service and to get the front brakes fixed. Weather was threatening rain, but it only lightly sprinkled on the way. After arriving, I mentioned the front brake shuddering and that it had been doing that for so long, I began tolerating it. 25,000 mile service completed, the mechanic and service manager Steve indicated the front rotors were slightly warped but not bad and that they recommended replacing the front pads (which Earl told me were fine). I had them replace them.

I had some rain gear that I’d bought on line, but decided to check out the new Harley rain gear. I like the zippered sides in the new Harley rain gear, making the pants easy to get on and the stirrups to hold them to my boots. The jacket fits well. With reflective surfaces on the pants and jacket, I know I’ll be seen much better than the other gear I have.

After paying the $438 bill for the service, I headed home with another member of our group that happened to be there getting some work done on his bike. I noticed the shuddering effect was more pronounced with new pads. I’d have to call to make another appointment to get that fixed.

I made an appointment for the following Friday and took it in. It rained both ways. Harley rain gear is great and worth the few extra dollars. It was pretty cold but I arrived dry and comfortable thanks to the rain gear. I mentioned the shuddering to Jenny the service rep, that had been going on for a long time and that another mechanic told me the rotors might be warped. I decided to go to lunch while they worked on it and walked over to Marie Calendars. While there, I picked up a cherry pie to take back to the shop.

The mechanic came out and mentioned he’d checked the brakes and one rotor was out .007 in while the other was out .0015 in and that he thought the brake rotors were bent rather than warped. Jenny, indicated that perhaps when the tires were installed, the tire was dropped and the rotor belt. I told her again, this had been going on for a long time, way before the tires were installed. Regardless, the shop was not going to replace the rotors.

While waiting for my bike, I called Bakersfield Harley and made an appointment to take it in. They had done great work for me on other occasions. Meanwhile, Steve, the other service rep (not Steve the service manager who was off that day), brought my bike out for me. He asked what was up with the rotors. I told him they were out of tolerance, but the shop thought they were bent rather than warped and would not replace them. I told him, I was more than a little upset that I’d brought it in twice just to find out the AV shop would not fix the brakes under warranty. I mentioned, I didn’t think it was very good policy that the shop where I bought my bike would let me ride away knowing my brakes were not 100%. I also mentioned I had an appointment with the Bakersfield shop and if they replaced the rotors, which I felt they would, I would likely not be back to the AV shop for service again. I left the pie and headed for home again in the rain. There was a beautiful full rainbow at the Garlock turn off. The road was still open so I took it. The road was a little muddy in places, but passable and I got home without incident and dry thanks to the Harley rain gear.

An hour or so after getting home I got a call from Scott, the AV shop owner. He apologized for the service shop not fixing my bike the first time, I brought it in. Scott was upset himself that the service rep had not talked to him before I left. Steve had gone to him after I left and told him that I was not happy. Scott asked if I could bring the bike back tomorrow, Saturday, they would fix it. He said he knew I’d taken it in twice already, but would appreciate another change to regain my confidence in their service department. I said I would bring it in. Perhaps the rainbow was a sign of good things to come and possible happy ending to this tail.

Saturday it rained again. Did I mention that Harley rain gear is great? I arrived at the shop and before turning the ignition off, Jenny was there clipboard in hand. The mechanic was also there to take the bike in for me. I thought to myself, “Am I at the same place”? Scott found me in a few minutes and we talked for a while. Ron the general manager also found me and invited me to lunch with him, but Steve the service manager, came and told me my bike was finished and ready to go. Steve the other service rep asked if I wanted my bike washed. I said it will probably just get all messed up in a couple miles, so no thanks. I got the bill indicating zero owed. Nice, but I wondered if it was enough. I asked Ron the general manager, if he wouldn’t mind compensating me for a couple extra tanks of gas it took for coming down the third time, by punching my frequent buyer card for me. He had Steve the service manager punch it twice. I thought that was good of him. Steve, the other service rep told me thanks for the pie I’d brought yesterday, the mechanics all got some and loved it.

Before leaving the parking lot, I checked the brakes a few times. Solid feel, no shuddering at all. Confidence in AV Harley service restored, I rode home in the rain. Arriving at the Garlock turnoff, I saw another rainbow. It was a happy ending. I arrived home again, without incident, dry and comfortable. Harley rain gear is great.

Tom Lystrup

Walker Pass

Date: February 5, 2007 – 1 day
Departure: 1630 Return time: 1815 Miles: 55
Riders: myself
Route: Ridgecrest - Inyokern Rd - 14 - 178 - 14 - Inyokern Rd - Ridgecrest

Yesterday it was snowing up at Walker Pass. The road was even closed for a while until the plow was able to take care of it. It’s open today and I’m itching to ride my road king. This is the first weekend after I got it out of the shop. A few months before, I’d been t-boned by a little ole lady driving an ’87 Buick two blocks from my house. I went over the handlebars, breaking my wrist and some minor bones in my back. The bike did a 360 behind me and was nearly destroyed. The engine was still okay. Everything else on the bike was replaced. Special 105th Anniversary parts took longer. One part in particular would take much longer. This particular part was only cosmetic, so I was determined to ride today.

The usual leathers should be okay. How cold could it be with the sun shinning? With that, helmet, gloves, and boots as usual, I’m off. I’m just going a few miles anyway.

It’s a little cool going 65 mph toward Inyokern, cold actually. Sun’s beginning to go behind Owens Peak. Sky is beautiful, but the shadows are growing longer. Turning left on 14, headed south to 178. After turning back onto 178 from 14, I’m now heading practically straight into the sun. It feels a little warm even. I can clearly see the snow line up on the mountains surrounding the pass. Above 4000 ft nearly everything is white.

There are thousands of Joshua Trees going west on 178 up to Walker Pass. This forest is one of the few Joshua Tree forests in California and the world. These trees grow only in areas with certain arid climates and at certain altitudes. Just before Walker Pass as 178 winds left and right up to the top, the trees get thick. Joshua trees got their name, because some early settlers thought they looked like Joshua, holding up his arms to help the Israelites win the battle over their enemies. If you check the bible, you’ll find it was actually Moses that held his arms up in this fashion, and Joshua and Caleb that helped him keep them up. So, perhaps these trees should be called “Moses” trees. They look very unusual, almost alien with a layer of snow covering these cactus-like trees.

Walker Pass is 5250 ft. The famed adventurer Joseph Walker discovered the pass in 1834, while looking for a route over the Sierra. There are only 5 passes over the Sierra from the southern most tip up to Donner Pass on I-80. All of the passes north of this one are particularly known for their impassibility during the winter. Impassible for the heavy snow and extreme cold. A little west wind blowing over Walker Pass makes it considerably cold, colder than I dressed for that’s for sure.

The suns gone down and the thermometer is going that way rapidly. Time to head for lower altitude. The Joshua Trees and the snow were great to see, but I’m already looking forward to being out of here. Back down 178 onto 14, headed north back to Inyokern. I’ll remember to check the thermometer before heading out next time.

In the summer, my road king is a practically unbearable heater. That’s in the summer only.

Ten weeks later, my special, long awaited part is in. It’s the gas tank decal identifying my bike as a 2008 Road King Classic 105th Anniversary edition #2666 out of 3000. Finally, all back together. Therapy for my wrist however would take some more time.

Tom Lystrup

Angeles Crest Highway

Date: November 15, 2008 – 1 day
Departure: 1000 Return time: 1830 Miles: 297
Riders: Tom Miller
Route: Ridgecrest - 395 – Garlock – 14- Angeles Forest Highway – Angeles Crest Highway – I-210 - I-5 – Lake Hughes – Lake Elizabeth – Johnson – Avenue L – I-14 – Garlock – 395 - Ridgecrest

Beautiful day for a ride, I thought while sitting at my desk at work. Warm for a late fall day and clear. Wish I was riding somewhere right now. Where would I go if I had the opportunity to anywhere I want I wondered? Where haven’t I been? The California map on the wall has practically all the roads within 200 miles highlighted, indicating I’ve ridden those. It’s getting to the point, I’ll need to consider overnighters to get to roads I haven’t been on yet. A little more planning than I can manage today, so back to the unanswered emails in my inbox.

A few minutes pass and the phone rings. It’s my riding buddy Tom. He wants to know if I’m going to work all day. Beautiful day for a ride, Tom says. I’m shutting down now. Give me 15 minutes to get home.

We’re off. I forgot to ask where. Heading down 395, taking the Garlock cutoff to 14 (I love this road for the 45 mph curves easily taken at 65 mph or so). South onto 14 past the 58 turn off to Tehachapi, exit Palmdale, to top off.

Tom asks if I’m ready to go get some lunch. Sure. We’re off again. Back on 14 headed south, exit 14 onto 138. So we’re taking the Pear Blossom Highway. East or west I wonder. Actually neither. We head south on the Angeles Forest Highway. That routes not highlighted on my map, I thought to myself. How does he come up with these rides to places I haven’t been to yet and where’s lunch from here?

We continued up Angeles Forest Highway until it passed Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Rd on the right and in a few minutes arrived at Angeles Crest Highway (State Highway 2). We turned left headed east. Angeles Crest Highway is a great road for bikers, sports and touring types. Sports bikes pass the touring bikes at incredible speed, so you may not get a very good look at them before they’re gone from sight. That is until you see them parked in front of a black and white with flashing lights. Angeles Crest highway is getting more attention by law enforcement these days.

Our trip was casual, very few cars or bikes on the road. We got to enjoy the twistiest virtually by ourselves. The hills, overlooks and vistas are spectacular. The back side of Mt. Baldy can be seen around nearly every bend. We passed through several wooded areas with the smell of evergreen pines among other trees with autumn color leaves of red, orange and yellow all around us.
After several miles we came to a café. Newcomb’s Ranch Café is 33 miles west of Wrightwood, 17 miles east of where we turned onto Angeles Crest from Angeles Forest Highway. Angeles Crest Highway runs from Glendale all the way to Wrightwood, then heads down to 138 (Pear Blossom Highway). Several years ago there was a landslide that closed the road east of Newcomb’s to Wrightwood. If you go to Google Earth, you can zoom in and see the extent of the damage that was caused. It will probably be a while yet before the road’s repaired and open to traffic.
Newcomb’s nearly always has a selection of motorcycles and sports cars in their parking lot. Mostly bikes though. Newcomb’s has mixed reviews online as far as food and service go. Our lunch experience was excellent for both. The pastrami was particularly good. The place looks recently remodeled. Restrooms are nice. I’d recommend it.
Back on Highway 2 headed west. The sun’s shining, there’s little wind, no traffic to speak of. How could this be better? We pass the Angeles Forest turnoff. We must be taking Angeles Crest all the way to Glendale. Now that’s better. The road winds out in front of us, left, right, wide turns and narrow turns, rarely needing brakes. I can easily tell when Tom accelerates or decelerates by his exhaust. Some say it’s loud. When I hear it I know what to expect. I follow in like manner. We’re starting to see glimpses of the Los Angeles basin. It’s actually fairly clear out there. Before I’m tired of the twistiest, we’re out of them and getting on the Foothill Freeway (I-210) headed west. Now where, I wonder? Exit Foot Hill Freeway merging I-5 headed north. We must be taking I-14 back, I think. Tom pulls into the left lane passing the I-14 exit, headed up the “grapevine”. Traffic is increasing quite a bit. We exit at Lake Castaic, headed for Lake Hughes canyon. This route’s highlighted on my map. I’ve been down this road before so Tom didn’t pick a new road this time. Have not been up it I think to myself. I wonder if Tom knows that.

We take Lake Hughes up to Elizabeth Lake Drive (N2) and head east. This is another windy road passing small communities homes, parks Lake Hughes and Lake Elizabeth. We turn left at Johnson Rd and head north over the foot hills. We must be going to “the shop” (Antelope Valley Harley). I love going to the shop, the new bikes, the familiar faces, the smell of leather. My wife on the other hand, has a different perspective. She’d rather be about anyplace else. This can be a dangerous place if you brought the right plastic, the kind that has a high balance remaining. Tom shows me all the latest bikes and newest features. The new rocker has a foldaway pillion seat. Check out the Screaming Eagle Softail with the springer front end. Low on the comfort factor, but maxed-out on style. We better make tracks, the plastic in my wallet is heating up.

Fire them up, head out the back way. From the front of the Antelope Valley shop, both exits feel like the back way to me. We top-off, call home to check in and hit I-14 headed north. Sun’s going down off to our left. End of another great ride. To think, I could have wasted the whole day at work. More unanswered email in my inbox, I’m sure, but it will keep for another not so nice day.


Tom Lystrup

Bagdad Cafe Route 66

Date: 17 January 2009 – 1 day
Departure: 0920 Return time: 1630 Miles: 230
Riders: Ridgecrest Activity Group
Route out: Ridgecrest - 395 -58 - 40 - Route 66,
Rout back: Route 66 - 40 - Route 66 - Silver Lakes - 395 - Ridgecrest

To all that went on the ride today, we know how perfect a day it was. The only thing that could have made it better is if more of our group could have ridden with us. The destination was great. Weather was great. Food was… good. Company was excellent. Those that went also know how in Huell Howser’s words, “absolutely spectacular” the Route 66 Museum was.

We left RC at 0920 and headed south on 395, to I -58, I-15 and I-40. Pulled off I-40 at Newberry Springs and stopped at the Chevron for a break. 3.5 miles later, we pulled into the Bagdad Café (right where my GPS said it would be). Ordered lunch. An hour later, some were getting their food when others were finishing desert. With one guy cooking and one guy serving, they were busier than a ah… I’ll just say, they were real busy. Next time I’ll call ahead. Maybe it will make a difference, maybe not, but it’s probably still a good idea.

We gassed up back at the Chevron and took Route 66 that parallels I-40 back to Barstow. Well almost to Barstow. We had to get back on I-40 for a few miles. On this short segment of Route 66, we were treated to a traffic-less stretch of road with a few little hills, riding just a mile or so faster than and right next to a long freight train. Amazing! How many roads can you think of where you can do that. The “Mother Road” is one. We pulled of I-40 at Main Street Barstow and toured downtown for a couple miles. Then turned onto First St which goes over an old trestle and curves down to the Train Museum and the Route 66 “Mother Road” Museum. What a great little place. The memories of a simpler time. If you haven’t seen this place, it’s worth going to all by itself. If you’re a train fan (and I am), take time to see the Train Museum as well (I’ll be going back for that). Although the museum is free, most did not leave before first pulling out their wallets for some great stuff.

Most of the group headed straight back, but some of us took Route 66 out of beautiful downtown Barstow to Silver Lakes and browsed the community around the lake – and some of the cul-de-sacs as well. Then we cut back to 395 and headed home, arriving about 1630. There were 13 bikes and about 20 people that joined the ride. We logged about 235 enjoyable miles.


Tom Lystrup

Joshua Tree National Park

Date: 19 January 2009 – 1 day
Departure: 0800 Return time: 1830 Miles: 470
Riders: Tom Miller
Route: Ridgecrest - 395 -18 - 247 - 62 - JTNP road - 10 - 15 - Route 66 - Silver Lakes - 395 - Ridgecrest

When I checked the outside temperature, the thermometer was in the blue (30 degrees). I decided two sweatshirts, thermals and two pair of socks under the usual leather were in order. With GPS programmed, I picked up my friend Tom and we headed out. It was overcast, but Tom said it was expected to clear and be warm. I was looking forward to a great day of riding to Joshua Tree National Park. Neither of us had been through the park before, but I was confident the GPS new exactly where we were going.

Highway 395 is a long boring stretch of blacktop, with a lot of traffic and a major trucking route. Having ridden it a lot, I know it as well as I do other highways in and out of Ridgecrest. Highways 395, 178, 14 all converge in the Ridgecrest area. So I ride these roads a lot and knowing where the curves are, where the speed limits change and where passing lanes are makes a difference, especially when riding at night or in poor weather. Although I expected it to be dark on the ride home, the weather and roads for this trip were excellent.

Our first stop was in Apple Valley where Tom suggested we top off. We got back on the road headed east. The sun was up and it was overcast, but I could see off in the distance it was clearing just as Tom said it would. We were now on Highway 18 headed toward 247 and finally 62.

We arrived at the Joshua Tree National park entrance and stopped at the visitor center to pick up the usual National Park map. All National Parks maps and trip planning guides are available at http://www.nps.gov. Tom and I walked across the street to a pizza trailer serving New York Style pizza. Tom got cheese, mine was pepperoni. For $3, it was perfect. Tom noted, New York style is eaten by folding the pizza in half. With mine properly folded, I made quick work of it. A diet Coke washed it down.

A family at the visitor center noticed our motorcycles. Their little boy was fascinated at them. His father said his name is “Harley” and wants one of his own someday. We followed them to the entrance station. Harley kept looking at us out the back window of their SUV. At the entrance station, I used my “America the Beautiful” national parks annual pass to gain admission for Tom and myself. Harley and his family departed ahead of us. We waved good-bye.

The road through Joshua Tree is paved, well maintained and perfect for motorcycles. Although the speed limit for most of the park is 35 mph, it seemed fast enough for picture taking while riding. There are many points of interest along the way with markers ahead of time for those planning to stop. There are forests of Joshua Trees to wind through, exhibits of picturesque, expansive desert and mountains, large boulders for climbing, natural springs, and cactus gardens.

On the way to see a couple of these spots, I took the camera out to get some shots on the road. I’d taken what I thought was several good shots, but trying to manage a camera while riding is not the easiest thing to do, especially with winter gloves on. The camera was off. After turning it on, I managed to get some good shots. A little editing at home and most would be presentable.

First stop was the Cholla Cactus Garden. From a distance a cholla looks kind of fuzzy, but closer inspection should convince you to keep hands off. The fuzziness turns out to be thousands of long, thin sharply barbed spines. Cholla is also called the “jumping cactus”. If you get close enough to one, the slightest touch will cause a part of it to jump off onto you. A close encounter with a cholla will not be soon forgotten. We shed some layers before continuing along the windy road through the park, picking up a little speed to add to our enjoyment through the “twisties”.

Stop number two was at Cottonwood Springs. An interesting and beautiful spot where water flows somewhat slowly out of the ground to add some green to the otherwise brown desert terrain. There were several fan palms at this spot and of course a few cottonwoods. There’s a well marked trail to a 3.5 mile distant Lost Springs many hike to. Tom made it up to the top of the first ridge, so see what was on the other side. If you want to know, you’ll have to hike it as Tom did, but you can probably imagine.

Leaving this area, we followed a rather large motor home for a few miles, then he politely pulled over so we could pass only to get behind another, which also pulled over for us. In a couple more miles we exited the park back into the uncivilized race on I-10 and headed west. Next stop Palm Springs Harley - closed Mondays. Strike one. We gassed up and headed for Quaids Harley in Loma Linda.

When we got to Cabazon, I remembered Hadley’s Orchards and pulled off to check it out, only to find it wasn’t where I thought it was. It was at the next exit. After seeing it, I signaled to Tom and we pulled off and headed back. Hadley’s has been serving date and date/banana shakes since I can remember, more than 50 years anyway. It’s a great stop for fruit, nuts, dates, lunch and shakes. I prefer the date variety and Tom had the date/banana, both excellent. Back on the road to Quaids – also closed. Strike two.

We decided to try Victorville Harley, so we headed up Cajon Pass. You’d think there’d be a checkered flag at the top, cars are going so fast up the pass. We did see a couple black and whites however. Finally Victorville Harley was in sight. You guessed, empty parking lot like the rest. Strike three. Next time I’ll take batting practice by looking up operating hours before heading out.

Tom suggested Route 66 through Silver Lakes. Off we went at a good pace until we got behind a tanker in no hurry to get back to the plant and no where to pass. The sun was going down off to our left as finally the tanker pulled off. We stopped in Silver Lakes, geared up again in preparation for the cold and headed west into the sunset. As we got on 395 headed north, light was fading fast and the traffic headed south was a continual stream of bright headlights. Quickly we caught up to a tractor trailer rig in front of us. He pulled onto the shoulder and signaled us to pass, which we did, just to get behind another that didn’t want to pull onto the shoulder. So we waited for an opportunity to pass. A long time we waited. Finally an opening and Tom accelerated past the truck, cutting it close, with definitely no room for me. I knew however that a passing lane was coming up. In 30 seconds, the truck took the right lane. Highway 395 may be long and boring, but riding it often has its advantages like knowing where the passing lanes are. I caught up to Tom as we headed down into Kramer Junction “Four Corners”. We gassed up and headed for home.

Another beautiful day and a great ride to enter in the books. I’m reminded after putting on another 470 miles, I better get the 25,000 mile service scheduled quick and new tires and maybe brakes. Although riding is fun, it takes a little work to enjoy it.

Tom Lystrup