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!
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!
