I finally get to Laughlin
The $830. Covered the cost of my new tyre
Essex! I think I have taken a wrong turning somewhere...
This is where I almost ran out of petrol.
My WigWam hotel
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
To San Diego
Starting mileage 2480
Ending mileage 2620
I was up and out earlier than expected as as unnamed person couldn't work out timezones and text me at 4:15 !! This actually worked in my favour though as I would have a lot of trouble finding the Eagle Riders drop off point.
I left the wigwam hotel for the last part of my journey. It was around 120 miles to San Diego and I was not to be stopping anywhere on route. This ride felt weird. I felt so tense as though everyone on the road was out to stop me getting to my final destination. Every time a truck went past me or a car overtook me on the inside lane it would make me jump. A very weird and very nervous feeling and I don't really know why I was feeling this. It may have been this whole thing coming to a close. The close calls, the adventures and the size of this journey hitting home as I was close to the end.
There was nothing of interest in this last ride apart from spending over an hour trying to figure out where to drop the bike off. Once I had parked and handed over the keys I felt a huge relief to be here, to be safe and to have had a lot of fun along the way. I asked the guy at Eagel Riders where I should stay tonight. He smiled and asked how old I was... ?
I said 37, but I can still party like a 25 yr old. He laughed and said I should stay at the Hard Rock in the Gas Lamp area. I would understand when I got there were his words. One last look at the bike and I grabbed a cab to the hotel.
The Hard Rock in San Diego is the place to be on a Sunday. They have an outdoor pool area that is on the 4th floor. Today was Kendra's (playboy mansion) pool party. I had to get involved. I got entrance and joined in the sunshine drinking. OMG. The bodies on show were unbelievable. Both guys and girls who's only mission in life is to make themselves look amazing, via fitness or in some obvious cases surgery, were everywhere. I have to admit, outside of my obvious great physique I felt totally out of place. I never removed my shirt and stayed close to the bar watching the party. I got talking to a bunch of crazy Norwegians and the drinks started flowing as well as the shots. This party ended at 7pm and people would start to move to various clubs and bars. I went back to the room and changed and back out again. I bumped into the mad guys from Norway and the night went on until late. I had no meal so in true British style I tried to find a place open for food at 2am. The only place I could find was a Subway, 3 blocks away. There were four guys in the queue. They looked English, sounded English and were quiet drunk. Its quite amusing that the end of my journey finds me in the US equivalent of a kebab shop with four brits who looked very out of place in such a cool city.
I loved San Diego. It has such an air of coolness about it. The temperature is never scorching hot, the bars are open until late, the people are a lot of fun and girls are so damn good looking. Definitely a place to visit again.
Ending mileage 2620
I was up and out earlier than expected as as unnamed person couldn't work out timezones and text me at 4:15 !! This actually worked in my favour though as I would have a lot of trouble finding the Eagle Riders drop off point.
I left the wigwam hotel for the last part of my journey. It was around 120 miles to San Diego and I was not to be stopping anywhere on route. This ride felt weird. I felt so tense as though everyone on the road was out to stop me getting to my final destination. Every time a truck went past me or a car overtook me on the inside lane it would make me jump. A very weird and very nervous feeling and I don't really know why I was feeling this. It may have been this whole thing coming to a close. The close calls, the adventures and the size of this journey hitting home as I was close to the end.
There was nothing of interest in this last ride apart from spending over an hour trying to figure out where to drop the bike off. Once I had parked and handed over the keys I felt a huge relief to be here, to be safe and to have had a lot of fun along the way. I asked the guy at Eagel Riders where I should stay tonight. He smiled and asked how old I was... ?
I said 37, but I can still party like a 25 yr old. He laughed and said I should stay at the Hard Rock in the Gas Lamp area. I would understand when I got there were his words. One last look at the bike and I grabbed a cab to the hotel.
The Hard Rock in San Diego is the place to be on a Sunday. They have an outdoor pool area that is on the 4th floor. Today was Kendra's (playboy mansion) pool party. I had to get involved. I got entrance and joined in the sunshine drinking. OMG. The bodies on show were unbelievable. Both guys and girls who's only mission in life is to make themselves look amazing, via fitness or in some obvious cases surgery, were everywhere. I have to admit, outside of my obvious great physique I felt totally out of place. I never removed my shirt and stayed close to the bar watching the party. I got talking to a bunch of crazy Norwegians and the drinks started flowing as well as the shots. This party ended at 7pm and people would start to move to various clubs and bars. I went back to the room and changed and back out again. I bumped into the mad guys from Norway and the night went on until late. I had no meal so in true British style I tried to find a place open for food at 2am. The only place I could find was a Subway, 3 blocks away. There were four guys in the queue. They looked English, sounded English and were quiet drunk. Its quite amusing that the end of my journey finds me in the US equivalent of a kebab shop with four brits who looked very out of place in such a cool city.
I loved San Diego. It has such an air of coolness about it. The temperature is never scorching hot, the bars are open until late, the people are a lot of fun and girls are so damn good looking. Definitely a place to visit again.
To Rialto
Starting mileage 2248
Ending mileage 2480
My journey today was to Rialto, a small town in San Barnadino, California. I had booked into stay at a wigwam hotel. I left Laughlin and started my 240 mile journey. To say it was hot is an understatement. The late morning heat was over 115 degrees. I had stopped for breakfast at McDonalds earlier but in the first 30 minutes of riding I was feeling very dehydrated and a little dizzy. This made for a few stops along the way at gas stations to down bottles of water or Gatorade. The heat was so intense it was burning through my factor 15.
Now not because I am any kind of geek but I had been watching a Bear Grylls type survival program a few nights before that had been showing how to survive in the desert heat. This helped me through the day. I put my helmet and my gloves on. I also put my neck wrap around the lower part of my face. The idea here is to keep light clothes on covering the skin from direct contact with the sun. This actually has the affect of keeping the body temperature cooler. It worked and I thanked my geekiness.
The journey into California was reasonably uneventful. The biggest change I noticed was in both the scenery and the cars. Nearing the end of my days journey I was well and truly in California. The desert was replaced by trees and hills, the temperature wasn't as scorching as Arizona the were more signs of civilisation. The cars had changed, there were a lot more expensive vehicles, a lot more sports bikes and a lot more aggressive driving.
I got to the wigwam hotel in Rialto and met the son of the owners. This place is a lot cooler than the photos on the website. The wigwams are spacious and comfortable and not that expensive. I cooled down in the pool and got chatting. He invited me out to drink a few beers with him and grab some food if I was keen. I was getting very used to this hospitality and gladly said yes. He drove us out to a great burger and beer place called Eureka! Burger. The barman and staff were a lot of fun and made for a great beer tasting evening.
Home and bed a little drunk feeling that my journey was coming to an end. I was to get up for 7am tomorrow as I had to drop the bike off in San Diego, 120 miles away by 10am.
Ending mileage 2480
My journey today was to Rialto, a small town in San Barnadino, California. I had booked into stay at a wigwam hotel. I left Laughlin and started my 240 mile journey. To say it was hot is an understatement. The late morning heat was over 115 degrees. I had stopped for breakfast at McDonalds earlier but in the first 30 minutes of riding I was feeling very dehydrated and a little dizzy. This made for a few stops along the way at gas stations to down bottles of water or Gatorade. The heat was so intense it was burning through my factor 15.
Now not because I am any kind of geek but I had been watching a Bear Grylls type survival program a few nights before that had been showing how to survive in the desert heat. This helped me through the day. I put my helmet and my gloves on. I also put my neck wrap around the lower part of my face. The idea here is to keep light clothes on covering the skin from direct contact with the sun. This actually has the affect of keeping the body temperature cooler. It worked and I thanked my geekiness.
The journey into California was reasonably uneventful. The biggest change I noticed was in both the scenery and the cars. Nearing the end of my days journey I was well and truly in California. The desert was replaced by trees and hills, the temperature wasn't as scorching as Arizona the were more signs of civilisation. The cars had changed, there were a lot more expensive vehicles, a lot more sports bikes and a lot more aggressive driving.
I got to the wigwam hotel in Rialto and met the son of the owners. This place is a lot cooler than the photos on the website. The wigwams are spacious and comfortable and not that expensive. I cooled down in the pool and got chatting. He invited me out to drink a few beers with him and grab some food if I was keen. I was getting very used to this hospitality and gladly said yes. He drove us out to a great burger and beer place called Eureka! Burger. The barman and staff were a lot of fun and made for a great beer tasting evening.
Home and bed a little drunk feeling that my journey was coming to an end. I was to get up for 7am tomorrow as I had to drop the bike off in San Diego, 120 miles away by 10am.
To Laughlin
Starting mileage 2020
Ending mileage 2248
I woke around 8:30 and checked out the weather channel. Same as yesterday, high chances of rain! I looked out of the window, rain! a lot! My weather luck was definitely thinning. By the time I had got my stuff together and packed the bike the rain had slowed. As I pushed the bike out backwards I noticed this was a lot harder to move than normal. I looked at the back of the bike and it was obvious why. Puncture!
So a lot of expected rain, a puncture and I had to be 200 miles from here by tonight. I nursed it up to reception where I could use the internet to find a local Harley dealer. Lucky for me there was one on route, 10 miles out of town. The hotel was right next to a garage where I was able to fill the tyre with air and hope it would stay inflated long enough to get me to the HD dealership. The rain stopped and the tyre held out.
The lady at the garage told me it would be an hour or so before they could fit me in. She made a call to Eagle Riders to see if my insurance covered the cost but it didn't cover the tyres, just the bike. The cost to me would be $330. Obviously no choice so I accepted the hit.
the problem as a 1 inch nail. This must have been there before my trip to the canyon and I thanked my lucky stars that it didn't completely go whilst I was out in the rain yesterday. There would have been no shelter and I could have easily come off.
A few hours later, with a new tyre on I was back on the road for another 200 miles. This journey was a lot less rain. There was one outburst of hail that hurt like hell and another 30 seconds of the heaviest rain I have seen in years. These 30 seconds were actually very scary as the road instantly flooded and there was a serious risk of aquaplaning. Outside of those two moments the two lightning storms I could see stayed to my left and right for the entire journey.
The change in elevation from Flagstaff to Laughlin goes from 7000ft to 2000ft. Laughlin is in a bowl surrounded by rocky mountains and the temperature increased rapidly on the descent. With the on and off rain I had to keep my leather jacket and helmet on and this meant a very uncomfortable ride.
Laughlin is a mini Vegas. It has one road about a mile long with old looking casinos and more resembles Blackpool than Vegas. The scenery is amazing though. The glitzy town nestled in a valley of Arizona mountains, on the banks of the Colorado river looks great but once you take a look around there is nothing special here.
I booked into the Aquarius casino hotel, a large place on the river bank, got changed and went fr walk around. It was too hot to walk far so I decided to try to make back the money I had to spend on the tyre. The poker room was empty so I took out $500 and sat at a blackjack table. 30 mins later I had $900. I put the $500 + the $330 to one side and lost the remaining $70. I felt that Laughlin had served its purpose. I headed back to my room for some sleep.
So much has happened in the past 12 days it feels like I have been away for a month. I have not been bored or lonely once. I feel like I am squeezing as much adventure and experiences as possible. It has been tiring but a lot of fun.
The weather has played such a big part in this trip and I feel I have been lucky to have not come off the bike. If there is any such thing as a guardian angel then mine definitely has tattoos and a beard.
Ending mileage 2248
I woke around 8:30 and checked out the weather channel. Same as yesterday, high chances of rain! I looked out of the window, rain! a lot! My weather luck was definitely thinning. By the time I had got my stuff together and packed the bike the rain had slowed. As I pushed the bike out backwards I noticed this was a lot harder to move than normal. I looked at the back of the bike and it was obvious why. Puncture!
So a lot of expected rain, a puncture and I had to be 200 miles from here by tonight. I nursed it up to reception where I could use the internet to find a local Harley dealer. Lucky for me there was one on route, 10 miles out of town. The hotel was right next to a garage where I was able to fill the tyre with air and hope it would stay inflated long enough to get me to the HD dealership. The rain stopped and the tyre held out.
The lady at the garage told me it would be an hour or so before they could fit me in. She made a call to Eagle Riders to see if my insurance covered the cost but it didn't cover the tyres, just the bike. The cost to me would be $330. Obviously no choice so I accepted the hit.
the problem as a 1 inch nail. This must have been there before my trip to the canyon and I thanked my lucky stars that it didn't completely go whilst I was out in the rain yesterday. There would have been no shelter and I could have easily come off.
A few hours later, with a new tyre on I was back on the road for another 200 miles. This journey was a lot less rain. There was one outburst of hail that hurt like hell and another 30 seconds of the heaviest rain I have seen in years. These 30 seconds were actually very scary as the road instantly flooded and there was a serious risk of aquaplaning. Outside of those two moments the two lightning storms I could see stayed to my left and right for the entire journey.
The change in elevation from Flagstaff to Laughlin goes from 7000ft to 2000ft. Laughlin is in a bowl surrounded by rocky mountains and the temperature increased rapidly on the descent. With the on and off rain I had to keep my leather jacket and helmet on and this meant a very uncomfortable ride.
Laughlin is a mini Vegas. It has one road about a mile long with old looking casinos and more resembles Blackpool than Vegas. The scenery is amazing though. The glitzy town nestled in a valley of Arizona mountains, on the banks of the Colorado river looks great but once you take a look around there is nothing special here.
I booked into the Aquarius casino hotel, a large place on the river bank, got changed and went fr walk around. It was too hot to walk far so I decided to try to make back the money I had to spend on the tyre. The poker room was empty so I took out $500 and sat at a blackjack table. 30 mins later I had $900. I put the $500 + the $330 to one side and lost the remaining $70. I felt that Laughlin had served its purpose. I headed back to my room for some sleep.
So much has happened in the past 12 days it feels like I have been away for a month. I have not been bored or lonely once. I feel like I am squeezing as much adventure and experiences as possible. It has been tiring but a lot of fun.
The weather has played such a big part in this trip and I feel I have been lucky to have not come off the bike. If there is any such thing as a guardian angel then mine definitely has tattoos and a beard.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
To the Grand Canyon
Starting mileage 1820
Ending mileage 2020
I woke with a horrible hangover. Memories of what I had been drinking last night almost made me vom. The plan today was to ride the 90 miles to the Grand Canyon and back. I liked this hotel enough to call reception and book another night. The original plan was to stay in Sedona, 30 miles south of here but the weather report on TV showed high chances of rain today and mentioned monsoon conditions. I didn't want the hassle of trying to find somewhere in the rain.
It was almost 11am when I jumped on the Harley. Anthony had shown me the night before a quick way through town to avoid the traffic and set me on the path to the Grand Canyon. I stopped for gas and noticed my rear tyre looked a little low. I put in some air and hoped all was ok.
The Grand Canyon was north and between me and it was a huge black cloud. This looked nasty but I had to chance it. I couldn't come all this way and not see one of the wonders of the world.
The roads up toward the Grand Canyon were very scenic. Big trees lined either side and lots of twists and turns made it fun on the bike. I saw some other Harley riders ahead just before the rain started. It came down hard and myself and the other bikers pulled over briefly. There was nowhere to hide so I continued on and noticed two out of the other three riders started to follow. This was the first time I had been out in the proper rain on the bike and I got soaked very quickly.
The rain continued stop and start for the next 60 miles. I got wet, dried out, wet, dry, rinse repeat, this meant I could not stop to take any pictures. I pulled in at the only garage on route 20 miles from the canyon for gas and shelter, the other two riders did the same and we got chatting. We decided to stick together on the route there and back, this gave us all some security should one of us fall in this weather. They had a cool live rain satellite app on their iphone which showed another storm passing soon. This made for an easy decision for a late lunch at the Bedrock Cafe nearby. I helped myself to a Flinstone dino burger and we swapped recent travel stories. About an hour later the storm had passed so we headed out for the last 20 miles.
I always imagined the Grand Canyon to be easy to see from a distance but it is quite the opposite. The entrance to the Grand Canyon national park is all forest. Riding a few miles past this and you are still deep in forest, then out of the blue an opening in the trees appears and you realise you have been riding less than 100 metres along the rim of the canyon. This was my second jaw dropping moment (The 1st being Joplin). I cannot put into words the scale and beauty of the Grand Canyon. You can see for miles and miles across chasms and crevices that are so big it makes you feel very irrelevant. The pictures on this blog will not do this place justice, it has to be seen to understand.
The rain had started again and this made for difficulty in taking photos. There was a rain cloud in one of the canyons. We found a few other vantage points to take some more pics, it was truly breathtaking.
A point to note here, I had not seen one Japanese tourist until today and here there were hundreds, all click clicking away on their Nikon's. I love stereotypes !
My new biker friends and I made an agreement that we wouldn't stop riding through the rain on our way back unless it became too dangerous to ride. We set off back to Flagstaff through a number of different storms some with huge forks of lightning. I wondered how safe a chrome bike was vs a lightning bolt but had no other choice but to continue.
The rain lasted for most of the 80 miles back and at one point it was hard to even see the other bikes ahead of me. We stopped near town, swapped contact details and agreed to swap photos when we were home. They were headed in the opposite direction to me the next day.
I went home, dried off and headed back into town for some early dinner. All you can eat sushi for $20 and a beer. I met some others from the night before but the taste of beer on my still hungover feeling was not making me feel social. I was invited to a trivia night but declined and went back to bed for an early night. Another 200 miles tomorrow and I didn't want another hangover.
I really enjoyed Flagstaff and would definitely recommend to anyone. Its not over the top lively and far from quiet. The bars and the people are great and it seems to have everything you need within its vicinity to please everyone. From the canyon to skiing, from cool bars to great restaurants. It was a shame I had to leave.
Ending mileage 2020
I woke with a horrible hangover. Memories of what I had been drinking last night almost made me vom. The plan today was to ride the 90 miles to the Grand Canyon and back. I liked this hotel enough to call reception and book another night. The original plan was to stay in Sedona, 30 miles south of here but the weather report on TV showed high chances of rain today and mentioned monsoon conditions. I didn't want the hassle of trying to find somewhere in the rain.
It was almost 11am when I jumped on the Harley. Anthony had shown me the night before a quick way through town to avoid the traffic and set me on the path to the Grand Canyon. I stopped for gas and noticed my rear tyre looked a little low. I put in some air and hoped all was ok.
The Grand Canyon was north and between me and it was a huge black cloud. This looked nasty but I had to chance it. I couldn't come all this way and not see one of the wonders of the world.
The roads up toward the Grand Canyon were very scenic. Big trees lined either side and lots of twists and turns made it fun on the bike. I saw some other Harley riders ahead just before the rain started. It came down hard and myself and the other bikers pulled over briefly. There was nowhere to hide so I continued on and noticed two out of the other three riders started to follow. This was the first time I had been out in the proper rain on the bike and I got soaked very quickly.
The rain continued stop and start for the next 60 miles. I got wet, dried out, wet, dry, rinse repeat, this meant I could not stop to take any pictures. I pulled in at the only garage on route 20 miles from the canyon for gas and shelter, the other two riders did the same and we got chatting. We decided to stick together on the route there and back, this gave us all some security should one of us fall in this weather. They had a cool live rain satellite app on their iphone which showed another storm passing soon. This made for an easy decision for a late lunch at the Bedrock Cafe nearby. I helped myself to a Flinstone dino burger and we swapped recent travel stories. About an hour later the storm had passed so we headed out for the last 20 miles.
I always imagined the Grand Canyon to be easy to see from a distance but it is quite the opposite. The entrance to the Grand Canyon national park is all forest. Riding a few miles past this and you are still deep in forest, then out of the blue an opening in the trees appears and you realise you have been riding less than 100 metres along the rim of the canyon. This was my second jaw dropping moment (The 1st being Joplin). I cannot put into words the scale and beauty of the Grand Canyon. You can see for miles and miles across chasms and crevices that are so big it makes you feel very irrelevant. The pictures on this blog will not do this place justice, it has to be seen to understand.
The rain had started again and this made for difficulty in taking photos. There was a rain cloud in one of the canyons. We found a few other vantage points to take some more pics, it was truly breathtaking.
A point to note here, I had not seen one Japanese tourist until today and here there were hundreds, all click clicking away on their Nikon's. I love stereotypes !
My new biker friends and I made an agreement that we wouldn't stop riding through the rain on our way back unless it became too dangerous to ride. We set off back to Flagstaff through a number of different storms some with huge forks of lightning. I wondered how safe a chrome bike was vs a lightning bolt but had no other choice but to continue.
The rain lasted for most of the 80 miles back and at one point it was hard to even see the other bikes ahead of me. We stopped near town, swapped contact details and agreed to swap photos when we were home. They were headed in the opposite direction to me the next day.
I went home, dried off and headed back into town for some early dinner. All you can eat sushi for $20 and a beer. I met some others from the night before but the taste of beer on my still hungover feeling was not making me feel social. I was invited to a trivia night but declined and went back to bed for an early night. Another 200 miles tomorrow and I didn't want another hangover.
I really enjoyed Flagstaff and would definitely recommend to anyone. Its not over the top lively and far from quiet. The bars and the people are great and it seems to have everything you need within its vicinity to please everyone. From the canyon to skiing, from cool bars to great restaurants. It was a shame I had to leave.
To Flagstaff
Start mileage 1640
End mileage 1820
I left Gallup refreshed and headed on the I40 towards Flagstaff. There wasn't a huge amount to see on the way and with a few weather warnings on TV I decided to get there as soon as possible.
It was a 200 mile trip passing through towns such as Saunders, Holbrook and Winslow. I had seen enough Route 66 history by now so the only stop I made was to see the meteor crater 50 miles before Flagstaff and about 5 miles off the freeway. These 5 miles were on a narrow street of road through the desert plains. These were true tumbleweed moments as a strong crosswind would fire these large balls of straw across the road in front of me.
I paid my $15 to get in, ignored the museum and headed straight to the scenic overview. This crater has a diameter of a mile, a depth of 600 feet and is the largest on the planet. Apollo astronauts train here as it closely resembles the moon's surface. An amazing place but there's only so much you can do here. With storm clouds brewing in the background I jumped back on the bike and continued.
Flagstaff has an elevation of 8000 feet and the journey up was through the Coconino National Forest. A very cool ride and a welcome change from the recent dry deserts and plains. Above the trees I could see storm clouds both sides of me. My weather luck was still running good.
Just before I turned into Flagstaff I saw my first signpost for Los Angeles. This was quite a moment, even though still 500 miles away it brought it home how far I had travelled.
I found a very cool hotel called Little America which was nestled in the woodlands on the outskirts of Flagstaff. It had a heated outdoor pool and large jacuzzi. After relaxing around the pool I took a ride into town for some food. I found a cool bar, Monsoon, and ordered some food at the bar. Here I meet a great couple. The guy, Anthony, was a local police detective and a very big guy. They invited me to hang out with them that evening but I declined as I had my bike. They insisted that they follow me back to the hotel, drop off the bike and bring me back. I couldn't resist.
It turned out to be my heaviest night so far. Anthony knew everyone and we must have bar crawled 10 venues before I got lost on a dance floor making more friends.
The friendliness and generosity of some people to strangers still astounds me. Flagstaff is a great town and full of a lot of fun people. Ranked #1 town by far.
End mileage 1820
I left Gallup refreshed and headed on the I40 towards Flagstaff. There wasn't a huge amount to see on the way and with a few weather warnings on TV I decided to get there as soon as possible.
It was a 200 mile trip passing through towns such as Saunders, Holbrook and Winslow. I had seen enough Route 66 history by now so the only stop I made was to see the meteor crater 50 miles before Flagstaff and about 5 miles off the freeway. These 5 miles were on a narrow street of road through the desert plains. These were true tumbleweed moments as a strong crosswind would fire these large balls of straw across the road in front of me.
I paid my $15 to get in, ignored the museum and headed straight to the scenic overview. This crater has a diameter of a mile, a depth of 600 feet and is the largest on the planet. Apollo astronauts train here as it closely resembles the moon's surface. An amazing place but there's only so much you can do here. With storm clouds brewing in the background I jumped back on the bike and continued.
Flagstaff has an elevation of 8000 feet and the journey up was through the Coconino National Forest. A very cool ride and a welcome change from the recent dry deserts and plains. Above the trees I could see storm clouds both sides of me. My weather luck was still running good.
Just before I turned into Flagstaff I saw my first signpost for Los Angeles. This was quite a moment, even though still 500 miles away it brought it home how far I had travelled.
I found a very cool hotel called Little America which was nestled in the woodlands on the outskirts of Flagstaff. It had a heated outdoor pool and large jacuzzi. After relaxing around the pool I took a ride into town for some food. I found a cool bar, Monsoon, and ordered some food at the bar. Here I meet a great couple. The guy, Anthony, was a local police detective and a very big guy. They invited me to hang out with them that evening but I declined as I had my bike. They insisted that they follow me back to the hotel, drop off the bike and bring me back. I couldn't resist.
It turned out to be my heaviest night so far. Anthony knew everyone and we must have bar crawled 10 venues before I got lost on a dance floor making more friends.
The friendliness and generosity of some people to strangers still astounds me. Flagstaff is a great town and full of a lot of fun people. Ranked #1 town by far.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Im still here...
I am alive, just havent had a chance to update this blog.
Flagstaff is a very cool place.
Flagstaff is a very cool place.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
To Gallup
Starting mileage 1440
Ending mileage 1640
I was told Gallup was a nothing place. A small town at the outskirts on New Mexico, a stopover for trips to Arizona. An uneventful ride, the low light being stuck in a traffic jam in over 100 degree heat due to an accident. my factor 15 was struggling to keep me from burning.
The ride through the western parts of New Mexico had started to see a dramatic change in landscape. I had started to progress towards mountains and as I was getting closer the land changed to boulders and small canyons. The views were amazing as I was taken up and down these roads but unfortunately my camera had run out of battery so I could only use my phone. I was very wary to stop on the highways as the lay by lane was constantly used by trucks that would veer off and on at will. Many times it seemed, when following a truck, that these guys would fall asleep at the wheel and suddenly correct themselves when they felt the rumble strip on the lay by. This would be far too late to avoid a parked bike so the times I did stop were rare.
I checked in to my hotel in Gallup and decided to head out to the local Casino in the evening, 2 miles from here. I have never seen a place where the people are larger than the slot machines. This was no exaggeration. I was the only non Mexican person in there and felt the smallest by far. I mean fat, not muscles just lard asses. The diet in this part of the world is terrible. There was a canteen in there and i was a little peckish. There was nothing healthy so I chose a hot dog. The lady then insisted that these come with a big bag of nachos and a choice of dip. I declined and she seemed offended and said they were free. She was also the size of a small house.
I looked for a poker table to abuse to take some locals food money but they did not have one so I played a slot machine for about an hour, made $30 profit and went home happy. That's my gas bill for another 2 days.
Flagstaff tomorrow where it should be a little more interesting.
Ending mileage 1640
I was told Gallup was a nothing place. A small town at the outskirts on New Mexico, a stopover for trips to Arizona. An uneventful ride, the low light being stuck in a traffic jam in over 100 degree heat due to an accident. my factor 15 was struggling to keep me from burning.
The ride through the western parts of New Mexico had started to see a dramatic change in landscape. I had started to progress towards mountains and as I was getting closer the land changed to boulders and small canyons. The views were amazing as I was taken up and down these roads but unfortunately my camera had run out of battery so I could only use my phone. I was very wary to stop on the highways as the lay by lane was constantly used by trucks that would veer off and on at will. Many times it seemed, when following a truck, that these guys would fall asleep at the wheel and suddenly correct themselves when they felt the rumble strip on the lay by. This would be far too late to avoid a parked bike so the times I did stop were rare.
I checked in to my hotel in Gallup and decided to head out to the local Casino in the evening, 2 miles from here. I have never seen a place where the people are larger than the slot machines. This was no exaggeration. I was the only non Mexican person in there and felt the smallest by far. I mean fat, not muscles just lard asses. The diet in this part of the world is terrible. There was a canteen in there and i was a little peckish. There was nothing healthy so I chose a hot dog. The lady then insisted that these come with a big bag of nachos and a choice of dip. I declined and she seemed offended and said they were free. She was also the size of a small house.
I looked for a poker table to abuse to take some locals food money but they did not have one so I played a slot machine for about an hour, made $30 profit and went home happy. That's my gas bill for another 2 days.
Flagstaff tomorrow where it should be a little more interesting.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
A Day in Santa Fe July 4th
Happy Birthday America !
I woke up with plans to go visit Toas, an Indian town an hours ride northeast of here. By the time I got up, dressed and had written yesterdays blog it was 11am. I got on the bike, rode for about a mile and decided to turn back and have a day off. This was supposed to be a days break from riding and the heat was also very uncomfortable. I wanted to spend the day in Santa Fe and see what its all about.
Santa Fe (Holy Faith in Spanish) has a population of about 75,000, just under half of the town are Hispanic or Latinos. There were a lot of mobster types hanging around both last night and during the day. Some were trying to look cool in there long cars which had hydraulics bumping up the front and back screaming for people to look at them as they crawled through town.
I woke up with plans to go visit Toas, an Indian town an hours ride northeast of here. By the time I got up, dressed and had written yesterdays blog it was 11am. I got on the bike, rode for about a mile and decided to turn back and have a day off. This was supposed to be a days break from riding and the heat was also very uncomfortable. I wanted to spend the day in Santa Fe and see what its all about.
Santa Fe (Holy Faith in Spanish) has a population of about 75,000, just under half of the town are Hispanic or Latinos. There were a lot of mobster types hanging around both last night and during the day. Some were trying to look cool in there long cars which had hydraulics bumping up the front and back screaming for people to look at them as they crawled through town.
There were a lot of Indian jewellery and souvenir shops. As much as this is interesting I could find myself any reason to buy anything. Do I really need a quiver of arrows or a machete ?
I stopped for some Mexican food which was really good despite the soggy looking picture. I asked for it mild chilli which still almost blew my mouth out. These guys have chilli on everything, brutal.
I didn't see much in the way of celebrations for July 4th. In fact I saw nothing that would tell me it was today. Maybe a town of such Hispanic background doesn't feel the need to celebrate. In Santa Fe and I believe in most of New Mexico fireworks are banned due to the drought and risk of fire. Most celebrations I was told happen at home with family. Its not the party night I had expected.
I grabbed a few beers later and met an ex Mexican pro boxer who had been lined up to fight Ricky Hatton at some point. He was one of the local mobsters so I don't want to mention any names and said I should stick with him for a few beers, I would be safe around him. We headed over to an underground bar. He was a nice guy, family man and a few years younger than me. He knew everyone. As he gap between his drunkenness and my soberness increased he repeated I was ok with him in this town. He told me that if there was any girl in here I wanted he would drop the boyfriend for me. Hahaha I had my own mobster boss as a bodyguard. I told him I wasn't into causing any aggro but he insisted I could use him if needed. There were some big lumps in this underground bar but I strangely felt safe.
I did speak to one girl who slammed her money down on the bar looking for a drink. She was upset that she had just had her car hit. Well, after she almost fell of the stool she admitted she was drunk, stoned and had just tried parallel parking and hit someone else's car. !! what a concoction.
Drink driving in this part of the world seems to be the norm. It made me think of all the other nights I had met people and everyone lived out of town which meant someone had to be driving but all had been drinking heavily. There's not a huge amount of traffic around or police so I guess its just acceptable over here.
I headed home about 1am ready to leave this small town in the morning.
I stopped for some Mexican food which was really good despite the soggy looking picture. I asked for it mild chilli which still almost blew my mouth out. These guys have chilli on everything, brutal.
I didn't see much in the way of celebrations for July 4th. In fact I saw nothing that would tell me it was today. Maybe a town of such Hispanic background doesn't feel the need to celebrate. In Santa Fe and I believe in most of New Mexico fireworks are banned due to the drought and risk of fire. Most celebrations I was told happen at home with family. Its not the party night I had expected.
I grabbed a few beers later and met an ex Mexican pro boxer who had been lined up to fight Ricky Hatton at some point. He was one of the local mobsters so I don't want to mention any names and said I should stick with him for a few beers, I would be safe around him. We headed over to an underground bar. He was a nice guy, family man and a few years younger than me. He knew everyone. As he gap between his drunkenness and my soberness increased he repeated I was ok with him in this town. He told me that if there was any girl in here I wanted he would drop the boyfriend for me. Hahaha I had my own mobster boss as a bodyguard. I told him I wasn't into causing any aggro but he insisted I could use him if needed. There were some big lumps in this underground bar but I strangely felt safe.
I did speak to one girl who slammed her money down on the bar looking for a drink. She was upset that she had just had her car hit. Well, after she almost fell of the stool she admitted she was drunk, stoned and had just tried parallel parking and hit someone else's car. !! what a concoction.
Drink driving in this part of the world seems to be the norm. It made me think of all the other nights I had met people and everyone lived out of town which meant someone had to be driving but all had been drinking heavily. There's not a huge amount of traffic around or police so I guess its just acceptable over here.
I headed home about 1am ready to leave this small town in the morning.
Monday, July 4, 2011
To Santa Fe
Starting Mileage 1123
Ending Mileage 1440
Another hangover and another long ride today. After my steak and beers last night I decided to skip the Big Texan Ranch breakfast. I can only imagine how big that breakfast would have been. I jumped on headed off to Santa Fe, just over 300 miles away.
Ending Mileage 1440
Another hangover and another long ride today. After my steak and beers last night I decided to skip the Big Texan Ranch breakfast. I can only imagine how big that breakfast would have been. I jumped on headed off to Santa Fe, just over 300 miles away.
About 20 miles out of town I saw some cars parked on the other side of the freeway and people walking to some things stuck in the ground out in a field. I then recognised this as the Cadillac Ranch I had read about. I turned around on the next junction to come and have a look.
Its a public art display that was created in 1974 and represents a number of evolutions of the Cadillac car line. These are half buried in the ground and you are allowed to go ahead and spray paint whatever you wish on them
.
I got some spray paint of a kid and wrote my boys name Harry on one.
I headed out again with my next destination being Santa Rosa Lake, New Mexico. I'm only crossing the northern small part of Texas but with so much nothing between towns this State feels huge. Texas is larger than France but from Amarillo to New Mexico I hardly saw a soul. I would come off the freeway and many places just to try to find signs of civilisation. These small towns were empty. I mean left and forgotten. Old gas stations where prices still showed at half the current gas price, motels with old signs swaying in the wind. Boarded up windows and old abandoned vehicles were all I could see of once were bustling towns. The freeways that were built took the flow of traffic out of these areas so commerce suffered. So I am told. Outside of these small ghost towns it was again just dried out fields with a few cattle ranches dotted between. I finally crossed the border into New Mexico and found Santa Rosa Lake. Its pretty much a camping spot with a huge lake in the middle of nowhere. There was no where to grab lunch so I took a couple of pictures and left.
The temperature was not as hot as it had been and I started to notice a big storm cloud to my right. I was heading west still but I remembered from my map that I would have to turn North towards this cloud at some point.
It seemed to coming closer even though I was travelling west and at the time where I had to switch north to Santa Fe it was directly in my path.
I was hoping that it was the other side of Santa Fe so I started to gun it at 90mph to try and get there fast. I had no idea how far Santa Fe was and by the time me and the rain met I realised I was almost out of petrol. The raindrops were like small stones exploding on my body. I had to stop and put my jacket on and then continue at a low speed as I could hardly see anything. My sunglasses were terrible and the wind accompanying the rain was making it very uncomfortable to ride. I had my hand over my face for the 10 or so mins. There was nowhere to stop and nowhere to find cover. Then as I came over a hill a solitary gas station appeared. I was soaked. The bottom parts of my jeans were drenched as they had also been collecting water from the front wheel. I was really unprepared for the wet weather and have been so lucky to get this far without any.
After 20 mins it died off and the sun reappeared. By the time I had ridden the next 10 miles to Santa Fe I had completely dried off. The b&b, El Paradero, is really cool place to find. I'm glad I spent a bit of extra money to book this. Very close to town and the rooms are amazing.
I checked in, grabbed some afternoon home made cookies and headed out to the main square which was 5 blocks away. The nightlife in Santa Fe is pretty much non existent. I had some food, Fajitas !! and then found a Soul/Jazz bar. Now off all the places in the world I would not have expected to hear an English accent at the bar, let alone a guy that used to run or originally opened the Sugar Hut in Brentwood !
The band were really good with names like Soul Man Sam and Catfish, local celebrities. Great voices. I slipped off at 11:30 when they finished.
Me and Soul Man Sam. The sunburn is not as bad as it looks...
July 4th tomorrow...
Joplin
Some pictures from the town of Joplin that was half destroyed by a violent twister a few weeks back.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
More pictures Springfield to Cuba
On to Cuba
The Cozy Dog Drive In
The Mermac Caverns
The Wagon Wheel Hotel
A Biker Bar (a lot more scary looking in the evening)
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