An 18,000-mile ride to work on a DRZ-400 and a Vstrom 650

[humanrace]

I forgot to mention that I bought a new jacket in Tombstone. My former one had developed a nasty habit of the Velcro not sticking on the sleeves. I could tolerate that, but the neck Velcro also started to come loose. That affected my heat retention. Finally, my zipper started to unzip from the bottom. It was time for my cheapness to disappear.

The buyer of London Bridge bought more than the bridge.

Imagine taking this bridge apart block by block, numbering each block and putting them back together after shipping them by sea and land. A great engineering feat as well as a great financial cost. Souvenir shops and restaurants line the shore.

There were tour boats for hire to take people on a tour of the lake. One required a dinner reservation.

A mobile home resort with a lot and home starting at $99,000 according to the sign.

LEDs are not solid lights. It took several tries per light to get gas prices in Arizona and California for your comparison. $2.79 for regular in Arizona.

About 50 miles away in a desolate area of California. $6.79 for regular.

I gassed up at $2.79 and heading west, back to California.

I spent the night in a motel in Yucca Valley. the next morning, I missed the turn off to Joshua Tree NP and by chance rode by this car.

There was another one behind the house. I'm not sure whether this one is finished or not.

The house was a modern California desert house and seemed like it might be expensive.

After finding my way into the park, I found out that Joshua Tree National Park was more about rocks than Trees. This is close to the northwest entrance and was my first stop in the park and I decided to climb. It was harder than it looks.

There is a couple somewhere in this picture.

I stopped because I saw another climber. He was not as adventuresome as I.

Like I said, rocks are the focus. The rocks were formed by magma breaking through cracks and intruding into the original granite surface. From the sign, "The oldest intrusions rival the metamorphic rocks in age, and the youngest are only tens of millions of years old." I laughed at the word only.

A hike of less than three miles took me to an old homestead and to an even older homestead close to an arch. 150 years ago, this area got enough rain to ranch. There is a dam just a little way upstream from this water trough. In just 75 years it went from having water year-round to having water less than 6 months a year.

The side of the dam is visible to the left.

Somebody was here long before the ranchers.

This is the Key something lookout inside Joshua Tree. Ride up for the road, it's worth the time.

My condensed map, without side roads, for the last five demo rides.

On the outskirts of Yucca Valley is a house that looks like my dream house, except for that steep driveway that looks like it would send drainage water straight into the garage.

I head towards Sequoia NP, in a roundabout way. I believe this is highway 247.

I stopped for gas in Barstow and a guy at the next pump started a conversation. He also had a motorcycle. I asked him about a place for a quick snack and he recommended Peggy Sue's.

The menu '60s and '70s Elvis, Betty Boop, Tarzan and etc.

I chose Cherry Pie and a nice cold glass of iced tea.

Continuing north on 395

Along 9-mile Canyon Road. I would end up riding this road 2 1/2 times. Details later.

The mountains in the distance make up the western basin of the Great Basin which contains Death Valley. The Great Basin extends from Northern Nevada to Southern California. There is no outlet for rain or snow melt to get to any ocean.

An anatomically incorrect cow. No cows have eyes that big.

I was a little worried about something like this in shaded corners. I became more worried three weeks later.

My phone directed me to Sequoia, but a sign said "Road Closed 23 Miles." While I was looking at my map, a truck pulled up to a chain gate to a shooting range. I asked the driver if the road was truly closed and he told me it wasn't closed, but I probably couldn't make it through the snow. He and his son helped me reroute and during the conversation, I found out that his wife had come out of the shooting range earlier and had locked the gate. She took the key and there was no way out of the property. I offered him a ride back to his camp and he accepted. I unloaded my dry bag with my tent and sleeping equipment into his truck bed and he got on. I mentioned that he was a hefty guy, and he said he weighed a little over 300#s. Long story short, we picked up a key and when he got back on the bike we tipped over. I was so worried that I had injured someone while they were my passenger, but he was fine after other campers helped me pick the bike off of him.

More to come.

 

[humanrace]

I'm glad you enjoyed your time in my state. I took an astronomy class at the UA and made several field trips to Kitt Peak in the 70s, and then after I got the Gold Wing in 2010 I made numerous trips up the mountain in the following years. What a great ride.

The bark doesn't look like it, but the leaves on that old burled tree look like a mesquite.

If I lived close to Phoenix, I think I would also make several trips up to the Kipp Observatory. Also, I thought the tree was a Mesquite, but I've never seen that much burl on a Mesquite. Last, I'm headed back through your state on my way back to Texas. Anything north would be too cold and snowy.

 

[humanrace]

What is this off topic non-sense?! I thought this was a political forum!

It seems that way sometimes. This thread has avoided politics so far. I avoided the last presidential election. I couldn't stand either candidate. I fear that we as a country have lost our moral ways. We re-elect and appoint people that have clearly broken the financial laws by using insider information, failed to recuse themselves from decisions that clearly affects their livelihood, and the religious right even supported a candidate that has undoubtedly broken at least three of their most precious commandments, and those commandments are dear to my heart. I opted out.

 

[humanrace]

It seems that way sometimes. This thread has avoided politics so far. I avoided the last presidential election. I couldn't stand either candidate. I fear that we as a country have lost our moral ways. We re-elect and appoint people that have clearly broken the financial laws by using insider information, failed to recuse themselves from decisions that clearly affects their livelihood, and the religious right even supported a candidate that has undoubtedly broken at least three of their most precious commandments, and those commandments are dear to my heart. I opted out.

My wife said, "That sounds like it might be political."

 

[JustJohn]

You've got to fix that crooked license plate frame Dennie, it's driving me crazy!

 

[Tourmeister]

It was a statement of being apolitical

 

[humanrace]

You've got to fix that crooked license plate frame Dennie, it's driving me crazy!

It's fixed. I straightened it out and put new reflectors on all four corners while I was waiting for the oil to drain. I adjusted 6 valves. Three were still in tolerance but were adjusted closer to the middle of the range and the other three were at the bottom of the range.

 

[humanrace]

"... a man becomes what he does. Got to watch that. That's why I keep on farmin', although the crops haven't ever throve. It's the doing that's important."

Close to Sherman Pass. I'm not sure why the snowflake shows up. I knew it was cold.

I left my helmet on for protection from the cold. Taken 11/2/24.
A description of the Sherman Pass Road by dangerousroads.org: The road consists of 2 lanes but is narrow, measuring only 18 feet wide. It is steep, with some sections reaching up to a 9% gradient. The terrain is mountainous, with extreme drop-offs on the edges of the road. My description: Extremely fun ride and beautiful with landscapes from desert prairie to evergreen forest to river valley hardwood forest. It's a very windy road with steep elevation changes. Most very sharp curves are not marked with a suggested speed limit.

Braving the cold and the possibility of ice in shady corners was worth it.

My path going up. Whitman wrote: "O public road, you express me better than I can express myself." How true for me.

My wife would describe this scene as clouds kissing mountains.

I made an online reservation for a campground that I had stayed at before that was not too far from the southern entrance to Sequoia. This waterfall was along the way.

I had been assigned campsite 26, but when I got there it was occupied. I stopped and was assured by a group of college freshmen that they had reserved site 26 and site 27. I pulled out my phone and showed them my reservation. It was for a campground over 100 miles away. I was invited to share, and I was grateful because it was nearly dark. The next morning, I took this picture to show how large the campsites are.

Heading to Sequoia to see a big tree, or two.

Tunnel rock would not exist if access to Sequoia was built today. It's not a natural formation. The CCC hollowed out the underside in 1934 and rerouted the road under the rock. Even in 1934 it was controversial, but now it would be taboo. Tunnel Log and Auto Log would also be taboo today. Keep it natural. That's naturally me between two pretty ladies I met on a street corner.

I should have read that detour sign.

Sequoia would be more than a worthwhile ride even if it didn't have the big trees it was named after.

Looking south.

Looking west, from the same turnout.

Divided highway

Tree trunk with my helmet added on a stump for size reference.

A convenient woman for size reference next to these trees.

Tunnel Tree with a bee displaying his new coat.

This is the Sherman Tree, estimated at around 2,500 years old. It has the highest volume and estimate highest weight of any known Sequoia. An unnamed tree with a protected location is the tallest sequoia at 311' and another unnamed tree, also in a protected location is the oldest sequoia known at an estimated 3.200 years old. The Grant tree, estimated at around 1,650 years old has the highest known diameter at 40'. While all of these trees are fairly close together, environment and competition determined how much they grew and whether it was horizontal or vertical growth.

I'm going to Ft. Worth For a concert this weekend. More when I get back. In my story, I'm still commuting to Santa Ana, California for my last demo weekend of the year.

 

[humanrace]

"Had I gone looking for some particular place rather than any place, I would never have found this spring under the Sycamores." William Least Heat Moon

 

[Texas T]

If I lived close to Phoenix, I think I would also make several trips up to the Kipp Observatory. Also, I thought the tree was a Mesquite, but I've never seen that much burl on a Mesquite. Last, I'm headed back through your state on my way back to Texas. Anything north would be too cold and snowy.

Areas south of Phoenix will be in the low 30s tonight.

 

[humanrace]

Areas south of Phoenix will be in the low 30s tonight.

You do know that I'm at home now. I want to use camera pictures in my reports and I really need a full size keyboard and computer. It's going to be low 30s here also.

 

[Texas T]

You do know that I'm at home now.

No, I didn't.

 

[Tourmeister]

Nice of those college kids to forgive your senior moment

Did you get a new phone? The colors on your pics in this thread are really good.

 

[humanrace]

Nice of those college kids to forgive your senior moment

Did you get a new phone? The colors on your pics in this thread are really good.

I had to pay in a special way. They were on their first camping/hiking trip for their newly formed wilderness club. We were all standing around the campfire and the faculty member had everyone tell a travel story that happened to them and was as close to a wilderness experience as possible. I was asked to participate.

I did get a new phone. I used my camera for lots of the pictures, but I like the ease of using the phone. I can pull over to the side of the road and snap a picture without getting off of the bike. The camera resides in a padded place in the tail bag. I have to get off, take off at least one glove, unlock and clean the lens or even change the lens for the same picture.

 

[Tourmeister]

Yeah, on my last few trips I didn't take any other camera besides the phone. It takes such good pics and is so convenient it just isn't worth the hassle to carry all the big camera gear. It's been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for several years now.

 

[KsTeveM]

Hey, I had that same map book when I was in Nevada several weeks ago......

 

[humanrace]

I haven't done this before, but I hope this is a map. In any case, highway 245 from the north entrance of Sequoi south is a road that is not to be missed if you like curvy roads with elevation changes and nice pavement.
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I spent the night in a motel so I could wash clothes. The next day was spent going to Death Valley.
The one thing California has done right is protect the rights of motorcycles to ride on BLM and forest service land. This type of sign is everywhere.

I camped in Panamint Springs Campground. The internet said it was $30/night, but when I got there without a reservation, it was only $15. I stayed three nights in the bumpiest campground I have ever stayed at. I still slept well. I think my 76-year-old muscles and bones have met their match in my exhaustion. My neighbor in the campground was Willie from Alaska. He's from Alaska, but has a house near Rodeo, New Mexico and another place in Baja Mexico. He was heading to New Mexico to meet his wife. He gave me his phone # in case I got close. Willie's 900 Triumph.

My phone charge cord quit working, and I use it for navigation as well as a phone, so I headed to highway 395. These pictures may be in the wrong order, but they are all in Death Valley.

Death Valley National Park is big. For reference, it is over four times as big as Big Bend.

-

 

[Cycledelic Relic]

Justa bout the same view at the Panamint Springs Lookout.
From my 2007 trip to the Pacific Northwest.

This pic was published in Roadrunner magazine

 

[humanrace]

Church sign in the deep south, from Blue Highways: "Welcome All God's Children: Thieves, Liars, Gossips, Bigots, Adulterers, Children." "I felt welcome."

Continuing towards 395. This old house had what used to be a barbed wire fence separating it from the road. I felt safe that I would not be trespassing.

There was quite a bit of mining in Big Bend and this engine driven compressor is probably a remnant of that activity. The galvanized tank is compressed air, rusty one gasoline, 4 cylinder pump to the left and 6 cylinder engine to the right.

I'm guessing this is a truck of some sort.

Honey, I've shrunk the grandpas.

Father Crowley Point is to the right with a short piece of road showing. The car to the far right is why guard rails line most cliffs.

Two more views of the car.

The remnants of another vehicle that missed the same curve

On my way to the Racetrack where large rocks move across a dry lake bed, sometimes leaving parallel tracks that make turns. I think slick wanted to stay in camp. The sign in the store at Panamint Springs said it was 120 miles one way to The Racetrack

I saw this unusual cactus and stopped for a pic. I should have waited.

Water has played a large role in an area of the country that receives the least amount of rainfall yearly.

My eyeballs stopped shaking long enough to see that the stutter bumps would allow me to stop.

Why I should have waited for a pic when I saw the previous cactus.

The park service removes the display of teakettles periodically, but others replace the removed ones.

Some are new and decorated.

My first look at the playa that is known as The Racetrack

It looks empty and flat.

Evidence of magical movement

The largest rock that I saw with a trail

I missed this one because I wanted to get back to camp before it got too late.

On the way back, I stopped to take a picture of Ubehebe Crater, the remnants a volcano that is responsible for part of the unique geography of Death Valley.

Shadows are getting long and I have a way to ride.

I turned my tent upside down to get the small pebbles and sand out of it. It's easy to see why my bed was lumpy.

After loading up, I headed back over the 9-Mile Canyon road to the coast.

 

[humanrace]

William Least Heat Moon, "Had I gone looking for some particular place rather than any place, I'd never have found this spring under the sycamores."

I rode 9 mile canyon again because any road further north that went over the Sierras would probably be icy and any road to the south would be boring. At least this time, I wasn't in a hurry.

Kern Plateau overlook

Another BLM riding area just beside the road.

I made it over the mountains and to a Cycle Gear that had a rear tire for me. I had already changed one in a parking lot on this trip, and I was hoping there would be a couple of wooden pallets and a curb behind the Cycle Gear building. It turned out that they didn't even have access to the rear of the store. The clerk told me where there was a race shop that would change my rear tire for $50. I thought that was a bargain. It turned out to be $55 with a new valve stem, which was still a bargain. I looked at their stock of used bikes while the tech changed my tire.

I spent the night in a motel. Clothes washing time again. This palm tree was in the parking lot. If all of those develop into coconuts, the cars are going to be in trouble.

I picked up a brochure in the motel lobby that was from Morro Bay, California. Their most talked about scene was these three towers. To use that as a reason someone should come to visit your town was ludicrous to me. I looked it up on the internet and found multiple sarcastic reviews.

One of the reviews on the internet. "I have seen the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids at Gaza, The Eiffel Tower, Brooklyn Bridge and the KFC in LA shaped like a bucket of chicken. The Stacks surpass all of them when it comes to beauty and the display of human ingenuity. Upon first sight, one is in awe. Truthfully, I almost had to pull over on the 101, knowing that I was in the midst of a profound moment of my life that I hope to remember in my final moments as I pass. Please do your soul a favor and enjoy the immense grandeur and witness this masterpiece of mankind."

Morro Rock in Morro Bay

Sailing vessels all tied in formation.

I think this is a seal. It is missing a large hunk of skin just above its tail and is the only one I saw in this area.

This is Captain Don. He is fisherman parked next to my bike. Apparently paper towels are and important supply on a fishing boat. We talked for quite some time. He is much more of an adventurist than I.

I parked across the highway form these prickly pears. A woman was picking some of them to make Prickly Pear jelly. She had a handheld blow torch that she used to burn the thorns off before she picked them. She still used tongs to pick them.

The beginning of the good stuff on Big Sur. There had been a rockslide about 40 miles north of Morro, so I wouldn't be able to ride very far up the coast before having to turn around. The plan was to ride up again with Mark after our last demo ride in Santa Ana and we were hoping the slide would be cleared.

I followed a sign that said, "Beach access" and found this. Beach life is harsh for a tree.

I believe this is an aborted alien that was tossed out of a drone. You can believe what you want, but I'm right.

Two of these were outside restrooms on the beach.

Seals frolicking in the water.

This feather thing is an invasive species and, while it is beautiful, it is choking out native species.

Big Sur getting better.

Heading back east after spending the night along the coast.

When I return, I will visit the last place James Dean was seen alive.

 

[veriest1]

Very cool!

I don't know why but I want to go see the sliding rocks someday. Such an interesting phenomena.

I picked up an off brand backpacking cot off Amazon earlier this year (for around 50 bucks iirc) and it's made camping way more comfortable. Some of the best nights of sleep I've gotten this year have been on that thing. And it fits in a pannier! Should you get one, I caution that the poles that go down each side are a little flimsy and will bend a bit if I sit on the cot sideways for a while like it's a chair. I don't do that anymore and the pole was easy to bend back mostly straight. It might help with lumpy campgrounds. I know it did for me out in BIBE a couple of months ago.

 

[humanrace]

Martin Van Buren never mentioned his wife in his autobiography or in any of his presidential speeches. He was the first president to be constitutionally qualified to be president, having been born after 1776 when the US became a country.

James Dean stopped at Blackwell's Corner just before he died in a car crash.

His glasses that he wore when he crashed were found sixty two years after the crash.

When I first looked at this picture, I thought, "Beevis and Butthead do America."

This truck was started in 2012 and then "restored" to 1930s condition.

Southern California has lots of oilfields like this one, several miles long. Most were actively pumping.

The rims of these bicycles were modified with cut plastic bottles so that they turned when the wind blew.

Highway 33

It was hunting season. someone pulled up next to my bike and started hiking down the creek with his rifle.

This Rancho Grande looks much nicer than Rancho Not So Grande

I picked this campground because of the waterfall that is close.

I think I should have put my riding pants in the tent.

My milk had ice crystals. Surprisingly, it seemed to taste better.

A brisk morning hike rewarded me with this torrential waterfall.

Others enjoyed a cool morning walk.

There were several construction zones on Hwy 33 that were controlled by Traffic lights. Some signs said THEN and some said THAN.

Fruit trees along roads close to town are sometimes protected from the public. This is the prettiest way. Another popular way is a barbed wire fence with a bed of prickly pears planted in a bed about 4' wide.

I'm not sure if this fence is meant to keep out the public or to keep in the farm workers.

I rode around Big Bear Lake on highways 18 and 38. I suggest you do likewise. This cabin was cheap. It's also the smallest room I have ever rented. I'm standing in the corner next to the front door.

I'm not sure if this heater would meet fire code in Texas, but it has a convenient fire extinguisher mounted exactly where the fire would likely be.

There was also a remote control for a heater that did not exist.

I head to LA tomorrow. I've been to LA before and I'm not looking forward to visiting again, but work calls.

 

[humanrace]

Very cool!

I don't know why but I want to go see the sliding rocks someday. Such an interesting phenomena.

I picked up an off brand backpacking cot off Amazon earlier this year (for around 50 bucks iirc) and it's made camping way more comfortable. Some of the best nights of sleep I've gotten this year have been on that thing. And it fits in a pannier! Should you get one, I caution that the poles that go down each side are a little flimsy and will bend a bit if I sit on the cot sideways for a while like it's a chair. I don't do that anymore and the pole was easy to bend back mostly straight. It might help with lumpy campgrounds. I know it did for me out in BIBE a couple of months ago.

I agree that a cot would be more comfortable, but I have a weight and room problem with my bike. Not only do I have to carry tools, clothing, food, stove, rain gear and camera gear, I also have to carry 4 T-shirts, a hoodie, a sweatshirt, a hat, gloves and an insulated raincoat, all for work.

 

[Texas T]

This has been one of the best ride reports I've read in a long time. I'm really enjoying it.

ps. That wasn't a coconut palm tree.

 

[SpiritAtBay]

You've got to fix that crooked license plate frame Dennie, it's driving me crazy!

I didn’t think I had any OCD tendencies, but my gawd man, fix that thing!