Combo ride in more ways than one.

[humanrace]

For this trip, there is a lot of motorcycle riding, some car driving, some flying and some motorcycles being transported to the motorcycle hospital in California. I sign up for the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas, MGToT, every year, but I have never sent in any of my pictures. I have a sneaky feeling that my friend Maurice, a lurker, is planning to change that. Every time I go on a ride in Texas, he sneaks along and modifies my route to take us by several MGToT sites. This ride started on June 8th, and I have been home for about 10 days now. Maurice rides a Goldwing and I ride a CFMOTO Ibex 450. Well, we both have multiple bikes, but these are our primary movers. He's going to escort me on my first day.

Most of my recent rides have started at my gym which is a couple of blocks behind my house and is next door to a donut shop. I'm strong, but fat. My wife is seeing me off this time because I am expected to be gone seven or eight weeks. Expectations don't always work out.

I'm headed to New Mexico and eventually to Ogden, Utah, Plain, Washington and Laguna Seca before heading back home. First stop; a hamburger joint in Cameron. Yes, it is part of the MGToT, as are several more stops. Our limiting factors are: I want to sleep in New Mexico and Maurice wants to sleep in his bed at home tonight.

The sign says, "Don't change perfection." Since 1937.

The original furniture seems to be part of that perfection. Taken through the window because perfection is not served on Mondays.

Next up, a fire station. I don't remember the town. Not remembering may become a recurring topic. I went to the doctor last week and he tested me several ways and concluded that I don't have dementia or Alzheimers. The doc and my wife seem to agree that the three concussions I had while racing have damaged a portion of my brain that remembers "some" things for a short period of time. I seem to remember some things better than others, such as

[-b ± √(b² - 4ac)] / (2a)=My friend Pee Wees IQ. It goes up and down according to how many pain meds he takes. ​

Since Tex Miller was closed, we stopped at the Horny Toad for lunch. The small farming town of Cranfils Gap could not support a restaurant except for the bikers attracted to the name, roads and cute waitresses. Also part of the MGToT.

Just along the road. Some people have too much time on their hands.

The pilot, the only one in the plane, was OK. My friend Carlton, also a pilot, said it was a successful landing.

This old timey fort is also part of the MGToT.

LARGE wild grape vines created a huge, shaded picnic area. It's supported by stainless poles and wires.

No fort would be complete without some guns.

We split up at the Fort. My immediate thought was, "I'm going to get lost without Maurice." My thought was true. However, you're not lost if you don't care where you are.
My destination for the night was Clovis, NM, but severe lightning and rain could be seen in my near future, and I stopped in Muleshoe for the night. My 500-mile ride turned into a 602-mile ride because of the MGToT.

I woke up early and my Route 66 motel didn't serve breakfast. McDonalds was open, but it had nearly stopped raining, and I rode to Cooks in Clovis. Good choice. I've been through NM many times and I didn't stop for pics on my way to Utah. My route had me coming back to Texas through New Mexico.
Utah at last.

I stopped for the night in Blanding, UT. 580 miles for the second day. I always plan to do like others and keep a record of my daily mileage, but the first and second days will be the only ones of this entire trip that I remember to make a note.
Nations Natural Bridge is about a mile outside Blanding. The motel clerk told me about it. I've been to Blanding many times. If there's no motel, no restaurant or no place to shop, it's not going to be on a brochure.

Said clerk didn't tell me about the ancient ruins along the canyon wall.
Five Kiva Pueblo

It's now the 10th of June and I don't have to be in Ogden, UT until the 18th. Time to explore the little numbered dots on my Utah Butler Map.
Eastern entrance of Valley of the Gods.

I took spare tires to ride the sandy roads in Utah but decided to wait until I got to Washington to change them. I've been wanting to ride more back roads in Washington and Oregon, and fresh tires would be appreciated. My plans for riding Washington would be thwarted at a later date, further pushing back my tire change.

The Valley of the Gods Road is 17 miles long and never gets boring.

The Navajo believe that each formation is the remnants of an ancient warrior standing guard.

How much longer?

I met this couple and their dog from Silver City, NM near the east end of the road. They had finished the valley and returned to the west end by way of the highway. I convinced them to backtrack a few miles to Gooseneck State Park. I suggest you do likewise if you are ever in the vicinity.

I had been to Goosenecks several times and turned north to Moki Dugway instead.

I met this guy and he had been convinced by false riders that the Moki was too much for his BMW. I changed his mind.

This will take a while, but I'll be back.

 

[Tigerkf]

Awesome trip. You sure are testing that CF Moto!

 

[John Bennett]

I sign up for the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas, MGToT, every year

I'd never heard of this. Thank you.

Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas

A great tour for folks that love Texas and love to ride.

motorcyclegrandtouroftexas.com

 

[Simmons1]

Great start Denny. Your photos in the Day Rde Reports wetted my appetite for this report.

 

[Simmons1]

I'd never heard of this. Thank you.

Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas

A great tour for folks that love Texas and love to ride.

motorcyclegrandtouroftexas.com

There are multiple TWT threads on the MGTT. If you have some time check them out.

 

[humanrace]

Great start Denny. Your photos in the Day Rde Reports wetted my appetite for this report.

It's amazing what glancing back at my daily ride pictures will do. A picture from Goblin State Park reminded me that I ate at Stan's in Hanksville. Memory loss is a terrible thing, but I'm having fun with mine.

A bridge over the Colorado River. It's supposed to be over the upper reaches of Lake Powell, but it's been years since that was true. Right now, the lake is nearly 180' below normal level and is holding less than 25% of water capacity.

From the other side, slightly enhanced by my camera.

Just about anywhere along highway 95 between Hanksville and Fry Canyon

The Three Sisters in Goblin State Park.

Goblins outside the main goblin area.

I spent two nights in Wellington because I've had several places marked on my Utah map for years. It's time I went to those places. This is along a dirt road going to the Wedge. I only saw three other vehicles all day, so it's not seen very often compared to the one along I-70 at Green River.

It's sad that our wilderness areas have to put up signs with rules.

The San Rafael River may be a trickle compared to the Colorado, but it has done some serious sculpting over the years.

Also, at the Wedge

Heading to Buckhorn Wash. The road starts to deteriorate just past the wash and becomes an ATV route to I-70.

This tribe was obsessed with snakes.

Miles of this.

This swinging bridge has been marked on my map at least 10 years. Finally here and the opening of the new bridge was the closing of the old bridge.

I sent this picture to my wife and told her the unofficial name for this peak. She said, "Oh my."

Typical gate along dirt roads in Utah. In Texas the two posts on either side of the gate would be cross braced. You can see the rotted remnants of the original cross bracing on the left side. For a cedar post to rot at this elevation and in this climate, it has to be really old.

Back on the highway and heading to Price and Wellington

 

[humanrace]

Awesome trip. You sure are testing that CF Moto!

13,000 more miles and I will be at my goal of 50,000 miles on a Chinese bike in two years. If I hadn't paid attention to my Vstrom or my DRZ, I would already have surpassed my goal and moved on to the 675 triple. If something unexpected doesn't happen later this year, I will have surpassed 200,000 miles in the last seven years. Someone said something like, "I just don't want to drone down the highway to get that many miles." I think my pictures show that I don't drone down the highway. What I do is ride about 200 days a year. My daily life is close to perfect.

 

[Windmill]

I really like your ride reports.
You missed a great hamburger at Tex Miller's in Cameron. I eat there regularly. When I ride in cooler weather.

 

[humanrace]

I really like your ride reports.
You missed a great hamburger at Tex Miller's in Cameron. I eat there regularly. When I ride in cooler weather.

We had planned to eat there, but closed on Mondays. And thank you.

 

[grumpy48]

For this trip, there is a lot of motorcycle riding, some car driving, some flying and some motorcycles being transported to the motorcycle hospital in California. I sign up for the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas, MGToT, every year, but I have never sent in any of my pictures. I have a sneaky feeling that my friend Maurice, a lurker, is planning to change that. Every time I go on a ride in Texas, he sneaks along and modifies my route to take us by several MGToT sites. This ride started on June 8th, and I have been home for about 10 days now. Maurice rides a Goldwing and I ride a CFMOTO Ibex 450. Well, we both have multiple bikes, but these are our primary movers. He's going to escort me on my first day.

Most of my recent rides have started at my gym which is a couple of blocks behind my house and is next door to a donut shop. I'm strong, but fat. My wife is seeing me off this time because I am expected to be gone seven or eight weeks. Expectations don't always work out.

I'm headed to New Mexico and eventually to Ogden, Utah, Plain, Washington and Laguna Seca before heading back home. First stop; a hamburger joint in Cameron. Yes, it is part of the MGToT, as are several more stops. Our limiting factors are: I want to sleep in New Mexico and Maurice wants to sleep in his bed at home tonight.

The sign says, "Don't change perfection." Since 1937.

The original furniture seems to be part of that perfection. Taken through the window because perfection is not served on Mondays.

Next up, a fire station. I don't remember the town. Not remembering may become a recurring topic. I went to the doctor last week and he tested me several ways and concluded that I don't have dementia or Alzheimers. The doc and my wife seem to agree that the three concussions I had while racing have damaged a portion of my brain that remembers "some" things for a short period of time. I seem to remember some things better than others, such as

[-b ± √(b² - 4ac)] / (2a)=My friend Pee Wees IQ. It goes up and down according to how many pain meds he takes. ​

Since Tex Miller was closed, we stopped at the Horny Toad for lunch. The small farming town of Cranfils Gap could not support a restaurant except for the bikers attracted to the name, roads and cute waitresses. Also part of the MGToT.

Just along the road. Some people have too much time on their hands.

The pilot, the only one in the plane, was OK. My friend Carlton, also a pilot, said it was a successful landing.

This old timey fort is also part of the MGToT.

LARGE wild grape vines created a huge, shaded picnic area. It's supported by stainless poles and wires.

No fort would be complete without some guns.

We split up at the Fort. My immediate thought was, "I'm going to get lost without Maurice." My thought was true. However, you're not lost if you don't care where you are.
My destination for the night was Clovis, NM, but severe lightning and rain could be seen in my near future, and I stopped in Muleshoe for the night. My 500-mile ride turned into a 602-mile ride because of the MGToT.

I woke up early and my Route 66 motel didn't serve breakfast. McDonalds was open, but it had nearly stopped raining, and I rode to Cooks in Clovis. Good choice. I've been through NM many times and I didn't stop for pics on my way to Utah. My route had me coming back to Texas through New Mexico.
Utah at last.

I stopped for the night in Blanding, UT. 580 miles for the second day. I always plan to do like others and keep a record of my daily mileage, but the first and second days will be the only ones of this entire trip that I remember to make a note.
Nations Natural Bridge is about a mile outside Blanding. The motel clerk told me about it. I've been to Blanding many times. If there's no motel, no restaurant or no place to shop, it's not going to be on a brochure.

Said clerk didn't tell me about the ancient ruins along the canyon wall.
Five Kiva Pueblo

It's now the 10th of June and I don't have to be in Ogden, UT until the 18th. Time to explore the little numbered dots on my Utah Butler Map.
Eastern entrance of Valley of the Gods.

I took spare tires to ride the sandy roads in Utah but decided to wait until I got to Washington to change them. I've been wanting to ride more back roads in Washington and Oregon, and fresh tires would be appreciated. My plans for riding Washington would be thwarted at a later date, further pushing back my tire change.

The Valley of the Gods Road is 17 miles long and never gets boring.

The Navajo believe that each formation is the remnants of an ancient warrior standing guard.

How much longer?

I met this couple and their dog from Silver City, NM near the east end of the road. They had finished the valley and returned to the west end by way of the highway. I convinced them to backtrack a few miles to Gooseneck State Park. I suggest you do likewise if you are ever in the vicinity.

I had been to Goosenecks several times and turned north to Moki Dugway instead.

I met this guy and he had been convinced by false riders that the Moki was too much for his BMW. I changed his mind.

This will take a while, but I'll be back.

Man you’ve got some great adventures

 

[AdventureSeeker]

Great pics, thanks for posting! How is the Ibex holding up? Looks good in the pics.

 

[humanrace]

There are many Bridal Veil Falls around the country. If this legend is true, it was dangerous to fall in love back in those days.

I slept in because of the previous day's strenuous dirt riding. Well, strenuous for me. I only rode about 200 miles today, but I checked into my work motel around 7:00 PM, too late to get a free company dinner. A beer from the hotel commissary and some cheese and crackers would have to suffice. Bridal Veil Falls was an easy hike, but I had to cancel other waterfalls because of time constraints. Working is about to get on my nerves.

Really?

Work 3 days at a dealer demo ride, pocket $800 travel pay, $885 actual pay and spend 4 free days in a luxury hotel.

Back to playing. I have 4 days to go less than 800 miles to Leavenworth, Washington. I washed clothes at the hotel before checking out. I hadn't been in Idaho long before I saw a small sign that said, "City of Rocks." I had never heard about the place, but with a short distance to go and a long time to get there, I decided to go see what it was about.

Apparently, this place was a favorite camping place along some trail going to Oregon or Northern California. Campers used axle grease to write their names on the rocks.

Lots of different dates.

Apparently, this sign wasn't there in 1843. 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine!!!

There were lots of interesting rock features. It reminded me of Joshua Tree NP rock formations, except made of granite.

Several arches that didn't look that stable, but kids were climbing on them and running across them.

This one looked especially feeble.

Kid on a big rock.

A sign said rock climbing was allowed and even suggested specific rocks and routes. I didn't see anyone doing a technical climb. Kids and families climbed on several rocks.

 

[humanrace]

Last year I went to Twin Falls, Idaho and a couple I met at a smaller waterfall suggested that I go see Shoshone Falls. I was reluctant then because I had over 200 miles to travel and it was midafternoon. The man handed me a five dollar bill to pay my entrance fee and wouldn't take it back. I went to Shoshone Falls last year. I had more time this year, so I returned. The falls didn't have near as much water this year because of low snowfall in the mountains. The brochure says it is 212 feet tall and 900 feet wide. Normal flow covers most of the white rocks. Still pretty.

The Snake River has carved a pretty canyon downstream.

I did not stay here, but I would have if I had seen it the night before.

Looks like a giant dandelion, blows like a dandelion, but is not a dandelion, at least not like I have growing in my yard.

The mountains in the next few pictures are along highway 75 and 93. Stanley, Challis and Salmon Idaho. Exact locations have left my brain.

I look at this picture and I immediately think Grand Tetons. It is not.

I was unaware that I had ridden this road before until I saw this plane.

I watched the fishermen in the boat on the lower right catch and release many fish. I don't know what kind, but they were all about 12 to 16 inches long and caught on fly rods. I got tired of watching before they floated out of sight around a bend in the river.

Idaho roads are pretty, even in the dry, treeless southeast.

The white crosses along the Montana roads are sanctioned by the Montana Highway Fatality Marker Program but are installed and maintained by the local American Legion Posts. I guess if you are a Jew or Buddhist you are not allowed to die in a traffic accident in Montana.

I tried to use my phone to get a room at an unusually high rated Days Inn in Missoula, Montana. My phone or the internet site would not let me finish my reservation. I tried three times. I went to the motel and the price was nearly $50 dollars more than the internet price. The desk clerk said he was not allowed to deviate from what the computer said. I sat down in the lobby and tried the internet again. It worked. $123 versus $170. I went back to check in, and the desk clerk offered me two free bottles of water for the trouble I had checking in. I mentioned I would rather have one bottle of Dr. Pepper and that's what he gave me. When I got to my room, I was checking my email, and I had 14 messages confirming my room reservation. I called my wife, she checked our credit account, and I only had one charge.

I've been here several times, but I always stop and take a picture. Lolo Pass on the route taken by Lewis and Clark.

I knew that there was at least three hot springs along Lolo Pass road. No signs. I picked a likely looking parking area and went hiking. this unusual mushroom was growing beside the trail. Nail clipper for size reference.

A bridge like this has to lead to something interesting.

Hot springs at last.

Hiking to hot springs will increase one's hunger. Pie with lunch.

These two families were having lunch at the next table. They were camping and had come to town for lunch. My wife tracks me by watching my credit card purchases and she called wanting to know why my lunch was so expensive. The little boy in the lower right had looked longingly at my pie a couple of times, so I bought pie for everyone. Three older boys had already left the restaurant before the picture was taken. The owner of the cafe is the man wearing a cap behind the counter. When I went to pay, he discounted all the pie to half price.

Scenic turnout. Someone is living beside the road. It hasn't moved for quite a while.

Canola on one side. Wheat on the other side. For miles.

Wheat, Canola, Wheat.

Volcano sticking up into the clouds. I think it is Mt. Rainier.

From the same rest area beside the highway. Mt. Adams?

As Forest Gump would say, "For no particular reason, I was on a dirt road," when I saw a dirt parking lot and a self pay station. I stopped. It was the trailhead for a waterfall and I like waterfalls. A hiking I will go.

Low snowfall, so not a whole lot of water. I started to turn around several time but decided to go on since I was near my hotel and it was too early to check in.

I'm glad I did.

I made it to the company supplied hotel in time to let the boss ladies take the demo riders to dinner. Leavenworth is a Bavarian themed town. We had polka music with a wonderful dinner.

Work three days at the Touratech rally. Collect $800 travel pay, $960 regular pay and stay four nights in a luxury hotel. Regular pay is $25 higher per day at events versus dealer demos because we do two extra rides per day. All sorts of people show up at demo rides. I thought the guy in the green suit was dressed as a frog and mentioned that I liked his frog outfit. He turned around to show me the wings on his back and informed me he was a fire breathing dragon. He's a pretty good rider too.

 

[humanrace]

Great pics, thanks for posting! How is the Ibex holding up? Looks good in the pics.

The Ibex is doing great. My first long ride last year was from Texas to Washington. I had a little over 3,000 miles on the bike. I left home with high hopes, but very little confidence, that the bike would do a 9,000-mile trip. This year, I left home with a little over 30,000 miles on the bike and complete confidence that I would return with 39,000 miles on the bike. I haven't enjoyed a bike this much since I quit roadracing. The bike hasn't been trouble free. I'll explain in my next post.

 

[humanrace]

On the last day of the Touratech rally, a young lady came to the demo truck as we were starting to load bikes on the truck. She really wanted to ride an Ibex 450. I couldn't let her ride my bike while all alone, but I offered to let her ride it on the obstacle course that was close to the truck and in view of lots of other riders. It was a tight, technical course through the woods and I couldn't see her, but I could hear her slipping the clutch as she maneuvered the course. It wasn't an easy course. She brought the bike back with a badly slipping clutch. Before I go any further, I know the lady was feeling bad about the slipping clutch when she left our demo truck, but I was busy loading and couldn't spend a lot of time reassuring her that all was cool. If anyone knows her, please let her know that I emphatically do not blame her. At that time the bike had over 33,000 miles on it and a lot of those miles were on some gnarly Jeep roads in Colorado and Utah. All I had to buy to fix it was a tube of Yamabond 4 equivalent. No gasket on the clutch cover. CFMOTO supplied the parts. Since a clutch is considered a normal wear component, you should not expect your clutch to be covered under warranty if you ride a CFMOTO. I routinely let customers ride my bike on demo rides if all the other Ibex-450s are already being ridden.

I returned to Texas with 37,000 miles instead of the expected 39,000. My Ibex rode in the motorcycle ambulance truck (AKA the demo truck) from Washington to Laguna Seca. The parts were shipped to California and installed in a parking lot using 4 tools. 8mm and 10mm flex head wrenches, a knife for removing old Yamabond, and an acid brush for applying fresh Yamabond 4 to the gasket surface. I acquired alternative transportation as will be explained later.

 

[Tigerkf]

Have you had any other issues beside the clutch?

 

[humanrace]

Have you had any other issues beside the clutch?

I'm going to answer this a little sarcastically, but I mean no offense to the question or to Tigerkf:. Yes. I've had issues with every bike I've ever owned, and I've owned close to 100. Examples: Kawasaki hybrid-I don't like the fact that I've been riding 66 years and had to read the owners manual to figure out how to get it in gear. DRZ-400-I want to know how skinny the person was that designed that seat and my shift lever is bent from years of searching for sixth gear. Vstrom 650-The bike is so easy to ride and works so well that I get bored sometimes. RZ 350-Changing brands of tires required great changes in the suspension for it to be rideable on the racetrack. It would actually throw you on the ground when you hit the tunnel bump on the front straight at Texas World Speedway. I tell you all of this because I want you to know how picky I can be. My answer to the question is going to include things that bother me about the bike and not just things that have broken. The bike has been remarkably reliable.

Now to the answer: I've had more fun on the Ibex than any other bike I've owned except for race bikes. That being said, it's also one of the most frustrating bikes I've ever owned. Examples: 1. The seal behind the countershaft sprocket started seeping a little oil nearly immediately, a very common problem. Easily fixed with a new seal from your local bearing supply. $2.99 2. At about 20,000 miles the gas gauge became highly inaccurate for a bike with no reserve. I can fill up with gas, and it may say I have 270 miles to go, or it may say I need gas immediately. 10 miles later it may give an accurate reading. Right now, it is reading accurate from about 3/4 tank and less. It's quite possible this problem was caused by a dirt riding crash that also bent my front brake disk. Both occurred at the same time. 3. If your finger slips off the turn signal button while pushing it off, it hits the odometer reset button. Frustrating when I want to record total mileage for a trip. The trip meter reset should be next to the trip meter, not next to another button that is used constantly. 4. It takes three different sizes of Allen wrench to remove the OEM belly pan and OEM lower crash guard. The clutch and brake levers require a flat screwdriver on one side and an Allen wrench on the other to remove them. 5. I've used every size wrench from 9mm to 19mm while working on the bike. 6. Another very common problem that has now been solved on new bikes. The odometer would reset to 0 at random on some bikes, but not all. Get this, you have to use your phone to download the fix, not something I'm willing or able to do. A factory service tech that was at Daytona downloaded my fix. 7. I had a brake light failure. 8. This is a lot of ifs, but this is how I ride. If you don't clean your air filter regularly because you are on a long trip, if you routinely rev 1500 to 2000 RPM over redline in order to keep up with your friend on a Goldwing, if you also use full throttle through redline in all six gears, then the vacuum on the clean side of the air filter will suck oil from the crankcase vent and it will coat the lower 1/3 of your air filter and fill the clear rubber tube thing that hangs down from the bottom of the air filter. I've never had to drain that rubber tube that's been on lots of my other bikes. I've drained it twice on the Ibex. The fix is a K&N air filter. 9. Too many fasteners, especially those push in plastic fasteners. I've discarded about 15 of those with no ill effects.

One of the reasons that I bought the bike is to answer the question asked by a lot of demo riders, "How reliable are the bikes?" For that reason, and also because I'm lazy, I've abused this bike much more than I would normally abuse a street bike. In addition to the above mentioned abuse, the spark plugs have been changed at 4 times the suggested mileage, valves were checked at 37,000 miles instead of 24,000, oil changes were stretched to 1000 miles past the suggested mileage and oil filters were changed every other oil change instead of every oil change as suggested. I can now answer the question with, "Very reliable."

 

[dukey33]

Thanks for the pix. We did a whirlwind tour of southern Utah parks. That is an amazing place.

 

[Texasrider58]

Thanks for the pix. We did a whirlwind tour of southern Utah parks. That is an amazing place.

Are most national or like state ones ?

 

[dukey33]

Are most national or like state ones ?

We visited Zion, Bryce, Arches, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands NP.
There are also National Forests, National Monuments, and BLM public land all over south UT in addition to the state parks.
I’m unsure the ratio of National vs State parks (easy google search) but there is so so much more public access than Texas.

 

[humanrace]

As stated above, my bike took a motorcycle ambulance ride to California to wait on parts for a clutch transplant. I needed a ride home or a ride to the airport. Maurice and family had driven to Washington while I was working in Utah and riding to Washington, and he offered me a ride home. "Do you have room?" "We rented a minivan. We have plenty of room." They were going in a zig zag route to sight see.

My two favorite young ladies to share a 3,000 trip in a minivan.

You can't tell it from the picture, but it's a little windy.

Evil's rocket launch pad over the Snake River.

Leaping over this.

I see evidence of a housing project that may soon take over a historical site.

Not everything is bigger in Texas

"There's plenty of room. We rented a minivan."

There is a young lady in there somewhere.

The girls wanted to go to some kind of show in Vegas. Like I said, we zigged and zagged. This from my room on the 20 something floor of MGM Grand.

Something that looks like a WW-2 bunker close to Hoover Dam. I think that's the right dam near Vegas.

Love in the desert. Some 30 years ago I stood with them during the lunch break in turn 3 Texas World Speedway. Many of their friends and family were also standing with them. They got married in turn 3. We then went back to the pits and raced our Honda F-2 or F-3 in an endurance race. Melissa scored for us. I don't know whether we as a team won, lost or did not finish, but I know Maurice won that day.

We couldn't miss the GC.

She has ridden Stelvio

The vet says this is a raven.

Hugging a tree. The wind is barely blowing, but the fear of being blown over the edge is so real. She will stick a big needle in the neck of a muscular pit bull in his prime with no hesitation and no fear.

When in the west, one must become a cowboy. Find the little girl doing a photobomb in the background. I'm just guessing, but probably Amish or Mennonite.

There was a fire somewhere in Arizona.

Route 66 and The Eagles taking it easy.

One had never heard of The Eagles and didn't want to get in the heat. I didn't want her deformed big toe in the picture anyway.

Standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona.

Apparently, we are going to war again. The train was looong.

Build a sign and they will come. We are living the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road.

 

[humanrace]

Are most national or like state ones ?

They have five major national parks in southern Utah. There are three state parks that should not be missed if you are close and probably more that I have not yet visited. Gooseneck, Goblin, Dead Horse Point. A long time ago, I started in Mesa Verde and rode to 16 national parks and monuments, and I believe it was in less than 2,000 miles. I may miss a couple, but Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chelly, Navajo National Monument, Vermillion Cliffs, Grand Canyon, Pipe Springs, Cedar Breaks, Zion, Bryce, Escalante, Capital Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Colorado National Monument, Black Canyon,

 

[humanrace]

I don't pretend to understand how they date this petrified tree but supposedly it was swept into a river 217 million years ago, along with many other trees. It was reinforced with concrete in 1917, but the tree and concrete will both soon be gone. Well, soon in geological time.

Many of the petrified logs in the national park were removed for their mineral content before the park was established.

More than trees in the park.

This tree was petrified and then coated in other minerals.

We continued our drive home at a more rapid pace and a couple of days later Maurice, Brooke and I flew to Monterey, California to work. Brooke is a hostess.

I picked up parts at the CFMOTO dealership in Salinas. I was surprised that there wasn't a charge. CFMOTO must have warrantied them. I changed the clutch in the parking lot. Not all who wish to ride are qualified for our street ride. These two are not old enough. The future of motorcycling is bright.

Work several days, collect enough money to pay for another couple of weeks of vacation and go have fun. I split up with Maurice and Brooke. He wanted to show her Big Sur and I wanted to ride some nice roads and see some sights that I had not seen lately. We would only be apart for one day.

I went in this hamburger joint for lunch, and this fellow was sitting in front of the trash bin. No food, no drink, just sitting. I took this picture as I was leaving. My burger was not self-serve, nor was it 35 cents. I didn't know it at the time, but at a later date, we will revisit self-service hamburgers.

Where the humorist Mark Twain came up with the story of his jumping frog filled with lead shot. I can't believe that I'm still carrying those tires.

Not all who wish to ride are qualified. This one is a little old.

Calaveras Big Trees State Park. I can't get my fill of these giant trees.

The bark was pealed from this tree and reassembled in New York, London and other cities. I believe it was 20 plus feet in diameter at its base. Paying crowds numbered in the thousands to be amazed by the size of the tree. Another tree that was sliced and transported to the east was ridiculed as The California Folley by the press. The pealing of this tree started the conservation movement.

That's a very valuable Burl at the base of this tree.

These two grew together, but a fire in the crotch before the crotch grew to a high enough position to be protected, has prevented any further growth together from that point up.

Some roads are fun in the rain, even with knobby tires.

Over the mountain and into the dry. Close to Lee Vining California.

Heading back over the Sierras to Yosemite after having breakfast with Maurice and Brooke. They are in a rental car and I am following on my bike.

Brooke has been to California, but not to Yosemite. This may be Maurices first visit to Yosemite.

I like waterfalls and this one was right beside the road.

A little more wind than I wanted, but I'll take it.

The valley

Another waterfall. Again, low snowfall.

Here it is.

A first-year twin climbing a tree

Brother, Sister?

Mommy

A small 7' display

Giant Bluebonnets? and giant trees. NO.

These trees have a name, like mother and three daughters, or something like that. I don't remember.

Taken recently.

Same tree, taken in 1903

A hole in a tree.

A head in a tree.

Hawk on a tree.

This bee was drinking sweat from Maurices arm.

I think this drink was sweater.

We split up for the final time on this trip. They headed south to Kings Canyon, and I headed north and west to Lee Vining again.

I went back through Yosemite, but I got through the overcrowded area in a hurry. I don't understand how someone can go to a place this beautiful and spend so much time around the cluster of restaurants, convenience stores, gift shops and cabins in the valley floor.

Next up, a visit to the oldest living tree in the world tomorrow. Known living tree.

 

[Tourmeister]

When you retire from this job, I hope you will put in a good word for me

 

[humanrace]

Remember, for my next outing I will leave around the 20th of September and come home in early December. Six work weekends in seven weeks, with a week of playing around going to work and one returning home. Still want to be put on the list? Oh, I forgot, I must also play around for four days between work weekends at places like Tail of the Dragon, Barber, Las Vegas and Arizona.