T. D. R. 2 - Another Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Photo Journal

[BrianF]

 

“A sequel is an admission that you’ve been reduced to imitating yourself.”

 

Oh yeah like that would stop me.

 

This time I’ve “upgraded” to a 6th gen so I could afford a less cheap DSLR that does autofocus, and yet I still have my piece-of-crap orange tent with its useless rain fly. Can't win 'em all.

All captions/descriptions limited to the customary 140 characters because I built Speaker City from the ground up and I can barely read!

 

Let’s roll.

 

[Duc2V4]

Your photography skills show through yet again. Nice!

[BrianF]

Day 1/2

 

10 days of vacation starts…NOW. I snuck out of work at 3pm but didn’t leave until 8pm. Typical me.

 

 

 

First stop: Los Gatos to see Charlie, uno gato that belongs to my friend and his wife. Oh yeah, my friend and his wife were there too. Yay.

 

 

 

They told me they were having a baby so Adam and I drank “some wine.” Later I parked the bike in a garage – possibly theirs.

 

 

 

In the morning I moved the bike out of the garage and started it. For someone like me, this is major progress.

 

 

 

I stopped in Tres Pinos because I was freezing. And wanted a soda. I even got fuel -- I’m getting good at this travel stuff.

 

 

 

This lady was on her first solo ride on her new GS. She was headed to LA – and based on her pace she’s just now arriving.

 

 

 

Hey we’re the Golden State! Maybe “Shitty Brown Drought-stricken Bankrupt Dump State” was already taken?

 

 

 

I hustled through the Central Valley. Which is kind of like screwing a fat chick to get to her hot friend, only with worse air quality.

 

 

 

Then it was up Kern Canyon at the speed of light. Best wishes to the dude on the CBR who decided to pick a fight with the guard rail.

 

 

 

“I’ma tell ya somethin’ ya might not know about me Joe Rogan: I smoke rock.”

 

 

 

Break at Walker Pass. I don’t see colors, I only see black and white and everyone is the same. Oh and I’m a vegan woooooooo

 

 

 

Joseph Rutherford Walker, on the other hand, probably wouldn’t have approved of my black motorcycle. *shifts uncomfortably in chair*

 

 

 

Insert a pokey bush joke here. Hey Beavis...you said pokey bush.

See, not only am I progressive, I’m extremely mature.

 

 

 

And we’re off to Death Valley. The national park, not the LSU Tigers football stadium.

 

 

 

I like empty roads and highlight/shadow contrast. I also like women with big jugs. You can’t have everything all the time.

 

 

 

These people were on their way to Death Valley too. I guess they didn’t make it to the “Valley” part.

 

 

 

“Hey my map shows a section of this road as unpaved but maybe it’s out-of-date and they’ve paved it since??” You’d think I’d learn.

 

 

 

Shortly after this I’d ingest roughly 8 pounds of fine dust from a seven mile dirt section. Looking forward to my mesothelioma settlement.

 

 

 

When you’re running low on daylight the best move is to stop and take photos. Trust me, I’m an expert. I have political advice for you too.

 

 

 

What’s the Timbisha Shoshone word for “90 degrees in November”?

 

 

 

I’m Rob Base and I came to get down.

 

 

 

And now, I present a live look-in at a Harley rider’s dreams. Off to Furnace Creek Campground in the dark.

 

 

 

I set up camp, ate a shitty/overpriced sandwich, and drank a pint of Fireball – because the only thing I hate more than boredom is my liver.

 

 

 

Day 1 (sort of) mapply:

 

 

More to come.

[Polarbear]

Fun to read. Very nice pics too. Please keep them coming.

C

[BrianF]

Your photography skills show through yet again. Nice!

Thanks man. I only took 8 billion photos on this trip so it should only take a year to finish the report haha

Fun to read. Very nice pics too. Please keep them coming.

C

Will do for sure. Everyone's gotta bear with me though, it won't be one-post-per-day as it has been in the past.

[Dutchy]

Safe and fun travel wishes from the Netherlands!!!

[Sweeper]

All of us should be so lucky as to have our lives look that good. Really.

[BrianF]

All of us should be so lucky as to have our lives look that good. Really.

"Look" is the key word. You can't see me shivering in the photos.

[RC1237V]

Very nice pictures! Wish I was out riding and not here working.

I see a ghost in the last picture, trying to steal your bike..................and it looks like he's wearing sneakers............

[RobF]

Fantastic photos.

[atx]

Gorgeous pics, any chance for camera/lens specs? Not that it matters, seems to be more about the guy behind the camera, but hey i can always make excuses right?

[Mikey]

Great pictures and a great ride, thanks for sharing with us!

[BrianF]

Thanks for all the compliments. That's 1 day of 10 posted, so there is much, much more to come.

Gorgeous pics, any chance for camera/lens specs? Not that it matters, seems to be more about the guy behind the camera, but hey i can always make excuses right?

Canon 6d, 24-105 f/4L. That's the only lens I bring on the bike - I don't feel too bad about beating it to death.

Oh also the picture of the cat was with Adam's 50mm f/1.8L.

[ecn]

Thanks for this Brian..nice bucket list preview.

[BrianF]

Day 3

 

This is the lowest point in the United States. I’m sure Donald Trump will find a way to deport it.

 

 

 

My idea of vacation is waking up at 4am and packing in the dark while I can’t feel my fingers. God I’m stupid.

 

 

 

While I waited for the sun to show up I did three runs on Artist’s Drive and got dangerously low on fuel. Photography still isn’t art.

 

 

 

But do you repair….6^th gen electricul’s!

 

 

 

I then teleported across the desert to Zion. The highlight of that section was eating El Pollo Loco. It was that good.

 

 

 

Fall was in full swing at Zion. I took full advantage. I’m also full of shit. Rule of threes!

 

 

 

Going out on a limb here, but I think this is a tree. See what I did there????

 

 

 

In all seriousness, Zion is my favorite National Park. So of course I rode straight through with only three stops.

 

 

 

It’s not about quantity - it’s about quality. Which is what people without quantity say.

 

 

 

Sun setting, moon rising, temperature dropping.

 

 

 

I just couldn’t stop taking photos of this. It was like nature’s version of Kate Upton at a nude beach.

 

 

 

BTW, tunnel blasting in Zion is one of life’s great pleasures – right between finding $20 in your winter coat and having your dog fetch you a beer.

 

 

 

To the high country, where the temp gauge hit the teens. Sometimes I want to hit teens - Millennials and their sense of entitlement! *shakes fist*

 

 

 

People were taking photos of this scene like they were witnessing an alien invasion. Not sure if they're sheep, but the people sure are.

 

 

 

Coral Pink Sand Dunes for the night. Low temp 12F. Camping weather! MAPPPPPPPP

 

 

Still much more to come.

[superfunkomatic]

Good posts again. Love the photos. Love the Rob Base quote - I'm not internationally known, either (but I'm known to rock a microphone). :)

I enjoy reading your reports because then I go ride through those places. Last year I followed your route from your previous Thanksgiving. Could you go somewhere different so I have new places to go? Can ya?

[BrianF]

Good posts again. Love the photos. Love the Rob Base quote - I'm not internationally known, either (but I'm known to rock a microphone). :)

I enjoy reading your reports because then I go ride through those places. Last year I followed your route from your previous Thanksgiving. Could you go somewhere different so I have new places to go? Can ya?

Thanks.

TDR III plan is Baja...but I won't go if you've already been there haha (or jaja as the case may be)

Re Rob Base you'll enjoy this - I have it posted on the wall of my office and you'd be amazed how few people get it.

[superfunkomatic]

Baja. Yes, and no, I haven't been. Was on the way a few years back and had my reg/rectifier and stator fry. So, I'll be looking forward to your next witty instalment.

[duccmann]

Absolutely love your write ups and first and foremost. ...your talent with a camera. ....you rock Brian

[HumalogAddict]

This recap is awesome! The pics are insane, I'm a sucker for the black and neon yellow bike and your writing style is definitely on point. Props for the Tyrone / Dave Chappelle quote on day 1 by the way :)

Keep em coming!

[BrianF]

This recap is awesome! The pics are insane, I'm a sucker for the black and neon yellow bike and your writing style is definitely on point. Props for the Tyrone / Dave Chappelle quote on day 1 by the way :)

Keep em coming!

LOL I'm glad someone caught that. I throw a lot of obscure jokes/references in these and sometimes I wonder if anyone actually catches them.

"Fear was never a factor for me Joe Rogan -- I'm tryna get some crack rocks." Classic.

In case you're wondering what we're going on about: http://www.cc.com/video-clips/2rupm2/chappelle-s-show-tyrone-biggums-s--fear-factor----uncensored (possibly NSFW for language)

Oh and thanks for the compliments, always glad that people enjoy these reports.

[VFRpwr]

Spectacular pics! Looking over the 2nd day map it jumped out at me you were going from Death Valley to Paradise but there was no change in the photos - they were all excellent.

The short verbal 'tweets' for each photo really works with my pacing of going through the photos. This combination could easily carry through to a book.

Please, keep it coming.

[BrianF]

Day 4

This might’ve been my coldest ever night of camping. It was like sleeping in Hillary Clinton’s soul.

 

 

 

Despite my heated suit, anything under 20F was brutal. Like, watching-Lifetime-with-your-mother-in-law brutal.

 

 

 

For some reason I queued up in Kanab with 220 (no joke) other lemmings to try to get a permit for “The Wave” hike. Mercifully I was denied.

 

 

 

Also in the “denied” category were two men riding Yamaha 125s…from Japan. One of them was crying. Could’ve been piston envy.

 

 

 

Anyway, I jetted off to the emptiness of the North Rim. No jobs were found, but it was quite scenic.

 

 

 

Sadly, I never actually made it to the Rim. On PR4s, this scene is best described by a once-popular Boyz II Men song.

 

 

 

I did tool around a bit and fall down in front of a minivan full of tourists. I mean no I didn’t, that would’ve been wildly embarrassing.

 

 

 

Teacher: “Draw a life-size picture that describes you.”
Me:

 

 

 

This was one of those moments that I take these trips for. Silence, solace, scenery, sun, and some other S-words I can’t think of.

 

 

 

My mom and I always make each other a snowman when one of us is in the snow and the other isn’t. See, I have a very small….heart.

 

 

 

Just the tip.

 

 

 

I was never very good at that game. The “wasting time on the side of the road” game though – I got that on lock.

 

 

 

*Sees car coming a mile away.*

*Frantically pushes bike to side of road so it won’t get hit 3 minutes from now*

 

 

 

For all you non-motorcycle fans, finally a picture without one in it. Wait, what are you doing on a motorcycle forum?

 

 

 

Spent 3 hours on AZ67 and saw 6 cars. This is what Lil’ Wayne refers to as “Paradice.”

 

 

 

I have to travel alone because I stop to take photos every 10 feet. The fact that no one likes me is a distant second.

 

 

 

“Lunch.” It’s a wonder I’m not morbidly obese or diabetic. I eat like I’m high.

 

 

 

Here I’ll use fancy photography words like “vignetting” and “depth of field.” No one else knows what that means, but don’t I sound smart and cool???

 

 

 

The descent to House Rock is is the best two minutes of riding you’ll ever have. Uh, that’s what she said.

 

 

 

And now, a slog through the desert. Windy and miserable. Sort of like every ex-girlfriend I’ve ever had. At least Arizona is pretty.

 

 

 

This would be a good place for an inspirational quote. So would a dumpster.

 

 

 

There’s a Dixie Chicks song about this. I mean, I don’t know any Dixie Chicks songs. So yeah.

 

 

 

Must be a heavy flow day for the Colorado River. And the Dixie Chicks.

 

 

 

“If your friend jumped off the Navajo Bridge, would you jump off it too?” That’s just sound parenting. Thanks mom.

 

 

 

This is a Canyon. It’s Grand. Probably possible to make another ex-girlfriend joke here.

 

 

 

A personal plug deep in here: if you like my photos I’m Brian Fairleigh Photography on Facebook, @brianfairleighphotography on Instagram. Go follow me.

 

 

 

I also know a place in SF where you can buy a "personal plug." Probably looks a lot like that hoodoo.

 

 

 

“Light-writing for people with no light-writing skills.” Or who are freezing and didn’t pay attention during D.A.R.E. My trips should be sponsored by Fireball.

 

 

 

“But I’m le tiiired…”

“Well, have a map. Zen FIRE ZEE MISS-ILES!”

 

 

Up next, my “character played by J-Lo” moment: facing adversity! Stay tuned.

[St. Stephen]

I just decided to to never take another bike travel photo for the rest of my life. I'm just going to photoshop my bike into Brian's pics.

[3dcycle]

I will just paint my bike to match, that way I don't have to photoshop so many pictures, they will all just work.