Cross Country In 7 Days

[ZenMoto]

Days 1 - 3

I should preface this report by stating that this whole thing came together in about 2 weeks time, and with much help from my awesome girlfriend, Karisha. On little more than a whim, I agreed to purchase my buddy Marc's VFR, and purchased a ticket to Newark airport, arriving Friday May 8th.

Of course, I threw my back out the Wednesday prior to leaving, and as of the day before, it wasn't much better; I was barely able to stand up straight, let alone walk very well. ...but what the hell, I had a ticket, so it was one-last-shot at the chiropractor Friday on the way to LAX (ahhh, that felt good). Amazingly, the flight did nothing to further aggravate my back.

Friday night, after a full day of traveling and layovers, I arrived, and was whisked away by Marc in the family-mobile. A short stop for a bar burger and a couple tasty beers, and I was done for the night.

...off to Marc's for a shower and a good night's sleep.

In the am, after a quick breakfast, it was out to the bike. Tearing off the seat and side panel, I began to wire in the heated grips I had brought along.

...ignore the goofy face.

I also installed a new power lead for my GPS, and gave the bike a quick once-over. Then it was time to get cleaned up, and go for a shakedown run into the city for some pizza and to see the new Star

Trek movie. I can't tell you what great hosts the Sirys are, but not only did Marc treat me to a great night out on the town,, but his wife, despite being due at any minute (ok, a couple weeks) let him go. The pizza was very good (not comparable to Chicago pizza, too different, but delicious all the same), then off to the movie.

Afterwords we made a quick stop at Times Square so Marc could snap an i Phone pic of me to kick off my trip:

Then back to Casa Siry for another shower and some sleep.

In the morning, I got a bit of a late start getting packed up, but Marc offered me up some delicious French toast, and then we set off for a bimble around the local area. Marc saddled up the VFR for one last time, and gave me the keys to his 148 mile old Triumph. He showed me around the beautiful areas near his house (I wish we would have stopped, at one particular overlook, for photos). Then he led me to my launching point for the big ride, complete with handwritten directions on how to get to, and follow, the Delaware River.

I stopped before getting to the river to make some Mother's Day calls, including one to my Mom telling her to keep an eye out for a delivery I had sent. Since it was a Sunday, I said, it would most likely arrive Monday.

Then it was up to the river on State Route 97, which was a beautiful route.

I just had to stop for a few photos of Roebling's Bridge and Aqueduct.

Along the way, there was a stunning waterfall, about 80' high, which flowed under the road, and into the Delaware.

New York, as it turns out, is full of picturesque scenery, and I found I just had to stop again just north of Amish country for a scenic photo:

After picking my way north through the countryside, I found myself at the 90 freeway and jumping on to make some time to Niagara Falls. I arrived after dark, but the park was still open (it closed while I was there). I tried getting a few photos, but the lower observation platform was closed, and the falls face away from the US. ...not to mention it was in the 30s, and very wet with spray from the falls.

...does it look cold?

...it was!!!

From Niagara I got back on the freeway (after riding around the, now closed, gate) and made my way into Pennsylvania. By the time I stopped for the night, it was already 1am, and I was spent. Luckily, to keep me on schedule, the hotel put me in a room where there would be construction at 7am, so after a whopping 5 hours of sleep, I awoke to the sound of pounding on the walls of my room from the outside. ...lovely! I gave the front desk a piece of my mind I was back on the bike, and back on the freeway. ...I've seen Ohio, Indiana, and Chicago ...there's not much of a scenic route until you get into the city, and Chicago at 4pm (which is when I crossed the Skyway) is no time for sightseeing. I was stuck in traffic for about an hour before I hit clear freeway out to Rockford, IL; then south to Byron where my folks live.

I rode around the block so as not to get the dogs barking (they always bark at vehicles turning up the street) and killed the bike, rolling in quietly. I took off my helmet, got out my camera, and called my Mom. When she answered I asked if she'd had a delivery. She says "Nope, nothing came today." so I replies that I had just gotten a delivery confirmation, and she should go check ...I'd wait on the phone. After looking on the front porch, and not noticing my standing in the driveway, she tells me she'll go check out by the garage. So I'm standing there with a camera to my face, and my phone on my shoulder when I hear her say "Now who the hell is standing in our driv... OH!"

...priceless!!!

My Dad was out fishing with his buddy, Ron, so I got to surprise him separately when they showed up about an hour later. The look on his face will put a smile on my face for years to come.

Once my folks and Ron had a chance to get cleaned up, I took them all out for a dinner of BBQ and drinks. A spendy night, but totally worth it.

Day 3 was spent visiting with my folks, and seeing my Brother, Dan, and his 3yo son Aaron, and 5 month old Jake:

We enjoyed some Giordano's pizza and caught up while watching the Cubs destroy San Diego, before I said goodbye, and headed back to the folks for my last night at home.

[ZenMoto]

Days 4 – 5

Day 4 started off like any other, except that it was windy, and rainy, and the forecast was for severe thunderstorms with hail and tornadoes across the Midwestern region. ...oh joy!!!

Undaunted and equipped with my new FroggToggs rain suit:

Frogg Toggs®

…and a belly full of homemade biscuits & gravy, I hit the road around 10am (hey, I'm on vacation).

A short run up the Rock River towards Rockford found me on US 20 heading west. It was gloomy and had the occasional drizzle, but no real rain to speak of, so I was just enjoying the green countryside; a real novelty since living in Southern California. In short time, I found myself winding my way into the hills surrounding Galena, Illinois.

There is some history to this town, especially if you're a fan of President Grant:

As you can see from this picture, I still have a looong way to go! Lol

US 20 is as good a road as you will find across Illinois, Iowa and into Nebraska; frankly, there's just not that much to see in those states, and by sticking to their northern edge you get the benefit of some rolling hills and lush countryside. I was skirting along the northern edge of the storm front too, and despite the few showers I rode though, my hands (in regular, Held riding gloves) never got wet. It was chilly though, and having the rain suit on over my Alpinestars suit really helped keep me warm. In fact, I wore the suit during the trip more for warmth than for weather protection.

I crossed the Mississippi River at East Dubuque, Illinois at the Julien Dubuque Bridge; it sounds fancy, but it was a non-event.

About halfway across Iowa the storm front broke and left me staring at clear blue skies, and warmer temperatures (in the low-mid 50s).

...there's a whole lot of nothing out there!!!

Continuing on US 20 got me to the Nebraska border where I jumped on Highway 12, also known as the Lewis and Clark Trail. ...if you've always wondered the difference between Nebraska and Iowa, here you go:

...shocking, isn't it?

Actually Northern Nebraska is quite pretty, and if you stay on secondary roads, like 12, you get to see all kinds of historical markers. I wish I'd had time to stop and at least take pictures of them for future reading, but I would never get anywhere if I did. As you can tell from the last pic, it was getting towards dusk and I had a ways to go yet. ...actually, I had no idea how far I had to go, because there's nothing in Nebraska ...or South Dakota. I was getting tired, and asked my handy little GPS to find me a place to stay. The first 5 hits all wanted me to back track 60 miles or so, but I'm not going backwards on this trip, nosiree. So the little bastard GPS told me to cross into SD at the next available turn. My plan had been to cross into SD at Spencer, Nebraska, but I didn't have Nebraska loaded into my GPS (my original route idea took me into Wisconsin, Minnesota, and SD) so the GPS had no idea that the Indian hotel and casino it was leading me to was just across the border from Spencer (like 3 miles) and neither did I. ...so like a sucker, I crossed into SD and up onto the high plains, and away from the scenic, hilly, protection of highway 12.

...you best not be rustlin' boy!

My long shadow looking back towards NE.

Dusk over the Missouri River.

Who's that guy?

The bridge leading away from the scenic rolling hills of NE, and into the wastelands that are southern SD.

...the next hour sucked! 40-60 mph cross winds across SD in the barren plains was making my already tired body really hurt, especially my neck. Fighting the wind was kicking my ass, and I was very glad to find myself at the hotel. It was shabby, and I certainly didn't find myself wanting to spend any time in their "casino" but the burger was pretty good, and they had hot showers and HBO. At least there was a pretty sunset to view behind the casino.

I got good night’s sleep and woke up ready to tackle SD and get to the Black Hills.

...now is probably as good a time as any to mention certain things about the VFR. It has one of those fancy marine grade fuse boxes under the seat, which is what I wired my GPS and heated grips into. The problem is, the fuse box isn't installed off a relay, but directly off the battery (this will change now that I'm home). ...well, remember me saying how tired I was getting? ...I forgot to switch off the heated grips. This makes for a very dead and very un-bump startable bike! Lol

So, after 20 minutes of huffing and puffing trying to get the old girl to fire up, I decided to go in and see if they had any jumper cables. ...turns out they had one of those fancy rechargeable jump starters. So I signed a little waiver, popped off the shiny new Sargent seat, and ...found out that the plastic protectors around the teeth of the clips make it damned near impossible to grab the small lugs on a motorcycle battery! Lol So after half pulling the battery out of the bike, and peeling back the insulation on the power leads from the bike, I'm able to get them clipped into place (as long as I don't let go of anything) and get the bike to fire. I had to let it run with the box attached for about 5 minutes before the bike had enough juice to run on her own power.

...I wasn't worried about getting enough charge though, it would be a long day in the saddle, and thanks to Marc, the battery was brand new. ...did I mention that I'm glad I filled up across the street before calling it a night? lol

Immediately after leaving the hotel on highway 18 west, I crossed the Fort Randall Dam.

Which was the last scenic thing I saw until turning north on Big Foot Trail toward Wounded Knee. I did stop in Winner, SD for lunch. I ordered the Reuben from the local cafe, and got many strange looks from the locals ...probably my one-piece riding suit, or perhaps it was my full set of teeth and firm grasp of the English language ...who knows (just kidding, the people were actually very nice). I'll say this for the sandwich, it was the best food I've ever eaten in Winner, SD, and let's leave it at that!

Next stop was Wounded Knee, off Big Foot Trail. To say they don't keep the "monument" up very well is an understatement:

...and one with me:

I really wonder what it said before massacre. ...battle? ...slaughter? We may never know.

Anyway, from what I could gather, out in this field, just beyond the crappy wooden structure, is the campsite that was the location of the last battle between the Apache & the US Army ...the Apache didn't win.

The next stop along my route was after I entered the Badlands Natl. Park, very pretty and I'm sure the photos won't do it any justice.

While stopped here I noticed that yet another bolt had gone AWOL from the right side of the Givi rack. With no M8 bolts handy, I used a half dozen cable-ties the secure the frame pieces together. From here, it was a straight shot (well, curved actually) into Rapid City, SD where a new tire and fresh oil was waiting for me at Rice Honda, Victory, and SeeDoo.

Apparently though, 77 in a 65 isn't a great idea when you're getting close to an "urban center" ...I use that term loosely in context of South Dakota.

Actually, the cop was cool, and we chatted a bit about the ride, etc.. He ended up giving me a written warning for speed and no insurance card specific to the vehicle (I had insurance, just didn't have a card with the VFR listed on it yet). No worries then and he didn't seem to mind the cell-phone pic I snapped while he was running my license.

I got to take a breather in Rapid City while they spooned a new Dunlop sport touring donut onto the back of the VFR, and while it was there I asked them to dump the oil and put some fresh blood in her. Then it was off to the local Ace hardware for a replacement M8 bolt for the one that had jumped ship. With the crossbar on the sub frame broken, it was the only remaining support on the right side except the main mount where the grab handles would be!

All done, it was still only 4:30 or 5pm so I figured I had plenty of time to get up to Mt. Rushmore and grab some pics, and Google Earth had convinced me there would be some twisty roads up there, perfect for scrubbing in the new shoe. ...well the trip up wasn't too twisty as it turned out, but that's fine because there's a 25 mph speed limit all the way to the monument! lol The one thing the Black Hills has though, is wildlife. I saw a wild turkey and TONS of deer. In fact, these two were just below the monument (with a half dozen others) crossing the road.

Once I had let them by (the Solstice was stopped also), it was time to pay my $10 and finally see the monument in person. After parking, and on my way to the visitor's center, I saw this tagged and collared great, hornified mountainous goat wandering through the center:

A ranger told me that they are completely wild, and are not fed and certainly not petted, but they have become (mostly) used to people, and really like the fresh grass that grows inside the center. With this in mind, I was able to get decent shots of another, untagged, goat in his natural habitat ...complete with manhole cover and stone walled restroom! lol

...but I was here for the dead presidents!

...yep, the same shot a million other people have taken, but as usual with photos, it's much more impressive in person.

I wasn't about to go hiking in all my gear, and time was a wastin' anyway, so it was back to the bike, and back onto Hwy 244 (Needles Highway) headed north. The good roads, from my research on Google Earth, were behind the monument, so that's where I was headed ...I still had a shiny, nubbly new tire to wear in after all.

Once out of the official park, the views just got better and better.

They say the president's heads are roughly 60' tall from chin to the top of their heads. ...that's pretty big!

I had to stop for a pic of Horse Thief Lake as I went past.

My next stop would have me circle south on highway 385 to the Crazy Horse monument.

The head on Crazy Horse is 80' tall ...they just really wanted to outdo Mt. Rushmore. ...but this monument has been in progress since 1939, so it's not going to be done anytime soon. lol

Here are some more shots from the visitor's center, which is all made of wood harvested on the ranch where the monument is being built.

A 1/34 scale model of the finished monument.

And the wider view of the area from inside the visitor's center.

From here I continued south to enter Custer State Park from the south, to head back north on 87, this is also known as the Needles Byway.

The views were fantastic, but the light was failing, and having seen the deer population during the day, I wanted to make as much ground towards Spearfish (my stopping point for the day) before night fall. The sun was setting, and I just had to stop for a shot at Pactola Reservoir.

Then it was on to Deadwood, see if you can guess where the old western town got its name?

But the downtown was beautifully restored, and it was tempting to stay here for the night. ...then I realized there was a slot machine crammed into every nook and cranny in the town, and couldn't imagine getting a good night sleep with all that clanging going on!

...so I soldiered on into the darkness until I got to Spearfish, just off the I 90 Fwy / State Hwy 14. Tomorrow was Wyoming, and I was going to need my rest!

[ZenMoto]

Days 6 – 7

Where was I?

...oh yes, Spearfish, SD. After visiting the local brew house for a burger, fries and a much needed beer, I walked back to the hotel and began going over my route through Wyoming. There seemed to be no way around it, even if I stopped only briefly at Devil's Tower, I was still looking at a 12 hour day to get across that big-ass state! Lol

So I ditched my originally planned northern route to the tower, which would have been up 85 to 34 just before Belle Fourche, then West into Wyoming. 34 turns into 24 at the WY border and takes you through scenic little towns like Aladdin and Alva before turning south toward the tower. ...but like I said, I decided to skip this route to cut the extra hour out of my schedule. Instead, I stuck to I 90 across the border. It was wet, and cold again (so I was back in the rain suit), but before too long I was exiting onto 14 and making my way toward the Tower. Before long I was cresting small, rolling hills and getting my first glimpse of something I'd only ever seen in pictures, starting with Close Encounters as a young kid.

It was still wet, but the drizzle had stopped and the clouds were moving swiftly east. I was hopeful that the day would turn blue like the day before had. To maintain some reasonable schedule, I tried not to stop too often, but it's pretty hard when you have this looming at you around every turn!

I liked this one so much, it's now my wallpaper at work.

There was a turnout a few miles before the park entrance with an information board, so I snapped a picture.

...this was a theme on my trip, I'd see an information board, or historical marker, and due to my time restrictions, I'd either pass it altogether, or stop only long enough to snap a photo, so I could read it later! lol

You might be sick of the tower already, but I just think it's cool!

Like I said, I *usually* don't stop long enough to read, but the kiosk at the park dew my attention long enough for a proper read through.

It really is an impressive place in person. Much more so in my opinion, than Rushmore or Crazy Horse, mainly because it's nature just showing off.

Finally, after hiking around a bit, and killing nearly an hour, I decided I had best be on my way. I'd barely crossed the border into WY and it is a HUGE state! lol On the way out, I noticed the "Please don't feed the prairie dogs" sign before I actually noticed the prairie dogs! Here's one little guy who wasn't too shy.

Back on 24 south, back the way I'd come, I instead hung a right onto 14 for a little more back country before rejoining I 90 west at Moorcroft. Cresting a hill on I 90 gave me my first view of the Bighorn Mts., so of course, I had to stop and take a couple pics.

I didn't stop again until, at Buffalo, WY, when I grabbed a late breakfast, and rechecked the road closures over/through the Bighorn Mountains. I'd really wanted to head north to take 14 over, but it was closed due to snow. Instead I was relegated to 16 up and over Powder River Pass. It's still a beautiful ride, but not as scenic as 14 (and not nearly as closed).

There were some beautiful views to be had during the climb up 16.

...and the higher I climbed, the colder it got. I was glad I'd left my rain suit on at this point. By the time I reached the summit, it was a cool 32 degrees.

But these travelers were undaunted, and were on their way to climb to the peak for a better photo op.

...of course, they had a nice warm truck to climb into when they were done!

On the way down the mountain, the temperatures rose to a balmy 45 and continued to a downright tropical 55. All the while, the road was straightening, and the hills were rolling. I was left with mile after mile of rolling hills on a road that was straight as an arrow out in the middle of nowhere.

So I decided to make a new friend!

Having unburdened me of $79 (for 78 / 65) the nice officer let me go after suggesting that I could come back for court in June, and "enjoy the parks while they're open!" ...he was a very funny guy!!!

I carried on through Ten Sleep, Worland, and didn't even stop in Thermopolis to take pictures of the amazing geothermal mineral deposits the hot springs continue to make in the area. My neck was acting up again after only a 4-5 hours in the saddle, and I really wanted to make some time.

I made my way into Wind River Canyon and had to stop for a pic or two.

I made my way down the canon, past the Boysen Reservoir, to Hwy 26 to Riverton. In Riverton I continued straight onto 789 past Arapaho (nice to get close to some of my ancestry, being part Arapaho and part Cherokee). 789 took me into Lander and onto Dickinson Ave., which I took south to Red Canyon.

...the camera is absolutely level in these photos!

I continued on through South Pass and the Continental Divide.

...this goes on for a loooooong time!!! And the wind on these high plains was taking an even greater toll on my neck. To add to the fun, despite adjusting the chain the day before (when the new tire was mounted) it was already stretched and making a terrible racket pulling away from stops. I was reminded of this when I hit Farson (all I could think was "The Good Man" from the Dark Tower by Stephen King), here I crossed 191 and continued on 28 S. Coming to the end of 28 at La Barge Rd / 372., I turned left toward I 80 and my relief at Green River!

Unfortunately, turning into Green River, and looking at the Days Inn, I saw that all the hotels back into 15 tracks of rail switches, and I knew I wouldn't get any rest here. My neck was killing me, and I was beginning to feel carpal tunnel in my right hand and wrist (should have bought a throttle rocker, lol). Checking the GPS showed that the nearest town across the border in Utah was Vernal, and they had several hotels to choose from. It was 70 miles of freeway into Vernal, but that skirted around Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area ...and I wanted to go through it.

I'm a sucker for punishment (and my neck still hurts as I sit here typing this), so I took the road less traveled and headed into the park; it would be 110 miles more before I could rest.

At first I was disappointed in the park, it was very uninspiring, and with far away bluffs and brief glimpses of water just out of sight down some steep slope. The light was quickly fading and so was I; I needed something to keep me focused!

I was rewarded almost instantly after crossing the border into Utah. Not only did I achieve my original goal of covering Wyoming in a day (would have been impossible if Yellowstone and/or the Tetons parks had been open), but the scenery suddenly came alive, with steep red cliff walls, and rock formations jutting out of thick forests. ...this would help keep my mind off the pain!!!

Since there was no way I would make it very far before dark, I decided to stop and rest a bit and watch the sun set. ...it didn't take too long! These photos were all taken in the same minute!

Feeling as rested as I was likely to get standing on the side of the road in 45 degree temps, I got back on the bike one last time for the day, and headed south once more. The deer through this area began to remind me of cockroaches; everywhere you shined a light, there they were, and then they would scatter! It made the last hour or so even more exhausting scanning the dark constantly for any dark shape that might be moving near the side of the road. You can call me paranoid, but I stopped counting deer at 100 and that was barely more than 20 minutes into that final hour! Almost as disconcerting where all the pickups, perhaps loaded with deer hunters, heading the other way. ...let's just say lane discipline isn't real high up on their priority list!

I staggered into Vernal around 9:30pm and had been on 9and off) the bike since about 8am ...that's a long day, I don't care who you are! lLol

All the restaurants were closed, so I was relegated to delivery from Pizza Hut, which didn't exactly hit he spot, but I was too tired to care. If you ever find yourself in Vernal, UT, the Best Western is very, very nice!!! $80 for the night, but the rooms were very newly remodeled and the bed and pillows kicked ass!!! By far the best night's sleep I had since leaving my parent's house in Illinois (and possibly better than that).

On the downside, when I woke up, I found my neck and wrist were still not feeling much better. My plan had been to bomb across Utah, past Salt Lake and into Nevada. Following the Humboldt Range south, then across to Lake Tahoe. The final day of riding was to take me down the east side of the Sierras on highway 395 and then home to LA. ...That would have been 2 very long days ...or at least one very long day followed by a reasonably long day, and frankly, I just didn't feel up to it. Still, I was in the NE corner of Utah, another big state, with a lot of ground to cover before I could consider myself anywhere near home. I decided to head west and figure things out as I went.

Leaving Vernal, I kept to highway 40 past Duchesne and on past the Strawberry Reservoir until I hit Heber, UT, and 189 into Provo. I totally missed Alpine Loop Rd., and looking at it on Google Earth makes me want to cry that I did! ...I must go back!!!

The views on 189 are fantastic though, and not to be missed if you're in the area. ...actually, from what little I saw of Utah, I'd guess you'd have a difficult time finding any corner of that state that isn't majestic and beautiful!!!

Once in Provo, I stopped for lunch, and to assess my situation. My neck was killing me, my wrist and forearm felt like they were on fire, it was already noon and I was still a good hour or so from the Salt Flats and the NV border if I chose that route, my chain was shot (I had adjusted it again that morning, and it there was just nothing left to do for it except replace it), and what weighed most on my decision, was that I was only a day away from this place if I wanted to come back and do some exploring (which I most certainly do).

With all this in mind, and knowing my girlfriend wasn't expecting me until Sunday, I thought "what the hell" and hopped on the 15 S toward Las Vegas and, eventually, home.

Here's what I didn't expect. ...15 through Utah is actually not too bad! There's just so much beautiful scenery in Utah, that you can't go wrong, even on a slab! So for the next several hours I just bombed away down the 15, occasionally stopping for gas and water, but making progress all the same. I was shocked when I crossed the border into Arizona, because for the first 2/3 of the time you're in that state you're just dropping down a deep, breathtaking canyon. Then it was across the border into NV and on towards Vegas.

...Vegas sucked a little bit. I knew I could stop there for the night, but that meant leaving Vegas on a Sunday morning ...which is always a bad idea. To make things more fun though, the temps had climbed to 104 and there was construction which meant stop and go for an hour, cooking in the Vegas sun while watching the temp gauge on the VFR climb past 230! Once clear though, it was on to Primm for gas and (much needed) water, then home.

I should mention that by Baker the temperature had risen to a soothing 108 and stayed there until well past Barstow, not cooling off until almost Victorville, as the sun was setting.

All told, I made it home to Newbury Park, CA at 10pm on the nose. I had left Vernal, UT at 8:30am (7:30am Pacific time) for a day total of 14.5 hours and who knows how many miles!

The bike ran like a champ, I only ate up one rear tire (and a chain), I avoided the worst of the weather for the entire width of the country, and got to see some out of the way places that I've always wanted to visit. I got to surprise my girlfriend by getting home a day earlier than planned, and had all day Sunday to relax and clean up the VFR.

Here's the old girl after a few hours and some elbow grease!

Hope I haven't bored you all to tears!!!

D

[Baileyrock]

Awesome & very nice write up! :biggrin:

[Guest]

Killer pics. Thanks for sharing. Definitely Not boring.

[SEBSPEED]

Very nice trip man, there's a few calendar shots in there I think!

[hondalover]

Good report Dale!

[vanion2]

Bored? :biggrin: Nice photos and good write up. This kind of "boredom" I can live with.

[sportrider]

An epic ride! You should submit to a magazine for publication. Very well done. :biggrin:

[JTG]

Fantastic trip!, thanks for sharing :biggrin:

[Tightwad]

Nice report! People usually underestimate just how friggen big some of the Midwest and Mountain states are! Texas is big, but everyone knows that...so no surprise. The Alpine Trail really is nice, it's too bad you missed it...of course you didn't have enough time for any of the good states, let alone all of them!

[MisterBill]

Very nice write-up and pictures. Definitely beautiful country. Thanks for sharing.

[Guest]

Really outstanding photos! I agree there are some calendar shots there!

[vfr_steve]

EPIC journey, amazing photo's - one of the best reports I've seen here :biggrin: :beer:

[Guest]

WOW!! :ohmy: Absolutely fantastic ride report! Beautiful pictures! Backroads all the way cross country... that's really the way to do it! I soooo wish I could have taken back roads on my trip to Arizona last month, but just didn't have the time Next time for sure though!

Looks like you picked some really nice routes.... glad you made it there safely and enjoyed the trip! :beer: :biggrin:

[ZenMoto]

Thanks everyone, it was a lot of fun, and I'm glad you've enjoyed the recap!

[Guest]

Excellent travelogue, ZenMoto; thanks for sharing. Your pics were maahhvelous, too. Very entertaining, it makes me want to gear up and ride instead of looking at all of this rain!

[i_needit]

That was a GREAT ride report. Thank you

[timmythecop]

I have been planning to ride for devils tower for 20 years and you just go and do it. Just Jealousy talking hear but you stole my thunder. :biggrin:

Good on you for making it and making it with style. What a way to get to now your new bike. Love the photos, great job.

[dutchinterceptor]

Fantastic ride report! :angry:

What camera did you use? Resolution and colors look great!

[vanion2]

MisterBill in the future when you quote someone please delete out the picture links so we aren't scrolling down for infinity. :goofy:

Not that it wasn't worth seeing a 2nd time. :angry:

[FotoMoto]

Very nice write-up and pictures. Definitely beautiful country. Thanks for sharing.

WOW. Easily, hands down, the absolute worst signal to noise reply I've ever seen on this here interweb and I've seen some bad ones. And you did it twice. WTH? :angry:

OK, seriously, don't do this again. Bad form. Hopefully an unpaid moderator will be along to clean up your mess. :dry:

Zenmoto,

You might want to edit down some of the pics. How many pics of The Devils Tower do we really need to see? Fantastic trip report! The Niagra pics in particular were great. :goofy:

[ZenMoto]

Fantastic ride report! :angry:

What camera did you use? Resolution and colors look great!

Thanks everyone (Foto, sorry there were too many pics, I just really dug Devil's Tower).

As for the camera, I took my trusty old Sony DSC-F717. It's not the most compact camera (by a long shot) but I don't have an SLR, and it takes really good pics. I have a much smaller, higher resolution, Sony pocket camera, but the 717 still wins on image quality. ...and at 5mp, with a 2gb Memory Stick, it will hold almost 700 images.

..and actually, that was the pared down photo selection!

The rest of the photos are here: My SmugMug gallery.

Thanks again guys.

D

[dutchinterceptor]

717 eh? Always wanted to try one of those. Definitely a keeper. :angry:

[Faceplant]

Hope I haven't bored you all to tears!!!

I'm not bored, I'm jealous!!

Excellent, thanks for sharing this!

This is for sure the way to bring a new bike home!

:angry: