Team Amos, Coast to Coast!

[piratetreasure]

Okay, here goes- My first trip report on the MOA forum!

Also, there is an associated blog I did (with my wife's help at home, videos, etc.) during the trip, located at
http://teamamoscoasttocoast.blogspot.com/

At the end of my trip report, there will be a short quiz. You'll need to check out the blog for quiz answers. The first 3 responders who PM me with complete, accurate answers will win a superdeluxe cruise control, suitable for BMW 1150GS + RT guaranteed, manufactured by CAT.

Here goes...

This trip was originally scheduled to happen last Summer, but due to pregnancy complications, it was put off a year. I'm a teacher, and have plenty of free time during Summer, and my brother, who lives in Los Angeles, is self-employed, so he can schedule his time off as well. He was able to take about 3 weeks in June, so the planning began in earnest.
We had been wanting to do a coast to coast ride for some time, and laid out a route that would take us to some (hopefully) interesting places along the way, from my home in Ft. Myers Beach, Fl. to his in Redondo Beach. He shipped his bike, and he flew out several days prior to our departure so there was time to hang out with the rest of the family. He is our West Coast rep- the rest of us live fairly close together and see each other all the time, but it is rare anymore when we're all together.
We hung out for a few days, got the bikes ready, went for a few rides around the area and generally relaxed with family before heading out.

We left on June 6th, and experienced the only mechanical of the entire trip in my driveway- Hank rolled his bike off the centerstand and found his rear tire flat due to a nail picked up the day before. With a plug and some air, we were on our way!

Our plan the first day was to slab it up I-75 into Ga., then take some back roads, bypassing Atlanta traffic, to a friend's house in Gainesville for our first overnight stop.

A word to the wise- watch your midday BBQ intake when you have hundreds of miles to ride ahead of you.

The next morning, we headed up to Dahlonega and checked out the gold museum and did some panning- We found some gold, but didn't quite pay for the trip...

Rode up through Suches, Wolf Pen Gap Road and 129 up to Deal's Gap. I envy you riders in this area- we had a blast on your roads! Rode the Dragon several times, found a place to crash in Stecoah and called it a night.

The next morning found us back at the Dragon for several more passes- we were there Thurs. afternoon and Fri. morning- I can't imagine what the area is like during a weekend, but it was definitely getting busier. We headed down to the Cherohala Skyway and then over to Lookout Mtn. outside Chattanooga, got poured on, finally stopped in Gadsden, Alabama for the evening and attempted to dry out.

The next morning, after some breakfast,

we rode down to Birmingham and the Barber racetrack/ museum for a look around. You need to see this place. Amazing.

Stay tuned...

 

[piratetreasure]

We headed out of B-Ham, following the GPS, but ignoring most attempts to get us up on interstates. We knew we wanted to stop somewhere around Little Rock for the night, and wound up taking a route across Ala. and Mississippi that eventually took us on part of the Natchez Trace, through this old tiny town that looked almost bombed-out, but with people everywhere on the sidewalks- weird- and up Hwy. 61 to a bridge across the Mississippi River. We cruised up to I-40 in Arkansas, and rode about 50 miles into LR for the night. Not the superior lodging experience we were hoping for, but an experience nonetheless. You need to see the blog for that story.

The next day was about miles- we wanted to make it to Amarillo, but we also wanted to try and pick up as much of old Route 66 as we could. Yeah, it's mostly an I-40 access road now, the parts that still exist, but it is iconic-

Gotta backtrack- In Oklahoma City, we did go to the bombing memorial. It is a haunting place, and it brought tears to my eyes. It saddens me to think about it even as I write this.
We made it to Amarillo and sacked out for the night after a dinner at the Waffle House in front of the motel.
The next morning, we headed west through Amarillo and stopped on theWest side of town to se the Cadillac Ranch, another bit of American iconography.

Out of Amarillo, we went North, following the GPS through the NE corner of New Mexico and up into Colorado to our next stop, Colorado Springs. We found a campground, set up the tent, found some food and went to check out a place called 7 falls. At night, the place is beautiful. I can only imagine how nice it is during the day.
The next morning, we broke camp and rode up to the top of Pike's Peak. 14,110 feet, 23 degrees and snowing at the summit. Aftr cautiously riding to the top, I'd love to come back and watch the annual races to the summit. It must be nuts. Great views from the summit-

and this plaque embedded in the rock. Anybody know what it's talking about?

We left Colo. Springs riding South, then took Hwy50 West over Monarch Pass to Montrose for the night.

More to come.

 

[piratetreasure]

Heading out of Montrose, we rode NW, picking up the interstate into Utah, then down this little road that follows the Colorado River down to Moab. The scenery just kept getting better.

Made it into Moab, a place I'd like to visit again with a smaller bike, found a motel room and made our way up to Arches Natl. Park for some hiking. A hot, uphill hike took us to Delicate arch- the hike was completely worth it.

We spent some more time in Arches, then back to the motel for some laundry and a trip across the street to the Moab Brewery for dinner. Moab is a cool little town. I would have loved to have seen it before it was "discovered".

South out of Moab the next morning, with plans to eat at the "Swingin' Steak" of Feasting on Asphalt fame in Mexican Hat, but no such luck- didn't open 'til 6 P.M.... Pushed on through Monument Valley

where we passed, stopped, had to turn around and cheer as they went by, a couple of RAAM (Race Across AMerica) competitors. On bicycles. In Monument Valley. In June. Middle of the day. Had to be 100+ degrees. Racing from SoCal to Atlantic City, N.J. I think the winners do it in around 9 days. Amazing athletes.

Down through Monument Valley and over to the North rim of the Grand canyon. I've neer been to the South rim, but I hear it's really developed. I like the N. rim.

Spent the night in Fredonia, Az. at a great little motel with an even better little restaurant in the parking lot. I forget the name of it, but it is on the South end of town. Good folks.

The next day, we rode the short little hop up to Zion N.P. Zion is my favorite- the hike in the river up the narrows is incredible to me.

Hiked/swam/explored Zion all day, bunked in a small motel in Springdale, just outside the park. The power went out all over SW Utah that afternoon for about 5 hours, and when it came back on, none of the restaurants were opening, so we hit the local grocery for our evening feed- really good, but no bacon...

more later.

 

[piratetreasure]

Leaving Zion, we had decided that we wanted to ride the "Extraterrestrial Highway", route 375 across Nevada. It runs along the Northern border of Area 51 and is a big area for UFO buffs. Partway down 375 is the tiny town of Rachel, Nv., home of the Little A'Le'Inn, where we had to stop for lunch.

At the beginning of 375, there is a sign that says "no gas next 150 miles".

They ain't kidding.

We coasted into Tonopah, Nv. on fumes and were happy to pay over $4 for gas.

We rode on to Bishop, Ca. and packed it in for the night. Bishop seems like a cool town as well. Tonopha, not so much.

The next morning, we rode up over Tioga pass into Yosemite N.P.- Beautiful. The streams and lakes at 6000' elevation are magnificent, as are the waterfalls, sheer granite faces and glacial erosion. The food ain't bad, either.

Once we left Yosemite, we headed down to Fresno/Clovis to visit some friends, then on to L.A. and the end of the road.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. We saw some amazing sights, rode some fun roads, but the very core of the entire ride was that I don't get to hang out with my little brother nearly enough, and the 3 weeks we spent together meant a great deal to me.

The ride home trip report:
Get on I-10
Head East
Ride
repeat.

That was pretty much what got me home. That, plus knowing I had a first birthday party to attend!!

And now.... The Quiz!

Remember, you'll need to go to

http://teamamoscoasttocoast.blogspot.com/

for the answers, and the first 3 100% replies PMed to me will win a CAT designed cruise control, postage paid and everything!


Question 1: What movie did we go to in Fresno?

Question 2: What color is the Toenail of Destiny?

Question 3:What did we eat in Page, Az?

Question 4: Which cylinder (R or L) was the marmot hanging onto?

Question 5: Our "test run" in the Everglades took us by the ______ ___ Research Center.

Good luck, and thanks for reading.

 

[piratetreasure]

What?! No takers on the quiz?
We're talkin' free crise control here, folks!

 

[dwestly]

From another coast-to-coaster

Sounds like a great trip. My wife and I just finished our coast-to-coast 2 weeks ago. We went Tampa, FL to Monterey, CA and return, 6688 miles in 18 days. I was on my 1200GS and she was on her VFR800. An awesome trip thru CO, UT, NV and then down the PCH before the return. We blogged it at http://radbikers.spaces.live.com if you want to check out the trip!

Congratulations!

 

[piratetreasure]

We have a winner!
Tonkandy is the soon-to-be recipient of his very own Cat designed O-ring cruise control. Thanks for playing, Tonkandy- Hope to see you on the road someday.

 

[SNC1923]

I'm meeting a buddy for a breakfast ride, so alas, no time for the quiz.

HOWEVER, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you what a great trip report this is. I especially enjoyed the action eating shots. A number of funny pictures and some interesting scenery as well. I've criss-crossed a few times now, but have yet to take in Cadillac Ranch. Sounds like you must have rolled right through Bakersfield. . . . We routinely see Beemers from all over the country. Sorry we missed you!

Thanks for the report!