Modern Vespa

Very good. Each one is different, the approach, traffic, pedestrians, lighting, etc. You just can't ride up to the sign you have to plan and approach with caution.

Here's another quick one for you, Phillip..P. Smith, showing the magic from an upcoming long form video.

I think you'll agree it's as much science as art.

Don't forget to hit the HD button to see the gorgeous cinematography.

Last edited by Chiaroscuro on Sun, 30 Jun 2013 02:45:20 +0000; edited 1 time

I click on it and I get a message that says this movie is private!!

Love it! And I see you have your old seat top pillow again.

godspeed

I click on it and I get a message that says this movie is private!!

Fixed. I think.

nope

Changed the link on the ORIGINAL post. Try that one rather than any of the other posts.

Nope, the original link didn't work for me either....

Public.

Direct link:




Public

I surprise everyone including the couple next door to me and the front desk clerk. I'm up before 0800, I quickly chow down everything that is not locked up behind faux-glass in the breakfast area.

Packed in record time even having to answer some basic questions about the scooter I'm on the road a little after 0800. Slowly I make my way North. Wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday, I feel like crap and blame it on the all you can eat special at Sonny's that came with a 3 for 1 beer special after 8PM and that dammed convenience store so close to the motel that was advertising 18 packs of beer in big bright neon letters. I just love bright neon lettering.

The plan now is to head to Chipley, FL then North to AL and back West. I pull in for the first fill up of the day and to my surprise it's the same hotel/gas station I stopped at and stayed on my last day of the 2010 trip! I wonder if they were ever able to clean that bathroom after I left or just had it ripped out and started fresh. Fresh is good.

As I was on 10 and I saw the sign for Dothan, AL. So the planned changed again and I headed North for Dothan. In a few short miles I passed into AL. Following 231 I continued on with the idea of Memphis again.

At Montgomery I got on 65 heading to Birmingham. It you weren't doing a minimum of 75 you were politely asked to pull off the road. It was a mad house.

Thankfully I pulled off for some fuel and took a look at my map. Birmingham suddenly became out of the question and so I turned South and caught 80 W. It was hot as the sun was getting low as shining directly into my face. The goal was Jackson, MS but I was denied again today.

I was beat. And to be honest for the last two days I have absolutely no enthusiasm for this trip. I can't get motivated. Hell I can't even get comfortable on the scooter. It's not like I remember from the good old days, 2010 - the Golden Years!

Little nit-picky thing are going wrong and having to turn back and go a considerable distance was almost a deal breaker for me. If I flat in the next day or so I'm turning back. Hell the GoPro I had mounted on the side of the scooter almost came off. I just happened to glance down at it and it was just ready to peel off the side of the scoot. I thought those mounts were almost permanent? And the county I stopped in is dry! For crying out loud put an announcement at the county line in big bright neon letters!

I was looking for a Holiday Inn - you do know they've remodeled all them? My GPS directed me to a Comfort Inn in Demopolis. Hmm, I'm thinking maybe I have a virus. But no, it used to be a Holiday Inn. That is so sad but I ended up staying anyway I was tired.

Went down to the place called Mr. G's Pizza and picked up some spaghetti. Got stiffed on the drink because I didn't check. Hope Mr. G enjoys the extra profit.

So I went to the hotel vending machine to get a Diet Coke. Completely sold out. If this were still a Holiday Inn I bet it would have been stocked. As I turned to go to my room I looked over at the door for the pool there was a 4 foot snake on the carpet by the door. I looked twice thinking it was plastic - why I don't know, but it did move so I'm pretty sure it was real.

Told the woman at the front desk and I think her water broke. The look on her face was priceless. She immediately dialed 911. Apparently it's pretty slow so she was sure they were going to respond. I ended up with some water for my troubles.

About 436 miles today. Other than the time change which gave me only about 45 minutes of pleasure in turning back the clock the rest of the day was a bust.

Last edited by Chiaroscuro on Wed, 12 Mar 2014 01:07:17 +0000; edited 1 time

Still showing "private" for me.

Sorry you're having so many troubles - I hope it shakes out and you continue.

I surprised myself again by getting up in time for the free breakfast. If you can call some toast, out of date something or other that was labeled 'butter' and watered down OJ breakfast.

The talk of the morning was the snake last night. By now it was over 15 feet long, had swallowed a deer whole the day before, caused a big rig on the interstate to crash when it was run over last year and survived. The only thing it wasn't involved in was politics but I'm sure if I stayed around long enough someone would have put together a petition to see it would run for school board.

I had big plans for today after the miserable last two days. I headed West on 20 towards Meridian, MS. Lots of fog early on. The visibility was down to maybe 100 yards at times. After about 45 minutes this burned off.

On through Meridian, Jackson and then Vicksburg and across the Mississippi. I wished I had a camera going as it was pretty cool crossing the bridge.

Definitely a different 'landscape' when you cross into Louisiana. Very flat at first and lots of wide open spaces. I had a wind coming from the South but it was not too terrible but it did add a bit to keeping control of the scooter. The roads were exceptional early on.

Outside of Monroe they got progressively worse. In Monroe itself they were very bad, heading North the speed limit picked up and dealing with all the bumps was tough.

I was headed up 2 North but I came across a sign that 2 was closed 20 miles on. No reason just closed. So I diverted to what became 15/558.

I stopped for gas before crossing into Arkansas and as I was pumping gas I saw a storm moving in. Rather than put on my rain gear I headed out anyway. A few minutes later I was forced to pull over and put the plastic bag on as it looked like it was pouring in front of me. What was so spooky was that there were storm clouds West and East connected by some high clouds that arched over me. I was thinking killer tornado.

It rained for another 10 minutes and then was done. I lost 4 pound in the next 90 minutes.

From El Dorado, AK I headed towards Texarkana. Why? At this point I'm not really sure but I ended up there anyway. I did some zigging and zagging to try and get out of town and eventually passed into Texas.

I rode out on 82 for some time and I have to tell you even rural roads have a high speed limit in Texas. If you can't keep up 70 plus on some backwater road you will have someone on your ass honking and flashing their light - so I'm told.

While desperately trying to keep from getting run over I blew by a big orange sign that said: 'Caution Loose Gravel'. I'm thinking; I'm tired, doing 70 and I have the cousin of Coral Eugene Watts in a F350 4X4 King Ranch Crew Cab on my rear end; loose gravel? Really?

I ended up in Paris, TX pretty satisfied with the day. And I found a new Holiday Inn.

I put on my rain gear thinking it might rain but it didn't. I lost 4lbs in the first 90 minutes. But it was OK as it was fat not muscle.

From Paris I headed out on 271 North towards Hugo, OK. I eventually picked up the Indian Nation Turnpike. As I was entering it I saw a huge sign that said: No Pedestrians, check, No Bicycles, check, No Scooter, huh? I continued on anyway. I eventually went through 3 tolls for a total of $5.50 which wasn't too bad. It was practically deserted. A bit rough but not too terrible.

I got off at Henryetta and headed West on 40. 40 was somewhat beat up but again not too bad and traffic was easy to get through. After a long ride I ended up in Oklahoma City, OK. Traffic through the city was easy here.

This is the home to Tinker Air Force Base and by the number of entrances to the base it has to be pretty big. One of the runways abuts right onto 40.

I realized after an hour or so that 40 is the old Route 66. I had come this on the way home from the 2010 trip but I wasn't sure how far I had come before cutting the corner and heading South

After almost passing through the city I turned around and went back to see the Oklahoma City Memorial & Museum. I'm glad I did it was very moving. I had been here years ago just prior to the memorial being finished. The grounds were someething and the museum is very impressive. Worth making a stop or side trip to see.

Continuing on 40 I passed through Yukon home of Garth Brooks. He's a pretty big deal here and his name adorns a water tower right next to 40 if you don't believe me.

In Weatherford I ran across some a wind farm that straddled the road. I think these thing are so cool and they look so remarkable slowly turning in the wind.

At Elk City there was a warning sign for motorcycles about a bad road. They weren't kidding as there were grooves/troughs in the lane that looked like they had given away. It appeared to be from shoddy construction and was only in the right lane. It was difficult at times dodging these grooves and not wandering into the other lane. Really rough for a few miles.

Eventually I passed into Texas heading to Amarillo. I had filled up in Weatherford and thought I would have no difficulty in finding fuel on the way. Amarillo was just out of range for me.

Around Shamrock I started to seriously look for a station. I came across Alanreeed but it had only one exit that I missed. The turnaround was several miles down the road but I continued on thinking that there was a station just around the corner. Oh, that damned low fuel light had been on for awhile.

Lower and lower and slower and slower. I eventually settled on 50 mph and it seemed so slow it was like I could hop off the scooter and run beside it. I had some head winds and was contending with lots of tractor trailer traffic as well. On the Eastbound side a truck hauling what looked to be the back section of an F35 jet rolled by! Strange

Finally a sign that said Groom 10 miles. Then a sign that said Groom 3 mils Food and Fuel all three exits! By now I was doing 40 in a 70 so I kicked it up to 45 to celebrate. Coming to the first exit I rolled off looking for a gas station any station and there was literally nothing except a water tower with a 40 degree tilt towards it. I saw some building in the distance so moving along at 30 mph I headed that way only to be put back on 40 West and from where I was Groom did not look to be that big of a city. I was thinking this is happening way too soon on this trip.

I got off at the next exit and spied a gas station off to my left. They were open and I was able to fuel up. I spoke with the owner and there was one other gas station on the they're side of town but if you weren't a local you probably couldn't find it.

Back out I rolled another 20 miles or so into Amarillo and the Holiday Inn. I got one of the last three rooms. As I was paying a women walked in and was told she had the last room. I was lucky again.

I ended up at Buffalo Wild Wings down the street. In Texas you can still smoke in the bar! The place was packed even the Men's room. Not sure about the Women's. According to one of the guys at the bar there was some sort of a convention in town. Hopefully it wasn't the American Cancer Society.


OKC Memorial

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I had checked the weather forecast for the next day the night before and it showed about a 30% chance of rain the next day. Wow 30% chance here is about 100% anywhere else. It was coming down hard.

It was getting dark with low lying clouds rolling by with lots of wind. I got packed quickly but decided to hang out a bit to see if it would move on. The current weather radar showed a major storm rolling in from the east over Amarillo with lots of heavy rain and winds. For once the radar did not lie. The radar showed that there was going to be a break in the storm as it rolled over Amarillo heading west. As I got ready to leave the power went out and the rain and wind increased.

Surprisingly there was no generator at the hotel as the lights stayed off. Fortunately the electronic locks worked off the emergency batteries used to power the exit signs and lights and I could get back into my room.

After an hour or so the power came on and the rain slowed slightly. I made my move to the parking lot. No cover on the scooter. Damn Harley riders stole another one! However, they apparently just hid it this time as I found it on the other side of the parking lot against a fence

I loaded up the scooter and fired it up. The low fuel light, also known as the 'you're going to see me a lot on this trip light' was on. The gauge was pegged at empty; as in really, really empty. The engine was running and I sat there in the rain trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It was only 30 or so miles from Groom where I fueled up. Theft? Perhaps. Break in the tank line and the fuel ran out? Perhaps. But a bad fuel gauge sensor? Never crossed my mind.

It started raining harder so ever so slowly I eased out on the road headed to the gas station that was less than a mile down the road. And of course the wind began to pick up and throw debris every which way. I though this only happened in Kansas.

I pulled into the gas station and immediately was met by the bumpers of three tractor trailers exiting. Adding to my confusion was the honking from those god awful horns they have.
Why? I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with the large neon lit TRUCK EXIT ONLY sign I just happened to be riding by. So out of respect for the 'steel cowboys' I turned around and made a hasty exit with new friends on my ass. Close on my ass.

A bit further down the road I was able to enter again without so much as a peep from any of the other drivers. I pulled in and noticed an open pump had safety tape on it. Hmm, broken pump. I pulled around to another pump and same thing. Then I noticed that ALL the pumps were closed. Crap and me out of gas.

Then the light bulb went off and I thought maybe this had something to do with the power outage. I went in and asked how long until the pumps would be on; long slow eye roll accompanied by some nasal snorting and I was told about 10 minutes as the 'server was rebooting'. I'm not sue but I think several other people had been in before me and ay have masked a similar question but I'm not 100% positive.

Standing by the scooter in the near darkness of a major western storm that had the potential of being named 'Holy Sh*t 2013' at 1000 in the morning I pulled off the gas cap. I could see some fuel sloshing around. My flashlight was packed up and I don't smoke so I couldn't use a lighter to get a better look. What was going on?

As I was standing there several people pulled over and asked about the status of the fuel pumps.
Apparently being suited up with goofy protective garments and a helmet next to a scooter gave me the appearance of a knowledgeable pump jockey. After six or so I just started slowly rolling my eyes, almost losing a contact in the process, gave a nasal snort and some line about 'a server somewhere that needed something and I assured them Frank was working on it.'

All this new technology! When I was out in '10 many times I had to hand pump from a rusty 50 gallon barrel after having to push the scooter uphill through waist deep snow for miles. At least that's how I remember it.

10 minutes and 15 pump questions later my pump lit up; slid my card in and as indicated on the screen and removed it ever so quickly, the words One Moment' appeared on the screen and never wavered for 3-4 minutes. While waiting I responded to two more questions about pump status and one about whether or not the chicken gravy was that good at the attached restaurant. I punted on that one. Eventually the screen cleared and I pulled off the safety tape - probably breaking some obscure Texas law that has been on the books since before Texas was a state and pumped .7 gallons! Damn, bad fuel gauge.

While I was waiting and talking the talk about fuel delivery systems and the status of heart clogging grease I decided to head west as it looked like it was clearing and then loop back north. However, in the time it took to fuel up it got ever so dark to the west so I took the path of least resistance and headed south as it was only 'kinda of dark'.

I headed down 335 south and looped back to the west. Looking back a few times it looked really bad over Amarillo, bad, bad. Interestingly the road dried out as the storm hadn't reached this section of the city yet. I also ran across two other Holiday Inns that were dry as a bone. If I had found one of these I'd be 100+ miles down the road by now but my knowledge of fuel delivery systems would definitely lacking and Elmer from Michigan would be nursing and upset stomach.

Following the GPS I eventually ended up on 385 for quite some time. I stopped in Dalhart for fuel and food. The only choice I had was McDonalds. I was going to get a salad but that picture of the Bacon and Cheese Quarter Pounder is so tempting. Damned Madison Avenue.

I was behind two women in line. This may have been there first encounter with a McDonalds because as they got closer to the front they started to read the entire menu out loud to one another like it was Fifty Shades of Grey lite. I wish I could adequately describe the awe and excitement that was in their voices.

Finally they made to the counter. They were ordering for 6, I looked for a place to lay down wondering if I should break out the tent and sleeping bag. They ordered the first two meals and drinks and then had the guy taking the order read all of them back. Conferred with one another for a few moments and agreed that the order was correct and then ordered for the next two. Again they had the guy read back all four orders, had a short confab and moved on to the last two orders.

By now I was looking out the window for a gun shop that I knew was close and trying to remember if there as a waiting period for multiple weapons and ammo purchase in Texas. Finally all six orders were read back and everyone present was in agreement that they were correct.

Then one of the woman asked if they could write a check. The guy behind the counter probably wasn't 20 years old so I don't think he knew what a check was. To him it was a longish piece of blue colored paper that looked nothing like a 50 dollar bill he was used to getting on large orders. He had a short confab with the manager, probably a semi-longish explanation about ancient banking history and practices with a promise of a follow-up. The answer that came back was no to the extreme disappointment of the two women.

They then went digging through what appeared to me to be duffle bags slung over their shoulder and came up with a Blockbuster rental card which was probably worth more to a collector than the price of the meals. Finally they found a credit card that still that 'You must activate before use...' sticker on it. The clerk had to demonstrate to them how to slide it through the point of purchase device. My fingers were crossed this would work. It did and slowly they moved out of the way.

Quickly I ordered and moved over to wait. The group behind me moved in and began to read the menu out loud! Is this the first McDonalds in Texas? About this time one of the two women who had ordered in front of me returned to the counter as asked the clerk 'Who made the McFlurries and shakes they ordered and they couldn't find the McFlurrie or shake machines'. I left to the din of someone gushing about a grilled Southwest salad.

Headed out on 87 and I tagged New Mexico shortly after. Back through Texline and north towards Kansas. The wind was beginning to pick up, as if Kansas is known for wind, and the road wasn't in that great a shape. I ended up in Elkhart, KS. The GPS showed only one gas station in town and I didn't see any others on the main street I came in on. This one was newly opened so I think dodged a bullet there.

Heading out my Garmin routed me through some pretty dicey roads heading to Colorado. One of them was marked 'W'. Just W.

It was muddy and had some sort of pumice on it that made it incredibly slick. It was also about 20 miles long. I ended up at times only doing 10 or so miles an hour in order to, well in order to live for another day. It was miserable and hot. It seemed like the odometer never moved at times I was going so slow.

If you've ever wondered if the fan will come on while doing 18 mph in 100+ degree heat the answer is yes. It seems like its screaming at a speed that is well above what you are travelling at.

I almost lost it in the drainage troughs and the front end started going back and forth so madly that I couldn't control it. I was just ready to bail; after all I was only doing about 6 mph how badly would I get hurt landing in the mud but at the last moment I regained control.

It was about that time I felt something akin to a breakfast burrito in my shorts. It was so hot out I didn't even stop to investigate.

Shortly I was passed from behind by the only vehicle the whole time on this road. As he neared I straightened up, squared my shoulders and stared straight ahead with a steely resolve trying ever so mightily to give the impression that I was supposed to be travelling a 10 mph with what I was positive by now was breakfast in my shorts. Just another day on the road.

After an exhausting struggle I eventually ended up on another road that was in the process of being re-graveled. Another 20 mph run. I rode in the left lane for some time because I was the only person for horizon to horizon. Eventually I came to the section where both lanes had been done and I had to suck it up and ride in the deep gravel.

During this time I came across an abandoned house that had a huge garage attached to it. I stopped to take a few pictures. There was a pumping station across the road and as I was gearing back up to leave a dog that looked like a Lab wandered through it. He didn't notice me until the last minute because of the noise of the pumps. When he saw me he froze and stayed still the entire time I got ready to leave. He had a collar on but there wasn't a house for miles so I'm not sure why he was out there.

As I rode out I noticed what I thought was a long haired dog or maybe a wolf running across an open field across from the pumps. He was jumping at the sky as he ran. Very strange.

I ended up exhausted in Springfield, CO. I bypassed the town but a mile or so down the road I turned around to fill up. Better safe than sorry. There were quite a few hotels in town and I was tempted to stay but I was looking for a Holiday Inn. The closest was in Trinidad, CO. So after fueling I headed out on 160.

Heading west I could see a huge storm to the south of me. If I stayed true to the course I was on I would just miss it. To my dismay I could see on the GPS that the road turned due south with a dog leg before turning back. I could only hope that the southern leg wouldn't be that long.

Heading to this turn some of the clouds close to me from this storm started to twist and turn and drop closer to the ground. This looked ominous. The wind was continuous and forceful never letting up for a moment.

All along the road there were many abandoned farms. In fact for miles I don't think I saw one light on any of the buildings and quite a few of them had roofs that were collapsed. There were also quite a few signs in fields that read: 'Not for sale to the Army'. Not sure what that was about but if the Army wants it they'll just take it.

I stopped after the road turned south to see if I could physically see where it turned back west. I couldn't because of the rain. The storm to the south was moving in towards me and the storm to the west was still looking bad. There was a turn here that ran north to La Junta which showed a Holiday Inn. And as an added bonus the sky was clear. So I made the decision to continue on towards the storm rather than assured safety.
The southern leg ran through Kim a small town that didn't appear to have anything going for it other than a few buildings. From Kim I could now see traffic on the western route and it looked like it just missed the northern edge of the storm. In the distance I could see some low lying mountains as well which were the first ones of the trip.

Eventually I came to the turn that went west and if the road didn't curve any further south I would miss the worst of this storm. The wind was terrible. I pulled over to take some pictures of an abandoned block home and noticed that behind me Kim was completely covered by a storm, obliterated - so much for being able to turn around. The clouds from this storm were very impressive.

The sun had now dropped below the clouds and as I was heading west it was drilling a hole in my skull. Even when I closed my eyes for a few moments I could see it. This and the wind were making for a miserable day.

The distance from Springfield to Trinidad is about 122 miles well within the distance of a fill up. As the day wore it became clear that I might not make it because of the constant wind. I was only passed by three vehicles so this was a pretty remote road. Far more remote than I thought. Damned Garmin!

On I went fighting the wind and eventually the GPS display flipped over announcing that the sun had officially set. I now had the twilight join me in my misery. I saw a few elk close to the fence line running near the road and came up on a deer that was by the road. Luckily he turned back towards the field and not onto the road.

On and on as it got darker and darker. Eventually I went down to 30 miles an hour in an attempt to conserve fuel. The road turned a bit and the wind was now at my back so I cranked it up to 40 mph for a bit but when I saw the gauge move I backed down to 30 again.

On and on and I had to pee. Stopping and the accelerating from a dead stop would waste gas that I didn't think I had to spare. Finally I said screw it and parked in the middle of the road I promptly peed all over my leg because of the wind but it was very satisfying.

Back on the scooter and up to 25 mph. If I thought 50 mph headed to Groom yesterday was slow this was a drag. The countdown timer showed 19 miles to the nearest gas station. My OCD kicked in and I began to wonder if it would be open? I checked my phone and it showed several bars so I knew I probably could call for roadside service assuming those bars actually represented a connection in this remote part of the country.

15 miles and what seemed like 2 hours to go. The wind picked up to add frosting on my misery cupcake.

At about 9 miles I saw vehicle lights to the south. I could see on the GPS that I was going to join up with a major road several miles on.

At 5 miles I looked backed over my right shoulder and saw a lot of lights of some town to the north. In front of me now were two bright lights; one straight ahead and one a bit to the south at first I couldn't figure out what they were. Eventually after a mile or so it became clear these were street lights in the yards of occupied homes. I had made it to civilization.

I came to a 'T' of 160 and 350, the Kit Carson Trail and concurrently rolled 20,000 miles on the scooter. I turned towards Trinidad but really couldn't see any lights of the city. After a short period of time I passed a small hill on my left that had been blocking the city lights and Trinidad opened up to me.

After a mile or so I headed to the lights of a Shell station. I pulled in on empty and only then noticed that it was closed. However, the pumps were still on. So I tried my card and it worked and I filled up.

With the gauge showing 3/4s of a tank I rolled out on 25 south to the hotel. I immediately got hit with some of the worst winds of the day it was crazy it was so bad and the traffic was terrible.

There were very few lights on the freeway and I was surrounded by jacked-up pickups and tractor trailers hauling cattle doing 60+. Me? I was doing at most 25 mph and I could barely see as my contacts were so dry. I had the flashers on and stayed as far as I could to the right side of the road. I was getting blown all over. I knew I had to play it safe or I was going to get hurt.

Eventually I made it to the hotel exit and turned off. They had a room and I grabbed one for two nights. I was exhausted.

It was a tough day. My grip strength was shot. I could barely hold the 32 oz. drafts they had on sale in the bar that the hotel had. Tough, really tough.


Amarillo radar.

Amarillo radar.

Damned gas gauge.

Back towards Amarillo.

Back towards Amarillo.

New Mexico.

I saved an hour without trying.

Whole lot of nothing.

Note to self: Don't take shortcuts.





Kansas.

Last gas station standing.



After seeing the area this must have been a tough place to live.









You can just see the Lab by the pump. Never moved.

Continued.


Newly graveled road. Incredibly difficult to drive in.



I ran across quite a few of these small towns that had fallen on hard times.

Fabulous pictures!

And great writing, as usual...

Cheers!

John

Great reading!! Last photo looks like 100 tornados just trying to begin!!

Still alive.

I just saw this MP3 in Largo, Florida a few minutes ago. Driving by it I thought it was a new, like 2012-13 it was so clean.

Found the owner and he gets the award for the grumpiest man on three wheels ever. Completely dissatisfied, likes a Harley better (and all those cool ass-less chaps), weighs too much, him and the scoot, probably hates the color as well.

Didn't really want to talk so I moved on as I spotted a liquor store that was running a holiday sale!

This thing is very clean I should have asked how many miles he had on it.

It's an '09.

He likes Harleys' and then said the MP3 weighs too much? That's laughable because the heaviest MP3 weighs about the same as the lightest Harley (a Sportster), and about 1/2 of a full dresser Hog. Yes a scooter is a different kind of ride but to say it weighs too much compared to a Harley is quite funny.

No really this was THE 'grump old man'. Not sure how he got the MP3. I was interested in talking to him but in the end the sale at the liquor store and his attitude drove me away - no pun intended.

So what happen to your trip, Did you finish it or say to hell with it and return to Florida

Aren't finishing it and returning to Florida pretty much the same thing?

No I finished. I had a lot of mechanical problems both ways. The goal was Prudhoe and 49 states but after getting back to the lower 48 I just through in the towel and headed to Florida.

As far as updating with MV I just got tired of having to write everything down each evening and processing photos. I still have my notes so maybe this short post will be the incentive to finish it.

Since the AK trip I went back to AK, flying this time, to do some fishing and general screwing around. I also went to Mexico for some sharking diving, back out West in the car for about 2 months and finally to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro - so it's been a pretty busy few months.


New sign at the Dalton!

Aerial of the Arctic Circle sign.

Start that 15 minute clock again!



Coldfoot aerial. About the halfway point on the highway.

The real start of the highway just done from the new sign. They've raised this sign so, I assume, it can't be covered with stickers.





Top of the world for scootering. I did go and do the dip in the Arctic Ocean.

From here I rode directly back to Fairbanks, An epic, in my opinion, 500+ mile 17 hour trip! Epic!

Southbound stop at the sign.

Great White Shark Diving Mexico!

Summit Kilimanjaro just a few weeks ago.

Yeah, really common schedule for any of us...

Did the DJI Phantom travel with you?
Seeing that the controller is in your left hand.

Yeah all the way. I even took it to Everest. But I have to say it's a bit time consuming pulling over and putting the props on, syncing, etc. I had big plans for aerial photography but they didn't pan out.

They just recently upgraded their unit.
I'm waiting for a tag along or proximity program following behind one through a twisty mountain road. The only low cost item right now is a 3-person view mount. http://www.thirdpersonview.com/?page_id=41twisty
If I had deeper pockets adding a Mr. Wiggly to either unit would be the cats meow.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wiggly/wiggly-professional-videos-on-your-smartphone-or-g

Here's one:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1840378072/boompro-for-gopro-cameras?ref=live

And I ran across one a year or so ago that had a mount that slipped into a backpack and the arm extended out in front of you to video the rider from a distance, pretty ingenious and I think the creator was from Alaska as the videos were all snowmobiling. Similar to what you posted.

I refer to them as vanity mounts.
So I bought as well as built a 360 degree rotational mount.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gopro-Hero2-Hero3-360-Swivel-Helmet-Rotor-Mount-selfshot-SKI-Bike-skate-SAFE-/321133148874?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac506faca
I bought it for $56.00 when it first came out, dam lucky I didn't hesitate.
That why I built another one as a back-up, costing about $75.00 in material and a bit heavier.
If you go this way you best upgrade to an aluminum curved bolted helmet mounting plate, torsional twisting occurs on fast movements.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-helmet-mount-for-GoPro-HERO-flat-curved-bolt-skydive-HGU-55-MX-BMX-/280757338649?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415e710219

06/20/2013

Day 6

Day off and eventually decided to stay an extra night. Big mistake on my part as it just gets you lazy. You have to keep moving forward or the trip stalls out.

There are some major wildfires in the area that are blocking a tentative route so I have to make some changes in the route if they don't clear up in a day or so. Bought a gas can but did not fill it

06/21/2013

Day 7

Yet another lazy day off If I had just gotten out of bed I'd be another 1000 miles down the road.

People are coming in who have been displaced by the fire. There is a long line of military water trucks parked in front of the hotel.


Smoke all the time. Lots of homes are going up in the flames there.

06/22/2013

I was up at 0415. Shocked I staggered back in bed for a few minutes to digest this bit of information. How did this happen to me?

Trinidad South on 87/25. Less than an hour later I would cross into New Mexico. I veered off of 25 onto 64 south of Raton.

The area was relatively flat with a mountain range on my north (right) side. The road eventually turns into this and climbs towards Cimarron Canyon State Park. It's cold and the elevation is above 7000+. I'm wearing a double buff, gloves with liners and I was still freezing.

The road eventually leads to Eagle Nest Lake and is above 8000 feet. With little sun out the temps are getting to me. There are quite a few huge, as in 2000+ acres, farms/ranches along the road and a few of them are for sale.

While passing through the area several powered hang gliders passed over the road! Also, there was a lot of wildlife on or near the road especially in the early morning hours.

The road turns south from Eagle Nest and skirts the Angel Fire Ski Resort before continuing on into Taos, NM. On the way into Taos I ran into quite a few trucks hauling mud buggy's on trailers so there must be some sort of Mud Bog park in the area.

Taos County is above 9000 feet but even with the sun out it was as cold as earlier in the morning. One more reason to get a late start in the day. I did a quick cruise in the downtown area but it was pretty dead so I rolled on after fueling up. I checked the oil but it didn't appear that I had used any so far.

On past Farmington I tried to do the 4-corners thing on my own. Big mistake as the roads are set up for that. I passed the 4-Corners monument twice but refused to pull in as I felt I could do it on my own. I did but I was exhausted from trying.

Out of Shiprock, NM the road was lined with 10s of thousands of empty/broken beer and liquor bottles. I'm not sure the reason but it would be pretty much impossible to pull off the road because of all the glass. Amazing and sad at the same time.

I ended up in Kayenta, AZ. 14 hours and only 500 miles with all the screwing around trying to hit several states.


Proof I was up before the sun.













Been there done that 2010.



Potential Tea-Party candidate.

This is why I'm out here.





Bottles and cans for miles on both sides of the road.

Kids, don't try this unless your shoes are properly tied!

I got my mojo back and slept late before heading out to Tuba City and onwards. Then north with the intention of going into the Grand Canyon National Park.

There were 'Horse Signs' everywhere. Of course I didn't see any horses.

The Grand Canyon Highway is an out and back road. You backtrack after you've visited the canyon rim. From the turn at Jacob Lake Inn it's 45 miles in to the rim so I had to make sure I had enough fuel as I wasn't sure of the availability in the park. Great ice cream at the inn well worth the stop.

Not too impressed with the canyon rim. I was expecting a great broad views of the Colorado River but it was pretty much some canyons (which was to be expected) and some semi-decent views of the horizon.

It was crowded with parking difficult to find with all the campers, busses and private vehicles. Worth visiting but not on the top 10 list for parks in my book. After just a few minutes there I headed back out the 45 miles to start over again.

I decided to head to Zion National Park which was only about 2+ hours away. Now this was impressive, very impressive. It's like stepping onto another planet. Lots of traffic but everything went very smoothly. Really beautiful.

Heading from Zion on 15 it's a long slog through desert and some high country. By now the heat was cranking and I was literally getting delirious from it. Very hot.

I had made reservations at a Holiday Inn in Vegas for a few days. Another mistake as it just kills the momentum of the trip. Heading into Vegas I stopped and begrudgingly filled the extra gas can. Hey you never now when you'll need a gallon of fuel on the 'strip' after losing big at blackjack.

You can see Vegas from quite far out it just sits out in the middle of this valley that your drop into. Traffic wasn't too bad into town and the Holiday Inn was close to the freeway.

What I didn't realize that this was a time-share. I had only booked it because the other Holiday Inn was full. So check in was a nightmare. I had to wait and wait before they were ready to extoll the virtues of time-shares and Vegas. Would I agree to a presentation at 1000 in the morning? No, just give me my key. Would I like $200 in chips as all I had to do was sit in on a presentation? No. Just give me the damn room key. I'm sure I stunk to high heaven from the ride in but they kept at it for over 45 minutes.

I have to admit the room was pretty impressive and it was only one street over from the 'Strip'.

Great pictures and thanks for the safety tip. What you've done, others can only dream about. So what's next on the adventure list?

You rode to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Nice roads to and from it, but it's nothing like the South rim where most tourists go. Now you have an excuse to ride back to the Grand Canyon. Apparently you skipped Bryce Canyon. Utah, N. Arizona are some of the most AWESOME parts of this USA. 8) I agree loose gravel roads and a MP3 are NOT a good combination.

You missed Red River NM by about 25 or so miles while at Tao's NM and 18 miles while at Eagles Nest NM. IMO it is the best little tourist town in NM. I think it beats Tao's, but that is just me. It is a ski area in winter and camping meca in the summer. 8700 elv. I have been going there for about 40 years. It would barely raise a yawn compared to some of the stuff you have done. And you cannot make it everwhere as hard as you seem to be trying. Thanks for sharing, always look forward to reading your latest post. Anywhere else on the internet do you share your travels. 8)

Pictures
























This is why I'm out here.



This ensures that I won't see any horses.

I was day dreaming and missed the sign the first time around. There wasn't a off ramp for several miles and then it was several more mile back passed the sign for the other off ramp to make the turn around. Then on the second pass I ran up on it, day dreaming again, and almost went passed it a second time.

HD, Sound Full Screen.