Back in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

30 September 2011

Finally had the wheels rolling shortly after dawn on I15 to Barstow. From there Susan kept me heading in a generally northwesterly direction towards Sequoia National Park. Highway 190 from Kernville to Exeter was a most excellent motorcycle road, with lots of twisty turnies and good suface conditions and it felt great to spend more time on the sides of the tires than the middle. It's a yee haa road for the sport bike enthusiast.

Once I got into the park, I didn't want to stop for any attractions as I was anxious to get a camping spot in the Lodgepole campground, at 8000 feet. Once that was accomplished, it was time to settle in for the night. I met Al and Tina, a couple of great musicians and we had a bit of a jam as dusk settled.

On full dark there was a crescent moon setting in a clear sky just over the next ridge where General Sherman (the largest tree on Earth) lives. It was a special moment and I really wanted Trude to be there with me.

Americana for the day: unable to pay at the pump because a five digit zip code is required and my four digit NZ zip code doesn't work here.

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Four States in One Day

29 September 20111

Once again, planned to get away at dawn and couldn't figure out why the sun was once again well up when I departed, then finally realized that the time had shifted from daylight savings to standard and the sun is up an hour earlier now. Duh!

Had a brief detour to the Glen Canyon Dam before heading south on 89 then east on Alt 89 towards the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. 69 took us south into the north rim of Grand Canyon National Park. It was nice to see signs of autumn in the golden aspen trees, although it did require a couple of stops to pull on additional layers of clothes.

Alt 89 took me west to Fredonia where I picked up 389 to Colorado City then 59 to Hurricane Utah, then 9 to I15 west to Las Vegas. I got to Las Vegas just in time for rush hour, it was a record high temperature for 29 September of 104F, in desperation I took the next exit and spent a couple of hours enjoying a fabulous “Sante Fe” salad at Appleby's. Once the traffic eased up I continued west in the dark to Baker California where I got a room with air con for the night.

Americana for the day: graham crackers

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona...

28 September 2011

Got an early start on a brisk morning and blatted down the I40 four lane from Holbrook to Winslow where I picked up 87 south to Camp Verde. It looked like a long bleak ride at first but as I climbed up into the Coconino National Forest, it got cooler, the desert gave way to pine forest and it became a very enjoyable ride in the seven to eight thousand foot elevation range.

Descending into Camp Verde on 260 it was back to the desert heat. I topped up the fuel tank, blatted up I17 for 11 miles then took 179 into Sedona. I adore Sedona, it is an oasis in the desert and looking at the property values, I'm not the only one who feels this way. I couldn't resist stopping for lunch and even did a bit of shopping. There is some very nice art and jewelry on display and way out of my price range but also lots of stuff for a more modest budget.

Continuing north from Sedona on 179 I followed a lush river valley (in the desert!) that eventually climbed up to pine forest in Flagstaff. Flagstaff is a more typical mid sized city with about everything you might need and the moderately heavy traffic to get to it.

Heading northwest from Flagstaff on 180 we end up at the south rim of the Grand Canyon and grand it is. I took a few photos but had a feeling of “why bother” because they cannot begin to convey the grandeur of the place.

Heading east and north from Grand Canyon Park I passed through the Navajo Indian reservation to Page, where I am writing this from.

Americana for the day: dodging tumbleweeds on the highway on a windy day

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

New Mexico to Arizona

27 September 2011

I survived the night in the Village Plaza Motel in Hatch, the pepper capitol of the world. For the first time in days I was wearing layers on a brisk morning as I headed west through central New Mexico.

West on 26 we passed by a large commercial installation of photovoltaic panels and headed into more and more rural New Mexico. North on 27 it got even more rural, heading through open range country and having to watch for cattle on the road. In Kingston I headed west on 180, climbing up to 8000 feet and Emory Pass. It was great to be putting a bit of wear on the very expensive sides of my tires after a long time in the flatlands.

180 continued west to Silver City, where I had a great lunch, then turns northwest to Eagar, Arizona, climbing over Bear Mountain and providing some more cool weather and nice twisties for the tires.

It was getting late in the afternoon when I got to Eagar and after consulting the map I decided to press on to Petrified Forest National Park. It was a race to take in as much of the park as possible before 6PM when the park closes. One is allowed to be in the park right up until closing time and isn't officially considered overstaying as long as your vehicle is moving toward an exit. It was full dark when I left the park and rode to Holbrook and got a room for the night.

Americana for the day: The Grand Slam breakfast at Dennys

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

White Sands

26 September 2011

Heading northwest from Pecos on 285 and 652 I passed through some of the Permian Basin oil country, lots of oil rigs, both drilling and pumping, and pipeline works.

It was pleasantly not hot this morning, and continued that way as I rode to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park visitors center. I was disappointed to find that there are no roads through the park and the only scenic views are from the main road. So I took some photos heading north to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and the State of New Mexico. Through either bad signage and/or a narcoleptic episode I managed to miss the turnoff for the park and arrived in the city of Carlsbad wondering how that had happened.

It was in the low 90's by 10AM and I was dreading another scorcher of a day as i headed north from Carlsbad to Artesia then west on 82 to Alamagordo. There was lots of dry desert and parched farm land. Then I started climbing up to Cloudcroft and found an oasis in the desert at 8000 feet. The air was cool and dry, we were in pine forests and there seemed to be plenty of water for irrigation and farming. At the summit was the Cross-eyed Moose Cafe which served up a great burger for my lunch.

Continuing west from Cloudcroft I descended the mountain into Alamagordo, and the heat, with stunning views into the valley and the White Sands. Heading southwest to Las Cruces I stopped into White Sands National Monument. It was like riding through hot snow and was well worth the time.

On through Las Cruces and north on I25 I ran out of daylight in Hatch, New Mexico, and stayed in the worst motel I have encountered thus far. I am way behind on trip planning and will spend the evening planning out my last few days of this journey.

Americana for the day: the obsession with ice filled, ice cold, drinks

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Big Bend

I posted a lot of photos of Big Bend, mostly to give you a taste of what it is like around here. Like Utah, it's mostly about rocks. It's been a severe drought year with record heat, and I sense the tenacious will to live of all the flora and fauna. I have a huge respect for everything, plant and animal, that continues to survive in this harsh place.

The biggest feature of the day for me was the heat. The forecast called for a high in the low 90's. By noon it was up to 100 and for my ride from Terlingua to Presidio it was steady at 105. This is deblilitatingly hot. The desire to stop often for a drink is offset by the total lack of shade which makes stopping even more miserable than riding. I did notice that it was only stupid white humans who are out and about in this weather. All other creatures are hunkered down somewhere.

From Presidio I rode north to Pecos, getting a room again as it would be impossible to sleep in this heat if camping. Tomorrow is forecast to be hot again so I will try to have wheels rolling at dawn tomorrow as I head to Guadalupe National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Americana for the day: a Peanut Buster Parfet at Dairy Queen

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Westward Bound

24 September 2011

Packed up, said goodbye to Carl, and started heading southwest across Texas. After a lot of consideration I have decided to go to Big Bend National Park in the boot heel of Texas. It's about 14 hours riding from Carl's house, more than i'll get done today but i'll get as far as I can.

From noon onwards, the air temp was at or above body temperature so I decided to forgo the back roads and take the fastest route. This backfired as a semi truck exploded ahead of me about sixty miles from Fort Stockton and had the motorway completely closed for an hour. There was a lot of skunk roadkill on the road today and a roadkill mule deer about every hundred miles. This is a worry for me as I would likely be the roadkill in such an encounter.

After getting past the exploded semi, I made it safely into Fort Stockton while riding directly into a low sun.

I spent the evening getting this blog completely up to date. Tomorrow i'll go to Big Bend and perhaps move on from there to Guadalupe and Carlsbad National Parks.

Americana for the day: dead skunk in the middle of the road, stinking to high heaven

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Walt Wilkins at Love & War

23 September 2011

Had a nice breakfast with the Cronans this morning. Rob went off to work and Laurie and the girls and I walked over to visit with Syble at her and Rob's lovely home.

I packed up, gave Laurie a final hug and rode back to Plano to have lunch with my former colleague Tom Heruska. The fajita tacos were awesome and it was great to catch up with Tom. I was very glad to learn that his family of six children is doing well and his business is doing well to support them all.

Next I rode through the neighborhoods in Plano where I used to live and work. A lot has changed but at least I could recognize most of it.

Finally I rode over to Carl Leonard's place where I will be spending the night. We had a quick chat then hopped into Carl's very cool Corvette and drove over to “Love & War”, a bar/restaurant in Plano where my musical hero Walt Wilkins and his band The Mystiqueros are playing tonight. My old friends Gigi and Jerry also showed up and we had a great evening laughing over stories from the old days.

Americana for the day: graham crackers

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Almendrada Dreams

22 September 2011

I spent the morning at Robert and Nina's working on this blog and attending to emails. Then I dodged some showers as I rode over to visit my friend Billy Hodge. After a wee while of visiting with Billy I rode about fifteen minutes down the road to have lunch with Michelle Stacey. Michelle came to visit Trude and I in New Zealand a few years ago and it was great to see her again and get caught up on our lives.

From Michelle, I rode up to Rob and Laurie's home on Lake Lewisville. The whole area around them has been extensively developed over the past few years and I didn't recognize any of it, even though I used to live near there. Gary Godbolt came over, Laurie fixed us a nice dinner and we had an evening of jamming (Gary kindly brought a couple of guitars), laughing and Almendrada. Gary was especially enjoying the Almendrada and the next day asked if anyone saw the truck that ran over his head :-).

Americana for the day: partying with Almendrada

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Night Sailing

21 September 2011

Had a nice breakfast with Andy, packed up and headed of to Panavision, Dallas, to visit John Mattintly, Trude's brother. Somehow, Andy cleverly distracted me from taking photos so I don't have any of her.

Had a good visit with John. I got to watch part of a shoot that will be the backdrop for the upcoming Meatloaf tour. Of course, we all took advantage of the catering. After a few hours with John I headed over to Robert and Nina's house.

I got settled in just in time to head out to Lake Ray Hubbard, east of Dallas, for the Wednesday night yacht races. Robert, Nina, Blake (Nina's son) and I raced on Robert's Irwin. The winds were fairly steady around 7 to 10 knots, we had a beautiful sunset and a very pleasant couple hours of sailing after dark. It brought back a lot of memories for me. It was great to spend time with Robert again, and very nice to meet Nina.

Americana for the day: a bologna sandwich

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Back in Big D

20 September 2011

After a nice relaxing morning with Mark and Shelia I rode into Dallas. There was an interesting motorway experience along the way. Just south of Lewisville there was a pickup in front of me pulling a dual axle trailer with a car on it. One of right side trailer tires was billowing smoke and then came off, wheel and tire still intact, and started rolling down freeway. This is I35 with three lanes each direction and a concrete barrier median. We were doing about 65MPH in the right lane. The smoking wheel rolls off the shoulder, across a ditch and onto an on ramp, then follows the on ramp back into traffic, rolling at about 55MPH. It takes it about a quarter mile to cross all three lanes, cleverly avoiding being hit by the heavy traffic, hits the concrete median and bounces over that into oncoming traffic, at which point I lost track of it but could see some panic braking in my mirror. It was a sobering experience – if it had hit me I would have been dead.

I stopped into Mariner Sails to visit my old friend Aris. We hopped in his red ragtop MG and headed to the Caribbean Cafe for lunch. It was great to catch up and see him and his business doing so well.

From Mariner Sails it was a short ten minute ride to Andy's (Trude's sister) house. We had a good chat before she headed out to teach her evening chemistry class and I settled in and spent the evening relaxing and working on this blog.

Americana for the day: drinking Sierra Nevada pale ale from Chico California

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Texas Bound

19 September 2011

Had a nice chat with the owner of the motel this morning. I really like these old single story strip motels where I can park my bike right outside my door. They are usually locally owned and have some character.

Since leaving the mountains out west i've had mostly straight roads and am feeling the need to use some of the expensive rubber on the sides of my tires. I decide to ride to Mena, Arkansas, so I can take the Talimena Scenic Drive back to Talihena, Oklahoma and then continue south to Texas. It was pleasant riding up the east slope, with signs of autumn beginning to show, but I hit low cloud cover for most of the summit and the descent down the west slope.

I then headed south through Broken Bow and zig zagged in a generally southwesterly direction until I got to Mark and Shelia's house in Valley View, Texas. It was great seeing them again and we had a nice time catching up and having some TexMex for dinner.

Americana for the day: being called “sir” by service industry staff

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Walnut Valley Music Festival

15 – 18 September 2011

It was unseasonably cold and wet in Winfield and I spent the entire festival wearing every layer I had. There was plenty of excellent tarpology around so socializing and jamming were only marginally affected.

It was quite entertaining to walk around the various camping areas and look at the theme camps, and just marvel at the latest in camping technology. Tents and RV's are in abundance and the population density is quite high. The Pecan Grove camping area is a world unto itself, with huge tents, improvised sub-festivals, some with makeshift stages of their own. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Camp Coyote was a hub for some of the top shelf musicians and through the generosity of the clan I was able to get some jamming in with fine borrowed instruments. This was the time of this trip when I most missed having my musical toys with me.

I spent a lot of time attending the competitions, both for the excellent music and for the dry and warm venue.

On Sunday morning we were lucky to get a break in the weather and to break camp with mostly dry tents and tarps. I sat in on some of the banjo competition then rode all afternoon to eastern Oklahoma and got checked into a room in Poteau minutes before a series of thunderstorms unloaded on the area.

Americana for the day: in your face Christianity – billboards and signs of every size in various types of locations are trying to convert me, some with a stick, some with a carrot

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Looking for Toto (Eastbound Across Kansas)

14 September 2011

My destination for today is the Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kansas. I'd like to get there and have camp set up well before dark so another early start is in order. It was a cool nine hours riding with temps in the mid sixties and a strong head wind.

The endless corn in Illinois reminded me of the book “The Omnivores Dilemma”. Eastern Colorado and all of Kansas once again brought the book to mind because of the enormous cattle feed lots. I am first assaulted by the foul stench from miles away, then see what looks like a squall on the horizon that turns out to be a dust cloud raised from the thousands of cattle milling about in the barren feed lots where they barely have room to move. Dodge City, Kansas, seems to be at the pinnacle of this business.

I also passed by many more of those enormous spinning irrigation machines that leave giant crop circles on the land, very noticeable from high flying aircraft.

I arrived at Walnut Valley about 5PM and was informed that motorcycles are not allowed into the camping area. This frustration was offset by a very nice festival committee lady who used her golf cart to help me find my friends and get my luggage to the camp site.

Bruce Haswell, a friend of mine and a banjo player from New Zealand, had met a group of musicians a year ago at a music camp in Lubbock, Texas, and they had convinced him to join them at their Coyote Camp in Walnut Valley. I was very fortunate to acquire an instant musical family through Bruce at Coyote Camp. With the tent finally set up it is time to settle in for four days and nights of endless music.

Americana for the day: the “Land Rush” - queuing up days in advance to stake a claim on a desirable campsite for a music festival

Phhotos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Motorcycle Mania at Pikes Peak Motorsports

13 September 2011

I've got 14 thousand miles on the bike now and it is due for another routine service. The nearest shop I could find in the direction I want to head is Pikes Peak Motorsports, a combination Harley Davidson/BMW/Ducati dealership. BMW and Ducati seem to make up about 5% of the business and the rest is HD. Compared to our NZ dealerships this one is a monster. My Auckland BMW dealer can barely squeeze two bikes at a time in it's service area, this one can take hundreds.

Upstairs is the customer lounge (with room for about 100 customers) and the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum.. All the photos today are for the bike enthusiasts.

It took all day for the service and I wasn't on the road until 5PM. I headed south to Pueblo then east until dark and got a room for the night in La Junta.

Americana for the day: about one in a hundred motorcycles I see on the road isn't a Harley-Davidson

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Black Canyon, Sand Dunes

12 September 2011

Have a lot of ground to cover today so up with the sun and once again climbing up to over eight thousand feet to Black Canyon National Park. This a land of vertigo where the swift raging Gunnison river has carved out a deep steep canyon. I rode all along the south rim and down to the valley floor to Crystal Dam. Have a look at the photos to get the whole story.

Next stop is Great Sand Dunes National Park, several hours riding away. I took 50 east through Morrow Point Reservoir and Blue Mesa Reservoir. Then it was 149 south to South Fork, passing through the high altitude town of Lake City and over several high country passes. At South Fork it was east to Monte Vista and Alamosa then into Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Once again, the visitors center was very informative and interesting and provided a much richer appreciation for the dunes. I roamed around the park for a couple of hours then continued on east to Walsenburg, taking I25 north to Colorado Springs where the bike is booked to have another mileage interval service done tomorrow.

I found a room in Colorado Springs right on full dark, found some yummy takeway orange chicken, worked on some emails, then crashed exhausted and smiling from another great 13 hour in the saddle day.

Americana for the day: Kentucky bumper sticker: Coal Keeps the Lights On

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Cliff Dwelling

11 September 2011

Was up early and rode to Mesa Verde National Park, famous for it's Pueblo Indian cliff dwellings. The morning was brisk and got even brisker as we climbed up above eight thousand feet to the mesa.

Some of the sites are accessible only on scheduled guided tours. I chose to go to Long House since I could see it at my own pace and time. There was a short ten minute hike from the car park to the cliff dwellings and at over eight thousand feet elevation one can get a bit winded over such a short distance. It was fascinating to try and imagine what day to day life was like for these people. What did fear? What brought them joy? How did they love? We can only speculate.

Many years ago when I first saw photos of these cliff dwellings I felt an intense personal connection to them, a powerful sort of dejavu. Now, standing here in front of them I feel admiration for the tenacity of the Pueblos but no sense of personal connection. Hmmm. It was, however, a goosebumpy feeling to touch a brick made by another human about a thousand years ago.

The park visitors center near the entrance and the museum at Long House were both very interesting and well worth the time to peruse them. I was amazed at the pottery and weaving skills of the Pueblo people. Their baskets even surpassed the fine basket weaving we found in Tonga.

From Mesa Verde I headed toward Black Canyon National Park, turning north at Durango on 550 to Montrose. I don't know how they decide which roads to put dotted lines next to on the map, denoting a scenic road, but 550 doesn't have them and there are few more deserving roads. You will not find more rugged, spectacular mountain scenery on a paved road, especially the section heading north into the mining town of Ouray. If you can afford it, book a stay in Ouray, it is an amazing place, in an amazing area of the planet. Unfortunately I was not able to get photos as it was raining the entire time I was on 550. I had planned to camp in Black Canyon but the rain convinced me to get a motel in Montrose.

I should also mention that today is the tenth anniversary of the destruction of the Twin Towers and the USA was buzzing with remembrances and fear of further attacks.

Americana for the day: biscuits and gravy for breakfast

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Arches

10 September 2011

The thunderstorms are over for the morning so I made a dash for Arches National Park. Once again, I took heaps of photos. The thing is, if we had any one of the features in these photos in Missouri or New Zealand, we would create a park just around that feature, and here are hundreds of them in one place.

After a few hours wandering around Arches, I headed east on 46, crossing the border into Colorado and descending into the beautiful Paradox valley. In Naturita I turned right onto 145 which took me over Lizard Head Pass at 10222 feet and down into Cortez where I spent the night, poised to visit Mesa Verde National Park in the morning.

Americana for the day: Barnum and Bailey Animal Crackers – I still think elephants taste the best :-)

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Utah Rocks!

9 September 2011

Got away early again and rode into Capitol Reef National Park. The official blurb: The Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long wrinkle in the earth's crust known as a monocline, extends from nearby Thousand Lakes Mountain to the Colorado River (now Lake Powell). Capitol Reef National Park was established to protect this grand and colorful geologic feature, as well as the unique natural and cultural history found in the area. You can see my photos of this area but you would really need an aerial image to appreciate the geological feature.

From Capitol Reef I headed east on 24 to Hanksville where I headed southeast on 95 to Lake Powell, the second largest man made reservoir in the USA. It is hard to imagine a more desolate lake. Yet, it is beautiful in it's desolation. See photos.

From Lake Powell I continued on 95 to Blanding where I headed north on 191 to Canyon Lands National Park. An interesting point of interest on the way is Newspaper Rock, petroglyphs up to 2000 years old, there for us to interpret (see photos).

My intention was to continue on to Moab and camp in Arches National Park but there was a wall of black sky punctuated with lightning bolts between me and there so I decided to retreat to Monticello and a secure motel room.

Once again I posted a lot of rock photos. The T-Shirts and posters around here say “Utah Rocks!”. If you have been following my blog through Utah, including today's entry, i'm sure you will have to agree.

Americana for the day: 24 ounce (.75 liter) single cans of beer at the petrol station (but don't drink and drive!)

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Hoodoous Maximus

8 September 2011

Was up with the light, broke camp and rode highway 9 out the east end of Zion National Park. Again, the scenery was stunning as I struggled to stay on the road between the view and the low sun angle. The 1.1 mile long Zion-Mt.Carmel tunnel, completed in 1930, serves as a demarcation point for leaving the park.

At Mt. Carmel, I take 89 north to 12 and 12 east to Bryce Canyon National Park. Soon after turning onto 12 I get a warm up for Bryce as I pass through Red Canyon and the first hint of the hoodoos to come. Also, by now i've climbed back up above 6000 feet to the cooler dryer air.

Whereas Zion is an awesome experience, Bryce is not so much experienced as it is looked at. After riding up to the canyon rim at just under 9000 feet, there are numerous viewing platforms all along the rim where the various formations of hoodoos can be seen. I saw them all and you can too in the photos. After a few hours I reached hoodoo saturation and headed on down the road toward Capitol Reef National Park.

Highway 12 continued to pass through rugged and remote country, including the pass over Boulder Mountain, offering incredible views. This is one of the most amazing roads in America, see the signboard “Building the Million-dollar Road” in the photos. And it's not just me that thinks so, this has been officially designated an “All American Road”.

By the time I got to the turn off for Capitol Reef Park, where I had planned to camp, it was cold, looked like rain, and I was very tired so I decided to get a room in Torrey.

I published a lot of photos of rocks from this day, but not the kind you see every day.

Americana for the day: American flags proudly flown nearly everywhere

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/T.Micheal.Young/USA201102

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/108481211284683809830/USA20113?authkey=Gv1sRgCInJ3fTt3fO0Mg

Great Basin and Zion

7 September 2011

Got an early start in the brisk dawn air and headed east out of Ely on 50 then southeast on 487 to Great Basin National Park. The Great Basin is an area encompassing most of Nevada and Utah and the fringes of surrounding states, that does not drain to the sea but into the Great Salt Lake and other areas. Great Basin National Park preserves a tiny bit of this system in it's natural state. The park includes the sage desert on the plateau and ascends to the 13063-foot peak of Mt Wheeler. There are some stunning views from Mt Wheeler (see photos).

Next I took 487 southeast into Utah and picked up 21, heading southeast. I may have been on “The Loneliest Road” yesterday, but this road is even lonelier. I would see another person about every 45 minutes. I felt compelled to wave at every one.

Every time I fly over the desert at 30,000 feet I see circles inscribed in the barren land and I've always wondered what they were. They are irrigated crop circles, where long pipes (200 to 300 meters) in big wheels spin around a central hub, spraying water, and creating a lush circle of green.

At Minersville I took 130 south to Cedar City where I got on I-15 south to Toquerville and took 9 east to Zion National Park. The geology changed dramatically to crested buttes and lots of big rock and the elevation dropped to about 3000 feet. With the drop in elevation came heat and for the first time in weeks I had to deal with temps in the upper 90's.

I was lucky to get one of the last available campsites inside the park and had a nice patina of sweaty dust when I was done. I was hoping the temperature would drop at night so I could sleep.

In order to help preserve the ecosystem, private vehicles are not permitted in the upper reaches of Zion Canyon. Instead, the park provides buses that roam the park and you can get on an off at the various places of interest. The longest wait would be about ten minutes.

I was completely unprepared for the awesome nature of Zion Canyon. The photos are a pitiful representation of this hugely vertical world. It is one of the most impressive places I have ever experienced. I would like to come back and spend a week here.

It was well after dark when I got back to my tent, a nice breeze was cooling the valley and sleeping was comfortable.

Americana for the day: Frothy A&W Root Beer

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/T.Micheal.Young/USA201102

The Loneliest Road

6 September 2011

It was 49 degrees when I left Cris's place so I piled on the warm riding gear. Ten minutes later it was in the low 80's, such is the micro climate situation here. Dick and Cris and I had a final breakfast at the Woods Creek Cafe before they headed to work and I headed east.

My plan is to visit the National Parks in Nevada, Utah and Colorado over the next several days. I left California via the Sonora pass on highway 108. It was yet another beautiful and majestic pass but my camera batteries died and I didn't find a suitable place to stop and replace them until I was coming down the east side.

Once down the east side of the mountain I picked up highway 50 east, shown on the map as “The Lonliest Road”. This road crosses Americas only cold desert, with elevations between six and eight thousand feet. I found it enchantingly beautiful, especially the vast seas of sagebrush with bare mountains in the distance. After weeks of riding through conifer forests, this was a stark contrast. The speed limit is 70MPH, and with little traffic and plenty of passing opportunities I made good time and ended up in Ely, Nevada, after ten hours in the saddle.

I took 160 photos and whittled them down to 63 keepers. I hope they give you some idea of the beauty of this place.

One of the highlights of today was encountering three dust devils, one of which was huge and lasted for at least 45 minutes (the time I had it in sight), which is quite rare. It probably existed for more than 90 minutes – it was going strong when I started descending into the valley and was still going strong as I left that valley. When I first saw it from a distance I thought it was a road on the far mountain. As I got closer I finally realized what it was and took heaps of photos. I had been slammed with vicious gusts out of the blue several times earlier in the day and suspect it was similar vortexes without the dust and therefore invisible.

Americana for the day: dust devils on the Loneliest Road

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/T.Micheal.Young/USA201102

Strawberry Wind Down

5 September 2011

Just got back from four fabulous days at the Strawberry Music Festival and have to pack for an early morning get away and get some much needed sleep. I will post more details and photos when i get a chance. Tomorrow i am headed east across Nevada and will be exploring the National Parks in southern Utah over the next few days.

The Strawberry Way

2 – 4 September

The next three days were pretty much more of the same. Highlights for me were the good company (I was provided with a D-35 and an F5 (thanks heaps!)), concerts, jamming, relaxing, playing for the breakfast crowd and soaking up the Strawberry vibe. Another interesting tradition is how people name their encampments, with whole groups staking a claim.

My favorite solo act was Nathan Moore and my favorite ensemble was the Joe Craven Trio and there were plenty of other great acts too.

Hog Ranch Radio plays a big part in the event, broadcasting the live acts throughout the campground and keeping everyone informed with announcements. Then also record everything and fill in the gaps by playing back performances from previous festivals.

I taught Garry's song “Bluegrass Heaven” to a lot of folks in jams and it was very enthusiastically received. We also played it for the breakfast crowd and it was broadcast to the entire camp on Hog Ranch Radio.

I've posted quite a lot of photos to try and give you a feel for the flavor of the festival.

Americana for the day: The Strawberry Way

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/T.Micheal.Young/USA201102

The Strawberry Shuffle

1 September 2011

We were up a 5:30AM, did the final packing, and Dick and I were on our way to Strawberry while Cris went to work. This was my introduction to the many variations of the “Strawberry Shuffle”.

The first shuffle is to get into the venue, Camp Mather, just outside Yosemite Park. We were in “the line” by 6:30AM. There were hundreds of vehicles ahead of us and by the time the venue opened at 7:00AM there were hundreds behind us. The goal is to get in and stake out a camp site before all the desirable spots are taken. Once we were in, Dick took a shortcut to where he wanted to be and we were happy with our land claim. I'm thinking that this behavior is appropriate here in the region of California made famous by the gold rush.

The next shuffle, repeated daily, is to stake a claim for your chairs in front of the main stage. On this first day it starts at 2PM and on subsequent days it starts at midnight. People bring their sleeping bags and sleep in “the line” in order to secure real estate for their chairs. Dick chose to do this for us each night (thanks mate!). We usually got him “in line” about 1AM and he was 40 or 50 back from the head of the line. By 7AM, when the line is allowed to feed into the stage area, there are hundreds in “the line”. There is a staff member on duty all night to look after “the line” and issue “potty passes” so you won't lose your stake when nature calls. On this first day, the chairs were in place by late afternoon, then Dick introduced me to several of his friends and we had a wee jam.

The next shuffle was when Cris showed up about 6:30PM and we went to stand “in line” to buy dinner.

Finally we went to the main stage, and our well placed chairs, to enjoy the evening concerts.

Americana for the day: waiting “in the line”

Gutter Man

31 August 2011

I had been wanting to do something to reciprocate the great hospitality here and after some gentle prodding it was revealed that the gutters were in dire need of cleaning. I spent the entire day in this beautiful setting doing just that.

Dick came over in the late afternoon and we spent the rest of the day and evening packing up for the Strawberry Music Festival.

Americana for the day: the machine gun hammer of a woodpecker in a quite wood

Secret Stickneys?

30 August 2011

Secret Stickneys?

Dick played tour guide again today. First up we went to visit his mate Richard in Jamestown. Richard is in Dick's band and is currently obsessed as a luthier building beautiful guitars. We were warmly welcomed into the shop for a tour and I got to play a couple of Richards' guitars. My ears and fingers were happy. See if you can guess the story behind the headstock logo that he came up with (see photos).

Next we had lunch at the Woods Creek Cafe in Jamestown. It looks like the secret society of Stickney's has infiltrated California (see photos).

After lunch we headed over to Sonora and the high school where Dick and I did a workshop for the guitar students in the music program. I hope a few of them were inspired. After that we visited Cris in her classroom where she teaches ceramics.

After dinner and a hot tub I had a great sleep after a busy day.

Americana for the day: saltine crackers in my soup

Just Chillin'

29 August 2011

Started the day having Cho-Wa with Cris then she was off to work teaching ceramics and the meaning of life at the Sonora High School. I vetted my photo collection and got nearly caught up on this blog.

Dick cruised by around mid morning and we had a good catch up and jammed a bit (Dick is a good banjo player). Dick then played tour guide and gave me a look at the Groveland neighborhood, including the Priest Cafe, the gated community of Pine Mountain Lake, and Rainbow Pool.

Of course we finished off the night with a relaxing dip in the hot tub.

Americana for the day: Yogi Bear telling me that only I can prevent forest fires