The motorcycle trip I took in 2010 as a seven week precursor to my first trip around the world, was an amazing journey of a lifetime. I loved the adventure of it, the go where I please-ness and the discovery of places known and unknown, and thoroughly enjoyed interacting with people. When I returned home I knew I'd like to do something similar again, as I love the 'cowboy' country and there were areas I hadn't reached and places I missed because I hadn't pre-booked them. It wasn't until 2022 that I found the time to undertake it again. I had been distracted by other trips, which are all documented here on the blog. COVID stopped all travel for a couple of years, but when things finally loosened up road trips seemed doable. So, I made the decision to do it before I turned 70. I wanted to do it before either me or my motorcycle became too old.
Many people have commented that they would not do a trip like that alone, or thought I was crazy for wanting to ride so far, but that's what it's all about. I love being on the move, in a car or on the bike. The distances between places are vast, but I find it really interesting seeing landscapes change as the miles roll by. I love the open road and the wide open spaces of the west, it is beautiful and awe inspiring. Many parts of the west have been designated national parks, but many other places could be that aren't. Besides, I would never be able to find anyone crazy enough to sit on the back all that way. A couple of friends hinted they'd like to accompany me on their motorcycle, but ultimately I knew that they didn't have the time, desire or determination to go as far as I did. And if they did, or if I had a companion on the bike, there would be a lot more compromise involved which would probably diminish the adventure of the whole thing, plus it would involve more responsibility from me. I often saw other bikers riding in pairs or groups which would provide safety and support, but again limited the freedom of the 'do your own thing'. It is obviously not for everyone, but I loved it.
Riding through 16 states for 14000 kms over 28 days, means an average of 500 kms a day! In 2010 I rode through 16 states for 20000 kms over 42 days for an average of 475 kms a day... so not much difference there.
The trip was the ultimate escapism from the world, away from all the continual bad news of world politics, the worries of the omicron virus and the pressures of championship pickle ball. It was just me. I could do what I wanted when I wanted, go where I wanted and to live the life of Riley one more time. Just me and my mechanical horse exploring the American West. What could be better?
Having completed a ride to California twice, the obvious question is which one was better? The 2010 ride was 7 weeks and the first time. It was exciting to be out riding around the west on a new motorcycle going where I pleased, searching out specific spots or stumbling across others. I had several really interesting adventures, like when I got to stay in the Old Faithful Inn in an emergency room; or when a woman offered to take me home when I got stuck without a motel room south of Yellowstone; or great hikes like Angel's Landing; or the chaos of Sturgis; or staying on the Queen Mary... This time was a bit more rushed, at only 4 weeks and I had a few things booked, so I had to be places at specific times, which is a bit more stressful on a bike where weather might play a role. And the second time felt a bit like a replay as I revisited several amazing places, Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon. However, I did see many new places, rode many new highways and had some interesting interactions with locals and fellow travelers. Both trips were amazing in their own right. Time and money well spent, no regrets and no major misadventures.
Another question from people was did I make a mistake going in the heat of July? Well, yes maybe. The last time was August and September and I traveled through the desert areas when it was cooler. However, with other commitments during the summer, the longest available time was July. The heat was oppressive at times, but I managed to work around it by leaving really early in the morning and by wearing shorts and a t-shirt with lots of sunscreen at times. The best part was that again I had very little rain on the bike. I rode through a few monsoon showers in Arizona and Utah, but never got really wet and the one time it did rain pretty hard I found a highway overpass where I could shelter under the bridge until it abated. I only wore rain gear once, so can't complain about that either.
One of the big differences between the two trips was the advances in technology. The first trip I often had trouble finding a hotel with strong enough wifi to upload text and photos to my blog. Sometimes I had to pay for it or use a hotel computer. And trying to connect with Skype often proved problematic. Twelve years later, that was never a problem and I was able to use WhatsApp too. The first time I collected road maps which were large and unwieldy on the bike. I'd have to stop and check them out and memorize or write down the route I wanted to take. This time I had a good mounted Garmin GPS and I could just search for a location and press go. This was better but had two different drawbacks: One I didn't get the big picture of the larger area on the screen and two, it didn't necessarily take me on the most scenic route, just the most expedient one, which was often an interstate or a toll road.
In my previous trip I took many excellent hikes in the National Parks, including Angel's Landing, but this year with the excessive heat the appeal and advisability of hiking didn't make sense. I took some short walks but I wasn't going to jeopardize my health even more than riding through 100+ temperatures.
Some random thoughts and observations:
I was comfortable riding my motorcycle on the interstates at about 60 mph or 100 to 110 kph, but many of the interstates in the west are 75-80 mph, which is about 130 kph and of course drivers are going faster than the limit, as are some of the trucks. So, I became aware that I was an obstacle that others had to get around. Usually that wasn't a big problem until on occasion I saw two trucks fast approaching from behind and that became more nerve wracking.
Riding through the American west I was repeatedly reminded that this country was forcibly taken from the native tribes who were relegated to reservations where in many cases they languish today. The only one I really came in contact with was the Navajo. Among the many things I learned on this trip is that the The Navajo Nation is one of the largest tribal governments of the North American Indian Nations with a land base larger than the state of West Virginia. The Navajo Nation is managed via agreements with the United States Congress as a sovereign Native-American Nation. I also learned that the US government used Navajos as 'code speakers'. They were U.S. Marines of Navajo descent who developed and utilized a special code using their indigenous language to transmit sensitive information during World War II. They are legendary figures in military and cryptography history. Their encrypted code, which was never cracked by the enemy, helped the United States win its way across the Pacific front from 1942 to 1945. Historians argue that the Navajo Code Talkers helped expedite the end of the war and, undoubtedly, saved thousands of lives. Monument Valley and Antelope Canyon are both in their territory and they own them and administer them. They insist that all trips are pre-booked, visitors are masked, guides are native, tours are native operated and alcohol is forbidden.
When driving through this beautiful country it was easy to forget how divided the country is in so many ways: along political lines, racial lines, gun rights lines, abortion lines... I saw some signs of pro Trump or anti Biden, but I noticed that no matter where they fell in those categories, they all passionately love their country and are very proud flag wavers. So how do you unite them? I think they would instantly forget all of their differences if there were ever a serious threat to the country. Attack them and they'd unite and with all of the hardware they have in their homes, they'd defeat any invading force.
It is interesting that many of the American highways are dedicated to wars: the Pearl Harbour Memorial Highway; the Medal of Honour Highway; The Veterans of Foreign Wars; Highway; etc, etc. I guess it shows how much of their culture is dedicated to the military and their veterans.
What is it with weigh stations on the highway? Before you get to one, there are signs that say "All trucks must report to the weigh station" and other instructions and directions making it sound compulsory. But then often when you get there, they are closed. What's with that? If weighing is so important how come they're closed? When do they get weighed? What exactly does weighing mean anyway? I'm at a loss.
What can I say about my riding companion, my 2008 Yamaha Silverado 1100? It performed as well as I could have hoped or imagined. It did everything I asked and never gave me a moment's fear that it would not get me back successfully to Canada. I knew it was an air cooled motorcycle and riding through the deserts of the southwest in 100+ degree temps, the air was anything but cool. I wondered if it would overheat and what would happen if it did. But thankfully it didn't any more than I did. We carried on from one destination to another over vast distances and at varying speeds and never had any problems. Lucky, lucky me. That bike got me to California and back, not once, but twice, twelve years apart. Yamaha should be proud. One cowboy at a gas station said to me: 'I like your rig, it's slick.' I couldn't agree more.
The US is experiencing a huge problem with heat and water, which are only getting worse and exacerbated by climate change. Town's people are told to conserve but hotels are permitted to have pools and golf courses are watered. They continue to build more and more in deserts and irrigate the desert with water that is taken from places like Lake Powell which is down 160 ft in recent years. Most of the rivers in the west are drained off for agriculture and the Colorado River doesn't even reach the sea anymore. The water is siphoned off without consideration for sustainability or the future. This is a huge problem for people and wildlife. I have heard several times that the next wars in the world will not be about oil, but fresh water.
When I drove to Florida last fall I kept having issues with gas stations not allowing me to pay at the pump because I didn't have a 5 digit zip code. I found this very frustrating. Then on this trip it happened a few times again. I expressed my frustration to an attendant inside and explained that I was Canadian. She said she had a solution and took me out to the pump. Instead of the 5 digit zip code she had me enter the three numbers from my postal code followed by two zeros, and that worked! I guess the machine recognizes the numbers tied to my credit card.
In 2010 I discovered that California has the most annoying gas pumps. They have a blow back spill guard on them and you cannot pump gas until you press it into the gas tank. The problem with that is it doesn't let you top up the tank because the nozzle is deep and with the gas tank on a bike already being small this is a problem with the sometimes vast distances between stations. Only California has this device. They still have them today... Get rid of them!
I obviously enjoy my own company and had no trouble being alone for the duration. As I said I loved the motorcycle time, and the evenings were mainly spent in a room sorting photos and blogging. I never made use of the provided TV's. Sometimes I'd make use of a pool to cool off and relax. I only went out a couple of times, once to see Buffalo Bill's Rodeo and another to roam around Tombstone.
As I rode through the blistering heat I had lots of time to think and got to wondering why the common crows and beef cattle are black animals. I could see them hiding from the heat, or laying on the ground which must be cooler, or I could see the birds with beaks open obviously stressed by the heat. Black absorbs heat, right? Why haven't they evolved to be white?
I saw precious little wildlife, either animals or birds. That is always a disappointment but the scenery and landscapes made up for it in the long run.
Forget all those squats and thrusts to improve your gluteus maximus, try riding a motorcycle from Toronto to California and back... I now have buns of steel and they don't need fluffing up anymore.
Thank you for reading, and for following along. I appreciate it. I love to hear comments from anyone so inclined. So, please drop me a line at the bottom of any post. Thanks. Until another trip, nomadicjoe is homebound. The next planned trip is through the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic in September 2023.
