USA Mountains & Canyons 2016 - The Pillion Perspective

USA Mountains & Canyons 2016 - The Pillion Perspective

Aha! So that's what Crater Lake looks like. I did wonder.

Great pics again.

We spent the 4th July at Crater Lake Lodge

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Not a bad view from the khazi in the room

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Nice picture of Amanda clearing the dust out of her nose (no big nose jokes please) I think she hung back a bit after that :D

Keep it coming :thumby:
 
Many thanks for taking the time to share your trip, the photos are really helping tell the story. Saving up to do one of these trips. Awaiting the next instalment :beerjug:
 
Trip Day 4 – Wednesday 17th August

Today starts in the Blackberry Café across the road from our hotel… where we have an early breakfast before hitting the road to Lassen National park. John, one of my fellow travellers gets talking to one of the locals over breakfast, and it turns out he produces the local newspaper…and we are apparently newsworthy material!

I must admit, one of the things I like about the locals we meet on these trips is that they are always very friendly and interested in why we are in their town and what we are up to. They think nothing of approaching and asking questions – not something us Brits do with foreign visitors to our shores… I guess it’s because we are off the beaten track, and tourists are not the norm in these places nad not many of the locals get out to see the world.

Anyway, unbeknownst to us, John has arranged for us to have a photo shoot at 8.30am! This gives us a little time to kill, and as my pilot has a sore throat & a threatening bout of man flu (brought on by the air conditioning on the long haul flight – obviously…) I decide to explore the local shops whilst the boys mill around kicking tyres & stuff as groups of men around bikes are want to do.

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So I find some cold/flu medication in the pharmacy, where I have to produce photo id to be allowed to buy it. I then wander next door into the local ‘Sporting Goods’ store where, amongst every tool known to man to kill anything that moves (you probably don't need photo id to buy these things..) Anyway, I find just what I was looking for… A ‘Cooling Bandana’ for the bargain price of $7.  Now, you may find this a little odd, but we’ve all been enviously watching Chris popping his bandana into a glass of iced water at every opportunity and singing the praises of these things in the scorching California heat. We know we have Death Valley to contend with in a couple of weeks, and we are already feeling a bit flaky at times when the temperature gets above 35 degrees
So, I pick myself a nice girly bandana with flowers on and a very patriotic Stars & Stripes version for Paul – which he is delighted with when presented with it. He promptly waves it around at everyone else which leads to a mass exodus of the rest of the group to the Sporting Goods shop.

Anyway, true to his word, the guy returns with his camera…and after an exercise in herding cats, we manage a group photo.

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And so a week later we make page 5 of The Intermountain News!

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We then make our way to the stunning Lassen National Park.

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We are getting good at group formation now...

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We visited it briefly on our previous trip, but there had been a landslide so we couldn’t get right through and so just had a quick blast up the road as far as we could. It was very cold in 2014, and actually snowing at the highest point; it was totally the opposite this time, it was very colourful, lush & green, the alpine meadows were full of flowers and the temperature was well into the 30s.

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Time to stop for photos...

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No, not tickling trout, but the inaugural dipping of our new cool bandanas in the mountain stream

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Group photo - all wearing our bandanas! :bounce1

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On the last trip, we all loved Lassen as it has a little bit of everything and reminded us of many of the other places we’d visited:

Burnt Forests,

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mountains,

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lakes,

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meadows & rocks

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forest,
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thermal springs
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great views,

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and snow. (Snow is a bit like fire for Paul...he can't resist mucking about with it.)

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We then rode out of the mountains, and California, heading East around Reno towards the deserts of Nevada and our overnight stay in Fallon.

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We were staying away from the main road of Fallon and it was too hot for us to either walk or ride into town from our hotel to eat, so we went the Oasis bowling alley, next door, where we had a quite bizarre but brilliantly entertaining evening …. We ate strangely titled Fillipino food
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Lumpia, Crab Rangoon and Pancit (which translated to pancake rolls, dim-sum and noodles) which was cooked and served up by the tiniest Fillipino lady…. Then there was a really crazy ‘casino chip’ giveaway when you bought certain types of beer. These chips could then be exchanged for more beer! Nobody understood how it worked, but everyone was well up the free beer! :beerjug:
It certainly made for a very cheap night out!
 
Trip Day 4 – Wednesday 17th August


Lumpia, Crab Rangoon and Pancit (which translated to pancake rolls, dim-sum and noodles) which was cooked and served up by the tiniest Fillipino lady…. Then there was a really crazy ‘casino chip’ giveaway when you bought certain types of beer. These chips could then be exchanged for more beer! Nobody understood how it worked, but everyone was well up the free beer! :beerjug:
It certainly made for a very cheap night out!

typical - what I really need right now is Filipino food... not!
 
Trip Day 4 – Thursday 18th August

370 miles across the Nevada desert to cover today, mainly on Highway 50 – The Loneliest Road in America. None of us have been here before, not even Chris, so we don't know quite what to expect. We leave Fallon with brimming fuel tanks and no idea where we’ll be filling them up next or more importantly to Paul, having breakfast!

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OK, so we have an idea of what is to come…

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Starting to look a bit salty? Bonneville is still 300+ miles away!

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The scenery has an ‘other worldly’ feel to it, and is far more beautiful than I expected.

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Wonder what creature made these footprints? What animals live out here?

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Ooh, a bend…Paul has to control his excitement........what’s round the corner?

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Answer = Not a lot!

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We see a lot of signs stating that this road follows the route of the Pony Express. Can’t imagine what it must have been like to travel by horse across this…where’s the water? Those little canteens that the cowboys carry in the westerns would never get a man & a horse across this in the 30+ degree temperatures we are experiencing!?

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We play the ‘Guess the mileage to the horizon’ game.

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We come across The Pony Express Cold Springs station....& if it’s a Pony Express stop, we must be able to get breakfast here!

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It's an interesting place, part diner, part bar, part shop and it also has a number of cabins out back that hunters come & stay in.... apparently we are in the middle of 'bow' season. The waitress tells us about all the baby antelope that come and play out the back early in the morning - hopefully not to be shot by the residents?
We are then treated to a visit by 'Babs' the ancient cleaner... God only know how old she is, but she looks about 103, she has her top on inside out, a fag permanently hanging out the side of her mouth and she's come to get a whiskey shot in her coffee mug, whilst cussing about the filthy habits of the residents! She then trundles of outside to 'Bab's Buggy' - a fully badged up golf buggy adorned with an array of brooms, buckets & dusters...

They stock a variety of unusual whiskies too!

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The modern day equivalent of the pony express?

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Fed & watered we travel on.

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And on and on.....

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The land starts to get greener and we see several groups of wild mustangs, so there must be water out there if you know where to look.

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A few hours later we eventually reach civilisation again, another town called Eureka which is a mixture of old derelict buildings and some that have been renovated.

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You need to keep hydrated in this heat – time to visit the 'Owl Club' for chocolate milk!

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Paul is quite taken with the condiments set...I start to wonder about the effect the heat is having on him? :augie

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A little further on we stop at the larger town of Ely. I saw on TV that Guy Martin visited this casino when he came here to do the Nevada Open Road challenge – allegedly the fastest road race on the planet & given some of the roads we’ve just seen & ridden on, it’s easy to imagine how it’s done.

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We stop for a more conventional Adventure Biker ice cream at the Florists!

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At long last we get our first view of the famous salt flats in the distance.

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It’s still a fair way to Wendover though, and Bonneville is about 8 miles the other side.

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We arrive at our hotel around 5pm. Paul gets talking to some locals who assure him that all racing has finished for the day and it’s not worth going down to Bonneville. He’s well miffed later on when he finds out that other members of our group were down there running on the salt until around 7.30pm!
We have to visit the casino to console him with beer.... This is my first visit to a casino & not an experience I'm in any hurry to repeat.... I find it quite a sad reflection of life to see all these desperate people attached to a slot machine by their credit cards on lanyards round their neck, spending their life away in the hope of hitting it big... there certainly weren't any jubilant cries whilst we were there.
 
I too like lonely riding and this year have been on Hwy 50 four times but it's getting not so lonely now as people add it to their List :thumb

For a real lonely road try Hwy 21 from Minersville to Baker to join the 50 .. absolutely no traffic when I rode it in July, before joining you, it's just ridge valley ridge valley then turn and run along the Great Basin ... fabulous place!
 

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Trip Day 5 – Friday 19th August

An early start today, we have the best part of 400 miles to cover, heading into the heat of the Utah Canyonlands to our next destination - Moab. But first we have to visit the famous Bonneville Salt Flats for the last day of Speed Week.

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Off out on to the salt… Paul is happy. :bounce1

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It's weird, you expect it to ride like snow & I'm waiting for the bike to start sliding around...

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This could be anywhere above the Arctic Circle couldn't it? You can't tell that the temperature is already in the mid 20's....

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It’s all a bit Mad Max….

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Things that look like they go fast......

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Time to stop & buy T-Shirts & stickers. We talk to one of the officials, who was very nice and offered us all free drinks! :clap

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Nothing about Guy Martin! No one has heard of him...

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We leave Bonneville.... we think this is the way back? It's quite easy to realise you could easy get lost out here. The race track is 4miles in, with only the odd cone to guide your way.

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We stop to admire this at the iconic Bonneville sign. It has travelled all the way over from France. The boys chat to the team & I'm sure they can quote exciting stats about top speeds, etc. But I can't!

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We head towards the urban sprawl of Salt Lake City. It's easy to see how the salt flats formed, looking at the areas that are still wet.

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The 6 lane Interstates are incredibly busy, and it’s all a bit manic after the loneliness of Highway 50.
We take a break for lunch at Dennys before heading out for endless miles on the Interstate 70. It’s a bit of a gruelling afternoon, and the endless straight interstate desert scenery is not enough to keep me enjoying the scenery in the 35+ degree heat this afternoon...

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I’ve read that the best route in to Moab is Scenic Byway 128… but it means doing an additional 20 miles of interstate 70. Will everyone else want to do it? If not, shall we do it on our own and delay our arrival at the hotel? I’m quite keen to get of the bike & out of this heat as soon as possible….
At the final fuel stop before Moab, I broach the question…Chris says he’s up for it & so is everyone else. I hope what I’ve read is true & not a disappointment…

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Well, there are a few bends; that makes a change after Interstate at least. The pace quickens, so everyone must be enjoying it?

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I then recall another line in the article I read about sheer drop offs and the bends requiring full attention, and not to be distracted by the scenery…
It starts to get a little greener once we get to the Colorado river.

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We pass the historic Dewey Bridge and stop for further investigation.

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It was destryoyed by a bush fire in 2008.

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No Evel Knievel stunts this afternoon please!

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We follow the Colorado river on into the gorge.

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The road gets better and better.

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Wow. Now I see what they mean about the scenery! Fisher Towers in the distance with the La Sal Mountains in the background.

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This area has been used in many John Wayne westerns. It's easy competition for Monument Valley.

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I think everyone agree, it was worth the extra miles to get to Moab this way!
 
WOW!!!!
Fantastic pictures & what a great trip........
 
River Road in Moab was utterly spectacular in a land of the most stunning scenery on the planet. A real treat at the end of a long hot day.
 
Trip Day 6 – Saturday 20th August

We have a couple of days off in Moab, the adventure capital of Utah. There are hundreds of things to do here, but one of the main reasons for me coming on this trip, was to see the Canyonlands.
The photos below don’t really do the views justice, and words can’t describe how amazing this place is……

The road into Canyonlands National Park.

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Solar Evaporation Ponds at Dead Horse Point Visitor centre overlook.

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Dead Horse Point Overlook... my favourite - I think.

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Shafer Canyon Trail route in to Dead Horse Point

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Green River Overlook

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The 100 mile long White Rim Trail can be seen in these pics. It runs through the canyonlands and is one of several open to vehicles in the park - permits are required.
Here we met a Danish biker who was on a massive Round The World trip who'd got a permit to do the trail the next day. It can be done in 2 days....

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The Grand View

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Buck Canyon Overlook

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I wasn't sure that the Grand Canyon would have a lot more to offer after visiting this incredible area...
 
Oh my. The pictures just keep getting better & better. :clap
 
Your photos are great, I think they capture the landscape well. Dead Horse Point is fantastic, the scale messes with your head, one on my very favourite places.
 


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