Sunday, July 18, 2010
Map of the Ride
Map of the route we used going to Des Moines and back home to Lake County. I listed the cities we slept in below the map. The route was approximately 5,200 miles. Larry did such a good job of leading, most of the time I didn't pay attention to what road we were riding.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Ride to Lake County
We departed Klamath Falls around 8 a.m. Hwy 97 to Weed for a fuel stop and then I-5 to Corning for a fuel and Olive Pit stop.
We stopped in Williams at Granzella's for lunch. We figured that since we had begun the ride with breakfast at Granzella's it was only right to end the ride there as well.
Uneventful (thank you, God!) ride home. Temperatures around 100 - amazing how on a motorcycle you know when the temperature changed by a couple of degrees. We were well suited to the hot weather with our Techniche brand evaporative cooling vests. Worth every penny we paid for them. John toughed it out without putting on his vest.
I didn't make a lot of comments about the scenery because if you really want to know you need to go there yourself.
Observations about this ride:
Idaho needs to put more law enforcement on Hwy 20 so people don't feel they can drive as stupidly as they do.
South Dakota has the shortest, littlest toilets! We opined that perhaps they got a real deal on some used kindergarten toilets.
Iowa needs to have the same person determining what constitutes a 'bump' - and let that person drive on all the roads. Right now there must be too many people deciding!
Choosing a motel room is easier with Trip Advisor.
The deli owner in Madrid, NM needs to learn some people skills.
Don't believe that Jason Alexander Quality Inn advertisement on television - it is a lie or they slipped the name on some run down motel in Klamath Falls. No nice breakfast, badly decorated, no operating ice maker in the annex building we were in, hot tub that didn't know the meaning of hot, bad wifi, and ignorant staff.
For me the best motel was the La Quinta in Albuquerque. Embassy Suites in Des Moines was nice. However the staff at La Quinta performed above and beyond to make our stay nice. The staff at Embassy Suites did not - and the housekeeping staff was substandard.
There were many times during the ride that one of the five of us would make a comment about something and someone else would respond that they too had thought the same thing. Talk about getting comfortable with your riding partners.
For me this was a thoroughly enjoyable ride. No tantrums (except by me!); no pouting because of some little thing; no storming off; no dithering at gas stations and parking lots. When we agreed to a time to leave everyone was ready to go on time.
I hope everyone else had as good a time as I did and feels that this adventure was outstanding.
We road just short of 4,000 miles.
Next adventure....more national parks in California.
We stopped in Williams at Granzella's for lunch. We figured that since we had begun the ride with breakfast at Granzella's it was only right to end the ride there as well.
Uneventful (thank you, God!) ride home. Temperatures around 100 - amazing how on a motorcycle you know when the temperature changed by a couple of degrees. We were well suited to the hot weather with our Techniche brand evaporative cooling vests. Worth every penny we paid for them. John toughed it out without putting on his vest.
I didn't make a lot of comments about the scenery because if you really want to know you need to go there yourself.
Observations about this ride:
Idaho needs to put more law enforcement on Hwy 20 so people don't feel they can drive as stupidly as they do.
South Dakota has the shortest, littlest toilets! We opined that perhaps they got a real deal on some used kindergarten toilets.
Iowa needs to have the same person determining what constitutes a 'bump' - and let that person drive on all the roads. Right now there must be too many people deciding!
Choosing a motel room is easier with Trip Advisor.
The deli owner in Madrid, NM needs to learn some people skills.
Don't believe that Jason Alexander Quality Inn advertisement on television - it is a lie or they slipped the name on some run down motel in Klamath Falls. No nice breakfast, badly decorated, no operating ice maker in the annex building we were in, hot tub that didn't know the meaning of hot, bad wifi, and ignorant staff.
For me the best motel was the La Quinta in Albuquerque. Embassy Suites in Des Moines was nice. However the staff at La Quinta performed above and beyond to make our stay nice. The staff at Embassy Suites did not - and the housekeeping staff was substandard.
There were many times during the ride that one of the five of us would make a comment about something and someone else would respond that they too had thought the same thing. Talk about getting comfortable with your riding partners.
For me this was a thoroughly enjoyable ride. No tantrums (except by me!); no pouting because of some little thing; no storming off; no dithering at gas stations and parking lots. When we agreed to a time to leave everyone was ready to go on time.
I hope everyone else had as good a time as I did and feels that this adventure was outstanding.
We road just short of 4,000 miles.
Next adventure....more national parks in California.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Ride to Klamath Falls, Oregon
We started the day a little warm....and stopped in Burns, Oregon at the McDonalds for a late breakfast...big mistake. The person at the cash register was new and UNTRAINED. She got pissed when we asked for another glass after she put her fingers in the glass.
John called the telephone number AND talked with the manager. There was even one employee wearing jewelry.
Over all, we lost close to an hour at this stop.
We continued on Hwy 395 out of Burns - speed limit 55....we rode 65 mph most of the time.
Lunch in Lakeside....reasonable rates and good food.
We turned on to Hwy 140 and headed toward Klamath Falls. Again the speed limit was 55 and we rode 65...and just happened to slow down to the speed limit before we saw the highway patrol.
That happened twice today. We made good time and didn't get speeding tickets.
A close call on Hwy 140 with a oversize load. Not only was it long it was extra wide because it was carrying a piece of farm equipment. The truck was traveling so fast that if it HAD a regular or large size vehicle coming at it they would have collided. Dumb butt!
It wasn't has hot today as we thought, so we aren't quite as exhausted....although we did get a little testy checking in to the Quality Inn. We are wondering if being a twit is a requirement for the job.
Home tomorrow!
John called the telephone number AND talked with the manager. There was even one employee wearing jewelry.
Over all, we lost close to an hour at this stop.
We continued on Hwy 395 out of Burns - speed limit 55....we rode 65 mph most of the time.
Lunch in Lakeside....reasonable rates and good food.
We turned on to Hwy 140 and headed toward Klamath Falls. Again the speed limit was 55 and we rode 65...and just happened to slow down to the speed limit before we saw the highway patrol.
That happened twice today. We made good time and didn't get speeding tickets.
A close call on Hwy 140 with a oversize load. Not only was it long it was extra wide because it was carrying a piece of farm equipment. The truck was traveling so fast that if it HAD a regular or large size vehicle coming at it they would have collided. Dumb butt!
It wasn't has hot today as we thought, so we aren't quite as exhausted....although we did get a little testy checking in to the Quality Inn. We are wondering if being a twit is a requirement for the job.
Home tomorrow!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Ride to Ontario, Oregon
We rode Hwy. 20 from Idaho Falls to Boise, ID. Nice road. LOUSY DRIVERS. INCONSIDERATE DRIVERS. DANGEROUS DRIVERS.
The speed limit is 65 mph - most vehicles drove in excess of 75 mph and ALL had Idaho license plates.
Never on this year's ride or in the past have we experienced the total lack of safe drivers that we did today.
Shame on the state of Idaho for not patrolling this section of Hwy. 20. There is no way these people would be driving they way they are if the road was patrolled.
As we left the highway at Mountain Home a patrol car and ambulance headed east of Hwy. 20 - and we weren't surprised.
Once we got on I-84 things ran more smoothly. There was construction going through Boise so that held drivers to ONLY five miles an hour over the 55 required.
It was 95 degrees as we rode through Boise - and 97 when we arrived in Ontario. Thank goodness for evaporative vests!
We are at the Super 8 in Ontario, Oregon. A very nice facility near a Country Kitchen with good food and staff.
The speed limit is 65 mph - most vehicles drove in excess of 75 mph and ALL had Idaho license plates.
Never on this year's ride or in the past have we experienced the total lack of safe drivers that we did today.
Shame on the state of Idaho for not patrolling this section of Hwy. 20. There is no way these people would be driving they way they are if the road was patrolled.
As we left the highway at Mountain Home a patrol car and ambulance headed east of Hwy. 20 - and we weren't surprised.
Once we got on I-84 things ran more smoothly. There was construction going through Boise so that held drivers to ONLY five miles an hour over the 55 required.
It was 95 degrees as we rode through Boise - and 97 when we arrived in Ontario. Thank goodness for evaporative vests!
We are at the Super 8 in Ontario, Oregon. A very nice facility near a Country Kitchen with good food and staff.
Ride to Idaho Falls, ID
While a ride to Idaho Falls may not sound exciting, guess again!
We entered Yellowstone National Park around 9 a.m. The weather was outstanding and the traffic wasn't heavy. What more could one need in this awesome park.
We stopped at the Fishing Bridge and stamped out passports.
This really was a ride to Idaho - all of us have been to Yellowstone and Teton many times. We were fortunate to be able to enjoy the ride with little impact from other drivers.
On leaving Yellowstone we stopped for a photo op.
We even sailed through Jackson Hole, WY with no problems. We've experienced big backups in other rides.
We rode Wyoming Highway 22 to Idaho - 10% grades up and down into the Teton Valley. As we neared Idaho Falls we had ride through some construction, but with little traffic.
On arriving at our motel, Best Western on Lindsay we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the accommodations - for less than the room in Cody. The pool was large and clean and the hot tub was HOT and large!
We had a nice dinner at The Sandpiper...food was good but the other patrons on the patio were LOUD!
These photos were taken to capture the Yellowstone sign in the background - we were tired and didn't want to walk over there!
Today we are riding to Ontario, Oregon....
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Ride to Cody, Wyoming
Leaving Rapid City it was a little chilly, but the sky was clear.
We opted to ride I-90 to Sheridan and then Hwy 14A to Lovell and on to Cody.
Hwy 14A goes over the mountain top....over 9k feet above sea level. Over the Big Horn Mountains. The weather was what one would expect in the mountains - cloudy and cool. The only additional item was a little rain and a little sleet/hail. Very little!
Once you ride up the mountain you get to ride down the mountain. No 6% grade.....10% for approximately 10 miles. Once the van from Minnesota got out of the way our ride was smoother.
Down the mountain the sun was shining and the temperature quickly rose to 72 degrees.
We stopped in Lovell for food....the only thing available was a combination Blimpy/Taco Johns. The food was surprisingly good.
Once we left Lovell we ended up in road construction - over 5 miles on dirt/gravel in heavy traffic. Cough, cough! Lots of dust.
We are now checked in at the Alters Inn Motel in Cody - refreshing ourselves before we heading out to enjoy the town!
The photos were taken on our ride over the Big Horn Mountains.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Rapid City, South Dakota
273 miles on I-90....talk about a fast ride.
We stopped in Wall, SD to enjoy the tourist thing for several hours. Robert lost his prescription sunglasses.
If you haven't been to Wall Drug, you should give it a try sometime. Lots of atmosphere!
We arrived at our motel around 2 p.m. - Travelodge. Reasonable rate, clean.
After relaxing for a few hours we got back on the rides to go to Mount Rushmore - about 25 miles away. Only one u-turn and we were there. The weather was overcast and chilly so we were bundled up like snow people in our layers and Frogg Toggs.
We parked in #4 parking garage - the same one we used the first time we parked at Mount Rushmore. And just like the first time there were very few cars. Only this time no mountain goat visiting.
We had several hours to wait before the 9 p.m. presentation and lighting of the faces so some of us napped (guess who!), did some shopping, ate some dinner, looked in the museum and show a could a videos in the theaters.
The lighting of the faces and the presentation are well worth the wait. At the end of the presentation the ranger asked that all active and inactive military personnel come down to the stage. I think were were close to 100 people who stood there - and the crowd paid tribute.
I will post photos tomorrow. We leave at 7 a.m. to ride to Cody, WY - 391 miles.
The photo with the people is of the veterans who attended the evening presentation - Larry is there in the second row, fourth from the left. As the flag was taken down the boy scouts handed the flag to the veterans the flag was then handed down the line to each veteran.
We stopped in Wall, SD to enjoy the tourist thing for several hours. Robert lost his prescription sunglasses.
If you haven't been to Wall Drug, you should give it a try sometime. Lots of atmosphere!
We arrived at our motel around 2 p.m. - Travelodge. Reasonable rate, clean.
After relaxing for a few hours we got back on the rides to go to Mount Rushmore - about 25 miles away. Only one u-turn and we were there. The weather was overcast and chilly so we were bundled up like snow people in our layers and Frogg Toggs.
We parked in #4 parking garage - the same one we used the first time we parked at Mount Rushmore. And just like the first time there were very few cars. Only this time no mountain goat visiting.
We had several hours to wait before the 9 p.m. presentation and lighting of the faces so some of us napped (guess who!), did some shopping, ate some dinner, looked in the museum and show a could a videos in the theaters.
The lighting of the faces and the presentation are well worth the wait. At the end of the presentation the ranger asked that all active and inactive military personnel come down to the stage. I think were were close to 100 people who stood there - and the crowd paid tribute.
I will post photos tomorrow. We leave at 7 a.m. to ride to Cody, WY - 391 miles.
The photo with the people is of the veterans who attended the evening presentation - Larry is there in the second row, fourth from the left. As the flag was taken down the boy scouts handed the flag to the veterans the flag was then handed down the line to each veteran.
Mitchell, South Dakota
384 miles via the back roads of Iowa. As Robert said yesterday - it took years for John to actually GET to Iowa and we all thought we'd never get out of it!
The route we chose included Hwy 30 and Hwy 17- both of which had detours that added useless miles to a very boring ride.
How boring? I, or one, came dangerously close to dozing off while riding!
If you ever think California has corn - forget it! Iowa has miles and miles of corn and quite a few feed lots too!
We had some rain, but we were still on the two lane road so it wasn't too bad.
We arrived in Mitchell at the Thunderbird Lodge early enough to go to Cabela's - I believe it is Mitchell's one claim to fame! Mitchell also must have the largest herd of mosquitoes in the USA!
Today we are riding the interstate to Rapid City. We hope to get there early enough to check in and then head to Mount Rushmore.
The route we chose included Hwy 30 and Hwy 17- both of which had detours that added useless miles to a very boring ride.
How boring? I, or one, came dangerously close to dozing off while riding!
If you ever think California has corn - forget it! Iowa has miles and miles of corn and quite a few feed lots too!
We had some rain, but we were still on the two lane road so it wasn't too bad.
We arrived in Mitchell at the Thunderbird Lodge early enough to go to Cabela's - I believe it is Mitchell's one claim to fame! Mitchell also must have the largest herd of mosquitoes in the USA!
Today we are riding the interstate to Rapid City. We hope to get there early enough to check in and then head to Mount Rushmore.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Rainy Des Moines
Today was our day to be lazy. Good thing too! When we had the shuttle driver take us to our late lunch NOTHING was open (except bars) in downtown Des Moines.
We ended up back at the hotel where we ate, played Farkle and drank some free booze.
Larry spent most of the evening getting our rides ready to go for tomorrow. Both trailers were a mess but are now tidy.
No fireworks because of the rain. No baseball game either. There was a concert downtown, but not exactly the type of music we'd stand in the rain to hear!
Tomorrow's ride will be wet. We are hoping that as we ride into South Dakota it will be drier.
We ended up back at the hotel where we ate, played Farkle and drank some free booze.
Larry spent most of the evening getting our rides ready to go for tomorrow. Both trailers were a mess but are now tidy.
No fireworks because of the rain. No baseball game either. There was a concert downtown, but not exactly the type of music we'd stand in the rain to hear!
Tomorrow's ride will be wet. We are hoping that as we ride into South Dakota it will be drier.
Fireworks in Des Moines, IA
These photos were captured from a video taken by Larry with his Canon digital Powershot camera
Independence Day!
Happy 4th of July from a wet Des Moines, Iowa. The rain isn't too bad but far from ideal conditions for any fireworks.
A leisurely breakfast, followed by preparations for tomorrow's departure. I'm doing laundry (ha, ha - made it to the laundry room before the yuppy moms!)
A leisurely breakfast, followed by preparations for tomorrow's departure. I'm doing laundry (ha, ha - made it to the laundry room before the yuppy moms!)
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Des Moines July 3
Last morning for the Wing Ding....made a final swing through the vendors and ended up with new helmets! (I think our fellow travelers managed to find all the items they were looking for as well.)
The Wing Ding was over at 1:30 p.m. The remainder of our afternoon was spent doing some maintenance on the rides and generally relaxing.
The hotel has veggies and pretzels with drinks in the evening so no one was interested in a big meal this evening so we topped it off with dinner a McDonald's!
We ended our evening with several games of Farkle with new friends from Sioux City, Iowa. (Farkle is a game using six dice that is easy and loads of fun!)
One of the perks at this hotel is the shuttle service. Given the fact that this Wing Ding was not in a single location the shuttle was a God send. The only complaints we heard were about the fact that the location did not afford the opportunity to see all the motorcycles in one location; that one had to travel away from the convention center to participate in the light parade, etc.
Tomorrow it is supposed to rain - heavily - so we'll get the gear ready for the ride out on Monday. Happy 4th of July!
The Wing Ding was over at 1:30 p.m. The remainder of our afternoon was spent doing some maintenance on the rides and generally relaxing.
The hotel has veggies and pretzels with drinks in the evening so no one was interested in a big meal this evening so we topped it off with dinner a McDonald's!
We ended our evening with several games of Farkle with new friends from Sioux City, Iowa. (Farkle is a game using six dice that is easy and loads of fun!)
One of the perks at this hotel is the shuttle service. Given the fact that this Wing Ding was not in a single location the shuttle was a God send. The only complaints we heard were about the fact that the location did not afford the opportunity to see all the motorcycles in one location; that one had to travel away from the convention center to participate in the light parade, etc.
Tomorrow it is supposed to rain - heavily - so we'll get the gear ready for the ride out on Monday. Happy 4th of July!
July 2 in Des Moines
We spent the morning checking out more of the vendors.
In the afternoon we hopped on a tour bus for a little tour of the governor's residence and the Weeks mansion. Both are National History Sites.
The Weeks mansion (on the inside) looks a lot like the Hearst Castle. Rich dudes with money to blow and looking to Europe for the interior furnishings.
A stop at Suzette's Candy wrapped up the tour. Very nice. A little candy kitchen that puts out a lot of yummy candies.
For dinner we took the advice of our tour guide, our shuttle driver and the lady serving cocktails in the hotel....Centro. Glad we went there - just wish I hadn't eaten all day so I could have eaten more! The food and our server were five star.
I keep hoping that all the walking we are doing throughout the day at the Wing Ding is burning more calories than I am eating!
In the afternoon we hopped on a tour bus for a little tour of the governor's residence and the Weeks mansion. Both are National History Sites.
The Weeks mansion (on the inside) looks a lot like the Hearst Castle. Rich dudes with money to blow and looking to Europe for the interior furnishings.
A stop at Suzette's Candy wrapped up the tour. Very nice. A little candy kitchen that puts out a lot of yummy candies.
For dinner we took the advice of our tour guide, our shuttle driver and the lady serving cocktails in the hotel....Centro. Glad we went there - just wish I hadn't eaten all day so I could have eaten more! The food and our server were five star.
I keep hoping that all the walking we are doing throughout the day at the Wing Ding is burning more calories than I am eating!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wing Ding 32
What a day...walk, walk, walk, walk.
Turn out looked good. Lots of vendors.
GREAT fireworks display put on by the City of Des Moines this evening. Don't think I've seen anything as nice in many of year.
Turn out looked good. Lots of vendors.
GREAT fireworks display put on by the City of Des Moines this evening. Don't think I've seen anything as nice in many of year.
Des Moines
The ride from Branson was delightfully uneventful.
We opted to use Highway 65 for the entire ride. In addition to avoiding interstate traffic we were blessed with moderate temperatures until the mid afternoon.
We missed the green light at a construction area on Hwy. 65 - we could have raced the yellow light, but opted to be squeaky clean with traffic laws. Little did we know that the light would remain red for such a long time....cat naps were the item.
At our last stop before heading into the city we opted to put on our cooling vests. We knew that with the slower speeds and 85 degree temperature we would be far more comfortable.
We are staying at Embassy Suites on the river in Des Moines. We arrived in time for the evening cocktail 'party'. This is a VERY nice facility. In the 14 hours we have been here I only have one complaint - they charge for internet access - at isn't any nominal fee either!
Today we will register at the Wing Ding and spend the day mosying through the convention. Des Moines is hoping 14k motorcyclists spend $4 million dollars over four days.
These photos were taken last evening from our room's window. The river below is at flood stage.
We opted to use Highway 65 for the entire ride. In addition to avoiding interstate traffic we were blessed with moderate temperatures until the mid afternoon.
We missed the green light at a construction area on Hwy. 65 - we could have raced the yellow light, but opted to be squeaky clean with traffic laws. Little did we know that the light would remain red for such a long time....cat naps were the item.
At our last stop before heading into the city we opted to put on our cooling vests. We knew that with the slower speeds and 85 degree temperature we would be far more comfortable.
We are staying at Embassy Suites on the river in Des Moines. We arrived in time for the evening cocktail 'party'. This is a VERY nice facility. In the 14 hours we have been here I only have one complaint - they charge for internet access - at isn't any nominal fee either!
Today we will register at the Wing Ding and spend the day mosying through the convention. Des Moines is hoping 14k motorcyclists spend $4 million dollars over four days.
These photos were taken last evening from our room's window. The river below is at flood stage.
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