Retired and Trippin

On Saturday, June 26, we departed Steamboat Springs, CO at 8:00 am.  It was sunny and 57 degrees.  We rode east on Hwy 24 to Kimmerling for a bathroom break and then to Granby for gas. Near the gas station was a jerky, fur, and antler chandelier vendor.  They had a bear skin outside and other types of skins inside.  It was interesting. From Granby we rode north into Rocky Mountain National Park.  The views were fantastic. We knew from watching the news the night before that there was a forest fire in Rocky Mountain National Park.  On the way out of the park riding toward Loveland, CO we saw and smelled smoke from the forest fire. We ate lunch at the Dari Delite in Loveland and then gassed up in Fort Morgan, CO.  We rode east into Nebraska and then south to Goodland, KS, where we spent the night at the Days Inn. We rode 420 miles and the high temperature was 90. On Sunday, June 27, we took off from Goodland on our final day of the trip.  I...

On Thursday morning, June 24, Gary drove to the Mountain Home, ID police department to attempt contact with Chief John Walter, a former co-worker of his.  Larry and I also know John from his days in Prairie Village.  John drove out to the hotel and we all got to howdy him and talk for awhile. We departed Mountain home eastbound on Hwy 20 at 8:40 am.  It was mostly cloudy and 68 degrees.  We stopped at Silver Creek for a break. Chris was impressed that this place had three bathrooms (men’s, women’s, and unisex). Further east on Hwy 20 I saw something I’d never seen before on a public highway . . . . a cattle drive. It was interesting but made for a messy roadway. Hwy 20 here is called the Peaks to Craters Scenic Byway.  It was definitely a pretty ride.  The craters part of the name comes from the Craters of the Moon National Monument. We drove the 7 mile route through the park.  It was interesting to see all the lava rock. While we were drivin...

After a hearty breakfast at Sargent’s Cafe in Bend, OR we hit the road eastbound on Hwy 20 at 8:45 am.  It was sunny and 64. One hundred and thirty miles later we were gassing up in Burns, OR.  Marge got a new doo-rag at the gas station.  She said she picked a pink one so her son, Joe, would not steal it from her. On Hwy 20 between Burns and Vale, OR we ran into a brief delay due to road construction. One hundred and twenty miles later we were eating lunch at the Starlite Cafe in Vale, OR.  They had very good vittles, including homemade pies. We landed for the evening in Mountain Home, Idaho.  We rode 375 miles today.  The high temperature was 93.  The pool at the Hampton Inn felt fantastic. For more pictures from today click on the attached link: http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/CaliforniaTripDay13?feat=directlink

On Monday morning, June 21, I went to uncover my motorcycle and found a snail on top of my trailer.  He was too small for breakfast. We departed Bodega Bay, CA at 8:15 am under mostly sunny skies with a temperature of 54.  It dropped to 52 along the coast before beginning to warm up a bit. The ride north on the Pacific Coast Highway, Highway 1, was absolutely beautiful with many twisties. We got gas in Little River, CA and had lunch at LaPlaya, a Mexican restaurant, in Fort Bragg, CA.  We also got groceries in Fort Bragg.  Near Leggett, CA we all drove our motorcycles through the Chandelier redwood tree. We rode the Avenue of the Giants near Humboldt Redwood State Park and saw many big redwood trees before spending the night in Humboldt Gales Motel in Rio Dell, CA. We rode 230 miles today.  The high was in the 70’s and the low was 52. On Tuesday, June 22, we left Rio Dell, CA at 7:30 am.  It was cloudy and 55 degrees.  We stopped a few miles ...

On Saturday, June 19, 2010, Chris and I slept in, took a walk around the area of our motel, and then had lunch with Chris’ niece and nephew, Liz and Mark, and Liz’s husband, Ted. Carl, Marge, Gary, and Larry visited the Aquarium and then took a bus tour of San Francisco. I was able to pick up my repaired motorcycle and ride it back to the motel.  I was happy to get it back.  Dirty switches were determined to be the culprits. In the evening we all went to Gary’s daughter’s home where Gary and Dana (see picture below) prepared a delicious meal of grilled beef, pork, and brats plus taters, bread, and salad.  It was larrapin good! For pictures taken around San Francisco click on the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/CaliforniaTripSanFranciscoSights?feat=directlink No miles were ridden today, except for my ride from the motorcycle shop to the motel.  It was sunny, and cool. On Sunday, June 20, 2010, we departed San Francisco at 10...

On Friday, June 18th, we rode out of Santa Cruz, CA at 8:30 am under cloudy skies with a temperature of 55.  As we rode north on Highway 1 along the coast the temperature dropped to 52 and there was a cold wind blowing in off the ocean.  There were some pretty views but we did not stop to take pictures. When we arrived in San Francisco we located the lodging for our next two nights, the Travelodge at 1707 Market.  We then rode to Gary’s daughter’s home (very steep hill to get there). She had a great view from her balcony. At her home we located the number for a Honda dealership.  My FI error light problem ( presence of the FI error light, no headlights, and no cruise control) reoccurred today.  Mission Honda in Daly City, CA ( http://missionmotorcycles.hondamcdealers.com/ ) agreed to take the bike in and immediately start working on it.  Many thanks to Carl, the service manager there.  I’m hoping it gets repaired by tomorrow so we can leave on Su...

On day 8 we departed Fresno, CA at 8:00 am under blue clear skies with a temperature of 64 and rode directly to Kings Canyon National Park.  It was a beautiful day. At Kings Canyon we walked around Grant’s Grove and saw numerous humongous Sequoia trees including the third largest tree in the world, the General Grant tree. This tree has a diameter of 40 ft at the base and a circumference of 107 ft.  The volume of wood in the tree equals 159,000 basketballs. We rode into Kings Canyon, which parallels the Kings River, which was an impressive sight.  Nearly the entire length of the river was rapids.  We had lunch at a picnic site by Grizzly Falls. Temperatures in Kings Canyon got as low as 52 and there was still snow in places.  Chris enjoyed the colorful wild flowers  in the canyon as well as a cactus, possibly yucca, that she called a “dinger” cactus. From Kings Canyon we rode into the adjoining Sequoia National Park.  Here we saw the General S...

On Monday, June 14, we departed Delta, UT at 7:00 am under blue clear skies with a temperature of 46. We immediately knocked of 157 miles non-stop to Ely, NV. In Ely we gassed up and Carl bought a $35 rock for Marge. It was worth it, though, because it had an ancient Native American carving on it. We continued west on Hwy 50. This section of the highway is identified on the map as the Lonliest Road. We gassed up again in Eureka, NV because we had no idea how far it would be to the next gas station. Just east of Austin, NV we saw the immediate aftermath of what appeared to be a one bike motorcycle accident (police car, bike in the ditch and guy laying on the road). I hate seeing that. In Austin we stopped for a picnic lunch. At the intersection of Hwy 50 and Hwy 361 we stopped for gas at a very rustic one pump gas station. There was also a motel (perfect for Mel) and bar and grill on site. Quite impressive? We spent the night in Lee Vining, CA located on the east side of Yosemite...

We departed from Carl and Marge’s house in Shawnee on Friday, June 11, 2010, at 5:00 PM.  Three hundred miles later, with a gas stop in Junction City and a pit stop at Sonic in Russell, we arrived in WaKeeney, KS at 8:20 PM.  We stayed at the Econo Lodge.  It was mostly sunny and very humid all day with temperatures ranging from 86 to 91. On Saturday, June 12, 2010, we left WaKeeney at approximately 8:15 AM.  It was cloudy and 66 with a promise of scattered showers.  It was raining and 55 degrees when we reached Goodland, KS so, after gassing up, we donned our rain gear. We got gas again in Limon, CO and Silverthorne, CO.  By the time we reached Denver it was 50 degrees and raining.  We had lunch at Wendy’s in the Denver area and then continued west on I-70.  Just before reaching the Eisenhower Tunnel at Independence Pass it was 39 degrees (but dry).  We stayed at the Silver Spruce Motel in Glenwood Springs, CO. We rode 480 miles in tem...