Into The West

Great Basin will be nice to go back to for an extended stay someday.  The potential for hiking, stargazing and astronomy presentations are much to appealing to go without.  Unfortunately, it was overcast the entire time I was there.

I camped about halfway up that slope.  Once again, there was a nice loud stream next to my site and after the long day of riding I slept like a baby lamb.

Here's a picture of most of the Great Basin range.
Riding through Nevada was mostly pleasurable despite my preconceived notions based on previous trips there.  Another overcast day kept the temperature reasonable.  There were some neat sites along the way too.

Go Green!

Not so green!  But that's okay, these were the largest dump trucks I had ever seen.  They were on their way to a local mining operation and traffic over this peak was stopped to give these folk plenty of time and room.

I intended to stop in Reno for the evening before heading up to Crater Lake...but much of the afternoon and through Reno was spent in this atmospheric poo caused by the wild fires at Yosemite!  By the time I got into town over 65,000 acres were uncontained.  Besides, traffic through Reno was fairly crazy!

So welcome to northeast California!  I stayed at a small place called the Sierra Motel, took advantage of handicap accessible showers - which put my body in shock as it had been a while!
The following morning, I headed up to Crater Lake!
The drive through northeast Cali and southeast Oregon was beautiful!

I had passed through that valley in the distance before ascending this peak.

 

And on the other side of that peak was this fine lake!  This view looks back at said peak I ascended.  Climate, view, humidity, temperature - all perfect on this day!

 Yes, I headed for that mountain in the back of this picture!

On the way up to Crater Lake I HAD to stop and check out this valley where 7,700 years ago liquid hot magma flowed down.  Supposedly, one can see fossilized steam from this view - but I suffer from male-pattern-blindness.  If it's in front of me I'll never see it!

There's a 33 mile road (Rim Road) that circles Crater Lake.  Here's one view.  That gravel along the bottom represents the side of the road.  And that tree in the center is an old-growth forest tree - at least 150 ft tall too...so be careful if you ever get to drive or ride around rim road.  There's a lot of places to fall - very exciting!

Although, the following morning when it was time to leave I was not so thrilled about driving through this fog around rim road.  That WAS a little freaky...

Before leaving the fog cleared around the west side of the lake and I spent a good 15 minutes just sitting on my bike at the pull-off just viewing the lake.  It was peaceful, quiet, no traffic and the air was the freshest I ever breathed.  I thought deep thoughts...and forget what they were at this point...but it's the experience that counts, right?

From here I left for Hillsboro, OR, where a couple old friends live.  I've been with them for two days ... getting there was quite an adventure and a post for another time!

The Sun-Lighted Path

Welcome to Utah!

The amazing thing about riding across Utah in one day is the way the land transforms before your eyes:

Behold, Canyonlands.  The twisty road to get to this point was very conducive to getting my lean on AND a LOT of fun!

A view from my lunch table in Green River Utah - great service AND food!

Were it not for the paved roads I would have thought I was part of a Mars colonization effort.  Through these parts the highway was typically three lanes wide with a speed limit of 80mph. 
By this time I was listening to music while riding for the first time since leaving home.  There is something deeply moving about Mumford and Sons' music while bawling through sweeping roads in an unfamiliar land of jagged rocks, cliffs and mesas.  Lover of the Light, Under My Feet, I Will Wait and Not With Haste are among my favorites while riding.

I was surrounded by storm clouds for the last half of the day.

The sun seemed to dry the road before me.

For nearly 150 miles I crossed valleys and surmounted peaks surrounded in my bubble of sunshine.  With child-like joy I played cat and mouse with the weather.

Ahead, Great Basin National Park, my destination.  So I stopped my giggling, cackling, laughing and joy and put my game face on.  Regardless, all the way into camp my sun-lighted path never ceased.

True Glory

Have you ever experienced something and didn't want it to end?  Welcome to my experience at Mesa Verde, Colorado.

A view from the Lodge at the top of one of the Mesas.  Rain came and went at the turn of a corner!

Long House, the first cliff dwelling ruin I toured.  Turns out these Pueblo people only lived in these cliff-side structures for 100 years of 750 in this region.

 A view from inside Balcony House.  These round rooms, Kivas, had a flat roof back in the day.  The people used them for ceremonies and crafting.  The rooms behind were either where people slept or stored things...depends if there were remains of fire present or not. 

Below: Cliff Palace - the largest of the 600+ cliff dwellings on site!  I must admit, after seeing this one I was a bit ruin-saturated...needed more riding!

Views from the road.  Getting around these Mesas required dozens and dozens of hairpin turns.  It was a true pleasure to look through every turn up here at ~7,000 feet.  I travelled almost 200 miles in the park during the two days I was there.

 

Before I left home a fellow at the camping store told me his favorite part of cross country trips is the people he meets along the way. 
This was particularly true for me when I met Ranger Kaitlyn: Hardcore enough to keep rambunctious children off 800-year-old walls, tender enough to make people weep with her tour narratives and who's love of forests and cold weather is arguably greater than mine!
http://rangerkaitimay.com/

It's All Changed

Bent's Old Fort - Trading for buffalo furs/skins and other goods.  It's amazing where you can pack over 200 people speaking more than 6 different languages for the purpose of trade.  Spanish, English, various dialects of the local Native American tribes and sign language.

Crossing over to Colorado presented dramatic changes: Local breweries, greater variety of dining, less wind - so far.  The views have been spectacular!

 Love me some bug guts on the windshield!

The above picture shows the first mountains I passed through.  While they aren't very tall they were gorgeous to pass through.  It was all I could do to maintain legal speeds when all of my being wanted to take off like an Eagle.  Good thing my bike doesn't have wings.  Although, at an old-bones aircraft (without a canopy) was cruising along the road and reminded me of the opening Top Gun scene.  Subsequently, the theme song stuck in my head.  No, I did not pump my arm at the aircraft!

Camping that first night was spectacular.  Big Meadow outside of South Fork ... well, see below.

The Pass to south-central Colorado.
The view from the top of Wolf's Pass - a three mile dirt and gravel road to get there.

And on the west side of the pass...

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From here I went to Mesa Verde where I've been for two days. Leaving tomorrow morning...will update again soon.

Pastures, Prairies and Ladies!

 My Great Gram grew up here.  At least, this is what one of the back fields looks like today.  No doubt it was quite different in the 20's and 30's. 
That's all I have to say about that...

 Kansas riding over the past two days has been different than I expected.  For the most part I love it.  The climate is completely different than last year when there were 25 consecutive days of 100+ degrees.  The present cool air and varying shades of shrubbery made for a beautiful setting to cruise by.  And rural towns every 12 to 26 miles make for nice changes of pace.  But there were underlying sad truths.

 At my first stop outside Cousin Bea's I tore into tomatoes I picked with her husband John from their garden the day before and watched the cows on the hill in the picture above.  On my first day here I would have been excited to see free-roaming cows. 
 Since talking to John I've learned they'll eventually be sold to big industry corn feed lots to pack on a couple hundred more pounds before butchering, packaging and shipping.  There aren't any more local slaughter houses with local suppliers.
 Nearly all locally owned grocery stores that supported local farming are gone.  Walmart Supercenters are the most common place to get groceries.  And dining in these small towns?  You get Arby's, Subway, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.  It is rare to see anything locally owned or original unless it's a diner attached to a gas station - which has great coffee and decent burgers.

 The quintessential travelling rider picture!

 I went to my FIRST Rodeo the other night!  This is a section of our country full of patriotism, values its history and is full of dry humor one-liners.  I quite enjoyed the event.

 The ride out to Dodge city was awesome - until the last 36 miles.  It flattened out and the wind beat me up pretty well.  And right on the edge of town was one of those feed lots I mentioned.  Now, I rather enjoy the cow manure scent - it reminds me of home.  But there was only the smell of processed cow to be had.

 So I blew of camping on the edge of town and found this B&B instead.  My father makes fun and calls me "one of those high-falutin types" - so why not!?
I got great info on the attractions in town and where I'll be spending my next three days as the owners are from Colorado and spent their first 10 years of marriage camping everywhere.
 Just down the corner was the first Teachers Hall of Fame in the US - I was there an hour past closing BS'ing with the owners - nice folk.  And across the street was the Boot Hill Museum which also had a gunfight re-enactment and saloon performance.

 There were other displays for Buffalo Hunters, Lawmen and Colt revolvers.

 And at said saloon performance these ladies spotted me for an easy target and had a grand time embarrassing me!  Oh Dodge City...