America's South West in 4 weeks

[Jockser]

Sven, take jeans wand wear technical stuff underneath in case it gets chilly You won't need waterproofs

+1
Draggin' Jeans and HG Airflow with long johns & long top underneath.
And shorty boots - I bought a secondhand pair off a fellow Tosser a couple of days before the trip. I also brought my thin waterproof top & trousers. Haven't needed them yet except for wearing the windcheater one cold evening on the 550

 

[Jockser]

Another great instalment. We need more pictures of the horrible food you're having to tolerate.

I'll try. But some of it truly is horrible

 

[Jockser]

Brillo............ just like watching an episode of American Pickers

You have waaay too much time on your hands dude - get a job

 

[Hairnet600]

Brillo............ just like watching an episode of American Pickers

hehe what he said

but youll find most of that stuff is for sale and it doesnt be cheap (hence the corvette etc)

ps nice cop car and wtf with the fiero???

could you not have done a millau and plead insanity if they saw you taking photos off the top??

 

[Jaws100]

I'll try. But some of it truly is horrible

JR........ when/if you get to Mexican Hat in Utah try some of these little tasty bits in the Swinging Steak House Grill....fill you up for a few days

 

[Aidan1150]

JR........ when/if you get to Mexican Hat in Utah try some of these little tasty bits in the Swinging Steak House Grill....fill you up for a few days

A great eating house that John, but despite having a waypoint for the Hat Rock Inn beside the restaurant, yer maun stayed in San Juan Inn a half a mile further away and had to endure another shite dinner.

 

[Jockser]

A great eating house that John, but despite having a waypoint for the Hat Rock Inn beside the restaurant, yer maun stayed in San Juan Inn a half a mile further away and had to endure another shite dinner.

It wasn't a shite dinner, it was NO dinner
But will ya hold yer horses, you're gettin' ahead of me

Just arrived in Hanksville - looks like Hicksville but spelt Hanksville, go figure
Hope to be back to you shortly

 

[Jockser]

But first, that nights dinner in Williams

I'd taken a walk down the main street shortly after our arrival, down one side & back up the other, and was almost back at our hotel when I noticed a place across from our hotel called Jessica's Family Restaurant which advertised Greek, Italian & American. That alone should have rung warning bells but all I was thinking was 'yum', feta, gyros, olives or if all else fails something like a nice penne arribiata

Anyway, in we went to have a look at the menu & this sweet looking little old lady says 'come in, we've lots of choices'. She looked about a hundred but can't have been that old. We sat down & perused the menu and it looked great but that's where it all went tits up

Prices looked higher than the norm but it turned out it included soup or salad & dessert. Naomi ordered the salad as a main course & got a big plate of lettuce & half a tomato, Liam ordered spag bol without the meat & got what can only be described as coming out of a tin while I ordered veal & a salad - the salad never arrived & the 'veal' was one of those shaped pieces of mechanically recovered meat which had been grilled to death

The others had meals of similar quality but I can't remember exactly what. Those that were having beer had one and as it had been Liam's bithhday the day before he decided to buy a bottle of wine. When asked what kind of wine they had the little old dear replied 'red & white?', I kid you not ! The wine (from Crete) eventually arrived & it was eventually finished. We then decided to request the dessert that was included from the limited range on the menu only to be told that the only choice was a single ball of vanilla ice cream ! Oh, how we laughed.....

Finally the bill arrived, still the most expensive of the trip so far, and the bottle of plonk came to $40 !! The look on Liams face was pricless. If it hadn't been for the little old lady we'd have had serious words with the owner but just paid up & left. The guys have since read numerous reviews stating exactly this & wondering if that's the reason she's kept on. But justice was somewhat done the following morning when we saved 2 bikers from having the same 'experience'

It was the worst (even compared to some places in Africa, South America, etc) food & the highest price but we laughed like drains during & after the experience & it ranks as a nights craic.

But if anyone finds themselves in Williams do NOT dine at Jessica's

 

[Jaws100]

I can sympathise with ye on your culinary experience in Williams ...had a similar one in Chambers (off the I-40)....little ole lady as well....treated ourselves to a steak or what we thought was a steak............
it was the worst piece of crap I have ever tried to eat

No wine or beer either ...made do with a biscuit and a cup of coffee afterwards in our room at the Chieftain motel. If your in this neighborhood stay away...."and"....its the only food outlet there.

 

[Hairnet600]

i see a retall opportunity for yer maun right there (ever had his brekky )

 

[R2D2]

do not slip up again on the pic's of decent waitresses enjoying this keep it coming

 

[Jockser]

Day 7 - Williams, AZ - Williams, AZ

OK, here we go. I fell asleep last night while trying to sort my pics - I've stuff on 2 cameras & an iPhone every day and it's starting to take over my life

So after a quick brekkie - donuts from Safeway across the road - we set off north for the Grand Canyon. It's almost 60 miles of fairly straight, but not boring, road.

The airplane museum at Valle (we didn't stop) :

First stop was the IMAX theatre for a showing of the movie about how the Grand Canyon was formed, it's early Native American inhabitants & it's 'discovery' by the early settlers. Not having been to an IMAX before I was impressed with the place & the movie. I'm not sure it was worth the $15 but ya gotta do it.

A quick lunch across the road in a Mexican restaurant, served by one of the surliest waitresses I've ever met, and we were let loose in the park

First thing I noticed as we drove in - probably won't make sense to anyone who hasn't been to Ireland but that's not my fault, is it :

And just around the next corner this fella was grazing beside someone's house, not at all fazed by us :

Once Mr Garmin had had his little laugh with us by sending us down a dead end & trying to get us to go the wrong way up a one-way road we decided to park up & get a free bus to some of the view points. Now, before I post pics I have to get my excuses in first. I've seen loads of professional pics on posters and such as well as here & on 'the dark side' and many of them are absolutely brilliant which my obviously aren't. In my defence I'd say many of the others are taken with the benefit of softer early morning or late evening light. But more than that the place is so staggeringly, awesomly (a word much overused here) HUGE that it's extremely difficult for an almost average photographer like me to do the place justice But here goes :

And finally, some pics of the Gents in Cruisers Diner :

The original plan had been to carry on to Tuba City (sounds very grand, doesn't it ?) after the park but as we concluded our tour Dave got something in his eye which kept watering so he couldn't ride. We escorted him slowly to the clinic where for $275 they allowed him to irrigate his own eye for an hour while they dealt with someone else before checking that there was nothing in there or damaged, gave him a small tube of cream & told him to bugger off. As it was now late into the afternoon it was decided to not risk riding into the Reservation without knowing if Dave would be alright in the morning & try and find somewhere closer by. Everything close to the park was way too expensive so returned to our beloved Williams, oh joy ! By the time we got there our hotel of last night was fully booked so we mioved 2 doors up & stayed with a very obliging Indian (as in from the subcontinent). Needless to say we avoided Jassics's that night

 

[sven]

The air museum is the AZ branch of the huge Planes of Fame museum in Chino, CA (we're visiting there on the way from LA to Joshua Tree next Wednesday after riding the Los Angeles Crest Highway

Sadly we won't see the Grand Canyon in the early morning/late evening "golden hour" either, but I'm sure our helicopter flight next Friday will make up for it

 

[PeterNI]

This US tour sounds like fun, crap hotels, crap food and a Honda!
I'm glad I'm working
Are loosing weight JR

 

[Damien]

Great report Jochen, following with great interest. I was supposed to do something similar last year before I broke my shoulder.

 

[davidgibson999]

Just caught up with this. Looks like a great time is being had by all.

 

[Nutty]

Come on, stop having a good time over there and give us another update.

 

[Ogmios]

Great reading - great pics.
Thanks Jockser.

I fell asleep last night while trying to sort my pics - I've stuff on 2 cameras & an iPhone every day and it's starting to take over my life

i know that feeling. i sympathise - and if it makes you feel better - note, my blog from Gambia still aint finished ... over a year later!

 

[Jockser]

I'm sure our helicopter flight next Friday will make up for it

I'd love to have done that. Hope it's spectacular

 

[Jockser]

crap hotels, crap food

Never said the hotels are crap They're basic, cos most of us can't do 5* for 4 weeks, but they're always clean.
And the majority of the food, with the exception of Jessica's, isn't crap. I'm just a bit dissapointed (& surprised) that so much of it is only OK.

I'm glad I'm working

Me too

Are loosing weight JR

I wish. You'd love the portion sizes here