Mutley goes 'Wild Hog' II

[Mutley]

Well it seems only yesterday but apparently it's 5 years since the last ride report.

Yet again then I shall make a ride report out of my annual holiday. It'll be the least hardcore ride report since the last one and involve absolutely no standing on the pegs, aluminium panniers, tw@ suits, tents or off road riding.

It may have some pretty pictures and some witty observations, but you dear reader will be the judge of that

I have been wanting to return to complete the bits of California and the surrounds that I couldn't fit into the last trip and Eaglerider had exactly the route I wanted to ride, the Southwest 1 Motorcycle Tour. I'm more than happy to wander around on my own on a bike but when it's Heather's holiday too I want to be sure we have decent quality hotels booked in advance and hassle free routes with plenty to see. On the other hand, as some will know, I don't like riding in groups so these self guided tours are ideal

Ebbo wanted to know about flights: we booked our own and went with BA as they are the only carrier that flies to LA and back to the same airport from Las Vegas. I suppose we could then have got the train back to LHR from Gatwick on our return but I couldn't be bothered.

We also decided to spend a few days in LA on arrival to do all the cheesy tourist stuff you do there. In order to avoid Heather getting too bored with bike stuff I hired a different toy for the duration:

Went for a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway with the roof down

Hung out for Sunday lunch with the Bros

Worked out at Arnie's old gym (well I say worked out, actually I ate an ice cream )

Looked at the crazy people on Venice Beech

Supported a local landmark

Walked amongst the stars

Had some posh nosh

Did some posh shopping on Rodeo Drive (I say shopping, we looked in the windows )

Went on a studio tour

Visited the Chinese Theatre where the stars put their hands and feet in the cement

Got interviewed for the Letterman show

Indulged

Avoided the hot sauce

and looked at the nice old vehicles

We stayed at the Los Angeles Athletics Club, which is a boutique hotel built on top of the biggest indoor upstairs sports facility I've ever seen. It was quirky but really nice and very convenient for some nice bars and restaurants in the evening

 

[Sir James]

Did your rent that caravan

 

[Mutley]

Day 6

All good things must come to an end and we had to drop off the Mustang at Hertz and get a taxi over to Eaglerider. I did enjoy the car and it was a damn good idea to have one for getting around LA. It was also a lot less hassle in the city than riding a bike and it had air con and a roof to protect you from the sun when stuck in traffic.

The guys at Eaglerider were ready for us and booking in was very smooth. They Fedexed our excess luggage to their Las Vegas office for us ($21 for two suitcases ) and we picked up a couple of their half helmets (this was a good move as you'll see later).

Packing the bike was easy as I already have the inner bags for my own Electra Glide so we were off. Last time this had been the most scary point as I'd never ridden a Harley let alone a full dress Glide loaded up and with a pillion, but this time it was fine.

We rode South through Long Beach and stopped for lunch for a last view of the sea:

I managed to have a run in with the local Sheriff for completing an illegal U turn. I had the whole blues & twos and a dressing down over the loud speaker. It was just like the movies but Heather wasn't impressed. At this point we were still being good and wearing jackets and gloves.

At Mission Viejo we turned inland on SR74 towards Idyllwild and Lake Elsinore. The heat immediately started to rise and soon it was like standing in front of an open fan oven on full blast. The other thing we noticed was the poverty of the people, within just a few miles of the coast where everyone seems to have two supercars parked in the front drive and a huge powerboat moored at the back of their house there were people living in trailer parks with no air conditioning and the temperature was well over 100F.

As we climbed into the mountains we looked back towards LA and the coast. The haze is caused by the pollution and all the irrigation and water.

The brilliant road leads you through the Mt. San Jacinto State Park & Wilderness and the rock outcrops and views were unlike anything we'd seen before. The snaps don't do it justice but we were a long way up.

We dropped down to Lake Elsinore and carried on to Palm Springs. The heat was intense and i can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would retire there. I drank two of the largest margaritas I have ever seen, ate a load of enchiladas and retired to the Holiday Inn exhausted.

 

[Mutley]

Margarita Time

 

[Deleted account 230523001]

Have they fixed up the roads yet....Or are they still crumbling away?

 

[Grizz]

Love the car, and even more so.... the green sauce.

Wonder just how mean it is.

 

[Mutley]

Very variable. In places they are like a billiard table then suddenly they can be like a rutted track

 

[(RIP) Johno23]

That is a somewhat large margarita

Looks like it's showing in your eyes too

 

[Toad]

Where's the rest then?

 

[Mutley]

That is a somewhat large margarita

Looks like it's showing in your eyes too

We were a bit surprised by the size of them

The eyes are the result of a very long day, I was bushed

Where's the rest then?

patience my boy

 

[Hairnet600]

 

[Mutley]

Palm Springs to Laughlin

Today was to be one of the main purposes of the holiday for me. Joshua Tree is a very special place and if you are a fan of Gramm Parsons you'll also know it's significance in his life (U2 are just Johnny come lately types ). He had breakfast and packed the bike. We rearranged the packing so that we could get the leathers in the Tourpak as yesterday Heather had carried her's on her lap. At 9.00 a.m. it was already roasting.

The manicured lawns and golf courses of Palm Springs soon petered out as we headed towards Twentynine Palms.

We crossed the valley and the road began to climb. Soon we began to see the strange rock formations and unique plants of Yukka Valley

The Joshua Tree National Park has a wide range of flora & fauna and, of course, the Joshua Trees which only flower after a hard frost and snowfall in the desert. The flowers then have to be pollinated by a special moth. No wonder the native Americans thought they were sacred.

More odd rock formations

Riding through the park was a special experience as there is an eery atmosphere. I told Heather to watch for Injuns as they could easily be hiding in the rocks!

We rode up to Keys View which is at 5,170ft and has amazing views

Then back through the park with some great place names

Leaving the park and Twentynine Palms we passed a sign saying 'No Gas For 90 Miles'. I have a history of over estimating the range of my bike and this didn't fill me with confidence, running out of petrol out here could be fatal

We entered the Mojave Desert and the temperature soared. First the air temperature gauge rose to 120F (I believe that's at least 48C ) and then the iPhone shut down due to the heat. I've never felt anything like it.

We crossed salt flats and passed the target range for the fighter squadron of the U.S. marines. My lips blistered and I was glad when we found both drinks and fuel. If Death Valley is worse than that you can keep it

This was also the start of one section of Route 66 which we followed almost to Laughlin. We made it without being pursued by marauding Apaches in war paint

Laughlin is a Casino resort on the Colorado river and, as far as I can see, has no redeeming factors. The main attraction appears to be that you can take a trip to see London Bridge which some bloke bought and shipped out there

 

[Mutley]

Laughlin - Williams

We were glad to see the back of Laughlin. I'd forgotten how obnoxious it is when you can't get away from smokers

We picked up Route 66 again at Kingman which has all sorts of history exhibits, and set out for the Hualapai Indian Reserve. I was reliably informed that these were friendly types and we wouldn't be under threat. I still briefed Heather, riding shotgun, to keep a weather eye out for smoke signals and more aggressive tribes on the skyline.

The reserve extends all the way to the Grand canyon and the Hualapai are the ones who have the glass 'bridge' that extends over the canyon side. It was a big diversion though, and the Canyon here is only half the depth of the deepest sections so we decided to give it a miss. This is also the bit of the canyon you get taken to from Vegas on those helicopter trips.

We eventually arrived in Seligman, which is a well known Route 66 destination. There are so many well known stops such as The Road Kill Cafe to choose from. We chose Westside Lilo's Cafe for a breakfast burrito, Heather seems unimpressed with my idea of a healthy meal

And I made friends with the locals

We pushed on up the famous road to Williams. Unfortunately when we arrived at our hotel I found that the Tourpak lock had fallen apart and we couldn't unpack so we had a quick blast to Flagstaff Eaglerider who got it fixed (great service ). It did mean riding through some fairly wild country but we made it, again with no sign of Apaches.

The sun was going down as we arrived in Williams but we really enjoyed this little town. It's a bit of a pastiche Western town but we embraced the cheese.

We retired to bed relieved to still be in possession of our scalps.

 

[Packer]

Why is Heather hanging around with that overweight ugly bald Tosser?

Looks like a great trip, more please

 

[sven]

The wind blast going past the turbines before Twentynine Palms was unbelievable when we were there in June

I hated the heat and the dull straight roads in the Mojave desert (only 113F when we rode through ) but loved Williams. Great food in the Dara Thai cafe

 

[Mutley]

Williams to Mexican Hat

I'm not sure what i can write that either hasn't been written or can do justice to The Grand Canyon. From Williams we rode North to The Grand Canyon National Park which covers the South rim of the deepest part of the gorge. At this point it's about a mile deep, or more than three times the height of the Empire State Building!

What is most surprising though is that there is almost no warning that it is there. As you look across the plain you can't see it as the other side is visible. It comes up as a complete shock. If it was a hill of this magnitude it would get bigger and bigger as you approached but there is no warning of the magnitude of this scenery.

The second thing is that the whole thing is so big it's hard to comprehend or to capture using a point and snap digital camera. Below are my pathetic attempts:

We eventually tore ourselves away from the awesome site and headed for Utah. We were thankful to be leaving Apache country with our hides intact, but where we were heading was Navajo country and that's not much of an improvement if you watch the Westerns.

For a while we caught glimpses of the beginning of the canyon as we rounded corners and crested ridges. It was a long ride but the plains are hardly boring as the constant changes of light make the colours vary all the time. The cruise control on the Glide is a brilliant addition as well. It stops you getting target fixation on the horizon and the inevitable acceleration that comes with it. We did see police from time to time and I was pleased that we were cruising close to the speed limit.

This was real cowboy country and it was just like the films. I loved it, especially when I saw a road sign you don't get in Europe:

Eventually we reached Kayenta and turned off for Monument Valley. If these pictures don't do make you expect John Wayne and the 7th Cavalry to appear at any moment then nothing will.

We arrived in Mexican Hat, awestruck by the wonders of nature but relieved that no smoke signals had heralded our crossing of the navajo reserve. Hopefully tonight would again be free from attack. I bought a 6 pack of Corona and settled in to keep watch

 

[Mutley]

Why is Heather hanging around with that overweight ugly bald Tosser?

She has great taste

The wind blast going past the turbines before Twentynine Palms was unbelievable when we were there in June

I hated the heat and the dull straight roads in the Mojave desert (only 113F when we rode through ) but loved Williams. Great food in the Dara Thai cafe

That's when an Electraglide makes great sense. Set the cruise, turn up the stereo and relax as the world goes by

No real wind blast for us but 113F was before the sun came up

 

[Packer]

I think that you did a good job on the photo's, you actually get a feel for the scale of the place.


Great taste? Are you sure that is a prudent comment on this forum?

Sorry, hijack off.

 

[ebbo]

Great pictures Mutley, terrific scenery, but that heat is scary, 48c keep the story coming

 

[Mutley]

Mexican Hat - Bryce Canyon

We got through the night without incident, maybe the war parties were elsewhere?

We'd planned another long day in the saddle today so we made an early start. The restaurant at the motel was run by Navajo Indians so I indulged in a local delicacy: pancakes

We went to see the rock formation that gave the community it's name:

Although I think I need a bigger size

The route then took us back through monument valley, which we took at pace. I didn't want to risk yesterday's good luck getting through there without attack. The Navajo in the restaurant may have been friendly but there was every chance of a rebel war chief, I've seen Fort Apache!

Our route took us to Page and the Glen Canyon Dam, one of the tallest in the U.S. which has caused a huge man made lake to be created. You can take boat trips on the lake to see the Rainbow Bridge, a sacred site for the Navajo, but we hadn't booked in advance and we could see storm clouds gathering anyway.

As we carried on to Kanab the desolate landscape changed and it's a sign of the majesty of some of the surrounding attractions that things like this mesa don't even get a mention in the guide books:

We kept a careful eye out for tell tale signs of war parties. The time to worry is when you don't see them

The constantly changing colours of the limestone is caused by various mineral deposits in each layer. This also means that some layers are harder than others, which mean they resist erosion and lead to cap rocks that allow many of these amazing distinctive formations.

We took a detour to see the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Reserve. A valley that is filled with spectacularly coloured dunes which are 10,000 to 15,000 years old and have been used in many films. It's difficult to explain the colour changes that occur with the light as clouds move past and the sun changes angle, especially with a still camera.

The drifting sand would cover up any tracks of war parties so we thought it best to be on our way.

From here our route began to climb significantly and the temperature began to drop. We'd been able to see storm clouds across the plains but we'd been lucky, only being hit by a few drops of rain which stopped before we'd thought of the waterproofs. For the first time though we thought of putting on additional layers.

Rounding a corner we could see our destination a long way off to the right across a wide valley. Bright red outcroppings of rock heralded the entrance to Red Canyon.

Turning off onto SR63 brought us closer

The canyon was spectacular and was only a precursor to what we'd see tomorrow. All the same I was alert, this was an ideal ambush spot.

We arrived at our hotel which was just outside the Bryce Canyon Park gates. We were a little cold and pretty tired and by the time we'd checked in the clouds had really closed in and rain was forecast so we decided to make an early start the next morning rather than risking a soaking.

It's just as well we did as a huge storm hit that night. There was lightning and hail stones and the temperature plummeted. This was the first time we'd had heating on in a hotel room for the whole holiday and we were drinking coffee not coke.

At least it would be worse for the Injuns, hiding out in the forest watching us!