2016 Summer Adventure

For my readers who have not yet visited the Grand Canyon, I will repeat what I said in a post a few years ago; the South Rim is like Disney, with hordes of people, shuttle buses, and general chaos.  The North Rim is secluded, quiet, and just as beautiful.

Traveling north found us at Jacob Lake, AZ, a great little lunch stop on the way to Reno. Why Reno, you ask.  A couple of reasons; it is a good base to stay and do some amazing rides in the Lake Tahoe region, and a good friend and business associate lives there.  He owns an amazing hotel (among other projects) and graciously allowed us to stay for free.

Reno is too far to travel in one day from the Grand Canyon, so we stopped for the night in Ely, NV., which reminded me of this..............

Traveling across Utah into Nevada showed me the interesting contrast between the two states.  It's almost as if one is traveling from one country to another.  The Mormon heritage of Utah has had a great influence on the culture and appearance of the state.  Many of the small towns and cities are pristine, with beautiful landscaping, well preserved downtown areas and parks, and a general sense of well being.  Once you cross into Nevada, the history and culture of this state shows up in completely different ways.  Casinos, bars, and a rustic western appearance is more the norm.  The people are warm and welcoming in both states, however, the cultural differences are distinct in many ways.  

Arriving in Ely, NV., a stop on US Hwy 50, dubbed as America's loneliest highway; the only room available was at the Prospector Hotel and Casino.  Quirky, to say the least, this hotel reflected the weirdness of this town, in the milddle of nowhere, but every hotel and motel room filled for the weekend.

Reno, and a much nicer hotel is my next stop and home for a week, as Bill and I ride some of the best motorcycle roads in America.

Unusual collection of memorobilia in the lobby of a hotel/casino in Ely, NV.

2016 Summer Adventure

I am daily becoming more aware of how blessed I am.  One of the many blessings I have is the ability and good health to indulge three of my favorite pastimes; family, travel, and motorcycles.  I don't always get to combine all three of these at the same time, but this adventure gave me a chance to combine them.

This summer, at different times, and in different places during a multi phase adventure, all three occur as follows:

Phase 1. Some motorcycle time and nature time with a good friend.

Phase 2. More motorcycle time with daughter, Brooke.  We try to carve out time periodically for a bike ride together.

Phase 3. Family time in Tijuana, MX with Chris and his church family.

Phase 4. More family time with all nineteen of us in San Diego

Phase 5. Some time for just Vickie and me exploring Grand Canyon, Zion NP and Las Vegas.

Phase 1 starts with our bikes loaded on my trailer and a departure west towards Reno, NV.  I decided to avoid the bike boredom of Hwy 287 through Texas, and pull the bikes out west.  Traveling in the rain almost all the way to Grants, NM made me glad I made this choice.  Meeting a guy from Dallas who was riding his bicycle from Dallas to LA, and who had spent 3 days in a motel in west Texas b/c of the rain reinforced to me the sheer lunacy of riding a bicycle on the Interstate.  I'll stick to motorized transportation and the back roads when possible, thank you very much.

Arriving at the Grand Canyon on day 2 began the fun part of this adventure.  A couple of hikes, some good food, and a helicopter tour of the Canyon provided a good start to this adventure.

After a day of driving thru the rain, HI Express is always a dependable place to stop for the night

Near the Grand Canyon, the summer fires have already started.

After a hike along the rim trail, a great dinner at the historic El Tovar lodge.

An early morning hike down the Bright Angel trail.  We decided to not go too far, as it was 110 degrees at the bottom.  We met a couple coming up who had to spend the night on the floor of a toilet at the bottom, as they ran out of daylight and water the day before.  They didn't listen to the park rangers who warned them at the outset they were unprepared. One of the many things I like about our National Parks, the Rangers give you good advice, but let you be brave or stupid, you make the choice.

I highly recommend a copter tour of the Canyon.  It gives you a sense of just how majestic and massive this creation of God really is.  Over a mile deep and hundreds of miles long, it is beyond description.