The back half of 2018 in review

The back half of 2018 in review

Soon after arriving home from the ride, it was back to the cooler climes on Lake Tahoe.  Joining my once a year hiking buddies, Mark and Dan, we spent a few days hiking the Desolation Wilderness and a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, made famous by Reese Witherspoon in the movie, "Wild"

We gave way to these folks. They had been hired by the park service to remove an old bridge and pack out the debris.





On our way out on the last day of hiking some fellow hikers informed us that the trail we had planned to take was not maintained and was very difficult.  Being somewhat tired, our only other option was to back-track a LONG way back to the trail-head.  These folks told us about a water taxi that would provide a substantial shortcut.  Who knew there was a water taxi in the wilderness?  We joined some other hikers and took a small outboard back to our starting point. Dan’s wife was kind enough to pick us up and give us a ride to our car that was parked at the end of the other trail.

After the hike, we joined my friend, Fernando, and spent some time relaxing on his boat on Lake Tahoe, which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

From there it was Vickie and I off to another beautiful lake, Lake Michigan and Mackinac Island.  Mackinac, only accessible by ferry and having the unique feature of "no automobiles" was a special treat.  The only means of transportation are walking, cycling, or horses.  All transportation on the island takes place in horse drawn carriages, including taxis and the UPS guy.

Staying at the Grand Hotel, and enjoying amazing food and entertainment, Mackinac is a throw-back to a quieter, gentler time where coat and tie are required for dinner and the pace of life is much slower.

A trip to Napa with friends, a couple of visits to Austin and Nashville to visit family, and a big family gathering at the Otts Casa for Christmas finished up another year of adventures.

Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and home

The ride home took me across the top of Wyoming, stopping in Shell, WY at a beautiful campground that included my grand-dog, Charley's twin.  From there a short ride through Yellowstone and a night in Jackson Hole.

Other stops along the way included Craig, CO, back to Colorado Springs, and a tour of the unusual Bishop's Castle. http://www.bishopcastle.org/

As I was leaving southern Colorado, I saw this at a gas stop.  Not something you see every day.

Adventure Ride 2018 Black Hills, Sturgis, and the Badlands

One of the first questions you get as a Harley rider is “have you been to Sturgis?”  Sturgis, SD is Mecca for Harley riders.  The annual rally attracts hundreds of thousands of riders to a town that is normally about 7,000 persons.  Even though this trip is on my BMW, and the rally is in August, I wanted to experience the amazing rides of the Black Hills.  And, I was not disappointed.

Not sure they would let a BMW in the parking lot, but business was slow this day.

Intentionally, going in July to miss the crowds, the rides were challenging, beautiful, and not crowded. I chose to camp at the city campground, in Spearfish, SD, about 15 miles from Sturgis.  Within walking distance to town, but secluded and next to a running stream, the site was perfect.

On the way to Badlands National Park, I stopped at Wall Drug.  Began in 1931, by posting signs along the road leading to the new Mt. Rushmore offering free ice water, the pharmacy today occupies an entire city block, and receives over 20,000 customers per day during the summer months.  https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2216

After visiting Badlands National Park on the way to Mt. Rushmore, I encountered the Sinclair dinosaur.  Maybe this is why it’s call the Badlands?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore

Began in 1927 and finished in 1941, this American icon has thousand of visitors daily.

The last stop on my Black Hills tour is acually in Wyoming. Devils Tower is a strange geological formation that has been revered by native Americans for centuries. Made famous more recently by Steven Spielberg in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_Kind, it is a little eerie.

Trying to decide where to go from here, so stay tuned......

Adventure Ride 2018 “On the Road”

Getting an early start to try and avoid some hot temperatures, I missed the early am rush and started on the traditional Colorado route.  Highway 287 is familiar after dozens of trips, rides, and journeys to points north.

Arriving in Amarillo about lunch time, I stopped for the first time at the Big Texan Steak House.  No, I didn’t eat the 72oz steak in one hour.  This place is iconic tourist trap Texas, kitschy, busy, and the food was not great. There was a roving musician playing and singing Willie Nelson songs, so that made the stop worthwhile.

I chatted with a lady from Fresno.  We had passed each other several times on the way, and she had stopped there too.  She was riding a big Yamaha cruiser, alone, and had traveled to Arkansas and was on her way back to Fresno.  It’s rare to see a female riding alone (she was about my age) , but it appears she rides a lot.  She was leaving for Canada in a few weeks for another long ride.

I had planned to stop in Raton, but arriving there about 3pm I decided to continue on.  Oddly, the further along I-25 I went, the hotter it got; into the upper 90’s when I arrived in Colorado Springs.  Sticking with my habit of avoiding chain motels, I found the Green Willow motel court in Manitou Springs.  Owned by the same family since 1953, it hadn’t changed much.  It felt familiar, and perhaps  I stayed there as a child, as we often vacationed there when I was growing up.  Most of the guests were from Texas.  Manitou Springs is still a popular place apparently, as most of the lodging had “No Vacancy” neon signs lit.

Fortunately, the night was cooler, as the room had no AC, but with the windows open  and a fan I got a good nights sleep, after 650 miles on the road.

Breakfast at Uncle Sams Pancake House fulfilled my contribution to “Make America Great Again” and I meandered my way north hrough Evergreen, Idaho Springs, Granby and Walden, Colorado stopping for the day in Laramie, WY.

Temperatures were all over the place, from the 90’s down to the 50’s while riding through rain near Walden.  I passed through some recent fire areas and the fire teams were still all around to prevent another outbreak.