June 2008 Trip Report - No CA, Utah and Colorado 

By Linda Androws

Day 1, June 13, 2008 – We began our day starting with Jim, Lynda, Rich and Linda at Athens Burger at 6:10, continuing on to San Ramon meeting Steve and Jackie and then on to Bob Hole at Rudgear Rd.  Vern and Carol in Yuba City brought together our group of six bikes and 11 people. Jim’s route took us through back roads to Mt. Lassen. We were treated to lots of snow under the forest canopy, deep snow drifts beside the road, a beautiful blue sky, and incredible turquoise blue frozen lakes.  Spring has not yet arrived in Lassen. We arrived at the Woodsman Hotel in Mt. Shasta City at 5:15 PM where we met Alan and Shirley. The wine and cheese social hour at The Strawberry Valley Inn, the sister hotel of the Woodsman was the perfect way to kick off our evening of fun and merriment. Dinner at 7 PM at Lilly’s was very good even if some folks didn’t get to eat their burger until after everyone else was finished with their meal. The second attempt by Shirley to get her burger cooked medium rare was not successful.  We seemed to have a problem with volume control at the restaurant due to bad acoustics.  At one point Bob H. clinked his knife to his glass and told everyone to “whisper”…that lasted for all of 30 seconds and the volume of conversation returned to an earsplitting level.  The conversation was lively and fun.  Miles for the day – 449.4

 

Some of the gang in Lassen

Motley Crew at Strawberry Valley Inn, Mt. Shasta City

Day 2, June 14, 2008 – We were woke at 3 AM by a beeping smoke detector in our room.  Bill balanced on the bed in his skivvies to remove the batteries from the detector and got back in bed, 5 minutes later the beeping resumed.  We had two smoke detectors in the room!  Another balancing act and we were able to return to our slumber.  A broken zipper on our ice chest cover and Bill’s adventure finding gas in the morning were frustrations and comedy Bill can relay in person as it would take too long to explain. We headed out to sightsee with Jim & Lynda at 8:45 AM.  Our first stop was the Mt. Shasta Caverns Tour.  The boat ride across the lake was very enjoyable, we all wished it had been longer.  The launch sites to and from the cavern are under construction requiring a bit of a hike due to the extremely low water level at Shasta Lake.  A bus takes you up the side of the mountain to the cave entrance.  Tight turns and very steep cliffs made the bus ride was a bit of a thrill. The cavern is surprisingly warm and humid compared to other caves we’ve toured.  The amazing formations and impressive size of the cave made the 700 steps were well worth the moderate effort.

We rode into Redding for a nice lunch at Appleby’s. Then it was back on the bikes for to ride to visit Burney Falls.  It was a pretty warm day and the cooling mist of Burney Falls was a welcome relief.  Bill decided to follow some younger folks down a steep alternate path to the base of the falls. The human made goat trail was powdery with loose rocks and Bill managed his own fall!   Lynda and I watched as he started down the path, going faster, then a little faster, hitting some softball size rocks, and then arms waving, he landed on his back side in a cloud of dust!! Lynda and I both screamed in surprise and worry and then started laughing as soon as we were sure he was unharmed. Jim who was photographing the falls missed the whole event. Back at Mt Shasta at 4:45. We bought chicken, tri-tip, and fruit at the market for the potluck BBQ. The whole group gathered for BBQ dinner at Strawberry Valley Inn. The wine and cheese social got everyone going again with stories of their day and adventures.  We were outside enjoying the night, stars, warm temperatures, and comradelier until almost 11 PM. It was a very good day!  Miles for the day – 209.4

Burney Falls - I swear this is the same guy we saw fly fishing there 2 years ago!

Day 3, June 15, 2008 – Bill and I left the Woodsman Hotel at 5:45 AM and headed for Golden Spike National Historic Site. We arrived at the Western Inn in Tremonton, UT at 6:30 pm MDT; about 24 mi/30 min from Golden Spike. Dinner at Denny’s and ice cream at McDonald’s.  Miles for the day – 745.4

 

Day 4, June 16, 2008 – We left Western Inn at 8:15 AM and headed for Golden Spike National Historic Site. At Golden Spike, watched video and took pictures of locomotive coming to the spot. It was a gorgeous day and a very interesting site.  The man power and fortitude of the people that worked on the railroad is remarkable, especially considering the terrible working conditions and deprivation of the primarily Chinese and Irish laborers. We left about 10:25 while the second train was getting staged. Headed for Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado arriving at 3 PM to find the visitor center closed!  The park is short handed and the center has been closed for quite some time, although the website did not indicate this. We gave up and headed for Kappenbergers in Westminster, CO. We stopped at Steamboat Springs, CO (a lovely town)for gas and dinner at The Ore House at 5:30 PM. The route through Colorado via Hwy 40 and Hwy 9 are really beautiful and among the prettiest roads we’ve ever been on!! We arrived at the Kappenbergers at 9:20 PM.  Lisa and Reiner had the garage door open, with a cozy space cleared for our 1800 next to their 4 bikes, and icy Margueritas waiting!  
Miles for the day – 608.1

 

Golden Spike Engine

Day 5, June 17, 2008 – We hung out at home with the Kappenbergers visiting and catching up.  3 PM rolled around and it was “Margarita time” for Reiner, Lisa, and me!  We spent hours on their back deck enjoying a most pleasantly warm mountain evening, sharing stories, more Margaritas, and enjoyed a delicious authentic Greek meal prepared by Lisa.  Followed by an iced shot of Grappa, I was done in for the day! 
Miles for the day – 0.  Can you believe it?

He’s King of the World!

Day 6, June 18, 2008 – Bill and Reiner took the KLR 650’s for some unpaved road riding of about 80 Miles.  They came back smiling and a little dusty. Lisa and I went to a new Asian market in Westminster and spent over an hour looking at all the interesting and weird foods and then to Starbucks for an iced coffee.  Dinner was at “3 Margaritas” in Bloomfield (That’s really the name!  There seems to be a theme going here!)  This is one of the best Mexican restaurants we’ve ever eaten at.  Of course, there were more Margaritas to drink by Linda, Lisa, and Reiner!  Bill, was as usual, the designated driver. Now it is time to diet!  Goldwing mileage for the day – 0.  Unbelievable!

Tres Margaritas Restaurant in Bloomfield, CO…YUMMY!

Day 7, June 19, 2008 – We left the Kappenbergers about 7:15 AM and arrived at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park about 1 PM. We saw the movie, got stamped, took some pictures, and went to bottom of canyon. It was just OK, not someplace I would make a special trip to again.  The canyon is deep and the small river at the bottom is pretty and very loud.  The feat of blasting a tunnel to get water from the canyon and into the near by valley for agriculture was amazing and the fact that the canyon was not destroyed in the process a testament to early conservationists.

The river at the base of Black Canyon of the Gunnison

 

 

We set off towards Mesa Verde NP. We were in awe of beautiful Hwy 145 near Telluride, CO; the green hills, meadows, meandering creek, and jagged peaks dotted with snow made Hwy 145 one of our favorite parts of this trip. Arrived at Days Inn in Cortez at 6 pm. We had a salad at Shiloh’s Steak House and indulged in Buster Bars from Dairy Queen. Miles for the day – 446.7

Hwy 145 near Telluride, CO  Fantastic!

Day 8, June 20, 2008 – Left the Days Inn at 7:35 AM and arrived at the visitor’s center of Mesa Verde National Park at 8:15. We took the 9 AM Balcony House guided tour. This is the most strenuous and adventurous of the three tours offered.  You walk about 1/4 mile around from the top of the mesa and down about 100 feet to the face of the mesa cliff. From there you climb up a 32ft. ladder made of logs to the first landing; Then, up another 10 ft. log ladder. The third challenging climb is accomplished by hanging onto a low 2 ft. tall single chain and wobbly wire fence; you climb steps carved in the year 1200 by the Pueblo Indians up the face of a huge rock to a small 4 ft. ladder and into the opening of the dwellings.  The view from the balcony is both breathtaking and frightening. It is almost impossible to imagine living there - caring for babies and children, cooking, hauling water, supplies and animals down the face of this treacherous cliff (they had pet dogs, and raised turkeys) plus climbing up to the top of the mesa everyday to hunt, tend the crop fields, bearing the summer heat and the brutally frigid winter.  These were strong, resilient, brave people! 

Mesa Verde Balcony 32 ft ladder

Mesa Verde Pueblo Cliff Dwellings

We left Mesa Verde NP and tried without luck to find Hovenweep NM.  The GPS kept sending us in to nowhere.  We gave up on Hovenweep and went to Arches NP. Arrived at visitor’s center at 3 PM; toured the main road and took pictures as we went. We got off the bike at Delicate Arch taking pictures at a distance. It was 95 degrees that day and too hot for any hiking.  We left Arches and headed to Capital Reef NP. Arrived at the visitor’s center at 6:08 PM.  The VC closes at 6 PM. We viewed the length of the canyon and went on to Torrey, UT , booking a room at the Days Inn.  Dinner at Capital Reef Inn & Café was excellent. Aside from dinners in Colorado with Reiner and Lisa, this was the best meal of our journey.  The restaurant was quaint, the waitress was super friendly and nice, comp’ing us on an appetizer and a side.  The food was fantastic, generous, beautifully presented, and very fresh!!  The waitress stressed that everything was “home made”, not from a can or frozen. Their house salad is a delicious10 vegetable salad (perfect for Alan J.) with broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, carrot, tomato, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, olive and lettuce…delicious! The area outside of the restaurant was landscaped with flowers, stone fences and paths, shady trees, and funky touches. The inn was just 9 ground level rooms that we didn’t get to look at but judging by the restaurant which was impeccable, I’m sure the rooms were good.  The bonus feature is a stone Kiva that you can rent by the night, which has a stair to the roof.  The staff said it is a big hit with travelers. If we had known where we were staying this night we would have booked a room Capital Reef Inn. Miles for the day – 380.4

Capitol Reef Inn & Cafe

Day 9, June 21, 2008 – We left Days Inn at 7:30 AM and took Highway 12 to Bryce Canyon NP. What a great ride! We arrived in Bryce about 10:30 AM, got a stamp, viewed video, rode through to the end of canyon stopping to take pictures of the fantastically shaped Hoodoos. We then headed for Cedar Breaks NP arriving at about 1 pm. Bill got his last stamp and we viewed then canyon from the visitor’s center overlook. Our tour complete and feeling ready for home we set off.  It was a very pleasant 72 degrees at top of Cedar Breaks with small patches of snow lingering under trees. By the time we reached Cedar City the temp had gone up to 105 degrees! Off went the First Gear outer pants and on with the mesh jacket.  It was hot but bearable.

Bride arch and Hoodoos

Cedar Breaks Hoodoos

Then, HELL began!  The temperature averaged 113 degrees from Cedar City to Barstow, CA with an occasional pop up to 115° (That’s what Bill said!) but it felt more like 120° when a sudden blast would hit.  With 113° -115° temps, riding with the face shield open is not an option as the heat feels like it is cooking your eyeballs and burning the skin.  After about 2 hours of this heat, I started to feel the effects.  I was drinking water but obviously not enough.  At one stop for gas and more cold water I felt dizzy and nauseous.  I drank about 48 oz. of ice cold water and felt a little better.  I had another 48oz of water and ice in a cup on the bike with me but the ice melted and the water was about 100° in a matter for 20-30 minutes. I poured water down my front and back, and on my jeans.  It took less than 10 minutes for it to dry completely.  Now four hours into riding in above 113° heat, we stopped at about 5 PM for gas and dinner in Baker.  The temperature was still 115°.  Getting off the bike I had to put my head between my knees for a minute, things were spinning.  We sat in the restaurant with goose bumps enjoying every minute of feeling chilled. Bill and I kept thinking that once the sun started to go down it would cool off but it didn’t!  Seven hours after Hell began, still nauseous, and dizzy, we arrived at Motel 6 in Bakersfield at 9:15 PM.  The temperature still at about 108°.  I took a long cool shower, drank more water, and we went to bed. Why anyone would want to live in the desert is a mystery to me!  This will be my last ride in any desert heat!  Spring desert rides for me!  Miles for the day – 681.3

Day 10, June 22, 2008 – I slept like a rock and in the morning was perky (my sisters hate when I say that! Hehehe) and ready for the 4 hour ride home to Livermore.  We left Motel 6 at 5:20 AM.   It was a beautiful morning.  The air even at 75 degrees felt crisp after the previous day.  Hwy 5 never felt so good.  We arrived home at 9:15 AM. Miles for the day – 249.9

This is one tour that will stick my memory for the good and the bad.  We had a wonderful time with our friends.  Bill and I enjoyed our alone time and sharing new adventures.  The bad experience with the heat taught us both to check weather forecasts more closely. I learned a hard lesson in keeping hydrated and knowing when to say “enough”.

As we pulled in to the driveway after another big ride, safe and sound, as always, I thought to myself, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.”

Miles for the trip – 3,771 GPS

ODO Start – 231736
ODO Finish – 235396