Leaving Las Vegas under overcast skies and heading north west for Death Valley. Being that I was a bit on the bright side and not paying enough attention to the map. I took a short cut on Rt 156 which I thought would save me time getting over the mountains to Death Valley. Well, at the 8000 ft level with snow and at a dead end and a very strong recommendation from the Park Ranger that I turn around.....
So back to square one and a couple of hours of wasted time I finally got into Death Valley. Spent the night in the valley with the winds blowing in excess of 20 knots but I had enough large rocks holding the tent down that I was in the No Worries stage.
Next morning out of the National Park to Scotty's Junction where the weather was a bit nasty. At this point is was all of my multiple layers of clothing, winter gloves, balaclava and anything else that would take a bite out of the wind, rain, cold and outright nasty conditions that would stay with me for the next 6 hours.
Someone, some where forgot to tell Mother Nature that summer is here......
Across the Great Basin it was and if I thought that the roads in the outback in Australia were straight, the Great Basin proved me wrong. Straight roads from horizon to horizon with snow on the mountains all around you. The only thing missing was road kill and the great smell that went along with it.
It was the late hour that I pulled into Ely, Nevada for the night. It was a grass lawn for the night with clear skies for the first few hours before it was rain, hail, rain and finally frost. The morning sun did come about but it would be many hours before the rays would envelope the tent. The camp site did have free coffee which put a glow on the morning activities.......
Being that I thought an extra day spent in Ely would prove beneficial to the local business and a chance to check out the local areas. Weather cancelled all thoughts of going any where as it was either raining or hail or both and snow on the road to add another flavor.
Tomorrow its into Utah for another week or so
Monday, May 26, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
5.24.08 Honolulu to Las Vegas
Well does it ever feel good to be back on the road again. Got back from my last trip to Australia on 19 March with bike in crate and waiting to be shipped back to the US.
The bike arrived in California on 9 May, it took 10 days for it to get through Customs and clearance. And I thought that Australia Customs was bad! The cost for Customs and etc was another $800.00 on top of the $1000.00 for shipping the bike. I am surprised that they didn't hit me up for a bloody coffee break!
The flight over from Honolulu wasn't too bad especially when the movie for the night was about some kid finding the Loch Ness Monster just hatched on a Scottish beach. If this movie didn't keep to you glued to the seat, nothing else would. Thank goodness that the flight was only 5 hours long.
Into California at 0500hrs, catch a shuttle to the fright forwarder and wait 2 hours for the business to open. BMW Sydney had crated the bike and a fine job they did. Got all of the bike bits put back together and it was Las Vegas for the next stop. Of course the day I decide to head to Las Vegas the temperature is 107F, now add the temperature of the asphalt to this equation and I believe that we could add another 10 degrees to this trip. Believe me when I say that I made a pit stop often just to hydrate.
My biggest problem was staying awake on the bike as I had only an hour or two of sleep in the last 24hrs. Twice I found myself asleep on the bike and is this a bit of a wake up call!
Into Las Vegas it was, the last time I was here was 10 years ago and has the city of sin expanded. Spent the next week getting the bike fixed, camping gear in order, spending money and enjoying the hospitality of the city that never sleeps.
Off for Death Valley and the road untraveled.
The Grey Nomad
The bike arrived in California on 9 May, it took 10 days for it to get through Customs and clearance. And I thought that Australia Customs was bad! The cost for Customs and etc was another $800.00 on top of the $1000.00 for shipping the bike. I am surprised that they didn't hit me up for a bloody coffee break!
The flight over from Honolulu wasn't too bad especially when the movie for the night was about some kid finding the Loch Ness Monster just hatched on a Scottish beach. If this movie didn't keep to you glued to the seat, nothing else would. Thank goodness that the flight was only 5 hours long.
Into California at 0500hrs, catch a shuttle to the fright forwarder and wait 2 hours for the business to open. BMW Sydney had crated the bike and a fine job they did. Got all of the bike bits put back together and it was Las Vegas for the next stop. Of course the day I decide to head to Las Vegas the temperature is 107F, now add the temperature of the asphalt to this equation and I believe that we could add another 10 degrees to this trip. Believe me when I say that I made a pit stop often just to hydrate.
My biggest problem was staying awake on the bike as I had only an hour or two of sleep in the last 24hrs. Twice I found myself asleep on the bike and is this a bit of a wake up call!
Into Las Vegas it was, the last time I was here was 10 years ago and has the city of sin expanded. Spent the next week getting the bike fixed, camping gear in order, spending money and enjoying the hospitality of the city that never sleeps.
Off for Death Valley and the road untraveled.
The Grey Nomad
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
US/Canada Travel Log for 10-15 July 2008
if anyone out there expects me to improve on my typing for the next few emails, forget it. typing with my left hand is a work in progress as the cast does not come off my right arm for another 6 weeks. I do want to thank all of you that have expressed speedy recovery on my mishap. My kid's maybe not, knowing that dad will become a major pain in the butt for that frosty glass of beer at all times of the day. Pain medication as directed by my local doctor!
7.10.08 Chetwyn to Fort Nelson, BC
Light at 0330hrs and by 0530hrs I was ready. Rt 29 - Hudson's Hope - rain- FT ST John's, still raining, and once on Rt 97 north we were back to clearer weather. But does riding on a road with trees on both the right and left for miles on end really improve your sunny disposition, I think not. Got into Ft Nelson where the RV site was one step away from being the city dump. Christ was it ever a s...hole. Its too bad as the place has the potential but its been sold and resold so many times over the past years and they have a midget running the office. Does it ever get better then this! The dumpster is over flowing with trash, the men's shower room is closed so you have to use the one at the office, which of course is right next to the laundry and if, that's after you deposit $2.00 for hot water, anyone is using the washing machines, forget hot water, matter of fact forget water.....
7.11.08 Fort Nelson,BC to Watson Lake, Yukon
Its Rt 97 NW, the only road, and just a great ride and made up for the day before. The scenery was excellent plus 3 herds of bison(Buffalo to you locals in the lower 48 states). Reindeer, mountain sheep, black bears, foxes, and the best of all was the rip-off on fuel prices the more isolated you got. Anyway Rt 1 got you into Watson Lake for the night. RV campsite just as you enter town. Clean and well attended to. The visitor center is a must see as it has license plates from all over the world posted on wooden stakes.
7.12.08 Watson Lake to Whitehorse, Yukon
All cell phones from the US or any where else will not work in the Yukon, North West Territories. The only cell phone that will work is the one that only services the two provinces. So if you break down, you are in deep trouble. How the Canadian govt can allow this is beyond even the people who live there. And was it a cold night and the morning brought even colder temps. I was bundled and multilayered to the max on the road to Whitehorse. Wildlife viewed, one female moose with two juveniles and plenty of rabbits.
7.13.08 Whitehorse,Yukon to Tok, Alaska
Of course it had to rain last night until the early morn, so the tent was packed away wet. You are multilayered until 1100hrs before you even begin to feel the sun. From Whitehorse(Rt 1) to Haines Junction(great bakery shop) to US border then Rt 2 to Tok. From Haines to Tok, the road is in terrible condition due to repairs. If you have to travel this road do it on a Sunday or a holiday or be frustrated to the max on delays. Well here we are in Tok, weather has been fine all day, at the camp site setting up tent the skies open up with heavy rain, hail and more rain. The inside of the tent is getting wet, I am swearing so bad that I am surprised that my profanity is not burning off the rain about me. Thirty minutes later everything is back to normal, I steal enough paper towels out of the loo to wipe dry the tent. Wild animals sited; 2 Bald Eagles and a black bear. And did I say that this place has the best ice cream ever.....!
7.14.08 Tok to Fairbanks, Alaska
Except for a brief sprinkle, life is good and underway by 0700hrs. Did I mentioned that Alaskan roads are terrible in relation to the Canadian roads, but give it no thought........Finally settled on staying at a RV site as a motel was $180.00 a night and that was cheap. Reason for stopping in Fairbanks was for another set of tyres. The Mitas tyres that I brought with me for this trip has served me well through my other travels through New Zealand and Australia. Average mileage per set has been 12 - 15,000 US miles at $180.00 per set. I purchased a set of Metzsler Tourance tyres at $415.00 a set. Trails End BMW had moved their shop to The Outpost, Harley Davidson dealer. As I got there late in the afternoon, the service manager recommended that I return 0900hrs next day and tyre replacement would only take an hour. The dialog gets better believe me. Wild animals seen in transit, one male moose with a fine set of antlers, one female with 2 juveniles and
one female just killed by a pickup truck.
7.15.08 Fairbanks to Tok, Alaska
Arrived at the dealership 0830hrs along with other bikers. Even with me removing the rims, it took them over 4 hours to do the job. If I thought I was the only one to suffer the BS I had other HD's bikers with the same problem. The service manager had his head up his ass along with some of the mech's with an attitude problem. Trails End BMW does not have personnel, parts or anything else at the HD dealership but a sign indicating that they are there period. Your best bet is either go to Anchorage or the Kawasaki dealer in town. I finally got out of there with a $550.00 bill. And if you think I was pissed after dealing with these clowns, your close! Back on the bike and the thoughts of going north was canceled to inclement weather for the next 3 days. So a very boring ride to Tok it was, but just thinking of the ice cream at the RV site was a very positive motivator.......!
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
7.10.08 Chetwyn to Fort Nelson, BC
Light at 0330hrs and by 0530hrs I was ready. Rt 29 - Hudson's Hope - rain- FT ST John's, still raining, and once on Rt 97 north we were back to clearer weather. But does riding on a road with trees on both the right and left for miles on end really improve your sunny disposition, I think not. Got into Ft Nelson where the RV site was one step away from being the city dump. Christ was it ever a s...hole. Its too bad as the place has the potential but its been sold and resold so many times over the past years and they have a midget running the office. Does it ever get better then this! The dumpster is over flowing with trash, the men's shower room is closed so you have to use the one at the office, which of course is right next to the laundry and if, that's after you deposit $2.00 for hot water, anyone is using the washing machines, forget hot water, matter of fact forget water.....
7.11.08 Fort Nelson,BC to Watson Lake, Yukon
Its Rt 97 NW, the only road, and just a great ride and made up for the day before. The scenery was excellent plus 3 herds of bison(Buffalo to you locals in the lower 48 states). Reindeer, mountain sheep, black bears, foxes, and the best of all was the rip-off on fuel prices the more isolated you got. Anyway Rt 1 got you into Watson Lake for the night. RV campsite just as you enter town. Clean and well attended to. The visitor center is a must see as it has license plates from all over the world posted on wooden stakes.
7.12.08 Watson Lake to Whitehorse, Yukon
All cell phones from the US or any where else will not work in the Yukon, North West Territories. The only cell phone that will work is the one that only services the two provinces. So if you break down, you are in deep trouble. How the Canadian govt can allow this is beyond even the people who live there. And was it a cold night and the morning brought even colder temps. I was bundled and multilayered to the max on the road to Whitehorse. Wildlife viewed, one female moose with two juveniles and plenty of rabbits.
7.13.08 Whitehorse,Yukon to Tok, Alaska
Of course it had to rain last night until the early morn, so the tent was packed away wet. You are multilayered until 1100hrs before you even begin to feel the sun. From Whitehorse(Rt 1) to Haines Junction(great bakery shop) to US border then Rt 2 to Tok. From Haines to Tok, the road is in terrible condition due to repairs. If you have to travel this road do it on a Sunday or a holiday or be frustrated to the max on delays. Well here we are in Tok, weather has been fine all day, at the camp site setting up tent the skies open up with heavy rain, hail and more rain. The inside of the tent is getting wet, I am swearing so bad that I am surprised that my profanity is not burning off the rain about me. Thirty minutes later everything is back to normal, I steal enough paper towels out of the loo to wipe dry the tent. Wild animals sited; 2 Bald Eagles and a black bear. And did I say that this place has the best ice cream ever.....!
7.14.08 Tok to Fairbanks, Alaska
Except for a brief sprinkle, life is good and underway by 0700hrs. Did I mentioned that Alaskan roads are terrible in relation to the Canadian roads, but give it no thought........Finally settled on staying at a RV site as a motel was $180.00 a night and that was cheap. Reason for stopping in Fairbanks was for another set of tyres. The Mitas tyres that I brought with me for this trip has served me well through my other travels through New Zealand and Australia. Average mileage per set has been 12 - 15,000 US miles at $180.00 per set. I purchased a set of Metzsler Tourance tyres at $415.00 a set. Trails End BMW had moved their shop to The Outpost, Harley Davidson dealer. As I got there late in the afternoon, the service manager recommended that I return 0900hrs next day and tyre replacement would only take an hour. The dialog gets better believe me. Wild animals seen in transit, one male moose with a fine set of antlers, one female with 2 juveniles and
one female just killed by a pickup truck.
7.15.08 Fairbanks to Tok, Alaska
Arrived at the dealership 0830hrs along with other bikers. Even with me removing the rims, it took them over 4 hours to do the job. If I thought I was the only one to suffer the BS I had other HD's bikers with the same problem. The service manager had his head up his ass along with some of the mech's with an attitude problem. Trails End BMW does not have personnel, parts or anything else at the HD dealership but a sign indicating that they are there period. Your best bet is either go to Anchorage or the Kawasaki dealer in town. I finally got out of there with a $550.00 bill. And if you think I was pissed after dealing with these clowns, your close! Back on the bike and the thoughts of going north was canceled to inclement weather for the next 3 days. So a very boring ride to Tok it was, but just thinking of the ice cream at the RV site was a very positive motivator.......!
Norm Garon
The Grey Nomad
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