Day Four!

Last night I became confused... I was wide awake and yet it was getting late!  I needed to get to bed.  Then I realized that Idaho is on Mountain Time and they observe Daylight Savings Time!  Whew.  I also started thinking that I am in no great rush to get to were I am going.  I still have several days before I need to be there.  So instead of making a final push, I decided that I was going to take some side trips, visit a few places, and take full advantage of this road trip.

So since I was in Twin Falls, I decided to swing by the local Harley Dealership.  Visited Snake Harley Davidson, named so for the Snake River that runs through Twin Falls.  Now one of the advantages of riding a Harley, is that I can ride up to, walk into, and take full advantage of the rider's lounge, restrooms, get a snack, free water or coffee, and get local advice as to rides & routes to take.

 Now, every dealership has a rider's lounge.  They all vary, but there is usually some basic things, like a big screen TV, leather couches/chairs, water/coffee/restroom/vending machines.

Here is Snake HD's...

After getting a souvenir and some advice, I hit the road.

A short while later, I crossed the Snake River, and pulled over to a viewing point.

If one looks closely in the top third, just were the river appears and where it bends, one can just make out two separate waterfalls.  These are actually springs that just pop out of the side of the canyon.  A few miles down river, there is actually a point called 1000 Springs, where there are literally hundreds of springs like this flowing out of the canyon walls.

This viewpoint actually allows you to walk to a terrace, go under the bridge, and up to the other side of the road.  Here's two views of the bridge.

Got back on the road and as I took the on-ramp to I-84, I braced for a cattle guard... only to laugh!  I remember these years ago even in Arizona!  I got off at the next exit to take these pictures.

Just lines painted across the road.  It is just as effective as the pit covered with the metal rails, and far cheaper to install.

I took a short detour down to Hagerman, ID and stopped at the Visitors Center for the Hagerman Fossil Beds.  They have many fossils found in the area on display and there is a short driving tour that I took.

Back up to I-84 and on I went.

Now as I mentioned before, every Harley Dealership has a rider's lounge.  As I came up to Meridian, ID I stopped in at High Desert Harley Davidson.  Again for a break, refreshments, restroom break and a souvenir.

Not all rider's lounges are equal...  Here is High Desert HD's...

Back to the road, I stopped at another point of interest I planned on visiting.  However, I arrived 30 minutes before they closed.  So I decided to continue on my way.

It was getting late and the sun was beginning to get low, I was driving right into it - beginning to "sun-gaze."  Add to that, it was now rush hour and there was heavy traffic on the freeway.  I decided that I was going to stop for the night and return the next morning to visit where I wanted to.  So I find myself in Nampa, ID for the evening.

Tomorrow, a short backtrack, then my final leg!

Day Three!

I fell asleep pretty early last night, in bed by 10pm.  Which meant I was awake by 6am.  Unfortunately, the ambient air temperature was 23 degrees!  I made the decision to wait until it got above 40 degrees before I left.  So I had breakfast in the Cafe of the hotel.  Big portions of an omelet, hash browns, biscuit & gravy, and a bottomless non-alcoholic drink, all for $8... it was so much I couldn't even finish all of it!

With three hours till I had to checkout, and the temperature still below freezing, I ventured over to the Hotel Nevada and played some BlackJack.  Around 10:30am I walked away, up by $35!  The temperature was now 40 degrees, time to go!

I planned to top off my tank in a small town about 11 miles down the road.  When I arrived, it was literally a single pump gas station offering 88 octane (medium grade) and diesel only... a u-turn and a ride back to Ely for fuel!  It only added about 20 minutes total to my trip.

About 1/4 of the way to a planned stop, I ran into road construction, of the worst kind!  Single lane, one way traffic, led by a pilot car.  I stopped and waited about 25 minutes before our turn came.  Now imagine getting through this, with 50 vehicles all bunched up together, on a road that the speed limit is 70mph, where normally you might see another vehicle every 5 or 10 minutes.  It was a giant game of vehicular leap frog, as people were passing each other, all jockeying for position.




Once clear of the bunch, the rest of the ride was great!  No further traffic tie ups, no problems the rest of the way.  The scenery was truly amazing!  Snow capped peaks, open range with cattle, the occasional Ranch...  here are some pics, not the best, yet you will get the idea.

 I was getting close to my final stop for the day...

 

Had dinner at La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho!  Not the same as, not even sure if one can claim it as being Mexican food... as being from Arizona and most recently spoiled in Yuma...

This is my last planned overnight stop before I arrive at my final destination.  Although I have two intermediary stops I want to make, which will add considerably to a five hour straight through ride time, so there might be one more overnight before I get to where I am going!

Now, which way do I go from here???

Day Two!

Since my next destination was going to be a bit cooler than Las Vegas, I strategically dressed and packed.  I also delayed my departure a few hours, to allow my stop to warm up a bit!  A few miles outside of my first planned fuel stop, it became time to add another layer... a little sooner than I expected; however, the high pressure system moving in was creating strong winds.

Now, on this leg of my journey I learned that there are a lot of long, straight, relatively desolate roads in Nevada.  Which caused me to pause with my next decision.  One road was almost a straight shot to my destination the other a little longer timewise and out of the way.

The shorter way, has no services for over 99 miles.  The longer way had a few towns along the way.  I chose the shorter.

About halfway to my next fuel stop, the wind started to pick up again, drawing the cold air down from the snow covered peaks all around me.  Time to layer up again!  This time to include full leathers.

At my next fuel stop, I met a couple who had made the Laughlin River Run.  They were returning home to Seattle.  We had a cup of coffee, talked for awhile, then rode together to my turnoff.  They were going to try to make it another 255 miles (about 5 hours) till their stop.

I stayed in Ely, Nevada at the Jailhouse Motel and Casino.  Pretty nice motel for the price!  Their Casino is 100% slots.  You have to walk across the street to the Hotel Nevada if you want to play BlackJack, and the Poker Table is only open on Friday and Saturday.  No other table games, although they are thinking about putting in a Craps table.

 

  They carry the Jailhouse theme throughout too...

Next leg tomorrow!

Day One!

All packed and loaded... pretty light for 4 days of riding, let alone 3 months of working!

Zeroed out the trip odometers.

What a cool day to begin a road trip!  This is the last day of the 2014 Laughlin River Run... and there were hundreds if not thousands of other bikers on the road!  The only downside, was when trying to make a fuel stop and there were 25 to 50 other bikers all queuing up for the pumps as well.

So about six hours later, included two fuel stops and a tourist stop, speed limits and traffic, I arrived at my first stop.

 Some already know where it is from FB... there are only two places that close to to Phoenix, in Nevada...

And of course, I just had to stop in... just to say that I was there!

Since I knew I was going to Vegas, and being on a tight budget, I allotted $100.00 to gamble with.  I was good, and maintained very strict money management.  Lost 50%, so I walked away and took a break.  While walking through another casino, I saw a single machine in the middle of a row of machines.  It was a 3x4x5x slot, that my friend almost exclusively plays - and he seems to always win!  So, I put my $50.00 in.  A few minutes later...

So I was a winner!  Made a whopping $4.00 while in Vegas!

Tomorrow, a new ride to another stop-over.  This time it's going to end a tad cooler, so the ride preparation includes some "layer" planning.  What to start out with, what will be needed, in what order, and therefore packed for pulling accordingly!

I'll post more pics of my tourist stop and Vegas stop-over later!

Twas the Night Before...

For the past several weeks I have been planning, preparing, and arranging for a road trip that will entail over 1100 miles and almost 20 hours of ride time broken up into three days.

Route planning, fuel stops, accommodations, weather considerations, mail, utilities, maintenance, packing, and on and on...

Some of my friends and family know where I am going.  I thought it would be a nice twist if I document this ride, posting some pictures along the way as hints or clues to my final destination.

So there's nothing left to do except get some sleep, load, secure, fuel, and then ride!

Going for a ride...

Easy proposition!  Ability to go and enough fuel to complete.

Road trip...

An entirely different thing!  The details are almost overwhelming.

Preface

I have not been a very good conductor lately.  For that I apologize! 

A new chapter is about to begin though; and it offers an opportunity to begin anew.

There is a road-trip ahead!  Stay with me!

A single individual.

They understand, just not quite aware.

Imagine when they begin to!


Smile!

:)

Respect

I am a biker.

Don't own any other vehicle, so wherever I go, I ride.

1%?  Have met and interacted.  Actually been called out once.  Accepted as a non-threat, continued to mingle for the evening.  Doesn't give me immunity, just a "sorta" known status.

I chuckle when someone grabs there kid closer, or an elderly couple takes a shuffle step... as I step aside, hold the door, and act chivalrous!

I pulled into one of those yellow-striped no parking areas in front of a store.  A Police car was parked right next to it, blocking the travel lane.  As I secured my bike, the Officer said to me, that is a no parking zone.  I looked around, acknowledged it was, and said, I can take up a space, or I can park here, or I can pull up on the sidewalk and park next to the cart corral under the cover, or I can just stop right in front of the entrance and block traffic flow...

He left before I was done shopping.

A bit of advice...

If you need to go to a US Post Office, go on a Tuesday, before 10:00am!

When I pulled into the parking lot, I initially thought it was closed.  I wondered if today was a holiday.  As I entered, I was the only person.  As I was completing the necessary form, three more people came in.  Luckily, there were two Clerks, so my wait was short.  In and out in 5 minutes!

A lot of people think the USPS is on it's last leg.  Perhaps.  After all, email, text messages, internet chat, and cellphones have negated the primary purpose of actually sending a letter.  There are other providers of package delivery services...

I wonder what the other providers of service would actually charge if they had the same responsibilities?

Once that stamp is placed, there is an agreement, a fiduciary responsibility, to deliver said item to the recipient.


As a side note...

When did the cent sign, the "c" with a line through it, disappear?

The other night...

I worked the last shift of my contract at YRMC.  As Donna would say, "You're unemployed!?"

Since I worked a mid-shift, that is I worked with both the day and the night shifts, I treated both to pizza.  Lunch/dinner was on me.  A small gesture of appreciation for everything that they do, allowing me to be a part of it, and making me part of the 'circle.'

I am humbled by the handshakes, the hugs, the "When are you coming back?" questions, and the wishes for safe travels. 

Another chapter finished.

Time to put down the book, get some rest, and prepare for the next adventure!

Life...

The only guaranteed thing in it, is that it will eventually end.

Sounds macabre, I know.

Trust me, I'm a Nurse!

I have been known to fluff and buff.  I appreciate when a phleb draws blood before I get in to start an IV... gives me a target!  When an EKG is done, always hand it to me first... I have minutes to intervene.  Never ask another, to do something you yourself are not willing to do.  Never try to hide... we know all the places! 

There is a time and a place.  When you don't understand, ask. 

Recently, I have come upon a decision point.

I will continue with my passion.  There are only two things more meaningful!  Seeing as I have appendages, it immediately rules out one!  The other, well, I am not.

The lean...

I can clean up to the point of being acceptable!

Might still wear my jeans, boots, and have facial hair...  Yet I still own a razor, have a button down, and can still remember to fill my gas tank on my way out!

Payed for a friends burger and beer.  It was quick, as he tried to slip out his plastic.  After 12+ years, the least I could do is cover it.

I prefer left turns.  It all about the lean!

There is a trust.

I gauge how tight ones waist grab is, compared to how far I have to lean to make said left turn...

It was an easy turn.  They leaned.