Chipping???

I woke up this morning thinking that I would take the ferry across Lake Powell to the other side of the  Glen Canyon Recreation area. As I approached the ferry landing, I realized it was not going to happen. The road down to the ferry was a very steep grade with loose gravel from top to bottom. Loose gravel and motorcycles generally do not go together very well. So off I went back tracking the road I came in on yesterday. All was fine for about the first 40 miles then suddenly I came upon road construction. I was the only one on the road that I could see; however, the lady flag person told me there would be about a 20 minute wait before I could proceed. I asked what they were doing to the road as I had just traveled the same road the day before and all seemed fine. She told me they were chipping. I did not know what chipping was but soon found out. As the pilot truck guided me down the opposite side of the highway I realized that chipping was the process of applying fresh tar with about one half inch of loose gravel on top. This process really makes a nice road; however, it is not a road you want to drive on until the packers have packed the gravel into the tar. Just as the pilot truck was approaching the end of the construction area he was forced to turn back onto the chipped surface due to a maintenance truck blocking the road. I too had no alternative, it was either follow the pilot truck or go off the road. Well I did both. As I followed the pilot truck onto the freshly chipped surface I realized this was like riding on ice. I could not turn nor could I stop. Off the road I went into the brush and red clay and down. Luckily there was no steep drop off at this point just soft shoulders. Of course I ripped off another mirror along with one of my add on running lights. The mirror did not break but did pull the wiring out of the turn signal plug. It was a two piece plug. One piece which is now buried in the deserts of Utah along with the running light. When the wires pulled out from the turn signal, they shorted together causing my temperature gauge, gas gauge and speedometer to stop working. After getting back on the road I found a pull off and was able to reattach the mirror and fix the wiring for the turn signal so that it would work. The gas gauge etc. was fixed by replacing a blown fuse. I traveled on and finally arrived at my next destination, Capitol Reef National Park Campgrounds located about 10 miles northeast of Torrey, Utah. The campground is located in a peach gorge and is surrounded by shear cliffs. It's very pretty. Once I got settled in it began to rain, but that was fine with me, all I wanted to do was get a good nice nights rest.

My campsite at Capitol Reef Campground - Utah


The following photos were taken as I was leaving the campground

Colorado and Utah

After spending a quite Sunday morning at the Last Resort Campgrounds in southern Colorado, I headed for the Colorado mountains. I recall saying that the Blue Ridge Parkway was short on guardrails. Well let me just say that Colorado must assume if you hit a guardrail going in excess of 20 mph, then you're going thru it anyway. I can tell you, it is a bit scary at an elevation of 10,000 feet, on a motorcycle, to come into a curve with no guardrail. Not that the guardrail would make it any safer, but it would make me feel better.

See what I mean about the guard rails

 The "Million Dollar Highway" between Durango and Ouray is a beautiful ride and also exhausting. At all times you have to watch for signs, oncoming cars and of course you have to check out the scenery. The one thing that really concerned me was a highway sign indicating "freshly oiled roads". I'm on a motorcycle people, freshly oiled roads really concerns me. 

Bear Creek Falls located under the highway.

I did however make it to the top and then back down to Cortez, where I over nighted.
Today I set out for Utah. I recall traveling through Utah once while working for the Associated Press. The landscape was spectacular then and still is today. It is truly a must see state. It reminds me of when I was a young boy playing Cowboys and Indians. Please, no offense intended. I am sure that The Lone Ranger along with Rawhide and every other western program filmed in the 1950's had to of been filmed in Utah. Tonight, I am camping above Powell Lake in Glen Canyon, Utah.  

Campground view #1

Campground view #2

Sunset-view from my campsite

Powell Lake

On The Road Again!

Thursday was a quiet day. Greg and I washed our bikes again and I changed my oil. Anticipating that the replacement mirror assembly would be in on Friday I also spent a good deal of time washing clothes and packing up.

Home away from home

While waiting for the mirror assembly to arrive on Friday, Greg and I went out for coffee and donuts. It was not my first time at the donut shop. I've actually had coffee and donuts there every day this week. They make the donuts right there in the shop. Not only are they fresh, they are delicious! Soon after leaving the donut shop the mirror assembly arrived. And then off I went, out into the wild blue yonder of Texas.

Heading out with the wind at my back

 I over nighted in Maverick Campgrounds in Cimarron Canyon Park located outside of Cimarron, New Mexico.

I should have brought my fishing pole to  the campground

Saturday morning - It was a bit chilly last night so I purchased a new sleeping bag today as I passed through Taos, New Mexico.

The Plains meeting the Rockies

The ride today was great! I purposely back tracked to the point of the Plains meeting the Rockies. I had to see that one more time. 

Rio Grande Gorge,Taos, NM

Along the way I realized I was crossing the Rio Grande Gorge and of course had to stop for photos of that.     Awesome!

The route I am currently on was suggested to me by my Texas friend, Greg. For the next few days I will be following routes that he suggested. Some he has been on, some I'm traveling for him. It's been a great trip so far and though I hated that my bike got busted up in the storm, it was worth it just to meet such fine people as Greg and his family. The week really turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. Thanks to everyone that contributed to making my stay so pleasant and enjoyable!

Colorado at last!

Tonight I am camping just outside of Pagosa Springs, Colorado at a very nice campground, "The Last Resort". There is a small river approximately thirty feet from my tent which I am sure will put me to sleep pretty quickly once I crawl into the tent. 

River is directly behind tent

Wolf dog. Mostly wolf I would say.
A frequent visitor to the campgrounds.

Still Enjoying Texas

JT's Drive In, Childress, TX
The train is used as a smoker for their barbecue. The goat on top, I have no idea!

Day 7 was a quiet day. I saw Greg for a short while in the morning and then I went swimming over at the park in the afternoon. In the evening Greg, Amy, Bryce and I all went out to dinner.

The restaurant was Mexican and the food was delicious. I can't tell you what I ate because I don't know what it was, but it was good!


Day 8, Greg and I rode our bikes over to Altus, Oklahoma to the Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki dealer. Yep, the one that is 70 miles away. Greg needed to pick up an oil and air filter which was more than enough reason for us to take a ride. We passed over the Red River; however there was little to no water in the river, just red clay. We also went to the Quartz Mountain State Park in Oklahoma which had some very nice camping facilities and a beautiful lake.

Lake Altus

Uncle Doug + Day 6

Its day 6 in Childress,TX and I'm still here. I had a great weekend hanging out with Greg and his family. Sunday afternoon Greg and I washed our bikes and hung out on their back porch. After a short while Amy came home with two nieces and a nephew. I met the nieces right away but did not see the nephew for the first hour I was there. While Amy was preparing dinner, nephew Beau entered the dining room. As he entered the room Greg shouted out "Beau where have you been?". Beau proceeded to tell his Uncle Greg that he had been playing games in the bedroom. At this point, Beau still had not seen me. I waited about one minute and then entered the room and shouted "Beau where have you been?". Beau looked at me with great uncertainty. Greg then took this opportunity to ask Beau if he remembered Uncle Doug. Beau looked at me again and said no he did not think so. Greg continued to refer to me as Uncle Doug and soon one of the nieces ask Amy about Uncle Doug. It has now become a nickname for me around the Bowman household.

Above and Beyond

Greetings from the side of Hwy 287 Childress, TX

It's day 4 in Childress, TX and the temperature is rising. I started my day with a walk around the park, then watching an early morning softball game. The tournaments are almost over and I'm not sure what I will do with all this spare time once they are completed. While sitting under a shade tree pondering that question a bicycle riding Texan rode into my camp. He first ask me about my bike and and how long I had been there. I told him the story of the storm and showed him the damage to the bike. Immediately this bicycle riding cowboy, named Greg, was at my rescue. As luck would have it, he too is a motorcyclist and knows what it is like to break down away from home. As our conversation continued he informed me that he was the high school coach and wanted to help me out. To make a long story short, before the day was out I had moved from the campground to an air conditioned locker room complete with showers and toilet facilities. After helping me move from the campground to the high school, Greg took me out to lunch and invited me over to meet his wife Amy and son Bryce. As dinner/supper time rolled around they insisted I stay and eat with them. The food was delicious. What a great day and great people to fill it!

Childress, Texas - Day 3

Just sitting on the corner

Today was another hot day in Texas. Thankfully even though the pool was closed, due to a pump failure, I was allowed to use the pool shower. It was one of the most refreshing showers I have ever had, even if it was cold water. Now you may think that cold water would be your preference in hot weather; however, going from 103 degree air temperature to 65 degree water temperature is a bit shocking. That being said, once your body adjust it is indeed refreshing. I certainly feel better.
I met a very nice Russian family this afternoon. I was just about to go over to see another softball game when the family invited me to their campsite for tea. They were from Houston, TX and heading to Denver for an outing with their two young daughters. People from Texas really are friendly! 
Tonight is my third night in the campground. Under normal circumstances, one is only allowed three nights per visit to the campground. This was really a concern of mine until today when I was told that I could stay longer since my bike was damaged in the storm. That was a relief since I had no where to go and no way to get there. Now I can get a good nights sleep.