Moundbuilders

From Dayton I head for my Motel 6 room on the outskirts of Columbus. I had given up on looking for a brewpub since I needed a Fedex shipping center. I lucked out and there was one near the motel. I managed to fill up an 11x11x11 cube with museum catalogs, national park info, a bivy bag I never wanted to use again, and a dying cell phone among other things. I settled for some cremated tilapia for dinner at Applbees.

The next day I headed for Newark, which was a little detour for me. As it turned out, this is one of the more intact Moundbuilder sites, although much of it has been obliterated by farming. The visitor center for the Great Circle Earthwork has an interactive video tour and a few books. The people there are very helpful. The great circle is probably still there since it served as a natural amphitheater and military encampment. A little drive away is the Octagon which is preserved as a golf course. The video at the visitor center had lamented that Ohio is very far behind in preserving its Native American heritage.

From Newark I took off for Chillicothe and the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Near the visitor center is a small, but restored site that gives you an idea of what one of these places might have been like. Unlike Newark, the trees still come up to the outer wall so you get a better feel for what it was like. Besides the Mound City Group I also visited the Hopewell Mound Group and the Seip Earthworks. At the former you have to use your imagination since the area has been pretty much flattened, but you can take a nice 2.5 mile hike around the site, which gives you an idea of how big it was. Seip was on the way to Cincinnati, so it was a convenient stop. The main feature is a large reconstructed mound. Photos of the sites at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Moundbuilders/index.html

In Cincinnati I visited the Apple store to look at IPads for the navigational abilities, but they didn’t have any in stock.

The one brewpub in Cincinnati had become a brewery only, so I went to the Red Lobster, since i had never been to one before. At least it beat out Applbees. The next day was my big detour to see the Cumberland Gap. It wasn’t as crowded as I thought it would be, and there’s an easy trail to the gap. The road now goes through a tunnel, so it’s all foot trails there, and you have a chance to fantasize that you’re Daniel Boone. Photos of the Cumberland Gap at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/CumberlndGap/index.html

From there it was a mad dash to Wythevile, which took me along a lot of back roads. A lot of roads were posted for 55 mph which looked like they should have been posted for a lot less. On the way to Wytheville encountered In Wytheville I tried the breaded flounder at the Bob Evans, which seem to displace Denny’s in this part of the world. The Motel 6 was all 1 story and had sort of a quant look.

From Wytheville I proceeded by interstate to Richmond. I didn’t make very good time since I’d gotten in pretty late the night before. I made frequent stops to rest up. A few miles out of town I was hit by a pretty intense thunderstorm and I was able to find an offramp before I got totally soaked. My main concern was getting my laptop and other electronic gear in my pack into the dry bag. I’d been getting lax since it’s usually hot and sunny all the time. I can’t get used to the idea that a thunderstorm can happen any time around here. I got to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts with about 90 minutes to see the whole thing, similar to the scenario in Indianapolis. The admission was free except for a hefty entrance fee for the special Tiffany exhibition. That turned out to be worthwhile since it gave me a better appreciation for Tiffany and his workshops; they did more than lamps. Could have spent a few more hours there. The parking garage was convenient since it gave me an opportunity to spread my stuff out on top of my bike so they could dry out.

From the museum I went to Maymont, which turned out not to be too far away. The manor house was closed, of course, but the grounds were still open. Maymont was a large estate that has been converted to a large park with a boating lake, nature center, children’s farm, carillion, bald eagle park, bear par, Italian garden, Japanese garden, and probably more. It was a pretty good trek overland to the manor house and mausoleum. I went in search of the Japanese garden and came across the bear and eagle parks that way. The Japanese garden was large and attractive, but the pond water was stagnant in some places and there were a couple of plastic bottles thrown in Interesting that there was unrestricted access, although it was pretty far from any parking lot. I climbed up from there to the Italian garden where I almost disturbed and wedding party. I got a glimpse of the nature center on the way back but did see the bison and deer. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Richmond/index.html

Looking for dinner I went to Legends Brewing Co. which was in an industrial area, but was pretty busy probably since it was the Memorial Day weekend. Took a while to get served, but the beer and food were pretty good.

Airplane OD

Today, after uploading everything to web at a bust stop as I described previously, I headed over to the USAF Museum next to Wright Patterson. I missed the turn-off, but recovered. Sometimes I still have trouble matching up reality to the GPS display. I’d been to this museum a couple of times before, but the last time was in 1991. It was worth the trip since a few things had changed at the museum.

The first thing you notice as you drive up is that the number of planes outdoors on the flight line has decreased notably. A lot of the planes have been moved indoors due to an expansion, including a new area for missiles. There are more planes, such as the B-2, F-117, and Raptor. The historical context of the planes has been greatly improved in many cases with dioramas. There’s a special section on Afghanistan, plus supporting exhibits on subjects ranging from integration and the Holocaust to Bob Hope. Some of the exhibits are fairly upfront and honest about subjects such as Vietnam and racism in the Air Force. Of course, there’s not much reflection on our current conflicts. I could have spent another day reading all the exhibits but I was exhausted after one day.

They still have the bus trip to the annex on the air base, but of course the security is much tighter now, just like the trip to the Boneyard at Pima. You get an hour at the annex, but that is not enough. They’ve juggled around planes a lot. The AC-130 I saw last time is now in the main museum, but the B-70 has been moved off the flight line and is now indoors there. That actually makes it harder to photograph since everything at the annex is jammed together pretty tightly. This time I spent more time checking out the Presidential planes.

It was raining when I came out of the museum. I kind of guessed that since there had been warnings over the PA system about what to do if you experience lightning while outside. It had been nice and sunny when I had arrived, but I have to remember that the Midwest isn’t L.A. On my 1980 trip I recall in Columbus that in the morning it turned as black as night and rain came down so hard that it bounced under the tank of my BMW and shorted out my ignition coils. I had secured my DL for rain but nothing got soaked too badly. After I squared that away I went out to the flight line. A I mentioned above, it’s kind of sparse, but my old friend the Flying Laser Lab was still there. From something I read inside the museum I now knew the significance of the Flying Boxcar. It was one of the ones used to retrieve film capsules in mid-air from the Discovery satellites. They also had a couple of MX mobile missile launchers. One was the boxcar that the were thinking of using, and the other was a massive road going refugee from a science fiction movie. Good thing they decided to keep nuclear missile in silos and submarines.

Definitely too many airplanes in one day, and too many photos in this gallery:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/AirForceMuseum/index.html

Entering the Midwest

Continuing in Kansas, on a whim I decided to visit the Kansas Motorcycle Museum in Marquette. This was quite a ways off I-70, but I didn’t want to stay on the Interstate all day. My original plan was to stay to the north of the interstate, but I had whimped out with the high winds.

The Museum was a three room affair formerly run by a local TT champion and his wife. He had passed away a couple of years ago, but his wife, Ivona, I think, was still there. The museum was actually kind of fun since it brought back some memories of my early day of biking. Not a comprehensive collection, but good for a break in Kansas. Marquette itself seemed almost like a ghost town even though it was a weekday.

In Abilene I decided to visit the Eisenhower library and museum. This turned out to be a very enjoyable stop. The museum was larger and more comprehensive than I thought, with a reasonably balanced interpretation of Eisehhower’s life and career. Considering some of his successors, Eisenhower deserves a reevaluation. I stayed there till closing time and then took off for Lawrence.

I lumped most of the Kansas photos, including the motorcycle museum and the Eisenhower museum into one gallery at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Kansas/index.html

I’d stayed in Lawrence when I was bicycling across the US, but there was little I could recognize. GPS saved me again since my offramp was closed and it was tricky getting to the Motel 6, which was almost deserted what with its closed offramp. For dinner I headed to Massachusetts Street and the Free State Brewery. Massachusetts was party city, and it was early in the week. There was a squeeze through only , but I was able to get a table without waiting since most of the patrons were there for drinking only. Some of the best beer so far and the food wasn’t bad either, not to mention a very reasonable bill.

After Lawrence I went south of I-70 to avoid traffic and the toll road and went in search of an Apple Store. This took me on a tour of Kansas City. The parks by the river are very nice and led into the shopping district where the Apple store was. I parked in front of Victoria’s Secret and went in search of computer hardware. I picked up a new Mighty Mouse since I had grabbed the wrong mouse while packing and checked iPads and IPhones. The service contract still seemed too expensive for me, and the iPhone price cuts announced by Walmart weren’t being matched. I may have to look into the iPad 3G since I hear you can pay for 3G as you need it. Trying to find wifi gets to be a little challenging. Right now I’m typing this at a bus stop in Englewood, Ohio since there is a really strong wifi signal here for some reason. The Motel 6 here is the first one I’ve found without wifi.

The art museum, the Nelson-Atkins, was closed on Tuesday so I skipped it and drove around its grounds. Winds were starting to get better, but before I left the area I also stopped at Costco to get a hotdog and replace my cell phone which was also dying on me. Gas was also really cheap there. In general, it’s been getting cheaper and cheaper as I head east. I imagine it’ll get expensive again as I near the East Coast. The big difference from the trip I took in 1980 is that Premium is available everywhere. However, a lot of the Stuckeys are now abandoned or have been taken over by Dairy Queen, not that I every stopped at one. From Kansas on along I-70 there are also large bill boards advertising adult stores. When I bicycled Kansas, I experienced high winds kicking up around 3PM. This time they seem to be around the clock.

Missouri wasn’t too eventful and I ended up staying in Effingham, Illinois. Funny that on PBS that night it had a documentary on the big floods in Greenville that I had passed through a little earlier. It was such a big disaster that it started the concept of Federal disaster relief and made Herbert Hoover famous. It was also indicative of the times that the African American victims weren’t rescued but were forced into being unpaid laborers supporting the disaster relief. In effect they became slaves for the duration. What you can learn on the Weather Channel.

I realized it was getting close to Memorial Day so if I wanted to see the Indianapolis Motor Speedway I’d better hurry to avoid the crowds. As it was, they were getting ready for the big race, but I was waved into the motorcycle parking lot which was just across from the speedway museum. After my 1980 trip my Dad was disappointed that I hadn’t stopped at the Speedway, so this time I made sure to go there, and it was actually pretty interesting. The original track tower was built to look like a Japanese pagoda. GM was also having demos next to the museum and they had exhibits on their New Volt and the Corvette, among others.

After that I went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Unfortunately I had only 90 minutes there and I could have spent a lot longer. They have very good Asian and African collections. Bought a couple of books I’ll have to figure out how to ship home. There is also an estate there surrounded by gardens. I walked through the gardens, but it was too late to get into the house. Unusual for this time and day, the museum had no admission fees. Again, I mixed up photos of the Speedway and Museum in one photo gallery:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Indianapolis/index.html

As I’ve progressed from deserts to the typical southwestern panoramas to grazing lands in Colorado and now to farmlands, the greens have been getting deeper and deeper. With a few exceptions, wifi is available in most restaurants, even when it is not advertised. The small towns still seem to be emptying out.

GSX-650F shock

I decided to mount an Ohlins shock on my GSX, since the price had come down with the recession and it was about the only shock that would fit on the bike. I had installed lowering links, but at first replacing the shock appeared to be a little on the challenging side. However, this turned out to be a case where faith is required. The instructions that came with the shock said to remove the left panel. I didn’t know what good this would do. However, when I got around to doing this, I found that Suzuki had thoughtfully left a hole in this side of the frame that was big enough to get an extension through so I could get a socket on the top shock bolt. Otherwise, it would be just about impossible to get the nut on the bolt loose. With my Makita impact wrench the bolt came right off. Likewise, I made short work of the bottom mount, although you don’t have to completely remove the lever arm as i found out. The instructions say to torque the bolts with the weight on the suspension, but this is not possible with the centerstand installed. I was not going to remove and install that centerstand again.

At first the new shock didn’t seem to make that much difference, but as it broke in, it really changed the ride of the bike. At any rate, with the new shock I could take speed bumps as if I were riding an MX bike (just joking.)

After this the mod I made was to add low beam HID bulb. This required some surgery with a Dreml tool on the access cover for the low beam. I had to cut loose the connector that was built into it both to preserve the connector and to make room for the rubber boot that comes with the HID kit from DDM. I also had to move the connections to the stock connector so that they were on the outside side of the boot. Of course, I had to find places for the ballast and connectors, but there is plenty of room inside of the fairing, and I had plenty of 3M double sided foam adhesive.

Preparing for another trip across the Continent

Originally I was going to use my GSX-650F to go across the country, but i had never gotten the wind buffeting around the helmet sorted out well enough for a long distance trip, and my plan for a side trip to Chaco Canyon led me back to the DL-650. After coming back from Alaska, I was going to sell the DL so I had stripped most of the touring gear off of it for disposal on ebay. To get it ready for a long trip I started by adding Givi saddlebag racks that are compatible with the PLX bags I’d gotten for the FZ6. To mount the rear trunk this time I got the more expensive SW-Motech mount since it allows easy removal of the saddle. I had the stock windscreen back on and to supplement it I kludged on a Laminar Lip that my GSX had rejected. This turned out to be amazingly effective. I had dumped the bash plate in Seattle, and I replaced it with a SV-650 fiberglass pan since I didn’t plan on taking on any big rocks. Likewise, I mounted sliders since the crash bars had moved quickly on ebay. In fact, DL accessories seem to move pretty well on ebay. I never removed the Hyperpro shock since it was too much trouble, which turned out to be a good thing.

With my bad knees I installed lowering links again-I had experimented with them a while back and decided against them. The bike was sort of okay with the stock kickstand, but I decided to be safe and ground the kickstand so it would stop a little farther forward. This restored it to a normal angle, and I was glad I did this. To drop the forks enough to get the bike level again I installed 45 degree bar backs that I had on the shelf, left over from my Bandit 1250. I didn’t go through the trouble of reinstalling the Renthal aluminum handlebars I used in Alaska and Canada since I wanted to use a Kaoko throttle control with stock Suzuki hand protectors, which are now available for the 650. The Kaoko is actually a friction device. This turned out to be a good thing on Interstates, once you learn how to use it. Make sure to back it off when you head for the offramp.

I decided to install HID Xenon headlamps from DDM instead of adding driving lights. This requires some surgery on the rubber gaskets that go around the bulbs, but the installation can be done without removing the fairing if you are careful. You need to find space for the ballasts and high beam switching module. I rode around with the lights to make sure they worked. Of course, as I was leaving LA in the evening they died. I made it through the night by finding an open auto parts store and getting some halogen bulbs. The next day I found that the plug to the switching module had come loose, and some of the double sided adhesive foam mounting pads had given up. Using some adhesive velcro form a drugstore in Phoenix, I remounted everything. After that it has been working pretty well. There is a little bounce or flicker effect, but it doesn’t seem to bother me in the dark. So far no one has flashed their high beams at me, so the the they must not be too obnoxious. I have the 35W versions with 5000 degree bulbs.

The final mod was remounting a Fiamm horn. The crash bars were gone which were the former mounting point. I read on the internet that there is an unused tapped hole on the left side of the engine, so I made a bracket out of aluminum and wired everything up. So far, both the horn and the HID lights have survived the vibration test of the Chaco Canyon washboard roads.

On to Kansas

I got out of Bandelier right after the park closing time of 7PM, although there were a few people after me. I headed for the REI in Santa Fe since I needed to replace some equipment. Searching for an address without the aid of GPS was painful but when I stopped to check the map (luckily i had picked up a Santa Fe city map in Los Alamos) I looked up and saw the REI store. Unfortunately, this one closes at 8PM and it was past that time. Just as well, since that gave me time to take a long walk over to the Plaza and take in a little of the town. Indeed, Santa Fe has a lot of shops and restaurants. The Plaza was pleasant with electric lights strung through the trees, but some of the folks hanging around the monument to the Civil War and Indian War dead were a little unsavory. In general, I noticed a number of people around who looked like they’d seen better days.

I took off for the Blue Corn brewpub – I had a paper copy of the Celebrator along to give directions-and found that it was almost next door to the Red Roof at which I had reservations. I got to the Blue Corn Restaurant before their kitchen closed, barely. The beer was okay, but Thunder Canyon in Tucson had spoiled me.

The next day it was off for Colorado Springs. I tried to call a college friend who lived in the area, but they must have been out. The ride was notable for terrible cross winds. I’d encountered strong winds before on this trip but this were the worst, often amounting to a white knuckle situation. When I stopped to check my phone, it was difficult to stand up. You could see a dust cloud over Colorado Springs as you approached. There was an air museum in Colorado Springs that I had wanted to see, but it’s on the air base and for a Saturday visit you have to call 72 hours in advance. Anyway, I arrived too late to have gotten in, anyway.

I did arrive in time to go to the REI, and I got there in the middle of a sale. I got a replacement GPS unit first of all, and then a cheap vest since I realized that this ride was going to be colder than I had imagined. I also picked up on a tent on sale plus a Jetboil stove for future planned camping, at least in Canada. For dinner I consulted the Celebrator and went to the Trinity Brewing Co. which wasn’t too far from the Motel 6. Trinity is a very informal place with good beer. It’s worth another visit if I’m ever in that town again. I didn’t do a sampler since they didn’t have that many different brews, but I tried and enjoyed their signature Soul Harkey (sp?) and an IPA.

The next day the winds had died down quite a bit, but it was really cold in the morning and I got to test out my new vest. This was purely a travel day, but I didn’t make very good time since I stopped fairly often to get a coffee & snack at McDonalds to check the internet, and even a Starbucks. This was on purpose, since i had decided to make this more like an Edelweiss Tour, with frequent stops, although I have to admit that I really killed myself making up time at the beginning of the trip, and I may have to again on the way home. Then again, I’m a lot older than when I did this in 1980, and I can’t stay that long in the saddle, especially if I’m going to a brewpub every night.

I was aiming for Selina Kansas, but with ominous clouds in the sky, I decided to stop in Hay, KS. Again, I lucked out since there was brewpub in town that wasn’t listed in the Celebrator. It’s the LB Brewing Co. & Cella’s Diner, a fairly big establishment that reminded me a little of the Tied Houses in California. My tummy was bothering me a little so I didn’t try a sample, but just had a pint of a competent IPA.

Holbrook to Chaco Canyon

The Motel 6 in Holbrook was a little different from the previous ones in that it gave AARP discounts and there weren’t flow restrictors in the shower or sink. Pure luxury. A funny thing about me when traveling by motorcycle is that when I stop for the day, I rarely want to get back on the bike again to look for dinner. Unless I’m smart enough to stop somewhere before I get to the motel, I’ll only walk to find food. Sometimes that means an AMPM mini market sandwich. This time it meant a Denny’s. After eating sandwiches all day (the Pima Museum only had vending machines since they were doing construction work) I had a Chef’s Salad.

The next day I broke my fast at the Petrified Forest National Park where they had a Harvey’s, but no Harvey’s Girls (google that). It was only 20 miles out of Holbrook and right off the freeway so it seemed worth a stop. My parents must have stopped there when we were kids since I remember Mom having some kind of petrified wood souvenir. The park is actually pretty long and the petrified forest is at the other end, so I stuck to the Painted Desert, making the short drive to Kachina Point. Besides the view, there is a Pueblo style building that was an inn at one time. Originally it was built of petrified wood hauled up from the valley below (the Painted Desert). The government bought up the building to get the land for part of the park. During the depression the CCC converted the building into its present form. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/PaintedDesert/index.html

From there it was on to Gallup, NM, after first stopping at the NM visitors’ center. I stopped at the McDonald’s to upload my latest photos and blogs since the Motel 6 in Holbrook didn’t have any bandwidth. I was dithering about whether to enter Chaco Canyon by the Southern Entrance or take the long roundabout but recommended Northern Entrance. I bought a gallon of water and some Fig Newtons in case I decided to enter Chaco in the afternoon, because that would mean I’d have to stay for the night. I am carrying only emergency camping gear ( a bivy sack and ultralight sleeping bar) so it’s possible to camp out, but wouldn’t be much fun. I decided to check out the Southern Entrance, since I could always bypass it and try to find a room in Cuba, which would set me up for the Northern Entrance the next day, albeit with still a lot of riding.

I topped off with gas along the way and got to the entrance. A couple of vans went down the dirt road, so I decided to give it a try. The DL-650 is supposed to be an adventure touring bike, but I’d put on a Michelin Street Pilot in front after coming back from Alaska, since I didn’t imagine I’d be doing anymore dirt road riding. The southern path is 20 miles long, with no hairpin turns or really steep descents or ascents, no bad ruts or rocks, but it is pretty nasty because of the washboard. I really thought the bike was going to shake itself apart sometimes. As I found out later, it did destroy my Garmin Nuvi GPS. The scenery was great, though, although I only stopped for one shot in the middle.

I think I got the last tent site in Gallo Campground. I set up my bivy sack and munched down on my Fig Newtons for dinner. When I went back to pay my camping fee, I noticed a flyer saying that there was a campfire talk by a noted archeologist that night. I was able to catch the tail end of the talk. After that I had a fairly miserable night in the bivy sack. According to my thermometer in the morning, it was down to 27 degrees. I breakfasted on more Fig Newtons. Fortunately I had packed in a gallon of water, so that wasn’t a problem. There was also water available at the Visitor Center, but no potable water at the campground. The bathroom did have an AC outlet, so I recharged my camera batteries and ran my laptop in there before I’d gone to bed. It was also warm.

The next morning I paid my fee at the Visitor Center, and got a map. The real visitor center was being rebuilt, so a yurt was serving as a substitute. It’s funny, but the loop road in the park is paved; just the approach roads are unpaved. I first took in Hungo Pavi and then went to the main area where you can take in both Chetro Ketl and Casa Bonito, plus the Petroglyph Walk. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/chaco/index.html

Pueblo del Arroyo was closed, so I went on to Casa Rinaconda. This on is interesting since it isn’t a Great House, but a collection of small villages around a huge Kiwa. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/CasaRinconada/index.html

When I got back to the Visitor Center I took the trail to Una Vida. This one is interesting since it is an un-excavated Great House. This gives you an idea of how things looked before they were discovered. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/UnaVida/index.html

I thought leaving by the North Entrance would be easy since it’s the one recommended on the website. This turned out to be a real mess since I got lost a couple of times. I really missed not having the GPS. There is a definite lack of signage and I ended up on the road to Pueblo Pintado. This would have been okay, but the road turned sandy after a certain point, and after nearly crashing, I turned around. I flagged down a local to get directions and finally got back to the main road. The lady who helped me was really nice. After getting to the highway I stopped for gas in Cuba, where I decided I’d better call it quits for the day. I stopped at the gas station in Cuba and while eating the banana and tuna sandwich I had just purchased after living for 24 hours on Fig Newtons and water, i looked up and saw the local motel. I got one of the last singles, which happened to be a smoking room, but I didn’t care at that point. It wasn’t bad, but in the morning I found that someone had broken a beer bottle near my bike. I also realized later later that my hiking sticks I’d left in the bag on my bike were gone and my license plate was bent up. Oh well, I guess someone didn’t appreciate my bike.

The next day I headed for Los Alamos via the very scenic Route 4. I made a stop at Jemez State Monument. The ruins you see from the road are those of the old mission. The pueblo ruins are un-excavated mounds near the front. There is a kiwa there that you can enter as long as you don’t take pictures. Closer to Los Alamos you pass along the edge of the Valles Caldera. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Jemez/index.html

Los Alamos was very pleasant until the winds kicked up. You have to visit both the Los Alamos County Historical Museum and the Bradbury Museum to get a full idea of the Manhattan Project connection, although the former also gives an idea of what the area was like before all of that. Tech Area 1, where a lot of the Manhattan Project work was done, is the area around the County Museum and the Fuller Lodge. The LANL was moved later to its current location. You have to pass through the Lab to get to the town if coming from the West. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/LosAlamos/index.html

After Los Alamos I went to Bandelier National Monument. This is a good complement to Chaco Canyon. It also reminded me a little of Cappadocia since the inhabitants burrowed into the soft stone to make dwellings and store rooms, as well as building the more familiar great houses. There is also a set of dwellings up in a cave, Mesa Verde style. You have to ascend a set of wooden ladders to get up there. I had to catch my breath both physically and mentally to get up there. Also a beautiful place to visit with a permanent stream going down the middle of the canyon. Unfortunately, the CCC built visitor center was being renovated, which was becoming a familiar story. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Bandelier/index.html

Tucson to Holbrook

Getting to Tucson wasn’t too bad. It started to get hot in some places, but often cooled down again enough to be tolerable. I also ended up traveling there a little late in the day. Scenery also started to improve. I spent some time at the Motel 6 since I spent some time getting my HID lights working again. After two nights on the road, loading the bike had taken its natural course and things were starting to go where they belonged; the bike didn’t seem so overloaded after all.

The Pima Air & Space Museum had grown a little since the last time I’d been there. My main interest was seeing the Martin Mariner and going on the Boneyard tour at AMARG. The last time I’d been there you had to make reservations ahead of time directly through the Air Force. Now, you can buy a ticket for a bus ride on a walk-in basis. I ended up walking around the whole museum, taking in the B-36 and the B-50, plus the Shackelton and the B-23. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Pima2010/index.html
http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Boneyard/index.html

I spent more time than I planned at the museum and got a late start on Route 77, which turned out to be very scenic, although I ended up finishing the ride in the dark. I dropped by Biosphere 2, but it closes a 4:00PM, so I didn’t get to see it, although I got a view from the approach road. Turned out there was a special event so the access gate was open, but you can’t get a close-up view without a ticket. Didn’t really want to buy a ticket from what I’d read on the internet, anyway. Photos before it got dark:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/ToHolbrook/index.html

The view of the Salt River Canyon was spectacular, especially at twilight, and I made good use of the HID lights. The GPS was also a godsend since it gave me warning of curves up ahead, and there were a lot of them. Climbing into the Tonto Forest it became really cold, and I had to put almost everything I had on. Regretted not having packed a little more cold weather gear-I might pick up something at the REI in Albuquerque.

L.A. to Holbrook, AZ

I started off on a Sunday evening with a Cockatoo jumping on my back as I was getting ready to set off on my bike. Fortunately, I was rescued by some people who were after the bird. This turned out to be a bad omen since about an hour from sun down another motorcyclist pointed out to me that my headlights were out. I had just installed new HID Xenon headlights, and I had put a couple of hours on them to ensure the installation was good. Panic-stricken, I set off in search of some H4 halogen bulbs since I had left the original bulbs back at home At the last minute I found an Auto Zone on Rosemead Blvd. after getting directions from a gentleman at the local K-mart. I got the new bulbs in and set off for Indio again, my destination for the night. In a separate blog entry I’ll discuss the HID lights and other bike preps for this trip.

It wasn’t too bad getting out of L.A., but it was starting to get cold. Out towards Palm Springs it warmed up again, by quite a bit. I was glad I didn’t lose the headlights out in the middle of nowhere. I got into Indio pretty late and found there wasn’t much around the Motel 6 I had chosen. There was an interesting Route 99 mural on the convenience store next door. The next farther down the road there was another mural depicting the native Americans. A caption said that there settlement had been behind me somewhere. I decided to start using my SPOT locating device and sent out the first location from the Motel 6. This is a GPS device that doesn’t tell you where you are, but has a satellite relay your location to the email addresses of your choice. These days, the email includes a link to Google Maps to show your location. The newer ones are getting smaller, but I have a first generation one that is pretty clunky. Never used it when I went to Alaska two years ago.

On the way out of California I stopped at the Patton Museum at Chiraco Summit. There a statue of the General and his dog put up by the local Busch distributors. The reason for the location of the museum is that it’s near the location of the head camp for the huge training site Patton established to continue his troops for warfare in North Africa. The main feature of the museum is a large 3-D map of the area. There’s a lot of stuff inside the museum; outside it’s surrounded by tanks that for the most part don’t belong to the training era, except for a lone Sherman. Not worth a special trip, but okay if you happen to be there. Some photos for the trip up to and including the museum are located at this link:
http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Patton/index.html

To get to Tucson, my destination for the night, I had to pass through Phoenix, so I made a stop at the Heard Museum. Getting there was really simplified by having a Garmin Nuvo 1450 GPS. This was the first time using this GPS for a long motorcycle trip, except for the trip last to the Jack London park. The GPS also helped me find a Big 5 Sporting Goods store so I could replace the exercise band I forgot to bring that I need for my bursitis physical therapy.

I think I missed the Heard Museum on my trip to Arizona when I was recovering from Pneumonia. The docent led tour I went on definitely helped, since otherwise it seems to be just a big collection of pots and jewelry as one internet reviewer complained. There was also a special exhibit on Arctic region Native Americans. Photos are at:

http://ikemi.info/graphics2/Heard/index.html

From Phoenix I went to Tucson to visit the Pima Air and Space Museum the next day