DAY 10

We made it home today, riding in from Dalhart, Texas. I should never had said anything about the weather being great yesterday, because today was just the opposite. Shortly after leaving Dalhart it started to rain. The farther north we rode the harder it came down. It lasted about 50-75 miles, then started tapering off. Just north of Liberal Kansas it stopped and we had dry pavement once again.
I rode a total of 3811 miles in the 10 days I was gone, and the last day was the only day I had weather to deal with, so I guess I shouldn't complain. It was a great trip, and it was good to see everyone again.
Thanks to Jack, #000, for giving us all a destination to ride to. Gold Point was a great place!!!
Most of all I want to thank my wonderful wife for allowing me to go on these trips. She's one in a million!!!!!
Now it back to reality..............my yard looks like a jungle.
I'll try to post some pictures on Tuesday evening, so make sure you check back
Thanks to everyone that followed my Blog..............
Motor Mike

DAY 9

Kingman Arizona to Dalhart Texas.............717 miles........15 hours. It was a long day but the weather was perfect, and we're only a little over 300 miles from home. It's hard to believe that late Saturday afternoon we were riding through Death Valley in California.
Today proved to be an exciting day. We left Kingman, Arizona about 6:30 a.m. and rode to Williams Arizona for breakfast. Leaving Williams we decided to wait and fuel the bikes in Flagstaff, before going on east. Arriving in Flagstaff we made the decision that we had plenty of fuel to get us to the next little town. The only problem with this decision was that the first little town didn't have any fuel, so it was off to the next one. Our bikes have a 6.1 gallon capacity, so with a 50 MPG average we thought we should have plenty of fuel. I had been on reserve for approximately 35 miles when I saw a sign for the next town............18 miles ahead. No problem I thought, I can make that easy. Another 10 miles down the road I saw the next sign that said the town was 8 miles ahead.........at about the same time everything went quiet. Yes I was coasting. I saw Ron ahead of me and he pulled off when he saw me go to the shoulder. I thought he was coming back to help, but he had run out of gas also.
Getting off the bike I leaned it over as far as I dared, considering all the weight I had loaded on the bike. I was able to slosh enough gas from the right side of the tank to the left side, and it started. I rode 55 MPH and was able to make it to off ramp of the gas exit before it died again. I finally got it to the station, and Ron was already there, having done the same thing as I did.
We made a mental note to never do this again. It's not a pleasant thought thinking about pushing the bike to the next station, in this case 8 miles away.
I should be home Monday afternoon, so watch for some pictures to go with these posts, in the next few days.
Talk to you Monday,
Motor Mike

DAY 8

Rising early Saturday morning in Beatty Nevada, we loaded the bikes in anticipation of riding to Gold Point Nevada for the Thumper Cafe. The ride was in cool air, but warmed up quickly. The Thumper Cafe was great, with approximately 40 Thumpers being ridden to the event.
After the event, Ron and I decided at the last minute to ride the north half of Death Valley. This is the portion we didn't have time for on Friday. It was well worth the extra time to see this portion of the park.
We got to see Scotty's Castle, a beautiful castle in the middle of the desert.
We then headed for home, back through Las Vegas, and on to Kingman Arizona for the night. We are still over 1000 miles from home, so the next couple of days are going to be long ones. As soon as I get home I'll edit the posts from the past few days and add pictures.
Talk to you on Sunday night, wherever we are.
Motor Mike

DAY 7

Arriving in Beatty, Nevada this afternoon,three Thumpers turned into fifteen. My riding partner for the trip home was already here, so after the Thumper Cafe on Saturday, we're headed East.
Today we were going to ride the northern half of Death Valley, but due to one of the bikes having a flat tire this morning at the motel, we didn't have enough time. We did ride to the top of several passes, one being over 10,000' above sea level. There was lots of snow at the top and we had to come down the same way we went up due to the road being snowed shut at the top. We had a great day, and once again the scenery we saw is indescribable.
We visited Gold Point this afternoon to see what we're in for on Saturday. It's truly a Ghost Town, with 100+ year old buildings the norm. The owner of most of the town calls himself Sheriff Stone, and he's quite a character. Tomorrow should definitely be an adventure.
We're not sure where we'll be on Saturday night, but definitely closer to home than we are tonight.
Talk to you on Saturday.
Motor Mike

DAY 6

First of all, check out day 5. I added pictures to go with the post.
Today we rode down Las Vegas Blvd. as we left the city, enroute to Death Valley. Death Valley wasn't anything like I expected, as the mountains surrounding the valley are beautiful. It was hot as expected, but not unbearable. We were 282' below sea level and the temperature was around 100*. While standing there looking at the sea of salt, in 100* air, there was a mountain directly in front of us that was covered in snow. We took several side roads that were very scenic and twisty.
We went to the top of a mountain to a point called Dantes View. It was approx. 5000' above sea level and allowed us to see the entire valley below. It was a breathtaking sight. How would you like to play a game of golf at the course pictured above. Anybody playing could have a "HOT" game. :o)
Leaving Death Valley we rode to Bishop California where we're spending the night. Tomorrow we'll ride the northern half of Death Valley before going to Beatty Nevada, our stop for Friday night.
Saturday is the Thumper Cafe, then it's time to start the long trip home.
I've ridden 2200 miles since leaving on Saturday, and I'm still in California. I should have approx. 3800 miles by the time I get home.
Talk to you Friday night.
Motor Mike

DAY 5

We added another state to our list today, being in California several times during the course of our day. Leaving Williams Arizona this morning in 30* temps, it warmed up fast as we rode to the Arizona portion of Rt. 66. We spent quite a bit of time in Seligman, AZ. this morning. It's almost like you've stepped back into the 50's. I definitely want to return here some day. We had lunch in Oatman, Arizona, where we had quite a welcoming committee. See Jim above with the welcoming committee. We then rode Rt. 66 all the way into California, then rode back into Arizona, to Lake Havasu City, so we could see the London Bridge. This bridge was originally built in London and used there. Then it was sold years later, taken apart piece by piece and reassembled in Arizona. It's a very beautiful structure, pictured above, and I'm glad we made a slight detour to see it.
After leaving the bridge, we rode to Las Vegas Nevada where we are spending the night. Tomorrow we are riding back into California to ride through Death Valley. It's supposed to be 104* which is quite a contrast to the 28* we had jut several days ago.
We've ridden a total of over 1800 miles in the last 5 days, riding almost 400 today.
Tomorrow night we'll be in Bishop California after riding Death Valley.
The bikes are all running great, with no problems. Of course, what do you expect.....................THEY'RE THUMPERS!!!
Talk to you Thursday night.
Motor Mike

DAY 4

Dragging ourselves out of bed this morning in Blanding Utah, it was a little warmer than yesterday with the temps in the mid 30's. We left the motel a little after 9:00a.m. and headed for Arizona and the remainder of Monument Valley we didn't ride on Monday. This is a really beautiful ride and is highly recommended.
We continued riding southwest towards Grand Canyon National Park. After having lunch in Tuba City, we headed for the park. I've been there numerous times before, but all the different colors still amaze me. Pictures don't really do it justice.....you've just got to see this beautiful creation of God in person.
We arrived in Williams, Arizona just before dark. This town is on Rt. 66, and is a really unique place.
Tomorrow (Wed.) we re riding some of the original Rt. 66, then on to Las Vegas, Nevada. If we have time we're going to ride some roads in the Mojave National Preserve, just across the state line in California.
The first two pictures posted tonight are from the Grand Canyon. The third is Monument Valley.
Talk to you Wednesday night.
Motor Mike