June Adventures on the Road

June! Wow, what a month! Some of you have already seen some of these pictures and the accompanying YouTube videos. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who followed my solo ride to Sturgis, South Dakota, on Facebook. It’s been a thrill to read all the comments and well wishes. I never felt alone, and so wanted to share the moments with everybody. Especially when I was soaking wet and cold. At least I thought that might warm me up.

Instead, I just took pictures and videos to share. And those pictures and videos are still in the process of being uploaded from day to day, so for you Facebook and YouTube people out there, keep checking in for more. For the rest of you, here is an overview of the trip.

The feeling of heading off alone on a motorcycle is the best feeling of freedom I have ever found. I prefer to ride alone, going where I want, at the speed I want, stopping when I want, eating and sleeping where I want.

 I once heard, The past is history, tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift, that’s why they call it ‘The present.’

My view of the ‘Now.’ Moving meditation.

The day started out hot, but gradually got colder as I got into the high country of Flagstaff. I put on a sweatshirt under my armored jacket. Then my rain gear. I was going to need it.

The bike was packed with camping gear, for two reasons. One; I needed something to lean back on, and two; I wanted to be independent of motel rooms if necessary. I didn’t want to get caught in some small town late in the day with no rooms available, or maybe no motels at all. And one more thing, that rolled up air mattress on the handlebars acts like a fairing to reduce the wind blast at high speed.

Heading out across the Painted Desert and the Navajo Nation with overcast skies, I was surprised that it was so cool. Normally, it is hot in June.

Turning north at Kayenta, I was heading toward one of the most iconic places in the United States, Monument Valley. Most people who visit feel like they’ve been there before, because so many movies have been filmed among the massive rock formations and towering spires.

Unlike the Ultima Chopper from my ride to Oklahoma two years ago, this Dyna Super Glide was a pleasure to ride, smooth and fast. I sometimes felt like I could go forever on it.

There was short grass to graze on for the Navajo’s horses, sheep, and goats, but I didn’t see a lot of cattle. This is an open range and I prefer not to be out there in the dark. If you hit one, not only does it make a mess of your bike, but you also have to pay for the animal, which can be extremely costly. A twenty-dollar goat can now cost one thousand dollars.

At times, because of the red dirt and the remoteness and, in many places out there being nothing but the highway you are on, it is easy to feel like you are on Mars.

Except no movies have been filmed on Mars. Yet.

Breathtaking Monument Valley

A short break to bask in the beauty of this land and take pictures

I did my best to take videos on the road and to stop often for pictures, dilly dallying long enough that I didn’t make my first planned destination for the night, which was Bluff, Utah.

Arriving in the tiny town of Mexican Hat, it was getting dark, and I felt too tired to set up my tent, so seeing a vacancy sign, I stopped and checked into the Hat Rock Inn. I made the mistake of not asking about the price of the room until after peeling off my rain gear and riding jacket.

By the time she was handing me the key, the nice lady announced that the cost would be two-hundred and one dollars for the night. As I choked, the word ‘highway robbery’ came to mind, but I held my tongue.

I thought about the alternatives, what few motels in town looked nicer than this and were probably that much or more, if they had rooms available at all. And I sure didn’t feel like setting up my tent somewhere. Then I looked at my riding gear in a pile on the chair in the lobby. Outside, it was getting dark. I sighed and said, “Okay.”

She smiled. I asked, “Is there anyplace to eat in town?”

“The convenience store at the gas station has food,” was her reply.

I thanked her and took the key.

My $201 room in the tiny town of Hat Rock.

Like I mentioned earlier, I like to be self-contained if necessary. Having a place to sleep was at the top of the list. Years ago, it was a sleeping bag on the ground. Now it is a tent, an air mattress and a sleeping bag. But also, being able to eat and make coffee in the morning feels important too. Yeah, I’m old and spoiled, but a reasonable degree of comfort is important if you are going to enjoy yourself and not be miserable because of poor planning.

Right now, I was still partly amid poor planning. I’d found a room but was on my own as far as some dinner. But no worries. I was prepared. Remember all that camping gear I said I’d packed? All that stuff I was leaning on?

Ignoring the convenience store, I got set up in my room and pulled out my little Swedish camp stove that I’d had since I hunted in Alaska in the 1970s.

When we rode our choppers around the country back then and our only lodging was a sleeping bag, we would buy our dinner at the last gas stop of the day. We didn’t use camp stoves then, just a wood camp fire on the ground and a pair of pliers to handle the hot can. One of the favorites was Dinty Moore Beef Stew, and nowadays it tastes as good as ever.

I made myself at home for the night, camping out in my luxurious two hundred dollar room that would have cost fifty dollars in most towns. Still, I was happy, comfortable and warm.

Delicious dinner

Stay tuned next month for day 2.