Category: 2022 RHG – Mother Road Tour

Today we left our hotel in Susanville, CA and headed for Lassen National Park.    The ride to the park was about 65 miles.     Similar to the landscape coming into Susanville, CA yesterday we immediately saw the aftermath of last Dixie Fire [https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7690/].

Dissimilar to yesterday where we traveled through small towns that were destroyed, e.g.  remnants of masonry structures, metal roofs and skeletal remains of vehicles and equipment along the roadside.   Today, we would see miles / acres of burnt forest.    At first glance you thought “what a great view” – then the reality of the devastation would come to mind.    It was erry at times – and in areas it was “scorched earth”.    Black vertical poles that use to be trees against an almost concrete floor that was once the forest floor.    Devoid of any life – flora and fauna.    I shot quite  a bit of Go Pro footage, hopefully there is more of story to tell in the future.

Here are a few photos of today’s travels through Lassen National Park.

Arches NP was one of those bucket lists adventures that had been on our list for three years.    However, with COVID it had been postponed … that is until this year.    We were able to visit Arches this year as part of the Mother Road Tour 2022.   Cheryl and Cathy had joined us for the Utah section of our trip.

 

The park is extraordinary … it is far more than the stone arches.    It is a landscape of colors and land formations like no other park.    We able to get into the park early in the morning – the early morning colors and shadows are distinct.

This a short clip of iPhone videos and photos of our time in the park.

Day 41 – Starting off day at Way Station Diner in Santa Clarita CA

Day 29 – Canyonlands National Park

 

This national park exceeded every expectation.    The landscape, colors and the vastness of this national park is beyond words.    Every stop, walk or hike who show us a different pallet of colors.   There were many opportunities to walk to the edge …. my favorite was walking through a gap in the rocks to find a large rock shelf that opened up a view and majestic world not visible unless you climbed through the gap.    It was a near story book experience – like seeing Oz for the first time.

Without question a must see .. bucket list trip for everyone!

Day 28 – Natural Bridges National Monument

We began the day in Hanksville,  UT in route to Moab, UT.    We would visit the Natural Bridges National Monument along the travels this day.    This short video includes photos and videos from the travels as well as Natural Bridges.    It was a spectacular day in every way.

Thanks to Cheryl for the video clips of some of the wonders we saw from the road!

Day 36

Day trip from Palm Springs, CA to Joshua Tree National Park.    The only national park that requires you to present your park pass on the way in and on the way out…. don’t know perhaps they are still doing Covid protocols 😉.

We entered the park on the north side.  The ride through the park (est 1200 sq miles) is about 75 miles.    There are numerous places view, walk or hike in the park.   We saw some folks repelling down some high rock formations as well.    The road is ideal for motorcycles with its twists, curves and varying elevations.

We did hit a high temperature of 110 degrees on the way back to Palm Springs, CA.   Tomorrow, we head to Laguna Beach, CA.   Hoping for more modest temperatures as well!!

 

Day 33 Updates

We left Page, AZ yesterday to head to Las Vegas, NV – this leg would be the last of the travel time with Cheryl and Cathy.    We arrived at the hotel mid-afternoon, checked in and immediately switched from motorcycle travel mode to “going home” mode for the wives.    This was on the heels of the news sources talking about the fiasco of air travel.

Cheryl’s morning flight had gotten rescheduled…. she now had a 5:00 AM flight.    She would get up at 2:00 PM to get a taxi to the airport at 3:00 AM.    The day would start with the taxi not showing up…. Plan B would get her there timely, however.   She arrived at a VERY busy airport with long lines ……. it was 3:00 AM.    Soon after her arrival the fire alarms would sound…. the robotic voice of the alarm told the occupants NOT TO PANIC 😉.      TSA Pre-Board was not open …. Working from home due to Covid perhaps 😉.    Alarm would sound again……. getting to the front of the security check in… she would be told she needed to go to the other line. …..      She finally got through security after dumping her helmet backpack to insure she was not a terrorist.      Good thing she had the TSA Pre-Board!

As I write this she is in Baltimore, MD waiting for her final flight to NH.   I am so proud of this woman…… nothing (other than my occasional personality defects) bothers her.   A storm trooper for sure.     I will miss her greatly as we take on this final and longest leg of our Mother Road Tour adventure.

Tomorrow, we have some logistical issues to address then back on the road Friday …. go west young man.    Next update likely is from California!

Here are a couple of 2:00 AM photos …. yes,  I took photos of the taxi’s licence plates,  vehicle ID# and touched the drivers side’s rear quarter panel 😉     Also, included a couple photos of a rather dirty 6,000 mile bike.

 

Day 30 – Arches National Park.    Today was our last day in Moab,  UT.    We spent the day in Arches NP.   The temperature was in the 80s,  however,  the wind gusts were near 25 plus mph.     We stopped at all of the view points and were able to walk up to / into many of the arches.     Tomorrow we head westerly to Page, AZ then onto Las Vegas, NV the next day.    From there Cheryl and Cathy will fly home and Craig and I will finish the last leg (and longest leg) of this trip.    There is much more to see and do coming up.

 

 

Some highlights of our visits to these two sites.    We took the wrong trail at Mossy Cave and ended up trekking up the side of a mountain ….. upon getting to the summit it was clear there was no cave.      Once we retreated to a mid-point on the mountain,  we saw the sign we missed and followed the correct trail to the cave.   In the end, the trek up the mountain was the value.   Bryce Canyon speaks for itself.

 

 

Day 29 – Canyonland National Park & Dead Horse Point State Park.     Spent the day traveling and exploring both of these parks.    Here are some of the highlights of the day.