Thoughts on “The Trip”

It lasted 23 days and covered over 6,000 miles in 9 states. The Nomad ran flawlessly and stayed at about 40 mpg (but much better if I kept the speeds down …. not often). The bike is comfortable but even at a 60 mph average that is still 100 hours of saddle time in those 3 weeks. Several of those days were 600 – 700 mile days that required 12 hours of seat time. Vicki wouldn’t use the word “comfortable”.

The weather was phenomenal. Last time we did an extensive road trip we were rained on in 15 states, every one we touched. This time it was windy but very little rain. Only in Glacier Park, Montana and the Omaha Zoo did it amount to anything more than a few drops. Everywhere we went people said that we had just missed horrible weather. We counted it up and found that our sweat glands were only used on 3 days of the trip, a stretch in New Mexico, cutting across Nevada/California, and entering Arizona (not leaving) at Needles (Hell), and the drop off before and after Sunset Point, 50 miles from Phoenix, at 6 – 7 pm.

Seeing the beautiful states we passed through was great. Visiting those who let us stay with them and show off their states was fun and awesome. The history and feel of Santa Fe was exceptional. I spoke with a construction superintendant working on the restoration of the oldest structure in North America, a Catholic Church. He explained that the reconstructed stucco bricks were being made from the ground around the church because that is where the remains of the originals lay. And there were way more missions and churches than we could even drive by just in the Santa Fe area.

In Denver we stayed with Troy, Megan and Reese. The most memorable outing there was a trip to a little town in the Rockies where there were maybe 50 – 100 groups competing in a barbeque cook-off. OMG, a person would have had to stay a week just to sample it all!

At Omaha we stayed with Dick and Jan (not Jane). The visit included a lot of time with Josh, Lacy, Ewan, and Liam. The trip to the Omaha Zoo was amazing. It ranks up there with the one at San Diego, it may even be better. Lacy, Ewan and I got a really good view of the rhinos on the lift that spanned the park. Lacy and Josh took us to where she works, Boy’s Town, a very impressive place.

In Montana we stayed with Jeff, a teaching and riding buddy, and his parents, John and Patsy. Jeff’s work as our tour guide through a large part of the state “forced” him to rent a top-of-the-line Harley (he left his regular bike in Glendale). We went through Glacier Park and a huge number of valleys, towns, and huge open spaces. In fact, so many that Vicki took 2 full days off of riding and missed all the scenery to supervise a construction crew. Surprisingly she didn’t complain at all.

The final few days we spent with Mel and Jerri in a beach town, Cambria, Ca. It was like being in another world. At least half the day the sun was obscured by low clouds or fog and the area was populated with deer, turkey, and other game animal that had never been hunted. It was quiet and totally restful, unless you wanted to venture out to wine tasting rooms on the sunny side of the hill (Paso Robles) that are as numerous as Baptist churches in Alabama. We drove to the town to eat, watch huge seals (5000 lbs), and even get a glimpse of the Hearst Castle. We’d go back!

Thank all of you who made it possible. What an absolutely great trip!