and we are back home!

July 19th
We arrived back home after a flat tire and tire replacement in Kokomo, Indiana on July 18th, followed by an overnight visit with Scott, Sharon and family.

Total Miles:  8,315  

It was a great trip, but it's good to be back home.  There is no other place I'd rather live than Ephrata, PA!

Crossing the Heartland

July 14,15 and 16

Our trip across Nebraska ended in Lincoln with a visit with one of Kerry's friends and their family.  We enjoyed our stay, but needed to keep moving east in order to finish up the trip in five weeks.  In mid-Nebraska we passed a big ethanol plant right in the middle of huge cornfields.  They were making ethanol to add to gasoline, and also bio-diesel.  Directly opposite, on the other side of the road was a small coal-fired power plant making the electricity needed to run the ethanol plant!  (you'll never see THAT on the news)  I wish I had a photo... oh, the irony.

We passed into Iowa on July 15th and ended the day on the eastern border of Iowa at the Mississippi River. We road over 300 miles without seeing a single McDonald's; just a few Dairy Queens.  There were long stretches of rolling farmland broken up by very small towns usually hosting one convenience store/gas station. The weather has been perfect:  mid-70's light breeze, sunny skies and dry air.

Crossing the Mississippi from Iowa into Illinois on Rt 136

On July 16th we crossed the Mississippi River and crossed Illinois on route 136, still avoiding the interstates. We are now officially 'back east'.
We were finally forced onto an interstate (I-74) for about 10 miles to get to our hotel room in Danville, Il. The last two days have been unseasonably cool (high in the low 70's) with pleasant dry air and sunny skies - very unusual for mid-July.  It has been very nice weather for riding.  The scenery is all farm fields. Every acre that can be planted is planted in either corn or soybeans.  The only variation is the size of the fields.  As we head east the farms are gradually getting smaller and there are more trees.  The corn is twice as high here in Illinois than in Nebraska.

Tomorrow we cross Indiana and some of Ohio, then we should be getting home on July 18th or 19th.   My thoughts are starting to turn to all the work that needs done around the house  and the yard.  I hope the weeds haven't taken over my garden!  Our final mileage for the trip will be over 6,000.   It looks like this beautiful weather is going to stay with us all the way home.  Stay tuned for the final mileage results.

Rocky Mountain National Park

July 12th and 13th

On July 12th we left Steamboat Springs mid-morning and headed east for Rocky Mountain National Park.  The rain from the night before had cleared out, and we had a nice sunny day to get started.
We had done the famous drive through the mountains of the park many years ago.  The road used to be quite narrow above the tree line, and mostly gravel.  It is now wide enough for two motor homes to pass comfortably, and there are shoulders and rock walls in many places.  There are even public bathrooms placed along the way in spots that get a lot of foot traffic.

Elk Crossing Jams Traffic at 11,000 feet

Mid-July is high tourist season.  The road was crowded in many places, and it was impossible to pull off or get a parking place in most of the view pull-outs.  There was a bit of a traffic jam at one point where people stopped to see a female moose, and another when some elk decided to cross the road.




As we climbed up into the mountains, it started to rain, and the rain was COLD, but at least there was no lightning or hail. The rain stopped for awhile as we reached the top elevations.

12,000 feet

Between storms

elk feed on delicate tundra plants above the tree line

A back country hiker was killed by a lightning strike above the tree line on July 11th, and then another man was killed the same day we were there on one of the view pull-outs, about an hour after we went by that location.  Thirteen other people at the overlook were also taken to the hospital.  We have been very fortunate avoiding all the really bad weather.

No Guardrail!

Feeling on top of the world

We stayed overnight at a motel about an hour east of Estes Park, missing all the big storms roaming around the area, and I got a new Kindle!  I am now ready for the ride across the prairie states and mid-west.

Eastern Colorado

South Central Nebraska

On July 13th we continued east on Route 34 through eastern Colorado, then through the farm and ranch land of southwestern and south central Nebraska.  250 miles today under bright sunny skies and warm with a high of 85 degrees.  I got a lot of reading done. :)

South western Nebraska

Dinosaur Bones and Flying Kindles

July 10th and 11th
We departed Vernal, Utah and it promised to be another hot, sunny, dry day in northeastern Utah.  We planned to stop at the western entrance of Dinosaur National Monument, then keep going east into north central Colorado on route 40, ending the day at SteamBoat Springs.
Dinosaur N.M. was even better than I expected.  There is a huge rock wall containing over 1500 dinosaur bones still embedded in the rock.  The rock wall is surrounded by a big air-conditioned building.  Its was fantastic!  This area holds the highest concentration of intact dinosaur skeletons in the world.  There are lots more outside this building if you take a day hike.  It was getting really hot and we still had over 120 miles to go, so we skipped the hike.

Here is the wall as seen from the end of the upper
level.










This is the only known skeleton of a baby stegosaurus.




Bones visible in the rock wall.  Click on the picture to get a closer look.

 Leg bone that visitors are allowed to touch.
Either stegosaurus or camarasaurus

I'm  looking for specific bones by comparing what
I see on the wall to the labelled guide.








We left Dinosaur N.M. and headed east on route 40 as planned, passing into western Colorado.  The scenery had turned to rolling hills covered with sage brush; not much to look at.  I got out my Kindle and resumed reading a Stephen King novel (Cujo).  Just as the story was getting really good, a big gust of wind knocked my Kindle out of my hands.  I looked back to see it bouncing along the highway behind us.  There was no place to pull over, and I figured the Kindle was broken from bouncing off the pavement, anyway.
I was hoping that I could buy another Kindle at our next destination and download my books on the hotel wireless.  This is my second Kindle lost on this trip.  I broke my original Kindle the first week of the trip when I accidentally sat on it.  Kerry says I need to get a strap and hang it around my neck.

Entering Downtown Steamboat Springs

A few hours later we arrived in Steamboat Springs, a major vacation spot. Summer is actually their slow season.  In winter this place attracts thousands of skiers.  There are very expensive  vacation condos all over the mountain.  We parked the bike and took a walk up and down the main street, got dinner, and then retired for the night.  I wanted to go to Rocky Mountain National Park next, but it looked like rain and thunderstorms for that area tomorrow,  so we decided to stay one extra night here in Steamboat Springs, getting the oil changed and resting up for the final leg of our trip.  Sadly, there are no stores
here that sell Kindles.  :(


On July 11th we took a short ride north of town to check out  Steamboat Lake State Park.  Nice park and lake, but all the campsites were full.  After lunch we headed back to the hotel to avoid the approaching storms.  As I am writing this blog, the lightning and thunder have started up, its raining and now there is hail and wind.  We are very happy to be in a hotel room right now.  If the weather clears up by tonight we may check out the rodeo.

Colorado meadow just outside town

Mountain Views, a Gorge, and a Line-Painting Truck

July 9th.     When you are in Utah, there are not many road choices.  There are lots of big mountain ranges with lots of desert in between.  Our goal for the day was to get to Vernal, a town in northeastern Utah which is a few miles from Dinosaur National Monument.  This is a place I've wanted to see for many years but it's way, way off the beaten path.  After examining a few options, we accepted that fact that the first hundred miles would be on the Interstate.  We took I-84 east to I-80 east and headed into the southwest corner of Wyoming.  From there we exited I-80 and took Wyoming route 414, then Utah 44 to 191.  It was an outstanding ride through the mountains.  Lots of twisty roads with many hairpin turns and great views.  The higher elevations gave us cooler, more comfortable temperatures.  We made an unplanned stop at a visitor center in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.  The views were breathtaking.

Boat Wake in Flaming Gorge

The Flaming Gorge is a boater's paradise.

Flaming Gorge

 A nice woman took our photo at the overlook.

Wildflower or Weed?

More spectacular views from Route 191 in the Ashley National Forest.

Getting Stuck Behind the Line-Painting Crew for 30 minutes

Upon leaving the Red Canyon area of Flaming Gorge, we came upon a line-painting crew and got stuck moving at a snail's pace for over 30 minutes.  The needle on the temperature gauge was steadily climbing toward the big red 'H', which was a bit concerning. You can't pass one of these trucks without tracking wet paint all over the road, not to mention the risk of getting road paint all over your vehicle.    Finally the truck pulled over and we got back to normal speeds and the engine cooled back down.  As we headed back down the mountains we encountered no less than nine hairpin turns with more outstanding views of the valley below.  It got much warmer as we descended.  We arrived at our hotel in Vernal, Utah around 3 pm after about 240 miles.  Tomorrow we see the dinosaur fossils and then head into Colorado.

We get slightly lost, and Jesus guards the candy in Utah

On July 8th we headed south from Twin Falls, Idaho, ending in Ogden, Utah for a total of 210 miles, plus another 30 miles missing a turn and having to back track.  Once again, we were amazed at the agriculture in southern Idaho, not just the vast acreage under irrigation, but the wide variety of crops.  Today we saw sugar beets, barley, wheat, corn, and LOTS of potatoes.  We also passed the McCain Potato processing plant.

Idaho Potato Field

McCain Potato Processing Plant in Idaho

Oakley Bank

One of the drawbacks of staying off the interstate is missing a turn now and then.  We kept going on Idaho Rt.27, when suddenly it ended in a small town called Oakley, where I saw  the smallest local bank that I've ever seen.

Idaho Crossroads

 While Kerry had his nose in his phone looking at maps, I asked a guy walking down the street what happened to Rt 27. (Men hate to ask anyone for directions.)  He pointed back the way we came 'That's it.' he said.    I asked, 'What street is this that we are on?'  He replied 'Just Main Street, I guess.'  I asked, 'Where does it go?'  He shrugged and smiled and said 'Nowhere.'   Then he asked 'Well, where do you want to go?'  I replied 'Utah'.  (I didn't know our exact destination at the time).  He said, 'Well just go back the way you came and get on the interstate, or you could turn onto 500, then turn right at the stop sign and keep going.'  (oh, my...)  I thanked him and we turned around and headed back the way we came, found 500, turned and followed it about five miles to the stop sign where 500 ended and was crossed by route 77, which Kerry found on his phone map. Route 77 would take us into Utah (eventually).



After another hour,  we were very tired, hot and sweaty and needed a rest stop.  At the next VERY small town, there was a place called 'Bake Central'  We parked and went inside.  It was a little lunch place with three tables, and also a small convenience store.  We ordered and took a seat at the one remaining table.  At the other two tables, farm hands were discussing some problems they were having getting the irrigation system to work.  As we were eating our lunch, a young girl, about 7 or 8 years old came up to us and said 'Hi! Do you live in Idaho?'  I replied, 'No, we are from Pennsylvania.'  She looked up at the wall where a big map of the United States was displayed, stuck with dozens of straight pins.  She ran off, then came back and handed me a pin.  'Put this in the map where you live.'  I stood up on my chair and placed my pin slightly north of Lancaster, PA.  She smiled and said 'Have a nice day!' and ran off.  There was another map of the world with pins all over it, with a couple dozen in Europe.  I was amazed that so many people from all over had managed to find this little place.

Bake Central Map

Jesus Guards the Candy Rack

They also had this picture of Jesus over the candy rack.  I wondered if that discouraged the local kids from stealing the candy!







Fortified with our lunch, we headed back out and finally met up with I-84 in Utah.  We pulled into a McD's, got hydrated, and took advantage of the free wireless.  Kerry found an great deal for a Comfort Suites in Ogden, and it was even better than we expected.  The lobby was beautiful, it had a very nice room, free breakfast, great pool and hot tub, and most surprisingly a free happy hour! I NEVER thought I would see that in Utah of all places!  From 6 to 7 pm we could drink as much as we wanted, plus they had really good homemade salsa and tortilla chips. We each had three drinks in the allotted time, had dinner, and enjoyed the hot tub.

Free drinks in Utah

Southern Idaho

On July 7th, we got an early start to avoid most of the heat and headed east into Idaho.  Southern Idaho is home to the Snake River, and thanks to irrigation, Route 78 is lined with farms, with the farmland bounded by desert.  As we road, I could close my eyes and identify many of the crops.  Onions, corn, mint, and even lavender!   Acres and acres of lavender and mint.  I also saw potatoes (of course), sugar beets, wheat, timothy, and beans.  The southwest corner of Idaho is the country's largest producer of onions, all thanks to irrigation from the Snake River and its tributaries.  Otherwise this entire area would be a desert.

Farm and Desert in Idaho

Shoshone Falls

 After a short five-hour ride we finished in Twin Falls, Idaho, home to the Snake River Gorge and Shoshone Falls.  The falls are much smaller than in the past due to the construction of a hydroelectric dam that diverts about 30% of the water. 

Yes, this is the area were Evil Knievel tried to jump the gorge.  His 'launch site' is not open to the public (we checked)  When we arrived at our hotel around 2 pm the temperature was around 95 degrees; a good time to stop for the day.

Snake River Gorge

Oregon is a desert?

Oregon Desert

On July 5th we left Salem, Oregon and headed east over the Cascades.  The ride was great, with wonderful views over the mountains, sparkling lakes and rivers, and plenty of pine trees.  We stayed overnight in Bend, Oregon on the eastern side of the Cascades.

On July 6th  as we continued to head east things changed rapidly.  It started to get dry.  Really dry.  And hot.  Really hot.  The pine forests thinned out until all that was left was sagebrush.  Central and eastern Oregon is a desert.

About half way across Oregon we came across John Day National Monument, a place known for its huge deposits of fossils of early mammals (about 20 million years ago).  The museum was a welcome rest stop and had excellent fossil displays.

fossil imprints of leaves

Mammal Fossils

A farm in the desert thanks to irrigation

  The temperatures varied between 100 and 102 degrees F for the last 120 miles.  We arrived at our hotel very hot, sweaty, and tired.  We had traveled 330 miles from Bend to Ontario, Oregon. Ontario is home to 'Ore-Ida' Potatoes, right on the border between Oregon and Idaho!

...and on to Oregon

July 7th  I haven't had internet access (or at least good access) since my last post, so it's time to catch up.

On July 2nd we rested up and only logged a few miles on the Wing, going to lunch and a movie.  We were really beat from the previous two days of marathon touring.

On July 3rd we needed to head south to Salem, Oregon for a visit with Kerry's Aunt Connie.  Instead of going directly south on I-5 (a mere 3-4 hours), we decided to take the scenic route around Mt. St. Helens.
The road that curls around the eastern and southern slopes of Mt. St. Helens is Route 131, a winding a twisting road through the pine forests that should have been a lot of fun.  Sadly, the road was in terrible shape.  No potholes, but lots of patching, frost heaves, big dips and areas on the outsides of curves that had just plain collapsed (plus no guard rails).  For about 60 miles Kerry did his best to maneuver around the worst of it, while I kept my body weight balanced on my legs with my rear end about an inch off the seat in order take the bounces and shocks with my legs instead of my spine.  My legs got a real workout!  Finally we got to an overlook and had a chance to stop and rest, while taking some photos of Mt. St. Helens.

Mt St Helens

For all the youngsters reading this blog, Mt. St. Helens is a volcano that erupted with a huge pyroclastic explosion in 1980.  Trees were flattened for miles around, and there was a huge mud slide that took out towns in seconds.  The trees have since grown back for the most part.

Kim at Mt St Helens

After our crazy ride around Mt. St. Helens, we headed south to the Columbia River, and stopped to take a look at the Columbia River Gorge, then finished up the day in Salem, Oregon.  We spent the 4th of July visiting with Aunt Connie and some of Kerry's cousins.

Wing on the Columbia River

And then we 'off-road' on the Wing...

Tuesday, July 1st:  We are still using the Tacoma Holiday Inn as our home base, as we got a great deal VIA Priceline Express Deals.  It is a warm day for this area, with highs close to 90; very unusual.  We decide to head toward the coast and the Olympia Peninsula where it should be much cooler.  After a very long hot ride, we arrive in Quinault on the Olympia Peninsula, which is famous for its temperate rain forests and large trees.  We take a walk through one of these areas.  It is still warm and humid.

Tall Spruce Tree

Rain Forest

The forest floor is covered with ferns and mosses.  The temperate rain forest is a very rare ecosystem, only found in few small areas world-wide.

Mosses and ferns get very big.  

World's Largest Spruce Tree

me sitting at the base of the tree

We also stop to see the World's Largest Spruce Tree;  1000 years old, 191 feet tall, 58 ft. circumference.
(Ok students, what's the diameter?)

It appears on the map that the road we are on circumnavigates a large lake, with a bridge on the upper end over the feeder creek.  I tell Kerry that I saw on my big paper map (back at the hotel) that it turns to dirt, but he looks at his map on his phone and says he

Quinault Road Map; grey lines are unpaved road

sure it's paved, and my map must have been out of date in 2013.  (I am sure it's dirt, but I won't argue with the stubborn Wing pilot; he's the one that's driving)  Sure enough after a few miles the road turns to gravel.  I stay silent on the back and put up with the rough bouncing and jostling.  Fortunately there are few other vehicles.  The road is level and turns to hard-packed dirt in places.  After about 5 miles we find the bridge and cross over to the north side.  Now the road narrows and gets windy and hilly, still gravel and dirt.  At times as Kerry powers the Wing up a hill we come very close to drop-offs down on my left side.  It was a bit scary.  After another 5 miles of this, the road finally flattens out and we ride through beautiful pine forests, the floor covered with large ferns.  The only words that cross my mind are 'forest primeval'.  I can see glimpses of the lake to me left.  The road eventually returns to pavement and both breath a sigh of relief, and no, I never said 'told you so!'  It is a long trip back, so we take a quick side trip to see the Pacific Ocean.  Kerry nearly gets stuck in the sand.

Pacific Beach with Horses and Cars

I notice large groups of horses and vehicles parked on the beach.  There are folks here that take people on horseback rides on the beach for 20 dollars an hour.  Kerry can't find a firm place to park so we head out.

We finally arrive back in Tacoma after a very tiring day.  We decide to take a day off from touring tomorrow and rest up.