Days: 8 (5 Riding / 3 @ MotoGP)
Mileage: 3100'sh
Route: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=...7b8d0e0d&msa=0
Day 1 - Denver, CO to Tonopah, NV - 866 miles
Ahhh, day 1 of the big trip. Bike's packed up, I'm out the door nice and early (ok, I actually got a later start than I wanted). Hit the road at 4:30 am. Hit the ground running and continued straight through the day. By the time I go to Tonopah, the camel back was empty, I was hot and tired and the margarita I ordered at dinner was magnificent!
Utah, before the blazes of Hell opened up!
A couple of notable ride throughs... from here on out, the desire to document every turn fell off exponentially as the temps rose. It's a very scenic ride and the boredom of straight desert roads are broken up with nice little twisty sections in hidden canyons.
I didn't take this pic, but I was there so what the hell.
I rode the Extraterrestrial Highway... Move along, nothing to see here.
One more thing... If you ever decide to ride out this way, mind your fuel! The roads are long and straight and beg for triple digit speeds, but at 170+ miles between gas stops, you'd better be damned sure you can make it. I had to dial back the speeds severely the last 50 miles. I fueled up in Tonopah - 4.9 gallons in a 5.3 gallon tank. That's as close as I ever want to come to running out.
Day 2 - Tonopah, NV to Salinas, CA - 411 miles
Otherwise known as the morning of OMG!!! The morning was beautiful, the roads were empty and Yosemite beckoned. Heading into the east side of Yosemite was amazing. Twisty two lane roads through mile after mile of forests without any sign of beetle kill. It was so choice! If I had to choose between Yosemite and Yellowstone, I would go back to Yellowstone, but it was a beautiful day of riding.
I dropped out of the mountains and from Yosemite Junction all the way to the San Luis Reservoir just plain sucked. It was hot, flat, and smelled of cabbage. Occasionally there was a strawberry patch or garlic patch to break up the monotony, but mostly cabbage... it was no fun.
After that, I dropped down into the Monterey Valley (or whatever geological feature it is) and the ocean air swept in brought the temps back down from 102 to 68... All within about twenty miles. It felt really nice!
Again, sorry, no pics. I was too busy riding and enjoying life in Yosemite and riding and hating life after...
Day 3,4,5 - GP TIME!!! Mileage unknown
Welcome to another misty Leguna morning
The future sounds cool... I really enjoyed watching the e-power race
Let's not give Clear Creek County any ideas
Colorado representing
Saturday Morning Practice at the corkscrew
The new Buell!!! One sexy carbon beast
CSC Dinner