Don't know how interesting this will be to the Iron Butts out there but I will try to maintain the thread if it draws any interest. I am carrying the bike some, riding it some, but the purpose of the trip is the rides. I left SE Louisiana mid-July and I am now in Bishop, Owens Valley, California. No time constraints really, but probably be back in Louisiana in November to catch the Fall slaughter on the Redfish.

Got through Texas as quickly as I could and spent a few days in New Mexico. Chaco Canyon near Milan was a nice side trip, but let the NPS web site talk me out of riding the bike over there because of the long, supposedly bad dirt road. Mistake. Turned out to be a very good dirt road by Louisiana standards.

On to Jacob Lake Arizona though and that was No Mistake! Great temperatures (50 mornings, only 70's by mid day), very little rain (only got caught in one hail storm), daily rides in the park and around Kaibab plateau. Wonderful! Spent the rest of July there.The rides from Jacob Lake to Cape Royal were the best rides, although there are also some very good dirt roads (Forest Service Roads) to side canyon vistas all around the park. I suggest you plan your rides for the mornings if there is a high possibility of rain. Summer is their "Monsoon" season, but greatest risk of showers was in the late afternoon. All the time I was there all showers were 3:00 PM or later, plenty of time to visit the park in the morning and be back in camp for the afternoon shower. Watch out for the buffaloe in DeMotte Meadow. Two cager / Buffaloe accidents in the two weeks I was there. Those creatures are 2,000 lbs worth of trouble; dark beast on a dark road in a dark night, Not Good! Plenty Mule Deer near the road too, does and fawns ran across the road in front of me on two occasions in broad daylight. Convinced me to be back in camp before dark. Lots of turkey hens on the road with their pullets as well, hens are big enough to hurt. I camped at Jacob Lake for a few nights, close to amenities, but stayed most of the time at Forest Service Camp at DeMotte Meadows.

Left the Kaibab Friday and arrived here at Bishop Saturday. Long hot drive across the desert but well worth it to be here today. Hwy 168 between Inyo and White Mountains would be Wonderful on the bike, and I plan to go back just for that ride (and to see the Bristleone Pines), but I was pulling my 20 foot Red Neck Toy Hauler across it from Beatty, Nevada. Glad my trailer was no longer than 20 feet. One steep, twisty road. First gear on the F-150 much of the way, grades posted as 8% (but I think they were at least 10) .One place it goes to one lane around a blind corner, and the sign says down hill traffic has to yield to up hill traffic. No problem, except that it is a Blind Hair Pin Turn! You cannot see opposing traffic until you meet it. Backing my rig back up hill in the narrow gorge would have been a challenge had I been unfortunate enough to meet oncomming traffic. Got lucky. Actually very little traffic on the road.

Thats about as far as I have gotten. Rained in at Bishop most of today, got my dirty laundry done. Rain stopped about 5 PM, had a Wonderful ride up to Sabrina Lake. 4,000 feet gain in altitude in 20 miles on 168, clear blue lake, nice lodge, good hot cup of coffee and friendly people at the top. Be Careful again about the deer. The Muleys are bigger than our Whitetails at home, and at least as common.

Plan is to leave here in a few days for Tahoe, then Cali coast on up to the Redwoods at Crescent City, then Oregon and Washington coasts, then Cascades Scenic Hwy Washington. Then I'll have to decide how (and whether) to get home in time for the best Redfishing of the year.

I know. Did not happen without picts. Android I am using tonight does not show me the full website to post picts. I'll try to get on a PC and get some picts attached to this tonight or tomorrow. Trust me. Grand Canyon North Rim and Owens Valley are Worth The Trip!!!!

 

Vermillion Cliffs at Cliff Dwellers near North Rim, Grand Canyon




Vista near Cape Royal, North Rim, Grand Canyon




Vista near Bright Angel Canyon, North Rim, Grand Canyon




Looking at Lake Sabrina through the Lodge Window at Lake Sabrina Boat Landing


As promised, trying to post some picts from the PC.

 

I really enjoyed your story and pics. Keep posting up and thanks.

Red neck toy hauler. Interesting setup. LOL

 

Yes, that is an interesting toy hauler setup...is that a 1/2 ton pulling all that?

 

It is a half ton, Ford's F-150. With the 5.4 L, 6 speed, and Max Tow Package it is rated to pull 11,000 lbs. My trailer fully loaded (with all my toys including Casita, Sportster 1200, Specialized MB, food, water, and necessities for 7 days in the boonies is 7,500 lbs, so I am well within the rated towing capacity of the F-150. I wanted to keep my total rig length (truck and trailer) below 40 feet to be able to negotiate the roads in Yosimite, King's Canyon, Glacier, and Bear Tooth (and Cali 168). With a 20 foot factory ready toy hauler that would mean parking the Sporty in the living room. Like my Bike but dont want to sleep with it. I already owned the 20 foot, 14,000 lb GVW trailer for hauling my tractor and fire wood. The Casita cost me $14,000 used. It has worked very well for 2 previous PNW tours, this year is the third. It is both chained and strapped to the 20 foot, very secure, and has taken cross winds to 70 mph. Thought about taking the axel off the Casita to let it sit flat on the trailer, but leaving tires and axle on it gives me plenty good storage space under it and keeps the flexibility of being able to get it off the trailer pretty quickly.

 

Bristle Cone Pines on the Methuselah Trail, Inyo National Forest, White Mountain


Made the ride from Bishop up 168 East and White Mountain Road to see the Ancient Bristle Cone Pine Forest this morning. Great Ride! Narrow, twisty, wavy, good vistas, and then beautiful trees to see when I got to the Visitor's Center. The 4 mile trail at 10,000 feet in motorcycle boots had this flatlander puffing pretty hard by the time I got back down to the visitor's center, but it was well worth it to walk among trees as old as 5,000 years. Pretty amazing. Growth rings are so close on these things you have to count them with a microscope. They grow so slowly a 50 year old tree is maybe 6 feet tall and as big around as my wrist. Back home we cut saw logs at 60 years, 80 feet tall and 20" DBH (Diameter at Breast Height). Those Bristlecones lead a tough life. Sand blasted, Ice blasted, short growing season, poor soil. Good example I guess that Adversity builds Character.

 

Vista from White Mountain Road looking down on Owen's Valley

 

Definitely looking forward to future installments and pics. Also, thanks for your equipment update.....I like your basic, get it done approach. As for Going to the Sun Road in Glacier you'll be too long, I think. And pulling that over Beartooth will be a challenge but that's a US highway and I've seen motor coaches up there towing jeeps. Those grades and switchbacks I'm sure were a strain.

 

Great Journal of the trip!!! Keep it up.

 

Convict Lake, North of Bishop


I sure do enjoy the Owens Valley. Well, maybe not 395 so much, but all the canyons feeding in to it. Rode South Fork of Bishop Creek. Excellent. Rode up to Convict Lake and Mammoth Lakes. Beautiful, although the closer I got to Tahoe the more crowded it got. Think I really prefer the southern end of the valley, Lone Pine to Lee Vining. These lakes have such wonderful, clear water! Almost as clear as the water in Crater Lake. I visited with a rider who has a house on Lake Tahoe. He said the water supply to his house comes straight out of Lake Tahoe, no filter, no chemicals, no treatment of any kind. Said he can drop a white weight over the side of the boat and he can see it as deep as 80 feet. In SE Louisiana, we have to go 100 miles offshore to find water that clear (thanks to the Mighty Mississippi and all the sewerage, chemicals, and fertilizer the Yankees are sending us). Well, we Southerners are adding our fair share I guess, especially with all the refineries between Baton Rouge and Laplace.