5741 Miles 16 Days 2 Wheels

[Rollin']

I left July, Friday the 13th 2007 to try to accomplish four things.
#1 - Do an Iron Butt Ride from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Elsinore, Utah.
#2 - Ride to the Pacific Ocean.
#3 - Ride to the southwestern most point that a person can ride to in the US.
#4 - Ride to Spirit Lake, Iowa for the Victory Motorcycle Rally and try to see as much as I can on the way to each destination.

(#1) I left the Milwaukee area at 5:30 pm. I have a Victory Vegas with a 4.5 gallon fuel tank so I would need to stop 11 times for gas on my way to Utah.

To do a BBG1500 you have to go over 1500 miles in under 24 hours, with 11 stops for gas my stops would have to be fast. At most of my stops for gas I wouldn't even get off the bike, just gas and go. The GPS was programed with gas stops about 140 miles apart. My first gas receipt was my start time, 5:30 pm my last gas receipt in Elsinore, Utah would be my end time. The ride went well, the weather was good, no rain. The temps ranged from 59 degress in Nebraska to 103 in Green River, Utah. I arrived in Elsinore, Utah and my gas receipt time was 3:07 Mountain time, 4:07 Central time. GPS mileage was 1516 miles, time 22 hours and 37 minutes. An officer with the Utah Highway Patrol pulled in for gas and he signed my witness form.

The worst part of the ride was riding in the dark for hours, not even a moon. My favorite memory of the ride is, somewhere before Ogallala, NE at about the halfway point I could see in my right mirror, just a little sliver of glowing orange along the horizon. It was the sun rising, I had survived the night.

And then to finish the the ride riding through the mountains in Colorado and then through the deserts of Utah was great. Now it was time to find something to eat, get some sleep and then start working on

#2.

The map of day one. The letters are the gas stops.



The GPS numbers.


Day two. A nice slow ride down Hwy. 89 through Zion.

I stopped in Hurricane, Utah. I ended up in a RV campground.

It's 105 degress but I have 5 trees, but no where to sit.

Until a woman from one of the RVs brought me a lawn chair to use. She made my day.


Now it's on to Las Vegas.

And then over to Hoover Dam.

Yep a lot of concrete.


One foot in each state. I am so easily amused.

It was 112 degrees in Boulder City so I decide to wait until 5:30 pm to try to ride through the desert to try to get to Needles, California. I'm heading down Hwy. 95 and it is hot!! How HOT?? It is so hot that I am riding next to trucks just to stay in the shade of their shadow.
I made it to Needles at 7:00 pm. It's still 113 degrees.

I waited until the sun went down and rode the next 90 miles to Blythe at night.

A Cafe. It was closed.

I stayed in Blythe, California. The next morning I took Hwy. 78.


This turned out ot be a very fun road.

Starts with farm fields and then rolling hills through desert, and then sand dunes.


It was also the first time I ever had to swerve to miss a lizard that was running across the road.

I could go on and on about the ride but now the high points.

I made it to the Pacific Ocean at Silver Strand State Park, just south of San Diego.

But it doesn't count if you don't put your foot in.

Now it's on to #3. Find the southwestern most point in the US. Border Field State Park.

This park is right on the US, Mexican border. But first you must make it to the southwestern most city. Imperial Beach.

I found my way to the park but as I was riding in I was met by a road block and two Border Patrol agents on horseback. At first I was told that I would have to park my bike and walk the rest of the way to the park which was still over a mile away. After I told them how far I had ridden to get to the southwestern most point they said I could finish my ride if I could fit through the opening in the gate but that they could not open the gate. It was a tight fit but I made it through. It was a long winding road to get to the park. I was glad I didn't have to walk.


The gate.



In the parking lot behind the bike is the Bull Ring in Tijuana.


Border Moument.


This is it the most southwestern most point - Tijuana to the south and the Picifiic Ocean to the west.



Not a very secure border, people from Mexico just walk over. I had a woman walk through the fence and ask me if i could give her a ride to San Diego.
The Border Patrol doesn't say anything as long as the people go back

The Border Patrol has to sit and watch the 24/7 365 days a week. I wouldn't want their job.


Came across this, a great picture of the border. Tijuana on the right, California on the left the little bit of green on the left is the park.

The story will continue tomorrow. From here I would spend a day in Tijuana and then on to Sequoia, Yosemite, Hwy. 50 and the Badlands. More to come.

[Rollin']

A day in Tijuana. I decided to take the trolley from Chula Vista down to Tijuana and walk across the border.

Had a good day in Tijuana.
Now this is the way to shop (picking up stuff for my wife so that she lets me go again).

Me and Julio. I'm on the right.


Painted donkey??


The Arch on Revolucion Ave.


The way back to the USA.


This is what the line back to the US looks like at 1:00 pm on a Thursday. I'm glad that I walked in.

The next day I left Chula Vista, rode up the coast just past L.A. and headed for Sequoia National Park.

This is Ken and Phyllis. A retired couple from Florida that let me share their camp site at Sequoia when I showed up on Friday night and there were no sites left. They saved my day


BEARS!!!


Finding shade is not hard to do in Sequoia. And this is a small tree.


Big trees!!!



Everything is big.


Sequoia tree seed pod.

Stayed in Sequoia two nights and then went to Yosemite.


Yosemite.


Riding in Yosemite.

After Yosemite I rode to Nevada to take on Hwy.50. I picked up the official Highway 50 Survival guide and started across The Loneliest Road in America. Almost 400 miles of two lane highway. Some of the towns were 110 miles apart. there is a lot of history on Hwy. 50. Pony Express and Overland Stagecoach sites, mid-19th century mining towns, the shoe tree and the Great Basin National Park. At the park there are Bristlecone pines, some of the trees are over 3500 tears old. A Park Ranger told me that they had a tree that was over 5000 years old but they accidentally cut in down!!!



Austin.


Not much traffic on Hwy. 50.


My last stop for the day. Only $30.

Did another 200 miles of two lane highway in Utah as I worked my way up to Deadwood, SD.


I camped in Deadwood, it waited to rain until I got there.

Stayed in Deadwood one night and then it was off to the Badlands.

But first a stop in Scenic, SD. Population 10!



Riding through the Badlands.




The coolest gas pump I have ever seen. Interior, SD.

Time to head northeast. Stayed at the River View Inn in Chamberlain, SD.

You can never go wrong with green neon.


I went outside at around 11:00 pm and this was their motel sign. This sign should be in a movie.

Left South Dakota and rode to Minnesota. The Victory Motorcycle Rally is in Iowa but just 25 miles south of the Minnesota.


Now this is weird!! I was riding from the Earth Inn Motel (the first underground motel and only $30 a night) in Jackson, Minnesota down to Spirit Lake, Iowa for the Victory Motorcycle Rally when I notice that my shadow is taking my picture!! Time to go home.


I was on the road for 16 days, total miles 5741. Had a great time, I met a lot of great people. I can't wait to go again.

I did recieve my certification from the IBA for the Friday the 13th BBG1500.



Rollin'

[Mark Sedenquist]

I am going to share this one some of my bike-riding buddies.

Loved the road shots.

Mark

[UKCraig]

Great report - thanks for sharing the pics!

[Southwest Dave]

what a fantastic journey,great numbers on the gps and brilliant photo's.
it was my childhood[and many kids from the u.k]dream to ride across the states on a motorbike. unfortunately the wife won't go near one,lol!

[Rollin']

I am going to share this one some of my bike-riding buddies.

Loved the road shots.

Mark

Thank you. I took over 500 pictures on this trip. There was so much to see.

[Rollin']

what a fantastic journey,great numbers on the gps and brilliant photo's.
it was my childhood[and many kids from the u.k]dream to ride across the states on a motorbike. unfortunately the wife won't go near one,lol!

Thank you. This was the longest ride that I have ever done. I was able to see a lot, but when I came back all of my favorite stories were about the people that I met.

[Southwest Dave]

when I came back all of my favorite stories were about the people that I met.

on our trip to the states this was one of our highlights we commented on,everybody was so friendly and helpfull it really made it extra special.

[Mark Sedenquist]

I was able to see a lot, but when I came back all of my favorite stories were about the people that I met.

I have driven cross country about a dozen times, racked up about a million road miles and spent a little time in just about every state and province in North America, but when people ask me for my "favorite places" what I remember is always the people i met there. A wise lesson learned.

Mark

[Paolo99]

And some really nice pix too. Funny thing is I know exactly where you took that picture of the lack of traffic on US50. It brought everything back as clear as day. When we drove that stretch by the dry lake the road was absolutely carpeted with very crunchy insects.