31Aug08 DFW-MIA-St Maarten-San Juan PR

Just when you thought it was safe to take off your helmet......
I arrived home yesterday at 1600L (4pm local) and was called by Schedules for a 0500 sign-in to dead-head to Miami to work a flight MIA to St Maarten and on to San Juan PR to overnight, then dead-head back on the 1st.
So it was up at 0330, out the door at 0400 on the bike (R80ST) and on my way threading the needle (meteorologically speaking) between Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Depression Hanna.

My room in San Juan is at the Intercontinental Hotel, and the sign on the door says it can go for 2,850$. I wandered about to find out what was so special and came upon the pool and the beach.

It's a topless beach.

I have reservations for next month........

the entire month.

(no, no pictures.....)

30Aug08 Hinton, OK - Arlington, TX

Ride home with Hal Partenheimer

29Aug08 Just stayed in place @ Hinton, OK

29AUG08
My spot, although level, was not an approved campsite, so first thing I needed to do this morning was move.
Red Rock is a neat little State Park, originally used by the Plains Indians to escape the winter winds in Oklahoma. If you are not looking for it as you drive south on Rt 8 out of Hinton you will surely miss it as it cuts down into the earth and twists out of sight. It is like one of those rows in a corn field as you drive by at 70mph. If there are many rows the optical illusion is that you can look down the space between plants, but if there is only one row it is gone before your mind can register it was there.
As the name describes the rock on either side of the canyon is varied hues of red, and there is a nice little flowing stream at the bottom which allows for lush green grass and a little fishing pond. OK has also installed a regular swimming pool for the summer months along with a gee-dunk (Navy term for hot-dog/candy stand) run by local charities.
Hinton is an agricultural town, so traffic consists of pick-ups, tractors and tank trucks carrying either fuel or ominous looking liquids out to the farms. The local breakfast/lunch/dinner spot was inside the Philipps 66 station north of town. Out front were the gas/diesel pumps, inside to the left was the store with a little bit of everything and anything the feed/lumber next door didn't carry, and to the right was the coffee and grill area. In the middle of it all was ONE clerk, a young woman in her 20's who ran it all seamlessly and efficiently - even when the high school girls basketball team came in for their post practice brunch. She appeared unfazed by the volume of traffic, and, like a traffic cop, was clear in her instructions to keep things moving. There was no sense about her that she felt overworked or put upon to be at work, rather (and this is totally subjective on my part) that she was glad to have a job.
As in Great Falls, a couple of the tables were occupied by senior members of the community, whose skin gave witness to the power of the sun and elements in the area. These were the real deal farmers/ranchers whose cowboy hats were stained with salt and sweat, and with four to a table the brims about touched in the middle as they leaned in for conversation. Pure efficiency and no wasted movement. Only their eyes tracked the basketball players in their shorts and tank tops as they circled the cash-register.
I was to find out that due to circumstances beyond their control only one of my buds could make it up for the camp-out. Late in the afternoon Hal P. pulled into town on his R65LS, and after unloading his bags and baggage we went into town for pizza and a couple beers. On the way back we nearly cleared a well defined rain shower at the Park entrance, and on the advice of the Boy Scout Troop which had moved in next to us in our absence moved the tent yet again to higher ground.
Previously in my blog I've noted the different neighbors one can get in campgrounds. The bonfire building tree destroying country western loving beer drinking hell raisers, the domestic disturbing voice raising women and children crying families, and so on. But I think of them all the worst are the Troops of Boy or Girl Scouts and their 'adult' leadership; for while they are relatively quiet and relatively respectful, there is a continuous stream of questions and activities and periodic shouts attendant to the troopers, and always one, sometimes two of the adults who insist on engaging in unnecessarily lout conversations about their own personal saga, introduced and then disguised as the history of the area or of troop activities. They will pontificate and expound to any who will appear to listen, and to all who don't. It never stops. Because they are Scouts of America you feel a little guilty at hating them for it.
But you do.

28Aug08 Alliance, NE - Hinton, OK

700 mile day

28 Aug 08
By morning the Bud and Cathi's dogs and I were on good terms, so I left a 10 in the doorway, coffeed up at the McStarbuck's and headed south. On through Nebraska, into Kansas and finally Oklahoma.
I hadn't planned on much sightseeing this day, so it worked out well that there weren't many sights to, ah, see. The G/S did turn over 50,000 miles, half of which were mine in the last 4 years.
This turned into a 700 mile ride from Alliance NE to Hinton OK. Didn't really mean to do it, but once I got rolling, there didn't seem much reason to stop.
I arrived at the Red Rock Canyon SP about 10pm, rolled through once or twice and then just threw down my tent on a level spot and cratered. Tomorrow I would recover and wait for my friend(s) to show up.

27Aug08 Hulet, WY - Alliance, NE

26aug08
I'm sure that during the Stugis Rally the road noise and whatever was going on at the Feed Coop across the street gets drowned out by the hoohaa in the campground, but my tossing and turning didn't diminish it whatsoever. And I could hear the shotgun blasts at 1am even through my earplugs. Bear? Beer? Jealous lover?
Anyway, I tried for breakfast in camp and discovered that, yes, there IS an expiration date for instant oatmeal, so after a quick valve check (been 3000 since I left DFW) I headed down the road to Devil's Tower. The valve check sorta put me in the mind of what it takes to put a bike on the road for an extended period.
There is routine maintenance which is done at predictable intervals. Preventative maintenance, which is done when necessary to forestall more serious problems.
And then there are repairs, which obviously take place when something has failed.
Many riders do not consider themselves, nor want to be, mechanics. That's fine, and a personal decision. However, I think it prudent that we be maintainers of our machines, else become forced into becoming repairmen on a dark road in the middle of nowhere. Some foresight/forethought is necessary to have fresh oil, tune up or tires before a trip, or be learned enough to accomplish same along the way either personally or by appointment with a shop. I prefer to do it myself rather than be tied to a scheduled appointment in a particular location.
We also need, on longer trips, maintain the rider, as well as his ride. Proper hydration, proper nutrition (my weakness), proper rest (ok, another weakness), and even proper hygiene are all necessary to avoid emergency repairs. Sure we want to go, see, do; but it is also absolutely necessary to rest, eat properly, stop and drink fluids, and take care of washing and waxing, so to speak.
So, after taking care of the horse (as I taught Emily to say), it was off to Devil's Tower, a short distance away. In fact there were several very nice, probably quieter, probably more expensive, camping grounds en route, but, as I said, I needed to get off the road ASAP.
Devil's Tower was originally called Bear's Lodge by the locals (before the White Men came) and the legend was that 6 sisters and their brother were out in the woods when the boy turned into a bear and began to pursue the girls. The Great Spirit caused the earth to rise beneath the girls, lifting them to safety in the sky, while the bear clawed at the mound of stone. The girls are now the stars of Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) and the claw marks are the stress cracks in the rock. Actually geologists think it was a magma push that originally was buried underground, and the Belle Forche River eroded many cubic miles of dirt to expose it. When the magma cooled the stress was relieved by fractures into hexagonal (like bee hive) columns.
Lots of visitors, and all very friendly. One, Scott from VA, on a BMW R1200GS on his way to Alaska. Bit late in the season, isn't it? Yeah, but when the boss gives you a month off, you go. He was on his way to Billings for a valve check-up (maintenance, remember?).
Now back to some mileage to the south and east. Off to Newcastle WY for lunch at Subway (just a check in the block) where Phil, once I mentioned Mt Rushmore, put me onto Iron Mountain Road. I was heading to Custer on 16, and he told me just to continue east through Custer NP on 16A, then on the east side to take IMR north. He said I wouldn't regret it.
I didn't. It is one of the most spectacular roads I, ah, rode this trip.
Custer NP is a beautiful CCC park, with attendant log and stone structures, open fields, and wildlife including Buffalo. Several times traffic came to a stop either to look at them, or because a herd of one or two dozen was slowly crossing the roadway. Everywhere are signs reminding drivers that "Bison are dangerous, do not approach", so it was I was a bit apprehensive motoring around and between on the bike. Then came the 'pig tail' bridges - these roll around and back over themselves going up the hill toward Rushmore. Each is followed by a 10' wide by 13' high (one car) tunnel. From my direction I was treated to a framed view of the Presidents each time!
Mt Rushmore is everything the brochures and encyclopedias say
is and I was not embarrassed to be an unabashed tourist there. I also learned that point and shoot cameras are not as simple to operate as one might think. Several times I asked passers by (many with much larger and more complicated photography equipment dangling from their necks) if they would take a shot, assuming they could include both me and the faces of Rushmore in a level, focused picture. Nope. I had my head cut off, my feet cut off, stood at an angle, missed me entirely, and, oh, yeah, only 3 of the 4 presidents showing. Viewing the monument is free, parking is 10$ (I did hear 2 bikers work a deal about 10$ is for 4 wheels in one space and two bikes is..... 5$ each. If you really are touring on the cheap, you can find a parking spot around the corner (called Profile Pull-out because you can see Washington's, ah, Profile from there) and walk back!
Ok, now for some distance. I have a plan to meet one or more of my ridding buddies at a CG in Oklahoma, and I want to be there in time to get a good campsite. On down through Nebraska to the town of Alliance, along Rt 385 where I pull off to fill the 'dinner' square. The Mc'server says that there's an RV site along 385 just a mile further on, so I pass-up the Sunshine RV Park and Campground advertised on the billboard. This was a mistake. The RV site was where and as advertised, but it's proximity to the highway made for a noisy night. It was also squarely in the middle of a truck dispatch yard AND was Bud and Cathi's backyard moneymaker. They have dogs.
Earplugs.

26Aug08 Cut Bank, MT - Hulet, WY

Waking I found I would be packing up between showers, so I waited for lulls to dash to the 'facilities' and back for my morning routine. I've packed up inside the tent before, but never panicked the tent itself in the wet. As a consequence the fly got grass and dirt on it. I think I'd have been better served to take it into the facilities house and at least fold it/pack it there. I should have realized from it's location that Cut Bank is the home for many of the workers in the Glacier Park system, so traffic was pretty heavy beginning about 0500. Town is a 1950's Rte 66 kind of place with advertising and the 'camp' motels and diners. Despite the rainclouds it was a beautiful morning with patches of sunlight on the prairie grass. I was traveling down some of the same roads I'd ridden earlier in the summer, and recalled seeing Belt MT with it's very own Belt Creek Brewery. An interesting place, I'm sure. And I'm sure some would wonder whether I stopped in, and if not, why not? Well I didn't, and though I can't really explain why (when will I have the opportunity again?), it really doesn't matter. If you want to know, then you stop by. I was ridding my ride, and I did it my way, thankyouverymuch, stopping when it suited me, riding when it suited me, etc. Big rain clouds all about, but the liquid stuff was missing me. Mostly. But not the wind. Geez.

Stopped for coffee and breakfast muffin at Great Falls, along with the coffee clatch of retired AF geezers. About 4 separate tables, all talking about a) glory days or b) children. There's an F102 Delta Dart Popsicle right next to the Hardees. On through Billings, where I spent way, way too long at a convenience store - first to get coffee, then to jettison it. Did have a nice repartee with the clerk when she caught me doing a strip-tease in the parkinglot. Next was the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument, though I arrived 30 minutes after the last tour ended. I hadn't boned up on the history of the battle (though I did hear the final score was lopsided), so it wasn't as meaningful as it could have been. There is, however, a certain sense of reverence to the white markers, row upon row, for anyone who has served in the military. At the top of one rise is a large monument, denoting the spot where BGen Custer made his last stand, behind the carcasses of his horses. From there you can see scattered about the battlefield white and red markers where the bodies of soldiers and native americans were found. Interesting, and of significance to me was the fact that nearly every white (soldier) marker was paired to another or small group, while the red (American Indian) markers were frequently singularly placed. Consider standing back to back with your best friend knowing you were never going to leave that place. It was also significant that the Lakota Chiefs spoke in eloquence about protecting their way of life against aggression, not about conquering or defeating the white man. Their spirituality would be apparent again.


Pressed on MT212 to 24 to Hulet WY. Too far into the dusk and night. There were deer everywhere, it seemed, and I got the heebee geebee's (wonder where that expression came from) thinking about the consequences of a highspeed encounter. Finally at Hulet I lucked into the Screaming Eagle CG, which, although totally lovely with trees and thick soft grass, with two facility houses, was totally empty. Sign said OPEN, so I parked it and called it a night. I also called the number on the door, and in minutes Ms Victoria Bush showed up with extra toilet paper and gave me the grand tour. Her car, by the way, showed the results of an aforementioned encounter with Bambi. She was so happy to have a camper she let me pet one of her chihuahuas. 10$ for the night. Even with both of us and the dogs present deer were wandering right through as if they owned the place.

25Aug08 Arlington, TX - Calgary, AB - Cut Bank, MT

"Cleanly out of the gate" is an expression more suited to giant slalom or horse racing than motorcycle touring. At least in my case. Before I leave on my 4000 mile + trip (which I've planned for over a month) I need to help get the kids out to the first day of school, RSVP-ing to my niece's wedding, getting to an ATM, finding my GPS; all have to be accomplished before my 0830 departure to the airport (and, yes, all were known about and coulda shoulda been accomplished well before this day). And don't forget the airport parking pass.... I'll need to shampoo the walkway I put in the carpet going in/out getting ready to leave. Again, by allowing time these little hitches are irritating, but not panic inducing. The plan (and from past experience we know how that can go) is: Monday - DFW to YYC, get bike, close storage, ride to border, pick up stashed treasure, head as far towards Great Falls MT as possible. Tuesday - move towards Mt Rushmore. Wednesday - head towards Colorado. Thursday - Colorado to Wichita KS. Friday - Wichita to Red Rock Canyon Hinton OK. Saturday - Hinton OK to Arlington TX (home). Reality for day one went pretty close to plan. Got to the airport in plenty of time for the flight to Calgary, cabbed to Sentenal Storage and closed account there. The owners, Cheryl and her husband, are both bikers and had just gotten back from a 2 week trip thru the NW US. Their stand-in was effective enough as a seat filler - albeit squarefaced and humorless. She had the personality and charm of a brick with fingers.


The wind was the big story of the day. I was watching a cloudbank to the west over the Rockies and the rainfall and descent down the mountains accellerated the 'breeze' well into the 30+mph range and C O L D. I was in RideCon1 (liner and FroggToggs) and still shivering! Really hope to make the turn east at Glacier US before the rain comes! Passed "Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump" and the town of Nantona, which boasted an AirMuseum (don't know the connection) showing two pilot Popsicles (plane on a stick) of Voodoo and Sabre and a Lancaster! Wonder what the 'hole cards' were? Made the border cold by dry, and raised the immigration agent's eyebrow when I passed my, ah, passport complete with 100$ emergency cash included. He just looked at me and passed it back. Next evolution was to find the buried treasure I'd left by the roadside a month ago. There are things that a protective father wants to have when traveling with his 16 year old daughter in the back roads and back country which the Canadian authorities do not allow into their country, licensed though it may be. While it may seem less than secure to simply bury it at the foot of a tree 125yds off the roadway and cover with rocks, I can assure you, there are treasures buried much less covertly which have never been found! Ask any true treasure hunter! Anyway, I new my marks (Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is a great read...) and found it straight away.

Got into Cut Bank MT at dusk, put the check in the block of nourishment at the McDonalds there, and then the rain finally caught up with me. Fortunately there was an 'in town' RV ground right across the street, and when I pulled up Mike, the operator, directed me to a rocky looking site that would both allow me to dodge the wind and stake down properly. It was rather like a rock hand with the fingers pointing up and the site in it's palm. Way cool. I slept to the patter of rain and sounds (but not effects) of wind.

13AUG08 Canmore Canada to Arlington, TX

Spacer - just saving a slot...... more later

12AUG08 Waterfowl Lake CG, Banff NP, AB - Canmore, AB, Canada

Really slow start today...Cold last night as things (finally) cleared. Campfires are permitted (for an additional 9$), but being near the woodpile we heard mucho chopping (Geez, are they building a house, or WHAT?) and the neighbors had a Kleig lite on 'till 0100.

37 degrees at 0430. Got up about 0830 for pictures of the cliffs and water, chatted with a recumbent bicycle rider from the Netherlands who started in Atlanta freaking Georgia. Lots of common ground, then he lit into Bush. Not with a vengeance, but certainly with conviction. Sad to be on the unpopular side of the lines. Anyway, he'll finish in Jasper and then train to Toronto to exit - his US visa expired and he couldn't get an extension! He and his daughter, now married, had comparable travels when she was young, and just before her marriage.
Em up around 0930, finally out of the CG at 1030. Rode back to Lake Louis for lunch - a picnic by the side of the road nearly attacked by some ground squirrels! Tried to get to a hike near Field BC, but foiled by an inaccurate wall painting map in the deli. Neat little town though, and more awesome scenery. Continued back to Canmore stopping 'only' for photos. Nice to be 'home' (second night qualifies) for a hot shower. I thought EM was gonna cry she was so happy. Must admit, it felt pretty good to be clean and warm. Even shaved.
Set up the tent and left Em to read Grapes of Wrath for school while I checked out a road I'd found on a map in McD's. Wow! Just Wow! Finally some dirt/gravel (they really don't like or encourage motorized vehicles off road in these NP's). This looks to be paved soon, as it is graded and packed, with some washboards and chuck holes to hold your attention. Late sun was wonderful on the rocks, and, oh, the lakes! Saw mountain goats and deer, and took gobs and gobs of photos and video.
Here's a question: How fast do you ride through paradise?
I enjoyed going 'quickly' (which, of course, is a relative term), but was continually stopping and even going back for photos or a look. Beyond belief, beyond scale. Still the teal blue glacial runoff water, but some clearer places. Saw fish rising and men with poles, so there's that as well. I'd say Canmore is a stop on it's own!
So now the only real worry is getting Em (and me) on the plane. Should be a good nite's sleep, and a warm shower in the AM to get us moving by 0700 and out by 0800 to 0830 and in cue by 1030 for the 1430 flight. If not that one, we'll have to sniff out an alternate. If we make it on the flight this'll have been a bang up holiday!

11AUG08 Waterfowl Lake, Banff NP, AB Canada

Drizzly morning, I was fairly cold last night, though thermometer says 45 or so at lowest point. Hope Emily did ok; that's always my thought - hope Em's doing OK, and maybe enjoying this a little. Finally let up enough to rise about 0830. Had to head north to Sascatchewan Crossing in RideCon1 (that's liner, mesh gear AND Frogg Toggs). A little for the wet, mostly for the cold. Prices were way high! Breakfast bagels 7$ each, coffee and watery hot chocolate 3$ for 23$ for two! AND GAS!!!! Up to the Ice Fields. The scale of this scenery is difficult to grasp. Rockface cliffs from valley floor literally into the clouds. Moran piles everywhere and all the water is teal with rock flour.
Continued on to the Colombian Ice Field Exhibit. VERY nice, food and bathroom and lodging (no gas) and tours were only 36$ each! A bargain! Bus to the edge of the glacier run, then an ice-cat onto the t glacier. Steep 36% grade down, then up to the ice falls. Beautiful aqua colour, and the water melt tastes pure - like Evian! Lots of Photos. Lunch was 8$ for coffee and pizza, and em's was "free" (the cashier had walked away and there was no one to hand money). Checked internet (2$ for 15min) for flight info (RED, of course). No way to make the 0700, but will definitely be there 4 hours early (1430-400=1030) to sign in for the 1430 flite. Must leave Canmore by 0830.

Lots of people in hiking togs. Kinda disappointed not to do much (any) - the Johnson Canyon Falls walk aside. It's not Em's thing and getting here in/out/in riding kit is too much of a hassle. There'll always be a hike I didn't do, or a road I haven't ridden - that shouldn't take one step or one rpm from those that I have! We've given it a good go, as best we could. Again, no complaints, no whining, just an adventurous heart. After lunch we cruised back to camp (how nice not to have to find a campground, select a site, unload and set up) taking photos and, hopefully, awesome video. We're having an impromptu undeclared photographic competition, and I'm enjoying it mucho! She's way into macro right not. I remember that phase - and zoom! I remember wondering what the point was in anything under 135mm! Of course, she won't have to pay to develop 100's of shots like I did (or did my dad pay?). There's also no waiting (instant gratification) and instant feedback on quality. Now we're waiting for nightfall - she's reading school assignment (Grapes of Wrath) and I'm catching up on this journal.

10AUG08 Canmore, AB - Waterfowl Lake CG, Banff NP, Canada

49 last night and nearly comfortable. As expected, traffic into the National Park quieted down quickly after dark. Wind-y road, wildlife, etc. I let Em sleep a bit and went to McD's for Breakfast. Saw a Harley Davidson on a trailer behind a pick-up, and asked a family guy inside if it was his. Yes (along with the 2 small boys; one on mommy's 30-something year old breast the whole time). She, it turns out, did time in Beeville TX (my wife's hometown of 15,000 in South Texas) ten years ago as a nurse. Small world. Em up and at it while I pack up. Lots of moisture, but with two of us we flicked the fly dry in no time. On the road by 0930. 30$ to ride the parks for 3 days.
Ok Need: fuel line, knife (hatchet for camping?), 6" or so Philips screwdriver, water 'jug', ditch the Soviet silverware. Tent set up getting better each time - need longer nails (spikes) and a couple more aluminum stakes for top. Pillow still an issue - maybe just a pillowcase to stuff?


Walked up to Johnson Canyon Falls. Em wearing lots of leg stuff - pants, mesh, AND toggs - couldn't bend over far enough to take off boots to take off mesh/toggs. Lots of Orientals, lots of kids (and strollers) and lots of dogs (on leashes). Not much trail etiquette. The strollers were double-wide on a single lane trail, and the dogs, being dogs, just couldn't decide which tree needed attention. Some older (British, I think) women came down in hiking kit complaining of it all. I interjected that the discussion could continue at my campfire that evening over a glass of Scotch. They laughed. One fat old photographer got out on the viewing platform for upper falls and spent as much time as he wanted adjusting his camera and taking snap after snap to get the shot he thought he deserved - never mind the line-up behind him.

. Lake Louise is both a body of water and a tourist village in the park. Stunning, just like the photo's, and full of folks walking about taking pictures, but Em didn't want to walk to the far end and back. Fair enough. Weather was peek-a-boo the whole day.

Next was Moraine Lake, with beautiful coloring. The Teal coming from the suspended rock flour created by the grinding glacier, suspended in the water and lit up by the sunlight. Juxtaposed with the white snow and unbelievably high/shear rock cliffs it was an awesome scene.

We pressed well into evening, then came upon Waterfowl CG. I let em pick the site (#27) and set up, then, since we were betwixt and between places, back to Num-Ti-Jah Lodge cafe for dinner (http://www.num-ti-jah.com/home.html). Well, the cafe turned out to be a full blown restaurant, with a 'sitting' at 6pm. Oh! That means $$$ (like 100 for 2). Very nice setting, sitting, ambiance, whatever, and I was proud of Emily's demeanor, but she wasn't too impressed with the salmon on weird, I mean, wild, rice, though I found my Elk steak delicious - both bites (a bit small portion for a Texan). Lots of talk over dinner about past, present, future, family, boyfriend, school etc.

I've got a young woman on my hands.

09AUG08 Arlington, TX, USA - Canmore, AB, Canada

Seems like there's always something when you are trying to get to the airport. This time it was last minute copies of music for Emily to memorize, but out by 0840 for a 1040 flight, and a good trip to the airport. Separate seats, but in eyeshot. I tried to sleep, but instead was leaned over the whole way and got a neck cramp. Wound up with a headache the rest of the day.

26$ Cabride to storage, and then on the road by 1500L and into Canmore ahead of the rain. We actually went to the lower entrance of the park and turned around, as the weather was closing. Set-up camp and then headed into town for a look-see and maybe dinner. Wound up 'stuck' in a chocolate shop for 20 minutes of downpour. That hurt (yeah, right).


McD's for dinner (just across the street from the campground) and met a Goldwing driver from CA. Emily suddenly into French (un, deu, trois, etc), and very interested in the common area barn, magazines, migrant workers from (you guessed it) French Canada (Quebec/Montreal). We played several games of backgammon, and then hit the hay. 20$ for 2 (15$ for one tent, one person).