Day 27/28: Los Angeles

My blog from yesterday seems to have disappeared so here we go again.
We are very much in the winding up phase now having spent the day cleaning bikes, hopefully to a standard that MAF accepts.
Yesterday was a much more enjoyable day than expected. No photos I'm afraid but we left Needles at sunrise to enjoy a great crossing of the Mojave desert. Spent most of the time alone with our thoughts, half spent appreciating the stark beauty of the desert and half contemplating the last ride day of our trip. There has been a lot of rain through here ( the entire western states seems to have had unusual rain with Colorado really copping it). The wet weather has left the desert quite green, pastel greens and greys seen against a morning haze. Very nice.
After a rest break in Barstowe we tackled the final 100 or so miles into LA. Once again the helmet radios were excellent allowing for a co- ordinated approach in the traffic.
Sadly then our adventure has come to an end, assuming we survive tomorrows day in LA.
If you will bear with me just a little longer I would like to talk about the 3 key ingredients that once again gave us such a fantastic trip.
People, country and of course the bikes.
It is tempting to try and name everybody we met along the way but I won't. I would like to say that each little interaction with friends and strangers is what makes this such a meaningful experience. From those who had us stay in their homes to the chance meetings on top of mountains. Thank you, you gave the depth to our experience.
Two deserve particular mention though. Jennie who I thought of every day. The images and moments I would have shared. You'll just have to take my word for it. Thanks Jen for encouraging me to go again even though you knew how hard another month of solo parenting would be.
Obviously the other person to mention is Dave.
Put simply this could not have happened without him. He has no fear of big ideas and he is very good at seeing them to fruition. We have had plenty of laughs and no shortage of good conversation. Once again Dave has pushed me outside my comfort zone. That has been a good thing. I wouldn't have done half of the crazy riding or seen half of the amazing things I have without Daves encouragement. We had our tense moments as well, but not many and when we did have issues we worked through them quickly. We are still great friends at the end of it. Thanks then Dave, for everything.
I have abused Dave much less in this years blog than last years. That was an error. He is still as much of a nutter as he always has been! The number of times he told me I am a poor sleeper. Who would sleep well with lights on all night, computers pinging away and regular Skype calls coming through. Give me strength! I could go on..
Thank you to all of you readers. Dave seems to have given the blog address to every person he has met along the way. I no longer know who I am writing for but thanks for justifying my daily diary and reminding me to document our trip in pictures and in words.
I'm tenuously hanging onto my train of thought here. The country, not America and Canada, but our amazing planet. If only I could truly capture the epic scenery, the size and remoteness the smell and the feel of all we have passed through. Heat, cold, the crunch of gravel, the roar of water. We are so privileged in what we have here on mother earth.
Lastly, this was always a bike trip. I've tried to explain at times what that means. You either get it or you don't. One thing I know is that we had the perfect bikes for our trip. They did everything we asked of them in great style. Near vertical rock faces, deep water, sand, single track through to long distance highway travel. The KTM 990 Adventure is a special bike. It will be sad to separate ours but both will have further adventures.
So on that note, thank you for following. In the words of Tom, over and out.

Day 26: Needles, California

For those of you with sensitive dispositions and particularly small children, please shield your eyes. Today we travelled via various godforsaken shitholes to where the fuck are we California.
I had to step in with doctorly authority as Dave, who is usually sensible (ish) unravels when the temperature gets above 35. So when we hit the Mojave desert and temperatures > 42 degrees Celsius or > 107 Fahrenheit he started saying clever things like if I was riding on my own I'd head across the desert and be in LA tonight. "Why?"was my question of course and after a quick mutiny on my part we agreed to stay in Needles at a 44 dollar motel with a swimming pool and all required amenities. Tomorrow we shall use the time change ( we just passed into Pacific time) to our advantage and do the 240km stretch to Barstow in the early morning coolness.
If you are wondering what these temperatures feel like put your hair dryer on high and point it at your face.
For a better sense climb inside your oven at the same time.
Anyway, enough of that.
This morning we had some fun with route 66. A nice gentleman at our motel, riding a Harley, hit the nail on the head for me (so to speak).
For most people Route 66 is a nostalgia trip. If you are younger than 60-70 and not exposed to American culture of bygone years you won't get it. I have seen Grease ( who could forget Olivia Neutron Bomb singing Sandra Dee - even now my eyes moisten), so of course I understand fully what it's all about.
Of course the other group, and forgive my rather cynical arrogance now, is the pudgy pseudo bikers decked out in the most ridiculous amount of Harley memorabilia out doing the dream US mother road trip. Easily recognised they travel in packs of 20 or more bikes followed by support vehicles. They are awkward as they are most likely inexperienced riders on rental bikes and it can be a little tricky overtaking such a long train. You certainly don't want to find yourself in the position of having to join the train during an overtaking manoeuvre in case it sets off panic and the whole lot fall over.
This was deemed a sufficient reason to see the mile ton on the speedo a few times in the name of safe overtaking manoeuvres.
Anyway, these bunches fill every town with lines of Harley's parked outside the curio stores. To be fair it led to some fun people watching and at least they are out there enjoying themselves.
This morning was enough of the route 66 experience for me though and despite Needles being a godforsaken place it is probably more genuine 66 than much of this mornings tourist trapping.
Tomorrow we head into Los Angeles. We have a bit of sorting of bikes ahead of us, mine needs to be prepped for the trip home and Dave's needs to be prepped for whatever his next trip will be. It will be a little sad to separate them but before that we will enjoy the last days proper ride tomorrow.

Day 25: Williams, Arizona

Hmm, one of those days. Having left my favourite motel of the trip in Mexican Hat we drifted down into Monument Valley. The reason it was my favourite motel? Well it had no TV and it had a front porch. We had a lovely balmy evening as the sun set, watching the lightning from a distant thunderstorm. Afterwards I listened to music until I fell asleep. Couldn't have been more relaxing.
The stretch of road leading into monument valley must be the most photographed piece of road in the world. It is spectacular as you come over the rise and see the mesas in the distance with the road curving away. It looks so lonely. The reality was of course coming over the rise and almost flattening the Italian family doing the photo op in the middle of the road. I took my pic from a little rise next to the road as I wanted to be different and also it's wrong to have to queue to have to take a picture in the middle of a "deserted road".
Monument valley is spectacular, similar vibe to Arches in Moab. There had been heavy rain through the night before which was great for us as it kept the dust down and added some fun to the scenic loop which was a mixture of mud and sand. We might have enjoyed the road more than he scenery but all in all it made an excellent combo.
After lunch in the town of Kayenta ( I don't think I have ever been in a more depressing place), we rode rather briskly to the Grand Canyon.
The plan had been to spend the night absorbing the majesty of the place but we hadn't factored quite how many people would be there and how expensive it is. So rather than a leisurely evening watching the sunset we had a late afternoon at the canyon elbowing the crowds out of the way.
Eventually we cracked and rode 50 miles down the road to Williams - more about that in a moment.
Experiences are so subjective and so ours of the canyon should be seen through a filter of hot, tired, crowds etc
Despite the majesty of the place I realised I have seen so many images that it wasn't jaw dropping, it was simply what I expected.
Unlike Williams.
I had never heard of Williams until today. We arrived latish at the motel where the check in lady was blessed with the most annoying voice ever. Dave helped by asking lots of questions so that I could fully appreciate how annoying she is. Eventually I cracked (again) and leapt across the counter and pounded her with the "what to do in Williams" pamphlets until she was finally mercifully quiet.
I didn't realise that we are now on Route 66. So we pop a mile down the road to town for supper to be totally immersed in neon, Harley's and 50's throwback Chevys. I have never seen so many 66 signs. All very different to Mexican Hat but once i put my cynicism aside, quite cool. From empty mountains to Saturday night parading in 24 hours..
I didn't take my phone so no pictures but I expect there will be plenty more opportunities for Route 66 imagery.
No shortage of spectacular images today.

Day 24: Mexican Hat, Utah

Firstly, yet another September birthday wish, this time to my older brother Paul. Given the number of September birthdays we have in our clan it's clearly more than just fireworks going off on New Years!
We left the Rockies with a bit of melancholy today. It's been such an amazing trip down the continental divide. Scenery that is difficult to do justice to with words or photos. The same for the riding and all interspersed with regular chance meetings of great people. Last night it was Keith and Bob who shared a lovely meal and stories with us. Also riders, they understand.
So this morning we left Ouray after a walk in the local box canyon. The river was in full flow after the heavy rain that's been falling and in fact even here in Utah the rivers are very high with muddy water from the same rainfall.
We rode South to Silverton and then Durango, both of us occupied with our own thoughts ( I assume, I can only speak for myself, Daves mind may have been blank for all I know).
Turning West we headed into the desert. This turned out to be excellent riding and amazing scenery as we rode the tiny "c" roads through the Navajo reserves South of Hovenweep and eventually to our overnight stop here at the upper end of the spectacular Monument Valley.
The photos tell part of the story but again there was no end to the spectacular tableau of red rock, washes, canyons laced with the greenery of river tracts.
Dave has given his all in the Rockies and mind, body and bike are all slightly bruised. He clearly needed a little cheering up and with this in mind I decided to have a little interaction with the State troopers in Cortez. This may seem unusual but it turns out that it is illegal to ride the wrong way up the road on the sidewalk and then into the exit for McDonalds (coffee only in case you were wondering). Some sweet talking and we all parted in good cheer. He thought I might be drunk. I just have a thing for those flashing blue and red lights!
It all worked because Dave was a lot happier once he'd watched me shuffling from one foot to another!
Mexican Hat is a tiny little hamlet that is decidedly quirky. We agreed this would be the spot to stop as it allows for a leisurely ride down the valley tomorrow, eventually turning towards the Grand Canyon. The bikes are nestled up to hitching post like the horses would have been back in the old days.
The town in the photos is Ouray, our favourite Colorado town. I'm sure you can see why.