Heading back East....

I'm baaaack!!!  Did ya miss me!?!?!  When I last left you kidz, we were preparing for Cathy's BIG BIRTHDAY DINNER!  We went to a restaurant called Claim Jumpers in the Town Square shopping section in Vegas.  Town Square is pretty nifty...like a Crocker Park or Legacy Village back home.  Some of Bob & Cathy's friends met us there and joined us for dinner.  The food was AWESOME!  The portions were HUGE!  The service SUCKED!  Oh well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad!  Everyone scattered afterward and we went to a local joint called the Blue Hawk Tavern before returning to the homestead.  We had an early morning planned for riding the next day, so that was fine with me!  Especially after I donated so much to the casinos in the days prior!

The Terwilligers and the Tvrdiks at Claim Jumpers!

We woke up Saturday ready to ride!  Have I mentioned HOW HOT IT IS THERE?!?!?!  Have I mentioned that I have NO IDEA HOW YOU PEOPLE LIVE THERE?!?!  Hahaha!!!  Seriously!  That heat just ain't for me!  We took a ride to the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, NV.  Tom & I were last there in 2006 with our pals Bill & Sue Curran.  It was freezing last time we were there!  I wished I was freezing that day!  The Pioneer Saloon is a really neat place.  It was where Clark Gable waited for word of Carol Lombard's fate after her plane crashed into the nearby mountain.  There's a bunch of old articles and paraphernalia, and a pot-belly stove, which I remember being warmed by back in 2006.  No need for the pot-belly stove today!  We found out that next May is the Centennial Celebration for the Pioneer Saloon!  They've removed a chunk of the mountain where Carol Lombard crashed and are selling commemorative numbered bricks for $25.  If you donate/buy one, your name will be added to a historical marker placed near the chunk of mountain!  The History Channel is set to film the festivities next May, and Google Street View will be by, so I can zoom in from back home in Cleveland to make sure our names are on there!  (Oh, yes...by the way...we donated/purchased a brick!)  We were also offered the chance to send an envelope to be placed in a time capsule which will be opened in May of 2113!  We could leave a note for our future family members if we want!  Pretty neat!  The man at the Saloon was explaining that Goodsprings was the happening place to be until the 1920's.  That's when Vegas took over!
Here's some info on the Pioneer Saloon!

From the Pioneer we took a ride to a place called Mountain Springs Saloon in the Red Rock Canyon area.  It sure was pretty there!  With all kinds of signs warning of wildlife.  I'd hate to ride through there at night!  It was MUCH cooler there, too!  I was loving that part! The Mountain Springs Saloon is a true biker bar.  More like a biker compound!  There was the main bar, then another out-building that sold t-shirts & such, then another building that had food to order from a window.  We sat outside by the food building and Tom & I split a bacon/mushroom quesadilla because I was STARVING!  (Shocking, I know!)  A few of the patrons had their dogs there.  It was really laid back.  After some time, about 15 new bikes pulled in, and not long after a bad-ass looking dude with a HUMONGOUS knife on his side came back to where we were sitting and quickly went back toward the parking lot.  Hmmmmm.  Wonder who he's with.  Didn't see any colors on him.  A short time later we were ready to head back into the heat that is Las Vegas, so Tom & I decided to stop back in the bar on our way out for some ice water.  I walked in the door to find the place wall-to-wall with Mongols.  CRAP!  I'm not gonna turn around and walk right back out, dammit.  Not gonna show them that they scare the crap outta me!  So we wait at the bar for some water.  And wait.  And wait.  The Mongols are all getting waited on before us....understandably!  The bartender is no fool!  So I wait with a huge pit in my stomach and a VERY uneasy feeling about the whole scene!  Most of the patches are still brand-new looking, which worries me even more, because the newbies probably feel that they have more to prove.  Crap.  After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, we decided to leave.  Without water.  I'm not intimidated by many people or clubs.  These cats managed scared the bejesus out of me just by their mere presence!  

A few minutes later we were thankfully back on the road, heading back toward Vegas.  Our next stop was at Bachi Burger, which was featured on Guy Fieri's Triple-D!  Tom and I split an order of Peking Duck steam buns and a Kalbi Burger, which was messy and loaded with Kim Chi.  (Did I spell that correctly!?!?!)  Anyhow....Super spicy!  And delish!  After returning to the homestead yet again, we got cleaned up and headed for the M Casino and then to South Point  I kept winning at M.  Unfortunately, whatever I won there I would promptly give to a different casino the next day!  Duh.  By 10:00 I was tired and ready to crash.  I never did adjust from Cleveland time.  Ugh!  Back to Casa De Tvrdik for us!  

Then came SUNDAY!  BROWNS FOOTBALL DAY!  WooHoo!!!  Steve picked us up and took us out to the Sun Coast Casino to watch the game.  We got there plenty early and requested that the bartender turn the Browns game on for us, which he did.  Unfortunately, I played the video poker machine for the entire game, which cost me $200.00.  (Actually, it cost me more than $300.00 because I gave back whatever I won!)  By the end of the game, I felt like I was back home at Browns Stadium....Broke, Buzzed, and Disappointed!  Such is the life of a Browns fan!  We hit the In-N-Out burger drive through on the way back "home"!  Hooray!  Double-Double, baby!!!  We said "farewell" to Steve.  Hopefully he'll make it back home for Thanksgiving this year!  The rest of Sunday was spent horizontal on the couch, watching the tube! Perfect!  Here's some miscellaneous pix!

Bella Kisses!   Kissy Kissy Kissy!

Everyone loves the pool!

Steve, looking aloof as always!

Monday morning we woke up bright and early, ready to pack it up and head back east.  :-(  I didn't want to leave.  Bob had just gotten home from work as we were packing the bikes.  Good bye, Bob & Cathy!  Good bye, Abbie & Bella!  Thanks so much for the hospitality!  And down the road we roared!  It was a surprisingly cool, pleasant ride into Arizona!  Riding the bridge over Hoover Dam was a little scary for me.  Lots o' wind.  Luckily I couldn't see over the edge of the bridge but I could only imagine how high we were! We reached the Arizona border and ditched the helmets!  Hooray!

Even into Arizona, the weather was still comfortable!  As we approached Flagstaff, it was even slightly chilly!  I guess Flagstaff is high altitude?!?!  I know nothing of the topography out here and I'm always surprised by the terrain!  We got a little bit of rain on us, but not enough to pull over and suit up.....yet!  As we crested on of the mountain-like hills, I saw ahead what was either fog or heavy rain in the mountains ahead.  Crap.  So off we pull at the next exit, Devil Dog Road,  and put on just the top half of our rain suits and the full-face helmets. I was JUST saying as we left Bob & Cathy's that I hope we get a chance to wear these things since we dragged them all the way across the country!  Well, here's our chance!  

Look!  We're NASCAR drivers now!

I'm glad we opted for the full-facers!  Those things are awesome in the rain!  We stopped for lunch at a Mexican Restaurant in Flagstaff.  I ordered the special, pork tacos with mango, avocado, cilantro, etc....The waiter said they were spicy and asked if that would be OK.  Sure!  I like spicy!  HOLY HELL!!!!!  Those were the spiciest things I've ever ate!  Actually, I couldn't eat them!  All I could taste was HOT!  I loaded up on chips, rice & beans.  Dammit.  Those things looked so good, too.  We departed the restaurant and threw the full-facers back on.  The skies were still looking evil in spots and it's hard to tell which way the road is going to bend...away from it or straight at it!  I kept my bandanna on my head and put the helmet on over it, just as I always do.  Well, something went awry this time because about 5 miles down I-40, my bandanna managed to work its way over my eyes!  I tried shoving my hand up under the chin but could only make it to my nose.  I tried pulling at it from the back but those full facers are so tight, there was no way this thing was budging! How did this happen!?!?!  So I tipped my head back and looked down my nose at the road ahead.  I pulled up next to Tom and managed to get his attention to pull off at the next exit, which was luckily only 1/2 mile away! He wasn't sure what the problem was so when we stopped, I slid the tinted face shield up to show him my bandanna blindfold!  Bahahaa!!!!!!  Too funny!  OK....Crisis averted and back down the road we roll! Even after we passed through the crap weather and the sun broke again, we kept the helmets on as we headed for Gallup.  The gas I had remaining would probably JUST make it to the hotel but Tom always gets crappier mileage than I do, so I figured we'd make one more gas stop before our nightly destination.  I had 20 miles to go, 15, 10...he still wasn't stopping.  The skies were looking crappy again....My reserver then switched to "LO".....which means "Get Gas NOW, stupid"!  If mine was on "LO", Tom's must be EXTRA LO!  We pull off our exit and into our hotel lot, just as the winds pick up and the rain comes!  Whew!  Awesome timing!  I have no idea how but we managed to get 236 miles out of that tank!  Woo Hoo!

As I type, it's Tuesday morning.  We're pretty much packed and ready to leave our hotel room.  Tonight....Amarillo and the Big Texan!  YAY!
........Let's just hope we make it to the gas station, first!

Hanging out in Sin City!

Hi kidz! We've been chillin' the past couple days here in fabulous Las Vegas! Nothing too rip-roaring thus far, which is just fine with me! My body's internal clock is still out of whack so I've been wide awake waaaay to early every day that we've been here. (Those that know me well know that I REALLY appreciate being able to sleep late whenever I can!).
Bob & Cathy are awesome hosts! I'm quite comfy here and loving the fact that I get my dog fix! We've been hanging with my brother for the past couple days. Yesterday he picked Tom & I up and we did some light gambling on the strip, ate a HUMONGOUS Italian buffet lunch, then spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in a food coma at his place! We watched "The Dictator" with Sasha Baron Cohn. Word of advice, if you've never seen it, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!!!! What a stupid movie! He dropped us back off at Casa de Tvrdik and then picked us up again this morning to hit the strip again. He literally did not stop the car as we got in! Lol! He's such an ass!

 The strip was very mean to both me and Tom today. We donated a ton of $$$$ to those poor casinos! At least they'll be able to pay their air conditioning bill this month, thanks to us! Of course I complained all day about this God-Awful heat! How do these people live out here!?!?! And of course my brother punched me in the arm each time I complained! It sure is great to see Steve again! Hahaa! He said I've turned into my Grandmother! He never punched Grandma in the arm every time she complained, though! After a few hours of donating to the strip in the God Awful heat, I was ready to return to Bob & Cathy's to relax a bit before dinner tonight. (Cathy's big birthday dinner!!!!!) Steve drove us back to their house and was kind enough to stop the car this time as we exited! As I type this the dogs are wrasslin, Tom's facebooking on the laptop, and Bob's playing his bass in the other room. I think Cathy's either napping or showering. We're out of control, I tell ya! Hahaaha!
OK, kidz! Catch ya tomorrow. Maybe?

Viva Las Vegas!

Tuesday morning we woke up bright and early with plans to leave Richfield, Utah super-early as to beat the Vegas heat the best we could!  We did the re-pack & re-load routine that we're all too familiar with!  It's amazing when we check into a room, within 5 minutes it looks as though our luggage exploded.  Crap everywhere.  When it's time to check out, it's equally amazing how quickly everything finds its place once again!  One of these days I'd like to do some time-lapse pix!  Haha!
We left into the cool, sunny morning.  ANOTHER perfect riding day!  We've been really lucky with the weather thus far and I'm grateful for it!  Utah continues to be beautiful!  We pass the Kanub/Bryce Canyon exit.  That's where Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is!  I've been donating to them monthly for the past 20 years and I've visited once before.  Although, for that visit we had a bout of food poisoning the day before caused by a Barbecue shrimp pizza from Spago's at Caesar's, so the visit wasn't nearly as awesome as it should've been! Had I known it was on our route, I would've planned for another, more enjoyable visit!

As we approached the Zion area, I could see rain up ahead.  The road twisted & turned.  Every time I thought we were heading away from it, the road would twist again right toward it.  Damn.  Our weather luck had apparently run out!  Then the lightning bolts appeared.  One screamer of a bolt cracked in unison with a crack of a drum beat on a Megadeth tune on my iPod.  I just about wet my pants!  I saw a bolt that branched off into 2 bolts!  Fun stuff!  We each get our own bolt!

Tom started giving me signals, asking if I want to pull off.  I kept giving him the palm-up shrug!  Dammit!  I can see clear skies ahead!  We're making good time!  If we can hammer past this we'll be good to go!  But the lightning!  Damn the lightning!  I can handle getting wet.  Getting electrocuted?  Not so much.  So I throw on my turn signal as the next exit approached.  I figure we can't discuss whether or not to pull off while going 80 mph!  As we're exiting, I see Zion Harley-Davidson!  Perfect!  So we pull in, park, and buy a couple T-Shirts!  It drizzled a little bit outside as we were shopping, and the weather was clear by the time we were ready to roll!  Great timing!   

The weather got considerably warmer by the time we reached St. George.  Then Arizona was sweltering!  But the scenery was still awesome so I didn't mind so much!

We reached the Nevada border.  Helmet time.  Ugh.  Welcome to Nevada!  Now throw on that helmet and bake your brain!  From the Border to Vegas there was no exciting scenery.  Brown.  Lots of brown.  Flat brown.  Ugh.  We DID pass the Las Vegas Speedway!  Last time we were there in 2006 for the Cup race we got snowed upon!  I wish we were getting snowed upon about now!  We got into the city and luckily we were getting in at an odd hour during the week because traffic was light.  I was expecting the worst and it wasn't all that bad!  

We pulled into Bob & Cathy's driveway and Bob greeted us!  Hooray!  I knew I was filthy and smelly so I gave him a handshake instead of a hug!  We came into the house to see their chocolate lab, Abbie (Gunther's best friend!) and I finally got to meet their latest addition, Bella!  I get my puppy fix!  Hooray!  I so miss my Gunther! Cathy greeted us then!  She got a handshake, too!  (Seriously...we were NASTY!)  After BS-ing for a bit, we pulled our bikes in the garage to keep Bob's bike company, unloaded our crap, and hit the shower!

After we got presentable, we all hopped in their car and headed down to M Casino for a bite to eat before Bob had to go to sleep.  (He works nights dealing poker at South Point Casino.)

We sat at the 32 degree bar, where Bob & Cathy know everyone!  I stuck a $20 in the machine in front of me to play some video poker.  My first deal gave me 4 Jacks!  Woo Hoo!  Cash Out...I'm going home now!  Hahahaha!

We headed back to the Casa de Tvrdik...their house....hitting the liquor store along the way.  Bob went to sleep while Tom & Cathy & I sat around the pool with the dogs. 

 I was exhausted and ready to go to bed by 9 pm!  The tequila wasn't helping to keep me awake, either!   I was hoping to stay awake at least until Bob got up to go to work but that was not happening!  I found my way to the bedroom and crashed!  I woke up at about 4:30 am, wide awake!  Damn.  Still on Cleveland time!  I managed to fall back to sleep until about 6:30 am.  I was up for good then.  Bah.  The 4 of us drank coffee and hung out for a bit before showering and heading back to M Casino.  Today is Cathy's birthday and the people at M have a carrot cake cupcake waiting for her!  

We enjoyed Hibiscus drinks (Champagne & Cranberry) and then I switched to beer. And I won more money on the same machine I was playing yesterday! 

From there we headed up the road to the Boulevard and had some lunch.  And tequila.  And another beer.  The Boulevard is awesome because the owner has Cleveland ties, so there is a WMMS Buzzard statue behind the bar, lots of Browns & Indians paraphernalia, and scenes of the Cleveland skyline.  

And they have awesome food!  Tom & I shared a HUMONGOUS Margarita style pizza.  Tom & I had plans to meet my brother for a buffet dinner later....when he called and I told him I was day-drinking he kinda figured the buffet plans were on hold!  I still was up for it!  Until we came back to the house to nap.  That was it.  I was done for the day!  

 As I type this, we're hanging out watching football in very comfortable clothing while Bob sleeps!  We're party animals!  Watch out!  Tomorrow we'll meet up with my bro Steve bright and early and spend the day with him! Hopefully my lucky streak will continue, too!

Talk to ya soon and thanks for coming along!

Oh yeah.....we went for a swim before the nap!  I almost forgot!  Ooops!  Damn Day-Drinking!

OK...that is all for today!  See ya!

See ya, Husker-land! HELLO COLORADO!!!! (And UTAH!)

Hi again, Kidz!  Thanks for coming back to join me!  May I suggest getting comfy, perhaps with a spot of tea, a cup o' joe, or a beer because I have to give you TWO days worth of activities in ONE looong blog!  Much fun these past 2 days!  Hang on.....Here we go!
We woke up bright and early at the Best Western in Kearney, Nebraska. We headed to the attached restaurant, free breakfast coupons in hand, to get some grub!  The staff was friendly, the food was average free breakfast fare, but the decor and the vibe from the other customers...YIKES!  It was dark and creepy!  A guy walked in with his family...all I could think of was "sister-wives"!  He was super-skinny, wearing dark dress slacks and a button-down white dress shirt, his longish grey hair slicked back.  The women wore long skirts with their waist-length hair pulled back into low ponytails.  The man asked the waitress if she had something he could put his sausage in! Bahahahahhaa!!!  He phrased it just like that!  Hahahha!!!  What he was really asking for was a "to-go" container so he could enjoy his sausage whilst driving.  (At least that's what I HOPE he meant!)  Anyhow, the place made me feel like I was on the set of "From Dusk Till Dawn"!  At any minute I expected the locals to start morphing into vampires!  Good thing Tom & I were both packing.  Although, I'm not sure how much power 9 mm or .45 cal have against the undead!  Just then, the pack of bikers from Ohio & Missouri walked in!  We met them the day before at a gas stop.  Hooray!  We have back-up!  (Unless...Unless they're one of "THEM"!)  We chatted with them for a while.  They were heading for Deadwood...their first time there. I was sure to tell them to do the "Alkali Ike" Bus Tour in downtown Deadwood.  Although, it was early, and my mouth wasn't yet awake, because it came out "Alkali Ike Butt Tour"!  God help me!!  Hahahhahahaa!  The Ohio half of the group was from Toledo.  Over the course of the conversation we told them we work for Solon.  One of the women bought a horse from someone in Solon!  SMALL WORLD, I say!!!  We bid them farewell and safe travels before heading back to our room to finish packing and loading the bikes.  (Side note...second floor with no elevator.  Bah!)

When I last left you, I was commenting about how Nebraska wasn't nearly as dull as I imagined it would be.  Well, I stand corrected.  From Kearney west to the Colorado border, Nebraska was everything I'd imagined it would be!  Corn..Corn...more corn....very sad-looking dry, brown corn....a herd of cows here and there, which ALWAYS make me smile!  I usually wave or yell "Hello ladies" or "Hello boys" to them!  I'm sure they're tired of hearing the same old "MOOO!".  I can just imagine them rolling their eyes, thinking "how cliche"!  As monotonous as the scenery was, the weather was perfect!  Not too warm, it was early, I was refreshed, the traffic was light and courteous, the road was smooth and the tunes from my iPod were awesome!  I had the cruise control set at about 80 and my feet on the highway pegs.  At times like this, when you're just humming along effortlessly, you almost forget that you're in charge of this 900 pound beast!  Seriously!  I feel like a passenger sometimes when I get in "The Zone"!

As we neared the Colorado line, the wind was pretty brutal coming from the north.  I could imagine the one side of my tires wearing out...I felt the need to go back the other way to even them out!   We finally crossed the Colorado line and pulled off at the first exit to shed those awful helmets!  We pulled into a Shell station to do so and another couple pulled in not far behind us.  The guy was on a Fat Boy and the gal was on a Road King....both with insane custom Green Bay Packers paint jobs, the guy had a GB helmet, and GB patches on his vest.  They pulled up to the pump, turned 'em off, and Tom asked "Where you guys from?"  Bahahaha!  Of course they were from Wisconsin, on their way to visit friends in Arizona.  We chatted for a bit before parting ways.  I noticed that SHE was carrying ALL the luggage on her Road King while he had nothing on his Fat Boy....Hmmmnnn..not fair!  LOL!

Eastern Colorado

As we ventured into Colorado I noticed a street sign that stated "Bicycles-stay far to the right"  What?!?!  We're on the interstate!  Who would ride a bicycle up here?  There's nothing around and a bazillon miles between exits!  (And lots of coyote road-kill on the side of the road!)  Sure enough, about 10 miles later I see 2 guys on bicycles on the opposite side of the interstate!  NO WAY!  That's hard core!  The front bicycle guy must've seen me staring at them across the median because he gave me a wave.  I had to wave back! Props to those guys!  First time I ever gave "The Wave" to a guy on a bicycle!

We stopped in Sterling, Colorado for gas & lunch. We had no idea where to eat, and we're not fans of fast-food, so Tom asked the gas station cashier for ideas.  We were pointed to the River City Grill, which we would've NEVER found on our own!  It was a couple miles off the beaten path.  They had AWESOME food!  Note to travelers....don't settle for fast food offerings directly off the interstate!  Ask the locals for suggestions!

   

Fun with Tom & Dawn Terwilliger

We pulled into our hotel in Golden fairly early, but I needed time to relax for a bit and get cleaned up for our big night out!  We had dinner plans with the OTHER Terwilligers and the Beliveaus!  We met Tom & Dawn Terwilliger and Jay & Kelly Beliveau at the Table Mountain Grill & Cantina in Golden.  What a fun night!  It was a shame that we didn't have more time to spend together!  It was our first time meeting Tom's wife Dawn and Kelly's husband Jay.  It was Tom's first time meeting Kelly, and it was Kelly & Jay's first time meeting the OTHER Terwilligers!  We tried to meet and catch up the best we could in a few short hours, we laughed, ate, laughed some more, and took pictures before parting ways.  The other Tom Terwilliger wanted to see our bikes before we left, so he and Dawn come rolling up to our bikes in his car.  A Ford Edge.  YES!  The other Tom Terwilliger rolls in a Ford Edge, too!  These two Toms are too much!!!!

Fun with Jay & Kelly Bileveau

 Monday morning comes around....time for us to head for our next stop in Utah.  We start off on I-70 West, into the Rockies.  It was so HOT when we left our hotel, but as we continued higher, it got cooler.  (Of course!)  I had on my usual light-weight long-sleeved fishing shirt.  I saw other bikes heading eastbound...they were all bundled up in leathers.  Hmmmmm... I started to get even chillier.  No big deal.  I'd MUCH rather be too cold than too hot.  Finally I saw a bike heading the other way on which both the rider & passenger were dressed like eskimos. (One learns to observe what the opposite-direction bikers are wearing to better gauge the weather you will be hitting!)  At this point, I was thinking maybe I should don my leather.  Luckily, Tom was thinking the same thing!  He pulled off at the next exit...Idaho Springs...and we quickly threw on our leather jackets.  We continued on...up...I was getting even more chilly.  I packed my chaps.  They were in my saddlebag.  A lot of good they were doing me there!  I saw signs along the side of the road with parking spots for trucks to chain their tires.  That only means one thing.  We're going higher and it's going to be getting colder!  Sure enough....I'm freezing!  (But I'd STILL rather be freezing than roasting!  In fact, I'm appreciating every cold mile because I have a feeling we'll be SWELTERING the rest of this trip!)  I see signs warning that proper equipment is required by law from that point foward!  What's proper equipment?  Am I in violation?  Hahaha!  I see another sign offering a bighorn sheep viewing area. I'd love to view some bighorn sheep, but it's not to be.  We're on a mission to get to Richfield, Utah.  The only wildlife I've seen so far were a couple prairie dogs near Denver.  By an Interstate entrance ramp.  WTF?  Are these things like squirrels here?  We're climbing higher and we're about to enter a tunnel, I've got the throttle cranked back and it's hardly responding because of the altitude!  "Captain!  I'm giving it all she's got!"  We are thrust into this tunnel...a VERY LONG tunnel!  My bearings are not what they should be.  It's dark, I've got a semi on one side and a wall on the other, I hear my RPM's souding like they're way up there...I look down and I'm doing 60.  I kick it up to 6th gear...or so I thought....RPM's still high...crap...NOW I kick it up to 6th gear!  I was screaming along at 60 mph in 4th gear!  I'm sorry transmission!  Please don't revolt!  We finally get spit out of the Loooong tunnel into what feels like a deep freeze!  It's sooooo cold, but sooooo beautiful!  I want to take pix!  But hands...so...cold...can't...get...camera...out...of.....pocket!!!!  I get Tom's attention to pull over to put on our chaps.  I lugged my chaps all the way from Ohio....I'm gonna wear them if I need them, dammit!  We pulled over at a scenic pull-off and there we met a couple from Illinois.  We chatted a bit and took pix for each other. He has a bike just like Tom's.  He wanted to ride it from Illinois but his wife wasn't keen on the idea.  Hopefully we helped change her mind for next time!

Words cannot describe the beautiful the ride through the Rockies!  Every turn offered something new for the eyes!  From lush green pines to slate grey stone to red rocks to brown with scrubby trees.  I was in AWE!!!!!  As we were were motoring along, an SUV pulls beside to pass, only doesn't pass me and just hangs next to me.  I look over and in the passenger seat is an elderly Indian woman looking at me like I have 3 heads!  (Indian woman as in...from India.  Not Native American!)  SO I smile and wave and then she breaks into a big smile and waves back at me!  Pretty funny!  I love when we pass minivans full of kids, especially little girls, giving me "the look of awe"!  I'm always sure to wave at them!  I'd like to imagine the conversation in the car going something like this "Mom!  Dad!  Can I get a motorcyc....."  "NO!" the parents interrupt in unison!  Bahahaa!  In my opinion, the more motorcycles there are on the road the less sucky drivers will be!
The rest of the ride through the Rockies was incredible!  The traffic was light and we were able to get on them a little through the twisties...fun stuff!  Again, the traffic was courteous, except for one jackwagon that thought the assured clear distance between me & Tom was enough to wedge his car into!  REALLY?!?!?!  You see 2 bikes loaded with luggage....why would you shoe-horn your car between them and then STAY THERE!?!?!  I passed him and gave him the bad-eye along with a few choice words!  I tried to take more pix but now I had gloves on.  Really hard to work the camera with gloves but I managed to get a few shots in!  As we were descending, the climate warmed and we got rid of the cold-weather gear. I mentioned to Tom that if the Safety Captain were with us, she would probably just be cresting the summit! The Safety Captain is our pal Cyndi. We have a tendency to lose her when we road trip with her and her guy Dan-O!.  We stopped outside of Grand Junction for fuel.  For us and the bikes! Side note....WE GOT 322 Miles on that tank of gas!  And I had 48 to go till empty!  WOW!!!!  I think the Rockies are some kind of fuel-milage alternate universe wormhole because I usually get about 210 miles from a tank on a good day!  For grub, we found a place called Uncle Nubb's!  I opted for the BLT and ice water instead of the burger and beer that I really wanted!  I didn't want to be nodding off like yesterday with a belly full of food and the sun in my eyes!  Good choice, as we headed into Utah there was 100 miles of NOTHING!  It was as beautiful as the Rockies!  The canyons, the colors, and the rock formations were incredible!  We were doing about 75 or 80 and a pig hauler comes hauling-ass past us.  Poor pigs.  They're jammed in there, getting jostled around...makes me sad.  I can easily never eat pork...if not for bacon!  So the pig hauler is in front of us.  And pig haulers smell AWFUL!  Much worse than cow haulers!  And at least with cow haulers I like to imagine that they're just Holstein milk-cows being transferred to a different dairy farm.  With pigs, well...I think I'm pretty sure where they're headed.  :-(  We come to an incline and the pig hauler slows.  We pass.  We come to a decline and the pig hauler gains speed.  It passes us again.  This goes on for a few dozen miles.  I'm so tired of seeing this pig hauler!  We finally lose him after a construction zone!  Whew!  More beautiful scenery!  Nothing as far as the eye can see!  I want to put a house right in the middle of it!  With air conditioning!  We stop for gas about 120 miles from our destination.  I'm still in "the zone"!  I'm loving today's travels!  I've had a smile on my face for every mile of it!  About 50 miles from our Hotel, I look in my rear view mirror....OH NO!  The pig hauler!!!!!  I thought we lost him for good!  He passes us yet again and I notice about 4 or 5 snouts sticking out from the holes in the side....like dogs in a car.  Makes me sad again.  Luckily we only did the you-pass-me, I-pass-you game one more time before our hotel exit!  When we pull into the Hampton Inn lot, I mention to Tom my thoughts on Pig haulers vs Cow haulers.  He said he just imagines that the pigs are going to a 4H farm.  That's pretty cool!  But don't 4H pigs eventually meet the same demise?  Baaahhhh!  Enough pig-talk!  The day was awesome! In fact, it was the most perfect day in the history of motorcycling!  Hahaha!!!  We're here for the night in Richfield, Utah.  Tomorrow....VEGAS!!! We get to see our pals Bob & Cathy and my brother Steve! I haven't seen Steve in 3 years! I'm so excited!

Approaching the Rockies

 These pix are all messed up!  Still learning my way around this blog-thing!  Sorry!

Utah!

Saturday Night In Kearney Nebraska! PARTY TIME!

I left you kidz after breakfast this morning, we were packed & ready to roll!  As you may recall, the nice Hampton Inn people let us park under the canopy in case it rained overnight.  (Better security, too!)  As I started loading my bike, I noticed that it had gotten wet!  No big deal.  It's not gonna melt or anything!  I figured it was REALLY windy and rainy.  I looked around and everything else was dry....Hmmmnnnn....interesting.  I then realize that my bike is parked right next to an in-ground sprinkler!  Bahahahaha!!!!!  So I had a wet ass most of the morning!  Hahaha!!!!  Oh Well!  We were in a hurry to leave Davenport.  The skies were looking pretty dark and the wind was kicking up.  We were on the northern outskirt of Isaac and luckily he was a slow mover!  The ride this morning was AWESOME!!!!!  Lots o' cloud cover and cool temps!  We left the hotel and I immediately realized that I forgot to put my phone on "airplane mode", which means it's gonna chew up battery whilst searching for a signal in the land of corn & wind turbines!  Luckily, our first stop was only 20 miles down the road....The World Famous Iowa-80!  The World's Largest Truck Stop....and Dog-O-Mat, too!  YAY!!!!!  Here's Tom pointing it out!!!!

As we were exiting, I saw a Trucker that looked just like Santa Claus walking his Chihuahua.  I wondered if he used the Dog-O-Mat!  We took some pix and video and headed west, still beating the rain!

The sun finally came out and I was ready to take my leather off at our first gas stop.  I mentioned to Tom that I only saw 2 wind turbines so far!  He points over my shoulder...OK.  3 wind turbines so far!  There must be more turbines in Northern Iowa than Southern Iowa!  We gas up and head on down the road.  Not even a half-mile later....WIND TURBINES!!!!  TONS O' WIND TURBINES!!!!  They are the coolest things to see when there's a whole bunch of them.  It's almost eerie!  At one rest area we passed they had a turbine blade as a centerpiece monument!  Some places have totem poles, Iowa has a turbine blade!  The weather was awesome and the traffic flowed smoothly...Iowa has drivers that understand the purpose of the passing lane!  Pretty cool!

We passed a whole bunch of signs for museums and famous-birth places.  I didn't know Bob Feller was from Iowa!  I'm assuming he was since they have a Bob Feller Museum there!  We went through John Wayne's birth-town and also went past the Iowa Speedway in Newton.  They stole the date for the Mansfield truck race...but I digress!  We passed the Union Pacific railroad museum....so many places I would've like to seen if we had more time!  I saw another sign....by this time I was hot & tired...the best I could make out is that it was the Pure Prairie League Museum....but that makes no sense!  I must've read it wrong!

As we neared the Nebraska border...and our lunch stop in Omaha, it began to get pretty steamy and the traffic started getting heavier...and ruder!

Our lunch stop was at Starsky's, which was featured on Man Vs. Food Nation.  Their claim to fame is their "Pig Wings"!  From what I remember of the episode, they come from the "shins" of the pig, smoked and then sauced. We chose the Hot and the BBQ.  They come with a side of corn nuggets, which look like hush puppies but are filled with cream corn and chunks of kernels!  YUMMOOOOO!!!!!

The last 180 miles after that wasn't easy, with a belly full of food, sun in my eyes, and 90-degree temps!  I was happy to see our last gas stop!  We fueled up the bikes and fueled ourselves with water and Gatorade.  I soaked my shirt with the bathroom sink faucet....that should stay wet for about 10 minutes!  As we were leaving the gas stop, A group of bikes pulled up.  I noticed one guy was wearing a Hale's Harley Davidson shirt from Mansfield, Ohio. (Which is a coincidence, because I was thinking about the Mansfield Truck race earlier in the day....but again, I digress!)  We chatted with them for a couple minutes.  Half their group was from Missouri and the rest was from Toledo, Ohio.  They were heading for Deadwood and it was their first time there.  I told them they would LOVE it!  It's one of my favorite places on earth!  

All in all, Nebraska wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be!  Lots of corn...lots of dried-out brown corn.  :-(  It wasn't as flat as I thought it would be.  It's actually better than Kansas!  Kansas is AWFUL!  (I'm not sure how much more of Nebraska I'll see tomorrow...I just may change my mind!)

As we neared Kearney, there was this funky bridge-type thing across the interstate....I found out later that it was the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument.  Weird..... http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9790 

So that sums up our day, I guess.  And it's really NOT a rip-roaring night in Nebraska.  We got a pizza and a six pack of Bud Light and here we sit, watching 48 Hours on the TV!  

I'm excited about tomorrow!  Dinner with friends in Colorado!  One is a Solonite that I haven't seen since the 80's!!!

On to Nebraska!!!!

Up and at 'em!  We're fixin' to load up, saddle up, and head west.  Leaving Iowa, heading for Nebraska!  I just read my post from last night....boy, I must've been tired!  I left out a lot!
So far it's still dry here in Davenport.  No remnants of Isaac....yet.  The nice people at the Hampton Inn let us park our bikes under the overhang by the front door, just in case it rained overnight.  (What's that thing called?  Overhang?  Doesn't sound right!)

We just came back from the free Hampton Inn breakfast!  I was so hoping for biscuits& gravy.  (Or briskets and gravy!)  Sadly, I was disappointed.  Today's offerings were dehydrated eggs with ham, sausage pucks, and french toast sticks.  Blech.  I looked for a bagel and only found donuts and sugary-looking muffins.  Double blech!  Luckily, there was a vat of oatmeal with assorted fruit & nut toppings to add!  YAY!  And they had lots of bananas!  Must not be any pilots staying here!  (Sorry....I probably lost a lot of you with that one! We were in Connecticut a few years ago and we saw a couple pilots walking through the lobby each carrying about 4 bananas, which bummed me out because I LOVE bananas.  Damn pilots ate them all!)
OK...I better get my ass in gear and beat the rain!  Here's a pic from the service plaza yesterday when we ate at Hardee's and watched a kid put a cone over his body....not just his head, it damn near covered his whole body!!!! Just his feet were sticking out! His Dad straightened him out so fast I didn't have time to snap a pic!  HILARIOUS!  I did get a pic of the cone, though!
That is all for now!  See ya in Nebraska!