Tag: The big ride

As I was leaving Colorado I felt somewhat melancholy after the awesome motorcycle riding I had experienced while visiting there.  My ride to South Dakota took me through a small part of Wyoming with an overnight stop in Lusk, which at first glace looked like a one horse town.  As it turned out, it was a cute horse.

I  stayed at the Best Western in Lusk, Wyoming which had a very interesting western theme in their outdoor entertainment area.  Building on this theme, the hotel offered its guests a “chuck wagon” breakfast served by staff members dressed in western attire.  Not only was it a fun way to start the day, the omelette made to order was very tasty!

When I made my way to South Dakota I was “wowed” by what I found.  The Black Hills offered some of the best motorcycling roads that I’ve come across and the roads through the parks, such as Custer State Park were out of this world! One of the roads in particular, Needles Eye, was engineered using “pigtail” turns.  When you see a sign like this you know you’re in for some mean twists!

Here is video of my experience while riding the Needles Eye

In addition to some great riding, a visit to Mount Rushmore was equally as wowing in a different way!  What an incredible undertaking it must have been to carve such a masterpiece out of the face of the mountain.

While riding outside of Rapid City, I had the good fortune of meeting up with a couple of riders, Robbie and Al who were from the area.  While chatting, they mentioned that they were heading off to ride the “Canyon”.   You know that peaked my interest so on the way out, I added the Spearfish Canyon into my route.  Robbie, thank you for putting me on to this amazing route. Wow, what a great way to start the day!

Here are a few photos from the ride….video to follow.

And a few additional photos taken along the way..

One of the many challenging roads in Colorado is the Million Dollar Highway and forms part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway.

My first day in Colorado took me on this route from Durango, through Silverton and Ouray.  Much of the route, especially between Silverton and Ouray runs through a gorge which is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive.  It consists of steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails.  It also uses a number of hairpin curves to gain elevation. In most places the lanes are narrow with much of it cut into the sides of mountains. Although the route was challenging, it was not nearly as technical as some of the awesome roads that followed.  I have hours and hours of video so it will take a couple of days to put together a few clips to share with you.

Here is the first of the series that I will be sharing with you.  The video hardly does it justice but will give you an idea of he amazing experience I had while riding the “Million Dollar Highway”.

Here are a few photos to share with you as well.

While on the road I also ran into some folks from Orange Texas who were also enjoying the ride.

Stay tuned for the next segment of The Million Dollar Highway…and some of the amazing Colorado Rocky Mountain Mama Roads that follow!

As I made my way west I had the unfortunate experience of being stuck in traffic on the I-10 a few miles outside  of Orange, my first destination in Texas.  I haven’t been using the freeways on this trip but every now and again it’s a necessity, as it was a couple of days ago.  It was Saturday, traffic was heavy and there was a short stretch of construction that resulted in hours…and I mean hours of sitting on the hot pavement idling along and slow riding in first gear.  After an hour I pulled off into a truck weigh station to let my bike cool down and after the second hour I was fortunate enough to be able to pull off at the Texas Travel Center and benefit from their air conditioning and some fresh water.  It was about 40 degrees Celsius that afternoon without taking the humid-ex into consideration or the heat off of my bike.

Lesson learned:  travel during the cooler part of the day by leaving earlier and  check the internet for possible construction delays.

On the other hand, my experience has been that with every challenge comes a blessing and stopping in at the travel center that day and speaking with one of the staff members was just that.  She suggested that I include a visit to Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas to my route.  What an awesome suggestion it turned out to be!

I took Route 87 through the Sabine National Forest which is treed with beautiful Yellow Pine.  The scent of the pine filled my senses as I wound my way through the majestic forest.  When I reached Nacogdoches I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a town that was rich with both history and beauty of every kind.

First of all, the little town wasn’t so little.  It has a thriving University with an established forestry and agriculture program which adds a youthful and vibrant air to the town.  A walk through the university’s arboretum was a delightfully refreshing experience on a sunny hot Sunday afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Initially Nacogdoches was an Indian settlement prior to Spain establishing a mission there in 1716.  In the early 1800’s when Tejas (that isn’t a typo and was the original Spanish name for Texas) was still part of Mexico, Nacogdoches was considered the “Gateway” as settlers moved north during this era when Mexico encouraged migration and colonization to the region which is now the state of Texas.

After the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed in 1836 another significant event took place that changed the face of  Nacogdoches.  In 1866 the first oil field in Texas was discovered in Nacogdoches county. Yup…Black Gold…Texas Tea!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few photos of the town, as well as a couple video clips that I’ve put together for your viewing pleasure.

 

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Here’s a two short videos of some incredible architecture in the historic town of Nacogdoches.

If Texas happens to be on your bucket list, I recommend that you add Nacogdoches to your itinerary.  Be sure to stop into the town’s visitor center and while there speak with Mark if he’s around as he has a wealth of knowledge about the local history and is a delight to speak with. The center has a plethora of historical exhibits that you may find interesting as well.

Mark, thank you for all of the information on your beautiful town and for the many travel suggestions you shared!

After leaving New Orleans, LA (Wednesday June 4, 2015) I headed towards Morgan City, LA with a stop at the historic Oak Alley Plantation which is located on River Road (Highway 18) near Vacherie, LA just west of New Orleans.

The history was richly recounted by our guide who told stories about the fate of the handful of owners, including the last one who remained happily on the plantation for over 40 years after her husband passed and is now resting peacefully beneath one of the mighty oaks that adorn this magnificent property.

This palatial house was breathtaking! It was built over a two year period and was completed in 1839. It had fallen into a state of ruin after the Civil War and was restored with impeccable care and attention to detail by the second owners.  The tour was brought to life by our guide Jess, who was dressed in period attire and was exceptional in her story telling.  The tour also included information provided by a Civil War historian, Andre Jacob, who was on site and gave a passionate overview of the impact the war had on the plantation and its owner at that time.

In addition, there were replications of the sparse quarters that would have been used to house the 100+ slaves who worked on the plantation planting and harvesting the sugar cane, maintaining the livestock and the house.

While in New Orleans, I read that when slaves in the north were sold to plantation owners, many chose to take their lives rather than being sent to New Orleans to work on the plantations. After touring the plantation I understood why.  In addition to the risk of contracting malaria  and yellow fever, they were often separated from their families, working conditions were brutal, accommodation sparse and the summer heat unbearable.

Here is a video that will provide you with a glimpse of what it was like.

When I left the plantation I felt a part of the South and closer to those who had lived and worked there…and to those who remain.

Yesterday, May 29, 2015, marked the end of my visit to Daytona Beach, FL as I started to make my way west.  Initially I felt disappointed about leaving the Atlantic seaboard as I always enjoy being close to the ocean.  Here is a short video of the “Daytona Beach Strip”.  I hope you enjoy it.

The ride to Perry, FL was relatively sedate with an awesome breakfast stop in Astor at a little locally owned establishment located close to the Ocala National Forest. I had the feeling that it was going to be one the best when the little parking lot was full of pickup trucks.  I had an egg served with “corned beef hash” along with a warm biscuit fresh from the oven.  It was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had since leaving home.  I sure enjoy “doing as the Romans do!”

After breakfast I continued through the Ocala / Marion country which is termed as the horse capital of the world with more 70,000 acres of thoroughbred breeding and training farms.  The sprawling horse ranches consisted of some very impressive properties.  The video can hardly do it justice.

After my stay in Perry, FL, I headed out this morning towards Panama City, FL on Highway 98 which is the coastal route along the Gulf of Mexico also known as the Emerald Gulf.  The ride was breathtaking!  The route wound gracefully along miles and miles of pure white sandy beaches and the aqua marine colored water as it sparkled under the sunny skies. The warm salty breeze was welcomed as temperatures soared to a high of 33 degrees Celsius.  What was most impressive were the expansive bridges that linked the many islands and gulfs that in some cases went on for miles!  The Gulf is known for its oyster and bay scallop industry.

Here is a clip of the ride to the historic St George Island.  The bridge is an impressive 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) long!

Here is another short film of some of the shoreline from today’s ride,  Tomorrow will be much the same – lucky me!

On Thursday, May 20, 2015, I woke to the inevitable…it was a dreary rainy wet day. So what do you do when it rains? 

This was part of it:

Along with a little of this:

Today the sun is back with a high of 26 degrees celsius so “I’m walking on sunshine”

Today’s ride took me through much of Pennsylvania, including the Delaware Water Cap National Recreation Area.  The route consisted of sweeping curves through lush forests accompanied with the sweet fragrance of an abundance of wild flowers and shrubs in full bloom.  Despite a forecast that suggested rain gear would likely be inevitable, the skies remained clear, with temperatures reaching almost 30 degrees Celsius.

Here is a short clip of today’s ride.

The ride just kept getting sweeter with an unplanned stop at none other than Hershey Pennsylvania to visit Chocolate World!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Could it possibly get any sweeter than this?