Grand Canyon 2006 (Part 3)

After spending the night in Flagstaff, we drove into Grand Canyon National Park. We pulled up to our trailhead but saw a very faint trail that had been walked in and then snowed in. Considering the difficulty of this trail, we moved on.

Through a series of events we wound up at the Grandview trailhead. On a side note, when visiting this national park, you must arrange any change of itinerary with the park rangers.

The two vehicles with no snow on them are ours:


Dad and brother gearing up at the rim. We encountered the scout troop that owned this trailer the next day. They attempted the trailhead we wanted to hike the day before but lost the trail shortly into it.


I'm geared up and ready to go:


Dad, do you think those crampons are secured properly?


The view of the Grand Canyon from the rim as we began our descent:


Still lots of clouds at this point:


Dad having the first of many "wardrobe malfunctions." His crampons were heavy, intense and somehow improperly secured. We had to stop numerous times so he could refasten them. What was the old adage about using untested gear in the field? (In all fairness, how could this Floridian have tested crampons?)


As the clouds began to lift, we continued to make progress into the canyon:







There were a few times that I got ahead of our group. I managed to grab a few pictures of my dad and brother along the way:







At one point another hiker met up with us and hiked with us for a while. He kept a pretty good pace and left us behind. After a while, his use of two hiking poles began to make more sense:




My surreal picture. The shadow from the southern rim is still long, so you can tell it is still morning when this was taken:


My brother posing near the Horseshoe Mesa:


Upon arrival at the Horseshoe Mesa, we examined our options for reaching the campsite off the Tonto trail. Given the snowy conditions and the apparent difficulty (particularly with our packs) of heading north from our present location - we decided to spend the night at the Horseshoe Mesa campsite.

In Memory of Winter

January in Texas will unpredictably chill you to the bones or amaze you in sunny warmth. This past January, I took off on a day ride through the Hill Country to enjoy the Texas winter before it left us again.

As I frequently do, I took Texas highway 16 out of town. Once I passed Bandera, I took FM 470 west through Tarpley, where I noticed a number of bikers gearing up after taking a break at one of the stops there. 470 dead-ends into highway 187, so I headed south into Utopia.

At this point I realize I'm recreating an old ride I did a few years ago. I decided that was okay and went along with it.

I dropped into Lost Maples Restaurant to "wet my whistle" and rode off. I headed south - ever so slightly. FM 1050 looks like a side road as you approach it. I hooked right and rode it west until I reached US 83. I could have turned south and rode to Uvalde, but that town is busier than what I had a taste for. I had only seen a few bikes and a few more cars once I left 16 - I wasn't about to spoil that solitude now.

Above: Scenes from a rest stop on Highway 83

A star and a moon over Texas.

I traveled north on 83 until I reached Leakey. I remembered that I had a really good meal at one of the restaurants here once, but I really didn't want to sit and wait for a meal. In the summer, I used to ride out to the east side of this small town on 337 and cool my feet in the Frio River - before they built up a concrete reinforcement for the road. Now, it's not as pretty nor as enjoyable a stop. Besides, I don't need to cool down now. It's mid-afternoon, and I want to return home before dark - and the evening cool - arrive.

I head west again, this time on FM 337. I watch for the slow downs combined with sharp radius turns with a fairly shear drop on my right and near-vertical, rock-dropping hill across the other lane to my left. I allow myself to slow way down so I can safely get a good look across the valley and soak in the solitude. I've only seen one or two cars this time - unusual but lovely.

I pull into Camp Wood but don't stop. I head north on Texas highway 55 towards Rocksprings. I love this road, even if it's four-laned much of the way. The sun is setting and casting long shadows across the hills. The Nueces River follows me to the left until I reach Barksdale. I had to make a decision: left to Rocksprings or take the shortcut to Texas highway 41 via FM 335. I opt for the longer path, hoping my jacket will keep me warm enough until I get home.

The shadows grow long near sunset in the
Texas Hill Country.

The FJR takes a break while I snap a few pictures.

I catch Texas highway 41 east in Rocksprings. The road here is long, strait and sparsely traveled. I take advantage of my opportunity while I still have daylight. I look to the north and see heavy clouds. I wonder if I will ride through cold rain as well, tonight.

I pass US 83 quickly. I reach a quick turnoff for I-10. I don't mind riding the interstate when I'm trying to get home quickly. I'm already ducking behind my windshield to keep the cooling evening air off me. I press on towards Kerrville knowing it's about an hour from home. I see a DPS car ahead of me who pulls into the left lane and slows to about 65. "This can't be good", I think to myself. I pass him at about 70 mph. He pulls behind me and the lights go on. I tap my breaks and motion that I'm pulling over. I stop the bike on the median. As I turn off the bike, I notice my bright light indicator is burning. I must have turned it on by mistake when I raised the windshield shortly before pulling onto I-10!

After a polite exchange with the officer who complained that I had blinded him (rightfully so!) and the other "formalities," I pulled back onto the road with my headlights on "low." The officer's words "Is it cool enough for ya?" rang through my head as I made my way to Fredricksburg. Having used my one fortunate encounter for the evening, I noticed several other law enforcement vehicles before reaching Kerrville and kept my operation smooth, unobtrusive and legal.

I pulled into a station at Kerrville, filled up the FJR and warmed up for a bit. I called home and provided my ETA. A few minutes of rest and observing the locals (and the guy who put the same coffee in the 'Decaf' pot as the 'Regular' pot) I geared back up and rode home. The heavier traffic weighed heavily on me. I longed for the empty roads as much as I longed to be home, warm.

I pulled into San Antonio, home at last.

Grand Canyon 2006 (Part 2)

As my brother and I drove west, we encountered a front which had covered much of the southwest with snow and ice. As we approached Arizona, conditions worsened and we were becoming tired, so we pulled over for the night.


The next morning in front of my brother's car, myself:


And my brother:

The handy GPS function of my Garmin iQue3600 told us location and velocity as we traveled.

Many of the mountain ranges off I-10 were covered in snow as we drove through southern Arizona and New Mexico.


We pulled off I-10 to examine the snow close-up.




Heading north towards Flagstaff, we detoured off I-17 to see beautiful Sedona and the gorgeous hills and mountains there.




After three days of snow, the roads were finally passable. Our timing was excellent. Our father could not get through the day before.


Sedona in the snow is beautiful.






We made our way to Flagstaff, which had a couple feet of snow accumulate. Flagstaff seemed buried from where snowplows pushed snow out of the streets. The picture below is still a ways outside of Flagstaff. Our father was surprised we took that route, thinking it longer and probably not even open. Of course, we thought, "what the heck, since we're out here..."

That's was the trip to Flagstaff. Next: hiking into the Grand Canyon.

News Flash: 50% of Americans are Below Average

...as the old joke goes. And if the American population's intelligence was normally distributed, then I'd have to agree. However, working with the public every day makes me wonder: just how stupid is average?

Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But people... people can really suck. I need to go for a ride.

Grand Canyon 2006 (Part 1)

In honor of Spring Break this week, I'd like to commemorate what I did last year: Hiking, camping and traveling in and about the Grand Canyon (GC) area.

The previous December I got into a car accident that caused some whiplash. So I carefully spent the following months getting into shape for this hike. That went well until the last two weeks where I came down with a nasty chest cold. I was not quite over the cold when we went. The night before we hiked into the GC I spent an hour coughing. The next night was more of the same. We decided to hike out after the first day. Upon reaching the rim, I spent at least another hour coughing - at times severely.

Afterwards, we visited Monument Valley and Four Corners. My brother drove out to San Antonio to pick me up, then to Flagstaff, Arizona. We drove back the same way.

The hike didn't go as planned, but you can't control the weather. Three days of snow fell before we tried to hike in. We changed our itinerary since our original trailhead was impassible. We ended up hiking down through a lot of snow, though the return trip was slightly muddy from the snow melting. I had a great time, but I want to go back when it's not freezing cold and I'm in better health.

Unfortunately, just a few days after my return from the GC, I had the front wheel of my XT wash out on me in a turn and the resulting fall cracked my tibia. All the conditioning I had gained from the preparation for this hike slowly went away and I've since gained a *few* pounds. Finding the time and energy for exercise has been difficult, though I may be able to work something out before long (thanks to the job switch).

Pictures in subsequent posts.

Wild Hogs

I just finished watching "Wild Hogs" (Official Link) starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy and the beautiful Marisa Tomei.


In a nutshell, this was a funny movie. It was long enough to have a plot, but too short to have a sore side from hard laughing.

The movie presents the premise that folks in places like Daytona and Sturgis have long known: most bikers are average guys, often professionals, that happen to ride motorcycles. This I attest to and agree with. That these guys stumbled into trouble with a biker gang... explains why this movie is a comedy. In all but very rare circumstances would a biker gang act quite like this one did. The worst attention I ever get from the 'rebel' cruiser-riding guys is a few stares or the occasional bird (a derogatory hand gesture). Most hardcore "lifestyle" riders that have a problem with "posers" just ignore the riders they don't care for.

Only once did I really feel uneasy on my Japanese bike: Myrtle Beach. I had seen plenty of sneers my direction. I had also seen pictures of these guys gathering around a bonfire started on a Japanese bike. Why doesn't anyone ever burn Harleys? But these guys are definitely fringe elements that time and distance readily cure.

I asked myself if the movie really portrayed bikers in a true light of any kind. Biker gangs? Probably not. Biker brotherhood? Pretty close. It showed that riding is hard on the body - and so is camping. You meet a lot of different - and I do mean different - people when you ride. And if you think that a splattered bug won't take out half your faceshield - think again. Big juicy bugs come out of nowhere and can practically blind you without any warning. And yeah, it's funny since it scares the daylights out of you when you hear this loud SMACK! and you suddenly can't see out of half your helmet!

I admit that I am most grateful to all the people that have welcomed me when I ride. Even when I'm 'strung out from the road.' Thank you to all the people that have been accommodating, if not understanding when I wander in to a restaurant or gas station in my "space gear" and bug splattered helmet and I just want a drink and to be left alone.

At the very end of the movie, a "real" rider explains that he rides alone because he knows what riding is about (and those he rode with had forgotten). He also recommends that you ride without a watch. Interestingly, I do both, though I never really thought about it that much.
Riding that way really allows you to connect with the world when you ride, putting behind you all those commonplace worries of day-to-day living. Letting go of all that trivial junk lets you experience real freedom. I felt refreshed seeing that in this movie. I definitely enjoyed seeing riders portrayed in a lighter light, too.

So, yeah. I'd say it's not too far off the mark after all. And it's good that we can laugh at ourselves sometimes as well, stereotypes and all!

Women Riders to Admire

I love riding. I wish I could share the joy and freedom of riding with my wife, whom I love dearly. However, she will have nothing to do with it. I patiently offer her the opportunity to ride with me, but never demand it. I hope that one day she will come around.

But in the meantime, I have come across women I have never met that I consider noteworthy if not downright admirable.

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The first person I'd like to share is Tami. She started riding a restored 30 year old Yamaha last December and shared her story of learning to ride on ADVrider. She never gave up, had a great attitude and 'got it,' meaning, she understands why riding is so enjoyable. She also has great people to ride with and learn from (including a significant other). She doesn't know me as I'm merely a lost-in-the haystack lurker at ADVrider, but I applaud her anyway.

The "feel good" thread. // A ride report.

Tami's picture from ADVrider.

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The second person I want to mention is Lois, a Brit who's taken a liking to world travel. She has a book coming out soon about her travels from Alaska to South America on a Yamaha XT225. From the type of trip she made to the bike of choice, Lois has guts, grit and determination - and flair (if we are to believe her story about getting past the Mexican protesters to reach the Guatemalan border). She had such a great time traveling the Americas, she decided to do Africa on a Yamaha TTR250 next! (She is already compiling stories from that adventure.)

Her website, Lois on the Loose, is engrossing and enjoyable; I spent quite a long time browsing through her ride reports, preparations, and picture galleries. She's definitely a rider to keep watch for!

Lois working on a bike. (Picture from her website).

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The final person I wanted to acknowledge today is Helen, of HelenTwoWheels. Helen is a lifestyle rider who turned her passion into a business. She rides everywhere, even after an unnerving accident in 2003. She smartly observed the luggage troubles of today's riders, smartly diagnosed what needed to be done, packaged it and sold it. She makes soft luggage the way it should have been all along - smart! I admire her love of riding, her dedication to improving the sport with superior products, and finding a way to make her passion (riding) support her.

From Helen's website.