Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
We had not seen a shower in a campground and consequently relied on bathing in creeks and lakes. Swimming in Jenny Lake (Teton NP) was not pleasant at first. But after 5 mins the numbing experience became quite pleasant. Despite the stiff breeze, a few minutes of sun occasionally was adequate to feel exhilarated and more importantly clean. We were still in bear country. The campsites had signs all over threatening the fear of god if one did not lock up anything that had an odor or smell in the 'bear boxes' provided all over the site.
It was good to get out of the parks because of the traffic and incessant crowds. Once again the scenery changed to wide open valleys and low hills. Heading south past Jackson towards Flaming Gorge NP the country varied between green mountainous terrain to open almost desert plains with hardly any settlements other than oil and gas extraction. It was big business in this part of the world. At one point the entire landscape before us was a mass of power poles supplying power to each of the pumps. It was arid and hostile resembling the 'Painted Desert' region in South Australia. Local towns were dusty and inhospitable resembling the wild west of yesteryear. The only difference was that the streets were dominated by modern pickup trucks and homes mostly ugly unkept transportables with two or more old trucks and wrecks parked somewhere in the yard. It seems that Americans were all wanna-be mechanics who thought they would fix their old pickup after buying a new one. The reality was that these towns and most settlements appeared like dumping grounds for any old junk that was not used anymore. It made me wonder whether in fact towns even had community dumps.
The roads and scenery was breathtaking all the way to Flaming Gorge NP. The sky was threatening huge storm cells in at least three directions as we headed south on open undulating steppe country not unlike Mongolia. Miraculously, we arrived after negotiating a rough gravel road for the last 15mls to find a quiet campground overlooking a beautiful lake. It was in fact the only night to date where it rained and it was also the only night that I opted not to put the tent up convincing myself that the wind and violent storm cells would settle after dark. I was wrong and the wind shelter was totally inadequate to resist the windy wet conditions that prevailed for several hours.
I had noticed a settlement on the opposite side of the lake the night before. On asking the campground hosts how to get there. Their reply was diabolic. "That settlement is in Colorado and we've never been there!" Flaming Gorge was a flat steep-sided mountain that lit up on receiving first daylight. I was there to capture the spectacle and in the process, managed to disturb some deer grazing nearby. It was a peaceful spot especially as there were no other tourists to disturb the peace.
The ride south to Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP was pretty uneventful. The landscape resembled the dry prairies often seen in old western movies. It was treeless, almost grassless and seemed to be used for little more than running horses and a spate of oil wells. Americans seemed intent on living out the dream that running horses was more important than anything else. Every landholder ran at least a dozen horses, owned at least three pickup trucks and a 5th wheeler horse trailer. Personally I cannot think of one useful task that a horse can perform other consume copious amounts of money, time and chaff that could otherwise be used to produce beef, milk or rearing chooks. The passion for horses was completely lost on me. Despite seeing many hamburger cafe's en route, beef cattle were extremely rare leading me to conclude that they were bred and reared in feedlots or indoors out of sight. The 'range' country spread as far as the eye could see. I suspect that if we imported some cattle breeders from Aus they would do pretty well out of the thousands of acres of sagebrush.
We refueled in Montrose and decided to lash out and dine in a brightly lit steakhouse. There are only two countries in the world to my knowledge who insist on taking your money before filling the gas tank. And the other one is Russia! It is insulting and frustrating as it requires a trip in to pay for the fuel before one has access to the pump with the problem being that you never know exactly how much fuel is required. If you under-estimate then a third trip to the cashier is required to either collect your change or pay for the last gallon. The excuses ranged from discouraging customers from paying and using a credit cards as the gas stations get really good rates (eg 1% surcharge) for credit card payments to 'we want people to come into our store spend money on food and tourist rubbish'. Few sited the fact that Americans cannot be trusted and will run off without paying with a full tank of gas.
The cafe was dimly lit with lots of neon flouro signs advertising Budweiser beer or some seedy whisky. The service and politeness of floor staff was efficient, friendly and speedy. Get 'em in and then get 'em out ASAP. The rib filet was not cooked on a grill as expected. Instead it was done like a roast and sliced off rare and served with a salad topped with ranch dressing. The bars are friendly and quiet and feel like it would be easy to make friends. American like Australians and are always keen for a chat. But the truth is they are generally incredibly ignorant and know little of its geography or culture. Mention Crocodile Dundee and you are bound to raise a laugh. That's about the extent of their interest. However, pressed for more info, all Americans want to visit Australia.
We headed up to the NP some 15 mls from Montrose and secured a campsite for the night to find Mule deer, ground squirrels running about as though they owned the place. Fortunately bear alerts had taken a back seat in what promised to be a spectacular park. Black Canyon was carved out over millions of years creating one of the narrowest most spectacular canyons in the world. Precipitous lookouts occurred all along the rim allowing visitor to look down some 1500' into the river below. The sides were sheer, and vertical making the entire park unique and extremely dangerous to venture away from the safety rails. In a word the scenery was literally breath-taking. We decided to down the helmets and safety gear whilst in these parks. After all no other motorcycle rider wore them and in some ways it was convenient not to wear and carry the gear for a half a day of touring at speeds of just 25mph.
The campsites were always a place to meet interesting people. Regrettably very few bikers toured and camped. Instead they opted for the comforts of motels. Most of course were riding Harley's and probably incapable of enjoying the notion of camping anyhow. Lemmings like to stick together in communes where safety and comfort takes centre stage.
Our next stop was Silverton in the heart of the mountains in SW Colorado. Primarily established as a mining community for silver, it appeared to be aptly preserved as such with more than a smattering of old hotel fronts reminiscent of its heyday in the early 1900's. Today these shopfronts catered for the many tourists that visited this town that bragged a rich history yet sported ATV adventures and lots of skiing in the winter months. Silverton was unmistakably a high elevation town (9,300') that was susceptible to weather changes in one hour.
The Horizons Unlimted Meeting was the reason for our visit there (refer to website Horizonsunlimited.com). The meeting attracted approximately 80 adventure riders from across the US. The most popular bike was the KLR 650 it seemed as many of the presentations at the 3 day meeting were done on KLR's to both South and North America (especially Alaska). I have traveled in both of these regions and it was interesting to hear the stories of how others had enjoyed their travels. In particular there were two aspects that interested me. Firstly the whole point was to achieve the 'destination' rather than the trip itself. Prudhoe Bay in northern Alaska holds no interest for me. Neither does Ushuaia in Terra Del Fuego (South America). Both destinations result in some exceptionally boring riding that results in one outcome, i.e. to reach the most northerly and southerly tip of the America's. Surprisingly camping was not a feature suggesting that stopping was always dictated by civilised hotels in towns. As an ecologist I always gain the most by stopping and camping between towns avoiding the angst and dramas of village life.
It was a great meeting and I met some great friends from the UK, Canada and the USA. There were even three Aussie motorcyclists that turned up from Dubbo and Parkes in NSW. My presentation on Eurasia created a lot of interest as Americans do not tend to venture into this part of the world. I always enjoyed giving the presentation as it allowed me to relive a part of my life that will remain special and unique forever. Dell gave a presentation on Australia and there were many participants who were interested in travelling to Aus.
The campsite was decrepit but the venue for the meeting was excellent. It rained on several occasions during our visit but it was more of an inconvenience than a hindrance. Silverton offered numerous cafe's and historic reminiscing relating the to mining era. However judging by the quality of the services I got the impression that this town was doing it tough and was slowly dying. If it were not for the tourists it would collapse and close completely.
We were the first to arrive and the last to leave indicating our enjoyment in meeting fellow travelers. The route south west to Aztec, New Mexico came about as we had met a couple who offered to store the BMW's for a year or two until we could return for some more touring. Hiram and Sharon were great hosts inviting us to stay for several days and making us feel very comfortable and relaxed after three weeks of camping. Having a place to store the bikes somewhere relatively close to the west coast of the US was useful as I was keen to return to Canada as well as explore the NW states of the USA.
After some pampering we headed NW to Utah to explore what turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences ever. The NP's and landscapes of Utah are staggeringly beautiful and are all unique in their own way because of the geologic origins and formations that occur across the region. I had no intentions of trying to visit all of the NP's as there are many. But I soon realised that they were in fact all unique. The scale and enormity of the natural features just took my breath away at every turn. The roads were built for bike touring allowing for some very exciting riding on both sealed and gravel roads. The NP's included Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce, and Zion. All were fabulous and this was excluding the Forestry Reserve camps such as Fishlake. Each visitors centre at the parks displayed literally dozens of info books and history of the region. Is it any wonder that Americans do not travel abroad when they have so much on their own doorstep. Whilst the scenery was exquisite there was a down side. Such beauty has to be shared with everyone. And this meant at every turn or photo opportunity there were always others, hundreds of them. Arches NP is advertised widely internationally and consequently visitation from European, Japanese, Chinese and Latin countries makes up half of the millions who frequent them each year. Like most of the NP's finding a campsite was hit and miss. It is almost impossible to free camp outside NP's and Forestry Reserves. Land Access Rights is alive and well in the US and individuals value their rights to freedom. We were lucky in most places to get a site. They were rough, old and in need of some improved infrastructure such as washing and shower facilities. Often rubbish had to be carried out to public bins on the road somewhere as parks do not manage rubbish at all. So if you decide to visit Utah, be prepared to share almost everything with fellow visitors, cos you will have no choice. A small album of photos cannot do justice to the beauty of Utah. I have literally taken hundreds of photos as every turn in the road present some unique aspect in the scenery.
The BMW R1150R has turned out to be an excellent choice of bike for the US tour as the roads are generally good to excellent. Sneaking off down the occasional side track in the middle of a forestry reserve has presented no problems even in sandy gravelly places. We have seen only one other R1150R on the trip. Yet there have been dozens of R1150 and 1200GS's. So much for the clever marketing and publicity that BMW have thrived on in recent times.
- comments
Christine Pettitt Great writing, i felt as though i was there with you guys. Have to say I am green with envy and look forward to being able to do the same. You have inspired us to go and visit American NPs... wasn't first on our list but now re-thinking the prospect. Looking forward to reading about the next part of the journey. Hi Dell. Christine & Jeff
jackie & dennis You need to add Australia to the pay before filling list. When travelling across the Nullabor early this year we were required to do this at one of the service stations. Great to hear that you are having such a fine time
Phil Thanks for the story Dennis. Ros & I shall miss you at home as we leave Toowoomba to come home Mon 20/9. Miss you by about 1 day sorry. Pay first story - in Melb recently the attendant wouldn't allow me to fill up until I removed my helmet - maybe I was a terrorist or robber - on my scooter - went some where else. You could turn out to be the only person in the world to own a BMW in every continent.
Bob Parker Hi Dennis and Adele, How we enjoyed our time together at the North Rim. Debbie and I spent the last early morning walking from the campground to the Lodge for a feast of a breakfast, and of course, wonderful exchanges with both of you on our departure back home. With Jim and Jane, we then drove to the Painted Desert and Petrified National Forest. It is a bizarre landscape, but intimate and fascinating. What was not, was the KOA campground in Holbrooke that was our only choice adjacent to the I-40 all night truck drones. We arrived back in Taos on Sunday afternoon having put Jim and Jane on the plane. We would love to have you come to Taos sometime, but are aware of your sojourn plans. Hope the Death Valley experience was good. We were able to be there in 04' when the flowers were in abundance such as had not been seen in 100 years. Wonderful hikes there also. All our best, Bob
Glen Cochrane Well done, where to next? Glen