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Started to the West Coast

Thank you for taking the time, each stop to post. i know i have ridden all day & i would just want to relax.............:D
 
We departed Tucson, Arizona this morning with blue skies and warm temps. It's such a nice change from most of our trip where we couldn't seem to get enough clothes on. There were no HOG rides anywhere in the area, so again we were destined to ride interstate. We heard that route 191 past Wilcox was nice, but with the weather north of us not looking good, we stayed on I-10. We took I-10 east into New Mexico heading to Las Cruces. The trip here was through the desert and not many towns again, so there's not much to tell about this ride other than it was like yesterday mostly. We stopped at Barnetts Harley Davidson in Las Cruces so I could get my oil changed and Paul needed a rear tire. I usually use Mobile 1 V-Twin oil, which they didn't have, but they did have Amsoil, which I've read so much about here on HDTimeline but couldn't find at home. So, I wanted to try it. Getting the bike back, the mechanic explained that he put an Amsoil filter on too. Didn't know they made filters, but if asked, I would have preferred a Harley filter. Ah well, we'll try the filter too. They are preparing for riders on their way to the wall, which they think will arrive around 5:30 or so. They are expecting 500 bikes and are setting up refreshments and such for them. We were lucky to get a room here with all the people coming. We will probably go back over to the dealer when the bikes arrive. We rode 297 miles today, with a total of 5,393. We got here around 1pm, but by the time we got our bikes out of service, it was too late to go farther. Hotels are few and far between in this neck of the woods, so you have to plan ahead on where to stay. Tomorrow, the plan is to go to El Paso and then I think route 62 toward Carlsbad, New Mexico. But...things tend to change at the bat of an eye, as you probably noticed in other of our posts, so I'll try and let you know more later. Jack
 
Friday, we left Las Cruces, New Mexico. The weather was warm and sunny with the temps in the mid 70’s. Our plan was to go to El Paso for a t-shirt shop, since it was only about an hour away or less. We got there and those who wanted them, go shirts. We also met a lot of nice people that were travelling to the Wall for rolling thunder. We had heard of a road that was supposed to be a nice motorcycle ride. It’s route 62/180 out of El Paso. Note of warning here, make sure you gas up. There are very few places to get fuel, and more important, water. Then temps got to 105 degrees. It was HOT and WINDY! It’s all desert riding with just a few scenic places, that is, if you don’t think the desert scenic. We were through the Guadalupe Mountains that was a nice change from the desert floor. Also we went through Carlsbad New Mexico, noted for its caverns. We passed through Hobbs and then on to Seminole, Texas where we spent the night. We rode 352 miles.
Saturday, we left out of Seminole, Texas on 385 north to Brownfield where we picked up route 380 east. This was a great road to ride on. Straight as an arrow for the most part and the pavement was in great condition too. I thought that most peanuts were grown in Georgia, but we passed BIG peanut farms on this road. It was just a nice change from yesterday, where we mostly rode in the desert, where here everything was green and lush. It was a little windy today too, but it couldn’t take away this the beautiful scenery. The great thing about going on all these back roads, you meet some great people. We are heading home now, and it seems the closer we get, the more we’ll willing to jump on interstates. At Greenville, Texas, we jumped on I-30 north to start our way back north. We only went a few miles before stopping for the night in Sulphur Springs, Texas. We rode 472 miles today with a total of 6217. I’m using the mileage off my bike, because out of 5 bikes, none has the same mileage. Wonder what’s up with that? Will add more later. Jack
 
Sunday, we left Sulphur Springs, Texas with sunny skies and warm temps. We jumped on I-30 east through Texarkana and into Arkansas. We rode some of the Ozarks on the way out, so we stayed on interstate until we got to Arkadelphia. Here we gassed up and split up. Mike and Paul wanted to take more time and ride into Hot Springs and to take another day to get home. Larry and Steve wanted to get home to their business’, so I decided to stay with Larry and Steve and head toward home. We hit I-40 east in Little Rock to Memphis and then on to Nashville. I decided to stay where we stayed the first night of our adventure, Franklin, Kentucky. Larry and Steve decided to continue on home. I rode 639 miles, Larry and Steve rode 985 miles and got home about 2am. I got up Monday morning, my 62nd birthday, to a beautiful day. After breakfast, I hit I-65 and headed home. I got on the Blue Grass Parkway at Elizabethtown, then I-64 to Huntington. I rode 346 miles and a total of 7,202 miles for the entire trip. I loved going on this trip with my friends, but pulling into the driveway at home with my wife waiting for me was the best feeling ever. It was good to be home! What a great trip! I hope it’s not my last trip, but if it is, it was the crown jewel. I was on the road for 25 days with four good friends, and rode through 12 states, mostly on Harley roads from the HOG atlas. The highlights of the trip for me was routes 149, 62 and 145 in Colorado and routes 95, 24, 12, 89 and 9 in Utah that my Wife calls the “Wow” highway. Though, we traveled this just a year ago, it was still great to see it again. Zion and Bryce’s canyon are must sees! Lake Tahoe and the Pacific Coast highway along with San Diego were also some of my favorites. Most of the Harley roads were in great shape, with the exception of route 261 in Utah which has gravel switchbacks up a 10% grade for about 3 miles. A very white knuckled ride! The worst roads were the interstates, with large potholes and bumps that would bring you completely off the saddle and large ruts that could easily catch a front tire and take you where you didn’t want to go. California interstates in the mountains areas were in bad repair due to the chains from cars and trucks during the winter months. The worst traffic we encountered was I-5 in Los Angeles, California where we rode through around 3 pm thinking that we were beating the rush hour. Wrong!!! The people at our hotel said the traffic starts around 5am and doesn’t let up until after 9pm. I’m sure it’s a nice place, but I prefer a slower lifestyle myself. There was a lot of truck traffic on I-40, but light traffic for the most part on I-65, Blue Grass parkway and I-64. We experienced heavy rains and floods in Nashville, high winds in Kansas, Colorado, Arizona and Utah, a sand storm in Arizona and Utah, snow, sleet and hail in Utah and cool, rainy weather for the most part in California. We even felt a minor earth quake while in San Diego. We had temps in the 20’s to 105 in the desert. About the only thing we didn’t ride in was a tornado, which I’m glad for that. God has blessed us with a “Trip of a life time” and for that, I’m thankful. When Larry can get me the pictures he took, I’ll try and get some posted. One last thing. I talked to several people who wanted to do a trip like this, but for one reason or another was putting it off. DON’T! Get out and do it now while you can and don’t forget to log on to hdtimeline.com and take the rest of us along with you. Jack
 
Welcome home jaceddie! Glad you made it safe and sound, thanks for taking us along and sharing your adventure. I can't wait until my next one!
 
ultrat said:
And.....happy birthday........and, THANK YOU>>>>>>
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Dittos on above......

Thanks for the "Free" ride along on a fantastic ride... noticed you got 4 Gold **** stars and over 4000 Views, that came along with you! Good reports!

Thanks!
signed....BUBBIE
 
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