South and West Borders of the U.S. - 4.15

Trip South and West Borders... April 6 - 21, 2015
WI, IL, AR, TN, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, CA, UT, CO, KS, & IA
7110 MILES in 15 Days / 474 miles per day

Day      :  1 Date    :  4.6.15 On the road again...
Str Cty:  Madison Str Mls:  55522
End Cty:  Marion, IL End Mls:  55955
Dly Mls:  419 miles Tot Mls :  419
Time    :  7:15 hrs Notes:     57 mph average
Personal Trainer session at 8:30-9:30.   Home, packed, and Left at 10:15 and 45 degrees. Went to 50 degrees and then got overcast, grey, and cold, never rising into the 60's with rain the last 4 miles. Down Hwy 14 to Janesville, 39 to Bloomington IL, 51 south beyond Decatur to I57 and Marion HIx. Cold most of the day. Nothing very exciting as I've ridden this section before and it is Illinois level farm land, not yet worked. Dinner is apples and bananas. Now for the final game...go Bucky!

Day       : 2 Date      : 4.7.15  Tuesday ..up late to friends... The Branches
Str Cty  : Marion, IL Str Mls  : 55955
End Cty : Wall, MS-Branch's End Mls :  56195
Dly Mls  : 232 miles Tot Mls  : 652 miles
Time.     : 4:30 Notes     : cold and grey
Rained last nite, but stopped by am. Left at 8am. Rode I55 to I57. Cold and grey. Flat, flat and more flat. Arrived by 12:30... Went to Sun Records for a tour and then Chinese buffet.

Day      : 3 Date      : 4.8.15  ... on to the Southern Border...
Str Cty  : Wall- Branch's   Str Mls.  : 56195
End Cty  : Lafayette, LA End Mls  : 56656
Dly Mls  : 446 Tot Mls   : 1098
Time.     : 8 hours Notes     : I10 closed
Left at 8 in sunshine and 70 degree weather..Spring was in the air. Down 61 to 120 miles on st R 1 thru the farm land with many fields being worked. Went past Vicksburg and south on 61 to the Natchez Trace near Alcorn State University. Summer has arrived this far south and I was out of ag land. Rode thru St Francesville, LA and crossed the new bridge - the ferry was closed in '11 when the bridge was opened. The temp was in the 90s and I had to strip down. Near New Roads I ran into heavy traffic because traffic from I10 was rerouted north due to an accident blocking the bridges. I took a wrong turn but could speed ahead of the traffic jam. Traffic ran well west on 182 and I came down I49 to the HIx near Lafayette, LA.

Day       : 4 Date      : 4.9.15 Thursday
Str Cty  : Lafayette Str Mls.  : 56656
End Cty : Port Lavaca, TX End Mls  : 57069
Dly Mls  : 387 Tot Mls   : 1488
Time.     : 9 hours Notes     : along the Gulf Coast
Up at 5:45 and walked outside for 15 minutes. Left at 8 in 80 deg weather which was overcast until mid aft. Rode to Abbeville, then south and west to the coast and rode a ferry which was free cuz of my age on the ride to Port Arthur. From PA I went south on 124 to 87 along the water. One can see piles of tar collected from the beaches. Then to a ferry to Galveston and the island. Rode the length along the water and then cut inland before coming across Lavaca Bay at 4:45 and my HIx home for tonite. My upper back hurt from noon til 3, then my left shoulder took the ache. Saw a lot of rice farming and cattle land.

Day      : 5 Date      : 4.10.15 Friday
Str Cty  : Port Lavaca Str Mls.  : 57069
End Cty  : Harlingen, TX End Mls  : 57289
Dly Mls  : 221 miles Tot Mls   : 1709
Time.     :4 hrs Notes     : rain
It seldom rains in South Texas, but today it decided to sprinkle for 180 miles as I rode 35 south to 234 west and then 77 south. Finally, palm trees, cacti, and armadillos and flat, flat, flat. This area is all agricultural and mostly for cattle..but actually FL has more cattle than TX. Got to Sanchez's at 1pm and washed my grubby bike. Less ache today due to short ride. I actually lucked out and took rain in place of heat, as in the afternoon it must have gotten to the high nineties. Nilda and kids got home at 3:30 and Beto at 5. Dinner out at the Longhorn Cattle company for BBQ and hot bean soup.  Afterwards we took a ride to South Padre Island and a walk on the beach. Washed clothes...

Day       : 6 Date :4.11.15  Saturday ... Up the Rio Grande..
Str Cty  : Harlingen Str Mls.  : 57289
End Cty  : Del Rio, TX End Mls  : 57670
Dly Mls  : 362 Tot Mls   : 2071 miles
Time.     : 7 hrs Notes     : cold and overcast
Very poor sleep and awake much, up at 6:30 to make and eat breakfast. Packed and on the road by 7:50. Left just as the rain stopped. First thru urban areas for 100 miles on I-35. In the first 100 miles I saw at least 2 dozen state police, singles in vehicles. At 150 miles I saw 40-50 INS and state police cars at a Holiday Inn X in Zapata. Hwy 83 and then 277 to Eagle Pass and Del Rio. Most of the time the speed limit was 75 mph.. And I basically travelled within 20 miles or less of the border in scrub lands. There was some rice and cattle farming...but nothing looked very prosperous. Texas lived up to the southern mantra "slow and dirty". Not one window washing service had paper towels and generally even the roads and parking lots were dirty. Luckily the day was overcast, actually had fog for awhile, and the cold required long sleeved shirts. Rained hard after I got here.  Stayed at the Del Rio HIx and had dinner at Appleby's.

Day      : 7 Date      : 4.12.15 Sunday
Str Cty  : Del Rio, TX Str Mls.  : 57670
End Cty  : El Paso, TX End Mls  : 58263
Dly Mls  : 572 miles Tot Mls   : 2644 miles
Time.     : 10:30 Notes     : cold am, rained in Presidio
Left at 8 am in the chill and it never warmed up. Rode Hwy 90 at 75 mph and was going to go straight thru to Las Cruces...but as I traveled I decided to be true to my mission and go to Big Bend and Presidio, thus adding 150 miles to my day. I went over 4100 feet before turning to BB. Good run with max clothes on 385 toward BB thru beautiful desert scenes and purple flowers trimming the road (220 so far). From BB I headed west on 170 for 97 miles to Presidio...The best ride of the trip so far on undulating, winding roads along the Rio Grande with no other vehicles. The road was the "Texas Mountain Trail". When I stopped for gas in Presidio it started a thunderstorm.  I waited 45 min before leaving and encountering rain the next 80 miles to I-10. On I10 the speed limit was 80 so I did my usual 10 over and made good time into ElPaso instead of to LC at a HIx. Tomorrow will be a day in Las Cruces. Saw a roadrunner bird today but no antelope I had expected. Otherwise not much wildlife. I passed many cattle feedlots with only Holstein cattle along I-10.

Day      : 8 Date      : 4.13.15 Monday
Str Cty  : El Paso Str Mls.  : 58263
End Cty  : Las Cruces, NM End Mls  : 58390
Dly Mls  : 59/68 town Tot Mls   : 2702
Time.     : 1.5 hrs Notes     : rain
Awake at 4:30 after 8 hours of sleep and could not go back to sleep. Finally up on a day to rest. Rode the 50 miles to Las Cruces and checked into the wrong HIx but it is better located. Left immediately to scoop the city and rode 25 miles thru various city sections. The upscale new development house looked like ... The standard for the type to emulate is... The court house.  I rode thru typical older areas which looked like the housing on Breedlove in Harlingen where g&g, m&d lived. Could not find the visitors center but looked thru all the municipal services areas. The community at 3900' of 98k citizens advertises 350 days of sunshine per year. It has multiple city-area events for the community and thru NM State Univ. I could not find a visitors center yet - there is none! The primary ag things apparently are pecans, truck farming and irrigation. Went to "old town" - Mesilla - where the city actually started. Like other Adobe designs the yards are surrounded by rock walls. Left my phone at dinner at Appleby's and had to go back. Changed clothes.

Day      : 9 Date      : 4.14.15 Tuesday
Str Cty  : Las Cruces, NM Str Mls.  : 58390
End Cty  : Scottsdale, AZ End Mls  : 58774
Dly Mls  : 369 Tot Mls   : 3074
Time.     : 6:40 Notes     : Lordsburg cutoff to Globe ...
Awake at 5:30 and walking in the lot. Left at 7:45 on I10 at 75 mph in the cold. After 100 miles at Lordsburg I decided to get off the I and follow the Westward Trail through Globe, AZ. Had a great ride through the hills and over the Continental Divide going as high at 4700' in the cold. I went thru several areas of Sonoran cacti. The heat hit and I hit traffic 30 miles out of Phoenix and slowed to protect myself from the onslaught of urban traffic. I arrived at 1:30 instead of my projected 2:30 due to entering the pacific time zone. Stayed at my cousin Mark Engelhard's (480/221-4840) home in Scottsdale. He retired at 57 from A VP position with CVS. We talked of our lives and family for 8 hours, sharing info and connections. Probably had not seen him since grandpa Elford's funeral in December 1989, at Elford's 50th anniversary in the early 70s, and probably then 47 hrs ago when he was 10 years old. His wife is in New York with their daughter, the youngest daughter has returned home to finish her degree and work at an addiction treatment program, and their son is in school and lives elsewhere. They have a dramatically beautiful home in the desert style with great living spaces in and outside. He restores Motos and has 5 vintage, restyled as racer types in the garage. We talked BMW and he has been looking for one, probably a GS cuz of so many off-road opportunities around here. We had a great time talking and having dinner. Went thru an Apache Reservation in AZ around Globe.







Day      : 10 Date      : 4.15.15 Wednesday
Str Cty  : Scottsdale Str Mls.  : 58774
End Cty  : Camarillo, CA End Mls  : 59348
Dly Mls  : 555 Tot Mls   : 3630 miles
Time.     : 13 hours Notes     : LA rush hour from San Diego
Awakened at 4:30 by a text and could not get back to sleep, having had problems with early morning re-sleeping. Visited with Mark and Katie over coffee and got underway by 8am. Went out on I 10, cut down on 78, to catch I8 west. Lots of irrigation for alfalfa and some truck farming, and feed lots along the way. Went thru desert with cross sand and strong winds. Passed a solar area a couple of miles long and very shiny. Went from sea level to over 4200' in 40 miles in the forest just east of San Diego; it was cold up there. I saw a lot of the border fence about 60 miles out from SD. One can tell in the hills that that there has been no moisture...looks like dried out kindling and grass is dry-brown to black. I cancelled my reservation in La Mesa and moved north. Rush hour traffic for 80 miles to, around, and thru Los Angeles from SD. Rode very near to where grandparents Beebes lived near the Capitol Records building in Hollywood and I could see the Hollywood sign on the mountain. I did NY morning rush hour last year, and this was no different - start and stopping, switching lanes for advantage, and riding between the lanes of cars. Finally found a HIx in Camarillo that was where the gps said it was. My thanks to Katie and Mark for a great time in Scottsdale.

Day      : 11 Date      : 4.16.15 Thursday - finished 3/4 of the Border
Str Cty  : Camarillo, CA Str Mls.  : 59348 at Santa Cruz....
End Cty  : Chowchilla, CA End Mls  : 59771
Dly Mls  : 410 Tot Mls   : 4040 miles
Time.     : 8:45 Notes     : best ride this year
Left at 7:45 in warm weather and rode 100 miles to San Luis Obispo and the Channel Islands, and caught CA1 on the coast. There was an accident right in front of me and I missed the debris in the road. The twists and turns, undulation and beauty were the most exciting and challenging. Lost the pictures I took, you must use your imagination to see yourself high on the wall rising out of the ocean and the surf and elephant seals below. This section of CA1 is much superior to the northern section of CA1. Lots of cars but I zoomed for the 125 miles. At Santa Cruz I turned west toward Sequoia NP... Got to Chowchilla in the valley where everything is truck farming, wine grapes, and great DRY soil. Gas in CA is $1 to $1.30 higher than anywhere at home or this trip and motels are $40 higher. Changed clothes! My bike really needs washing but I don't feel I should do so in drought ridden California.










Day      : 12 Date  : 4.17.15 Friday ...to Sequoia NP/Fellows..
Str Cty  : Chowchilla, CA Str Mls.  : 59771
End Cty  : Las Vegas End Mls  : 60445
Dly Mls  : 674 Tot Mls   : 4715 miles
Time.     : 13:45 Notes     : 7500/5200/5200/5400/4600 - elevation
Four National Parks... Kings Canyon, Generals Highway, Zion, & Death Valley....WOW what a day! Left at 7:45 and rode to Fresno on 99. Then hwy 180 to Kings Canynon to see General Grant (sequoia tree). Then I rode 75 miles on the Generals Highway to General Sherman going over 7500' and 5200'  passes and some residual snow. Then went back down to the valley at 200 miles in the Bakersfield -Fellows area to see the 22 mile long oil field with thousands of pumping well heads. I passed a hazardous waste disposal site. Rode thru all kinds of orchard areas, orange, lemon, apple, grape, grapefruit..in the valley and grow well wherever irrigated. All the remaining vegetation is brown and burned. After the oilfield I went up 178 out of Bakersfield and rose over 4600' and 5200' in the high Sierra Mountains before coming to hwy 395 on the Sierras eastern front. On 190 and 160 thru Death Valley (seeing -226') and over 5200' after passing sea level (actually 3 times today). On the way into Las Vegas I again went over 5400'. Into LV on hwy 360 thru Pahrump. I arrived at 9:39, 2 hours after dark. At HIx in Las Vegas. I had 250 miles of undulating, winding road in beautiful spots, even better than yesterday... My arms started to hurt from pushing on the corners. Will do these mountain routes again I hope.

Day      : 13 Date      : 4.18.15 Saturday
Str Cty  : Las Vegas, NV Str Mls.  : 60445
End Cty  : Torrey, UT End Mls  : 60849
Dly Mls  : 368 Tot Mls   : 5083 miles
Time.     : 8 hrs Notes     : lost an hour
Zion, Bryce, Red Canyon, Escalante, Flute man, Torrey UT...
Another great ride.. Left Las Vegas and got oil and gas before catching I15 to St George, UT going over 4600' and thru a neat Canyon that the Virgin River carved on the way to St George. Went to Zion south and it was free passage today and therefore it was packed...Went over 6400' in the pass and beautiful rock valley high above and far below with a tunnel half way thru. Caught 189 north to UT 12 ... Went thru the Red Canyon, overlook at Bryce NP,  and Escalante NP with it's canyons with stone bluffs and walls carved and shaped by water. Then went high over 9600' where there was no sign of even spring and residual snow. Spent most of the ride between a mile high and 6000'. Stopped at the Flute Man's shop and got a thorough tour and explanation of his work. Bought some items cuz I appreciate him and his craft. Went on to the Broken Spur for the nite where I have eaten and visited twice on each of the two trips thru here. Washed my bike and am sorting things. Steak for dinner..first time in 6 months.

Day      : 14 Date      : 4.19.15 Sunday
Str Cty  : Torrey, UT Str Mls  : 60849
End Cty  : Alamosa, CO End Mls  : 61427
Dly Mls  : 558 Tot Mls   : 5642 miles
Time.     : 12:00 Notes     : cold all day
LOOKING FOR SPRING....29 degrees when I arose and 31 when I left at 7:45. Rode slowly to Hanksville on 24 and then headed south on my favorite part of the trip which is thru canyons and across the Colorado River ( see the bridge thru the rocks on either side). There were lovely desert flowers along side the road. On hwy 263 I had three miles of gravel and a 1400' foot cliff drop in less then 2 miles. When I reached Mexican Hat I passed the San Juan motel where Marnie and I stayed in the early century. Then on to Monument Valley Navaho Park. Bought a pop and back to MH where I caught a direct route to Cortez. So far the temps were tolerable ... But the 8400' rise between Cortez and Durango proved to send a chilly message. I had risen to above a 6k' level and stayed there with cooler temps throughout out the rest of my trip. Stopped to see my cousin, Lynne Meirstein Ford and her husband Steve, who live on a beautiful reservoir at 7k'. She works in an addiction treatment facility on the Ute reservation and Steve is retired. On the short 12 mile  trip to their house I got a speeding ticket for 68 in a 55 zone for 169+$s and as I was departing the officier it began to snow. On the way down I got stopped by a local for late reduction from 55 to 35 but did not get a ticket. So much for relatives. Past Pagosa Springs one goes to 10850' (over the Continental Divide again ) in the snow on Wolf River pass and very low temps. There were state cops everywhere and I was really nervous in spite of my exquisite driving. I pulled into the HIx in Alamosa at sunset and 38 degrees. Off to Chilli's for a salad. There were no sings of spring anywhere in Colorado, and they must only have 4 months of spring-summer-fall.

Day      : 15 Date      : 4.20.15 Monday
Str Cty  : Alamosa, CO Str Mls  : 61427
End Cty  : Topeka, KS End Mls  : 62061
Dly Mls  : 612 Tot Mls   : 6254 miles
Time.     : 10 hrs Notes     : cold all day
Lost another hour... Nothing but riding.... Up and left at 39 degrees and 7:45 with start elevation about 6k .. Rose to 9400' in pass east of Alamosa with snow surrounding the road. Rode catercorner across Kansas to Salina and caught I70. Arrived at 59 deg but it still felt very cold and I had all my warm clothes on. Fretted my way across Colorado and Kansas for fear of cops and speeding tickets...keeps one hyper aware.

Day      : 15 Date     : 4.21.15 Tuesday
Str Cty  : Topeka, KS Str Mls  : 662061
End Cty  : Madison End Mls  : 66632
Dly Mls  : 547 Tot Mls   : 6801 miles
Time.     : 8 hrs Notes     : cold all day
It never got to 50 degrees anywhere I was.. Stopped only 5 times (once per hundred miles) all the way home. Cross winds were terrible 40 miles south of Des Moines and all the way from Iowa City home. i tried to ride in the down wind side of semis as they drove in the left lane. Home frozen... Rode I70 to Kansas City, I35 to Des Moines, I80 to Iowa City and 150 home..not very exciting riding, but very fast averaging 76 mph for the first 400 miles. HOME by 3:30

gps = 6801 miles / bike = 7110 miles