343 miles and 71.4349 mpg!

That’s what we did, folks, on our trip out to Joshua Tree National Park yesterday.   If it looks like we had a good time…well, we did!

The idea for this ride came about when one of the reporters covering our new RX3 asked if we had done any long rides on the RX3.   I think the furthest ride I had up to that point was about 130 miles on a grand loop around the San Gabriel Mountains.   The question got me to thinking.

Joshua Tree National Park would make a good destination.   Steve and I talked about it last week, and it was a go.   Our plan was to ride all the way out to Chiriaco Summit and the General Patton Memorial Museum, top off the fuel tanks, and then pick up the road into the Park from the south entrance.   We left the plant at 6:00 a.m. yesterday and rolled out on the 210 Freeway until it merged with I-10 east of San Bernardino.

We stopped for a great breakfast in Gramma’s Country Kitchen in Banning.   Our waitress was wearing a name tag that said “Alice.”

“Alice’s restaurant?” I asked, and we all had a good laugh.   She had a good sense of humor, or she was humoring me.   As it sit here typing this, I’m guessing it’s not the first time Alice heard that question.

The Park was awesome, and the day was everything I hoped it would be from both photography and riding perspectives…low overcast clouds, smooth even lighting, and all the factors that make a photo pop.   And the riding was great, too!   It was cold, but it was fun!

We stopped to pay our admission fee at the Park entrance and I grabbed a photo of Steve’s bike.   That yellow sure looks good on the RX3.

A few years ago on a ride through Yosemite, my buddy Bob got us all in with the National Park Service lifetime senior citizen pass.    I asked Bob about it and he told me it was $10.   It allows free admission to any federal park for the rest of your life.   That, folks, is a great deal.  When Susie and I were back east visiting Fort Ticonderoga a few years later, I asked about the lifetime pass.  The Park Ranger told me I had be 62.   I told him I was.   He gave me a look that said “yeah, right” and he asked to see my driver’s license.   That alone was worth the trip…somebody who actually thought I looked younger than I am.   I bought the pass and I’ve used it a bunch of times since.

Okay, I know, I digress.   Back to the main attraction.

A little further up the road I grabbed a photo of the blue RX3 (the one I was riding).  This photo shows the blue RX3 in front of a cholla patch.   The blue really looks good, too!

When the RX3 motorcycles arrive, I’m signed up for a yellow one.  But that blue one sure is attractive. It’s a tough call.  My two favorite colors for a motorcycle have always been blue or red, but when I saw the yellow RX3 I thought to myself:  Wow!  This is a bike I need to own!   I’ve been racking up the miles on the blue RX3, though, and it is calling me.   We’ll see.

Here’s another photo near one of the rock formations in the Park.   It’s an awesome background for a beauty shot of two of the prettiest motorcycles on the planet.

Here’s a shot of the RX3 dash…not too shabby for a one-handed “on the roll” photo…

I was allowing the bike to decelerate when I took that photo, as you guys and gals will recognize from the tach (it’s only at 2,000 rpm).   At 70 mph, the bike pulls about 6500 rpm, and the engine is smooth throughout the rev range.   In fact, it was a smooth ride all the way out.   The bike rides real well and it’s comfortable.   It was a long ride, though, and I found my self using a trick I’ve used on other motorcycles…I slid back onto the stepped up portion of the rear seat.   It makes for a decent break on a long ride.

Here’s another shot from the RX3 cockpit as I rolled through Joshua Tree National Park…

And here’s one I grabbed of Steve when he was in front of me..

On the ride from Azusa to Chiriaco Summit, it’s uphill all the way.   It’s a gradual climb into what we call the high desert (that’s the Mojave Desert).   Folks, it was cold up there!   I would guess it was in the 40s for portions of our ride, and I was feeling it.   I was really glad I had my Tourmaster jacket, my motorcycle pants, a pair of extra heavy riding gloves, and my dickie.   On that last item, some of you might be tempted to laugh, but one of buddies introduced me to motorcycle dickies about 15 years ago, and I never go anywhere without one if it looks like it might get cold.   That one little bit of cloth really makes a difference!

If you’re wondering what it was like riding through Joshua Tree National Park….well, here you go…

We filled up a couple of times yesterday (the bikes had plenty of gas left when we did so, but when you’re out in these remote locations it makes sense to top off where you can).   On the last tankful, I ran the numbers.   The bike went 161.3 miles and the tank took 2.258 gallons.   Run the numbers, and you’ll find that’s a cool 71.4349 miles per gallon!   And when we returned to the plant at around 3:00 p.m., we found that our little ride racked up 343 miles.    A great day, a great ride, and a great motorcycle!