CSC Blog

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the one above says it all.   That’s Zuo, just after we crossed the Snake River from Idaho into Oregon.

Let me back up a bit and tell you about this fine day in July.   We were up early and we rolled out of, let’s see, where were we last night?  Oh yeah, Boise.

So we rolled out of Boise on the freeway for a bit, we grabbed 95 north (a nice country road), and then we met Rob (yet another RX3 rider) in Cambridge, Idaho.

First, a shot or two or three of Cambridge…

We were taking Idaho 71 through the hills to the Snake River, but allow me to introduce our good buddy Rob first…

Rob’s a cool guy and a master craftsman.   He and I had corresponded on the ChinaRiders.net forum, and I was glad I finally got to meet him in person.   I knew Rob would be an intelligent man from his postings on ChinaRiders, and I had been looking forward to meeting him today.

Rob had some nice touches on his RX3, including his mascot…

One of the guys asked Rob if his donkey had a name and he said it did not.  I suggested Hoty.    Joe Gresh and Rob both got it immediately.   Get it?  Donkey Hoty?   As in Don Quixote?

Rob had posted on ChinaRiders about a custom set of footpegs he made for his RX3 using bicycle pedals, and I have to tell you, they looked pretty good to me…

You may remember that yesterday I told you our good buddies Brendan and Shelby (two more RX3 owners) hooked up with us in Boise.

You know, Brendan looks a bit like Tom Cruise.   We talked about that for awhile there in Cambridge.   I told Brendan that people tell me I look like Leonardo di Caprio.   I don’t see it, myself…

Brendan, Shelby, and Rob know Idaho and Oregon well, and they told us it would be at least four hours before we saw any place to eat if we were headed to Hell’s Canyon.  It was already about 10:00, so everybody grabbed something at the gas station in Cambridge.

Here’s a shot of Lester, Kong, Zuo, and Hugo enjoying good old American gas station cuisine…

Brendan and Rob immediately struck up a conversation on the finer points of Canon camera gear…

I kept my mouth shut on that one…I’m a Nikon guy.

So, after the sampling the culinary delights of a rural Idaho Sinclair station, we were on the road on Idaho 71.  It’s one of the world’s great roads, folks.   We’ve been on so many amazing roads I’m losing track of them all.   We rode 71 right across the Snake River, and we arrived in Oregon.

Oregon.

Let me say that again.

Oregon.

Oregon, by way of California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho.  On 250cc motorcycles.

Oregon.

Okay, you get the point.

Ha ha ha, he he he.  I rode my RX3 from Los Angeles to Oregon.

I’ll say it again.

Oregon.

Here are a few shots after we crossed into Oregon…

I have to wonder what our Chinese and Colombian friends think of all this.   They must be wondering two things:

Are all the roads in America this magnificent?

and

Where are all the people?

On this last point, we’ve been in some very desolate and very beautiful areas.   It’s why Baja John chose the routes he did (and he has done one hell of a job in charting our journey).   Joe Gresh made the comment a few days ago…our guests have to be thinking all of America is like this, and they have to be wondering where all the people are.

We visited yet another amazing place today….Hell’s Canyon.

I’d never been to Hell’s Canyon before, and I always wanted to see it.   Hell’s Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon.   We were actually looking down on hawks flying below us.  Getting up there was a challenge.   The road was “unimproved” (a fancy way of saying washboard gravel).   I don’t like riding in that kind of stuff, but in for a penny, in for a pound.   It took us a good hour to get up to Hell’s Canyon.  It’s another place I can cross off my bucket list…

I was having a ton of fun taking in the views and taking photos.  Like always, though, the best photos are the ones of people.

I grabbed two this afternoon I really like.

This first one is of Juan Carlos and Gabriel, basking in the glory of Hell’s Canyon…

I was using my super wide angle lens.   The guys have been joking with me about its peripheral reach.

One trick with a wide angle lens is to shoot down at people.   Here’s a shot doing just that, showing Rob, Shelby, Tony, Brendan, John, Lester, and Joe…

After taking it all in, it was time to get on the road again.   We still had another 120 miles to our destination for tonight.  Folks, it was a long 120 miles.  The ride west out of the Hell’s Canyon overlook took forever.   Imagine Glendora Ridge Road (unending switchbacks and unmarked lanes) extending for nearly 80 miles in very cold riding conditions.

I was sure glad when we reached the small town of Joseph at the end of the switchbacks.   That’s the name of the town.  It’s named for Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians.  I told our guests it was named for me.   I think one or two of them believed me.   I don’t know if they have fully gotten a register on my sense of humor yet.    Maybe.

We had a great Mexican lunch in Joseph, and then we rode another 71 miles to La Grande, Oregon, which is where we are now.

When we arrived at the hotel this evening, we were in for another nice surprise.   Our good buddy Mark (who owns a red RX3) was waiting for us!

We were very tired when we pulled into the hotel parking lot, but listening to Mark talk about how much fun he was having with his RX3 was invigorating.  Joe Gresh listened in amazement.   Joe turned to me and jokingly asked “You’re paying him to say this, right?”  But I could tell he was impressed.   Joe is loving the RX3 he’s riding on this trip.   He’s becoming a member of the Cult of the Zong.

I’m calling it a night.   It was a long day, and I need to get a good night’s sleep.  We’re doing another 270 miles tomorrow, but unlike most days on this expedition, they’ll be mostly freeway miles.   We’ll be spending tomorrow night in Beaverton, just south of Portland, and you’ll be able to find us at the Peppertree Inn at 10720 SW Allen Boulevard.

And allow me to add just one more photo, updated to show where we are now…

Take a good look at that photo.  We did that on 250cc motorcycles.    Oregon.   Amazing stuff, my friends.

Wow, today was the best day yet on this trip.  I know I’ve said that before, but today was a lot of fun.   I enjoyed it more than any day yet on this epic adventure.  And like the title says, we’re in Boise, Idaho tonight.   It was a good ride getting here.

I just came in from changing the oil (we did all of the bikes today).   Hugo and John G have group oil changes down to a science.  We serviced 10 bikes in about an hour.   Fun times. Lots of jokes, lots of kidding around, and just plain fun.  Hugo is turning into a real boss.   John G thinks he’s running the show.   Hugo does, too.   It’s pretty funny watching Hugo holding a funnel, pointing to his wrist, and telling John “quickly, quickly” (especially when you consider that Hugo doesn’t wear a watch).   Good times.

We rolled out of Twin Falls at around 8:00 a.m., picked up Highway 20, and rode it through the southern width of Idaho.   Arizona George met us along the way…he’s a Brit with an accent that everyone mistakes for Australian, and we’re really enjoying his company.

Our first stop was at the Craters of the Moon National Monument.  It’s a volcanic field in the middle of southern Idaho’s gently rolling hills, and it’s definitely other-worldly.

I grabbed a photo of Kyle, John, and Gabriel when we got there…

You know, you get to think a lot when you ride a motorcycle.   I like things simple.   I don’t have a GPS, or an intercom, or anything else like that on my bike.   I like the solitude that riding a motorcycle offers, even when I’m riding in a group.   I’m old, I guess, and I find that feeling (a preference for solitude) is more prevalent among older riders.

I sometimes like having a GPS in my car, but only sometimes.   To me, using it is like looking at a map through a straw.   I like the big picture, and I like having a paper map.  I don’t want a GPS on my bike.  Personal preference, I suppose.  When I first starting taking big rides on motorcycles, we used maps.  I still like the feel of a map.

The guys were riding much better today.  We were getting a little too bunched up yesterday, so we had another safety meeting and today things were much better.   I think a big part of it is cultural…in other countries riders ride closer together.  I like big distances with lots of space between bikes.  It gives you more time to react.   Anyway, today was a breeze.   I think my new Chinese name is SesherMe, which the guys tell me means 30 meters in Chinese.   I’m always telling the guys to keep 30 meters between bikes.

The mornings are interesting.   We usually have breakfast in the hotel and then get on the road by about 8:00.  It’s a challenge to get everybody moving at the same time, and Hugo is helping a lot with this.   We’re doing well.

Most of the guys from China have never been to the US before, and it’s sometimes hard for me to remember that the things I see all the time and don’t take much notice of are new and exciting for our guests.   My focus has been on getting everybody moving at the same time and minimizing the time at our fuel stops, because I want to get to the next spot before dark and still have enough time to take in the sightseeing stops we have scheduled.   The Chinese guys want to see it all and get photos of everything.   I was the same way when I was in China.

Today was interesting for many reasons, but what happened in Carey, Idaho, will stay with me for a long time.

We had left the Craters of the Moon and ridden another 50 miles or so (with literally nothing in between except open plains, rolling hills, and beautiful scenery) when we entered Carey.   You have to understand that Carey is basically a wide spot in the road with maybe 40 or 50 buildings along the way.   I was focused on getting there, filling the bikes, and getting back on the road.  Little did I know…

When we pulled into Carey, it was like my home town in the early afternoon on the 4th of July….you know, where everybody is sitting in lawn chairs, lining the street, waving American flags, and waiting for the parade.  That’s literally what we encounted.   The good citizens of Carey were waiting for the parade.   It was Pioneer Day here in Idaho.  I imagine everybody in town was out there on both sides of the street.

Okay, so we roll into town on our RX3s.  All 11 of us, now that Arizona George had joined the party.   You can guess where this is going…the good people of Carey thought we were the start of the parade, especially since the Chinese have large American and Chinese flag decals on their windshields.   The Carey people waved their flags at us and cheered.   What the Chinese guys were thinking I can only guess.   When we pulled in the Shell station, my good buddy Joe Gresh (who is a really fun guy to be around) pulled off his helmet and said “Boy, a lot of folks are following the blog.”  It was pretty funny.

I wanted to get gas and get going.  The Chinese guys and the Colombians wanted to stay and watch the parade.

You can guess how it went from the photos below…

We actually had a pretty good time. Our visitors were seeing a good old fashioned American parade. You can imagine the stories and photos they’ll be bringing home.

After the parade, we rode another 50 miles or so to another tiny town with two small restaurants, and we picked one. Hugo and I have this system worked out we were get in first (before all of the other guys, we review the menu, and we pick out something that is reasonably priced and order the same thing for all of the Chinese visitors).    Then I explain to the waitress what’s happening.  It’s working pretty well.

Today, we opted for bacon cheeseburgers, and they were awesome.  It’s always fun to watch the reactions when the food comes out.  The Chinese can’t believe our portion sizes.

The other thing that’s fun is to watch the reactions of the other diners in these places.  We’re eating in local restaurants, and the other patrons are local folks.   Today I walked over to the other tables and told them what was happening (you know, new motorcycle in America, visitors from China and Colombia, etc.).   The locals loved it.  They had lots of questions and it was a very enjoyable exchange.  Some of the towns we are going through are extremely small (for instance, the town of Emblem has a population of 10), and it’s a big deal for them (much as it is for us) when we stop in for a meal.   Fun times.

At our stop today for lunch, it was an extra-special treat to have Justin (aka MacGuyver) hook up with us for the ride.   Justin, you will remember, rode with us on the Baja ride.  It was another photo op.  Grand fun, all the way around, for everybody.  That’s Justin in the middle of the photo below.

From there, it was another quick 50 miles (although in much more severe heat) to the junction of Hwy 20 and I-84.   We stopped for gas, but on the way into that town, several of us noticed an M1 Abrams tank on display.  Joe Gresh wanted to take a few minutes to photograph it.   So did our guests.   It was a hoot.

We’re in Boise tonight, and when we arrived at the hotel, we had another nice surprise.  My old Triumph-riding buddy Brendan and his brother, Shelby, were waiting for us at the hotel.   They both ride RX3 motorcycles now.   They are joining the ride tomorrow, so we now have four additional RX3 riders in our group.

Today we’re headed to Hell’s Canyon in Oregon.  Yep, we’re adding another state to our list.  It’s going to be hot, but it’s going to be fun.  I washed clothes last night and they are still a bit damp.  That will keep me cool for awhile.

This evening we’ll be staying at the Super 8 on 2407 East R Avenue in LaGrande, Oregon.   Ride safe and we hope to see you there.

Yep, another state on the Western America Adventure Tour!   We crossed the border into Idaho, and we’re spending the evening in Idaho Falls tonight.

But first, allow me to back up a bit to yesterday, when we stopped for lunch at the only Chinese restaurant in Greybull, Wyoming.  It was good.  I was afraid our Chinese visitors might not find it up to their standards, but they gave it a thumbs up!   Our friends taught Baja John the finer points of chop sticking, and we had a blast.

Okay, fast forward to today.   We were on the road at 5:00 a.m. today (you read that right…we rolled out of Cody before the sun came up).   We wanted to beat the crowd into Yellowstone and we did, but wowee, was it ever cold!   The forecast was that it would be in the 30s and it sure was!

Yellowstone is surreal, with sulfur-laden steam spewing forth all over the place.   It was a first for me…I’d never been to Yellowstone before.

That’s Baja John in front of me…we were dressed for the cold, but I think our guests found it to be a little colder than the weather they are normally used to.

I was nervous about the gas situation.   My fuel light was blinking as we entered the park and I didn’t know for sure if there would be gas in Yellowstone.  John felt confident there would be, and he was right.

I was glad to see the Sinclair sign up ahead, but before we got there, we had a close encounter of the bison kind.  We were cruising along at about 30 mph, and all of a sudden I noticed this large-as-a-locomotive big dark shape next to me.  I was too slow to realize what it was until I was alongside, but our chase vehicle driver John (we have two Johns and one Juan on this ride) grabbed this photo…I passed within 10 feet of this monster!

The locomotive analogy is not a bad one.   Just as I went past my big buff buddy above, he  exhaled.   In the frigid Yellowstone air, fog came out this guy’s nostrils.   It was like riding alongside a steam locomotive.

Here’s another cool shot.   We’ve crossed the Continental Divide four or five times already on this ride.

You know, back to that fuel situation again for just a moment.   I checked my gas mileage a couple of days ago and I didn’t tell you about it because I was sure I must have had made a mistake.   I calculated 81 mpg.   Well, I checked it again today after the ride out of Yellowstone, and this time I got 80.86 mpg.   I know that the ride out of Yellowstone was mostly downhill, but still, that’s impressive fuel economy.

The big attraction at Yellowstone, of course, is Old Faithful.   Here’s a shot of the geyser in its full glory…I grabbed this one earlier today.

And if that’s not enough, I used my camera’s video feature to capture this…

After Yellowstone, we stopped for lunch and I had elk chili.   It was amazing.  It was still cold out, and I had a cup of coffee, too.   It was a grand lunch in a grand place.

What a day…we next rode through the Grand Teton National Park.

Folks, it doesn’t get much better than this…

After the Grand Tetons, we rode for another couple of hours and then we crossed into Idaho.   Wow.  California.  Arizona.   Utah.  Colorado.   Wyoming.   South Dakota.  Back into Wyoming.   And now, Idaho.   Didn’t anyone tell this bike it’s “just” a 250?

We had a couple of folks waiting for us at the hotel this evening.   The first is Arizona George, who is riding a portion of the ride with us tomorrow.   George (aka AZRider) has a red RX3.   He’s an interesting man and I’m looking forward to riding with him tomorrow.

And Lia, who showed up for a test ride…my guess is she’ll be an RX3 rider before too long.

That’s it for now…time for some shuteye.   We’re hooking up with more RX3 riders tomorrow on our way to Boise!  It’s going to be fun!

Just a quickie tonight, folks…we’re up with the sun tomorrow morning headed to Yellowstone.  It’s going to be in the 30s when we leave.

This is a quick video on Highway 14, headed west, on our way to Cody today…

I guess my helmet cam picked up a bug…as in a squished bug on the lens.   You can see it as a foggy spot in the upper right corner of the above video.  We sure are running into a lot of bugs.

My RX3 turned over 6200 miles this afternoon, and the tire still has a fair amount of meat on it.   With about 2300 miles to go on this ride, I’m wondering if I’ll be able to get all the way home on it.

We slugged it out with strong headwinds for 250 miles today.   It was an exhausting ride.   The RX3s probably handled it better than we did.   We adjusted and lubed the chains on everyone’s bike this evening, and we’re good to go tomorrow.  Everybody is tired tonight, though, and I’m getting to bed early.

Some of the bikes are parked out front (the others are out exploring Cody).

I’m glad I bought cold weather gear with me.   It’s going to be frigid!

Oh, and by the way, tomorrow night we’ll be staying at the La Quinta Inn and Suites, 2501 South 25th East, Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Yep, our expedition enters Idaho tomorrow!

Gillette, Wyoming.   Wow.

We are rolling, folks.   Yesterday and the night before were amazing.   Sleeping in the shadows of Mt. Rushmore.   South Dakota’s Black Hills.   Deadwood.   Sturgis.   Devil’s Tower.   And more amazing Wyoming scenery.   More than we expected, but I digress.   More on that later.

First, the route.   We are about 23oo miles or so into the ride, as you can see below….

Everywhere we go people are reacting positively to the RX3.   Most assume it’s a BMW.   It’s funny…I was standing outside a restaurant in Sturgis yesterday and a guy on a GS1200 pulled up to me.   “How’s the food in there?” he asked.  “I know I can trust a fellow GS rider…”

The bikes are holding up well.  We’ve had more issues with our camera gear than with the motorcycles.   One guy lost a camera (it fell off the bike), another guy had his helmet mount break, another guy broke the LCD screen on the back of his camera, and another guy’s camera just gave up the ghost.

While the Three Amigos were on safari, the rest of us walked around Keystone before dinner.

Here’s a shot of Hugo.   I always wondered what these said.   Hugo couldn’t make much sense of it, either…

The Sturgis Rally starts in another day or so.   There were already lots of bikes in town.

The four amigos….Hugo, Joe, Tony, and Zuo.

Hugo and Teddy R…

The next morning we were up early, we had the hotel continental breakfast (I’ve always wondered on what continent they eat that kind of breakfast), and we were off for a ride through the Black Hills.   Awesome stuff.

We rolled into Deadwood and stopped for photos.   I didn’t grab any.   John, Lester, and I just kicked back and had a Pepsi while the rest of the guys checked out the table where Wild Bill Hickok cashed in his chips.   After that, we were back on the road headed into Sturgis…

Everybody needs to see Sturgis once.   Preferably, not during the rally.   They are expecting over a million motorcycles to converge on this spot next week.    It’s going to be crowded.

After that, it was on to Devil’s Tower, Wyoming.   That place is special.   I heard our Colombians singing the tones from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  We were all enjoying it.

And that’s it.  I missed a turn coming back from Devil’s Tower yesterday, so we added another 40 miles or so to our ride through the Wyoming countryside.  The guys were all too polite to mention it.

One more thing…I’ve been so pre-occupied with the bikes, the guys, keeping everybody moving, and all kinds of other things that I’m not taking too many photos or videos.  That was bothering me until I realized I’ve got some world class photographers on this ride.   Hey, I thought, I’ll just ask them if I can get copies of their outstanding work.

Baja John’s navigational skills in charting our course and his logistical support with the hotels have been incredible.   I am amazed at the job he is doing for us.

We’re headed to Cody, Wyoming, in about one hour.   Stay tuned, my friends.

Mt. Rushmore…we made it to our turnaround point!  The guys are enjoying the ride enormously!

A few hours ago, I asked my Chinese riding buddies to pose for a photo in front of Mt. Rushmore.   Kyle suddenly started talking in Chinese at about 100 mph and at first I didn’t understand what was happening.  It took me a minute until I realized Kyle was creating a Chinese version of Mt. Rushmore with Kong, Lester, Hugo, and Zuo.   Very clever, if you ask me…

I sure like the photo.   To me, it is maybe the best one of the trip.

Let’s switch gears and talk about the joining us for the ride.

The best way to hook up with us and get a test ride is to meet us at the hotels.   We’ve had some people meet us during the ride, but we really don’t know when we’ll be passing through a specific area and we are making changes to the route as we go.    You’d save yourself a lot of time and have a much better chance of seeing us if you meet us at the hotel when we arrive each evening.

If you want to ride with us for a portion of the ride, the best way is to similarly meet us at the hotel before we start.   We’ve got 12 people here speaking three or four different languages and struggling with having crossed several time zones, so getting everybody moving in the same direction at the same time is a dicey affair.  That’s a nice way of saying I have no idea when we’ll be passing through a certain area, or even if we’ll be taking a specific road.  And, as I said above, we are making changes to the route on the fly.   You’d have a much better chance of finding us at the hotel in the evening or in the morning if you want to ride with us.

Having said that, here’s where we’ll be staying for the next three nights:

• Wednesday (22 July):  Budget Inn Express, 2011 Rodgers Drive, Gillette, WY 82716
• Thursday (23 July):  Green Gables Inn, 1636 Central Avenue, Cody, WY 82414
• Friday (24 July):  La Quinta Inns & Suites, 2501 South 25th East, Idaho Falls, ID 83404

Mt. Rushmore is our turnaround point.   We’ll ride some of the more interesting areas in South Dakota’s Black Hills tomorrow, and then we’re pointing the bikes west and rolling back into Wyoming.

As always, more to follow…