So I am back in good ole' Texas. I had a great trip even though it only lasted a little over 30 days, and 5000 miles. I went through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Oklahoma. I saw the Three Rivers Park (Bad weather in three rivers ), Cimmaron Park, Jemez Falls, and the Vietnam Memorial in New Mexico ( Riding through New Mexico), The Grand Canyon ( Grand Canyon Video), and Flagstaff on route 66 in Arizona, The Grand staircase Escalante, and Posey Lake in Utah (Brook Trout in Posey Lake), Diamond Creek Guard Station in Idaho. In Wyoming I saw the Tetons, Jackson Hole and Yellow Stone Park. Then rode through Denver Colorado and back home.
I caught quite a few brown and brook trout, got to stand on the rim of the grand canyon, saw a mother elk and calf 30 feet away for half an hour, saw a gray wolf, a marmot, a fisher, a porcupine (Porcupine video) golden eagle, mule deer (Motorcycle almost hits a mule deer) a kangaroo mouse, beaver, snowshoe rabbitgreater canadian geese, hundreds of ground hogs, ground squirrels, and pronghorn antelope, and woke up at times to howling wolves, bugling elk, and gobbling turkeys. I even got lost for four hours in the wilderness, while following and stalking an elk, and this was when I saw the gray wolf. But I made it back to camp...eventually. Oh and a herd of cattle in the highway. (Herd O cattle)
I met many great people along the way which was what the trip was really all about. I met Ellis on the mountain side searching for Elk antlers with his two mules and talked for three hours about our faith. I met Sal in West Texas who's passion for adventure rivals my own. We could have talked for hours, but he had to get back to school at UT in Austin after being on a three week tour as far North as Oregon and even crossed the border down into Mexico on a kawasaki Ninja 650. Hey Sal! Would love to travel together some day! Then I met Dan Booth in the Jemez falls campground who gave me change for a twenty so I could pay my campsite fee. We talked for a while and he and his wife are in my prayers for health reasons. Then there was Anthony who was Navajo and tried to sell me his art work in the parking lot of McDonalds between Albuquerque and Flagstaff on route 66. He taught me how to say Hi and bye in Navajo. Taught me not to point because in Navajo it's considered rude, so I bought him lunch. We were the same age and connected. Then I met Gary and Doc in Escalante, which Gary from clear lake Texas had the first Victory I have ever seen with flames and a set of Texas longhorns on the front! And the Desert Doctor aka "Doc" is the only Harley mechanic in a hundred miles of Escalante and one heck of a nice guy. Then there was Kathy the camp host, God bless her, who would not let me into Posey Lake campground on a motorcycle so I camped across the way on the mountain side for three days. She turned out to be a good friend and even felt so bad about not letting me stay that she gave me $60 and a nice field and stream compass so I wouldn't get lost in the woods again! Hi Kathy! Really enjoyed our conversations at the picnic table about life and religion. In Salt Lake City I met John who owns the Discovery Inn in Salt Lake City who Shared fishing stories with me for hours in the hotel lobby. Then I met Robert who worked for the US forestry department in Idaho. He was in an accident at a refinery in his late twentys and lost his right arm, and had a metal clamp to replace it, but didn't let it stop him from doing anything he did before. He still handles his cattle, and roughs it like he did. He was nice enough to let me stay 6 nights in the cabin even though I only reserved it for one.
Then as I made my way back to Texas I passed a man asleep on the highway in the desert between Colorado and New Mexico. I couldn't resist the urge to turn back to ask if he was okay. I woke him up and asked if he needed anything. He said "you got any water". His lips were so dry they were cracked and bleeding. So I said no, but I can go get you some. So I returned after twenty minutes or so with food and water. And some chap stick. After an hour conversation I apologized for not being able to take him on the motorcycle for lack of room for him, his suit case and sleeping bag. He said it's no problem I have been walking for three days from Pueblo. He had lost his job at the carnival for preaching on the job. So they had slipped something in his drink where he passed out then had a tattoo of a horse from a carousel that said ride jock tattooed to the inside of his wrist and fired him the next day. I could tell it was a fresh tattoo. In Pueblo he was robbed of his violin and money and hit in the head by some druggies which threatened to shoot him if he followed them. So he called the police and they took him to the hospital and admitted him for the night for a concussion. So after a while of talking mostly about his wife of twenty three years who had left him eighteen months before, we had a prayer and I took off. As I rode along I had time to think about if that were me. Then I felt the Lord speak to me. He said "you wanted to come on this trip to do good things, and I set this divine appointment for you and you are going to pass up this opportunity? No, I don't think so, you need to turn around right now and go back!" So I returned ten miles back. He said "I was just praying for you". I said well we are gonna figure a way to at least get you to the next town ten miles ahead. So four hours and 300 miles later we arrived in Amarillo...I can't tell you how many strange looks I was getting, as we were a sight to see with the huge suitcase on top of my back case strapped down and sleeping bags and backpacks strapped to the sides. One guy at the store said "thats quite a load you got there". I gave him a brief explanation and he smiled with a continuing nod. Lol. So in Amarillo I got us each a room for 29.99 and we went to kfc for a feast and I continued more and more to grow to enjoy Michaels words of wisdom on Christianity as his father was an Assembly of God preacher most of his youth and he knew the Bible inside and out. The next morning I got up early which was a Monday June 16th I went to the bus station and bought him a ticket to Fort Worth. I went back to the hotel and picked him up and we had breakfast then I dropped him off at the bus station and I was off to Fort worth. I picked him up at 6:00 am the next morning from the Fort Worth bus station and took him to Cleburne where I met his mother and father in their retirement community. We had coffee and talked for an hour or so, it was nice knowing he was back in good hands. I went back to my hotel, loaded the bike and headed south for the last 200 miles.
So this trip was not as long as my South America trip, but packed full of Good people, beautiful wildlife, and exciting destinations.
This will be my last post....until my next adventure.
Thanks for reading.
God bless,
David
This is a view on the way down Hwy 12 " All american road" on the way to Escalante Grand Staircase
More hwy 12 in Utah on the way to Escalante.
Me and "Doc"
Doc and Gary ..notice the Texas longhorns and flames on his Victory. He bought this 1989 bike recently with only 800 miles on it. Wow.
four of the nine trout I caught. They had pink meat like a salmon. More than I could eat though.
My mcDonalds drink in Salt Lake City Utah
This is a popular tourist destinatio. They have wading pools and water parks
This is Slug Creek and was full of trout. Unfortunately I hadn't bought an Idaho fishing license and Robert the US forestry officer informed not to try fishing without on as they were very strict on enforcement. And I wasn't about to drive 40 miles on a dirt road to go and buy one.
This sign photo is a tribute to some friends..
The inside of the cabin where I spent 7 days enjoying the great outdoors. This cabin normally rents for $35 a night.
This was a collage of the cabin being setup in 1998. This cabin is used in the winter as a warming station for snowmobilers.
View from the loft at Diamond Creek Guard Station Cabin.
Map of my route from Utah to Idaho
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