Top Ten or Eleven

It was difficult to pick a top ten list from all the great experiences that we had. These are mine in chronological order:

1. Brooks’ cabin in Taylor Park, CO – We had great weather, great fishing, and a
good rest before the big push west. It is a special place and as an added bonus, Pat Miller was there to take care of us. Our family has been visiting Taylor Park since the early 70’s and Brooks is always such a gracious host. I will be returning to Taylor Park in October to visit again and help Brooks close up for the winter. I’m going to include the ride on Hwy 92 on the north side of the Black Canyon. This is a must do if you are ever on a motorcycle in the area.

2. U.S. 50 ride across Nevada - This highway is known as the “Loneliest Road In America”, and after what I read about this stretch, would have never believed that I would have enjoyed this ride. There were nine mountain summits with sweeping ascents and descents, and long straight valley stretches where we could put the hammer down. It wasn’t the most scenic ride we had on the trip but one of the most interesting. We had to really pay attention to our fuel levels because sometimes there were long stretches between cities.

3. Yosemite – Yosemite Valley is the most beautiful vista I have ever seen. The rest of the Park wasn’t much different than many of the other mountain areas we were in. I would like to go back and spend some time hiking and backpacking in Yosemite. This was one of only two parks (the other was Glacier) where we had to be concerned about bears in our camp. Fortunately there wasn’t a problem but we heeded the National Park Service requirements of food and toiletry storage in the bear boxes 24 hours.

4. California Coast – I had read and heard about the spectacular scenery along Hwy 1. We were not disappointed. We soon discovered that we shouldn’t get in a hurry and enjoy the coastal terrain and curves. I was surprised how cool and windy the coast was. There were a lot of motorcycles, convertibles and cyclist on this stretch of road. The fog was usually heavy in the mornings and would lift by late morning. Unfortunately, we had very heavy fog in northern California and all along the Oregon coast.

5. The breakdown at Cleone Campground near Ft. Bragg, CA - Why would a starter going bad on a Saturday evening rank in the Top Ten? Well….where do I start? Thanks to Rob for the ride to the motorcycle shop, Guy and Linda for finding the perfect camp sight. Dave and Lynne Soeth, Jon and Sherri Richter and their families for their visits, coffee, monkey bread and help. We made many new friends and hope that some day we can return the kindness that these folks showed us. And of course I can’t forget J.P. Mohn, owner of Ft. Bragg Cycle Supply who stayed late Sat. to haul my motorcycle in and do the diagnosis and working on it all day Sun. to get us back on the road. This experience reaffirmed my faith in humanity. Everyone was so kind, helpful and friendly. This could have easily been a very bad experience but the kind folks of northern California wouldn’t let it happen.

6. Columbia River Gorge - I was surprised on the size and beauty of the Columbia. We rode on both the north and south side of the gorge. We were amazed by the windsurfers, the shear cliffs, waterfalls and vistas of nearby Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. Of all the campgrounds, Beacon Rock State Park was one of the nicest.

7. Glacier National Park - For me this was the most impressive National Park we visited. The helicopter ride was outstanding. I would love to spend a couple weeks in the park and do some hiking and backpacking – perhaps even going into Canada, but would wait until late summer or early fall. The ride through the park on the “Going To The Sun Road” was spectacular – if you could avoid the traffic. There was so much to see and do and so little time.

8. The visit with Lyle and Shelly Spence - Just a couple of weeks before we left, this was a “might do stop if we have time”. I am sure glad I took the time to contact Lyle and stop in for a visit. The dinner and hospitality was among the best we experienced the whole trip. It won’t be another 25 years before I have contact with Lyle.

9. Our 5 day stay in Jackson, WY - It was great that Suz could fly out and join us.
This is a picture of us sampling the local flavor:



What a great time we had with the Brocksmith clan – rafting, kayaking, biking, shopping, dining, rodeoing, tramming (are those actually words?), and taking in much of what the Jackson Hole area has to offer. Kent and Brenda were our guides and hosts and we can’t thank them enough for making this a special part of our trip. I’m sure Graham is going to list the downhill mountain biking as the highlight of his trip.

10. Sturgis – I can’t leave off the Sturgis experience. It had been 15 years since I had been to Sturgis and it will probably be 15 more before I return. The highlight of our stay was the George Thoroughgood concert and the evening at the Buffalo Chip. You might recall that Aerosmith was there just a couple of nights later and Steven Tyler fell of the stage and was injured. If we were big partiers and liked roaring motorcycles all the time and enjoyed crowded riding we would have stayed longer and had a better time. It was obvious that we have been spoiled with the open country and solitude riding that we have experienced.

I said there was going to be a Top Ten List – well I was wrong – there are eleven.

11. Our Parkston Stay – Staying in Parkston, SD is like being home. Wayne and Diana Singleton really took care of us. Diana’s family, Pat and Cathy Bowar and Michael, Audrey and Grady Bowar visited us both nights and it is always a real joy to be included in the family gatherings. We rested and prepared for the final leg to home. I hope to return in November for some pheasant hunting, which has become an annual tradition for my Pointing Labrador, Cork and myself. We have had some unbelievable hunting. This is one of my favorite pictures of Cork and I.



I am trying to get Graham to complete his list - stay posted. For those interested, I will keep the blog site open for future travels. If my employees will let me, I hope to travel to Colorado and South Dakota later this year. Thanks for following our motorcycle trip. I had no idea that there were so many people keeping up with our travels. It was a great trip and we're so thankful that we returned safe and had so many great experiences.