Excited and tired at the same time. That’s the best way to describe my first week on the road. I’m not sure this part can truly qualify as a road trip, since I’m trying to get to the “start” in Maine as quickly as possible, so I’ve been mobbing up the interstate and putting in long days.
But the interstate does provide beauty. While the oasis’ of truck stops and chain restaurants can give a slight deja vu feel, you are still moving through gorgeous country in between stops. I’ve passed through familiar territory so far, so whether on 2-lane or interstate, I’ve gotten a lot of “been there, done that” as I’ve traveled.
I was in Bisbee for about a week, swapping the DR650 out for the Indian Chieftain, which meant stopping at the Grand Hotel for a burger, beer, and some wings.
I left Bisbee after a few hassles getting the Indian and trailer up and running, but was only delayed a day. Hwy 191 runs from the border with Mexico to the border with Canada, and in Arizona it winds through the White Mountains and crosses the Coronado Trail. I went this way last year, so much of it was familiar, but the views are breathtaking enough that it still held my gaze the entire way.
After lunch in Alpine I continued north, eventually ceding way to the setting sun in a whistle-stop town called Chambers, AZ. It was a gas station and hotel on the side of the freeway, with a few homes on the other side of the interstate. The hotel room was in really good shape, and their restaurant had some native-inspired offerings since it is on the edge of the Navajo Nation.
The Navajo burger did the job: basically a burger with the usual fixin’s plus some green chili, served on fry bread. I slept well but had only done about 400mi, leaving about 500 miles to do the next day. I got an early start after a nice complimentary breakfast and kept working north.
I detoured briefly in Monument Valley. They had renamed a viewpoint after Forrest Gump, because it overlooks the spot Tom Hanks’ character decided he was done running. I grabbed a quick snapshot and kept heading north. By that point it was warming up but the heat was manageable, and I eventually worked into familiar territory again.
I passed through Moab, UT quickly, which I’ve been to many times now. My destination was Park City, UT — the National Ability Center to be exact. This is where Veterans Charity Ride (VCR) was having its 10yr reunion and celebration. Sadly I listened to Google Maps when it sent me the long way, and it added almost 100mi to my trip, making it a 13hr, 612mi day.
To top it off, I spent the last 90min getting rained on as the temperature dropped into the low 50’s, then high 40’s, and the last 45min or so was done in the dark.
Veterans Charity Ride
It was a great three days, though they passed by quickly. I have volunteered or participated six times out of the nine years VCR has operated (the tenth year is this year, and the event happens in June) so I knew nearly everyone who had come to the reunion. It was especially important for me; having spent so much time on the road and alone, I don’t have a proper sense of community, even though I have many friends throughout the country.
Having people all in one place who know and accept you is a boon too easily taken for granted, until you go without it for awhile. We were beset by weather the first day, but got in some great rides the following two. The mountains east of Salt Lake City are simply not like how people imagine Utah. Most of the state is either desert mountains, desert plain, high desert, or the unique red-rock desert found on the eastern side of the state.
The Wasatch Mountains though, can easily be mistaken for Colorado, and they are technically part of the Rocky Mountains, despite the high plains between them and Colorado. Things were still very green and the tourists hadn’t arrived yet. For places in the US that snow, this is generally “mud season,” where recreational snow users are gone but the trails haven’t dried out enough for hikers, mountain bikers, and the like.
Even though it was Memorial Day Weekend, there was not much traffic to contend with. We wandered the lakes and reservoirs, got up into the remaining snow, still clinging in the shadows, and wound through farmland and horse pasture.
On Memorial Day we visited Bridal Veil Falls (there are a lot of waterfalls with that name, the world over), then went to Memorial Hill in the town of Midway. They put a wonderful tribute to military veterans on a low hill with a panoramic view, and built the access road as a long spiral around the hill.
Bridal Veil Falls, Utah.
We were able to share a moment of silence for the fallen while overlooking the farmland, housing tracts, and new homes sprouting up for miles. Progress, whatever it looks like, waits for no one.
Eastward Ho
Following the event and saying goodbyes, I helped Dave Frey (VCR founder) drop off some of the Indian Motorcycles used for people who flew in for the event, then made way to the interstate for the long slog east. The next stop was the Arrowhead Mountain Lodge in Cimarron, CO.
This was my de facto base camp for my 2023 ride, since it is owned by friends and is just a damn fine place; good food, good people, good atmosphere, quiet, alpine views. I was happy to see my friend Patrick (who I know from a VCR event) again and to see the lodge getting by. They are about 6mi off of Hwy 50, in a stretch that has spent about five years closed to one-lane while a widening project takes place.
If that wasn’t enough, having long delays waiting for the pilot car to take traffic through the construction zone, a bridge just past the construction was closed indefinitely while damage and repairs are assessed. That cut off all through traffic, except those willing to take a 90-min detour on narrow dirt roads, or an almost 3hr detour through mountain roads to the north.
Their season is just starting (it’s mud season here too) so I wish them much success as the big outdoor events and live music start happening, and guests begin arriving to explore the nearby ranges. I’ve been here now about three nights and have very much enjoyed the place like it’s a 2nd home. People remembered my name and I instantly felt I was part of the family, even though I’ve been gone since August.
I felt too exhausted to leave on the day I planned, so am staying one more night before linking back up with the interstate. That’s why I feel the “real” trip hasn’t begun yet. The trip is to explore eastern Canada, and stops along the way are to see friends, but the routing in between is focused on miles per day, not memories made.
That will start after leaving Lexington, KY. I’ll spend some time there visiting family and getting new tires installed on the trailer. After that I’ll work my way into my other 2nd home, the Blue Ridge Mountains. I don’t have a specific route yet, but will avoid the massive build up of humans on the eastern seaboard until I get near Maine.
Then I’ll start exploring more coastline. If you are a long-time follower, you might remember in 2022 I rode to Maine to get a lobster roll, but I only just crossed over into Kittery, Maine before turning back. That means as soon as I cross into Maine I’ll be in “new” territory, and I’ll want to really slow down and see what I’m looking at, instead of trying to get “through it and to it.”
The Veterans Charity Ride reunion was a perfect way to kick off the trip.
I’ll keep snapping photos and such and hopefully get back “in the zone” of documenting things. I have brought my SLR camera for better shots of landscapes or far away stuff. I also added a drone, but its still photos are crap and even the video is only so so. In any event, I’ll be looking to create memories and share the experience of making them, so keep checking back.
Better yet, sign up and have any new posts compiled in an email that goes out Sunday mornings (so long as there are new posts). I’m still also posting to Instagram and Facebook if that’s how you want to interact, but this is the spot for actual story-telling and not just a snapshot and caption.
Cheers,
Johnny
Johnny Killmore 