Day 18 of ALAA-Tues, May 31st, 2011. Republic, WA to Kalispell, MT

Today I started in WA, rode quickly through Idaho (the Idaho Panhandle is only about 40 miles wide!) and am spending tonight in Kalispell, Montana. It's all been just run of the mill magnificent scenery, beautiful rivers and lakes, and a lot of small towns full of friendly people. For some reason, people tend to approach me and talk about travel. I tell them about ALAA and they just shake their heads like I'm from a looney bin or something (of course, it may be true?) or they want to know more-when you're traveling this long and this far alone, it's nice to talk with someone. Now I TRY to control my verbal diarrhea but . . . most of you know that I'm not very good at that! Depending on the weather (snow?), tomorrow I should be visiting my fifth national park on ALAA: Big Bend, Redwoods, Olympic, North Cascades, and Glacier. They are all beautiful but spectacular in their own unique ways. This may seem somewhat disjointed to you but I'm cheering on the Dallas Mavericks to beat the Heat in game 1 of the NBA Finals. Go Mavs!

Sorry but a couple from Florida asked if I wanted them to take a picture of me in front of Lake McDonald in GNP.

Here are some pics of Glacier NP with snow on all the mountains. I was sitting on a picnic table on the Road to the Sun and this deer walked by just as calm as could be. It walked within about 10 feet of me and didn't seem spooked at all!


I didn't get to follow the Road to the Sun all the way to the East Entrance of GNP because the road is closed due to snow! A ranger told me I could ride the entire road if I wanted to come back in about a week. You should have seen his face when I told him that in a week I would probably be in Maine! It's funny the response you get from people!

Day 18a of ALAA-Tues, May 31st, 2011

Boondocking Behind a LDS Church in Republic, WA

This one's gonna blow you away! Last night I pulled into Republic, WA (I dare you to try to find THAT on a map!) cold, wet, and tired and a nice warm bed in a motel sounded good. $60 for a roach motel that has its lobby in a convenience store didn't appeal to my tight-fisted ways. Sooooooo, I left there and began looking for a campground and it wasn't until then that I realized that the fine of Republic, WA has no campgrounds! I was riding out of town and I saw this LDS church with a flat grassy area behind it. So I pulled in where no one could see me, set up the tent, and had a good nights sleep-I don't think the Mormons would have minded! I think the word for that is boondocking.

I slept well, left there before 6:00 AM and headed East. I'm having breakfast in Colville, WA and, yes, I apologize to Ben Heater! This is a beautiful area with friendly people. Well, I'm headed toward IDERho and maybe Glacier NP tonight if it's not too cold. It was 38 degrees when I woke up this morning! Freezing! I don't think I want the 90/90 heat and humidity in Houston but some 60's would be nice!

Day 17a of ALAA-Mon, May 30th, 2011

I'm in Port Townsend, WA waiting on a ferry to take me to Whidbey Island and, of course, I'm having a latte. I saw couple of deer on the side of the road between here and Port Angeles. I honked to keep them from running onto the road and they hustled their deer booties back into the forest.


It also occurred to me this morning that I'm now headed East. I've been South down the Gulf of Mexico, basically West along the Mexican border, then North up the Left Coast, and now I'm headed East along the Canadian border. And my friends, the Border Patrol is back in droves! After both visiting and working in Vancouver, BC several times, I can't in my wildest dreams imagine why our Border Patrol thinks Canadians would try to sneak across the border into the U. S. Vancouver, BC may be the most livable city in North America! I'm a patriotic American but Canada is a wonderful country!

Port Townsend, WA

It seems that the main difference between the US-Mexico border and the US-Canada border is economic development. Economic development also has all the things that go along with it-the quality of roads, cleanliness, and the monied look of the homes and businesses. I've said for a long time that Canada is the U. S. North, except with Loonies for money, the metric system, and bilingual Canada has French AND English printed on all the products. It's no wonder that Canada is our largest trading partner and one of our greatest allies!

North Cascades National Park

Big Time Snow in the Moutains Ahead!

Yes, that's SNOW!

The snow here on the side of the road is about 8 feet high!

Near Deception Pass in the San Juan Islands, WA

Day 17 of ALAA-Mon, May 30th, 2011 (Memorial Day). Port Angeles to Republic, WA

Today has seen me ride through forests, over mountain ranges, look down on clouds, and see snow packed on the side of the road higher than I am tall! The morning from Port Angeles took me to Port Townsend to catch the ferry out to the San Juan Islands. The islands are placid and tranquil. Cold on Memorial Day but still very beautiful!


I got back to the mainland and something has been bothering me since then-why does Burlington, WA trigger something in my tired old brain? Is that the town where Darren Williamson grew up? If anybody knows, please let me know because it's bothering me. Rode up the Skagit Valley next to the river and crossed the Cascades. All the snow I saw at first was on the mountaintops but I kept seeing more and more as I went higher. The pass is only about 4600 feet elevation but the snow was deep on the sides of the road. Tomorrow it's more East to Idaho and THEN I'll tell you where I'm camped tonight!

Day 17b of ALAA-Mon, May 30th, 2011 (Memorial Day)

The Washington State Ferry From Port Townsend to Whidbey Island, WA

The state of Washington operates a fairly extensive network of ferries around Puget Sound and even up to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Several of them take commuters into Seattle from Bainbridge and Bremerton but others go from out on the Olympic Peninsula to the East side of the Sound. They are rather luxurious ferries with seating and viewing areas from three or four levels. I stayed in a motel in Port Angeles last night because of the rain and they offered a continental breakfast . . . . . . which consisted of a few granola bars! So I ate one granola bar, took another for later today and had a latte on the ferry.


It's 30 minutes over to Coupeville on Whidbey Island. There I can pick up WA 20 which bridges another island or two on the San Juans back to Mt Vernon, WA and points East. Here's the bike parked on the ferry. Well, I'm going back out on deck to enjoy the beautiful views!

Day 16 of ALAA-Sun, May 29, 2011. Portland, OR to Port Angeles, WA

Cape Flattery, WA is the Virtual NW Corner of the Contiguous U. S.

Yes, Cape Flattery is Beautiful!



Sorry but some tourists from Japan asked if I wanted them to take my picture at Cape Flattery.



Today has seen my riding from a wonderfully relaxing 2 nights at the home of my all-time, 100% favorite student, C, and her husband, N, to Port Angeles, WA.


It's a long 450 mile day with several observations. First, the scenery has been spectacular, as is most of the Pacific NW. Second, I learned that 25% of the oysters harvested in the U. S. come from the area around South Bend, WA. Third, I saw a sign about THREE, count 'em, THREE rainforests. I thought "rainforests, that's all I need!" Fourth, it occurred to me that I didn't see any timber clearcutting in California. It took me reaching the granola-eating, tree-hugging, dirt-worshipping, organic state of Oregon to see widespread clearcutting. Fifth, I've seen plenty of ditch roads-the forest is so deep and dense that all I can see is a narrow strip of the sky above. Today, I've probably seen 20-25 miles of tunnel roads-the foliage and trees are so thick both on the sides of and over the roads that it leaves you in a tunnel where it's almost dark. Last and most significant is that late this afternoon I made it to Cape Flattery. Road maps only show roads to Neah Bay, WA but the Mekah Indian Tribe built a toll (!) road from Neah Bay to Cape Flattery.


Here are a few pics of the area around the cape and the trail from the end of the road to the Cape Trail. This is the NW corner of the lower 48 states. This is the point where the Pacific is on your left and the Strait of Juan de Fuca leading to Seattle and Tacoma is on your right. Most road maps don't show any roads West of Neah Bay, WA but the map from the Olympic National Park shows an unnamed road owned by the Mekah Indian tribe that goes to within one-half mile of the point of the cape. The last half mile is a beautiful hike through an old growth forest that reminds me of all those beautiful hikes we took when we lived in Oregon.

The views from Cape Flattery have been the most beautiful I've seen . . . . other than Big Sur! I tried to use my iPhone out at the Cape and I connected to a Canadian cell network. The Strait separates Canada from the U. S. and allows ocean-going ships to access Seattle, Tacoma, and even Olympia, WA. Tomorrow should see a ferry from Port Townsend, some of the San Juan islands, and then back to the mainland headed East!


East! First I went South from Kingwood and Galveston to reach the U. S.-Mexican border. Then it was predominantly West along the U. S.-Mexican border to San Diego, CA. Then it was North along Highway 1-the Pacific Coast Highway to Cape Flattery and now I'm finally headed East!

Day 15 of ALAA-Sat, May 28th, 2011. In the Portland, OR area

The Old Guy in Front of our Home in Gresham

Today has been a zero miles day unless you count the trip into Portland and to the other side of the Willamette River to Gresham, OR. I went to the Cascade campus, almost cried, stocked up on food at WinCo and Costco, bought a new tent at Wally World, visited some friends, and basically rested some for the first time in two weeks. It was a rare occurrence in Portland though . . . no rain! Tomorrow is back to the OR coast and North up into Washington state. Maybe I'll be in a more cheerful mood mañana. Oh, I'm sorry but here is a picture of me in front of our former, and now rental, home.

Day 14 of ALAA-Fri, May 27, 2011. Port Orford to Portland, OR

Heceta Head Lighthouse, OR

Here is the beautiful Heceta Head Lighthouse near Florence, OR. I read that it's one of the most photographed lighthouses in the U. S. Somehow I'm NOT surprised! This is a picture I took with my phone from a little pullout along the side of Hiway 1. It's easy to take beautiful pictures, even when you have no photographic skill, when you have scenery like this! We went on a Family Mission Trip about 8-9 years ago to Florence, OR and went out to visit this lighthouse. The former lighthouse keeper's house, not visible in this pic, is to the right of the lighthouse and is now a B&B.


This has been the first day of multiple posts. Why? I don't know-it's just that things pop into my (weak, tired and old!) mind at different times. Today has seen me ride, or swim, a little over 300 miles from the KOA between Port Ordford and Bandon to a suburb of Portland, OR.


I'm spending two nights with a former student and her husband. She is a wonderful young lady that I've been privileged to know since 1999. She was a freshman student and I was a new faculty member at a small Christian college in Portland. She was the glue that kept our SIFE Team on track for those first three successful years. She met her future husband a few years out of college and they make a perfect couple! Being around them makes me miss my Bride even more than usual. It was especially tough today because I rode North up the Oregon coast where we spent so many weekends and weeks and so many wonderful memories-seeing the New Carissa near Coos Bay, riding 4X4's at the dunes with our Son, the Family Mission Trip in Florence, hiking at Cape Perpetual and Cape Lookout, eating at the original Mo's in Newport, staying at B and B's in Walsport and Pacific City, shopping at the Outlet stores in Lincoln City, renting those small houses in Gleneden Beach, and our favorite-the Ester Lee cottages in Lincoln City. Yes, the beautiful Oregon coast brings back a lot of pleasant memories!


Tomorrow will take me across Portland to the home my Bride and I still own there. Ask me sometime in person why I'm going there. I'll tell you in person but not here!

Day 14b of ALAA-Fri, May 27th, 2011



Cape Perpetua, OR



Otter Rock, OR

Well, it's been another interesting day in Oregon for two reasons: First, I saw a big round bright ball up in the sky today! I sure don't know what it was and no one I talked to had ever seen it before. One elderly man said he'd lived his whole life on the Oregon coast (You could tell because he had web feet!) and he told me he thought he saw it once when he was a boy but he wasn't sure. The second thing I saw today in Oregon was this very rare occurrence called "Dry pavement." A retired engineer that I ran into explained to me that it is a condition where there is a complete and total lack of moisture on the surface where traffic goes. Well, I saw a little of that strange stuff called dry pavement when that big bright ball was up in the sky!

The last amazing thing is that you're buying all this horse hockey I'm throwing down! :-) There WAS about 30 minutes this morning and again this afternoon when it was sunny and dry!

Day 14a of ALAA. Friday, May 27th, 2011

It was a grand and glorious night's sleep in this Kamping Kabin! Yes, it was cold but the Kamping Kabit has a little electric heater that kept the cold away. The biggest difference, though is the birds! In tents, the birds start goin' crazy around 5:30-6:00 AM and you're awake. I got to sleep until about 7:30 then had a muffin and a cup of coffee with the manager of the KOA in their little store. A real fine dining experience!


I thought of another pleasant difference between the desert states of West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona compared to CA and OR: FEEDLOTS! If you don't know what feedlots are, they are relatively small lots where cattle are fattened up just prior to the slaughterhouse. Feedlots are prominent in the desert SW and across the Midwest. There are two significant things about feedlots: First is the smell! You can smell them for a long ways before reaching them and the smell is anything but lilac and Ginger! Second, you have to imagine the cows in there saying to each other: "Hey Bub, come over here! There's some good grub over here! They are FINALLY treating us the way we deserve to be treated!" Little do they know that next month they will be the main entree at Del Friscos Steakhouse or the best part of a Big Mac!

Well, I'd better haul my lazy booty over to the shower, load up, and head North toward Coos Bay, Lincoln City, and Tillamook before heading inland to Portland. Beautiful ride along the coast . . . but the ever present OreGONE rain!

Day 13 of ALAA-Thurs, May 26th, 2011. Garberville, CA to Port Orford, OR

Ron and Betty See Beautiful (WET!) Oregon for the First Time

The KOA Kamping Kabin near Port Orford, OR

It's been an interesting day seeing some of the most magnificent scenery in the U. S. The Northern CA coast is, in many ways, more beautiful than any of the CA coast except Big Sur-NOTHING, even Lake Tahoe, matches the rugged beauty of Big Sur! The only words to describe the natural beauty of Big Sur is "utterly magnificent!" The Northern CA coast also includes the Avenue of the Giants, Redwoods National Park, and the experience of feeling minute compared to these 2,000 year old giants. It's not perfect being on the road in such beauty because it has rained, drizzled, or otherwise been wet all day.

Today has included travels from Gardnerville, CA 250 miles to about 10 miles North of Port Orford, OR. Here is a picture of Ron and Betty in the rain as we entered OR and a KOA Kamping Kabin which is a new one for me. Setting up a tent and sleeping in it in this rain just didn't fit in with my thinking today. I stopped at a No-tell Motel in Port Orford and asked about a room (there were NO cars in front of any of the rooms!) I thought I could get a Roach Motel price of about $30. The lady told me the rate was $60. I politely asked if she was kidding and she said (Get this!) "Summer Rate." I said it's 45 degrees out there and raining cats and dogs-this is the summer rate? She repeated "Summer Rate" and that's why I'm in a KOA Kamping Kabin tonight!

Today also saw me get a new iPhone to replace my month-old iPhone. My riding friends, Ron and his wife Harley (and his girlfriend Betty!) stopped in Brookings to get some rest. The three of us are going as far North along the coast to Tillamook (for GUESS WHAT?) and then they are heading inland. I'm going into Portland hopefully tomorrow and they are going toward Seattle. Tomorrow? NO RAIN!!!

Day 12 of ALAA-Wed, May 25th, 2011. Bodega Bay to Garberville, CA

Did They Think I was Going to Walk up to a Wild Elk?

The coast of CA is beautiful! Today, however, it was hard to see! It rained most of today except for about two hours in the middle of the day. In spite of the Oregon-like rain today, having the Pacific over my left shoulder is MUCH better than when I had the dust and poverty of the Mexican border over my left shoulder! Today wasn't a day when a lot of miles were covered-180 was a good day because of the rain and the sheer number of hairpin turns along the route. Here is a pic of wild elk in Redwoods National Park. The pace of Bodega Bay to Garberville in Humboldt County will put me in Portland in 2-3 days but I'm hoping that the weather and roads improve between here and there.

Ron and his wife, a Harley-Davidson Electraglide Ultra Limited, are letting me share a suite with them tonight. Oh, his girlfriend Betty is also with us! :-) Tonight is laundry night! Wearing two pair of jeans for 4-5 days isn't much fun although my unmentionables from Victoria's Secret are refreshed every day! By the way, Ron washes his wife EVERY NIGHT in the parking lot before he goes in to see his girlfriend Betty. My poor Honda hasn't had a bath since I left Planet Houston so it's looking about as grungy as its owner. Tonight though is a hotel night so the clothes will be clean and dry, the gray stubble will be done from the wrinkle covered face, and a bed is a better place to sleep than a tent with a sleeping bag on a mattress pad!


Me Riding Through The Chandelier Drive Thru Tree in Leggett, CA

 Oh, another thing done today that most motorcyclists haven't done-today I rode through a tree! Here's the pic to prove it! The Leggett Drive Thru Tree below was 400 years old during the time of Christ! Yes, California IS an interesting place and that is one BIG TREE! Tomorrow night should be in the SW corner of Ora-GONE!



The Avenue of the Giants in Redwoods National Park



The Avenue of the Giants in Redwoods National Park

 If you've never been to a Redwoods forest, you should visit there to experience the sheer size and magnificence of these massive trees.



Day 11 of ALAA-Tues, May 24th, 2011. Half Moon Bay to Bodega Bay, CA

Cable Cars and Alcatraz-Gotta be San Francisco!

The Painted Ladies Across From Alamo Square with SF in the Background

This one is going to blow you away! I was looking for a campsite in Bodega Dunes campground in Sonoma Coast State Park and I ran into Amy and Aaron Redelsberger from Cascade! They are camping with their three adorable children and I asked if I could share their campsite before I recognized Amy. The world is an amazingly small place! I rode around the campground once before I stopped at their site. Before I recognized Amy, I proposed that I would give them $10 to pitch my tent far away from them, be very quiet, and not disturb them at all-I'm getting tired of paying $35 for a place to put my tent and take a shower! They have helped me by allowing me to sleep in their spare tent, eat a delicious chili dog, and share some great stories about Cascade and other Cascadians. They have been wonderful!


Other than the pleasant shock of that, today was mainly San Francisco-Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, cable cars, Chinatown-The usual tourist attractions. This was only about a 100 mile day but SF will do that to you! And, yes, it was cold like Will Rogers said "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Ron and his wife, Harley, had not been to SF before so I tried to be a tour guide and show them the sights. Oh, Ron's girlfriend Betty was with us too! :-) The roads between SF and Bodega Bay are a motorcyclist's dream-smooth, hilly, and curvy but it's back on the PCH tomorrow toward Northern CA and Ora-GONE!

Day 10 of ALAA-Mon, May 23rd, 2011. San Simeon to Half Moon Bay, CA

My Campsite at San Simeon State Park

Headed Back to the PCH After the Detour!

You Can See the Magnificent PCH as it Curves Along the Coast

The PCH in Big Sur looks like a postcard, doesn't it?

Looking to the South Along the PCH in Big Sur, CA

Here are some pics of today. The first is my campsite in San Simeon State Park and the rest are of the beautiful Big Sur Coast. The most beautiful scenery imaginable!


Today began at the SP in San Simeon and is ending in Half Moon Bay State Beach. I'm not sure but I think I'm about 30 miles South of San Francisco.


This is my 4th straight night in CA state parks and I'm starting to judge them more accurately. 3 of the four have had beach views so I shouldn't complain. But as much as I pay for these, I have the right to complain, doncha think? The one last night had NO showers and pit toilets and there was no electricity in the whole camp-charging your phone is a necessity in today's world. There's another thing.....I know California has a $20-30 billion budget shortfall but I think they are trying to recover all that from me riding through this fair state! Like all states, CA has its problems but it remains the most beautiful of the 43 states I've visited.
When I finish this trip, I'll hit five of the remaining seven states! Today I saw the magnificent beauty of Big Sur. Scenery-wise, I'm not sure that there is anyplace in America that compares to the Big Sur coast-at least in the places I've been! EVERY roadside pullout looks like a postcard! Lake Tahoe has always been one of my favorites but TODAY I'd pick Big Sur as my all-time most beautiful place. You know that the next time we go to Lake Tahoe, I'll be convinced that IT'S the most beautiful . . . . . but that's a story for another time!


We're going to Maui for our 40th anniversary in July so then I'll be able to compare Maui to the Big Sur coast. We went to Honolulu and circled Oahu on our 35th anniversary and, while beautiful, I think I still have to put the Big Sur coast ahead of Oahu.


Riding the PCH is SO much slower than riding through the desert from Texas to San Diego. Crossing the desert, 350-400 miles a day was easy because the roads are flat and there is nothing to see along the way. Riding 60-70 mph was taking it easy across the desert but the standard up the PCH is 30-40 mph. I have a feeling from here the rest of the way up the West Coast and then East to about Montana will be much slower going.


Carmel is quaint beyond belief, as always, and I even saw an otter today at a turnout on the PCH! Monterrey and Pacific Grove are cities with draw-dropping beauty. I bought two oranges at a roadside stand near Watsonville today and they were red on the inside-not orange but RED! I ate one of them and it was delicious! Tomorrow is the mother lode of the cereal state-San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge is a given since it's the major route North up the coast. It probably will just be a quick stop at Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, a ride through Chinatown, and another In 'n Out Burger! Wahooooooo!

Day 9 of ALAA-Sun, May 22nd, 2011. Malibu to San Simeon, CA

A View of the MASH Site From the Chopper Pad at Malibu Creek State Park

My Campsite at Malibu Creek State Park

These two pictures are in the Malibu Creek SP. The first one is the MASH site from the helicopter pad looking down at the camp. Yes, the camp looks smaller than it does on the TV series. This is because the site has been overgrown in the 27 years since the series ended and the TV crews used different camera angles to make the camp look bigger. The only artifacts left there are a rusted out ambulance and a rusted out jeep. The location of the tents and OR are outlined in strings on the site of the camp. Looking at the mountain peaks around the MASH site brings back all those MASH TV episodes! The second picture is of my campsite there at the state park.

This post is a day late because there wasn't any service last night in the campground. Yesterday saw me riding about 200 miles North on the Pacific Coast Highway from the MASH state park above Pepperdine to San Simeon near the Hearst Castle. Somehow I neglected to mention Pepperdine U and the most beautiful college campus in America-if you haven't been to the Pepperdine Malibu campus, just Google-image it! I was riding with Ron and Betty and we were enjoying the scenery UNTIL we saw the sign about a section of the PCH being washed out and closed. Ron, Betty, and I rode up to the Hearst Castle. Ron and Betty scheduled a tour and I headed off to find a campground. Seeing the Hearst Castle again didn't appeal to me but the extra rest did! So we won't be able to ride ALL of the PCH through Big Sur but still most of it.

I ended up at San Simeon State Park. There were a couple of guys riding the Western US from Ontario camping just down from me in the state park. I walked down to the campsite where these two guys were and noticed their bikes-this is gonna BLOW YOU ALWAY but the same two bikes and riders were about two campsites down from me when I camped at Big Bend NP. I noticed their bikes in BBNP but didn't meet them there. I asked them and we had a good laugh that we were in the same two campgrounds, oh about a thousand miles apart, at he same time. Humpf, now that I've finished this post, I'll look for a place to camp, call my Bride, and then post about today. And,yes, it's been downright cold today. it was 50 degrees when I left!

Day 8 of ALAA-Sat, May 21st, 2011. San Clemente to Malibu, CA

Today was mainly following the Pacific Coast Highway from the South suburbs of LA (San Clemente) to the North (West?) suburbs of LA (Malibu). Even though I only went about 125 miles today, I'm going to blame it on LA! There was a LOT of traffic (what a shock!) but it still was a nice day riding. I ran into a nice couple, Ron and Betty Dixon, from Naples, FL that are following roughly the same route I am around the US. We rode together for a couple of hours, introduced them to In 'n Out Burgers on Wilshire Blvd. in LA (the picture of them is above), and will try to hook up again as we head North toward Washington.

Tonight I'm camping at Malibu Creek State Park about 10 miles above Pepperdine U. I chose this state park because this used to be owned by Fox TV studios when it was called Fox Ranch. The reason I chose this state park is because the outdoor scenes in the MASH TV series were filmed here. Okay, I have a confession to make (as if you didn't know this already): I'm a 100% MASHophile! There, I said it and I guess I'll get in a 12 step program to recover from it :-) It was a 2.3 mile hike to back in the woods to the site (and the same out!) but was worth it. Had a nice long conversation with the love of my life-we haven't been able to talk as much as I'd like because the phone is off when on the road to preserve the battery and the two hour time difference. I miss her terribly and can't wait to get home so we can celebrate our 40 years of marital bliss in MAUI! More of the real Pacific Coast Highway tomorrow-the PCH is nice from San Diego through LA but the best is yet to come-BIG SUR!!

Day 7 of ALAA-Fri, May 20th, 2011. Yuma, AZ to San Clemente, CA

FINALLY Reached San Diego!

Here is a picture of the desert I left with "The Wall" dividing the U. S. and Mexico in the background. Every quarter mile or so, there are these flags sticking up out of the sand with a bucket of water below them. I guess we're humane enough to provide water for those illegals crossing into the U. S. The other picture is the beach in San Diego. Yes, there is a LITTLE contrast between these two pictures!

Well, it has been an interesting 250 mile day! It was a shame to have to leave lush, green, and beautiful Yuma and ride to desolate, brown, and dirty San Diego :-). I actually have PROOF that California is the cereal state-full of fruits, nuts, and flakes. Anyway, I was at a Chevron station in Campo, CA that stocks crickets and larvae-the crickets, of course, were sour cream and onion flavored and the larvae, of course, were jalapeño flavored. Only in CA!

I've decided that La Jolla is the quintessential beach town-beautiful, eclectic, and expensive! I'm in a state park near San Clemente. The campsite I'm in tonight looks out over the Pacific so I'm expecting the waves to put me to sleep. This state park is about halfway between SD and LA so tomorrow afternoon will be spent at Malibu Creek State Park. It used to be the Fox Ranch where the outdoor scenes for the MASH TV series was filmed. I'm going to hike to where the set was located. More about that mañana. Considering that today is my seventh day on the road, it's taken me a week to reach San Diego! Now the Pacific Coast Highway or Highway 1 for the next, oh, 14 to 16 hundred miles!

Day 6 of ALAA-Thurs, May 19th, 2011. Douglas to Yuma, AZ

Well, you have to realize that this blog is being written by the winner of the DUMBA$$ of the week award! Why, you ask? I stopped on the side of I-8 in Yuma, AZ and took my sunglasses off to find a campground in the Yuma area. Found a campground-GOOD NEWS! Rode off with my sunglasses sitting on the back of the bike-BAD NEWS! On the optimistic side, losing your prescription shades isn't as bad as some things but on the pessimistic side-CRAPOLA! CRAPOLA! CRAPOLA! Okay, quit the whining!

Other than that, it WAS a good 350 mile day! Here are some of the interesting takes on today: Bisbee, AZ is an interesting small town! It was a copper mining town that has preserved its interesting buildings as it converts to an economy based on tourism-beautiful old buildings. Tombstone, AZ is WAY too touristy for me but still a unique place. I saw a guy at least 80 years old standing on the side of the Interstate taking a whiz. I saw 3 Great Danes at a rest area-the owner told me they weighed 153, 172, and 185 pounds. These were really big dogs!

Why is it that anyone who owns land in West Texas, Southern NM, and Southern AZ think they can subdivide it and sell it? They put up signs that declares their property to be "Desert Breeze," "Mountain View," "Twin Buttes" or any other ridiculous name to sell their scrub brush, utterly worthless, and butt ugly piece of land.  Advertising the "Last few lots available! 10 acres for only 29,900!," who would want to live out there in the middle of B#E? In 'n Out Burger today in Tucson! You can tell I'm getting closer to the Cereal State when you get to eat an In 'n Out Burger! They are the best!

Day 5 of ALAA-Wed, May 18th, 2011. El Paso, TX to Douglas, AZ



The thriving metropolis of Columbus, NM

 Today led me from El Paso, TX about 250 miles to near Douglas, AZ. It took 4 days to get out of Texas and today took me from Texas through Southern New Mexico and into Arizona. I went through some interesting small towns today: Columbus, NM which Pancho Villa attacked in 1916; Hachita, NM with 8 houses, a community center, and no businesses; Rodeo, NM where the only paved street is the highway; and Apache, AZ where there is a monument where it says "Gerinomo surrounded here." (No historical markers-just that sign!). The section of road from Santa Teresa to Columbus, NM must rank near the top of the most desolate roads in the USA. It's only 52 miles but there is NOTHING there! Nothing-no cross roads, no businesses, no signs, nothing except cactus, scrub brush, and the inevitable Border Patrol! There was a brush fire near San Simon but I avoided it by turning South toward Douglas and the Mexican border. Tomorrow will bring other new experiences as I head for Yuma while trying to avoid the dreaded Interstate I-10!

I met a guy at the campground here who was somewhat interesting. His name is Wayne and he originally retired from Pennsylvania to Florida but couldn't stand the heat and humidity. He was on his way through AZ and met the people that own this campground. They asked him to move here as a manager so he "went into town and spent $600 on a 1955 mobile home" where he currently lives here at the campground. He told me he's been here since last October and he hasn't seen rain here yet! WHOA-Now THAT'S the desert!

Day 5a of ALAA-Wed, May 18th, 2011

Everyday brings some excitement when you're on the road. Sometimes it's good excitement and sometimes it's bad excitement- today it was BAD! I stayed in a Motel6 in El Paso and paid for it with a debit card. Right after that, charges totaling $60 to the local gas utility company appeared on our account. I immediately cancelled the card but how did someone get the number? I scanned the card, put it immediately back in my wallet, and the receipt they gave me only shows the last four digits. Most of you reading this are smarter than I am so someone please explain how some miscreant got the number! Thank the Bride for catching it and doing most of the research into it! Is it called skimming when crooks get your account information by recording your credit/debit card data when you use it?

Day 4 of ALAA-Tues, May 17th, 2011. Big Bend NP to El Paso, TX

Today saw me going the almost 400 miles from Big Bend to El Paso, TX. I've been on the road for 4 days and 1,570 miles and I'm still in stinkin' Texas! Today I saw the Terlingua ghost town, rode The River Road along the Rio Grande, saw three towns with no drugstores or pharmacies but with a majority of gravel streets. Most of these small towns along the Texas-Mexico border are very undeveloped and poor. The people there are friendly and helpful with strangers. I talked with a couple of Harley riders headed from Utah to Key West. Even though I don't ride a Harley, we sat and talked over lunch at a truck stop. Oh, and the bike and I got sniffed again at ANOTHER of those Border Patrol inspection points. Tomorrow? FINALLY out of Texas and to New Mexico!

Day 3 of ALAA-Mon, May 16th, 2011. Laredo to Big Bend National Park, TX

Well, this is about Day 3 but is being written at the end of Day 4. Why, you ask? Well, last night was spent in Big Bend National Park . . . where there is absolutely no cell coverage! I wasn't surprised because BBNP is about 90 miles from nowhere . . . . . and that's NOT a joke, it's literal! It was over 400 miles from Laredo to BBNP but there's not a lot to see in West Texas!

The scenery is pretty in a stark, desert kind of way. I camped in the Chisos Basin campground which sits at 5,400 feet and is surrounded by peaks in a Crater Lake kind of way. Anyway, yesterday began in Laredo, TX and ended at Big Bend. I ran into a Danish couple riding a rented Harley from Orlando to LA. I went through 2 Border Patrol inspection stations looking for drugs and illegals. The bike and I got sniffed by 2 drug-sniffing dogs. Now that was weird!

Oh, two interesting things happened at the campground: 1) I saw this "creature" run through the campground I thought it was a small feral hog but it was smaller and didn't have the ugly snout that feral hogs have. The couple in the site next to me said that it was a javalina-whatever in the world that is! 2) I got up about 6:00 this morning and it was so light outside you could see your moon shadow. I walked down to the little boy's room to clean up and it was much darker when I walked back to the campsite. I looked up at the mountains surrounding Chisos Basin and the full moon had set behind the mountain. I guess I saw my first moonset! I was a little concerned because the campsite had a food storage locker to keep bears away!

Today is more of BBNP, the River Road along the Rio Grande, and Westward toward El Paso. Will I EVER get out of Texas??

Day 2 of ALAA-Sun, May 15th, 2011. Corpus Christi to Laredo, TX

Well, it was an interesting day but not really notable in any way. Today took me about 300 miles from Mustang Island near Corpus Christi to the Rio Grande Valley and them up the border to Laredo. I've been on three islands in the first two days; Galveston, Mustang, and Padre but I don't think I'm going to see any more islands for a week or so! The morning was along the Gulf of Mexico coast to the US/Mexico border-wet in the morning and dry in the afternoon. The trip along the US border with Mexico began in Harlingen, TX and this section of the Texas-Mexico border is fairly poor. All this afternoon I followed the border so you can imagine that I'm in an area populated primarily by Hispanics.

One surprising thing has been the number of Border Patrol agents I've seen-probably 25 so far. I guess they are looking for illegals crossing the border. I'm in Lake Casa Blanca State Park in Laredo and it's nearly deserted. One very good thing a bout this state park is that I can put the tent right next to the plug in electrical connection. That means that I can charge my phone and flashlight while I sleep.

It sprinkled a little on me today but that just kept it comfortable. Tomorrow I'm shooting for Marathon, TX. It's near the North entrance of Big Ben National Park. More of this ever-boring drule tomorrow.