Motorcycle Trip, 2005

In September 2005 I went to Croatia and Itally for a two-week holiday with my daughter Elyse, her husband Boris, my son Justin, and my estranged wife Pam. I had a great time visiting Zagreb and other places in Croatia, Firenze, Cinque Terra, Pisa, Sienna, and Lubljana, Slovenia on our drive back to Zagreb. At the end of the month I returned home and worked for a week in my office. But something was gnawing at me; I realized, I hadn't done a motorcycle trip that year and I was yearning to get out on the road. So I packed up the BMW and set out.

This is a quickie account. I'll try to flesh it out as time permits. The photos are nice.

				Onto I-80 in Nevada. My objective: to get from Northern California to Minneapolis, MN, as quickly as possible.
				Big trucks in this state.
				Some nice scenery in Nevada.
				Again the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah appear suddenly as I-80 crests the last pass in the Nevada hills.
				It got rainy in Utah.
				More rain was threatening as I rode toward Wyoming.
				Well, in between here: I got to Minneapolis in only three days, not four like the year before. So not much time for pictures. I spent a weekend with my daughter and her husband, then rode to Middleton, Wisconsin, where I spent two days visiting and consulting with a client company, Gilson Inc. Next I rode to Michigan and spent a day visiting my sister Nancy and her family in Northville. Then, my plan was to ride to Maine to visit my dad. But, I got to Cleveland the first night and it began to rain. The weather forecasts for New England said it would rain for the next week and there would be flooding in many areas. So I thought: Oh no! I turned south toward Louisville, Kentucky and then to Nashville, Tennessee.
				What city is this? Louisville? Nashville? I'm guessing Nashville.
				I entered the Natchez Trace Parkway southwest of Nashville.
				Very pretty bridge on the Natchez Trace.
				Fantastic motorcycle road, the Natchez Trace Parkway, but don't expect to speed. The limit is 35 to 50 mph most of the way. 444 miles from near Nashville, TN, to Natchez, MS. There are virtually no stop signs or traffic signals for hundreds of miles. It is maintained by the US National Park Service. Pack sandwiches, and watch out for deer at dusk and after dark.
				Scenic old barn on the Natchez Trace.
				Intersections are avoided by ample use of overpasses.
				Scenic split-rail fence on the Natchez Trace.
				Elvis birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi.
				Elvis sign.
				Elvis birthplace.
				Downtown Tupelo, MS.
				Historical sign on Natchez Trace in MS.
				Historical sign on Natchez Trace in MS.
				The old Natchez Trace wagon trail through the woods.
				Historical sign on Natchez Trace in MS.
				Horses by Natchez Trace in MS.
				Hay bales by Natchez Trace in MS.
				Hurricane Katrina, a couple of months earlier, knocked down many large trees along the Natchez Trace parkway even 300 miles inland from the Gulf Coast.
				Historical sign on Natchez Trace in MS.
				Pearl River by Natchez Trace in MS.
				Natchez, MS.
				Natchez, MS.
				Natchez, MS.
				Natchez, MS. St. Mary's Cathedral.
				Heading up toward Arkansas: Transylvania, Louisiana. I decided to head back to Santa Fe, because I liked visiting there in 2004. Also, I had met a woman on Match.com, but never in person. I renewed my subscription to Match and sent her a message. She responded with telephone contact information, we talked and arranged to meet when I got there.
				Transylvania, Louisiana.
				Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.
				Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.
				View from Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.
				Clinton School of Public Service, University of Arkansas. Little Rock.
				Arkasas statehouse.
				Galisteo Inn, Galisteo, NM. I stayed here in the Two Guns suite and met my future wife Eileen. She reserved the room, and met me in the bar for cocktails and dinner once I had arrived. October 13, 2005. We got married here under the cottonwoods 1-1/2 years later.
				Eileen. I found her on Match.com a few months earlier, and we talked on the phone when her dog Critter got lost during a hike with friends. Fortunately, she found him a couple days later. Then, when I found myself headed to Santa Fe, I contacted her. She met me at the Galisteo Inn for dinner. Here we are going on a hike to the overlook in Canyoncito. I fell in love.
				Critter. World's best Lhasa Apso.
				Hgihway 89A from Flagstaff to Sedona, AZ.
				Sliderock State Park (closed because of fire danger) on the way to Sedona.
				The Sedona Motel, a comfortable convenient economical place to stay in Sedona, AZ.
				Main Street, Sedona, AZ.
				Main Street, Sedona, AZ.
				October is a rainy time of year. I rode through rain after leaving Sedona and riding through Prescott, AZ, and for two hours through a driving thunderstorm at dusk on I-40 in the Mojave Desert of California, finally stopping in Barstow for the night.
				More rain threatening as I rode over the Tehachapi Pass west of Mojave, CA.
				California highway 58 winding downhill from the Tehachapi Pass toward Bakersfield, CA. A fast, windy, winding road. Always fun to ride, but watch out for slow trucks and snow.
				The Ramada Inn at Santa Nella on I-5 in California. When I see this I know I'm getting close to home. I stayed here once when I was too tired to keep driving. It looks like Hotel California. It was not. The rooms and service are nothing to write home about.

Return to index page