Day 14 - June 19, 2009, Hawthorne, NV to Santa Clarita, CA

It’s hard to believe that day 14 is upon us, the last day of our journey. Today was a long day, some 440 miles from Hawthorne, NV to home in Santa Clarita, CA. It is said that time flies when you are having fun; therefore, we must be having a lot of fun on this ride because these two weeks have just flown by.

Although we gained an hour crossing the Utah/Nevada border yesterday, we agreed before retiring that we would begin our day an hour earlier than usual today, so, it was up at 5:00 AM, meet for breakfast at 6:00 AM, and get on the road by 7:00 AM. Our hotel advertised a “Continental Breakfast,” which in fact turned out to be coffee and day-old mini-breakfast rolls. The end result was that we actually got on the road by 6:30 headed for Lee Vining, near the east entrance of Yosemite National Park. Sixty miles and an hour later we were in Lee Vining having a nice sit-down breakfast.

The weather was ideal today, clear and cool with nary a cloud in the sky. Following breakfast, we suited up for the climb to the 9,900 foot Tioga Pass. Two weeks ago the pass was snowed in, so we expected cold conditions and snow on the ground. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Cool yes, cold, no. And, the only snow we saw was on the highest peaks. Thirty minutes into the park we were shedding our foul weather gear for light jackets & sweatshirts

We continued west through Tuolumne Meadows toward Yosemite Village, Bridal Veil Falls, and Half Dome. Turning the last corner and glimpsing Yosemite Valley is always a spectacular sight. Regrettably, Yosemite is so readily accessible that vehicular traffic is a real detractor from the natural beauty of the park. We stopped for pictures at Bridal Veil Falls and got our second shower of the day in the process. As we descended into the valley the temperature increased dramatically, so we headed for the village store for some hydration. Jack and Mike decided that it was time for them to beet feet for home. So, we said our goodbyes and they departed the park together. The eight became six.

For the past several days Scott had been eying his rear tire; the tread was getting a little thread bare. The air was not showing through yet, but there was not much tread left either. Opting for safety over expediency, he called Harley-Davidson of Fresno and located a tire. They told him that they would install it upon his arrival, as a service for travelers. The GPS took us directly to the dealer, about 100 miles south of our location, but along our route home. When we arrived, we were met by the very capable and friendly service writer, Ronda Wons. While checking Scott’s bike, Ronda also found that his rear brake pads were worn to the backing plates and needed replacing. Good job Ronda, thanks.

Lane elected to depart company with the group in Fresno. He had a family social obligation in San Luis Obispo, CA. Once again, we said our goodbyes and the six became five.

We departed Fresno in near 100 degree heat intersecting Highway 99 south toward our final destination, some 150 miles away. We made a pit stop at the bottom of the Grapevine for a convenience break, gas, and more hydration. Then, we embarked on the most dangerous leg of the entire journey, riding over the Grapevine on Interstate 5, dodging speeding 18 wheelers and motor homes. About 8:00 PM we descended into the Santa Clarita Valley closing the loop and concluding a great odyssey with good friends.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my travelling companions, Lane Greenberg , Scott Aldrich, Tim and Sylvia Hayes, Jack Murphy, Mike Lorenzi and Bob Nimtz for their friendship, support, good times, and cooperation. I also want to especially thank Lane Greenberg for his able assistance in helping to plan this trip, hosting our planning dinners, and making our hotel reservations en route.

For those of you interested in statistics, we rode 4, 234 miles on this journey, according to my odometer, averaging 308 miles per day, including our two layover days. We had 13 hotel stays and ate 42 meals. We replaced four tires and we each purchased approximately 100 gallons of gas at an average of $3.05 a gallon.

It’s our hope that you enjoyed our comments and photos on this journey as much as we enjoyed sharing them with you. Until our our next “Horck Adventures” ride, I bid you farewell.

Ride smart, safe!

John “The Horck” Vander Horck

jevander@sbcglobal.net

Day 12 & 13 - Logan, UT to Ely, NV, and Ely NV to Hawthorne, NV

Day 12 - Logan, UT to Ely, NV

Following our usual 6, 7 & 8 schedule, up at 6:00 AM, meet for breakfast at 7:00 AM, and on the road by 8:00 AM, we departed downtown Logan, and picked up Interstate 15 south toward Salt Lake City, approximately 85 miles away. After several days of riding two lane meandering highways through some of the most scenic countryside in the West, getting back on an Interstate headed for a major metropolitan area was just the pits. The only redeeming thing is that it was not raining.

Both Mike Lorenzi and Bob Nimtz were riding on thin rear rubber, so we headed for Harley-Davidson of Salt Lake City for a couple of new tires. The folks at the dealership were probably the most friendly and accommodating of any of the dealership experiences along the way. We cannot recommend them enough. And, what a dealership facility it is, two stories with a game room up stairs, and without a doubt, the most complete collection of new and used motorcycles, motor clothes, parts and accessories that we have ever seen in our travels. If you are in the neighborhood, by all means, stop in and see the good folks at Harley-Davidson of Salt lake City--they are the best.

Leaving Salt Lake after lunch we rode another 85 miles south on Interstate 15. We departed the superslab in Nephi, UT,. What kind of a name for a town is Nephi? Anyway, we headed west on "The Loneliest Road in America," Highway 50 across Utah and Nevada toward Carson City, NV. Our original plan was to continue south on Interstate 15 through Las Vegas and on back home to Santa Clarita; but, can you say boring? And, the forecast for the entire length of the return journey home was sunny and 100 degree plus temperatures, no thanks, detour coming up.

Our experience on Highway 50 was inconsistent with what we had been led to believe about The

Loneliest Road in America. It was actually a very rewarding experience riding across long desert valleys on a straight and well-surfaced two-lane road. The billowing white cumulous clouds against a bright blue sky were very dramatic for those of us from Southern California where there is seldom any reportable weather.

We had been dodging the afternoon thunderstorms with consistent regularity. Every time the were headed directly for a black cloud and a downpour, magically the road would turn and we would circumvent the storm back into clear skies. Jack, "I don't need no stinkin rain suit," Murphy was taking credit for the good luck right up until our luck ran out. We ran smack into a solid line of black clouds and rain as far as the eye could see from the north to the south, and we were headed west, directly into it. The black sky opened up and trounced us with heavy rain for miles. We had to slow to approximately 40 MPH just to maintain our course through a winding mountain pass toward Ely, NV, our destination for the night.

We pulled into Ely, NV and checked into our hotel, just as the afternoon sun began to break through the storm clouds. We walked to a local Chinese restaurant and had an excellent dinner. Jack tried his firt Sake. I don't think he was very impressed. He said, "They call it Sake because the word 'shit' was taken." Walking back to the hotel for the night a light rain began to fall once again.

Day 13 - Ely, NV to Hawthorne, NV

Up at our usual time, we grabbed a quick breakfast at the McDonalds across the street from our hotel and headed west on the Loneliest Highway in America. Again, we found the road very satisfactory with long open stretches across the green scrub desert, punctuated with no less than seven cool mountain passes reaching over 7,000 feet. We averaged 75 MPH on Highway 50 making good time.

We stopped for gas twice, once in Eureka and once on Austin, about 70 miles apart. We followed

the advice of others who said when gas is available on Highway 50, get it. Our two gas stops could not have been more different. In Eureka, the clerk at the Chevron station received our collective award as the most grumpy and unfriendly person that we encountered along our entire journey, thus far. She said three words to me during our two brief encounters, "credit or debit," when I handed her my credit card. Contrary to Eureka, in Austin the clerk at the Chevron station could not have been more friendly and helpful. She even recommended a lunch stop at Middle Station, a biker-friendly bar and grill 64 miles west of Austin. We motored on for Middle Station.

Arriving at Middle Station, marked by the intersection of Highways 50 and 361, we pulled into the dirt parking lot surrounded by relics of the desert of a period long forgotten. There, we met Kathy, the high-energy, spirited proprietor of the establishment, serving military personnel, bikers, and thirsty travelers for generations, and Buddy, the local pooch and friend to those who want no friends. Check out out Buddy's beautiful piercing blue eyes. Middle Station bar & grill is the kind of place you immediately feel comfortable in with military, biker, and mining memorabilia throughout.

John had a little trouble distinguishing the correct bathroom at Middle Station, where the restrooms were designated with highway signs of cows and bulls in lieu of the raditional Men and Women signs. John, cows have utters and short horns, bulls have no utters, long horns and long hanging, ah well you get the idea. He came out wondering why there was a sign asking male patrons not to flush their tampons down the toilet.

Eighty seven miles south of Middle Station on Highway 361 we intersected Highway 95 west toward Hawthorne, NV, our destination for the night. We checked into our hotel and walked across the street to a small family-run Mexican restaurant. Chicken enchilada, rice & bean dinner and a Margarita for $12.00, what a deal!

Hawthorne is home to the Navy's Underwater Weapons Center and has hundreds of weapons bunkers dotting the surrounding the desert. We don't know what is in them but we suspect there is a reason them being out in the desert. Afterall, an accidential discharge and the resulting mushroom cloud over Long Beach would not be a good thing. Sorry Hawthorne.

Tomorrow, we're off to Yosemite National Park and then home, at last.

Day 11 - West Yellowstone, MT to Logan UT

On Day 11 we got up, had breakfast, and headed back into Yellowstone Park. The skies were once again overcast and threatening rain. Thirty minutes later we parked and walking about the Lower Geyser Basin. Later, we made our way down to the Old Faithful Lodge and Geyser. For once, our timing was perfect. Old faithful was anticipated to erupt in 20 minutes. It only erupts approximately every 92 minutes. Unfortunately, it wasn't the most dramatic eruption of the old gal, but she's been at it for a long, long time. Before leaving Old Faithful, we toured the Old Faithful Lodge. To say that the interior of the lodge is dramatic with it's huge natural beams and over sized fireplace would be an understatement.

Departing Old Faithful, we headed south to exit the park via the south entrance and headed for the Grand Teton National Park. Before arriving, the sky opened up and dropped a tremendous amount of rain in our path. Approaching the Grand Tetons, the sun poked its head out and the blue sky provided a dramatic backdrop to the Teton Mountains. We got off the main highway and followed a scenic secondary road adjacent to Jackson Lake into Jackson Hole, WY.

Once in Jackson Hole, we we beat feet to the Cowboy bar for lunch, more Bison burgers, yum. The Cowboy bar is unique in two regards; first, the bar stools are all saddles, and secondly, the bar is inlaid with silver dollars, hundreds of them, some dating back to the 1800's. The bar top alone is worth a small fortune.

Departing Jackson Hole after lunch we motored south down Hwy. 89 toward Logan, UT, our destination for the evening. En route we passed through Fish Haven and Bear Lake. Climbing to
the top of the mountain overlooking the lake, we stopped at a rest area/visitor center to take in the dramatic view of the lake and community in the glow of the late afternoon sun. It was just beautiful.

After a few quick pictures of the lake, we motored down Logan Canyon, the highlight of our afternoon ride. Logan Canyon is a 40 mile long meandering, winding, twisting road with an adjacent stream, surrounded by lush green vegetation and dramatic rock formations, including a spring that flows right out of the mountainside. It was an ideal afternoon motorcycle riding experience, enjoyed immensely by all eight of us.

We checked into our hotel at 8:30 PM after twelve hours of riding and 340 miles. Due to the late hour, we just hoofed it across the street to the local Subway for supper, in violation of of our own rules not to in chain restaurants or eat fast food. Somebody is going to pay for that!

A word about the hand-painted fiberglass buffalos; each buffalo is hand painted by a local artist and will be auctioned off in August to raise money for the local West Yellowstone art community. There are 36 of them scattered throughout the town.

Pls. Note: photos for Day 11 are both before and after the narrative; don't miss any.