Quit our jobs, sold our home, gone riding...

It's funny that the Loneliest Road in America has gas stations and services every 50 miles or so, but that the Extraterrestrial Highway to the south (Hwy 375) has a section of about 180 miles between gas stops. I should have taken a picture of the sign near the 93/375 intersection that read, "140 miles to the next gas" (that sign was 40 miles from the last gas stop, to boot).

Pretty scenery on both roads, though, as can be seen in your always-amazing pics.

I just spent the last few days reading this RR from the beginning, and it has been great! I'm glad you enjoyed my home down (Oak Harbor, WA). It is nice to see familiar places from someone else's perspective. Glad to see you guys are having a great time, and thanks for the insight on the Alaska portion of the trip. Looks like San Diego to Fairbanks will be on one set of tires, with fresh ones ready to go for Fairbanks and beyond.

Yep. Funny story about that International Cafe where we stopped for pizza - there was a sign on the side that read "Serbian Christmas":



Since Neda is Croatian, we just had to investigate. Turns out the bar that's attached to the cafe is owned by a Serb and he hosts a Christmas party every year...

Haha, we passed that sign and had to double back because we were both down to a quarter tank and weren't going to make it! What a stupid place to put it!

Have fun! And if you're doing the Dalton in Aug/Sept, don't run Tourances in the mud!

Interesting! Is there any apparent animosity between Serbs and Croats residing in Canada and the States? Did Neda announce here presence with "I am a Croatian"?

Very cool. I'm in

Just wanted to say that I've really been enjoying your RR! It is truly inspiring, and quite fun to daydream of going to these places! Sounds like an amazing time, live it up!

Greetings Gene and Neda!! Smashing RR!! Excellent photography and I love the details of your route and wanderings about. I think it's fantastic that you two are taking your time and stopping along the way to enjoy the many places you are traveling through. I'm subscribed!! Great sense of humor too Gene! Keep the pics and RR coming.

Keep on ridin' and ride safe...eh!
George

No, it was the middle of the day, so the bar owner wasn't in.

Neda says that when she meets Serbians in Canada, they always say, "ah, but we're basically the same people" in a conciliatory tone. Myself, I've met a lot of Serbs as well, and I've never encountered any animosity when they find out I'm married to a Croat. In fact, they're quite amused when I try out my Serbo-Croatian on them. I think a lot of people just want to move on.

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We are moving very slowly, spending at least a couple of days at each stop to recharge. The nomadic task of setting up and tearing down camp is less tedious when we can stay awhile and enjoy a day's rest, especially since we've seemed to stay ahead of the impending North American snowfall. By contrast to our sedate pace, the land speed record set by a vehicle with wheels is 1,228 km/h (faster than the speed of sound). This record was set just around the corner at the Bonneville Salt Flats (how's that for a segue?), just across the Nevada/Utah border.


Testing the surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats

As we approached the salt flats, we were amazed at how expansive the surrounding area is, all covered in greyish/white layer, most of it is a thin crust above thick mud. We saw the tracks of off-road vehicles that have done donuts, ripping up the surface and leaving mud trail scars. The actual Bonneville Salt Flats has a much thicker crust of salt and is more suitable for attempting landspeed records.


Neda pulls a Charley Boorman on the Salt Flats

The Bonneville Salt Flats look like a sheet of ice at certain angles. We tentatively walked out onto the surface before taking the motorcycles out, as there were still some wet patches from a prior rainfall. We were surprised at how much grip there was, the salt wasn't loose at all. The surface of the flats felt like sandpaper.


Remarkably good grip on the salt flats


Long shadows cast on the salts

The Bonneville Salt Flats are a remnant of a huge prehistoric salt lake that dried up 150,000 years ago. It's one of several dried salt lakes in the area, but it's the largest, measuring over 100 square kilometers, giving landspeed racers enough running room to get up to maximum velocity.


Watching the sun set on the Salt Flats


Posing with the bikes


Backlit sunset shot


Midgets in the mirror


Watching the moon rise over the Salt Flats


Tooling around on the Salt Flats

Although it would have been fun to visit during a race to see all the exotic vehicles, we did have the Bonneville Salt Flats all to ourselves, and we felt like kids walking and riding around, and taking photos all around the area.


Relaxing at a fast food restaurant at the end of the day. We brought our own salt for the fries...

Awesome photos. Bonneville is a spot I will visit, possibly during speed week (but I won't be going for a speed record since I'm slow...)

The pictures were ethereal!
The salt flat pictures remind me of the movie, The Fastest Indian starring Anthony Hopkins.

I'm sure it's been a few days already, but I sure hope you washed all that salt off your bikes very throughly!!

Me, and my son and wife all rode out to SpeedWeek back in '08 (amazing experience!)...and the salt from Bonneville made the exhaust collector on my bike disintegrate!!! (and it wasn't easy to find a replacement either!) I hadn't washed it down after I got back home.



Great ride kids...keep it up!! GodSpeed!

Cool, we just ran into this guy at the local Safeway:

http://www.sparksdakardream.com/

I love the stories and the great photography equally. Thanks for the thread, I am thoroughly enjoying it!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/47.html



We have unfinished business in Utah. As mentioned before, one of our earliest motorcycle trips was a whirlwind 18-day from Toronto to San Franciso and back. During that trip, we visiting most of the National Parks in the SW US, but only having a limited amount of time, we spent most of it on the back of the motorcycle, not seeing anything but the park from the side of the road. Arches National Park was a bookmark that we just had to revisit, and this time around, we promised that we wouldn't leave until we'd seen everything.


Arches National Park, Three Sisters rock formation up ahead

We made good on that promise, lazing around the park for four days, spending the days hiking the trails around the area, and the nights freezing our butts off inside the tent. The landscape is straight out of a Road Runner cartoon! Other-worldly-shaped orange rocks thrust up out of the ground, some of them precariously balancing larger rocks on small skinny stems - the result of erosion eating away at the softer layers of the sand and rock that history has laid down.


Weather was beautiful during the day, freezing at night, but the night sky was so clear!

One of the things that was very important to us was hiking up to the Delicate Arch, as we didn't have the opportunity the last time we were here. It's about an hour uphill hike to a remote spot where the arch can be viewed. There are over 2,000 arches in the park, spanning from a few feet to over a hundred feet in height! The views are breathtaking!


Hiking the Delicate Arch Trail


Window to the Delicate Arch

We arrived in the early afternoon and settled down to wait for the best time to view the Arch - sunset. We were told that that was the magical time that elves and unicorns would emerge from the portal created by the sun's rays hitting the Delicate Arch.


We take our seats like everyone else and wait for the show to begin


This guy must have shelled out primo for balcony seats


Things to do when you're waiting for the elves and unicorns


This lady brought her Staff of Infinite Mysteries to help open the portal


"... and then the Earth cooled..."


No elves. No unicorns. But pretty, anyway...


Neda takes her photography very seriously, risking life and limb for that perfect shot

Ok, enough hiking and picture-taking, time to do some riding!

We too blew through Arches without taking the time to see it on foot. Thanks for sharing the experience and reminding me to get back there. Utah is other worldly.

Hi Gene and Neda, sure was great to hang out with you guys and share some stories in Moab. Absolutely love the photography and fabulous ridedot.com website. Will be following you guys on your adventure. Ride safe.
Mark

We did Moab, & Arches, and then went to Mesa Verde in Colorado.

While we were camping there, it got down to 28* that night.......and that was back in SEPTEMBER!!!

I kin only imagine how cold it's been for you guys!! :eek1


GodSpeed!

sums it up perfectly!

We're still in Utah, went riding yesterday morning, it was -9C (-15F) and we were on the highway! I wasn't even sure the handwarmers were working until we stopped!

Thanks Mark! Was great meeting you and thanks for all the suggestions for the roads!