Summer Desert NON camping trip! 😁

[robtattoo]

Well, fortunately the Southwestern US has a plethora of good, cheap motels!
I thought I might have to pitch my tent once, 35 miles north of Yuma due to an electrical gremlin, but I managed to get a tow, hotel & quick fix the next morning.

Y'all.....I don't think any of you appreciate just how freaking beautiful most of the southwest is (not you, Mojave Desert between Nevada & SoCal. You suck)

This was my first visit to Utah, Nevada, New Mexico (nearly actual Mexico) & California. First sighting of the Pacific (from land) & first time in northern AZ.

It's an absolutely astonishing part of the country & seeing it from the seat of my bike just made it that much more immersive & impressive. It's very difficult to put into type just how mind blowing this trip was for me. Just the size & scale of everything, compared to the close horizons of the southeast, is staggering! Monument Valley purely blew me away. I expected it to be sooooo much smaller than it is!

So instead, here's a bunch of photos.

 

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[BBob]

Y'all.....I don't think any of you appreciate just how freaking beautiful most of the southwest is

Say Whaaaat!!!!! There's a reason I stayed and never left Glad you liked my back yard

Looks like you had an awesome trip!

 

[robtattoo]

Aaaaand then there was a booboo..... Wiring short from the ignition & lost all my sparks! 3:00pm on a Friday & a balmy 108⁰ Avoiding interstates takes it's toll! I had to ride 31 miles of unpaved road between NV & CA. It would've been fun on a dirtbike or dual sport. On a lowered Harley with 1½" of suspension, not so much.

 

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[thegrouse]

Looks like a great trip, the Mojave is beautiful, I just prefer it in January. The American West cant be beat IMHO

 

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[Bubblehide]

You've got to explore the Sierra's if you haven't. I prefer the Eastern slope, but it's all nice.

 

[robtattoo]

I had an invite from an old buddy of mine to go share his elk camp, just outside Mancos, CO (10,800') so I did technically 'camp' one night

 

[robtattoo]

Absolutely fantastic trip! Can't wait to do something similar again next year (unless I draw a decent elk tag) 1,882 miles on the bike, plus a further 2504 trailering to & from Gunnison.
I also, finally, gained an appreciation for Nebraska! Having driven through Oklahoma on the way out & Kansas on the way back Yeeesh.......

 

[Steve300xcw]

Diggin the fatty front tire

 

[Bubblehide]

I should have added, it looks like and awesome trip.

 

[butcherboy]

I appreciate the southwest a lot. Wake up to it every morning. looks like you went through my neck of the woods in northwest NM. Probably went right through my hometown and you never even knew you went through a town. Lol nice trip!

 

[OregonSteeler]

Looking slim!! I remember you posting that you were planning on getting in better shape and losing some weight. Can definitely tell you meant it!

Awesome trip photos. Thanks for sharing.

 

[AZ8]

Great start! You barely scratched the surface. Lots of hidden gems off the beaten path, not in the tourist brochure! Maybe on your next trip!

 

[Geewhiz]

Man what a cool bike.

Trip looked decent too.

 

[Chris in TN]

This looks awesome.

The wife wants to do something similar next year. I want to go hunting (any big game, really). We're trying to math out a critter where we can get two tags before winter hits and do both (hunt/sightsee) on the same trip. The wife wants to see the Four Corners area, maybe Zion/Monument Valley and maybe some stuff in CO or NM.