| Long,lonely stretches of highway. Let's see them. |
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| Moderators: redbaron, MDKramer, Flyone, AZgl1500 | Page:   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ...   |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 23rd, 2009 04:18 pm | 21st Post |
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Great shots, people!  To keep it going, here's a few more that I've ridden ..... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's SR 149, CO., AKA the Silver Thread  SR 24 in Utah, just east of Capitol Reef NP  SR 75 in ID by Galena Summit  and lonely US 20, west of Idaho Falls, ID  Last edited on Thu Dec 24th, 2009 02:36 am by Dusty Boots ____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 23rd, 2009 04:33 pm | 22nd Post |
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Hey Dusty,,,,,,, this is a great shot. I didn't seem to get as nice a pic of that area. I try to explain it to folks as to how desilant it was when we were looking for a camp area. We got real lucky ,,,,,,,,,eh. 
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 23rd, 2009 05:29 pm | 23rd Post |
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Alaska Highway, near Kluane Lake..... Turnagin Arm, Alaska....  Somewhere in the Yukon, the Alaska Highway.... 
____________________ First name: Mel (Red's: Sandy) "It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to." (Bilbo Baggins) |
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| Posted: Wed Dec 23rd, 2009 08:06 pm | 24th Post |
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Winger77 wrote: Hey Dusty,,,,,,, this is a great shot. I didn't seem to get as nice a pic of that area. I try to explain it to folks as to how desilant it was when we were looking for a camp area. Yup, we sure were lucky to literally stumble upon that campsite after such a day as we had that day.  We broke camp at Snow Canyon State Park ....   .... rode into the St George area to resupply some grub and get you a water bladder to combat the heat and dry, desert climate, headed on up and checked out Cedar Breaks NM ....  riding past beautiful Panguitch Lake ....  before heading over and checking out the campsites/pee break, over by Red Canyon. .....  Then we headed up into Bryce Canyon NP and messed around with some of the 'local Wildlife' and took in some of the other sites there.  .... We then headed up Scenic Byway UT 12(great road!  ) towards Escalante ..... .... to get fuel for both our bikes and our belly's, but if I remember right, we left hungry  We continued on up SR 12 to Calf Creek Rec Area, .... which was to be our campsite for the night, but it was full. I remember me almost dropping the bike while crossing the creek, on that slime covered concrete 'spillway', that was submerged!  So, we headed on out, up along SR 12, past a couple of close encounters with some livestock on the road, hung a right at Torrey, on SR 24, towards the Campsite at Fruita, Capital Reef NP, which was my 'Back Up Plan "B"'  Well, when we got to the campgrounds at Fruita, they were all full and the office/visitor Centre was closed up. What to do now? ! ? ! ? Night was fast approaching and we were out of water and no place to sleep. Luckily, there was a water tap there and we filled up that 1 gallon water jug and headed further east, looking for a spot to 'Camp at Large'.  All the spots that gave access off of the road, were maybe manageable with a 4 Wheel Drive vehicle/ATV, but certainly not something to take a bike like our Wings down. There was a threat of rain, as well and that would make for some serious problems trying to get our bikes out of what ever low laying wash was available for us to pull off the road. Things were looking pretty bleak, with no campsites in the next few hours of riding, that I knew of. We had slowed right down at any likely looking spot, but upon further scrutiny, they were not a place to venture into.  Then, as we were pretty low on hope, we crested a rise and saw in the distance an area that was cleared, with a big old building, with the time faded, weather beaten words "CAMPING" on it's roof, barely legible . Dave and I pulled in, relieved that we found this 'Oasis', even though it looked deserted, with no signs of life, or even tracks around. I had already made up my mind that this would be 'home' for the night. Upon further exploration, we saw a sign by the front door with instructions to call this toll free number. We looked at each other, wondering where we would find a phone and even if we should bother. We both figured nobody had been around here for ages. Dave did some more snooping around and found a public telephone down the side of the building and called the number. He was informed to find a site and a fella was already on his way to register us. Seems they lived way off on the other side of the road and saw us pull in. We registered and were surprised as all get out, at the impeccably kept bathrooms/showers We got hurriedly set up and I'm thinking we made dinner, not having anything to eat since early morning. I think we heard about 3 cars and a pair of bikes go the rest of the night and early next morn. I believe the name of the campground was aptly named - Sleepy Hollow.  That how you remember it, Dave ? 
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 02:13 am | 25th Post |
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Ken my friend,,,,,, you are a walking data bank  . As I was reading your discription of our day,,,,, I kept saying to myself,,,,,"Oh yeah, now I remember".I'd forgotten about running low on water,,,,, and I know now that southern Utah is not a place to be without water. Very grateful to have the bladder. I love the way you discribe how we crested over the rise to see our "Oasis". And yes,,,,,,, you have the name of it correct. http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/winger77/2009%20Trip/100_4969.jpg
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 02:22 am | 26th Post |
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Gorgeous photos of my favorite part of the country.
____________________ John |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 02:34 am | 27th Post |
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AZgl1500 wrote: Gorgeous photos of my favorite part of the country. Yes sir,,,,,,, Dusty sure does capture the scene. And then we have CJ posting that dawg gown Alaska Highway,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, he knows how that torments me.  ,,,,,,,,,,,,but I still love it
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 06:19 am | 28th Post |
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wow, you guys really have the views! and taken the trips. i was in awe as i looked through all those beautiful pics! we have taken trips but they have all been either north to lake erie, south to florida, or east to north and south carolina. we have never been west. wow, really beautiful places. and i dont know how you maintain your "COOL" when youre looking for a place to stay, and everything is full, MAN, i would have freaked! just my nature i guess.  and most of the trips that we go on, it always seems like we have a schedual, an itinerary if you will, and we have to be right here at this time, ya know? wow, i guess maybe my wife was right when she said quit worrying, just ride! and i said, no we have to have a non deveated schedual, motels, certain gas stops, eat times, pee times, lol. i thought we had to have a motel reservation for every nights stop. but heck, you guys just roll the dice and GO! i wonder, how many of you just said the heck with finding a motel or camp site, and just kept going, till the sun came up? man that would just freak me out! so i guess to wrap this up, thats why i dont have any pics of our trips cause we dont ever have time to stop! ill tell ya what though, as of this summer comming, that is going to change! thanks guys for showing me the light. keep on winginit rick 
____________________ ALWAYS LET YOUR BACK DOOR MAN KNOW WHEN YOUR FRONT DOOR MAN IS COMMING HOME. RICKS WISDOM: GRAB LIFE BY THE THROTTLE AND DONT LOOK BACK. |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 01:14 pm | 29th Post |
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Rick  - Man ..... you're going to have to 'reprogram' yourself and relax while out touring. We experience enough 'rigidity' in our daily life/work schedule, so no need to carry that over while out on the road, enjoying the freedom that motorcycle touring offers!!  Drop the I gotta be "HERE" at a specific "TIME" mentality and go with what ever pace you want. See the country side ... smell the aromas that are offered up by the countryside you are currently riding through. If you see something that interests you, stop and check it out. The old saying I'll stop next time I'm through this way is just that - a saying and you never seem to get to go by that area again. If you don't stop then and there, you never will. It's not all about the destination that makes for a memorable tour, but rather the 'journey' in getting there that is most likely going to stand out, years later. As an example: During my tour down to NASSIR 2 this past summer, of my 29 days on the road, I had 2 dates that I had to keep. The 1st one was to hook up with Winger77 on Sept 11, at Snow Canyon SP and the 2nd was where we were both to meet with The Big Dog and family for a steak dinner, later that day(Thanks again, Dawson ) That meant that I had 11 days to get to Snow Canyon to meet up with someone I'd never met before. I would be riding through WA, OR, CA, NV, AZ and finally into southern Utah, to meet up with Dave. Although I had a route planned, I made several 'mid-course corrections', even backtracking and and heading west and north, but still managed to keep to the basic course/route that I had planned. As it turned out, both Dave and I arrived a day early, so we got to enjoy an extra day of exploring the area and getting to know one another. The only time that accommodations were a bit tough to find, was as described above and one other time while on a 11 day tour of the Grand Tetons/Yellowstone/Glacier NPs. We had started looking for a campsite in Yellowstone too late in the day(no accommodations of any type in the park)and had to ride 30 miles to a great spot, just outside Yellowstone. It turned out to be THE PERFECT SPOT for a 3 day base camp. Things go the way they do, for a reason. I generally like to get an early start on the road(7-8:30) and am usually on the road for at least 8 hours, before I start looking to hold up for the night. Sometimes I'm out there for 12 hours, depending on the time of year and available daylight. When I plan a tour, I do a lot of research! When I research routes, I look for a route that offers at least 3 things. Scenery, lack of traffic, probability of gas/food/accommodations(whether hosteling, or camping) and that it takes me in the general direction I want to go. As a general rule, I try to avoid Interstates as much as possible, preferring the quieter, quaint 2 lane blacktop that takes you through small towns. Much more relaxed and usually much more scenic. I also check out 'alternative routes', in case I want to deviate from my original 'planned route', which happens from time to time. I use Google Maps quite a bit for route planning. When I am planning a route out west, I make prodigious use of their "Terrain" button, in the upper right portion of the map. They have Topographical lines shown, which denotes elevations. The closer those lines are together, the steeper and usually more visually stunning the area is, that the road you're interested in, takes you through. In an area you know nothing about, there are plenty of members here eager to share their knowledge of any particular area. Just ask and they will answer. In a word, don't sweat the 'small stuff'. I've never had the need to make any kind of reservations while touring(except for the campground at NASSIR 2), just get out and ride and above all enjoy yourselves and all that is around you. Don't be a 'clock watcher' Dusty
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 02:16 pm | 30th Post |
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Rick: Red and I have been motorcycle touring since 1989. How many times have we not been able to find a campground or a motel? Once... on our very first tour! Second night out on the north California Coast, we couldn't find an open campground.... so I sent Red in anyway with those big brown eyes of hers..... "Mister, have you got just a teeny weeny little spot for my (notice she didn't say "our") teeny weeny tent?" The guy found her (us) a place! Dusty's right...he's always right... get spontaneous and just go. Carrying camp gear makes you infinetely more flexible. You could always sleep in shifts at a rest area, even....! You just need to hitchhike into Bluefield, West Virginia with 17 cents in your pocket like I did bacl in 1963! Talk about flexible! That's a story...but I can't tell it on here! Dusty, your photos are absolutely stunning: how do you get them so sharp, so saturated with color? Do you use a tripod? What's your secret, buddy? Teach me! Teach me! Please?
____________________ First name: Mel (Red's: Sandy) "It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to." (Bilbo Baggins) |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 03:10 pm | 31st Post |
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Hey Rick,,,,, everything that Dusty says is right on. And he is a true master of planning out a route. But it's really not all that hard. My first big tour was last year (2008). Never been off the east coast myself. Made up my mind to see the West like I've always wanted. Like Dusty said,,,,, there are so many members here that are eager to share info of any area you might be interested in. I did the the "research" through here and google maps. Had me an itinerary for motels and campgrounds. Well,,,,,,, the plan was to head out on a Saturday morning. But when I got home from work that Friday, there was plenty of daylight left, and I knew I would not be able to sleep,,,,, just like a kid on Christmas eve. I headed out at 5:30pm and that just blew the whole itinerary schedual out the window. I never saw any of those "planned" motels or camps. Sure,,,, I was a bit concerned of where I would end each day. But there is always a town of sort along the way. And to me (at least now) having camp gear with me,,,,,, I'm always covered. It was, and still is, the best way to travel. No real particular place to be, except to follow my route to the places I wanted to see and ride. And it turned out to not only be a journey, but a true "Adventure". My trip to NASSIR-2 was only with the plans of seeing the Grand Canyon, meeting Dusty in Utah, and make it to NASSIR. Had my routes to follow,,,,, the rest,,,,,well,,,,,, I guess you could say I just "Winged it". I never even planned a route for home till the night before. And that turned out to be great also. So do yourself a favor Rick,,,,,,,,,,,, pack the wing, and point her WEST, you'll be glad you did. Those Rocky Mountains will astound you.
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 03:34 pm | 32nd Post |
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Hey Mel,,,,,,,, your quick on the keyboard,,,,, got your post up before me. You really need to ride behind Dusty to see how he gets his pics. Here is a little clue of how he does it,,,,,,,,,, and mind you,,,,, we doing about 70 mph. http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/winger77/2009%20Trip/100_5830.jpg
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 03:58 pm | 33rd Post |
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Cousin Jack wrote: Dusty, your photos are absolutely stunning: how do you get them so sharp, so saturated with color? Do you use a tripod? What's your secret, buddy? Teach me! Teach me! Please? I just point my little Point N Shoot camera at what interests me and shoot the picture, CJ. Seriously, we've talked before about what camera I use while touring(you have almost the identical one) and the secret is ..... lighting .... and luck. My little camera has IS(Image Stabilization) built into it. I don't use a tripod, as it's a bear to use that set-up while riding! Believe me when I tell you that even with that feature,(IS) I have lots of out of focus/blurry shots. I take many shots and am lucky to have a few that come out pretty good. Although I do have a tripod, I very seldom use it and don't bother taking it with me while riding. I will use a tripod for night shots of say, the moon during an eclipse, where any kind of movement is magnified at that extreme zoom and low exposure conditions. You'll notice a lot of my shots are taken from the saddle, while I'm riding, using one hand to get the 'shot', but other times, I let go of the bars with both hands(cruise control set) completely, to properly 'frame the shot' I want. Dave(Winger77) will attest to that fact. Don't get hung up about how many megapixels it has. Anything over 4-5 megapixels is plenty enough. The more megapixels your camera is, the greater room on your media card it consumes for each shot, meaning you get less pictures on a 2 gig card with a 12 megapixel camera, than a camera with 6. Although my camera is 10 megapixel, I typically shoot with it set at 7. As you can see, at that size, the shots are clear, so anything more that that is really not needed by the average photographer. It's just 'marketing hype'. Like I say, lighting is KEY! It is so important to convey mood and highlights. Morning and later afternoon are best to get a 'softer' image. When the sun is high, your landscape shots end up with harsh lighting. No 'shadows' to give the shot depth, the colours look 'bleached' Another important feature I look for in a camera, is it's optical zoom(not to be confused with digital zoom) capabilities, for 'cropping' a scene/shot. Getting a camera with a high optical zoom, really requires IS to help keep the image blur free/focused Also, play around with some of the settings on the camera and check out the subtle and not so subtle differences it makes. Different exposure levels. Use lower(-) exposure settings on a bright/midday shot. Under lower light conditions, use more(+) exposure. Take multiple shots of the same subject, using different exposure settings and you'll soon learn what setting is right for the kind of shot you want to achieve. I guess in short what I'm trying to say about your camera, what ever type/level it is ... is get to 'know' your camera. Read the manual and experiment with it. The digitals are not like the old film cameras, where it was expensive and time consuming to do this with. With today's cameras, it's almost instant gratification and the 'learning cure' is not quite as steep in the old days. When shopping for a new camera, read up about the camera that you think you'd like. There are online digital camera review sites and they describe the potential camera's strengths and weaknesses. Do your research and learn it's settings once you purchase it and that will pay off with better shots. I had a Nikon Coolpix Point N Shoot once that did great macro shots, but it's low power optical zoom left much to be desired, As soon as you hit the zoom, it's focus was terrible, so I ended up selling it to someone that understood it's weakness and wanted it mainly for it's macro capabilities and depth of field.I ended up buying a nice Canon, but alas it was too big/bulky to extract it easily from it's case and my tank bag while riding. One thing I learned about cameras while backpacking is, if it is not easy to get out, it won't be coming out often and therefore not many pictures will be taken. Ease of access/use is a high priority, which is why I ended up with my little Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10. It's not an expensive camera by any means, but it does a pretty good job. If you are interested in seeing some more of my shots, look up my profile and check out my Flickr link. I have put a few of my shots in there Cheers, Dusty
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 05:20 pm | 34th Post |
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CJ,,,,,,,,, your shots of the Alaska Highway look good to me. Like Dusty says,,,,, it's a matter of taking many shots and sorting through them for the good ones ya get. My first trip out west, I took 2,400 shots,,,, last trip (NASSIR-2) I took a little over 2,100 shots. Unlike Ken, I have my camera mounted with a RAM Mount on the clutch side. I end up with shots through my windshield, where Dusty just holds his over his shield. I have a simple Kodak Easy Share with 7.1 mega pixel. And I didn't know till just now after reading Dusty's post, that there were different zoom features. Mine is Digital, Dusty's is Optical. I will say, Ken does capture the colors and scenery like a pro. But I think I get some pretty good shots all the same. Here is a shot through the shield while moving,,,(bugs and all )http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/winger77/2009%20Trip/100_4950-1.jpg And here is a pic of some crazy guy standing near the edge of a cliff http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/winger77/2009%20Trip/100_4682.jpg Another while moving approx. 50 mph with the camera turned to the right of me as I passed by,,,,,, http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/winger77/2009%20Trip/100_5256.jpg
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 06:47 pm | 35th Post |
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If I'm taking a shot of something fairly close up and to the side of me while I'm riding, I set my camera on the 'sports scene' setting, which gives it a faster shutter speed, minimizing blur. Here's a shot I took of a guy who put up with me for 8 - 9 days this past summer, while we were doing 55 mph. Turned out good enough that he uses it for his avatar. You can see his ram camera mount, that he uses for his shots. If I use another scene setting, the shutter speed is slower, inducing more 'blur' and providing a 'softer' shot and the illusion of speed, although I was doing the posted 45 mph speed limit.  Sometimes, I will pull over to take a shot and to drink in the Grandeur of the scene, like these ones near Rogers Pass, in the Canadian Rockies ...   Back to the Subject - Long, lonesome highways Here's what I 25, north of Casper, WY looks like early in the morning  another lonesome WY highway, this time 14A, east of Lovell , approaching the Bighorn Mountains  ... and of course you can't ride in Wyoming, without riding the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, between Cody WY and Cooke City MT ....   .... and the Beartooth Highway(US 212) which runs from Red Lodge MT, dips into northern WY, before crossing the state line again, ending at Cooke City, MT ....   Let's see some more, people!
____________________ Ken - 1992 GL1500 Aspencade - Darksider 6th Officer/Road Captain - CMC, 034 Cannington Chapter Find your Path and share the Journey! "It's never too early to plan and never too late to go!" - Dusty Boots Hmm ..... wonder where that stretch of blacktop leads to ...... What has Dusty been up to |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 08:43 pm | 36th Post |
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Your right Ken,,,,,,,,,, back to the subject  I've crossed Kansas twice now. This time I took some routes off the beaten trail. Man that state is wide open & lonely. Rt. 56,,,,,South of Dodge City  It was nice to see an occasional rock when I got to New Mexico. This is Rt. 56/212 southwest of Clayton,NM.  Rt. 160 west,,,,,,, Leaving Ship Rock, New Mexico,,,,, nice cool morning.  Rt. 160 heading west toward Tuba City, Arizona,,,, now thats a big state.  Are Dusty Boots and myself the only ones with a camera while touring? Last edited on Thu Dec 24th, 2009 08:59 pm by Winger77 ____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 24th, 2009 09:43 pm | 37th Post |
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I can never remember which I've already posted or not...... Colorado National Monument:  more Colorado National Monument:  Idaho, on the way to Nassir 2:  Colorado, Grand Mesa, Nassir 2:  More Colorado, more Nassir 2!  You know, if you haven't seen America and Canada by motorcycle, you haven't seen them at all!
____________________ First name: Mel (Red's: Sandy) "It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to." (Bilbo Baggins) |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 25th, 2009 02:56 am | 38th Post |
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Believe it or not, I-70 in Kansas! Great pictures all! Attachment: kansastornado.jpg (Downloaded 372 times) Last edited on Fri Dec 25th, 2009 02:58 am by clouddragon9 ____________________ 1995 Shadow Deluxe 600 1984 Nighthawk 700SC (Tragically Passed On) 1980 Goldwing GL1100 Meddle not in the Affairs of Dragons, For Thou Art Crunchy... And Good with Ketchup!!! |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 25th, 2009 04:33 am | 39th Post |
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Oh, I believe that. Seen it with my own eyes, and Greensburg, KS is living proof.
____________________ John |
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| Posted: Fri Dec 25th, 2009 06:15 pm | 40th Post |
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As I crossed Kansas,,,,,,and knowing how it is very prone to those twisters, I didn't let no grass grow under the tires. I would NOT want to see one like that. I wouldn't know what to do,,,,,, except maybe run for it like I did when stopping in Topeka in hopes to meet up with a couple members there. The sky turned very eary looking very quickly and I didn't waste time beating out of there going west on I-70. 
____________________ The things I liked,,,,I've tryed em twice! |
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