Crosscountry Adventures

I’m fixing up this old truck.  She’s a beauty with near perfect body and original, running motor.  I’m getting it tuned for the road, and hopefully before the new year I’ll be able to ride around town comfortably.

Here’s today’s progress

Adjusting the brakes was far easier than I expected.  Oddly, the front tire that has the least grab is the one that needed the least adjustment.  The other was actually much looser.  Now I suspect something else may be the problem.

I’m doing the ignition system tomorrow, new plugs, wires, points, and condenser.  I suspect the coil is good, and the distributor and rotor appear to be new.

I’m concerned that the loud bang/pop/explosion I heard under the hood last time I drove it wasn’t fuel related.  Since then, several weeks ago, I’ve only been able to start it once (after rebuilding the carb and trying for about 1 minute), and it ran for just a few seconds.  It hasn’t started since.  At least it did start after rebuilding the carb - so I can no it wasn’t a big foul up there.

With a new ignition system I suspect things will go better.  Also, my mechanic friend who was in the business more than 30 years is coming by with a timing light and dwell meter.  He’s really good about diagnosing problems.

I’m rehanging the doors right now.  That’s actually quite simple too.  The clasps are hung too high, so the doors won’t latch.  That’s fixed in just a few seconds of work.

Once it’s running I’ll have the oil changed and fix the left rear brake/indicator so it will be road worth.  Of course there is no heater, and I’m just in time for the cold.

Isaac

The third day of my trip was as awesome as the first, but with less walking, for which my legs thanked me. My calves were especially sore after the long day, and even a week later one lets me know I pushed it too hard.  Here is the entire set of photos for this day.

It was another early start. My goal was to reach Tsukiji fish market before it closed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open on Sundays, but I was able to fill the day quite well by visiting some other nearby famous sites. After a short walk and visit of a super market (which you should check out because it was very interesting - $10 cantaloupes!) I found myself in Ginza. Ginza is the street most people imagine when they think of Tokyo. The buildings are tall, and there are lots of ads hanging.

The famous clock tower.

Also, I found more people standing around waiting for something. At least this time it made sense. The Apple store was about to open. These people were almost alone on the street.

I ate some food picked up at the supermarket. Not all bad, not all good either. Yep, that’s a whole fish, and the green thing was filled with sweetened black beans. I probably shouldn’t have eaten that. I ended up throwing away nearly half.

I wanted to see Mount Fuji. Rumor has it that you can see it from Tokyo, but even at the highest points, it was not visible - probably due to haze. So my plan was to get closer on my way to Kamakura - where the 30 ft tall Buddha sits. My efforts were not fruitful, but I did get to see some smaller towns towards the south- putting me at ease that Japan wasn’t all tall buildings and asphalt.

My farthest point south was in Odawara. It was a seaside town, and I decided to get my feet wet plus find some lunch. This is also when I decided Fuji wasn’t in the cards. It clouded over and eventually rained. I couldn’t have seen the mountain if I was standing on it. Odawara is an interesting town with few westerners. Nothing in the shops tempted me, so it was a longish walk to the beach.

I couldn’t wait to get in the water.

I came across an old fort that was picturesque.

And some interesting things that weren’t buildings.

Nice Art

On my way to the Buddha

There’s a whole lot more of this area and the temple here.

And that was my great day. I was again super tired and even missed my connecting train on the way back. Thankfully I recognized one stop and was able to get back to the hostel before passing out for my last night in Tokyo. Next time Tsukiji and the Emperor’s Palace grounds.

Here is the entire set of photos for this day. 

Ok, I can only put a few photos in this post. Yesterday was huge, and I took a lot of pictures. There are over 260 in this album, and it was closer to 400 to start. Each one adds something new to Tokyo, so check it out if you have time.

It was an early start. Something happens to you when you change 14 time zones. 9PM seems very late, and 6 AM is sleeping in. I still haven’t caught up, but each day is better than the last. 6AM in Austin is 8PM in Tokyo, so my brian hater my riht nwo. I was on the search for an ATM that would accept my card. The search was almost successful. I did find one that would take my card, but without thinking I tried to withdraw more than the limit, and received no cash. I was so used to this that I didn’t even check the receipt to see why it wasn’t giving me cash.

The walk was nice at first. A river runs through Tokyo near Asakusa, where I’m staying, towards the bay that leads to the Pacific. I say at first because it my calves are worse than sore. Throughout the day I walked more than 7 hours without meaning to. What a day. Now pictures

It turns out crazy cat ladies are ubiquitous. Every culture has them, whether you have a place to put the cats or not. At least she has a view!

In Tokyo there is not much space. You find ways to plant a garden, sort your recycle on the street, or even pump gas.

By the way, that is a gas station on a corner not much bigger than a big car.

Parking your car becomes an art.

Forget about washing it.

People in Tokyo like to wait around. It happens everywhere. Only once did it make sense what they were doing

These were actual buildings. Only the last one makes sense. They call that Electric City, and it is where all of Japan’s newest electronic devices are displayed.

Wanna get married on the street?

You see a lot of posing like this. They’ll block streets off for a good shot.

They caught on for Halloween, but somehow only the jackolanterns made it across the ocean. People here find excuse to party, so this seems like a good one.

I’ll throw in a Christmas wreath-tunnel for fun. Did I mention that Japanese are Buddhist? More on that later.

I want to add that Japanese people watch the dumbest television. I’m in a hostel writing a blog post. 4 Japanese youths are watching a game show that is trying to decide if a cantaloupe is real or not. I have no idea the prize. The last two shows were about make overs. Girls here really want to change their image. Many change their hair color to a brown. Lots wear enough makeup to make me look like a woman. I think in a country where every person fits the same description, it is advantageous to stand out.

My hostel is trying to save electricity by walking instead of taking the elevator.

What’s weird is that there are sometimes 4 or 5 vending machines on a corner, the toilet seats are heated, and there are flashing signs/advertizements everywhere. Superfluous is an understatement - you think we waste electricity in the US?

I’m skipping a lot here. If you’re interested, make sure to check out the photo album for more.

After getting an ATM to work for me it was more tourism. Tokyo tower is one of the highest places you can get in the city, and I wanted to see as far as I could.

The cemeteries and parks were of special interest from above

After 2 days in Tokyo, I hadn’t expected to see grass. This was the first and last time I saw it in the city. Later I would walk down the and lay down (remember the jetlag). People here live within feet of others and get along nicely. I’m pretty sure that would last only a few minutes in the US before a fight broke out. Did I mention that everyone here is super polite and law-abiding? They don’t even cross a street without a light to tell them (and every 2 way intersection has one.)

The view from above was spectacular. Make sure to check it out.

Being above made me want to see the cemetery and big temple. The cemetery was very cool. People are buried up down to save space, so the tomb stones are close together. Here are a few of my favorites. You can see the personality in the person making the sticks, putting flowers, or even jackolanterns.

More here

My buddy AJ loves public transportation, and with him in mind, in the couple of hours of remaining daylight (the sun is setting about 5PM right now) I went to Shinjuku station, the largest metro station in the world.

I’d estimate that several tens of thousands of people were there at the same time as me. And all of them would be out in 20 minutes making room for tens of thousands more. In all that I only saw one white person. Tokyo has over 12 million people, 11,999,990 of them are Japanese.

Finally the sun was setting, and I was whooped. On the way back to the hostel I snapped these and several others at the green bridge.

I hope you enjoyed the photos. I have tons more from today and the remaining from yesterday. Don’t forget to check those out.

I don’t understand an single thing. Everything is close and small.  I’m finally not a short person!   There are lots of lights and colors - so much to distract.  ATMs don’t take my card.  Addresses are unrecognizable since street names are in Japanese, and the numbers don’t increase linearly.  This is about as foreign as I can imagine.

I’ve been a lot of places, but this one takes the cake for being strange.  The people are very friendly, and Tokyo is super clean, but no one speaks English (or only the fewest words).  The two Portuguese roommates at a hostel are the closest looking people to me that I’ve seen.  I basically hand people money in hopes for change. So far it’s been on the up and up.

Flying here took 14 hours from Dallas to Tokyo.  That was as long as I ever want to sit in one place. I’m 14 hours ahead, which suggests it will take 14 days (in the 1 day to 1 hour rule) to get over jetlag, but I think with strategic naps and beer I’ll be ready to go in 2 to 3 days.

Excitement is only one word to describe what I feel. Total disorientation is another. Having traveled plenty I thought I’d be ready for this. WOW!

The flight was uneventful. Boeing 777 with a selection of looping movies. That plane is much smoother in the air than it is on the ground. We saw some pretty sights from the air.

On the landing, which was the first time I had seen land since Alaska, we flew over at least 6 golf courses. I’m surprised that a country so hard up for land can afford that much wasted space. There were lots of rice fields and “towns” that are probably more like farming neighborhoods.

The airport exterior was as big as I’ve ever seen. The inside wasn’t sensational, pretty standard. Customs and Immigration was exactly like in the US with foreigners having to give fingerprints. I didn’t understand a word but kept thrusting my passport at people with hats on.

Here’s a metro car for AJ

And me, the almost tallest person around at the local market, temple, and famous Gate.

At this point I stood out like a neon light in rural Alabama. I was one of three non-Japanese people walking around, and my blue jeans with red-white-and-blue pearl snaps didn’t fit in. Tomorrow I’ll wear slacks and a button up. At least they won’t know I’m a first time tourist before I open my mouth.

The market was fascinating. I found a place that sold only chop sticks and another that sold only swords. Of course there were the obligatory fish restaurants with fish hats.

I found a McDonalds, a Dennys, and a Starbucks. Needless to stay I didn’t go in any of them. The McDonalds has only a few things on the menu. Not sure what they are.

The Temple was crowded, and people were praying. I don’t know what it honors, but it stands out as very distinct from the rest of the buildings.

And a few more to end this post

Here is a link to all of the, stupidly, unedited photos.   Oh, and don’t forget to take your shoes off when you come in. Slippers are in a basket by the door.

I can’t begin to put into words how awesome Denali National Park and Preserve is.  I hadn’t known what to expect, and everything was better than imagined.  Denali NP&P is a 6 million acre wilderness only intruded by a single road that runs east west.  Common folk can’t even get past the ranger station without riding a bus, and only the most daring campers, carrying everything they’ll need on their backs, are allowed to camp in the park’s interior.

Some of the views across valley floor from mountain to mountain were greater than 5 miles, and at the apex of the tour stood a vista that overlooked the highest point in North America. Animals are not plentiful, but our bus was lucky. We saw 3 moose, a white wolf, and 8 healthy grizzly bears. Upon entering the bus our guide suggested we not get our hopes up on either seeing Denali itself or any bears at all. She drives the road 6 or 7 days a week for the entire season, and we were only the 11th time this year she saw the mountain. She has never seen 8 bears in one day, not to mention the Dall Sheep, Ptarmigan, and other critters.

I can’t put into words the awesomeness, so I’ll just post the photos. Enjoy, and don’t forget to click the link to the photo gallery which has more photos.

Dall Sheep

There are many more of these two

The highest point in North America lies there.

One of those 5 mile views

There was some debate if this was an elusive white wolf or an even more rarely seen coyote.

I was thoroughly impressed to say the least. It was an awesome day. I finished my hike back from the visitor center to the car around 3:30PM and drove the next 100 miles or so to Fairbanks. The sky was blue, and the road smooth. I snapped some more photos on the way up before dedicating myself to a few hours of work preparing for my talk on Monday afternoon.

Here again is the photo gallery with many more Denali photos.

I’m here! It wasn’t that long ago that I decided Alaska was my next big goal. I’ve ridden so many places, and the new stuff keeps getting farther away. I was saving a motorcycle trip to here for after my PhD graduation, and I still am, but this trip with me and a car is winding up to be fantastic in its own right.

I left Austin around dusk on Friday the 9th. It had been a busy day already with work on my looming talk and a helium transfer to get the paleomag lab running again. The flight was delayed, so my eventual arrival in Anchorage was well after midnight. And I forgot my book. Picking up Michner’s Space in the airport and some naps kept me occupied during most of the travel. With the three hour time difference and 10 hours of travel after a long day I may as well have been a zombie by the time I got to my hotel. Sleep came and was appreciated until the phone rang at 6AM, and I was wide awake.

I used the early hours to make plans for the trip and to hunt souvenirs for friends and family. Anchorage is full of nice shops and restaurants. It is quite pleasant. Also, I came at the end of tourist season, and there was a big outdoor market of local artisans and more. I had a nice phone call and wandered around town exploring the port and downtown area. After picking up a car and lunching plus shopping for snacks and socks, which I had left in the washing machine, I was on my way north - to Denali.

1) View of Lake Travis, about as low as I’ve ever seen it. The big island isn’t usually there. 2) View from my hotel around sunrise. Mountains are in the background. 3) Early sight from the one highway going north. Colors are a little messed up because I wanted to show the clouds. The leaves, as you will see later, are extremely yellow.

The road to Fairbanks takes a little over 6 hours under normal conditions, but these weren’t normal conditions. It took me at least 6 hours just to get to Healy, a little town north of Denali Park entrance. Finding a hotel for the night and a place to eat wasn’t difficult since there were only a couple of places for each. Stopping by a firepit at the entrance to the restaurant I came across two dudes discussing who knows what, and shortly I joined in. One was from Texas and had been living there for several years. His name was Cody, and he invited me to the end of the season party down the road. I had nothing better to do and figured it would be a good way to kill an evening. So after a king crab meal and cleaning up I headed out to see what Alaskans do to celebrate the going away of tourists. It’s pretty much what everyone does everywhere, drink. They were very proud to offer a live band doing covers of Steve Miller and the likes. I was a little early and met some people who had just arrived from traveling in South America. The conversation was good, and the whiskey wasn’t as expensive as one might think.

I had my fill and went back to the hotel for the second night in a row of not nearly enough sleep. The next morning was Denali, and I wanted to make sure I saw it.

All in all the drive was great. Weather cooperated for the most part, but I could have used some more sun. It’s not fair to show these photos because all of them were superb. In case you want to see more
Here is the entire photo gallery

Guadalajara is a big city. During the drive in, Russell and I were only saved from the confusion by blue signs pointing towards the city center - our destination for the night. Before G, Saltillo was the only large city we had actually driven through, and we got pretty turned around there due to construction and poor signage. G was easier to navigate in theory, but the traffic took some getting used to. There were lots of people, and the people turning left from a lane to our right was startling.

Upon arriving, gasoline was our first priority. After that bathrooms, ATM, and hotel took over in that order. We rode through downtown and a little past before finding the friendly PeMex. The attendant was nice and offered advice for the other things. They were all within walking distance. We chose an upscale hotel for the below ground parking. Motorcycles are common there, but ours were definitely from far away and looked more expensive than the local varieties.

The hotel we chose may have been the tallest building in town because from our view none appeared any taller. We got to our room on the 12th floor of 14 just before sundown and missed our chance to dip in the pool.

After a walk to the Walmart on another corner Russell and I were stocked with the toiletries, sunscreen, and water we needed for the rest of the trip. Not once on the trip did we drink public water, and not once did we get sick. He and I walked around the city looking for food and people watching. I also wanted to buy a notebook to keep a journal. He and I found everything we wanted and seated ourselves near the balcony of a 2nd floor restaurant overlooking one of the many plazas in downtown Guadalajara.

It was surreal. I’ve dreamt of visiting G almost my whole life, ever since hearing that Mariachi was created there. My childhood mind romanticized the city, and now I got to be there. Our dinner began with music from the square below, but eventually it turned into what can only be described as a one man protest. This guy was adamant about something, and passerby’s stopped only for a few seconds. As his incessant preaching droned on the two of us dined on a local buffet that filled our bellies and made us smile.  Sol was our beer of choice for the evening, or was it Pacifico? We enjoyed a few local brews.

On our walk - many churches!

My first thought after dining was tequila, and we made good on that instinct. Russell doesn’t drink as much as I do, but we still put away a decent amount of the bottle before leaving the hotel room again.

The view from our hotel at night - before the adventure really began.

We wanted to see what nightlife was like in the second largest city of Mexico, and after a short walk towards the now sparsely populated center we found a place lit up with a neon green “bar.” This looked liked the place. Climbing the stairs into the second level corner bar with glass windows all around we heard what the place was to be like before seeing it. And our first sight confirmed, a large man, poorly dressed, singing karaoke. It was obvious that he was the entertainment, but for us the laughs were just beginning. They haven’t stopped yet.

Russell may not want his personal life divulged, so I’ll keep it to a minimum just to set up the story. His relationship status was worse than complicated, and after talking to him I got it in my head that he needed a girlfriend. Just our luck since a single girl was sitting by herself near the door. I offered her a drink and left the two of them alone for a bit. Neither looked like they were having a good time when I returned.  Apparently the language of love isn’t universal, or at least one must know a few words to pick up chicks in a foreign country. I ended up translating a mundane translation about family and birthplaces.

We bought her another drink, and that’s when I realized something - her beers, while much smaller than ours, cost 5 times as much. Someone once told me that since prostitution was illegal, it was more socially palatable to buy a girl overpriced drinks from which she would get the kickback from the bar. This had the added benefit of making sure the bar was always stocked with available women. Well, that’s what we had, and I thought it was hilarious. Somehow, after a few more tequilas and beers, I invited her to join us on a motorcycle trip to the beach, riding with Russell, and even told her which hotel we were in. Thankfully that never came to fruition, but what happened next is still hard to believe.

The bar only had a few people in it, and few were talking, but a man with a video camera came around asking everyone to dance for one song. He wanted to film a commercial to put on Mexican television. After a little coaxing Russell found both his left feet and took his date on the floor. Another girl appeared, willing to dance with me, and we danced our asses off for that one song, during which the videographer had us move around the room to shoot from many angles. I’m sure anyone seeing that commercial will wonder what the odd pair of gringos, one with a bald spot, the other well over 6 feet tall, were doing dancing with local girls in a Guadalajara bar. I hope one day to see it.

We retired to our hotel safe from temporary love and not so secretly hoping the girl wouldn’t show up the next day expecting to ride to Puerto Vallarta. And for more than a few reasons it’s good she didn’t, but we’ll get to that in the next post.

After a late start we asked the valet where one might find breakfast on a Sunday morning, and he gave good advice. Breakfast was fantastic, one of many good meals we had on the trip. Before heading out we took one more stroll around the center to see what people did during the day.

It was a lovely place, and I look forward to going back.

Russell and I woke in a foreign land. We were hundreds of miles south of anywhere familiar and hungry for more. Mostly we were hungry. After dining in the same restaurant that hosted the wonderful buffet of the night before we packed up ready for the day. FYI, breakfast was as we would see many times on the trip: tacos and an orange Fanta. The Fanta is of course to pretend something healthy.

Packing up.

On the road we were back to desert; it would last most of the day. It was beautiful.

The roads varied but were generally well maintained and with low traffic. Only occasionally did we have trouble passing a truck in the mountains. The KLR kept up for the most part with the VStrom, and I would have no qualms about taking it again. Of course it wasn’t me riding it. Somewhere along the way we passed a sign for ruins. Russell and I hadn’t discussed side trips, and I wanted to ask what he thought. He agreed it was a good idea, so we turned back to see what there was.

Before we even got to the ruins, which were extraordinary by the way, we found something else of immense proportions: nopales, or prickly pear as we know them. These things were unbelievable, and I expect that in my life I’ll never see any this large again. They make what we have in Texas look like babies!

These weren’t the biggest we saw, but they were right off the road and easily accessed.

The ruins were truly amazing. Archeologists are not sure who made them or exactly when, but they are far out of place for the Mayans or any other Mexican civilizations. The city is called “La Quemada,” presumably for the city of the same name not too far westward. We enjoyed hiking to the top of the hill that seated the ruins and took photos from above.

I took a lot more. Check them out here.

The next stop was at a tequila or agave plantation.  They offered free tastings, but as we were only halfway through the day and more hungry than anything, we just stopped for photos.  It was quite a sight!  Who knew agave grew so well and was so cherished? They went on for miles near the town of Tabasco. This wasn’t the only plantation we saw on the trip, but it certainly was the biggest. Of course we purposefully avoided the major traffic roads that would lead to the touristy areas. This would be especially true the third day of the trip when we took the load least traveled.

As we moved south the scenery changed, and before long it was impossible to call the terrain desert. Instead plants were more frequent and greener. Trees versus prickly pear or Joshua Trees appeared, and eventually we found a river in a valley. This was quite interesting, and we enjoyed the curvy roads that followed the river and cliff faces.

Once when nature called we pulled over to find tall brown grass and some burros tied to the river. Here was the view.

Here we noticed the vegetation really begin to change, and as we climbed out of the valley we noticed a strong temperature change. Things were really cooling off!

The valley went on for many miles, probably 20 or more, and we passed several nice pueblos, including Jalpa. Once we climbed out of the valley the scenery changed dramatically. It was now a high desert, without the vegetation we had seen before, and much cooler. The elevation was probably 2000 meters or more. As we approached Guadalajara traffic picked up significantly, and we could no longer pass the people in front of us. Finally we were 20 kilometers from Guadalajara and entering a valley. It was beautiful and of the same vegetation we saw earlier.

The odd thing was that G was supposedly the second largest city in Mexico, and within 20 minutes of it there was no evidence of millions of people living there. We crossed another valley and started up again with still no sign. The road was fun, and there were even a few bicyclists taking advantage of the steep roads. Finally, with just 6 km to go, we came out of the valley and saw it - one huge city. Guadalajara was out in front of us in it’s full glory. The outskirts we saw at first were as poor as imaginable, and they butted up against the cliff that we had just ridden up. It was a striking contrast of pure nature to pure poverty. Within a few minutes we were into the heart of the city and looking for a good place to stop.

This here is a good place to stop as G was too interesting to split up into two posts. The road there from Zacatecas had been great, and some of those sights will live with me forever. Until next time

Where we last left off, Russell and I were on our way south past Monterrey.  We were riding toll roads for the quickness of it all and even more quickly realizing the expense was too great.  The tolls themselves varied from 40 Pesos to 180 Pesos, or about 15 dollars.  This was extreme! And we hadn’t budgeted for so much cost so often.

The geology of the area was increasingly interesting. After turning west from Monterrey towards Saltillo, more than once we found mountains made of tilted rocks, layered horizontally but eventually nearly perpendicular to the horizon. It was worthy of our attention, and I snapped only a few photos wishing for more. Some of the best sights were not a stops, and I hadn’t yet gotten permission from Russell to stop just for photo breaks. Eventually it did become necessary to stop as the scenery was just too good, but we weren’t there yet.

Finally, past Saltillo, we decided that regular roads were the way to go. This caused a little mixup in directions - the toll roads are slightly better with road signs, and Saltillo had several detours that caused us to lose the road we had planned to take. This was fine, and actually I think we were better off because of it. The road was smaller and slower, but traffic was light, and the scenery fantastic. There are no pictures of Saltillo, the place we first saw American stores such as HEB, Walmart, Autozone, Churches Chicken, and more. It was a little hectic, and we just wanted to get back on the road. The city was on a plateau and very arid. I bet the night skies are fantastic there.

Once south of town, and on a correct road, we began to boogie. We crosses between mountains and through large valleys. The most impressive ones had sights for more than 20 miles. Several were home to large Joshua Tree forests, and we must have passed 40 miles of the mesmerizing plant. Finally it was time to stop just for a photo break, and it was worth it!

And this one I had Russell pose for.

The day was extremely entertaining. As the sun set we approached Villa de Cos, a small town north of Zacatecas.  We had been warned to drive only during the day time, and after more than 8 hours in the saddle, our first long day, it was time to break.  We pulled in to a roadside hotel and restaurant.  This turned out to be great except for the lack of hot water.  The restaurant was a buffet and our first exposure to real Mexican food.  Both of us were impressed!  I really enjoyed the chile relleno while Russell’s favorite was the pork with green sauce.  Everything on the buffet was fantastic.

We also tried out a few new beers and sat for over an hour playing cribbage in the restaurant.  The two of us did look out of place, but everyone was friendly and accommodating.  My Spanish was coming back slowly but surely, and I felt really comfortable.  It was the perfect day of riding and reflection.  By that night all of my anxieties were gone, and it was the beginning of a real adventure.

Riding at sundown

Stay tuned for the next day when we discover some Ancient ruins and reach fantastic Guadalajara. And the rest of the photos from that day are here.

It is due time that I write up a recent trip to Mexico that my friend Russell and I shared on motorcycles.  This trip was to be a minivoyage of our original grand design to ride to Panama.  Due to time constraints and concerns of money, our little jaunt would become a reconnaissance mission for hopefully future ventures.  In this journal I will try to faithfully reproduce our adventure from both memory and written notes compiled during the route.

We departed in the ominous circumstances of nightfall and bad traffic from the northside of our Austin community.  Roads congested with red lights and exhaust encouraged us to take a less direct path through town, and before long our bikes were pointed south to Mexico and past the famous Austin City Limits sign.  That first night was to be a short one of only two hundred forty miles - to the US side of the Mexican border in Laredo, Texas.  It was cold, the coldest riding we would face until our return, and several stops to increase our insulation and add fuel both to our bikes and our bellies made it as comfortable as possible.  The stretch of Interstate Highway 35 took us through San Antonio and saw our, thankfully, one instance of mechanical failure.  A quick repair emboldened our hearts, and we arrived at our reserved destination only slightly worn for the wear.

The next morning was to afford the best shower we’d find until being home again.  That day started slower than planned but proved useful.  We drained our bank accounts of some American funds and used those to purchase Mexican Pesos at an incredible rate that beat even the day traders.  Unwisely we converted only $100 each, but had we known the rate was so good it would have influenced the purchase.  We also decided that travel liability insurance was prudent, and after receiving temporary coverage for our planned time abroad we asked for some favors from the nice salesman.  He provided copies free of charge and valuable advice that aided our border crossing.  Before long we were on the road again, just the 3 miles to the river that separated first world US of A from its much poorer and yet somehow content southerly neighbor.

The border was intimidating.  In fact, up to this point I had been nervous about the whole idea of going to Mexico.  It was something I’d been dreaming up for years, and maybe that and normal trip beginning unease factored into my jitters, but the reality of danger was certainly on my mind.  Warnings from friends and family of death and dismemberment filled our heads, but thankfully this proved to be all mental, and not once in the whole trip were we molested either by bad guys or the police - the latter my greatest fear.  In fact, to give a little foreshadow, the people we encountered were as friendly and warm as one could ask, and I am encouraged to do a similar trip at any possible juncture.  It took a couple of days for me to feel completely comfortable, and by the second day I was right at home, on the dream-like road trip that I imagined.

The border itself was docile and easily crossed.  Only a toll booth stood between us and the customs office visible from the northern banks of the Rio Grande River.  With little difficulty we made our way through the paperwork and bureaucracy.  This was my first opportunity to practice the Spanish that had at one time been a daily language for me.  It came back slowly, but I understood enough and could communicate at a level that got us through the office and back on the road.  Stopping to properly dress for the next long stretch, plan the route, and snack, Russell and I both gave big smiles of enthusiasm before mounting our steeds powered by internal combustion.
Here he is at the customs office and soon after at the first immigration checkpoint fifteen miles southward - where his camouflage colored military food canisters attracted attention from the young army men stationed at the border patrol.

We continued our tour south on the main highway/toll road that led us towards Monterey, our fist large city.  We had made this entire stretch in the morning with the intent of catching the worm so to speak.  It served the secondary purpose of getting past all of the feared border danger while the drug lords and gangsters were asleep.  We saw none of that.  Actually, what we did see was at first about 10 miles of small-time salvage yards with old American cars tossed into lots with little regard.  That and a lot of desert.  Had we began our journey in daylight, rather than the night before, we would have noticed the transition from the relatively lush surroundings of Austin to the shrub desert of south Texas.  Instead we were surprised (only slightly) to find a very brown terrain surround us and distant mountains sleepily looming in the distance.  We passed between ranges with little effort, and at no time was there a worry about weather.  In fact it was getting warmer and more pleasant as we went.  The week we left was to be the first of two bad cold periods in central Texas, and we missed it entirely while enjoying the wonderfully clear and warm days that Mexico provides in winter.
A few desert pictures

After one more military checkpoint and toll we were on top of Monterey and all of the pollution and congestion that comes with.  The soldiers by the side of the road were polite and comedic.  They were young again, as it often seemed to be, and curious about our motorcycles.  Mostly they were interested in Puerto Vallarta, where the girls allegedly all wore bikinis and unknowingly filled these young men’s dreams.

It was early afternoon, and we had no plans for tourism.  Our goal was to get as far south towards our destination of beach - any beach - and away from the border as possible.

Things are going well at the conference, and I’m learning a lot.  The food just keeps getting better here.  Today for lunch was quiche, and for the first time in my life it was done well - well enough to enjoy!  Mostly we’ve eaten out, but tonight is different.  For dinner we picked up some things from the local cheese, wine, meat, and bakery shops.  Looking forward to chowing down.  Photos to come.

Quiche

Arrived in Paris today by speed train.  Man those things go fast, almost 200mph

Paris is great.  The cheese and wine are excellent and decently priced.  The views are outstanding.  The apartment I’m renting is barely two blocks from Notre Dame.  It’s a beautiful day, and there is a lot to see.

and a post from Sunday that wasn’t posted:

“I’m getting the grand tour today.  We’ll visit Rotterdam and Delft, maybe Den Haag if there’s time.  Last night was Utrecht - the second or third largest city in the Netherlands.  It’s not cold, but windy and cloudy constantly.  The cities are very pretty although foreign.”

I’m in Tilburg, Netherlands right now at a friends.  He’s from Chile but works here temporarily and has a great girlfriend working on her PhD.  Monday I head to Paris for a conference on Mars Atmosphere, but it’s nice to get here early to adapt.  This jetlag is awful.

It’s a little late, but I’m finally getting to my best and favorite photos of 2010.  I did some decent traveling last year, and the best of photos mostly come from that.  They include parts of my two trips to Colorado in the spring and the long motorcycle trip to California this summer.  Plus there are a few from Monterrey, especially the aquarium, taken in December.

I’ll just show the absolute best, and you can flip through the entirety of the ~60 photos here.

Here was a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in March about. Snow was everywhere, and three of us, Prateek, Charles, and I, had a good time hiking. We were really tired by the end of the trip and rested well for the upcoming science meeting.

Some others

The next trip to Colorado was by motorcycle in May for a conference about extra planetary sand dunes. We visited Great Sand Dune National Park on a fieldtrip, and it was beautiful. The weather was much more conducive to riding then, and I really had a blast heading through Palo Duro Canyon and north-central New Mexico to southern Colorado.

Palo Duro from above

And another from the park.

Always a favorite part of the year is adding liquid helium to the super-conducting magnetometer. Here you can see cold helium outgassing, as it does it freezes the air around it, and you get air-cycles. Sometimes we even get oxygen drops, but be careful, even though they are liquid they will flash freeze your skin!

The next trip actually went through Colorado, but it took me much farther through Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Utah has so many amazing places that I could do a best of Utah 2010, but I’ll stick to the few best of the best from that trip.

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is a most picturesque place.

It’s almost impossible to choose Utah pictures, but here we go. These are all from Monument Valley or nearby Valley of the Gods.

There are more in the link above

Possibly the most beautiful place on earth is Canyonlands National Park, especially the Needles section. Within a few minutes I took all of these amazing photos and more.

Here are a few from Arches, Natural Bridges, and Capitol Reef National Parks

Those were great, but Bryce Canyon National Park was just gorgeous. And there are several more in the link above.

As it should be, the Grand Canyon is the highlight of any trip, and I was not let down for good quality scenery, even on the way in.

These others are definitely work a click.

More in the link

Of course the stated purpose of that trip was a week long summer school at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I got to see the upcoming Martian rover while there. It only moved about a foot at the time, but people were happy with that.

Mt. Wilson Observatory tops my list

As does Saguaro National Park

New Mexico has so many highlights I can’t really put them all here, but this from White Sands National Monument takes the cake and may be my personal favorite of the year.

In September I was back in Pasadena, California for another conference, and afterward I took a trip to Santa Barbara for a day. It was pretty. That day happened to be September 11th, and there was a large memorial to that day setup with flags for every person who died that day. Most were Americans, but you can see some other flags in the photos. The one I show is a favorite of Gary Paul, and I like it too.

My last big trip for work in 2010 was to San Francisco for a giant conference. Afterward I stopped by Monterrey for some relaxation and wine tasting. They have a great aquarium there where even an amateur like me can take fantastic photos. Here are just a few of the best.

My favorite from the aquarium turned out to be this one, and that is surprising since it was just a single shot taken in passing. This leads me to believe that one should always have his camera ready.

Actually before I even got to San Francisco I stayed with family in Berkeley. On the first morning at their house I awoke to this view - one that has won me many points with my photographer girlfriend.

So I put a lot more in here than was required, but there are just too many to choose from that were fun to take and look at. I hope you enjoyed, and if you want to see the rest just click here.

Here I am, 30 years old.  Well, 30 minus an hour.  It’s one of those things that we all look to our future and then reflect back on.  This is a good time in my life.  For the first time I know who I am and have a path to reach the things I want.

I’m very happy with things and how they’re going.  There isn’t much to say about this, and I have plenty of other things to write about, especially the recent motorcycle trip/ birthday present to Mexico, so this post is just a placeholder until I can reflect on it more.   Here I am 30 years old.

It’s kind of a sad day, but it’s nice in many ways too. 7 and one half years ago I entered the “motorcycle enthusiast” world with the purchase of a 1997 VS800 Suzuki Intruder. This was my first taste of what would become a passion.

Since buying the bike, affectionately called “Stephanie,” I’ve ridden in more than 13 countries for more than 100,000 miles. Motorcycle travel has inspired me to explore the world, and I cannot imagine my life without riding.

Stephanie came to me on a truck. She was delivered in May of 2003 after a purchase on Ebay. That was one of the best decisions of my life. She got her name from the character Stephanie in the first Short Circuit movie. There’s a scene in the movie when Johnny 5 protects the female lead from her ex boyfriend and states, “no disassemble Stephanie.” Serendipitously my friend Forrest and I were taking apart the motorcycle just to see what how it was constructed. We were in his garage, with parts strewn everywhere, and I blurted out, “don’t disassemble Stephanie.” She’s been called that ever since.

What attracted me to her were the sheer good looks. I had never seen a motorcycle that looked as good as this one. And boy was she fast. I really enjoyed riding that bike.

We traveled together a lot, she and I. My first motorcycle trip was just a couple short weeks after buying her. We rode to central Arkansas to visit my at the time girlfriend, Sharon, who was soon to leave for Officer Training School. She liked the bike too, and it became a part of our lives.

You can see more here.

The next year would prove to be another great one for riding, and I finished off the last of the 48 contiguous states and even rode a little ways into Mexico. That bike and I have been so many places together that if I ever go back it won’t be without her memory.

After the summer of 2006 I prepared the bike for storage and flew to Europe, my new home for exactly 365 days. The thrill of traveling was only getting stronger, and I made it a point to visit as many countries as I could. Some of those were with a bike I purchased and sold there. One great thing was the knowledge that when I got home my trusty steed would be ready. And she was. After a little work I got her started again, and I was back to riding. This lasted a few months, but soon my tastes began to change, and I bought a bike more appropriate for off road as well as travel.

Soon Stephanie became a second thought as I rode her less and less. Eventually I didn’t even start her for months at a time. Since then she has always been there, ready and waiting to ride. I never needed anything more than a charge on the battery to get her running, and for that I am very pleased. Suzuki made an amazing bike in the Intruder, there is no doubt about it.  Last year I bought a third bike, which became my every day rider, and now two motorcycles filled my garage. I held out for a long time. More than once I’ve heard older men say, “I wish I had kept that one.” And thinking they were right I held on probably longer than I needed.

So yesterday, when I heard that she had sold at a local consignment shop to a man that lives in Houston, I was a little taken aback. After all this time, so many memories and miles, and all the great momentous points in my life that we shared, Stephanie is gone. She was always there for me, even during breakups, possibly the cause of one breakup, and I’ll have a soft spot in my heart for that motorcycle that wanted to go everywhere and never let me down.

In September I took her for her last long ride. We rode to the Texas rally for Intruder enthusiasts. She performed perfectly as always. It was a fitting send off for a long trusted friend.

Goodbye Stephanie. I’ll miss you. You gave me so much and made my life far better than I ever imagined.

I’ll just end with some precious moments caught on film.

The two of us before leaving on my first cross country trip, for which I earned the nick name crosscountry.

Us, fully loaded on the second leg of my first big trip.

Riding on a wet Houston road.

In Upper Peninsula Michigan, again with rain gear

She took me to Maine, somewhere so far away that I could never reach.

These days I’m doing a lot of the former but beginning to get into the latter.  I started my second paper this week.  It won’t be as ground breaking as the first one, but it certainly will add to our knowledge of Mars.  That’s what we’re all about!

I’m looking forward to the process, which I expect will take several months, and then the final result.  It is rewarding to watch these things grow.

In the mean time I’ll try to finish up the trip from this summer.  I didn’t die at Bryce Canyon!

From Capitol Reef the ride down HWY 12 through Boulder to Escalante is amazing. Elevation changes bring drastic swings in temperature and curvy roads. The rock colors change as you pass through millions of years of geologic history, and the beautiful formations make for an exciting ride that you’ll constantly want to stop to take pictures. In all, this was the best “ride” of the entire trip. I saw no roads to equal this one, and everyone should get a chance in their life to ride it.

A couple views from the overlooks as I passed by.

As you can see, the rocks change colors, but also the vegetation changes as you go up and down in elevation. Some places are pure desert while others are forested and cool.

Bryce National Park is one of those famous ones with some really amazing scenery. People from California can make it there in a day, plus there is all the regular daily traffic, so it is very crowded. Some of the other parks are best known for their variety in landscape and scenery, and there is no way you could see all the best parts them all in a day, but Bryce it different. The park itself is probably best described a one hit wonder with some of the strangest rock formations you’ll ever see. That doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful. It surely is that!

But first the bike at entrance shot. She sure does get around.

I took nearly 200 photos in the park. If you want to see them all click here. These are just a smattering of the amazing sights.

There are trails that go through the Hoodoos as they are called. Click here to see the hike. It’s just too many photos to post here. I’m already way overbudget.

A couple more before I go.

Bryce is a great park and so beautiful. Go see it.