A kick back day for Norm and I and a lot of exploring for the others who visited Alcatraz as we have previously. I will let the pictures tell the story.

Saw quite a few of these driverless cabs / ubers, very freaky.

Lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf at Capurros open since 1946 and the food was lovely and building quirky.

And this pic took my eye among many historical ones with a big sail ship in the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge still under construction.

A shot across to the Golden Gate Bridge which we will head out over tomorrow.

The starting point for the Cable cars we travelled on for quite a while this afternoon. We enjoyed it.

Loved this shop sign across from the Cable Cars. Apt name for a bike shop in my humble opinion.

And the rest are views of San Francisco streets, mostly from our Cable car trip then down Lombard Street (the zig zag street).

 A view out to Alcatraz as we climbed the hill.

 Lombard Street at the bottom of the descent.

A very speccie garden on the way back to the hotel designed by a renowned horticulturalist. 

A more kick back day today following Highway # 1and a lot of traffic getting into San Francisco and some very steep roads, but it is San Francisco after all and finally arrived just off the cable car route and close to Fisherman’s Wharf. Had dinner at a combination Irish Pub / Indian Restaurant …. Very quirky but at least we didn’t have to shout over other patrons.

Pigeon Point lighthouse. Very rundown but looks like it is finally having some time and money spent on it. A shame, it looked good on our 2019  visit.

Some cars at Pigeon Point ... not sure if they are a permanent fixture or what but quirky.

And a view along the coast from the point. Easy to see why there was a lighthouse on the point.

As we came into San Francisco and we started to see 'all the little boxes on the hillside, little boxed made of ticky tacky, little box's all the same'. You have to be old to be familiar with this!

The view from our hotel window. Will show you more tomorrow.

The Arbor Inn.

Comfortable stay in a very pretty setting. Spacious room with good heating which was good because it was chilly. Nice and quiet back from the road and friendly gracious hosts.

We had a bit later start today as we all had a few things to take care of but didn’t have all that big a day planned. And that changed when we got well up Highway #1 and discovered it was closed with no detour available and had to backtrack a good distance before heading inland then north again. Ah well, you get that sometimes. We started our journey travelling through the food bowl of America with multiple orchards and fields of vegetables and that was ultimately replaced by massive oil fields. What a contrast!

Barely out of Bakersfield and we found ourselves in an oilfield and this is where it began.

 The oil field continues .... for over 30kms!

And a fire ahead which grew as we progressed. Glad we turned off before we got to it and that the wind was in our favor.

And a quick shot of the elephant seals before we headed south in search of an alternate route.

Heading for Highway # 101.

And again.

And again.

Best Western Plus Hill House.

Comfortable stay with a spacious room. Included parking then added a $10.00 breakfast each which was good value. Lots of access point to the property, all padlocked as there appears to be a big homeless problem. Staff friendly and helpful. A short walk for dinner. No pic.

We had an early start this morning to try and get through Death Valley before the temperature got too extreme for both the bikes and the travelers. We kept at it and managed well with multiple stretch / rest / hydration stops and the changing scenery was really incredible. The differing terrain was amazing and even though the valley is a truly inhospitable place there is an awesome force about it. Once the elevation started to climb out of the valley we came across some dense grasses and wildflowers which were beautiful. I think they were the same flowers we saw at Horseshoe Bend a few days ago so will try and find a pic I took of them. Was too hot to stop. Rather than sticking to Interstates from the valley we climbed up and over a range and ultimately found Lake Isabella and then just loved the winding road from there alongside a galloping waterway amongst, through and over incredible rocks into Bakersfield. Really was a treat and not what we had expected. Thanks, Mal, for a couple of shots from the back of the bike and also Lyn on break.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level. 

Bakersfield USA –123m

Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m

Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m

Highest elevation on our travels today – 1,611m

Lowest elevation on our travels today – minus 77m in Death Valley of course

Heading into Death Valley. (We got stuck behind a dodderer for a bit who was oblivious to others) Thankfully he pulled off soon after and was a bit shocked there was anyone behind him. Go figure!

Dropping down to the valley floor.

Heading out and into higher altitudes.

Break time.

The river as we descended from Lake Isabella. Where it was most spectacular galloping over and around massive rocks was also where the road was most windy so difficult to get a hot from the pillion seat.

Last 3 night’s Accommodation.

The LINQ Hotel.

Comfortable accommodation if you can ignore all the noise and activity of accessing it through a Casino. Literally in the heart of everything so if you want to explore the place, this is the place to be and the rate was reasonable. No laundry! To quote the Bellhop “no one comes to Vegas to do their washing” …. except 6 Aussies on motorbikes of course. Comfortable bed and bathroom, just a hike to or from anywhere in the hotel and not hard to get lost.

Not impressed that the 5-story garage did not have a working elevator and the taped sign on the door was old and tatty so no commitment to repair there. So much for all the disabled parking slots near the nonworking elevator entrances, not to mention all the other users.

Quiet recovery day, catch up with the blog and basically not do very much at all. Norm is doing some more route planning for the days ahead and will make some decisions with the rest of the group tonight. Will just add a couple of Las Vegas pics below. This is our 3^rd time here and our last. An experience one has to say, and it has become increasingly more chaotic and loud each trip, not our scene at all. We have decided the only way to come back was how we did it the 1^st time with a chauffeured limousine complete with personal guide and nothing to have to find for ourselves so cannot see that happening. A big thankyou to Daimler Chrysler who were our hosts the first time after I was awarded the Inaugural National Road Transport Woman of the Year in 1997, and we took the trip in 1998 …. A very different town then!

A few shots from around town.

Out on the street behind our hotel.

The humble fish'n'chips have arrive from the UK.

A very quirky shop I know KB would love.

A little bit of the older themed Las Vegas.

The Bellagio sound and light fountain. An incredible spectacle.

The roof / ceiling in the new Fremont Street. The rear of our hotel fronts onto what was the old Fremont Street. The display is constantly changing.

Self-explanatory. bars on every corner / street.

Beautiful riding today and the highlight was obviously visiting the Grand Canyon and to quote me to the group ‘if that doesn’t take your breath away, nothing will’.
The pictures tell the story, not many other than at the Canyon.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.
Page USA –1,250m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest elevation on our travels today – 2,452m

Grand Canyon Junction Trading Post. Boy did they have some stuff packed in that shop and some quirky cars outside as well, and here are some.

And who said you cannot get parking at the Grand Canyon?  We got some very envious looks.

The Grand Canyon in all its glory and more below

The old bridge at Cameron

Last 2 night’s Accommodation.

Sleep Inn.

Very nice accommodation. Breakfast and parking included. Comfortable room and bed and handy to restaurants and laundry and easy access to head out of town. Nice spot to chill. Forgot to take a photo.

The days ride was our last day experiencing Route 66 and one of contrasts and different experiences, geography, roads, people and sights, All kinds of wow again. The pictures tell the story.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level. 

Las Vegas USA –620m

Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m

Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m

Highest elevation on our travels today – 1,142m

First up Oatman, bypassed very long ago for good reason with steep grades and winding roads between it and Kingman. It has maintained the look and feel of an old western town complete with a gunfight in the main street at noon each day and Burrows, descendants of the released mine burrows wandering (and owning) all the streets and roads around the town.

Then the Wayside stop (cool Springs) between Oatman and Kingman at the end of the 191 bends on 8 miles of road known as the sidewinder among other names.

And then onto Kingman.

Lunch at a cute Diner in Kingman, sorry seem to have deleted the photo from the outside so this is us inside.

And then on the other side of the road and yes, we had helmets and gloves back on after the photo.

And last but not least Hoover Dam, what an incredible feat of engineering and let me tell you the photos seriously do not do it justice. The temperature down at the base, was 47c with no air movement and rocks and roadway radiating the heat from the sun which felt scorching on our clothes. Was good to get moving and get some air moving but well worth the view.

Had planned to swing by Bryce Canyon proper on the way this morning (if you hit search an earlier photo should come up) but the weather was freezing and threatening snow so we headed south instead to get down in elevation and headed for Zion National Park where we had to queue for half an hour which was a trial in all the gear, then thanks to Geoff swung through the Valley of Fire on our way to Las Vegas. Yet again different and incredible geology. Somehow more rugged and harsh and we were right beside it and winding our way up and down through it, Incredible! The freeways and full-on traffic coming into Las Vegas were an assault on the senses after that.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.

Las Vegas USA –620m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest elevation on our travels today – 2,378m

Zion National Park was magnificent. This is us in our 30minute queue.  (Waiting on photos from others who have them)

Valley of Fire.

And again, even more awesome,

Las Vegas behind our hotel (if there is such a thing) and note all the zip lines above. Fran and Geoff front and center.

And the night view from our room,

Last night’s Accommodation.

Red Ledges Inn.

Comfortable accommodation with parking and light breakfast included. Lovely hot shower and good heating which we needed to get the core temperature up. Comfortable bed.

An awesome day of riding in all sorts of weather ending with rain and snow on our way into Tropic where we met up with Geoff and Fran and shared a great dinner next door to our hotel. We had a catch up in the hotel lobby afterwards which was fun and we were all appreciative of good heating since we had a lot of wet gear to get dry and were able to raise the core body temperature in anticipation of a cold departure in the morning.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.
Tropic USA –1,923m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest elevation on our travels today – 2,378m

Horseshoe Bend.

On the way back to the car park (rest stop)

And another rest back at the car park.

(Waiting on pics from those with cameras) 

Navajo Twin Bridges.

 (Waiting on pics from those with cameras) 

Vermillion Cliffs.

 (Waiting on pics from those with cameras) 

Fredonia fuel stop, interesting. No food and a tired little town.

Fredonia still looking for food ... no not until 5pm but found the supposed longest bar in Arizona. Finally found a subway in Kanab, a much livelier and more livable town by my estimation.

Last night’s Accommodation.

Best Western View of Lake Powell Hotel.

Lovely spacious room and bathroom. Breakfast and parking included and a restaurant next door so very convenient. Norm took a photo, but I haven't got it yet.

Headed off at 10am to explore some of the surrounding sights. We started with a ride to Sedona through magnificent canyons of color and sat with a coffee before heading off to the old historic town of Cottonwood where we had lunch. From there we headed to Williams with the aim to wind our way through some mountains, but the GPS had the day and diverted us way beyond there. We still got our photos, but it extended our day longer than intended.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.
Flagstaff USA –2,134m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest elevation on our travels today – 2,230m

My all-time favorite sculpture (in the main street) in Sedona.

And from the rear with the papoose holding onto Mumma’s finger.

A view across from our coffee spot to the magnificent colored backdrop.

Cottonwood streetscape.

And another.

The bikes and travelers at an iconic site in Williams, the last town on route 66 to be bypassed by Route I 40 13/10/1984 Lots of great sights to see no doubt because by the time this happened there was a realization of what was being lost. Would love to see it at night with all the neon signs lit up.

Some cute shops on the main street.

A streetscape view.

And another. Would love to see the street in the nighttime with all the neon signs lit up.

Not a big day’s riding but we fought the wind the whole way with nothing to stop it across the plains. The pictures will talk.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.
Flagstaff USA –2,134m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest elevation on our travels today – 2,134m

Lovely dinner spot last night in Holbrook and loved the sign.

The Wig Wam Motel on the way out of town.

And an old sign close by.

Called into the Jack Rabbit Trading Post. Got another sew on patch for my vest.

Then the Meteor Crater, still captivates me. Impact 50,000 years ago with a force 150 times greater than an atomic bomb. This is a view from the very windswept viewing platform with snowcapped mountains in the distance which we headed for at the end of the day.

And the crater itself, 550 feet deep

And then Walnut Canyon National Monument. Cliffside village houses from hundreds of years ago like at Mesa Verde which we visited in 2019…. when we were younger and fitter.

And to give some perspective.

And some weary climbers nearing the end.

Last night’s Accommodation.

Travelodge by Wyndham Holbrook.

Again, dated but comfortable accommodation and served our purposes well. Parking and continental breakfast included and a short walk to dinner. Laundry and pool on site which we didn’t use.

We had a day of cold riding today, strong wind in patches, thank heavens for lots of layers to be warm. The views were magnificent and changing at nearly every turn. Truly a vast country with ever changing views. I found it hard to rejoin Route 66 and heavy traffic on the Interstate just out of Holbrook, so back on Route 66 tomorrow. I think we have all enjoyed the seeming isolation.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.
Holbrook USA –1,547m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest elevation on our travels today – 1,949m

Bikes parked up at San Juan Motel. Would have been a nice spot on the river's edge for happy hour last night but was too windy. The wind had gone this morning but unfortunately that didn't last, and it was much colder than yesterday.

Forest Gump stopped runnin here and we stopped for a photo opportunity along with many others.

Monument Valley, truly awesome.

And more Monument Valley.

Last night’s Accommodation.

San Juan Inn at Mexican Hat

A dated but comfortable accommodation literally perched between a massive red cliff face and the San Juan River. Clean, comfortable bed, parking included and restaurant on site as well as a Trading Post with all sorts of interesting things to buy if we had room. Ah well. Wi-Fi but very slow.

It wasn’t a big day overall but felt like one fighting strong winds nearly all day. When we travelled the same road to see Monument Valley 9 years ago it was raining so hard we could hardly see the surrounding countryside and this time it was much the same but with dust, initially it was cream colored then changed to red as the geography changed. It was a battle holding the bikes straight and needless to say we didn’t encounter pushbikes because they wouldn’t have been able to remain upright. The wind dissipated a little late in the day and the sun finally poked through.
Wi-Fi was slow so will be a day late loading this.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.
Mexican Hat USA –1,294m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest elevation on our travels today – 2,600m

Durango Silverton Steam Engine just out of workshop and about to find his carriages.

First shot at close to an American Diner. Denny's at Cortez for breakfast.

4 Corners, a spot on an Indian Reservation where 4 State lines intersect and this brass plaque marks the spot.

And we 6 Aussies are looking at it ... and the camera.

And this was the stormy sky that we rode through for the rest of the day.

Twin Rocks with a Trading Post and Cafe which used to be called Rosey's.

The Mexican Hat (still waiting on a pic of this from Graham ......

The red cliff face behind our motel tonight and there seemed to be someone parked under the falling rocks sign the whole time we were there. Go figure!

Last night’s Accommodation.
Strater Hotel

A delightful stay in the lovely historic hotel built in the 1800’s and still going strong. There were a number of saloons and lounges still operating and multiple places to dine and the surrounds are in keeping with the era. The atmosphere was lovely. Beautiful comfortable bed, tiny but functional bathroom and parking included.

A beautiful day of riding through all sorts of spectacular scenery including majestic snow-covered mountains, rugged cliff faces and rocky outcrops of all shapes sizes and colors as well as conifer forests and farming country. The roads were awesome, and food stops agreeable.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.
Durango USA – 2,000m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest elevation on our travels today – 3,852m

Silverton Hotel foyer.

Silverton Hotel from the outside.

Silverton in the street, yes, it is cold and that's a new beanie and a hot cup of coffee.

In transit heading for Durango and we had a little snow soon after.

A Durango streetscape.

And another.

And a mural in the Main Stret.

Last 2 night’s Accommodation.

Adventure Inn

Budget accommodation but clean and comfortable with breakfast and parking included and friendly and helpful staff. Best scrambled egg I’ve had since I’ve been in the USA.

I pulled up well today after feeling pretty broken last night but opted for a recovery day and spent my time doing the washing and updating the blog and just chilling a little. The weather was 16c when we woke and got to 26c so very pleasant. The photos come from Norm as he took the others around lots of sights and then headed back up the river for a few shots he wanted to get.

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.
Moab USA – 1,227m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m

I wasn't kidding when I said Adventure Tourism had taken over, I cannot believe the number of AGTV's are on the road or sitting to be hired!

Queueing up to get into the park, only to find you cannot get there without a prebooked pass, so Norm opted to go back up the river for some photos and then lunch with me and the others went to Dead Horse lookout. Worked for everyone.

Still snow beyond Moab.

On the river and a great bridge as well.

Awesome canyon.

And another incredible structure.

Had a good 5.5 hours of riding lined up today (plus extra for stops) so it was a case of getting on the bikes and getting it done with stretch, fuel and food stops only, but to say the scenery was amazing would be an understatement. We were glad we had multiple layers of clothing on because we travelled through lots of snow (not on the road) but all around us and it gradually reduced until it was in the distance only. All kinds of wonderful which is impossible to convey, it felt like we were riding from one great Cathedral to another and witnessing the majesty and wonder of a master artist. Now 2 nights at Moab to allow for some exploring. I was glad my highway pegs were fitted; I was able to rest my hip so more comfortable.

Moab is a surprise for us. We visited 9 years ago, and commercialization and adventure tourism has taken over. ATV’s and pushbikes are everywhere with multiple camping spots and canoeing along the river and national brand name accommodations in town. I think I liked it better more unspoiled, but all that is still dwarfed by the surrounding countryside. A bonus for us this trip was taking the Scenic Byway from I 70 (how we traveled last time) onto Route 128 which initially was a shocker of a road but then turned to all kinds of meandering on a perfect surface along the Colorado River and through massive pillars of rock resembling great fortresses, embattlements, spires and whole cities. Truly breathtaking!

Some interesting facts: Elevation above sea level.
Moab USA – 1,227m
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest point on our way today – 3,410m (Eisenhower- Johnson Tunnel 2.736km, the longest tunnel in North America about 96.561km from Denver and traverses the Continental Divide)

I’ll let the pictures tell the story, which they really don’t because they lack the depth and perspective but for all of us on the trip, they will be memory starters.

Yep, I wasn’t making that Mile High City quote up!

A quirky building from my hotel room and this was the street the fire truck pulled up in 3 times over the 2 days for false alarm fire calls. Very unsettling!

A view from our first fuel sop for the day.

A partially frozen lake on our way.

The Eisenhower Johnson Tunnel entrance.

In transit. Reduced to one lane and surrounding trees were dusted with snow so possibly protruding into the lane and icy earlier but all good when we passed

The place with no name really exists!

Awesome infrastructure. Would have loved to see a train on the tracks.

Changing landscapes as we headed for Moab.

Bighorn sheep, a random find!

The snow persists even amongst the awesome red of our approach to Moab.

Last 2 night’s Accommodation.

Holiday Inn Express Denver Downtown.

A nice spot to stay, comfortable bed, breakfast included and secure parking not far away. We have had a variation of bathroom sizes, but this one wins the miniscule space award and the room though functional is also small, but good spots to eat nearby and not far from lots of stuff. No laundry. So, swings and roundabouts.

A quiet day to chill a little, pick up some highway pegs for my bike and walk about Denver a little. Cooler day today (16c) but comfortable.

Norm heading off on my bike to get the pegs and Graham along for the ride. Major roadworks going on so convenient for us with our parking with the road closed so easy access.

The Church at the end of our street.

The Palace Hotel across the road from us. A beautiful example of an Art Deco building. Note the Cowboy statue on the corner.

Inside the Foyer where we had a drink last night. I had to retrieve the drinks from the Cigar Lounge … yep you heard correctly, and I was glad to get out of there. The exhaust fans were nearly as loud as the patrons, but I still thought I’d choke!

And also close to our hotel, the American Museum of Western Art. Was closed but interested me.

Although we didn’t have a huge distance to our destination today, we had planned for a lot of interesting sights to see along the way. It was an incredible assault on the senses … in a good way. Had planned to visit the Garden of the Gods which is a series of incredible lumps of sandstone somewhat like the ridge on the back of a dinosaur but opted for a ride by only. It looked magnificent, Google it you will be amazed, we were wearing out and wanted to get to a hot shower.

Elevation above sea level.
Denver USA – 1,609m (Nicknamed the Mile-High City as it is exactly 1 mile above Sea level)
Mount Kosciusko Australia – 2,228m
Traralgon Australia (hometown) – 60m
Highest point on our way today – 3,576m (Pikes Peak)

Royal Gorge & Railway Bridge.

Royal Gorge Historic Railway Bridge, now a footbridge over an incredibly deep gorge. Built to pursue mining interests many years ago along with pretty rough feuding and fighting. No lives were lost, and ownership was ultimately decided by the courts and handed to the Rio Grande Rail Company who had to pay Santa Fe Rail 1.4 million dollars for the construction of the track they had already done.

Skyline Drive – one-way road along a ridge between the freeway and Canyon City. The pillion passengers were a little freaked out and we still haven’t seen the video Lyn took with eyes closed, and doubt the volume will be on %#**^”# when we do from what we have heard!

Pikes Peak known as America’s Mountain – what an experience, couldn’t make it to the top as the road was still blocked with snow, absolute top elevation is 4,302m. We were puffing where we were! First shot on the way to start climbing, then on the top, where we had lunch then on the descent.

Note the ice shelf at the top where the snow / ice is blown up and over the top and the snow below is now receding. The next shot is a closer view.  

Last night's Accommodation.

Best Western Plus Eagleridge Inn & Suites

Good facilities, comfortable bed, parking on site and breakfast included. Literally walked across the road to dinner. Forgot to take a photo.