"If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it's lethal." - Paul Coelho

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Tentative Route

My plan is still in the formative stages, but I have a few places I have to hit on time. I will have flexibility, and you will be able to follow my actual route on an hourly basis if you choose. I will have my Spot Messenger broadcasting as I go, and it will be on the internet.

The bike was shipped to the Carlyle Freight terminal in Tacoma and arrived Monday, April 30th. My friend Jay will take me to it Friday morning, May 4. Since we (Meredith and I) will be staying with Jay and Carol over the weekend, I will likely ride it up to their Beach place near Oak Harbor, heading up 16 and taking the ferry. Or I may ride it to their home in Bellevue. In either event, I will be leaving Monday the 7th, headed south. I'm looking at various routes to Centralia/Chehalis, but after that it is I5 south until Vancouver. I'm going to shoot over to 14 and stay on the north side of the river until I get to where I can cross into Umatilla and Hermiston. From there, I am pretty much on 395 south.

When I get to Burns, I am taking 205 south to Frenchglen, and then there is a dirt road across the desert to Plush. From Plush I head on down and west to Lakeview, back on 395. 395 takes me down through Reno, Bishop, etc, until I get to Lone Pine. Then it is 136 to 190, and into Death Valley. I will go over to Stovepipe Wells, then north to Scotty's Castle. There I will turn east and north again on 267, over to Scotty's Junction where I ride 95 north to Tonopah. At Tonopah I turn east on 6 to Warm Springs, where I turn south and east again on 375, The Extraterrestrial Highway. That takes me to Crystal Springs and 93, which takes me south to the junction with 168 to Glendale.

From Glendale I'm taking 169 down to Lake Mead, thence along the northern shore on 146 and 147 until I can pick up 93 again. On 93, it's a straight shot to Kingman where at last I hit The Mother Road. On 66, all the way to Winslow to stand on a corner. From there it gets loose.

I may ride 66 all the way to Gallup, then up 491 to Shiprock and 64 west so I can go to Four Corners. Then west on 160 to Tuba City, pick up 89, and south to Flagstaff. The conference and training is at Mormon Lake which is an hour south and a little east of Flagstaff on some county roads. Have to be there the 17th.

When I leave, I'm going to go up to the Grand Canyon, then pick up 89 northbound all the way to I80. When I80 gets into Wyoming, 89 shoots off north, and a little further, 189 heads north too. I'm taking 189 up to Hoback Junction where 189 and 89 join up again, then 89 north all the way to Great Falls. From Great Falls I am on I15 North to the border, then it is Calgary, Edmonton, and points North all the way back to Anchorage.

About 5000 miles total, I reckon, probably a little more.

That's the plan. I should be back in Anchorage around June 1 or so.

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