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Texas to California with my daughter


swilson

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Here's some photos from a ride we did last month. This ride starts with a bike purchase. I decided to replace my 2005 R1200RT with a newer model and started shopping. The 2005 I had found through craigslist, up in Ashland, OR. I grabbed a 1-way flight and brought it home. I had such a good time turning a bike purchase into a ride, I had to do it again.

 

This time around I found a 2013 R1200RT with 7k miles in El Paso, TX on eBay. Won the auction just before tucking my younger daughter into bed and told her I had just bought a motorcycle in Texas and was going to fly out and ride it home. Without missing a beat she says, "bring me!" Took a litte convincing, but my wife signed off on the idea and off we went! My daughter started riding with me occasionally starting at 8 yrs old and really enjoys it. This was our first multi-day ride though. Usually we just go out for an afternoon.

 

After catching a couple of planes we landed in El Paso, TX, and had the seller pick us up at the airport. Straight off to his house to inspect the bike and complete the sale. Everything was as expected on inspection except the depth of the tread was far, FAR, less than promised. After renegotiating for the thin tires the title was in my hands and we were off! Well... off to the gas station. Who sells a bike with an empty gas tank?! Put some air in the tires too... then we were really off!

 

Holly's ready to go!

 

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I really wanted to make sure we were hitting the spots we wanted on this trip, so I didn't book hotels except one night in advance. Made a quick hotel reservation in Albuquerque, NM, and we headed north.

 

We didn't leave El Paso until mid afternoon. Temps were about 95 degrees for us all afternoon, until we neared Albuquerque. There's truth to the "dry heat" saying. We were very comfortable in our vented jackets and helmets.

 

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I put Holly's camera on the lanyard so she could go crazy with the photos without losing the camera. She came back with nearly 1000 photos!

 

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We hit our first patch of rain before dinner, but at 95 degrees, it wasn't unwelcomed. Plus, it made some great rainbows!

 

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The bike seller told us about Buckhorn Burgers on Hwy 390, on the way up to Albuquerque. I'm not one to pass up on a good recommendation. They claim to be the 7th best burger in the US according to a New York Times article. They were easily the best burger for as far as we could see. :grin:

 

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Night had fallen by the time we filled ourselves. Nothing like making yourself learn the new switch BMW switch layout in the dark!

 

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The next morning we were headed west towards home. I was really afraid this trip was going to be brutally hot on us, but a more northern route (Hwy 40) turned out to be a solid decision. We were greeted with 60 degree temps most of the morning and 70ies most of the day. Didn't see an 80ies until the evening. Couldn't ask for better riding weather!

 

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If you head out this way the Petrified National Forest is a mandatory stop. Its right off the freeway, and has amazing views. Don't miss the gift shop either... the cafe inside it was exceptionally good too.

 

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Just watch out for those Park Rangers! :dopeslap: Luckily this one was very understanding, ha ha.

 

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If you head north to south through the Petrified National Forest, it drops you out onto the old Route 66. We were pretty stoked when we drove passed the Cozy Cone, I mean Wigwam Motel, and had to go back for photos.

 

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A little farther down Hwy 40 you come to Williams, another Route 66 town. Definitely worth stopping. More good food, shops, and sites to see. You can even ride a bear.

 

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That night we were in Kingman, AZ. I think Holly liked the automatic pancake maker even more than the hotel pool!

 

 

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That morning we were up early... had to be at the tire shop in Vegas by the time they opened. If you're in need of tires in Vegas, checkout Motorcycle Tire Center on East Charleston Blvd. They're in a pretty sketchy part of town, so maybe you don't want to show up before they opened like I did, but they took great care of me. I'm not a fan of paying BMW outrageous sums of money for tires, so I pulled in here and took the tires off myself. They had the new rubber installed in no time and were nice enough to loan me an oil pan so I could change the oil.

 

I traveled pretty well prepared, especially considering I was on a new-to-me bike. I flew with an old suitcase packed with my tool kit, tire plugs, air compressor, even my Sargent seat. Then we threw away the suitcase in Texas and asked the seller to ship the stock seat to my house for me. I even brought an oil filter, expecting I might want to do an oil change along the way.

 

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The afternoon leaving Vegas was the most brutal of our trip. Couldn't head west due to the San Bernadino forest fire. Didn't want to cut through Death Valley due to the heat... so we headed north and then cut west above Death Valley to try and avoid the heat. Temps still topped out at 107 degrees. We rode 90 min north out of Vegas till we found was turned out to be our only gas stop between Vegas and our hotel. After a long rest at the gas station we headed out again. Except for a quick photo at the ruins of a mining town we were in the saddle 3 hours before finally reaching our stop for the night, Bishop, CA.

 

If you find yourself in Bishop, visit Imperial Gourmet Chinese food. Hands down the best Chinese food ever... and we've got good Chinese food in the bay area!

 

It was WONDERFUL finally reaching some good winding roads. Especially on the fresh tires, it was good times.

 

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The next morning we were headed north and then through Yosemite. While the views were exceptional, the riding was just frustrating. Its so overcrowded with tourists and traffic, especially on a summer weekend.

 

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Finally out of the traffic, but dropping into the Central Valley heat.

 

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We found a beer cooler at our gas stop in Los Banos, CA. :thumbsup: What a relief!

 

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That's the end of the photos. It was definitely a trip to remember. My older daughter and I are starting to plan our trip for next summer. She wants to see Oregon.

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Thanks guys. One RT at a time for me... you'll find the 2005 in the classifieds section. Time to find it a new home.

 

All my girls are hooked! Mom and daughters have to fight for seat time, ha ha!

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All in all, what a great purchase experience! :thumbsup: A new motorcycle for you and a pretty awesome summer vacation tale for your daughter. School project.....! :read::grin:

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Pat

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Great adventure. Congrats and thanks for sharing. Made me smile.

 

Fine rainbow pic -- rainbow almost as pretty as your daughter!

 

Back at school now Holly must be the coolest kid in class with those photos.

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What an incredible experience for you and your daughter. Its scope will come into greater focus as you both get older.

 

As for the bike, holy crap is that a Boston Green camhead? Or is it Blue and the light is playing tricks on the camera?

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Fantastic write up of your Journey. Nice to have an onboard photographer capturing the cool scenery. I felt like I was on that trip with you. For sure a lasting memory for you and your daughter as life progresses. Definitely made me smile. Thanks!

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