Alaska Cruise

Another journey begins...

Our Alaskan cruise began on May 29, 2010.

We, along with our friends toasting to the good times ahead.

Beautiful sunset the first evening.

The highlight of the cruise was on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 in Juneau, Alaska where we were able to come one step closer to our goal of riding a motorcycle in all 50 states. We connected with Bill & Nancy Pierce through GWRRA connections. They met us at the ship, provided their tike and gear and off we went into town to meet up with more riders for a great scenic ride in
Junuea, Alaska!

Bruce & Sherry at Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier

Ron Phillips, 3rd from right, did a fantastic job as our tour guide.

Cruise Ships docked in Juneau, Alaska.

Lunch at "The Hanger" with our new Alaskan friends.

Arriving back at our ship.

Farewell to our new friends....We got to see some of them again in July at Wing Ding in Des Moines, Iowa. We'd like to thank these folks for the ride of a lifetime!

One last picture...this is Dune's Glacier.

Our ship cruised right up to this glacier on Tuesday afternoon.

Truly amazing!

One more state to go...Hawaii here we come!!!

Two More To Go!

Well, after the 2008 riding season, we are proud to say that we now only have 2 more states to ride in to accomplish our goal. Those two states are Hawaii and Alaska. Sounds like a lot to accomplish, but there is a plan already in motion to make this come to pass

Here is a quick run down of our long trip this past year to Oregon and the Pacific coast.

Day 1 – August 30, 2008 745.9 miles
Rode to Sioux Falls SD. Stayed at Red Roof Inn. Got bike cover ripped off and pancakes put on our seats. Lucky it wasn’t more. Temperature got to 82 degrees.

Day 2 – August 31, 2008 478 miles
High temperature today was 102 degrees. Stopped at Mitchell SD to visit the Corn Palace, drove thru Badlands, visited Wall Drug and of course had a donut and a cup of coffee. Arrived at Keystone, got a room, then ran the Needles Highway and made it back to Mt. Rushmore for the evening ceremony. Very enjoyable even though there was some light rain in the early evening.

Day 3 – September 1, 2008 430 miles
We traveled from Keystone SD to Cody WY via Hwy. 14W. High temperature today was about 50, then it got to 36 degrees and steady rain. We were on some beautiful roads, but the rain and cold really put a damper on it, but we made it anyway! Once we checked in in Cody WY I got the message that my dad had a heart attack and had a stint put in. My mom says he’s doing well, so the trip will go on.

Day 4 – September 2, 2008 395 miles
We woke up in Cody WY to seeing snow on the mountain tops in the distance! Yes, it snowed last night! We traveled to Yellowstone (there was light snow on the ground there!). It was about 34 degrees, but by the end of the day in Butte, MT it was 61. Our adventure in Yellowstone was much the same as last time…close encounter with buffalo!!!!

Day 5 – September 3, 2008 484 miles
Traveled to Kennewick WA. Temperature was about 43 degrees, not as bad as we thought. Got in early and did laundry and enjoyed the pool and hot tub and relaxed for a change!

Day 6 – September 4, 2008 385 miles
Traveled to Astoria OR via Columbia River Gorge Scenic Byway. Most gorgeous, tallest waterfalls we’ve ever seen. Pictures don’t do it justice. We traveled across a bridge that had a metal grate for a bottom! Not fun! On I-5 on way to Mt. St. Helen’s we came upon stopped traffic quickly and almost got hit from the back…more not fun stuff! Ended up in Astoria OR, at dinner at Pig N Pancake then walked out on the dock and saw all the sea lions.

Day 7 – September 5, 2008 180 miles
Started down the Oregon coast from Astoria OR. Had to wait out the fog in the morning. Visited Tillamook Cheese factory. Really cool! Visited several lighthouses with awesome views of the ocean. Ended our day in Lincoln City OR at a Comfort Inn with BRAND NEW ROOMS! Awesome!!!

Day 8 – September 6, 2008 154 miles
Traveled Lincoln City OR to Coos Bay OR. Lots of fog in and out through the day and more really cool lighthouses!

Day 9 – September 7, 2008 390 miles
Traveled Coos Bay OR to Redding CA. The morning was ok, but the afternoon got really cold and foggy. We were on our way to visit Cape Blanco Lighthouse and it got so windy and cold that we couldn’t even see! Back on the main road it was sunny! Unbelievable weather! Upon arriving in Arcata CA we decided it was time to head east to Redding CA. As the evening went on the temperature got up to a welcome 98 degrees…back in my comfort zone! And..the road was totally awesome!

Day 10 – September 8, 2008 241 miles
Traveled to Reno NV. Visited Mt. Lassen National Park. Bruce’s back went out so we got a room so that he could ice it and get some rest.

Day 11 – September 9, 2008 566 miles
Bruce’s back ended up being some better so we decided to head out on the interstate rather then the loneliest road in case we needed to stop. Ended up making it to Lehi UT which is south of Salt Lake City. We dodged rain all afternoon and ended up stopping just before heading into a pretty bad storm.

Day 12 – September 10, 2008 292 miles
Traveled to Moab UT and visited Arches National Park. It’s absolutely the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. Had to walk some trails to view the different arches. It ended up getting really warm and we didn’t have enough water with us, but we went on anyway. Got back into town around 6 pm and had lots of trouble finding a room, but finally lucked out and got one. We had dinner at a really good Mexican restaurant, then I ended up sick. Probably dehydrated. Just had a really bad headache and sick to my stomach after eating. Turned in early. Bruce knew I was sick when he asked if I wanted to go shopping and I said no.

Day 13 – September 11, 2008 296 miles
We headed out around 8 am and stopped at the end of town (Moab UT) at McDonald’s for breakfast. As we were leaving, we realized that we had forgotten our bag! We rushed back to the hotel to find out that someone had found it and turned it in. We lucked out once again. Traveled to Durango CO. Visited Hole N Rock, Cortez, and Mesa Verde. Met a really nice couple in Durango from Arizona on a black trike. Their names were Bill & Mary Ann.

Day 14 – September 12, 2008 401 miles
Made it to Limon CO. At this point, we are just trying to make it home!!!

Day 15 – September 13, 2008
Made it Concordia MO. Bad storms rolled in due to hurricane Ike.

Day 16 – September 14, 2008
Made it home although we had to ride through some tremendous wind and a threat of heavy downpours.
SO…..

After 16 days, 13 states (only 2 new one for us), and 6,337 miles…We now have traveled on our Wing in all lower 48 states!!!

Here are two links to our pictures from this amazing trip.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mochapteri/PacificCoastTripSept200802?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/mochapteri/PacificCoastTripSept2008?feat=directlink


Hope you have enjoyed our blog so far....there will be more to come!!!!

Canyon Trip - Day 9 - Sept. 2, 2007

WE ARE HOME SWEET HOME!!!
9 Days
7 States
4,169 miles
AND
1 trip I will never forget!

Only 7 more states to go!!!

Canyon Trip - Day 8 - Sept. 1, 2007

We left our hotel around 7:30 and decided to drive back a little bit to visit Cadillac Ranch. This is a place in Amarillo, TX where there are 10 old Cadillac’s half buried out in a field with spray painted graffiti all over them! Very cool! I immediately grabbed a can and began to paint our names. It was really a lot of fun!

Our next stop was in Elk City, OK at the Historic Route 66 Museum. We spent some time here learning about old Route 66. The most interesting item I found was an old Marriage License framed on a wall. What was interesting about it is the fact that it was from Cape Girardeau County! It was a Johnson/Vandivort on December 31, 1882…needless to say, I’ll look for that when I get back to work!

Next stop was one that I’ve wanted to visit for a very long time…the Oklahoma City Memorial. They have created the most beautiful, serene memorial I’ve ever seen. One unfortunate thing was that we were too late to visit the museum, but the Memorial was enough. Seeing part of the building, the chairs in the plush green grass, and the reflection pool just left me very emotional with tear filled eyes. Bruce concluded that it just wasn’t meant for me to go in that museum. Looking back, I think he is right. It may have just been too much. I remember that day like it was yesterday. April 19, 1995. I most remember that famous photo of the fireman carrying the little baby girl, Baylee, who had died in the explosion just one day after her first birthday. This awesome memorial, the reflecting pond, the memorial chairs, one with each of the 168 people’s names that lost their life that day on them, and the remaining part of the bombed building was just more than one could take in. As we left, we passed a fence surrounding the Memorial area. This fence is totally filled with remembrances that people have left of their loved ones over the past 12 years. I definitely want to visit this place again. The grounds are just immaculate and the feeling one gets here is one of indescribable peace and serenity. It is a very calming place where there once was a busy city street.

We traveled on to Tulsa, OK for the night.

Canyon Trip - Day 7 - Aug. 31, 2007

We met a man this morning at our hotel from Germany that is traveling on a Harley from Chicago to the Coast on Route 66. Way to go!
We left at 7:30 with very cool weather. Our first stop was in Albuquerque, NM. We visited the old town, and it was very enjoyable. We did a lot of walking, shopping, and looking. Then we hit the road and made only pit stops all the way to Amarillo, TX. We ate dinner at the Big Texan, home of the 72 ounce steak. If you can eat it in an hour, it’s free; otherwise, it’s $72. Needless to say, the Watkins’ passed on this one!

Canyon Trip - Day 6 - Aug. 30, 2007

We left Loughlin at 5am to avoid the heat. The temperature that early in the morning was already 93, but as soon as we got up out of town and into the mountains, it cooled off and was very pleasant. The main goal for the day was to visit the Grand Canyon and travel toward home.

Upon arriving at the Grand Canyon, the weather was awesome and so was the canyon! We even walked down into the canyon on Bright Angel Trail. It was quite an experience to see such a work of nature. We even saw some Indian pictographs painted on the side of the canyon. What a thing for Bruce to do on his 63rd Birthday!!!

After viewing the canyon we headed for Flagstaff and dodged rain all the way. Once we got through Flagstaff it was sunny, but lots of storms all around us. Our pit stop for the night was in Gallup, NM, and Bruce’s Birthday dinner was at Sonic…..he says that’s A-OK though!

Canyon Trip - Day 5 - Aug. 29, 2007

We left Loughlin at 8am – hot already! First place to visit today was Oatman, NV, an old western town, kind of like you would picture an old west town in your mind. We ate breakfast at a saloon, looked at the town, and headed out.

Next stop was Lake Havasu City, AZ. This town was nothing like Bruce remembered. It was much larger than he remembered and it was VERY hot…115 degrees! We found Bruce’s Mother’s home. It was much different than Bruce remembered also. Lots of changes have been made, all good. It looked very well kept which made him feel good. We visited a model adobe square home that was beautiful! We also visited the London Bridge and saw the Candle Factory that Bruce considered purchasing years ago, but Craig’s taffy factory was long gone. In fact, not much activity at all at the London Bridge.

We headed back to Loughlin in the 115 degree temperature making lots of stops along the way. Laundry tonight, the head east tomorrow!