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Day 25

Not much to say about today. Lots of riding, all of it extremely fun. Crossed out of california and into oregon. Covered a lot of miles but didn't quite make it to portland like I hoped. I am however less than 400 miles from Vancouver, so I should cross the border tomorrow. The drive on the rest of highway 1 and us 101 along the coast was fantastic. Drove through the redwood forest including through a giant tree. Have a photo of that to post I think. Was inland a few times through wooded areas, all great riding roads with lots of twisties. It is state law for slower vehicles to use turnouts in oregon, which I and other motorcycles really appreciate in the forests. Just about everything is slower than a motorcycle through a good set of sharp curves.

Covered maybe 500 or 600 miles, not entirely sure. I've been having trouble with the garmin since a little before san diego. It is randomly turning off or restarting. Today I had very few turns, so the restarting wasn't a problem, but in LA it was annoying since I really needed the map. Replaced the fuse just in case, but I don't think that was the problem. Should be okay for the rest of the trip, but I may need to pay best buy a visit or call garmin when I get home. I can only get it to restart while riding, never while stopped. It must have something to do with the vibrations, making it hard to diagnose the problem. Oh and I should pass the 15,000 KM mark sometime tomorrow.

Posted June 28 2009, 2:54am via BlackBerry email.
Day 24

Stayed in San Luis Obispo last night. Chatted with another rider staying at the same motel. He was a canadian returning from Guatemala on his way to Edmonton! Said he has done the trip a few times and has property down there. He was behind schedule since he had to weather out some monsoons. Being a harley rider, he was wrenching on his bike when I was having breakfast and getting ready to go, and still working on it when I left :p I didn't end up stopping at Hearst Castle, it was only 40 miles up the road, and I had a full tank of gas. I've read about it before at least.

I did stop at an elephant seal watching beach a little further up the coast. Unfortunately I didn't see any seals, they must have all been out for a swim, or out to hunt, or maybe they moved. There were lots of people standing around with cameras and binoculars looking confused. I read the tourist sign about the seals, but it didn't explain where they were.

The drive from san simeon onward was amazing. CA-1 weaves along the cliff edge overlooking the ocean the whole time. Great driving and even better views, I should have probably stopped to take some pictures in hindsight but was having too much fun. As you start to get closer to santa cruz the road moves inland and straightens out for awhile. Kept on the coast skipping the bay area, then crossed inland in for san francisco. Drove up and down some really steep, long hills that I can't believe people live on. Walking downhill would be fine, but it would be quite the hike up hill. Explored a few neighborhoods, and looked at the brightly colored stucco houses. It was close to 5 o'clock so lots of stopped traffic. I was thankful for being on two wheels and being able to cruise up between it. Crossed the golden gate bridge, in thick fog. Couldn't even see the top of the tower supports, or from one tower to the next. Visibility was about the width of the bridge.

I was then on the 101 for a while I think before being able to make it back out to the coast. Again, highway back to highway 1, ocean views and twisty roads. I couldn't ask for anyting more. Passed over a cattle grate on the road and a sign warning about cattle the next 10 miles. At first I didn't believe it, the terrain was so steep that I thought even mountain goats would have trouble. Cliff faces going straight down hundreds of feet to waves crashing below. But sure enough, there were cows on the 18 inch strip of grass next to the road and the guardrail.

Gas is expensive along the coast in the smaller towns, like $2 more per gallon. I had a fill-up cost of $17 compared to the normal $9-10. Enjoyed the rest of the drive until sunset before stopping to find somewhere to stay. Lots of small inns along the coast, which I am guessing are really expensive. I don't want a fireplace in my room. Probably a popular destination for couples. Drove into the comparatively larger town of fort bragg, where even the Super 8 was pricey. I guess it's the price of ocean views. Jumped online to find a cheaper place, and found the anchor lodge.

Posted June 27 2009, 2:09am via BlackBerry email.
Day 23

Was up later then normal chatting with Darren so I slept in. Darren had a warner bros tour planned, but didn't hear back from the sound stage in time so it will have to wait till some other time. Instead he arranged some tickets for us to do the Getty Villa since it was closed to the public the day before when I went. I got there a little sooner then he did, its an advantage to be on two wheels in LA traffic. I actually kinda enjoyed LA traffic, I am sure it would be different if I actually had to cross it with a purpose rather then just wandering. All the stopping gives you a good chance to gawk. The getty villa is full of artifacts from the roman, greek and etruscan empires. I had seen examples of attic red figure vases vs black figure vases and white ground painted vases in textbooks from school so it was nice to see in person. Its amazing to see how much changes in 2500 years, and also how much stays the same.

Michael Jackson died today while I was in LA area, but was well away from any of the commotion I hear it caused. Left from the Getty to get on the road. I am really enjoying driving along the ocean, you get great views. Only got as far as San Luis Obispo today. Tomorrow, more driving along the coast. I am near hearst castle so I might check that out first. After I should make it to san francisco, or further.

Posted June 25 2009, 8:10pm via BlackBerry email.
Day 22

I timed my departure from San Deigo to be a little later to not hit LA rush hour. Got to Darren and Tiffany's around 11:30. Thanks to being able to stalk my position Darren was outside minutes before my arrival. Made it easy to find the building and where to park. Delivered the care package from Lesley with photos and drawing from the kids. Got some good advice on what to see and where I should go.

First stop was the Getty Villa Museum up the coast from the santa monica pier. Closed, not open to public tuesday/wednesday. It was supposed to be greco-roman musuem, which is the kinda stuff I like. Headed back to stop at the pier and walk along the beach. Santa monica pier reminded me of the brighton pier in england, except with sun and sand.

Next I went to the la brea tar pits and museum. Saw the giant sloth and mammoth skeletons. The also have a whole wall of wolf skulls, that along with coyotes were one of the most common finds. They have a cool "fish bowl" area which is a bunch of windows in an arc looking into the paleontology lab. The desks are all up against the windows, and the paleontologist have little white boards facing you where they have written on what they are currently working on. Most were cleaning smaller bones of a recent mammoth find they've called "zed". I would find it hard to work with people constantly watching what you are doing. Like having someone standing over your shoulder all day long, guess that is why it was labeled the fish bowl. You can also look down on open excavation pit with work still in progress outside. I could see it being on "dirty jobs" , though I am not sure Mike Rowe has the finesse for carefully cataloging bones by sector.

After that I went up the hill to Griffith Observatory, which was really good. The exhibits are really good and interactive. Its pretty up on the geek scale so I expected it to be quiet. Not the case, it was actually really busy. Also got a great view of the hollywood sign, which you can also see from Darren's place. Drove around Beverly Hills and had a nice ride along mulholland dr. Saw larger mansions then I have ever seen before. Huge. Also rode down hollywood blvd, saw some stars in the side walk etc. Then went to dinner, followed by a drive by tour of the sunset strip.

Posted June 25 2009, 5:23am via BlackBerry email.
Dinner with Darren and Tiffany

I think Darren and Tiffany have a new tradition of going to Bossa Nova for dinner with whoever comes to visit.

Posted June 25 2009, 12:28am via flickr.com.
Day 21

I didn't roll in to San Diego until sunset last night so I hadn't seen much of it until today. Lesley got out the tourist maps this morning and I spent some time deciding what I wanted to see before heading out. I drove south on 5 to Coronado, then back north along the peninsula. Saw the Hotel del Coronado, which I am sure has some historic story to it or otherwise it wouldn't have been on the map as something to see. It's in the Victorian style, which there isn't really a lot of around here so maybe that's why. Crossed the bridge into downtown and drove around a bit. Maybe it was just my timing, but there were eerily few cars on the streets for a downtown. It would be a nice place to live.

Next stop was Balboa Park. The name is somewhat misleading. It is a park, but it's also home to a bunch of museums, of both the science and culture type. I had been meaning to see a Body World exhibit (the plastinated people thing) for a while but never had the a convenient chance. I didn't know there was one here, but when I saw the signs pulling into the park for it I knew it had to be my first stop in the park. This one is Body Worlds 2 & The Brain – Our Three Pound Gem. The focus is the brain, and the exhibit is basically the same as any of them but with probably a few more brains on display and a few info displays about the brain. Given that I have studied cognitive psychology at a university level, the info about the brain was knowledge I found pretty rudimentary. Which is understandable, since the exhibit is targeted towards the lay person, but I would have liked slighlty more complex displays. If you haven't seen one of these exhibits, go. It's an educational experience of wonderfully artistic displays of human anatomy. And if you have gone, you probably don't really need to go again to any of the other Body Worlds unless you are pre-med or studying anatomy. Skipped the space museum at Balboa Park, since I went to a space museum in Washington. Also skipped the zoo, worried that once I found penguins, monkeys or giraffes I would end up spending to much time. Maybe I will go to the Toronto zoo this summer, because they are fun. I did see the gardens.

After that I rode all through La Jolla (Spanish, pronc. key La Hoya) and Torry Pines. Lots of people surf here. You can't surf in Ontario, so it's different to see. Again, this would be a nice place to live and I am slighly jealous. Continued north, then back along some beaches before heading back.

I did some trip planning, and I think at the rate I am going I will make it all the way up the coast to Vancouver before needing to head east towards home. If I were to average 370 miles a day for the rest of the trip (I easily can cover 500 or more a day) then I can hit Seattle, Vancouver and Calgary this trip! I am slightly surprised by this realization, and never thought I would be covering that much ground. Thought I would be just making it into California before needing to beeline home, but it looks like I can keep heading north for a while before I need to turn tail and run back.

Keith and Lesley took me to dinner at the San Diego Yacht Club, which is very nice. Enjoyed a good meal looking out on the boats and the water. Keith says there are around 2000 members, much bigger then CSC :) I believe he said there were 12 fingers of slips, not sure how many slips to a finger but it looks like a lot. Heading up to see Darren in LA in the morning.

Posted June 24 2009, 9:02am via BlackBerry email.
Day 20

Left Las Vegas around 10. The drive from LV to Barstow, California was hot and full of traffic. Not just regular traffic, but the aggressive inconsiderate kind. Never have I seen so many drivers pass on the right just to get one car further ahead. Was cut off twice. There was an agricultural inspection station (which I don't fully understand the purpose of) that all cars have to stop at just before Barstow. You get waved straight through, but the bottle neck was enough to catch up to the cars that I noted as super-aggressively driving 40 minutes prior. All those pointless lane changes got them no further ahead.

Today was some of the best driving roads since North Carolina. Keith F had recommend some great routes that I approximately followed through south California. Changed elevation by thousands of feet multiple times during the day. At 7000 feet I was way too cold with just my mesh jacket, and back below 1000 feet I was way too hot again. Went from desert to mountains, back to desert, then mountains again. The drastic temperature changes are something you can only experience on a motorcycle; you would totally miss that aspect traveling by car on that route.

I basically zig-zagged down to San Diego. The roads near Julian are particularly good, like NC good. Same with the roads around Big Bear area. Very scenic and great twisties - I couldn't ask for more. It was a great day to be on a bike.

Staying with family at Keith and Lesley's tonight in San Diego, it's nice to be in a house for a change. Lauren and Quinn were up waiting for me and were exited when I pulled up. They're a year older than the last time I saw them. I came down to bed and the laundry that Lesley had put in earlier for me was all clean and folded on the bed. Thanks!

Posted June 23 2009, 9:49am via BlackBerry email.
Day 19

Was on the road by 9AM this morning. Note, in future I plan to travel with a spoon. You can get instant oatmeal in ready to go microwavable containers for a $1, add some fresh fruits, a carton of milk and a cup of coffee and you can put together a quick breakfast that you can eat in your room for under $3. Breakfast of champions. Problem is I always have to "drink" the oatmeal cause I keep forgetting a spoon.

Lots of riders out on the roads this morning. Most were also loaded down with luggage as well. I think sunday morning is my favorite time to travel and it seems other riders share that sentiment. Drove from Williams, AZ west on i-40 to 93 north. Stopped at the hoover dam. Coming in to the hoover dam area has some great canyons just to the west. Its probably a better view heading south on 93 the north, as you would see the down river side first rather then the industrial upper portion. However, traffic trying to get across from the other side was the worst I've seen anywhere. I am guessing it was people leaving vegas who were there for the weekend as it would fit with a 12 o'clock sunday checkout timeline. I don't know the name of it, but there is a suspension bridge being built down river above the dam. It looks to be about 3/4 of the way done. I found my self looking at the construction more then the dam as it was almost as interesting.

Came in to vegas and cruised the strip to decide where I wanted to stay. Went with The Mirage as it had a good central location. Rooms are pretty affordable and I am staying in the nicest room I have stayed in all trip. Big, with modern furniture, flat screen hd tv, charging station and tv inputs on the desk, but a lame shower head. Even holiday inn express has figured that one out, come on mirage. Oh, and I played/lost $10 on the casino floor.

Walked through the major hotels to see each ones respective attraction. Over at the venetian the canal makes it seem like outside and daytime even at night. The fountains at the Bellagio are really beautiful, they run every 15 minutes on the hour for the length of about one song. Better at night then during the day. I remember getting the inside scoop on the water cannons back when natasha was still on daily planet. The treasure island show with the ships, dancers, cheesy dialogue and random pyrotechnics was probably the most expensive to build and run and the least interesting of all. The strip lit up at night is really quite the sight.

Went to a cirque du soliel performance. I had never been to one and there are 5 or 6 different cirque du soliel acts to choose from here. Among of course the 100 or so other shows running every night. Took advantage of the concierge desk to get advice on which to see, the guy working had seen them all and said mystere was his favorite. Mystere it was, even though it was more expensive then my room it was well worth the entertainment. Its easy to get great seats when you just need one. I was in the second row, which was cool cause I was close enough to hear the performers timing calls for cues to each other. The show had lots of audience involvment, was funny and impressive. Like a circus, there were things going on all over the stage all the time. Even when you can barely see the performers or they are in the shadows, they remain in character. The performers must practice like crazy, as it was so well choreographed and timed. They all looked to be in amazing physical shape too. Only one fault (gymnastic term for screw up right?) in the performance when someone missed landing on the shoulders of another performer. The others were quick to catch her from falling and seamlessly covered it up, if you were looking else where you could have easily missed it. Overall, a pretty good time in vegas, only thing I didn't do was the pool. Tomorrow more riding, Keith F has sent me some recommended routes to take to San Diego.

Posted June 22 2009, 9:34am via BlackBerry email.
Got tickets to a 7:00 show tonight

Posted June 21 2009, 9:15pm via twitter.com.
Day 18

Most scenic day of riding yet, but more on that later. I slept in and took advantage of La Quinta's later than normal check out. That was why I stayed there in the first place, and I really need the rest. Tonight I am staying in Williams, Arizona, south of the grand canyon on Route 66. Mostly motels and places with 66 somewhere in the name. Not sure if this is normal here, but there are a lot of bikes. Like more then 200 (a lot for a small motel strip). More importantly, I think I am the only sport bike in the whole town, and for that reason I am staying in the motel that had the most cars and fewest bikes out front. Some stores even had Harley-only parking signs.

It is like a Harley wear store threw up on the town. Everyone is either decked in Harley apparel or dressed like a cowboy. They don't seem to be biker gangs or anything, just groups of 5-10 Harley and custom chopper riders. It's actually a little strange, it's not the seasoned old bikers with the big beards, and it's not the doctor and lawyer fair-weather Harley riders, or the badge-covered leather-vest-wearing bikers, or the cross-country distance riders loaded with luggage, or just regular local riders. Most of the plates are Arizona, yet they're checked in to a motel so not locals. They're some other stereotype I haven't managed to put into a box yet. Speech is crude and work discussions are of a blue collar nature. It's like some sort of Harley-Lite lifestyle that they've adopted. They ride, but not very far. No formal riding education, as choice of lane positions are horrendous.

Anyways, back to the scenery. The ride out of New Mexico was probably better than the ride in. Waterloo is surrounded on all sides by straight roads, and relatively flat farm country. Getting to look at mountain ranges and deserts all day is real privilege that I bet local riders take for granted. Coming into Arizona is really nice. You cross the state line and it's "welcome to Arizona, here are some really big red rock formations for you to look at now that you're here." Makes for a good entrance into the state. The whole way had different geological features than I was used to seeing. Also lots of small roadside native American shops selling mostly tourist trinkets, low-quality hand painted pottery, authentic Navajo souvenirs made in China and other crap I don't want.

The grand canyon is awesome, truly breathtaking. It's one of those things that it's easiest just to say that you should pay it a visit. Speaking of which, dear department of the interior: why do all your parks only sell multi-day passes? Every park is always 3-day or 7-day passes. I am only driving straight through it, stopping once or twice for a few photos and maybe a snack. Why can't you sell me a cheap pass good for a few hours? I don't want to spend seven days looking at the grand canyon. I was lucky enough to have arrived on a free weekend, otherwise it would have been $25. This is great if you are camping there or something, but not so good for only a couple of hours. Tomorrow, Vegas.

Posted June 21 2009, 3:23am via BlackBerry email.
Sweet, fee-free weekend at the grand canyon national park! One of three this summer.

Posted June 20 2009, 8:29pm via twitter.com.
Day 17 (cont)

The rest of the day was relaxing. Rode an uneventful drive to Roswell. They have alien-shaped light posts. Went to the UFO museum, kinda like a whole bunch of highschool science fair boards about aliens in one place. From what I learned, basically the whole town's reputation is built around a downed weather balloon.

Made it a short day, covered 200 miles maybe. Staying in Albuquerque tonight, first thing on check in was a hot shower. I had a craving for hot wings all afternoon. Found a good wing place then off to an early bed. Will be heading towards the grand canyon next, then south to visit family out on the coast. I hope Keith in San Diego and then Darren in LA will have a place for me in a few days, would like to stop by for a night if I could. Probably two or three days away.

Posted June 19 2009, 11:05pm via BlackBerry email.
Turn right onto CR-2...

Um, no thanks. This is why it took so damn long to get out of there yesterday.

Posted June 19 2009, 10:45pm via flickr.com.
This is not a road

From when I was lost. Just because it has tire tracks does not make it a road. Silly Garmin, that's a field.

Posted June 19 2009, 10:29pm via flickr.com.
Stream crossing

From earlier today. At this point I had gas, knew where I was going and was on my way out. So, in other words I was having lots of fun again. This what would be a good road in the area.

Posted June 19 2009, 9:26pm via flickr.com.
Day 17 (cont)

The rest of the day was relaxing. Rode an uneventful drive to Roswell. They have alien shaped light posts. Went to the UFO museum, kinda like a whole bunch of highschool science fair boards about aliens in one place. From what I learned, basically the whole towns reputation is built around a downed weather balloon.

Made it a short day, covered 200 miles maybe. Staying in Albuquerque tonight, first thing on check in was a hot shower. I had a craving for hot wings all after noon. Found a good wing place then off to an early bed. Will be heading towards the grand canyon next then south to visit family out on the coast. I hope Keith in San Diego and then Darren in LA will have a place for me in a few days, would like to stop by for a night if I could. Probably two or three days away.

Posted June 19 2009, 4:05pm via BlackBerry email.
Day 17

Read day 16 first. 6AM and slept really well considering. Beautiful starry night, woke to cows a few times. If things go smoothly today, this whole experience was actually a little fun. It took 45 minutes to cover 1.4 miles back to the bike. At that rate it would be 6 hours to walk out. I forgot to mention, the elevation is about 6000 ft, so it might be making things harder. I have no idea what kind of situation I would be in without the compass on the GPS. I had set a waypoint before leaving the bike yesterday so it was easy to follow it back, as well as ones for fences, the trailer, landmarks etc. Would not have been easy to find either otherwise. Decide I will do the secret hard lean of the bike to the side (almost as far over as you can) to tilt the little bit of gas I know hides in the corner of this tank over to where the fuel needs to be. Just enough to go another couple miles. I drive up a fence line and back, no place to cross. I drive down a trail, hit a river and need to turn back. I follow another trail, this looks well driven the tire tracks are about a foot deep. Success, I find a road I recognize again. Pass the point I dropped the bike, this is the most difficult part to ride. Once past here it gets better.

I had studied the maps well last night and predicted a few spots where ranches might be. Past three more empty cabins, each I mark on my map in case I needed to double back to them. One had a solar panel, so thought it would probably be the best, the other two were abandoned. I figure the cabins might be hunting lodges. Maybe the same with the trailer I was at. The roads are getting better. I made it out to a ranch. Drive up to the house and ask for some gas and how to get out. Thanks to the kindness of the owner to give me a gallon of gas and point me in the right direction.

I make it out to the highway just before 11. It took 5 hours to get out. Sent a message home and drove to nearby town to get 4.1 gallons of gas. My tank holds exactly 4.1 from empty, never had it that low. Ask gas attendant where I can get steak. Discover I had the beginnings of a search party out for me since I wasn't able to broadcast a location for close to 24 hours. Big thanks to the local PD for the effort I am sure they went to, and for stopping by at the steakhouse to check on me. Also thanks to family and everyone else for their worry. All is fine, and I am back on the road. I think I handled that pretty well and did everything right... other than foolishly getting lost.

Posted June 19 2009, 3:13pm via BlackBerry email.
Day 16

Update: Turns out it is all just a good story. Managed to get back on the highway safely the next morning. First stop: steakhouse. Read on for my story on getting lost, typed out over the last 24 hours. Had to wait for reception again before I could send.

This is an account of the dumbest thing I have ever done. Note the present tense. I am nearly out of fuel and 6 or 7 miles of rough terrain away from the highway and have no reception. I am lost. Well not lost, since my GPS is telling me exactly where I am, but I have no idea how to get back. Sorry for any worrying this is causing. I am lost, but safe and not worried... yet. Hopefully, this will all just be a really good story.

I decided to venture off the highway onto a side road for a few miles to have a picnic like I have done a few times before along the way. Road started off paved, then just compacted. That's okay I said, I have my GPS to get me back, and all seems fine. Found a spot to stop and had a small sandwich and an apple I packed and enjoyed the remote New Mexico scenery. I had crossed a few forks in the road along the way, but again my GPS can get me back. Okay time to turn back, figured I would drive over to Roswell. My GPS is set to avoid rough roads, but it must not have known as it started to take me on rougher and rougher roads. This can't be right, reset to shortest route out. Before I knew it I was deep in the middle of ranch country. The more I tried to get back to paved roads, the worse they got. I am now literally in fields and mountains. The GPS claims there are roads here, but really they are just tracks more suited to an ATV or a lifted ranch truck. I tried back-tracking but that didn't work. The "roads" all look the same, and now some aren't on the GPS at all. I tried just using a bearing, but keep running into cattle fences. I crossed a freaking stream and a couple dried river beds, all still on the "road". Thanks Garmin. This is not terrain my bike can handle, sure a BMW Dakar or KLR would be bouncing along just fine and be out of here within the hour but I am in trouble. I am now inching along rocks and past boulders. Like taking a street bike to the Bruce Trail, yet I am still on a road according to my GPS. I dropped my bike, these roads are brutal. I was going slow and the tire slid out on an incline, so just cosmetic damage to the luggage. Two hours pass, and I am now only a mile closer to the highway. Of course I can't see it over the mountainous hills.

I shouldn't place all my blame on Garmin, maybe I should have turned back sooner, while I could still find my way back. Anyways, the fuel light has been on for quite a while so I know I am close to empty. Even if I get back to the highway, I am 30 miles to a gas station. I would have been fine, but I have been idling along for hours and am now near empty. I had more then enough to make it to Roswell originally. I stopped my bike and climbed the nearest hill. I spotted some power lines and followed them with my eye around to see some buildings about a mile away. I left a note on my bike indicating my direction of travel, grab my knife, lighter, emergency water and few other things then headed towards them.

After about 45 minutes of walking I get close enough to see in detail what I've found. A couple of small abandoned houses, two tractors in good condition, a shelter for cattle (cattle included), an old Ford pickup that may work, and a new-looking trailer home that looks lived in, but no one is around. I assume the safest thing to do is wait near it hoping someone does live here. I can see a fresh jug of water on the counter in the windows at least. I am seriously thinking that if I am stuck here for the night this is going to be my safest shelter. There are power lines running to and from it so there must be more houses further away, but I can't see any so who knows how far the next set are. If I could get a gallon of gas and a guide to help me find my way out all would be fine. An hour of waiting at the trailer passes.

Going to walk back to the bike and see if I can figure out how to get it closer to this trailer. 2 hours pass. Walked half way back, found no passable route for the bike. A locked cattle gate separates the trailer from the bike. Turned back towards the trailer. I spotted another building 2 miles or more past the trailer in the same direction of travel. Should I be worried yet? Two miles up and down this terrain could take hours, and if it's a bust then it will be the same back.

I've made a plan. I've got fairly decent supplies here so I can afford to wait till tomorrow if necessary. Again, sorry mom for what I am sure will be panic. The trailer is connected to water as well, and I am able to get some by unscrewing the hose to the inlet on the trailer. I have done an inventory of everything accessible to me here. I've got an axe, plenty of wood and camping equipment in the unlocked storage bin of the trailer. No tent, but sleeping bags, mattress, hammock chairs etc. Searched everywhere that I would hide a spare key to the trailer door. No luck. Again, some gas and someone to follow to the nearest real road is all I need. It is now 6PM. I stopped for lunch 6 hours ago.

I've built a fire and will light it if I am still here when it gets dark. Fire is now going, maybe someone will see it. I really hope someone checks this place from time to time. 8PM, I have water and fire. Had a few drops of rain but looks like it will be a clear night. Tomorrow I think I will have to hike it out to get help. Mentally I am prepared for that now. Gathered enough wood to last me through the night. Man, did I mention how I really screwed up yet? I need help, but not search and rescue type help. Just a friendly rancher who knows the area and can get me safely the hell out of here. Despite my aversion towards camping I feel prepared to tackle the challenge. Those hours watching Surviorman don't feel so wasted now. 9PM and discovered passenger door of pickup is able to be unlocked. Keys are in the ignition and there are a few more on the ring, so I am going to check to see if any can unlock the trailer. Nope. At least it may be a possible place to sleep out of the elements. As far as being lost in the wild situations go, I am as about as well off as one could be with water, fire, shelter and safe place to wait. Sweet, some binoculars under the seat! Dammit, that other building isn't a building, but a large container probably for water. Local water tower? Possibly where my water is coming from as it is up hill. Shutting BlackBerry on and off between edits to save power.

It's now dark now and I don't think anyone will be here tonight but me. Have the sleeping bag out, should be warm enough. Can't see any light in any direction. There are some bright spots in the sky on the horizon of what I know to be towns 30 miles in either direction. I got thinking about coyotes and wondered if this was the right area for them. I didn't hear any stereotypical howls at sunset, but I can't hear the cows mooing either. What if they got eaten already? I will gather some rocks and grab that pipe to keep by me. There are too many cows left for them to be getting eaten all the time. Besides, there are fences everywhere and ranchers probably shoot any coyotes they see.

I have decided to move inside the pickup truck. You can drive yourself crazy thinking about things like that. I got onto the topic of mountain lions, pumas, and bears. Why isn't there a gun rack on this truck? Will let the fire burn out from the absolute safety of inside the truck. Door is now locked, figure that will keep out imaginary bears. I hope I wake up to an angry but understanding rancher knocking on the window tomorrow. The bench in the pickup is more comfortable than the picnic table that I was up on, glad I moved. Note: re-edit the above to make that the reason I moved.

Again, the plan in the morning will be to walk back to the bike, check it out, grab supplies and then trek south to the nearest source of help. Hopefully I will hit some people before getting out to the highway, as locals will be of more use. Also, will want to drop a quick line to family if I get coverage so they can stop worrying. Damn being lost and knowing exactly where you are at the same time. I really just want to hit send.

Posted June 19 2009, 3:06pm via BlackBerry email.

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