First, i'm doing this on my phone so typos may be nearly unbearable. But there's nowhere to plug in my tablet except above the lab and I am not going to stand up for this.
Yesterday: Crater Lake is exactly what I expected. Except the signs -- clearly written by a young person. "Caution, falling may lead to injury or death." No mention of broken hips.
At Crater, the park was full so I wound up on Forest Service property and camped in a warming hut. Comfy.
Next destination: Great Basin NP at Baker, Nevada. Let me just say this, if Cleveland is the mistake by the lake, Northern Nevada is just a mistakem
I stopped at Denio Junction for a cold Gatorade I wasn't expecting much,  so I wasn't surprised. One commercial property, cafe/bar/motel. Luke was sitting at a bar table, outside, in the shade of what had been the awning for a gas station. There was one stool and he had it; from his perch he was nursing a glass of something with lime.
I went in for a Gatorade purchased from the register at the bar. The sign said it was air conditioned, I think it was just dark. I took my drink back outside.
I joined Luke, but I stood.
Across the road two men were preparing to haul away a small building. Denio will be smaller tomorrow, noted this ain't Denio, Luke said this is Denio Junction. Denios bigger
how big?
26 or 28, probably.
Hundred?
No. People. Including me, I live there.
How many in Denio Junction, I asked?
Well, let's see. Two live back there (he pointed to the back of the cafe/bar), one hobo hangs out over there (he pointed to the old motel) and one old guy lives across the road.
Gasoline available?
We ain't had gas here in 4 years.
I headed to Winnemucca, 90 miles away but there's gasoline there.

South of Winnemucca, headed toward Hello and Ely, the hills and intoxicating smell of sage are reminiscent of Northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
Lots of warnings about deer (and elk and burros and horses and cows) in Nevada. One even cautions: Major Deer Crossing Ahead.
FWIW, must are more disciplined than deer and elk, apparently. Deer and elk crossings can extend miles. In Idaho, I saw two signs that said Moose Crossing Next 400 Yards. They even paint a warning on the asphalt. Someone must do a good job parenting the moose.
Lots of riding today, hundreds of miles of two lane roads. From a $39 motel (yes, Skipper. $39. I'm no coward.) To Great Basin No, to Capitol Reef NP, to Arches NP to Cortez where I'm hunkered down, hiding from thunder, lightning and rain like a cow... you know. I don't know many miles that is, but with brutal crosswinds, desert heat and wildlife all over the highways, it's a bunch.
I'm not alone in this CycoStampede Rally folly... 4 of us were at Capitol Reef at the same time. I have no idea where the others went.
The Ranger at Great Basin this morning said the first request for a cancellation stamp was from one of us -- on his way back from Skagway. Alaska.

From Kamiah ID to Puyallup WA by way of Lewiston, Spokane, Grand Coulee, North NP, Denton WA.

Washington drivers are dawdlers.
The Clearwater River valley/Canyon is beautiful, with linked turns from Kamiah to Joseph. It's like a long slalom course with shade and a river nearby.
I dig the Spiral Highway from Lewiston to the top of Lewiston Hill. Overlooks the Snake River with Idaho to the left and Washington to the right.
Pretty much all the apples in the world are hanging on trees on the Okanogon Valley. But I wouldn't give a fig for the country from Spokane to that first apple tree. And, lordy, Grand Coulee is desolate.
North Cascades NP cannot be adequately described. Sorry, Im not that good with words.
The only good thing about following Washington drivers is the fuel consumption. I got 48 mpg on two tanks.

BIG day today. Because I was able to claim Devil's Tower points yesterday (skillful riding) I was able to jump-,start today's route. Net result, I got Lolo Pass points today instead of tomorrow morning. And I finished the day about an hour from tomorrow's opener at Joseph, Idaho.
759 miles and a willingness to forego food...
BTW, if my guardian angel stops by tomorrow, says I have one more day to ride, there's an excellent chance I'd ride Lolo Canyon. 120 miles of uninterrupted curves chasing the Lochso River. My, my, my. And virtually no civilization... 90 miles between fuel, no cell service, huge Red Cedars.
Observation:
In Drummond Montana, there's a Used COW Lot. Limited warranty, I'm guessing.
Makes me want to move there -- Sweet Grass County.
Missoula traffic is atrocious, but the setting and the river are awesome.

I lost my traveling partner today. Vernon's back decided enough was enough. Seriously unhappy, Vernon turned back toward East Texas.
Made better time than expected today. Grabbed points at National Homestead Monument (NE), Wind Cave (SD) and Devil's Tower (WY).  Tomorrow, Little Bighorn (MT) and Nez Perce at Lolo Pass (MT)
Observations:
 a herd of Bighorn sheep in the road is no more predictable than a herd of deer.
Peculiar (MO) is an odd name for a town.
KC BBQ is good, sauce not so much -+ admittedly a limited sample.
Folks who say Nebraska is flat and boring have never ridden the Sand Hills between Grand Island and Chadron. Absolutely beautiful.

Vernon and I made short work of the afternoon. A quick run up through Paris to Henrietta. Knocked about 250 miles... should make tomorrow much easier. Tonight, America's Best Value Inn -- best $53 room I've found in a long while. Laundry rinsed. I'm out until tomorrow.

It's 7:30-ish on Thursday evening. Tomorrow we head out, leaving Lindale at 5 p.m.
The bike is fueled, new tires are good to go, fresh oil in the crankcase. Tent, mattress, sleeping bag strapped on. Rain gear aboard. Bags are packed, ready for the side cases.
Serious riding starts tomorrow.

It's summer and I don't like to ride until it's so hot I can swim inside my Aerostitch Roadcrafter, so here I go.

This year I felt like I could only comfortably manage a week away so I signed up for my first-ever rally. It's basically a scavenger hunt on two wheels.

About a month ago, organizers sent out a list of 110 federal recreation sites -- national parks, scenic trails, scenic rivers, national monuments, and so forth. Those locations are scattered from Alaska to California to Florida to Maine. Each of these locations issues a "cancellation stamp" that looks just those cancellation stamps in the upper right-hand corner of your mail. Each stamp bears identifying information -- the name of the park or such.

We will meet in Kansas City for BBQ at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 31.At about 5:30 we will be given four score sheets. On those sheets will be the names of the 110 locations with a blank space beside each.
Each of the 110 locations will be worth points, the number of points will vary from location to location, depending on what we'll call degree of difficulty. An Alaska cancellation stamp will be worth more points than one beside an interstate highway 50 miles from Kansas City.

Rules say qualifying finishers will collect points (cancellation stamps) from locations in at least nine states before we meet again to add up points -- this time we'll meet in Colorado Springs on August 6. Riders who fail to show by 6 p.m. that date or who fail to collect points in at least nine states will be disqualified. Important to note the visitor center at these parks don't stay open around the clock. Some open as early as 7:30, some not until 9. And they all close by 6. So points are available only during those business hours.

Because of the hours the parks are open we'll generally ride from our last point of the day to, or close to, the location of the next day's first stop. Headlights and auxiliary lights will be useful.

I'm in. I'll be accompanied by Vernon Thornton, a Tyler rider who is not actually registered for the rally -- he just wants to ride motorbikes and sleep in a tent.

Our route will take us about 4500 miles around the west and Pacific Northwest. Throw in the miles from home to KC and the miles from Colorado Springs back to East Texas and we'll be riding about 6,000 miles in 8 days. Ok, 8 and a piece of the ninth -- we're leaving Friday after work to get part way to KC.

The blog post below includes a link to my SpotWalla map.If I remember to turn it on each day, you should be able to follow our progress.

More later.

A SpotWalla link to my Cyco Stampede Rally. But you're not just following me, you're following my friend Vernon Thornton -- he's riding along just for grins.



https://spotwalla.com/embed.php?id=11bfc579a56208dc64&scale=on&zoom=default&refresh=no&p=XT1200Z