And the baby is going to be....

a GIRL!!!!

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Result will be revealed on 11/06

Ooops, I have my dates mixed up. U/S is this thursday. Results will be revealed on 11/6 after the OB visit!

Take a guess....

Just trying to have some fun and see what YOU think the sex of the baby is before we have our 20 week U/S. Result will be posted/announced on 11/13.


有獎徵答！猜猜看是男是女，答案將於11/13揭曉.
獎品:科羅拉多州高級別墅渡假村兩星期住宿招待
註:機票自理

Due to popular demand, here's a picture:


If you think your vote needs to be changed due to this new clue, send me an email and I'll change your vote for you.

Day 8

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Miles: 95 (Not a mistake... read on)
Total Riding Time: ~2 hours
Durango -> Pagosa Springs -> Home

Today is the day. We were going to push it and see how far we could go. We've been on the road long enough and we miss the dogs. Up to this point, our neighbors were looking after them. However, they are going on vacation today and will no longer be able to take care of them. Thought of them needing to spend a night at the kennel made us sad. Hardest part should be from Durango to Walsenburg which is a one lane road. After that, it should be easier on I-25.

We woke up bright and early and were all packed and ready to go by 7 AM. Route 160 from Durango was filled with twisties but nothing aggressive. Anne looked really sharp on the bike today. She began to do body lean as she negotiated the turns.

All was great until we hit Nurtria, CO. After that town, I began to notice the change in elevation. Change in elevation means change in temperature. Low temperature and precipitation means snow.

When we got to Pagosa Springs, oncoming traffic with snow on their windows caused some concern. I finally decided to pull over shortly after Pagosa Springs next to few truck drivers when I saw them putting on chains on their tires. According to them, Wolf Creek Pass condition has deteriorated and they were required to put on chains. Still in denial, I waved down an oncoming car and asked them how it was up there. The driver told me that it was REALLY bad and that 2 motorcyclists were pulled over by the cops.

Anne and I discussed the situation and decided to head back to Pagosa Springs and figure out our next move. As we pulled up to the first gas station, 2 bikes followed us in. Turns out these folks were the ones pulled over by the cops. They were told that the other side of the mountain was even worse and had about 3 inches of packed snow on the ground.

Our options at this time was to 1) Wait it out and see if things get any better; 2) Head south into New Mexico and come back around; 3) Rent a truck or trailer and drive back. We were on the tail end of our trip and had enough riding. We wanted to get back home and not spend another day on the road.

After finding the local U-haul, we reserved ourselves a 14' truck and began loading up our equipment. Owner of U-haul was kind enough to help me get the bikes up into the truck! As much as Anne hated me doing track days, she was really glad that I had that experience to learn how to tie down the bikes.

We were on our way up Wolf Creek Pass after 2 hours of loading up, tying down and making sure everything was nice and tight. At first, the road was foggy, but not severe enough to justify not riding. However, road condition quickly turned south. Slush and snow was on the road (see pic). When we saw snow plows driving past, we were satisfied that we made the right decision. This was compounded by the massive number of idiots we saw who were too eager to be on vacation. Lesson learned here - try not to travel on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. People drive way too fast and become a-holes when you don't drive as fast.

Rest of the trip was quite easy in the car. We were flying home at 75 mph (speed limit), which we would not hit if we were riding - Anne's comfort level is at 65. It was nice to get out of our riding gear and wear "normal" clothes for the rest of the day. We felt weird at first to be able to communicate for the first time while in motion during this entire trip. That quickly passed as we recalled all the events that have occurred during the past few days. By 6 PM, we were home and by 7 PM, we were fully unloaded.

As much as we loved what we saw and experienced during this trip, it was just as nice to be back home. We are in love with motorcycle camping, tho. We're planning on doing another trip sometime this summer. Nothing of this magnitude, but maybe over a weekend or so. This will definitely be one experience we will never forget!

Miles Ridden: ~1630 (x2)
Gallons Consumed: 52.03
Number of Fast Food Restaurants: 0



七點鐘, 我們的屁股已經坐在摩托車上. 路上一切都很順利. 一個多小時之後, 我們已經到達Pagosa Springs (大約70 miles). 之後開始上山, 這時候我們開始發現對方來車都有積雪, 心想大事不妙. 之後發現大卡車都停在路邊上雪鏈. 還不死心, 我們攔下一輛對方來車想了解前方的路況, 司機跟我們說路況非常糟, 有三吋的積雪, 還有兩台摩托車卡在山上. 討論之後我們決定回到山下再做打算.

此時有三個選擇 (1) 等一兩個小時看情況會不會變好 (2) 騎回Durango然後從南方新墨西哥州回家 (3) 租一台卡車把摩托車運回去. 由於我們也玩夠了, 而且我們也下定決心今天一定要到家, 所以租了台14呎的卡車, 把兩台摩托車綁好之後 (花了兩個小時), 我們終於準備上路回家了! 雖然遭遇很悲慘 (租一台不原地歸還的卡車很傷荷包), 但我們還不忘記苦中作樂的拍照, 當作紀念嘛. 上路之後, 我們突然很不習慣在旅行的時候說話, 因為一路上騎摩托車溝通完全靠手勢. 不過過了一會兒我們就開始談起一路上發生的新鮮事. 開車旅行舒服多了, 我們一路開75 miles, 六點鐘就回到家了.
經過這次的經驗., 我們愛上了騎摩托車露營, 今年夏天打算會去很多兩三天的行程. 誰說度假一定要躺在沙灘上喝瑪格利特? 人生只有一回, 要多做一些大冒險.

Day 7

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Miles: 264.2
Total Riding Time: ~10 hours
Green River -> Arches -> Moab -> Mesa Verde -> Durango

With the past few days of planning and not hitting the anticipated destination point, we started the day saying "where ever we end up."

It was slightly damp in the morning but NO wind! We entered Arches National Park in about an hour or so. This was my 3rd time to the park and Anne's 2nd time. We entered the park only because of the stamp (Pokemon! Gotta catch em all!). I told Anne that this park is really pretty the first time around, but when it's your third time, it's just a hole in the mountain.

Thanks to another poster's recommendation on BMW forum, we stopped by Moab Diner for brunch. If you ever visit this place, remember to get whatever you ordered "smothered".

Rest of the ride to Mesa Verde was pretty much the same. No wind, few showers, heated vest kept us nice and toasty and beautiful scenaries.

Originally, we thought the ride into Mesa Verde Visitor Center would be quick. We had been here before, so we (ok, me) were here only because we now have the passport. What we didn't remember was that from the gate to the visitor center is 15 miles. Moreover, it's 15 miles of switchbacks up the mountain. Because the road was wet, we were going very slow as we ascended the hill. A quick 30 minute loop turned out to be a 1.5 hour ordeal! When we got to the visitor center, a storm had moved in and began hailing. Hoping that the storm would move on, we waited for about 15 minutes. However, heavy fog started to set in and snow began to fall. Fearing that we would be stuck if the snow starts to pack on the road, we saddled up and began our descent. On the way down, I could not see more than 5 feet in front of me due to the fog and snow collecting on my visor. This was now the worst riding condition I have ever encountered. However, I did get my stamp!


Because I was so eager to descend the hill, I forgot to plug in my heated jacket. I kept wanting to pull over to plug it in, but the testosterone kept me from doing so. After a while, I could no longer tough it out. However, it was too late. Coldness has taken so much out of me that by the time we reached Durango, I could not concentrate anymore. We decided to stay at Motel 8 and resume riding early in the morning.

Dinner at Serious Texas BBQ was awesome. We were so hungry that we pretty much ordered one of each on their menu. Smoked pork loin and Texas taco were the best.

今天天氣一樣不好, 所以也是早早就出發. 為了收集國家公園的章, 我們再度回到Arches國家公園. 由於已經是第三次來這裡, 蓋完章我們就拍拍屁股走人. 之後到了Moab Diner, BMW的車友推薦的餐廳果然不是蓋的. 她們的Green Chili超好吃的. 吃飽喝足之後就向Mesa Verda國家公園出發. 一騎進國家公園之後才發現遊客中心居然離入口有15 miles. 既然來了只好硬著頭皮騎. 不過這個國家公園在山上, 所以山路騎起來真的很可怕 (尤其我有懼高症). 騎著騎著, 天啊, 居然下起雪來了. 這時我心裡不斷的咒罵Eric, 因為我根本不在乎收集那無聊的笨蛋章. 好不容易到了, 停好車, 這時下起冰刨………無語……..真是什麼倒楣天氣都給我碰上了.

到了遊客中心之後, 有很多騎摩車的人和我們一樣被天氣困在這裡, 等了15分鐘之後, 天氣一點都沒有變好的跡象. 和Eric討論一下, 我們決定下山. 因為要是等一下開始積雪, 我們就絕對下不了山了. 由於能見度很差, 所以我們是以龜速下山, 還好開車的人都對我們很有耐心, 只要到可以超車的地方我們就讓他們先過. 一路上有可加熱外套, 所以還不算冷. 不過雪不停的積在安全帽的面罩上, 要不時地擦, 所以我們大概每騎一分鐘就得停下來擦面罩. 本來只要30分鐘的路程, 因為天氣的關係變成1.5個小時. 不過後來總算是平安下山.

下山之後我們都很累了, 所以決定到下一個城鎮休息. 到了Durango之後, 找了個旅館準備過夜. 晚上到一家Serious Texas BBQ吃晚餐 (就在旅館對面), 經過一天的摧殘, 餓的不得了, 我們兩個人居然叫了四份主餐, 而且還全部都吃光光! 每一樣都好吃, 只有牛肉乾了點. 在走回旅館的路上, 我和Eric都覺得這次的旅行很好玩, 雖然我們每天都沒辦法到達預定的目的地, 但是這樣騎到哪裡算到哪裡的玩法, 別有一番風趣. 而且我們路上隨便找的餐廳每一家都很好吃, 算是運氣很好.

今天已經是第七天了, 我們決定明天一定要到家 (因為很想念可愛的Jiro and Yama)! 算了一下, 只要騎300多miles就可以回到Denver, 應該可行. 所以早早就上床睡覺, 打算明天一早就出發.

Day 6

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Miles: 204.4
Total Riding Time: ~8 hours
Beaver -> Green River

By the time we were ready to leave, there were wind and rain. I asked a local about taking back roads, and she said our best bet is to continue on I-15 and onto I-70 since some roads are still closed. Because Anne's bike is on the light side, we packed as much as possible on her 650 to weigh her down.

Beginning of I-15 from Beaver was windy, but nothing compared to yesterday. Once we got onto I-70, we started going up in elevation. Between Cove Fort and Salina, we encountered rain, snow and more wind. Even though there's no packed snow on the ground, this was the first time I have ever ridden while snowing. Not knowing what to expect and having a novice rider with me stressed me out tremendously. Luckily, our tires held up and kept us upright.

We stopped at Mom's Cafe in Salina, Utah. When I was researching for must see/eat places for this trip, someone on the BMW forum highly recommended this place. If you ever wander into this place, definitely order their scone and top it off with honey butter. MMMMM.... honey butter. This diner had that old-town diner atmosphere with waitresses in old-school waitress uniforms. Definitely makes you feel like you were in a different decade.

We continued on I-70 and got ourselves beaten up by more wind and more rain. However, the scenary was breathtaking. The view approximately 20 miles from Green River heading east was just gorgeous. No pictures taken since I was holding onto my bike for my dear life.

The goal for today was to hit Moab. However, condition worsened approximately 10 miles from Green River. We found out later that the winds were gusting up to 50 mph at times. I believe this was the worst wind I ever encountered on a motorcycle. Kudos to Anne for surviving this!

Our original plan was to spend a quiet evening at a nice restaurant since this was our 2nd year anniversary. We were hoping to do this in either Moab or Cortez, CO. However, after riding through that horrible stretch, Green River is just fine.

After filling up at a local gas station, the dreaded dying-engine-turning-sound was produced as Anne pressed on the ignition button. She learned the hard way that battery tends to drain when heated jacket, heated grips, and 2 PIAA lights are turned on WHILE THE ENGINE IS NOT RUNNING. I was most certainly annoyed thinking that THIS would be the cause of ending our trip. Thank goodness we had phone service, because after a quick consultation with my bike shop (Beemers and More), I opened her bike up and asked someone to jump the bike. Thankfully, the bike started with just a jolt of juice.

We pulled in to Motel 6 shortly after and found ourselves a nice little restaurant along Green River. That rib-eye steak was so delicious. We took a little stroll across Green River (rain and wind died down by then) to a local trucker stop to pick up some fine beverages (MGD!). We were very thankful that we lived (literally and figuratively) to see our 2nd year of marriage come to completion.

早上一起床風很大, 又下雨, 等我們全副武裝完 (機車裝備+可加熱外套+雨衣) 已經過了一小時了. 剛開始騎車時很冷, 所以安全帽裡都起霧看不到, 後來Eric教我把安全帽留一個小縫, 之後就好多了. 不然騎起車來怪可怕的, 什麼都看不到. 騎著騎著, 居然就下起雪來. 我此時非常慶幸投資買了件可加熱外套, 這外套是利用摩托車的電, 穿起來全身熱呼呼的, 就算下雪也不怕. 可算是這趟旅行最棒的投資.

中午到達一個小鎮Solina, 在Mom’s Café吃了暖呼呼的中餐. 這家小餐廳很棒, 一切都很原始, 感覺很像回到50年代, 服務生還穿制服耶. 招牌fried scone真不是蓋的, 像炸過的甜甜圈加上蜂蜜奶油, 真是人間極品啊! 吃飽喝足再度出發, 這時候天氣愈來愈差, 之後風大到整台摩托車都快要被吹走的感覺, 你好不容易找到平衡點抵抗強風, 一台大卡車從你身旁開過就把你掃的亂七八糟. 之後查了氣象, 才知道那時的風速高達50 miles/per hour. 我只能說我們很慶幸能活著過我們的結婚二週年慶 (沒錯, 就是今天!).

到了Green River決定在此歇腳, 加完油後我的摩托車突然發不動了. 原來是電池沒電了. 悲情的Eric只好再度把我的摩托車解體, 有一台好心的車主把車的電池借給我們, 解決了我們的危機. 後來我才知道摩托車燈+加熱外套+加熱手把+PIAA大燈是很快就會把電池的電用光的, 千萬不要在車子沒發動的情況下把全部打開. 算是一個慘痛的教訓.

Day 5

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Miles: 210.7
Total Riding Time: 8 hours
Bryce -> Zion -> Beaver

We woke up at 6:30 today. By the time our kickstands were up, it was 7:30. We are getting quite good at this now. Anne and I knew exactly what to do so no time was wasted. Our neighbors kept looking at us and were quite amazed at our efficiency.

Once again, we were taken back with Utah roads. UT89 to Zion was filled with twisties and beautify scenaries. Anne was riding really comfortably today. Through every turn, she was looking through the turn, leaning her body, keeping her bike up, and straightening out those lines through the turns!

At last, we reached Zion. 10 years ago, I went through the same parks and my favorite one was Zion. This time was no different. The ride through Zion was simply amazing! After going through a long tunnel, it opened up to a grand view of the canyon. This was followed by turns after turns zig-zagging down the canyon to the bottom. No pictures could justify the view of this park!



By the time we got to the Visitor Center, temperature was peaking at 110. We had enough of this hot temperature and decided to make our way back. Ride on I-15 was boring until we got to around Cedar City. By then, the wind started to pick up. Following Anne, I noticed that she was all over the place because of the wind and truckers zooming right by us, knocking us around. It became quite uncomfortable to ride so we pulled off at Beaver and called it a day. We later found out winds were around 20-30 mph.

Today was the first day since leaving where we didn't have to sleep on the ground. We took advantage of the hot tub provided at Best Western and took a ride through town. Having to pack pretty light, we were on a 2 outfit rotation. Riding through hot weather meant we smelled pretty bad. While our clothes were being washed at the local laundromat, we had a nice dinner at a local diner... something you don't see much of in big cities anymore.

Weather is not looking good for tomorrow either. Forecast calls for windy and wet day. Wet, not so bad... wind, BAD! I sure hope that we can ride tomorrow.

我們知道今天的天氣會很不好, 所以早早就起床準備出發, 七點半我們就收好帳棚坐上摩托車了. 隔壁鄰居非常訝異於我們的效率. 今天騎起車來特別順手, 畢竟已經是第五天了嘛. 總要有點進步吧. 我開始用Eric教我的技巧轉彎, 從背後看起來像是專業賽車手, 帥的很. 很快的我們就到了Zion國家公園. 今天也是熱的要死, 所以蓋完章我們就開始朝Denver的方向前進, 準備打道回府.

公路15非常無聊, 到了Cedar City之後, 風開始變的很大. 開車時都沒感覺, 但是對騎車的人來說, 風大是一件很危險的事, 風把我吹的左搖右晃, 我們決定再騎下去很不安全. 所以一到下一個可以落腳的城市 – Beaver – 就找了個旅館準備在這裡過夜. 因為時間還早, 我們找了個洗衣店把這幾天的髒衣服洗乾淨. 找了間Diner吃晚餐. 大城市去多了覺得都大同小異, 到處都是連鎖餐廳, 在這種小城市反而別有一番風味. 睡了好幾天的帳棚, 第一天睡到床, 感覺特別舒服. 旅館有SPA, 感覺很幸福.

Day 4 (REST!!!!)

After deciding to rest for a day, I felt like my whole body (physically and mentally) just deflated like a balloon. 3 days of non-stop worrying of how Anne is holding up on the bike and a bad night of sleep added to the fatigue factor.

Last night was cold. I think it dropped into the 30s or 40s and my sleeping bag definitely did not hold up well with those temperatures. Meanwhile, Anne snored away in her warm (rated to 15 degrees) bag.

We rode 2-up on Anne's bike through the park to enjoy some nice views. Yes, we rode in our shorts and flip flops. After 3 days at high speeds with full gear, we felt too tired to put on our getup for a 25mph ride. It definitely felt a bit weird not having our body protected from head to toe.

Good thing about Bryce is that there's signal. We checked the weather for the next few days, and it doesn't look too good. High wind and bad storms! At around 3pm, we were itching to pack up our stuff and head back out. But we already paid for the site, and we were not going to make it to Zion in time to get our passport stamped. I swear, this passport thing is like Pokemon... gotta catch em all!

So instead, we rode to Ruby's Inn just outside of Bryce to pick up some "gourmet" canned food. Not only did we have instant noodle for the night, we had clams and corn in our soup base, topped off with a nice cold salad.

After showering later that evening (we have been pretty lucky to be able to wash up on this trip), we made our way over to Sunset Point to view the famous Bryce Canyon at sunset. By the time we got back to our campsite, Sunset Campground was filled. Enough rest. Tomorrow we ride again.



Bryce實在是太美了, 所以我們決定在這裡多留一天玩耍 (其實是我們都太累了, 但是沒人要承認自己是狗熊). 一早起來悠悠閒閒吃完早餐之後就準備出發去玩. 我們的摩托車很重又沒有倒退檔, 所以Eric叫我推車, 我左看右看覺得車燈最好施力, 用力一推, 車子沒動燈卻壞了. 想當然爾, Eric當然是先擺個死臉加上一陣怒哄, 一肚子氣的開始把我的摩托車解體. 經過45分鐘之後, 我們終於出發了. 經過好幾天的全副武裝, 今天穿短褲拖鞋騎車感覺像沒穿衣服一樣, 感覺好像一摔倒就會很慘的樣子. 所以我們時速不超過30 miles. 現在想想, 以前在台灣怎麼敢穿著短袖短褲啪啪騎, 真是危險.

下午睡了個午覺, 突然有一點後悔今天偷懶, 拿出手機查了下天氣, 過幾天天氣都不太好, 風很大, 可能會下雨. 但是我們已經付了今天營地的錢, 加上已經下午3點了, 等我們收好出發也騎不遠了, 最後決定好好享受今天的假期. 騎車到營區外補充了一些糧食, 吃了超享受的沙拉, 洗完澡, 去看這裡最有名的日落, 畫下完美的句點.

Day 3

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Miles: 174.2
Total Riding Time: 6 hours
Hanksville -> Capitol Reef -> Bryce

Today did not begin on a good note. During the night, I woke up to a soaking wet sleeping bag. No, I did not wet my pants. While rolling around, I must have rolled onto the camelbak nozzle, which caused a flood on my side. After drying off and stealing a bit of Anne's sleeping bag, I went back to sleep. Shortly after waking up, I realized that my key was nowhere to be found. I went through every single bag of ours but it was not to be found. Although I packed a spare key, I was really annoyed at myself for loosing something that important. On my way to the bathroom before leaving the trailer park, I noticed my key lying right there on the road.

By the time we reached Capitol Reef, we were hungry from all the morning festivities. We went into the visitor center to collect our 2nd stamp, took few pictures and went on our merry way to Torrey, where we took a nice long break. We were definitely feeling the pain and soreness now. How foolish of me to think that we could do 350-450 miles per day.

While eating a delicious Subway sandwich (yes, they are quite delicious after living on canned and instant food for few days), we observed a couple trying to figure out how to use a communication system on a motorcycle. Quite a funny sight. We felt pretty good that our left hand signaling system is $1000 cheaper.

After the break, we began riding on UT12. Similar to UT95, 12 is filled with twisties and amazing views. Since we were going through higher elevation, the temperature dropped and was a more comfortable ride than riding in 110 degree weather. Anne continued to practice on taking a straighter lines through the turns.

We reached Bryce Canyon at around 4 PM. After circling through the North Campground and finding that there's none left, we were told that the 2nd campsite might be full as well. Not giving up, we headed to the Sunset Campground to try our luck. To our surprise, this campsite was only about 10% filled. We picked the flattest campsite, unloaded, showered, cooked, and did some laundry. Fatigue has finally set in. We decided to stay another day at Bryce to rest up.

今天一早Eric發現他的機車鑰匙不見了, 心情壞的不得了, 所以我就很倒楣的被他罵著玩, 還好我們有備用鑰匙, 所以還不至於太糟. 就在要離開營地之前, 突然在地上找到了 (好家在, 不然我一整天都要活在暴風圈裡). 第一站 Capitol Reef國家公園, 蓋完章之後拍拍屁股走人. 到了Torrey休息了好久, 因為我們全部的戰鬥力都在第一天用完了. Eric吃了一整條subway三明治 (piggy piggy). 之後騎公路12, 嚇的我半條命都沒了, 因為我有懼高症, 騎山路簡直是要我的命, 有一度路兩旁就是懸崖……完全不想回想這一段可怕的記憶.

等我們到達終點站Bryce國家公園時大約四點, 營區已經完全客滿, 不禁令我懷疑為何大家都閒閒沒事. 去問了公園管理員之後發現還有第二營區, 不死心的我們就去一探究竟. 出乎意料的, 這個營區空的很, 紮營之後, 去洗個澡 (十分鐘兩塊錢美金, 我前一個人沒有洗到10分, 所以我洗免錢的, 哇哈哈), 吃個飯之後就睡大覺了.

Day 2

View Larger Map
Miles: 209.7
Total Riding Time: 7.5 hours
Needles Outpost -> Hanksville

We woke up to a spectacular view. Instant coffee was never better. Cool morning breeze soon began to turn into scorching heat at around 7:30 AM. It took us a while to pack everything as this was our first day of re-packing. We were not ready to roll until 9:30. By the time we were on our bikes, we were burning in our suit. We stopped by Canyonlands visitor center to pick up our National Park passport and our first cancellation stamp. We also made good use of their outlet to charge up our dying camera battery.

Since we were sore from our first day, we took it slow and easy. When we got to Blanding, we knew for sure that there's no way we were ever going to reach California. I phoned my friends that we will have to wait until next time to see them.

After our lunch break, we began our ride of the day on Route 95. The view on this road was amazing! There were turns after turns with amazing backdrops. We pulled over few times because it was just too pretty to ride past it. I used this opportunity to teach Anne what I had learned on the tracks and how to make turns more enjoyable.

Looking back, the best ride of the trip was probably this road. Especially so around Glen Canyon. After countless turns through cliffs on both sides, the road opened up to a massive mountain in the back with a canyon below. Probably a scene I will not forget for a very long time. We stopped up top shortly after to see what we just rode through (see pic).

Unfortunately, this beautiful road was also filled with tar snakes. Probably insignificant to drivers, these bad boys are slippery suckers for motorcyclists. This was Anne's first encounter with these slippery road fills. As a result, the rest of the ride on 95 took us a LONG time. When we got to Hanksville, it was already 5:00 PM.

After riding for the whole day at 100+ weather, we both felt pretty nasty and decided to pull into a trailer park for the night. That shower was oh-so-refreshing. Needless to say, we had to do laundry that evening as well.

今天一早騎去Canyonland 國家公園, 買了一本國家公園護照, 蓋了一個章. 前一天Eric瘋狂亂照相, 所以相機完全沒電了. 還好在國家公園遊客中心廁所前找到一個插頭, 小充一下.

之後騎公路95到Hanksville, 路上的景色實在是沒辦法用言語形容, 一定要親自來看看才有辦法體會. 經過昨天的摧殘, 今天只騎了209.7 miles, 加上天氣又熱 , 所以決定隨便找個地方紮營. 經過一整天120F度 (50C度) 的天氣之後, 洗澡完感覺像在天堂一般.

Day 1

View Larger Map

Miles: 469.7
Total Riding Time: 11.5 hours
Home -> Needles Outpost

After a hearty meal, we put on our riding gears and said goodbye to Jiro and Yama. Just as planned, kickstands were up at 9 am. I would have liked to leave earlier, but weather forecast showed that if we hit Vail too early, we would have encountered some snow.

Entire stretch on I-70 to Glenwood Springs was uneventful. It got pretty cold at around Vail and we were both glad that we each had a heated jacket. With heated grips and jackets on full blast, we were nice and toasty at 65 mph in 30 degree weather. Shortly after Glenwood Springs, however, we had to pull over and shed all of our heavy gear as the temperature began to reach the 90s.

We blasted through Moab at around 4 pm. This was later than I expected since we had to pull over for many breaks. We didn't hit the road to Canyonlands (UT 211) until around 5 pm. Map only showed 33 miles, but it took us a bit over an hour to complete this segment due to speed limits, road condition, and us being quite tired at this point.

The road into the outpost was soft dirt. I made a turn onto it and felt my bike wobbled as I plowed through it. As I was about to complete this soft patch of sand, I looked in my mirror and saw the headlight of Anne's bike began to slant. Next thing I knew, Anne was in the sand with her bike. After checking her and the bike (yes, in that order!) I was relieved that neither suffered any major damage. Her bike sputtered and sounded like it was not going to start, but after few cuss words and fists to the heavens, the engine finally began to turn. We later discussed what happened...she saw me wobble, and was about to slow down. But she had already hit that soft patch with too much speed and felt the bike begin to slip. She knew she was going to go down, so she jumped off the bike. Bike clipped her on the way down, but the boot saved her from any damage. Only few battle scars to the saddle bag and a lesson well learned.

By the time we hit the campsite, it was about 8:30 pm. Our site was underneath a rock wall with a view of the canyon. We still had some light left, so we quickly pitched the tent and began cooking. This evening's meal (instant noodles with green beans) was probably one of the most delicious meal we had after only having few power bars throughout the day. By the time we were finished, the night was illuminated by the moonlight. With a clear sky full of stars and a cool breeze on a warm evening, it couldn't have been any better.

As we were about to doze off, Anne made an executive decision that we were not going to ride more than 350 miles a day for the rest of the trip. I was not about to veto that decision. I shall re-plan the route tomorrow.

第一天上路就被Eric操死, 居然叫我騎了470miles. 完全不考慮我是新手 (在這次假期之前, 我一共只騎過300miles). 到了營地, 地上是很軟的紅沙, 我看Eric的機車在我前面開始搖搖晃晃時已經來不及了, 一轉眼我就發現自己摔在地上. 還好我全身都穿裝備, 所以摔倒完全沒事, 機車也好好的. 只有行李有一個小刮痕.

等我們搭好帳棚, 已經快九點了, 泡麵從來沒有這麼好吃過. 隔天早上泡咖啡時才發現水有一個很可怕的味道, 昨天晚上泡麵味道太重所以都沒感覺. 不過出門在外就隨便啦. 我們的營地就在岩石下, 景色真是美的沒話說. 經過今天之後, 我們決定不騎去加州了, 因為每天這樣實在是太累了.

Day 0

So it's finally happening. Three weeks of planning and now I'm counting down by the minutes.

In just a few hours, Anne and I will begin our journey on our bikes. I am quite nervous and anxious. I've gone on long rides before, but never more than a day ride. This will be 9 full days of riding, each day between 350-450 miles. Plan is to go through Utah and see all the National Parks there, ride through Death Valley, ride up along CA-1, go to SF and Sacramento, ride along highway 50 and back to Colorado. There will be areas where there's no service for miles. Any breakdown will most likely mean the end of our trip. It will be quite challenging for myself, and will be even more so now that Anne will be riding her bike as well. Up to this point, she has logged about 300 miles or so. But after going on few practice runs, we both felt that she can do this as long as we ride within our limits.

I've gone through the routes multiple times in my head, and went over the entire gear checklist one last time. Everything has been packed and strapped down to the bikes. It's 3:30 in the morning and I cannot make myself go back to sleep.

All I can hope for now is two working machines for the entire trip.


終於等到這一天了! 最近工作繁忙, 非常期待這一次的假期. 本來我是不打算騎我的摩托車的, 因為我還算新手, Eric覺得我沒辦法在九天內完成3000 miles. 但是在出發前的一個星期, 我們一起出去騎車. 我一路上表現良好, 連高速公路都被我擺平了. 經過幾番商量, 我們決定 – 小鳥單飛的時候到啦! 就這樣, 打包完畢準備明天出發.