"The effects could well be called unprecedented, magnificent, beautiful, stupendous, and terrifying. No man-made phenomenon of such tremendous power had ever occurred before. The lighting effects beggared description. The whole country was lighted by a searing light with the intensity many times that of the midday sun"

Brig. Gen Thomas Farrell

People around the world make pilgrimages to things that have value for them or are held sacred. My entire life, as is true for my peers, has been affected and manipulated as the indirect result of what occurred July 16. 1945 in the New Mexico dessert. I find no personal value though an argument might be made about the sacred part. Many in the world today seek to have this power in their arsenal as an equalizer - a device that makes one respect their capability if not for what, and who they are on their own merits. I figure it is as good a pilgrimage as visiting a wall in Jerusalem, or some such, and fitting for a conservative in need of a pilgrimage.

I planned this ride a few years ago and this year decided to make the time available. I left September 30th, 2009. I wanted to ride to Salt Lake City, Price and Moab, UT and then to Socorro, NM and return via the same route. A large weather system crossed the Pacific coast a couple days before my departure dropping copious amounts of rain and snow in the higher elevations I would ride through - and that nixed my outbound route. It was dry and cold when I left and I chose to ride down I-5 to Bakersfield, CA and across I-40 to almost Albuquerque, NM and head south for Socorro to keep it that way.

I hate driving in Oregon, as you know because I rant about it in almost every post. They heavily enforce the 65 mph speed limit on the freeway and it takes hours to get down to the California border. I have no radar detector mounted on the Goldwing, which is my bike for this trip, and it seems I have no idea where the trucker CB traffic is. None of them are talking on Channel 19. So, I move south with caution and it takes forever. I also don't have a clue how far off my speedometer is.

Most bikes have an error built in but I don't know if mine is linear or not, and by how much - so I pace the average driver and hope for the best. I am enjoying the big Honda bike. It is so different from the BMW I usually prefer and I'm hoping this trip will sort out the things I need to change and affirm the purchase overall. I eventually found the truckers on Channel 17 and opened the big bike up a tad. I also discovered my Zumo 660 fit exactly into the space the Honda's Navigator screen sits. With that I was able to determine the speedometer error. I reverted back to the Honda's GPS because I found it more useful than the Zumo, and I can read it without reading glasses.

Didn't stay clean for long

Stopped just North of Yreka for a break where I took the picture above. I am very much aware that my endurance is off. I've been messing around with passing a kidney stone and recovering from from oral surgery which has had a minor effect on my stamina. Too, I have not ridden a lot of long distance days of late and my body is now used to the 450 mile day. So I stop more frequently and that does not help with my planned forward progress. But, one must move on and in time, despite frequent rest stops, I make my destination for the night - a motel I have used on many trips and call it a night.

There is a new Mexican restaurant and Tequila bar by the motel and I eat a very fine Carne Asada before bed. Not a bad day in reflection and I doze off. I think the residents of the rooms adjacent to me must have had more that their allotment of Tequila at the bar next door. The one fellow slams the door open, rampages around his room, turns the fan on in the bathroom and after a while must have passed out. His bathroom fan just kept running - and it was loud. The two guys in the other room got into a lover's quarrel of some sort - "No you don't love me, you just use me for sex and I HATE you!" "But I do love you, and I bought you the car and..."

Oh, Fuck Marty. After about 30 minutes of this and the fan and now being wide awake I tried banging on the wall - I shouted "He does love you! Can we now get some sleep?" and they were quiet for a while but started back up as I was dozing off.

I'm out of here.

It is about 0255 and I get the bike going in a balmy 61 degrees. I discovered a neat thing about the Honda - the headlights are awesome! BMW bikes have good lamps, and the Xenon are especially nice, but they don't hold a candle to the lamps on the Goldwing. I'll keep the bike just for the ability to ride at night, and in fact they give me confidence to do so on this trip. I have lost a good bit of night vision due to Glaucoma and now typically stop riding before dark - at least I thought it was the Glaucoma which is a factor - but now I think it may also be the equipment I have been riding.

In any case I'm rolling down the freeway and notice a car behind me keeping pace. Seems odd as the recent few who appeared behind me zoomed past in a hurry. This one follows me into the gas station and it is a Highway Patrol guy. Quite nice concerned with my welfare. He paced me as he noticed my speed varying (I was messing with the cruise control) and was curious if I had ridden through the night. Told him the motel story and explained the speed variance he noted. He confirmed my speedometer error too.

Got breakfast and then joined the madmen going to work in Sacramento's rush hour. Past that and I fought with my GPS that wanted to reroute me down route 99. It gave up when I got south on I-5 and there was no option for it. Essentially day two of the pilgrimage is a slog down the Central Valley, stopping for water, stopping for gas, stopping to eliminate water, stopping because I was sleep deprived, and stopping in Barstow, CA because I could not make Needles due to fatigue.

I remember Barstow, CA from cross country trips in the 60's and 70's while I was in the Air Force. It was a dump then and remains so today; at least the part I encountered. I planned for a Motel-6 but passed that up based on its appearance, and cruised around looking for something reasonable. In the end I landed on the motel with the best looking sign. It is owned by what I guess to be an Indian family and it is inexpensive. The smell of food - good food - wafts from the room in back of the registry area and I realize I'm hungry. The room is 1950's motel and clean but has one of those air freshener things plugged in that make it stink a sickly flower stink. It gets unplugged.

As I'm drifting off to sleep, I hear singing. Two men in harmony singing what I suppose are songs from their homeland. It is very beautiful and in stark contrast to Rap Music. Later however, a whole bunch of folk begin to sing - like 30 of them - Holy Crap! Not again! It ends in time and I do sleep some.

My third day is looking up. It is clear and 40 degrees. The stars are out and the moon is almost full, and I have the freeway almost to myself. The Mojave is spectacular in the sunrise and I finally get one of the joys that motorcycling gives me. I simply love the transitions from dark to light and have every minute of it before gas and coffee in Needles. The first part of Arizona is very pretty and I am enjoying the ride today in contrast to the previous two days where I felt tired and should not be trying to ride so far. Today I can ride forever. The big Goldwing is comfortable, though my back hurts in the unfamiliar seating position, and it holds the big road just fine with ample power to get the job done. Weather protection is about right. I am having trouble with a speaker in my helmet though. The left one is pushing against my ear and it hurts, so I pull off in Seligman, AZ to get gas and fix the offending speaker.

While I'm mashing the speaker around, I notice a building called the Road Kill Cafe. Hmm, I've seen this before somewhere, and then dismiss it. Back on the bike, and a bit farther into town, and it all returns. The Discovery Channel had a bit on Route 66 and how portions of it remain to travel on, with sections becoming tourist places. Seligman is the place featured as an example in the program. There are tour busses all over the place with people all over the street taking pictures. I have to hit the horn to get them to move and I hollered at one of them that he could become a menu item down the road. He just gaped. Low IQ, I think.

Have to stop outside Flagstaff, AZ to really fix the helmet. Out comes the pocket knife and rest area surgery is accomplished to relieve some foam from the cheek pad. Ahh, that's better. Problem is, I have a 760 mile day planned to get to Socorro, NM and I have a long way yet to go - these stops mean I might not make it.

Inside the NM line, by Gallup, there is a superb rest stop with an information building. I waste time here as I need the rest. Neat people to talk with and great representatives of their NM. I also discovered this tucked away in a corner:

The New Mexico - a model of a new Fast Attack submarine. Info here: http://ussnewmexico.net/ I sure like this state already. Time to go, but first I have to have a chat with a retired guy from Everett who now lives in South Dakota. He's headed there to hunt pheasant.

Tired, I decided to stop in Grants, NM for the night and get a good night's sleep. I can make up the 90 miles in the morning. I sleep like a baby. No lover's quarrels, no ethnic sing-songs, just quiet.

It is COLD in the morning. 37 degrees. But the stars and the moon are out, and it is supposed to warm up to about 70 today. Gerbing jacket on, grip heaters on, seat heater on, headlights blazing, heavy metal tunes playing, 80 mph. Hell yes! And then we get to the turn off just as the sun begins to rise. More wondrous sights and colors plus a two lane road for a welcomed change. Nothing out here either. Decent!

Los Lunas is at the junction with the south bound freeway for Socorro so I dine at Denny's, drink a gallon of coffee, and then head south. Socorro is reached in short order and I stop at McDonalds for more coffee and to figure out my next move. There I meet a fellow on an R1100RT who used to be a VP in the Clymer Manual business. He's retired and also headed for the Trinity site. We chat for a while and then get going. It turns out my stopping last night when I did was a smart move. I had not anticipated the public interest in the Trinity site and every room in Socorro would have been occupied by the time I would have arrived.

Basically we just followed the crowd headed where we were headed and eventually got to the guard shack where ID was checked and entrance granted. The ride into the trinity site is about 17 miles and it is a lumpy road. Remember all the coffee I drank? Well it now wanted out, and became more insistent with each bump. I felt like a 4 year old in the mall who has to piss real bad and his mom can't figure out why he's being an asshole. But a real man can hold his urine, so I do.

One thing becomes apparent to me. The landscape is very different. It must be that the government has had no development on this land since the 40's and it has remained relatively pristine - untouched. The vegetation is lush and tall, in contrast to what I have been seeing elsewhere. There are flowers, and it is green, and there are large cactus around. Even got critters called Oryx roaming around.

There are people everywhere. Huge parking lot full of vehicles, motorcycles, and busses. The parking lot folk guide motorcycles to special spots which is quite considerate. I have a little distance to walk, and man do I have to go pee!

The busses can take you to another exhibit

I find the porta potty and damned near fill it. Then I begin the trek into Ground Zero. I have a few pictures, but you can get the real info here: http://www.wsmr.army.mil/wsmr.asp?pg=y&page=576

Replica of 1st A Bomb


There is a story here with a B-29 stenciled on that vest - mystery is best though - so I don't ask

Jumbo - not hurt by the blast, but later blown up by conventional munitions. IIRC Jumbo was to encase the bomb and trap any radioactive stuff if the detonation failed. The development team gained confidence in the detonation and decided to not use Jumbo. It was unharmed by the explosion - about the only thing unharmed.

OK, been there, done that, and got the wife a T-Shirt that says so. Time to move on and reflect on it all later. I had thought to visit Roswell, NM and check out the alien scene but that is 280 miles out of my way and the day is late. Over lunch I decide to just start the ride home and with that punch "Home" on the GPS. I back track through the stuff I rode through in the dark. It is as if I had not been there before so I am not unhappy. New Mexico is a place to visit again and it is amazingly picturesque. By Nightfall I am in Gallup, NM and call it quits with almost 600 miles piled on for the day.

I have reverted to my typical riding strategy and leave before sunrise after a motel room coffee. Today I am on two lane roads headed to Price, UT and ultimately Burley, ID. The weather forecast isn't encouraging though. Utah expects high winds with gusts up to 60 mph and there is rain expected - maybe thunder storms. Maybe I should have gone home the way I came. Too late, I'm committed, and I get this as a reward:

I'm traveling through Navajo land and it is interesting to see the old buildings made of timber sitting next to newer modern style homes. The older structures look like they could last hundreds of years and they fit the landscape, and the newer dwellings just seem out of place. I notice too, the graveyards. Each seems to have a few graves marked with a large American flag. The wind is strong making each flag stand out proud. I assume these mark the graves of modern warriors, and I like that these people so clearly honor them.

The Navajo have a big gathering in the town of Shiprock this weekend and I missed the main festivities that happened on Saturday. The wind is so fierce, that litter and garbage and dust is blowing everywhere, and I feel as if I'm riding through the local dump. Not an indictment, just a statement about the wind. There is a real dust storm in town and with all this stuff swirling around in the air, it is pretty weird with all the people milling around in the midst of it. Shiprock is a pretty town too, so there will be a massive clean-up effort after the festivities are over. Regardless, I'd come back and visit. Here's why: http://www.nmmagazine.com/kingoftheroad_shiprock_oct09.php

I run with an 18 wheeler all the way to I-70 where I turn west and he east. It is the only real chatter I have on the CB and it begins with him asking if the wind makes it hard to ride the bike - it is all over the place with the gusts of wind that become stronger with each mile. I say not really as the big bike is like a sailboat with a good keel. The hard part is keeping my head on - the wind just wants to take my helmet and twist my head off.

Headed west on the freeway simply scares the crap out of me. The wind is fierce, and it looks like the nastiest rain is about to descend on me. But it isn't rain. It is dust. Dust bowl dust.

The good news is I get a 50 mph tail wind once I turn north again headed for Moab and for once the Goldwing gets 50+ mpg instead of the typical 40 mpg. The fuel economy is about the only thing I dislike about the bike, and a 200 mile range is kind of sorry, but I can add an aux fuel cell if I really want more range so if that is all there is to complain about I'm a pretty happy guy. The transmission sounds like a truck tranny so I have named the bike "The Big Red Truck".

Moab is reached quickly and then on for Price, UT and then the big up and down over the Wasatch range. I decided to change into rain pants at Price, UT as it seemed the stuff ahead was no longer dust but for real rain. And it was. 40 degrees and cooling and at about 7000 feet it started. Light at first then as I turn north on the freeway for Salt Lake City it becomes a serious downpour. It is dark from the clouds, pissing rain, and there is standing water everywhere with police cars on the side of the freeway with their lights on trying to get the locals to slow down. I don't think it was working. I got real cold and pulled off to get dry gloves and some warmth in me. My trusty iPhone weather software says I'm doomed to this for hours more and it looks like snow ahead of me.

Back on the road, I ask the south-bounders about the road conditions ahead and get the good news that is it snowing in Burley, ID which is/was my destination for the night. Time to bail and consider the options. The girl at the desk asks how I'm doing. "I'm wet". And she goes about getting me a room. The first thing I do is hit the shower and thaw out. Then I go in search of food and coffee.

A break in the rain - snow up there - Hmmm

The Weather Channel weather forecast is grim. Snowing up ahead of me during the night and expected to be cold in the morning. No alternate routes. I decide to sleep in and leave just before sunrise at about 0630. I drink orange juice and coffee in the motel dining room and avoid the "food". It is 40 degrees out with light snow falling as I gas up. On the freeway things are better - the snow has turned to hail, and it is a tad bit slippery but I ride out of it in about 5 minutes. It is now 36 degrees and we are headed uphill and it gets colder - down to 26 degrees by Snowville.

The road is dry however and I haul ass - and heated seats, grips, and jacket make stuff comfortable actually. As we near Idaho the snow becomes evident with accumulations of about 5 to 10 inches everywhere except on the road bed. I expected some ice but there was none I detected and I just rode and rode and rode till Burley, ID. I decided, during a quick breakfast, that I'd made the right choice. Trying to ride through a snow event like these folk had last night would have been nuts.

It remains around 40 degrees for a long time, and then begins to rain in Boise, ID - but it is a light rain in contrast to last night. It is a short hop from Boise to Ontario, OR where I get gas and it has warmed up to 50 degrees. Now we are back into the pain of riding through Oregon. The bike has been running 85 all day and now.....not 85. The big downhill to Pendleton, OR is at least fun and I do get to go 85 there - Whee! I love sweepers. And then the turn off for Washington.

Ordinarily, I have a down moment when I reach this spot in a ride. Actually, it is a little discussed thing in the long distanc rider circles. So much goes into an Iron Butt ride with the planning and the actual ride and then it is over. Each of us get a bit depressed. But not today. Even though this isn't an Iron Butt ride, I have covered a lot of miles today, and I'm not tired or uncomfortable and that makes me happy. I'm back to my old riding style and I feel fit to do it. I can't tell you how happy I am with that as I thought I had permanently lost the ability due to old age and sloth.

It is almost dark as I get to Ellensburg, WA and the final gas stop. I wanted to ride straight home but by North Bend - after dealing with idiot drivers - decided to stop for a bit. I called Laurie and she said "you have been making good time". Yes - be home soon. 936 miles on this last day in 14 hours.

Some observations: This was a shakedown ride on my Goldwing. I'm quite satisfied with this motorcycle. It handles well, with no bad manners, and it is comfortable. I can easily pile on big miles with the bike and all the stuff seems to work just fine. The radio is good, and the CB works very well with good range. I like the grip and seat heaters better than the BMW. Each has a range of temperature adjustment where the BMW is either warm or hot. I was able to find the right amount of heat for each device and make minor adjustments on the fly. Very nice. Short version: Stuff just works.

I even came to terms with the GPS. In most cases we ride to a destination each day such as a motel or a camp ground and, even using mapping software, tend to accept the route suggested. With the Honda GPS you simply pick a destination e.g. motel or some such, and hit the calculate button, then follow the directions. The point of interest file is well organized so you can search on Motel-6 and up pops a list through which you scroll to the one you want and hilight it as a destination or a via point. You can manage a route based on via points, but it takes a bit of doing i.e. patience. The screen is big and readable and it recalculates very quickly.

The Goldwing's fuel economy sucks. It gets 40 mpg. My back became less sore as the ride progressed because I focused on tightening my abdominals - what few I have left - and I quit using the AirHawk that put me in an uncomfortable position.

Long distance riding is an activity requiring conditioning like most endurance activities require. The only way to get conditioned is to ride long distances and work out the things that prevent you from doing it. I firmly believe you have to leave early in the morning and get in an hour or two before breakfast. Eating too much makes you tired and want to stop. Breakfast can be traditional, but thereafter it is light, quick, and healthy stuff with lots of water consumed as you ride. And you have to ride, get gas, ride, get gas, ride and stop only when you have to and for as short a time as possible.

An iPhone is a must. I can monitor weather maps, forecasts, and other essential things one should do when riding late or early in the year. The 21st century does have some good aspects to it.

As for the Trinity Site; well I'm glad I finally got there. I expected few visitors but was wrong - there were hundreds of people there with a long line of folk coming in as I left. I bet it is busy all day. There were a lot of older folk, but the interesting thing were the hordes of young folk, some with baggy pants and hardware coming out of their faces. Chatty as they walked in and not so chatty on the walk back to the parking lot.

I had no spiritual experience, and I decided I didn't need my own A-Bomb; I'd rather just ride a motorcycle.