Motorcycling Coast-to-Coast

It was April of last year that I rode one of my most memorable rides, a coast-to-coast ride from Jacksonville, FL to San Diego, CA. For me, the idea of riding from one ocean to the other is a romantic notion, one that reminds me of wanderlust and adventure. It wasn't much of a casual ride, however. As a long-distance motorcyclist, it was a certification ride for the Iron Butt Association and one that combined my love of sitting in the saddle for a long time and general touring and traveling. I rode the 50CC (coast-to-coast in less than 50 hours) and took two weeks to tour the southwest, so that explains the combination. The weather and scenery could not have been any better and the experience could not have been any better, either.

I did make a couple of tourists stops in Arizona while en route. One stop was at Gila Bend to take a picture of the city limit sign and the other was at the Saguaro National Park to collect a cancellation stamp for the Master Traveler Award I completed last month. The cacti were in full bloom at the time.

Desert bloom, Tuscon, AZ. April, 2004.

One task for the ride was to collect water and sand from both coasts. This was the collection from the Pacific shore. I have water and sand from both oceans displayed in a wooden memento made especially for that ride.

The Pacific Ocean, San Diego, CA. April 2004.

This is Thor, my motorcycle (2001 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Standard), an ocotillo in bloom and me in Joshua Tree National Park.

The California Desert. April, 2004.

What would a ride into Nevada be without a cruise along Route 66??

Historic Route 66. Near Amboy CA. April 2004.