Knock on wood in my few long adventures I've never had a setback due to illness or mechanical issues. I remember a writer for the magazine RIDER lived in Atascadero. Hate you had to deal with the CRAP on the last leg. But I know you survived. I had the same thing hit me for about 3 days while in Casper last week. Enjoyed the video Curt and RIDE SAFE OUT THERE!
Thanks for taking us along Kurt! It was fun! Maybe next year I'll get myself a week off and go! Hawthorne rally coming up though so I'll have a mini weekend ride.
You get -1 demerit for using a K in my name. I'l try to find some way to forgive you, because you're a good fan. But I'll need some time, though. 😉 I wasted so many years not spending time getting great rides in. It's too easy to let to let other things get in the way. And sometimes you need to. But don't let it keep happening like I did. I've gone SEVEN years between big rides more than once. I've vowed to never let that happen again. I just don't have that kind of time left and there are so many rides left in me yet to do.
@@Ride_0n I stand corrected Curt. Please accept my apology. Yeah, my last big ride was 2014. I was doing them yearly for a while but its been difficult to get out these past years so I used track days to supplement but going around the same 15 turns over and over get old. Thanks for the inspiration!
30 or 40 minute ride segments are sounding good to me at this point. I rode about 2 hours on Sunday with a brief standing stop and in retrospect think that should have stopped a couple more times. This has been a great Safari series. Thanks!
On my next ride coming up, I'm trying to make more shorter days. There's a few longer ones, but I'll really try to stop more. That's difficult for me, once i get going, sometimes its hard to stop. I'll just power through the pain. In this episode, there wasn't much pain, it was a short ride, but I was sick, although MUCH better than the day before. I wanted to get home. So I just hunkered down. Between butt pain, knee pain, hip pain, back pain, shoulder pain... many of the days on the SW Safari were tough. I found ways to manage the pain as best I could. But everyone's different. You know what you can do. I'm not sure you can find workarounds to help extend your range or not, but I'd keep giving it some thought.
That's really cold! These days, I won't ride if it's below 32F. Only exception is if it's briefly that while I'm navigating a pass. I really don't want to ride on ice/frost ever again.
Parts of 66 are great and have such character and charm. I've ridden most of what I did on this trip before and went back because I loved it and I was in the southwest. The El Rancho in Gallup and Oatman in particular. There's quite a bit of 66 left on my To Do list.
@@Ride_0n it's not Loway it's Ioway, my way of saying Iowa. It's right above Misery...I mean Missouri. To the north of us is the "Land of the Squareheads" ( Minnesota). Hang in there and Ride On brother
Been on 66 on my semi once or twice. 66 and business 44 on the east side of Joplin, Missouri are the same. Enjoyed the video Curt and RIDE SAFE OUT THERE!
I haven't done much of 66, but the section from Kingman to Oatman once you get to the mountains is top notch riding. And it's hard to beat the charm of Oatman, even without the burros, which I did not see the one other time I've been there. <scribbles down Joplin, MO for potential ride some day>
I've driven the road through Oatman a few times and was looking at homes in Kingman a few years ago. I really like northern Arizona. Thanks for the tour!
Bobby the Burro told me he misses you. Oatman is one of my favorite towns to viist. Great road on the Kingman side and just a neat place. I've only been there twice, sadly. But I will be back!
Love your content. I also know the video rules for the NPS are a pain, but given the number of people shooting videos in, and disrupting public spaces for TikTok, Instagram, and even RU-vid, I am thankful the parks system is kept as free as possible of video, drones and influencer culture. For every good and respectful guy like you, there are 1000 knobs that would take advantage of the situation. The last superbloom on state land was a prime example.
I wouldn't want to see a sea of influencers taking over our national parks, either. That would be intrusive. Not to mention all the silly dance moves we'd be exposed to.
Getting parts and service might be a bit tricky, but I'd love to take one for a test ride. Maybe next time Keanu and I meet up for coffee we can trade bikes...
Thanks for the video. Last month I rode my Victory CCT from Oregon to the GC where I hiked down to Phantom Ranch and the Bright Angel Trail... the hardest and most rewarding workout ever! I didn't video anything because I knew you and others would do better videos.
Wouldn't mind doing the RIM TO RIM hike. Are you serious? Keana Reeves and Brad Pitt gonna be in your next t video ?😅 Enjoyed the video Curt and RIDE SAFE OUT THERE!
The Grand Canyon was a bit of a disappointment for me. The views were partially obscured by haze and it was so big that it was hard to comprehend. The motel was fun. Thanks for the video.
My first visit there in 2015 to the north rim was a total bummer. I showed those pictures (world's worst grand canyone pics). This time around the pics were better, but it's SO big distance and haze does become a factor. I think to really enjoy the Grand Canyon, you need to spend 2-3 days there, do a bike, donkey ride, maybe a helicopter ride, etc. I'm glad that the nps.gov site provided some videoi I used in that segment for b-roll, because I think really helped spice it up. I'm a bit young to be a Route 66 kid. But I still love the nostalgia. The Burma Shave signs are so friggin cool. It's like going through a time portal to a simpler time. There are benefits to the times we live in, but it was much less complex back then. There will be more of Route 66 in the next episode. Roy's is classic, but motorcyclists will LOVE the ride to Oatman. It's a twisty mountian road and there is not one, but TWO donkey encounters. Someday, I think I need to do the whole Route 66 (what's left that you can do anyway) from Chicago to Santa Monica and make that a series. It would be a good thing to do.
@@Ride_0n I have explored much of Arizona in my truck and found Oatman to be fun. The road north out of town was great and there was one hair pin turn that was giving a group of Goldwings (a rental tour?) quite a bit of trouble. The Route 66 tour would be a great adventure.
Nice video! In 1973 our family vacation was to the Grand Canyon. We drove from Georgia in a big block Chevrolet station wagon and of course we hauled it out there! We were going to do the donkey tour but my two brothers and I were to young so Dad took us on the helicopter tour. We landed in the floor of the canyon at Havasu Falls. We circled twice before landing because there were some girls swimming nude under the falls! I was eleven years old at the time and I remember pressing my face against the side door trying to see the girls! This video brought back a lot of memories! Thanks for sharing and ride safe!
Dang, now I feel robbed. I saw no nekkid nymphs on my visit. Now I gotta go back! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the video. Inspiring rides and bring back memories of trips from the past are a big part of what drives me to make these videos. The section about Love's was about such a moment for me from a trip in 2014.
I feel you, man! I live in NM and ride a heavy Road King. It's always windy here, but the fierce winds come in the spring. I've found that speeding up makes for a better ride. But, whatever it takes to make a safe passage. Many times I've told myself, if I make this passage, I'm getting fries and a green chile cheese cheesburger!
Hello, nice to meet you. I'm posting from Japan. I appreciate you sharing your wonderful touring video. California Highway 1 is a great road. I have subscribed to your channel.
Tough to say, but the area around Prescott, Jerome, Sedona is about 1hr30min apart. there is a good road from the south leading into Prescott, a good road headin north to Flagstaff out of Sedona and a good road into Jerome. Of the three towns, Prescott probably gets snowed in in winter, Sedona is kind of a haven for rich snobs, so I'd go with Jerome. I've never eated or stayed there, but I get a good vibe from the town. Doesn't mean I'd want to live there, but I'd ride that area again no problem. East of Phoenix there's some great riding (Tortilla Flat), but that's a cauldron in the summer. There's some good stuff around Tuscon as well. I liked the atmosphere of Bisbee, but there's not a lot of good pavement around there as far as twisties maybe with good scenery. 191 north of Morenci (bypassed on this trip) is an awesome ride and scenic. Clifton (2 miles away) is a cool little town. The road from Kingman to Oatman is great. Scenery is dry desert, the town is probably the coolest town I visit on this trip (coming in 2 episodes) It's hard not to love the old western town. Not sure of the hotels. The burger I had at the saloon was good. It gets some good coverage in the upcoming episode.
Another nice episode. Thanks! I have visited all of the destinations and they are still interesting to me. I do realize now that the roads and environment get very little focus when in my car.
I didn't really enjoy the road from Yarnell to Prescott because my tries were not giving me confidence, so I kept my speed down considerably. But I think that road would have been a lot more fun if I had better tires. I can't wait to get rid of those MotoZ Adventure GPS tires. They last forever, though. 12k miles and plenty of tread still left.
Parts of Arizona are quite scenic. Don't go there now, though. At least the low lands. Phoenix averages 108F every day during summer. But Arizona has a fair amount of mountainous area where it's cooler.
The locals are right about the 191 it closes all the time because ice during the winter, it is a dangerous road when it’s dry ! The worst wind I ever encountered was on I-8 between Alpine and Jamul . It is very Mountainous and when I would hit a canyon the wind would blow me onto the shoulder I found out later the CHP closed the Interstate about 5 minutes after I passed Alpine .
Speaking of mens jacket, have one with the buttons on the opposite side. But i bought the jacket in the mens section and it said for men,i think i know why,but cant say it on RU-vid
Some great roads you are riding Curt. I'm assuming the number of bikes being seen on the road , has to do withe pleasant April Temps. I was home this past weekend and Temps in S. Alabama was hovering around 100 and the humidity who knows how much. I didn't even unlock the shed. Enjoyed the video Curt and RIDE SAFE OUT THERE!
"Old Guy" long distance rider here - In my personal experience, the very WORST thing to do in a strong (or gusty) side wind.. is to "slow down" ! It only make the problem(s) WORSE. Maintaining a good clip will shift the (apparent) wind vector more towards the FRONT of your bike, and increase the stabilizing gyro-effect of the front and rear wheels ! Most 'bikes will "heel into" the wind like a well-trimmed sailboat, no need to "fight" the wind with excessive handlebar input..
You don't want to go too slow, but you don't want to go too fast, either. 60 was my sweet spot given the strong gusts from the side. I just settled and rode the storm out. And yeah, I soooo wanted to use the REO song on that video. Love the intro.
The number of bikes on that road to Tortilla Flat lets one know that it is a good road. My sister spends her winters in Apache Junction. I will have to do some exploring in the area. Thanks for the video!
I live about 25 miles southeast of Phoenix. I have friends that live in Bisbee. I ride my Sportster down there quite often. If you go to Bisbee, definitely check out Lowell. Lots of wonderful old buildings, cars, and bikes. As far as Tombstone goes, it's not one of my favorite places. It's more of an amusement park than anything else.
Wind, the wind across U.S. 2 headed west 2 years ago almost blowed me over, memories of the ride. There are more beautiful rides/hwys than one from back east might think of being in Arizona. I always thought the LONELIEST HIGHWAY would be boring to ride across. Man was I wrong. You just settle in and enter your own world. Enjoyed the video Curt and RIDE SAFE OUT THERE! Foggot to mention the reuben sandwich and onion rings looked YUMMY!😂
I decided to skip the probably expensive OK Corral ticket and just meandered around a bit. I spent about an hour or so in Big Nose Kate's. It was hopping on a Saturday afternoon. I'd always wanted to go, but it's really far south. As I turned north into Bisbee, I was 8 miles from the Mexican border.
The copper mine in Morenci produces the most copper in North America and apparently has for a long time. Sorry for no pics in the diner. I guess I spaced. IIRC, the food was good, I'd eat there again. The name seemed quite appropriate for the town. I figured Spring would be a good time to hit the Southwest. It wasn't too hot. I did have a few concerns with snow at times throughout the whole trip, though.
