Sister’s Centennial Ride

Random Thoughts on America

Sep 01 2016

OK, so here’s the situation, my parents went away on a weeks vacation…(bonus points if you just sang that in your head!) No really, here are my random thoughts about America and the things that I have seen on this trip. There is a lot of road kill out there. I mean A LOT. We have it in California, but not even close to the plethora of dead animals that I have seen so far. Skunks, raccoons, deer, opossums, birds, ground hogs?, and who knows what else…And the smell, well it is something special. The amount of corn that is[…]

Day 17 and 18: Bryce UT to Ely NV to Carson City NV. Hwy 50 The Loneliest Road in America

Aug 06 2016

Long stretches of desolation abound, be sure to watch your fuel and know you can make it to the next known stop. Take snacks and lots of water.-Sister’s Centennial Ride Guide Book This is the first sentence, or I guess I should say the gentle warning in our guide books. Highway 50 in Nevada has it’s claim to fame written on the signs you see along the way. “The Loneliest Road in America” So that is what we are up against for two days. Our guide book even says: Get gas wherever it is available. Stations are far apart. Very[…]

Day 16: Reminds me of a Taylor Swift song…

Aug 04 2016

In the 1980’s I loved Debbie Gibson. She wrote and sang her own songs, and played piano. So I have to admit that if I was a young teen today, I would probably love Taylor Swift. ( I am not saying I don’t like a lot of her songs now…but that’s not the point…) Before this cross country trip started, I joked with a few people that this trip kind of reminded me of some lyrics of a Taylor Swift song. “It’s either going to be fantastic, or it’s going to go down in flames!” I took creative license and[…]

Day 15: Page AZ to Bryce UT

Aug 01 2016

Yesterday was one of our longest days, today would be one of our shortest. Again our goal was to get up early and try to beat the heat. We drove over the “I hope you are not afraid of heights bridge” that leads out of Page. (OK it has a real name, Glen Canyon Bridge) My picture doesn’t do it justice. It really is a deep canyon, and I am sure some people get the heebee jeebies going over that bridge. Frank and I went our separate ways not too far out of town. He decided to go down a[…]

Day 14: The Million Dollar Hwy Ouray, CO to Page AZ

Jul 29 2016

We had a long day ahead of us, as this would be one of our longest days at over 330 miles, as well as a day with the most dramatic landscape changes, and variety. Our plan was to get up early, have breakfast and get going. The city of Ouray looks like a little town you would find in the Swiss Alps. I was bummed we were only there for a short time. We departed, surrounded by the Colorado Rockies, and it was cool and, are you ready…it started to rain. We donned our rain gear and hit the steep[…]

Day 13: Colorado Springs to Ouray CO

Jul 28 2016

Today’s journey took us away from Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak, and led us over another high peak, Monarch Pass, at 11312 ft. The sidecar rig chugged up that big hill pulling the weight, but we made it. The ski lift there was running to take summer visitors up for hiking and biking, but we kept moving on. We made sure to stop at the south rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, National Park. Very dramatic cliff views similar to the Grand Canyon. The type of lookouts that give you a hint of vertigo when you are at the[…]

Jul 23 2016

I’m taking a break from a long write-up since I am falling behind. I rode Frank’s bike around and he piloted the sidecar rig while we hit more beautiful scenery near Colorado Springs. Here is what we did today: 1. Garden of the Gods: Fantastic modern Visitors Center with many interactive displays in large touch screen form. The kids loved this place. The views and the short drive were stunning. I would love to come back here to go camping and hiking. 2. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument: Another great visitors center with lots of fun kids stuff, lots of[…]

Day 11: Pikes Peak

Jul 22 2016

Frank planned some vacation days to join us on the last part of the ride, and he met us in Colorado Springs last night. Today was a get up early kind of day. Today was an epic adventure kind of day. Today was the group ride up to the top of Pikes Peak. The night before it had rained as we were driving up to Colorado Springs CO. We were all cozy in our hotel not realizing what was going on up in the mountains above us. We dragged the kids out of bed, had an early breakfast and got[…]

Day 10: McCook NE to Colorado Springs CO

Jul 20 2016

OK. I am just going to come out and say it. Driving through Kansas is really boring. It makes Nebraska and Texas look exciting. The other thing I noticed is that every now and then they have these road closed signs that are similar to a railroad crossing bar. You know, the ones that are in the up position until a train is coming, then it swings down to block the road. Well, there are a bunch of these in Kansas…and no train tracks. At first I had no idea why they would need to close the road like that.[…]

Jul 19 2016

We spent the night visiting family in Nebraska and awoke to rain. Not again! It was not in the forecast, so I of course have to run outside AGAIN, to get stuff out of the sidecar and cover things up. I had even left our swimsuits out on their back patio to dry off, and those were now in the rain…oh the irony. This whole “weather” thing is kicking my butt. Since there is a bit of thunder and lightning I decide to wait out the rain, and we will boycott our mission to the family farm and head to[…]