John and Karen's Journeys

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Ride to Qld xmas party Dec 08 : In the early hours of the Dec 15 2008 three Goldwings snuck out of Melbourne with the purpose of heading as far north and using every hour of daylight saving we could to be as close to Bribie Island for the clubs Xmas party. This ride was covered in secrecy as the planning for it only happened on short notice. The cool ear ly morning r ide out of Victoria was uneventful with some nice views along the way. The trip was proceeding as planned with all necessary human functions happening on fuel stops, made for a very quick trip and it was planned to be well into NSW or QLD by night fall, however this all came to an end just north of West Wylong when John B had a flat. (See other story by John and Marg) This brought about the need to blow our cover and a phone call was made to Clint ( certain threats to Clint’s life were made if he blew our cover further) about the need to secure a tyre changing slot for Friday afternoon in Brisbane this was not required as the tyre blow out and John and Marg were not able to go any further and had to return to Melbourne where another set of events unfolded. After some decisions were made, Steve and I continued on and with a short cut taken just north of Dubbo we made up some lost time and stayed the night in Coonabarabran. The next morning saw us up early and on the road forging our way across through Warwick and on up to Brisbane city and on out to Bribie Island arriving around 2.00pm in the afternoon. With a few quick hellos and a trip to the local watering hole to gather some refreshments the pool was starting to look good and this is where the afternoon ended, in the pool. The Xmas celebrations continued over the Saturday with great company and catching up with the rest of the QLD crew. The Saturday saw us take a quick trip to the Eumundi markets and some great orange juice was needed as the day was getting hotter and hotter. The dinner on Saturday night at the Bribie island RSL was a very good night again of catching up with those members that came on the Saturday afternoon and saw us back at the motel in the traditional circle telling tall stories and having a good time with great like minded people. During this day a phone call from John B told me about his mishap on the Monash Freeway which put a bit a dampener on the trip as the last thing you want is good mates to go down, luckily he and Marg are OK and will be back on YELO 1 soon. Sunday morning saw us head out at 0500am and head up over the mountain to Toowoomba, the air was fresh and excellent morning for r iding the intention today was to get as far south as possible during the trip Steve and I discussed taking Thunderbolts way as we did not wish to go via the Newell Hwy again as West Wylong seems to get us every time. With decisions made we made our way down Thunderbolts way with some beautiful views up and over the mountains we side stepped Sydney and made it into Goulburn for the night. The next morning was a bit later start with us getting on the road at 06.30 and heading straight down the hwy to home with us reaching Melbourne about 3.00pm with Steve getting home about 4.00pm.

Ride to Qld xmas party Dec 08

In the early hours of the Dec 15 2008 three Goldwings snuck out of Mel ...

Updated: Dec 15, 2008 7:45pm PST

Jul 08 to now : This gallery will be of our rides in 08/09 around Vic and Qld and where ever else the journey takes us.

Jul 08 to now

This gallery will be of our rides in 08/09 around Vic and Qld and wher ...

Updated: Jan 02, 2009 9:36pm PST

Rides in 07/08 : Easter 2008 saw us travel to Tasmania with our friends John and Marg and cover the roads we did not cover the last time we were over there. This trip saw us visit the styx valley wilderness area and then on out to the Gordon dam and Lake Pedder. Lake Pedder would have to be the one of the most beautiful sites i have seen in our travels it is a must see if visiting Tasmania. Hope you Enjoy the pics

Rides in 07/08

Easter 2008 saw us travel to Tasmania with our friends John and Marg a ...

Updated: Sep 21, 2008 3:23am PST

USA Trip of a life time Sept 07 : 2 Bikes - 4 States - 14 days - 4,000 klms The thought for this ride started in 2005 when it was decided that we would like to ride a wing around some of the USA. And so the planning started, there were airlines to be booked bikes to be hired and accommodation to be booked and what dates would we go all questions with not many answers. To answer some of these I started with the forums on the internet of many sites to ask to what would be the best circuit out of LA. It is truly amazing to the kindest of some people never ceases to amaze me on one of the forums I met Dave and Dave sent across maps books and had marked out places to see etc. We now had the circuit and had added a true friend to our family as Dave would meet up with us later in the ride. In the early days of planning it was going to be just the two of us after another couple could not come we planned the trip for just Karen and I, in a causal conversation with a friend in QLD well into the planning stage he asked if we would mind if they came and Karen and I were delighted to have another couple come along for the trip of a lifetime. The trip now would be John, Karen, Clint and Charleen. With air travel all sorted the trip started on the 2 Sept 07 with us surviving the 15 hours of flying from Australia and settling into our motel close to the pick up of the hire bike. Note: Clint and Charleen due to different flights arrived a couple of days before us and went riding and would meet us in Morro bay) Day 1 LA Today our aim was to pick up the bike from Eagle Riders and prepare our helmets (which we bought with us from Australia) and GPS. The Hotel we stayed was kind enough to store our bags until we returned 14 days later, with bags packed bike ready to go, we both relaxed before heading out tomorrow. Day 2 LA to Big Sur Today we had to meet Clint and Charleen at Morro Bay, We headed out to fight our way through the LA traffic as we had been to LA before we knew what we were in for and to our surprise we made it to the Morro bay in good time. After our greetings and a quick run down on there four days we were underway up Hwy1 and the coast road to Big Sur. The ride started out warm, but soon turned cold as a mist was gathering off the coast. With the sweepers of Hwy 1 rocking us back and forth and the cool mist and hot air forming to give us a beautiful display of fog and coast line scenery. The road then started to climb into some hills and you could not miss the opportunity to stop at the overlooks to take pictures of the misty ocean of which to this date we had only seen in magazines. We found our stop at the Big Sur Inn and we settled in to our delightful little cottages set in the woods. They are very old fashioned, having not changed at all in the 11 years since we were there last on our honeymoon. Day 3 Big Sur to El Portal Today we intended to travel across to Coulterville and then on to Yosemite, the ride up the rest of the coast was as breathtaking as the day before we then head for Yosemite Blvd, east of Modesto and across the plains, with the smells of the produce growing in the areas of California we take some breaks before we stop at the, The Jeffrey Hotel and what a step back in History it was for us. You could imagine being there in the 1800’s and the roar and beer spilling that would have happened in the bar and of course the occasion gun fight. After pulling ourselves back to the 21 Century and riding our modern day horses off into the distance towards Mariposa we had all had a sense that we had traveled back in time. After traveling up Hwy 49 and winding our way to the top we head down into Yosemite and our stay at cedar lodge. Day 4 Yosemite area Our plans today were to spend the day exploring Yosemite National park and WOW! What a day it was our first visit was to Mariposa Grove of Sequoia trees and a trip on the tram through the grove, it is good to see we humans are learning to preserve for the next generation what a great wonder to have trees of this nature and type. Our second stop was Glacier Point, and the magnificent lookout that takes your breath away it seems as if you do not have enough eyes in your head to see it all in one hit. Glacier Point sits at 7700 feet, we worked out we were above the height of Mt Kosciusko (Australia’s highest point) and the top of Half Dome is another 1100 feet up on that. We were to learn later as we traveled we would go higher. We then made our way back down onto the Yosemite Valley floor, what a spectacular drive up the valley floor that was. But the day was getting on so we had no time for exploration after a well earned cup of coffee we headed back to our motel rooms in the dark, very carefully on the bikes. Day 5 Yosemite area Today saw us having a rest day as each of us went our own ways to explore the magic of the Yosemite. Karen and I traveled and explored the falls and some of the buildings and finally meeting Clint and Charleen for dinner. What a way to end a visit to Yosemite National Park with a beer with friends to discuss the next days riding. Day 6 El Portal to Tonopah Today we left the beauty of the Yosemite National park and headed over Hwy 120 to Tonopah however there were still some breathtaking beauty yet to see has we traveled the roads as we headed out. Firstly up and through three tunnels and lots more climbing from 1500 ft on the valley floor, we were soon at 7000 ft. Then it curves around behind the Half Dome and continues to climb. There isn't much undergrowth here, just pine trees on granite which has been scraped into smooth curves by past glaciers. Sitting on the smooth rock are lots of large boulders, left there when the ice melted. Add some stunted pine trees that appear to grow straight out of the rocks and that's a lot of the landscape. Then around a corner and there's a lovely large meadow, or perched dam we continued climbing and nearly made it to 10000ft but not quite. At about 9950 it topped the ride and we began to go down. And boy did we go down. We caught up with some Kiwis traveling in an RV. Never thought it would be nice to hear a kiwi accent, but it is almost like being home. We soon arrived in Lee Vining and decided on advice to do the June Lake Loop. We were glad we did. It reminded us of the Snowy Mountains of Australia and we started to feel a little home sick but we still had more roads to go and sites to see. With us arriving to Tonopah a town which seemed as through it was slowly shrinking into the desert. Again a memory of home as Cooper Pedy in Australia is similar in character. Day 7 - Tonopah to Cedar City We arose early this morning as the ride today was going to be long and from all reports US6 through the Nevada Desert was boring, but as visitors to this part of the country we found beauty in every hill and valley as we passed through it we were amazed at the changing colors of the mountains. As we approached Area 51 district, could clint have been assaulted by aliens - maybe. He had been informed that the GPS receiver might not work, but he didn't really believe that. Imagine his surprise when under a wide blue clear sky came the message "Lost satellite reception.". Huh? It happened! He rattled the aerial but nothing. Hmmm. He pulled alongside us and using sign language inquired if ours was out as well. We are using identical GPS receivers. I gave Clint the thumbs up Oh! So no aliens, just his old GPS receiver playing up again. After some swearing and a lot of button pressing, it came back to life with a re-start and everything was ok. But why just there, just then? Cue Spielberg music. Shortly afterwards we came across the little town of Rachel. The Extra Terrestrial Highway sign now has a little Australia flag sticker to add to the sign. After a nice stop and cool drinks (lemonade here is great), we headed to Caliente and on to Cedar City. We were early so were deciding whether to go look at nearby Zion's Kolob Canyon, but a big storm put that idea to rest and we decided to have an easy afternoon. Day 8 - Cedar City to Ruby's Inn via Zion Canyon Well, what a day. Not too many miles, but we sure did see some sights. It started with a short run down I15 to Kolob Canyon. What great colors and beauty and was a precursor of what was around the corner in Zion. We then headed into Zion National Park what an amazing park, all sandstone walls and canyons. We took the shuttle through the park and found it was a great way of viewing the sights and again there didn’t seem to be a viewfinder in a camera bigger enough to take what you see with your eyes as we headed out Dave advised us to take the walk just as we came out of the tunnel and again what great advice. The view in front of you is amazing and one that you could spend all day watching the changing shapes and shadows, however we had miles to cover and with Zion still clearly in our minds we headed out towards Ruby’s Inn. Now you call this fate or good planning but from thousands of miles away I had organized to meet Dave who had rode 900 miles to meet us at ruby’s inn and as we pulled up to check in an orange 1800 pulled in behind us and the booming voice of Dave was there to greet us. (What planning) Day 9 - Ruby's Inn to Torrey As we arose today we were not aware that today for us would be a one of the best days of the trip, with an early ride down to view sunrise over Bryce Canyon with the sun reflecting through the Hoodoos it created a look as if the valley was a hot set of coals from a fire. Again a memory not to forget we headed back to ruby’s inn for breakfast. The ride today was lead by Dave and we found our selves taken on a ride through some of the surrealist country we had seen, first there was Escalante staircase and one towards Boulder where after lunch Dave took us for a detour up Burrs Trail and with WOW’S coming from the back seat it was amazing to see the red rocks and formations that had been caused by years of erosion, with no traffic we just rode and took it all in, as we arrived at the end of the road the weather was turning and rain was coming so with that we headed out and got back on the main road and headed to Torrey. Arriving in Torrey we meet up with Jack from Albuquerque who we had escorted around on his and Deane’s trip to Australia earlier in the year we were not going to meet up with them until the Goose necks but Jack decide to ride up to meet us and ride with us, dinner that night was the end of a great day of riding with new friendships made from thousands of miles between us. Day 9 - Torrey to Page Today saw us head for Hanksville on Hwy 24. We were travelling through Capitol Reef National Park. Once again we were riding through high red sandstone canyons. Then it opened out to several grey muddy-looking hills that would seem to melt under the first rainstorm, but have been like they are for a long time. Not long after we went by some large mesas with their eroded parts looking like a mining site with large heaps of slag. But it is all natural. We soon got to Hanksville where the servo office is set in to the rock. Even the bathrooms were carved out of the rock, but finished off quite modern and clean. Dave was to leave us here and head north for his home in Colorado, but after checking his GPS he worked out a way to stay with us for the next section then turn off about 100 miles later. It meant a 600 mile road home from here, but he is on a GoldWing, so no worries. So we all headed out on Hwy 95 to the south and toward Glen Canyon National Park. After a bit of flat ground we came into the canyon. This again had us aussies comparing Australian sites and again we can only describe this way Take Australia's Kings Canyon,(big for Australia) multiply it by hundreds, add a river or two and you are getting close. A stop overlooking where the Dirty Devil River meets the Colorado River and begins to form Lake Powell gave us a good overview of the scale. Then it was down to the river crossings and head up the other side, then follow the Fry Canyon and Natural Bridges National Monument areas. Just cruising with heads swinging side to side taking in the views. When we reached the turn-off to Hwy 261, it was time to say good bye to Dave and thanking him did not seem to be enough. We depart knowing that we are sure we will meet again one day. So the three bikes headed south for 23 miles to the Moki Dugway, but we were not alone for long. Now the Moki Dugway is a very special piece of road. We were travelling on relatively flat ground, but had hints of large canyons in the distance. Then we came across the dugway, where the road simply goes over a 1000ft drop-off and twists and turns down the cliff face to the floor below. The first sharp corner down has a lookout and waiting there were two shiny GoldWings. Deane, from Albuquerque, and his friend Dennis had ridden up the Dugway to meet us and show us the sights on the way to Page. Deane, we had met before when he and Jack came over to Australia, down the Moki Dugway we went - very carefully - only the corners were paved. Then out along the flat valley floor and stopped to look back at the cliff face. The road we were just on was almost impossible to see in the vastness of the ragged cliff face. A little further along we turned off for Goosenecks Park, a fascinating little park which overlooks where the San Juan River does some very tight turns in its path. After that we went to Mexican Hat, and then on through the magnificent Monument Valley We called in to the visitors centre, set on a ridge overlooking several of the structures. The rest of the afternoon was a long, hot 140 mile run through the Navajo reservation to Page, Arizona, and our stop for the night. All in all a fascinating day, with a very high WOW factor rating. Day 10 - Page to Grand Canyon North Rim Jack, Deane and Dennis left us here to return to their homes in Albuquerque, so after thank-yous and goodbyes, we were on our way to the Grand Canyon, Just the two bikes once more. We headed out of Page on Hwy 89 and climbed a great range or red rock, and then through the other side there was a scenic pull-out, overlooking the vast plain below. We could see the great crack appearing in the plain - the start of Grand Canyon. After a while the red range petered out and we started up another range. This was much less red and we climbed up for quite a while. We were rather surprised that this area was pine covered hills rather than desert as we expected for the Grand Canyon. But apparently the northern side is different. At Jacob Lake, we turned onto Hwy 67 and headed south, still climbing. We went up to over 8000ft, which is about 4000 above where we had crossed the Colorado at Navajo Bridge. Pretty suddenly, we came upon the Canyon. This was to be a special place, as we had gone to great trouble over a year ago to phone through in the middle of the night to get us a reservation. We were successful and we had one of only four cottages that are perched on the edge of the canyon. We can see the South Rim where we will be tomorrow - 10 miles away. Day 11 - North Rim to South Rim Back on the road again and today we were are heading to the south rim, only a short day today. Actually we've ended up only 10 miles from where we started, but it took us 217 miles to get here. Something about a canyon in the middle!!. We followed Hwy 89A and headed south along 89 until we hit the turn-off to Grand Canyon South Rim, Hwy 64. It wasn't long after we came to the National Park entrance, showed our passes and in we went the road took us west along the rim with glimpses over the side every so often, 23 miles to our hotel. We looked around the south rim and noticed the amount people compared to the Nth rim we preferred the Nth rim for its less people with pictures taken we prepared for the next day. Day 12 - Grand Canyon to Las Vegas via Route 66 To today, we head South on US180, then headed east on I40 for a while. After a while we turn off at Crookton to follow the iconic US66. After a short time we came to the town of Seligman which has a few souvenir shops and cafe's, mostly celebrating the Route 66 theme. We stopped at the Rusty Bolt, which has old pink Cadillac’s and dummies dressed in 50's styles. Heaps of nicnacs, but luckily we are riding bikes without much extra room. They then directed us to a couple of cafes, one called Road Kill Cafe - sounded good - and the nearby Seligman Sundries. Sounds a funny name for a cafe, but it was a great place to stop for a coffee. They even had Wi-Fi so we could update our blog. Seemed funny sitting in a 50's era cafe using wireless internet, but there you go. The couples running it were very friendly we had our photos taken to add to their scrap book and Frank even escorted us out of town in his old Ford tow-truck. Then it was quite a few hot miles to Kingman, AZ where, after briefly re-joining I-40, we turned onto US 93 north towards Las Vegas. On the way we went over the Hoover Dam, where the road winds down to below the dam wall then back up again. The temperature climbed to 104F once again as we cruised into Las Vegas. The traffic was busy until we turned on to Las Vegas Blvd, or "The Strip" then it turned atrocious. Little did we know that the parallel roads either side were virtually empty of traffic - everyone has to drive The Strip. So we crawled along getting hotter and hotter. That’s all for this part of the trip as we spent to the next day in Las Vegas and we went to a couple of shows and as the saying goes “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” Day 14 - Las Vegas to Los Angeles Today saw us heading back to LA and the last leg of our trip we stopped at Barstow to do some shopping and then made our way back to the motel that we stayed in on day one. Again geting back to the motel in LA traffic was made easier due to the GPS. The trip of a life time has come to an end. There is one thing for sure we will be back and in the mean time I think the following sums it all up This trip has been one of the most amazing experiences of our life. The people, the ride, the places, the views, the contrasts and extremes, the smells... the entire experience, is indelibly engraved deep within our spirit. Pictures and words cannot even begin to convey the powerful beauty and awe of what we have experienced on this ride. But none the less, we humbly display here some of the images and impressions we were able see and capture with our camera. Images and words that are just miniscule representations of scattered moments in time that collectively comprise our attempt to portray to you the beauty and wonder of our experience, and also act as a visual reinforcement to us of the internal memories of this trip that will last forever.(Soloquest, 1800 forum) Hi all we are home and have updated the pictures hope you enjoy J&K

USA Trip of a life time Sept 07

2 Bikes - 4 States - 14 days - 4,000 klms The thought for this ride ...

Updated: Oct 09, 2008 2:39am PST

AWRA Past AGM'S : This Gallery is made up of pictures from AGM's 2005 - 2006.

AWRA Past AGM'S

This Gallery is made up of pictures from AGM's 2005 - 2006.

Updated: Sep 21, 2008 3:27am PST

MISC Rides 2006/2007 : This gallery is pics from rides we did during 2006 / 2007.

MISC Rides 2006/2007

This gallery is pics from rides we did during 2006 / 2007.

Updated: Apr 25, 2008 10:18pm PST

AWRA Overnight Rides : This Gallery is made up overnight rides we have done as part of the AWRA.

AWRA Overnight Rides

This Gallery is made up overnight rides we have done as part of the AW ...

Updated: Apr 27, 2008 12:48am PST

MISC rides 2004/2005 : This Gallery is made up rides we have done during 2004/2005 to many locations in Victoria.

MISC rides 2004/2005

This Gallery is made up rides we have done during 2004/2005 to many lo ...

Updated: Apr 25, 2008 10:05pm PST

Deane and Jack's Ride 2007 : Deane and Jack are from Albuquerque USA, I first met Deane on the GWRRA forum and then on the 1800 forum as he was looking for info on Australia. After some emails back and forth with Clint(our friend in Brisbane) and myself, Clint met up with Deane and Jack and took them for a ride around Brisbane and beyond. They then made there way to Melbourne and a group us took them for a ride around Gippsland from the ocean to the mountains and ending at the ferry as they headed to Tasmania for four days. Enjoy the pics from our ride for more info and to keep up to date here is the link http://www.deanemototrip.com/Australia_2007/2007_Australia.htm

Deane and Jack's Ride 2007

Deane and Jack are from Albuquerque USA, I first met Deane on the GWRR ...

Updated: Mar 25, 2007 4:07am PST