Monday, August 4, 2008

Epilog


My staff decided that the photo I published of my office was not representative of their efforts, so I have published a revised photo. I am going to try to post all of my photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/BMWRider1946

Here are some statistics about the trip. In 49 days we rode 15,562 miles, visited 41states, the District of Columbia and 2 Canadian provinces. We visited 59 national parks, national historic sites, national monuments etc in the US and six national parks in Canada. Our longest day was 718 miles. I made five different shipments of stuff home that I didn’t need. We visited the four corners of the United States including Everglades National park in Florida, Acadia National Park in Maine, Sequoia National Park in California and Olympic National Park in Washington State. We had significant rain a total of four days. The lowest temperature encountered was 42 degrees in Jackson, Wyoming and the highest was 113 degrees in the desert of southern California. The largest temperature fluctuation experienced in one day was from 42 degrees to 103 degrees.

Being an accountant and typically relating everything to numbers I would rate the trip 9.5 out of 10. Mostly because of time constraints, there were several parks that we were not able to visit which I have never visited before and I plan to get to these parks on future trips. My biggest disappointment, outside of not being able to visit all of the parks, was the conditions encountered in California. My biggest surprise was the constant beauty enjoyed in the Canadian Rockies. Several people have asked me about my favorite parts of the trip and I would have to say the Canadian Rockies, Montana and Acadia National Park in Maine. Tigger liked it all. I was also disappointed that my friend Ted could not join me for any part of the trip. While I was ready to come home to see Jane, Wrangler, my co workers, friends and family, I was not tired of motorcycling. I could get on the bike tomorrow and do it all again.

I find it interesting that at any age a person can continue to learn about themselves. I have the reputation of getting bored easily and almost anyone who knows me well would have bet that I would not have completed this trip. I would probably have bet against myself. So it was with no small measure of surprise that I found myself enjoying almost every minute of the adventure. We had a couple of bad days, mostly dictated by riding conditions, but even those days had their upside. Interestingly, a number of people asked about being threatened or any fears or concerns I had. Never once did I feel any threat from another person. The most intimidating moment of the entire trip was our encounter with the bison in Yellowstone.

For those of you with whom I attended high school, I thought of Ms. Hamilton every time I wrote a post. I know my spelling is no better than in high school (thank goodness for spell check) and my punctuation and grammar still suffer as well. I could visualize her from up above grading each post and likely still getting very frustrated.

I want to thank Jane for being so patient and understanding. After putting up with my antics since we were sixteen years old and being married to me for 39 years she has become tolerant of most of my idiosyncrasies and my sense of wanderlust. Also to my friend Mike Retherford who posted a comment about the honey do list I would encounter when I got home; surely you remember Jane grew up on a farm and is very self sufficient. After all, Doug ran his dad’s car through a barbed wire fence and into a corn field on our way home from that farm one night. I also want to thank my partners for allowing me the time away from work and my team for covering for me while I was off gallivanting around the country. Also, thanks to those of you who posted comments on this blog. Hopefully you enjoyed my periodic ramblings and I didn’t offend anyone. Lastly I want to thank my ever present companion Tigger who made sharing the experience much more enjoyable. Even a 61 year old accountant can still have a bit of imagination and enjoy some frivolity in his life. For those of you who think maybe I have gone a little off of my rocker, you just never realized that I have always been just slightly askew. I hide it well.

PS - I have decided to keep this site active and post from time to time when I take future trips or just feel like posting. I find I enjoy it and it can be quite cathartic.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Days 47 and 48





I'm back home safe and sound. It was wonderful to see Jane and Wrangler again. Wrangler was just a little unsure at first as to whom this stranger was, but within two minutes had a toy in his mouth waiting for me to play with him.

The past two days were mostly riding on the “super slab” just to get home. Of course the last day I encountered 11 different rain cells as I made my way through southern Georgia and Florida. I stopped so many times to put on and take off my rain suit I finally took off my riding pants and just kept on the rain pants. It was too hot and humid to wear both at the same time. I have learned it is not the heat but the humidity that makes things uncomfortable. Riding in temperatures of 105degrees with low humidity is much more comfortable than riding in 92 degrees with very high humidity.

I returned to the office with a celebration of my friend and companion, Tigger. As you can see by the picture, my co workers felt it was appropriate to congratulate him for putting up with me for the past seven weeks.

I will attempt to compile some statistical information and post an epilog of my trip over the weekend.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Days 44, 45 and 46

On Saturday evening Tigger and I looked at the map, looked at the calendar and decided it was time to head home. We could get the necessary national parks passport cancellation stamps and still basically head straight home. I had promised Jane I would try to be home by the end of July and if we headed home Sunday morning we could make it. The ride Sunday was great. I felt like I could have ridden for ever and Tigger pretty much slept the whole day. After 680 miles we stopped in the middle of Nebraska for the night.

Monday was a different story. First, we lost a head light. Then, we ran into wind so bad we had to stop. This is the first time I have ever stopped for weather but the wind was gusting up to sixty mph and we were riding lateral to it so we were being blown all over the road. A constant wind, even a strong one, is tolerable because you can compensate for it. But strong gusts are like being hit in the side by an unpredictable force and can be quite scary.

Today we stopped at a BMW dealership in Kansas City and had the light repaired and the oil changed for the last time on the trip. We should be good for the duration. The temperatures were quite warm and the humidity is much higher here than out west.

Since I have been focusing on getting home I have taken few interesting pictures. I will try to post a couple tomorrow as I can barely keep my eyes open tonight.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Days 42 and 43





I am posting days 42 and 43 together because I anticipated covering Yellowstone and Teton National Parks in one day. Yellowstone is a park that has several diverse areas and we wanted to visit several of them. Mammoth Hot Springs, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Old Faithful were our primary objectives. It took us about two hours to reach the entrance the morning of day 42 and once we were in the park we ran into construction delays, heavy traffic and hoards of people. When I started checking on lodging for the night I struck out completely so we made the decision to ride over to Red Lodge, Montana and stay at the Pollard Hotel. It was a fairly long ride, but it was over the Beartooth Pass, a road Charles Kuralt referred to as the most beautiful in America. Unfortunately we ran into construction delays here also. Saturday morning we decided to ride down through Cody Wyoming and enter the park from the east side. In Cody we rode past the store that made the now indispensable motorcycle bags designed by Ted. This ride was quite pleasant, but again, after we entered the park the traffic was very heavy. We did visit the locations we wanted and we saw bears, wolves, bison, antelope, elk, deer, and fox while in the park. This is a park in recovery from fires that wreaked havoc four or five years ago. Amazingly, the burnt areas are recovering quite nicely. I had visited the park the summer after the fires and I was surprised at the rate of recovery.

As we were riding we came upon a curve and I caught a glimpse of a slow moving row of cars coming in our direction. To our great surprise the fourth “vehicle” in that procession was a bison. He was trapped because he could not exit on either side of the road and this was one of the few times during our entire visit to Yellowstone that we were not behind another vehicle. So there we were heading directly toward one another and I didn’t know if I should stop, keep going or ditch the bike and run. A bison is quite a large animal and very intimidating when coming your way and it appears he has his eyes focused directly on you. Before I had time to make a decision, he was right next to us and apparently had decided we were not part of his dilemma so he trotted on past and we “got the hell out of Dodge”. Tigger was too amazed to be frightened, but my pulse rate was up 40 or 50 beats.

I don’t think I will visit Yellowstone again in July or August. The scenery is quite pleasant and the chance to see the animals in their natural habitat is wonderful, but for me the negatives can best be dealt with by visiting the park during a different time of the

Friday, July 25, 2008

Day 41



The word Montana evokes a certain image of mountains, wide open spaces, blue skies and a laid back way of life. (Or 20,000 screaming pre teens) The ride today was a confirmation of that image. The high peaks were on the horizon but the ride was still a motorcyclists dream. The horses seemed to almost be running free, the cattle were well fed and content and the streams were full of fly fisherman enjoying what could only be described as a perfect Montana day.

We did not make it to Yellowstone but we are close. There was “no room at the inn” as the West Yellowstone hotels were full for the evening. We did find a room in Big Sky at the ski resort. Ski areas are always somewhat deserted in the summer so it is possible to get a decent room for a good price.

Ted, my good friend and fellow motorcycle rider, is one of those individuals who does not lack in self confidence. He is always looking at a situation or product and saying “What were they thinking? I could have done that so much better.” About six years ago we were riding through Cody, Wyoming when we stopped at a western store. On the wall were some unique duffle bags so Ted asked the lady where she got them. She told him she made them and could make just about any thing any one wanted. So I told Ted this was his chance to put up or shut up. In five minutes he designed a bag for motorcycling. The bag was expensive and when he asked me if I was going to order one I told him I really didn’t need that expensive of a bag. After giving me an extremely hard time about being a cheap accountant he ordered one for himself and one for me. As it turns out, that bag is the best motorcycle bag I have ever seen. When preparing for this trip I ordered a new bag designed by a big company for motorcycle touring. Turns out I shipped that bag home yesterday along with a whole box of other stuff I have not used and kept the bag Ted gave me. The bag I kept is much more functional and well designed. Ted, I thank you and apologize for ever doubting you.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Day 40


Today I was able to get on the bike but not for long. It seems my little “problem” has not moved all the way through my system yet and I found myself looking at the map to see how close the next town and the next bathroom were. After my third stop with less than 45 minutes between any of them I decided to quit for the day and hope my problem would work itself out (pardon the pun) by tomorrow.

On one of my stops at a roadside rest area I was greeted by a swarm of the biggest mosquitoes I had ever seen. Because of the wet winter, apparently they are quite bad this year and I thought I was going to have to fight them off with a baseball bat. Since the rest area had an open pit toilet that was basically four walls with a roof and a lot of ventilation they had invaded the entire space. I didn’t even take off my motorcycle helmet because it offered some protection. So, there I was, motorcycle helmet on, pants down to my ankles and my digestive system in overdrive trying to keep these monsters from biting any of the more vulnerable locations on my body. I am happy to report that my struggle was successful so I am not walking around scratching my … well you get the picture.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a calmer day as I hope to reach Yellowstone National Park.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Day 39

I spent the entire day in bed. Got some type of virus and felt like ..... I spared you any photos. Tigger was bored but was good company.

Day 38





Glacier National Park is probably my favorite. Two years ago I did a bicycle ride through Glacier and the Canadian Rockies. Some of the territory I rode on this trip, I rode on my bicycle trip. I entered the park from the east side and proceeded to ride the “Road Going to the Sun”. It has to be one of the two or three most spectacular rides in the country if not the world. Much of the road west of Logan Pass is cut out of the side of a very steep mountain. There is a significant construction going on because the roads were built many years ago and they cannot accommodate larger motor homes.

There appears to have been very significant snow fall this past winter since the snow melt and glacier melt is much greater than when I was here two years ago in July. The flow makes the mountain streams and waterfalls that much more scenic. The parking lot at Logan Pass was a zoo. I literally saw people nearly get into fights over spaces. The good thing about being on a motorcycle is that they have separate areas where we can park.

Day 37



Today would be another day of mileage crunching. We were headed back to the good old USA. When we crossed the border there were two lines and of course I chose the line that moved at about half the speed of the other one. The questions they ask you are always the same. Why did you go to Canada? Do you have any booze? Did you buy anything you are bringing back? Why don’t they ask if I am a card carrying member of Al Kaida or have any miniaturized nuclear weapons? It seems like that would be important stuff to know as well.

We were riding with the Mountains on the horizon but the ride was still very visually appealing. Much of it was farming country and it seems hay is the major crop of the region. The farms in this part of the country would appear to be much larger than those in Indiana. While the summers here at quite pleasant, I would imagine the winter could be brutal. At a gas stop I spoke to a lady who was also a motorcycle rider and she was explaining to me that on weekends she sells crafts that she makes during the winter because that is pretty much all she can do between November and March.

Day 36




We awoke to temperatures in the mid 40s this morning. This is the coolest morning so far. We layered up as we prepared for today’s ride. Another day in Canada and another day of incredible scenery. We did pass several spots where there have been somewhat recent forest fires. The regeneration has already begun, but it is still a little difficult to see the dead trees so stark and barren.

I have found the Canadians in this part of the country to be very friendly and helpful. They always seem curious about the trip and have advice on local places to see and things to do. They do get a slightly strange look on their face when they see me with Tigger, but I just smile and say “grandchildren”. That’s easier than going into an extended explanation.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Day 35




Over the years I have had many great rides, but I have never had a day where the scenery was as spectacular from beginning to end as today. I don’t believe there was a time during the entire ride that we were not at a spot that was photo worthy. I have come to the conclusion that we should trade California for British Columbia. I was originally thinking about trading California for the entire country of Canada, but that would not be fair to the Canadians, and the French Canadians don’t even want to be part of Canada so I’m sure they would not want to be Part of the United States. The British Columbians would no longer need to post everything in English and French, but could keep the metric system at least for driving. As a matter of fact I thing we should convert the entire US to KPH rather than MPH. There is something really cool about looking at you speedometer and having it read 125. They would have to change the name of their two dollar coin though. Coins should have noble names, not be called loonies. Lastly, the Canadians could have the wisdom and experience of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

We did encounter a few of those mountain showers, but overall the weather was very comfortable. I would much rather ride in cooler rather than hotter conditions. After all, you can always add another layer, but you can only remove so many layers legally. And even if it were legal to remove all layers, I’m not sure the sight of me on a motorcycle in the buff would not create the same reaction that Godzilla used to create.

We did manage to visit four Canadian National Parks including Revelstoke which is the coolest name ever for a park. Tigger is thinking of naming the hundred acre wood after this park.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Day 34



Today we entered Canada. The lady at the border crossing asked me a number of questions about where I was from, why I was entering Canada etc. But she asked no questions of Tigger. He is, of course, a famous personality, and since he is “the only one” I guess she figured he had no ill intent.

As we proceeded toward Kamloops the road we were riding went directly through the mountains. This was a real treat since the traffic was light and the scenery was, once again, spectacular. We should be in this country for a few days. The batteries were dead in my camera so no photos today. I have posted a couple from previous days.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Day 33





Finally, no smoke. We stopped in Portland last night because I was tired and not in a decision making mode. After checking the ferry schedule from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island we made reservations for the 3:45 crossing and planned our route. I have been on the Olympic Peninsula before but always on the northern or eastern side. This time we would visit the western side along the coast. The temperatures were in the mid fifties when we left so I layered up to keep warm. Tigger does this thing with his fur to accomplish the same result. As we proceeded north and west it became cloudy which was expected. This ride was through very sparsely populated territory. The main industry here is logging and related enterprises. We passed at least three places where they made cedar shingles. When not in national forests the mountains are checker boarded with different timber growth cycles. These mountains are logged and replanted. It is sometimes difficult to look at a beautiful mountain that has one side stripped of its trees, but out timber has to come from some where. It is nice to have the national parks where these types of areas are preserved. We did manage to see the Pacific several times, but none of the views were exceptional.

As we made the turn from the coast to the northern side of the peninsula the clouds parted, the temperatures warmed to the low 70s and the sky was a deep blue. The first photo is a place we stopped along the road.

We had stopped in Olympic National Park on the western edge and stamped my passport but I really wanted to ride up to Hurricane Ridge because of the spectacular views. The attendant at the park entrance told me there was construction ongoing and they were recommending motorcycles not go through. I decided to take her advice and proceed on to the ferry. I did manage to get one picture form the approach road. The water you see is the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the hills in the background are Vancouver Island.

The ferry ride was fun. All of the motorcyclists were put in the same waiting line so Tigger and I were able to talk to other folks. The couple in front of Tigger was on their honeymoon.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Day 32






When we awoke today I feared I might have cursed the entire state of Oregon by being so critical of California. The smoke actually followed us during the night. I asked a local law enforcement officer if there were fires in Oregon and he indicated there were no significant fires in the state and all of the smoke was from their southern neighbor.

We headed for Crater Lake National Park on a road that paralleled the Rogue River. This made for a scenic ride up this green and fertile valley. The Rouge River actually has its origins at Crater Lake. As we were driving up I saw a turnoff for a short scenic hike to view a small gorge created by the river. What a unique place.

Crater Lake itself was, once again, shrouded in smoke. I took a few pictures but I got the same results as in Yosemite. I did get a few nice pictures of closer objects. Tigger has seen some snow in the hundred acre wood, but not as much as here and certainly not in July.

While driving through central Oregon I called Dick Kerkering, one of my firms founding partners, who lives near Bend. Unfortunately he was driving back form Portland so we could not get together for lunch. As I left Bend Mt. Hood became the dominant feature on the horizon. The photo was taken form the bike while in motion.

As I look back on the trip so far, one of my shortcomings has once again reared its ugly head. I am a loser. I know what you’re thinking – tell us something we didn’t already know. But what I mean is I loose things. More accurately, I forget things. I have already left one pair of good sunglasses someplace, one pair of pants in a hotel room drawer, one CD with photos of Yosemite in a bathroom at Yosemite and countless small items here and there. I constantly check my billfold and BlackBerry as well as all of my appendages to make sure I haven’t left them lay somewhere.

I passed 11,000 miles today on the odometer and it was over a month ago that I left home. It seems like my visit to Everglades National Park was in the distant past. I am looking forward to the rest of the trip, but I am also looking forward to getting back home.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Day 31






Tigger and I woke up to the smell of smoke in our room. I looked outside and the wind had died down and since the fire was so close the smoke had gotten much worse. We packed and got on the bike hoping to get some clear air as soon as possible. We were headed west toward the coast on the alternate route we had chosen. Along with the smoke, we were riding roads so curvy that the images on the GPS looked like an X-ray of my intestine. About 25 miles into the ride we came upon 150 fire fighters, give or take a few, and 40 or 50 pieces of fire fighting equipment. I stopped to ask if the road was open all the way through and they indicated it was but they had just extinguished a fire that started last night from some idiot who was too lazy to put their cigarette in the ashtray. The ground was still smoldering in spots.

As we approached the coast the weather turned significantly cooler. So much so that I had to stop twice to put on clothing. In addition we traded smoke for fog, but that is to be expected in the mornings along the coast. I was cold and needed a pick me up so I turned off of the main highway in Eureka to see if I could find a cup of coffee. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of something I thought at first was a mirage, but no – there it was – STARBUCKS! We went in and repeated our pleasure of several days ago.

First it was smoke and curves, then fog and cold then we entered the enchanted forest know as Redwood National Park. The ride through these giant trees felt like we were in a fairy tale. The ferns grew profusely to compliment the stature of these tallest of trees. The Indians believe each tree has a spirit and you could almost feel a gentle being watching over you as you passed under their boughs.

As we left the coast and headed inland we crossed into Oregon and almost immediately the smoke cleared and we saw blue sky for the first time in four days.

Speaking of curvy roads, since I have been riding my current bike I have been introduced to a new term – chicken strips. Motorcycle tires are rounded since the rider leans in the curves. The further you lean, the more of the tire you use. The chicken strip is the portion of the tire at the very edge of the tread that does not get used. Some people have very large chicken strips and some have none at all. Of course those individuals who have eliminated their chicken strips entirely have decreed that the size of your chicken strips is inversely proportional to the size ...... oh well you get the picture. I bought some sand paper the other day and got rid of my chicken strips just in case anyone looked.

I took some decent photos today but I can't seem to get them uploaded. I will try again tonight.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Day 30




I had been looking forward to today for some time and it turned out to be disappointing and frustrating. This whole damned state is on fire! We were visiting Yosemite today. It is one of the most visited national parks and for good reason. The scenery is beyond compare. As we approached Yosemite Valley, once again the smoke became a huge factor. I was able to get a couple of photos, but most of them did not turn out well at all. Tigger told me he still thought it was beautiful, but he said he could imagine what it would look like without the smoke.

When we left Yosemite we were headed for Lassen Volcanic National Park. When we turned off of the main highway there was a sign indicating the road was closed due to fire. We asked different people about how we might get there and the general consensus was it was not safe to try it. The smoke in Chico, California was quite heavy and the burn areas were visible from the road.

When we stopped for the night in Redding, California we learned the road we were going to take to Redwood National Park was closed as well due to fire. Fortunately, there appears to be an alternate route that is just slightly further.

I, for one, can’t wait to get out of California and hope for the best as it relates to fires in Oregon and Washington stares.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Day 29




As bad as yesterday was, today was twice that good. I fell asleep at 6:45 last night with Tigger jabbering away. I was just going to close my eyes for a few minutes and I woke up ten hours later. Poor Tigger, I think I might have hurt his feelings just a little bit, but he was over it and ready to go this morning.

We left the hotel at 7:30 and headed for Starbucks around the corner so we could really start the day off right. I had a carmel macchiato and Tigger went for the soy latte with a triple shot of espresso. He was on a high all day.

We set off for Sequoia National Park. This is one of the parks I have never seen and it is the type of park that most appeals to me so I was looking forward to it and my excitement rubbed off on Tigger. The up close views were wonderful, but any view of more than a few hundred yards was obscured by haze and smoke. The wildfires that have plagued California this year made what would have been otherwise spectacular vistas virtually invisible. We did get some good close up shots.

The tree you see Tigger and I in front of is legendary. General Sherman is the name of the Giant Sequoia. It is one of the tallest Giant Sequoia trees in the world with a height of about 275 feet (84.8 meters). Although not the tallest tree in the world (coastal redwood being taller), it is the biggest in terms of volume, making it the world's largest known single living organism by volume. As of 2002, the volume of its trunk measured about 1487 cubic meters. The tree is believed to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old.

After leaving Sequoia we entered Kings Canyon National Park. This is a Canyon you visit form the canyon floor rather than from the top or the rim. The canyon is carved by the Kings River. As you proceed the canyon gets narrower and the walls more sheer. It makes for a very interesting motorcycle ride.

Day 28

As I got off of the bike at the completion of today’s ride I tried to think of words to describe it. Two words instantly came to mind. IT SUCKED. It was hot, the scenery was flat ugly and the traffic was awful. As bad as it was, it could have been worse. There was a cloud cover for the first three hours which kept the temperatures down somewhat and we did manage to find a small restaurant in a town whose name neither of us can remember that had home made turkey pot pies on the menu. Tigger slept all day and wasn’t much of a conversationalist, so when we got to the room he wanted to talk and I was beat.

Needless to say I did not take any pictures today.

Day 27



Today was spent in “Sin City”. When I had the front tire changed the fella who changed it told me I didn’t have much longer on the back. Since Las Vegas was on my route and I knew there was a BMW motorcycle dealer there, I decided to get it done. In addition I decided this would be a good time for the full service I anticipated needing on this trip. I was at the dealership when it opened and by the time I got done talking with the service rep I was looking at over $1,000 worth of work. But, since I wanted to get the bike in tip top shape for the last half of the trip, it was not a surprise. It’s a great bike but not inexpensive to maintain.

Tigger and I had intended to ride to Death Valley and back today, but when I saw the high was predicted to be 126 degrees, I changed our plans. Instead we went to Lake Mead National Recreation area where the temperature was only 108. We were able to get the national parks passport cancelled at a Nevada site, thus adding another site and another state, and I managed to keep myself and Tigger form being roasted alive.

When I got back to the room I was reading some of the stuff they gave me when I checked in and noticed Jersey Boys was playing just down the street. I called and they had a ticket so I was off to a Vegas Show. Jersey Boys is the musical based on the history of the singing group, The Four Seasons. For those of us in our prime, the time and the music is a great trip back memory lane.

day 26




Today we woke up in Springdale, Utah, which is just outside Zion National Park. We were heading for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This required us to drive back through Zion at daybreak. The light and shadows created by the morning sun make the scenery even more spectacular if that is possible.

As we left Zion and were heading south I could not help but think about the vast open spaces in the western part of our country. As I topped a slight rise I stopped and turned off the bike just to look around and it seemed like I could see forever in any direction. The only motion was the sage brush gently swaying in the breeze. The horizon was outlined by distant mountains and the road ran straight for miles until it simply disappeared. It was just a little eerie being here with no one (excluding Tigger of course) in sight and the only sounds were the breeze and my breathing.

About eighty miles before the entrance to Grand Canyon we entered alpine forests and the now familiar sensory experience. The approach was actually much more enjoyable for me than the canyon itself. I am a mountains guy. The Grand Canyon is a very very large hole. I know what you are thinking, but I feel like Chevy Chase in the movie vacation as he views the Grand Canyon; OK – that’s nice – now let’s go! An apology to all of you out there who are fans. My photos of the canyon didn’t turn out well because I was on the wrong side at the wrong time with the wrong light.

When we left the Grand Canyon we were headed for Las Vegas where we would spend the night.