US 60, US 89, US 212 Motorcycle Ride (5000+ Miles In 17 Days)

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This year, as in past years, I’m riding with a couple of Larry’s. If my old Air Force buddy Larry C. would have made this ride it would have been 3 Larry’s. I’ve started telling everyone I will only ride with them if their name is Larry. Maybe I should change my name to Larry. On the bright side, we will be meeting up with Larry C. and his friend… wait for it… Larry! They are on a car trip with their wives and will be in Jackson, Wyoming the same day as us. More on that later…

We tried to come up with a catchy name for this year’s ride. In the past it has always been a theme or destination. Nothing we came up with seemed to fit. Larry T. suggested “Goldie, Elroy and Water Hog’s Great Adventure” named for the bikes we ride. I ride a Titanium Goldwing I call Goldie. Larry T’s bike is named Elroy for the cartoon character Elroy Jetson because everyone tells him the Victory Vision looks more like a spaceship. Larry A’s. bike is named the Water Hog because he rides a water-cooled HD Limited. But as you can see I didn’t succeed…

This year we are riding some of the roads that are on my ride bucket list. Janet and I have driven these roads and I knew I needed to ride them. On the top of the list is the ride up US 89-A from Prescott, AZ to Jerome, AZ… 127 curves in 12 miles; a very exhilarating, yet peaceful scenic ride.

On this trip I got to make good use of my GOPRO and the handlebar tripod I made. I got some good shots but I still am working out the kinks and learning. I have taken hundreds of pictures and Larry A. took hundreds of really great pictures too.

Larry T. and Larry A. met me in Canyon, Texas. They were riding in from Georgia. Here is a thumb nail sketch of our route. From Canyon we rode US 60 across New Mexico and Arizona. Just outside Prescott, AZ we pick up US 89 (US 89-A) and ride it on and off to Great Falls, Montana. Outside Yellowstone National Park we picked up US 212 to ride Beartooth Pass and on to Devils Tower National Monument. For the final leg of our ride we rode the area around Mount Rushmore before heading south. At Oakley, Kansas we split up. Larry T and Larry A headed back home to Georgia and I headed home to Texas…

Some of the highlights along the way are…

Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas
Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas
Pietown, NM for some good pie.
Pie in Pietown, NM
Eagar, AZ only high school domed stadium in America
High School Domed Stadium in Eagar, NM
Salt River Canyon on US 60 in Arizona
Salt River Canyon in Arizona
US 89-A from Prescott, AZ to Jerome, AZ (127 curves in 12 miles)
US 89-A : 127 curves in 12 miles from Prescott, AZ to Jerome, AZ
Ft. Apache, AZ
Ft. Apache, AZ
Kinishiba Ruins, AZ
Kinishiba Ruins near Ft; Apache, AZ
Jerome, AZ
Old mining town, Jerome, AZ
Sedona, AZ
A must stop in Sedona Arizona
Cameron Trading Post, AZ (a must place to stay)
Cameron Trading Post is a great place to stop or stay
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Marble Canyon Bridge
Marble Canyon Bridge Photo by Larry A.
Temple Square in Salt Lake City
Mormon Temple on Temple Square in Salt Lake City
Most photographed barn in America
Most photographed barn in America
Grand Teton National Park
Ride through Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park
The Great Falls in Great Falls, MT
Great Falls in Great Falls, MT
Beartooth Pass
Beartooth Pass
Devils Tower National Monument
Devils Tower National Monument
Mount Rushmore National Monument
Mount Rushmore National Monument from the highway
Needles Highway
Needles Highway South Dakota
Crazy Horse Monument
Crazy Horse Monument
Last but not least, miles and miles of the most scenic highways
Grand Teton National Park, just one of the hundreds of scenic views on our ride…