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Motorcycle Road Trip 2012 August

17565 Views 50 Replies 34 Participants Last post by  old phazer
Hey guys, I took another solo cross country road trip on my bike. This time I decided that instead of crashing at a hotel at the end of the day I would camp out instead. I took with me my laptop, backpacking tent, inflatable mattress, and sleeping bag as well as 1 week worth of clothes. I went ahead and mounted/wired up my GoPro camera on the handlebars so I could take time lapsed pictures throughout the duration of the trip. I was way more prepared for this trip this time than last year's for sure. I even had an emergency tool kit for the bike.

The rider


The Bike - 2011 Yamaha Stryker - Mods: Dunlop 250 rear tire, license plate mod, engine guards, sissy bar, and saddle bag supports. Other than that it's pretty much factory spec.




Houston to Dallas to Amarillo

It takes **** near forever to get out of Texas. I left Houston around noon on a Saturday. There is not much to look at between Houston and Amarillo so I didn't take that many pictures. I let my GoPro worry about that. There was some kind of crotch rocket meet somewhere in this town called Waxahachie or something because I kept running into cops and bikers on the road. I logged 680 something miles by the time I got to Amarillo. Camped out at this rest stop like a boss!









Amarillo to Albuquerque to Santa Fe to Taos, NM

It seems like as soon as you cross state lines the terrain and road conditions change. Kind of like opening up another chapter in a geography book. A lot of the buildings/houses in Santa Fe look like they're made of clay. They blend in pretty well with the landscape, kind of like what that colony in Tatooine looks like in Star Wars. I checked out the Rio Grande river and whatnot before getting to Taos. Taos is like some hipster hippie Native American town. There is psychedelic looking art all over town and every building seems to be made out of adobe. I guess that's just southwestern Native American culture. The art shops there are pretty cool and I am still planning to purchase a painting I came across that I really liked. They're not cheap.









With inclement weather fast approaching I scrambled to find a place where I could camp out. I lucked out and found this RV campground that had sheltered camp sites. Once I set up the tent I went back into town to check out that casino they had there. It was definitely not Vegas for sure.




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Wow! What an awesome road trip. Thanks for sharing.

Every 7 years my employer gives me an extra 2 months off paid (sabbatical) that must be taken all in a row. My last sabbatical we packed up our 4 kids in our Suburban & I drove over 12,000 miles in 5.5 weeks. Your pictures bring back fond memories of that trip as we stopped at almost every place you have pictures of. My next sabbatical starts this May, no kids this time, just the wife & myself ;D
Great trip. A little younger and I would be doing that one too.
Awesome trip report and pics!!

God, I can't wait to get my Stryker!!!
Wow! Thanks for sharing the awesome pictures!! I wish I lived on the west side so I could explore those places.
Awesome trip. Great write up and pics. Thanks for sharing.
Nice!

Hey, what type of bags do you have there they look like they have a good amount of space, and is that a short or tall sissy bar?
Celi, you are NUTS bro... You're also my hero. Seems you like to ride alone but if you're ever down for a wingman on your way through NM hit me up
Wouhaaaaa !!! Amazing trip you did there buddy :)
I was wondering where did you get those bag for your bike ? :)
Great pictures, thanks for taking the time to put it all together.
Just saw this...amazing!! Very few people have the spirit to do something like this. Thanks for sharing.
WOW!!! What a trip! I'm so glad I found this, I lost my self for the last 2 hours. I swear I can almost smell and feel some of these pictures. Thanks for the gift Celiblue.
Wow!
Nice thread to be resurrected.

I spent a good portion of this morning just living the trip through his pictures and Narration of this epic trip.

My hat's off to you Celiblue wherever you wound up.
I see he hasn't posted here for over a year.
I wish he was still here telling stories!

If only I was a little.... Okay, a lot younger I'd try something like this.:nod:
Anyone know what happened to him?
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I grew up around Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods is just amazing.
F ing amazing! I am so jealous and inspired. That is why I always wanted a motorcycle to take a trip like that. I hope I can do the same some day soon.
Once again, resurrecting this amazing thread for any of the new folks who didn't have the opportunity to experience it.
For a lot of people, this is the reason we ride bikes.:nod:
I will be riding from FL to Maggie Valley this year, compare to this amazing trip mine is like a walk in the park.

Great pictures, I would love to be able to do somehting like this.
I will be riding from FL to Maggie Valley this year, compare to this amazing trip mine is like a walk in the park.

Great pictures, I would love to be able to do somehting like this.
Wouldn't we all!
Unfortunately, life gets in the way unless you really make this a priority.
My best bud since elementary and myself are taking a two week trip like this one and hitting 8 State Parks in Texas in a few months. Very excited. This thread is downright inspiring. I would love to know what type of saddle bags he is using.
My best bud since elementary and myself are taking a two week trip like this one and hitting 8 State Parks in Texas in a few months. Very excited. This thread is downright inspiring. I would love to know what type of saddle bags he is using.
Im sure with 2 bikes it would be way easier to do.
Im sure with 2 bikes it would be way easier to do.
Your probably right. We should be able to share the load.
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