Coyote Steals Domestic Dog

 A couple of evenings ago, just minutes after watching a news segment about coyotes attacking dogs, I witnessed it myself. My son and I were less than one block from our home when he saw a coyote carrying a dog in its mouth, running along side the road. We followed it (at a safe distance, in our car) until the coyote stopped (presumably to catch it's breath) and shot some photos.

All photos Copyright 2011, Scott Wright.  Photos may not be used without permission.

Amboy Crater - Spring Break Hike

The argument could be made that this post should have been titled Better Late than Never, primarily due to the amount of time it has taken me to share it.  Nonetheless, some things are timeless.  Let's hope this is one of them.

When my son visited during his spring break there were only a couple of things he wanted to do.  One of those things was to climb Amboy Crater.  Climbing an actual volcanic crater does seem like the kind of adventure worthy of sharing with your 13 year old classmates upon return to school, so we made it happen.  As luck would have it, our chosen April day was one which had 60mph winds and was just overall crappy.  So we delayed our hike a day and were rewarded with a near perfect, if a bit breezy, day.  The date of the hike (and the following photos) was April 6, 2010.  There are plenty of places on the 'net to find information about the crater, so rather than ramble on, just check out our pictures.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed our hike.  

It was a beautiful, clear, sunny day

The wildflowers were in bloom

A little out of focus...it was quite windy and this little fella just wouldn't hold still.

Climbing into the crater from the southwest side.

At the top looking in the general direction of Amboy (note the other hikers on the trail below just over his left shoulder).

Falling?  Not quite.

Update on the missing Mojave Cross

As the article states, this isn't information that has been verified, but it does seem rather interesting...

If this is legitimate, it sure seems likely that someone knows the whereabouts of the Mojave Cross and makes it more likely to be found.  Stay tuned...

From the Desert Dispatch

Mojave Cross Torn Down and Stolen!

An icon located along a lonely desert road deep in the heart of the Mojave National Preserve is gone.

The Mojave Cross, June 2007.

The WWI memorial, located high atop "Sunrise Rock", was originally erected in 1934 by Veterans including John Riley Bembrey, a medic during the conflict. It has since been replaced by a more durable, metal cross in place of the weather-worn wooden one.   In my travels I pass the controversial landmark a few times a month.  Until this year the cross' history and struggle have only been important to a few.  That all changed early this year when the U.S. Supreme Court took the legal case of Salazar v. Buono in an effort to help decide the future of the cross' position within the Mojave National Preserve.  The High Court recently ruled on the case and, in part, stated that a land transfer to remove the cross from Federal land ruled against by the Ninth Court of Appeals was indeed a valid one and returned the case to the lower court for further action.  (There are tons of places on the net to find more information...do some searching.)

The Mojave Cross (covered due to court order) in January of 2010.

The Cross is exposed shortly after vandals removed the court-ordered cover, June 2007 (the wooden box used to cover the cross is visible at the base of the rock.)

I was shocked today when I rode past Sunrise Rock only to find the Mojave Cross missing.  I walked around the base of the rock in the hopes of finding the fallen memorial.  Finding nothing, I then ascended the steep desert rocks in an effort to satisfy my curiosity.  Where had the Mojave Cross gone?  How could such a durable, heavy, large object that I had seen just one week earlier be gone?  Who could have committed such a cowardly act?  Upon arriving at the top of the rocks, I again saw nothing.  No fallen cross.  Nothing.  All that remains are some chunks of old concrete and three bolts, showing clear evidence of having been recently cut off.  Someone went there with a plan, there is no doubt.

All that remains.  Bolts have been cut off and the cross has been stolen.

It's a sad day when a piece of history is destroyed.  What's even worse to me is that someone probably had to drive 3 hours or more in order to steal this memorial to fallen soldiers of WWI.  It disgusts me to see how despicable some people truly are.  I hope the culprits are caught and convicted of this theft.  Whoever did this is cowardly and juvenile.

I stopped at the Headquarters of the Mojave National Preserve in Kelso to see what I could find out.  I spoke to a handful of employees (I think at least a couple of them were actually volunteers) who indicated that the box covering the cross had been removed sometime Saturday May 8th or Sunday May 9th and the cross was removed sometime during the overnight hours of Sunday or predawn hours Monday May 10th.  They told me one of the NPS Law Enforcement Rangers traveled out to Sunrise Rock early today (Monday) to investigate.  The NPS personnel I spoke to at the Kelso Depot explained to me that they were not authorized to comment further.

All photos Copyright 2007-2010, ScottWright.net - may not be copied, reused, or distributed without permission.

Tacos in Amboy

It wasn't until long after I left the Juan Pollo catering trailer in Amboy last weekend that I realized I hadn't taken any pictures of those delicious tacos.  In an effort to provide the whole story to my reader(s), I went back to Amboy today for lunch.  Oh, the sacrifices I make for my reader(s).  Today's catch was one carne asada (beef) taco and one pollo asada (chicken) taco.  Lunch was mmmm, mmmm, good.

Lunch in Amboy and a Trip to the Cima General Store

Today I took a motorcycle ride through the Mojave National Preserve and made a couple of interesting stops along my journey.

My first stop was at Roy's Cafe in Amboy, CA. Roy's isn't actually in the Mojave National Preserve, but it was a nice place to stop just a few miles before I arrived at the MNP. In addition to the the weather being ideal for motorcycle riding, this weekend also happens to be the weekend when bikers from miles around make their annual pilgrimage (or is it a migration?) to Laughlin, Nevada for the Laughlin River Run. Normally this wouldn't even show up as a blip on my radar, but something special happens in Amboy during the River Run. Since 2005, the owner of Amboy has been Albert Okura, who also happens to own a chain of restaurants called Juan Pollo. Mr. Okura's restaurant ownership is significant because for the last couple of years Juan Pollo tacos have been sold in Amboy during the annual Laughlin River Run. I love those tacos and can't pass up a chance to enjoy a few in Amboy. Route 66 may not be what it once was, but those tacos are a step in the right direction. I sure hope Mr. Okura and Juan Pollo keep sending out the catering trailer to Amboy every year. I'll be there for the tacos.

Even a couple of law enforcement officers stopped in for a snack.

There were several tourists and bikers (several of them speaking French)enjoying a cool drink, a taco, and a beautiful day in the desert.

After enjoying a couple of carne asada tacos and a chicken taco (complete with onions, cilantro, and some great salsa) I headed for the Preserve. Upon arriving in the thriving town of Cima, CA I was surprised to see the Cima General store open for business.

A quick u-turn was in order. I arrived outside the General Store and parked next to a couple of dual-sport motorcycles near the entrance. I was pleased to see a fairly good selection of items in the very clean store, along with a few items reminiscent of the once booming railroad town of Cima.

I bought a can of my favorite energy drink and a very cool souvenir t-shirt, and spent a few minutes talking with Ray, who was manning the store. Ray explained that he and his wife are running the Cima General Store. His mother-in-law, Irene, used to run the store (and was the Postmaster at the US Post Office, formerly located right next door to the General Store), but the store was closed for about a year...until a few months ago when Ray and his wife reopened the store for business. They're currently only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 to 5. Ray explained that they both have jobs elsewhere currently, but hope to open the store five days a week this coming summer. Ray went on to tell me that Cima has no water. The water they use comes from a well on a 40 acre plot of land the family owns six miles away. The water is piped in from the well to Cima. Ray explained that his late father-in-law put in the water lines back in the 1950's when the family moved to the area. He must have done a good job, because the water still flows to this day.

I really enjoyed my conversation with Ray. I learned a little about the history of the area, something I always enjoy. Oh, and Ray pointed out one of the unique offerings available at the Cima General Store, saying "We're the only place in the National Preserve that sells beer and wine...that's because we were selling it long before the Preserve was here."

So the next time you visit the Mojave National Preserve, whether for enjoying the desert or just passing through, be sure to stop by the Cima General Store for a cold drink or a snack. It's great to see historical places of the Mojave Desert restored and improved. I'll be stopping in whenever I pass through.

Day FIVE, complete

We're done. We rode just over 440 miles today on our way back home to Las Vegas. Here is the map of our entire trip.

For today's route, click HERE

Day FOUR, a complete success

Today began in Moab Utah. Once again, no alarm noise reached out from within my phone to slap me into action this morning. It seems that when I'm on the road for a few days I lose track of which day of the week it is. This morning's alarm was nonexistent due to the fact that my alarm is set up on a schedule for "weekdays only". Despite the silence in our room I still managed to wake up at a decent hour. We packed the bike and headed to the lobby area to find the continental breakfast. "Hi, welcome to the Best Western, can I help you?" "Yeah, uhhh (looking around) where can I find the breakfast?" The confused young lady behind the counter replied "Just down the road across the street is the Pancake House, they have breakfast." "So then uhhh, no continental breakfast here at the hotel?" "Oh no sir, we don't make you breakfast."

So the most expensive night of our trip comes to an end without the aid of bagels and cold cereal (served from a machine that crushes every damn flake before it hits your foam bowl). We returned to the room geared up, checked out, and headed the quarter mile down the road to an establishment called "Pancake Haus". Yes, every time I said the name of this place I did my best California Governor impression. Turns out it the place wasn't all that great. There were no Austrians in the whole place, and their idea of an omelet isn't what I've come to enjoy. The pancakes were pretty good...essential given the name of the place.

After a mildly satisfying breakfast we headed north. This turned out to be some of the most boring miles of the trip so far, but still the time passed. Not having a current Utah state map I once again relied on the driving directions provided by Google Maps (I printed them out for each day of our trip before I left home). Once again, screw Google Maps. Mind you, I'm a huge fan of nearly everything Google, but Maps is at the bottom of my list after this trip. On more than one occasion this week I have been lead astray as a result of my faith in Google's ability to guide me. I finally broke down and purchased a paper map in Colorado and had no issues after that. It seems I should have purchased a map of Utah, too. Lesson learned. But we made it to our first destination today, despite Google's best efforts. (Oh, and I just remembered, Google screwed me in Arizona, too....bastards.) Anyway, we arrived at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry today with no problems (once I stopped using Google's driving directions.) This place was truly in the middle of nowhere. We traveled down several very small, slightly maintained roads before turning onto some gravel/dirt roads. We followed the signs another 13 miles before arriving at the locked gate of the BLM facility. Never fear though, we were about 20 minutes early. At this point all I hoped for was that they actually showed up to open the place today. We took off most of our motorcycle gear (it was getting pretty warm by this point) and sipped some water while walking around the BLM land near the dirt road where we stopped. We found some fascinating rocks. This place is full of rocks that look like they don't belong in the area. We stole some. Stop by to see them if you really want to. After a few minutes of enjoying the solitude of the central Utah desert we spotted the BLM folks arriving. We drove the remaining mile beyond the gates to the facility. This place is great. All solar powered, modern, attractive and immaculate. We were first met by a young lady hoisting the US Flag onto the flagpole. She was quite friendly and happy to answer the multitude of questions I had for her. It seems that on weekend days they quite often get up to 60 visitors. Please understand what a feat this is. This place has signs on the road that I nearly missed and I was actively looking for them. Then there's the 13 miles of dirt roads. while those roads are very well maintained, I'm sure this is a deterrent for some would-be visitors. It was well worth the journey. We toured the facility under the guidance of a staff member named Leah. Leah was full of interesting facts and spent quite a bit of time explaining the history and ongoing operations at the site. We then finished with a self guided tour of the active dig site and the rest of the grounds. We enjoyed our time there. Thanks to the BLM for running such a great facility. Nick and I enjoyed our visit.

Then it was on to the south for our final destination, Torrey, UT. We hit pockets of wind and raid on our trek down hwy 10, but nothing that slowed us at all. Once we arrived at I-70 I got onto the westbound side for our short trek to hwy 72. Wait, what the?? Oh crap. I can't claim that I noticed right away, but I made a navigational error. I should have gone UNDER I-70 and then parallel to it for a few miles in order to reach 72. I didn't realize my mistake until about 15 miles to the west. At that point I was quite happy to see a ranch exit which allowed me to turn around an head back to the exit where we had recently entered. Geez. A 36 mile mistake. Oh well, we enjoyed the ride. Once on UT 72 we were in for one of the best rides of the week. This road is fantastic. If you ride, and you get a chance, take UT hwy 72 between I-70 and Loa, UT. You will not regret it. Tons-o-fun.

After arriving in Torrey we walked across hwy 24 to a great little place called Pizza Patio (or something like that) for dinner. We had a great pizza for dinner and they serve a ton of beer. I had a few "Full Suspension Pale Ale" pints while Nick and I threw darts. It was a great place. Highly recommended.

And now, here we are, at the pool. As I type this the Euro types in unauthorized swimwear have been replaced by Euro types in far more appropriate attire. Finally, a break from that nightmare.

The weather is fabulous. Slight breeze, a few high clouds, about 75 degrees and not a care in the world. I'm going to sign off, finish my last can of Dale's Pale Ale and return to the room to relax. Life is good.

Day FOUR is complete

We just arrived in Torrey Utah. No cell service, but we have free Wi-Fi Internet. Cool. Off to get some food and then I'll offer more details of our day later this evening.

Day THREE complete

Sitting poolside and another Best Western. Yeah, I got some reward points this week. We're in Moab Utah. The weather isn't quite as nice as Cortez was, but still nothing to complain about. We had dinner at a place within walking distance called "The Slickrock Cafe". I had a mushroom Swiss burger, salad w/ blue cheese, and a couple of beers. Good stuff. Nick had a BLT. He seems to dig those. Tonight's meal was less than half the price of last night's pile of crap and much better. I am now enjoying one of the Dale's Pale Ales that I imported from Colorado. The state run liquor store was closed by the time we got done eating, so no local purchases tonight. Geez, tomorrow is another night in Utah, too. What was I thinking? This place is very beer-challenged.

Today was a pretty brutal day in terms of riding. Lots of twisty roads, some pretty cold temps early, and some pretty hot temps towards the end of the day. We,re beat. Tomorrow is an easy day in comparison (no accident...this isn't the first multi-day ride I've planned). We'll be staying in the tiny town of Torrey UT tomorrow night. Beautiful place, but not much else.

Nick is now playing Marco Polo with the herd of kids in the pool. He seems to be having fun. That,s what it,s all about.

Signing off for now...

Cortez is THE place to be

So, as I sit here outside our hotel room right on Main St in downtown Cortez, CO, I have learned something. It seems that Main St is the local cruise corridor. Across the street from our room is a grocery store called City Market. City Market attracts the young folk of Cortez. There are plenty of kids hangin out in the parkin lot over there. We witnessed some shopping cart races, some "Frogger" style jay-walking, and plenty of "who has the biggest truck" or "who has the loudest car" contests. It's really very entertaining.

(Attention FJR riders: This place would be grand for next year's WFO gathering.)

Anyway, this place is fun. Nick and I are having a great time poking fun of the crowd that makes up this little town. I love our time together and tonight is better than most.

Signing off from the cruisin' town of Cortez....

I may never buy another restaurant steak

We dined at the Main Street Brewery and uhh....restaurant this evening (Cortez CO). The food was mediocre. The salad was GREAT. Real crumbles of blue cheese and very fresh ingredients. But that's where the "good" stopped and the "not so good" began. My porterhouse steak was slightly overcooked and slightly under-quality. I mean, I DO make a pretty kick-ass steak at home and the bar is pretty high, but PLEASE. For the money I paid (I won't even tell you how much...I'm embarrassed) I should have had the best steak EVER! I did not. Oh, the Pale Ale was good. The IPA was...eh, OK. Dammit.

Anyone who knows how I travel knows I have two requirements for a town to qualify as an overnighter. Beer and steak. I got one tonight.

Off to the pool so Nick can swim (that's his only requirement for an overnigher).

Day TWO almost complete

We just arrived in Cortez. Now we are off to the Main Street Brewery and Grill for some food and maybe a beer for me. Root beer for the kid.

Day ONE is complete

Well, we had some dinner, visited a really cool dam, and enjoyed the pool with a sunset view. It stopped raining and dried up just in time for us to go find some grub. A nice guy just outside the lobby gave me directions to The Dam Bar & Grill. Heck, we coulda walked to it. After some kick ass potatoe skins as an appetizer Nick had a BLT and I tackled a prime rib French dip with mushrooms. The food was pretty good. I think mine was better than Nick's, but he didn't complain. I also enjoyed some Alaskan Amber on tap with my sandwich.

After stuffing ourselves we headed over to Glen Canyon Dam. They have a very nice visitor's center with some great views. We were disappointed to find out that we had just missed the last guided tour of the day, but the visitor's center was still quite interesting.

After seeing the dam we returned to the hotel. Nick was very excited to use the swimming pool. I sat poolside and enjoyed the view of Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell, and a decent sunset while he frolicked in the slightly chilly water. Just before his lips turned blue he decided to get out and dry off. We returned to our room and relaxed. More fun tomorrow.

.

Day ONE, almost done

We just arrived in Page, and despite the best (or worst) efforts of Google Maps, found our hotel. Just in time, too. The sky decided to open up just minutes after we got our stuff off of the bike. We're going to get cleaned up and hope the weather breaks for us to make a mad dash to dinner in a couple of hours. As I type this it appears that the rain is letting up. I'm glad. I don't want to get wet on the way to eat dinner. We're leaning towards a place called "Dam Bar & Grill".

Early to rise

Early to bed, early to rise, right? Screw that. I didn't get to sleep as early as I should have last night, but the alarm didn't care. Granted, I get up everyday before 5am, but Nicky Tomatoes does not. He's less than thrilled right now. He's a barely even functional. We're about to get on the road in an effort to beat the sun, the traffic, and the heat. Oh, and the heat. It's gonna be hot today. Again. Watch the map.

Day ZERO is complete - Welcome to Las Vegas

Well, we've arrived at our destination for day zero. I don't really count this as part of the trip since I'm at home in Vegas. Nevermind that it took us 175 miles of scorching hot motorcycling across the Mojave Desert to get home, we're here. Tomorrow we'll be taking off early in order to beat the heat, the traffic, and uhhhh, the heat. I can't wait to get into some higher elevations and (hopefully) cool off. Tomorrow's destinations include the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, a place I have never visited. I can't wait. If the Internet is readily available once we arrive in Page AZ (our home for the night) I'll try to post up some of our adventures from day one. Stay tuned.

Road Trip 2009 Map

Check back here frequently for updates to this map.

Quick update

Lots going lately. First, LeAnne and I now own a brand new home. Good times! Nick arrives today and I llok forward to our action packed summer together. I still have some things to get done on the FJR before any major road trips, but that's in the works. I'm typing this on my phone so that's it for now.

FJR Maintenance time

Last night was the beginning of my major maintenance cycle for the FJR. The first few steps were just baby steps, with more to come next week. Last night Desert Cycle Works spooned on a new Dunlop Roadsmart rear tire, changed the final drive oil, and cleaned & oiled my K&N air filter. Next week we'll tackle (and hopefully document with photos) the following items:

Check / adjust valves
Replace valve cover gasket
Replace spark plugs
Replace cam chain
Replace cam chain tensioner & gasket
Replace cam chain cover gasket
Lube steering head bearings
Replace fork seals/bushings & fork oil
Rebuild Wilbers rear shock
Reinstall Wilbers rear shock
Replace engine oil & filter
Flush and replace coolant

And whatever else I've forgotten about...