Riding my Motorcycle Northwards through the US
Update 39 (July 2023)
Mexico into the United States
It was now about 3pm when I finished with Mexico. The New Mexico border I crossed was relatively quiet, just a few cars. I left Mexico, passed the big fence and 100 metres later I rode up to a booth and spoke to the border officer. I had already completed my ESTA application to visit for 90 days. Having a motorcycle seemed a little unusual and she directed me to a nearby office where I parked the bike and went inside to do some formalities. I had also completed and paid 6 USD for the I-94 which is an extra bit of admin for land travellers into the US.
They were finished in about five minutes. I asked about the motorcycle but there were no formalities. There are rules that I can only have it in the country for personal use for one year but there was no paperwork. There were no inspections of the bike that I was aware of, although with the place I left it there could have been a sniffer dog check it out, maybe.
I had forgotten to mention in the previous update that I had mainly used the Mexican highway system to pass through the country. The catch with this is that many are private roads and charge a toll. And it is not like many South and Central American countries where motorcycles just ride through a special lane for free. In Mexico a motorcycle is half the car fee, but some days I spent $20-40 AUD on tolls. I was keen to head north so it was still worth it, as with the road conditions I could travel at twice the speed, hence more distance and less money spent on hotels.
Coming into New Mexico felt little different but the highways were better and free. The countryside though looked very similar. And the heat continued. The region had been breaking heat records and continued while I was there. Most days were 40°C plus. I noticed one day of 43. But of course, air conditioning was way more prevalent once I did stop.
Finding third party insurance for riding the motorcycle was a challenge. Maybe it exists but I didn’t ever find a short term tourist policy. I ended up buying a one year policy through Progressive Insurance with the help of a local friend and will cancel it and get a refund when I leave.
There were some afternoon storms that helped reduce the heat somewhat. But most involved lightning which is uncomfortable, often with nowhere to shelter.
My first night was in Las Cruces, then near Albuquerque. Most of my US accommodation was in “chain” hotels. I am certainly noticing the difference in how business is done. In the previous countries to the south everyone is trying to make money to survive. You could say just about everyone is a small business operator. Even the ones with jobs often have a sideline. This might be people standing in the road selling things at traffic lights or anywhere the traffic slows a little. For accommodation many people would build a few rooms on their property and open a hotel or guest house. It was generally easy to find some sort of accommodation and often right in the town or village.
The US is very different of course. It’s all about large corporations and franchises. In the regional US, comfortable accommodation is often a chain hotel built on the outer edges of towns, miles from anything interesting with maybe one chain restaurant, a gas station and a fast food chain within walking distance. It can be rather cold and detached. But I was enjoying the clean white sheets and towels, and niceties like a fridge in the room. Not the breakfast though. I miss the individually prepared breakfast with fresh local fruits and blended juice, and freshly prepared eggs of my choice. Sugary cereal and waffles just doesn’t cut it for me.
I just stayed on the highway until Colorado Springs, where I spotted the turn off to Pikes Peak (4,200 metres). I had heard of the mountain by way of the annual hillclimb motor race. It had been quite some time since I’d been at that elevation. You need to reserve and pay for a Summit Pass. Summer holidays are still in full flight and I would have been turned away by National Parks if I was in a car without a booking, but luckily they were more flexible for motorcycles.
It was a nice ride, although very busy and the top was packed. I had a hotel booked near Denver and tried to take a back road for a change. But after a while I came across a road block. There had been a motorcycle accident up ahead and the police were still completing the investigation. I waited for a while and then back tracked for forty minutes to get back on the highway.
As you would expect, the motorcycle culture in the US is very different to South America. Riding a motorcycle is a lifestyle, not an alternative because you have no money for a car. Many people ride Harleys or cruisers. Many with their stereos blaring or a trailer in tow. And many with the Harley fashion accessories. It is not surprising as the road network is so well developed and smooth. It does surprise me how few wear protective gear, including helmets, especially in the southern states I passed through.
I ended up staying two nights near Denver but changed hotels. In between hotels I decided to explore the nearby mountains. I was curious about doing some camping at some point so thought I’d check one out to see the setup. Although most of the campgrounds seemed to be booked weeks in advance. I have been carrying some simple camping gear for nine months now, but never used it in South America. There weren’t many formal campsites or hotels were such good value I never bothered.
The view from my hotel room in Broomfield near Denver.
There was a good bar and restaurant behind me across the vast carpark. Just a couple of hotels, restaurant, Starbucks and a drive through credit union. Maybe the development is a wise long term real estate investment. Perhaps in another twenty years it will be full of businesses.
Out for a day trip near the small village of Eldoro, Colorado.
After Eldoro I spotted a sign to a campground , so thought I’d see what it was like. I think I was in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest. It was about 5 miles down a dirt track and on the way there were a few people watching two moose go about their day. They were more majestic than I imagined a moose would be.
The campsites and facilities were pretty standard but fine. I chatted with the camp host for a while. He was a young fella that got paid a bit and free accommodation for his van. He had been doing this at various campgrounds for a year and in the meantime writing stand up comedy routines for his next career goal.
The next day I packed up and continued north, via the Rocky Mountain National Park. Again, there was a timed entry reservation system and I only got in because I was on a motorcycle. The park gets up around 4,300 metres and was cold near the top, down to about 13 °C and with more storms around.
I continued northward, through Colorado. The weather cooled. Luckily I found some shelter just as this storm hit. I had to wait 30 minutes but it had mainly passed by the time I got back on the highway above.
Into Wyoming now.
A quick photo while I waited in line during some road repairs.
A detour from the highway and into Idaho this time after staying near Salt Lake City, Utah.
Idaho farming.
The view from my Rexburg hotel in Idaho. There was a motorcycle shop nearby that squeezed me in for a service. Unfortunately I desperately needed rear brake pads but they were talking 3-4 days to get them plus a weekend. I didn’t want to hang around so kept moving.
I was getting through the miles now. It was just easy to do. Many of the highways were dual carriageway and had a speed limit of 75 mph (120kmh). I hadn’t been on so many straight highways since Argentina. Although I don’t tend to ride that fast. I like to be a tourist and take in the scenery. Plus going fast just chews through the fuel way faster, the faster you go. Getting longer distances from a tank of fuel is always a good thing on a motorcycle. I just make sure I am not being a pain to others behind me.
The western entrance of Yellowstone National Park was next. No reservations this time, just join the queue. As it turned out, the day was one of a few free days they have each year, so that saved me $25. Surprisingly it wasn’t ridiculously busy. Just busy. I had all of my gear onboard so didn’t go walking to far. I really wanted to see some bison but that didn’t happen.
I wasn’t comfortable leaving all my luggage in the car park to visit the thermal areas. I have seen quite a lot of bubbling mud and geysers in New Zealand so satisfied myself with that.
That brown dot is one of two bears that were occasionally coming into view. There was a river between us and the bears also. You can just see the top of the other bear off to the right. It still drew a huge crowd and caused a traffic jam.
I left Yellowstone via the northern entrance and spent the night in Gardiner, just outside the park. My dinner spot just below. I am not sure what to make of all the dead animals. The downstairs lobby was full of them, including a brown bear. It is strange to see such a fuss about Yellowstone and seeing some animals, and yet the nearby tourist towns and tourist shops were full of stuffed and mounted animals for sale. I rode through one small town to the south that had two taxidermy shops within 200 metres of each other.
The menu was pretty standard. Time for another burger….
The grocery store was still open, so I picked up something for breakfast. The yogurt does taste a bit more like Australian yogurt, with a little more bite and less sugar.
This Bald Eagle (I assume) was sitting in a tree near the side of the road the next morning. You can see why it is such a symbolic animal.
It was completely indifferent to me taking photos. Unfortunately the distance and lighting wasn’t on my side.
Montana was my next state. I did stumble across a wonderful place for lunch called Big Sky Grocery in the small town of Moore. I think it was owned by a local Amish family? It certainly had some fantastic locally made products and the best fresh sourdough sandwich that I have had since leaving Australia. Properly fresh bread is sooo hard to come across in South America. After lunch I rode onto Shelby just before the Canada border. Canada tomorrow.
Tikal, Guatemala into Mexico
Update 38 (July 2023)
Montana to Dawson City, Canada
Update 40 (August 2023)