USA Road trip

April - June 2022
A 75-day adventure by Barnaby Read more
  • 53footprints
  • 75days
  • 436photos
  • 76likes
List of countries
  • Canada
  • United States
Categories
None
  • 16.9kkilometers traveled
  • Flight-kilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Hiking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
  • Train-kilometers
  • Bus-kilometers
  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Skiing-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • 53footprints
  • 75days
  • 436photos
  • 76likes
  • 16.9kkilometers
  • Day 2

    First stop - Denver

    April 4, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Arrived yesterday evening, git up today and spent the day shopping fir bits I needed, mainly camping gear!... expensive!! Just heading to the bike shop to see if they have the bike equipment I need before heading back to town for some dinner.Read more

  • Day 4

    Red rocks

    April 6, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    Went for a day trip out to Red Rocks, got a tad burnt, but the ride was awesome through the rocks and the views were incredible up there, followed it up with a ride further up the mountain which again, was amazing!

    After looking over the ampitheatre at Red Rocks I went for a walk up the trails... got so sweaty in all my bike gear... then stopped for a pint and sandwich for lunch. Also bumped into a woman who also rides and told me ill be fine to take the i70 across the mountains to get to utah, I'll just need to accept it be cold... so that's what I'm going to do... could be a terrible idea but I guess there's only one way to find out!
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  • Day 5

    Ride to colerado springs

    April 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 3 °C

    So cold!! Took route 67 instead of i25 as the I25 was just going to be a long boring motorway... turns outs a fair chunk of 67 is dirt... but was amazing! The views were out of this world, and didn't see another car for at least an hour, maybe more.

    Stopped in woodland park for lunch. Then going to a bike shop to try and find better hand protection for the ride across the mountains tomorrow!
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  • Day 6

    Colorado springs to grand junction

    April 8, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Riding 300 miles today... took the 24 from colorado springs up to the i70 then hopefully get across to grand junction.

    So much snow on the ride but perfect sunshine... bitterly cold though... I'm wearing most of my clothes. Contemplating putting the sleeping bag on as well.

    Highligh of today's ride is the road signs on the other side of the dual carriageways but facing our direction saying "wrong way"... as if the 20 tonne truck driving towards you wouldn't be enough of a reminder.

    Seen mountains, frozen lakes, deer and some big ol' birds! (Both human and animal).

    Also becoming very aware that skippy is having more photos taken of her than I am... it looks like my bike has gone on holiday without me... oh and I've called my bike skippy.
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  • Day 7

    Moab and Green River

    April 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Crazy day today, started off very normal and very pleasant. Easy ride to Moab, lunch in Moab, family zoom from a coffee shop. Did lose my beloved orange sunglasses though, by they've been replaced by some nice garish ones... because... when in Rome 😂 also met a chap on a KTM on his way to Mexico from Denver, got myself a bed for the night when I head back through Denver 😊

    The ride back from Moab to my motel in Green River is where it got silly. The last time I get on my bike without checking the weather first. 50 mile ride and at about 25 miles the wind really picked up, from mile 30 I had 50mph crosswinds, blowing debris across the dual carriageway and trying to blow me off the side of the road. It felt like I was at a 45 degree angle just to try and counter the wind and keep myself on the road.

    At one point my tank bag came lose so I pulled over to fix it and got stuck, I couldn't let go of the bike without it blowing over (with the stand down) and I couldn't life my leg back over the bike without us both blowing over... finally a drop in the wind gave me a chance to get back on my bike and get moving again, slowly and sideways, hoping nothing gets blown in front if me! Brand new tank bag with brand new glove liners, snood and ratchet straps was soon torn from the bike, knocking my arm off the throttle and thrown halfway across a field... I didn't stop to find it... mainly because leaving the bike without me holding it up would have ended up with the bike on the floor.

    Anyway finally got myself back to the motel, feeling defeated, shaken and missing a few belongings but off the bike at least!... I walked to dinner tonight!

    Lesson learned, you do not fuck around with American weather! It also means I think I have 4 days at a Motel 6 in Green River until the wind passes.
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  • Day 8

    Dirt bikes in Moab

    April 10, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    Hired a dirt bike and had a guide take me out into the endless miles of trails around Moab today.

    The views were out of this world, it felt like I was riding on the moon a lot of the time. Crashed twice, one was a low speed drop, the other more of a thrown over the handle bars at 30mph situation... thank god for deep sand... although I wouldn't have come off if the deep sand hadn't been there. I also weed myself a little riding along a terrifying dirt road on a cliff edge, sandy, gravelly, 100ft drop at the side and nothing to stop you if you get it wrong... fortunately I didn't!

    The day was made all the more hilarious by Jim my guide (or Jim Trump) as he will be known from now on. He started a lot of his sentences with "I'm not racist but..." which is obviously not going to be followed up by a statement of support for the black lives matter movement. I learnt all about his Thai mail order wife (genuinely not a joke, and ironic given his views on every minority group) who he doesn't love and she knows his rules, "it's a sex only thing" (this was half an hour after I met him) and his girlfriend in New York and his other girlfriend in Denver... he was a very popular man by the sounds of it. He also had quite strong views on gun control "they're takin' our fuckin' guns away man"... the mug he gave me my coffee in in the morning set the tone really...

    ... Oh and Jim Trump's favourite mattress is the one he found on the side of the road... yep, it's not only his favourite mattress for sleeping but also apparently very good for having sex on... (I was told this 1 hour after meeting him).

    He did take me out in his Baja rally truck though after we'd been biking... so he does win back a few points for that... oh and the truck was sponsored by discountstrippers.com... obviously. Once we'd finished for the day he offered me his trailer for the night if I didn't want to ride back to Green River which was very kind of him but... no... thanks... ill be cold for an hour riding back to the motel rather than sleeping on his stained pavement mattress.

    Other than a (hopefully not) broken finger, today has been mind blowing in so many different ways.

    #JimTrumpForPresident
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  • Day 10

    Green River to St George

    April 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

    350 miles today after sitting around all day yesterday waiting out a sandstorm. Started in the desert at 9.30, temperature was about 4 degrees, then climbed up to about 10,000ft into the mountains where it turns out the majority of the 350 miles would be spent. Temperatures were into the minus and I basically froze my bollocks off for 8 hours.

    Did go through Zion National park through which was pretty incredible, its an hour away so I'm going to head back tomorrow when my testicles have dropped back down to take a proper look around before heading to Vegas.

    Photos from today are pretty poor due to lack off feeling in my fingers and frankly not wanting to spend 1 more minute than I had to in that cold, hoping i got some GoPro footage but unlikley as the cold killed the battery in about an hour and shortly after killed the battery on my phone... still waiting for feeling in my finger tips to return!

    The real highlight if this day looking back at photos was Utah Route 12 - known as the hogsback. A road that runs above canyons on either side. Too cold to enjoy at the time but one of the best roads of the trip looking back.
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  • Day 12

    Valley of Fire

    April 14, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Went for a walk around Valley of Fire on my way to Vegas, it was pretty nuts... more massive rocks!

    I was also still in my thermals and warm riding gear from utah so was sweltering walking around the desert 😂

    Otherwise, very good!
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