Chasing Love To The Final Horizon

Cambodia is a country where the troubles and hardships of life are visible. It hosts several monuments built with splendor and grandeur that attract tourists from all over the world. While Sonic the Hedgehog found a place in the gaming world as Sega’s answer to Nintendo’s Mario, it resembled most early ’90s games by focusing more on the gameplay than the storyline.

In my experience, being flexible with your travel dates or with your destination has been the single most important factor in making air travel more affordable. Of course, it’s not always possible to be flexible with your travel dates or your destination. But if you’re in a position to explore different options, you’ll stand to save more money.

Another good opportunity to make connections is during a guided tour. Make it a point to grab someone’s contact information if you had a good chat with them during a tour. If you are visiting a friend abroad, make it a point to keep in touch with your friend’s friends that you met during the trip. I’ve even stayed in touch with some people who sat next to me on flights. Making connections abroad has definitely helped to facilitate some of my travels.

Bali: Affordable Luxury And Cultural Immersion

He was the leader of a group of bikes that was touring the Southwest. They came from Virginia and he organizes the trips each year, brining a number of riders out to see the sights. He introduced himself, Carl Calandra, as well as his wife and some members of the tour.

You have to pay to access this waterfall but it’s just a couple of USD. This waterfall is quite touristy and does get crowded, so try to go early or toward the end of the day. On to Red Mountain Pass, elevation 11,075 ft and the beauty continues. On the approach into Ouray the forested hillsides give way to faces of bare rocks with the occasional tree here and there. The road drops down several thousand feet on the descent into Ouray, passing an old mine where tour are available.

One thing I do know about winds in the plains is they are strongest in the afternoon and then they die down as the sun lowers in the west. With that knowledge I kept moving with the anticipation that this would only last a few hours longer; I had many more than that to ride and focusing on that might help with the fatigue. With food in my belly, more water and a little rest I paid a little closer attention to the winds and gusts and soon picked up on a pattern that I was able to accurately read proactively or preemptively prepare for.

Flights are affordable and there are many destinations to choose from. Our flights, departing from LAX, were only $575 round trip on Norwegian Air . The only catch was that we had to depart and return on specific dates in order to take advantage of that price. Departing or returning on any other date would result in a significant price increase.

Chasing The Horizons

I know this is the road just after Coal Bank Pass on the way to Molas Pass. The first pass of the day was Coal Bank Pass and as you can see it is way up there. Coming into Hermosa there was road construction which slowed me down enough for me to see this view of Sunlight Peak and stop for what turned out to be a rather nice shot. It was slow progess down the steep grade – you can see the drop-off to the left of the road. The view of a butte along route 95 on the way to the Natural Bridges Monument.

They asked where I was from and what my planned route and destination were for the day. They also suggested lunch at a roadside kitchen at a gas station just outside Dulce, a few miles up the road. The switchbacks have ended and given way to a winding road along the Uncompahgre River which flows north. I stopped in Ridgway for gas and then turned onto route 62 towards Moab, Utah. Down here in the valley I was sad to have left the mountains behind but there was still more to see ahead so I pocketed the sadness and pressed on.

Chasing Ghosts

There was a large dusty lot adjacent to the hotel that had mostly filled with trucks by the time I found my way there. Having learned to hold the motorcycle in a straight line I also learned that some part of this moving unified object had to absorb the energy of the blasts of wind and that moveable part turned out to be my head. Each gust buffeted my head from side to side like a pendulum and they came along fast enough to get under the helmet and make my eyes water.

If this was the only day of the trip so far it makes it so worth the miles. This posting starts with photos of the drive north out of Durango, Colorado along route 550 and ends with photos in Utah. At the top of Molas Pass I ran into three women who were out touring together and I recognized them from the motel in Durango as I had taken their parking spot when they left, apparently for dinner. The were good natured about it and we laughed about my twinge of guilt at having done that but they understood why I would want a spot as close to me as possible.

Unfortunately, the view of the mountains was blocked by trees and buildings and only the very tips served as the backdrop of the photo with the horse sculpture. No worries, the two motorcyclists who had suggested this route promised a beautiful ride along the Arkansas River so I pressed on. It was nice to be standing around chatting to folks as they waited for their food, good folks just taking a break from the hard work that made up their long days.

This attraction is also surprisingly expensive (about $50 USD/person). It’s slightly cheaper if you take your own photos instead of having them taken by the staff. I wanted my photos to look more professional but it wasn’t worth the extra $10. I’m a photographer, so I was slightly disappointed with the quality of the photos. Not only that, they don’t have the best system for retrieving your photos. You really need to remember which swings or nests you took photos at.

On a return trip I will take the time to stop for a few photos but, that is for another day. Along the way I came upon a couple of Harleys stopped for a rest at the intersection of routes 160 and 41 in the very southwestern corner of Colorado. I asked about the closest dealership and they told me there was a Honda dealership about thirty miles north in Cortez and there was also one in Farmington, not far from where I had booked my hotel. I decided to head to Farmington not wanting to go all the way to Cortez only to find they did not have my tire. The route took me north along route 285 and I was to pick up route 50 in Pagocha Springs just north of the Pagocha Pass at elevation 9,010 feet.