SW Adventure

[Lapchik]

Sunday, May 24, 2026 (forgot to get miles, but somewhere just north of 500)
The day didn't exactly start well, waking up at 1:00 a.m. in the middle of a panic attack. Not sure how that happens when you're asleep, but that's a fun new side of my anxiety. I got my breathing under control, and drink some water to settle my stomach. About 5:00 a.m. all the desert people were up and active, so I didn't get very solid sleep. I took off through Kingman, but didn't want to wait in line for the route 66 archway, so I just took a picture at a sign in the park. I got a little bit of route 66 done on this tour at least. I do have a small Oklahoma route 66 trip, three or four days, planned for later this year as well.

I continued down route 66 to oatman, and I was a little concerned at first that I had picked a bad section. Outside of Kingman it is straight and mostly flat, and very boring. That changes pretty drastically, as the old road narrows and then gets thrown up and down the mountains. While I was happy to see the road change into something worthwhile, I am feeling the effects of a week on the road. My hands and calf muscles are pretty shot, as is my neck. I also have a pretty deep cut on the end of my left middle finger which makes every clutch pull a happy little stinging reminder. The last three days I have had some motion sickness at night as well. I'm actually looking forward to the long straight stretches tomorrow into Nevada to help reduce that motion sickness.

After you get through the town of oatman, the road straightens out. There are also donkeys wandering around, which I stopped to feed. Similar to the begging burrows in Custer State Park of South dakota, they love produce and Ritz crackers. Apparently sour cream and onion Pringles are on the approved list also, because that's all I had with me at the time and they went after it. The big one didn't want to stick around long, but there was also a really little guy who let me pet him.

Next I did some different sightseeing. I went to lake Havasu. Lots of interesting boats that we don't get much of back in Minnesota. They are all painted in garish colors and pulled almost exclusively by lifted trucks with really poorly fitting aftermarket rims. There are also side by sides everywhere.

For some stark contrast, I next went to slab City and salvation mountain. I climbed up to the top and made a quick loop around the other art projects on display, but didn't spend too much time as the 95° heat was only combated by the breeze generated by moving. I rode back to East Jesus to see some of the sculptures and art, but didn't stop to look. I just kept rolling, and then rolled right back out of there. I didn't ever feel unsafe, but exploring back there didn't feel right either.

I made a loop around the Salton Sea, and saw some of the defunct resorts along the west side of the lake. Had a gas station near mecca, I got to feel like a celebrity for 5 minutes. I have a license plate frame that has my YouTube channel on it, and some random guy had seen me before back when I had my crf250l. We talked for a while, and then I continued Northeast to Joshua tree. I didn't have the mental or physical energy left to get off the bike and wander around in the rocks, which I probably would have only done at one or two points of interest anyway. I rode through the entire park in one shot and only stopped at the North end to take a picture of the sign. I did take several video clips with my 360 camera as well. The plan for today had been to also do Mojave and end up in either primm or Las Vegas, but I was so tired and sore that I stopped for the day in 29 palms at the El Rancho Dolores Motel.