Our First Grand Shamrock Tour
Our 5 for 5 in 35 is our first Grand Shamrock Tour from Medford, Oregon to Kanab, Utah. 5 States, 5 National Parks, and our 35 years of marriage. Thanks for reading! ☘️
Our First Grand Shamrock Tour: “5 of 5 for 35” in 2017
5 of 5 for 35: A motorcycle ride and tribute to our 35 years of marriage. Why not celebrate by riding through 5 states through 5 National Parks starting in Medford, Oregon and landing in Kanab, Utah. Our first “Grand Shamrock Tour” took us on a journey of over 2500 miles from Oregon to Nevada, California, Utah, and Arizona.
☘️ Day 1:
Medford to Reno
Highlights:
305 Miles
Early morning jitters for Caroline.
A blessing from our good friend and neighbor Pam.
John attracts MANY birds AND bugs including a huge swarm of bugs that descend on John and his BMW at Eagle Lake near Alturas, California as I ride behind him watching these crazy events occur.
Photo: Our snack stop at Bieber, California
Friday, May 18th, 2017 - Preparing to leave Medford:
I cannot believe just how uptight and a bit anxious I was before leaving for this trip. I spent time thinking about how much time and energy leading in to this trip it took in getting prepared both physically and mentally. Between work and home life, John and I have a lot going on. It was easy to put off preparations until the last minute. I had spent plenty of nights lying awake thinking of what to pack, how much it would weigh, as well as how to pack it safely. I think what finally made the calming difference was focusing just on that first destination: Reno, Nevada. If I could visualize each road, the curves, the throttle, my balance, and then finally making it to the parking garage of the Silver Legacy Hotel I knew I would be fine.
We had loaded all of our gear the night before. Our two BMW's are turned around and pointing towards the drive way. As we finish our last minute preparations I am breathing in gratefulness for having a new bike and new gear that will take me on this journey to safely leave our Oregon home and head out onto the wild roads of Nevada, California, Arizona, Utah, and back.
There have been many cold, rainy days leading up to this trip and yet today we awoke to clear skies, cool temperatures, plugging in our heated gear and made our way to Greensprings Road heading towards Klamath Falls. Once out of the Medford area we really started to settle in to the ride. John of course can ride anything… anywhere! My new BMW tires had not seen this part of pavement and I was looking forward to get to Klamath quick and easy with some warm up on the hills and curves of Highway 66. It really worked! By the time we stopped in Keno for something fresh to drink and I was calm and ready for this 10 day journey.
Between Klamath Falls and Reno there are several smaller towns, most of which have little traffic and few services. We stopped in Bieber, California for gas and a brief snack stop. Population 500. Did you know they have a 'BFD' also known as the “Bieber Fire Station"?? Yup. BFD. Hey, I got a laugh out of John anyway.😂
It is not too far out of Bieber that we were riding past Eagle Lake when we hit one of the biggest swarms of bugs either one of us had ever seen. John really took the brunt of that swarm. Whoa. He had A LOT of bugs on his bike. We laughed when we got to the gas station in Susanville. John was a bit of a magnet for flying things today. Not only did he hit the bugs, but several birds swooped down quite close to him on repeated occasions. I just rode behind quietly and watched all of the action. There were antelope, deer, “Baby storks” and thier two parents. Aside from the wildlife, we were able to experience wide open roads with very little traffic until reaching Reno.
Don’t let the concern of riding on a slick concrete parking garage keep you up at night. It was no problem at all! 😅
There is something to be said about
getting a room upgrade.
We had a nice room at the Silver Legacy, but the room was next to the elevator so we were given an upgrade. Oh darn.... they put us in an extra large room, king size bed, in-room jacuzzi, and an over sized bathroom. I think 6 people could fit in that shower! After our first day of riding I was happy to fill that large jacuzzi with hot water and soak away the fatigue. I actually did quite well despite leaving Medford with some anxiety of not knowing how I hold up on this lengthy trip. Today we were initially challenged by cold temperatures in the morning followed by a warm afternoon. By the end of the day we were feeling relief and huge success for our first day.
A very good day indeed.
☘️ Day 2:
Reno to Lone Pine, California
Highlights:
263 Miles
Clear skies with a 65-70 degree day.
7000 feet elevation for most of our riding day.
Yosemite Pass is still closed for snow.
Views of Mono Lake
A 13 mile loop through Jane Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Lake.
We arrive in Lone Pine expecting a room... and there is “no room at the Inn!” Thankfully the Best Western down the road found us room.
As we make our way into Death Valley the temperatures rise to over 104 degrees!
☘️ Day 3:
Lone Pine to Pahrump, Nevada
Highlights:
165 Miles
The Alabama Hills
Panament Springs and Death Valley roads are immaculate! According to John these roads were “a motorcyclist’s dream.”
Devil’s Golf Course is an interesting stop.
Badwater, California - 280 Feet Below Sea Level, 105 Degrees
☘️ Day 4:
Pahrump, Nevada to Kanab, Utah
Highlights:
260 Miles
An early morning ride through Las Vegas. The roads on a Sunday morning were surprisingly quiet.
The ride from Mesquite to the Virgin River Valley is stunning!
Today we see our first “Red Rocks!”
We make it to Kanab, Utah to stay at Perry’s Lodge, each room having a Hollywood actor theme. We stayed in the “John Wayne Suite.” 🤠
Day 5:
☘️ We begin the first of three Shamrock Rides:
Kanab, Utah to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Highlights:
Kanab to Page, Arizona
Lake Powell
The Vermillion Cliffs
Jacob Lake to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
A 45 minute phone call on the journey home with our son Duncan followed by a late night ride home rounded out our longest day yet.
Photo: Sitting above Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona.
Day 6:
☘️ Shamrock #2:
Kanab to
Zion National Park
Highlights:
Riding through the Zion Tunnel.
The Red Rocks of Zion.
We park the bikes and take the National Park bus to hike through the canyons… and quickly find that hiking does not mix with motorcycling. As John says: “Don’t cross the streams!” 🤣
And finally, a speedy ride before the tunnel closes... Hey! I thought the ranger told us the tunnel closed at 7:00. Come to find out, the tunnel never closes. 😂
Photo: Proof that riding a motorcycle can be an awesome way to see a National Park!
Day 7:
☘️ Shamrock #3
Kanab, Utah to Bryce Canyon
We ride out of Kanab and head towards Bryce Canyon. I am not sure I have ever seen clouds so close as we ride through the Red Canyon of Utah!
Bryce Canyon National Park is a place where you want to stop and take a photo at each location. Just look at those HooDoos and rocks.
Our final stop for the night was Tropic, Utah. There was no other rooms available so a nice person rented us this 3 bedroom - 2 bath home, along with the 3 car garage. A real treat for John and I.
(See photos below.)
☘️ Day 9:
Tropic, Utah to the Grand Staircase Escalante, ending in West Wendover, Nevada
Highlights:
450 Miles in ONE Day!
The Grand Staircase and
Highway 12
A is more than grand! A must do for any motorcyclist or car enthusiast.
We experienced our first cattle drive followed by
10,000 feet in elevation.
Our lunch stop in Salina, Utah was a treat as we ordered the best homemade chicken noodle soup.
And finally, the non-stop wind in Salt Lake City all the way to Wendover, Nevada was brutal!
Riding such a long distance was a challenge but we managed to stop along the way and enjoy several of the views.
Day 10: Arriving home.
Our son Duncan was waiting for us as we arrived home safe and sound. His Mother’s Day gift to me was the protective back pad for my motorcycle jacket as well as meeting us at home to share all of tales from the trip! Such a celebration.
☘️ Day 10: Heading home!
Oh, what a happy day!
Our final night was spent in East Wendover, Nevada at one of the local casinos. We realized after such a long ride yesterday that we would stay in our room for dinner and leave early the next morning. No gambling tonight! With our gear packed for this final ride, we fill our tanks at the Chevron located on the way out of town. The trip from East Wendover to Lakeview is somewhere around 188 miles. It will be a fast and long trip with no services ahead and we are hoping to have enough fuel to get us to Lakeview. Unfortunately, riding at higher speeds of 80-90 on those wide open desert roads, the gas economy tends to drop. Instead of 60 MPG we are getting 53 MPG. Our 4 gallon tanks need to get u there. It was several miles out of Lakeview that the fuel warning light comes on and it is pretty obvious that there is no turning back. The only thing we can to do is to press on and look for that small town of Lakeview and the first gas station. Fumes… we literally rolled in on fumes!
Heading home to Medford from Lakeview we now have 180 miles to go. We continue to enjoy our helmet time and discuss the events of our 10 day trip. We share all of the challenges that we faced along the way including the late night rides, the swarms of bugs, the long cattle drive, and running low on fuel. We had a few days where we fought off fatigue, but right now we are energized and thinking about arriving home safe with so many an amazing experiences under our belts. As we look down at our gauges we see that we have traveled nearly 2500 miles. As John encouraged me on those final miles: “Just reel them in Caroline… reel them in.” 😅
I begin thinking back to that night before we left having had so many concerns of just making it to Reno and into the parking garage. Yet, here I am so many miles later talking about what the NEXT trip will be! As you can imagine, I am incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful partner that has always been so supportive to me and continues to plan even more adventures.
Until then!
Travel safe… and we will see you out on the road. ☘️
We used to make scrapbooks for all of our photos and I am now sharing the original photos on a blog.
Google Map Medford to Utah and Back!
Google Maps are hard to make. The above Map has our general route and most of the places that we stayed along the way.
Photos: Wedding Day 1983… Anniversary Ride 35 Years later!
Thanks for sharing in our journey.
John and Caroline ☘️
Best American Motorcycle Routes:
Grab your Butler Map and begin traveling the roads less traveled. We have been using Butler maps for so many of the locations that we have visited over the last several years. Each map outlines the best roads in “red, yellow, and orange” as the most challenging or simply enjoyable to all motorcycle enthusiasts! These roads include “fast sweepers, elevation changes, tight corners, and everything in-between.” We have found that these maps provide a great way to experience each state, or in this case “Region” as a way to guide you to “Get out and ride!”
Use a
Butler Adventure Series and Maps:
Grab your Butler Map and begin riding the roads less traveled. We have been using Butler maps for so many of the locations that we have visited over the last several years. Each map outlines the best roads in “red, yellow, and orange” as the most challenging to simply enjoyable to all motorcycle enthusiasts! These roads include “fast sweepers, elevation changes, tight corners, and everything in-between.” We have found that these maps provide a great way to experience each state, or in this case “Region” as a way to guide you to “Get out and ride!”
We have listed all of the routes on Butler’s two maps: 30 Classic American Motorcycle Rides below and have them broken up into the Eastern and Western Segments featuring the “Best Rides Around the United States.” Print the list and see how many you spectacular roads you can check off of your bucket list of best U.S. rides.
There are still several routes that we have yet to discover but we can certainly say that we are incredibly grateful to have been able to experience so many on the list. Whereas Butler has their top list... we have added a few of our own. Drop us an email if you have suggestions of your own that we should add to that growing list!
We will continue to enjoy what we refer to as “helmet time” as we share laughter and deep conversations about the beauty and rewards of each road. 2024 may lead us to some very different terrain and locations than any of our previous years as we throw our legs over the new BMW’s.
To end: do as Butler says:
“Get out and ride!”
Or as we say:
“Travel safe... and we will see you out on the road.”
John and Caroline 🍀
To order your copy of a Butler Map you can go to: butlermaps.com and use the code SHAMROCK15 for 15% off of your purchase. (We are not sponsored and do not get any revenue from Butler Maps.)
The Tail of The Dragon: Tennessee in the fall. Don’t miss it. 318 curves in 11 miles!
Click above photo for Amazon Link to Southern Appalachia Motorcycle Butler Map! *We may earn from qualifying purchases.
Western Segment - Classic American Motorcycle Rides:
Western Segment
17 Total Rides
13 States
☐ Mt Ranier National Park, WA (160 Miles)
☐ Going-to-the-Sun Road, MT (50 Miles)
Glacier National Park
☐ Hells Canyon, OR (195 Miles)
☐ Lolo Pass, ID & MT (175 Miles)
☐ Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND (209 Miles)
☐ Beartooth Pass &Chief Joseph Highway, MT & WY (113 Miles)
☐ Bighorn Mountains, WY (221 Miles)
☐ Black Hills, SD (113 Miles)
☐ Avenue of the Giants, CA (32 Miles)
☐ Pacific Coast Highway, CA (125 Miles)
☐ Death Valley National Park , CA (156 Miles)
☐ Bicentennial Highway, UT (202 Miles)
☐ Independence Pass, CO (43 Miles)
☐ Million Dollar Highway, CO (231 Miles)
☐ Highway 191, AZ (117 Miles)
☐ Silver City Loop, NM (125 Miles)
☐ Historic Route 66 (Total Miles: 2,851)
States: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois
Eastern Segment - Classic American Motorcycle Rides:
Eastern Segment
Rides
States
☐ Great River Road, WI & IA (119 Miles)
☐ The Covered Bridges Highway, OH (78 Miles)
☐ The Catskills, NY (166 Miles)
☐ Green Mountain Highway, VT (200 Miles)
☐ Acadia National Park, ME (96 Miles)
☐ Skyline Drive, VA (105 Miles)
☐ Blue Ridge Parkway, VA & NC (367 Miles)
☐ The Midland Trail, WV (115 Miles)
☐ Daniel Boone National Forest, KY (350 Miles)
☐ Tail of the Dragon, NC & TN (83 Miles)
☐ Cherohala Skyway, TN (50 Miles)
☐ Natchez Trace Parkway, MS & TN (430 Miles)
☐ Talimena National Scenic Drive, OK & AK (61 Miles)
☐ The Pig Tail, AK (129 Miles)
☐ The Twisted Sisters, TX (191 Miles)
☐ Florida Keys, FL (125 Miles)
Our “Grand Shamrock Rides” as an added bonus:
We would encourage any rider to add the following motorcycles rides to their bucket list!
☐ Oregon Coast, Highway 101, OR (370 Miles)
☐ Scenic Rim Ride, Crater Lake National Park, OR (33 Miles)
☐ Iron Mountain Road, SD (17 Miles)
☐ Scenic Byway 12, Utah (124 Miles)
☐ The Lost Coast Highway, CA (120 Miles)
☐ State Route 36, CA ( 184 Miles)
☐ Lake Ponchartrain, LA (24 Miles)
☐ Highway 30A on The Gulf Coast, FL (20 miles)
☐ Yellowstone National Park, WY (295 Miles)
☐ Sedona 89A to Flagstaff, AZ (21 Miles)
☐ Park Loop Road, Acadia National Park, Maine (60 Miles)
☐ Tunnel of Trees, Michigan (30 Miles)
☐ 555 The Triple Nickel, OH (62 Miles)
☐ The Sidewinder to Oatman, AZ (191 Curves in 9 Miles:)
☐ Badlands Loop Road, Badlands National Park, SD (30 Miles)
Crater Lake is Oregon’s only National Park and so worth the ride!
Click on the photo above for the Amazon link to Oregon G1 Map.
*As an Amazon Affiliate we may earn from qualified purchases.
South Dakota: A great place to ride. Who doesn’t like 314 Curves in 17 Miles? Also, do not miss The Needles Highway, Black Hills, and Spearfish Canyon while you are in the area as they have a map of their own and it is definitely worth seeing!
To order your copy of a Butler Map you can go to: butlermaps.com and use the code SHAMROCK15 for 15% off of your purchase. (We are not sponsored and do not get any revenue from Butler Maps.)
There are several options to purchase the Butler Maps on Amazon. One option is the link below. We may earn from qualified purchases.
One of our motorcycle music videos showing the spectacular Lake Ponchartrain in Louisiana. To watch click the YouTube link below: