Day 6: Gold Camp to Lake Havasu City

It's hot, really hot and therefore I've forgotten a few things today. Such as tracking my miles. I think it's somewhere around 350. If I can remember in the morning, I'll try and get a more exact figure.

Well, the day started out pretty decent before I hit the road. Made some much needed phone calls, blogged a bit and tinkered w/ The Norm.

Got on the road pretty late by my standards, 10 am. And was going fine until route 60 west past Pheonix. Construction for miles and miles. I was so hot in all my gear, w/o any air flow and stuck behind the worst drivers. There is a name for them, the Obliviouts. I've told myself to prepare for good times and bad. This was one of those bad ones.

Finally made it out of that mess and found some peace out on the open road. Found my way to a small town called Wikieup. There Since I still have some adventure left in me from the last few days, I decided to get off the beaten path a back to some dirt. Chicken Springs Road was what I found. About 50 miles of sand and gravel through the AZ desert. About 25 of those miles was standing up. Needless to say, this made up for all the shit I went through earlier in the day.

After all that dust, all I could think about was water. So what better place to head than Lake Havasu! A few hours later, I found myself swimming in the cool water w/ an amazing mountainous view all around.

Camping for the night, but might have been the wrong move. Was 108 degrees when I rolled into Lake Havasu, now it hasn't even dropped below 80. It's going to be an early morning, I can already tell. Sweat will be my alarm clock tonight.

Day 5: Snow Lake NM to Gold Camp AZ

350 miles for the day

I parted ways with the +3 around 8:30 yesterday morning from Snow Lake. Those guys were great to ride and camp with, but I figured it was about time to head on my way. It was pretty exhilarating riding about 50 miles through the middle of the Gila Forest alone, though I'm now more aware of my vulnerabilities on the bike. I also felt a bit sad. I will miss the camaraderie and the safety net a small group of riders provide.

 I made it out of the Gila National Forest and headed for Coronado Trail Scenic Byway (highway 191) in the Apache National Forest. This road, also known as "The Devil's Highway", was once U.S. 666. The +3 riders told me about this route, so I coulndn't pass it up. There were lots of  ten mile an hour switchbacks and not a guardrail in sight. It's a great place to ride a motorcycle and get your heart pumping bit faster.

After that accomplishment, I took highway 70 which is a little two lane blacktop that runs in a valley with sweeping mountain views on either side. I forgot how hot it can be when your not in the mountains. was well above 100 degrees on my way into Gold Camp (which is just outside of Phoenix). It was a long day on the bike and all I wanted to do was take a shower. I hadn't had one in 3 days and was now starting to not just smell it, but feel it too. 

Stopped for the night at another Best Western. Got a good rate and finally an internet connection. 

Well its already Day 6 for me so I need to head out. I'll keep you posted on where I make it to next. 

Thanks for reading!!

Day 4: Silver City to Snow Lake

163 Miles for the day.

Got a late start out of the Lake Roberts campgrounds and headed back into Silver City. A beautiful rid in these back woods with lots of twistys and elevation changes. Three little words, break, shift, throttle.

Had a nice long late breakfast at Vicki's Eatery in downtown Silver City. Walked around for a while looking for some SC stickers to put on the bikes, no luck though. After that I couldn't decide whether to head out on my own, or to sick with the +3 for another day. Well so far they have not steered me wrong and I have been having a blast. Besides, after listening to a Silver City local earlier describe the beauty, ruggedness and adventure of where the +3 were headed, they didn't have to twist my arm, I was ALL in.

We kept heading North, deeper into the Gila National Forest. Thad blew a tire not long after leaving Silver City. Did my best to help out, but was mainly an onlooker. Picked up some good tips though. It is inevitable that I will be changing my own tubes at some point along this trip.

Made it to a small old mining town called Mogollon. The road on the way in was great, but we heard the road after was going to be the difficult one. It has been raining in these parts non stop, so the rumors were that parts of this road had washed out. Had a little snack at the Purple Onion Cafe and discussed the plans with the +3. We pushed on, and finally made it to the gravel. We had only been riding paved roads up to this point, so everyone was excited to feel the dirt under their tires.

Miles and miles of dirt roads high in the Gila Forest, you can't get much better than this.We got to what we thought our destination was going to be (just a remote campsite), but because of all the rain, couldn't camp there. Luckily we talked with a local at the filling station after Thad's blowout, and he mentioned in passing a place called Snow Lake up in these parts. We passed a sign for that just a ways back and decided that would be our new destination and home for the night.

The only thing that came to mind while descending towards the valley that housed Snow Lake was that it truly looked like a piece of heaven. It was absolutely beautiful, tucked away and hidden for only a small few to enjoy. What a perfect place to end this very adventurous day. I slept like a baby.

Day 3: Cloudcroft to Silver City (Lake Roberts)

263 miles for the day.

Typing Notes on iPhone again, please excuse. 2nd day camping w/ Thad, Frank & Tom. They have been awesome! Not only have they been really patient w/ my bike situation, I've picked up some good riding tips and knowledge from them as well, not to mention some friendships. 


Was on a ton of twisty's on the Geronimo Trail today. Had my chain replaced at Copper Country ATV & Cycle in Silver City. Those guys were great and super helpful. If anyone ever needs a moto part passing through SCNM, I recommend going to these guys first. Thad (KTM rider) has also used them in the past, so I know they are legit. 


Ended up riding North to a campsite at Lake Roberts. Beautiful twisty back country roads and scenery. Would have never been on these roads if I hadn't met the +3. I feel like I'm really starting to use the bike now. Couldn't always keep up w/ them though. They have a lot more riding experience than I do, but I did my best and kept it within my riding abilities. What have I been missing?, Texas is way to dang FLAT!

Day 2: 7.5.2010 / Alpine TX to Cloudcroft NM

Sorry for the delayed postings. I've been out in the wilderness the last 3 days without any computer access and limited cell service.


These notes were typed on my iPhone, so please excuse.
352 miles for the day.


Came through Marfa TX, cool place. Better than I remember. Saw the fake Prada store between Marfa and the middle of no ware, it's an art thing (see photo).


Wasn't as hot as the first day, but still warm. Came up through New Mexico in Carlsbad. Had a little lunch in a small taquería and decided to head to Cloudcroft. Thought it would be a better destination than Roswell. Followed 3 other adventure motorcyclists (a KTM 990, Suzuki V-Strom 650 & my personal favorite a BMW f800gs).  Chatted w/ them @ a filling station and was invited to camp w/ them for the night (Thad, Frank & Tom).

Now it's Me & The Norm +3. Cloudcroft (elevation above 9,000 feet). Unbelievable ride in, except that I jumped my chain through the twistys and had to fix it on the side of the road. Luckily those guys were there to help out. Made it to the camp sight but ended up messaging around with the chain another 3 times. Next destination, a motorcycle shop to get a shiny new chain.

Typing notes on my iPhone in my tent while raining wearing my long johns cuz its cold up here. Dang, what a day! Can't wait for tomorrow.

Day 1: Houston to Alpine

                Whew, that was one long hot day! I left Houston around 8:00am (it was already above 80 degrees), and the temperature just continued to climb. I found out later that temperature had reached about 103 degrees, not including the humidity. Luckily there were no traffic jams along the way or I would have really been toasty. But I'm sure in a few months, I will find myself complaining it's too cold and wishing for the warming weather, it's a vicious cycle I tell you. I have to remind myself I chose this type of traveling experience and I have to accept everything that comes with it, even this godforsaken heat. Ok, enough with the heat complaints.

                Well... 550 miles down, and many more to go. I ended up stopping in Alpine TX for the night. For those of you who don't know Texas very well, Alpine is actually known by NO ONE in Texas, except for the 6,000 residents who live here. It's a small west Texas town just northwest of Big Bend, the grande National Park that buddies up next to the Mexican border. Alpine is also just 30 miles east of the world famous Marfa Texas. I'm not sure how world famous it is, I have been there once before and had some pizza and a soda. Nothing that I saw struck my fancy, but maybe I will dig a little deeper tomorrow and see what I can find.

                Is it just me, or does anyone else have an affinity for trains? On my way into Alpine this evening, I got lucky and the road merged with some tracks and there was a mile long train rolling west, same as me. Not a car in sight and it was just him and I for miles upon miles. It was a spectacular way to end the day's ride.  

                Okay, that's it for tonight. Check back again every so often to see some updates. I'm very new at the whole blogging thing so I will try my best to keep everyone engaged and entertained like in a miniseries.

                To be continued......

For Starters

          Well... for all of you that don't know me, my name is Adam Gralewski (gruh.loo.skee). For the last 6 years, I have lived in Houston Texas and was working as a product designer for Hewlett Packard in their notebook design department. As of last month, I decided to leave my job in pursuit of something different, something more creative and something meaningful. Because I have yet to fully understand what those "somethings" are for myself, as of tomorrow morning, 08/04/2010, I will be heading out on a motorbike trip around the US in search of those meanings.

          For the next month I will be riding alone on my 2005 BMW f650gs (dual sport) motorbike. I have only a few destinations in mind (which I will get to later) so the majority of the trip will be spontaneous. Exciting right!?  

          I have packed only what I think I will need for the next month or so, a single bag of clothes, some camping gear, extra bike parts, etc.. Like I said, only what I think  I will need, the bare essentials.

          Oh, and before I forget... the blog's name. I'm sure you are wondering who or what is "The Norm"? Well, "The Norm" is what I call my motorbike. Usually people name their cars, bikes or boats after women, but in this case, "The Norm" is named after my great uncle Norman. He has ridden a motorbike around the world and across almost every continent. I named the bike after him as a tribute to him and all of his achievements. He is an original globe rider, and I admire him greatly.

          So... with questions to be answered, wanderlust in my blood and a full tank of gas, I set out on an adventure with only Me & The Norm.