No Man's Ride - Day 3

Day Three – Baker, NV to Grand Junction, CO

Early morning in Baker is beautiful in that ghostly vast sort of way. This was the first opportunity to check out the new support vehicle and trailer. All jaws dropped at the sight of black trailer wrapped in MAD MAPS, tomtom, and Suzuki logos. It looked perfect and further legitimized our endeavor. Carla bathed the bikes and Dave Cooper shuffled them off to the Sinclair for fill up before lining them up neatly in a row ready for takeoff. Cooper captured some early morning video footage assisted by Lee Cole. We bid our buddy Lee farewell, as he tearfully turned back to San Francisco and we rolled into Utah. The first hundred miles of Utah was brutal. Eastern Utah resembles the Nevada plains in its empty vastness; the key difference is Utah’s overabundance of traffic enforcement officers. Brick, a support member, was lucky enough to meet and greet Utah’s finest, lucky for him he was let go with a warning. The first stop was in Sipiro for a much needed refueling, Jenny emerged from the gas station with a bevy of energy drinks in various colors and flavors. All juiced up and ready to roll. Salinas City for a lunch stop at the Wolf Den Café. A quaint road-side burger stand boasting of the best tatter tots in town, and were they ever. Nothing prepares you for miles on the road like grease, salt, and crunchiness! Back on Hwy 50 East, just outside of Salinas City the scenery transformed into spectacular rock formations of red and white pillowed hummocks (what’re they?) topped with bacon bit boulders. Once again the road succumbed to nature and wound its way through the buttes and mesas.

One last gas up and sixty miles to go before bedding up in Grand Junction, CO for the night. Upon arriving at the hotel the ladies were met by NBC affiliate local Channel 5 news Grand Junction. Sporting their finest Suzuki gear the ladies gather with the trailer in the back and flirt about in front of the cameras for ten minutes, which later becomes a 30 second news spot. They describe MAD MAPS and the significance of riding across the county to attend the International Woman and Motorcycling Conference with authenticity in the journey. At the interviews conclusion the MAD Crew made a MAD dash for the swimming pool. As the crew unwinds from a great day of riding and the sun sets in Grand Junctions they reflect on the highlights of the journey so far. All the while preparing for an incredible ride through the Rockies at daybreak.