I compiled the whole enchilada into one beautiful perfect-bound document at 112 pages of pure experience and some photography I'm honestly quite proud of. (Final Version PDF HERE) Skip Hunt Go West Issue 1: finding the exotic within the mundane Fine art photographer Skip Hunt of Austin, Texas traveled Westward via motorcycle in search of the exotic within the mundane. He found so much more!This issue contains the entire set of chronicles from Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California and Arizona.What began as a curious wand… Skip Hunt Go West Part 6 Now Published! There's much more in this issue than any of the previous issues and I will also be publishing a complete, bound version of all 6 parts very soon! This issue is the final chapter of this amazing, life-changing journey. Enjoy! (you can also buy and download the PDF only HERE Skip Hunt Go West :: Part 6 Issue 6: Skip Hunt Go West :: Part 6 Fine art photographer Skip Hunt of Austin, Texas travels Westward via motorcycle in search of the exotic within the mundane. This sixth and final issue chronicles the journey from Salton Sea to Salvation Mountain and on to Gila Bend and the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to Tucson, Bisbee, Chir… Playing catch up, but I've published Part 5 with printed version AND download versions available! I've also updated the Whrrl Stories up to the Salton Sea. I’m not sure what it is about luggage on a motorcycle, but I’ve noticed that when I have no luggage loaded on my bike, no one bothers to even notice me. When my bike is fully loaded, everyone stops and asks where I’m going or where I’ve been. They usually get this faraway look in their eyes as I tell them where I’d just ridden from or where I hope to ride to, etc. I think the desire to be “free” like that must be pretty universal. Not so much the motorcycle component, but perhaps just the idea that someone is in the middle of some trip where they don’t know what to expect, are exposed to the elements, and alone. Something about that seems to be very appealing to folks in general I’ve found. I mention this because I was hoping to leave Las Vegas fairly early in order to get some miles covered before the hottest time of the day. I didn’t count on the vari- ous visitors outside the hotel as I loaded up my bike. Don’t get me wrong, I love sharing the vibes with anyone who wants to absorb them close up, but it tends to put a dent in any plans of getting anywhere quickly. ;-) A good two hours late, I was bolting South toward the Joshua Tree National Monument via straight down the middle of the Mojave desert via the Kelso dunes. I’m not sure if it was the obscene heat or inaccuracies in my phone’s GPS, but I ended up getting a little lost. My chain was really feeling worn and the lack of any other vehicles at all was making me a little nervous. Figured, if I make it to Twenty-Nine Palms I should really bit the bullet and look for a new chain. If my bike were to fail out in this vast desert nothingness, I’d literally be toast. Added more photos, a video clip and a fresh phone blog HERE More coming! Download Version here: http://www.e-junkie.com/123601 Decided while I've still got this WiFi in this Vegas hotel, I better crank out Part 4 to get myself caught up before heading out again in the morning. Not sure where I'm going at all. Will decide pretty much when I leave here. Kinda leaning toward Joshua Tree National Park, but its wide open. I'm putting a direct link to the published/printed version of Part 4 :: Moab to Las Vegas below, but I also created a shop with less expensive digital download PDF @ 150DPI. You can view all of them HERE That's all for now. Will be updating via Whrrl, ipadio, and Skip Hunt Vagabond as well until I get WiFi again. Just finished putting together Pat 3! of the Skip Hunt Go West trip-zine! You can order a printed copy delivered to you using the link I'll put in below. Or, you can buy the PDF version and download now! There's also a freshly updated KMZ download you can get and open in Google Earth to view a fly-through so far. I couldn't get reception in some places so I'll have to add those manually later. Get it HERE Here's an excerpt from Part 3 of the trip-zine: "It was the forth of July in South Fork, Colorado when I left. Everyone seemed very excited about all the activities, parades, BBQ, fireworks, etc. Although I’m not a big crowd person, I have to admit to a little sadness when I left there. All that “family” stuff looked enticing, but at the same time... I don’t do any of that stuff when I’m home either. So, down the road I went and enjoyed a beautiful stretch of highway winding all the way to Mesa Verde. As I glided through a couple mountain passes I was getting all patriotic about the U.S. and how beautiful some of it is indeed. Even the people, when they’re not manipulated by characters who’s agenda is nothing more than dividing folks and generally shills for corporate interests masquerading as being “of the people”. Soon, I was passing through Pagosa Springs. There was a detour around main street because they were having a giant Forth of July parade and had blocked off the main road through. Oh great! I get to see a parade after all. While I was boiling there on my bike, waiting for make-shift trailer floats to pass and people with there children all dressed up for the parade... stumbling like patriotic zombies right in front of me without a clue that there was traffic trying to pass, etc. I uttered to myself, “Get out of the way you bunch of nitwits! Can’t you see this is a road with traffic on it?!” So much for my patriotic tendencies toward the regular folks. ;-)" In Vegas now and hope to get caught up! The trouble is, I can only update this blog from my laptop and since I've been camping mostly, haven't had a room to break it out. I have been doing regular postings though... In the meantime, here's some updates I did via Whrrl since my last update: (scroll to the bottom for the most recent audio update from Zion!) More coming! Leaving Mesa Verde in the morning. Such an amazing place! I think i've got a few images that will go down among the best I've ever taken. Or, at least that's how it feels now. ;-) Such spectacular vistas! But it's time to move on I think. I will put up some fresh images when I sit down to edit again for Part 3. Parts 1 & 2 are available for download as pdfs or printed in hi-res in magazine form and delivered HERE I also put up a fresh Whrrl story there that has many iPhone snaps in it so check it out.
After such an amazing 3 days exploring Mesa Verde, I had a big of a problem today. Went to the next town over, Cortez, to get some motorcycle oil and more sardines ;-) and discovered someone had tried to use my credit card in the UK to purchase computer gear, so the bank put a hold on my card and now have cancelled it. DOH!!! It took me 3hrs in the Walgreens parking lot trying to get it all sorted out with the bank. I've got access to enough cash to last me until I get to Las Vegas & then they'll send me a replacement card. Such a huge hassle and it was made even worse by the fact the freakin' bank outsources the fraud prevention people and I couldn't understand half of what they were saying. With all the money the banks gouge from us, and all the money they basically steal from our public coffers... you would think they could at least give us native English speaking customer support. ARGGG!!! I digress. ;-) I'm told that the ride from Durango, CO through Ouray up toward Ridgway is pretty spectacular. So, I think I'm going to ride it tomorrow and either camp at Ridgway or keep going until I get to Telluride to camp for one night. Then, I'm really itchin' to get out of the mountains and into Utah. Moab's got my name on it next. More things to write and even more images, but I'll save it for Part 3. There's another chap I met online (Brian Setzer ~ not the Stray Cats one) who'd read travel blogs including my last one from Mexico... every day with his coffee... and then decided to sell his house and take off for Alaska. He's still going strong and has some splendid images as well. Check him out at bikeandboots.com Next post will be from somewhere in Utah I reckon. Wish me luck! ps. HUGE thanks to those who've shown appreciation for the work I do by buying my pdf's, magazines, and kind gratuity donations. I don't earn any sort of living while I'm doing this thing I love to do... taking ya'll along vicariously makes it a little less lonely on the road and so your support in all forms is VERY MUCH appreciated! It's keeping me on the road just a little bit longer! THANKS!!! Hasta, Skip It took a bit of doing and wrestling with crappy wifi, but I managed to publish the second edition of my trip magazine! Available now printed and delivered! You can also buy a PDF download for $2.50 below: Here's one more that I edited but didn't have room for in the magazine. :-) "La Flore Mistica" ~ Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico Leaving South Fork, Colorado and heading for Mesa Verde in the morning! ps. I just updated a FREE download KMZ file with notes, photos and map route. You can download it HERE and watch a fly-through in Google Earth. |