How I spent my summer vacation, or 6000 miles on a WR250R

Day 16 - Pikes Peak to Golden to Limon, Co

Up late-ish, mainly because the purpose of the day before and today was
to take it easy and rest up for the run east to home. But first lets
get high:


My dad and I went here on a trip we took when I was about 10 years
old. We didn't drive up then, instead took the cog railway. Now, 16
years later, we were back to have another go at the mountain and see
what changed. I also really really wanted to ride the highway after
watching some videos of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb this year.

Passing the resevior



On the way up, I mainly rode and tried to have a good time when I
wasn't stuck behind one lumbering vehicle or another or a herd of
Christian bikers on cruisers who didn't seem to have a terrible amount
of dirt riding experience, so not many pics from the way up. Except
this one... getting up there!




I ended up stopping to check on one of the bikers on the way down...
they had a flat tire and managed to not fall off the mountain muscling
a 800 pound bike to the small shoulder. Offered to help, but none of
us could figure a way to get the bike up in the air on the slope. The
caught a ride with another one of the group and got a truck up to get
off the mountain.


The summit!




There was also a ADV-type bike rally there that day in addition to the
Christian bikers, I think Rawhide Adventures? Lots of GS's, a few
KLR's and even a DR650. I was the smallest bike up there, and given
the nature of the tires and the sheer amount of cleanliness on all the
bikes, I had to wonder what kind of adventure it was.

The more you know?


Oh beautiful...


The song's right...



Your's truly.


So how does the bike run up there? To be honest, not as good as it did
several thousand feet lower. It was definitely down on power, even
compared to what it had two days prior at ~12,000 feet. Thats not to
say it was running poorly, it was just weak compared to normal which is
understandable. Frankly, I'm definitely not concerned with its
performance anywhere in any condition now.

Coming back down


Just a little further...


More traffic...




I liked the mandatory brake check at the ranger station where they were
actually using an infrared thermometer and stopping people whose brakes
were over a certain temperature. There were definitely people who
needed to ease the hell up and let the car roll a little as the smell
of fried brakes was foul in the air. Fortunately the ranger took one
look at me, chuckled, and waved me through without looking at my
brakes. I guess no one's concerned about a dirt bike.

At the gift shop at mile 8? my dad and I parted ways. He was headed
west to Washington after a tour through their wine region and I was
headed east for home to start classes. Wished me a safe trip, wished
him the same, said our goodbyes and off we went. Hopefully one day we
can actually do a whole trip together instead of just a few days...

Well, it wasn't quite time to head for home yet for me though... I had
a friend from high school who moved up to Golden. So, lets go get a
beer! On the road


Woo, made it!


Uh... problem. Gave her a call as I got into town. She neglected to
tell me that she was going to Europe, and was in the airport about to
board her flight as I got there. This was someone I thought was a
pretty decent friend back in the day, so this stung pretty badly and I
took it pretty personally. C'est la vie...

Fuck it, lets motor. Get me the hell out of Colorado. Of course, its
rush hour, and the good citizens of Denver really just don't seem to
have a goddamn clue on how to drive in traffic. Eventually broke free
and headed east on US 40 East, about 1500 miles west of where I had
picked it up on my last trip.


On the road...


Made it as far as Limon, Co before it started getting dark. Ate
dinner, got gas, and started looking for a place to stay... I was tired
of hotels. I was tired of campgrounds. I ended up pulling off 40 onto
a side road and found my way onto a field that had a cluster of trees
and stealth camped for the first time. First time I had a perfect
pitch on the hammock too, which is good considering I was hoping to be
partying with a "friend" about the time I was falling asleep in some
farmers field. Ah well...

And then it struck me... I really need a drink. A strong drink. And
there's only one place in America I could think of going to get it.

Day 17 - Into Kansas

This may have been my favorite night out in the field in the hammock.
The weather was cold, but crystal clear all night. I was well off the
road, back in the middle of a small cluster of trees in the middle of a
fallow field. The ever present ebb and flow of the prairie winds
gently rocked me to sleep, spent the night swaying above the tall grass
and with the two large trees that comprised the foundation of my home
that evening, and woke as the colors around me change from the darkness
of night into the delicate shades of early morning as the sun began to
creep into the sky to start the day. Got dressed, deflated the camp
pad, stuffed the sleeping bag into its stuff sack, packed the hammock
into the snake skins, stuffed everything back on the bike into their
respective homes, and was away within about 30 minutes of the sun
breaking the horizon with no trace that I was ever there. Perfect.

Have I mentioned how much I love the great wide openness of the plains yet? No? Well I frickin' love it.

Back on the highway (still US 40):


The first couple towns seemed to basically be abandoned or not open
yet, unfortunate as I was pretty hungry and looking forward to stopping
someplace with coffee and hot food. First place I came across with
such amenities was Kit Carson, CO. The trading post was all that was
open, and the only place there seemed to be, so the choice was easy.


Great food, good coffee, and really nice people inside, stop by if
you're there one day. By the way, did I mention it was cold out? I
had my cold layers on underneath my rain gear trying to keep warm, but
the previous nights gentle winds had found new strength with the new
day. Oh well, nothing to do but keep the fingers wiggling and hope for
someone to turn the heat on...




Stopped at a little roadside history slash rest area.


I always think its neat that these easy to drive and navigate highways,
especially the major east-west US routes follow the original trails
west first blazed thousands of years ago by migrating herds, followed
by the Native Americans, and eventually the first white settlers.
Still, its hard to ignore the starkness and vastness of this great
American landscape.



The winds were simply terrible most of the morning, coming directly
from the south or slightly to the south east nearly all day.
Unfortunately as US 50 East was my intended way south as US40 ends up
co-signing with I-70 for much of its length, that meant a nice 60 mile
jaunt south directly into it. Not a ton of pics of that transit
because of the wind, but I did get off the pavement for it and pack on
to the gravel/sand county roads. Fortunately it did eventually warm up
into a quite nice day and I was able to pack my cold layers just before
noon.

Once on US 50 I started seeing signs for Garden City that make it seem
like quite the destination and seeing signs advertising the Garden City
zoo. Check the Garmin... hmm I'm making fantastic time... Screw it, I
haven't been to a zoo in years, lets see what they got out here.



First nice surprise: It's FREE! Second nice surprise: not only are the
grounds pleasant the facilities much appreciated, they also have a ton
of cool stuff.




Third nice surprise: this is a serious zoo! The Rhino:


A great sign on the lion cage:


Fortunately he was sleeping on the other side.
They had a damn decent collection of very rare animals, especially big
cats. Unfortunately for the cats but fortunately for the visitors,
they were in pretty small pens and therefore easy to see up close.
Snow leopards, several jaguars and leopards, a Siberian Tiger, a couple
lions, and more. They also had a breeding pair of giraffe's, some of
the few remaining Pere Davids Deer, several camels and a bunch of other
cool animals from all over the world. Definitely more of an old school
"Go see the animals" type zoo, it was a nice place to wander around for
about 2 hours.

On the way back to the bike, I saw this memorial bench...


Thanks Darlene, I hope to.

Another neat historical marker...


Yes, that said I was standing on the banks of the historical Arkansas
River. The river was no where to be seen however, as centuries of
agriculture and irrigation has catastrophically altered the aqua system
of the region. There was actually a large exhibit on this at the zoo
describing the massive environmental impact of the farms that surround
the town have in very clear and refreshingly fair and realistic terms.
Kinda scary when you think about how much food this region provides for
the world...

Back on the road, US 50 continues to follow the Sante Fe Trail that I
had first joined south in Oklahoma and west in Colorado on the TAT.





Can you see the ruts? I sure as hell can't. Then again, I can barely
imagine the courage of the folks who originally ran the trail in the
1800's.




Dodge City!


What a disappointment. They're trying a little too hard to squeeze the
toursit stone there, very artificial. It was cool to see the original
old building that made up the historical downtown, still there and
still in use just as they were a century plus ago... filled with
regular boring stores and restaurants. Not needing my nails done, a
pawn shop, check casing, or chinese takeout, I kept moving.

I did eat at a cool little local bar called Kates, a little off the
beaten path but great food for cheap. Beer specials were pretty good
too.

Fort Dodge


More about the trail...


This wind... this devilish, demonic wind... as I came up on this...


WHY AREN'T THERE MORE OF THESE OUT HERE!?! This was the first and only
wind farm I passed, but damn of the wind hadn't blown all damn day and
night on the way across Oklahoma just over a week prior, and damned if
they didn't blow the entire damn way from Colorado to the Mississippi.
It was also sunny and beautiful the entire way (something I know isn't
necessarily the the case out here always). Hell, we don't even need
massive wind farms like this. Every farmer, every rancher, every
homeowner out here, put up a wind generator and a few solar panels on
the roof. Drastically reduce your power consumption from the grid,
hell it'll probably run backwards most of the time since you'll feed in
to the system. Give 'em a tax break or a rebate, I bet we'd see a
massive reduction in our overseas oil consumption. Sorry to bring
politics into this, but this doesn't seem like rocket science.

ANYWAYS, moving along. I'm making good time still, but with my long
stop its getting dark. Only thing is... I'm not at all tired, again
thanks to my stop. I hadn't ridden at night since I started this trip,
with good reason. Deer, unknown potentially bad roads, etc... Now I'm
on well traveled pavement, so lets motor.

Made it as far as South Hutchinson, KS, home of Morton Salt.


One of those little surprises. I knew salt was mined, just didn't know where. Now I do heh.

Ok, its late. Time to find a hotel. But not here, a little further
down the road in Newton, KS. For those of you keeping score at home, I
was just outside Limon, CO that morning, for a grand total of...


448.4 miles. Did I mention the bike's kinda comfortable, and is fine to ride on all day long at 60-70 mph?

Stayed at a nice Best Western, at least in terms of the rooms. The neighborhood was a bit sketchy, so I brought her inside.



Tomorrow, goodbye Kansas, hello MO!

Moar you say?

Day 18 - Newton, KS to Jefferson City, MO

Another long day across the plains, and unfortunately my last. Not a
lot to say nor take pics of, just more of the same. Which was fine by
me. :)

Some more history


Clements Stone Arch Bridge, built in 1886. Condemned and bypassed, but a beautiful structure.


Nearing the end of the plains...


Soon to be replaced with hills and the start of the Appalachians...


Another "The more you know" moment


Old US 50, the "modern" route is cosigned on the interstate a few miles north. I like the old route better


Another cool little abandoned structure by the road side.


I tried to stop in Kansas City to get some Oklahoma Joe's BBQ... but
they were closed (Sunday). :( Boo hiss, its been on at least one
"Places to eat before you die" list and I was really looking forward to
it. Too bad, maybe next time.

Love the 8 ball water tower


A quick pit stop in Tipton



I found a campground outside of Jefferson City just about as it was
getting dark. There was a sign saying it was full and reservations
must be mailed in advance, and there was a sign saying fill out a slip
and pick a campsite, then hand the envelope to the camp host. Hmm...
lets do the latter.

Found a nice shady spot and setup. The best spot for my setup was next
to a large RV, which was good because my neighbors turned out to be
quite pleasant. A husband and wife team, they lived in their 5th
wheel, they consulted with campgrounds and such across the country to
help them run more efficiently among other things. It pains me that I
didn't write down there names, but they were extremely generous in
sharing some food (fresh baked beans and cornbread) with me that was
simply delicious (especially added to my regular rice+fish poor boy
meal) and invited me over to sit by their fire and chat after it got
dark.

In the end, another decent day miles and road wise, about 350 miles. Tomorrow... time to get to that well earned drink.

Day 19 - Missouri and points east

Another cold morning and wonderful nights sleep, warm shower at the
campsite in the morning to wake up, and on the road again by 7am. Just
in time for rush hour it seems, Jefferson City was bustling and
crowded, and US50 had been mostly "improved" to either a 4-lane
expressway or through the heart of the city. Boo... Eventually it
cleared up though, for a while anyways:


Another rest area, this time for an early snack, to stretch out and adjust layers accordingly again. And because it was pretty.


Getting closer to where I would cross back into the "east" again,
another little roadside attraction, only this time the road was the
attraction:


Part of the original US 66, preserved and out of use, replaced by US 50(?) and others.


Old and new




"Then you took me to St. Louis later on (down the river).
A freighter said she's been here but she's gone, boy, she's gone."







Sorry US 50, you were fun while you lasted but you aren't on my route
anymore. Flying blind at this point, the Garmin doesn't understand my
fixation on my new destination nor my desire to stay off the interstate
so I resort to the old fashioned method of maps. Fortunately the route
was simple to follow as there were roads taking me just about directly
where I wanted to go in the manner I wished to travel.

Illinois backroads





Hello Indiana






Lots of rivers to cross today.

We're definitely out of the plains now, back into the eastern woodlands


As I got close to my next river crossing, the hills turned into great
towering limestone cliffs, riddled with caves and coves and trails that
begged for exploring.


But alas, daylight was running thin and dammit, I need that drink! One last river crossing... and about 60 miles to go...




Tomorrow, a well deserved day of rest. Mostly.

Day 20 - A well deserved rest

Pushed another 450 miles the day before to make Bardstown, KY by around 10pm. Time to see where my favorite spirits are made! I rode about 40 miles today to get to and from my initial destination, the rest was spent on foot. It was nice to be off the bike for a little bit.

First stop... Time for that drink:




First stop, the Maker's Mark Distillery. Its about 30 minutes outside of Bardstown in Loretto, KY. Everything was shut down for summer cleaning as the water temps from their source was too high for optimal distilling, but the tour still took us through the entire facility.

Inside one of the warehouses:


The condensors



Inside one of the giant fermentation barrels used to make the beer that will be distilled.


Maker's is a fairly small facility that makes just the one whiskey, Maker's Mark (duh) so its a pretty small and (for mass production) boutiquey type shop. The grounds are immaculate, the buildings are all pretty, and the bottling line is a small and efficient operation.








As the tour girl led us back to their warehouse/tasting room and got to talking about the whiskey aging in the barrels, a little hound dog puppy followed us in. I miss my hound dog...


The tasting room was almost painfully ultra modern, especially as you come in from a century old wooden warehouse surrounded by the wonderful smell of bourbon aging. They did have samples of both Maker's and the 'white dog', which oddly enough I kinda liked better. I guess because it still has some kick left to it that aged Maker's doesn't?

On the way back to Bardstown, I passed the entrance to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, LTD and had to stop in and see who they were since I hadn't heard of them before...




Definitely not a tourist destination... I later learned they are responsible for many of my favorite high end bourbons, including the Rye I bought later today at Toddy's in Bardstown.



Passing the new Heaven Hill


Dropped the bike off at the hotel and started walking around Bardstown, killing time before the next tour at the Tom Moore Distillery. Lots of neat stuff in this town, very charming little place with lots of history. Ok enough of that, more whiskey!

Tom Moore Distillery, formerly Barton Brands.




This was the polar opposite of Maker's. Even though its on the Bourbon Trail, its still primarily a working distillery that happens to give tours. You have to call ahead for a reservation (nominally, I called about an hour before the tour started as thats when I walked up and found out I needed a reservation) and be met at the gate by the guide. They limit the tours to 12 people... but I got lucky. No one else showed. So I got a personal tour of the facility.

The original spring that the water is still taken from


The barreling line




Inside Warehouse Z






No hound dogs, fancy tasting rooms hidden in back, or other gimmicks here. Just thousands of gallons of my favorite go to bourbon aging quietly (1792 Ridgemont Reserve).

The smell is something I wish someone could turn into a candle or something. The mixture of old wood, dust, summer heat, and whiskey was magical.

What they make here:


They also bottle under contract for a host of other companies, today they were actually bottling Paul Mason brandy.







The warehouse, ready for shipping


Two of their retired column stills, still functionally ready but not in use as Americans are drinking less these days.


They have a little park for their employees and guests


that features the world's largest bourbon barrel.


It was originally intended to be part of a tourism drive for the county to celebrate the town's heritage as a distilling capital, but there were aparently enough people against the idea on the grounds of it would "corrupt the children" and "set a bad example" that it was put into storage until the distillery bought it and put it on display.

No drinks on the tour unfortunately, as they do not have the facilities for it. I did get directed to a great liquor store (Toddy's, see above) that had damn near every common and not-so-common bourbon on the market. I then stopped for a late lunch at the Old Talbott Inn. The dining room:


Had a great country fried steak, and then got to work with the bourbon sampler. 5 full shots of the bourbons of your choice you say? A shot of 1792, Bookers, Blantons, Mitchtners Single Barrel, and 4 Roses small batch later, plus two beers that I forget the name of lol, I was feeling right. Paid the check, stumbled back to my hotel, and settlied in by the pool with a pint and spent the rest of the day doing a whole lot of nothing.

My lord.. I don't use this word often and feel it's often over used.. But thus far this trip and report have been entirely EPIC. I wish I could do such a thing..

Cool! Trip of a lifetime.

Day 21 - Buffalo Trace and points east

Time to leave, but gotta make two quick stops first. Wild Turkey was first:



After the other two tours, it was kinda disappointing especially since
they couldn't really take us anywhere with the distillery being shut
down for summer cleaning. I didn't really need to see another
warehouse and not get to sample bourbon, so I cut out early and made
tracks to Frankfort for my last distillery stop, Buffalo Trace. I did
run in to some guys at Turkey who were on their way to the MotoGP in
Indy, sounded like fun, maybe next year.

On the way to Frankfort, I passed this little gem.

A fine original example of a Lotus Europa. Its for sale if anyone's interested, I took down the GPS coord's just in case.

Made Frankfort for the last tour of the day at Buffalo Trace, which is
the distillery I really really really wanted to see as they make my
favorite bourbons and ryes (George T Stagg and Sazerac 17 respectively).








Its the oldest continuously operating distillery in the US (one of 5
allowed to stay open during prohibition), hence the warehouses made of
brick instead of sheeting.

The small batch bottling hall


Today they were bottling Blanton's, one barrel at a time.




I did get to sample a full range made from the same mashbill: Buffalo
Trace white dog and 8year, Eagle Rare 10 yr (Single Barrel), Rain
Vodka, and Buffalo Trace Cream liqueur. They also had root beer from a
local place. All very tasty!

Alas, it was time to leave the bourbon trail behind and make for home.
Frankly, I was ready to be back, 3 weeks is a long time on the road.






The bridge out of Kentucky, to Ohio.






The route number I took eludes me, but basically it follows the river
up to where US 50 crosses into West Virginia, where I'll rejoin 50 E.






Coolville, son.


The bridge to West by God Virginia. Almost home!


Rode about 400 miles today and ended up in Bridgeport, WV. Tomorrow... home.

Truly inspiring. This is what dreams are made of. Skierd, you are doing what 95% of us other people dream about. Absolutely amazing! Love the write up thus far. I'm in awe.

Day 22 - Home

Back to US 50 East, which turns simply amazing once in West Virginia





I stopped taking pics until I stopped for gas at this neat little
roadside park because it turned into 40 miles of switchback and
mountain hugging curves. Easily one of my favorite roads of the trip.





And shortly thereafter...

What a sight for sore eyes! Home at least... well not quite. I'm way
down in the wasp tail of Maryland and still several hours from home.
Still, it was nice to see the sign and be back in the state.





Little did I know I was in for one more surprise:




Wasn't planned on at all, but I think it was a nice bonus considering the elevations I'd covered in the last three weeks.

Back into West by God Virginia:







Near Winchester, VA I left US50 for the last time on this trip and
headed northeast. Didn't plan on coming past this way, but I had to
stop when I realized it.


Hopefully I'll be able to go back again one day, only with a car or a sportbike for a race.

Passing the White House Manor


Charlestown, WV


Shennandoah River




Potomac River




Back into Maryland and on the home stretch. Followed US340 out from
Charlestown to Frederick, and hopped on Liberty Road to head home like
I like to do in order to avoid I70 and beltway traffic.

Almost there... I can smell it...



Finally, 3 weeks and 6000ish miles later, home sweet home!


Time to be greeted by one excited hound dog (from the walk a little after I got home)


get myself a beer, and start unpacking. When I got home I had 3 full
days left before the start of fall classes, meaning I had a nice 3 days
during which I did absolutely nothing. Well thats a lie, I had to unpack, clean the bike, get books, and sit by the pool staring at the hotties.

Hmm... guess he wasn't that excited after all, just wanted to get back into my room so he could get to my bed!


Thanks to everyone who helped me finish this trip, all of those whose
rides inspired me to do this, and all of you who are reading it now.

skierd wrote:

Have I mentioned how much I love the great wide openness of the plains yet? No? Well I frickin' love it.

Great ride report, but...

... you're a sick puppy. This is where rare beauty is found:



However... if you really do like the bald assed prairie...

... may I enthusiastically recommend Saskatchewan to you.

Nothing like a place where you can watch your dog running away from home for three days... and where the steering gear in vehicles rusts into place with the wheels pointed straight forward...

Nooooooo........it can't be over.....

Epic.

Looks like you had a great trip.
It's an experience that will live with you for the rest of your life. I still remember fondly the trip I did to California, completely broke, in a '63 beetle between University semesters one summer.

You may want to consider posting some maps or your GPS info for others down East that may want to try out the TAT. First time I've heard of it.

I'm curious what kind of sustained speeds you were able to do on the highway and how it was with that load?
I've got 12,000km on mine and tour a lot on others, but I can't actually imagine that long of a trip on the little bugger so I'm interested you your observations.

Sustained speeds depended on the wind, which was usually head on or at 2:00, but I generally rode 60-65mph (GPS).

The load and the bike got along fine I guess. On my next trip I plan to be significantly lighter with a much smaller aero profile. I'm pretty sure I can get a slightly modified setup into Wolfman Enduro saddlebags, and with a larger tank and/or 2 MSR 30oz fuel bottles I can negate the need for the 2gal rotopax (which I've already sold along with the rack, damn textbooks...).

First things first, the giant REI sleeping pad is going away for a thermarest neoair, big agnes IAC, or Exped downmat air pad. It, my clothes, and sleeping bag will migrate to a waterproof roll top duffel that will live where the REI pad did. Also, I'm going to test a tarp/bivy setup. It'll weigh under a pound and pack to half as small as my Hennessy Hammock. I could have saved a bunch of money by simply sleeping in a field in a bug bivy on an air mat and sleeping bag instead of being pissed at not being able to find (or not being allow to hang from) trees or worrying about setting up in the dark. I liked sleeping in the air though, so who knows.

On the bike, the only major change will be going to a Nuetech Tubliss setup. No more tubes means I get a ton of space back in my rear duffel and lose a couple pounds from not having to carry 3-4 tubes (2 in the wheels, one or two as spares). I'm also strongly considering going to sidewinder chain and sprockets for better reliability (RK chain I put on before I left is already shot) and lighter weight. New handgrips are also on the horizon, after a few weeks the ProTaper Pillow grips are annoyingly small in my hands, causing me to grip to hard and add to fatigue. They've also worn pretty quickly, have a few flat spots already.

Riding gear... the only thing I'd want to change are my boots (waterproof please... thinking Gaerne Balance oiled trials boots) and gloves (Firstgear Carbon heated gloves). Already improved my rain gear situation by tossing the no-name plastic rain pants and selling the excellent Klim Stowaway for a BMW ProRain2 1 piece, so with waterproof boots and gloves rain's no longer a concern. I will be finding new riding underwear as well, while the Under Armor
shorts worked well for the first week, the seams started to chafe badly
after a while. I'm going to give LD Comfort a shot for my next trip I
think.

One last quick update... I finally bought some of my pics from Deal's Gap. Enjoy!

Great ride & pics.. These are good times.

It's interesting how our views of what we need change when we're out. I've become very minimalist when traveling on a bike. I just got back from a 4 day ride into s. utah, & my riding buddies were loaded with tons of unnecessary junk & extra clothes. All my gear fit into 3 small bags.. tank bag & the 2 small panniers. I still have my rack for another bag, but i didn't need it on this ride.

It moves from the realm of theory to what really works.. like your rain gear & boots.

Any upcoming rides in the works?

Of this magnitude? Summer at the earliest, but likely not until after I graduate. There will be other, shorter, trips though in an effort to maintain sanity lol.

I will be doing the Sandblast Rally in February so long as I don't run out of money/lose my job with the economy sucking. If the racing bug bites again, I'm going to try to run the Atlantic RallyMoto cup, possibly with a west coast event, and a bunch of DS rides around home.

I'm also contemplating two shorter trips. One is to Key West along the Atlantic coast and back via the Mississippi Hill Country trail and the Blue Ridge going north (or an alternate route paralleling it that I think I could map out as all-dirt), stopping back at Deal's Gap again. The other would be a ride out to the Plains again, maybe as far as Montana and Wyoming. I really loved it out there.

I am comtemplating a round-the-world trip for 2012 after I graduate. I'd also like to go back to Alaska and maybe do a figure 8/4+ corners/perimeter+ tour of the US, basically from Maryland to Key West, to Alaska, down the Pacific Coast to Cabo, then back up and across the US and Canada to Newfoundland, and finally down the rest of the Atlantic coast to Maryland. Being out for 3-6+ months is a big though, bigger than I can really fathom right now. if my history of buying and selling vehicles stays true it'll be on another bike lol.

You da man!

Make the plans & do it! Life is short, health is fleeting, & our adventurous spirit wanes as we age. Ride safe & have fun.

I just spent the last 3 hours reading your amazing trip. Truly epic. I am taking notes and see that it takes a bunch of planning, I saw the tool kit and need to duplicate it. I love the collapsible stand that is nice (need one of those).

It looks like about another $1500 investment is needed to get ready for trips like this. I don't have any gear yet...

I could ask questions all night but I am going to just spend the time to research the items you have and are thinking about moving to. I would also love to pack as minimal as possible and the one burning question for me is how much fuel do you really need beyond what is in the tank? I see you are thinking of two 30 ounce MSR bottles. Would one be enough?

Thank you for the epic journey.
Joe

Both times I ran out of gas was because I was at a station that only had 87octane or was an Exxon/Mobil/Citgo so I kept motoring with the knowledge I had a full extra tank on the side. In the situations I ran into, an extra 20 miles would have been just about right. A single bottle is only worth 1/4 gallon, or about 10-15 miles. Twogives me an extra half gallon and therefore 20-30 miles of reserve reserve range. Also, if I/when I go with the safari tank, having two bottles would let me pour one into each of the "wings" of the tank, giving each siphon an equal amount of gas.

The trip really didn't take a "ton" of planning, at least for me. I knew from scouting what I needed to be comfortable camping (less is more), the route out was planned for me and the route home was "head east on or near US 40 or US 50" as both basically run past my home in MD.

$1500 sounds about right to me... lets see:

Bike
Skidplate - $90
Rad Guard - $60
GYTR Handguards - $40
Zeta folding levers - $50
GPS - $80 (ebay)
RAM mount and wiring kit - ~$50?
Sheepskin butt pad - $75 (don't forget the ADV discount)
emerson.biguns rear rack - $90 I think
Wolfman enduro tank bag - $80
Wolfman enduro tail bag - $50
Dirtbagz Scout - $220
D606's - $140 (optional)
13/47 gearing with new chain - $100+ (optional)
emerson.biguns rotopax rack plus 2gal can and mount - ~$200 (optional imo)

total - $885-1325

Camping gear
REI Halo +40 Long down bag - $190 (sale)
REI 2.5 Camp Pad - $30 (sale)
Hennessey Expedition hammock - $180 (includes snake skins and shipping
Coleman Peak1 stove and fuel - $30 (Walmart)
First Aid kit - ~$40
REI pillow - $15?
(2) waterproof rolltop stuff sacks - $30?

total - $515

Tools
stock kit is fine, especially in light of all my nice craftsmen stuff (~$100 to replace all at once I think) getting stolen a few weeks ago. :(
ADV Stand - $25 iirc (see vendors forum there)
Tire Irons - $40 for all 4 (combo spoon ~$20 plus 3 regular irons)
Patch kit - $10?
Spare tube - $10
Other incidentals, probably around $50.

total ~$135-235

Grand total... $1535-2075 Guess that explains the credit card balance.


- Places to save money -

Strap an inexpensive Walmart duffel bag to tail section w/o a rack and save about $400 (I think I just made myself sick...). You can save about $100 on a good bag if you go with synthetic, and a decent bivy or family camping style tent instead of the hammock would be about $100 cheaper as well. Buy used gear if you can from people like me who like trying new stuff all the time and save more .

Also, keep in mind that these are all mostly one-time costs, assuming you are comfortable with what you have. Once you've got it, you've got it. OTOH you can resell it all at the end of the trip and make a good deal of your money back.

- Place to NOT save money -
RAIN GEAR - I only got dumped on once, but I was miserable when my pants leaked and soaked me. Similarly, my sleep that night and comfort the next day was saved by having my down bag and clothes in waterproof stuff sacks.

Riding gear - get equiptment that fits and is comfortable. I wanted to burn my under armor boxer briefs by the end of the trip because of the stupid seam that runs right along where the edge of the seat is. It wasn't too noticeable in the first week. By the time I got home, I felt like something was sawing into my leg most of the time. Whatever you do, do not leave home without a comfortable helmet and a camelbak.

One last spot of advice, don't leave on a mega trip without trying a local overnighter or weekender to make sure everything works the way you like and packs away the way you want. I headed off several potential problems this way. I also didn't follow my own advice with the hammock, it got to me too close to departure to test it before I left. Fortunately, it worked out lol.

Oh, and some more notes on gear.

The hennessey, REI bag and pad, and dirtbagz are gone. I tried a bivy w/ an air pad and hated it, no more ground dwelling for me. They will be or have been replaced by a Warbonnet Traveler hammock+8x10 tarp (and bug netting for summer), a top quilt (still looking, probably Speer), and an Exped Multimat (plus a CCF pad for winter).

The EB side rack is gone as well. The safari tank is the only thing I really want to add to the bike now, there were just too many times where the extra range would have made the trip far more enjoyable.

The dirtbagz are gone too. They will probably be replaced with the new wolfman e-10 enduro saddle bags... or I'll just try out the wally world duffel lol.

I'm debating racing or traveling next summer...

Thanks for all the extra detail on your equipment. That fuel problem is just killing me too. I wish I could find a tank that didn't make the bike look so ugly. I was thinking maybe get the safari and just put it on for trips but that seems like I would change it and never go back so then it would be ugly...

Yeah I plan on just doing a few overnights in the spring than maybe go for a 5 or 7 day later in the summer when I have all the stuff working.

I live in Colorado so winter will give me time to get the gear sorted.

I am surprised you went back to a hammock although it looked totally cool seems like it would be too much of a problem finding a place every time to use it.

Oh what is a RAM Mount and wiring kit? EDIT NEVER MIND :)


Thanks again
Joe

In my experience, its a lot easier to find two trees 10-15 feet apart than it is to find level ground free of roots and rocks. Also, I can actually comfortably sleep in it (better than home actually, if I could hang it in my apartment I would) whereas I've never slept particularly on the ground in a tent, inflatable pads be damned.

i think giantloop is the way to go for lightweight luggage.
http://www.giantloopmoto.com/collections/giant-loop-gear-collection/products/coyote-saddlebag

I was looking for current pictures of the area that was the dust bowl in the 1930s, which brought me to your diary. The abandoned farmhouses you encountered sound like thy might have been left by people who lived there in the 1930s but left due to the drought. You might find the book, "The Worst Hard Times", especially interesting since you have now driven through the area. Your trip makes me want to get out there and see it for myself.