Yes Emily

Yes Emily, girls can ride motorcycles!


Saturday, August 11, 2012

28 Days On Two Wheels – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Really Long Post)

The crows are gathering in the mornings now, “cawing” out their fall vacation plans and telling me that my summer is coming to a close.  And as great as it is to just stretch and walk downstairs to the coffee, it’s also sad to see the Star sitting on the driveway under her cover, knowing that another adventure, another summer’s ride, is over. I thought, on this rainy day, it would be a great time to reflect on those 28 days on the road … the good, the bad and the ugly.

Home Again - Nanna's Ride / Maddy's Ride

28 days, four weeks, one month just me and my bike - no responsibilities, that’s what I call feeling like a kid again and that’s a good thing! Thoughts of work were pushed to the back of my mind. On the bike the only thing to think about was riding; watching the road, the traffic, the sights and sounds around me.  Travelling by motorcycle is not ‘going on a trip’ it is ‘being immersed in the journey’. You feel the hot air engulf you, smell the wet pavement ahead of you, hear the engine ‘s powerful rumble beneath you, see every blade of blowing grass beside you and every transforming cloud above you and sometimes even taste a few bugs along the way. The feeling of being surrounded by the open road, that’s a good thing.  Okay, there may have been a few worries about where the next meal was coming from, but in the end there was always a Wally Mart Superstore or Safeway to pick up something fresh to go and on the very few instances where there wasn’t, there was always the secret stash of almonds, apples and protein shakes that I had stowed away (not to mention that coveted can of baked beans I carried with me in case of emergencies) and that was a good thing.
My little Star ran like the star she is. So many people laughed and said, “You can’t do it on a 650.” But I did it (again) without a hitch and that’s a good thing.  I found the VStar completely comfortable and just the right fit for my 5’3 1/2” inch frame. It has just enough room to pack a tent and sleeping bag between me and the top bag which just happens to make the perfect, arm chair comfortable, back rest – just like riding on a lazy boy, and that’s a good thing when you plan on travelling over 10,000 kilometers.  The Star does lack a gas gauge and that’s a bad thing when the gas stations are few and far between, but I learned, after running out of gas, that having a reserve tank is a good thing … and I also learned when you’re travelling in the west, it’s best to never let an opportunity to fill up go by. The only ugly part was having a front tire that always worried me. When you only have two wheels, tire pressure is paramount and when the front tire loses two PSI per day, that’s a bad thing. The good thing was finding Snake River Yamaha, a terrific dealership in Meridian (near Boise) Idaho who did an oil change, realized the air filter was dirty and changed it, serviced the drive shaft and replaced the tube in the front tire all while I waited and for a reasonable cost.  The Star fits me and my riding style, I knew it the first time I sat on her and that was a great thing.

Garmin Dan, well, he’s just the greatest thing since sliced bread and this year he worked without so much as a hiccup and that’s an excellent thing.  This year I upgraded his software and that seemed to cure all of the “black out” problems he suffered from last year. The bad thing was I forgot, at first, to set him on a course to avoid places I really didn’t want to ride through like CHICAGO! So I skipped a toll going through Chicago – I put my safety ahead of paying the meager toll. I should go on line and pay that toll - that would be the right thing! Dan, thank you for talking me through the traffic and for always knowing where to find a Wally Mart.
This year I remembered what my friend Ron once told me, “Over planning is a bad thing.” So, I pre booked my first KOA night (because I knew they had an issue with bears and I wanted to make sure I had a camping Kabin – me - bears not a good thing) and after that I estimated. I knew what direction I was headed and approximately how many kilometers I wanted to travel.  I’d aim for the campsite (I love KOA, they are so predictable – and they all have pools) and was never turned down. Camping with a tiny tent – that’s a good thing, there’s always room for one more. Not being pre booked meant I didn’t have to ride in the rain if I didn’t want to and I didn’t have to ride ‘til I was exhausted just because I had a reservation. When I checked in I’d let them know, one night, provided it’s not pissing rain in the morning. My motto this year was, ‘if I don’t have to ride in the rain – I won’t.’ Flexibility, being able to travel on my time, and giving myself a little extra time, that’s a wonderful thing. And you never know, you might just find the most fabulous, (non KOA) motorcycle friendly campground in the whole world, ‘cause you took a chance, right in Enterprise Oregon – who knew?
The Gears canvas saddle bags worked well, that’s good, but I have to say they do nothing to compliment the pretty bike and that’s ugly. They sag, even when fully loaded and the dual track zippers on the main bag can be annoying and sometimes even challenging to open and close. However the smaller zipper pockets were convenient for small things and things I needed to access quickly along the way and the mesh pockets at the front were a great place to hold my much needed water bottle and magnetic kickstand plate for soft dirt, gravel and cheap pavement parking. The Gears trunk is my favorite new’ish’ bag. It holds my computer and, with a little grunting, all the cosmetics a grandma needs to take with her …plus chargers, maps, cups and cutlery and a few other odds and ends and that’s good. The bad thing is that within two years it has faded from black to nearly white grey. I spoke to the Gears rep last January at the International Bike Show in Toronto and he told me they have since changed manufacturers but that doesn’t help me, and that’s a sad thing. It has also started to sag and lean to the side. I’m having a bit of a struggle keeping it tightly secured, straight, to the luggage rack. A good idea would be to design a metal bracket of some sort to support it now that I can’t live without it. None of the Gears bags is truly waterproof, that’s a bad thing, but something I expected and packed all of my belongings in dry bags that kept the stuff dry and also easy to carry into the tent or motel and in the end if not a good thing, it was at least a handy thing.
The top bag (my second most favorite piece of luggage) that I purchased in Maine nearly six years ago is hardly showing its age, still almost black and fairly waterproof. The ugly thing is the damage that the squirrels from Prince Edward Island did to the piping around the top zipper. It has plenty of outside pockets that keep flashlights, extra bungee cords, Leatherman, the odd tool (ha ha), zip ties, latex gloves, extension cord, first aid kit and the Imodium right where I can get at them in a hurry and that’s a really good thing. The main compartment is huge with a place for hiking boots, the quick change of clothes (for those on the street metamorphoses), food, extra riding gloves, crock sandals and anything else I can squeeze into the holes. And all of that got packed in without expanding the case upward. (As Sonja said, my little Star is a mule … but then she was packed for a month on the road, she had to be.)  She carried it with ease, if not with style and that’s a good thing!

The new Rocket Alter Ego 11 three in one high viz jacket lived up to my expectations. (By the way it’s really a four in one, but I only took 3 of the in ones with me). I found it to be considerably cooler than the older, all black model. I expect that had something to do with the lighter, more reflective lime green colour.  The bad thing was, it is longer than my old Alter Ego jacket and did not actually zipper to my rocket pants, which wasn’t a problem as it didn’t seem to ‘ride up’ as the bomber style jacket did. The rain liner worked well, keeping me dry on the very few occasions when I was caught in ugly weather and it added an extra wind break for the really cold mountain morning ride out of Enterprise Oregon, and that was a good thing. That morning was the one time I wished I had taken the quilted liner with me as well, but the good thing was the cold was short lived and I was back in the warmth before I had much time to complain.
 A great discovery for this trip was a new product recommended by my dermatologist. It is a sunscreen, especially designed for the face called Colore Science, sunforgettable. This product is a dry blend of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which provides SPF 30 in an easy to apply, self- brush container. It worked perfectly under the helmet and didn’t rub off or drip stinging goo into my eyes. I’ve seen too many riders with sunburned and blistered faces. It was a really good thing under scorching skies.
The best thing, as always, was meeting so many new people (and surprisingly, so many familiar faces) along the way. Being able to meet the real Bobskoot, Trobairitz, Troubadour, Erik, Richard, Sonja and Roland, knowing they are not just cyborgs – that was a great thing. Realizing that I need a lot more practice (and confidence) riding on the tight twisties to keep up with them, well that gives me a new goal, and having a goal – that’s a good thing.
Being home - that's a comfortable thing...but knowing I made it to Hell and back, well, that's a special thing.
The good, the bad and the ugly, really I just made up that headline to get your attention - this trip, 99% good, even if Bobskoot doesn’t understand what a pasture is.  

22 comments:

  1. What a wonderful write-up. I especially like your description of riding. I was trying to explain that to someone earlier. Now, I could just send them to your post....

    I thought the "ugly" may have been the lack of guard rails to keep one from falling down to the tree tops;-)

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    1. Richard - You are sooooo right, that lack of guard rails along with looking at the tree tops, eye level where one might end up was so ugly I completely erased it from my memory :0)

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  2. Karen:

    I am so very glad that we had the opportunity to meet you too. You are an inspiration and I admire you for being so independent. I can only aspire to follow in your footsteps and I did take tiny steps when I rode to the Oregon coast after our weekend together. I actually enjoyed camping in Waldport. The only thing missing was my teacher and mentor from Kingston

    while I was riding and watching all the scenery pass by I was actually looking for a meadow. I think I saw a few pastures, at least I think they were pastures as there were cows in them but I was just enjoying the ride and didn't stop to take any photos. That's the problem when you are alone, there's no one to tell you what to do, when to stop, or what to eat. No one to guide you to your home for the night. Thank you for helping me experience these new feelings of independence & keep the tips coming.
    I really appreciate it

    glad you made it safely home. Memories, that's all we have. photos and memories. It's only been a couple of weeks and it seems like it never happened.

    Keep the thoughts alive, until we meet again

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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    1. Bob, that's the absolute best part of travelling alone - there's no one to tell you when to stop or not. You stop when you want to, when you see something you want to photograph, when you need to pee, when you want to eat or just 'cause you feel like it. There are no guarantees there will be somebody to talk to, but I bet you there will be and they will be interesting. I will keep the memories alive - I've got the official badge to remind me, how could I forget? Til we meet again!

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  3. It must be a North American thing to think that 650cc is not big enough. I have traveled all across Europe on 500cc single cylinder bikes. Your V-Star did an awesome job, and is obviously very reliable. Something I very much like with my Sporty, too. I would love to travel with enough time at hand to sleep in or skip a day of riding when it is raining. I find that a very good (and safe) philosophy.

    I am curious to learn what your plans might be for next summer...

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    1. Sonja, I think you're right, it seems to be a North American thing. The Star had all the power it needed and has proven to be very reliable bike. As for next year, I'm missing the Atlantic.

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  4. Karen

    What a wonderful trip and great story. I am itching to do a long distance ride, but it is not going to happen this year. In a way I am glad I didn't go because I'm still rather new to riding and probably would have slowed everyone down on the twisties, I am in awe of you riding so far and the courage you have to travel alone. You are truly a motorcycle mama!

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    1. Dar, the iMBC group were very gracious and very patient with me - a very "slow on the twisties" rider. I love the freedom of riding alone (and having me time), but it was also fantastic to have a such a great group to meet up with in the middle.

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  5. Wonderful write up/recap. It sounds like you have some tried and true equipment, which is a great thing. ;) Less time mucking with new equipment is good.

    Skipped a toll? What post is that in? How were you unsafe in that area?

    Thanks for the info on the sunscreen. I will have to try that. I'm with you on liquid sunscreen sweating into my eyes. This looks like a food product.

    I'm so happy you had a great trip without bike issues. Isn't it fun becoming one with the bike and just having so much trust in it getting us through? 650's are completely adequate for cross country. Think about it, large displacement engines are relatively new. Until 20 years ago people crossed the country on 250's and 300's. (though they weren't expected to sustain 80 mph, all day, every day).

    Thanks for writing. I get to go back and catch up now. :)

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    1. BeemerGirl - I skipped the toll going through Chicago, got caught in a prepass lane and with 6 lanes of fast moving, mostly truck traffic I didn't even try to squeeze into a pay as you go lane, thought it would have been suicicde. My first long distance ride was around the Great Lakes on a 250, they laughed at me then too (admittedly it was challenged on uphill runs), but I love my 650.

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  6. Great post Karen. As for the 650 being too small, my wife and I did cross country 2-up on an old Honda CB550 with relative ease. And try packing for a month for 2 people!

    Anyway glad you had a 99% good and safe trip, and welcome home.

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    1. Canajun - considering there wasn't even room for an ant to ride along with me, I'd really have to reorganize to take a passenger, I don't know how you did it. I remember when I first started to ride, back then it seemed a 400 was a huge bike, how things have changed!

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  7. Karen, Nice trip summery. I have to agree about traveling alone. I like being the one who decides when, where, and how. I never used to, but after last years trip to Yosemite, I've come to enjoy the freedom of being alone. I also like to camp when possible. It saves a lot of money over hotels.

    It was nice to be able to put a face to the blogs. I hope to see everyone again someday!

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    1. Erik, it was great to catch up with you as well -safe travels in the south. I expect someday we will all manage to meet up again.

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  8. Awesome summary Karen. And a special thank you to you for taking the time to ride across the country to meet up with everyone. We know you could have ridden anywhere on your vacation but you chose the IMBC.

    That powdered sunscreen looks like a great idea. I don't like the feel or smell of most sunscreens so I may just have to try and find it. Was it Rx only or over the counter?

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  9. Trobairitz - wouldn't have missed it.
    The sunscreen is not Rx but sold mostly in spas and derm. offices. They have a website just type in colorescience and you can find a retailer near you or order on line.

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    1. Thanks for the info. I really should use sunscreen more and hate the creams. Will look for it.

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  10. Karen, beautiful write up, you and I are very similar :-) it's so nice to just ride with no set destination, food can be a problem but we can survive with little. One of my nights I had a craving for something and just had to have it, I got what I wanted and ate it in the tent because it was torrential rain outside, it was one of the best nights, little things make the trip memorable. (it was later on my trip, I will write about it)
    I stayed at Koa twice but they are too expensive, I think I paid $37 both times. An RV pays a little over 50 and they charge 37 for a bike and a little tent? I found lots of other campsites for $20 or even less and they were very nice.

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    1. George, there's nothing better than the sound of rain on the tent when you are snug and dry inside. I personally had a craving for a corn dog this trip...didn't get it until I got home (shhhh don't tell the healthy people!). I know the KOAs are more expensive (except for the last one one I stayed in, $12, she liked motorcycles) but I'm travelling alone and I can predict what they will be like (and they still beat a motel). I think I will try to avoid the 'destination' campgrounds in the future, they are tres expensive but I have a membership which gives a bit of a discount. The bonus - they have pools - I look forward to that swim at the end of a hot day of riding).

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  11. I loved reading this post. Having travelled quite a lot on long distance motorcycle trips myself, I was able to relate to this a great deal. Not just relate really, as I learnt a few things as well, so thank you for such an informative and interesting post. I especially agree about not planning where to sleep in advance for that gives you the freedom to stop or carry on riding to suit mood, time, hunger, tiredness and the weather. I also agree about riding alone. As while some may think this un-appealing, it means you can do just as you please. That is an essential element of a motorcycle road trip as it frees your mind from having to think about other people and what they might want to do. That makes a huge difference to the enjoyment of freeing your mind and let it wander. (Women will like this, whereas men like just thinking about nothing while we ride).

    As you have used KOA campgrounds a lot, can I ask you a couple of questions about them? Next year I am planning an RV trip (my first ever) in Colorado and have seen a fair sprinkling of KAO’s dotted around the state. Do you have to book well in advance, or are KOA’s mainly operated on a ‘turn up and see’ basis? Do KOA’s generally have wi-fi and if so, does it work very well?

    Let’s hope you can uncover that motorcycle again before the bad weather comes for its unwanted appearance.

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  12. Gary, I haven't travelled in an RV since I was a kid with my parents (a hundred years or more ago.) That's where I learned about the KOA. I have to say I love them, because they are predictable (and they all, so far, have had pools and WiFi and friendly folks on staff). I had no problem, ever, showing up and getting a spot for the night (getting a kabin was hit or miss). The prices varied greatly (by as much as $25 per night for a tent) between the "destination spots" and the "en route spots."
    RV camping may take a little more pre booking, but I was often privy to telephone calls (in the office while I was checking in) from RVers on the road calling ahead and I overheard many times, "no problem, if you're late we'll post a note for you on the message board." Really big RVs have more difficulty I'm sure, but at every KOA they were accommodating.
    I was happy with the WiFi 95% of the time (some busy campgrounds seemed to have too small of bandwidth and it took a couple tries to connect). Only one spot was the WiFi down but they were right on it and fixed it quickly.
    For a tenter the price was, on average, half the price of a cheap hotel. I always got sites with water and electric. Though there were cheaper state and private parks, they didn't always have electric, pools, WiFi or dependable security. I also bought the KOA membership upfront which meant a discount each night which was, in my opinion, worthwhile.

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  13. Karen:

    I just love reading your words, again & over and over again . . .

    just wanted you to know

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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