shop Talk and final stats

Well the final few days after the trip has been a great time to just remember how fantastic and lucky I've felt for the last month and half. I left Boston October, 1, 2011 and made it all the wall across the US and back, taking the long way around so to say for most of the trip and piling up 10, 201 miles. To travel that many miles I spent $843.39 on 218.69 gallons of gasoline. My cheapest fill up was $3.11 for a gallon of premium and my most expensive gallon of gas was $4.29. I stopped 38 times for gas and was on the road for 46 days. Not all the days I was traveling as I did spent a week in CA in the same spot and a few days in GA in the same spot. My longest mileage in one day was on my last day. I drove 896 miles from Cumming, Georgia all through the Smokey Mountains in TN then up through 81 North to PA. 

I figured it would be a good learning experience to review all my gear and what I liked and didn't like. That way if there is a next time I'll know what to bring and what to leave at home. 

To cook meals I carried with me an MSR Superfly back packing stove. I brought two fuel bottles of the 8oz. variety (they also sell smaller ones) and only used one of them to near completion. I was really surprised how much use I was able to get out of the fuel canister. I did cook my breakfast and dinner, which mostly consisted of boiling water to make oatmeal, mac n cheese (the store bought kind), backpacking meals and to make tea or coffee. I carried most of my cooking water in a 4 litre Camel back bladder. Overall the stove worked great except for when it was windy. The superfly stove doesn't have a lot of wind protection so it just took an extra minute or two to boil water. Otherwise it all worked great. The cooking pan set is a basic REI stainless set. I never used the frying pans or the coffee maker actually. The little green thing is the coffee maker. Just fill it with grinds and plunge into hot water. It works very much like a teabag. 

I did bring tools with me figuring I'll never really know what I need until I look for it and I don't have it so I definitely packed more tools than I thought i would need. I used the tool kit three times on my trip. Once in Utah after I crashed to fix a turn signal that had popped out and zip tie a fog light back into place, to change the front tire, and to do an oil change at Hansen's Motorcycles in Medford, OR. 

To carry my gear in addition to my panniers I had a North Face Base camp duffle bag which was 90L and three Sea to Summit dry sacs. One 15L for my netbook, one 3 liter that housed my electronics in my tank bag, and one 35L bag that all my clothes went into. The dry sacs never leaked and while I knew the duffle wasn't waterproof (the seems leak) it did actually keep most of my stuff fairly dry when it did rain. I only actually rode in two days of rain on the entire trip which I think is pretty amazing. 

The back tire on my bike was brand new when I left. It's a Michelin Anakee 2 and after 10k miles it still has .3 tread depth (as measured by my local inspection station) and will still pass inspection in PA. Though it has definitely been squared off a bit from all the highway miles on the return leg. 

Here you can see the square profile. 

The front tire is also a Michelin Anakee 2 tire and it had to be repalced when I arrived CA. The tire was wearing very uneven and even formed funny pimples on each one of the raised tread patterns after 4,300 miles out to CA. 

So far this is wearing better but I'm already starting to see the same thing happen again. The tire is balanced and inflated to 38 psi. Speaking of psi I also ran 41 psi out back. 

This was perfectly polished before I left. You can now see the "jet wash" pretty good! 

I used Fieldsheer jacket and pants which also doubled as my rain gear. On the days it did rain I didn't not get wet at all except for my feet and hands. I have a pair of Alpinestars gloves that are suppose to be waterproof but they got pretty wet after a few hours in the rain. I picked up the Gerbing electric jacket in Oregon with a thermostat and it worked great on the remainder of the trip. The coldest temps I hit were in Flagstaff, AZ were it was 22F degrees and the hottest was the Mojave dessert at 99F degrees. I have an Arai XD3 helmet that I wore on the whole trip and other than the visor vibrating (its a very soft plastic and it buzzes when its really windy) I have no complaints about the helmet at all. 

I have a pair of AXO Lancer sport bike boots. I rode with street boots because they offer a much better feel of the pegs and controls than big thick motocross boots. They did however start to fall apart. 

Here all the stitching on the left and right boot was falling out. 

The left boot zipper broke. 

Otherwise they held up alright and were pretty comfy for most of the trip. I did put a pair of gel insoles in to help with the vibrations and overall fit. 

I used a North Face Elkhorn 0F synthetic sleeping bag. The bag was always warm, which it should have been considering the coldest night I experienced was only around 41F degrees. I was not a fan of the zipper which always seemed to get caught and its pack size is really quite big at 9.5 by 18 inches and it weighs 4lbs 12 oz. I'm not sure how much smaller it would get with a compression sack but at around $100 dollars I was more than happy to deal with the bulk as long as I was warm. I have an older 3 season Big Agnes tent I used and it worked fine. In fact its from 2005 and still going strong! 

I'm not really sure if this should be the last post or not as I've felt over the last couple of days that I'm finally coming to grips with what I did  and all my experiences. I will say though that I've never felt more at peace with myself or the world around me. 

Smokey Mountains and 790 miles home to Williamsport, PA

Just outside of ATL on 20 East heading towards Cumming, GA. I'm still messing around with the shutter speed setting when I get bored with the usual still shots. I spent a few days with the Reids and then headed out. 

This is the start of the 60 North from GA 400. 

Awhile went by before I started snagging any more photos including a gas station stop and rain. Funny how I get on to twisty roads and I just forget about what's around me and focus on riding. I literally have to force myself to look or at least stop. Probably regret that the most on the Pacific Coast Highway. I ripped up that heading North and hardly stopped for anything when I should have really been taking in the sights. Below are some pictures of the Smokey Mountains. This is a parkway that ran east from Tellico Plains, TN called the Cherohala Parkway. 

As  you can see it was a bit wet at 4,500 or so feet. It seemed that anything below 1,500 was pretty dry that day. 

These are not opening scenes from Swamp Thing. Just a few shots of little place (the name is above on the sign) that I decided to make into a lunch destination. 

I couldn't resist just doing a few miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway again on my way so I spent about 40 mins  just bombing along until I hit highway 19 North. 

I love blasting through the tunnels. Something about the sound just makes it really cool. This actually reminds of something Allen told me while we are lunch at the Rooster in Oregon. He said its three things about riding "sound, vibration, and the wind" that just doesn't compare to anything else. (I hope I quoted him correctly, it feels ages since I've been back to Medford, OR). 

Then onto what is now being called Future Interstate 26 North. 

I kept reminding myself all day to snag a picture when I hit 30,000 miles on my bikes odometer. Well I totally forgot and at 30,017 I remembered and managed to snag one picture. 

This is from a rest stop along 26 where you could stop and take in the view. Little did I know I'd be doing another 600 miles after I stopped here. Turned out I'd be doing very close to 790 miles for the day once I had arrived in Cogan Station, PA. That kind of mileage didn't seem all that hard to do but it was also the last day of  my trip so I felt inclined to stop anywhere I had the feeling to be motionless so I did. This really ate into my ability to cover distance but hey it was up to me and all I wanted to do was "passe le temps" or just passe the time away with no real rush. Later I'd be on Route 15 North in a wet drizzle and fog going what time is it and why am I hear? I'll never forgot getting a coffee at a gas station and chatting with a guy that popped in for the same and when we parted he said "well I'm off to work." Looking at my watch it was nearly 5:30AM! 

Finally arriving home I pushed the bike into the garage and then called it a night. I didn't bother to unpack today and there is still stuff in the panniers that needs to get pulled out. A few things I'd like to cover before I wrap up this blog is a)total mileage and gas stats and b)a gear review. 

Look for both of those in the next few days. 

Home!

What a long, wet, foggy ride home that was! I left Georgia this morning (well yesterday morning actually)  at 8:30 am. Hit up a bunch of roads before making it to the interstate. The Smokey mountains were well, smokey and so was the blue ridge parkway (yes I even hit up the tail end of it) which mad for slow going. Then when I finally did hit the 40 East I was already past the exit for 81 North so I had to cut up 26 North for about 80 miles before even getting to 81 North. It was good fun though :-)

I have some more pics to upload tomorrow from the last few days. Then dare I say, this trip is over...

260 miles to go!

Left Cummings, GA this morning after a great weekend withe the Reids. When I get back I need to make some phone calls about the BMW off-road riding school. Warren seemed quite interested in doing some teaching. Beautiful night in Northern Virgina or wherever I am. 68 degrees and 3/4 of a moon guiding my way.

Looking forward to being home but I'm also delaying my arrival and trying to live out the last miles. The open road has been so good to me.

Lets see North Georgia ...

On my way home. Only 800 miles to go! First I caught up with someone at a pizza joint who recommended so roads to take going north. So far so good!

Mountain biking!

Warren and I are off for a spin in the Georgia trails!

Home brew!

Baja

I'm in Cumming, GA with a friend of mine that used to live in PA. Warren and I used to do a bunch of mountain biking together. I stopped in GA on my way out and did some dirt jumping with his son Jared but Warren was off doing a 24 hour motocross race in California so I ended up missing him. So I figure on the return if he was going to be around I'd try and see him. He was just telling me a story of when he raced Baja in 1985 on a BMW R80 GS works bike. I always knew he did Baja but I guess I just assumed it was on a Honda. Check out this ad from Yamaha...

Amarillo, TX to Brinkley AK

About 650 miles. Bam. Texas, Oklahoma and half of Arkansas is in my review mirror. Speaking of rear view mirrors I snagged this shot the other day leaving the Arizona Divide.

Rolling through the vast area that is Oklahoma. The trains seem to be in full use here and in the west in general. Perhaps its the same in the east you just don't see them because they are hidden behind the hill sides. 

Heading East chasing my shadow along the way. 

Its tough to tell as I didn't take this shot standing still but that's the moon. It looked far more spectacular as I was riding. The moon was just working its way from my right to my left and to my right again as I was riding along I40 East. 

Quick story. I was just running into Loves after filling up for the third time today and this guy started chatting to me about my bike. Apparently he had hitch hiked his way from New York and was working his way to New Mexico to meet his wife. Who he said he had spent 3 years hitch hiking around the country with about 10 years ago. He said something that really stuck with me. He said "you know what I like about hitch hiking? It restores my faith in humanity." 

Flagstaff to Amarillo

Ill have to upload some pics later but right now I need to talk about the hotel I stayed at last night. Beautiful entry way and all seemed well until the receptionist asked if I wanted to stay out back or at the front. Well I was game for cheapest rate which meant I'd be in the back. As I walked backed to my room I began to feel as though I was in some sort of video game. The hotel began to feel like some sort of level on a first person shooter game you'd play on Xbox or PlayStation. Doors were bolted shut, missing or just looked like something you'd have to breach with a grenade to gain access. I didn't sleep well and was actually missing my comfy tent even if it was 34 degrees. I tried to loose myself in some tele but half the channels were fuzzy. I did manage to catch up on some news and lots of animal planet.

On way through Oklahoma City and then debating on snagging 81 North and running it home. Still over a thousand miles from home....

Geography Lesson

I left Lost Hills, CA and was greeted with sunny skies and the open road. Heading on I40 East I saw a road sign that said Wilmington, NC: 2,559 miles. What a great way to get motivated for the day!


I was messin with the shutter speeds on my Canon Powershot SX130 last night. Kinda some neat effects.

A few shots riding along 58 East from Bakersfield, CA. 

Welcome to the dessert. Mojave one way and Barstow the other. 

Sure is a lot of space out there. Next time I run through here it will have to be a more dusty trail and some knobby tires. Well at least that's what I'd like to think would have been more interesting. 

After blasting along 40 East for awhile I arrived in Flagstaff, AZ. About 50 miles from Flagstaff my geology lesson started. First it was a mountain range that went to 5,000 or so feet and then it was up onto the next mountain that took me to over 7,000 feet about 15 miles before I arrived in Flagstaff. Why I assumed Flagstaff was anywhere but at the top of the Arizona Divide was beyond me. Words like "idiot, moron, fool, and stupid" kept coming into my head as threw my flashers on and backed my speed way down to about 40 mph. The road was dry but I wasn't taken any chances. I also some elk along side of the road so they were another reason I slowed down. I didn't want to plow into Rudolph then Santa might not bring me anything. Although he might have more fun delivering presents if was on an R1200 GS Adventure :-) 

Thankfully traffic was very light. In fact I was starting to wonder if I had missed some sort of warning that there was a snowstorm or something. I though for sure that the coldest temperatures I would have faced would have been on Pikes Peak at around 35 degrees. Then came Siskiyou Pass which registered at 33 degrees. Now the Arizona Divide at 22 degrees. Nope, that's not a typo. It was 22 degrees at the top and stayed at 26 degrees for about an hour as I made slow progress to Flagstaff. I still can't believe I had no idea that Flagstaff was going to be at 6,800 or feet in elevation. I mean its a dessert that doesn't make any sense! Looking at topography maps now I see that is a high dessert. I probably sound pretty stupid but I guess just looking at map doesn't really show you what is going on with the mountains. Could have been a lot more serious if the roads were damp or if weather had moved in. Checking the weather and some topo maps it looks like I'll be out of the elevation on my way to Texas tomorrow. Hopefully no more geology lessons on the way.