Ride
to the
West Coast - May, 2005
Best viewed at
1024 X 768
If your resolution is lower than that, you are truly
behind the times and probably shouldn't be using a computer anyway.
Preparation:
As I do with most long-distance riding, I make a list of what I
need to pack. I won't bore you with the minor details but here's a few
significant things I took with me:
- A decent
map.
- An
oil
filter strap - By my initial calculations, we'll be doing over 6500
miles so the oil will need a-changin'.
- North
Face waterproof
duffel bag - Too many years of stuffing clothes into garbage bags.
- Sunscreen
(SPF 45)
- Bungee
cords
- AMA MoTow
card - Cheapest insurance ever.
- Electric
vest - Never count on warm weather all the time.
I
also invested
in a new pair of waterproof riding boots from Cruiserworks.
For may years, garbage bags and slip-on boot covers got me through
everything from drizzles to full-blown tropical storms. Big problems
with those methods. First, not much in the way of traction
(dangerous). Second, it's a pain in the ass trying to slip them on when
you're on the side of an interstate. Third, they don't last very long.
Along those lines, I also broke down and bought a good pair of rain
gloves from Aerostich.
Since this trip will be their maiden
voyage, I'll give my impressions on both these items and how well they
work somewhere at the end.
Since my bike is on its 10th year, I decided to have a professional
give it the once over. While I like working on my own bike, my schedule
didn't allow me to give it a whole
lot of attention. I was fortunate enough to have a real pro work on it.
(Thanks to Earl at H-D
of Maryland!). Even though it's
a typical H-D dealer, these folks
were genuinely friendly (read: no attitude) and knew their stuff. My
bike runs better than when I first got it. At least it did for a while.
Too bad I ended up beating
the hell out of it on this trip. More on that later.
Most
pictures
were taken with a Nikon CoolPix 4600 digital camera on the 4 megapixel
setting. So, picture files will run on average of about 750 to
800K. A
broadband connection is recommended but don't have high expectations.
This server is behind a 256 K link.
Here's a few pics at my place from the night before we left:
On to the story...
Day 1
| Day
2
| Day
3
| Day
4 | Day 5
|
Day
6 | Day
7 & 8
| Day
9 | Day 10
|
Day
11 | Day
12 | Day 13 | Aftermath
