urban living

well, i have been carless for almost a month now. i have to say, as far as seattle decembers go, it's been a pretty chill month. not a lot of rain (knock on wood), though it has been quite cold. sad to say, as predicted, i have not been out riding much. a few trips to the eastside for some errands/visits to family (they are all still parked on the wrong side of the lake). the unfortunate park of this is that all of my trips have involved the bridges. nice and cold, bad traffic, and everything that goes along with freeway riding.

despite all that, however, everything has been going quite well. vixen has been braving the street parking wonderfully, and starts up on a dime every time i've needed her thusfar. i've narrowly avoided the rain several times as well, timing my rides quite well (though unintentionally), and haven't had to break out the raingear yet. i really don't like wearing all that bulky stuff. it's such a hassle to put on and take off, plus it is not designed with fashion in mind (i know, i'm vain). i've been sticking with my leathers and if i take a few drops on the way, so be it. skin is waterproof (both mine and that of the former cow).

the one problem i've noticed so far with having vixen as my primary mode of transportation is that most of my outings involve imbibing alcohol. being one of the main social activities among people of my generation, it can often be a problem getting to and from these events. now let me make myself perfectly clear on this point. i will not drink and ride. period. this is one area i do not push things (much like ice). driving in a car, though i do not condone it and am always very careful, i will allow myself to have one or two drinks and get myself home (i'm always very safe about it). riding, however, requires a degree of concentration that does not permit any alcohol to be drank, beyond maybe one beer (with food and waiting). needless to say, there have been several points where i have turned down social invitations because i did not wish to ride there/home or take the bus. i know the busses here can be underrated, but i really hate them. i loathe being reliant on unreliable transportation, the cost can add up quickly and they never run often/late enough.

ok, there's my rant about public transportation in this city. yet another reason i am very thankful to have vixen
(and be able to park her for free). i am learning to adapt. many of my friends are in the same neighborhood as me, or are willing to lend a ride. or i just bite the bullet and head out for a sober evening on the bike. it can be fun. i promise (i'm the only writer you'll ever meet who claims you can have sober fun. but not the only motorcyclist).

oh, on a side note which is rather fun, my new coffee shop is an old motorcycle garage. it's called bauhaus (which was also an art movement) and used to be an excelsior motorcycle garage. check it out:

awesome. i can vouch for the "less cold" (and they have good tea).

that's it for now. let's all hope for rainless weather and good riding.

rftc,

scott

cage-free!

it's done! i am officially without car.

as of tomorrow morning i will be a full time inhabitant of seattle proper (as opposed to its lesser cousin on the eastside) and, as was the plan, i will no longer be driving a car. vixen will now be my primary mode of transportation. besides my feet that is.

to be honest i'm still not sure how much riding i'll be doing over the next few months. i'm taking her over to the new place tomorrow morning (it's going to be a cold one!) and parking her next to lots of new friends in the wonderfully available restricted parking zone (where motorcycles park free, i might add). however, one of the advantages of the new digs is that i will be walking distance to my place of business. this will save mucho dinero on commuting costs, but will mean my need for wheels will diminish. with the weather still being what it is, i can't really see a lot of joy riding in the near future, at least until it warms up a bit.

i have to admit (rather shamefully) that i pondered a minute about whether or not to even keep the old girl in my new scenario, since i'll be keeping costs down as much as i can and won't be needing wheels as much. insurance can get a little pricey, and i had a moment or two of weakness. however, after a great evening of drinks with a new friend talking about my trip (he's planning one of his own in the next year or two), i realized just how much a part of my life vixen has become, and bikes in general, and i realized i would truly regret getting rid of her. i also thought back to my pretty blue sportsbike (see one of my first posts) and how much i wish i had held on to her way back in college. i don't want to have that same regret just to potentially have a few more beer bucks per month (because let's face it, how else would i spend the money?), especially with a bike i've been through so much with. i'm hoping we'll be together for a long time to come.

anyway, though, posts may still be scarce for the rest of the (off)season, but rest assured more will be coming as i continue my mission of living a car-less life and planning more madcap adventures as i live life on 2 wheels.

cages are for wimps.

rftc,

scott

the good, the bad and the resigned

well, it's been a while since i last posted something. that in itself should be a hint of how things have been going motorcycle-wise. in short, they haven't.

it has been continually colder, as i predicted, with nights in the 30s and they are saying we might get snow as early as friday (still november, as predicted. maybe i should be a weatherman). i'm still seeing bikes on the road, many a rider wrapped to the gills in their aerostitch suits and heated grips, but i'm just still not feeling that motivation. i haven't been riding much and, for the most part, i haven't been regretting my decision.

i did ride to work one day last week (or the week before). it wasn't quite so cold, only raining a little and i was in a bit of a funk. i thought the ride might cheer me up a bit. which it did, at first. i bundled up and went to work with the cold wind just creeping into my helmet, just enough to be refreshing on a morning commute. i had a quite shift between jobs that day and the bike certainly helped with that, but once i got there i just became absolutely loathed to deal with all my cold weather gear. storing it at work and especially putting it back on for the trip home. i have to hike up three floors to the parking garage on the way out (which is always stuffy) and, even though i didn't fully suit up until i got to the bike, i was sweating like a pig when i finally hit the street. even the crisp wind on the freeway didn't do much to help. i had an absolutely miserable ride home and had to throw all my clothes in the wash and take a shower. it's happened before, but this is the first time it made me wonder how much of all this was worth it. well, i didn't answer that question directly, but i haven't ridden to work since.

there is, however, good news on the horizon. thanks to some good turns at work (two part times turning to one full time), i will soon be moving away from the dreaded eastside and, within a couple of months, should be living and working exclusively in seattle. what does this mean for the motorcyclist in me? well, practically, there is no way i will be taking a car with me to capital hill (my destination). that's just stupid. so vixen will soon be my one and only mode of transportation. and two, more importantly, is that living and working in seattle means there are two major factors i don't have to worry about on a day-to-day basis. they would be bridges and freeways.

you wouldn't think that would make such a big deal, but they really do. first off, bridges leave you far more exposed to the elements than normal roads, so everything you deal with temp/weather-wise is multiplied. and, simply put, going 60 mph is a much bigger deal than going 30 mph. especially, again, in terms of temperature and weather. and gear. my mentality about what i wear riding changes completely if there's a bridge or freeway involved. and, as a result of that, i'm less likely to ride (given an option) if i have to take one. being completely based in seattle, i can almost completely avoid bridges and freeways, meaning commuting/living exclusively by bike is a far more viable (and appealing) proposition. stay tuned for more details about when i get to go totally car-less.

that's about it for now. as i said, not a lot going on other than external forces that apply themselves to my riding. as for the "good", "bad" and "resigned" parts, i'll let you figure that out for yourself.

until next time,

rftc,

scott

reflections on the past month

well, i've been home a little over a month now. hard to believe it's actually been that long. part of me feels like i just got back, and part of me feels like the trip was a year ago. that's the way things go, i guess.

i've had plenty of time to reflect on things about the trip and, more to the point, about life here now that i've been back. i'm a little disappointed in how quickly i somehow managed to get back into the swing of things. i feel like i've already lost a lot of the stress-free attitude i carried throughout my trip. real life has a way of crashing back in on you in an awful damn hurry. kind of sad, in a way.

i haven't been riding that much either. this is a mixed bag of a statement, because i've partially not been riding because i haven't felt like it. when i first got back, i was still psyched about the bike and riding and the whole experience, but things have a way of wearing on you. yes, the weather has been playing a factor and there have been a few times i haven't ridden specifically because of the temperature or the road conditions, but there have been far more morning where i just didn't feel like getting on the bike, and i couldn't think of a reason not to take the car.

part of this is my current living situation. i have determined (or rather, admitted to myself) that as long as i live on the eastside, i will probably need a car. the public transportation sucks, and the bridges make things feel much further away than they really are. more to the point, you cannot get anywhere without jumping on the freeway, and freeway travel adds new factors when riding (temps, weather, clothing, etc).

part of this is also just my motivation. all the little things about riding i loved during my trip: the gear, the checkpoints, the rituals of getting ready have suddenly become nuisances when i apply them to my everyday life. it's a real hassle to put on full riding gear when you are taking it off again 30 minutes later at work. when you have multiple locations to get to, that just multiplies the time it takes to get going, and those few minutes to get that extra layer on, or take on and off your helmet take it's toll. plus, and i know this may seem shallow, i feel a little ridiculous sometimes wearing my raingear everywhere. if i stop at the coffee shop at the way home, it means i take up half a bench with my coat, pants, helmet, gloves, sweatshirt and bag. and my boots aren't always the most comfortable for just hanging out. it can be very limiting.

i know this all sounds like a bunch of complaining, and really i'm not trying to. i know all this stuff is voluntary; no one is forcing me to ride a motorcycle at all, much less in seattle in the winter. it's more analysis of what my thought process has been over the past few weeks. what does it all mean? i'm not sure yet. maybe it just means i won't be commuting in winter as much (even more so, since we'll be freezing early this year, it was already in the 30s last night). on a larger scale, i've been wondering where i place motorcycling in my life's priorities. of all the aspects of my life i've been reevaluating, this one was the last piece to come into play, mostly because it was a motorcycling trip that caused this mini-revelation/reevaluation i've been going through. but if i'm being honest with myself, i need to examine that part as well, and it may not be as high as i thought.

it wouldn't be the end of the world, if i wasn't a "biker", but just someone who rode a motorcycle every now and then. in some ways i might feel like i was letting myself down a bit, after my trip. it was such a positive experience, and now here i am cutting back on the source of that optimism. it's a tough one, that's for sure. but i've done something most people will never do and i came out the better for it. it's taking me a little time to figure out exactly how, but i'm getting there. and there will always be sacrificed to be made. it's just a matter of being brutally honest with myself and following through. whenever i'm editing my writing, i'm always reminding myself that nothing is sacred, nothing is so important as to sacrifice the whole for one single part. if only i can apply that to my life, i'll be getting somewhere. we'll just have to wait and see.

until next time,

rftc,

scott

winter done come early

somewhere, somehow, a northwest biker has upset the weather gods.

either that or they decided that since we had a super late, super quick summer, we should make up for it by having a really long winter.

on the way home from job #2 tonight (around 10pm) it was cold. now, my jacket and pants are quite good at protecting against the elements (although i was likened to a power ranger in appearance). however, the one caveat of having good gear is that you have to wear it. at the end of my shift i was quite hot and decided i didn't need to wear my riding hood on the way home. to be fair, i made it home just fine, but i was just getting the start of a cold wind headache from the steady stream of air up into my helmet, and my chin was freezing.

i've already mentioned that the ground is starting to get a little slick in the morning, and this morning there was frost on the grass and windshields. not a good sign for an elongated riding season. so the fact that it was quite cold on the ride home did not bode well. according to weather.com it's only 44 degrees out, though with wind chill it is considerably colder. last night it got down to about 37, and it was clear most of the day today, which means another chilly night. not freezing temps quite yet, but getting close.

all this means i probably don't have much riding left this year. that's not so much fun, though less fun is the idea of getting stuck having to commute home on the bike through snow and/or icy roads. i may be crazy, but i'm not stupid. so i'll be riding as much as i safely can until i can't ride no mo'.

or until my beard freezes. whichever comes first.

until then,

rftc,

scott

cold weather and strange cravings

the changing of the seasons often leads people to do odd things. sometimes these are good, sometimes these are not so good. sometimes you aren't really sure if they're good or bad. sometimes you just never find out.

it's been getting colder recently, even as we've been having some gorgeous afternoons here in seattle. the nights and early mornings are experiencing ever-dropping temperatures at a radical rate on that inevitable path to winter. i'm guessing it'll start freezing in early november. we're supposed to have a bad winter this year and, unfortunately, that does not bode well for my winter commuting.

now, as i've mentioned before, i'm pretty hearty when it comes to riding in inclement weather. i'm usually a year round commuter. however, i will not ride when there is ice on the roads, or the chance of ice. i'm tough, i'm not stupid. i was riding to work the other morning around 8:30, and the roads were already getting slick from the cold. the temperature was probably in the low 40s, and it didn't freeze that night as far as i know, but i certainly noticed the roads. if it keeps getting colder, and starts freezing, i may not get to commute much this winter on the bike, which would be a shame.

right, now to the strange cravings. recently i've been having more unexplained desires for a harley davidson (those that know me know that this is strange indeed). this came up a bit during the trip, which i could write off to circumstances (my knee was bugging me from my aggressive riding position, i was seeing a LOT of HDs on the road, and the whole travelling around the country thing definitely fits with the image harley has manufactured). now that's just the thing. i know that harley has manufactured this image, and i am currently falling for it. i'm not a huge fan of harley bikes. i'm not even a meagre fan of most harleys, it's mainly one that's catching my eye. that would be the sportster 883 iron, or this one:

now let's face it: this is a pretty bike. overpriced? sure. all harleys are. overrated? probably, as most HDs fall into that category as well. but when i've been fantasizing about bikes recently, this is what most comes to mind. again, i'm not sure if it's the bike that's doing it, or the image associated with the bike, but there you go. falling victim to marketing and whatnot (again, strange for me).

i think part of this is due to the fact that my own personal style doesn't necessarily always mesh with vixen's. she's a spicy little japanese bike, and i often fit more with the classic biker style. we are often at odds when it comes to asthetics. don't get me wrong, i think she's tres sexy, but as i've said before, she might not be my first choice given unlimited options. i love the way she handles, i love the quick, light flickability she offers, but sometimes she seems a little...plain. suzuki is not a brand with a lot of mystique and her looks are nice, but not amazing. she's a midrange bike with midrange asthetics. even in the naked bike category, she doesn't stack up to a monster or a speed triple.

when i've talked about dream bikes in the past, it's usually been closer to the classic british side of things. i've always had a soft spot for old triumphs and the bonneville is still one of my all time favorites. like this one:

very nice. this is where my tastes usually drift, but recently it's been all american iron. i can't explain it. again, i think it's much more of the idyllic imagery that goes along with it than the bike. i mean, the 883 is probably the only harley i would ever have an interest in owning; in terms of style, it's the only one that does anything for me. maybe it's just more that classic look that i'm digging. vixen is a very modern bike and i'm just not necessarily a modern man.

let me make it clear, however, that i won't be jumping off to buy another bike anytime soon, or try and trade vixen in for something. first off, i can't afford it even if i wanted to. these dream bikes are pricey. and second, i do have a certain attachment to the old girl, having taken her around the country. for my needs, she's just about perfect. and besides, if i had been serious about trading her in i would have done so BEFORE taking her on an 8400 mile trip. so don't worry, i'm not about to do anything rash.

a guy can dream, though. can't he?


rftc,

scott

traffic sucks

and is getting worse. i swear. when i got back a couple of weeks ago i thought that maybe i had just forgotten how bad the traffic was around here. now i'm pretty sure it wasn't just an adjustment period.

it always takes time to get home after work around 5 or so, that's just a given. but until recently there have always been ways around the worst of it. my standard route between downtown bellevue and south where i live has always been lake washington boulevard (also known as 118th). most of the time you can avoid the worst of the freeway traffic, with maybe a little backup. the past few times i've attempted it, however, the backup has been miles long (literally), and i've turned around to go other ways. bellevue way to 90 to 405 always sucks because of the merger onto 405 south, and factoria is usually no better. and, to top things off, things got so bad that the other day i decided to actually take the freeway, since i was on the bike and i could just jump in the HOV lane. did it work? hell no. the carpool lane was, for much of the time, slower than the rest of the freeway. what gives? i've just stopped trying to come home between 5 and 6:30. i'll get a cup of tea and read my book. it's far more enjoyable than sitting in traffic and, once i decide to head home, things are actually reasonable, traffic-wise.

the upside to all this is that i have been riding my bike. the past few days commuting i've bundled up in the morning and braved the cold, gray mornings. it hasn't rained too hard so far. i haven't been able to ride elsewhere that much mostly because i've had to carry things here and there. my winter gear has held up remarkably well so far, and i haven't even had to layer that much. my new coat keeps me nice and comfortable with only a t-shirt underneath, so that investment is thusfar paying off nicely. i'm really enjoying the regular riding again, even in the chilly weather. and parking is a cinch. today will be the first day i get to commute to seattle again on the bike, so we'll see how the bridge goes with the new gear, but i'm not too worried. it's even supposed to clear up later today.

so, continuing the trend of late, here are some more pictures from my travels, for those that just skim these for photos. this is the universal studios round, with these first few from jurassic park. this is how i want to paint my explorer. my dad seems opposed, for some reason...

and the visitor's center. classic.

next we have some harry potter land stuff, for those rowling-buffs out there. i have to admit, the whole thing was amazingly well done, down to the last detail. these pictures will hopefully give you an idea of what everything looked like as a whole. hogwarts castle, hogsmeade and the defense against the dark arts classroom. pretty cool.

and this was all in 90 degree florida weather. there were times i really wished it was really snowing.

and finally, a blast to the past for those who are high school friends. we made sure not to miss the blues brothers show, and here is the bluesmobile.

i have to say, it was a pretty good show. jake was pretty convincing, but i did a much better elwood. decent singer, but definitely not a baritone.

that'll do for now. next time i'll have more pics from the second half of the trip, starting with washington dc.

rftc,

scott

motorcycle fail. and pictures!

i've been a terrible biker recently. mainly because i haven't been biking. like, at all. i brought vixen home from the dealer about 20 minutes before it started raining. it hasn't stopped.

now, i'm not one to let a little rain deter me normally. i really don't mind riding in rain that much, especially the nice, light rain we get around here. and it hasn't been just that. there have been other factors. i've had things to carry or deliver that wouldn't fit on the bike, or i've had late nights at work, or i've just been tired. the rain has certainly not helped, though. i'm planning on riding to work tomorrow. i really am. i need a kick in the butt to get back on this thing.

i've been thinking about the next trip to plan, however, which has been fun. i'm trying to get my brothers and dad on board for a biking brewery tour of belgium. i think that would be an excellent vacation. nice easy days on the bike, try the local brew, stumble to the b and b and sleep in before doing it again. belgium is supposed to be a beautiful country and i hear they take their beer pretty seriously. all good things.

anyway, here are some more pictures from the road. these first few are from new mexico. another one from the lovely straight plains (this is the kind of road i got my speeding ticket on. seriously. the cop was the first car i'd seen in about 5 miles) and one of the thunderstorms i was trying to outrun when i got ticketed. it was really cool how you could just sit there watching the thunder and lightning storm slowly moving across the plains, staying perfectly dry and warm where you are. a phenomenon we don't get in the northwest.

 this last one is from arkansas, which was one of the pleasant surprises of the trip, scenery-wise. this is just another lovely river i passed over while crossing through the southern part of the state.

that'll do it for now since this takes me up to orlando, and there are a lot of pictures from universal studios to sort through. i'll find some good ones for the next post. hopefully i'll have some riding to report as well.

rftc,

scott

more pictures, round 1

 i've had a few requests for more pictures from the trip. i certainly have those, so i thought i'd start posting some of the photos that didn't make the cut the first time around. enjoy!

these are a few more from the mojave, on route 62. still one of my favorite rides of the trip. i wish these pictures could truly capture the feeling of what it was like to be out there.

 these next few are from arizona, just outside of phoenix. as soon as i left the city i started climbing up into the mountains (and the temperature thankfully started dropping), and the views instantly got better.

 

and finally a few more from the salt river canyon, also in arizona. another gorgeous part of the ride. again, i wish i had better pictures, but the view also got better 2 minutes after i stopped to take the photo.

  

 

well, that'll do for now. i'll be adding more as i have time, attempting to go somewhat chronologically.

till next time,

rftc,

scott

back in the saddle again

...out where a friend is a friend. you know the rest.

i picked up vixen today from aurora suzuki. it took me about an hour on 2 busses to get there, but i think it was worth it. the service there was $100 cheaper than the eastside option, and these guys are friendlier.

she was getting the 11K mile service, even though she's up around 14.4K total. oops. turns out i was a little late. when i went on my lunch break today i actually had two messages waiting for me from the dealer. the first said that, after checking the mileage, it wouldn't hurt to adjust the valves while i have it in. the second said they were done with the basic service. i called back to authorize the valves if they could get it done the same day, which they thought was possible. when i got off work, however, i got another message (i can't answer the phone at work, in case you were wondering. another perk of retail). this one said it would take 2 hours for a 1 hour valve job since they already put everything back together, and that i would be fine for another 3K miles or so. that worked for me, since it saved me another $120 or so. in 3000 miles i might be able to afford that.

anyway, taking her in yesterday was the first time i'd ridden her since returning, so i'd been off the bike for 8 days. that's a lot for me, even when i'm not traveling, and it felt a little odd getting back on. i noticed a few things riding home tonight. first off, she's a lot lighter when she's not loaded down. i probably had around 50 lbs of luggage for the trip, and she's a lot more responsive when it's just me and her. quicker too. also, since i've put the stock windscreen back on (the bikini fairing), i've noticed quite a difference at freeway speeds. yeah, the wind is a little more present but the biggest difference is the noise. it's a lot quieter now than with the touring screen. the shape and height of the tourer aimed an airstream right by my left ear, which made a loud whistling noise. without that airstream it's a lot more pleasant. chalk another one up for the smaller screen.

and, a note about leathers. i love them. they are far better than textile gear. more comfortable, better for warmth and wind without a million layers, and they let a bit of a breeze in (which is good if it's not 40 degrees out). it's been very nice to ride with leathers as opposed to the riding suit. sure, they aren't as waterproof, but so far i haven't had more than a few drops to and from. it's a bit of a risk (it's been cloudy and showering since i've been back) but, then again, riding a bike is a bit of a risk. that's part of the fun. i'll be breaking out the textiles again soon enough, i'm sure, when the winter commuting starts, so i might as well enjoy it while i can.

for a quick note on my adjustment, things are going better. i'm getting back into the things i actually enjoy, and i'm remembering everything i was looking forward to. i'm still not crazy about the job, but it's a job. you don't have to like it. i am still thinking about the next trip, though. i have many ideas floating around, some of which i may be exploring here in the future. my uncle has been trying to convince me to find some sponsors and take off for a year riding around and writing. don't get me wrong, this would be awesome and if anyone wants to sponsor me for this, i am open to it. i just might spend a little time here at home first.

i am going to submit a short piece about my Gorilla gloves to a couple of motorcycle publications. sort of a "solving-problems-on-the-road/look-at-the-crazy-stuff-this-guy-did" kind of piece. short, hopefully a little funny, maybe get it published on a back page somewhere. that would be cool. who knows? i certainly wouldn't be opposed to a little freelancing here and there.

anyway, i'm going to try to keep this blog going as best i can without making it too boring (today i went to work...again), so stay tuned. for now, though, it's good to have my baby back in full working order so's i can start taking her out regularly again.

rftc,

scott

maybe a wrap up?

i'm not sure. this could be what ends up to be the final trip wrap up, or it could not. i just thought i'd jot a few things down here, now that i've been home a few days.

first off, i got this unbelievable jolt of wanderlust last night, totally unexpectedly. i was going to see a play, the first of three this week (i have to make up for lost time), and i had just come from my first shift back at work (just a half day). first off, i am really, really not looking forward to going back to work. one of my jobs isn't bad, but the thought of the other just kind of makes my skin crawl (for the purpose of self-preservation, i won't say which one is which, or even where i work for that matter). so it was a long half day, and i was looking forward to seeing some friends and going to the theatre.

the show itself wasn't bad. it wasn't great, and i had some problems with some of the acting and the staging (again, i'm not a reviewer, so i won't name names). but somewhere during act II (out of 3) i just really didn't want to be there. as in, not even in seattle. i just got terribly depressed at the thought of going back to my life and, in my mind, i starting listing out everything i would need to bring with me if i were to hit the road again, and what i could get away with selling or giving away in order to do so. this lasted most of the play until fatigue took over and i started falling asleep instead. that's the most consistent emotion i've felt since my return: fatigue. i think a lot of it is due to the time changes, since i still haven't been on west coast time for that long. as a result i get tired early, go to sleep, wake up early (i haven't been able to sleep past 8) and get tired early again. so that was an interesting night.

it seems to be an isolated incident thusfar (the wanderlust), but i'm still having some trouble transitioning back into real life. i've loved seeing my friends and being back in seattle, but when i've tried to wrap my head around everything i was doing before i left, and trying to start it all up again, my mind just starts spinning and i get totally overwhelmed. i know i need to give myself time to readjust, but the idea of readjusting into what i was doing before is very unappealing at the moment. when i was traveling, life was exceedingly simple. you had one primary objective and, when you weren't doing that, you didn't do anything. when i stopped i would just rest, maybe eat something, occasionally look at a map. that's it. now when i try to relax there are too many things i feel like i should be doing or thinking about. it's really got me thinking about the priorities in my life, and where everything falls. i don't have any answers yet, but i think these are good things to ponder.

as for official trip "wrap up" stuff, i think it was an unbridled success. first off, i completed it. i did it by myself, with a fair amount of problems. it wasn't just smooth sailing all the way, and i managed to work everything out and overcome the difficulties, physical and mental. not to be terribly cliche, but i have learned a lot about myself. not all of it positive, but useful information. like the camping thing. i don't necessarily do well alone. and that's ok. i need sensory stimulation. it's little lessons like this that have really stretched into other parts of my life, and have guided my thinking about how i want to prioritize, and what would and wouldn't work for me in terms of job, lifestyle, even where i live. so these are all good things.

i'm taking vixen in for her scheduled maintenance, even if i can't quite afford it. i'm already getting antsy not riding, and i would feel too guilty taking her out when she needs so much work. i still have a few things to settle from the trip and i could be very low in the coffers afterwards, but i'm prioritizing. my trip tattoo may just have to wait a little longer.

ok, i feel like i've rambled enough, and it seems to be mostly non-bike related, which is not the objective of this blog, so i'll stop now. if anything new comes up that seems directly related to the trip i'll post it, or maybe some more pictures from yellowstone or something. other than that i'm really not sure about the future of this blog. if everyday riding issues or stories come up and i feel compelled to post them i will, but i'm not sure how regularly that will be. either way, it was a blast, and i thank everyone for dutifully following along, or skimming, or just scanning for pictures and pretending you read it. it all means a lot.

until next time,

ride fast, take chances,

scott

all clean

well, after two days i'm finally done unpacking and cleaning everything. including vixen, who was quick the dirty girl. she got a full sponge bath and got back into her bikini. that big touring windscreen just wasn't very flattering. here's how she looks now, like she's supposed to:


unfortunately, she's not quite ride ready, as she's about 3000 miles overdue for some maintenance. actually, she's a little more overdue than that, since i kind of missed one scheduled maintenance already (i think i was somewhere in new mexico). so she needs some TLC that i just can't give her. she also might need some paint touched up here and there. all that wear and tear from the road (and the saddlebags) have left a few rubbed spots and scratches). i need to make an appointment to take her in, but i also have to see if i can afford it yet. so for now she is sadly garaged and i am tootling around in the purple wonder.

it's been a bit of a transition remembering how to drive a car again. especially a big honking SUV. i don't quite have the same acceleration that i've been used to and parking? forget about it.

actually, it's been a bit of a transition already readjusting to the real world. i've been visiting a lot of friends, which has been great, but anytime i start to think about getting back into everything i was doing before i left (two jobs, hurling management, writing, etc), i start to feel a little overwhelmed and just need to take a step back for a minute. i know it's only been a day and a half so i'm trying to take it slow, but i don't really do that very well. i'm going to try and streamline a few things and maybe simplify a little bit (shocking to hear from me, i know).

anyway, i'll get around to a full debriefing in a day or two. still processing a bit, but i wanted to show my nice clean bike off. so there ya go.

until next time,

rftc,

scott

by the numbers + awards

by the numbers

1 bike
1 rider
4 tires
27 states
29 days
512 photos
588 songs on shuffle
8467.4 miles

awards

best music: the black keys. always rocking, never disappointing and great to sing along to.
runners up: the strokes, jet. much the same reasons.

worst music: phoenix. sorry guys, i like some of your stuff, but all the songs sound the same, and you can't sing to any of it. you were the first album i took off my mix.
runners up: the hives, vampire weekend. the hives were just too loud (this was partially the mastering on the album), and vampire weekend was too disjointed to really get a rhythm going. the other two albums i switched out.

best ride: route 62, from twentynine palms to springerville CA. through the desert, 100 miles of nothing. not even other cars. hot as hell, but an awesome ride.
runners up: route 60 through salt river canyon AZ, highway 12 from missoula to lewiston ID. both great rides (except the stretch of bad roads on 12), just not quite up to the desert crossing. it should be noted that national parks were exempt from this award.

worst ride: highway 60 through northern texas. straight flat roads through feed lots. no thanks.
runners up: highway 17 through south carolina, pennsylvania turnpike.

best state: south dakota. a close race, but in the end SD had great roads, beautiful scenery and the badlands.
runners up: wyoming, california. wyoming has yellowstone, which is a huge plus, but it also had some boring straight sections. california just has a bit of everything: forests, coast, desert, everything.

worst state: texas. need i go into detail?
runners up: south carolina, indiana. both were nothing but windy and annoying, basically states i had to get through to get to other, more interesting states. plus, south carolina sported a lot of confederate flags, and some racist mexican themed truck stops. granted i didn't spend significant time in indiana, so don't hold that one against me.

best piece of gear: this was a close one, since my saddlebags were awesome but, for pure usage and flexibility, i'm going with my cargo net. need to throw something on the back? throw it under the net.
runners up: ortlieb saddlebags, and plain old industrial garbage bags. by far the most reliable waterproofing i had.

worst piece of gear: i didn't really have any bad pieces of gear. i guess i'll give this one to my old jacket, since it stopped being waterproof, but i still love the thing.
runner up: my cold weather gloves. for not being windproof. they also weren't bad, though, unless it was really cold.

best meal: at the davidsons in new mexico. everything was delicious, and i'm picking up some green chiles at the store today.
runners up: everyone else who cooked for me. seriously, it was all delicious. i'm not just saying that.

worst meal: gas station BBQ in south carolina. chalk up one more in the negative column for SC.
runner up: leftover pizza for breakfast in montana. not a good way to start the day.

that's all i can think of. if you have any other awards you want me to grant (best/worst whatever), let me know and i'll happily oblige.

rftc,

scott

victory!

home! i made it! i rode my bike around the whole f#@king country!

sorry, i'm a little excited. it's a combination of excitment at being home (and at my usual coffee shop typing this) and exhilaration of completing this epic undertaking. when i started planning it, the whole idea of it was a little surreal. now that i'm done, being home seems a little surreal. granted, i've only been home 2.5 hours, but it still seems a little strange.

the ride today was actually pretty good. i keep forgetting how pretty the middle/eastern half of our state is until i go through it. rolling hills of wheat, some lovely river canyons and fun highways. we definitely hold our own as far as that goes. and coming through the pass? sure, it was wet. sure, it was a little cold. but not as wet or as cold as i was anticipating. i was prepared, i had the right gear, i took it easy and didn't rush things. and when i came into fall city the sky cleared up and i rode the rest of the way home in glorious northwest sunshine. truly awesome.

the trip actually had a comical ending, too. i was coming around the final bend to my house, up the hill, and i see something/someone waiting right at the end of my driveway. a welcome home party? nope. two motorcycle cops who flag me down for speeding up the hill. so instead of turning into my driveway, i have to drive 2 houses down and pull over for a traffic stop. i tell the police officer that i live right there. he tells me i was going 33 in a 25. he then looks over my bike and asks if i'm returning home from a trip. i tell him he has no idea, then proceed to tell him where i've been. he looks over my bike again and, instead of a ticket, offers me a handshake and welcomes me home, asking how the bike held up. a super nice guy, and we chat a bit about the trip and the bike. he even agrees to take my coming home picture:



i think it's an awesome ending to the trip, personally. especially since it didn't end in a ticket.

and so i went home. and went inside. and celebrated.

and then took a shower.

how do i feel now? happy. a little relieved. very, very tired. and a little out of place. it kind of feels like the first time i went back to college after graduating. like i'm just looking in at everything, but i'm not really a part of it.

and the plan? well, after this i'm going to go to the grocery store so i can make myself a homemade, healthy dinner before heading to the pub to celebrate properly. tomorrow i'm doing the unpacking, sorting and cleaning of gear. i'll also get vixen set up for everyday riding again, including washing her. my baby definitely needs a bath:


although, to be fair, i could probably use a little cleaning up too:

you like the mountain man look? i'll admit it's the fullest my beard's come in yet. i guess this trip increased my manliness.

i'm going to do another debrief in a few days or so, after i've had a chance to relax a bit and settle back in. sort out my thoughts after i've truly had a chance to be back in the real world for a while. for now, though, i can say that i've traveled around our country, and it is pretty great. there are as many things different as there are the same. it was definitely a life changing experience. i can also definitely say, without a doubt, that after seeing what else is out there, i can't think of anywhere else i'd rather call home.

until next time,

rftc,

scott

washington state!

i tried. really i did. i was going to sleep in and take my time getting to walla walla, meeting my brother and sister-in-law when they got home, around 5 or 6.

the problem is i got tired after my day yesterday and so i crashed early-ish, around 11pm, and then i couldn't sleep past 7am which, if you remember, is actually 6 pacific time. so what was supposed to be a late start ended up starting around 7:45. oh well.

i have to say, though, highway 12 is pretty awesome. i was on it all day, from missoula to walla walla, through lolo pass and idaho down into lewiston and then into washington (yay!) and walla walla. a fantastic road. exactly what i though 89 was going to be. nice and twisty, but not too crazy that i needed to drop below 4th gear. good speed limits, fantastic scenery and, in spite of the crisp weather (blame my early start) and some less-than-ideal road conditions for a stretch before lowell, one of the best sections of highway i've been on the entire trip. if they just finished repaving, it would definitely be one of my favorite all time rides. and the best part? it was through lush, full evergreen forest. it's so good to be back in the pacific northwest. unfortunately, my camera was still exhausted from yellowstone (battery) so i couldn't get any pictures. most of you reading this know what pacific northwest forests look like. evergreen excellence.

even when i dropped out of the pass it was still lovely, carving through canyon country in idaho before heading into the plains of eastern washington, following the river the whole way (which river? i'm not entirely sure. clearwater? the name may have changed throughout the trip).

a celebratory lunch in clarkston (the first town in my home state) and now i'm here in downtown walla walla (i missed the turn to my brother's house, but he's not home yet and i was going to head downtown anyway).

and tomorrow i'm home. it's weird to think about and yet, in some ways, a relief. i'm a bit road-weary. i'm already starting to try to get back into the swing of things with work stuff and the like. in fact, i already have the rest of my evenings booked this week before i'm officially back on the job sunday (if you're in the area, my welcome home shindig is at pies and pints tomorrow night, starting 7ish). the upside? i'm still riding strong, still enjoying every minute of it, and though i miss home, i'll be ready to jump right back on the bike (as soon as i wash my gear and she gets her 12K scheduled maintenance. she's a little overdue already). i don't think there's anything better than that. 8K+ miles and i'm ready for more.

anyway, i'll have the stats rundown tomorrow, along with the best/worst of for the trip. it's been awesome, but it's time to get home.

next time, i'll be posting from sea-town (or suburbs thereof)!

rftc,

scott

day of super awesome, the 2nd

woot. today rocked. again. this trip is really ending on a high note.

today was all about yellowstone. i wanted to make sure i had plenty of time to do the park (at least the route i was taking through, which was barely 1/4 of the whole park), so i got an early start, taking off from cody right around sunrise, a little after 7am. a side effect of this trip is that it may be making me even more of a morning person.

after a quick 50 mile trip to the park gate, i was ready for some sight-seeing. i had bundled up quite a bit, even though it was in the mid-50s in cody, since i knew i'd be gaining a lot of altitude and a good thing i did, since it was probably around 40 degrees when i got to the park at 8am. i wasn't wearing my gorrila gloves, though, since i wanted to have better dexterity and control for the park. i wasn't going to be going that fast once inside, and there was no way i'd be operating a camera with the taped gloves.

there were so many amazing views and pictures that i took it was really hard to pick some to show here, so i've tried to pick a few from some different areas. they'll be scattered throughout chronologically. this first one was in the first few miles into the park, just one of the awesome landscapes spread out as i was riding along throughout the day:



and that was just the beginning. remember earlier, how i was mentioning the lack of wildlife on this trip so far, and how i was a little disappointed? well, it didn't take long to remedy this as, a couple of miles down the road from this view, i almost hit a deer. oops. i was riding through a forested section when a 3- or 4-point buck (big deer) leaped across the road right in front of me. i hit the brakes in time, so no harm no foul, but it sure got my heart going. it was a great way to start the park (as opposed to hitting the deer, which would have been lousy) and was actually rather exhilarating. a few minutes later i saw some less active deer by the side of the road and got a few pictures, but nothing spectacular. a promising start, nonetheless.

moving on down the road a bit further, the road wrapped around yellowstone lake, which was perfectly calm, with the last few remains of mist rising up from the morning cold:


again, beautiful. i'm going to stop stating that everything i saw was beautiful, or gorgeous, or breath-taking, because this post would become very redundant very quickly. anyway, i rode on down the road into the park when i quickly came upon a herd of bison grazing by the side of the road. by the way, bison are awesome. you think honey badgers don't give a sh#t? try a bison. they just go wherever they want because what are you going to do? they're huge, they don't care about you or what you're doing and they're everywhere. seriously. i saw so many bison, it was crazy. this one was grazing right up on the shoulder of the road:


i was seriously that close. probably 6 feet away, if that. this happened again later down the road when i stopped to look at something else (i'll tell you in a second) and two more GIANT bison were just moseying down the road. probably 6 feet from me and the bike and much bigger than this guy (the pics weren't as good, though). let me tell you, from personal experience, you don't really realize how much of a safety net a car is until you don't have one. the only thing i had between me and these guys was my riding suit and helmet. yeah they were just ambling along, but damn it was still a little unnerving. and very, very cool.

anyway, the reason i had stopped was because i was catching glimpses of something across the river and i had stopped to see what it was. it turned out to be one of the most amazing things i have ever seen in person, in my life. granted i haven't had kids yet or anything, but this was a truly awesome thing to behold. across the river were two elk, one doe and one juvenile (mother and baby?). the young one was in the middle of the river while the doe was on the edge of the opposite bank, fending off two black wolves. they would approach, she would drive them back. they came at her again, she charged again. sometimes she would retreat into the river, sometimes she would successfully drive them off for a minute or two. but they kept at it, trying different angles, testing her. it was incredible to watch. i must have stood there for 20 minutes, absolutely spellbound, until they moved out of sight down the river. i have no idea what happened to the elk, or the wolves, but it was an amazing experience. it seemed very surreal to get back on my motorcycle, push a magic button and tootle on down the road at 40 mph after that. but there it is.

i was traveling up the east side of the grand loop, which took me by the canyon (apparently it doesn't have a name), which had some cool falls and some awesome scenic views, like this one:


i spent a fair amount of time chilling at the various points, including a small snack at inspiration point, where i got someone to take my picture. unfortunately, they didn't frame it very well, so the only picture of me at yellowstone is less than impressive.

the other major stop i made was at the norris geyser basin, with sulfur pits and thermal zones, lots of which were bubbling, none of which were geysering. smelled great, though. i was still smelling rotten eggs until i took a shower at my hotel. there were some amazing colors present in some of the pools, though. nature can do some pretty amazing things.


what struck me while riding through was how varied the landscape was in such a small (relative) area. i went through forests, high mountain tundra, sulfurous thermal zones, canyons and more, all within a 100 miles stretch (and not even a straight 100 miles). i was wondering if it was a coincidence that all these cool features are so close together or if their creation was all interconnected. i'm sure there's an answer, but i don't feel like doing the research right now.

i spent a total of about 5 hours in the park and, as i said, i barely saw 1/4 of the whole place, and i wasn't even truly taking my time where i was. i'd stop in, snap a few pictures, maybe hang out for a few minutes and then move on. another place i really want to go back to and spend some serious time there.

i think i'm in danger of becoming a national park addict. i hear there's a passport you can get to mark off all of them. i think it would be awesome to do them all on a motorcycle. although there are a lot in alaska. that could be tricky. still, worth looking into (i'm sure my mom is thrilled to hear this line of thought).

the rest of the day was fine, but non-descript. i went out the north gate of the park on highway 89. according to my dad's harley davidson road atlas, this is one of the best motorcycling highways in the US. it was very nice, but i can see why it was recommended in a harley book. lots of super wide, sweeping curves perfect for a half-ton harley loaded down with HD gear and two riders, with a nice, fast speed limit. true, it was through a gorgeous valley with great views but, after yellowstone it wasn't nearly as awe-inspiring as it may have been otherwise and, on vixen, some of the straightaways that accompanied the curves were a little boring. still a good ride, though.

after that it was I-90 which went quick, except for battling a few headwinds. i got into butte (my intended destination) around 3:30, which was way too early for my tastes. again, when i'm by myself and there's nothing for me to do, i'd rather keep going and get some more miles down as opposed to hanging out in a hotel room or wandering around (i'm not much of a shopper). so i kept going for a while, and now i'm in missoula. much better. got in around 5:30, found pizza, beer, ice cream and sunday night football. i'm a happy camper. and tomorrow i have an easy cruise down highway 12 to walla walla, followed by a short day home. it's truly almost over. my long days are behind me, as is my major interstate travel. a good feeling, to be sure.

almost home!

rftc,

scott

3 days to go...

i set out this morning all ready for some cold riding, complete with my new gloves. see?


classy, right? amazingly enough they actually work fairly well for blocking the wind, though my flexibility is a little limited. i didn't end up using them for that long, however, due to a very strange happening. i headed out from the motel and it was probably 50 degrees, maybe a little warmer. i was cruising along as expected when, about 20 miles down the road, i came up and rise and it felt like someone flicked a switch. all of a sudden, it was 10 degrees warmer. seriously. too warm for what i was wearing. i stopped and layered down for the first time, but it wouldn't be the last.

after that it was cruising on 90. the first stop? sturgis SD, home of the biggest HD rally in the world (i think). of course, the rally happens in early august, but it's still very much an HD town. bikes were everywhere, as well as stores selling accessories and t-shirts and whatnot. i stopped by the sturgis HD dealer because, well, you kind of have to, and then took a quick tour of the motorcycle museum and hall of fame. it was pretty cool. lots of classic bikes, and some rare ones too. moto-nerd heaven in many ways. here's a sampling:


that's a 1956 triumph tiger cub in the front, and this was just one room of many. i wandered around a bit before i started getting antsy and decided it was time to hit the road.

the original plan was to take 90 all the way to sheridan, then hope on highway 14 to cody wyoming, which is about 50 miles from yellowstone. i should mention, however, that through south dakota and wyoming the speed limit on I-90 is 75 mph, and when you're on a bike like mine, fairly light with minimal wind protection, those can be some hard miles. you get pretty tired fighting wind for too long, and so when buffalo came up and the turn-off for highway 16, which is a southern, slightly longer route to cody, i decided i had had enough interstate for one day.

16 turned out to be a very nice ride. going through powder river pass was a fun road full of twisties, though it got a little chilly higher up with the altitude. here's some of the view i had during the ride:


i stopped for lunch in the tiny town of ten sleeps, at the ten sleeps saloon, listening to town gossip while i ate. it was actually very fortunate that i stopped there, since a friendly local named bob who was sitting next to me noticed me looking at my map. he informed me that there was construction on the road to worland which included 10 miles or so of gravel. not so fun. he showed me an alternate route, taking lower nowood road to state route 31, which bypasses worland altogether and takes you directly to manderson. it was an awesome little detour. the road was empty, with sweeping curves and lovely scenery, and it cut about 20 miles off my route, not to mention whatever time i saved by avoiding the construction. chalk one up for local info.

i pulled in to cody around 4:45 or so, after 30 miles of terribly boring straight farm roads, and wandered around town for a bit before settling down in the hotel. i may head out to see if there's some live music playing in a bit, or i could just crash. tomorrow i'm heading through yellowstone which could take some time. according to google a straight shot through the park to butte is a little over 5 hours, but you never know with national parks. not to mention i'm hardly planning on just driving straight through. if i can get to butte, though, i'll be in good shape to get to walla walla the next day.

and then home. yeesh. i'm almost home. that's crazy to think about. i think it'll be about time, that's for sure. i'm a little tired of being on the road. i'm still enjoying the riding, and i'm seeing some amazing scenery, but the road part is wearing on me a bit.

anyway, one more good day down, hopefully 3 more to go.

rftc,

scott

badlands pictures

just a sampling...

the day of super awesome

well, ironies of ironies: i had an awesome day with amazing scenery and i can't get any photos to load. so i get to tell you all about my day, but you don't get to see any of it. if i can get them loaded later, i'll try to have a special picture post.

the day started good and early, and i got out of town and on the road by 8am. heading north and west on 275, i was getting some good miles down, with the one downside that it was cold. darn cold. around 40 degrees cold. i had layered up in the morning, and i was actually mostly warm, except for my hands. those fancy new gloves i got, so i would be covered in rain and wind? well, they don't work so well in wind. in fact, they didn't do anything. my hands were very, very cold by the time i got to my first stop around 100 miles down the road. i was hiding one hand behind the tank and my throttle hand, which i couldn't hide, i had wrapped in a plastic bag to help cut down the wind. still cold.

luckily norfolk NE was a big enough time to have some regular retail outlets and i thought i would try and find some new winter gloves. i thought some nice hunting gloves might do the trick a bit better. the best place in town for finding such things was unfortunately walmart, but at least it was heated. lo and behold, the mighty walmart did not have hunting gloves, or any good winter gloves for that matter, so i had to improvise. one cheap pair of ski gloves and a roll of gorilla tape later, i have some insulated gloves that might stand up to the wind. i hope so, because i don't think it's getting any warmer. we'll see how they do tomorrow.

the rest of the day was excellent. nebraska has been the surprise state of the trip thus far, with lovely scenery and fun, windy roads through the country. some farms, some corn, some cows, even some forests and sage as you get further north. even though the walmart excursion ate up an hour, i still made it to valentine for lunch, just south of the south dakota border. just north of the border i got delayed again when we had to wait for an accident to get cleared on the highway. no one was hurt, but there were some oversized trucks that were having trouble getting through. by this time it was quite toasty, and i had been shedding layers consistently, but i was still sweating nicely, just in time for my long stretch with no laundry.

back on the road, and i just have to say, south dakota rocks! the landscape is beautiful, the roads are good and twisty and fun, and the speed limits are good and high. i had a great ride leading to the badlands and, thanks to an unexpected time change in my favor, i got to the park in time to ride through before stopping for the night.

first off, wow. second, it's a good thing i got there today, because i would have spent far too much time there and felt way too rushed tomorrow morning to enjoy it fully. i have to say that, so far, badlands is the coolest place i've been on the trip. amazing stuff. truly amazing. i spent far too much time at the first few stops because it was so gorgeous. i really wasn't set up for hiking, which is unfortunate, but i did manage a short little loop for a scenic overview. it was worth it.

in some ways, it's appropriate that i couldn't load any pictures, because there are some places that just can't be done justice with photographs. as a somewhat appropriate justice by the fates, my camera ran out of batteries about halfway through the park. i was a little bummed, but not terribly. the rest of the time was spent just riding through the park and absorbing everything. i stopped and had lunch at a picnic area, which consisted of my leftover subway sandwich and a bag of melted-but-tasty animal cookies. it was a good dinner, with the sun setting behind the rock formations and a nice wind cooling everything.

it was one of those places i could easily spend a week, or take pictures every minute, and still not be done. it was also the first place on this trip i wished i wasn't on a motorcycle. bike travel is just not condusive to hiking. i really want to return sometime and spend a few nights in the park and hike some of the trails.

after the park i headed into wall, SD where i checked into the best western (always the place to stay). i took a walk to the infamous wall drug, but it was closed early apparently, since it was only 7:30 and they were locked up tight. i spent 10 minutes sitting in a bar without service before deciding i didn't even want a beer and got some chocolate milk at the gas station before returning to the hotel.

since i went through the park today, i'll have plenty of time to get to cody wyoming tomorrow, and i can even stop in a little place called sturgis. i hear they like motorcycles there (though it should be pretty quiet right now). then i'll get to take my time through yellowstone and make it to butte in plenty of time.

almost home! crazy.

rftc,

scott

amber waves of grain

that's right, i'm back in the heartland! today i spent most of the day in iowa, that mystical place with lots of corn. corn and...uh...i saw a few windmills. corn and windmills. and corn.

to be honest, though, it was a pretty good day. i got an early start, though i didn't really get out of the suburbs that early. i mapped out a route through some side roads that was supposed to deliver me onto I-88 past any toll booths, because i'm sick of paying tolls. i thought that's what taxes were for. anyway, the route i planned would have worked, had it not taken me so long due to stop lights and low speed limits. i probably lost 60-90 minutes heading out that way, and i jumped on 88 early and had to pay a few tolls anyway. no worries, though. you win some you lose some, and this trip has been nothing if not trial and error.

speaking of, the other thing that slowed me down a bit today was clothing. it was nice and sunny all day, but the temp was just cold enough to be deceptive and with the wind it was downright chilly on the bike, so i ended up stopping several times early to layer up and make sure i was warm enough. tomorrow i'm starting off fully clothed, and if i need to shed some layers it just means it's a nice day.

the rest of the day came and went. mostly on interstate, through lots of corn fields. it was actually lovely scenery for about 20 minutes. then it kind of got old. there were some cool cloud formations, and it was kind of fun passing trucks, but the day was kind of nondescript, in a pleasant way. just traveling along in the midwest, making my way home. here's a picture of what most of the day looked like:


not a great picture, but it was taken across the interstate from a "rest area." that's in quotations because where i come from, a rest area means a bathroom, sometimes some vending machines and, if you're lucky, some nice folks from the elks club giving out free coffee and cookies. here in the midwest they have some of those. they also have these "rest areas" that are glorified turnouts with places for trucks to park. that's it. no bathrooms, no cookies. hardly a rest, if you ask me.

so the day went until i got into council bluff iowa. now, if you look at a map you will see that council bluff is right across the river from omaha. it is, but why was i going through it instead of staying on 80 to goin directly into omaha? well, that's the magic of google directions. i don't know. google had me get off the interstate early and head through council bluff and downtown omaha before reaching my destination. except i didn't reach my destination until after a 45 minute detour, since my directions led me in a big circle (upon reexamining the directions, apparently my dyslexia is to blame, since i wrote down 48th instead of 84th. this caused me to turn the wrong direction on the next street and had a lovely tour of a random omaha neighborhood). luckily, the steelers bar i found (steelers fans in omaha, who knew?) was full of people interested in finding my location, and one of them had a smart phone. so i eventually found it. some good conversation, great food (and pie!) and wonderful hospitality, and all's well that ends well.

from here on out i'm kind of freeforming it home. the plan is thus: tomorrow i'm heading up through nebraska on 275 until i get as close as i can to the badlands in south dakota, where i'll find a hotel. the next morning i get up early and take the loop through the park before heading into wyoming, where i'm trying to get as close to yellowstone as i can (hopefully cody, but as close as i can get). then, it's through yellowstone and out the north gate on highway 89, which is supposed to be one of the best rides in the US on a bike. see how far i can get out of the park, and then to walla walla, then home. sounds good, yes?

that's the plan anyway. we'll see how it goes. there could be some long days in there, but that's the beauty of travel. you just get to see what happens.

till next time,

rftc,

scott

finally in chicago...

or should i say finally through chicago. but that's at the end of the day. let's start at the beginning.

today was a tough day. for several reasons, but primarily physically. i usually say that the riding is the easy part. well, not today it wasn't.

i got off to a somewhat late start, partially because i had the time to spare and partially because it had started raining again in cleveland and i was hoping it would pass. it didn't. on the bright side, i got to test out my new jacket right away. on the down side, i was riding through rain again for the first 90 minutes. luckily, the jacket works quite well and i arrived at my first service plaza (gas/food stops accessible without leaving the turnpike) dry and in good spirits. i gassed up and layered up a bit (i hadn't worn much leaving since it wasn't cold, just raining) and headed out again. around this time the weather changed and got nice and warm, so i had to stop again rather quickly and take out the liner i had just put in. luckily this was the end of the fluctuating weather.

there isn't much to the rest of the day. it consisted of me sitting on the bike getting battered by the wind as i attempted to stay in my lane. seriously. it sucked. it wasn't even constant, where i could just ride at a lean, i was getting thrown every which way every other minute. my neck was rather sore by the end of the day, as were my shoulders from gripping the bars so tightly. the problem with wind, besides the obvious, is that the instinct is to lean forward and speed up, trying to cut through it. unfortunately this rarely works, and it usually only results in more whiplash and having to work harder. every now and then i would counter my instincts and slow down a bit (65 instead of 70 did the trick) and actually sit up straight with correct posture. amazingly, this tended to give me a bit of a break, as the wind dispersion was a little kinder to my neck and head that way, and the slightly slower speeds helped as well. it also helped to occasionally use my offhand to hold my helmet steady so it wasn't getting pushed back against my face. that was nice.

anyway, the day went on like this, with me taking frequent breaks to rest up, including a nice leisurely lunch. afterwards, it was only about 2:15 chicago time (i had gained an hour) and i only had around 130 miles to go. cake, i though. well, as it turns out, not so much. with my rate of travel including stops to rest my muscles, what should have been a quick finish to the day turned into a crawl (literally) when i pulled into the chicago area right around 4:30. that's right, rush hour. yee haw. by the way, chicago doesn't have any of those lovely HOV lanes seattle does, so i couldn't escape through those.

since I-90 goes right through the heart of chicago, which is where everyone was either trying to get to or from, i was going at an abysmal rate and trying to find a way out of it. when i saw an exit for 290 W, which hooks up with 294 (my eventual destination) south of 90, i took it. my logic was the sooner i could get out of the city, the sooner the traffic would dissipate. since 90 kept going through the city and 290 went directly away from it, i hoped it would get easier sooner. we'll never know for sure, because i didn't keep going on 90, but it sure didn't get any better on 290. pretty soon i was back looking at the map trying to find alternate routes. i decided to push my luck and have a bit of an adventure and got off the interstate altogether, jumping on route 48 N, which took me through some random chicago suburbs to eventually hook back up with 90, or even highway 14 (my exit from 294). turns out it was a smart move. though the speed limits were low and there were plenty of stop lights, traffic was light and i was moving. always a better state to be in (motion).

it took a little longer than i thought, but i made it back to a much less crowded 90 and the rest of the way to mount prospect and my cousin's house was easy. the damage was done though. the last 65 miles of my trip took me approximately 4 hours. instead of getting in early i was a couple hours late. par for the course, it seems.

so now i'm wiped and i'm off to bed. tomorrow i head to omaha. it had better not have traffic.

rftc,

scott