Old Bike Rider - Philosophy of being where you are

Post ride report: Why The Bike?

2011-08-25T07:15:00.000-04:00

After what seems to be a very demanding three weeks I woke early to write about riding a motorcycle for a month from coast to coast and from sea level to over 11 thousand feet and in rain and sun, temperatures in the 30s to over 100. For riders there will be few surprises in this entry, and for non-riders there may be some insights into why people ride motorcycles.

I used to think that there were several kinds of motorcyclists: Some think an hour is a long ride; some think riding on pavement is very dangerous and stick to off-road recreational riding; some think off-road is dangerous and stick to road surfaces with 'good' traction; some think 300 miles in a day is fine if one travels at very high speed; some can't imagine a ride without a beer with their buddies in the middle of the ride; others won't drink until the bikes are parked for the day. Then there are the ones that think riding a thousand miles in 24 hours is normal - and lots of people think that is nuts. I could go on, but you get it. Different strokes for different folks.

I have decided that these kinds are not real. Each rider has a ride to complete and she or he is going to make that happen. For me, this summer, the ride was complex and over-planned. It was an exercise to see if I could plan in detail and ride the plan. I found that I could and I did - but there were enough surprises along the way that it appealed to my usual riding habit of just pointing in a direction and seeing what happens.

My riding 'kind' is really not about sitting atop a machine with five gallons of gas between my legs and a hot internal combustion engine between my feet going down the road on two tiny patches of rubber. My 'kind' is really is about the people I meet along the way and how a part of them rubs off and influences my life. Recognizing these encounters, and keeping a eye out for them, is a thing that gives me reason to swing a leg over the seat one more time when it is getting old, or is hot, or cold or the road is boring. And especially when it is good!

For example, lets consider the women and men who rode with me to Ocean City on the last day of the trip. They embrace a 'kind' of riding that is not familiar to me, riding in groups on Harley-Davidson bikes and taking pride in having great looking bikes. But they are also skilled riders and enjoy the ride as much as I do. After the ride we really had a good time at the wrap party and I have to admit I would never have met these folks if a certain person had not organized that day. Now, I will never feel uncomfortable riding with a group like that, and I may even wash and shine up my bike!

On this trip were many 'chance' encounters with people that helped me along the way, both motorcycle related and those providing life's necessities like good food, lodging, details of why one needs to buy bear spray (think pepper spray on steroids) and hints on good places to visit. For me, that is what the motorcycle provides: reasons to be involved in the lives of others, if only for a few minutes. Could I do it in a car? Sure, but the bike seems to open doors to weirder people, the kind I like most. And an old bike seems to me to attract older folks, ones whose life experience provides a reservoir from which to drink it in.

Take the owner of a bike called "Stir Fry." Protecting his identity (his buddies know who I am talking about) I have to tell you this guy has a lot to offer anyone. His tales of giving back to the community really inspired me to be on the look-out for more opportunities to give. I only spent an hour with this man and I hope we get a chance to ride someplace together in the future. Would I have ever met him if we both rode up in cars to some diner? I doubt it.

In future blogs I am going to write about other communities that were with me on the ride: ham radio operators, higher education friends, the Not Alone supporters and others. I am also trying to rank the places I visited and write about a top three places for you to consider visiting. Yellowstone had so much impact that it is hard to choose number two and three. Stay tuned!

Lessons Learned: Stay aware of the people around you, take the time to let something rub off on you, and embrace giving.

Tracker slideshow

2011-08-08T15:22:00.000-04:00


Chris Pirsig and company at Beartoth Pass rest area 1968

Me at the same rest area 43 years later

My friend Peter, who introduced me to the motorcycle at the young age of 15 or so, has put together a slideshow of tracker images and associated streetviews. As I watched it amazed me in how well it captured the elements of the trip. And the motorcycle in one of the frames is not me. But the McDonalds parking lot got the parking space precisely. I stood under the big trees just to the South of that spot talking to Peter on the phone.

Thanks Peter for spending the hours watching the tracker and capturing the images so I can share them with everyone.

Enjoy!

The Last Day of the Ride

2011-08-02T14:33:00.000-04:00

Ms. Pat and me at Easton

I have been home for two days and will be writing a post on reflections from the whole trip in about a week or two, but I want to let you know about the last day including a great ride with the MidShore ABATE group and the wrap party orchestrated by Ms. Pat of the VFW post in Easton, MD. The group ride was about 77 miles each way, and it was hot and a weekend day so the traffic was not always going at the speed limit. I was sorry that I got these women and men involved in this roasting ride.
But we made it to the beach and they saw to it that we got back safe and sound. I could not stop smiling as our group blasted down the road together, I really enjoyed that time of being Not Alone!

Those of you who know me as a rider know that I seldom ride with others, and I had a few things to learn about about group riding with these pros. But we made it back and they were most gracious in putting up with my sloppy style. You can see more photos on the ABATE website.

We arrived at Ocean City Beach at a little after 2PM and I walked out to the water and soaked my old combat boots in the Atlantic the same as I did a few days earlier in the Pacific. It sure felt better in that hot weather on the east coast.

Then we rode back to Easton, MD and the fun began. It took me some time to realize it was over. Standing in the water did not trigger the "I did it!" response. After all, I still had to get on the bike and ride back to Easton.


ABATE members presenting check to Not Alone

But when I pulled into the parking lot of the VFW hall and saw a welcoming crowd assembled it hit me. 8200 plus miles in 30 days was now over. And the party was great! Ms. Pat had arranged for the mayor to present me with a proclamation, a key to the city and lots of local folks were there to help me enjoy the evening.

A live band was there to play the song that had been stuck in my head (Stairway to Heaven) for much of the trip, I got to see my wife after 30 days apart, and my daughter and son-in-law and grandson were there as well.

We raised another $500 for Not Alone and ate until we could hold no more.

Thanks to ABATE, the VFW folks and all who were involved in making this last day a highlight of the month long ride.

Lessons Learned: Riding with a group is a gas!

Thanks to all of you for your support, and stay tuned for at least one more post with reflections on multiple aspects of the ride: Bike stuff, social stuff, spiritual stuff and some funny pictures. No more animal videos - I promised! Subscribed to the blog on the left menu to get an email when i get the next one published or friend Ron Angert of Facebook where I also announce new posts.

The End is Near

2011-07-29T21:14:00.000-04:00


In Washington DC July 28th

It is hard to beleive that 30 days ago I started out on this adventure to see America in a new way. I rode through 20 states, eight for the first time, some of them coming and going, camped in three National Parks/Forests and visited two other National Parks. Visited with family and friends, some I had never met before, talked to many strangers about Not Alone and riding in general. I had not one unpleasant moment on the trip (with the possible exception of a tent full of storm water) and had lots of very unexpected surprises on both the 'Zen and the Art' trip west and the US50 trip back east.

Many of the best lessons learned were from actual physical conditions, but some were gifts from others, like the conversation with a state trooper in Minnesota while the state government was closed due to lack of funds. And the folks in Oakes, ND who were sharing their fireworks on July 3rd. Things were going good for them and they were very upbeat. The State Trooper there was not concerned about his employer at all.

I learned most about myself. When I left on June 30th I had some doubts about making the trip. Would the 1981 BMW R100, a last-minute substitute bike, hold up with no preparation? It had 162K miles on it, now approaching 170K miles. I heard myself say that I'd be willing to get on any bike I own and ride to California on it. Well, I have done it, and the bike was no problem. My body held up well as did my mind, though there were several times I gave up in the hottest weather. A good night's sleep and the world appeared better in the morning. And some of those times of fatigue and overheating spurred rests that allowed me to meet significant people as in a Vallejo, California parking lot or at Ohio University.

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Having a plan and following it makes a difference. I am a planner by profession, but have never planned a trip in this much detail. In fact I usually just pick a region to visit and plan one day at a time. So I learned that I could make such a plan, follow it, and most important, really enjoy my ride.

I have only a couple of hundred miles to go, I have passed the scariest part - the route through Washington DC, and I have rested up at my daughter and son-in-law's home in Baltimore for the final leg of the trip on Saturday. It is really hot here so I modified that last day to start and end on the eastern shore. We will be leaving the VFW post in Easton at about noon and traveling the 77 miles to Ocean City, MD. I count on taking some photos, walking in the ocean, drinking some water and heading back to Easton where the ladies of the VFW post are providing a special dinner for those that come.

After that it is a few hundred miles home to southwest Virginia but I will likely travel home with my wife and pick up the bike in a week or two when we will be visiting the area again.

For those who have supported Not Alone I extend my thanks, you can keep doing that even after the ride either through the link on this blogsite or directly at NotAlone.Com. The people that I have met as I talked about the work of this group have enriched my life and I hope that we in a small way can make life better for women adn men in the services that have gone to war in our place. I thank them for their service and pray that their lives are fruitful and whole.

You may notice that I try to end each blog with a 'lessons learned' line or two. This is the result of being aware that I learn something every day, and find it helpful to remind myself just what that is. Sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes more down to earth, these lessons learned are real. I feel that we cannot afford to learn all things by making our own mistakes, but should pick up come lessons from others. I hope that some of them spoke to you in some way. Be mindful of the lessons you learn each day.

To each of you that befriended me for a minute, or an hour or an evening in some eatery, park, shelter during a storm, or parking lot - you are the people I ride to meet. Thanks and I hope that you are able to get some enjoyment from our passing along one-another's route. For those that hosted me in your homes, again thanks and I hope to see you all again.

Please let me know if I can help you along the way and if you are in the Roanoke area let me know.

Lessons Learned: I can enjoy riding an old bike a long, planned way, meeting people and being alone in the helmet for miles and miles - the yin and the yang of life.

Special thanks to so many people involved in the ride: Andre's folks, Ben and Cecilia, for the original idea of a cross country ride to see that precious new-born baby; Bob Pirsig for publishing the tale of his 1968 ride; all the Pirsig Pilgrims who made the trip before me and left crumbs of info on the internet along the way and in books that I used for research; the BMW folks - Bob, Dave, Duane and Kent - who supplied me with parts, hope and inspiration along the way; the US-50 researchers who published hints on the towns and the route; Peter for being with me in Colorado to Kayak and keep me in line on the APRS tracker; my employer for letting me take 30 days off to make the trip and, not least, my wife who has run the household in my absence and who I will get to see tomorrow.

Quick note about Saturday and today's ride

2011-07-27T23:30:00.000-04:00

For any of you that are planning to be at the wrap party in Easton on Saturday, either to ride to Ocean City or just to enjoy the meal and whatever happens at that time, here are the details.

At 12:00 noon we should be ready to ride to Ocean City. I am guessing 2 hours with traffic and all, and then about a half hour in Ocean City to go to the water, get hydrated for the return trip which should also take about 2 hours.

4:30 - 5:00pm back at Easton for the party/dinner put on by the ladies of the VFW.

The address is 355 Glebe Road, Easton MD 21601. I plan to be there at 11am.

This ride has been so good on many levels and one of those levels is the people I met as I traveled and another is the people that joined in the effort virtually by reading the blog and making comments or sending me emails. Thanks so much to each of you.

Another level is the funding generated for Not Alone. I am hoping that at least one Not Alone member will be there Saturday - but really we are all members if we are spreading the word about helping our women and men in the services that have been in the war and have now returned to continue their lives in our communities.

I am now in Parkersburg, WV after another hot and humid day of about 300 miles from Seymour, Indiana. Ohio has the lowest speed limits on US-50 to date, only 35 - 55 mph in most sections and lots of small towns as well. I understand that the West Virginia section is even slower, so we shall see tomorrow.

I stopped off at Ohio University in Athens to sit under a shade tree during the hottest part of the day and a woman, Jamie, came out of Ellis Hall and asked if the bike out front was mine. She is a rider and had a more modern BMW until someone rear ended her. That would take the fire out of anyone! She reminded me of another BMW legend that has a shop in the area, Ken Holt, so I rode over there and had a good time meeting him for the first time. I got a new face shield for my helmet and some fuel line that I needed and Ken generously spent time showing me his paint operation for which he is well known in the BMW community and also about how he is using military gear designed for Afghanistan as bike riding and general outdoor use. He has quite a collection of different pieces and I got some hands on time with it. Like the others I met on the trip, Bob Clement of Roberts, Montana; Dave Gardner of San Francisco and Duane in the valley, he is a gentleman and a pleasure to be with. Thanks to each of you for helping me make this ride a success!

And I have to warn you that there is another animal video on my You Tube site. This one is dangerous - be careful. DO NOT let your dog see this video. I am not responsible if he sees it and tears up your laptop!

It is of the famous albino squirrels in the park at Olney, Illinois. Again, taken with a cell phone and shaky, so view at you own peril! albino squirrel of Olney, IL video

This will not become Animal Kingdom. I promise, no more animal videos this month!

Videos are ready to view

2011-07-26T00:47:00.000-04:00

I am in Jefferson City, Missouri and enjoying a cool room after a very hot day. About 500 miles from Dodge City, Kansas and temps reported on bank signs of over 100 degrees, and yes, I still wear motorcycle gear. People do look at me in a strange way, but it really is not that much hotter than the sun beating down on bare skin.

Anyway, let's get to the videos. Keep in mind this is unedited stuff shot on a cell phone. I think it is pretty good, excuse the shaky action by me. I have been trying on and off to get this content to You Tube and tonight it just worked. I guess it was the better internet connection at this hotel. Maybe I'll learn to edit video some day.

These are not about Zen, or Motorcycles or travel or Not Alone. These videos are about those special things one sees when they move outside their normal surrounding and pay attention. This man is a motorcycle friend, met on the internet, but as you will see, a special guy. Not only with the rabbits either. We found we shared a lot of interests and views about life - but the rabbits are really special. You will see a Chocolate Lab in the background on one video. He eats the first and last piece of carrot and does not bother the rabbits. Incredible!

So go enjoy a few minutes with these videos. Feel free to send the link to friends who don't read this, I can't help smiling each time I see this stuff!

The US-50 Ride: California, Nevada, Utah

2011-07-24T21:34:00.000-04:00

[This is a 'catching up' entry covering July 19 - 21]

When US-50 was designed it started in San Francisco but the modern route now officially starts at West Sacramento, California, 3073 miles from Ocean City, Maryland where I will call the ride complete on July 30th.

I left the Pacific coast after a refreshing visit to John Muir Woods National Park (I suggest a early morning visit if you are in the area) and proceed around the north bay rather than face the traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge again and work my way around to Interstate 80, which follows the original US-50 route as I understand it. At West Sacramento I encounter the sign above, letting me know that I am almost home.

The ride from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe on US-50 starts out looking like any Interstate highway but becomes a 2 lane climbing the Sierra Nevada mountains. It gets cooler and traffic is moderate. Pine forest smells surround and small roadside shops are found from time to time. South Lake Tahoe is very built up and full of tourist oriented shops, lodging and eating establishments as one might expect. However on the Nevada border the character changes abruptly to high rise casinos, and views of the lake are evident as I leave the populated area behind. In 25 miles I see the lonely side of things. Nevada takes up over 400 miles of that 3073 miles. On the east edge of Nevada is Great Basin National Park, one of my target overnight stops, but it is getting late in the afternoon and I look for a suitable place to stop for the night.

Fallon, Nevada has a Naval Air Station (thnk Top Gun) and is thus more developed than the other small towns, offering a good selection of motels and eating places. The area is agricultural in nature and very green compared to other areas of this state. The Main street here is spelled Maine Street and tonight, Tuesday, is farmers market night as well as the 2 for 1 burger deal at Jack's Place. One is more than enough for me. 300 total miles on July 19th.

I plan for a good night's sleep and a visit to what is called "The Best Museum on the Loneliest Road in America," the Churchill County Museum in the morning. Got up, ate breakfast in a little local shop and went to the museum. Opens at 10AM and it is 8:45. Darn. Should I give up over an hour of prime time riding to see the museum? I decide to push on, riding into the rising sun - eastward.

Ten miles west a stop at Grimes Point to see petroglyphs - kind of ancient graffitti on what was the shore of a lake. I ride out into the wide expanses of plateaus and a series of passes for hours. Next stop, about 100 miles, is Austin which promises some refreshments and a full tank of gas. This tiny town is typical of the remains of mining bust towns of the 1800s. Nevada is not that attractive to me, but the riding is interesting and the road surfaces in almost new condition, many miles without paint stripes. After a total of 338 miles I arrive at Great Basin and find a camping spot. I ride into the nearby, tiny and very cool 'town' of Baker after setting up my tent to enjoy coffee and pumpkin pie. The evening was uneventful and I awoke at 5am ready to go - on the road before 7am. I am headed all the way across Utah to Rifle Colorado.

I want to share some of the signs along US-50 and bring your attention to the wonderful quality of the sky in these parts. Most altitudes were around 7000 feet. High, low humidity even in the irrigated parts, and perfectly clear sky.

Utah is beautiful. The road is great, the terrain is distractingly beautiful and the traffic is, well, non-existent. Even when the route merges onto Interstate 70 as it does for most of the state, the traffic is very light until I get near the Colorado line. It is just one huge vista after another and it is cool until I get to the canyons near Arches National Park when all of a sudden the temperature rises to uncomfortable levels in a short distance. It is as if someone pointed a blow torch at me. 50 more miles to the border and then 60 miles to Rifle, home of a family member with whom I will spend a comfortable night and visit the Christo Valley Curtain site I worked on some 39 years ago. It is now officially hot. Real hot. But no longer Lonely.

Lessons Learned: The mental challenge of a ride like this are formidable and real. Control requires special attention and exercise when the physical gets demanding, like in this heat. Be in the moment. It works.

Status: At Rifle, Colorado I was have traveled about 5814 miles.

Next I will travel to Pueblo to meet an old friend, go kayaking and then head out in extreme temperatures to Dodge City Kansas on US-50.

The US-50 Ride: Loneliest Road in America

2011-07-23T02:59:00.000-04:00

I have been traveling and not had much time to blog, but tomorrow night I will be in Kansas and plan to stay for two days, and catch up on my progress.

Young drag racer

Tonight I am in Pueblo, Colorado and my friend Peter came down from Denver. We went to the drag races where a friend of his, Pam, was running a Toyota truck powered by a 466 ci Chevy truck motor. We had a great time, including meeting this young lady and her car, originally powered by a lawn mower engine. The powerplant in it now looks like some CNC thing from NASA, but at any rate it is quite special.

We saw her make one run down the drag strip and the thing did go! It was towed by a dirt bike and the whole rig looked pretty professional. I don't know how old she was but she was wearing braces and I guess she was pretty young. Imagine what she'll be doing in ten years.

Valley Curtain location today

In the last two days I have traversed Nevada, Utah and half of Colorado. I spent Wednesday night in Great Basin National Park and have a little video of that as soon as I figure out how to get it to You Tube. Any Android experts please offer your help to me!

I spent Thursday night with family in Rifle Colorado, the site of the 1972 Christo Valley Curtain that both Peter and I worked on, and was the thing that got Ann interested in me - so I owe Christo big time. Here is a picture of the site where it all happened for 28 hours so long ago. Click on the link above to see the curtain in all it's splendor.

In the morning Peter and I plan to kayak on the Pueblo reservoir, weather conditions permitting.

Please return to see what I post in the next few days.

Lessons Learned: 1- Low humidity is a good thing (dry tent in the morning). 2- Low humidity is a bad thing (nose is all dried out). 3- Peter and I don't know squat about drag racing.

Colorado Sky at Monarch Pass

Status: 360 miles today from Rifle to Pueblo, Colorado, 455 miles yesterday from Great Basin National Park, Nevada, through Utah to Rifle, Colorado. That is too much territory to cover in those few hours, but it was great. I leave you with one last photo taken at the top of 11,312 foot high Monarch Pass. This is what a Colorado sky looks like. I love it!

How the tracker works

2011-07-20T02:27:00.000-04:00

Some people were interested in the tracker function and yesterday I gave a url to get you started on understanding the way this works. And here is the actual hardware
I am using on the bike.

The thing on the left is a handheld VHF ham radio that usually has a rubber antenna on it. It is removed so I can hook up an external antenna to it for better range. This external antenna is what got lost immediate upon the start of the trip and got replaced in Portland, Oregon.

The next thing to the right, in the middle of the picture is a device called a tracker that receives data from the simple GPS, which is the small, square thing below and to the right of the tracker. The purpose of the tracker is to capture the GPS data, to arrange it into a packet of information that is standard and to convert that digital data into specific audio tones that a two-way radio can transmit and receive. The output of the tracker goes to the microphone jack on the radio. The tracker also listens to the radio to see if someone else is transmitting at the moment using the same cable as the microphone. The blue cable with a ed and black thing on it is for 12 volt power to supply the tracker and GPS. The radio runs on its own battery and can be charged in place or at night in the room or campsite from either 12 volts or 110volt house power.

Once I transmit a packet of information containing location, temperature, voltage of the bike system it goes out into the air. If someone running what is called a digipeater (digital repeater) hears the packet, it gets repeated over a large area. If a special station called an iGate hears it gets sent to various internet databases like the one we are using to track my movements. If no-one hears the packet it is lost forever. That is why there are some places the map is a straight line for a long distance when no-one hears the signal.

Trakers are invaluable in emergency work as one could be placed on first responder vehicles to keep track of where they are, or on search and rescue dogs, or persons on foot in a high risk area. From that data a dispatcher can see who is nearest a person in trouble. These things can and are being used with commercial 2 way radio systems as well.

NEWS FLASH - Read All About It

2011-07-20T01:34:00.000-04:00

Today, in a parking lot near Vallejo, California, the kind of thing I live for happened.

I was just getting to the junction of I-80 on CA-37 around the top of the bay, and was getting sleepy on the bike. So I got off and immediately found a Middle-Eastern donut and espresso shop in a strip store. Perfect. I got a medium Latte with an extra shot and a chocolate grazed chocolate donut with chocolate sprinkles. But this is NOT what I live for. It was OK. Sugar and caffeine work at all altitudes.


Front of Tee Shirt


Back of Tee Shirt

It was also warming up so I decided to change the layers I was wearing from the moderate cold stack to the hot and cold stack as I would be crossing hot low-lands and then climbing up to over 7000 feet for Lake Tahoe. As I took off and put on clothes at the bike in the parking lot, and re-packed them in various hard bags, tank bags and whatever a lady walked up to me and said "Your shirt made my day." I was wearing, as usual, a Not Alone Tee Shirt which has the logo on the front and "Find Your Strength" on the back along with NotAlone.com.

She paused while I told her what Not Alone is about, and with near-tears in her eyes just said something to the effect that this is what she needed today. Wow. We exchanged names and she went on about her business. I wanted to give her a tee shirt but both of my others were in my dirty clothes bag, not such a good gift! If she reads this (I gave her one of my blog slips) I hope she sends an email to zamm2011@gmail.com with her address and size and I'll send her a new one.

I have no idea what her issue was or how these few words informed her direction forward, but it did it. Thanks to the Not Alone graphics folks for desiging it and allowing me to wear the shirt that helped a complete stranger in a place I have never been before and will likely never go again.

As the invisable rules of life would have it my next feeling was that I should check my tire pressures. I saw a gas station with a air pump that took credit cards! Things are different in California. Anyway, I wheeled over there and checked pressures, they were both perfect. As I got up, a homeless guy stood with a beer in hand, and a shopping cart half-full of empties. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he was collecting cans to recycle, and that they were not all his dead soldiers. He had a tale of woe and asked for some money as usual, but he too picked up on that small Not Alone logo. I again talked to him about the work of this organization and he seemed to get it. He was not a veteran, but he did have a large scar on his head from going through a plate glass window someplace and I got to hear that long story. Anyway, two very different people in the same parking lot seeing this tiny logo and relating to it in some way.

I hope that you have responded to the Not Alone cause as well. They would love a donation to support the work, but even if you chose to not do that, if you will make it a point to learn about this work and talk it up with those around you it will make the world a better place for returning woman and men that have defended your home place and their families. You know, 'Homeland Security' is a fairly new term, but it is full of meaning. Think about that. You and I can do a lot to be prepared here, but others have to go to do the job over there. Always has been that way. Please join me in whatever way you can to be a part of the solution.

Lessons Learned: Don't feel constrained to follow the plan to the letter. If I had stayed in 'Frisco two more days I wouldn't have met those people.

2011-07-19T11:49:00.000-04:00

This hotel once again has terrible WiFi so I have decided to tour John Muir Woods instead of trying to work here. I plan to take a few hours during the hot part of the day, if there is one, and work on the blog at a WiFi place along the road. Today will take me to Lake Tahoe and into Nevada, not exactly sure where. At 7:30am the sky was very overcast and I hope it opens up when I get to the park.

Many years ago Ann and I spent a few weeks touring the coast here and I am not sure we ever saw further than 100 feet in front of us due to fog and rainy weather.

A few people asked about how this tracker thing works, and I took a photo of the gear this morning as a reprogrammed it a little and will write that up as well. Ham radio is a terrific hobby and has the potential to be a life saver in disasters when all or part of the public communications infrastructure is out of service. APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) is what I am using and it is free, as is all ham radio SERVICE after one acquires the gear. The stuff I am using cost me about $170 total and can be used for voice communications as well. More later, but read the links if you are interested in how this works.

Here is the map of todays proposed route:

Lessons Learned: Temperature is so personal. As I added a layer to keep me warmer, i asked a local woman if it was always so cool here in July. She said it was not usually this hot and fanned her face with some papers she was carrying. What?

Coming soon - Why I (and Bob Pirsig) think everyone that rides a motorcycle long distances should feel comfortable doing their own maintenance on a routine basis. I could never have taken this trip if I expected a dealer to be around to take care of stuff that might fail along the way.

Long Live the ZAMM route

2011-07-19T01:20:00.000-04:00

Today marks the end of the Zen and the Art of motorcycle Maintenance portion of the ride. I parked my bike on the corner of Page street and Laguna street, took a photo and walked across to take a closer look. This building is likely a place that Bob and Chris visited in San Francisco, and near the place where, years later when he was studying at the Zen Center, Chris was fatally wounded in a mugging. It is a quiet place and, there is a bookstore as well as the Zen Center itself. I rode every mile except the stretch between Ukiah and Novato, about 88 miles.

I rode instead to Sacramento County to meet a person that shares many of my passions and his wife. They generously offered to have me stay at their home, and I got the added bonus of a dog, Hershey, to pet. There was also one of those special surprises that I will save for later - I'll be putting up a short YouTube video of Duane's special animal friends. [as soon as I figure out how to do that!]

Duane has been a great contributor to the knowledge of the BMW bikes known as /2 - those produced from 1955 to 1969 and some models before and after that period. At the time these machines were being sold he had a dealership in California and his shop sold and worked on more of these than any other dealer. So he has truely been there and done that. He is also a ham radio operator and there are many other things we have in common, including a thing for working with people of other cultures. I am ranking my less than 24 hours with Duane and Linda as one of the real highlights of the trip. I am so happy that I asked and that they were willing and available on the day I was in the area. Thanks Duane and Linda!

The US50 Ride Preview

So tonight starts the US-50 portion of the ride - 3073 miles of 2 lane, four lane and some interstate sections. Originally US-50 went all the way to the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco. Now it officially starts in West Sacremento. I'm starting in the original spot as I understand it. This road will start in Californina and continue to Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. I will ride them in that order as that is easiest. I was hoping to meet another BMW tech guy in Lake Tahoe but he is in Denver this week, so I guess I will just ride past Lake Tahoe and stop when it gets dark. I hope to meet a friend in Colorado, and same family members in Kansas. I hear it is going to be hot, and I hope that the cold I have been riding in is not forgotten.

I picked up a spare clutch cable for the bike today. It was bothering me to be riding without one, and if it was on my mind, I needed to get it taken care of. Mission accomplished!

Tomorrow I am going to do planning, writing and resting for the final push East! Expect some more ride stories tomorrow! It is hard to write when tired...

Lessons Learned: I really don't like riding on Interstate Highway type roads (limited access, left exits sometimes, exit only lanes, aggressive drivers) and I spent some time on them today. Ugly!

We need to hear from people that wish to join us at the Wrap Party/Dinner on July 30th in Easton, MD. I will be posting some places where those that wish to ride into Ocean City will be able to meet up with us, and an address for the party if you just want to come and enjoy that. Email me at zamm2011@gmail.com

If you want to ride or just keep up with the progress please click on the link at the left of the screen to follow oldbikerider on twitter. That is how I will be communicating with folks. Any phone that does text messages will work. If you don't have a twitter account, now is as good a time as any to find out what it is all about. Any kid can help you get started!

We also need some more Not Alone contributions. If you have been thinking about it, please click on the logo in the upper left side of the blog and say that you are going to be a part of the Not Alone community. You don't have to give a lot of money - everyone giving some will make a difference. Really.

Getting back on schedule

2011-07-17T09:57:00.000-04:00

I tried to get going on time today to make up a half day of travel time. I was rolling at 7:30am and looking to eat breakfast down the road about one hour. And I did stop in Chemult and joined a fellow named Don from Tucson who was on his way back home after a long solo ride. He had traded for a new bike along the way and was enjoying his new ride. He gave me reason to think I'd still be at it for some years - he is 76 years old!

He spent some time and care in folding up his rain gear. Yes, it was raining this morning again. And when we got done eating it was raining again. My big red suit is my only gear and it is rainproof. No changing gear for me but the disadvantage that it is pretty hot.


First view of Pacific at Crescent City

Now today that was not a problem. I remember reading in the book that the author and his son Chris were really cold on the day they rode into northern California. So was I! I got as far as Eureka, California and called it a day as it started raining again. Entering California was a surprising boost to energy levels. You can likely tell from the blog entries that I have gotten really tired and looking at the screen after a day of riding is very hard to do. I am planning a day off in San Francisco and I should be able to regain some of that vitality before heading east and seeing a new part of America. Hang in there!

Snow along road at Crater Lake

Today's ride included Crater Lake. I took some photos but really - there are much better pics online. It was overcast, rainy, in the low sixty's and, in general, ugly. I will include one of the bike and the snow on the west road. The snow in the picture is not the deepest, it is just at a place that was safe to stop and take the photo. The east road is still closed by snow! I think that this is another place most people would enjoy. Much smaller than Yellowstone, it still displays and describes a unique geological and environmental place. Besides, where else in this hemisphere would you see two buses of boy scouts having snowball fights in July?

Lastly, I got a tip from the interesting guy running the laundromat for a restaurant called Marcelli's Ravioli and enjoyed a quick dinner while my stuff was drying. Roberta greeted me with the news that it was closing time and maybe sensing my disappointment, offered to serve me anyway. Great menu that allowed one to shose a pasta and a sauce and to have either just a plate of that or a complete dinner, I chose spinach fettuccine and tomato basil sauce with a glass of wine. Perfect! Thanks, Roberta for serving me well.

Sunday takes me off the ZAMM route again to visit a long-time internet friend, Duane, below Sacramento. After a night with him I will be completing the route to San Francisco and be writing some book related stuff. This end of the book is pretty tough stuff, but the ride completion for me should be great. I am happy to report that I do not have a previous personality nor a 11 year old kid along on this ride!

Lessons Learned: A good meal at the end of a long, cold day cancels out all the aches and pains.

Stats: 327 miles Saturday, 4268 total for the trip so far, almost half way!

Thanks for riding along!

Back to the ZAMM route

2011-07-16T02:22:00.000-04:00


Mountain pass road, Oregon

I mounted the seat of the fully loaded bike this morning at about 10am Pacific time and headed back to Prineville to pick up where I left off a few days ago. I need to first say that three days off the bike are hard. I felt just like the first day again - couldn't stay of the road, found all kinds of excuses to stop (coffee, ice cream, batteries, change wires around, look at clouds, take pictures) - and in the end only made it to La Pine, OR, about 250 miles. This was to end at Grants Pass. But the revised start point will allow me to see Crater Lake at leisure in the morning, I understand it is a great thing to see.

What stopped me in La Pine was mother nature doing her thing. Thunderstorm. High winds. Hail. Not good. First motel was a winner, and two eating places in walking distance. I pulled in at the same time as a couple from British Columbia and they said they had gotten wet almost every day of their trip. It was my second opportunity to get dry. As expected, an hour after I checked in there were blue sky and sun out, but I was committed to this place.

The ride to the the rain was pretty nice. But I also am getting overwhelmed by the trees, mountains and smells of this coast. One can only take in so much. The food continues to be fun - honest, organic. Good stuff.

The tracking device is working, but there are not that many ham radio operators relaying the signal in the rural areas so you will note that it appears that I take the bird route form point to point. One of my friends asked why I seemed to go over that same road twice. That is because I did go over it twice in order to follow the Pirsig route as closely as possible.

Tracker via ham radio is now active!

2011-07-14T21:04:00.000-04:00


New Antenna ready to roll

I have purchased an antenna at Ham Radio Outlet in Portland and I am now trackable online with the link to APRS.FI.

At the moment it only shows the garage where the bike is parked.

I will be on the road once again in the morning, Pacific time, so try looking at my progress late in the day or Saturday. I will be traveling through rural areas so the signal will not always make it to the internet, but as I get to California this weekend I should be getting better coverage.

Friday will take me to Grants Pass, Oregon and the next day I should be sleeping in California.

The Andre Ride 2011b

2011-07-13T13:18:00.000-04:00

Andre and the Oldbikerider

I am making a slight detour in the Zen and the Art ride to do the Andre ride. This whole cross country ride started out as a way to come visit friends that had moved from my home town to this NorthWet community. No, that is not a typo, motorcyclists (and others I suppose) call this region the Northwest.

Andre was born June 30th, the day I began this trip and is about as cute as babies get. And I got to meet the mother's mom, who looks just like her - I was amazed! I will be staying here for a few days to catch up with their lives and see if I can spoil a kid that young. I think I'll have to wait a few years though. It is also time for an oil change and to get the rear tire I had sent her installed.

We left off last in the lobby of a motel that advertised WiFi but it didn't work, so I talked my way into 60 seconds of access in the lobby. That was in Grangeville, Idaho. I never heard of it either, but it was as far as my weary bones were taking me. I usually enter a town and ride around checking it out before choosing a place and this motel was at the far west end and had a lot of bikes in the parking lot so I thought it was perfect. Well, even I make mistakes. After leaving this place in the morning I saw an ideal looking camping area not a half mile down the road!

So I leave Grangeville and make my way to the most remote area that Mr. Pirsig has taken me so fbar. Following US-95south to Cambridge and picking up ID-71 northwest towards the border I am delighted to see a "Trucks longer than 55 feet not recommended" sign. That usually means a narrow, twisty road. US-95 was a great one as well. Seems they didn't hire the guy from Nebraska (can't say Kansas 'cause my wife is from there and will get upset) who knows how to lay out a straight road. Didn't see one in my travels anyway. No wonder I need new tires!

ID-71 is basically an access road for Idaho Power, they have two hyro dams up there, and for the recreational use crowd with boats, camping and I'd guess hunting in season. There are virtually no services in the area except maybe bait shops and camping areas. Wonderful roads and views. I include a picture or two for you but it is hard to get much is such vast panoramas.

My camp dinner, PB and Bacon Burrito

When I got to Baker City, Oregon I had the pleasure of eating with Joe, Dorrell and John at the Coffee Corral. They are three guys who have been meeting there for some time to solve all the problems of the world, so I asked them to look at my maps and they gave me great suggestions. If you guys are reading this I stayed at the Ochoco campground you suggested and I will be doing the Crater Lake circle as part of the ZAMM ride. Thanks for the routing suggestions, I slept well up there even if it is close to the highway.

Getting warmed up at the campsite

It is these 'chance' encounters with real people living everyplace that makes these trips so much a part of my life. I often say I am traveling to see friends I haven't met yet. I didn't make that up, I heard it someplace, but it works for me.

Another example is Alex, who was also spending his first hours in Bozeman, Montana. I chose a restaurant called the Garage (sound right for me?) and walked the 4 blocks from the motel. On the way I notice a sign out in front of an office building: Central Asia Institute. Not CIA but CAI. It is Saturday evening so no-one would be there tomorrow, but I was intrigued as I have visited and done some computer work in Central Asia.

When I arrived at The Garage they decided to close rather than serve me. Really, it was 9pm and the place was calling it a day. So I walked a block down the street to the Montana Ale Works, a microbrew kind of yuppie looking place - but wait, this is Montana. Looks are deceiving! This place was great, and really busy. I didn't want to take up a whole table so I wandered up to the bar and asked if I could eat there instead of a table and the only seat was at the cash register. They cleaned up a space and there I was. Told the bar-keep what kind of beer I liked and told her to choose one. I was great. She told me a lot more about it than I understood, and the name was in German and contained the word 'shwartz' but I didn't get the rest of it. I had some tuna sushi type tempura thing as I was feeling that real food was in order after living on my own camp fare and fast food for a couple of days.

So this guy, Alex, is on the next stool, and he is talking to the bar-keep like he was a regular. I heard the words 'fund raising' and started to follow the conversation. He had just finished dinner and was paying at the register when I arrived. Anyway, he was finishing a beer and we started talking. Turns out he had worked for a software firm that serves the non-profit community and had left that profession to follow up on the work that the Central Asia Institute is doing establishing girls schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. So now we have 3 or 4 things in common - fund raising (For Not Alone, remember them?), the war zone, the way to find real solutions for seemingly unsolvable issues - this is getting good. Then he tells me he has just arrived in town - same as me. And we agree that we have never been anyplace that had more congenial people. It was not my sleeplessness - other people felt the same way. NOTE: DO NOT MOVE TO MONTANA. They want to keep it a secret.

Anyway I tell Alex that I just looked at the CAI office and he is freaking out. So to celebrate we eat dessert - good pick again, excellent bread pudding. So I blow three days food budget on one meal, it was worth it. After dinner Alex follows me to that office building and is so excited to have found it. I make a good surrogate for a phone book, eh? You Bet!

Alex is also doing WWOOF. You Google it, but I think that would be a cool thing to do one summer in Montana. If you get something about dogs, it is a typo - try two W's as above.

This morning's breakfast at the Tastee Freeze in Prineville was no less entertaining. I'll spare you the details, but you can see where I am going here. Go out and talk to people you don't know, you might find you like them.

A passage from the book about yesterday's ride on US-95 following the Salmon River is about how I found the road:

"Back in the heat again and not far from Grangeville we see that the dry plateau that looked almost like prairie when we were out on it suddenly breaks away into an enormous canyon. I see our road will go down and down through what must be a hundred hairpin turns into a desert of broken land and crags. I tap Chris’s knee and point and as we round a turn where we see it all I hear him holler, "Wow!"

At the brink I shift down to third, then close the throttle. The engine drags, backfiring a little, and down we go.

By the time our cycle has reached the bottom of wherever it is we are, we have dropped thousands of feet. I look back over my shoulder and see antlike cars way back at the top. Now we must head forward across this baking desert to wherever the road leads."

A straight road in Oregon

The roads were like that for well over 100 miles in both Idaho and Oregon. I actually stopped to take a photo of a straight road in Oregon when one finally appeared.

I want to include something from the book hoping that Bob and son Chris encountered some rain, but they didn't record that. But I remember that I am no longer on the Zen route - I am on the Andre route. He didn't come to Portland like I did today. In fact, the rain started just after leaving the book's original route in Prineville, Oregon.

But this is not like rain I am used to in the East. I actually think I was riding through a rain cloud. And it did not stop raining, it just got brighter and the water was now coming up from tires of cars ahead of me instead of from above. Then the road became dry and it was not raining. But the temp never got above about 68 degrees. Weird for me. My hands were too cold to hold the baby when I came in, I had to take a shower to warm them up.

Lets wrap this up with some stats: 3650 miles so far. In the 13 days of the trip so far (July 13th is when I am completing this) I have camped five nights, motels six times and homes of friends twice. One of the motels was supposed to be a campground, but it was under water.

Lessons Learned: After all this pretty hot riding, 68 degrees is really cold, especially when raining. I went to the store with Ben and was freezing in the store with long pants on. I did see a local guy walking down the street with a down vest on and next to him a guy with shorts and a tee shirt. Depends what you are used to, as always.

60 second update

2011-07-11T09:45:00.000-04:00

I have 60 seconds of wifi and here is the news: I am in Pacific Time Zone! Slept in Grangeville Idaho and will be in Oregon soon!

All well but about 4 hours behind schedule, no big deal. Idaho rt 12 is a fine road, the smell of the pine trees is amazing.

More tonight I hope!

Motorcycle Stuff

2011-07-10T11:17:00.000-04:00


1981 R100 in Oakes, ND

1968 R60 at Newport, VA

I have been enjoying the riding so much and have not been sharing the bike part of the trip enough, so for all my rider freinds here are some thoughts about two wheels and one great view of the road.

I have to start by comparing my experience with what it would have been like on the bike I planned so long to ride, the 1968 R60/2. For day 1-3, the ride to St Paul, Minnesota, the slash 2 would have been not so good. They were long days at high speed: the technical description is "NFR" for Not Fun Riding, except for West Virginia which is always fun.

The rest of the days would have been really nice on the old bike. Yellowstone is a perfect setting for the properties of that bike, moderate speeds with sweeping curves. My right hand would have been tired from the heavier brake application pressure, but I would be OK. Beartooth highway would have been a tiny bit slower, but also a good ride. Gas stops would have been more frequent, meaning I'd have spent a lot of time talking to folks at gas stations about riding an old bike. The R100 looks modern enough that it does not attract many questions or comments.

But those of you that know me realize that these casual encounters of the bike kind are one of the reasons I take these long rides, and with the addition of my Not Alone connection, it would have given me a way to let more people know about the way they can become a part of the solution. I also lost the chance to get coverage in a high quality paper magazine because the R100 is just another motorcycle - making the trip on the R60 would be interesting to the readers.

The 1968 R100 that I am riding just went over 164,000 miles and will have close to 170K on it in Maryland on July 30th at our warp party. The last day's ride is scheduled to start in Winchester Virginia and conclude at Ocean City, Maryland followed by a short ride back to Easton, Maryland for what I am calling a wrap party at the VFW hall. I invite any and all of you to ride the day, or meet me in Ocean City or Easton. More details are coming, keep an eye on the blog.

The R100 has enough power to be effortless at speed and climbing mountains and has good enough brakes. Keep in mind that I never have had a bike with great brakes, but compared to the R60, this thing can really stop in short distance, like when the deer and fawn got in front of me yesterday or I thought the coyote was going to cross the road and instead just trotted along the edge of the pavement with me for a while.

It is also longer, making packing it easier. Weight in the back beyond the rear axle alters the weight distribution in a bad way, so having everything over the axle on the bigger bike is nice. Riding in dirt is easier on the R60, and I spend a lot of time entering and exiting dirt and gravel turn-outs on the Beartooth highway and in Yellowstone. There were also many washed out roads along the way patched with loose rock and soil - some were challanging.

I hope to hear some comments from you riders out there. Ask any questions that come to mind. If you have not traveled this part of the country Montana comes highly recommended. Great people and wide open spaces. Yellowstone was also much better than my expectations. North Dakota not so much. Let me tell you the Detour Story. In chapter 6 Pirsig mentions a Detour sign, near the reservoir we both slept at, Shadehill near Lemmon, South Dakota. This is just below the ND border, appraoching Mobridge (get it: MO Bridge as in bridge over the Missouri River). Anyway the road is closed for construction or washout or whatever and the sign says take a left. I expect detours to take me 6-8 miles at most off the planned route. This detour was 21 miles out, 24 miles south again and 20 something miles back into town. I almost ran out of gas out there.

Lesson Learned: North Dakota detours may be large - gas up!

I have been getting 45-50 mpg. My worst mileage was on the really hot days running at 70mph with my jacket vents open creating more drag when I saw it drop to 40mpg.

I did have the fortune to meet a group of CMA members in of all places a McDonalds in eastern Montana and they reminded me of Bob Clement in Roberts, Montana. They knew his phone number be heart! And they were riding Harley-Davidsons. That peaked my interest as I poked the number into my phone. Bob is a well known BMW mechanic and I knew him from small ads in BMW magazines and the great comments he gets on-line for tranny repairs. I called him because my front tire was wearing a lot faster than I had expected. I called him from the parking lot and asked if he had a tire, and arranged to stop there the next day. Meeting him and working alongside him was a high point of the trip. I got a new tire, a new friend and someone to send a tranny in need of healing and got to witness a business that is serving the customers and his community. Bob comes highly recommended by the old bike rider.

I ordered a new rear tire to be sent to Portland where I will be spending couple of days and will get it mounted there as well as change the oil. One the R60 I'd be changing oil every 1000 miles - 7 oil changes in total done on my hands and knees in parking lots, not much fun. On the R100 I will do only one in the field. That is a big difference.

So in the end the pluses for the R100 are brakes and power and brakes and gas tank capacity (about 250 miles compared to 125 miles). But I have been trying to ride the 1968 ride on this portion of the trip which means keeping my speed down to what they might have ridden in 1968 on a Honda 305 two up. I aim at 3000 to 4000 rpm in 5th gear which is 59 - 65mph. This works well. In Yellowstone I never even got to these speeds: 25 - 45mph and less was the rule. But I didn't want to go any faster, I was there to see everything, not just ride through to say I'd been there. So at these speeds the brakes on the R60 would have been just fine.

Once I get out in the US-50 portion I am sure I will stretch the legs on this bike as that dessert ride will be a hot one for sure. Some of US-50 is now interstate so keeping up with the cars will be important.

Lastly, my body is holding up well. The butt is fine and the knees are fine and the right wrist is only slightly sore. I forgot my gin-soaked raisins, but I got a box or raisins and eat them as snacks when I stop each day. I don't know if they do anything without that gin, but they can't hurt.

OK, got to get loaded up and on the road again. Today I will make Lolo pass where the original riders camped alongside the road. I don't think I'll be ding that, but it looks like National forests and there should be some good campgrounds.

Thanks for riding along! Sorry you have to go back to work tomorrow...

Good News and Bad News

2011-07-10T02:43:00.000-04:00

They always ask "Which do you want to hear first?" to which I reply in my head "Who decides what is good and what is bad?"

So the bad news is that a violent storm arose Friday afternoon. I found refuge with a group of interesting folks including a couple from England who were riding around in a 1931 Phaeton (defined as a four door convertible car) whose roof support structure had suffered a bent part and thus the roof could not be raised. Additionally there were the standard fare of us motorcycle riders who got off the road rather than get blown around, wet and struck by lightning.

This is Pirsig's bike in his own photo, but my camp site looked the same.

This same storm, 60 miles to the northeast reached my tent standing alone in the Fox Creek camp ground and it became the victim of nature's power, likely about the time I was eating s'mores. The rain fly was blown off and 2 inches of rain filled the waterproof tent floor.

The good news was that it held the water well. When I arrived at about 8pm I had about one hour of daylight to make my house in order. All my clothes and paper stuff was floating as was the new sleeping bag I had used once. I lit a fire with wet wood I found laying around the campground, which in reality if just a clearing in the forest, and some dry toilet paper. Amazing, since my wife can tell you I can't light a fire to save my life! Anyway, my new $27 Coleman sleeping bag did its thing, warm even when soaking wet. I turned the tent upside down and let the water flow out, wiped it as dry as possible, squeezed as much water as possible out of the sleeping bag and about 11:30pm went to sleep. I woke up warm in that sleeping bag even though it was 37 degrees in the tent according to my thermometer. It was a day where you could see your breath. And the fire was still going enough that adding some more twigs made me warm as I packed up.

Those that are following me on Facebook saw some photos I uploaded when I found cell signal at the old Faithful lodge area. I won't fill this blog with photos but tomorrow will add a link to see all I uploaded to my Picasa site.

I have to tell those of you that have not been to Yellowstone that is is a unique place. I should have studied up on it more before coming, but I'd like to return with family to see the rest of it. As I passed the sign saying "Leaving Yellowstone National Park" I had a lump in my throat - like leaving a good friend.

Bullet list of some things I saw and did:

- Crashed a S'mores party - actually was invited to do so - in Silver Gate, right outside the Northeast entrance to the park.

- Rode alongside a Coyote. I am told that they run along the should of the road hoping to get one of the millions of ground hogs that dash out into traffic all along the roads.

Spotting scope, note storm in background tearing up my tent 60 miles away.

- Looked at a grizzly bear through a spotting scope. There are a lot of guys out there doing this as a hobby and they seem happy to let others peek at their finds.

- Saw Old Faithful not once, but twice from two different points of view. The Old Faithful Lodge has a barista on the second floor and from that I found a sitting area which is a view 90 degrees from the ground level where I saw it the first time. The latte was pretty good too.

- Stood and talked to a ranger across from the chapel in Mammoth Hot Springs about the elk littering the church lawn. Her job was to tell people not to approach them. They are deer-like in confirmation (spoken by someone who knows not of what he speaks) unlike the larger bodied ones I remember for Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

- Saw a mother duck with three babies floating at high speed down the Lamar River that, like all waterways in the region, is bursting out of its banks and moving fast. I wondered what those little feet were doing under the water. They were staying together whatever it took.

- There are a LOT of things to do in the park besides Old Faithful.

- The smells are very interesting. Mostly Pine Forest smell, and Sage smell, sulfur water smell added to absolutely clean air smell (or lack of smell).

- Very cold: high of 71 today added to having damp clothes, and high winds made for a wind-chill effect. I had to pull off the road due to hypothermia and lay on the ground out of the wind and let the sun warm me up. I did not get arrested nor as far as I know, did any tourist take a picture of me in my motorcycle suit laying on the grass.

Jim and Friends - see license plate

- Met a Hokie (Virginia Tech alum) at the old faithful parking lot having a picnic and they graciously made me lunch and we had a great time getting to know one another. Those Hokies are everywhere! Thanks Jim and friends.

LESSONS LEARNED: Put all your stuff in the bear proof food box when leaving for the park.

Stats for the day: 160 miles IN THE PARK and a total of 245 miles to Bozeman. Lots of tourist today (Saturday) compared to the other days. Each bear siting tied up traffic for about 10-15 minutes. People just stop in the middle of the road. I am now in Bozeman, Montana. Wow, these Montana folks friendly and easy to like!

NOT ALONE stats: I am pleased to report that I got a report from Not Alone that you all have donated a total of $500 so far this week. Keep up the good work!

Coming next: A post for the motorcycle people out there. But all of you will get something from it, stay tuned!

In Yellowstone

2011-07-08T10:47:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to let you know that Beartooth Pass/Highway is great riding and that I am on schedule in Yellowstone. I arrived at about 4pm yesterday and was unable to get camping in the park, but found a place 6 miles out. I will stay there the two nights and spend the days in the park.

I picked up a new front tire from Bob Clement, famous BMW tech in Roberts, MT right before I entered the Beartooth. It was pleasure to meet him and to be able to work alongside of him on the tire mounting and hear him talk to customers on the phone and fix a kid's bike for a neighbor. This guy reflects the quality story in the book related to the fixing of the chainguard on Pirsig's bike. Or the quality of the cabins he comments in the reading we are up to know. It is so rare to see really quality work. I am not sure if we have passed that yet or not. BMW riders, if you need tranny or other work, I recommend this guy highly. The new tire altered the handling for the better and I feel more confident of all the mountain roads to come.

There is no cell service out here, though there are supposed to be a couple of spots in the park where it works. I am at a coffee shop now using their WiFi. It is a slow satellite connection so I'll skip the photos now, but expect to see them later on. The name of the place is Loving Cup and I just had a Latte for breakfast. It really hit the spot.

In reading the book last night I noted that this is the point that the narrator/author is strugging with his own past and as he approaches Bozeman it will get worse. If you are reading along with me feel free to skip his long tirades on education/depression/philosophy. This is about where I stopped reading the book the first two times I read it.

He spends time with old friends soon and, of course, I won't be doing that (yet) so my schedule goes ahead of his.

An interesting quote is "Phædrus despised this park without knowing exactly why...because he hadn’t discovered it himself, perhaps, but probably not. Something else. The guided-tour attitude of the rangers angered him. The Bronx Zoo attitudes of the tourists disgusted him even more. Such a difference from the high country all around. It seemed an enormous museum with exhibits carefully manicured to give the illusion of reality, but nicely chained off so that children would not injure them. People entered the park and became polite and cozy and fakey to each other because the atmosphere of the park made them that way. In the entire time he had lived within a hundred miles of it he had visited it only once or twice."

I hope to find a better place. I picked up my "interagency pass" yesterday. Looking at the map and see Grand Teton is just a few miles to the south of the park, so I'll visit that as well. What the heck!

I celebrated my birthday with Moosetracks ice cream. If you forgot to get me a birthday gift, it's OK - just make a donation to Not Alone by using the logo link at the top left of the page.

I am going to have a camp fire tonight at the campsite. There are very few people at this site, and the ones there are in motorhomes. The site I choose (Fox Creek #11) had a nice pine needle area for the tent. It is near the Yellowstone River and I fall asleep to the sound of the water. Gentle rain this morning at about 5 - 5:30, none last night though the clouds looked ominous.

Status: I don't have my book with me, GPS locked up above 10,000 feet so I lost the track of most of the Beartooth. I never looked down at it. I will try and get the pictures posted someplace and give you a link in the next post.

Lesson Learned: Non-DEET mosquito spray doesn't work on these buggers, but the real stuff is effective. The Aerostich suit in mosquito proof.

OK, I'm going into the park now. I'll tell you what you are missing next time I get access to the net.

Beartooth Pass Tomorrow

2011-07-07T01:27:00.000-04:00


For Lonesome Dove fans ...

I had a pretty easy day today traveling the short path from Miles City, home of the Olive Hotel, to Laurel, just past Billings. The thing that made it hard was starting out on an interstate highway. With a 75mph speed limit and my desire to go 55-65mph the back roads are great because there are few cars and trucks passing you to remind you what the speed limit really is. But on the interstate there is a lot more traffic and it goes by pretty fast.

Some good news: I am typing this on my old laptop and it is hooked up to wireless in a 'bunkhouse' motel in Laurel. My plan was to camp at Riverside Park in this medium size city, but was concerned when no-one answered the phone to ask about space. The reason they didn't answer the phone is the park is under water! So with a storm building up to the west (sounds like the book), I took a cheap room in a pre-fab bunkhouse for local workers. It has anything you'd want but is small and no free breakfast. No problem for me.

Flooded picnic area at Pompeys Pillar

Today I visited something I'd never heard of, Pompey's Pillar. Located on the Yellowstone River, it is a significant place for both Native Americans and the transplants, this artifact ties the two populations together in an interesting way. Lewis and Clark used native American guides as part of their exploration of the West, notably Sacajawea. She was a Shoshone Indian who guided and acted as interpreter and negotiator for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their exploratory expedition. She traveled with them from North Dakota to the Oregon coast and back. Anyway a great story, well displayed in the visitor center and the 'hands on' climb to the top of this large pillar of rock is impressive. I will let you research how the pillar got its name.

Yellowstone River at Forsyth, MT

bAll around me things are flooded. One sees the impressive power of water in excess. At Pompeys Pillar they had sandbags around the visitor center and there were people from BLM surveying the devastation to the picnic area. Of course the pillar itself is unscathed!

Short post again as I need to get some sleep. It is my 62nd birthday tomorrow!

LESSON LEARNED: I still can figure out how to fix computer stuff with motorcycle tools. I did have to buy one part but it worked.

Stats for the day: about 166 miles including making a wrong turn on an limited access interstate and having to go 12 miles round trip with threatening storm clouds above. But I made it to the destination before it rained. Tomorrow should be a like number of miles, but way different terrain. Beartooth Highway!

Changes

2011-07-06T12:04:00.000-04:00

Ebony and Ivory

In chapter 2 Pirsig writes "There is no one place or sharp line where the Central Plains end and the Great Plains begin. It’s a gradual change like this that catches you unawares, as if you were sailing out from a choppy coastal harbor, noticed that the waves had taken on a deep swell, and turned back to see that you were out of sight of land. There are fewer trees here and suddenly I am aware they are no longer native. They have been brought here and planted around houses and between fields in rows to break up the wind. But where they haven’t been planted there is no underbrush, no second-growth saplings...only grass, sometimes with wildflowers and weeds, but mostly grass. This is grassland now. We are on the prairie.

I have a feeling none of us fully understands what four days on this prairie in July will be like. Memories of car trips across them are always of flatness and great emptiness as far as you can see, extreme monotony and boredom as you drive for hour after hour, getting nowhere, wondering how long this is going to last without a turn in the road, without a change in the land going on and on to the horizon.

John was worried Sylvia would not be up to the discomfort of this and planned to have her fly to Billings, Montana, but Sylvia and I both talked him out of it. I argued that physical discomfort is important only when the mood is wrong. Then you fasten on to whatever thing is uncomfortable and call that the cause. But if the mood is right, then physical discomfort doesn’t mean much. And when thinking about Sylvia’s moods and feelings, I couldn’t see her complaining.

Also, to arrive in the Rocky Mountains by plane would be to see them in one kind of context, as pretty scenery. But to arrive after days of hard travel across the prairies would be to see them in another way, as a goal, a promised land. If John and I and Chris arrived with this feeling and Sylvia arrived seeing them as "nice" and "pretty," there would be more disharmony among us than we would get from the heat and monotony of the Dakotas. Anyway, I like to talk to her and I’m thinking of myself too.

In my mind, when I look at these fields, I say to her, "See? -- See?" and I think she does. I hope later she will see and feel a thing about these prairies I have given up talking to others about; a thing that exists here because everything else does not and can be noticed because other things are absent. She seems so depressed sometimes by the monotony and boredom of her city life, I thought maybe in this endless grass and wind she would see a thing that sometimes comes when monotony and boredom are accepted. It’s here, but I have no names for it."


Walking in the wildflowers. That black thing is my knee!

This quote from the book agrees with my view of the this ride as well. The gradual changes in terrain, both in elevation, and plant life is worthy of study. I stopped many times to take photos, many of which don't tell the story. Stopping provided a bonus though: The sounds. Wind. Birds. Other wildlife in the grass. At one point I got off the bike along the road to drink some water and glanced at my watch to see how long it might be before a vehicle could be heard. It was 18 minutes and then another couple of minutes before she passed me. Wonderfully unpopulated. Car drivers wave at bikes out here.

Industry changes too. Dakotas appeared to me mostly grass, corn and other field crops and some cattle. As I reached Montana oil pumping stations could be seen, and the trappings of the oil industry, new and old. First mostly old, but here in Miles City there appears to be a robust petroleum industry just based on the number and size of the trucks carrying support and construction crews.

Bob and Chris from the original trip.

One change that I implemented yesterday was traveling at speeds that the R60/2 would be most comfortable at, 60 to 65 mph. This is likely the most that Pirsig was traveling as well and is much more relaxed than the 70-75 mph that most traffic is traveling here. It is the change of mindset from getting someplace and being someplace. On the road you are always where you are. You are never lost, you can see exactly where you are. If anything, this is the zen of the ride for me, though I really know nothing of Zen.

The point of view is what changes with change in speed. A fox crossed the road, route 12 which I am following is a 2 lane road, the Yellowstone Trail, and at the leisurely speed I was able to catch his features, the texture of his fur and predict easily his path as to avoid running him over. At 70 mph he would have been a flash. "Was that a fox?" would be my only thought.

Lesson Learned: Ride at the right speed to enjoy the moment. Stop to smell the roses and take a picture in your mind, and maybe with the camera as well. Listen to creation. Allow yourself to enjoy just being there.

Stats for July 5: about 191 (gps ran out of juice for some miles), seat hours 4.5, overall hours 6

Next, short day ride to Laurel, near Billings, and preparing for Yellowstone on my birthday, July 7th! I hear that Beartooth Pass may still have snow and I won't be able to ride it. I hope that is not right. In the 90's here each day!

A couple tenting next to me were just in Yellowstone and showed me some nice photos and said it was not very crowded at all. We shall see.

I have a blog about detours in my head and likely will be able to wrote it tonight now that the laptop, minus wireless, is working... Hint: Detours in North Dakota can be LONG.

The Theme is Technology Failure

2011-07-05T23:04:00.000-04:00

I am in Miles City, Montana, on schedule and doing fine. However my laptop seems to be dead and I will be visiting the local library to post tomorrow. Hang in there, I have some good material about this trip.

Please subscribe to the twitter feed, left side of screen as I can do that from my phone, which is still working as far as I know!

Ron

July 4th Special Edition

2011-07-04T09:18:00.006-04:00

Let's start out this post by recognizing the significance of this day, Independence Day. While most of us associate it with hot dogs (or tofu dogs for my non-meat-eating followers) and fireworks and bug repellant, the fact is that this day is a celebration of a military victory over the British. Again, brave women and men put their personal lives aside to stand up for something bigger to the colonies - personal freedom. We might not have had the term PTSD back in 1776, but war takes its toll on the survivors, and that is why I am asking that you support Not Alone, my choice of groups providing support for women and men who have made that choice to give their own lives for us. Just do it, you will be proud as you watch your fireworks tonight. And for those who have already gone online and become part of the solution, I thank you for your donation.

The Ride:

I am in Oakes, North Dakota and just awoke at the same little motel that Bob, Chris, John and Sylvia stayed in on their trip in 1968. I had read that the original place had burned down, but as I found out, that is not so. It is not hard to envision this place in 1968. See page 37 in the book.

I arrived at about 9pm, after the posted desk hours of 8am to 8pm, but Bunny, the owner, saw me in the parking lot and was happy to have a paying customer. I got room number 8, no telling which room our friends in the book were assigned.

The good news was that this town, for whatever reason, was having its fireworks on July 3rd, so I got to join several other people on Main St to view an impressive number of loud thrillers.

I talked to a state trooper who was stopped (no, he didn't stop me) and got a state road map to mark up for the trip. I asked how his state government was doing compared to Minnesota, which is shut down at the moment, and he said they were in good shape, "... we have too much money ..." was his comment. Another local person I met, the coroner (again, not using those services!) asked me at the gas pumps "What year is your Bemmer?" Turn our her son-in-law recently bought a modern BMW bike. Lorraine, in response to my question about rice growing, filled me in on the fact that North Dakota was not starting to grow rice, but in fact the fields were just flooded and farmers were unable to plant about 20% of their land this year. I hope it means they are safe from forest fires as well!

She was curious as to what people like me just cruising through though about their part of our country. Having just gotten into the swing of the ride, and being a mountain person married to a Kansas girl who really appreciates the special qualities embodied in the plains life, I admit that the long view and predictable overall scene has its appeal. Then, just when you think you have it contained something pops up to make your facial muscles flex. Like the huge turtle crossing the road in Minnesota. She must have been well over 2 feet across. And there was the response from a guy at the hotel in Rochester, who held the door for me. I said thanks and he came back with "You bet." I'd never heard that except on Prairie Home Companion!

I am surprised that the terrain of Minnesota and North Dakota (so far, just seen one corner) is so flat. The small towns in both states have appeared to be doing OK from a quick road view. Sunday was a day when you don't see people in the business areas, and several towns I rode through had not one person on the streets on this holiday weekend. In contrast, the beaches at the lakes were hopping. Lots of gas was run through outboard motors and lots of sunscreen should have been applied to the fair skinned crowd.

I have the door of the motel room open to hear the birds and feel the cool morning air outside. I plan to be on the road at 10am again. After three 400mile plus days this one will be a little easier and then I have two short days in a row when I hope to put more time into writing this blog for you.

What next? I am running west along the bottom of North Dakota and turning south into South Dakota and ending up in Lemmon. I plan to camp at the Shadehill Reservior where Pirsig and company slept back in '68. Pray for another day of great dry weather.

Stats for July 3: 410 miles (planned 360), 7h10m moving, avg speed 57mph

Motorcycle Maintenance: I hit a frost bump in the road so hard it knocked the headlight rim off the bucket! Imagine how my back felt!

Zen: not so much

LESSONS LEARNED: (again) God Is Good!

Good ride today!

2011-07-03T02:33:00.000-04:00

I did not have any technical failures today - first day in several I can say that. I did get on the rhythm of the ride which always takes a few days. Next is camping - I am in a motel again tonight. There were major numbers of small flying insects in each place I stopped in northeast Iowa and Minnesota. So even though there were tempting camping areas in several of the small town city parks, I could not see trying to sleep with these gnats gnawing me.

Since my tracker is not working, here is a map of the day's ride. While this map shows me on the interstate most of the time, I actually ride the US highway alongside the superslab, but you get the idea of where I have been.

View

Discovery number one was the town of Rantoul where in 1970 I went to tech school for 10 months, midnight shift - actually got out at midnight and got to eat breakfast before we went to bed. I thought that was cool.

I saw only one thing I recognized, a sign for the Rantoul Motel. It was run down so I did not take a photo of it but instead got one of the welcome sign as I came into town. I rode out westward on rt 136, the same road I would take each weekend on my old BSA trying to get so lost I could never find my way back to Rantoul. It never worked. But the road is the same, and is like the one that Pirsig describes in the first chapter (pg 5 of the pink paperback) of ZAMM:

"It was some years ago that my wife and I and our friends first began to catch on to these roads. We took them once in a while for variety or for a shortcut to another main highway, and each time the scenery was grand and we left the road with a feeling of relaxation and enjoyment. We did this time after time before realizing what should have been obvious: these roads are truly different from the main ones. The whole pace of life and personality of the people who live along them are different. They’re not going anywhere. They’re not too busy to be courteous. The hereness and nowness of things is something they know all about. It’s the others, the ones who moved to the cities years ago and their lost offspring, who have all but forgotten it. The discovery was a real find.

I’ve wondered why it took us so long to catch on. We saw it and yet we didn’t see it. Or rather we were trained not to see it. Conned, perhaps, into thinking that the real action was metropolitan and all this was just boring hinterland. It was a puzzling thing. The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I’m looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling.

But once we caught on, of course, nothing could keep us off these roads, weekends, evenings, vacations. We have become real secondary-road motorcycle buffs and found there are things you learn as you go."

You are reading along with me, right? A link on the left side of the blog under Good Reading has a free, full-text copy of the book if you can't find your copy from your hippie days when you bought it because you thought it would teach you to fix a bike or to be cool and know a word that starts with Z besides Zoo. Well, in any case, please do you homework at least until the hard parts around July 14th. Then you are off the hook.

I did not reach St Paul tonight, but I did make it through the 'flat' mid-west just fine and discovered that Iowa north of Dubuque has hills and curves in the road. But lets start at the beginning. Skip this if you have no interest in routing, but as Persig says above, it is important as a way to find the truth. Well, whatever.

I left Champaign on US-150 East to US-45 North for about 15 miles to Rantoul and after a ride around the downtown, took US-136 West US-150 that led to Bloomington/Normal, the former home of a Normal school. In 1970 that fascinated me, but it proved my suspicion that I had been attending ab-normal schools all my life. I visited Normal on many occasions trying to find Normal people, but they all must stay inside on weekends, I never found them. It did not rub off on me!

Anyway on to Peoria, Galesburg and the quad cities where both the local routes and the Interstates were under construction and backed up. Oh, and it was the hottest part of the day. Coming into Galesburg I had learned to jump on the Interstate to get through the cities faster and came upon a biker out of gas. Denny had a gas can and I gave him enough gas for us to make it into Knoxville. He was from North Carolina and traveling alone to Seattle. See, other people do this kind of thing!

I got through it and started up US-61 from Davenport to Dubuque. Typical mid-west at the bottom, but got better that farther north I traveled. And it had wind generators. I am unable to ride by these things without stopping to look at them. And take a picture. Interesting thing here is the crops below the turbines appear to be be used for ethanol. What happened to growing food in the 'bread basket?'

I'll have to do a Highway 61 re-revisited blog comparing this stretch to the part in the Delta of Mississippi where the music of America grew up. Mississippi is still growing food I think.

Then came the surprise! At Dubuque I merged into US-52, the same road that we riders in Virginia love for the Volney to Damascus run. While NOT as good as that Virginia portion, after riding on US-61 it was very much fun. Non-technical, uphill and downhill sweeping turns and alternating shade and sun on a two lane with almost no traffic and after some time one arrives at Guttenburg, a river town. On both sides of this town there is an overlook about 800 feet above the Mississippi River. The picture I got does not tell the story. Get in your car and come see this place. Lots of pleasure boats out there for the holiday weekend to give some texture to the scene.

So here I am in Rochester Minnesota home of the Mayo Clinic. Had great ribs for dinner. Ordered a half rack - look at that plate! I could only eat half of them. Imagine what a full rack looks like! The name of the place is "I like it like that." No seriously, it is called John Hardy's Bar B Q and the waitress told me it was started 35 years ago, likely by some guy named John hardy, but she didn't say that, and they have one other location on the north side of town. Not your town, but Rochester, MN. This stuff is not healthy. Do you think the Mayo folks eat there? I bet they do...

Rochester to St Paul is less than 100 miles so I should get there mid-morning, take a photo at Pirsig's house and hit the road. The road is MN-55 through Glenwood and crossing into North Dakota at Breckenridge.

Stats for today: 494 miles, about 9 hours in saddle, 13 hours overall including 2 one hour meals and many stops to take photos some of which are on this page. Weather perfect, no rain, high of about 89 degrees.

Happy 4th of July everyone. I should be watching the fireworks in Lemmon, SD if they have any there.

LESSONS LEARNED: There seems to be a Montgomery County in every state I visit. Saw one Tazewell County too. I did not pass through any Springfields, but did see an exit sign for Newport.

MAJOR NEWS: Minnesota is closed for business, but I am leaving tomorrow anyway.

1.5 hours from birth time!

MAJOR NEWS 2: Cecilia and Ben's son Andre (with an accent over that last letter, but I am not sure how to do that) is doing fine, very cute and I can't wait to see them all in about two weeks.

Stats on this trip: We got to welcome André on June 30th at 7:55am.
He was born at 7 lbs. 8 oz. and 21 inches long. Healthy, strong boy and all of us are doing very well adjusting to life on the other side of being born.

Tracker Failure

2011-07-02T00:22:00.000-04:00

Note to those trying to use the tracker link: The antenna fell off the bike. It should work when I find an antenna, likely in Portland, Oregon... Not my year for technology I guess.

That gold round thing is where the antenna once screwed in. Take a look at the turkey baster photo to see an antenna on the mount!

I'm on the road ...

2011-07-02T00:10:00.000-04:00

Not mine, but looked like this

Well, actually I'm in a tiny motel room in Champaign, Illinois. My motorcycle history in this town goes back to about 1970 when I was in Air Force tech school for flight simulators and had a tired BSA B40 350cc single like the one to the left. I needed a place to work on it and some riders of modified America V twins offered me their 'place' to work on the bike. Someplace I have a black and white photo of one of them, I'll try and dig that up and post it after I get home.

Thanks for joining me on the trip, by the way. I really am Not Alone! Breaking news is that the family I am going to visit in Oregon managed to deliver their baby a little early. More details as I get them...

Here is the quick summary of the last week. Warning, it is ugly!

Friday afternoon I rode the R50/2 to teach a Motorcycle Safety class about 100 miles away and it stopped running 30 miles from the school. Happens along a guy who pulls over and yells "Ron, remember me?" Well no, I didn't. Turns out he was a student in one of the classes I taught some years ago and he happens to be an off-duty deputy sheriff. He helped me push the bike to a safe place and calls in the troops. An on-duty sheriff shows up but he is a K9 officer and it won't work for me to ride with him, so he requests another deputy who does give me that ride the last 30 miles. It is impressive to arrive in a cop car! A class member generously picked me up and drove me back to the hotel as well as spending an hour or two trying to make it run. People are generous, I don't care what you say.

Rick & I using the right tools.
Note turkey baster 'gas tank'

I will spare you the details except to say that my wife came over Sunday afternoon, the site coordinator followed us out to the bike and helped load it on the trailer and the bike went home inoperative.

Rick, a friend who is a ham radio operator as well as owner of a /2 had ordered the came ignition system I have and offered to let me try all the parts to see what failed. The answer is,so far, none. Must be some wiring fault. We just ran out of time for fixing and then testing before setting out on such a long ride.

Getting ready to remove that big blue thing

On Wednesday evening I decided to take my 1981 R100 that has been the tug for my sidecar rig.

Early Thursday morning I went out and removed the sidecar and sub-frame and checked the dirty bike out. It looked good to go. No time for washing it, I figured I'd hit rain the first evening anyway. Wrong, not a drop so far!

I packed (and not too well) and got on the road in time for a late dinner with dear friends in Charleston, West Virginia. Slept in their home and left at 10AM July 1 for this location. There was a good lesson learned there as well, but I am going to write it up in another entry. Soapbox racers should come back to hear this good story, and also one about Korea and how we all relate in some way.

I had a portion of the day's trip on US-50, the route I will be riding on the east-bound leg of the trip. I stopped to take a photo of the signs and after some time a State Trooper stopped to see if I needed help. Turns out he is a rider as well and was really excited about my trip. I gave him the blog address so he well may read this! I should have though to ask him to take a photo of me and the bike with the signs for US-50 in the background. Next time!

Now that the ride is underway I'd love to see some of you clicking on the Not Alone logo near the top of the left side of the blog. Our women and men in uniform and their families need our help. Whatever amount you feel is right for you is a help.

Tomorrow I will write up the route so far and what Robert Pirsig's home in St Paul looks like. I am scheduled to get very wet in thunderstorms so the bike will be cleaner! And some riders consider rained on bikes 'dirty.'

LESSONS LEARNED (again): There is a reason for everything. The newer (30 year old) bike was better for the interstate highways I chose to get to the Zen and the Art... starting point. Oh, and it has brakes.

Nearing the departure time ...

2011-06-28T13:14:00.000-04:00

If you read the top of the blog site you may recall that this blog started after our first long motorcycle trip was drastically shorten due to our best dog, Hero, was hit by a car on the nearby highway. It was a Wednesday, four days from departure Day of Saturday. We ended up going to Atlanta to visit my sister and family instead of the Great West. It was a good trip and we spent the rest of the month helping Hero mend.

Well, Hero is fine, and no other dogs were used in this experience, but the bike is not running. The 40-something year old bike is fine except for the ignition system which is a 'new' electronic system. I have not yet determined the cause and solution, so it may be a wire I didn't fasten securely when I rewired a major portion a month or so ago, but we will soon know the cause.

It seems that I may be programmed for last minute failures. I am OK with that as the failure always results in some high quality relational activity. Oh, and my third HTC Desire cell phone went belly up during this weekend as well - another technology failure. The carrier chose to send me a better phone, more about that when it comes...

In this case the failure occurred on the way to teach a MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) class in Tazewell County, Virginia. Thirty miles from the college the bike just quit. As I thought about the probable failure scenarios, a car pulled over and a guy jumped out who said "Hi Ron, remember me?"

I did not, but it was Scott, a student in a class five years ago. And he was an off-duty deputy sheriff. He helped me push the bike up a driveway to a safe spot near an industrial building, then called to see if an on-duty deputy could give me a ride to class. That worked, and I arrived in style -- in a police car. Had the ignition not failed I'd have missed that adventure!

A student in the class offered to drop me off and pick me up at the motel and to take me to the bike on Saturday evening after class to try and fix it. We were unable to make on-site repairs to get it running, so my wife drove up on Sunday and along with the MSF coordinator, we got the bike on my until then unused trailer. It is home now and I am working on it. I have all the parts because a good friend just bought the same electrical kit and offered to let me use the parts to determine what it needs to run again.

I am still planning the whole trip, but it somewhat depends on how the ignition system repairs go. There might be a delay in getting on the road, and I may, as a last resort, take another bike.

PLEASE: Don't forget to click on the 'subscribe' link at the top left to get notified of blogs as I publish them and also take a look at the Not Alone website to see how you can be part of the solution as you follow me down the road!

LESSON LEARNED:

Breath deeply and think.
Give God a chance to work it out.
Realize that the people who intervene are vital to your time on Earth.
Be thankful that no dogs were injured in the process.

Ten days to go, and counting!

2011-06-21T22:47:00.000-04:00

The bike pictured on the right is purported to be the bike ridden by John and Sylvia Sutherland in the Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance story. It looks just like mine but note that the rider is neither John nor is it me!

A lot of last minute testing of the bike and the rider has been going on. A trip last week to Richmond, Virginia put over 400 miles on the bike and all was well until a few miles from home when the main fuse I added blew because of a chafed wire to a directional signal. I called a good friend who happens to be a ham radio operator as well as the owner of an old BMW like mine and while he was coming up the mountain I figured out the problem and was able to ride home with the lights off, with him following behind in his car.

This resulted in me redoing the wiring on those home made lighting units and putting new bulbs in as well. The fuse box I put in is pretty hard to get to and I have been thinking of relocating it, but that may cause other issues so it will stay put. I might need to take the seat off to see the fuses, but I was able to replace the blown one by feel.

The APRS tracking device that relays my position to the internet via ham radio got a test in my car yesterday. It worked just fine on my commute to work. It is not on the bike yet because I can't decide on a mounting place for the antenna until I figure out how all the gear will be placed. Weight balance on a bike like this is critical. I made a trip to Winston-Salem (about 250 miles) Sunday to visit a relative and my wife who was there helping her out, with all the gear I expect to take. I lashed it down in two different ways to compare comfort and handling and have now figured out where that little antenna can be mounted. That will come in the next few days.

Finally I have ordered new pads for my old Aerostich suit, new float needles and gasket kits for the carburetors and I think I'm about ready to travel.

There are several things in the works with Not Alone and I'll tell you about them all as they come about. One thing I will say is that if you'd like to join me on the last day of the ZAMM2011 ride, it is planned for Saturday, July 30 from Winchester, Virginia to Ocean City, Maryland. That ride goes right through Washington DC (US-50 is New York Ave) so let me know and you can join us at any point along the route. I will have a map on-line as the day approaches and we can tweet our progress for you bird lovers out there! You don't have to be on a motorcycle, just come and join the fun.

Days of ZAMM

2011-06-13T05:49:00.002-04:00

I'm not alone on the ride this year!

It is now official. I am asking that the folks that want to make a difference for military families direct contributions to Not Alone. Not Alone provides programs, resources and services to warriors and families impacted by combat stress and PTSD through a confidential and anonymous community. Their vision aligns with my original fund raising idea and after a couple of conversations and many emails with their Executive Director, Mike Jones, and a look at their financials I am proud to recommend them to each of you.

My goal is to raise a dollar a mile for these folks, which means about $7500 total. If more comes in that is OK as well! You can make a difference by clicking on the NotAlone logo which will take you to a special contribution form that will add to the ZAMM2011 ride total. Any amount is acceptable but I have some special days that I'd like to offer to individuals or groups of friends.

These special days are the runs described in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance that I will start riding on or about July 3rd starting at the author's former home in St. Paul. I will be reading the book along with each days travel and I invite you do so too. See the link under 'good reading' on the left for the full text of the book, check it out of the library or buy a used copy on-line. I am sure to make comments about the book along the way, and take pictures where they took pictures to see how the landscape has changed since their trip in 1968, the same year my bike was manufactured.

I am also looking forward to meeting some of the readers of this blog and the Not Alone families who live along the route and in some bigger cities along the way. If you would like to meet up with me please leave a comment on this page or email to zamm2011@gmail.com. I hope that some of these will work out.

These are the mileage figures for each of the ZAMM days:

Day 1: St. Paul, MN to Oakes, ND 324 miles
Day 2: Oakes, ND to Lemmon, SD 258 miles
Day 3: Lemmon, SD to Miles City, MT 191 miles
Day 4: Miles City, MT to Laurel, MT 191 miles
Day 5: Laurel, MT to Gardiner, MT 165 miles
Day 6: Gardiner, MT to Bozeman, MT 85 miles
Day 7: Bozeman, MT to Lolo Pass, ID 255 miles
Day 8: Lolo Pass ID to Brownlee Campground, OR 281 miles
Day 9: Brownlee Campground, OR to Prineville, OR 319 miles
Day 10: Prineville, OR to Grants pass, OR 228 miles
Day 11: Grants Pass, OR to Redwood Valley, CA 321 miles
Day 12: Redwood Valley, CA to San Francisco, CA 177 miles

I may or may not stick to this exact daily ride schedule, but you will be able to follow along on this blog.

Let me know if you pick up one of these days and I'll try and mark them off the list.

I'm ready for the ride! Please join me on-line or in person.

Lesson Learned: When recovering a 40 year old seat, one might not be able to reuse the tiny rusty screws, but I managed to do so by rethreading them.

It worked. Those are 3mm x 0.50 screws.

ZAMM2011 Ride News

2011-06-09T22:33:00.005-04:00

ZAMM2011 Ride Details coming soon!

I have exciting news to share after all this time. I posted last time that I was interested in a way to share this ride experience with military families that are having a tough time. I felt, and still feel, that we can make a difference in the lives of at least a couple of families and I have to say that every single person I have talked to about this has been supportive.

However, the task of identifying the right people to benefit from the fund-and-awareness raising is not easy. Collecting the funds without a 501(c)3 IRS designation is troublesome on many levels. Working with an existing agency is possible, but several I looked at were doing something other than my vision, and I did not feel right about it. And then, just as I decided to abandon the support idea, in the strangest place, Groupon.com, was a mention of an agency that was not known to me and that I never noticed in a Google search.

I spent a few days seeking info on this agency and then contacted them asking someone to call me to discuss my ride idea. They called and all looks good. I am awaiting financials before I reveal the name to you all to consider becoming a part of the solution. Spending some time on their web site as I have done will give you a intimate view of how too many of our military families are doing. It is my plan to meet some of the bike-riding members along the route as well so you may see and hear the stories of meeting interesting new friends this July.

In communications news is a special email address that I will be using on this ride, zamm2011@gmail.com. ZAMM is my shortcut for "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," the book that describes the route of the St. Paul to San Francisco portion of this 7500 mile ride.

The bike has cleaned up electrical system with not one, but three, fuses (original bike had none!) and rear directional signals on the old Craven hard bags. My daughter is a skilled seamstress and she designed and my wife assembled, bag liners for the hard bags to make it easier to load and unload each day. They came out really nice and next time we really know how to make them.

The bike picture at the top of the page is what the bike looked like in it's "Sunday going to meeting" dress-up clothes. I have converted it to working clothes and will post a picture of it in the next post when I get the seat back on. It is kind of like it's 2005 setup but with a dual seat instead of the solo seat and higher handlebars.

I have replaced the front brakes, trued up the front wheel so it is now round and straight and even added a cosmetic touch, stainless steel "hub caps." They make the rest of the bike look a little shabbier, but the wheels look nice.

Fresh grease on the bearings completes that part of the bike. The carburetors got really cleaned and reassembled and after a few test rides are now adjusted pretty well. I have a squeek in the rear springs that I'd like to eliminate as I have no radio to turn up louder, but that is about all. Oh, I have a new seat cover I might as well install as the one on there is nearing 50 years old. My butt is older than that, but I found no new ones for sale on ebay!

I will be posting my estimated arrival dates in the next post. I am looking for affordable (learned that word from my wife) places to sleep, camp or eat, and to enjoy good company at meals so if you want to be a part of this adventure and are near the routes on the map in the last post, let me know at zamm2011@gmail.com.

And finally in a day or so I will be putting up a link that you may use to support the official ride partner. Don't let me be alone on the ride!

Lesson Learned: Often when one gives up their own solution the right solution presents itself. I have learned this one before, but I am forgetful!

Planning is going on...

2011-03-07T22:24:00.006-05:00

The summer 2011 trip has undergone additional planning and a challenging route is under consideration. I have also been getting the bike ready for the trip, so far lacing one new rim with new spokes for the rear wheel, and next getting the front rim, which got new spokes a year ago, trued up by the local dirt bike wizard who did a great job on the first one. I have only ridden the bike 18 miles this year due to foul weather and too many other things (like work) taking up days with perfectly good riding conditions. It ran great for a 42 year old bike!

Another idea is to raise funds for a couple of military families that are living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Inspired by a Tech student that rode across the country on a bicycle and raised a lot of money for MS, I figured that as long as I am riding why not help some folks who have given to protect us all and got more than they bargained for. My current idea is to accept sponsorships at $1 per mile which, if fully subscribed, would bring in over $7000 which I would split between two families. I am counting on military friends to identify the recipients, and would give the funds to them as a Debit Card to be used as they see fit, hopefully on something to benefit the whole family. More details as the plan is finalized. If you know of a family that you think is deserving, please write up a nomination without revealing last names or other identifying details like address and send it along with YOUR contact info to me at bmw@goodhousing.net. No promises on this, but you might make someones day in July.

Click on the map above to see a bigger image. The westbound part follows Bob Pirsig's trip detailed in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance from St Paul, MN to San Francisco, CA with a detour to visit friends in eastern Oregon. The Eastbound route follows US-50 coast to coast ending in Annapolis MD, or if I can stand it, all the way to Ocean City, MD. I will be blogging and if you want you can follow along by reading the book as I relive it. I'll post page numbers for each days travel and I may offer a T shirt that I designed for the trip as well.

And note that the book is NOT about Zen or Motorcycle Maintenance.

There will be a party on the East Coast if I make it! You are invited, stand by for details.

Summer trip planning II

2011-01-17T18:41:00.007-05:00

Since my last post a lot of map marking, reading and on-line research has scraped the accumulated grime off a trip plan thought of so many years ago I am not sure when it was. In the 1980's I'd guess, I restarted reading Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and again did not get much past North Dakota. This was maybe the third attempt, and right as I found myself reading in 2 or 3 page sessions, approaching the time to give up again, I conjured the image of reading the book at the very places he was describing in the text. Actually making the trip that he made in 1968, part of which was with friends riding the same bike I will be riding, a BMW R60. At that time I knew not if the trip details in the book were fiction or fact. On one level it did not matter.

Looking at the states I needed to traverse to get to my goal, a route emerged that brought Pirsig's journey to mind. So a few keystrokes and clicks later and I had a map of his trip, worked out by Pirsig Pilgrims who precede me along the way. I learned that people have earned PhD paper and that there are conferences on one of this book's real messages: the Metaphysics of Quality.

Anyway, Beaverton is not on his route so I'll have to ride a few extra miles. And then there is the return trip. I now plan to ride another bucket-list road: US 50 from San Francisco to Annapolis. A book called Road Trip USA by Jamie Jensen gives details of the good stuff along US 50 called the "Loneliest Road" in the country. Looks like some very nice scenery out west. I hope the gas stations are not too far apart for my little tank. Looks like 7000 miles plus. Maybe too many miles, we'll see.

So on the bike front, I am lacing new rims I've had on the shelf for many years to the hubs and getting them trued up by a professional wheel tweaker, re-lining the brakes, ordering new tires, greasing everything that is supposed to be slippery and wiping off everything that ain't.

I'm mounting my old Craven bags because they hold lots more than the cool Enduro bags now mounted and they have a luggage rack to strap down tent, sleeping bag and the like. Maybe I'm even going to install the dual seat rather than my very tired solo seat so that I can slide back and stretch the legs over the many miles.

I will be running an APRS tracker on this trip so where there is a ham able to capture my signal and relay it to the internet, you will be able to follow my progress. With my new cell phone I should be able to post photos as well. It will be a great to have you along on this hot, cold, dry and wet ride!

Summer Trip Planning has begun!

2011-01-03T11:56:00.005-05:00

I recently posted a version of this to the "Slash 2 list" read and populated by other people who ride and love these old bikes. I got a lot of good ideas and some offers to meet the people whose words have informed my riding experience for ten years or more. I now open it up to you to make suggestions, but I'll take a few off the table to avoid both of you typing the same thing:

0- I will be careful, but not full of cares.

1- I don't choose to ride interstate highways, but sometimes they are good.

2- I know that the mid-west holds less charm for motorcyclists then the Mountains on either side of it, and I know it is hot there in July. But for me it is mind over matter and having traversed at least part of the mid-west each July for some years, I can say with some confidence that I will survive it again.

3- I do take my time and smell the roses - that is what the trip is all about. I do not plan the details, only a loose list of places to try and visit. If I don't make it, there is usually next year.

Speaking of next year, Ann and I are getting pretty serious about the "Ride your bike to France" trip. Maybe on a modern bike. That trip is actually more miles than Oregon, and a lot of water crossings.

So here is the original post (with minor edits and a photo of the old R60):

I have friends in Beaverton Oregon that are expecting a baby in mid-July so I am looking at riding my old R60 out there, going west on the northern route via WV, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and finally Oregon.

I guess I'll go to the coast while I am close, and return by the southern route via Dodge City to see Jim and his sweet wife. Maybe he will give me a ride in the MG.

So at this point having never traveled the good roads in the Iowa -> Oregon stretch on an old bike, I am open for suggested routes, cool things to stop and do, good local food, camping, etc. Any of you along the way that like to host crazy solo riders, let me know. I'd love to meet more of the list contributors.

View July 2011 draft map in a larger map

Since it is winter and snow is all around ...

2010-12-31T09:55:00.008-05:00

Since it is winter and snow is all around an old mans thoughts turn to food. Good friend and master story-teller Charles Lytton has learned how to write as well and his first story book (as far as I know) New River: bonnets, apple butter and moonshine is available to folks all over via Amazon. Ann and I bought ours at a local Italian restaurant, but I see them for sale at the bank (likely they are trying to get money from him!) and other places around our small town.

Those that follow our facebook page know that I have been getting up at an early hour and trying to make 'cat headed' biscuits from his book. The first time we were missing three of the ingedients, then we got buttermilk, but forgot cream of tarter. This third try we had all the ingredients and the sun was up. Don't know which contributed more to the success, but they came out really good.

Now, I'll give fair warning to our vegetarian friends, you will not eat anything described in this book, but you may smile along with the omnivors at the stories about life in the era when Charles grew up in rural Southwest Virginia. I have had the privilege of hearing Charles tell stories in person so it is easy to imagine his voice telling the stories, but the reviews I read on Amazon tell me that others have enjoyed them as well.

So, this is a good read, and if you come to our house we will make you some cat headed biscuits and maybe even pass by Charles' house to enjoy a story or two.

Have you heard the one about the boy that lived in the house beside the lake that .....?

A non-stop travel year, and now for a rest!

2010-12-14T17:59:00.035-05:00

Our Grandson Dean was born in February in Baton Rouge. I spent a few days with Jack , Erica, Kent and Dean. Kent and I checked out Mike the Tiger on campus at LSU, and spent the better part of a morning at “Jumping Tigers”, an indoor playground of inflatable toys-boats, trains and slides.

This is Erica, Dean and Kent all working on a special sweater project for a new little friend of the family. And to the right, Jack and Kent and Dean are reading about “Hot Air Henry”.

In April we joined Ron’s sister Lisa and her husband Joel in Chicago for two incredible nights of music, one with Yo-Yo Ma and one with "The Dude" Gustavo Dudamel. We stayed at the historic Palmer House hotel, took the river tour, and enjoyed Millennial Park and every minute of our visit.

We purchased Ron’s 1990 325ic from Johnson Chevrolet in the “coal fields” of Southwest Virginia in November of 2009. We took it out after the long winter, top down, to attend the Vintage at the Vineyards BMW rally in late April. It was fun to see several hundred older BMWs in one place.

Anilia, our daughter, and her son Emerson came to Newport in May and spent a few days with us. While here with Emerson, I hatched a plan to travel by car to Tulsa with Kent, to fulfill Ron's goal to get our great grandkids together with their great grandparents.

In July , while I went back to work and planned, Ron headed out on his 7^th year at the Vintage Motorcycle Days in Mid-Ohio on the 1968 R60. He visited friends in Virginia and Maryland coastal communities on his way to Ohio. Later in the month he traveled in the BMW 325ic car to Louisiana via Oxford and Clarksdale, MS to see Jack, Erica, Kent and Dean, and traveled with Erica's friend Alice taking pictures of the areas reported to be effected by the oil spill.

The Great Grand Plan fulfilled-

As soon as my classes finished in August, I drove down to Louisiana, picked up Kent and drove to Tulsa. Kent was a great traveler. And our first day in Tulsa, he followed his Uncle Tom around the pool as Uncle Tom installed an Arizona style cooling system on the pool. (which I must say worked really well.)

We flew Jack, Erica, Dean, Anilia, John and Emerson into Tulsa to meet at my younger sister’s Aunt Patty and Uncle Tom’s home. My youngest sister Susan and her husband Bill brought their son and daughter-in-law Tyson and Brichelle and two grand daughters, Tagen and Talyn. Lots of great-grands were present and accounted for!

Patty and Tom were new grandparents by then Brian and Rachel had a baby boy, Dane. Mom and Dad came down from Kansas to meet all their great grandchildren. Ron flew out and drove home with me, we sent Kent home on the plane with his folks. We had a grand old time.

Patty sent me home with the 1959 aluminum Christmas tree, that we found in Mom and Dad’s outbuildings a year ago in October. Here is is with a green tree in the living room.

John, Anilia, and Emerson. E is one year old in this picture. A few weeks later when he came to visit us he was walking…

Kent and Mike the Tiger in Texarkana

Brichelle (in the pool), Tayln and Tyson.

Ah September finally arrives !

In September, we hosted the “BackYard Stone Carver’s” three day carving event. To get ready we cleaned out the garage, moved the big wok away from the house, painted the back deck, and cleaned the house- Ron said it was “like cleaning the house on steroids”. Certainly we would not have accomplished what we did without the help of the stone carvers. Thank you to all who helped…

Terry, Estill, Jennifer, and Ron moved "The Wok,"the back end of cement mixer 40 feet in order to make room for the tented area for the carvers.

The class taught by Bob Lockhart, an internationally famous sculptor working in stone, wood, and bronze castings. We had about 12 local carvers, plus 5 students. Ron videotaped and hosted so that I was able to carve also…what a feast of activity and wealth of knowledge I gained this year. And the weather cooperated for the most part as we worked outside under tents with some in the garage.. Ron says that this is the big event of his year. Thanks to Ron for making it happen. To the right is my product from the workshop the cap is dendritic stone, and the coil and base are Brazilian soapstone.

Utah Alabaster Free Form directed by Bob Lockhart

And now dust ourselves off and get back to Oklahoma ....

Tom, Patty, Michelle, Zack, Rachel, Brian and Dane.

In October, I returned to Tulsa for Patty's daughters wedding. Michelle and her husband Zach had a lovely event and my sister’s and I had the pleasure of helping Patty and Michelle decorate the reception hall. In addition my oldest sister Peggy and her daughter Amy were able to join the family in celebrating as well as Susan and her husband Bill. We giggled and had a terrific time.

Back at work I accepted the Planning Director position which means I am working full time now. But while I have taken on new responsibilities I have been able to order my time so that I spend one evening a week, about three hours at a time, carving at Estill’s studio with Estill and Jennifer. I have learned a lot in the few week I have been able to spend working with these gifted women.

We did make it to Atlanta for Thanksgiving and spent the weekend with Joel and Lisa there, Grandma Leonore, and as always had a wonderful time with family…

We will be home for Christmas this year, Emerson helped me put up the aluminum tree. We are wishing you and yours a Blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Ann, Ron, Hero, Little Girl and Happi