ALL MY BAGS ARE PACKED; I'M READY TO GO

Breakfast with the "Geezer Gang" and a short ride to check out a new piece of equipment.  I installed my "pulsing" brake lights today and they work great.  I like the feature of them flashing 3 times before coming on steady.  It really alerts the drivers behind you and that is important around here with all the "idiots" in their SUV's

Packing is just about complete and only a few articles to add in the morning after I get cleaned up.  Let's Ride

Not to be outdone by Don, my bike is now washed, waxed and on the battery tender until time to depart at 0600 EDT on Wednesday.

Those Left Behind

In all our preparations, purchases, packing, time off requests and such, we can never prepare enough for those furry friends we leave behinds.  This is Minnie (pooch), Bobalou (kitty) and Bella (another kitty who you can't see as she is hiding upstairs). You would think we were leaving for a decade with all the preparations we have made for these guys (food, sitters, multiple page instruction guide, etc.) but only because we want the best for them.   But even as much as we love these guys, give me until 10am on Thursday and I'm sure I will have nothing but the open road on my mind, the smell of road kill in my nose and roughly 20 perfectly placed bugs nestled on my windshield along for the ride "Welcome aboard fellas, the scenery is going to be OUT-standing!!"

I know you can't tell <boing, boing, boing> but I am looking forward to lift off.  The furry friends have someone to care for them, I believe I have all the essentials needed for this trip, bike is maintenanced, I have checked my transmission/bike fluids (hate to put Don through THAT again), camping situation dry run was a success and now it is just few minor things at work to wrap up and than YAHOO - we are off!   

This will be mine and Don's first REAL trip together and I see nothing but fun/good times.  He is such a good guy... he is patient, kind, caring and... he can fix ANYthing!  Good qualities to have along on a motorcycle/camping trip, eh!?!   I am just excited to have additional memories to share, have stories to tell upon our return and continue to add to each others lives.  He is a pleasant (and rare, in my opinion), refreshing find.  I am honored to travel along side him and to be a part of his life. 

So.... wish us well, safe travels and decent weather.  :-)

Bonnie's Test Post

Struggling with the system here a bit.  Let's see if this one goes thru...

Installed this Tour Pack Organizer (actually Pat did it for me).  Let's me put things like my glasses and other important stuff in a safe place.  Also give me more room in the floor of the TourPak for my camping gear. 

One last bath before the road

The bike - not me - you dork!

New blood and primary juice (no lube-free testing of components this time!)

Good to go...

Here's all the roadmap we need.  The clock is ticking.  I'm leaving on Wednesday to head west.  Don and Bonnie are leaving Thursday and heading east.  Brian leaves on Friday, also heading east.  If those "left coasters" can read a map we'll meet up in "The Frozen Tundra"  Temps are predicted to be in the 90's so those Seattle riders will get a chance to "dry out"

Final Countdown.... I hope

And if all goes well, i will be on the road.

The projects are bringing it down to the wire. IT looks like everything is in place and just crossing my fingers that I have not overlooked anything and there are no last minute emergencies to deal complicate things.

I know Doc is heading out Wednesday, and after a wonderful breakfast I am looking forward to next Thursday at the Testy Chef, Don and Bonnie will be on the road as well.  I will be waiting until the end of business east coast time Friday to head out.  And with that will be my first long distance travel solo.  But I believe with everything of late, the 1200 miles of lone time on the road will do the head a good cleansing.

So a few last minute items to take care. Of, and for anyone who listened to last year’s trip, checking the trany fluid is on my list.

So we get ready for the big trip.  You can see from the web cams that Sturgis is also starting to prepare for the mass migration and 24 hour roar of motorcycles.
 
So pack ‘em up and bring it on.  The road is calling, and it’s just about time to answer.

The final countdown has begun.  I've got one more charity ride to participate in on Sunday and then the bike will get washed, waxed and packed for the departure on Wednesday, August 1st.  The route is set, the reservations have been made and the weather looks like it will cooperate.  Long range forecast for Sturgis is for temps in the 90's which is about what you expect for August in the midwest.  Those Seattle guys (and gal) are in for a treat.  Maybe they'll be able to dry out and scrape some of the rust off.
See you in Sturgis.

Counting the days down

On Friday I had the bike in for 20K service and switched over to Synthetic Oil.  I don't know if it's my imagination but the bike seems to ride quieter with synthetic than with dino.  Maybe, just having fresh oil, of any kind, quieted it down.  All I know is that it is running great and I'm ready to leave.  We're down to 16 days before departure and I think I have everything prepared.

Yesterday I got some riding in on the secondary highways around here as part of a Ronald McDonald House Charity Ride.  Got to cruise along at about 60 MPH with my feet up and bagpipe music blaring from the CD player.  I'm looking forward to the corn and bean fields of Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska.  I've got the maps out and will be looking for places where they have Lewis and Clark sites once I get to Nebraska.  Still working on how I want to mount the GoPro camera for taking videos but I'll work on that next weekend. 

Not much left to do now but count the days down.  Been trying to post my route map to the blog but so far no luck; guess that gives me 3 things to do

Work, work, and then, more work....

That pretty much has been my life for the past two months solid.  And, it is not about to change for the next month.  It was a project for work that was putting my trip in jeopardy.  But I am really hoping to have laid that one to rest.  The thought of getting on my bike Friday night on August 3^rd is pretty much what keeps me going through this crazy schedule.  I had two days off in June.  Have not had a day off this month yet.

So, that brings me to just the dream of Sturgis once again. 

There is something about Sturgis that gets in your blood.  It is so much more than just a rally, or the shows that people see on TV.  I can’t tell you how many people have come to me and said, yea, I saw that show.  I wouldn’t be interested.  Well, if you haven’t been, you do not know.  In my opinion, there is nothing like it.  I went for the first time four years ago as one of the good old bucket list items.  Now returning for my third time in four years, safe to say it has become more of a nearly annual pilgrimage.

There is nothing like so many people coming together with a love for the same thing.  Maybe in different ways, or from different backgrounds, or for different reasons.  But, all share that love of the open road, the sun in your hair and the bugs in your teeth.  The love of the incredible and diverse riding that is available when in Sturgis.  National monuments.  Amazing parks, roads, canyons….  It just can not be compared to.

So, I leave you with a picture from Main Street Sturgis, taken today from the web cam.  It looks like any little lonely town on a Sunday night.  But four weeks from tonight, the day I plan to arrive, this street is going to be hopping with a quarter of a million people.  And if you never get the chance, then you will just never really know.  Because it is so much more than anyone could ever tell you.  and if it is not on your bucket list, it should be.

See you on Main street next month…

Made arrangements at my local dealer to get the bike in for an oil change and a complete inspection next Friday.  Then I went for a ride out in the country.  Whew, is it hot.  High 90's as I write this.  About like the temps were coming out of Spokane and riding into what I guess is referred to as the "high desert" out in Washington.  But it was a good ride and I only encountered two idiots who decided that I'm "invisible" and pulled out in front of me completely oblivious of me in that lane.  I guess my headlight and running lights are only visible to the mentally competent.  Still a good ride though and those incidents just serve to sharpen my skills. 

I'm really looking forward to getting west of Chicago and getting on the country roads and exploring my way out to Sturgis.  24 days before it is kickstand up.  It will be great to see Don again, and meeting Bonnie and Brian.  I hope Brian can still make it.