The Wandering Tourist - Life Voyages -

Dallas again.

2008-07-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

It seems my review of Dallas seemed a bit harsh to some people. Obviously these are the people who think Dallas is the epitome of civilization. Allow me to state my position.

We lived in the Dallas suburbs (Irving) when I was a high school freshman. Dallas and its environs had potential, growth, opportunity, and even a mystique about it. The magic went on for 40 years and I kept returning to Dallas as my center in between coasts.

But over time, the metropolitan cities along with Dallas have succeeded in turning the entire area into:

Los Angeles

Not Newport Beach. Not Hollywood. Not even Long Beach. Just Los Angeles.

99.9% of the people I know there are wonderful. I have no complaints about Dallas' basic humanity. I just don't like 'the place'. I feel like I'm visiting an empty warehouse.

So for those of you who took umbrage at my being "over it", get over it. You live in a place that might be perfect for you, but it doesn't suit me any more.

Some cleanup and perspective

2008-06-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

First, let's get the trip's only problem out of the way. If you know me, you'll understand how difficult this is for me to admit. I had a failure of a system I installed. This is a bad bad bad thing in my book. Bad.

The issue was/is that the cruise control and GPS circuit tended to die at any ambient temperature over 96 degrees. Hard to trace on the road, so I just didn't worry about it much. Every time it happened, I just operated the bike in analog mode instead of 'set and forget' digital mode. In other words, I had to ride the motorcycle sometimes instead of pushing the buttons and sitting there for the ride.

Maybe I oversimplify. Hopefully most motorcyclists will understand.

Regardless, this created a seperate minor issue. The GPS trip data is wrong. When the GPS shuts off at point A, and resumes some hours later at point B, it extrapolates a straight line distance that eliminates the curves and roadway that got you there. I'm saying LOTS of mileage was left out, so I did it the old fashioned analog way. I looked at some of those gratuitous data shots I took and did simple math. The actual trip, by the FJR's odometer, was just 1.5 miles short of 5000. Yeah, 4998.5. I'm calling it 5K total. Whatever, it's just a number but 5K is just easier to explain when I'm telling stories.

I gotta rewire the source of that circuit.

OK, now here's the story of Simon and Lisa from 2ridetheworld.com.

On Thursday, June 5th, 2008, I looked into my crystal ball (the internet) and made a bad decision. I thought it would warm up. So I removed the thermal liner from my suit and headed south toward my presumed sunshine and 80F temperatures.

Never happened. So early in the afternoon, about 2pm, I realized I probably shouldn't continue to lose body heat for much longer. I found a hotel, a cheap joint. They wouldn't rent me a place for just 2 hours, so I rented the room until the next morning for $75. The money wouldn't kill me. The heat loss could.

My intention was to insert my liner, put on a set of thermies, and reheat the extremities. Maybe clean up a little bit. So I did. I got everything done in just about an hour and a half then returned to the bike to reload and move along. 75 bucks just saved my brisket and I was ready for the next step down the road.

So I went out the door with my load(s) of tikitaki and started to strap down. From the adjacent hotel, I heard a pair of DP bikes start and make the the short run between the parking lots.

A big BMW DP roared up toward me. It was obvious this thing had been everywhere. While still rolling, the rider opened his flip-face helmet and asked "'scuse me mate, but what's the rate here?"

Opportunity knocked for both of us. I explained what I'd just done with the hotel room. I explained they could have my room until morning for $50 cash. He was happy. I was happy. It was wierd. Anyway, we talked a bit. They did a little video. (No, it's not on the site. Not important.) They were doing a midway stop while en-route to a presentation they were giving in Denver. Lisa was tired, having recently had some core surgery. She's a tough and dedicated lady, believe me.

Simon and Lisa have been on the road on two wheels for the last 5.5 years. http://www.2ridetheworld.com/

Things like this only happen to motorcyclists. Maybe it's because motorcyclists are the only ones who do it.

Flagstaff and beyond.

2008-06-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

I'm home. 4663.6 miles by the GPS. A million miles on my ass. A billion miles on the brain.

Solitude and odd publicity. No one to talk to for hours but lots of interaction in the doldrums.

It’s amazing to me that a simple set of tiger ears and tail can have such a huge impact on others. Women and children speak to you spontaneously at fuel and rest stops. Younger guys just walk by trying to suppress their grins. Older guys just start talking. Hundreds of pictures, and I mean that quite literally, were taken of me from cars. Sometimes it got stupid. Those are other stories.

I pulled in for fuel and food in Beaver, CO. Fuel, park, go get some grub. Next thing I knew, the FJR was surrounded by brand new Harleys. Turned out they were a tour group from Germany. They had a minivan following them. The only thing they needed to carry was a fresh do-rag. Interesting concept – Fly from Germany. Load your stuff in our van, then ride around the 100F dessert. Hopefully they got some mountain time too. Beaver, CO isn’t the rider capital of the world. They asked about the ears.

It was in Beaver that I met Ann. She fell for the ears. Ann is in her 70s by my guess. She’s actually a Katrina displacee who’s living with her daughter in Beaver. Ann is one of those pleasant, talkative, intelligent women who believes there’s something good and interesting in everyone. She’s the one who found out the details on the tourists. She advocated helmet use. She bemoaned the recent (helmetless) loss of a relative down in the Carolinas. Ann is nice…. Cool in fact….. I wish her well in her new situation. She seems quite happy.

The last legs of this trip have been visually quite distinct. It’s amazing you can have such altitude without features. I often traveled at over 5000 feet without a reasonable feature on the horizon. Northern CO, southern ID, NE Oregon, southcentral Washington make west Texas seem exciting.

Oh, a little thing about northern Arizona. I got another performance award. The page is numbered above 501 million. Yeah, 501 million in Arizona alone.

How in heck do you make a state highway pass thru miles and miles of miles and miles and set the speed limit at 65 mph? I knew I was pulling up on a squad car from miles away. Yeah, miles. He turned on the lights and I just pulled in front of him. What kind of job is that? How much job satisfaction can you get from sitting in the desert waiting for the next set of numbers to pass by?

Apparently the job is to pull people over, see if they’re Kosher, write a warning citation, and then wait for the next prairie dog to pop his head out the hole. Whack-a-mole. 73 in a 65. The citation shows 65+ in a 65. No fine, no court, no use.

Wanna know how silly it was? Arizona is an “open carry” state. My gun was sitting in full sight in the clear case on top of the tank. He never asked me to separate myself from the weapon or show my face. I never took my helmet off. I never lifted the dark shield above an inch of venting. All he saw was perfect paperwork, a gun, and some tiger ears. There was never a visual ID.

He seemed a nice guy. He spoke in a manner I’d call “police book professional”. His statements were factual. But I genuinely fear for his safety. Really. Do the visual. Someday he’s not gonna be talking to tiger ears. Somebody is gonna knock him down. Somebody is gonna hurt him. It was sad. I thought I was getting a smog inspection or an oil change.

I had lots of interesting experiences on this trip, but this was bizarre.

For the record, I reportedly broke the law in Oregon too. I pumped my own fuel. Believe it or not, this is a major offense. Police supposedly watch gas stations more often than they sit out waiting for prairie dogs. It's freaking stupid and I'm such a hooligan.

Close to the location of my "Arizona offense".

I don't know why the camera didn't pick up any shots of my return into western Washington. It's beautiful green country. The temps were in the 60s and it wasn't raining over Snoqualmie pass. Beauty and pleasantries for the last 90 minutes home. Ultimately the camera failure was my fault. May be I want to remember it as it appeared in my head instead of how it appeared in reality. Who knows.

But I'm home now.

Mileage is the mission

2008-06-16T23:07:00.000-07:00

I hadda string a pair of seven hundred mile days after Flagstaff. Well, I got my first one. Tomorrow will only be about 600-650 miles. Temps a are cooling and the going is easier. Pics and story as soon as I get home.

On Wednesday they'll do a bunch of blood tests before they fill me with glue. Betcha I fail the tests. I think I'm too anemic.... we'll see.

Batman returns

2008-06-16T05:14:00.000-07:00

It's 5:15 am. Batman returns. I'm packing, loading, eating, going.

New route

2008-06-15T23:20:00.000-07:00

The new route out of Flagstaff, AZ is US 89 North to merge with 1-15.

I need two consecutive 700 mile days. I intend to stop somewhere beyond Twin Falls, Idaho tomorrow.

Dexamethasone in at 11:20 pm. Going to bed now.

Flagstaff, Arizona

2008-06-15T22:27:00.000-07:00

I'm in Flagstaff, Arizona. It's not very far from Phoenix if you check the map.

Truth is, I had to crash. Physically crash. Chemo crash. I was going down hard and fast.

I pulled into a hotel room at 1:30. I turned the A/C to "Siberia" and I slept while my system rehydrated. I'll do my steroids in a couple of hours and get my system reactivated for tomorrow early.

For some reason, I've always liked Flagstaff as a landing zone. Dunno why. It's just a decent little place in the mountains. 7000 feet of altitude. Pine trees. Clear skies. Nice temperatures.

Flagstaff area.

The reason for Phoenix.

2008-06-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen John and Lori for decades. Literally decades. John is my mom's oldest brother. We needed to connect at this juncture. The time-space continuum said it was time to bounce our molecules off one another now. We did. Lots and lots of words could have been used and were. Family. Europe. Commonality and history. Distance and time. Sadness. Happiness. Futures. Pasts.

It was right for us. They're good people. Good in the absolute sense. Just good. John and Lori are as lucky and happy as Ed and I. As lucky and happy as Rick and Gary. I'm incredibly pleased for them. Really.

Actual trip report stuff.

2008-06-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

I left Dallas on Friday morning sorta early. My brother Rick and his hubby Gary saw me off kinda. Coffee and well wishes lasted lots of miles.

Since I was headed west and hadn't seen my bud Brad, I took the offramp to his office and we did a little brekkies at Whataburger. It was good seeing him. I genuinely hope he continues to spread his contagious good nature around. If you Wiki "nice guy", Brad's picture appears.

In fact, here's his Wiki pic standing next to some Kaczynski looking fool.

And then...... and then...... west Texas. The thrill, the distance, the dullness, the heat. On and on into Las Cruces, New Mexico. Very late arrival. Very early start in the morning.

Just west of Ft. Worth, TX. The beginning of a LONG day.

The middle of the long day.

Can you see the excitement in my eyes?

Finally some visible geology on I-10 south of the New Mexico border.

Still an hour and a half from El Paso, TX.

Las Cruces, New Mexico to Phoenix, Arizona. Jeepers was it HOT. I left Las Cruces pretty early in the morning and thought it was wonderful when the temps were at 86F. Speed and temps came close to matching for a while.

My cruise control was set a little faster than his.

Perspective of the west. How did the settlers see this? No roads, no water, just vast expanses. Day after day after day after day after day........

I've been told the average wagon train could do 20 miles a day. I hurtle along at almost 40 times their speed and complain. There are many different perspectives. Look into the future in one pic. Look into the past in another. Where am I besides here?

Phoenix bound.....

If you've ever been west, you know this. It's been an icon for more than 50 years.

Stunning Yucca plant at the side of the highway. Anyone have a guess how old something this tall must be? Would a century be out of place?

Rocks. Lotsa rocks.

The update

2008-06-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

This might be a little sloppy. Using a strange laptop and I took my sleepy time pill.

Got a phone call from the SCCA allo team with a schedule. Looks like August 4 is when they'll drop the bomb.

3 weeks prior to that is when they prep me for the fall. Point being, after August 4 I'll be a boy with no immune system and no energy. Life will suck for a while.

But Ed will be stuck in Canada because he'll have no valid US visa. Yeah, that sucks because I'll be dying on one side of the border and he won't be able to cross.

Yeah, we're doing paperwork about that right now, but in the mean time, we're calling on all of our connections, friends, volunteers to do what they can.

We're not worried. We have PEOPLE. Good people who will contribute what they can simply because they're our people.

No, I'm not talking about money or food. I'm talkin' about the kinda folk that come over and wipe your face and drive you to the hospital. We have those people and I really consider us lucky. Our friends are the best.

Yeah, this is sloppy/rambly. I hope you get the point. If you're gonna volunteer to look in on a crotchety old grouch, just let us know.

Quick update. Will backfill soon.

2008-06-14T22:09:00.000-07:00

West Texas into Las Cruces, New Mexico very late. No blogging, no contact.
Up early in Las Cruces to Phoenix with family. 109F and the F doesn't stand for Fahrenheit. I thought I was gonna melt.

Will blog/pic/post maybe tomorrow as I head north to Flagstaff.

Side note: I've lost 14 pounds in the last 9 days.

The Wednesday report

2008-06-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

I put Ed on an airplane back to Seattle this morning. We had an eventful and fun time here together. Visiting friends, seeing people, updating lives. It's been good. We have lots and lots of friends here. I missed them before we arrived. I'll miss them after we leave.

Friday morning is departure time for me. Saddle up and ride, cowboy, into the west.

Oh, people have asked about the mileage so far. The GPS shows just over 2300 so far. The route back will probably be 2500.

Dallas.

2008-06-08T21:47:00.001-07:00

Ed and I have been back in Dallas for a couple of days now. Recognize that his is where I grew up. Recognize this is where Ed got his first few years of US experience. It is where he and I bonded. It is our history collectively and individually.

I guess it's time for a re-evaluation.

I miss the people. I miss some of the activities we had. That's all. I don't miss the place. Dallas is featureless on almost every level - geographically, culturally, experiencially. I'm over it.

The last day into Dallas.

2008-06-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

Most of the good pics are already up. My last day made the long run into Dallas from Colorado City, CO. Scenery? Not much. Fun? None. Heat. Boredom. Winds. 100F in the Texas panhandle. Strong winds can be seen in the last photos. Yes, I was riding in a straight line. There's no wonder why this kind of trip is intimidating for newer folk. There's no wonder why few are prone to try. It's not "fun" when you get to this part of the journey.

When I arrived in Dallas, I was SPENT. Gone, done, finito'. I'm just getting back to the land of the non-zombie some 20 hours later. Thankfully Ed landed in DFW today. I feel so much better with him here.

Very weird day.

2008-06-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

I't roughly 11:30 pm in Colorado City, CO (Hayes?). I'm tired and have been travelling for about 13 hours. I'll blog a bunch more tomorrow.

Couple of high points. Nice Wyoming State officer gave me a performance award for speed. Blue paper, no signature, no fine, no dates, no contact locations. Asked lots of friendly questions.... legitimately friendly, not the fishing kind..... He actually liked the tiger ears.

About an hour before that, I met Simon and Lisa of http://www.2ridetheworld.com

I'll tell the story later. Coincidence is a strange thing.

What a day!

2008-06-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

The simple story. Words and pictures.

I entered Yellowstone National Park at the north entrance. There were bison within the first mile. Then it rained. Then it snowed. Then it hailed. Then the sun shone and I went to go see Old Faithful. It was.

Since I wanted to see the whole park, I elected to go back north to my original entrance and take the other side of the loop back down to the east. Some time into the voyage, I was reminded of the hail, the snow, and the rain. The temperature was 34F so I turned around again and went beyond Old Faithful on the western side of the loop. Temps rose into the 40's.

I saw moose, elk being stalked by wolves, lots of interesting birds, and the aforementioned bison. I also saw some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet.

Spectacular is an overused term..... but today was truly spectacular in every sense. How many places are there in the world where you can cross the continental divide 3 times and the 45th parallel in the same day while seeing wildlife and majesty?

I'm in Jackson Hole, WY right now.

Old tourists:

Old snoozy:

Old Faithful:

A few things.

2008-06-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

1) I hate Ed's Panasonic Lumix camera for this type of work. Too small to operate with gloved hands and the exposure setting - viewing screen aren't fast enough for shooting pics at 85 mph with your free hand. Of course, my full sized Canon wouldn't work either for this kinda shot.....

2) This trip would be a lot easier and lighter if I wasn't playing transport for 50# of medical supplies, climatic clothes changes, and the heavy steel things I'm giving to my brother.

3) The CamelBak hydration kit has been a wonder, as usual.

4) The odd little tank bag thing I built works pretty well, but the upper Pelican case is difficult to open while I'm flyin' down the freeway. That's even if I use both hands.

5) Tiger ears make people talk to you.

Idaho panhandle to BooBoo Bear.

2008-06-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Another short day. Idaho panhandle to Yellowstone National Park. I'm not in the park quite yet. I'm in Gardiner, MT. The google map for this place is bigger than the place!

When I was in WA yesterday, I stopped at a rest area and said a brief hello to a bunch of guys with MCs. Two were riding, Three were in a small pickup with a pair of cruisers in the back. The pickup probably handled REALLY badly because it was dragging ass down the freeway. The two riders were older. One on an early 70s R75 and the other on a CX500 (of whatever year you choose).

Guess who I ran into today at a rest stop in MT? Yup, all of them. We chatted bikes for a while. Seems like a couple of them are retired now and getting back into the "fun" thing (their words). I hope they do well. I gave them my card. We'll see if they contact me.

Speeds were interesting today. MT has a posted 75 mph limit so I ran 84 on gps most of the day. That got a little interesting in the eastern Idaho and western MT mountains where the trucks were doing 25 uphill in the curves. I hadda bend it like Beckham a couple of times, but nothing truly scary.

Here are today's pics with commentary:

This guy keeps his trailer shiny.

Gratuitous data shot.

Into western Montana

Over the shoulder into eastern Idaho

More western Montana on I-90

And the run-up to Yellowstone. About 30 miles from the north entrance.

Finally doing it.

2008-06-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

After all the planning, I'm finally doing it.

I left the house at about 9:35 this morning (according to Ed). Here are a few shots from my departure and the excitement of eastern Washington. (Washington is called the Evergreen State, but Ed and I nicknamed it the "mostly brown" state when we went to Banff last weekend)

360 miles to Wallace, Idaho. That's where I expected to ride to on my first day. I got slightly sore, but when I took my full dose of steroids this morning I knew it wouldn't be too bad. Travel time was only about 6.5 hours. I really didn't want to overdo it and run myself flat. Tomorrow is about the same length day.

Eastern Washington.

Going Home, Day 5

2008-05-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 17 - 450 miles.

Ontario, OR to Seattle, WA

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Going Home, Day 4

2008-05-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 16 - 512 miles

Scipio, UT to Ontario, OR

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Going Home, Day 3

2008-05-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 15, 2008 - 639 miles.

Surprise, AZ to Scipio, UT
(Via Flagstaff and Page, AZ)

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Going Home, Day 2

2008-05-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 14, 2008 - 416 miles.

Las Cruces, NM to Surprise, AZ (Phoenix).

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Going home, Day 1

2008-05-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 13, 2008 - 680 miles.

Dallas to Las Cruces, NM. A ten hour day.

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Return from Dallas

2008-04-13T16:46:00.001-07:00

I've been invited to visit my uncle John and his wife Lori in Surprise, Arizona. I haven't seen either of them since I was in high school so it'll be interesting to reconnect. They're good folks.

Days Six through Eleven

2008-04-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 7 - Thursday, June 12

Ed will arrive by plane on Saturday morning. We'll spend the weekend in Dallas and then he'll fly back to Seattle on Wednesday the 11th. We'll visit my family and the friends we have in commmon while we're both in town together.

After I put Ed back on a plane, I'll spend another day in Dallas with my brother and my peeps.

I'll have about 2800 miles so far, which will put me at 3500 miles total on the tires. I'll probably need to change the rear in Dallas while I'm there. I doubt it'll make it back another 2100 miles to Seattle. We'll see.

Day Five - Colorado City, CO to Dallas, TX

2008-04-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 6, 2008 - 663 miles

Another hauling day. Colorado City, CO to Dallas, TX. I should arrive in Dallas on Friday evening.

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Day Four - Jackson, WY to Colorado City, CO

2008-04-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 5, 2008 - 669 miles

This is where I've got to start hauling the mail. Mileage becomes important in the midwest if I'm going to be in Dallas on time.

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Day Three - Gardiner, MT to Jackson, WY through Yellowstone

2008-04-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - 160 miles

I'll spend the day roaming through and photographing Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

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Day Two - Wallace, ID to Gardiner, MT

2008-04-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - 395 miles

Wallace, ID to Gardiner, WY. This puts me very near the north entrance to Yellowstone.

Sometimes Google Maps doesn't generate the HTML code for these maps correctly. If you want to see the route, click on "Larger Map" and then scroll around.

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Day One - Seattle to somewhere east of Coeur D'Alene, ID

2008-04-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 2, 2008. - 368 miles

I'll leave the house in Seattle and stop somewhere east of Coeur D'Alene, ID. For reference purposes, I've chosen Wallace, ID as a marker.

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RESET

2008-04-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

If you visited here before today, you might remember a course that began in Seattle, stopped in Banff, then proceded thru Glacier, Yellowstone, and Teton National Parks.

This is a reset / reschedule / reorganization posting.

See, the weather is going to be painfully cold and wet in Banff. Glacier National Park won't be open until a week after I want to pass thru it. There is no advantage to restarting my trip after my friends' wedding in Banff.

So what we're gonna do is drive the car from Seattle to Banff on Friday, May 30. We'll attend the wedding on May 31. We'll drive home on Sunday, June 1. I'll leave from Seattle to do my trip on Monday, June 2.

I'll reorganize the route and stopping points in subsequent blog entries. Lots of this will be highway because I'm shortening the trip by one day, but I've scheduled one whole day in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Yes, I know I could spend a week there.

Early June weather

2008-04-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some research. The roads inside Glacier National Park won't be open to traffic until June 13, nearly two weeks after I'd be in the area. Yellowstone will only have been open about 3 weeks when I arrive.

At this point, I'm going to play it by ear. Flexibility is going to be important because the weather is too iffy in early June.

Packing logistics

2008-03-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

The FJR has saddle bags. I haven't put a topcase on it and I'm not gonna. I doubt it would solve my little problem.

See, I have a central line (coronary catheter). It's supposed to be maintained daily. I just packed up the supplies I'd use for the nine day trip and HOLY MOLEY, they take up about as much room as 6 pairs of jeans! If I cheat and only maintain the line every other day, there's still a heck of a lot of space lost to medical disposables.

I also have to think hard about how to transport the laptop and the camera. All this before I start thinking about the different layers of clothes I'll need for the changing latitudes and altitudes.

The device

2008-02-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

This trip will be undertaken aboard a 2006 Yamaha FJR 1300. My particular FJR has been outfitted with heated hand grips, hand guards, automotive style cruise control, controls for electrically heated clothing, Quest 2 GPS, iPod Shuffle, and various accessory electrical connections.

Click on the pics to make them larger.

This is the basic motorcycle.

This is the way I have it configured for my convenience.

Opening credits

2008-02-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

This blog concerns itself with the motorcycle travels of one man.

My first documented trip will begin in either Seattle, Washington or Vancouver, BC, Canada. The eventual destination is Dallas, Texas, but it may continue from there. Planned starting date is May 30, 2008.

Details of the path and timing will be settled here first. The actual trip will be documented as it happens.