Upcoming Trip - X Country

I haven't posted in quite a while, but I am back now, in the midst of planning another bike trip.  This one is a month long ride from Vermont out to Portland, Oregon by way of a lot of great countryside.  My last post, in which I showed off some Multistrada touring gear was a tip off that something was changing. I converted the Ducati back to its primary role - that being a great sport bike for those who don't like crotch rocket ergonomics.  I still ride that bike around Vermont, including a wonderful two Gap (Brandon and Appalachian) ride to Rochester VT for lunch last weekend.  

But for the x country ride I picked up a lightly used  '09 R1200 RT BMW, with such touring comforts as cruise control, great wind protection, etc etc.  I rode a rented R1200RT for a week in Arizona last October, and it seemed to be just the thing for a 9,000+ mile trip.  I have the trip laid out on a spreadsheet and have planned an approximate route.  I plan to camp about half the nights, and stay in B&B/motels, or with friends and family for the other half.

Basically, I will ride solo to Ketchum, Idaho where I will meet two great friends from b-school, one who lives there, and one who will ride in from Portland to join me for the next leg of the ride.  The route out will avoid the I- 80/90 mess through Ohio- Illinois by going up into Ontario, across to Sault Ste Marie, down through Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Duluth.  From there a sprint across Minnesota and North Dakota,  dropping down to the Black Hills to Buffalo, Wyoming.  

Then, a few days riding the fabled canyon and mountain passes of western Wyoming - Ten Sleep Canyon, over the Bighorn Mts on Rt 14 and 14A, a run up the Chief Joseph Trail to the Beartooth Highway into Montana.  From there I'll make my way over to Ketchum via West Yellowstone.

From Ketchum, Mike and I head north to Glacier Park, then into southern BC and over to the Okanagon Valley, then down through North Cascades National Park, down by Mt Rainier/St Helens into Portland.

I'll get the bike serviced there, rest, then head east through western Idaho over to Lander, Wyoming to visit my daughter, then down to Aspen, Colorado to see my cousin, over to Vail via Independence Pass to see an old friend.  From there it's head east through Rocky Mountain National Park, across the northern Nebraska Sand Hills, back up through Sault Ste. Marie and on home, across Georgian Bay at Tobermory if I have time.

Here's a picture of me and Mike in Arizona last October.

Multistrada Touring Accessories for Sale

Here are photographs of items for sale.

 

Ducati 34 liter panniers with all hardware, 2 keys, instruction booklet and extra "little rubber bumper thingy"; minor scuff on red part and less minor blemish on black underside of one pannier due to dropping bike at 1/2 mph. in sand; used mini blowtorch to smooth out scratch but it is definitely visible if you squat and look at underside of pannier; $650 shipped anywhere in the lower 48.

Ducati 46 liter Topcase with luggage rack, seat back cushion, all hardware, 2 keys; a minor smudge or two but otherwise pristine; luggage rack has the "unloseable" little rubber bumpers  discussed on Multistrada.net.  $550 shipped with in the lower 48 or pick it up in Vermont. 

Airhawk "medium cruiser" (the right size for the Multistrada); $85 shiped anywhere in the lower 48.

Adirondack Ride

Since returning from Natashquan in late June I haven't been riding except for a short jaunt with my wife and another couple one evening. Part of the reason has been the weather, which has been lousy lately with almost continual rain and T-storms. But to be honest, I needed a break from riding after the trip.

Well, for the last few days the forecast has been calling for a break in the weather today, so my riding buddy Brad and I set a tentative plan for a ride: Leave early morning, cross the Champlain Bridge into New York, ride the back roads through the Adirondacks.

I woke up at 5:45Am, with the sun already streaming through the pines and glistening on the water of Lake Champlain. Sky crystal clear, temperature about 55-60, crisp -- a glory day! Met Brad about 7 Am, and we were off, Brad in the lead on his new BMW R1200RT, arguably one of the finest touring bikes out there. Brad is great to ride with - easy going, good sense of humor, and a highly skilled rider. I get better every time I follow him. We head south on familiar roads - the only excitement comes as I ride over the Champlain Bridge and an osprey trying to gain altitude flys over me about 20 feet above, in what seems like slow motion. A National Geographic moment to be sure.

We head north to Port Henry, a sorry old town in a breath taking location on hills overlooking Lake Champlain. We head inland on some backroad twisties - new to me, which rollick over hill and dale for about 40 minutes. We emerge on Route 28N - which is a pretty good road with big sweeper curves. In Newcomb Brad wants to stop for coffee at this old dive.

The coffee is pretty bad, but, in a remarkable coincidence, Brad runs into his Uncle Sam, and they share a few tender moments.

After saying good bye to the old fella, we ride on to Long Lake and Blue Mountain Lake. I regret not wearing my heated jacket, because it is a bit chilly. In Long Lake we stop for some photos and to check out Hoss' General Store.

After a quick ride down to Blue Mountain Lake, it's off to Saranac and a good lunch at the Blue Moon Cafe. After lunch, we continue east through Lake Placid, being careful to avoid the downtown highway repaving project, zip down route 73 past the Winter Olympic venues and through some spectacular terrain to Keene.

Just past Keene, Brad pulled over and offered me a test ride on his RT - he has already test ridden my Multistrada.
Of course, I jump at the chance. We are on Route 9N riding over the mountain to Elizabethtown, basically, it's a two lane speedway with a few high speed sweepers; then some twisty sections and long straights as we work our way over to the ferry dock in Essex. After I figure out the unusually long clutch, we are off. The bike is really nice, but I have trouble with the ergos, which are tailored to Brad's smaller frame. Putting that aside, the bike is pretty nifty. The supension feels very soft compared to my bike, but I find myself comfortably taking curves at fairly high speeds (for me). It feels like a high performance "big sedan" compared to my "sports car" like bike. A comfortable secure ride. THis would be great on a long trip - and the windscreen goes up and down electrically while underway. After about 15 miles, I conclude that I have to take a serious test ride with the ergos sorted out.

We reach the ferry dock as the boat is pulling in so we have only a short wait. The ride over is absolutely beautiful. The lake is calm and the mountains are very distinct in the clear crisp air.

What a great day and it's only 3:00 PM!

Getting Ready for Nova Scotia Ride

It's July 9 and that means there are only 38 days until I leave on my next big ride of the Summer - an 11 day sojourn up to Nova Scotia. We leave for the Portland, ME ferry on August 16. This trip will have a different feel than the last one. Rather than riding solo as I did on the trip to Natashquan, on this trip I will be accompanied by four other gentlemen. Three of these, twin brothers Reg and Ron, and their bro' in law Boo, will be riding their cruiser bikes, while Swanny will be aboard his trusty SUV. I must say I am both excited and apprehensive about this arrangement. On the one hand, they all seem like great guys who would be fun to travel with. On the other hand, group travel means having to be attentive to the needs-wants of the others in the group. Being alone on the last ride was actually one of the best dimensions of the ride. I did what I wanted, when I wanted, went where I wanted when I wanted - a consensus of one. I never felt lonely.

Already, there are slight divisions in group expectations, and although we have all said that everyone can do what they want, prior experience with small travel groups (even just with my wife) tells me to get ready for endless compromises. Several in the group want to camp (no problem) another is whining about the prospect of rain, one member is a less experienced rider (will that mean we have to go slower than we want?), budget differences? etc. etc.

However, having some friends along does have its obvious positive aspects too.


On the plus side, having the "support vehicle" means expanded recreational options (golf clubs, fishing gear), less disciplined packing on the bike, and also means that if you go out for dinner somewhere, there is a designated driver available.

I must say, I was a little "biked out" after the last trip and haven't ridden much since. If the rain leaves this week I will go for a good ride in the Adirondacks - maybe Thursday with buddy Brad.

I plan no mods for the bike, as it performed spectacularly on the last ride. I will get the 12,000 mile service done before I go and have the guys at BCM give the bike another once over. Oh, I will do one thing: my hand grips are a bit small for my hands so I will have them built up with tennis grip material.

That's all for now. The next post will probably be a preview of the Nova Scotia itinerary.

Riding Music

A friend of mine asked me about riding with an I Pod. In two words "it's great!". You get some noise attenuating earphones to lower the wind noise in your helmet, set the I Pod at mid range volume, and play your playlist. I put together a playlist for this ride that had about 5+ hours of music on it. I didn't agonize over selections, I just went through my library and made impulse selections. it worked great.

Here is the list:

AC/DC Thunderstruck
Amboy Dukes Baby Please Don't Go
Animals House of the Rising Sun
Anita Baker Giving You the Best that I Got
Band The Weight
Beach Boys Don't Worry Baby
Beach Boys Good Vibrations
Beach Boys California Dreamin'
Billy Joel New York State of Mind
Blind Faith Can't Find My Way Home
Blue Oyster Cult (Don't Fear) the Reaper
Bob Dylan Tangled Up In Blue
Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited
Bonnie Raitt Thing Called Love
Boston Don't Look Back
Bruce Springsteen Human Touch
Bryan Adams Summer of '69
Buffalo Springfield For What It's Worth
Byrds Eight Miles High
Canned Heat Going Up the Country
Cassandra Wilson I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Chicago Beginnings
Circus Maximus Wind
Counting Crows Mr. Jones
Cream Tales of Brave Ulysses
Crosby, Stills,Nash, Young Almost Cut My Hair
Deep Purple Hush
Dire Straits Sultans of Swing
Don Henley All She Wants to do is Dance
Doors L.A. Woman
Drifters Save the Last Dance For Me
Elton John Your Song
Eric Clapton Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Eric Clapton Wonderful Tonight
Eric Clapton Layla
Fleetwood Mac Go Your Own Way
Fleetwood Mac Say You Love Me
Foreigner Juke Box Hero
Glady Knight & Pips Midnight Train to Georgia
Gloria Estefan Always Tomorrow
Golden Earring Radar Love
Gordon Lightfoot Early Morning Rain
Grass Roots Let's Live For Today
Jefferson Airplane Comin' Back to Me
Johnny Rivers? Memphis
Lynyrd Skynyrd Free Bird
Mamas & Papas California Dreamin'
Moody Blues Tuesday Afternoon
Moody Blues Nights in White Satin
Procol Harum A Whiter Shade of Pale
Rolling Stones Angie
Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil
Ronny & Daytonas G.T.O.
Roy Orbison Cryin'
Ruby & Romantics Hello Stranger
Sade No Ordinary Love
Searchers Needles and Pins(a)
Shirelles Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Sly & Family Stone Dance to the Music
Steppenwolf Born to be Wild
Sugarloaf Green Eyed Lady
Temptations Papa was a Rolling Stone
Toby Keith As Good As I Once Was
Tom Petty Refugee
Tommy James Crystal Blue Persuasion
Traffic Dear Mr. Fantasy
Van Morrison Brown Eyed Girl
Ventures? Pipeline
Yardbirds For Your Love
Zombies Time of the Season

Home Stretch

From Maynard's, I headed south on Route 6/15 to Greenville, then west on route 16 to rejoin US201. A very pretty ride with mostly good roads. Then south on 201 along the Kennebec River, then south on Alt. 201 to 43 to Farmington. Alt 201 and Route 43 had just been repaved so it was a particulary nice ride through beautiful countryside. After a Dunkin Donut and ATM stop in Farmington, I headed west on Route 2 the main east-west route in this part of the world. what can I say? more nice scenery, passing north of Mt Washington and right into Vermont. many bikers out enjoying the day, which was a sparkler - clear, warmer and gusty.

The definite highlight of this leg of the trip was Bob's BarBQ in Bethel, ME. Bob is a well tattooed gentleman with a shaved head who, from his 60's era orange 20 foot travel trailer, sells some of the best barbeque I have ever had. The trailer is covered with magic marker tributes from previous customers and Bob's favorite line is "I'm not in it for the money". Judging from the quality of the food (even the beans and slaw were superior), I believe him, but judging from the number of people he served while I was there, he is raking in the cash. For the record, I had the beef brisket platter in "wild" seasoning - the other option is "mild". It was great!!

The rest of the ride was very pleasant, through beautiful scenery. In the last quarter mile of the ride, I was reminded of the words of famous traveler Dorothy, "there's no place like home". Here are a few pictures of my neighborhood.

Maynard's in Maine

When I was planning this trip, I had a little extra time at the back end, so I decided to head down into Maine and check out the Moosehead Lake, Maine area. Form the border, I headed down US 201. Right away, the moose factor reared it's ugly head. I had seen moose warning signs all along on this trip, but now there was a moose warning sign with flashing lights and some language to the effect that the moose were really in abundance for the next 15 miles. The sign even provided statisics on the number of moose collisions along that stretch. Okaaay. Well, I didn't see any moose on this stretch, although later on I did. When cresting a hill, I noticed a pick up about 200 yards in front hit the brakes, then noticed a moose, ambling alongside the truck (not in a straight line) just off the road. They are supposed to be unpredictable in their movements and this one certainly was.

My destination was Maymard's in Maine, an 80 year old fishing camp, in Rockwood, ME, on the Moose River, still operated by the Maynard family. It was right out of a movie set, complete with taciturn manager, big old main lodge filled with hunting and fishing trophies, a perky college student from Nova Scotia waiting tables, and tons of interesting memorabilia. I had a two bedroom cabin overlooking the river. It was rustic, but well equipped, including a TV, and best of all, a wood stove, which I used to advantage during the chilly night. After a fine dinner of (really thick) prime rib, I retired to my cabin to catch up on the Yankees (not good) and enjoy some single malt scotch from the duty free shop. After another good night's sleep, and another delicious breakfast, I departed. So let's total it up: A nice little cabin in a great setting, two great meals, tax, etc -- $67.00. my only suggestion on checking out was - "raise your prices!".