Day 0.9 - Arrived and repacking

We arrived safely!!! We flew out of Philly more or less on time (for Philly!) and arrived in Portland a little bit before 9pm local time.


Well, this definitely isn't a twisty road, but we're making great time


Hey, what are those things? They're like... BIG!


Ah, how comforting. Friendly, familiar faces

Adrian and Bob had already brought the bikes to the hotel and filled them up with fuel. Awesome! We all have some shuffling around of luggage and such on the bikes. Some tonight, some tomorrow.

Tomorrow we're going to meet up around 9am, return the rental car and get under way. The time zone change and a late dinner kinda kicked the crap out of all of us. Not much news. Start looking for the Day-1 (and later) posts to be updated.

Here we go, folks. Oh, and Yes, Wayne... "we're there now".

A week of "firsts"

Where to start? Well this is my "first" blog post, ever. Sure I've posted to forums before, but somehow a blog seems different. More "personal", "the" thing to do as an online presence. It's not a week where I'm taking my first multi-day motorcycle trip, but it is the first multi-week trip and certainly the largest trip I've done yet. I think just about everyone on this trip has considerable more riding time and experience than I do and I certainly am grateful for being invited along.

Wow, just 3 days away. And like Chris' post, the packing is not done even though I thought I was a leg up on it. I still think getting the bike packed and to Keith's for loading was the biggest chore, but there are still clothes to stuff in to a duffel and decisions as to what I'm taking on the plane. And it is adding up.

I'm not a big reader, but I did buy a book for this trip and introducing myself to the "graphic novel" genre by reading Alan Moore's "Watchmen". I've been told by several sources it is a benchmark of the genre and a great place to start.

I also considered downloading some movies from iTunes and taking the iPod along. But then I considered that I'll have earplugs in much of the day, radio and GPS chatter, XM Radio and MP3 tunes (both via GPS) throughout the day so my ears would most likely appreciate a break at the end of the day. I'm not sure how long it will take to read the Watchmen so I may need something else to take. Yet something else to pack.

In addition to the five other riders, I'll have two "co-riders" with me. My traveling companions will be Flat Stanley and Gumby. I'm new to the Flat Stanley Project (another first I suppose) but it sounds like so much fun! The daughter of a co-worker has a Flat Stanley and I've agreed to take him along. Watch for pictures of Stanley, you never know where he'll pop up!

Gumby, well who doesn't know Gumby? This Gumby belongs to my step-mom Meg and has been with her since I met her, residing just east of Harrisburg PA. I've been told he's well traveled and I'm going to make sure he gets a few more miles under his belt. No doubt you'll see him hamming it up with Stanley somewhere along the way.

Seems best to wrap up this, my first, blog and get busy packing that bag and perhaps filling up another SD card with tunes for the Garmin.

Last of the last minute stuff

I can't speak for the rest of the guys, but for myself, I've still got a few things to pack. For instance, I forgot to pack my motorcycle riding boots on the bike when it was shipped out. So I'll have to take them. I've been trying to decide if I should pack them, or just wear them on the plane and buy some sneakers once we get to Portland. That would seriously reduce the carry-on bag's weight and size.

Another thing is my gear. The gear I intended to wear is on the bike. This includes several pairs of gloves, ranging from mesh free-flowing gloves to full on insulated, heated cold-weather gloves. It also includes my heated vest, my Joe Rocket Alter Ego jacket and riding pants, and some rain over-gear (rather than the Alter Ego's rain liners). Just makes more sense to have over-gear rain gear than to have to stop and zip-in a water layer.

However, I just go hold of a Fieldsheer Highlander one-piece riding suit that could, conceivably, take the place of the Alter Ego stuff *and* the rain gear. I got it on closeout for less than half the regular retail price. Do I take that and ship the other stuff home upon arrival? Again, it would lighten and simplify the on-the-road packing considerably. So that would have to be rolled up and added to the carry-on. I don't know.

Then, of course, there are my personal electronics... my MacBook, my GPS (the mount and all that is already on the bike, along with the Autocomm system), my GMRS two-way radios for bike-to-bike comms, my iPod and, of course, my cell phone. The iPod and cell phone will also have to have their chargers, too. They're all small, but add up in a single carry-on bag.

I'll need a book for the plane. My friend Jason Clark has graciously agreed to let me borrow his copy of Small Favor (the most recent Harry Dresden novel from Jim Butcher) for use on the plane and during down time when I might want to read. I'm also bringing my copy of Infected by Scott Sigler for him to sign if we can make a connection in San Fran. Again, alone, each is fine, but when packing into a carry on, it all adds up.

Cash, credit cars, ID, itinerary, spare keys, tooth brush, etc., etc., and etc. Sheesh, I thought I had this all thought out. I had originally intended to walk off the plane with the barest of packings, ready to literally hop on the bike and go. But now... sheesh.

How did I forget and mis-manage so much while packing up? I'm chalking it up to excitement. Yeah... yeah, that's it. Excitement. Age and having a mind like a steel sieve have nothing at all to do with it.

I do know one thing, though... 4 days from now I'll be half way across the continent and on my way. This trip has been a long time coming.

Too much time on my hands, its ticking away at my sanity
Ive got too much time on my hands, its hard to believe such a calamity
Ive got too much time on my hands and its ticking away from me
Too much time on my hands, too much time on my hands
Too much time on my hands
-- Tommy Shaw, STYX

In transit, and time ticking down

Well, here we are. 9 days from departure. The bikes continue their trek across the country, currently existing in the Chicago area. The other guys and I, we're all kinda wound up, waiting for the time to tick down.










Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
-- Pink Floyd

Day 0.5 - loading up, rolling out

2008 - April 30, circa 7:30pm

The Federal (Allied Van Lines affiliate) driver called to say he would be at Keith's to pick up the bikes "about dinner time". He showed up by about 6pm, loaded up and rolling out by about 7:30pm. Each bike had to undergo a brief inspection for existing damage and to run through a check list of items for ship-prep. It all went smoothly and we photographed anything pointed out on the various bikes so there can be no issues later.


Here they all are, ready, willing, able...


First, Adrian's bike is inspected, signed off and staged for loading


Next up is Brian's bike


First two are staged and ready to be loaded


Adrian's bike goes in first


The drivers were happy to have our help loading up


Keith is assisting with Brian's bike...


... while enjoying a Chocolate Eclair ice cream bar from the ice cream truck. A little early in the season, but what the hell.


The Harley had already been inspected and staged by the truck, then it was on to inspecting Keith's bike.


Bike is clean, nothing to of note to write down.


Adrian arrives to help us see the babies off.


The bikes are strapped down to palettes and at Keith's urging, the drivers adjusted the straps for minimal suspension compression. The trailer is a smooth-riding "air ride" trailer and, according to the driver, won't have any problems at all.


On the left you have sleek and sexy, on the right you have boxy and solid - the Volvo of motorcycles


Next up is the inspection of Bob's FJR and Wayne's FZ-1


"No, no... that'll buff right out. We'll never have to tell him. Honest!"


Just kidding, looks fine. Let's finish this up!


oooh, artsy!


Chornbe holds up Wayne's FZ1 while the driver straps it in. How'd the shortest guy end up holding up the tallest bike?


"Uhm... guys... I'm stuck in here and I get kinda car sick on long drives. Help a brutha out?"


"FREEDOM!" (I'm not painting my face blue to yell that, either!)


From the side....


Adrian hamming it up and asking, "How come MINE'S not in this shot???"


And there they go. We all joined in a chorus of "Take good care of my baby". It was a pretty sappy moment. Adrian cried and have to leave before anyone took any more pictures of him. Sissy!

So... the bikes are officially on the way. W00T!

Day 0 - prepped and ready to roll

Day 0 - prepped and ready to roll:

The participants in this little sojourn include Chips (Keith), ZmZmOn2 (Brian), FZMax (Wayne), Adrian (Adrian) and Bob. We all prepped our bikes for the trip at our homes, then delivered them to Keith's garage where they will wait for the truck from Federal (motorcycle shipping division of Allied Van Lines) to pick them up and send them on their way to the left coast.

From left to right, my Street Glide, Brian's VFR, Adrian's 2006 FJR


And more... Bob's 2005 FJR, Wayne's FZ-1


And last but certainly not least, Keith's 2007 FJR, aka "Bear Killer"


It's not going on this trip, but the tail section you see in the left-most part of the picture of Keith's Black Cherry FJR is this little beauty, the 2005 CBR600/RR. Keith can some how manage to bang out back to back 500 mile days on this thing and most owners of RR bikes would cringe and cry to mommy with the mileage he's racked up on it. And he keeps it absolutely pristine, too. Way to go, man!


This trip simply can NOT start soon enough!

What the hell is an ARCPosse, anyway?

Seems like a dumb name, huh? Well, it kinda is. It's the best thing a bunch of old guys could come up with just to have a name to attach to this rag-tag group of nut jobs riding across the US.

You see, we all took the "Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic" or "ARC" class. It's a class designed to teach more advanced and sport-riding techniques to ultimately enable a rider to handle his bike better. (details at http://www.leeparksdesign.com/miscpage_002.asp )

Posse is just because...

This isn't an official name for some silly bar hopping club or anything - we just needed a name for the website. We don't have patches or jackets or anything. Not even a logo. Just a stupid name. That's all. Besides... "Wild Hogs" was taken.

It's real...

18 Days and counting...

The bikes are all at Keith's house awaiting the truck to pick them up. This is the last big thing... getting the bikes loaded up. Once that's done and they're on their way, it's just a complete waiting game. I can't change my mind about which bike to take and just have to wait out the next 2 1/2 weeks without going completely insane. There's a challenge.

The final roll call of bikes is:
My Street Glide
Keith's FJR1300 (gen-2)
Adrian's FJR1300 (gen-2)
Wayne's FZ-1 (gen-1)
Brian's VFR
Bob's FJR1300 (gen-1)

On the upside, I'm definitely not the only one who had a hard time packing up. Not only did everyone have to contend with weight and space issues, but no one wanted to carry their helmet and riding gear on the plane. So we each had to dedicated at least one full storage box to the daily-use gear. That's kind of a pain, but on the upside, when we're on the road, we're each guaranteed to have a little open space for daily-use items (snack bars, bottled water, bought t-shirts, etc.).

So... it's real. It's on. It's happening. Wow.

28 Days Later

No. I don't mean the 28 Days Later monster/zombie movie. No rage virus. No flesh eating zombie-like monsters. No desolate waste lands in the middle of the city. No... 28 Days Later from today we leave.

Longest.
Four.
Weeks.
Ever.

Mark my words.

It's still too early to pack, isn't it?

The route - more or less.

Ok, we have a basic route planned out. With the understanding that each of will have differing points of interest along the way, and that there's absolutely way we can fully plan the route out ahead of time, we decided on basic points along the way and will plan on doing a budgeted 300 miles per day. This will allow us to hit twisties, see sights, perhaps visit with people along the way and, of course, leave ample time for meal breaks and opportunities to arrange a day or two of lodging along the way for the next stops.

The bikes arrive in Portland on the 12th-14th, being trucked in by Federal.

The first couple of days on the road have us riding thru' some mountain areas in Oregon, eventually winding our way to Crescent City, CA. The midway point in that is Eugene, OR in which we'll likely overnight. That really comes down to the quality of the roads and the weather. We're planning on 300 miles of twisties being a full riding day, off the road and settled in by dinner time. We all agree that running from early morning to late afternoon, off the road before sunset is the best and safest option all around.

Days 3 and 4 take us down the coastal highway and back up into the hills, then back towards the coast, tentatively arriving in San Francisco at the end of day 4. Again, weather depending, this may turn in to day 5. It is in San Francisco that I intend to take a day off, regardless of the rest of the group's plans. There are mixed feelings about taking a day off this (apparently) early in the trip, but I want to remain fresh and comfortable through as much of the trip as possible, and that means ample time off bike and with my head clear of constant riding. While in San Francisco, I'm still set to meet up with author Scott Sigler, swap stories, visit a bit and get to know the man behind the words a little. I continue to consider that a highlight of the trip. And hey... micro-brews and jazz clubs, here I come! San Francisco is a beautiful city, and I've been looking forward to getting back there.

After some amount of down time in and around San Fran, it's stands up and wheels rolling on to the next port of call. This will have us traveling from San Francisco to Las Vegas. This part of the route will likely be some of the more interesting, great mountain roads aside. On this leg of the trip, we're riding through Yosemite National Park and through Death Valley National Park. We're also planning on some down time in Vegas because - well, it's Vegas. A day at the most, with the most likely option being hanging a little later on the night of the arrival, then hanging out a bit longer than normal in the morning to sleep in, grab some Vegas breakfast, etc. It's Vegas, baby!

Now from Vegas, we have several options, and this may be the most stressful part of the trip: (insert DUM DUM DUM music here) Major Decision Time. You see, from here we can head North and enjoy some desert riding in Nevada then head East and go up to Moab, Utah which, by all accounts, is motorcycle riding Nirvana come to Earth. Or, we can head South and East, through the desert, down towards Tuscon, and seeing Tombstone before heading East to Roswell. Me? I'm personally looking forward to heading South and East. Seriously, how often can you say you saw San Fran, Vegas, Tombstone and Roswell in the same trip? If I were the sole guy making the decision, this is where I'd go. We'll either vote on it, or break into two groups, one going to each of those destinations. I know at least one of the other guys is interested in the Southeast run.

After the Major Decision Time (I'm not spelling out the music again) part of the trip, then we head to Durango, Colorado. Again, we're looking forward to some great mountain riding in Colorado, and beginning our trek East towards home. From Durango, the original plan included Birmingham, Alabama to spend a day at the Barber Motorsports Park and Museum. Race cars, bikes and cool stuff, and a day off.

Once we're in the East, we figure we're a long day-ride to home from most of the reasonable destinations, so we'll buzz across the farm states and if time allows, spend some time riding the Eastern mountains for a day or so before finishing up at home.

This is the plan, more or less. 2 1/2 weeks of riding, sight seeing and camaraderie. Once in a lifetime. Here we go... 39 days and counting.