As I'm loading up my bike, I realize that I've never had so long to do a cross-country trip. I have a serious get-there-itis problem and tend to push. I don't need to this time. I'm hoping I'll be able to relax a bit and enjoy this trip more. I don't want to end up in Maryland long before I need to. There is plenty to see in this country.
1523 mountain - It was a relaxed start, as starts go. I was turning wheels before 8 am. Considering that I didn't start packing until I woke up and did laundry, that's not bad at all. Packing for a motorcycle trip is an interesting exercise in decision making. I've posted about this before. This trip had a wrinkle - I needed to pack shoes, dress socks, dress pants, and dress shirts, three days worth. That takes up more space than my traditional extra pair of underwear and meant something would have to be left behind. I'm also planning to get up into the Rockies, and at 12,000 I'm going to need some warm gear. I'm also going to be traveling through the desert, so I'll need my light gear also. I'm leaving early so I can do some hiking, so I'll need some clothing for that. As it works out, all my clothing, plus both laptops, my shaving kit, and cables all go in my top bag. This is good because the less stuff I need to take off the bike, the better. I prefer only having to pull one bag from the bike if I can. When it was all said and done, I have rain gear, heated gear, and my tools in one hard case, and my 3 seasons riding jacket and a knapsack in the other. The trunk has my drone, air compressor and miscellaneous things I want to be able to reach easily.
Let's talk about bongo ties. I recently picked up a package of these and boy are they wonderful. I've been riding around with my Spot tracker loosely strapped to my master cylinder. With this, I can securely keep it there. I also have one that makes sure my ham radio doesn't try to escape from the cradle and two that hold my Sena SR-10 in place. They are also great for keeping wads of cables together and allow for quick release. Get some.
Then there was the skid into Love's. Someone was running a sprinkler, or for some reason, water was running down the concrete gutter at the entrance of Lowe's. I definitely saw it. I even took note of it, but I did not process the dangers of having water in my path while I was going to be turning right on top of it. Needless to say, I had a fair amount of lean going for me when both the front and back tires started washing out from underneath me. As it was happening, I had just enough time to think 'stay in the lean' when both tires grabbed the asphalt. My bike wiggled around a little bit, but I got things under control and continued on. There was some lady in a mini-van that witnessed the whole event, and she was probably worried it wasn't going to end well. After it had happened, I thought about how sad it would be to wreck my bike right at the beginning of the trip. I'll be more careful. Promise.
The other interesting note for this trip was the heat. Temperatures started in the 90's when I left and steadily rose through the desert. The high was 112.1 degrees Farenheight in Barker California. Temps fluctuated mainly between 104 and 108.5. Temperatures in the 90's never cooled me down so much.
My friend Paul turned me on to cooling vests. Basically, you wear the material wet, and as the water evaporates, it provides some cooling. When I bought mine, I had to buy a 3x. The 1x was tight, and they don't make a 2 x anymore (????). I thought the loose fit would be good to allow more air to circulate. I do get some cooling from it, but not much. I can't decide if it's worth it yet.
I decided to stop in St. George, Utah for the evening. I wasn't going to stop, but at this point, there is very little between me and the North Rim. I thought it would be nice to sit in the air conditioning for a little while and relax, hitting the North Rim early in the morning.
So, here's a tip if you're in a hotel room and need to dry something over night. For those that are on the synthetic riding gear train, I'm not. I've ridden thousands of miles in all climates with that on and I can't stand how my skin feels when I stop riding. The blah, blah, blah, will wick moisture away from your skin is nonsense. Give me cotton, cotton breathes. No, it won't dry as fast as synthetic stuff, but that is not worth the feeling I get from it.
Here's some gorgeous Arazona landscape with music by Bensong.
Today's Map
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