Good to see you back on the road... ::001::
Escape from DC
- Thread starter dcstrom
- Start date
They are special because I make them from scratch once a year. Make 9 dozen plus a few we eat while making. I call them my monster cookies, a little bit of everything in them. Truely yummy!True Grip said:
Pleasure meeting and helping Trevor on his journey and life change. Be safe and enjoy your ride. It was fun to help.
Just teasing you Jeff. The best part for these forums are meeting and helping fellow riders on their adventures. Glad you could help Trevor.
I'm truly enjoying following you on this thread. It is truly reassuring to see you back on the road, so soon after surgery. Take your time recovering and though it sounds contradictory, I wish you speed on your journey(s). BTW, it isn't really a journey, unless something happens that allows you to tell some tall tales later in life. You could probably really play up the "I was riding so hard that I needed surgery" story line!
I wish I could have met you before you left the DC area.
I wish you continued safe, fun and adventurous travels!
I wish I could have met you before you left the DC area.
I wish you continued safe, fun and adventurous travels!
TrueGrip, I know it was all joiking on your part. I like to explain things at times, like me baking cookies!!!! I was glad to help and give some of them to Trevor. His journies are something many of us can only dream of when it comes to the reality of it. ::008::True Grip said:
JonnyCinco
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awesome so far!
Quick question...why did you change your address/residency?
Quick question...why did you change your address/residency?
Don in Lodi
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If I remember right, it was a mail service he signed up for. Your normal P.O will not forward mail to random address' around the world.
My wife and I did change our residence. There a few states (Florida is one) that will let you remain a resident even if you're off sailing around the world .. bike, or boat. We vote. pay taxes and keep our insurances and registrations in a county in FL that we've never visited. It works well for a lifestyle that sees us moving a lot, not owning permanent home protery (well, we do, but they're rentals) and wanting to kee up with our mail without endless forwards. Go online, change the delivery address and the next day's mail is on its way to the new spot. We had to jump through a few paperwork hoops, but it wasn't all that hard.
I spent a pleasant couple of days around the Cascades - beautiful country and the weather has been perfect.
Sunday evening saw me back in Seattle, at a hostel downtown. Two reasons - I still needed to see the Boeing factory, and... Monday was stent-removal day, and I'm a pussy and wanted to be close to my doctor in case there were any issues, rather than doing it out in the sticks somewhere.
A stent in this case is the tube they put between the kidney and bladder to keep the ureter open after the trauma of surgery. When things have settled down , the patient can remove it by simply pulling a piece of thread...
I was freaking a bit though - I was going to do it last night but had one beer, my first in nearly 3 weeks. Next time I peed there was blood in the urine, I hadn't had that for a few days. Kidneys really don't like beer eh?
Anyway I called the doc this morning, and he reassured me, so I pulled the string. If you are squeamish, look away now ;-)
Sunday evening saw me back in Seattle, at a hostel downtown. Two reasons - I still needed to see the Boeing factory, and... Monday was stent-removal day, and I'm a pussy and wanted to be close to my doctor in case there were any issues, rather than doing it out in the sticks somewhere.
A stent in this case is the tube they put between the kidney and bladder to keep the ureter open after the trauma of surgery. When things have settled down , the patient can remove it by simply pulling a piece of thread...
I was freaking a bit though - I was going to do it last night but had one beer, my first in nearly 3 weeks. Next time I peed there was blood in the urine, I hadn't had that for a few days. Kidneys really don't like beer eh?
Anyway I called the doc this morning, and he reassured me, so I pulled the string. If you are squeamish, look away now ;-)
Attachments
God Trevor, I was going to comment om how envious I am of you, but after the string story I don't think so much! ::025:: Anyhow have a safe journey. I look forward to your installments.dcstrom said:
NOW it's getting interesting...
Not that the 10,000 miles between DC and San Diego wasn't interesting... awesome scenery, fun roads, near-perfect motorcycle, fabulous weather, great people along the way. Almost everything went to plan (travel tip - don't plan very much, and there's less chance of things not going according to plan
). I had the kidney stone issues to deal with in Canada and Seattle, and a final drive seal replaced (on the bike!) in San Diego.
Back in DC I'd guesstimated that I'd do about 10,000 miles in the US, and by the time I rolled into San Diego the tripmeter said 10,250 (actually it said 249, since it resets at 9,999). Gas cost about $900 (true average of 42mpg, worst 36 and best 52), and I'd used up a pair of Bridgestone Battlewings, plus 2/3 of a rear that I'd bought used (thanks Mark and Jeff). I fitted a pair of K60's in Sacramento (thanks Phil) and changed oil twice. The bike had its 24,000 mile service in at Roseville Yamaha (thanks Zac) even though mileage was a bit less than that. No valve adjustment required, but be warned, it's still a pretty expensive exercise - over $700. (If I'd had time and facilities, I would have done it myself). Fitted Jaxon's fender raising kit and did some other odds and ends on the bike in San Diego (thanks Carl).
Detailed map here
http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=1948542
and a bunch of pics here;
USA
https://plus.google.com/photos/107632123776958177476/albums/5787681813839234481
Mexico
https://plus.google.com/photos/107632123776958177476/albums/5812746786663474225?authkey=CLzo8IGBwJjllQE
So up to now it's been a very very nice trip. But it's not really an "adventure" until the unexpected happens and you have to figure out how to deal with it. I'm now in Mexico, so I'm expecting the unexpected!
First up - I was told by Al Jesse that the east coast of Baja was nicer than the west, so when I was leaving Ensenda I pointed the GPS to San Felipe. I stayed a night there, then continued south. For some reason I didn't know that some of the road south of San Felipe was unpaved... I think I searched for info about it some time ago, didn't find it, and just forgot about it. A more thorough search would have been in order eh?
So needless to say I was a bit surprised when the road ran out just after the first bridge construction site. Considering it was used for the Baja 1000 2 days prior, it wasn't in such bad shape. I think if I'd known it was dirt for 70 miles I would have still taken it, but would have given myself more time. I was planning to stay at the legendary Coco's Corner, and I arrived at Coco's at dusk.
Here's the end of the road
This is what it's like for the most part
But then there is a sandy section. I was doing alright, staying in the mainly-straight wheel ruts left by cars, but then there was this one wiggly one left by an earlier bike. I gave it half a chance, and my front wheel decided to take the wiggly one. Pretty soon I was into the berm, and over the top of it. It's funny how the tiny wheel track left by the other bike will take the front wheel, but it went straight through the foot-high berm :
Fortunately there is plenty of traffic on that road, so it wasn't long before Baja racers returning home came along and helped me drag the Tenere out. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos or video of the funniest part. We decided it would be easier to surf the bike down the face of the berm to some solid ground off the side of the road, then ride about 50 metres where I'd be able to get back on the road. Well I haven't practiced my berm-surfing skills for a while. We righted the bike with me in the saddle, with the idea to ride diagonally across the face and get down the 3ft or so to solid ground. That didn't go so well... I started to move forward and almost immediately stuck out my right foot, of course there's no ground there, and the bike toppled over while I did a superman dive down the bank.
Now the bike was laying on its right side almost upside down on the bank. I wasn't too worried - I just thought "hmmm, I think I'm going to have to get used to the sight of the Tenere in unusual positions". From there we just dragged it on its side down the bank till we go to level ground. No damage apart from a few scratches.
I headed off to Coco's again, dropping the bike on the way after losing my footing on an off-camber bit of road when I stopped to take a photo. I was happy to be getting close to Coco's but in the last 5 miles the rear suspension started feeling very weird. It was bouncing off every bump and dip, a couple of times getting the rear of the bike airborne. Zero damping, apparently. I got to Coco's and the body of the shock was too hot to touch. The stock Yamaha shock couldn't take that load on that road, for 70 miles. It's not like I was going fast or anything, average speed was probably 30-40mph.
The rear shock was one thing I'd thought about a bit during the prep for this trip. When I was at Phil's place discussing my stock rear suspension and whether it's adequate for this trip, my comment was that I don't care so much about ultimate performance as long as it's reliable. I hadn't heard of any stock shocks failing, so that was good enough for me. Didn't take long for me to break it! Hope the Ohlin's is better.
So now on my way back to San Diego to take delivery of an Ohlins (and Sonic Springs while I'm at it - thanks Chris), and make a claim with Yamaha for a new shock. I thought going back to SD would be less messy and cheaper than having the shock shipped to La Paz or somewhere in Baja. I wound up the rebound damping to the max and it's rideable on smooth roads now.
It's actually lucky that the shock failed this early in the trip. Now I know it's crap, and fixing it now is a lot easier than if it had failed in Bolivia...
Will have the shock fitted by the weekend, then I'll be turning around and back to Mexico. May change my route though, now that I have seen at least part of Baja. Mexicali and south-east from there?
Trevor
Not that the 10,000 miles between DC and San Diego wasn't interesting... awesome scenery, fun roads, near-perfect motorcycle, fabulous weather, great people along the way. Almost everything went to plan (travel tip - don't plan very much, and there's less chance of things not going according to plan
). I had the kidney stone issues to deal with in Canada and Seattle, and a final drive seal replaced (on the bike!) in San Diego. Back in DC I'd guesstimated that I'd do about 10,000 miles in the US, and by the time I rolled into San Diego the tripmeter said 10,250 (actually it said 249, since it resets at 9,999). Gas cost about $900 (true average of 42mpg, worst 36 and best 52), and I'd used up a pair of Bridgestone Battlewings, plus 2/3 of a rear that I'd bought used (thanks Mark and Jeff). I fitted a pair of K60's in Sacramento (thanks Phil) and changed oil twice. The bike had its 24,000 mile service in at Roseville Yamaha (thanks Zac) even though mileage was a bit less than that. No valve adjustment required, but be warned, it's still a pretty expensive exercise - over $700. (If I'd had time and facilities, I would have done it myself). Fitted Jaxon's fender raising kit and did some other odds and ends on the bike in San Diego (thanks Carl).
Detailed map here
http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=1948542
and a bunch of pics here;
USA
https://plus.google.com/photos/107632123776958177476/albums/5787681813839234481
Mexico
https://plus.google.com/photos/107632123776958177476/albums/5812746786663474225?authkey=CLzo8IGBwJjllQE
So up to now it's been a very very nice trip. But it's not really an "adventure" until the unexpected happens and you have to figure out how to deal with it. I'm now in Mexico, so I'm expecting the unexpected!
First up - I was told by Al Jesse that the east coast of Baja was nicer than the west, so when I was leaving Ensenda I pointed the GPS to San Felipe. I stayed a night there, then continued south. For some reason I didn't know that some of the road south of San Felipe was unpaved... I think I searched for info about it some time ago, didn't find it, and just forgot about it. A more thorough search would have been in order eh?
So needless to say I was a bit surprised when the road ran out just after the first bridge construction site. Considering it was used for the Baja 1000 2 days prior, it wasn't in such bad shape. I think if I'd known it was dirt for 70 miles I would have still taken it, but would have given myself more time. I was planning to stay at the legendary Coco's Corner, and I arrived at Coco's at dusk.
Here's the end of the road
This is what it's like for the most part
But then there is a sandy section. I was doing alright, staying in the mainly-straight wheel ruts left by cars, but then there was this one wiggly one left by an earlier bike. I gave it half a chance, and my front wheel decided to take the wiggly one. Pretty soon I was into the berm, and over the top of it. It's funny how the tiny wheel track left by the other bike will take the front wheel, but it went straight through the foot-high berm :
Fortunately there is plenty of traffic on that road, so it wasn't long before Baja racers returning home came along and helped me drag the Tenere out. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos or video of the funniest part. We decided it would be easier to surf the bike down the face of the berm to some solid ground off the side of the road, then ride about 50 metres where I'd be able to get back on the road. Well I haven't practiced my berm-surfing skills for a while. We righted the bike with me in the saddle, with the idea to ride diagonally across the face and get down the 3ft or so to solid ground. That didn't go so well... I started to move forward and almost immediately stuck out my right foot, of course there's no ground there, and the bike toppled over while I did a superman dive down the bank.
Now the bike was laying on its right side almost upside down on the bank. I wasn't too worried - I just thought "hmmm, I think I'm going to have to get used to the sight of the Tenere in unusual positions". From there we just dragged it on its side down the bank till we go to level ground. No damage apart from a few scratches.
I headed off to Coco's again, dropping the bike on the way after losing my footing on an off-camber bit of road when I stopped to take a photo. I was happy to be getting close to Coco's but in the last 5 miles the rear suspension started feeling very weird. It was bouncing off every bump and dip, a couple of times getting the rear of the bike airborne. Zero damping, apparently. I got to Coco's and the body of the shock was too hot to touch. The stock Yamaha shock couldn't take that load on that road, for 70 miles. It's not like I was going fast or anything, average speed was probably 30-40mph.
The rear shock was one thing I'd thought about a bit during the prep for this trip. When I was at Phil's place discussing my stock rear suspension and whether it's adequate for this trip, my comment was that I don't care so much about ultimate performance as long as it's reliable. I hadn't heard of any stock shocks failing, so that was good enough for me. Didn't take long for me to break it! Hope the Ohlin's is better.
So now on my way back to San Diego to take delivery of an Ohlins (and Sonic Springs while I'm at it - thanks Chris), and make a claim with Yamaha for a new shock. I thought going back to SD would be less messy and cheaper than having the shock shipped to La Paz or somewhere in Baja. I wound up the rebound damping to the max and it's rideable on smooth roads now.
It's actually lucky that the shock failed this early in the trip. Now I know it's crap, and fixing it now is a lot easier than if it had failed in Bolivia...
Will have the shock fitted by the weekend, then I'll be turning around and back to Mexico. May change my route though, now that I have seen at least part of Baja. Mexicali and south-east from there?
Trevor
Dirt_Dad
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Trevor, thanks for the update. Been wondering what was happening. Glad you posted the map. It really helps get a picture of what you're doing.
Great photos. The Mexico ones with a bike laying in the sand look very familiar to me. Happy you did no damage to you or bike. My first sand/silt fall in Mexico resulted in putting a hole in the case and a loss of oil. I didn't hit a rock or anything hard, instead the silt was so bound up and compressed by the spinning front sprocket that it damaged the case. I hope the shaft drive makes that type of damage impossible for you.
I do envy you for making the trip, but I'll admit looking at that sand again makes me glad to be sitting in Virginia. Stay safe and thanks again for keeping us updated.
Great photos. The Mexico ones with a bike laying in the sand look very familiar to me. Happy you did no damage to you or bike. My first sand/silt fall in Mexico resulted in putting a hole in the case and a loss of oil. I didn't hit a rock or anything hard, instead the silt was so bound up and compressed by the spinning front sprocket that it damaged the case. I hope the shaft drive makes that type of damage impossible for you.
I do envy you for making the trip, but I'll admit looking at that sand again makes me glad to be sitting in Virginia. Stay safe and thanks again for keeping us updated.
Thanks for the update DC.
Good to know that you are still kicking along.
Anyway what Dirt_Dad said.. Ditto. ^^^ Except the busted Strom? bit.
Good to know that you are still kicking along.
Anyway what Dirt_Dad said.. Ditto. ^^^ Except the busted Strom? bit.
Dirt_Dad
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No, Honda CRF450X. I wouldn't have made it 10 feet on a Strom down there.GrahamD said:
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RIDE ON ADV is what I do !
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Awesome.. Glad we got your shock all worked out... Let me know what you think of it and any other comments on it.. Like you said, good thing it was where you where at and not way out in the boon-docks....... Let me know if you need anything else... ::008::
Great to hear from you and that you are doing well.
Bob
Bob
I don't think you should take the blame for that one! Sounds like a design flaw on the part of Honda... but yes, bad enough seeing the bike on its side in the sand, would hate to see a pool of oil forming at the same time!Dirt_Dad said:
Thanks for the update I've been wondering where you might be at. Looking forward to hearing about Mexico. Seems like you do well at handling adversity. The true spirit of adventure. Best wishes Mark