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Headed North - The Lemonade Tour
- Thread starter oomis
- Start date
Safe travels, post lots!
My plan on Day 1 was simple - get from Toronto past Chicago before Chi-town rush hour traffic in the early evening.
The plan was to be up by 4:30 am and on the road by 5 am. I woke up to thunderstorms, so I did what every intrepid adventurer would do.
I rolled over and went back to bed. &^%$ that noise. I'm not on a schedule.
When I finally dragged my *** out of bed, the bike was packed from the night before, and off I went. The ride from Toronto to Chicago was one that I had done a number of times before, having lived in Chicago for work for 18 months, and riding back and forth on the weekend. I know it takes about 10 hours, and it's boring as a bad simile.
At the border at Sarnia, with 5 cars in front of me, for some reason the border shut down. Every line stopped moving, people got out of their cars, and I waited. When the border re-opened again about 30 mins later, I noticed that lots of people were getting re-directed inside. Myself included, where I had to explain away a long-ago youthful indescretion. The bike got a cursory search, the border guard wasn't a dick and away I went.
And I was thinking as I rode away that it's easy to take the border crossing for granted. But we're guests in one anothers' countries, there only with permission. And so questions asked, answered and satisified, we move on.
Lunch was a salad from Wal-Mart. A great tip from a friend of mine who rides big miles too was to hit a Wal-Mart in the am, use zip-lock bags filled with ice in a soft cooler-style lunch bag to keep it cold, and transfer the salad to a large zip-lock bag. Salad is ready to go whenever you're ready - cheap, cheerful and saves big time. Also, on a trip as long as this, I'm trying to watch what I eat for the most part. Eating like crap when I'm on the road for a week is fun, doing it for a month is a bad idea.
I'm not sure where I'm going to stay that night - I have a friend who lives in La Salle, but he's away on his own adventure, so I'm left to make it up on my own. I find a camp site between Joliet and Ottawa along I80. Got a good camp site for $25, shoot the bull with a couple of guys who wished they were doing the trip too (looking over their shoulders at their brood) and I make camp.
A couple of beers from the gas station in town, and I'm in business.
The thing was that a huge storm rolled through that night, and with all due respect to the guys who post in the tarp thread, you tarp campers can go straight to hell. With all my love, sincerely,screw that noise.
The storm took my tarp and turned it into a whirling whip of carnage and doom. I woke up in the middle of the night and knew that bad things were happening, when I heard a lull, I got up and tried to straighten things up. Like a rookie, I had left a lot of my stuff under the tarp, and my dry bag with all my clothes in it open. The only saving grace is that the tarp fell onto my helmet and boots, keeping them mostly dry.
In the morning, my camp site looked like a bomb went off - no pics because shut up, that's why, and I was just focussed on cleaning up and leaving. I was cursing myself - again, a rookie mistake that won't happen again. Everything goes into the tent from now on.
The plan was to be up by 4:30 am and on the road by 5 am. I woke up to thunderstorms, so I did what every intrepid adventurer would do.
I rolled over and went back to bed. &^%$ that noise. I'm not on a schedule.
When I finally dragged my *** out of bed, the bike was packed from the night before, and off I went. The ride from Toronto to Chicago was one that I had done a number of times before, having lived in Chicago for work for 18 months, and riding back and forth on the weekend. I know it takes about 10 hours, and it's boring as a bad simile.
At the border at Sarnia, with 5 cars in front of me, for some reason the border shut down. Every line stopped moving, people got out of their cars, and I waited. When the border re-opened again about 30 mins later, I noticed that lots of people were getting re-directed inside. Myself included, where I had to explain away a long-ago youthful indescretion. The bike got a cursory search, the border guard wasn't a dick and away I went.
And I was thinking as I rode away that it's easy to take the border crossing for granted. But we're guests in one anothers' countries, there only with permission. And so questions asked, answered and satisified, we move on.
Lunch was a salad from Wal-Mart. A great tip from a friend of mine who rides big miles too was to hit a Wal-Mart in the am, use zip-lock bags filled with ice in a soft cooler-style lunch bag to keep it cold, and transfer the salad to a large zip-lock bag. Salad is ready to go whenever you're ready - cheap, cheerful and saves big time. Also, on a trip as long as this, I'm trying to watch what I eat for the most part. Eating like crap when I'm on the road for a week is fun, doing it for a month is a bad idea.
I'm not sure where I'm going to stay that night - I have a friend who lives in La Salle, but he's away on his own adventure, so I'm left to make it up on my own. I find a camp site between Joliet and Ottawa along I80. Got a good camp site for $25, shoot the bull with a couple of guys who wished they were doing the trip too (looking over their shoulders at their brood) and I make camp.
A couple of beers from the gas station in town, and I'm in business.
The thing was that a huge storm rolled through that night, and with all due respect to the guys who post in the tarp thread, you tarp campers can go straight to hell. With all my love, sincerely,screw that noise.
The storm took my tarp and turned it into a whirling whip of carnage and doom. I woke up in the middle of the night and knew that bad things were happening, when I heard a lull, I got up and tried to straighten things up. Like a rookie, I had left a lot of my stuff under the tarp, and my dry bag with all my clothes in it open. The only saving grace is that the tarp fell onto my helmet and boots, keeping them mostly dry.
In the morning, my camp site looked like a bomb went off - no pics because shut up, that's why, and I was just focussed on cleaning up and leaving. I was cursing myself - again, a rookie mistake that won't happen again. Everything goes into the tent from now on.
Got some cool video, but am having some difficulty posting in real-time. Expect some delays...
Right on. Can't wait for the next instalment.
Nothing really to write about on Day 2. I80, all day long.
Self-portrait
In a little town in Iowa, I decided to unburden myself of some weight - some clothes, some do-dads and the two tarp poles I was carrying (tarp campers, please see my earlier remarks about kindly going to hell). 10 lbs of crap cost me $80 to mail and it'll arrive sometime in October. Maybe. I didn't pay for insurance or tracking.
For those of you who have never ridden across the midwest, this is what it looks like.
There's corn, there's soy, there's flat and there's straight. Thank goodness for the reasonably high speed limits.
I stopped at the World's Largest Truck Stop. Chris the Gnome got a shot in quickly before too many people stared. Folks didn't seem to have much of a sense of humour in these parts...
Hauling Chris the Gnome can only be described as a pain in my ***. Literally an albatross around my neck. I thought it was going to be funny, you know, taking pictures of a garden gnome on an adventure, but so far it just seems weird and hella inconvenient for me.
I'm thinking of tomorrow, and I have a choice to make - North or South Dakota? North Dakota is new for me, but South Dakota has so much fun stuff. Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devil's Tower, 16A, Badlands...
The day ended at Prairie Rose National Park. Nice enough place, had it pretty much to myself. You'll notice the distinct lack of a stupid tarp.
Self-portrait
In a little town in Iowa, I decided to unburden myself of some weight - some clothes, some do-dads and the two tarp poles I was carrying (tarp campers, please see my earlier remarks about kindly going to hell). 10 lbs of crap cost me $80 to mail and it'll arrive sometime in October. Maybe. I didn't pay for insurance or tracking.
For those of you who have never ridden across the midwest, this is what it looks like.
There's corn, there's soy, there's flat and there's straight. Thank goodness for the reasonably high speed limits.
I stopped at the World's Largest Truck Stop. Chris the Gnome got a shot in quickly before too many people stared. Folks didn't seem to have much of a sense of humour in these parts...
Hauling Chris the Gnome can only be described as a pain in my ***. Literally an albatross around my neck. I thought it was going to be funny, you know, taking pictures of a garden gnome on an adventure, but so far it just seems weird and hella inconvenient for me.
I'm thinking of tomorrow, and I have a choice to make - North or South Dakota? North Dakota is new for me, but South Dakota has so much fun stuff. Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devil's Tower, 16A, Badlands...
The day ended at Prairie Rose National Park. Nice enough place, had it pretty much to myself. You'll notice the distinct lack of a stupid tarp.
Pro Tip - Things I would not do without on this trip (so far)
Zip Lock bags - little zip loc bags with zippers hold ice in my soft cooler, which keeps food and drink cool.
A soft cooler, filled with ice (in bags so when it melts it doesn't make a mess, which it will anyway) holds the lunch that I buy in the mid-morning, and then cools my beer so at the end of my hot as balls day (seriously, I heard they closed roads in Yellowstone because the asphalt was melting. A combination of the volcanic activity below (geysers?) and the stupid hot above) I have something cold to drink.
Wal Mart - yeah, it's evil, but they have pre made salads that are a perfect cheap lunch, and on a trip this long while I'd love to eat whatever the heck I want to, making sure that I eat vegetables of some sort is a good idea.
McDonald's - yeah, it's evil, but here are all the boxes it checks.
1. Free wifi.
2. Decent coffee (all things considered)
3. Clean bathrooms
4. An ice dispenser in the soda machine.
5. Employees who give not one f&ck.
I find I'm in a McDonald's once a day, sometimes twice. I'm not carrying maps, so I need the internet, especially in the states where I don't have a roaming plan, to see where I'm going to go. Since I'm camping, I need to know if there's a camp site around where I'm going to be around 6 pm.
A microfibre cloth in my tank bag - I don't have a large windscreen, so I get air on my helmet, which means I get a pretty serious protein buildup. Gas station squeegies are fine for the gross water, but to avoid scratches, the microfibre cleans up real good.
USB power on the bike - I can charge two battery packs in my tank bag while I ride, so that overnight I can charge
- my Sena
- my iPhone (mostly for music)
- my iPad (mostly for writing and maps)
- my DeLorme InReach satellite tracker
Zip Lock bags - little zip loc bags with zippers hold ice in my soft cooler, which keeps food and drink cool.
A soft cooler, filled with ice (in bags so when it melts it doesn't make a mess, which it will anyway) holds the lunch that I buy in the mid-morning, and then cools my beer so at the end of my hot as balls day (seriously, I heard they closed roads in Yellowstone because the asphalt was melting. A combination of the volcanic activity below (geysers?) and the stupid hot above) I have something cold to drink.
Wal Mart - yeah, it's evil, but they have pre made salads that are a perfect cheap lunch, and on a trip this long while I'd love to eat whatever the heck I want to, making sure that I eat vegetables of some sort is a good idea.
McDonald's - yeah, it's evil, but here are all the boxes it checks.
1. Free wifi.
2. Decent coffee (all things considered)
3. Clean bathrooms
4. An ice dispenser in the soda machine.
5. Employees who give not one f&ck.
I find I'm in a McDonald's once a day, sometimes twice. I'm not carrying maps, so I need the internet, especially in the states where I don't have a roaming plan, to see where I'm going to go. Since I'm camping, I need to know if there's a camp site around where I'm going to be around 6 pm.
A microfibre cloth in my tank bag - I don't have a large windscreen, so I get air on my helmet, which means I get a pretty serious protein buildup. Gas station squeegies are fine for the gross water, but to avoid scratches, the microfibre cleans up real good.
USB power on the bike - I can charge two battery packs in my tank bag while I ride, so that overnight I can charge
- my Sena
- my iPhone (mostly for music)
- my iPad (mostly for writing and maps)
- my DeLorme InReach satellite tracker
Right on. I've seen the prairies when posted out to CFB Wainwright. Boring, you see one silo, you've seen them all.
How is the bike for comfort?
How is the bike for comfort?
Hello from Prince George BC - gearing up to hit the Cassier Highway. Posting is still delayed, but coming as I can...
The bike is nothing short of spectacular. In terms of comfort, I'm running the (tall) stock seat with a BeadRider seat cover. It took a couple of days to get used to it, but it's magical now. I'm good to run from gas tank to gas tank, about 300 kms or so without significant discomfort.
Where the bike has been amazing (more on this when I get that post up) is in the dirt. I have almost no dirt experience and am running street tires, and on Enduro setting (which controls the engine map and suspension) I did a dirt pass over the Bighorn mountains. While the road was in good shape, hard packed dirt with some washboards and little loose stuff, I'm loaded to the t|ts. But this bike is just so confidence-inspiring... I'm very happy with it.
the only other comfort mods I've done are some Beemer Buddies on the grips; they're neoprene wraps that make the grips larger for large hands. They're waterproof and they transfer heat from the heated grips with little loss. Because my hands are so big I have a tendency to take a death grip on handlebars - my DL1000 and DL650 were exactly the same. The larger diameter forces me to relax.
The bike was buzzy when it was brand new, but it really seems to be breaking in well.
I've never ridden a dual sport with traction control and ABS. And certainly not one as heavy as you are on right now.
My motto is when in danger or in doubt, smack on the throttle to get yourself out. Lol.
My motto is when in danger or in doubt, smack on the throttle to get yourself out. Lol.
lol- subscribed - safe journey
There are plenty who know more than me, and have more experience than me, but my understanding is that BMW turns down the traction control and ABS in enduro mode so you can still have fun. With a special dongle, you can go into enduro pro which turns all the nanny stuff off. But that's for folks with more experience than me - I'm happy to trust BMW's programmers.
What I find really cool (more in a later installment) is how good it all works together. I can tell when the ABS kicks in, and in dirt when I hammer the brakes, they work well BEFORE the ABS goes off...I don't know how many German engineers had to sell their souls to the devil to make that happen, but it's worth it.
I can't even tell you how many times I've washed out the front end, so I envy you your technology, and the ride you're doing this season. It's on my list to ride in B. C.
So I'm copying and pasting posts from advrider, where I have another RR thread going. For efficiency I'm copying and pasting, but replying individually.
I had intended on doing real-time posts, but screw that noise. It's too much work.
I'm currently writing this from my second stint in Dawson City. :freaky
I've been keeping a journal - old school paper and pen - and that's been my priority. If I have it in my journal, it won't crash, the batteries won't die and the screen won't break. So....let me just scroll back a bit...
July 9. Day 3, or something.
My decision for the day was North or South Dakota. I have been to South previously, which means it's old ground. But I hear that North is all oil and gas, driving up the price of rooms and also there's nothing there (with apologies to any North Dakotans).
I decided on the whirlwind tour of South Dakota. Why? Because Chris the Gnome hadn't been to those places before.
Now before I go on, it was pointed out to me how *&^%ing crazy that sounds. I understand. But in the back of my head I was like "I'm hauling around the world's worst travel companion, how can I not have some pics taken in interesting spots?"
Before I got too far, I hit another Wal-Mart for a salad for lunch. This system is actually working out pretty well - thanks to advrider inmate theshnizzle for the tip.
So at a gas station I see two bikes - a sport bike and a naked bike. Enter Kris and Maria
What I love about this trip is that every time I start thinking I'm hardcore, I meet someone who puts me to shame.
Kris and Maria are out for a 5000+ km ride, on a sport bike and naked bike, with just the clothes on their backs, a change of clothes, and raingear. No jackets. No boots. No AGATT. Just ****it lets ride. Sunburnt, no destination in mind, man they were young, dumb and full of cum, and I mean that in the most complimentary way.
We shot the breeze for a while, and then since we were headed in the same direction rode together for a while. Their plan for the day? Party in Sturgis.
I was thinking more of heading to the Badlands, but as we were riding I was weighing joining them and tying one on with young'un who could be my kids, or sticking with my plan.
I decide, in the end, to stick to MY ride. While I'd love to join them, I'm acutely aware of the 20 year difference between us, and I really did want to ride the dirt in Badlands NP.
So off to the Badlands I go. I took some video, I think this is it, but frankly I'm drunk in a bar in Dawson City right now, so this might be it, it might not.
Huh. Looks like video linking to smugmug doesn't work. I'm having difficulty uploading to youtube. I could delete all the busted links, but screw it I'm drunk and this feels more organic.
I had intended on doing real-time posts, but screw that noise. It's too much work.
I'm currently writing this from my second stint in Dawson City. :freaky
I've been keeping a journal - old school paper and pen - and that's been my priority. If I have it in my journal, it won't crash, the batteries won't die and the screen won't break. So....let me just scroll back a bit...
July 9. Day 3, or something.
My decision for the day was North or South Dakota. I have been to South previously, which means it's old ground. But I hear that North is all oil and gas, driving up the price of rooms and also there's nothing there (with apologies to any North Dakotans).
I decided on the whirlwind tour of South Dakota. Why? Because Chris the Gnome hadn't been to those places before.
Now before I go on, it was pointed out to me how *&^%ing crazy that sounds. I understand. But in the back of my head I was like "I'm hauling around the world's worst travel companion, how can I not have some pics taken in interesting spots?"
Before I got too far, I hit another Wal-Mart for a salad for lunch. This system is actually working out pretty well - thanks to advrider inmate theshnizzle for the tip.
So at a gas station I see two bikes - a sport bike and a naked bike. Enter Kris and Maria
What I love about this trip is that every time I start thinking I'm hardcore, I meet someone who puts me to shame.
Kris and Maria are out for a 5000+ km ride, on a sport bike and naked bike, with just the clothes on their backs, a change of clothes, and raingear. No jackets. No boots. No AGATT. Just ****it lets ride. Sunburnt, no destination in mind, man they were young, dumb and full of cum, and I mean that in the most complimentary way.
We shot the breeze for a while, and then since we were headed in the same direction rode together for a while. Their plan for the day? Party in Sturgis.
I was thinking more of heading to the Badlands, but as we were riding I was weighing joining them and tying one on with young'un who could be my kids, or sticking with my plan.
I decide, in the end, to stick to MY ride. While I'd love to join them, I'm acutely aware of the 20 year difference between us, and I really did want to ride the dirt in Badlands NP.
So off to the Badlands I go. I took some video, I think this is it, but frankly I'm drunk in a bar in Dawson City right now, so this might be it, it might not.
Huh. Looks like video linking to smugmug doesn't work. I'm having difficulty uploading to youtube. I could delete all the busted links, but screw it I'm drunk and this feels more organic.
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