Day T minus 11 (Gear Ships to NM)

Time is marching on and the end (or rather, start!) is drawing near. I gathered up the rest of the camping gear (tent, bed roll, sleeping bag) as well as my riding gear (jacket, back protector, etc...)...



...and boxed it all up.




In addition to the trip related gear, there are a few "surprises" hidden in this box for my sister's children. I have not seen most of them for ~3-4 years (perhaps more) and have never see a couple them!

Here is the box that was sent to Alb. NM (where my bike is currently headed). I HOPE it arrives ok! It should take ~1 week, so it will be there WELL in advance of my leaving NJ.

Day T minus 17 (The Bike Ships)

Well, at long last we have reached the point of no return!

I prepped the bike for shipping (filled as many empty spaces as possible - other camping and riding gear will be shipped to NM in a box - and locked them all down with either keyed locks or cable ties). I'm not really concerned, but figured it was better to lock/secure things, than to "hope" things would not "walk" during transit.

Here we are all ready to go (on a nice drizzly morning - 4/21/09; also my parents 53rd wedding Anniversary!):



Upon leaving my house in NJ we have 19115 miles (let's see what we can log in the S. West!):

I took the bike to the local BMW dealer (Cross County BMW in NJ*) and dropped it off for pick up by the shipping company (Key Board Motorcycle shipping - http://www.keyboardmotorcycleshipping.com).

[* Incidentally, this is the same BMW dealership that NEP frequents when he is in town on "business"]

She (rather, he? still not sure if "wally" is a boy or a girl!) is in the capable hands of Cross Country BMW (see ya soon!):

I wish I could say that my hands were as "capable," however after catching my finger on one of the side cases, I appear to have gotten my first (and let's hope ONLY injury) on this adventure:

This is why sailors and oceanographers DO NOT wear jewelry. I guess we need to add "motorcyclists" (or at least ME!) to that list....

(footnote: The BMW shop called on 4/22, bike shipped as planned - we are on our way!)

The PREP!

So, how do you prepare for an ~39 day trip away from home that includes riding a moto through both HOT (NV in June) and COLD (CO in June) conditions? How do you organize both home and work responsibilities before you leave? How do you pack for such a trip? A single word....

LISTS!

Preparing for this trip got a little complicated and, in some cases, out of hand. I needed to organize (and pack) for a moto trip that would START in NM (which would require packing the bike for shipping, packing camping gear to be sent to NM as well as packing for the flight from NJ to NM). I also would need to pack a box to be sent to CA so I could have "normal" clothing, etc... for my 3 weeks of work. I would say that the trickiest part was trying to balance what I would really NEED while on the road vs. the space I had available on the bike. One of the biggest issues was trying to arrive at a sleeping bag that was NOT too bulky, but yet comfortable enough (and properly rated for the areas that I would be in). In the end, I struck a balance. I got a North Face bag that was rated for 40'F and I would pack a flannel blanket just in case this bag got too HOT or if it were too COLD (we'll see if I chose wisely!).

Here's the bike all packed as if leaving Alb. NM:

Perhaps we are still a little "ladened," but this was the best I could do (~75 lbs of gear).

Beyond packing issues, I spent a good amount of time working up my routes using Mapsource (software from Garmin) for my GPS unit (nicknamed Dimwit). Since I had visited the Southwest once before with the wife and kids, I knew that gas stations are often FAR and FEW between. Even though the Mapsource software was useful to ID gas stations along the way, I found that the Google Maps "street view" option (that funny little orange guy on the left of the map area) was QUITE useful in finding gas stations that were not listed in Mapsource - heck, I was even able to find a gas station in Death Valley (though my final route will not be taking me that way)!

I also reached out to family, friends and "virtual-friends" (people on moto forums) requesting contacts for the areas that I would be traveling through (I called them "safe havens"). Many people responded and I was able to build a Google Maps map with all the contacts included. After some funny conversions, etc, I was able to upload this listing to my GPS unit. The below pic shows these contacts using Garmin software (Mapsource). Each red flag is someone who has offered assistance, should I need it (note: this map is just the Southwest, I had requested contacts when the trip was a "cross country" - i.e., many other KIND SOULS are not shown in this map).

Something else that kept me up at night (a little) was trying to figure out the best way to help my family cope with my being away for so long (mainly my son). One thing I did was to get web cams for the house computer and my lap top. This way, we would be able to see each other once in a while. I also put my son in charge of tracking the weather for me; he has a Wii which can send/receive e-mails (I did not know this!) and it has a type of weather channel. I'll be sending him e-mails to have him check the weather for me in the next area (sure, I WILL check the weather myself, but this will give him a sense of "helping me out"). I also produced this blog and a "sister site" for my daughter to update me on their progress in school and their various sports (soccer and b-ball) activities. I also put my daughter in charge of video taping portions of my son's b-ball games - I really HATE missing that (particularly since he is ever so slowly moving UP in the lineup due to his newly surfaced HITTING skills!)! We think we have a reasonable system to get some videos uploaded to YouTube - we'll see if it works out. Beyond these things, I also have a few surprises up my sleeve that will "unfold" while I'm away - we'll all have to stay tuned for that!

Sure, it is only ~40 days, but a lot can and will happen during that time. I just want to help make the time pass a bit faster - I hope my little plans work out...

The PLAN

Once my wife (Jen) and I decided that a moto trip (of some sorts) could work, I started working up a plan. At first I thought the world was my oyster (I'm a Marine Biologist, so I think everything is my oyster, or clam, or shrimp, etc...), so I started having deep thoughts about a full cross country trip (from NJ->CA and back).

This was the first idea I had (with stops in Alb. NM and perhaps Mt. Rushmore):




After I arrived at this plan, I started tinkering with the budget (a spreadsheet - of COURSE!) to see if I could really pull it off. Based on miles traveled per day, food, fuel, cost of shelter (hotel vs camping; a 50/50 split seemed to strike the right balance) this plan seemed to be doable at a cost of let's call it "X."

However, after looking at calendars and the like, a round trip to CA and back would really not be in the cards for me (driving forces were weather concerns, Holidays, the kid's school schedule and most importantly, my son's 10th birthday - I really did not want to be on the road for that).

So, the "pie in the sky" plan was scrapped for something a bit less ambitious. After some research and speaking with a few friends, I settled upon a new idea: SHIP the bike to CA and ride back (or ride there and ship the bike back). This seemed reasonable, as I really only had ~12 days available for riding (on top of the ~21 or so for the work in CA). Also, because I had my trusty spreadsheet handy (!), the added cost of shipping the bike to (or from CA) as well as a plane ticket for myself was just about the same as the cost of a one way trip across the USA (in terms of food, fuel, hotel/camping costs), ~0.5*X. I therefore charted out a new course:

This was the plan for quite some time. However, when speaking with the shipping company we somehow got on the topic of the cost of a round trip shipping (from NJ to CA and then back from CA to NJ). It turns out that CA and NM are in the same "zone" and that a round trip shipment is not 2*Y ("Y"=cost of a one way shipping from NJ to CA), but rather 1.6*Y (i.e., a little cheaper than the cost of 2 one way fares).

Once I heard that (and after a review of the spreadsheet*) I'm certain one of NASA's satellites picked up a BRIGHT FLASH in central NJ (it was the proverbial LIGHT going on)! (my cousin Jeanie, who works for NASA, could probably confirm that!)

[*without one, you would just have complete chaos!]

Since 1/2 of the planned trip (from NJ to OK) would be "local" (in a sense - I mean, I could ride to OK and back to NJ without much fuzz, if I ever really wanted to), why not concentrate my 12 days of riding in a area that 1) really has some GREAT scenery and 2) is in an area that I'll likely NEVER be able to ride in again??

The Southwest?!

Indeed, the final cost will be ~ 1.1*X (again, "X"=cost of the round trip NJ->CA, CA->NJ moto ride), however that slight increase in cost, IMO, is out weighted by the benefit of being able to focus my riding in that part of the country. Also, this allowed me to split the ride into 2 legs, one from NM->CA prior to my work in CA and then a second leg from CA->NM when I was done with my work in CA. An additional benefit is that I now start and end my trip in Alb. NM and that affords my the opportunity to visit with my sister (and her family) twice!

Here is the final "draft" route (which includes NM, AZ, CA, NV, UT and CO); the B-line from NJ to NM is simply me and the bike making our way to NM:

Currently, planned stops/routes on leg 1 (NM->CA; ~5 days NM, AZ, CA) are in Grand. Can., Rt 66, Joshua Tree Park and then up the coast of CA. The planned route for leg 2 (CA->NM; ~7 CA, NV, UT, CO) is to get to Yosemite, Bryce, perhaps Island in the Sky, Monarch Pass and Santa Fe. The more astute readers will notice that 5 and 7 days to make these 2 legs are on the HIGH side. Because of uncertainties with weather, etc, I built in an extra day for each leg (i.e., I'm planning for leg 1 to be 4 days of riding and leg 2 to be 6 - padding the legs with an extra day on each side seemed reasonable as I needed to coordinate my flights as well as the shipping of the bike). (note: the final, more detailed routes will be included with the posts at the start of each leg).

DONE!! I would leave NJ on May 8th (a couple days after my son's B-day) and would return June 15th (in total, I'll be gone for ~39 days with ~12 of them "on the road" - the rest in CA for work or visiting with family).

The Bike (a 2001 F650GS) and upgrades

The motorcycle that I will use for this trip is a 2001 BMW F650GS. Perhaps it is not the best suited for this trip (as it is a dual-sport bike; on road/off road), but it is what I have!I got the "F" in 2006 when it only had ~800 miles on it (indeed, it was a GREAT find for a used bike - John B., THANKS for the tip!).

Here's the bike when I bought it (isn't she a beauty!?).

Since then I have logged many miles with this moto (~18000; ~6k per year). These miles have mainly been "road" miles, with only limited miles being "off road" (rather, gravel/dirt roads). I've been to/through NJ, NY, PA, DE, VA, MD, CT, MA, VT and on the more adventurous side I also got myself to Ontario, Canada (who can guess why I chose Ont. as a venue?). Although a good portion of the more elaborate rides/miles (WV & VT; both trips were a total of ~2000 miles in 4-5 days) were with companions, I have logged many miles (and few multi-night trips, such as a 4 day/1.5k ride up to/through Ont.) solo. Indeed, you can always use more experience, however, I do feel as though I have enough miles under my wheels to undertake this planned NM, AZ, CA, NV, UT, CO trip.

When I first bought the bike the previous owner warned that I should be prepared to take it to the shop to deal with its maintenance (as they thought that a novice, such as myself, would not be qualified enough to care for bike). Although I still do not consider myself "qualified," with the help of a various manuals, online videos and moto-centric forums (and posters associated there in) I have managed to perform a good number of basic (and a few not-so basic) maintenance tasks. As of this writing, I have not yet had to take the bike to a shop to deal with a maintenance issue. This is no SMALL feat for a guy with NO automotive mech. skills coming into the world of motorcycles! A sampling of maintenance issues that I have been able to tackle are:

- Valve adjustments, replacement of radiator, replacement of fork seals, replacement of chain and sprockets, replacement of steering head bearings, installation of Ohlins shock, greasing of swing arm bearings, and minor things like bleeding brakes, changing tires/tubes, etc...

There are only a few tasks that I have not yet dealt with (changing brake pads comes to mind, but they're still good), so I'm confident that my meager set of "wrenching" skills are up to the task.

Over the past few years (and in preparation for this trip), I installed a good number of "upgrades" to increase the safety, comfort or functionality of this moto. They are listed below in no particular order (except, perhaps, from top to bottom):

- Cee Bailey's Wind Screen
- Touratech handle bar risers
- Stebel Horn
- Delphi 2 Satellite radio
- Garmin Visa e-trex GPS unit
- Wolfman Tank Bag- Aerostich Tank Panniers
- A Sealed Battery (the make escapes me!)
- Fork Seal Protectors
- Mr. Eds custom seat
- Ohlins Shock
- Happy Trails Teton side cases
- Touratech lowered foot pegs
- Best Rest rear rack
- Hyper Lights rear brake light
- PVC Tool Tubes (home made)

(I guess I need to plant another $ tree in the backyard! Erin, can you get on that for me?).

Here is the bike in all of it's glory PRIOR to being loaded up for the trip.

(I thought I had a better pic, but I guess not)

I've never been one to name my motorcycles (much), but from the proper angle and with the right lighting, I cannot help but to think...

wall-e...

Acknowledgements

Who should I thank for this? Well, first and foremost is my wife for supporting this idea (in all of its various incarnations – I mean, I think if I had said I was going to ride to the moon, she still would have been ok with it; her support however might be somewhat “self-serving” as this trip will also provide her with a BREAK from me!). I also need to thank my children (Erin and William) for, if not completely being “on board” with the idea, at least for not putting up such a fuss that I canned the trip altogether (though my daughter Erin is probably in the same boat as her mom – i.e., a BREAK from me! Erin, note that i used a "black" background for this website, that was for you!).

In terms of the trip itself, I thank my sister (Dee) in NM for allowing me to use her house as a “staging area” for the start/end of this trip. I also want to thank my cousin Jeanie and my good friend Cindy, both of whom are in CA, for agreeing to put me up (or, rather, put UP with me) for portions of my stay in CA. I thank both Dan and Marie (from USGS) for agreeing to have me shadow them in the lab for a couple of weeks – oh yeah, I guess I’ll be doing some work while I’m gone! And I guess I’ll thank the college for supporting my sabbatical (without that freedom from day-to-day work responsibilities, this trip probably never would have happened).

There are also countless faceless people (and some with faces!) associated with a variety of motorcycle-centric forums that helped shape/reshape my plans for this trip. The comments and suggestions on the best way to pull the trip off, what upgrades to the bike would add “safety” and "comfort" (and how to install said upgrades!) and what NOT to do were appreciated (you all know you you are!).

I'll now thank the two individuals who played a pivotal role in me getting my first bike: NEP (for writing of his travels through the US and Canada) and DRS (for making me realize that one can simply take an MSF course to learn how to ride! - I had always wanted to, but never really researched how to start).

Oh, and did I thank my wife?

(notes about the pictures in the header)

The background picture was taken in the summer of 2007 when my family and I visited the Grand Canyon (it was taken - I think - in the Desert View area). The weird picture on the bottom left was made as an "avatar" for a motorcycle forum. It is patchwork of images from various Rush* album covers, etc. (*the only band worth listening to!). It is supposed to show a guy on a motorcycle (it does, but only if you squint!) - there is a special prize for anyone who can pick out the various Rush albums represented by this image! The picture on the bottom right is the "Toxic Avenger" (a nickname from work) who is the first super hero from NJ! Since I work with toxic chemicals and am from NJ, the name seems to fit. The picture in the middle is for my brothers - they call me the Michelin man when they see me with all of my riding gear on (you'll see what they mean when you scroll through these pages). I take no offense. As they say, "I would rather sweat a little, than bleed a lot." I'm a "gear snob" (i.e., I live by the ATGATT motto: All The Gear All The Time).

The quote about "...The following takes place..." is, well, if you do NOT know where that is from, you will not get the joke!

Prologue

In November of 2007 I got a memo at work that the college was accepting applications from faculty (I’m a college professor and teach Biology/Environmental Science) who might be interested in taking a sabbatical. I tossed it aside, not really having any great ideas at the time and moved onto more pressing tasks; one was preparing for a scientific conference I was attending in late November. While at those meetings I got to chatting with colleagues from CA (they work at the USGS in Menlo Park, CA – which is where I did my post-doc research) about some new research they were conducting and I was eager to lean the technique. It then occurred to me that going to CA to learn this new research technique might be a worthy pursuit for the aforementioned sabbatical application. That was that! I left the meetings and applied for the sabbatical. I do not know when it was, really, but at one point…

…AN IDEA WAS HATCHED!

If the sabbatical was indeed supported, perhaps I could RIDE my 2001 F650GS cross country (from NJ to CA)!

This idea stewed for a few months while awaiting word on the approval of my application. Late in the Spring of 2008 I got word that, indeed my application was approved!

THE BALL WAS IN PLAY!

Plans for this trip slowly started to evolve (often times spinning out of control and then to a complete standstill; taking on various shapes, sizes and forms) until they reached a happy medium between various home, work and life obligations/responsibilities.

When all the dust settled, the trip would involve shipping my bike to Albuquerque, NM (where one of my sisters lives; I would fly there) and riding it from NM to CA (and back to NM). This would give me ~12 days of riding, separated by ~3 weeks in CA learning this new research technique (which was the purposed of the trip to begin with!).

The original purpose of this blog (which I am embossed to actually use – I had teased a friend once about his own “blog”; “…Oh how important you must be that the world wants to read about every time you take a [blank]…”, sorry Rob, I owe you a beer!) was to update my family and friends on my progress, however its main function was to stay connected with my immediate family (wife, daughter and son) while I’m away for this rather lengthy period of time (~40 days in total).

[NOTE: this blog was posted in REAL TIME during the trip (between May and June of 2009) and I have now (Sept. 2009) removed personal info, pics, etc, that are not related to "riding." That is why the tense and prose, at times, might seem a bit "off."]

"The following takes place between May and June, 2009. Events occur in real time….."

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