No Return Ticket – Just a Ride Report /w Pics

[cavebiker]

You've obviously done alot of good pre ride prep. Hopefully it'll all pay off so as to lessen the issues when you're down Guatemala way.

Lots of good pics, and a good solid narrative. It's like we're along for the ride... without the extra weight of a sidecar hack.

Will be watching for more.

Hey DarkKnight. For sure, I feel I've been prepping for this since I was 16.The closer we got the more intense it got. And thanks for the good words. It’s nice to know people are following along while we are so far away from home. That really helps us feel more connected.
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OK, getting close to the real ride now................

I’m getting so fired up I’m almost peeing my paints.(Drums) Heidi is usually silent about the planning details but lately she has been voicing a lot of thoughts and good ideas. She is really thinking about her packing list and what she can bring. Every week I get handed a small pile of stuff with her theory of why it should come. This sets me back in my thoughts, I have to make sure I have all the details ironed out. We talk about strategies, routes and destinations. We’re going to the travel clinic getting shots, pills and instructions. Wow, it’s really happening. I already told my boss and will make it official with HR in a few weeks. We’re going down our check lists and marking things off, world camp stove, check; water proof stuff sacs, check; new computer, check. Last weekend Heidi got new water proof touring boots and a helmet, check.

I think I have things under control, time to goof off and bling up the bike a little. I love the ADV slogan “Ride the World” The decal goes on.

I like it!

I copied this image from a T-shirt. I thought it would make a good graphic on the new gas tank. I like the hair….(Ya right!)
I played with the size until I got it just right, then just printed it out, two copies, one the mirror image of the other.

I take the printouts and position them on the tank where I want. (I’m liken this way too much)
Once positioned I applied some painters tape on the tank under the printout.

I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m making all this up as I go. That said, I install a new X-acto blade and proceed to cut out along the graphic on the print out and into the painters tape to create a template mask.

This required a good eye and a steady hand. Like the original artist I must duplicate the exact figure and lines and curves. The work is intense. The lines are iconic and must be exact.

I’m satisfied with the results. The tape figure peels off with ease. The breasts on the right side are a little more forward,

the ones on the left side are thrusting up in a more playful fashion. I like them both (smile) Will I ever grow up?

Ready for paint. I hope this works.

I’m thinking I should wait at least 24 hours before taking the tape off. I guess it’s time to put on the new drive belt. I never realized how much work you save by having a chain that you can split. I spent at least a half an hour with a cup of coffee just looking at how I’m going to do this. I find myself thinking wimpy thoughts and wanting to just take it somewhere and have it done. I recognize my thoughts and say to myself “What if I need to do this on the road in the middle of nowhere? I need to know I can do it and how”

I had trouble figuring out how to remove the right foot peg, it needed to come off. The foot peg turned out to be one with the side case. I finally get everything to come off. Yes!

It didn’t show up but a small hail storm came through while I was working on the bike. Large pea size hail coming down hard. No better place to be than in the fish house with my bike. (That’s almost poetic…)

The new belt is on, score! I call up the local bike shop, Kick Stand motor sports and ask if they have a Dunlap 402 rear tire my size in stock. I’m back an hour later with the new tire mounted up. Life is good….

I feel the drum roll, I peal back the painters tape. Nice

I still have daylight and it feels eerie warm out, time to take my new girls out for a spin.

 

[cavebiker]

Getting Ready for the Ride……..
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Dear xxx HR Department

Bla bla bla……..

Sincerely,
Thomas H. Junkans
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I did it! It’s hard to describe the feelings getting ready to write this resignation letter and hand it in. For weeks I was seeing my life, my career, my income, my security flashing before my eyes. It was like my brain was in some type of fast speed mode. My moods are swinging, mostly swinging up but swinging none the less. I’m drinking more, I think mostly because Heidi and I feel like partying more (I hope that’s all it is…..)

We both just finished our 8 day pill regimen for Typhoid fever, we’re good for five years now. All the other shots are done, yellow fever, tetanus, rabies. We’re stocked with malaria pills. I just sent in our application for world health insurance. It was still a hard decision nailing down the exact plan we wanted and finalizing it. Ouch ouch, a $5,000 deductible each was the only doable plan.

Now down to just a few items to buy. At REI we picked up water purification tablets, zinc oxide and two large hi-tech camp towels. The towels fold up small and light and are big enough for the beach. At WalMart I bought a three pack of water proof stuff sacks, $11. They looked exactly the same as the two I bought at REI for $15 a piece. We became members of the South America Explorers club and got on the mailing list for www.SierraTradingPost.com Name brand adventure gear, a lot of items are discontinued but the prices are unbeatable. We ordered a backpack to strap on the back of the sissy bar. I hope it fits. I wanted it large enough so we can use it for overnight on foot expeditions, like traveling up the Amazon river sleeping on the deck of a boat or something like that. (I am fired up!:rayof )

We spent a lot of time getting things done way ahead of time but now there’s still a ton to do. I paid the last rent check, 2 weeks to go in our Minneapolis apartment and we are out. We’re moving a little at a time every weekend to our little cabin in the north but now its time to get serious. I brought a trailer back this trip so we can do a big haul this weekend. I still have to find someone to do our taxes the next couple of years. I need to arrange to have our bank person liquidate some 401K money for us on January first of 08’ and again in 09’. I need to get a little creative figuring out how to bank roll this trip until then. We have zero savings but I have good credit. This is fricking fun. In some ways I feel like I’m being bad, I’m doing something wrong. We’re suppose to use the 401K money for retirement, the government even panelizes us, like its illegal. I say to heck with that, we’re going to spend it now and live! My plans are not to even make it to age 65. I have a lot of living to get done in the next 15 years. The time to make it happen is Now!

The backpack came in the mail this week, time to test the thing out. I made up some straps, I cut them too short. I used a hose clamp to secure the backpack to the sissy bar, it worked but I don’t like it.

I picked a good backpack for this application. The colored stripes on the back are strips of heavy webbing that overlap each other. This is for moving the shoulder straps up or down to match the torso of the backpacker. I don’t like the hose clamp thing. It’s going to rip the webbing eventually, it’s bulky and I can’t get the backrest to fit on.

I need to figure out another way to attach the backpack. Maybe a tongue sticking vertical off the back of the sissy bar. If I modify one colored strap on the backpack and make the tongue width just right I should have great support. I cut off the two backpack hip pads and straps. They were bulky and in the way and I can always slip on a simple hip strap when backpacking.

Great! Here’s the plan. I start out by tracing around the sissy bar. The tongue will have to be 2 pieces, one long one that sticks out and into the backpack and another that brings the tongue out and away from the sissy bar so the backpack can slip on.

A trip to the local hardware store in Spooner and I come away with 4 pieces cut to length. I wanted 3 inch aluminum stock but all they had was an inch and a half, it should work….

While at the hardware store I bought some steel cable and couplers to make these security cables. Nothing is totally theft proof but these make things snatch and grab proof. I’ll use them for attaching helmets, sleeping bags or anything else I’m concerned about.

Looks good, it should work……

Perfect! No clamping or tying. The backpack has an internal frame and sits good and rigid. The sissy bar pad slips right on like normal.

Woosh! That’s a big load off my shoulders. The backpack is picked out, purchased and attached. The setup is tested and I’m feeling pretty good about it. The sleeping bags, the tent, cooking gear and tools all have a place and we have two huge empty panniers ready for our personal gear. This could seriously work!

Now things are getting surreal. We’re saying to each other “This is the last time we’re doing this and that” clothes and everything are getting packed up for long term storage.

The main focus is still on what we are taking for the ride and 'How The Heck' are we going to carry it all. We start with a few piles of gear; camping, cooking, clothes/riding gear, misc. & survival gear. (I need to start using a tripod for shots that obviously need it. Sorry for the blurry pics but you get the idea)

We finally had some rain up north so we can have camp fires, a good time for trip planning and task coverage
discussions.

Heidi knows how to poke a fire…..

The drive back to Minneapolis “This is our last time for this” Tomorrow night we flush out the apartment, everything except the mattress goes. We’ll pitch the mattress in the trash on the way out to work Thursday morning. I picked up over $200 worth of malaria pills geared for South American mosquitoes today. I’m glad I still have company insurance, it would have been over $800.

I work this week, I have a week off than I work 4 more days, that’s it “No Return Ticket”

 

[cavebiker]

We moved out of our little apartment in the Minneapolis UpTown area. We loved living here and all the fun stuff to do in the city but it’s time for a change.

Years ago we sold our house in the cities and then bought a small summer cabin in Northern Wisconsin.

A couple of years playing architect and learning building techniques, a year digging a hole for the basement and foundation (by hand) and about 6 years to build it, me with the help of a friend now and then. This has been our dream for a long time (Notice the same front door). Our hard work and combined focus paid off. The place is by no means complete but its good enough to call home.

Heidi and I think of our place in the north woods as a paradise, we often question our sanity for leaving it for so long to go off and travel. I’m sure it will seem even better when we return.

I had a little send off from some work friends, nice, people showed up who I worked with for years. It doesn’t feel real that I’m leaving. It’s been 25 years ago I started working here. I was in my 20’s, hard to imagine. I feel blessed

A little send off party at the cabin

Another modification, I picked up a bicycle speedometer from Aerostitch for $32. Ken has a good idea of how to mount it. He drills and taps a hole on the handlebar top plate.

Nice….. now I need to figure out how to mount the sensor and magnet.

I’ve been putting off a few things on the bike. Time to do it!

I install a new clutch cable. I get it almost all put together and adjusted before I notice it’s about 10 inches shorter then the original, Darn! I order another cable. It should be in by this weekend. This cable seems to work so I put everything together and pour in the gear oil. I soon notice oil dripping from the gear case, double Crap! I pinched the rubber O-ring gasket. I call the shop, they have those in stock.

Next I take the gas tank off and proceed to replace the rubber fuel line and the rubber vacuum lines. I figure anything rubber should be replaced on a bike that’s 13 years old. The new lines go on hard but I finally get it all put back together. When I turn the gas line on I soon notice fuel pouring down the side of the engine. Ahhhh! I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. It seemed like it was leaking right at the plastic nipple feeding the carburetor. After fiddling around with the nipple I realize it has a big crack. I immediately think to myself “why the heck is the thing plastic? It sits right next to the engine cylinder head exposed to extreme heat, it’s gonna fail!” I call up the bike shop to see if they need to order one. They have them in stock and Yes, the new part is all brass. I’m sure the engineer of the original plastic part got a big “Thata boy” from management for saving 10 cents on the part. I thank god for the failure happening now and not while we are in the middle of nowhere.

Heidi and I buzz to the Rice Lake Harley Davidson shop and picked up the new parts.

The new piece hammers in and seals with a compression fit.

I also picked up a new cylinder head to carburetor gasket. A few summers ago the bike was running like crap at low speeds and I couldn’t figure out what it was. It ended up to be this rubber gasket that failed.

Time to put in the fork seals. The old seals are leaking bad.

I hear weird sounding thunder coming closer and closer. I look out to the west and didn’t see anything serious looking but I still heard the thunder, but no lighting. All of a sudden all heck breaks loose, almost golf ball size hail is slamming down.

It was over as fast as it started but still left a lot of hail.

Ever since I rode down to Belize and messed around on the beach my forks have looked tarnished in specks. I figure it was the salt. Hipster suggested fine sand paper. I used 1500 grit and it took off all the specks pretty easy.

I had the fork pieces setting just the way they came out but putting it back together I had a rough time pressing in the slip bushing. Then I think, maybe it goes in first. I press it in then realize NO, it goes in just the way I had it laid out. Crap, I had a heck of a time getting the bushing out and I pretty much destroyed it in the process. The Rice Lake shop has none in stock so I’m down for 4 or 5 days now, not liken it. I do the other fork and everything goes together just fine. I have my confidence back! I WILL get this sucker ready to go ….

 

[cavebiker]

The bike was on the rack for days. I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t concentrate on doing anything else with the bike like this. I started to call shops looking for a part in stock. New Richmond, WI, a 2 hour drive but I got the part. Like a surgeon I press in the new bushing and assemble the fork back together. Now I’m happy!

The fork back on I decide to mount a new front tire. The tire I had was still good but I had a new tire in the shed and thought it would be nice to start with all new rubber. I use the bead breaker I bought from HappyTrails.com. Once you do a few tires it’s quite easy. For some reason I decided to install the tube I had instead of carrying it. I don’t know what I did but I put a hole in the tube. I take the tube out and just take the tire to an air compressor and fill it up. All is good but I will have to buy another tube to take along, just for an emergency, like if I split a tire or something and I’m in the middle of nowhere.

I scraped off a section of paint on the front break caliper to mount the electronic speedometer sensor. I used JB weld epoxy. I did the same thing on the front wheel to mount the magnet. JB weld holds up pretty good but it will get brittle over time. I have one backup magnet just in case and I can always do the math using the main speedometer if all else fails.

Heidi and I are starting to get accustomed to the idea of being retired unemployed people. We don’t have to go to work today, We have the world in our hands. People often ask us what will we do with ourselves if we’re not working, hinting that we for sure will get bored. I guess we’re lucky, we both like to exercise just for the sake of exercise and we always look for fun ways to do it. I grew up watching my father run 2 miles everyday, he is 50 years older then me. In retirement at age 65 my dad continued to run everyday and train for extended backpack expeditions. One backpack trip he and my older sister hiked for over 3 months straight. I guess that’s the way we see retirement, a chance to do the things we’ve always dreamed of. To make our dreams reality we need to be physically fit. We see this stage in our life as a chance to obtain supreme physical fitness, not just grow old.

This weekend is Musky festival in Hayward WI, lots of activities going on including the Musky run. The mental high achieved after a painful competition is unreal. We always question our sanity the morning of these events but are always toasting after.

The RatBike sits at the ready. New tires, new cables, new clutch, new bearings, new oil, new belt, new breaks. We’ll get a new battery and new rubber again at the Mexican border. The headlight is the original, 13 years old. I wonder if I should replace that? Pretty much everything is done, now we need to do a test, a fully loaded overnight camping run.

Today should be in the nineties. We are going to do an overnight canoe river trip first and test out our camping gear. This should be a lot of fun. The Hayward area is great for outside activity, we have 4 different rivers in the area to canoe. We like the Namekagon river. We can put in six miles away and end up even closer to home. The Namekagon is under the national wild river act so everything is left wild and natural. There are several primitive camping spots along the river for canoe people and off road bikers, if you know the back trails.

We still have a couple of weeks for preparation so hang in there, this is just a warm up!

Now things are shifting into a completely different mode. We’ve had our gear gathered together for so long that’s its time to see exactly what we have and see if it all fits on the bike. Packing up for the first time I started getting this shaking feeling inside because I knew it wasn’t gonna fit the way I envisioned it. First, the tent has to come out of the backpack and get strapped to the top of a pannier. This puts both sleeping bags strapped on the opposite pannier. The bike looks lopsided. The 2 sleeping bags we have are designed for 10 degrees F and are huge. I swear we’re getting help from above, that day we get a sale flier from sierratradingpost.com, they have light weight Kelty sleeping bags on sale that are designed to zip two bags together. Perfect! The bags arrive, they both pack into one stuff sack with room to spare. I next search campmore.com for light weight down sleeping bags, I order one 30 degree down bag that’s super light and packs small. All three bags will stuff into one 25 liter waterproof stuff sack (YES). Now I get my breathing under control. I’m thinking to myself that this will work. Thoughts were racing through my head that we may just have to ditch the idea of hauling camping and cooking gear and just motel and restaurant it. (nightmare) Exploring exotic lands to me is being out in it, sleeping and waking up in it, living in it. After you camp, spending time in a motel is sweet. Plus riding with a tent is a huge safety feature. I read so many reports of riders riding into the night in some foreign country just because they need to get to a far town that has a motel, not smart. In Mexico when I start running out of sunlight I just ask some Mexicans if I can pitch my tent in their driveway or somewhere for the night, I’ve had some of my best experiences that way.

The final pack. We try to pack so Nothing in the backpack will be needed until we stop for the night. Stuff we need throughout the day will be in the panniers so they are easy to get to. Rain gear, toiletry sack, towels, swim gear, water and snacks.

This is fun, our brains are 100% focused now. We discuss scenarios to see if our strategy makes sense and make changes on the fly with confidence.

A few maps……..I’m thinking I can get the Chili, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Bolivia maps at the South American Explores club in Quito.

I didn’t want to carry the tank panniers but it just makes too much sense to bring them. They hold a lot of stuff and it brings the weight more forward. I make a 100 mile test run fully loaded to Rice Lake, WI. I needed to pick up a new clutch cable there. The bike felt great, low speeds, high speeds, gravel, no problem.

It’s my neighbor Jeff’s birthday. Some friends came over for a little camp fire calibration. We are so lucky!

Jeff (2nd from left) designed the pannier brackets for the bike and is a heck of an adventurer himself. He once drove to Alaska, got a job on a fishing trawler, had a blast and survived to tell about it.

Check out the vertical hollow log camp fire.

Yeah, new avatar idea…..

Time to think serious and run over ‘if stuff hits the fan’ scenarios.

Initiating plans like this really gives me a sense of tranquility. I feel a quietness in my brain now, like I’m down to one inner voice that talking slowly and methodically (“I have things under control. I did everything to the bike that I need to do. We have a good plan“) I just got an email saying “We have approved your application for individual medical insurance!” OMG this is huge,
We rustled with this for months. The world health insurance we wanted stated that we had to be out of the country (USA) within 30 days of activation. No matter how we looked at it this would cut our US touring time way down, Not Acceptable. At the last minute we opted to apply for a USA only health insurance plan (expensive) for 10 weeks while we make our way out of the country. After that we will hopefully be on a world health insurance plan (less expensive). The world plan will not even accept an application prior to 30 days of activation. We will have to apply for this while on the road and hope for the best. No matter, we’re insured now and good to go.

This ride is gonna happen!

 

[cavebiker]

The Ride: No Return Ticket
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Of course skip all the dribble if you want but I hope there will be a few photos worth checking out later on….!
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Where will we go? Where will I take her?

There are many miles and many roads to travel. There are many lives to live.
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Vision: Live a dream life of adventure and travel while exploring paradise and love.
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Focus: This internet thread will follow our real time adventure going as far as our motorcycle and spirits will take us. We are not experts but we enjoy learning the ropes and getting the job done. On our journey we will highlight the things we do right and the things we do wrong. Our goal is to find a paradise through adventure and travel and hopefully do some good along the way.

Background:
I always like to know a little about the people who do the ride reports I read, so here ya go. Tom and Heidi (CaveBiker & CaveGirl): On our first date Heidi told me that I wasn’t the man for her, she said she wanted someone that would take her to live on an island. I said “You hang with me a few years baby and I’ll sail you to an island” Six years later we sold everything, packed two backpacks and boarded a plane for the Dominican Republic. We spent two years living the life of beach bums; windsurfing, motorcycle adventuring and partying on the beach. (Report) That time on the island was filled with extreme highs, big lows, constant corruption and many challenges. The North coast of the Dominican Republic is a fantasy island scene with all the drama and action that can make a great adventure novel.

That was the mid to late nineties. Back from the Caribbean and back to our same jobs and another eight years later, we were feeling the need to do something again. We thought maybe the Dominican Republic “again” but after our motorcycle cruise to Belize in 02’ (Report) we realized we had to check out some more of this big bad world. At the end of 04’ I managed a nine month leave of absence from my job, Heidi quit hers. We rigged up our old rusty 1990 jeep Wrangler and went adventure touring through Mexico (Jeep Report) . What a blast, but it just went so fast.

After Mexico Heidi and I found ourselves looking at each other a lot and saying “We have to Do It again, Soon!” ‘Again’ being whatever. It turned into a kind of a chant of ours. “We’re getting older” “We have to do it now while we’re both still healthy!” To build up our finances again we lived like college students. 2 years in a small apartment in Minneapolis using lawn chairs as our furniture. We were driven to get our act together and get going ASAP.

Preparations: Full preparation details for this ride are here above. Check It! Preparing for a new life I first should have a graceful exit from the old. (Just in case I need to return some day) I started working at this company in 1982 (Wooh!) and the place feels like home. I love the people I work with and the work I do but if I want to pursue this dream there is no getting around it, I need to say it “I Quit” (Ahhh!) Now everything can just happen.

Start Date: July 12, our anniversary date, 18 years (I hope it’s not our last) Ugh! (Inner voice: “I need to pilot this expedition right”) We waffled about the date for a long time. Heidi is always ready to go now (ya gotta love her!). Financially we should have waited for October first but that’s too long a wait.

Enough buildup, on with the ride->
We are starting out lightly loaded while we tour Wisconsin to visit family and friends, after looping the state we will end up back at home base where we will do a final pack and take off.

The best worst day we ever had
I can’t believe it. I finally think I can make up for forgetting our wedding anniversary the last couple of years by making reservations at a beautiful little motel overlooking Lake Superior, Bayfield WI., the town where I proposed and Heidi finally said yes. This can’t go wrong; the reservations are on my credit card (I won’t forget), the area is filled with magic, we’re in love and this is the first day on the road of our adventure of a life time.

We tried to get on the road early so we could eat breakfast at Seeley, WI Sawmill Saloon. Too late for breakfast we decided to just continue on. It’s only a little over an hour to Bayfield.

Pulling into Bayfield early we proceed to get into the scene. We park the bike near the ferry dock and walk along shore to a favorite restaurant overlooking the lake. Everything is perfect. We can’t believe this is happening. We time it just right and get to the motel just at check in time, 3:00. We haven’t even pulled off the road and a skinny looking man is waving at us, I wave back. We park right in front of the room I reserved six months ago. Heidi is elated. The guy who waved at us greets us promptly. I tell him we have reservations for room 17 for tonight and tomorrow. He hustles me inside the office and I think said something like “Impossible”. The next think I know he’s telling me he has no reservations for us and asks if we have the right place. I go back out to the bike and return with my address book which has an entire page devoted to this reservation. My address book has “Bayfield, SeaGull Bay Inn, July 11 and July 12. Room 18” I say “O! my mistake, I mean room 18” He says that’s impossible, Caption Ron has room 18 all month. (Me, eyebrows up) He asks if I received a reservation card. I say I remember receiving the card but I don’t have it. The clerk rambles back and forth that this can’t happen but if I had my reservation card with me he would get us a room at another motel in town and pay for it. I say “I see, Caption Ron has room 18 all month so we got bumped on our anniversary” I knew we were Hosed without the reservation card and no matter what we couldn’t spend the night here. I come back out of the office and Heidi is gleaming “We have a screened in patio!” she exclaims. I explain the situation. Heidi cries. I say Darn! Back on the bike we can’t believe it. We pass a little motel in another town that has vacancy. Heidi says “It’s a dump, I’m not staying there on my anniversary!” We need to get somewhere ASAP, we’re loosing daylight and it’s starting to storm. (Great) The clouds are dark ahead so we find a nice little pull off in the woods and wait for the storm to pass. We have fun talking about our situation. We plan strategies for communication while on the bike together, 3 quick taps means Heidi sees something in the road. One solid tap means Heidi needs a gear change, like it’s going to rain now and we need to suit up. We had to wait for dark storm clouds several more times. Then I get one solid jab. Yes, time to pull over and put on rain the gear. We’re riding along in hard rain. I get 3 short jabs, 3 more, 3 more. I pull over…..Nice rainbow!

It’s Wednesday evening and that’s potluck, $2 cheese burger night at the VFW post in Springbrook, WI. We’re hoping maybe our friends Don and Colleen will be there. They weren’t but everyone there was super nice and friendly to us. We exclaimed about our situation and everyone had a big laugh. This was for sure the best worst day we ever had

 

[cavebiker]

Nothing much to report, we just finished our Wisconsin loop. We had to cut it short, my back was talking to me. We both had fun, long one on one time with our mothers and sisters. Finally after a few enjoyable days in Milwaukee visiting Heidi’s brother / family I called ‘Time Out’ My back needs attention ASAP. We missed seeing my brothers and a best friend but I had to focus on my back.

We’re at the cabin now, staging and doing everything to build up our core strength preparing for the ride. A stronger body can endures more stress. I’ve bounced back this way before, I can do it again. Diligent training, nutrition, rest and recuperation.

The weather out west has been hotter then Heck this last week. A good time for this delay. In a couple more weeks the weather should be perfect and the tourist crowds will be a fraction. Expect the unexpected and make the best of it. That’s what we’re doing and you can Count on being updated as soon as we have something good.

A few pics of the beautiful Marinette, Menominee, Sturgeon Bay area.
Menominee Port:

Menominee light house:

Sturgeon Bay light house:

Sturgeon Bay, Door county:

A ferry that runs between Marinette and Sturgeon Bay, the Captain of the let me take the wheel on the way back to Marinette. He explained all the on board electronics along with some history and navigational lesions.

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Saturday:
The final pack. We feel like we are on some type of auto pilot. Our eyes meet, we start to yell. Ahhh! I never even tried to pack the laptop until today, it seems to fit. I hope it will hold up to all the shock. Heidi seems to have her packing down. I have the right pannier, Heidi the left, we share the backpack. It looks like it will all fit.

A little get together the day before we leave with some good friends. We thank them for all the support they have given us.

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Sunday:
Now we’re yelling a lot, “This is it, ahhhh!” Moments before finally locking the door for the last time I go to put on my boots, wrong feet! Duh! Guess I’m a little more frazzled than I thought.

We are finally off. This is Unreal… 2 years, it doesn’t seem possible.

We’re on the road before noon. The weather is perfect for riding. The bike feels super heavy. I’ve never ridden anything that feels this big. The county road we exit on is super bumpy and dippy and a good example of what we should be able to handle. The bike is bottoming out and I had to take it real slow. I just say to myself “Slow is good. This is OK” (What!).

We first thought we would ride through Minneapolis and do the Joint bar scene where the slogan is “Where the ride begins and ends” It would have been cool but we’ve been there, done that, Heidi wanted to do something new (liken that) We shoot for North Dakota, neither of us have ever been there before. Our goal is to do VFF (Very Few Freeways) but that calls for a lot of map reading and looking at the sky. The kind of travel I like and am use to but it kind of freaks Heidi out, ya know, getting lost.

Heidi and I try to get into the motorcycle travel philosophy right away. We don’t want to push too hard the first day and not like it, so I constantly look for places to chill in a nice country scene. I prefer this to a gas station or restaurant.

I stiffen the rear shocks all the way at a gas stop. I thought I had them about midway but it was only slight stiffer then the lightest setting. I didn’t mention it to Heidi but she noticed the riding difference right away. (I like that A Lot…..) The bike feels a lot better now. We still dip down low but we don’t bottom out. This is good to say the least.

The first stop:
A nice golden farm field with plenty of crickets.

The second stop:
I do a good job finding this place. Heidi is into it, she knows just what to do.

We throw out our leathers on the grass in the shade, a bottle of water. This Is Good.

We did not make it to Fargo the first day but did find a great state park (Carlos State Park) on a small lake just north of Alexandria, MN. The place has a great swimming beach right in front of our tent.

This is a popular camp spot with campers all around. As always Heidi and I engage in some intense and slightly heated discussions. I say “Stop yelling at me” and bring up that other campers are probably hearing us and thinking we’re fighting. Heidi says “I’ll stop yelling at you when you stop doing stupid stuff!” We laugh. We are really hammering out our system (I hope).

 

[cavebiker]

Monday:
It got a lot colder the first night then we anticipated. The new light weight sleeping bags were supposed to zip together but they don’t zip the way they should, or the way we think they should. It was a challenge staying warm, we weren’t ready for that being it’s the middle of August. Immediately our plans shift from riding through North Dakota to riding straight to the South Dakota Badlands where the temps should be at least 10 degrees warmer. Heidi and I like to make ‘On the fly’ changes, I hope this works with biking.

We got started late again today waiting for it to warm up, plus we didn’t have our camping act down ‘at all’ yet. We don’t mind a late start, that’s the mode we like. The ride started out cold. It wasn’t too long we started getting hot, than we were hotter then H. We are seeing temperatures in the high nineties. We drove long and hard, not wanting to stop because of the heat and no shaded spots to pull over to. We were toast. I was looking hard for any place to pull over and chill, then I get a firm single jab. We were at a ‘No horse’ town exit. Heidi says she doesn’t care if we have to lay under a cow for shade, we’re stopping here. We pull off at a nice unmarked wayside rest that didn’t even have a parking area. The park wasn’t maintained much but it had nice grass and shade to lay out our leathers and rest. Heidi got a lot of attention from locals while she was up at the bike alone. We love spots like this.

We rode late into the day trying to get to a camp spot in north central South Dakota that looked nice. The place was a little challenging to get to but was worth it. It had a lake with a nice beach and we were the only tent there. The thought of a long swim kept us going. Again a lot of map reading and turning around, Heidi is getting a little more freaked, she’s used to me having it all together. I assure her that this is all normal for back road traveling. ??

We park the bike at the camp spot. It was hot with a capital H. Heidi wanders off in a daze looking for shade while she takes off her gear. We get the tent set up and we immediately head for the beach. We have the whole beach to ourselves and we are in the middle of nowhere. I asked a ranger if a store is around here. I get a definite “No” but he did say there is a restaurant up the road. That’s all we need. The place has tables with a view of the lake and a nice little bar. We watched a boat pull 4 water skiers at the same time. Kids sure know how to have fun here. Cocktails and a fabulous meal. Heidi and I are talking about the temperature fluctuations we have experienced and how we should deal with it. We talk about camping protocol, techniques, what we should have ‘At the ready’ and what we should stow deep. I never dreamed I would ever meet such a compatible travel partner let alone be married to her. I am so lucky….

Tuesday:
We are packed to the gills and it’s getting to both of us. I shift things around a little. Heidi hands me something else that’s needs to be packed. I say “There’s no room”. Heidi says “It was in there before!” The discussions are heated. We both keep assuring each other that we have so much stuff that we will use up or throw away. It’s tough, I constantly think I’m going to break a zipper, Heidi keeps thinking she’s getting short changed on space. Heidi suggests we need to have the straps loosened on the backpack while filling it, she was right.

We can’t believe it, its cold again this morning. After the 100 degree stuff yesterday we didn’t think being cold today was possible. We slowly get going. I’m having trouble getting our new international camp stove to do anything but scare Heidi. I miss my propane stove. We talk more about communication while on the road. 3 little pokes, Heidi sees something in the road like a hazard or something. A 2-handed chop, lets stop for a photo or a rest. One swift jab, we need to stop and pull off the road for equipment change or whatever as soon as it is safely possible.

Around 1:00 PM the heat started to rise again and the wind started picking up. The wind was strong but on our rear quarter. It was fatiguing fighting the wind. We pushed hard again today wanting to make it down to the badlands. I know a camp spot there that has a pool, cold beer and a tree. We are driven.

Cruising the back roads of South Dakota. ‘Double chops’ from Heidi. Good call! (Ya gotta click on this one!)

The back roads of SD are beautiful. Heidi tells me that these round bales of hay are now illegal in Wisconsin. (Do you know why?) I love a girl with a sense of humor ?

Fabulous, the tent is up, a 6 pack of ice cold Coronas pool side. We are liken life.

The sun came up red today. I thought that was weird. Later I hear on the radio that it’s because of the forest fires in Wyoming. One fire is in the Big Horn Mountains, just where we are planning on riding through. Interesting…..

Wednesday:
We paid for 2 nights at the Badlands camping spot, Circle Ten. Today is devoted to exploring the badlands, a little hiking and just R&R, a perfect day in our world. Heidi is actually admitting she likes this type of camping. Am I imagining things?

Badlands:

Heidi and I theorize how this weird landscape got formed. We’re experiencing feeling of mystery and magic. The colors, shapes and vastness of the land are moving.

The colors of the landscape are like out of some sort of weird dream.

Prairie dog:

 

[cavebiker]

Interior SD:
A little bar in the heart of the Bad Lands.

Downtown Interior:

Wall Drug:
Heidi thought it was about the drug store. Ha!

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Thursday:
Today we’re shooting for the western Black Hills. We’re going right past Sturgis so we decided to stop and have breakfast there. Also Heidi heeded a black tank top to replace the white shirt she has been wearing. We figure we could find a tank-top in Sturgis (Do ya think?).

We couldn’t believe how dead Sturgis was. It felt like a ghost town. It’s hard to believe that there was thousands of bikes right here less then a week ago.

We couldn’t even find a place to eat on main street. Heidi found a tank-top and I scored a big tool bag for thirty bucks.

We head up into the hills down Spearfish canyon and stop for lunch at Cheyenne Crossing. We like this area. Heidi lived in Colorado once and says this area has the same feel.

We score a great camp spot in the Black Hills. White Tail Court, camping, RV, motel, $12. The new owners are super friendly and the facilities are unbelievably clean. We ride across a foot bridge over a babbling brook to get to our campsite.

We have the place all to ourselves. We pitch our tent right on the babbling brook. This is super. There’s a hiking trail from here up into the hills and forest. We devote two nights here for some serious hiking and chill’n.

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I’m starting to feel the Dharma, I think we both are. Our minds are freeing. We are focused only on our reality and what is important to us now, at this point in time. We find ourselves looking intensely into each others eyes and nearly burst with emotion. We are falling more in love. We are discovering ourselves and each other all over again as if for the first time. This trip has already been a journey in more ways then one.

Friday:
The sun is red again this morning. We need to find exactly where those forest fires are.

Heidi had a dream that my head burst in flames while I was lighting the camp stove. I can see why! I re-read the stove instructions. Now I know what I was doing wrong.

We had big thunder storms moving through the area overnight. We purchased a small short-wave radio for this trip. It’s about the size of a cigarette pack but thinner. We tuned into a local station and received constant updated of two cells, one cell they said is capable of producing ping-pong size and baseball sized hail. Then a tornado watch in the same cell. We were near the smaller cell and I kept assuring Heidi that it’s at a city close to us but moving the other way. I didn’t tell her that that other city is only a few miles away. We stayed up during the storm listing to the radio, counting how long it took for the thunder to reach us. We calculated it coming toward us, being close to us, a second away at the closest, and moving away. This was great. I love this kind of stuff And it kept Heidi from running and hiding in the shower room.

Heidi is having some bad pains in her hip and was up crying in the tent last night in pain. She doesn’t think it’s from riding or camping or hiking, none of that bothers her. She noticed the pain first after a long ‘jump-roping’ session over a week ago. She’s worried it’s something serious. Doctor Tom jumps in and diagnoses it as some type of inflammation in the hip caused by a marathon jump-roping session. The prescription is for anti-inflammatory medication, Ibuprofen and time. I need to take care of my riding partner and get her better. She’s part of my sole, my zest in life.

 

[cavebiker]

Saturday: Wyoming
We get an early start. The temperatures are expected to be in the mid nineties today but were perfect all morning for riding.

Heading West from New Castle, WY. For over fifty mikes there was only one shade tree to park under. We hit it…

A bunny at Heidi’s feet.

An antelope checking us out.

Nice flowers. This stop was a score.

Tooling toward Casper, WY:
Heidi sees some rain way ahead, she comes up with a new signal for rain. It looked like we were going to ride right into it. We pull over near some cool rock formations and evaluate the situation. We decide to wait and see if it will pass. We pick a high rock formation and observe the sky. We determine the rain is moving away so we decide to just wait. 15 minutes we are back on the bike and the rain was gone. We did hit wet roadway and about 10 sprinkles. We made a good move there. We’re developing and honing good skills.

Sunday morning:
Heidi’s hip is good. We are at a motel in Casper, WY. –Like’n Life!

Nothing much to report, just a lot of good riding, camping and a few good pics.

Monday:
Just before leaving Casper WY we stopped at a mountaineering store. I was looking for one more Thermorest sleeping pad just like the one we already have. I also wanted a tiny fuel bottle for our camp stove. I don’t like having to dig out the big fuel bottle every time. The store had the exact sleeping pad and fuel bottle. Super! The foam rubber bed pad I was using was old and had lost all its spring. I’m not use to camping in parks and camping areas. Primitive camping I choose tall grass or soft sand to sleep on. In a park you have an area to put your tent, usually hard as a rock. Thermorest pads are super pricy but do a heck of a job, pack up super small and weight only 13 ounces. I suck it up and pay the bill, happy knowing I will sleep better. Also this will give Heidi my old foam rubber pad on top of her Thermorest pad. Hopefully this will help prevent a mutiny. All this camping is new to Heidi and she is having a hard time at night. Like a captain of a lifeboat, I must take ultimate care of my crew. The success of the journey depends on it.

Casper to Shoshone:
This is a desolate part of Wyoming. We pulled over at a famous site where American Indians would stampede Buffalo over a cliff as a means of hunting, Hell’s Half Acre. I had to check this place out. My father being part Native American made me aware of such practices. I know he would be thrilled I visited the place.

Cody WY:
We were heading straight toward Cody WY, that’s the home of Sierra Trading Post - Save 35-70% on Famous Name Brands
, a website where we purchased a lot of our gear. I needed a new pair of mountain running shoes, the pair I ordered from them are a half size too small and my feet aren’t liken it. Hiking is going to be a big part of this trip. We both need good foot gear. Anyway, I found the perfect shoe, I call them white mans moccasins. They’re a type of sandal hiking shoe, not a lot of cushion but a good grip on the bottom and are super light weight. Heidi questions my call with the light weight hikers. I assure her this is the shoe made for me. We will see.

Boysen State park:
Just north of Shoshone WY are a number of reservoirs with camping. We hit the first, Boysen state park. It felt a little primitive. We were use to South Dakota state parks with nice showers. The first place we put our tent up was nice and close to the water but we soon noticed ants were everywhere; on the ground, on the picnic table, on our stuff. Heidi takes a short hike up the beach and shouts back “There are no ants over here!” We both take a longer hike and find an even better spot. It was secluded on the beach and had shade. When we marched back up the beach to start moving camp we found the outside of our tent covered with ants. I pick up the tent and haul it to our new spot. We theorized why all the ants were at the first site. That first place was close to the boat launch and is probably one of the most popular sites. With that includes all the food and crumbs. Anyway, no ants at our new camp and we are happy.

The weather here was perfect, warm and dry. I love waking up early while camping. Making coffee, reading and watching the sun rise, mmm…

Heading for Yellowstone:
We are shooting for the Yellowstone park northeast entrance. This entrance was closed last time I rode here, it is supposed to be a great ride.

There are a lot of great places to pull off the main road here and explore. Heidi seems a little nervous about the roads I take her down. I go super slow. She keeps quiet.

Great chillen spots.

We provision in Cooke city. It’s a nice little mountain tourist town but not much else.

We camp just a few miles from the park entrance in Montana, Gallatin National Forest. Nice spot right next to a creek and isolated from other campers, just the way we like it.

The next morning was cool but it got comfortable as soon as the sun came out. We ate a primitive camp breakfast of oatmeal, caned black beans, V8 juice and coffee. I’m loving it Big-Time. Heidi looks deep into my eyes as if she is saying “What the H did I get myself into?”

We suit up wearing long-johns under our leather. It felt good starting out but as soon as we entered Yellowstone Park it started getting colder.
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[cavebiker]

Yellowstone Park:

After entering the park we finally find a nice spot to pull over without tons of people. The stream was a steep hike from the road but it was a great spot to chill and look over the Yellowstone map.

Cruising Yellowstone Park: O Yeah….

From the 1988’ Yellowstone fire: Eerie but it was cool seeing all the new growth. We thought the pines should have been taller by now. It must be the high altitude that makes them grow slow.

Geysers and weird colored sulfur pools are all over the place, so are the people. We didn’t think there would be so many people at this time of year. We think about what the crowds would be like in July.

Lots of wildlife to see, for-sure that’s one reason Not to miss Yellowstone Park.

You have to personally experience the people frenzy sensation when wildlife is seen by the road in Yellowstone. It reminds me of a shark feeding frenzy or something. People are nuts! Sometimes there is nothing to see but rangers have to stop and direct traffic because of the hysteria. Cars are parking everywhere and anywhere. People are running with their cameras, binoculars and telescopes. A lot of pointing. Some claim they see antlers, most claim they see nothing.

The plan was to camp in the park and do a day of hiking. But with the crowds and the much cooler temperatures we decided to just enjoy the day cruising the park and camp in lower elevations, where it’s warmer….. Heidi and I seem to share the same brain when it comes to making ‘on the fly’ course changes. How long can this last?

This park is long, over a hundred miles the route we took and a lot of riding is 30 MPH. This makes for a long day of riding and we were getting cold. We make it to the south entrance of the park late in the day, the north entrance of Grand Teton national park.