1200 Mile Trip - NEED SOME ADVICE!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,074
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From:
RE: 1200 Mile Trip - NEED SOME ADVICE!
ORIGINAL: BLade1127
Make sure you bring some tools!!!! Never know when you'll need them, or be able to stop and help someone else in need.
Make sure you bring some tools!!!! Never know when you'll need them, or be able to stop and help someone else in need.
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 612
Likes: 0
From: Phila
RE: 1200 Mile Trip - NEED SOME ADVICE!
All good advice.. I'd just add.. since you're taking the truck.. some tiedowns and, if you can find it, a ramp or some 2 x 8's. If something happens youmight needto get one of the bikes into the back of the truck.
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 162
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From:
RE: 1200 Mile Trip - NEED SOME ADVICE!
I did this trip from St. Louis in 2006. Two days there, 4 days riding the Rocky Mountains and 2 days back! What an award winning trip that was!! The best week of my life so far.
Only surprises for me was the change in riding temperature. We would go from short sleeve t-shirts in the valley, and as we gained altitude we would have to start putting layers on. Normal to be about 80 degrees in the valley and 40 degrees at 14000 feet! Make room daily for your leather and your chaps, you will need them. Oh, and gloves!!!
One more MUST: Rain Gear! One a beautiful afternoon, we rode around the side of a mountain top and right into a huge storm. Put the rain gear on and went on our way. A couple miles down the road and hit with the biggest hale storm I have witnessed! Absolutely amazing!!
If you ride through Red Rock, and into a small town named "Portal", look for a small yellow house right across the street from a coal mine with an old man sitting on the front porch. He should be drinking a beer, and he should be 86 years old now. One of the nicest people I have met! He was on a navy ship during the battle of Midway, worked in the coal mine swinging a pick for 42 years following the war, and as of June 2006 he was enjoying his cold beer, Salem cigarettes and welcoming strangers to his home. The story goes, we stopped up the street from his house and had a beer at the only bar was spotted all day, and the bar tender suggested we stop and say hi to this old guy (his name escapes me). On our way out of town, we did stop and he greated us by saying "Who the F are you". We introduced ourselves and he told us where the beer was! What a guy!
So, my last piece of advice, BRING A CAMERA! You may run into this guy and what a guy he is, you will want a picture of him!
[IMG]local://upfiles/51091/FA550B72706C409D82009746096EF162.jpg[/IMG]
Only surprises for me was the change in riding temperature. We would go from short sleeve t-shirts in the valley, and as we gained altitude we would have to start putting layers on. Normal to be about 80 degrees in the valley and 40 degrees at 14000 feet! Make room daily for your leather and your chaps, you will need them. Oh, and gloves!!!
One more MUST: Rain Gear! One a beautiful afternoon, we rode around the side of a mountain top and right into a huge storm. Put the rain gear on and went on our way. A couple miles down the road and hit with the biggest hale storm I have witnessed! Absolutely amazing!!
If you ride through Red Rock, and into a small town named "Portal", look for a small yellow house right across the street from a coal mine with an old man sitting on the front porch. He should be drinking a beer, and he should be 86 years old now. One of the nicest people I have met! He was on a navy ship during the battle of Midway, worked in the coal mine swinging a pick for 42 years following the war, and as of June 2006 he was enjoying his cold beer, Salem cigarettes and welcoming strangers to his home. The story goes, we stopped up the street from his house and had a beer at the only bar was spotted all day, and the bar tender suggested we stop and say hi to this old guy (his name escapes me). On our way out of town, we did stop and he greated us by saying "Who the F are you". We introduced ourselves and he told us where the beer was! What a guy!
So, my last piece of advice, BRING A CAMERA! You may run into this guy and what a guy he is, you will want a picture of him!
[IMG]local://upfiles/51091/FA550B72706C409D82009746096EF162.jpg[/IMG]
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 596
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From:
RE: 1200 Mile Trip - NEED SOME ADVICE!
Anyone else developing the opinion that JR should have the posse stay home in Kansas??? I wouldn't want a couple of women following me around with a minivan and a cycle trailer in case my nose starts to run. Next thing you know you're having a good time with some old codger on his front porch with a couple of Buds, and MOM says it's time to go, it's getting late.
Just an observation.
Gilly
Just an observation.
Gilly
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,299
Likes: 2
From: By the "Betty water and the Wire"
RE: 1200 Mile Trip - NEED SOME ADVICE!
ORIGINAL: LtRex
On our way out of town, we did stop and he greated us by saying "Who the F are you". We introduced ourselves and he told us where the beer was! What a guy!
So, my last piece of advice, BRING A CAMERA! You may run into this guy and what a guy he is, you will want a picture of him!
[IMG]local://upfiles/51091/FA550B72706C409D82009746096EF162.jpg[/IMG]
On our way out of town, we did stop and he greated us by saying "Who the F are you". We introduced ourselves and he told us where the beer was! What a guy!
So, my last piece of advice, BRING A CAMERA! You may run into this guy and what a guy he is, you will want a picture of him!
[IMG]local://upfiles/51091/FA550B72706C409D82009746096EF162.jpg[/IMG]
Man, he sure sounds like my kind of a guy[sm=icon_cheers.gif]Thanks for the great story and pic, Lt.
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Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 162
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From:
RE: 1200 Mile Trip - NEED SOME ADVICE!
It was actually a great time telling the story of my meeting that guy! Even prompted me to look through all of the pictures I took.
I think one of the most important things to bring is a digital camera!!! Thank god I did that day!
I hope my buddy is alive and well. If you look closely at the photo, you can see he is crushing my right hand! Just as soon as the camera captured the moment, I had to ask him to let go of my hand so I could get blood flowing again! Not a surprise to me at all, considering he swung a pick for 42 years!
[sm=icon_cheers.gif]
I think one of the most important things to bring is a digital camera!!! Thank god I did that day!
I hope my buddy is alive and well. If you look closely at the photo, you can see he is crushing my right hand! Just as soon as the camera captured the moment, I had to ask him to let go of my hand so I could get blood flowing again! Not a surprise to me at all, considering he swung a pick for 42 years!
[sm=icon_cheers.gif]
