I am a leaf on the wind!

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blues2cruise
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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#71 Unread post by blues2cruise »

Kids hit puberty and they have no functioning brain cells until about 20. :laughing:
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sv-wolf
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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#72 Unread post by sv-wolf »

Hi Richard

LOL. That brings on memories. I helped out with the Woodcraft Folk here in the UK for a couple of years, taking kids on camping trips and that sort of thing. Teenagers? You kinda need a dozen pairs of eyes, sharp wits and boundless energy, I seem to remember, along with inexhaustible reserves of patience. Do you have the Woodcraft Folk in the States? It is a mixed gender, easy-going version of the scouts. It doesn't have any of the quasi-militaristic or hierarchical stuff that the scouts used to have (not sure what they are like now) and focuses on giving the kids a good time in outdoor settings. It was good fun. Not sure I'd want to do it now!

I have a couple of Osprey rucksacks. I love them. Actually, I find them essential. I badly tore the rotator cuff muscles in my shoulders in my twenties carrying packs too heavy for me. (I'm tall and skinny, too) For years after that it was too painful to carry a full pack, and then a friend put me on to Osprey. They are so light and so ergonomically designed that they genuinely do allow me to carry all the weight on my hips and allow me to go hiking again.

Enjoy.
Hud

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Hanson
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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#73 Unread post by Hanson »

Day 171 : Monday October 27, 2014 : Miles 14522

Yesterday I got up early and road down to Big Bend National park, then along the Reo Granda river to Presideo Texas. Then it was north to Marfa on the way home. I have long herd stories about Big Bend, and I have long wanted to go down and check out this rather large National park, but Texas is big I never got the opportunity to visit. The area also is reputed to have the best motorcycle riding in Texas. After a bit of riding, Big Bend is a ways from Dallas, I took the obligatory photo of my bike in front of the entrance sigh.

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>>>> North Entrance to Big Bend National Park

Then I rode down to Panther Junction, fueled the bike and turned west to ride the river road between Big Bend and Presideo. The roads through BBNP are just great, but the speed limit is only 45.

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>>>> A typical view within Big Bend National Park

The "River Road", FM-170, between Terlingua and Presideo follows along the Rei Grande. One side is Texas, and the other side is Mexico, and the road is rather spectacular, at least with respect to other roads in Texas. It is also a road to be ridden with significant care as there are many areas where rocks have fallen on the road, and many more where water runs freely across the road during dessert storms. These low areas are often marked with a flood gauge, and it is obvious from the piles of dirt and gravel that heavy equipment is brought in to clear the road after a big storm. There are also a lot of places where your site lines are very restricted. Still, all in all, it is the best ride that I have experienced in Texas.

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>>>> River Road view looking west with Texas on the right and Mexico on the left

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>>>> Along the River Road

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>>>> Looking back east on the River Road with Texas on the left and Mexico is on the right



The ride from Presideo to Marfa along US 67 is also very nice with long graceful sweepers and a 75 mph speed limit.

Safe Travels,
Richard
Last edited by Hanson on Tue Nov 04, 2014 6:28 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Hanson
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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#74 Unread post by Hanson »

Day 172 : Tuesday October 28, 2014 : Miles 14546
sv-wolf wrote:Hi Richard

LOL. That brings on memories. I helped out with the Woodcraft Folk here in the UK for a couple of years, taking kids on camping trips and that sort of thing. Teenagers? You kinda need a dozen pairs of eyes, sharp wits and boundless energy, I seem to remember, along with inexhaustible reserves of patience. Do you have the Woodcraft Folk in the States? It is a mixed gender, easy-going version of the scouts. It doesn't have any of the quasi-militaristic or hierarchical stuff that the scouts used to have (not sure what they are like now) and focuses on giving the kids a good time in outdoor settings. It was good fun. Not sure I'd want to do it now!

I have a couple of Osprey rucksacks. I love them. Actually, I find them essential. I badly tore the rotator cuff muscles in my shoulders in my twenties carrying packs too heavy for me. (I'm tall and skinny, too) For years after that it was too painful to carry a full pack, and then a friend put me on to Osprey. They are so light and so ergonomically designed that they genuinely do allow me to carry all the weight on my hips and allow me to go hiking again.

Enjoy.
Hi Richard,

I had never heard of Woodcraft Folk before your mention, but I did some reading and it looks like a worthy program. There where a lot of similar scouting movements that started around the world in the early twentieth century, including the Boy Scouts which also started in England. When dealing with youth, both abounding energy and stoic patients are desirable characteristics as well as indefatigable vigilance. I am finding that as the years pass I am not as energetic, patient, or as vigilant as I once was. When I take a hard look in the mirror, the man I see is a bit more selfish and a little less understanding as the grey in my beard has replace the color of my own youth.

With respect to packs, we can't find anything that fits John so we are going to have a custom pack built for him by Dan McHale who is a long time pack builder out of Seattle, Washington. This will be John's Christmas and Birthday, and his head just about exploded when he found out that mom and dad where going to get him a McHale pack. In a few years, John wants to thru-hike the Appalachian trail.

Safe Travels,
Richard
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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#75 Unread post by JackoftheGreen »

Richard,

You should read "Freedom at Both Ends of the Leash" by Beemerchef, one of our members on this forum. He spends a lot of time in BBNP and rides the River Road frequently, next time you're in the area you should look him him. I'm sorta surprised he hasn't sounded off yet with you posting pics so close to his home.

Amazing photos, I'm jealous of all the riding you get to do. (-:

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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#76 Unread post by Hanson »

Day 174 : Thursday October 30, 2014 : Miles 14598

Jack,

I have followed Beemerchef's blog for some time, and I am aware that he winters in the BBNP area. One of these days I am going to purchase a copy of his book and then I hope to ride down to the BBNP and, with a bit of good fortune, get him his sign it for me in person. As I live in the Dallas area, the park is almost in my back yard, and I expect to visit the area at least once a year in the winter month. At this moment in time I have very little storage space on my bike so I am mostly confined to day rides. I have a tank bag, and a 5.11 range bag I strap on the rack as a tail bag, but the range bag contains a gallon of gas, tools, an air compressor, water, my electric jacket and other assorted emergency supplies. I am not, as of yet, set up for multi-day rides.

Photos: I thank you for your kind comment on my photos, but the vast majority of the credit properly belongs to God for his beautiful creation rather than to my pubescent skills as a photographer. For anyone who desires to see great photos... just have a look at what Beemerchef can do with a camera, or our dear Blues. Both of their blogs are full of great pictures. Currently, I have an inexpensive point and shoot, but I have been doing a bit of reading and am working on improving my composition. One of the big problems I have is that in bright sunlight it is very hard to see much on the display which makes it hard to know if I got the photo I wanted until I get home and can look at my pictures on a bigger screen. For each barely acceptable photo I take, many more are discarded, but it is the bad pictures that teach the most important lessons. I wish B2C would look at my picks and make critical comments on what I can do to make improvements.

Safe Travels my friend,
Richard
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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#77 Unread post by Hanson »

Day 178 : Monday November 3, 2014 : Miles 14765

I did not get to ride much this weekend, but I did change the oil and oil filter and I also installed my centerstand which has been sitting in the garage for some weeks. The installation was a bit tedious, and I am getting rather old to be crawling around on my hands and knees, but overall it was not that difficult and the instructions where quite good when I actually bothered to give them a glance. After that task was complete, I drained the oil and changed the filter. I took a sample of the oil to be sent for analysis at a lab. Currently I am using Amsoil, a quality synthetic, and I want to go to a 10k mile drain interval, but I will let the lab result guide that decision. I had 10.6k miles on this oil which was just a bit more then intended. Sometimes, life gets in the way of my maintenance schedule and it is not like I am not going to ride my bike.

Sunday afternoon, I went for a nice short ride to enjoy the beautiful weather.

My next task will be to evaluate the front tire. I have a PR4 Trail waiting to go on, but I want to get as much safe usage out of each tire as is reasonable. One of the reasons I bought the centerstand was to make it easier to change the front tire and it is time to look at that issue again.

I don't have a lot of riding planned for the near future with the upcoming holidays putting a bite into the family budget. Moreover, it is deer season and the time of year when those amorous bucks start doing really stupid things, like playing in traffic. For the next month or so I want to lower my risks of crashing into a large animal and this is absolutely the worst time of year with respect to that risk, at least in Texas.

My next ride should be in the second half of the December on the day of the Winter Solstice, I think this year it is on December 21, but I will need to check. Over the next year, I want to try to do a nice long ride on each of the four seasons, one each on the exact date of the Winter Solstice, the Vernal Equinox, the Summer Solstice and finally the Autumnal Equinox. In Texas, anyone with a bit of determination can ride year round with the heat of the summer being the biggest problem. I am committed to riding year round and I like the idea of demonstrating that commitment to myself by riding on the day of these four celestial events. Besides, it is a good excuse to "sit there, twist that"!

Safe Travels,
Richard
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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#78 Unread post by Hanson »

Day 184 : Sunday November 9, 2014 : Miles 15582

This was my last day of my first six months with a motorcycle. I have been riding for 1/2 a year today and today was a great day to go riding. The morning was cool, in the high forties, but I have my winter gloves and both an electric jacket and electric glove liners. I rode north to Shaman, and than east through Paris to Texarkana where I had a quick bite to eat. Then I rode south to Marshall, We are Marshall, and then west to go home. It was jut a wonderful few hours on the bike.

It is hard to express how happy I am to be riding a motorcycle.

One of my early goals was to ride in my own back yard, that is in Texas, before going other places. I have lived in Texas a long time and there is a lot to see in Texas and I did not want to neglect my own state. There are so many places that I want to go, plan to go, on my motorcycle, but Texas is my home and a felt a desire, perhaps even an obligation, to go to some places in Texas that I have always wanted to visit. To that end, I dedicated my first six months of riding to Texas, but I wish I had done more riding and more exploring. There is only so much time and so much money to dedicate to this rather addicting activity and I feel that I have made a good beginning in exploring Texas, but only a beginning.

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>>>> Six months of riding in Texas

Over the next six month I hope to do more than just ride in Texas and I will likely go both east to the Carolinas, and a bit west as well. No firm plans, but I am sure I will be on the bike. Another big goal is to enhance the bike with a custom seat and panniers. I need to be able to ride comfortable for more than just a single day.

Safe Travels,
Richard
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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#79 Unread post by Hanson »

Day 187 : Wednesday November 12, 2014 : Miles 15638

My morning commute was a bit cooler than previously and my frost warning light came on for the first time. The thermometer on the bike reported 36 Fahrenheit, but it registers 2 or 3 degrees on the high side witch is consistent with the morning weather report of 33 Fahrenheit. I used my electrics, both my electric jacket and my electric glove lines, and I had no problem with the cold except for my head and face. I am going to need to get something like a balaclava. I received a lot of strange looks from other commuters.

One thing that is going to take a bit of time and practice is that my heavy winter gloves are bulky and this is impacting my use of the controls slightly. It is noticeably harder to use the turn signal switch with my left thumb, and my feel on both the clutch and the front break are not as good. Also, the gloves are still rather stiff and this is fatiguing my hands, but I expect this to improve as the gloves break in over time. My control movements are a bit clumsy and deliberate rather than natural, and require some measure of intentional focus.

Safe Travels,
Richard

Beeeerrrrrhhh
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Re: I am a leaf on the wind!

#80 Unread post by Hanson »

Day 189 : Friday November 14, 2014 : Miles 15678

When I bought my motorcycle in May, I purchased an extra seat with the intention of sending it to a custom seat builder. I have now pulled the trigger on this process and I will be shipping my extra seat pan to KonTour http://kontourseat.com/ with a production date of December 9. This was a hard decision as Russell Day-Long has long been the go to vendor within the long distance motorcycle community, the safe bet, and KonTour is more expensive. What I like about KonTour is the materials they are using, the construction methods, durability, and that the seat is water proof. The seat cover is made from a hydrophobic polar mesh that allows good air-flow under the backside for those hot Texas days. I am hoping this will provide a similar benefit to the bead rider seat I am currently using without the discomfort of the beads. The KonTour seat is also build of various layers of foam that are used to dampen vibrations and with densities selected for your individual body weight. I have studied the companies description of their product, and the reasoning for the processes they are employing, and it all appears to be rational so I am going to step outside the safe choice of a RDL and try a KonTour build. When I include the cost of the seat pan, this seat is going to cost me something north of one thousand dollars.

Why?

I have found that I am comfortable on my OEM seat for only about 600 to 800 miles, and this is with quite a bit of moving around and stretching on my bike while underway. After this distance, riding gets more and more uncomfortable, but nothing that can not be overcome with a bit of determination. The big issue for me is that after riding for a day, I am not much inclined to ride the next day and it can take my backside several days before it is back to normal. My worst experience to date with butt fatigue was in early September when I rode a bit over 1500 miles in a single day and then enjoyed quite a bit of physical discomfort for the next four or five days. I want to be able to ride 1k days on a sustainable basis and this is why I am having this seat built for my backside. Please understand that I am not complaining, I am obviously responsible for tenderizing my own butt, but it would not be easy to communicate my motivations if I did not describe the issue at hand, the issue down under.

I will post before and after pictures when I receive my new seat in the middle of December and I will take it out for a good hard road test to evaluate if I was wise or just another fool easily separated from his money. That will be before and after photos of the new seat, not of my posterior, just to reassure those who might have been horrified by that unintended visual.

After this, I still have three large acquisition to make. I need to add panniers, auxiliary lighting and an auxiliary fuel cell. I decided to do the seat before the panniers because I don't see a lot of use for panniers until after I can ride a thousand miles and then want to do the same thing the next day, and the next day, and the next day, ...

Safe Travels,
Richard

As an aside, it was rather cold this morning on my commute to work, 29 F, and my electrics are doing a great job. It is going to be even colder tomorrow, Saturday, and I hope to get out for a couple hundred miles as my 9 mile commute is not much of a test. I want to see how my face, neck, feet and legs stand up to the cold.
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