
You guys like my ramblings you should sign up for Tom’s pic of the week. He usually gives us funny stories in addition to some nice pictures he’s taken.

You guys like my ramblings you should sign up for Tom’s pic of the week. He usually gives us funny stories in addition to some nice pictures he’s taken.

This is sort of a rant I think, but it’s really a sales pitch, for a way of traveling, and ultimately, I guess, for a way of being. And when I say sales pitch, I’m selling me more than anyone else.
It’s a philosophy I call: letting the bike decide.
Assuming you have the time on a trip and you’re not needing to be at point a by time x, then don’t plan anything, just ride. Go.
I have found this works on simple one day rides too, where pretty much all I choose is a starting north, south, east or west ( not much east in my current geographical situation, but you get the idea) then you just ride. You’ll find the best roads, see the coolest stuff, meet the most interesting characters. You just do.
So throw those maps away, don’t highlight a route, and don’t even get me started on GPSs ( which never ever ever will direct you to the ” right” road.)
Just ride, be ready and open to what you find. Go with it. You surfer dudes know what I’m talking about, cause you’re cool.
This guy does a good job of explaining what a triptik is (was?) for you guys that don’t remember ( or maybe you’re from Bulgaria? 😉 )
http://actionallen.blogspot.com/2010/06/aaa-triptik.html

Ok, like it or not here’s the first gear review. For those of you who subscribed to email updates to either entice me to visit you or to satisfy your voyeuristic tendency you might want to unsubscribe til the next trip…I won’t feel bad…. well maybe a little…sniff..sniff..
Ok on to the review…. you can tell from the picture that I’m gonna talk about what I call the “ass interface”
Today I missed one thing about the trip: my ldcomfort underwear. I swear, that’s the truth.
I’m not being paid by them, I’m not a secret company shill, these things are truly well designed, well made, and they work.
I rode one day early on with my Aerostitch riding shorts, those were the ones I used on a ten day Baja Mexico/ Africa Twin adventure ( pre blog days). And they just are not that comfy after a while. You would think that those shorts with the padding in the ” right” places would be better, but it’s not so. I think it’s because eventually the padding has to stop, which creates a seam, a transition, which causes pressure eventually, which you notice, and notice, and notice and eventually that’s all you can think of and then you stop riding and do something else. End of long ride.
With the LDs you don’t have padding, you don’t have seams, nothing bothers you, assuming you have a good seat and you’re not wearing pants with pockets and other stuff in the wrong places. ( I’m not suggesting you need to get all Fulsom Street Fair just well designed MC pants.)
And the LDs fabric is some magic moisture wicking thing… beats me how that works but they kept me comfortable from 111 degrees in the desert, to 46 on that last days run, to 90s Florida humid stuff. They worked great.
Zero monkey butt. ( If you know what that is then I’m sorry for you)
And you can wash them in the sink and they really are dry the next day. I brought 2 pairs with me and other than that one day with the ‘stitch shorts and the one non ride day in SF, that’s all I wore. For 16 days!
They aren’t cheap, so remember my bday people, you know what I want.
You can find them at www.ldcomfort.com
I found them on the Ironbutt Association’s website so there ya go, they aren’t a secret if those guys know.
And, yes, that is a photo of me wearing them. Took it with my camera phone, good right?


Done.
Stay tuned for gear reviews for those gear nuts interested. Find out what worked and what didn’t.
Sorry about the lackluster posts on this last ride. That’s what happens when you only focus on mileage I guess.
Now I got a long over due date with a pressure washer. After a double espresso that is. Don’t call me dopio.

1100 miles. It’s in the can.
This road is full of these Gators.
They love that left lane.

Wooohooo!!!
One hammock nap later.
Nice and warm.

Well, that’s 900.
Got as cold as 46.
Waiting for the sun to finish coming out to warm this world up a bit.

Surprise!!!
I’m still going. Its alot slower now because I’m practically stopping at every waffle house to warm up.
The heat pads I bought at Target have a but given up the ghost and these batman underpants aren’t keeping me warm.
Right now I’m sitting on some cold metal Starbucks outside chairs. Starbucks is closed.
Not sure what the plan is. Whether to stay or go… guess you’ll found out at the next post.

Ok… I guess I skipped 600 officially which would have been the halfway more or less. So lets celebrate the halfway now.
Hurray!!
Damn it’s cold out here still.
When the heck does the warm south start?

Actually closer to 580 miles in.
After a brief stop for eggs n bacon at waffle house I picked up a nice jam car that I just didn’t want to leave behind. A jam car is nice because it lets you extend the range of your headlights increasing you vision. Helpful indeed.
I am now just south of Atlanta. In a target. Shopping.
Talk again soon.

400 miles in.
Still cold.
The sun sets.

300 miles in.
So Tennessee is the border of the sit in the left lane and block the fast people territory.


That hundred was a little slower.
Took some blue roads into Illinois and now I’m in Kentucky.
Crossed the Ohio river on a ferry.
Now back to some interstate time.

105 miles actually
61 degrees…brrrr
is it warmer down south?

So much for the early start. But no worries the clock starts when I roll which is now.
Phone GPS says 1175 miles.
My plan: drive straight thru. Put up a post every hundred miles.
So in 12 posts I’ll be home.
Cheer me on.
But no distractions.
Ready, Set, Go

So I am poised for an 1145 mile ride tomorrow from where I am in Indiana to Fort Laudeeda
I know that I can do it.
The only question is can I wake up early enough to do it in daylight.
Somebody be a doll and give me a wake up call one hour before sunrise.

Passed this on I70.
Right near the first stretch of Federal Interstate to be opened by Ike. I wonder what the crazies of today would say about a spending spree like that now.
Not that I’m complaining about nice roads.
PS. I didn’t take that picture, but found it later on the internet as it’s hard to pull out your camera phone at 105.
And zoom out until you see the whole country.
Doesn’t it look like I’m right in the middle?
location@11:38pm,9/29 http://m.google.com/u/m/xzV25d
Kansas sure is boring…about the most exciting thing was the girl txting and driving. She was using two lanes and both shoulders.
L O L
…darn.. still in Kansas!!
wait…yes we are.
wait…yes we are.

Something else for you to wiki.
Almost had a sandy massacre of my own on the road in…but I kept the shiny side up.

…just traded up.
Watch out road rage.






The wind was really whipping thru the Royal Gorge so hard that they had to shut down the arial tram, the bridge was swaying on it’s cables, the bridge’s wooden roadbed undulating under my bike, and I had only had one cup of weak hotel coffee.
And to get to more coffee I had to cross back.
Seriously one of the scariest little rides. But don’t worry I made a deal with the lady at the gate that they would refund my entrance fee if I blew off.