So the new bike was picked it up in Santa Maria on Saturday afternoon and while driving it home I promptly low sided in the last turn. Arg a couple of scratches in the fairing, a bend handlebar and a shot signal is the damage so far.

Damage to me?

• hurt feelings
• sprained wrist
• scratched helmet -> already bought a new one

At least I could get my hands dirty and put it back together and it sits now in the driveway, waiting for parts to arrive and to be fixed up.

Now what todo to it in the next 6 month?

defiantly:

• crash bars ~150
• skid plate ~200
• semi off road tires ~350
• steering stabilizer ~ 400
• wiring in a couple of 12V plugs for heated gear and IPhone ~50
• heated jacket liner ~150

maybe:

• springs for my weight ~100
• race tech emulators ~150
• windscreen for my size ~150
• tourmaster transition2 jacket ~200 (I owned 3 jackets of this kind and keep coming back to it)
• sheepskin seat cover ~50

so about 1700$ worth of extras to make it ready for my trip next summer.

Pictures coming soon...

daisy - hit by a semi...

today was not my day. I was just at a lumber store and some employe of this store backed up his truck and pushed it on the ground. Now the poor honda is dented, has a broken signal, scratched exhaust, broken peg, bend mirror and shifter and is most likely a salvage title.
He also dropped my helmet on the ground, which was on the bike, so I need to get a new helmet too.

guess it was bound to happen sometime. Happily I was not on the bike and so I'm unhurt.

suggested retail value of the bike this morning: 2050$

now? I guess 500 :(

woodworking - part two

last weekend we went back to twain harte and I tried my first little project. Table coasters. Well they are not great, but gave me a rough idea what I got my self into and I'm having fun.

So after playing around and planning a demo board, down to size for the cabin remodeling I realize this is not going to work and we need a workbench first. So the next project is to get some cheap fir and pine and make a workbench for the next steps and build another 10 coasters for the duke family reunion on the first july weekend.

Estimated cost for the workbench:

wood: 50$
vise: 30$
clamps: 40$
tools: 80$

recently I got into my head that I like to work with wood. This is most likely related to Twain Harte and the amount of happiness I have there.

So I started to work on my first projects, Basically trying to learn how to saw wood. Like always people offer you classes todo this or we can use my approach and try to figure it out myself.

1 Month into this experiment I now know that I do not want to use power tools at all and rather try to accomplish these things with hand tools.  did buy a small power saw, but not really convinced by it and it was pretty much a 60$ mistake.

The first project are going to be a couple of coasters for mugs and glasses in the cabin, since we have none for some reason. Let's see if I ordered the right saw this time.

Resume - 14 Days on the bike and a bit over 3500 Miles in total

after traveling over 3500 Miles on the bike in 14 days, it's time to reflect and see what would need to be changed to make it even better next time. I truly enjoyed every minute on this trip and I'm amazed how much you can do and how little you need to be happy.

But changes would be:

I need a different bike, quite honest the only way that I ever attempt such a long journey again in such conditions and different climates would be with a different bike. I'm most likely going to take the R6 up to yellow stone this summer/fall. But not sure yet.

So what would I need in this case?

• enough space to take my shorter half with me :)
• no chain if avoidable
• off road able
• heavier
• more leg space
• less pressure on my wrists
• more torque in the lower rpm range
• at least a 5 gallon fuel tank

so looking at this list, I can't have it all. But it would boil down to any of these three bikes. If we only remove one point.

Off Road/touring - has all of these points

BMW 1150GS, this would be the perfect bike, but way to pricey. Even used, but incredible reliable and lasts well over 100k miles.

Off Road Touring - with chain drive and limited off road use

Suzuki 'I am ugly' V-Strom

somewhat affordable, since the price starts at 6500$ new, problem is they are in so high demand that they can't be found use in my area. Chain driven, but can be equipped with a center stand and so easier maintenance. They are known to last 100k+ miles.

Touring with no off roading capabilities

There are lots of bikes in this area, but most likely it would be a used cruiser or goldwing or fjr.

This would be most likely a used shadow, since they are very reliable and cheap to pickup

a late 90s goldwing

or the 1300 FJR

So at the end of the day it will be most likely a shadow or vstrom or FJR. Depending what I can find and get away with. I know I will love the V-Strom and FJR, I have driven both. On the shadow I don't know if my back agrees, but it's the cheapest and can be found for under 3000$. It would give me the chance to share some parts of my hobby with Ashley. I'm also not going to be able to get more than like 2-3k for the R6 anymore, since I now have to drive it till it falls apart. 

It has over 26k miles on it, which is very unusual for a sportsbike, but nothing for a cruiser or tourer.

Other things, not motorcycle related

• warmer sleeping bag, mine is way to cold
• spotting scope, to much wildlife around me
• 18-200mm VR,  missed out on so many great pictures, because my 200mm lens is to big and had to stay home
• a sturdier knife, my fixed blade promptly bend...
• a fishing pole
• a skillet

Day 14 - Benton to Twain Harte via Sonora Pass

on my last day of my journey I attempted to go over Sonora Pass again, which is now open again. And to say it's stunning, would be a slight understatement.

I would easily describe this as the most stunning part of the whole trip and also most challenging part. I think I never got higher than 3rd gear on the bike.

as you can see the pass is in the distance and still covered in snow

we are entering the pass by now and are still in the snow free zone, but it's pretty curvy and for some reasons people are advised to not use trailers.

at this point we are a bit higher and surround by snow and trees. The pass tops out at 9715 feet and it's one of the most beautiful rides I have ever done. I can't wait todo it again, maybe tomorrow...


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Day 13 - Death Valley to Benton Hot Springs

after spending a couple more hours in Death Valley I decided to start my journey back home and so took of from Death Valley.

At this point I had no Idea yet were to spend the night, except it's going to be a campground somewhere on the 395. After a couple of hours I reached the mamouth lakes in Mono county and was shocked to hear that the temperature drops below freezing at night time.

so I told a young ranger, lets call her Miss Ranger, about my journey and she told meshe knows the perfect spot for me. So I was informed about the Benton Hot Spring, which were only an hour away from my current location and so I decided to go there.

65 miles later, I arrived to be greated by this sight

and off I was to the registration and getting my private hot tub, camp site and other stuff sorted out. Which turned out to be a blessing and a course.

There were also a couple of old tractors

After soaking in this tub for 90 minutes, I was just to lazy to cook anything and decided to eat the canned tuna, I was transporting with me since 13 days. Bad idea...

But the hot tubs were wonderful warm and relaxing and put me right to sleep. Now I just have to go there again with my shorter half as soon as I get a bigger bike.

Map:


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Day 12 - Death valley

after the drive from vegas I was finally on my nearly last destination for the trip. Death Valley California/Nevada and it took me only 6 years to get there. Even after everybody told me don't do it. Do it with a couple of friends. Take a jeep or so and not a motorcycle.

Anyway here I am and I love this place. Sure it's a touch warm. Just a bit over 43 Ceslisus/109 Fahrenheit and not much cooler at night time.

So I spend close to 2 days here and enjoyed every minute. Not so much scotties castle

but the sand dunes were truly stunning and fun to walk throw.

maybe a touch warm in my leather outfit. But than protection first and at least I didn't get sunburned, except for a tiny spot between the jacket and gloves... Anyway.

The next step was than to go toward the famous 'bad water' part, which is the lowest point in the united states at a bit over 300F below sea level.
And it is obvious why it's called bad water. Such a high salt concentration and mostly dried out.

and so we left this area, after playing catch with a couple of goldwings and harleys. Well it was not truly a challenge, but the roads in this park are amazing. So curvy and just recently redone. Short I'm glad I had a motorcycle and not a jeep.Besides the part that I could not go to the most parts of the parks. I tried togo down a couple of unpaved roads, but changed my mind rather quickly...



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over all I had to refill 3 times in death valley. Which accounts to roughly 300 miles of driving in the park.

Now the plan for today was actually to go to the joshya tree park in southern california. But I changed and searching for a nice campground near a creek and read the next 2 days and relax, before I meetup with Ashley in Twain Harte to enjoy a nice weekend there.

Day 11 - St. George to Zion to Grand Canyon North Rim to Valley of Fire

well I start to put some serious miles together and after a great breakfast this morning I left St George and drove to Zion, which was not that impressive compared to bryce.

So I moved on towards the grand canyon - north rim. I was last year at the south rim, so I thought it would be great to see the north side. Well after arriving and asking them about the temperature at night (30-25 fahrenheit) I decided this is way to cold for me and instead decided to add another 300 miles to my trip and move to warmer areas.

I have to say the south rim is much more stunning, but the north rim is so much greener. There were trees everywhere.

so after the grand canyon visit I moved toward nevada, more specific the valley of fire. Which was rather hot, well I was incredible hot after riding on the I-15. Maybe death valley is not such a good idea after all? I met a canadian last night who said it was over 115F already and he just drove threw, because it was to hot. We shall see.

At least I was not cold in the valley of fire. Which was the first time in this camping trip.

but sadly I got no real cell phone reception and climbing on this 50 feet boulder, did not help that much and was rather stupid...

so currently I'm writing this from a small denies in Las Vegas, were a waitress is asking me all 20 seconds if I need something else. Slightly annoying.

Map of yesterday




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Day 10 - 4wheeling in St George

today I decided to take a rest from riding and winn and his family were so nice to let me tryout one of there 4Wheeler/Quad, which turned out to be a lot of fun, very intimidating and kinda hard.
.

the rest of the day is going to be a bbq and tomorrow it's off to zion and maybe the grand canon north rim.

We also ended up burning some woods in the evening, which is quite a spectacular sight

day 9 - Bryce canyon to St. George Utah and meeting some new friends.

after another cold night in the tent I drove the last 2 miles to the park entrance, paid my 80$ fee for a national pass and parked the bike at sunrise point. Were I promptly encountered a person who managed to packed more stuff than me on a bike.

jasmine looks rather tiny next to the packed up 2008 KTM Dakkar. And the proud owner happily announced that he traveled from new jersey over 10k miles so far. I shall do the same, once I get a bike with a 5-6 gallon gas tank.

Anyway some picture from sunrise point, it was not that impressive.

but quite a view. Afterward I moved on too sunset point and went for a small 2 mile hike there and got some truly stunning pictures.

I even managed to run into some new friends at the sunset points and we took off to a ride together and they showed me some parts of utah I would not had seen otherwise.


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partly the roads were in pretty bad condition and so not that safe to begin with. But we managed all right and I was invited to spend the weekend with one and his family, which turns out to be a great weekend.

It also turned out that he has 14 different bikes... And his garage was quite a sight.

they even adjusted my new chain quick, since it got a bit loose after being just installed.

day 8 -> salt lake city to capital reef national park to bryce canon

the 8th day of my trip started with me packing up the bike and getting on the 15 Southbound till hitting the 5o East. This was rather boring, except for me battle against 50mph winds from time to time. Short quite exhaustive. But Utah is truly a beautiful state and so much nicer than Nevada or dare I say it? California

When I finally got onto the 70 it got so much worse that I took the 71 to the 24 to the capital reef national park Which was just plain stunning.

after spending several hours at this national park I continued on the route 12, one amazing street to take the motorcycle on and me having way to much fun on the curvy roads and crossing summits of up to 10000 feet. Short I was truly happy, till I arrived at 9.30pm at the Bryce canyon national park and made camp there.

For dinner we had canned chicken and macaronis cooked in chicken broth. Nutritious, but not that tasty at all...



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day 6/7 - salt lake city



these two days I spend running around at the conference, talking to people, refreshing connections and presenting my poster. Which had the worst people possible and scared a lot of people of. Once I made clear what it was about, they like it quite well and showed interest. Shows how much a wrong title impacts your work.
Another really interesting thing was how many people asked me, if our software is IPad compatible. I was really not prepared for this question and so could only answer that it should, but needs to be tested..

Do you want to test our new software? Here it is




about the motorcycle issue,

happily I found a local ducati dealer, which told me he can help me with a new chain, if I also upgrade the sprockets. Ok close to 400$ later and 4h of work I got now a new chain and sproket and the bike is like new, except I hear this ticking noise...

so tomorrow we move on to bryce canon. It should be fun.

day 3/4/5 sacramento -> lahontan nv -> salt lake city utah

since my first attempt did not work out that well I tried to ride the 80 till I can pass it and than camp somwere in Nevada.

Well the first part was rather cold and I keep asking my self for the reason of spending close to 1000$ on summer leathers, when I cover my self the whole time in my rain jacket and pants to block the wind. Slightly frustrating.

After I passed tahoe and enjoyed some beautiful sights up there

I managed to find a small spot in Nevada where I can spend the night. And it was rather beautiful lake in the middle of the desert. Were a couple invited me to stay on there site so I don't have to pay any fees for camping. All I had todo was to offer them some nutella!

on the next day I packed my stuff in the morning after being awoken by gulls and the wind to proceed to utah.
Originally I intended to camp at fort churchill, but since I was not able to pass sonora pass 3 days ago, well my plans got slightly mixed up and I needed to make some time. So I drove down americas loniest highway, the 50 and boy it is lonely. Hours on hours nothing but snow capped mountains and once in a while a semi or other car, My tires are actually flat in a part now instead of round. Its not a bad thing, just frustrating since It means I need to replace them sooner.

the gas stations also turned out to be far and in between and not up to my usual standards. Like selling only diesel and low rated gasoline, which forced me to turn around once to find another way. The gas tank is just to small on the R6 and it might not be the best touring bike after all. Also an airforce station were I stopped refused to help me out with some fuels and made quite clear that I should move on.

Once I crossed into utah, I managed to stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Famous for there speed testing
purpose and used in many movies like 'The last Indian'.

 I resisted and did not test the max speed of the R6, but it was tempting as several people around me did in there cars.

afterward I moved on to the hotel and checked in and calling it a night.

Oh before I stopped for the night, my bike started to make a weird noise from the back wheel and I dropped it off at the mechanic today to see what it is. The diagnose was that I need a new chain and that mine has a tight spot and is worn down to it limits. So I told them to replace it and an hour later they came back and appologized that they have non in stock, but can get one till monday. Which didn't work for me. So they lubricated it the best they could and send me my way and assured me that it should last another 2000 miles without breaking.

Well makes me kinda nervous, since the consequences of a broken chain can be from annoying and stranded on the road, to a shredded engine casing or worse locking the rear wheel and causing a crash. Maybe I can find a chain at a motorcycle tomorrow and get it installed by the dealer. But I kinda doubt it. Sadly I don't have a choice at this point and now need to decide if I go back to davis directly or continue with my trip.

the trip of the last 3 days:


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day two: twain harte -> mason valley

dy two started with me leaving from twain harte, taking the 108 east towards sonora pass, passing pine crest (6000 Feet elevation and surrounded by snow), driving throw a Hail Storm and a Snow Shower... Just to find out that the last 24 miles into nevada, well the highway was closed off there. And my research did not discover these prior. I always read 'might be closed', but this sign:

so it was time for a de tour. Happy Pathfinder I am I already had a backup lined up and happiliy proceeded towards this, throw the hail and snow again just to find out, that the highway 4 pass is closed too.

At this point I turned around and drove back to sacramento.

Fazit:

miles driven: 501
miles progress: 11

but having a wonderful weekend makes more than up for it.

day one - twain harte

the first day started out rather nicely with the check engine light coming on and telling me not enough oil. A quick stop at the mechanic fixed this and we did not put enough in at the oil change.

10 Minutes later it started to rain till my arrival in sacramento and from there it was sunshine and windy while I was driving down the 99. After the wind decided to push me over 2 lanes, I decided to reroute and use the backroads, like the 104 and 125 to the 49. Which turned out to be beautiful. I was passing a nuclear power plant, which looked magnificent surrounded by orchards.
And past he Preston Castle in Ione. The last time I was at this castle I was helping out with a photo shoot and these pictures can be seen here. So it was nice to drive by again and look at it.

At a random point in time I was totally lost and managed to find a REI store and buy some quick stuff, like a lantern, knife sharpener, batteries and first aid kit. First 100$ of the trip are already gone.

Once I passed San Andreas I had to pull over, since it started a bit to rain, but my riding skills defiantly got much better on the 49 and it was the first time I did not drift out on a certain curve.

Around 8.45pm I arrived at the 128 and it turned very dark, started to hail and my one headlight blew out ( I have too) . So tomorrow I need to find a place which sells me a new head light. At 9.00pm I arrived in twain harte and was struggling with the dark and the hail, trying to find the main entrance, when a truck pulled me over and it turned out to be ashley who arrived at the same time and so I followed her to the cabin and got off the bike.

Now how to get the gloves try till sunday evening, this is going to be a good question.

Also while sleeping at the cabin I realized that my sleeping bag is not warm enough and even with a liner and fleece pants it turned out to be to cold.

It also turned out that I forgot my sweater/jacket and now need to find a REI store tomorrow around the way to get a sweater to keep me warm at night.

ok the trip is final and I'm leaving in 120 minute for twainharte...


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and hope to return there at the 6th of June 2010 in one piece...

23.05.2010	Sunday	Mason Valley
24.05.2010	Monday	Hickison Petroglyth Recreation Site
25.05.2010	Tuesday	Bonneville Salt Flats Statepark
26.05.2010	Wednesday	Salt Lake City
27.05.2010	Thursday	Salt Lake City
28.05.2010	Friday	Bryce Canyon
29.05.2010	Saturday	Bryce Canyon
30.05.2010	Sunday	Bryce Canyon
31.05.2010	Monday	Zion
01.06.2010	Tuesday	Zion
02.06.2010	Wednesday	Valley of Fire
03.06.2010	Thursday	Death Valley
04.06.2010	Friday	Death Valley
05.06.2010	Saturday	Twain Harte
06.06.2010	Sunday	Twain Harte

trip preparations,

time to plan what I have to pack so I don't forget half of it like always.

sleep:

• sleeping pad - x
• sleeping bag  - x - need to buy one which is warmer for the next trip...
• tent - x
• sleeping bag liner - x

cooking:

• stove - x
• knife - x
• spoon/fork - x
• 2 x gas - x
• water filter - x
• 2 x 750ml bottles - x 

clothing

• fleece pants - x
• fleece shirt  - x
• under armor shirt - x
• under armor pants - x 
• under armor socks - x
• ultra light zip off pants - x
• small hat - x
• light jacket or sweater

general

• 10 feet of rope - x
• hand warmers - x
• some bags
• head light - x
• camera -x
• memory card - x
• backup battery
• matches - x
• spare keys -x
• sun glases - x
• ear plugs - x
• latern - x
• knife sharpener - x
• backup knife - x

hygiene

• sun creme - x
• toilet paper - x
• towel - x
• tooth brush - x
• spare contact lenses - x
• contact solution
• allergy pills - x
• band aid - x

entertainment

• books
• ipod - x
• iphone - x
• headphones - x
• iPod charger - x

motorcycle

• backup gloves - x
• rain gear - x
• brush - x
• oil for chain - x

did I forget anything?

the preparations for my utah trip are slowly coming to an end and the wallet is close to be exhausted. Well I spend about 400$ more on the preparation than I wanted too, but better safe than 'skin surgery'.

Also thanks to a friend it looks like ashley is finally enjoying her on the back of the R6 and survived a bit over 60 miles last weekend none stop. Now I just need to find a way to feel comfortable my self with having her on the back at higher speeds. Just to worried that I loose her.

Guess we will add this to the stable next january if everything works out.

right now I'm trying to discover a new hobby, short making a chess set from firewood and learning to work with pine and alder wood.

Wedding time,

well yet another pair of friends decides to tie the knot and so It was a great possibility for me to grab my photo equipment and shoot this event. Running around, switching lenses forth and back. Trying to not interfere and avoiding the whole 'pose here' or 'smile there' disaster.

but I truly hope I never meet a groom with a white reflective tuxedo again...

Oh yeah I also had the chance to provide my delicious smoked tri tip. Which is rather simple to make:

ingredients:

• 3-4lbs tri tip
• salt/pepper/cardamon
• 5lbs charcoal
• 4 pieces of wood, hickory

preparation:

mix a handfull of pepper and salt with 2-3 teaspoons of cardamon. Rub it all over the meat and let rest for 2-4 hours, depending on desired taste.

prepare smoker and heat up to 220F and let the meat smoke for 30 minutes a pound. Remove around 160F internal temperature.

let rest over night and serve the next morning. TADA

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