Wilsons Sandbox

On Aug 2, 2009, at 12:09 AM, revmaaatin wrote: > I hope I don't need your help-- > however, just in case, here is my request: > > Hello list- > > Things are falling into place rapidly. > This excursion has been in work since mid march-- > > Tuesday, I leave via Volvo cage > (1450 miles, = 24 hours according to Mapquest) > as a grateful hitch-hiker, the Volvo my pack mule, from central SD > to deposit my riding gear, tools, luggage, tubes and me, in Wilkes- > Barre, PA. > > Yeah, I did something like this last May 08--except I rode the > Greyhound for 26 hours to get to Dallas for a very nicely farkled > 98 KLR 650. > > Waiting for me is a cream puff, 1997 KLR 250 with Got an idea where this is going? > > Guess how it gets back to central SD? > > Monday 10 Aug I will turn the baby KLR westward--as it flows into a > ceaseless wind of HD worshipers turned eastward. > > REally doesn't seem that hard. > Just a smaller bike. > Go 400 miles, rest, repeat. > > > Previoulsy, fluids all changed. I will take a day to mount some > luggage racks, check chain tension, engine bolts and valve clnc, > tire pressure, etal. and then, > perhaps shoot some long distance targets in the strip mines. > Can't be all work. > cough. > > Looking for anyone that would serve as a safety net: > 1. along the I-80 corridor from central PA to Chicago, > [w/RON Rockford, IL with m/c friend] > then basically > 2. central Iowa westward to Sioux City > 3. Then to Pierre, SD > > I-80 may not be the exact route: but within 40 miles of it at the > most. > > The unknown is the 12 y/o bike that is reported to be very nice by > all that have seen it. > > This bike is added to the stable for my son, age 14 next Dec and > licenseabale in South Dakota when he is 14. The thoughts are the > GDR in Aug, 2010. This will be just the shakedown cruise. > > Judd Jones tells me that this excursion is known as 'minamilist' > dual sports due to size of bike or amount of gear. It will still be > sporting some gear. > It will be sporting: > > 1. a custom rack with a 1 gal. Kolpin spare fuel cell, > 2. Ortlieb dry bags > 3. Garmin 76csx > 4. perhaps 2 dry bags > 5. paper map case. > > Leaning towards minimal camping stuff, etc. > > Please PM off line with address and phone number if you could be a > support net in some way. > > I only have one excuse not to do this: > One of the rodeo cowboys may come to Philly in Sept and might > trailer it back in a horse trailer. > Ah, Rodeo cowboys. God love um. > Their schedule is as reliable as a 2 nylon-ply-tire. > I am thinking, tuesday is L-day. > > revmaaatin > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message ----- From: revmaaatin To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 01, 2009 11:09 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] KLR 250 minimalist adventure I hope I don't need your help-- however, just in case, here is my request: Hello list- Things are falling into place rapidly. This excursion has been in work since mid march-- Tuesday, I leave via Volvo cage (1450 miles, = 24 hours according to Mapquest) as a grateful hitch-hiker, the Volvo my pack mule, from central SD to deposit my riding gear, tools, luggage, tubes and me, in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Yeah, I did something like this last May 08--except I rode the Greyhound for 26 hours to get to Dallas for a very nicely farkled 98 KLR 650. Waiting for me is a cream puff, 1997 KLR 250 with

>Martin called me this morning for a few parts for his KLR and wanted >you to know that he has left PA. on his 250. Anyone on his route be >on the lookout for revmaaatin on his little KLR250. He may need >some assistance and would greatly appreciate your encouragement.

> At 1:38 PM -0600 8/10/09, Fred Hink wrote: > >Martin called me this morning for a few parts for his KLR and > wanted > >you to know that he has left PA. on his 250. Anyone on his route > be > >on the lookout for revmaaatin on his little KLR250. He may need > >some assistance and would greatly appreciate your encouragement. > > > I guess he made it through my area OK. I hadn't heard from him. > Mark

> > At 1:38 PM -0600 8/10/09, Fred Hink wrote: > >Martin called me this morning for a few parts for his KLR and wanted > >you to know that he has left PA. on his 250. Anyone on his route be > >on the lookout for revmaaatin on his little KLR250. He may need > >some assistance and would greatly appreciate your encouragement. > > > I guess he made it through my area OK. I hadn't heard from him. > Mark >

>Mark, >Thanks for 'standing-by' as I passed.... >I had thought to call for 30-minute coffee/rest, (I was also some >miles N. of your location) but the time of day was still during the >working man's hours so I pressed on.... >I was grateful that I knew I had a 'friend' in central PA if I >needed one. You have one in central SD as well.

> > Things are falling into place rapidly. > This excursion has been in work since mid march--

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "revmaaatin" wrote: SNIP > > The ride home starts on the 10th reported later. > And 40% chance of rain? > = 4 hours of rain. > > revmaaatin. MINIMALIST ADVENTURE CONTINUES: 10 Aug. KLR 250 from Tunkhannock, PA to Wooster, Ohio Phone-Alarm announces that it is 0530 and the day lies before me. My `sponsor' continues his beauty sleep as I pack the final items in my two Seattle Sports Kayak bags. These are strapped to the bike using "Helen Two Wheels" type straps of my own manufacture, using Fasenx fasteners instead of d-rings that Helen uses. Of course, each final, final, final sweep of the area reveals some new item that I am supposed to be transporting and has to be refitted into the mix of kayak bags and Ortlieb dry bags. Believe it or not I left some mighty fine items behind that I will have to retrieve later. Shouldn't everybody be carrying some 300 pieces of re-loading brass on their cross country? As the bags filled, the lil' blue mule grunts, I abandoned the brass. Tumu/Zack/Mark V/ or Judd have suggested: load the bike. Take it for a 30 mile ride. Come back and unload 1/3 of the gear, then go. Sigh. So much reloading brass, so little space. Finally, 0650, the engine running, I push off. Starting the fully loaded beast is a little like juggling an ax. Maybe not that much fun. I have left myself a little gap to snuggle into between the tank bag and the Seattle Sport bag not to bad with the 650 electric start. But this is kick start . The trouble comes when you have to balance the bike, lift the leg, position the kick starter, and try not to foul the foot on a luggage strap, rear foot peg, or bang the ankle on the foot peg or take a dirt nap. Thankfully, not one nap the entire trip. The starting task will be unpleasant the entire trip. Easier as you figure it all out, but still, remains unpleasant when fully loaded. Before I can go very far, I will need gas. I had intended to fill with gas before loading the bike but the wx had a different idea. I went out around 1800 to make a 5-mile jaunt to the gas station (between the thunderstorms) I made it out of the driveway before I returned in a sudden deluge of water. Such is the luck of a knarly adventurer. It has been this way all afternoon, and will be this way, most of the night. All that rain on Sunday = Good for the rider. The previous 3-day forecast, 3 days earlier, promised to be more adventure than you really want. It had the portents of the entire, first 800 miles in the rain. Now, it will mostly be the daily 4pm thunderstorm activity that will be a concern. Leo's home is down a paved goat path, which connects to two more goat paths before it intersects PA #29 South of Tunkhannock/US #6. The only early morning competition on the road during the first 5 miles is road-kill and future road-kill. Yikes! Could that pin-cushion be a porcupine? Don't want to hit one of those . I caught a break, and the rains the following night are not manifesting themselves as killer-fog this morning which has been present 3 of the previous 5 days which can be especially true along the valleys/rivers. I cross the Susquehanna River at Tunkhannock and turn westward only to realize, there are no gas stations on that side of town. I am less that 6 miles into the journey, and I am already going backwards but for fuel, that is allowed. I have a complete aversion to pushing a motorcycle. Tried it once largely cured me of any desire to do it again. US #6, I am told, used to be THE road going west before there were super-highways. It certainly was beautiful. Much of it was up, down, up, down, with stretches of road that would follow the river/creek before repeating the up/down theme all over again. The KLR 250 was pretty good to hold 55mph/gps at 6200rpms rarely exceeding 6500, never more than 7,000. Redline is 9500, and I wanted to choose a number that moved me along, but gave you a `gut-feeling' that you were not over-exercising the machine. Nevertheless, at 6500 rpm, the tappets sound like a rattlesnake. An angry rattlesnake. Like most folks my age, life is not agreeable until you have some coffee. Looking at my receipt, I see I arrive at Towanda, PA McDonalds at 0817 and a distance traveled of 51 miles since 0650. Seems slow but will be the best average I have all day. As I am finishing my coffee/sandwich, I nearly bump into an great-great-grandmother while attempting to put on my riding costume. Actually, I think she snuck up on me hoping to get her favorite table, one that she sits at/near every morning for tea and a biscuit. After an appropriate apology, I remove my earplugs and listen to her story been here since 1964, raised 5 kids (3 girls, 2 boys), milked a lot of cows and is a great-great-grandmother. Living on her own, drives her own car though not very far. She will be one of the highlights of the day and I have only been at about 3 hours. It is why you ride a KLR ride to distant places, take a moment to be a friend, discover a friend that you did not know you had, and listen to their story. It changes you, it changes them if you take the time. Onward. I ride another 51 miles to Wellsboro and hit the CVS pharmacy for a disposable camera. Earlier I posted that it was a Walgreens but the receipt, $14.83 says its CVS. It is here that the Alzheimer's lady freaks out when she sees me in the Darth Vader ATGATT and the SyMax helmet. The poor store clerk gives the universal `disturbed' sign stirring her index finger around and around her ear. Apparently she is a known regular in the store. Mt Jewett is 98.2 miles on this tank of gas and I strike up a conversation with a guy with a van full of mountain bikes. Go figure PA mountains, mountain bikes and he is a long distance bike rider. Better he than me, I think until he sees I am on a 250, and `you are going where?!?!?!' So, signing each others, mutal-admiration-society guest book, I continued West, Westish, westward. US#6 never goes west for more than a few feet before it is wandering N/S along a West-ish vector. The good news I am not competing with may trucks, at least not yet and when I do, there is usually a slow lane that they can pass my 35mph ascending KLR250. I give Fred H. a call, order some KLR650 parts, and give Jeff Saline an update. Doing this on a KLR250: Harder than doing it on a KLR650, but not as hard as I thought it might be. At times, even more more than a 650 as the fully loaded bike is 440#, full fuel, as weighed in South Dakota at the Wheat Growers scale. 640# with me on it.... At Kane, PA, I have elected to head towards Pittsburgh on PA#66. It is here that US#6 turns NW and is going a long ways out of my way. By going down #66 through a series of by-ways, I will intersect US 30 on the East side of Ohio. What I did not know is that lots of trucks on going to be on this road as well. Not many choices of N/S roads in this area that will go `quickly' to where you think you want to be. All part of the ride. Just get to where there are fewer trucks as soon as possible. I stopped in Leeper, PA at the Sawmill Restaurant, and was sitting at a booth ~15 minutes before I realized the waitress does not take your order you order at the `window' and they will bring it to you. Sigh. Placed an order--with the misfortune to now be behind ~15 people that have come in since I have sat down. Sigh. Add 20 minutes more, and still no grilled chicken sandwich . we are burning daylight. I probably needed the rest but prefer to do it on my conditions. There have been numerous delays/one lane travel to this point due to road construction and adding a 50 minute break for lunch is not getting me towards my 400 mile goad by dark. I press on, until I need gas where I discover: Never buy gas at a grocery store. Spit. Kick. Spit. Burn more daylight. See. I feel better already. Emlenton, PA IGA has the Sunoco gas, and a card-scan that will not read my credit card. I get the dreaded gas pump message: SEE THE ATTENDANT Scan again. Same song, second verse. See the Attendant. Off course, it is the one time I would really, really like to gas and go .so I go inside. Cute girl gives me the `DRAGNET' interview: Did you: 1. 2. 3. 4.? Ma'aM!!!,---!! Yes, Ma'am. She doesn't believe me. Why should she? She is cute, I am old, and I smell like a KLR. She smiles widely, walks me to the gas pump, and makes sure that I am paying full attention to how the scan machine works: it is my turn to smile. See how easy this is her smile is saying-- The gas pump has not changed its mind: SEE THE ATTENDANT "Well, you will have to pay in advance ." Look lady, I got a credit card, could you turn on the pump. Please? OK. I pump my 1.259 gallons of gas and go inside the IGA to pay. `You will have to get in line to pay." I am now #8 in line. My face must have flushed, as the manager said, "Here, let me help you" .or, might because the first woman at the counter was holding her nose by now .shrug. Maybe she did not like the color of red? I paid, and shuffled on. Shuffled. The prickly heat is taking its toll even while deploying all the secret recipes known only to grannies and nurse maids plus a the wool seat, I am still working towards a royal case of monkey butt. The receipt says: time, 15:52, I have gone about 200 miles, and the OAT is still rising. The monkey butt is not going to getter better any time soon. The good news: I cross the river at Emlenton and shortly after, cross I-80, leaving all the truck traffic behind. The bad news: I have unknowingly entered `sign-age hell'. I am following along on an official PA travel map (which by the way is one of the worst in the country; I am not just saying this from this experience I lived here from 88-90 and thought so then as well. The only thing worse is the AAA maps of PA) and my Garmin 76csx. How could you possibly need any thing else except maybe road signs? Seems the Garmin map-o-teers used the PA road map to process their guidance and this is where I got lost or advancing without a clue-I would estimate some 20 miles off the trail I really wanted to be. Nice country just not where I want to be. Earlier during my map study, I had noted some roads to take me around New Castle, dumping me into Ohio near Palestine except someone removed/displaced the signs needed to connect the dots. And wouldn't you know it, the 4pm Cumulus Nimbus are building, and wind is starting to blow a lot harder from the West. I use the GPS to find the Moraine State Park, using it as a limiting feature, and start the navigation towards that as the wind accelerates defoliating trees of leaves and branches. No lightning yet so I press on. No good place to stop that I can tell. I have noticed a few farm sheds that I would return to if necessary but for now, press on towards the SW. It begins to lightly rain the kind that feels like needles when they hit your face. The dark face shield is now `up' as the clouds have become very black. I cross I-79, GPS find and follow a parallel service road South as the rain begins to really pummel me from the towering thunderstorm just North of my position. I pass another KLR rider on a Frog-Green KLR and signal to him, GO SOUTH as he appears to be trying to go North, pausing to put on his rain gear. About 3 more miles and I see a gas station with a cover and next to it is a bank with 3 covered teller lanes. Perfect. I get under cover, drop my riding pants (I've got on hospital surgical pants underneath) and put on my Frog Toggs under the riding pants. My jacket is a Kilamanjaro, so I am satisfied that it will keep me dry. I suppose it would if you get all the Velcro in the right place. Which I did not. Later, I would have a dry seat, but a very wet top. Ain't that a switch. Back at the bank lanes: A nice, chain-smoking lady asked me if I would like to get in the car with her . Ah, no. smile. I am doing just fine even if the wx resembled an artillery bombardment. Finally, all the rain gear is on, To include some form fitting latex gauntlets I bought in Dallas, PA And the squeegee (to wipe the visor) I acquired from Aerostitch candy store. I LOVE that finger-squeegee. This is a top-notch, piece of gear that works! All dressed up, and studying the map/GPS: should I ride or punt (hotel)? Less than 300 miles at this point. Mileage is a relentless, heartless goal if you got to make some miles and I need to do so. Check the rain-- As it is now a slow, toad strangling rain, instead of a cow killing rain: As I contemplate my next move, two cars pull up into the bank lanes to be out of the rain to do a luggage switch, and `Larry' asked me "Where do you want to go?" Follow me! Says Larry. So I do. So for the next 40 miles, I don't have to navigate, just follow Larry, I just have to: Avoid the downed limbs, And not get drowned by the cars pushing puddles over their hoods when they hit the standing water located in the low spots. And finger squeegee my face shield every 5 seconds. (RainX would seem appropriate about now!) Some 40 miles later, I shake Larry's hand under the cover of another gas station, grateful for his humanity towards a wet-dog on a dark afternoon. He directs me to Beaver Falls, and the roads that will lead me to US#30 in Ohio. Thanks Larry you were a God send. If only the signage supported his directions as well. Sigh. Through no help of the PA state signs, I make two/three more wrong turns attempting to reason my way through the odd signage in Beaver Falls area, managing to finally GPS my way to the PA 251 and head west, crossing into Ohio and into more rain. All right already. I give up. I'll take the NEXT hotel. Except for the next 100 miles, not a single hotel. No, not one. I got the camping gear, but I know, I really need to get as dry as possible or I am going to be sick and nearly was so . Jeff Saline later posted my progress when I called him from LaFayette, IN on Wednesday while doing the leaking gas tank repair and described my adventure; Mark V.H. correctly suggested using a park shelter in one of his post: believe me, Mark, I was looking. Not an open shed, barn, garage door, or city park. Nothing that I noticed for 100 miles! One thing that did happen I had been averaging only about 51-60 mpg with 15-20-25mph headwinds. Riding in the rain, I accidentally went to 128 miles before hitting reserve. Total fuel is 11 liters, going to reserve at about 2 gallons used as best I can tell right now. So mileage during this short portion is now close to 70 mpg at ~50mph/gps with minimal headwinds. The bad in this, I was paying so much attention to the rain, I was not watching the trip odometer. Victim of fatigue thinking I am in the zone but really approaching the o-zone. Admittedly, I should have stopped sooner. Never any extreme danger here just adverse. Adverse is worse when you are tired and I need to land somewhere. And it is raining. Again. Hard. And I am soaked through the jacket. The good news, the bike is running good, the OEM tires are deflecting the water. Yep, 40% chance of rain = 4+ hours in the wet. I did stop for gas at East Canton, Dripping, no, streaming water every where I stood, I asked a lady, "Where is a motel?" "None here that I would stay in" was the reply. Great. Move on. Perhaps I can make Mansfield I know where there are motels. Pass through Canton not a single sign for a motel on US#30 and I don't like to have to hunt for them . Press on westward into the dark and it is now really raining again. Finally, Wooster, OH; and signage for an Econolodge. Requires 3 tricky turns its dark and raining yeah, I can only figure out two of them. Miss the final turn poor signage again. Add another few miles because the next exit is some 5 miles South. Sigh. Finally Econolodge. Sandi and Cathy quickly checked me in. Gave me a room that had a covered walk in front of my room and favored the prevailing winds allowing me to unload the bike out of the rain. It continued to rain enough to drown standing cattle far into the night as I slumbered off to KLR-land. Summary: 0650 departure rural Tunkhannock, PA 2103 check in, Wooster, OH 439 gps miles. On a KLR 250. It was all good. Incredible scenery. Incredible experiences with the bike/people. The roads less traveled are just waiting for you and your KLR. Stop thinking about it: Load the bike and go. Now, all I have to do is just do this four more times/days. 0745 wake up will come soon enough. revmaaatin.

> > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "revmaaatin" wrote: > SNIP > > > > The ride home starts on the 10th reported later. > > And 40% chance of rain? > > = 4 hours of rain. > > > > revmaaatin. > > MINIMALIST ADVENTURE CONTINUES: > > 10 Aug. > > KLR 250 from Tunkhannock, PA to Wooster, Ohio >