mariola's trip from the mcadv list...

[svnorcal@yahoo.com]

Anyone have a recommendation on some strong motocross boots? I would like them to go pretty high up the shin and give good ankle support. Reason: I just dislocated my ankle wheh my bike fell on me. I had Daytona rod boots. It had an ankle insert that I'm sure prevented a puncture to my ankle. Spread the force out but did not have any additional support to help prevent the dislocation. I have seen the SIDI road boots, vertabrae? but the height looks a little short. Any comments would be appreciated.

[Dan Oaks]

Get out and try on everything you can find. They all suck. Some more than others. What ever you do, don't buy one on someone else's recommendation or without putting them on your feet. Don't hurry. Try on ALL of them. -- bierdo svnorcal@... wrote:

> Anyone have a recommendation on some strong motocross boots? I would > like them to go pretty high up the shin and give good ankle support. > Reason: I just dislocated my ankle wheh my bike fell on me. I had > Daytona rod boots. It had an ankle insert that I'm sure prevented a > puncture to my ankle. Spread the force out but did not have any > additional support to help prevent the dislocation. I have seen the > SIDI road boots, vertabrae? but the height looks a little short. > Any comments would be appreciated. >

[richardm@gowinnt.com]

Quoting Dan Oaks :

>Get out and try on everything you can find. They all suck. Some more >than others. What ever you do, don't buy one on someone else's recommendation >or without putting them on your feet. Don't hurry. Try on ALL of them.

Yes. O'neil Element: SUCK. Answer M-840: SUCK. I'm not so hot on the idea of MX boots anymore... They all hurt like hell.

[fireball@heaslet.com]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., richardm@g... wrote:

> Yes. O'neil Element: SUCK. Answer M-840: SUCK. I'm not so hot on >the idea of MX boots anymore... They all hurt like hell.

I got Alpinestar Tech 8 boots, and wear long, almost feminine stocking socks with the slipper. Not too bad, unless you walk a long way. It would be nicer if the Combat Touring Boots were made for fat feet. Fireball

[John Irvine]

--- fireball@... wrote: It would be nicer if the Combat Touring Boots

> were made for fat > feet. > > Fireball

I was going to say that the Combat Touring Boots seem to do the trick. I wanted something I could use on the road and in the nasty and they seem to be a good way to go.The come up to about 4" below the bottom of my kneecap. Nice shin padding, very heavy duty. I recently aquired a slightly used pair that was offered up on the list. Happened to be my size 11 and they fit great on my normal width foot. I added some insoles and that made things too tight for my toes so I trimmed back a couple inches and now they are fine. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/

[ATO137528@aol.com]

I agree and disagree at the same time. I got a pair of Alpine Star Tech-6's from Bob's Cycle (online) last year that I love. They were on a killer sale and I got them for something like $160. I have had my feet/legs saved more than once by the boots, and the right one has a big gash on the plastic shin guard just below my knee where a piece of steel rod bounced off the back of a scrap truck just as I was passing it and tried to sever my leg. A sharp piece of steel rod NOT penetrating my tibia at 70 mph is WELL worth $160...to me. I'll spare you the off-road stories. Yes, they are clunky for walking around...BUT THEY ARE FOR RIDING. After you break a good pair of boots in, you won't even notice that you are wearing them while riding. It was easy for me b/c I've been riding motocross bikes for over 20 years and have had numerous pairs of boots. I DO agree with the "try them on first" part. Find a dealer that sells a lot of off-road bikes because most of them have a good selection of accessories and apparel. (The Kawasaki shop that sells BMW's and Harley's too and has a new '96 KDX 200 sitting in a corner can't help you...) Take the time to adjust all of the buckles and walk around...remembering that it takes a while for them to break in properly. Sit on a bike while wearing them. As for a suggestion, ANY motocross boot will offer more protection than ANY street boot. If you want to try something a bit more "pliable" than most, the Thor T-20 is an inexpensive boot that is light and comfortable. The drawback is that it's protection is a bit less than most others, but still WAY more protection than say, a Joe Rocket Rhino boot. Go try some on! Lamar A14 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Duvall Ed]

I like the Sidi Discovery boot. Kinda like the Combat Touring (made by Sidi), but a little more protection and motorcross boot like. Has a waterproof liner which is nice. Not as much protection as a hard core motorcross boot, but a little more comfortable. Not cheap though. http://www.motonation.com/trialzero.cfm I've had mine for over a year now and they've saved my feet and legs I don't know how many times on the trails. Ed

[Tobin Slide Lampson]

huh....swear I hit reply to all........ Maybe I need a drink......... Fred, what's your part number for Margaritas? //FOR PREVIOUS REPORTS... PHOTOS FROM THIS EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY .. REFER TO WWW.RIDEOFTHEHEART.COM// Tuesday, 24th of July, Fairbanks, Alaska Dear friends! I am totally amazed by your warm response to my poor writing. Thanks a lot, you are one of the main reasons why this trip is happening. So far this journey has proven to be the most amazing experience of my entire life. I suppose the fact that I am a woman place a big role here as well, since the response I am getting from people has a lot to do with my gender. Sometimes people cannot believe i am riding on my own, since quite often there are other bikers around me. The most common questions asked are "how far", "how long on the road", "are you really alone", "aren't you afraid"... Let me go back and trace my steps to about a week ago, to the day when I left for the greatest ride of them all...THE RIDE TO PRUDHOE BAY-The Ride Of The Lifetime! I left on Tuesday morning, the 17th of July. The weather for the previous 2 days was absolutely perfect. Remember my entry about the temperature in North Pole? Well, the moment I reached Fairbanks, which is 12 miles north of North Pole, it started raining, and i mean RAINING!!!! Oooops... I thought.... perhaps I should turn around and try tomorrow? The Dalton highway leading to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay is almost 500 long, of which only 50 miles are paved. I got thoroughly wet in about 45 minutes, and was really pissed. About 20 miles after the pavement ends there is an Arctic Circle Trading Post on the Dalton. This is where I put on all the rain gear and also plastic bags inside my boots. By then the bike was already totally covered with mud... correction... it was covered with what looked like mud but actually was BROWN GREASY BUTTER LIKE SUBSTANCE! At that stop I again seriously considered turning around, since everyone I talked to about Dalton warned me that the road turns to sort of a nightmare when wet. Well, I thought, I came 10,000 miles to do this, and I AM NOT TURNING AROUND, unless it would be absolutely unavoidable. By the way, soon after I stopped caring about the mud... there was no point, since mud was absolutely everywhere. I am going to let you on a little secret here.... not that some of you did not know this already... I did not have much experience when it comes to riding in mud prior to this trip, so it was kind of new to me. Actually, after I got a bit used to it, it was even fun! I experimented with riding standing, sitting, slow, faster. Non of it was very good, since the surface of the road was really slippery, and the bike was dancing around all over the place. Good thing I left most of my load in north Pole, and just took the absolutely necessary items (it turned out later I did not take enough stuff... like a spare tire for that matter). After reaching the Arctic Circle the weather improved, but the road stayed wet. In sections where it was not wet from the rain, it was wet from all th e water dumped by water trucks! Where was I... aha, the Arctic Circle, Latitude 66,33. It was one of the kind feelings to stand there, at the circle, where the true arctic begins, and where not to many of us are fortunate to go. Not that it looked any different than the surroundings. At this latitude you still have spruce trees growing all over the place. Of course I took the proper pics, tons of them as a matter of fact. Right around that area the road suddenly deteriorated to pure misery. It was due to so-called constructions, where huge trucks would dump loads of fresh dirt, water trucks then would go and wet it, and you have to ride on it. We are talking about something that is at least a foot deep and lasts for quite a few miles. It was not fun being followed by a bunch of trucks driven by impatient men eager to get to Deadhorse on time. I vowed to myself to get to the end of the line next time. The flag lady wanted to do me a favor putting me in front, so I would not get sprayed with all this dirt and hammered by rocks flying around, but it was not a good idea. Once this misery ended the road became a fairly good and I was able to ride with considerable speed of about 60 mph. If it had not been for many picture stops, I would have made up to Coldfoot in a pretty good time regardless of the mud and all. But you know me... I love the scenery, and I really enjoy sharing it with you. So, I must have stopped at least 20 times, since soon after the Arctic Circle the scenery improved significantly. I have reached the settlement of Coldfoot around 5PM. Coldfoot is a little more than a truck stop. It is conveniently located in the middle of the Dalton, but it is quiet ugly and very, very expensive. There is a lodge there, which charges whooping $140 for a room. And I am not talking about the 4 star place here at all... all you get is 2 single beds in a cubicle and a small bathroom with a shower. The cafeteria serves good food (also expensive), and portions are quite large. Not too many people know though that there is another place about 15 miles north of Coldfoot. It is a tiny village of Wiseman (population 25!), whish sits about 3 miles west of the Dalton (there is a sign there). There is not much to Wisemen aside from some cool looking old cabins and some wonderful people. However, they have a small lodge there ($55 single, $75 double) and a BB (whole 4-6 people cabin $160 or so). Also, 4.5 miles north of Coldfoot there is a great campground, Marion Creek where sites are $8. No services, just toilet and water, but you can easily sneak into the lodge at Coldfoot and have a shower there. Of course, if you want to be a good guy or gal, you can pay them for that (I would not be surprised if they would ask for $10 for a shower). I was the only motorcyclist on the road going up the Dalton that day. Going south later I bumped into tons of other bikers. I should mention a few problems that I have encountered riding in all this brown butter. Aside form the obvious effect this slippery substance had on the tires, it also managed to totally cover the radiator in about half an hour. I had to stop every 30 miles or so, and thoroughly flush it with water. I had used up all my water in 2 of these stops, and later had to look for streams and larger puddles. About half way to Coldfoot there is another gas station at Yukon River, where they let me use the water hose. I also had a slight problem with the chain, which kept on making clicking noises. I know you should not put oil on the o-ring chain, but I had to do it almost continuously. So you can imagine what kind of effect the combination of oil and mud had on the bike... it looked absolutely beautiful! And me too, for that matter. Sort of a Indiana Jones woman! Back to Coldfoot. After refueling I went to the campground to spent the night. Some nice folks who run adventure trips to Alaska fed me spinach lasagna and freshly baked brownies! Amazing, it was all done right there, by the campfire. Leaving the next morning the weather was relatively good. The road starts to climb through Brooks Range soon after. What amazing scenery! I don't think too many people realize that a challenge of riding the Dalton is generously rewarded by nature, with a most awesome display of its best attire. As you climb over the pass (forgot the name), you quite often have to pass the many trucks, since they go much slower at this section. But do not hold your breath, since once they go over the pass, there is a good chance you will be the one passed. And you better get off the road, or at least slow down, since a whole bunch of rocks is going to be thrown right at you. It has been my experience, contrary to what almost everyone said, that 9 out of 10 truck drivers would slow down for you. And I am sure they did not slow down simply because I am a woman, since there is no way anyone could have tell that just by looking at me all dressed up in riding gear and all covered with mud. They are just nice guys. Thanks! Right around this section is where you start seeing the pipe line. It is more or less parallel to the road all the way through to Deadhorse. There are places out there where you can get right next to it, but a whole bunch of warning signs are posted to stop you from climbing it. Like if anyone would want to do that! As you go to the mountains you suddenly realize that there are absolutely no more trees around you at all. This is true for the rest of the road, which is over 240 miles to Deadhorse. You are in the arctic, where the caribou and muskox roam, and where the only sound comes from the wind and the passing traffic. Amazingly open space (of whish I am particularly fond off), tons of streams and puddles, lots of wild flowers. The terrain gradually flattens out as you approach the "true and wild north". Some sections of the road were quiet good, actually a 40 mile section right before Coldfoot was even paved. But soon after the mountains the road deteriorates again and lots of cantaloupe size rocks are laying around everywhere. And, of course, there is more construction on the way. Overall, the last portion of the Dalton highway is not bad at all, as a matter of fact, it is quite enjoyable. About 30 miles before reaching Deadhorse I heard a loud 'thump' noise coming from under the bike. I stopped, puzzled, since there were no rocks laying around anywhere over there. I did not see anything, so I continued. I had learned much later that what I heard was my water canteen falling down. Not a big deal if it had not been for the fact that prior to falling the canteen had managed to get loose and wedged itself between the right side of the rear tire and the aluminum side box, which cause the rubber to be stripped entirely off the side of the tire... and I mean to the bare cords. However, I did not find this out until reaching Coldfoot on the way back. And now I consider this fact to be fortunate, since had I known it I would have probably panicked. Regardless of all the nice scenery and enjoyment I was dead tired when I finally reached Deadhorse. Traveling on a tight budget, the first thing I usually do when arriving at the destination is check for cheap accommodation, preferably camping. There is no campground at Deadhorse, however, I heard that you can set up your tent next to the airport. Unfortunately, I was strongly advised by the local people not to do that, since there are a whole bunch of grizzly bears roaming around in town, and we are not talking about a small number either... there are close to 70 bears out there! After giving a considerable thought to my options I decide to put the plastic to use and rented a room in the Caribou Inn, one of the 3 hotels in town, and the only one with the general store next to it. The room was of the same quality as I usually encounter in hostels, maybe even worse. And it cost $90! But I had a roof over my head and I was quite happy at at hat moment. I just made it to Deadhorse, the dream destination for all the bikers in the world! I was sorry at that time for not taking my rum-filled canteen with me. The moment called for celebration. Of course I got some invitation from the oil workers, but considering the fact that the ratio of 10 men to 1 woman out there must have made these guys desperate. I politely declined all of them. However, to my surprise a gentleman by the name of Gordon Langston, who works as an inspector out there, offered to bring me some food "for the road" next day. And he kept his promise. He stuffed a paper bag full of goodies in one of my boxes. Thanks Gordon, I ate every crumb of it! I have signed up for the trip to the Arctic Ocean, since access to it is prohibited to private vehicles. And if you are thinking that somehow you will go around it you are wrong. Many have tried and many had to turn around disappointed. This is a high security area over here, since the oil drilling operations take place all over the Prudhoe Bay area. The shuttle costs $25 and the trip last about 1.5 hours. On the way you will see a small portion of the oil fields, and functions of all the structures will be explained by a knowledgeable bus driver. I think the trip is an absolute must. The ocean itself is nothing like the Pacific or Atlantic down south. It is rugged and cold and not very pretty. But it is THE ARCTIC OCEAN; I still get shivers when I think about it. I took a picture of the GPS reading right there, by the ocean. It read N 70.18.893 and W 148.21.71. I think this is the farthest north i will ever travel in my life. Unless some day I will decide to visit the North Pole (the real north Pole), which lies only 1360 miles to the north from Prudhoe Bay. After getting back to the lodge I got busy writing and sending postcards. It took considerable time, and by the time I was ready to go it was already 5 PM. Fueling and checking the bike took another hour, and I was leaving Deadhorse by 6PM. Even though at this time of year it still does not get dark in this part of the world, the road got pretty empty around 9PM. So after about 150 miles I decided to camp on one of the parking lots, a number of which is provide for the trucks and other crazy wanderers. Lucky me, in the morning I got invited for breakfast by a couple from Florida, who made this trip in one of those huge advanced motor homes on wheels. I have lost their names, but hope to hear from them in the future. It started raining again once I reached the mountains. And then the fog came. As dense as milk... I could hardly make 20mph, since the visibility shrunk to about 8 feet. But this happened only around the pass, and later I saw that what I took for fog was actually one huge cloud hanging over the mountains. The rest of the trip to Coldfoot was a bit wet, but not bad comparing to what I went through on the first day. I arrived at Coldfoot around noon, and right away I encountered a whole bunch of other bikers coming up. People from Texas, Florida, Oregon, Washington, and lots of other places. To my surprise I learned form one group that Mike Walburn (Dual Star) and his party is to arrive there in about 2 hours. I decide to wait, since I was supposed to ride with Mike in the first place. In the mean time I talked to a lot of other people, amongst which where a trio of Harley riders, 2 from Oregon (Roger and Denver) and one from Florida (Tom). I met them on the road the day before, on the way down (they were on the way up). I was totally amazed with these bikes motor crossing on the Dalton! Dual sport bikes are one thing, but huge and expensive Harleys are another. Later we became good friends, and I surely hope this friendship will last a long time. When Mike arrived with his wife Kerry, his father, cousin, and so me friends, we had a nice talk. This was when one of them discovered the missing rubber on my rear tire. Remember the canteen wedged between the box and the wheel? The hair on my head stood up. Just moments ago I was riding all over the Dalton, having fun in the mud holes, not always succeeding in avoiding all the rocks. This tire could have blown any time! I had to make a choice... either to hitchhike my way back to Fairbanks and get the new tire and hitchhike my way back, or to ride back. My new Harley friends offered to go with me, sort of escorting me all the way. I accepted their generous offer and we left the next morning. You can imagine all the fear I felt most of the time. Knowing the tire was significantly weakened, I was going really slow, rarely exceeding 40mph, mostly riding slower than that. And I made it! Denver and Roger drive trucks for a living, and they determined that the cords in the tire were still intact, therefore the tire was good for the ride. Mike expressed a very similar opinion, a nd I am glad I listened. It took us all day to get to Fairbanks, and we ended the day in the famous Howling dog Saloon in Fox, just 13 miles north of Fairbanks. I called Jeff, my host from North Pole, from the bar, and he also joined us. Having a good heart, he extended his invitation to my friends, and we all ended up spending a night at Jeff's place. Actually, we also spend the following night there... thanks a lot, my friend. I hope I can repay you, or perhaps your generosity will be passed to another rider, whom I will be able to help one day. After relaxing on the jet boat with Jeff, Denver, and Roger the next day (Jeff was going so fast on the river, that several times we literally flew over the rocks), all of us got our bikes serviced the next day. Needless to say I got a new tie, new sprockets, new chain and new brakes, all done at Alaska fun Center in Fairbanks. I managed to get a fairly good deal on all of it... thanks to Gabrielle Larry, the manager, and Mel Moore from the Kawasaki Corporation Headquarters in California. Thanks you all. Well... this is it for now. I am invited by one of the local people to spend an evening with them, and I think I will go ahead and do it. Oooops... I almost forgot one of the most important pieces of the info. All the way on the Dalton I was getting messages form several people about a man traveling on the bike just like mine... a man with a small dog... Gee.... must be... Punky and Lou! We missed each other by a day. I finally got hold of Lou, whom I had a pleasure of meeting in Moab this year, yesterday. We are now staying at the north Woods lodge, camping, and having a whole bunch of fun. Lou is a wonderful man, very warm and very interesting. He is traveling with his best canine friend, Punky. Punky rides wearing goggles and sitting in the tank bag. unfortunately Punky had been already involved in 2 accidents. One, very serious one, in Moab, when a car ran over him, and one now, just 2 days ago, when he got mauled by a huge dog at the camp ground. Once again Punky is fighting for his life. So far he is do ing well, but he is going to have another operation in about a week. Lou is planning on going to South America next, and spending an entire year, or more, there. I hope to meet him again down south... by the way... we have a sort of a date for a tango in Argentina. This is it... seriously... wow... it was a lot of writing. I am not use to this anymore... my fingers are sore from typing! Till next time... be happy! Mariola - The Wind Flower //FOR PREVIOUS REPORTS... PHOTOS FROM THIS EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY .. REFER TO WWW.RIDEOFTHEHEART.COM// ---- Help Her if You can --- If You care --