Quit my job to go on a "little" ride, US TOUR 2007

[Kaneman]

Hey guys/gals, Whip told me I should cross post my adventure over here. I'm on about day 9 now and try to do daily updates wherever I can find wi-fi.

 

Basically I worked in an office for 7.5 years, got really burnt out on the enviornment I was in and my own situation and quit. On the spur I decided to take what savings I had and use them to travel the US for as long as possible. I packed my ZRX with all the gear I could fit on there and headed out with no set plans in mind. I knew I wanted to go east after touring my home state for a bit. Well I camped 4 nights in a row having a great adventure, stayed the night with Whip in San Antonio and on the way out my ZRX's motor cannibalized itself to pieces. Whip and Killer came to my rescue and I stayed there until this morning getting my bike situation sorted out. I ended up on a DL1000 and am ready to embark on the next leg of my journey. I was told there were some really good people here so if its ok I'd like to post my blog once I get going again in a few days. (I'm home now taking care of getting a new driver's license etc.)

 

In the meantime if you're interested you can catch up over here. I gotta run and meet up with some old friends, adios amigos!

 

 

Here's the Adventure Rider link to catch up...

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203720

Edited February 27, 2007 by Kaneman

[Whip]

That's the best you can do!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Son, I thought I taught you better.

 

Anyway, glad you made it home.

 

Look forward to the rest of your Tale.

 

Whip

[azkaisr]

Welcome!

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

Been following along over on AdvRider...

 

Bob and Whip, huh? Good thing Mrs. Whip was around to keep ya'll in line.

[Kaneman]

That's the best you can do!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Son, I thought I taught you better.

 

Anyway, glad you made it home.

 

Look forward to the rest of your Tale.

 

Whip

 

Haha, my bad, my bad. I'm a busy man all the sudden, had 25 messages last night alone! I did mark the 100 mile mark though!! Here, maybe this will work better

 

07

 

I've always been a sort of manic/depressive organizer. I go through bouts of extremely well managed organization and times of disruptive chaos. Today I organized like a champ, and I'm fairly proud of my gear set-up. I spent the day saying goodbye to more friends and shopping for the remaining items on my list. All I'm missing now is a good map which I plan to dot with potential destinations throughout the week.

 

Here is the complete gear setup as it exists...

 

 

Hopefully everything I'll need, item by item.

 

 

My Sleeping bag/pad, tent and rain gear. Waterproof just in case...

 

 

Tool (OEM set not included), road flares, bungees and the all important DUCT TAPE

 

 

Chargers, Batteries, iPod, pocket cam.

 

 

6 Tshirts, 6 pair boxers, 6 pair socks, 1 pair thermals, 1 pair jeans, "dress shirt", under-armor. Compressed and Water tight!

 

 

Complete set of motorcycle luggage.

 

 

Everything got a healthy dose of this stuff

 

Which had this effect...

[Whip]

That's better, but show us the pictures of Killer while he is checking out your bike on the side of the road.

 

You know the one where he's wearing the prosthetic beer belly

 

 

Whip

[Firefight911]

That's better, but show us the pictures of Killer while he is checking out your bike on the side of the road.

 

You know the one where he's wearing the prosthetic beer belly

 

 

Whip

 

 

 

I knew that thing was a fake!!!!

[Kaneman]

My initial reaction the demise of the Rex.

 

Vindicated, I returned to the exact same spot to start again

 

Maybe the wind was blowing his shirt out...and they say the camera adds a few pounds...or was it the Guinness?

[Bob Palin]

You know the one where he's wearing the prosthetic beer belly

:rude_sign_not_premitted_on_MRN:

[BeniciaRT_GT]

That's better, but show us the pictures of Killer while he is checking out your bike on the side of the road.

 

You know the one where he's wearing the prosthetic beer belly

 

 

Whip

 

hence the name, Pork Chop:

 

[Bill_Walker]

If you find you need a little more carrying space for all that stuff, the Nelson-Rigg SB-900 bags work great on a DL1000:

[OoPEZoO]

Sounds great!!!!

 

Enjoy yourself, ride safe.....Don't forget to slow down and look up once in awhile to appreciate the scenery

[Kaneman]

Got the V-Strom’s oil changed, chain lubed and washed down. Mounted a camera on the handlebars (thanks for the advice Ricky) and finished packing. My new bags give me a ton more space. I ditched some items and gained a very cool one. $10 Air compressor from Walmart. Took it out of the case like I’ve seen on the forums and it packs up very nicely. Now if I need to get offroad I can adjust my tire pressure.

 

The camera mount was Ricky’s idea, after not being able to find one anywhere he said I should just make my own with u-bolts. Got two of those and a Spicy HotDog from Home Depot and mounted up an old metal monopod. I’ll probably let Whip ride the hell out of my bike in Torrey, then claimcredit for the footage!

 

V-Strom washed and ready to go

<img

 

My old busted Fuji, test camera to make sure mount is secure.

 

[Whip]

Like the mount.....and I know some riders a lot better than me to steal some shots from.

 

Can't wait to see some good mountain pix.....may be awhile though since your going to the flatest state in the Union first.

 

Florida.

 

While your there you may be able to find yourself a "Huzband".....

 

Whip

[MrHondamatic]

 

Do yourself a favor and cut off the excess U bolts. IF you were to go down, those could tear the hell out of anything (you!) that came in contact with them.

[BFish]

keep us florida folks posted on your whereabouts. i'm in melbourne...east central 90mi south of daytona.

[BamaRider]

I dunno bro, why such a loooooooong camera mount? Kinda makes ya bike look like AWAC thing.

 

Must be nice to just quit a job and go for a ride

[Kaneman]

March 2nd 2007

 

It was a cold, crisp and sunny morning, finally without heavy winds. After saying goodbye to my friends in Wylie and having a cup of coffee I left the metroplex for what should be a long time. As a favor to them I stopped by one of their friend’s houses (a girl I once went out with) and checked on her dog as she was out of town. Her home smelled like she did the night we went out and I thought about how I had read that smells are a strong memory instigator. I found that to be good food for thought. Time to leave all that behind now. I put a piece of paper over my map to hide it from view and departed in a general eastward direction, determined to make today’s ride an adventure even if I was traveling somewhere I have been many times before. I rode east until finding a farm road that I assumed was about the right time to go north and headed that way. I was going from Wylie to Chicota which wasn’t all that far…unless you intentionally make it that way. Not until the very end of my ride did I see things I had seen before. Oh sure, I’ve seen big green fields, tractors tending to them, cattle behind barbed wire etc, etc. But not those fields or those tractors and I felt good about that.

 

 

 

 

I explored the farm roads for a while then decided I was getting very hungry and I needed to make it to Maw’s because I had a feeling even though she didn’t know I was coming there would be food aplenty. I broke out the map and found my sense of direction had served me well as I was on the right track. Roads were curvy, maintained and free of debris, temperatures were hovering around 60-65, the sun was out, music was in my ear. Today’s was a ride I needed badly after all the delays of late.

 

 

In fact, I was having so much fun I hadn’t bothered to check my gas. I filled up when I left and knew a straight shot would only use half a tank. Of course I can’t see over my tank-bag to the gas gauge or odometer so I never worried about it. Until I finally did look and I was dangerously close to 200 miles on what’s probably a 210 mile range. Now, it seemed to me I was lost in the middle of nowhere and suddenly the map looked forbidding to me. I considered going back the way I came but was pretty sure there was no gas station that way either. There were probably gas stations in a 10 mile radius but I didn’t know where they were. No matter I decided, I would walk for a ways if I ran out. All would work itself out for the best. And it did, I found this gas station just in time.

 

I am still experimenting with my camera mount system, I found that if I just turn the camera sideways when not in use I don’t have to worry about bugs or debris…and the windscreen seems to deflect 98% of that anyway.

Finally, and before noon, I arrived in Chicota, Texas and pulled in front of what used to be Reids General Store. I had been here probably every other day for a long time as a kid. They had the best candy selection and I always got the Popeye candy necklass. You could also fill up your tank, get some minnows and buy a raffle ticket to benefit the Volunteer Fire Department for whatever rifle was up for grabs that week. Sadly it has been closed down for many years now, perhaps even a decade. But I needed a shot of it for my collection.

 

 

Of all the shots I’ve taken the ones in this series are the most personal to me. As I was framing it up a guy pulled in and asked me if I wanted him to take a shot with me in it. I declined but stayed and talked to him for a while. Turns out he was on his way home from third shift at a local plant that my father worked at 20 years ago. The man had been there that long, but didn’t know my father. It seem possible to me that the Budweiser in between his legs had something to do with any possible memory loss. He was very friendly and very interested in my trip, as most people I’ve come across have been. I gave him the information to follow my journey as I always do and I rode the rest of the way to my grandmother’s. I saw my old friend Rusty’s house that was built to replace his first house I watched burn to the ground the very same Easter Sunday that my German Shepard and beloved companion, Arthur, passed away. That was a rough day for a 7 year old and I remember crying and my grandmother (Maw) making me hotdogs to make it all better. I guess it worked, I didn’t cry when I rode by today, haha. I was riding very slowly at this point to soak it all in as I have a lot of childhood memories on the road I was on now. My old best friend Jake, whom I haven’t seen in over a decade lived in a house on the right and its still there but I have no idea who lives there now. He once bet me I could not run to the end of his yard and back barefoot in the snow and I proved him wrong. It sure seemed like a big yard when I thought about it today but I had tougher “country” feet then.

I have ridden motorcycles to my Maw’s before but now I seem to have a different, perhaps more philosophical outlook on things and I thought a lot about my upbringing and past here. If it weren’t for being here its likely the two-wheeled fever most of you know of would not be in my blood today. Finally I pulled into my Maw’s front yard on the 300 acre Keller Ranch and hoped she was home. She was, and she had roast cooking! Lucky me. Even luckier was that the roast was actually done. We talked a few minutes, I ate two sandwiches and without even unloading my motorcycle set off to explore the pastures of our land. The last time I had done it was on my first motorcycle, a 1982 Honda XR80. Old enough to still have a metal gas tank! I don’t remember that old dirtbike being as wobbly in the deep sand but the V-Strom did quite well. I was having a blast and had a huge smile on my face. The land is almost exactly the same as it was when I was a kid and I thought about all the crazy things I used to do on my dirt bike but wasn’t going to attempt today.

 

 

 

All except one. I was going to cross the spring branch leading to the first stock-tank on the land. In my excitement however I forgot that the last time I did it on my lil’ dirt bike I got stuck. I wanted to document my first water crossing on camera so its there for your viewing pleasure if you’d like to watch me….watch me get stuck! I knew it was about to happen but there was no turning around. First the bike high centered and I lost traction. I got off, the bike stayed upright and I pondered my next move. I decided if I could get weight back on the rear tire all would be well. Maybe I should’ve checked the consistency of the spring branch bottom before I decided to gently lay the bike on its side and move the rear wheel in to the branch with the front wheel. Still fully loaded with gear I mounted the V-Strom, fired her up, clicked into first and immediately buried the rear wheel to the swingarm in thick stinky mud. Good work genius was my first thought. My second was what now? Again I gently laid the bike down, got enough leverage to build a bridge under the tires, picked her back up and immediately buried my rear wheel to the swingarm…and this time I even managed to dig the front wheel pretty deep too! Good work genius. I tried and tried but decided to admit my defeat and hike back to the house to seek assistance.

 

 

 

 

The plan was to fire up my Maw’s 4-wheeler and have her gently pull me out. Too bad the battery was dead eh? No matter, we decided to head into town and get a new battery. The V-Strom was buried in mud and not going anywhere for a while, no problem. Walmart had what we were looking for and we headed home, stopping at Dairy Queen for the dipped cone I’ve been craving in every small town I’ve passed through along this journey.

 

I filled the battery with minimal acid spillage on my arm and grabbed a chainsaw to help trim some troublesome limbs while I waited for it to charge.

 

After not falling off the roof despite my best efforts I grabbed my cousin, Michael, and head out on the 4-wheeler to pull the Strom out. It didn’t take too long for us to break the strap and be forced to come up with a new plan. In the end we muscled it out of the mud and got it on dry ground with no damage at all to the shiny new paint.

 

Michael saves the day

 

When I was 11 and got my XR80 stuck there was much cussing, raw anger and pure rage. I am pleased to find how much of that I’ve grown out of. I never worried about the situation, I just went with it and all was well. So, lesson learned, the V-Strom is not a stream crosser…at least not with those tires! There was one casualty though, my #1 pair of jeans were ripped and totaled. Michael had an extra pair sitting around he gave me though! I rinsed the mud off the critical components of the bike, re-lubed the chain and all is well in motorcycle land. Maw fed me a delicious meal and afterward my Aunt and Uncle came over and finished the night with excellent conversation, reminiscing and a lot of hearty laughter. He said he wanted to go with me, but an officer of the law has other responsibilities! Maybe when he retires we can do some touring together though.

 

Today was another excellent one for me, as they have all been since…well really since I made the decision to leave that which was making me the most unhappy. I know when I return home after these months on the road it will be as a happier more laid-back person with higher expectiations of what to expect from life. Tomorrow the real adventure begins as I depart Texas for the great unknown!

[Firefight911]

Simply wonderful!!

[BeniciaRT_GT]

Awesome!

 

Your ex-roomies (Killer/Pork Chop and Whip) blessed me with a trip like yours this last summer.

 

Having no solid plan or goal is the most amazing way to travel. It is nice to have the laid back attitude that comes with no stress or get-there-itis.

[Paul_Burkett]

What a wonderful adventure to be on. Make sure you smell the roses, it would be a shame to take the time to travel and not see the sight's. Be well and safe. Oh, and I see that you carry protection from fools and harm.

[Kaneman]

March 3rd 2007

 

Too good to be true. If these reports were named that’s the name I would give to this one. From the personality draining cubicles of a large corporate office to the backwoods of Arkansas my existence continues to change for the better. My day began as I woke to the sound of brewing coffee while laying on the couch in the house I grew up in. As my Maw cooked one of her famous breakfasts of eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy and plenty of butter and jelly I realized I couldn’t spoil a day that was beginning so well. So I finished drying my boots of the creek water from yesterday’s excursion with a hair dryer, said goodbye to my Maw, Uncle Ted and Sharon and even got them to give the official salute of the Kaneman Adventure Tour 2007.

 

 

On the way out I stopped down to road to say hi and bye to my great Aunt Pauline and Uncle Al. After Uncle Al expressed his concerns via calling my ride a “murdercycle” they wished me well and I headed to one last stop and another reason I had to make it to my Maw’s. My brother and grandfather are buried on the road Maw lives on in the Forest Chapel Cemetery at the top of the hill….the hill I’ve always referred to as Keller Hill. Since my brother Zac’s death a few years ago I haven’t really been to the site alone to just think. I don’t really know what you’re supposed to say to the mound of dirt that used to be part of your family and today was no different. So I just reflected on my memories of him and a lot of them I had not thought about came back to me today. We had a lot of rough times. He had a rough upbringing, I had anger issues, but we were brothers. Before he passed he came into my room one night and we talked for a few hours about this and that. He opened up to me about things going on in his life and the way he felt about certain situations and its one of the things I’m truly thankful for. The last time I saw him he was telling me about his new cell phone that he was so proud of. He had his first job working at the movie theater and was putting the money to good use! All the times I’ve driven by the site I just forced myself to think about something else but not today. I’m thankful for the time I spent by the site, it was an important part of this journey.

 

 

Time to clear my head and continue on. Time to leave Texas. On the way out of Paris I had to stop by the famed Eiffel Tower for a candid though. It took a little searching and asking for directions but I found it.

 

 

Alright, back to business. I had already called Wayne (GALimitedGa) from the ZRXOA for directions to his Arkansas cabin that he had offered up earlier. He assured me his ex-wife, Dawn, who still lived nearby would go there today and make sure it was ready for me. What a guy! What a gal too for going out of her way to set up a lonely traveler. So today my destination was somewhere southeast of Arkadelphia. The mission was set! About an hour into my journey I realized I was shivering, I hadn’t expected to be nearly as cold as I was. Due to good planning on my part (for once) I was wearing my Widder vest so I just pulled over and plugged it in. Instantly my body thanked me sending warm blood to my fingers and toes. It felt great, almost like being in a spa, and I had to reflect on the events that led me to acquire this vest and in the end saved me from an early termination. Thanks Whip!!! The weather brought strong winds as it has in this area quite often lately but the V-Strom was running great and I dealt with it soldiering on to the Arkansas border. Ugh. Up ahead I recognized familiar signs for I-30. Sick of the interstates but it was a necessary evil so I headed east bound and before I knew it…

 

Someone told me state welcome centers give free maps so I pulled into the one off I-30, got a couple of Japanese guys to get a quick picture and I headed inside. The place was huge and very nice, immediately the lady at the counter offered me a map and travel guide. SWEET! She just saved me $7 for a map.

 

 

I-30 took me all the way to Arkadelphia and I played with the camera along the way.

 

 

IMG]http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/Arkansas%20Day1/reflection.jpg[/img]

 

 

At the highway 7 exit I got a double cheeseburger for now and a McChicken for the road and called Dawn for detailed direction to the middle of nowhere. She confirmed I was on the right path and would indeed be spending the night in the middle of the woods. So off I went along some gorgeous, perfectly paved, and curvy roads. Just when I thought civilization was behind me I came upon a small town so I took advantage to stop for the most important item there is for me on this trip, a dozen eggs. Tragically, while making the soft to hard carton conversion two of said eggs lost their lives next to my tire. In the distance I heard Taps, playing ever so softly. “This just in, two baby chickens were killed today at the hands of a clumsy motorcyclist in Holly Springs, Arkanasas. They are survived by their 10 siblings. Their parents were both mercilessly slaughtered by a wealthy tycoon who goes by ‘Bo.’”

 

After mounting up and heading off I rode for what seemed to be a really long time and became suspicious that I had missed a turn somewhere. Sure enough, my road eventually dead ended into the area I am pretty sure Deliverance was filmed in. The flannel wearing locals were giving me some funny looks…uh oh.

 

I promptly turned around, found a safe place to pull over and was ecstatic to find my cell phone with good reception. Dawn quickly returned the voicemail I left and sure enough I had gone 10 miles past Holly Springs, which is where I needed to turn off. Temperatures were dropping, sunlight was fading and I was running out of time. I covered 10 miles in 5 minutes so do the math on that to find out if my speed would’ve gotten me arrested. Wayne and Dawn both had pre-warned me of the gravel roads I would need to travel but I knew the V-Strom was up to the task. Now on the right track I headed down the very loose gravel only to have a big boned kid with a snickers hanging out of his mouth, riding a 4-wheeler, jump RIGHT out in front of me. DAMN! Then he yielded and proceeded to ride my ass trying to pressure me to go faster I presume. Since I didn’t care what he thought, and his vehicle wasn’t legal anyway, I ignored him. Ok…left at the white house….left at the white house….sharp bend in the road…good good, climb big hill…good good. I seemed to be on the right track and I was truly in the backwoods of Ark.

 

Finally, after over 300 miles in the saddle I had arrived, and the cabin was everything I had been told it was! WOOHOO!

 

Hahaha, just kidding. I continued on and found a beautiful “cabin” with a two car garage that looked inhabited. I was impressed it was so well kept up, it really looked like someone lived here. I pulled in the driveway, dismounted my trusty steed and began to set up for a good picture when a surprised old man walked out the front door! OOPS! Wrong house. I explained the situation to put him at ease and he pointed me in the other direction. Excellent, still some day light left.

 

Well one of these signs had Wayne’s name on it so I figured I’d follow that one. Must’ve missed that on the way in eh? Off I go. No cabin in site…no cabin in site. Big Dodge truck in site…house on left. I wasn’t liking running across people *EDITTED FOR CONTENT*. The V-Strom quickly carried me past the big Dodge Truck and to the point where the road dead ended. I was losing day light, I was in the backwoods of Ark and there were people around that probably knew I was back there so camping was iffy. I turned around and was troubled to see two camouflage laden men now standing next to that Dodge, one of them was substantially larger than me. In fact, I think his muscular looking hands were the size of my thigh. Taking a cue from the Viking I decided friendliness was my best weapon, so I cut the engine to ask if they knew where I should go. Turns out I had found Wayne’s brother!! Excellent. We talked for a bit, he told me about his Gold Wing and recently acquired GPS system and then they led me to the steep, leafy and gravel laden hill I needed to climb. I let 20psi out of my tires and hauled ass, accident free all the way up that hill to the the cabin of my dreams just as the sun was setting. I had done it, I….I was all that was man.

 

I promptly did the first thing any real man does when alone in the woods and relieved myself of a liter of Pepsi while looking into the woods and the quickly setting sun. This guys and gals, was my moment of Zen for the day.

 

I wolfed down my McChicken, unloaded my gear and just can’t stop grinning ear to ear. So now, with a cold night ahead, I am sitting in the manliest cabin on earth, full of dead stuffed animals and skins, with a heater roaring, sipping some good Whisky, typing out this very blog and watching 48 Hours. After this is over I’m going to put in Training Day, continue sipping Whisky and think about my plans for tomorrow. Hopefully, today’s adventure will put any doubts of my dedication to this trip to rest.

 

 

From the surprisingly comfy backwoods of Arkansas, over and out.

[Kaneman]

March 4th 2007

 

When I woke up this morning it was hard to believe the past few weeks hadn’t been a very vivid dream. Here I was, removed from society, traveling the country on a new motorcycle and in the middle of the Arkansas wilderness in a cabin on loan from a generous friend I hope to actually meet in person some time. Time to stop pinching myself and figure the day’s activities out. Hot shower, hot eggs (yea baby) and I was ready to rock. Wayne had suggested I ride Hwy 7 north for a nice trek so I hooked up my heated vest and headed out. With my tires at 20PSI I was able to travel comfortably on the gravel road at 35mph vs. a somewhat uneasy 20mph with 36psi. At the end of the road I stopped to use my air compressor and get the tires back to road pressure and 3 nice Arkansians stopped to render aid.

 

 

Not necessary this time, but it was appreciated. No sooner than I got my tires warmed up and the bike up to speed a pair of birds flew right out in front of me. I tagged the second one at about 105mph and saw him bounce off the road in my mirror. Not wanting to see what damage may be on the bike I carried on. Mission #1 was to find some free wi-fi and get two reports uploaded for my faithful viewers. The Pioneer Inn advertised it so I planned to kindly ask for some free access. Standing at the counter in the lobby yielded no results so I set up shop and got one report uploaded before their internet crashed. Dang. A quick stop at the next motel parking lot got me the results I needed and I was off to go exploring!

 

Almost as soon as I got under way I was impressed with the smooth pavement and scenic views. I got a picture of this lake before I crossed, it was a beautiful shade of blue.

 

As I headed into the city of Hot Springs I was greeted with what turned out to be horse race traffic and it took quite a while to get through the city. I was content however with no real destination or timeline in mind. Soon I found the mountain top tower looming in the distance and figured I’d try to get up to the top. Signs led the way up a really great curvy mountain road

 

 

And finally to the tower

 

 

One shot of scenic Arkansas

 

 

And one shot of the V-Strom from the tower, can you find it down there? Don’t get dizzy now…

 

 

They also had the uniform worn by the first female park ranger…at least I think that’s what it was. The tower museum was thick with Bill Clinton articles, they are very proud of him and his story is a pretty cool one actually. I’d vote him back in, haha

 

 

Well, now what? I looked at the map and decided to head to Little Rock for some genuine Arkansas Cuisine…only problem was I didn’t know what Arkansas specialized in so I settled for a place advertising Chicago Style food, lol. A chili dog and burger was cheaper than a burger combo so that’s what I had!

 

 

 

 

 

In the bathroom they had an interesting note on their hygiene sign…must use toilet paper? As opposed to your hand maybe? Gross.

 

 

I like downtown courthouses and this one was pretty neat

 

At Pokey’s they told me I was only about 2 hours away from Memphis and I thought cool, another state, so I hit I-40 East-Bound with a new goal of making it to Tennessee to camp before night fall. I was cutting it close but making good time. Now, nothing incites road rage in me like someone riding my ass for no reason. This lady had been all over me for miles. I had changed lanes numerous times to let her by, even though there was no where for her to go but she would never pass me. I tried waving her back, hitting my brake lights…I tried everything. Finally there was a good opening in the right lane so I hopped over and slowed to let her by catching this picture as she passed. If you know her tell her to suck an egg for me.

 

 

Her frantic driving proved futile as I-40 came to a complete stand still. A trucker to my right had taken notice of the loaded down bike and I took advantage to ask him the problem. He said another semi had broken down and was being towed off. Finally, after creeping along for 30 minutes I found an exit and a truck stop. I refueled and sat for a while watching to see if the interstate would open back up. Made some phone calls, vented on advrider and got back to it. After another 30 minutes traffic started flowing again.

 

My feelings on the matter.

 

 

 

I noticed some truckers trying to pass a slowly moving RV but no cars would let them over. My time could easily be made up so I slowed and let them over to pass. For the next few miles every semi I passed, probably 10-12 of them, saluted me as I passed. They truckers I let over radioed ahead to let everyone know! How cool is that?!? It was a great road moment and today’s moment of Zen came shortly after. As I passed another truck at about 90mph, booking it to make up for lost time and beat the sunset, he honked at me twice. I checked my mirror and he was flashing his lights. Crap! I was afraid I was losing gear. I slowed and prepared to stop and came around a bend to find a Trooper waiting for speeding punks like me. My kindness rewarded me with instant Kharma and I was saved from a nasty ticket! Excellent. That would’ve been a 20mph over ticket and probably some unwarranted harassment.

 

The sun was rapidly setting behind me and I knew I would have to spring for a hotel. Damnit. Inwardly I was happy that I would have internet access but I was also frustrated with the unexpected expense, I would be $40 over budget for the day. Oh well, these things are bound to happen right?

 

I was almost to Tennessee for the first time ever!

 

And then, I was there. Downtown Memphis at night looked intriguing but after 9 hours of riding I wasn’t about to detour to explore. I will see Graceland tomorrow though!!

 

 

Darkness had fallen now and there were no hotels in sight. Not wanting to look around in the dark and possibly have to park the bike in a bad neighborhood I turned back to hotels I had seen in Arkansas

 

Hello again Arkansas

 

 

The colors from the sunset were gorgeous

 

 

And finally I landed at the Super 8 Motel, with free wi-fi. They let me park my bike under the lighted awning right in front of the lobby so it would be under surveillance all night, I bought some pork rinds and a Pepsi and carried my heavy gear to my room. I was saddened to find my room was out of wi-fi range but the great staff here upgraded me to a double room right above the lobby and within my range for free. They were very generous and happy to hear of my travels. So here I lay, watching Cops, in a warm room and life is good. Very good. Tomorrow I will explore Memphis and Nashville, stay with a new friend from the board in Kentucky on Tuesday and then make my way back down south to see Jayman in Florida after that. Which reminds me, Jayman, give me a call dude!

 

From the Super 8 Motel/Truck Stop off I-40, over and out!

 

[Firefight911]

Another excellent chapter to a most excellent adventure!!!

 

Psst, N. California has a room for your use if/when you make it out this way!!

Edited March 5, 2007 by 1bmwfan

[azkaisr]

Worthy update!

 

Kaisr

[Whip]

Hey Josh

 

Great Job!!!!!

 

Try not to get that bike so dirty will ya.

 

....and post over here first....those Advriders aren't nearly as tough as they say.

 

Ride Tale and thread to follow.

 

Whip

[Kaneman]

For your viewing pleasure I present, Kaneman Gets Muddy part 1.

 

http://s52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/?action=view&current=DSCF2705.flv

[BeniciaRT_GT]

[Firefight911]

For your viewing pleasure I present, Kaneman Gets Muddy part 1.

 

http://s52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/?action=view&current=DSCF2705.flv

 

Love it!! You hear this exuberant, "WoooHoooo!" and then stuck.

 

Classic!

[Whip]

Josh

 

I'm not sure your ready to be on your own......

 

 

 

Whip

[WaywardSon]

It was my pleasure to meet Josh yesterday. Had a few cold ones, fed him & put him up for the night. We had a very relaxing evening, which I think he needed. Mostly just sat around and talked. Very nice young feller

 

Sent him off this morning around 8:15 from Paducah, KY & expect he is in Deal's Gap as I type this. He is having a blast and enjoying life for sure. I believe he is camping tonight in a pretty rural area, so don't know that we can expect an update until tomorrow. Gives me something to look forward to

 

Here's hoping for a long ride report...this could go on for months

[Cheechoo]

I tagged the second one at about 105mph

 

Slow down buddy...what's the rush?

[Bob Palin]

I tagged the second one at about 105mph

Slow down buddy...what's the rush?

Perhaps he was being chased, he was bitten by a dog today, probably jealous of the Texas Hounds.

[Kaneman]

March 6th 2007

 

What a day!! Looking back its hard to believe I woke up in the Super 8 on the border of Tennessee yesterday. A quick continental breakfast, a chat with a trucker on the way to Los Angeles to repo another truck and I was headed to downtown Memphis to check out the sites. The first thing that grabbed me was the massive width of the Mississippi River! I’ve never seen a moving body of water so large before and I imagined there are some enormous catfish in there waiting to be caught…but not by me and not today I had other things on the agenda. This is going to be a very picture laden report so I’ll let the pics do most of the talking. I rode around downtown for a while and contemplated going to the Rock N’ Soul Museum but decided I didn’t have time. The culture here was great and I know very musically historic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a couple hours riding around looking at the sites and taking it all in I departed for Graceland. Yeah baby!!! Now I’m not an Elvis fanatic or anything but Graceland blew my mind. With as many gift shops on locale as exhibits I imagine this place brings in a fortune everyday. The mansion was amazing, yet surprisingly humble and homey. Hanging with Elvis at home must have been a comfy and laid back affair. I reflected on all that he accomplished in his short life and how he must have felt being a living legend. I can’t imagine the pressure of that as he didn’t seem the type that was ready to accept his status in society. After being in his home and learning of his life I found myself emotionally moved at his gravesite. Such a shame for someone so high up not to be able to live longer and be able to look back on his life.

 

There’s always some joker wanting to get in on your picture…me on the shuttle…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently Elvis was into Karate, I thought that was pretty cool

 

This room was his shooting range…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This made me sad..

 

Elvis had a lot of Scotch on his plane!! Go Elvis Go.

 

 

 

 

Alright, time to meet my new lady friends in Nashville. After 45 minutes on the interstate I was worn out and bored to tears so I hopped onto I-40 after a quick fill up at Mo’s Truck Stop. On the urinal wall the following quotes made me smile. “Know Jesus, the King of Kings, and have everlasting life!!!” followed in different handwriting by, “If you love Jesus so much why are you defacing private property?!?” I was reminded of my location in the Bible belt and all the billboards proclaiming “Jesus Saves” or simply “JESUS.” You know, firefighters save too but I don’t see there billboards all over the place. At any rate I continued to head east and saw this house in the distance…

 

 

It took a trek to get back to it and my willingness to ignore the No Trespassing signs. After getting the shot I suddenly got the creeps and tried to mount my V-Strom and get the hell out of there. My heart started to beat faster and I knew I was being silly but couldn’t stop the adrenaline rush. Push the start button…nothing. DAMN!! Push push push push…nothing. DAMN DAMN DAMN!! Frantically I looked around and saw no living beings but couldn’t shake the feeling I was being watched and now my bike wouldn’t take me to safety. Of course, to start a motorcycle you need to turn the kill switch on. OOPS! I laughed at my inability to perform in a panic situation and got back to the highway. Eventually I was led back to I-40 and I continued on it for another 30 minutes until I found myself yawning. Back to the backroads I go. The rest of the way into Memphis I went through many small towns and never really got above 45mph but it was worth it to avoid the monotony of the interstate.

 

 

 

Eventually I made it to the designated meeting point in Nashville and met with Nancy and Kathy.

 

On the way to drop my gear at Kathy’s place.

 

I was greeted with more free beer!

 

It was about 4pm and I had been on the bike since 7am and was happy to let Kathy drive us into Nashville for our night on the town. The continental breakfast had left my stomach empty and food was on my mind. Rippy’s BBQ was the place and our waitress brought our meal after a short 5 minute wait!! The sauce was spicy and the pulled pork delicious. Soon there was live music playing and another had joined our group, Kenny. I’m told he usually has quite the entourage, but not tonight. Just my luck!! Haha. Time for some ice cream at Mike’s where I had the “death by chocolate” mmmmmm, delicious.

 

I watched her chug this one down and knew it would be an interesting night on the town.

 

Coyote Ugly’s was the next stop and Nancy was the most popular girl in the bar! I am sure a respectable woman like her would not normally dance on a bar in public but to her defense I did see the bouncer literally put her up there…well once anyway. They cut a mean rug and the bartender was hilarious. At one point they spanked a dude with a belt and they pretty much beat the hell out of him. I’m glad it wasn’t me….I may have gone to jail. Ron showed up and we had a great time. They felt to me like old friends that I had known a long time, but then again not much of my life has been secret lately.

 

 

 

Kathy made a lil money…

 

 

Ummmm….yeeeaaaaa.

 

That’s right girl!

 

 

As we walked by this Elvis violated Kathy’s high moral standards.

 

 

I was also very upset to find Nashville trying to take credit for a Texas legend. Cute guys, real cute.

 

We went to a few Karaoke bars and Kenny even got up and sang!! He did quite well too. After turning down many “vagrants” who are supposedly professional con artists…

 

My first live country music experience

 

Beware, the tick is coming 0307!!!

 

I wanted to climb this Gotham looking tower and save someone!

 

They even have a Parthenon replica! It was super cool

 

They told me this sign was famous.

 

And finally Nashville at night! Kathy drove Nancy and I up here to “Lovers Ln.” (I think that’s what its called) and let me tell you that car was ROCKIN!

 

 

 

 

We did a quick tour and headed back to lay me out on the futon. I slept harder than I have in a long time and didn’t tell Kathy about the drool on the pillow! SORRY!! It was a great night and my memory is a bit spotty, luckily the pictures pretty much tell the tale. Today I’m headed to Kentucky and tomorrow I will ride the Tail of the Dragon before heading to Atlanta! Wish me luck!!

Edited March 10, 2007 by Les_is_more

[Kaneman]

March 7th 2007

 

After a big night of partying I was relieved to find myself with a new friend from Advrider in Paducah, Kentucky. It was a fairly short ride and a relaxing night with good conversation and excellent food (even some greens this time!!) John took me on the scenic tour of Paducah and showed me where the Ohio and Tennessee rivers merge together into a massive body of water. Short report tonight so I can get to sleep and prepare for a long jaunt to camp around Deal’s Gap tomorrow. For those interested I’m leaving Paducah around 8, I’m not sure about my exact route yet but know I can’t stay on the interstate too long without wearing out. Even during today’s short ride I found myself having trouble concentrating and even getting drowsy at some points…that could be because of last night’s activities though. At a McDonald’s on the way up I met a guy with a motorcycle in the back of his large cargo van on his way back from the Gap and he let me know the roads are in good shape with no salt or anything to worry about. I am thinking I will camp around that area for a couple of days. Bike night in Atlanta is on Thursday and I had hoped to make it so we’ll see…not sure yet, may have to flip a coin!

 

On the way out of Nashville I rode with another motorcycle traveler. Wonder where he was going with his Harley all loaded with gear…

 

Look, it’s the Ohio River

 

John’s Beemer and my Suzuki

 

The Ohio River again…

 

The merger…

 

A gorgeous Kentucky Sunset

 

And more excellent grub!!

 

[Kaneman]

March 07 2007

 

Let me start at the end. Once again I am by a warm campfire, only this time I am far away from home directly off the famed Tail of the Dragon, FM129, at the Deal’s Gap Motorcycle Resort in scenic North Carolina. Although I can actually see the end of the Dragon’s tail from my camp this is the most primitive campsite I have been to thus far. Without electricity or running water I found a nice clean North Carolina stream to serve as my water supply and a big fire to purify it. At 8:40pm Eastern time I finally ate dinner almost 12 hours and 425 miles since the last time I ate in Paducah, Kentucky. Courtesy of John (Wayward Son) I had Ramen Noodles mixed with a nice cut of steak left over from last night and vacuum sealed for freshness, all made on my ultra-manly campfire. The temperature seems to be dropping now but its no matter to me as I am still as prepared to rough it as I was on Day 1 before all the generous support and offers of a warm bed I have received thus far. In fact I had 3 such offers tonight but knew I needed to get back to the basics, and the ideal that was at the heart of this adventure. It is after all why I carry all that damn gear around with me everywhere right?

 

I woke at 7am central time, showered and was quickly fed eggs, sausage, rye bread and washed it down with some great coffee and a tall, cold glass of milk. John is an excellent breakfast chef as well it seems. I was sad to be leaving my new friend but anxious to get on the road, knowing I had most likely the longest day of riding in my life ahead of me. I needed to make it from Paducah to the Dragon’s Tail before sunset in order to get camp set up. I did the first 173.5 miles without stopping and in right at 2 hours, very good time if you ask me, and yes I used the Interstate. After that though it was all Hwy70 which took me through some beautiful terrain and welcomed twisties…which would’ve been better if the county sheriff hadn’t been in front of me for 30-40 miles of it. To be fair I passed him doing about 90 when he was turning on Hwy70 and he never batted an eye so I won’t complain too much there. I took a detour to rest my glutes up to the top of a Mountain Overlook and it was breathtaking to me. I actually got a little jittery being up so high as I’m still new to these mountainous/hilly terrains. The ride was surprising comfortable the entire way and it wasn’t until I checked in at Deal’s Gap that I realized how exhausted I was. Well, that’s not actually true, I knew something was up when it seemed to take me two weeks to get through Knoxville. In my weakened condition I was just about to give up and get on I-40 when I saw the coveted signs for FM129. A quick call to Kathy confirmed my suspicions that I needed to go south and she gave me some much needed navigation pointers. There were people I wanted to meet up with today but I was just too late.

 

As I was almost to the stoplight that you turn left at to continue on FM129 South I heard sirens quickly approaching. Cars in front of me were stopping so I couldn’t look behind me but I knew the emergency vehicle was close. About a second later a State Trooper flew by me, partially in my lane, and scared the crap out of me. It was the second time today someone had entered my lane. I wondered what the big hurry was and found out about 5 minutes later. It has been a while since I was on the scene of a Motor Vehicle Collision so I decided to stop and gawk for a bit. The locals standing by that witnessed this collision stated the driver of the Toyota truck you see in the pictures rear-ended another truck doing about 70-80mph. I spoke with the man who was first on the scene to render assistance and he told me the cab of the Toyota reeked of booze. That’s a damn shame, but fortunately the victims were shaken, but largly unhurt. Miraculous. Knowing that might have been any one of us on our motorcycles it was difficult to generate any sympathy for the drunk driver. A member of CycleForums called me about that time and we talked for a bit about the Dragon. He told me I’d better hurry my ass up if I was to make camp before dark. The time zone change had threw me off, I had not expected to lose an hour today. Guess what though? This was the first time in my life (that I remember) that I have been in a different time zone! Huge day for me to say the least. Soon I was man-handling my gear packed V-Strom through the dragons tail enjoying every second of it, but being cautious as to not end my trip early. The road is everything you’ve heard and more, well worth the 10 hour ride it took to get there. My front end felt…less than confidence inspiring and I suspect my tire pressure is low and will check it before departing. Although I did want to make bike night in Atlanta Thursday I believe I will have to stay here another night to check out some of the local roads and scenery before heading back into civilization.

 

Today, for the first time in my short life, I saw mountains, changed time zones and slayed the dragon!!! I’d say it was a great day indeed. Well, looks like I need to throw another log on the fire. From the Deal’s Gap Motorcycle Resort in North Carolina, Adios Amigos!

 

An overlook in Tennessee

 

 

Tried to get a pic of this sailboat on a beautiful day but my mirror blocked most of it.

 

Some gorgeous scenery most of the way out on I-70

 

 

Neat statue in Lebanon

 

 

Pretty sweet sounding GT350, his progress also being hampered by said Sheriff

 

 

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

 

 

 

They used the jaws to cut this guy out…

 

 

 

 

Finally, almost to the Dragon!

 

 

Another new state baby! YEEAAAHH

 

 

The infamous Tree of Shame…saw more than a couple ZRX fairings up there…but no damaged V-Strom parts that I recognized.

 

 

Ramen noodles on the fire…mmm..

 

 

Mixed in with a little steak

 

 

 

Blissful eh?

 

 

Finally to bed…

 

[Kaneman]

March 08, 2007

 

Wow. What to say about a day like today? There must’ve been a week’s worth of fun packed into today and its only 4:30. Setting up camp a night is tricky and although I tried to clear the ground I set up my tent directly on some uncomfortable rocks so my quality of sleep definitely lacked to be desired. No matter, I woke up and contemplated breakfast, decided against it and headed off. Down the gravel road and back to the Resort store I was out front airing my tires up (the front did turn out to be 6 psi low) when one of the guys who works here walked up and asked if I was the guy from AdvRider. I just had to laugh, but admitted to it. So many times now I’ve come across people that know me from the threads. He said they were talking about me on the local boards and even this morning someone had come by looking for me. He got a shot of me in front of the sign, called me a hooligan and gave me a great set of directions to tour these majestic local roads. Dude even let me use his laptop real quick to post up, which paid off later. So off I went to find the Skyway I had heard so much about. As my tires warmed up I thought I was moving at a good clip until I saw an orange Gold Wing in my mirror easily keeping pace with me. Again I had to laugh, earlier I had seen this guy roll into the resort towing a huge trailer, I believe he was on his way in from Bike Week. I pulled over (mainly out of embarrassment), but he made me feel a little better when he told me about his Gold Wing’s modified suspension….a little better, but not a lot. I gathered myself and continued on taking a right on 143. I just don’t have the words to describe the beauty that surrounded me and was so busy having the best riding day of my life that I didn’t take a whole lot of pictures, but I did get some video for you guys. What I lack in riding ability and speed the scenery makes up for!

 

*videos*

 

Knowing I needed some groceries for the night and morning I stopped at the Thunder Mountain General Store and met Mark and Candy, they had actually just opened the store yesterday. I prowled around for a while and found what I needed, top on the list of course were eggs. They didn’t have tortillas but had some HUGE sandwich wraps their food vendor had given them as a sample and they just gave them to me! All throughout Tennessee and North Carolina the people have been wonderful. I told them of my journey and Mark said he had a ZRX1100 and was a member of the ZRXOA just like me, small world and the power of the internet! I asked if the Smokey Mountain jelly they had for sale was any good and since they didn’t know they busted open a bottle and let me try it, it was excellent, and the perfect travel size. If you’re going up the Skyway from the Resort stop by Thunder Mountain and tell them Josh sent you.

 

 

 

Now, this being my first experience riding in the mountains I was surprised and delighted to find ice running down the rock faces. Wanting a picture and full of euphoria I pulled off the road. Did you know melting ice turns to water and water turns dirt to mud? Well I did, but never thought twice about it until my rear wheel sunk into the ground and I stopped cold. NOT AGAIN!!! Hahaha, I couldn’t believe it, I was miles away from anyone and stuck. Again. I told you I was a genius didn’t I? Using every last ounce of strength I had and a careful throttle hand I got the bike to gain just enough traction to begin moving forward. My wheel was still spinning and the bike was sliding left to right but I was getting out of the rut. Now, look at the picture and you see that v-shaped concrete drainage ditch looking thing there? Right before I got to it, with the V-Strom still wildly sliding left and right kicking up mud I suddenly caught traction and was catapulted into that ditch. I held on for dear life and I stayed on the throttle and my bouncing front end and v-twin torque shot the front wheel into the air….and I was still sideways. Somehow, someway, by the grace of God I managed to land on the road, still upright. WOW! A quick check to make sure I hadn’t lost bladder control and I decided to do the smart thing and get the picture while on the side of the road.

 

 

My pictures do not do this area justice

 

 

Eventually I made it 5,000 feet above sea level through the best road I have ever been on and stopped to celebrate the fact that I made it out of that mud!

 

 

 

 

So, again I carried on the path laid out for me by Ben from the resort. Soon my road, 360N, turned to gravel and I had a feeling I was on the wrong path. But since I was out here and the river, or creek, was beautiful I stopped to enjoy this majestic scene. I think I could’ve camped here for free if I had known, but being at the resort is cooler anyway.

 

 

 

On the way in I noticed an older lady working on her garden, preparing for the Spring no doubt so I decided to go back and ask directions. The first time I went by her dog ran out in front of me and I almost stoppied to avoid him. She was very nice and knew right away I was trying to get back to Deal’s Gap. I found where I had strayed and right when I clicked into gear and began moving her damn demon dog, a 50-60lb black Labrador mix jumped me. He latched onto my leg above my boot and I knew his tooth had gotten through my suit. I kicked him off and high-tailed it out of there. Little bastard penetrated my cordura suit, my jeans and my long johns…but I didn’t stop to see the damage until much later.

 

 

So, now injured, I carried onward sure the perfectly paved curvy roads would take my mind off the pain. Eventually, after about 50 miles or so I made it to civilization. As I was turning right onto 411 I saw a guy on the corner run out and wave me down. I had a feeling he had read my post from the morning about my path and had been there waiting on me. Sure enough I had just run into a fellow Adventure Rider! This just keeps getting better eh? We chatted it up and he told me all about his bike, an MZ Motard and even traded me bikes for a few miles so I could try it out. Now I could get seriously arrested on that bike!

 

I made my way back to camp and slayed the dragon, again, but this time at a faster clip knowing what to expect and having proper air pressure. Today was simply perfect. Perfect weather, perfect roads, perfect scenery, great people, no cops and everything fell into order for me. I even indulged once back at camp and got a BBQ sandwich at the resort’s restaurant that was really surprisingly good, and they have great prices on all their food.

 

T-Shirts that line the ceiling

 

 

I met Tom and Gary, a couple of young, but retired guys who moved up here from Florida leaving behind the daily grind to live in a pure mecca. We talked bikes and religion and this and that and they gave me some good advice about exploring the east coast. This place is a motorcyclist’s heaven and when or if I ever go back to work this will be on the top of my vacation list. My life continues to be a mystery to me as I have no idea what I have done to deserve to be enjoying myself so much on a daily basis and receiving such kind treatment from everyone I meet. If I had to go home today and give this up, quitting my job would still be the best thing I have ever done. As it is now though my adventure has only just begun. Tomorrow I leave Tennessee and North Carolina behind as I head toward Atlanta, Georgia to stay with a fellow CycleForums member on my way to Florida. Saturday at 5:00 in Gainesville there is a motorcycle gathering I have been invited to take part in if anyone local is interested!

 

Ok, so its almost 8:00 now and I figured I’d hope back on and update the rest of my night. Saving my eggs for tomorrow I had some amazing vegetable beef soup, compliments of Chef Wayward Son boiled up on the campfire. Big chunks of beef, carrots, potatoes and beans with just the right amount of spice, it was amazing. I just opened the coke I bought earlier at the store, it was being chilled by mother nature in the stream by my camp. The same stream I washed my dishes in and used for water to boil my ramen noodles. My fire is warm and I am always proud of a good campfire. A few minutes ago a guy that works at the resort rode up on the Kawasaki Mule and said he thought there might be a forest fire when he saw the smoke, he didn’t know anyone was up here tonight or even last night. Unbeknownst to me there are bears in these here woods as I’m basically camping on the edge of the national forest, I guess this would be the Cherokee National Forest although I’m not quite sure. He said nobody ever camps back here because its too spooky and because of the Bears. HA! I laugh at lesser men…wait, what was that noise? Lol. The first few nights I camped I remember getting creeped out a couple of times but now I look forward to night at the campsite. It would not be possible for me to be more content than I am right now. Especially since my fire building skills have grown considerably. In a minute I’m going to heat up one of those giant sandwich wraps I got from the Thunder Mountain Store and spread some of that delicious Jelly all over it. The pine tar all over my hands shouldn’t affect the flavor too much. Not too long ago as the sun set behind the mountains I heard the loud screeching of car brakes nearby but no sounds of collision so I guess all is well there, perhaps maybe save for some flat spotted tires. Numerous semi’s have gone by headed north on 129 (the dragon’s tail) I hear it is illegal to go from Tennessee to North Carolina in a big rig but not vice versa. They take up both lanes to make the tight turns and switchbacks and I can only wonder how many bikers have been run off the road by them. Sounds to me as if the real danger around here is most likely not the sportbikers flying up and down Deal’s Gap. Earlier there was a Miata Owners club here and I had seen them on the roads throughout the day. I also chatted with a young man from Maryville for a while, he must have been no older than 20 but was riding a Harley with big Ape Hangers for all it was worth! Too much fun to be had around these parts. Camping out again has been wonderful and I don’t know what took me so long beside the numerous invitations I have received. It will be about a week or so before I get back to the wilderness once I leave Florida but that is quite alright. There’s a lot to be said for a warm shower in the morning and a solid night’s sleep while not laying on jagged rocks.

 

Well, that’s it for now, hope to get these reports and pictures uploaded ASAP.

Edited March 10, 2007 by Les_is_more

[Whip]

I'm enjoying your ride....continue to keep us up to date.

 

Don't forget to look up that Huzband guy.....you may want to get hitched...I hear he's kinda cute and he likes mud.

 

 

Thanks

 

Whip

[Huzband]

I heard that!

[azkaisr]

Very worthy ride tale and makes me want to head that way. And it is good that you get the East done first before you come out west where the speed bumps are 5000ft.

 

Kaisr

[Kaneman]

A lil sample of my rockin mad skillz yo, extreme to the max!

 

Or not, but check it out anyway.

 

http://s52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/?action=view&current=DSCF3004.flv

 

http://s52.photobucket.com/albums/g8/PsychoMedic/?action=view&current=DSCF3005-1.flv

Edited March 10, 2007 by Kaneman

[Kaneman]

March 09, 2007

 

What is this all about? The ride? The Motorcycle? The Roads? The People? The food? Its not about any of those things, its only about me enjoying every second of this once in a lifetime opportunity, and I think I’m doing a fair job. When being harassed by an evil skunk who must’ve been directly spawned from Satan, when riding a ZRX about to throw a crank through the block, when realizing I took the wrong turn about 50 miles ago and even when being attacked by a vicious 60lb Labrador mutt, somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind I’ve always known this is what adventure was all about. Someone who inspired me to do this has a quote that says something like, “The real adventure begins when things stop going as planned and that is the truth brothers and sisters. For my entire “adult” life it has always been about making sure things go according to plan and being devastated when they did not. 8-5, Monday through Friday…come home, watch some TV, go to sleep, do it all again, weekends breeze by as if they weren’t there. People get used to that routine, I depended on that routine. Back then getting lost and losing an hour may have felt like a tragic event. Now whatever happens always feels like it was supposed to happen and the events of my life for the past month have no doubt been guided by fate. Whatever happens I am forced to laugh…at myself, or at the situation and just shake my head. My good friend Larry first taught me a lot about rolling with the punches and being more laid back and I’ve been able to apply that to life in general since. Of course, to be fair my life has been a living dream for what feels like an eternity now so maybe its easy to keep my spirits high eh?

 

This morning, after a breakfast of eggs cooked on burning hot coals from the previous nights fire I departed the motorcycling paradise in the mountains of North Carolina for the next leg of my adventure. At the Resort’s gas pump I topped off with $4.88 in gas only to be informed there was a $5 minimum, only no sign to point that little fact out, no problem, $5.00 it is. Thanks to some advice from fellow forum members I had a fantastic route to follow. Why the “tail of the dragon” gained so much notoriety is a mystery to me. Not that it isn’t all you’ve heard it is, but because so many of the roads in that area are easily as breathtaking. Through the tight curves and fast sweepers I rode 28 out of camp and into the small city of Franklin. From there I went through the Highlands and I couldn’t even tell you my exact route at this point as its all drowned in a satisfied sense of euphoria. Eventually 441 (not to be confused with 411 as I sat for a while cursing the bastard that gave two separate roads the same name only to realize my comprehension error) led me to the Tallulah Gorge and a general store that promised a great view on their back porch. The fulfilled their promise and to thank them I bought some gum. There must have been 8 signs telling guests the restrooms were outside by the ice machine so I just couldn’t resist asking the cashier, “Say, can you tell me where your restrooms are at?” I cut her off mid-response with a hearty laugh and we got a kick out of it. A guy in a Harley shirt asked me if I was cold on that motorcycle and I told him I was cheating the cold with a heated vest…I’m not sure if he knew what that was or not. I did some light exploring of the roads in and around 441 and finally made it to Commerce where I saw a Denny’s sign promising free wi-fi, great! The sign didn’t say that it was still under construction so I stopped at a Mexican restaurant knowing I should be able to get a good lunch special.

 

Hwy 28 on the way out

 

Some local logging, reminded me of all the clear cutting I saw in Arkansas

 

 

In Franklin, trying to find my bearings

 

 

The Gorge

 

 

 

Lunch was great and for some reason despite my 6 eggs I was starving. As I wrapped up I made a call to ASD_Girl where I was to be shacked up for the night in Decatur, GA. As I was getting directions an older man walked over to my table red in the face and said, “Do you mind taking that outside, I don’t want to hear about your life.” Instantly I was flooded with anger, 50% at him for his chosen method of confrontation and 50% at myself for being “one of those people.” I realized I must’ve been talking loud and I toned my voice down to finish getting my directions. Now, its funny he would mention hearing about my life because from the moment he walked in with his mistress and chose the table in the corner I listened to them talk about how long it had been since they last saw each other and this and that about their other families etc. She was much younger than him so he must have had money, or so I would assume. But hey, that’s ok, I was in the wrong. On the way out I swung by their table and apologized but as I was walking away my smart aleck nature got the best of me and I winked at his girlfriend, or mistress, or whatever you wish to call her. His ego must’ve swelled enough from that moment to the time I made it to my motorcycle for him to once again come confront me all red in the face. I recognized the beginnings of a physical altercation and one I did not need alone in a different state…however visions of his face breaking open on my knee began to fuel my temper. This was going too far and he was getting closer. At first I held my hands up (a defensive posture) and took a couple of steps back from him while looking him in the eye. But enough was enough and when he violated my personal space for the last time I removed him with force, a good solid shove. He stood there seething with rage and debated whether or not it was worth getting his ass kicked in front of his mistress. He decided it wasn’t and went back inside. Ok, time to get the hell out of here before he changes his mind. Right as I was putting my helmet on I got a call from a fellow AdvRider delaying my escape, which was ok. The red-faced gentleman did reappear long enough to give me the ol’ evil eye as I was pulling out of the parking lot though. That’s fine too though, crisis avoided.

 

Great lunch for $4.50!

 

 

 

 

As I rode along I needed a release from the adrenaline and anger that had invaded my otherwise serene system and my throttle hand was itching to take care of that for me. From the moment I entered Georgia I had seen numerous signs warning potential speeders of radar enforcement however so I decided to let time take it out of me and eventually it did. The rest of my riding for the day was uneventful. I covered about 250 miles, nothing spectacular, and I took the interstate from Commerce to Decatur. I arrived at ASD_Girl’s house and met her and her boyfriend. They are great people with the largest cat I have ever seen in my life. If this cat was with you and your plane crashed in the snowy mountains you could live for weeks…maybe even gain some weight! We have planned to ride in the mountainous region of Northern Georgia tomorrow but rain may change those plans. For now though we settled on Sushi at a trendy place with a vast selection and then my sweet tooth was satisfied with a “Founder’s Delight” waffle cone at the Cold Stone Creamery. They have a local board down here with a pretty tight knit clan, one of whom was having a birthday party at Dave and Buster’s so off we went. There was definitely some characters among them to say the least. I liked the guy who had just gotten engaged to a girl 6 years his senior but wasn’t officially announcing it until his parents found out! Suddenly there was talk of scantily clad women at an establishment that condones that sort of behavior. Frightened for sure, but not wanting do deny the requests of my gracious hosts we headed off to the “Oasis.” Sorry gents, no pictures allowed there but good times were had by all and there may or may not have been some sort of interaction with a girl also claiming to be from Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhh, it’s a rough life aint it?

 

Oh, and to leave a lasting impression I left this guy for last…

 

Edited March 10, 2007 by Kaneman

[Bob Palin]

Oh, and to leave a lasting impression I left this guy for last…

 

Good grief, you were still able to eat more!

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

Oh, and to leave a lasting impression I left this guy for last…

 

Good grief, you were still able to eat more!

 

[Whip]

MR KEELLER........That may be your best yet.

 

Edited March 10, 2007 by Whip

[norah]

Hey Josh,

 

This thread is just too kewl. One of these days, I'm going to do the same thing; just take off and go and let life take me whereever. Your a great story teller and the pictures are awesome. Keep 'em coming!!

[Kaneman]

March 10th 2007

 

A man could easily become spoiled by the type of treatment I have received in the past few days, but I’ll start with my second day in Georgia, March 10th 2007. Woke up in a nice, soft bed with no rocks or signs of bears to the sound of motorcycle racing! SpeedTV was on in the living room and men much braver than I were on screen showing how it is really done. Kristen started a delicious breakfast of eggs, pancakes and hashbrowns and I gobbled it up, luckily not having to fight that gi-normous cat for any of it.

 

 

We lounged around for a bit and eventually, deciding the weather was going to be nice and clear, headed out to Blood Mountain. I was properly introduced to Atlanta traffic and nearly roasted in my black riding suit just sitting there in the sun.

 

 

They drove their new Jetta and I followed behind at a very fun pace. One thing on this journey was confirmed, people *cough, women, cough* can’t drive! Just kidding ladies there was a certain male driver not staying in his lane either. At one point while next to a female in an Infinity G35 I just held the horn down since she kept drifting into my lane as we went around corners. We made it up to Neal’s Gap and then headed back down on our way to Gainesville GA to meet up with some fellow riders from ADV and the ZRXOA.

 

 

 

 

This dude was just going straight across the lines, no matter if there was on coming traffic or not, eventually we pulled over to let him go so we didn’t have to see him run anyone over.

 

 

Some of my mad skillz yo!

 

 

Can’t claim credit for this pic…

 

Saw this car at the gap.

 

There was a good group waiting for us at O’Charley’s and we all had a great time. I got to meet Wayne and his wife, the guy who owns the cabin I stayed in Arkansas from the ZRXOA. Wade from ADV was there, the guy that called me right after I had come down the Skyway in North Carolina. Kenny from ADV actually rode out like 4 hours to meet up and that was really cool! So we ate, talked, laughed, made up lies and finally after a gracious invite extended to Kenny and myself we rode out to Wayne’s place, you know, the one not in the middle of the backwoods! He showed us all his ZRXOA gathering videos and it did make me miss the Rex a bit, but it was also humerous to see his Rex surrounded by V-Strom madness too! After more great conversation with the guys it was off to bed to get a much needed nights rest!

 

Fried seafood platter, Wayne got mine and I got his but it was all good!

 

Excellent group of people, but I see you two over in the corner refusing to give the thumbs up!! GRR

 

V-STROM INVASION!!!

[Kaneman]

March 11th 2007

 

Properly stuffed with eggs, biscuits, bacon and jelly and an all natural energy drink all compliments of Mrs. GALimitedGA I was prepared for what was a much longer journey than I expected. Initially I believed Jayman to live in and around Ocala but that was before he moved to Palm Bay, quite a bit further south. Microsoft Maps and Streets called it a two day journey at 570 miles. It would be the longest ride of my life and I still felt a bit sleepy. We all stood around at Wayne’s place talking and eventually I hit the road. This was going to be one straight, flat, boring ride and still I was fighting off the effects of a night on the town with Kristen!

 

The first 200 miles were easily the worst. I rode them straight from gas station to gas station with no stops. Ironically, all three Chevrons I stopped at along the way had Dairy Queens next to them, but I had no time for burgers and ice cream. I did have some oatmeal ball things that were pretty damn good and gave me a little boost when I most needed it. After the first two hundred had been logged it was downhill from there. Even though this was the longest ride of my life and this trip there isn’t a whole lot to report on. I saw a TON of bikes coming north from Daytona Bike Week. My iPod died and I had to charge it on the run. I listed to a lot of music and some comedy, I wished I had remembered to borrow one of Whip’s audiobooks before I left San Antonio. The comedy I listened to, Mitch Hedberg, passed the time more quickly than song after song after song. I will be on the look out for a book while I’m here.

 

Was NOT feeling the trip at first, unsure if I could make it the entire way

 

 

Eventually I made it to Florida and was rejuvenated by being in a new state. I stopped at the welcome center to get my mandatory free map and they were giving away free orange and grapefruit juice! BONUS!

 

 

To kill time along the way I waved at kids in cars, blew kisses at women in convertibles, stood on the pegs and pretended I was flying, sang really, really loudly along with my iPod. Finally I made it to the Florida Turnpike and was pissed at having to stop at toll after toll after toll. I considered running them (still have paper tags on the bike) but wasn’t sure of their enforcement methods so I paid the man. I did wheelie leaving ever single toll booth though! Rebel for life! HA.

 

I had to stop here to strip off my cold weather gear. For the first time since I left I expanded my saddle bags and they just look goofy now at twice the width they were before.

 

 

I was getting close and the sun was setting into a beautiful horizon

 

 

 

And when I could go no longer I stopped at this BP on Hwy1 and called Jay to meet me. I was about 10 miles from his place as it turned out.

 

 

Jayman and his niece Brooke met me there and I followed them to his place. They had big plans for my arrival and his sister prepared an amazing meal of steak, chicken, crab claws (freshly caught), potatoes, and some broccoli. She is an amazing chef and I couldn’t eat enough! In true Kaneman style upon my arrival I managed to: Almost lose their cat, broke a claw cracker and then broke the other one. Us woodsmen don’t know our own strength! Lol.

 

Look at all the crab claws on my plate! I ate enough to feed a village in Africa I’m sure.

 

 

 

Sometimes I don’t know my own strength!!!

 

Then, can you believe it, they had an ice cream cake prepared, Brooke’s idea, just for my arrival!! There may have also been some Scotch and Sambuca involved. You can look at the pictures and judge for yourself! It was an amazing greeting and I feel right at home here. For the next few days I’m going to park the bike and let Jayman and his wonderful family show me the in’s and out’s of sunny Florida’s east coast. Soon we are headed to the beach and lunch and I am at their disposal as my Floridian education begins. You know, I don’t know what all the celebrities are whining about, being semi-famous aint half bad!!

 

Have you been drinking young man?

 

A truly heart-warming Floridian welcome!!

Edited March 12, 2007 by Les_is_more

[BFish]

palm bay is adjacent and just south of melbourne as i'm sure you know. pm me if you need anything. be happy to buy you lunch if still around tomorrow (3/13). actually rode my v-strom to work today.

[Kaneman]

Hey guys, really sorry about the inappropriate picture from the last report. It is very time consuming to post the report on 3 forums then go back and edit everything for this one. I actually did edit the last report but I missed the very last picture I think. Again, I sincerely hope no one was offended and no ones children saw it or anything. I'll be much more cautious from now on over here. I think there are about 4 days worth of reports I need to go over so be looking for an update in the next few days.

 

Sorry again guys!

Edited March 16, 2007 by Kaneman