Westward Ho -- Torrey and Beyond

[RandyShields]

8 hours ago, Bill_Walker said:

What a great trip!

 

It sounds like your late friend, Robert, made the most of the time he had.

Roger that.

[RandyShields]

On 5/26/2019 at 8:25 AM, RandyShields said:

Wow!  I bet they have to blast a boulder that large to get smaller pieces to move.  Glad that didn't happen before we got through there.

 I guess they won't be blasting that boulder, but commemorating it and rerouting the road around it!

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/colorado-wont-blast-massive-boulder-that-crushed-highway/ar-AACrnmx?ocid=spartandhp

[steve.foote]

What a fantastic adventure, Randy.  Thank you so much for sharing it with the rest of us.  I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it was a bit inspirational.  :-)

 

I do have a quick gear-related question for you.  I noticed you periodically switched between a BeadRider seat pad and an Alaskan Leather Buttpad.  Can you elaborate a little on both and why you switched back and forth?

[RandyShields]

On 6/6/2019 at 10:54 AM, RightSpin said:

What a fantastic adventure, Randy.  Thank you so much for sharing it with the rest of us.  I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it was a bit inspirational.  :-)

 

I do have a quick gear-related question for you.  I noticed you periodically switched between a BeadRider seat pad and an Alaskan Leather Buttpad.  Can you elaborate a little on both and why you switched back and forth?

Yes.  Thank you.  It was a fun trip that I was glad to finish.

 

First, good observation.  After many years of Russells or Sargant seats on prior bikes, I discovered that the back pain I was having arose from the way those seats pushed my thighs apart, so I went back to the stock seats on all my bikes and that problem disappeared.  But, I needed something better for the butt, so experimented with both an Alaska Leather sheepskin and later the Bead Rider.  I used the sheepskin for many years, summer and winter, and it worked great.  Then I tried the Bead Rider.  At first I thought it was a gimmick, but after taking it off on a long ride, found that I really missed it and haven't ridden without it since.  It is quite comfortable, but I still go back to the sheepskin when the temps drop into the 40s or less because the air under the beads is COLD!  I figure I get an extra 150 miles a day from the sheepskin and 250 from the beads.  Weird, but they both work!

 

Hope that answers the question. 

[steve.foote]

Yes, that answers my question perfectly!  Thanks much!  BeadRider on order.

[Knobby10]

Excellent adventure!! You are a true inspiration for me to quit procrastinating and just "do it." Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to document the trip so completely.

[RandyShields]

52 minutes ago, Knobby10 said:

Excellent adventure!! You are a true inspiration for me to quit procrastinating and just "do it." Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to document the trip so completely.

Welcome.  Thanks for the positive feedback. 

[RandyShields]

Finally able to access the photos from my Canon Elph camera.  Here are some additional photos from days 2-4:  (1) riding the Natchez Trace Parkway, (2) up along the Mississippi river into AR, and (3) along KA and OK.

[ERdok]

Randy,

 

I just came across this and read it from start to finish. I've ridden many of the roads in your adventure - brought back great memories. Thanks for taking us along!

 

Rick

[RandyShields]

3 hours ago, ERdok said:

Randy,

 

I just came across this and read it from start to finish. I've ridden many of the roads in your adventure - brought back great memories. Thanks for taking us along!

 

Rick

Welcome Rick.  Glad you enjoyed it!

[Whip]

Great Job!!!

 

 

[RandyShields]

7 hours ago, Whip said:

Great Job!!!

 

 

Thanks Whip.  Much appreciated.

[Fleetwood]

Great write up about a fantastic trip! Its really making me think I have to get to Utah in September!

[RandyShields]

Like so many others who have completed long rides, following my Westward Ho trek I did a superficial wash of the K1600 and parked it.  For several months.  I did take the GS out on some rides, including the recent FART, but the K bike sat there wondering what it did wrong (nothing) and when would I take it out of the stable again (soon, soon).  Well, the question was finally answered earlier this week.  To start, I checked the tires.  Front down a few pounds.  Check.  Back down -- what, to 6 psi??  How could that be?  Bad seal?  Bad valve?  It was a new tire!!  It absolutely couldn't have been another flat could it??  Inflate to 40 psi and take it out for a 50 mile ride.  Ahh, yes, that sweet engine is so smooooth!  And no loss of pressure once up to temp.

 

Next morning -- rear tire down 5 psi.  The following morning, another 5 psi.  It can't be??!!  Then, I woke up and realized I was 2000 miles over my 30K service timing, so I made the appointment.  The bike got a thorough cleaning to remove the mud from Day 18.  I then I went to work to closely examine the tire with soapy water.  Sure enough, on the 2nd rotation, there it was, the tell-tale bubbles of a pinhole leak.  It was so small I could barely see it, but it was clearly a tiny hole -- so small it made no sense to plug it.  So, I threw the older tire I took off before the trip (with about 2,000-3,000 miles left on it) into the trunk and took it in for its service -- now including a tire change (since the dealer will not repair a tire due to liability concerns).  It is back for me to patch from the inside.  Pretty unbelievable that after never having a flat for the past 20 years, I had two arising out of the same trip.  Oh well.  Just a fitting end to the journey, four months later.