Now that I’m back and somewhat decompressed, it’s time to makes some notes about the experience.
Well, for one thing, at 10 days, it was too short. The three week trip I took last summer was just about right but, as I wrote about in the first post, this summer got complicated and the 10-day window was all I had. I feel that I made the best of it. I checked the boxes I had set for the original trip:
- I rode Hwy 20 through the cascades
- I went to the Northwest corner of the lower 48 in Blaine, WA
- I rode a ferry in Washington
- I visited family in Sequim
- I rode the western edge of Washington state
- I visited a friend in Oregon City
- I rode Hwy 26 through eastern Oregon
- I rode along the Salmon River
Interestingly, when I planned the original route, a loop, I was doing it clockwise and I ended up doing it in reverse. I don’t really have an explanation for why I made the change but it worked out fine.
After a trip I always think about what I brought and didn’t use and what I should bring next time. There are some items I brought and didn’t use that I’d bring again such as my tools and tire patch kit but I had pared things down quite a bit from last year. This time I’d brought a tie-down strap in case I needed it for the ferry ride but didn’t and wouldn’t bring it again. I brought a knife and fork but all I ever used was a spoon. I have a mess kit but only use the pot and lid but it packs small and convenient so I’d bring it again. I brought bear spray and, luckily, didn’t have to use that. I had mosquitoes spray but never saw one of them. Pretty much everything else was used at least once.
On my list of what I’d bring next time is tea. I don’t drink coffee but a cup of hot herbal tea in the morning would be nice. A knit hat and gloves would have been welcome on those chilly mornings but my heavy riding gloves worked. Next time I’d find room for a welcome mat. I have a yoga mat that I’ve cut up to use in an upholstery project and a 12” x 18” piece would pack easily and would be handy for standing on when changing shoes, sitting on a wet bench, or just outside the tent.
I don’t have much to say about the bike itself. It ran great and rode well. I kept an eye on my tires and they about due for a change. I put them on in Pittsburgh last year and and now have almost 10,000 miles on them which is pretty good. Motorcycle tires don’t last as long as car tires and I’ve read that some guys go through a set in 6,000 miles or so. I’ll order a set and get them mounted this winter. Here they are today:
Rear.
That front is wearing funny but not the severe cupping I had on the stock tire, a Bridgestone, that I had last year. A set of tires like these Michelins is about $500 which is pretty inexpensive considering the fun they provide.
I continued to be impressed by the design and engineering of this machine. It is so reliable and performance goes way beyond what I demand. I am a fairly timid rider who is becoming less timid with experience and have started using “Sport” mode which makes the throttle extremely responsive and feel like it is twice the power that it does in “Tour” mode. On those twisty roads, “Sport” is the way to go.
I’m hooked on having cruise control. While not a good idea to utilize on the twists and turns, on the straighter roads it gives my hands and wrists a welcome rest. I know that I have a carpel tunnel issue, having been diagnosed decades ago, and have dealt with it by frequent resting when doing hand-intensive work, but on the bike, that is not always possible. The cruise control offers that rest but I return from this trip with a fair amount of tingling in the right hand and think that a surgical fix might be in my future. If it extends the enjoyment of my time riding, I’d consider it.
I will mention the only loss I experienced and that was of a small bag I carried that was retained by a cargo net. I had no problem last year or this year until the last day when it disappeared off the bike somewhere between Butte and Bozeman. The bag itself had no value but it contained my rain paints, sleeping pad, lightweight gloves, and a couple RokStraps. I think that the wind rattled it and it worked its way through the mesh of the net. Lesson learned. RokStraps on everything. At least the contents are easily replaced and if this was the only negative on the ride, that’s not too bad. No one died.
The day after returning, I cleaned up everything, aired out the tent, and got it all repacked in labeled boxes, ready to go for the next trip, destination to be determined. Then the bike got a good bath. Cleaning off the remains of insects always takes some time. The Bart the Dog kept me company as I got the bike looking sharp again.
That’s pretty much it. I look forward to the next long rides, probably to check off the other two corners of the country, Key West, FL and San Ysidro, CA.
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