Day Two was from Tupelo MS to Shawnee OK about 550 miles. We left Tupelo at about 8 stopped at Graceland in Memphis, TN and then went on Shawnee. We arrived about 7 PM. So a long day on the road
When we got to Memphis we ran into some rain so we put the rain gear on a did not take it off until we got to Little Rock, AK. The rain was not HEAVY but it was a steady rain. And with I-40 full of tractor trailers it does get a little dicey at time.
Lunch was in North Little Rock at a place called Mike's BBQ. Mike's basically a temporary building on the side of the road with some picnic tables out front. The BBQ was not bad and since we meet some EMS personnel lunching there was well, we figured it was an OK place.
I do have pictures but its late now, about 1015 so although I promised some pictures today. I will have to wait until tomorrow to upload them..
Even with the rain it was not too bad a day
Tomorrow, its I-40 until we get to Santa Rosa, NM and Historic Route 66. Actually being in Route 66 is/was an accident the first time we wen to so I left it in. So I do hope I get the pictures up loaded tomorrow
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Day 1 Tupelo, MS
Today was a good trip. Weather was good until we got to Mississippi. No major traffic issues, well a couple of drivers were not paying attention as they drove down the interstate but, no issues
Temperatures never got above 88. We got near Tupelo and we hit some rain but not much
Had dinner at Johnny's Drive In (pics tomorrow). Its been in the same spot for 60 plus years and Elvis eat there some time during his life.
Tomorrow we go to Shawnee, OK. The couple riding with us, Andy and Abby, want to stop by Graceland so we will make a detour and do that.
Tomorrow's trip is about 550 miles. Today was about 530 miles. We left at 8 and got in about six EDT or five CDT so we did gain an hour. Tomorrow we will not. So the day will seem longer.
In summary a good day.
Temperatures never got above 88. We got near Tupelo and we hit some rain but not much
Had dinner at Johnny's Drive In (pics tomorrow). Its been in the same spot for 60 plus years and Elvis eat there some time during his life.
Tomorrow we go to Shawnee, OK. The couple riding with us, Andy and Abby, want to stop by Graceland so we will make a detour and do that.
Tomorrow's trip is about 550 miles. Today was about 530 miles. We left at 8 and got in about six EDT or five CDT so we did gain an hour. Tomorrow we will not. So the day will seem longer.
In summary a good day.
Friday, May 29, 2015
D Day - 1
Just finishing up some stuff around the house. Finishing backing. Put all the rain gear and heated clothing in one bag on the bike.
Clothes will go in the other two bags.. Put spare electronic cables and charges in one bag. Thats one issue, it seems everything needs a different charger. About the only thing that is common is the AC adapter that plugs into the wall. Which brings up the other question of outlets in the motel room.
Sometimes I think I carry too many "things". But...
Final check of the bike. I found out a couple of weeks ago that the Silver Lady as a Tire Pressure sensing system. I found out because one cool morning, the light came on. It went off after the tires warmed up so, the pressure was in range. On a long trip on varied roads its a good idea to keep track of tire pressure. Now the Silver Lady does it for me... Trust but verify. So I have the tire pressure gauge to do just that.
Final check of oil level,, Look for leaks from oil change (none). Clean the windscreen, seats, plastic.. The relax and wait for tomorrow :)
No pictures today.. I'd like to run the video camera as we go through downtown Atlanta tomorrow, just for fun. I have forgone using the bypass, I-285 and generally just go straight through. It is interesting. Everyone exceeds the 55 MPH speed limit. Maybe.
Update:
Doing final packing now. It never all fits. But there is always UPS and there are stores if you need stuff you don't have or forgot.
I have looked ahead to see if I can plan better lunch stops. I have been using Trip Advisor for verification of motel quality and finding restaurants. I only went as far as day four. It looks as if the trip from Shawnee OK to Santa Rosa, NM will pose the biggest problem for finding lunch. It is also interesting to see the number of BBQ restaurants along the way. I will try and post pics of the lunch stops since some of them should be unique, well not chains.
Clothes will go in the other two bags.. Put spare electronic cables and charges in one bag. Thats one issue, it seems everything needs a different charger. About the only thing that is common is the AC adapter that plugs into the wall. Which brings up the other question of outlets in the motel room.
Sometimes I think I carry too many "things". But...
Final check of the bike. I found out a couple of weeks ago that the Silver Lady as a Tire Pressure sensing system. I found out because one cool morning, the light came on. It went off after the tires warmed up so, the pressure was in range. On a long trip on varied roads its a good idea to keep track of tire pressure. Now the Silver Lady does it for me... Trust but verify. So I have the tire pressure gauge to do just that.
Final check of oil level,, Look for leaks from oil change (none). Clean the windscreen, seats, plastic.. The relax and wait for tomorrow :)
No pictures today.. I'd like to run the video camera as we go through downtown Atlanta tomorrow, just for fun. I have forgone using the bypass, I-285 and generally just go straight through. It is interesting. Everyone exceeds the 55 MPH speed limit. Maybe.
Update:
Doing final packing now. It never all fits. But there is always UPS and there are stores if you need stuff you don't have or forgot.
I have looked ahead to see if I can plan better lunch stops. I have been using Trip Advisor for verification of motel quality and finding restaurants. I only went as far as day four. It looks as if the trip from Shawnee OK to Santa Rosa, NM will pose the biggest problem for finding lunch. It is also interesting to see the number of BBQ restaurants along the way. I will try and post pics of the lunch stops since some of them should be unique, well not chains.
Monday, May 25, 2015
D Day Minus 5 Weather and Packing
We leave in five days. So here are some things I did today to get ready
Weather
Spent some time today looking at the long range weather forecasts. Long range weather forecasts by their very nature and inaccurate. But here is what I gleaned from the review.
In general the weather for the trip will be a lot like what we have had here for the past week with some exceptions. Lows in Wyoming and on Beartooth Pass will still be in the 40's.... At the top of Beartooth we expect lows in the mid 30's.
Some rain is still in the forecast for Wyoming. It is characterized as thunderstorms rather than continuous rain. Could be in the form of sleet or snow on Beartooth.
Saturday we expect to run into some rain on the way to Tupelo, MS. But, as I said, long range forecasts are inaccurate.
The one exception is the trip from Flagstaff, AZ to Mesquite, NV. Highs in Mesquite are expected to be in the 105 to 108 degree range. But I have been told its a dry heat.
We have experienced temperatures like that before, on a trip to Oklahoma. And it was hot.
Packing
Clothes are sort of easy. Jeans, socks, underwear, rain gear, shorts (for the motel), slippers, and toilet kit. and heated jacket liner, sun screen, and bike cleaning gear (mostly for the plexiglass windscreen).
Emergency Items
Emergency items include: Digital VOM (handy for verification of power/blown fusses), Duct tape, spare fuses, a tire repair kit (includes some plugs and a CO2 inflation device), electrical tape, velcro fasteners, bungee cords, and some first aid essentials. The first aid essentials are something I have not carried before.
There are some other odds and ends that I am carrying. Small video camera, various electrical cords, my new MacBook Air, and chargers for the electronics. Those are not bulky items but they do add up.
Weather
Spent some time today looking at the long range weather forecasts. Long range weather forecasts by their very nature and inaccurate. But here is what I gleaned from the review.
In general the weather for the trip will be a lot like what we have had here for the past week with some exceptions. Lows in Wyoming and on Beartooth Pass will still be in the 40's.... At the top of Beartooth we expect lows in the mid 30's.
Some rain is still in the forecast for Wyoming. It is characterized as thunderstorms rather than continuous rain. Could be in the form of sleet or snow on Beartooth.
Saturday we expect to run into some rain on the way to Tupelo, MS. But, as I said, long range forecasts are inaccurate.
The one exception is the trip from Flagstaff, AZ to Mesquite, NV. Highs in Mesquite are expected to be in the 105 to 108 degree range. But I have been told its a dry heat.
We have experienced temperatures like that before, on a trip to Oklahoma. And it was hot.
Packing
Clothes are sort of easy. Jeans, socks, underwear, rain gear, shorts (for the motel), slippers, and toilet kit. and heated jacket liner, sun screen, and bike cleaning gear (mostly for the plexiglass windscreen).
Emergency Items
Emergency items include: Digital VOM (handy for verification of power/blown fusses), Duct tape, spare fuses, a tire repair kit (includes some plugs and a CO2 inflation device), electrical tape, velcro fasteners, bungee cords, and some first aid essentials. The first aid essentials are something I have not carried before.
There are some other odds and ends that I am carrying. Small video camera, various electrical cords, my new MacBook Air, and chargers for the electronics. Those are not bulky items but they do add up.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
May 15, New Rear Tire
Well, decided that it would be best to change out the rear tire on the Silver Lady..... It only had 4,400 miles but tire life is dependent on a lot to stuff and I'd rather not have to stop and change the tire on the trip. So, Carolina Honda put a new OEM tire on the rear.....
Completed some additional minor adjustments to the audio system on Friday and I think everything is ready. Will need one more test ride to verify .....
Completed some additional minor adjustments to the audio system on Friday and I think everything is ready. Will need one more test ride to verify .....
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
More Stuff
With the new bike, comes the reinstallation of old hardware or mounts to use hardware. Besides the radar detector and the GPS, there is also the need to install some power ports for heated gear (like heated jacket lines which are very nice when its 40 outside on a mountain top) and a mount for my video camera.
The camera is a Contour HD. The picture below shows it mounted an there is a short video clip I took on Saturday afternoon to make sure it was workable.
And the video snippet
After reviewing the video, here, the quality is marginal at best. So I don't know how to make it better but I will work on it. The native video is HD and very sharp for a camera that is 1 inch in diameter and about four or five inches long
Here is a link to a snippet of a video from this past weekend ride in the mountains.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qri75ip442whcy0/Trim%201.mp4?dl=0
This is a better quality but still not as good as the native on the MacBook.
The camera is a Contour HD. The picture below shows it mounted an there is a short video clip I took on Saturday afternoon to make sure it was workable.
And the video snippet
After reviewing the video, here, the quality is marginal at best. So I don't know how to make it better but I will work on it. The native video is HD and very sharp for a camera that is 1 inch in diameter and about four or five inches long
Here is a link to a snippet of a video from this past weekend ride in the mountains.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qri75ip442whcy0/Trim%201.mp4?dl=0
This is a better quality but still not as good as the native on the MacBook.
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