Some Adventures Are Better Than Others

Here's Doug riding across Georgia on an ancient Harley this summer.



And here's some pictures of Herman in the '70's treking across North Africa ,Turkey, Greece, Iraq (Baghdad )...... (click on the pictures to see them full size)

And you were planning what for the Labor Day weekend?
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Used Gear - Camera Bag

I have had dozens of camera bags in my life. Cheap ones, expensive ones, Pro ones and they have all left me cold. Mainly they were all shoulder bags with various harnesses to keep them close to the body and not flop around. Every one of them still flopped, fell off my shoulder, or twisted around. The ones that protected my gear were too heavy, the ones that were light left my gear vulnerable. And then a friend showed me his Canon Deluxe Photo Backpack 200EG .  This what I used on the Bonneville trip and I was very pleased. The backpack design meant no flopping, no twisting, and left my hands free. I held my DSLR, 4 lenses (including a very large 100-400mm zoom), and all the other filters, chargers, and gear that I need for an extended trip.

It's well padded and shrugged off all the abuse of the trip while protecting the equipment inside. $42 with free shipping from Amazon made it a real steal. Highly recommended!

If you need something a little smaller, this month's issue of Pop Photo suggests the Tamrac Expedition 3 Photo Backpack . The Canon backpack is only book bag size but could be overkill if you only have a body and a couple of lenses.
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Bonnevile Pictures and Video

Joe sent this link for pictures he took. I think I made a great umbrella boy. The other people are Carla and Gary.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jotor/sets/72157624652183121/

Here's a video of the last minute prep the day before leaving for Utah.

Why Can't Everything Be This Simple?

While I'm sorting through the myriad photos I took on the Bonneville trip check this out:

Everything you need to know, nothing you don't, and you can actually read it! I thought the addition of the Honda taillight to the Kawasaki wiring was a nice touch.

Turning 6268.1

Got in a little after midnight. So good to be home but I'm all ready to do it again next year!

Maxton Mile next month.

Note From Ron

Ron is at Bonneville this week with his supercharged CB160. Here's his report. Wish him luck and speed.
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Hi J. -got here early to tune the bike. got the jetting set up fine but it burps when it starts to boost. Had this same problem a while back and finally fixed it with bigger air plenum. So I'm in the process of trying to get what I need to make a new one down here. Got some alum ordered for delivery to the KOA and might have a guy who can drill me some holes in the 2 x 4 Alum tube for the plenum. This is the last think I thought I'd have to deal with (ha-ha). Oh Well -should have figured that the thinner air would require a larger plenum for a reserve-but I just assumed it would be OK. I'll run anyway, just won't be pertly if I can get a new plenum made. Best Regards Ron Pavlak Michigan

Crossing Over

The Mighty Mississippi.

Turning 5000

I'm on the interstate, trading my soul for fast miles. I spent more time in Colorado than I expected and I have another friend to meet in PA. At least I loaded the Droid with plenty of old Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe radio show to pass the time.

Roger and Me

I stopped to visit Roger, a name on the VJMC email list that I had never met in person. I thought I had a lot of bikes until I toured his 5 rooms and garages of bikes. Not only that, the walls of each are lined with shelves of NOS parts! Color me green with envy.

Look Ma, I'm Flying

Seems to be a trend on this trip. The guys at the Firestone dealer in Chappell,NE helped out my brother when he got stuck with two flat tires a few weeks ago. Good people to do business with.

Turning 4000

Up and over Independence Pass. One of the most beautiful roads in America.

The Other Sister

This goes with the last post. Yes, they're twins.

Old Friends

Haven't seen these two in 20 years and yet it was like it was only yesterday when we sat down to chat. That's what makes great friends.

Disappointment

We all know that things change but sometimes that change is so harsh that it hurts. The road from Glenwood Springs to Aspen used to be a meandering two lane country road. Now it's a four lane freeway. The open ranch land is now filled with resorts and condo complexes. The old train tracks are now a bicycle path that's paved and striped so no one will ever know the history they're riding on. Sometimes too much is just Too Much.

Night Stop

I admit to a fondness for older motels. Like English motorcycles they are often not "perfect" but they have an undeniable charm. The Frontier Lodge in Glenwood Springs has been one of the best. Clean, spacious, and a shower that would knock you into the next county if you turned it up full blast. Plus coffee and fresh bagels in the morning. A lucky find.

Douglas Pass, CO

Yes,it's as steep as it looks. An extra hour of driving but worth it.

Tough Guy

Had lunch with this rider. Three states and 1200 miles on an XR400!

Monday Morning

Dropped Beth at the airport and started the final trek east. Avoiding I-80 I am taking US40. Camped out in the Unita National Forest for the night. Bright and sunny today.

Salt Lake City

It'a 95° here and snow capped mountains in the distance.

Big Dig

We have the day for sightseeing so we visited the Brigham Canyon Mine. Over 1mile deep and 3 miles across it's the biggest (and richest) hole in the world.
Every kid had a fantasy about digging a hole to China, these people are doing it!

Lunch

Real Mexican food by real Mexicans. Los comidos muy bueno!

Fond Farewell

This is the wooden tent we stayed in the last two nights. Notice the air conditioner on the side. What a relief after a day on the salt. I will definitely try to reserve one of these for next year.

Got Salt?

New England has nothing like this in the winter. We cleaned off all this and will do it all over again tomorrow as a precaution. You can practically hear it eating away the metal.

Next Year

As soon as we got back from lunch Beth dove into the rule book looking for classes to run next year. I think she has drank the Bonneville kool-aid.

Packed Up

With the wind against her she wasn't able to go as fast today. The best time for the week was 93.2mph.
However, we definitely set a record for SmilesPerHour!!

At The Line

Ready to make her last run to break 100mph.

50cc Racer

This bike started life as a 50cc Honda C110 pushrod 50cc. It set 6 records this week with Stacey's dad John riding it.

Giro Bike

A 125cc Sears looking for a record

Video Of Beth Running

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBf1TjY0dXM&sns=em

Here's a video of Beth starting her run. The starter had to run over and put down her face shield because she was holding the throttle and the clutch. Then she was off and the Chevy was no match for the Mighty Moriwaki. She was just flatout gone!

Her speed was 93.2mph - Tomorrow morning we are going out early (6:00am) to catch the cool air and try to break 100mph.

Waiting To Go Fast

Inching ahead while we wait our turn. The cross wind had been gusting 20-25mph but has died down so we don't have to worry about being blown off the course.

Smiling When It's All Gone South

Kurt blew his engine at 178mph. He was laughing and saying, "That's racing!"
I want to be that cool when I grow up.

Shade Tree Engineering

I made a shield for the rear shock out of a piece of mirror plastic I found in the dumpster and a couple of ty-wraps.
We adjusted the clip-ons so that Beth could get lower and more streamlined.

Tech V

Joyce gives us the final inspection sticker. We are now free to run as much as we want and as fast as we want.

Deviation

The wind blew over the canopy last night and wrecked it. It knocked over the bike too but the only damage appears to be a broken clutch lever. Luckily it's one of the few spare parts I brought with me.

Turning 3000

The sun is coming out so the salt will dry and harden. The temperature is still cool (80's) so the conditions are good for going fast.

Weather Report

Rain this morning which will slow things down a bit. Cooler and a nice break from the sun and heat. Should blow past us soon.

End Of Run

Can you see an 83.35 MPH grin? Her first words were, "That was great, next time I can go fast!"

When I said that she was supposed to take it easy she said that she was, only 12,000 rpm when redline is 14,500.

Looks like tomorrow will be a blast!

And Go She Does

That little black dot is Beth. I'm doing 65 in the truck and she's pulling away from me. This is supposed to be an easy trial run.

Off The Line

There she goes.

On The Line

Getting final instructions from the starter.

Graduation

Beth gets her Rookie badge