Last night was a little spooky. The breeze made the tent fly rustle and the full moon played dancing shadows across the tent flaps. Was that a critter ...?

Finally, I got up and staked down the flaps and tightened the cords to stop the noise. At last I got some sleep.

Sunrise over the dry lake

The day was a slow start. I awoke at 6 and burrowed deeper into my sleeping bag. At 7 the sun came up and started to warm things. By 8 I was drinking coffee and eating oatmeal. 

The hard part was figuring out which bag had what. I had everything I needed but the organization left a little to be desired. By 11 I was reorganized, repacked, and on the trail.

Only 2 1/2 miles off the main trail my little side trip had started as a Class 2 road, then became a Class 3, and then a Class 4 in places going up a steep hill. The trouble was that there was no place to turn around. It was onward and upward only!

Luckily, the AT is extremely dirt worthy. Torquey engine, supple suspension, and grippy tires made the bike dance across the ruts like a billy goat. Not that I didn't feel all 500 pounds of it but I had confidence that I could trust the bike and it didn't let me down.

The road east was Class 2 & 3 so it was pretty easy going. Riding through the canyons exposed some pretty amazing rock formations. All went well until I came to the junction I thought was for Fletcher but turned out to be for Aurora. My map book wasn't any help since I had lost it along the way. I wish DeLorme would use a less slippery material for their covers. It isn't the first one I've lost.

Aurora was a mining town like Bodie but is pretty much gone by now. I have no idea what this strange building was for but it looked cool so I stopped and took a picture.

The temptation to take roads at random that headed south to see if I could pick my way back was great but I also wanted to keep to my schedule so I could spend time in Death Valley. So I back tracked to the road with a sign that said Hawthorne 22 -> and took it. I had no idea where Hawthorne was but it sounded civilized.

View from Lucky Boy Pass at where I had come from

Hawthorne turned out to be Hawthorne Nevada and to get there I had to go over the Lucky Boy Pass. The nice lady at the gas station let me look at a map of Nevada and I picked roads to get back on track. Losing the map book and missing my turn probably added about 75 miles to my day but I got to see more than I expected and proved the old addage, "As long as you have gas in your tank, you're not lost, merely misplaced."

Boundary Peak - 13,147 feet

Traveling across the desert floor on US 6 (the same one that starts in Provincetown MA and passes 7 miles from my house in CT) I came across this curious phenomenon; Heat on the desert floor and snow in the mountains. The snow has to be glacial to have lasted all summer.

I ended up at the Starlight Motel in the town of Big Pine, CA and had dinner at the Kozy Kitchen diner. I'm back on schedule and ready to hit the trails in Death Valley tomorrow.

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Sleeping Part 2

This is the picture that went with the last post

Where are you sleeping tonight?

On top of a hill next to a dry lake at the end of a class 3 road. How do I find these places? Just lucky I guess!

Mono Lake

A beautiful view made possible by a bike like the AT. This is why I ride!

Where's J.?

If you would like to know where I am in semi-real time you can go to:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=09dYLIBOyomLIRLPT2xJcqQip3iNLdXRn

I am using a SPOT satellite tracker to follow my progress. This not because I think I have so many adoring fans but rather because it will point where to where to find the body.

It has buttons for I'm OK, I need Help, and Send Lawyers, Guns, and Money! The idea is that I will start it tracking in when I begin my ride and hit the I'm OK button if I stop for lunch or dinner or for the night. If the track doesn't move for a long time and I haven't hit the I'm OK button I may have gone off a cliff. Or I may have just forgotten to hit the button.

I'll start tracking tomorrow. Let me know if you have any problems so I can see what I need to do.

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Another exciting day in paradise

I thought about heading out today but decided to spend another day at the cabin. As you can see from the photos, it's hardly a burden.

My decision to stay is so that I can do some in-depth planning for the next part of the trip. Instead of just winging it (my usual custom) I've been working out routes through the back roads of the Sierras, down through Death Valley, and on through the Mojave to San Diego. By tonight I'll have a detailed route sheet laid out to keep me on track.

Not that it's particularly dangerous. I have a 6 gallon gas tank with a range of over 300 miles. I'll be carrying all my camping gear plus an additional gallon of water. I've chosen roads that are marked as Easy or Moderate, leaving the Difficult ones for another trip.

This brings me to my ATM (Adventure Trip Mantra) - DBAJ - Don't Be A Jerk!

There are lots of cool things that would be fun to try but on a long, solo trip like this a tiny bit of prudence should prevail. Trying things that would cause damage to the bike or body are to be avoided. The salt flat that would be fun to rip across could have a soft spot in the middle that would mire the bike and send me flying over the handlebars like Clark Kent minus the leotards and cape.

Plans are always open to modification but having a plan to modify is generally best.

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Burn Notice

Last week I rode the local roads and trails with Eddy and Karl. The last couple of forest fires have taken their toll and there are places that look like a lunar landscape. I thought I'd post the pictures now before I forget.

This hill used to be covered with trees and brush - all gone now. If you look closely you'll notice that the wooden guard rail has been burned away.

 

Standing in front of this I could just imagine the fire racing up the hill consuming everything in its path.

 

Karl and Eddy in another scorched area.

The sign said "Road Closed" which we took to be a challenge. The tree took some work to get around but the bridge was impassible. The fire had totally burned away the roadbed. We spent some time hypothesizing ways to get past it if we were caught in the Ebola-Zombie-Apocalypse but each of our theories were sillier than the last. We turned around and headed back for dinner.

Yes - that's a bear print.
 

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When did our blood run so thin?

Warning - this is a bit of a rant. While riding alone my thoughts tend to wander. This sort of post will pop up from time to time.

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When did our blood run so thin?

One of the unavoidable hazards of adventure travel is Uncle Henry. Uncle Henry is the friend of a friend who knows a guy who had an awful disaster befall him because he a) was riding a motorcycle, b) was visiting a place outside the U.S., or c) ate or drank something that wasn't processed and wrapped in 3 layers of plastic.

Uncle Henry is well versed in the ways of the world and knows that the only safe place to visit is Disneyland. They speak our language, serve familiar food, and take money that isn't weird looking. He always says “murdercycles” instead of motorcycles and is sure that all riders should carry organ donor cards.

Uncle Henry once had a motorcycle but, as he tells it, “This guy came out of nowhere and scared me so bad I ran off the road and crashed. I sold that bike the next day and haven't gotten near one since. Any damn fool can see how dangerous they are!” He thinks MSF stands for Mighty Stupid Freaks.

As for travel Uncle Henry is sure that if he wanted to visit Italy or Germany he would visit Epcot Center where they are only a few steps apart and everyone speaks English. The Sphinx and the Eiffel Tower are in Las Vegas, everyone knows that too!

I could go on but I'm sure you get my drift. We all know the well meaning friend, relative, or acquaintance who drives a Camry and uses hand sanitizer by the gallon. They can't understand why anyone would want to go to Mexico. If the banditos don't get you the narco-terrorists certainly will. And god forbid you should drink the water! We should all wear earth tones and stay close to home. Travel, if it is to be done at all, should be in carefully orchestrated tours and cruises where the experiences are all precisely orchestrated for maximum enjoyment. Stay with the herd, there's safety in numbers. 

It is tiresome to listen to their small minds and little voices but, ironically, there is often a look in their eyes that a suppressed spirit exists within them that yearns to be free.

I wonder when it was that the spirit of adventure and discovery left so many of them. When did safety become the new religion? When did we trade the family station wagon bound for the wonders of the road for a Volvo that promised to save us from ourselves? Sure, we mocked the phony wood grain panels on the sides but what kid didn't love to ride in the “way back” and pretend that the trip was all their own?

Let the herd stay at home and watch the phony reality shows on TV. There are beautiful places to visit and wonderful people to meet. It's easier to get mugged in New York City than in the villages of Mexico. We're all going to die no matter how much granola we eat or how many Volvos we buy. What's the point of a long life if you're bored to death?

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The first day of the rest of the trip.

Packed and ready for the road

I left Alameda yesterday to begin the solo portion of this trip. Finally, all the maintenance to the bike is complete and I'm ready to go!

My Dad telling me I'm crazy for the 20th time but wishing me a good trip anyway.

Four and a half hours later I was back in Foresta where it was warm and sunny. I had stopped along the way to buy a DeLorme California map book and once I had watched the sunset I spent the rest of the evening laying out plans for the next leg of the trip.

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What a great day today is!

I have nothing to do, no place to be, and nobody to please but myself. Food is on hand, the weather is sunny and warm, and it is blessedly quiet. Plus, I found Cherry Garcia left over in the freezer from last week's stay.

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My plan is to visit the ghost town Bodie tomorrow and then take back roads east to try out the AT on the roads I expect to encounter along the way.

From there I'll work my way down to Death Valley and spend a couple of days poking around. I found a good road guide that rates them for easy, moderate, or difficult. Depending on the heat (expected to be in the low 90's) I'll pick a camping spot lower in the valley or up into the cooler Panamint mountains.

The next several posts will be cel phone posts where I can't get a wi-fi signal.

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Sahara Engineering

A few years back I drove across north Africa with some friends in a pair of old Land Rovers. Along the way I developed the concept of Sahara Engineering. It goes like this ...


We were crossing the desert east of Timbuktu when the radiator in one of the Rovers developed a leak. A couple of the core tubes had split and were leaking. Continuing to drive would only damage the engine. 

We hooked a line to the other Rover which towed it to a nearby village. No electricity, no running water, little but concrete government houses and a well. Since Land Rovers are ubiquitous throughout Africa there was always a chance there might be an old one to donate a radiator. But not this time.

We were pointed to a man who, we were told, could fix our vehicle. We went over to see him and were confronted with a great pile of automotive odds and ends. A junk yard of broken and discarded parts.

We explained the problem to him and he responded, "I can fix." 

When he started assembling a pile of old car batteries I thought he had misunderstood us and I tried explaining that it was the radiator, not an electrical problem.

He just replied, "I will fix" and turned away.

So we pulled the ailing radiator out and brought it over to him. By this time he had assembled a propane burner and an old pot on top of it. With a hatchet he was dismembering the batteries and throwing pieces of each into the pot. Hmmmm

With the radiator laid out on the sand he walked over with his pot and poured a stream of molten lead over the damaged tubes. It formed a giant scab over the open splits and sealed them from further leaks. The lead was the plates from the old batteries he had hacked apart. Ahhhhh

That is Sahara Engineering, making things work when you don't have the tools or resources to do it the normal way. It's the path you find when it's a matter of survive or die.

We replaced the repaired radiator and made it on to Bamako, a thousand kilometers across Mali. I was humbled by what I had learned from this man. I regretted that I had doubted him. I wish I knew his name so I could honor him every time I tell this story.

Replacing the missing connector with shrink wrap and tape

My little fix for the missing plug so that I can continue my trip is a testament to what I learned that day.

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3 does not go into 4 evenly

I put in the new regulator this morning. I was able to test the charging system and it works well now. However they sent me the wrong connector kit. I need a 3 spade connector and they sent me a 4 spade connector. Back to the drawing board! Again!

What has this got to do with a trip to Mexico?

My friends Jason and Erica drove my Miata out to California. Next summer Beth and I will drive it back to Connecticut.
On the way out it developed a leak in the radiator. Before I can give the car to my sister for the winter I'm replacing it.
Tomorrow, the new regulator for the AT is supposed to arrive. Once I install that I'm ready to go theoretically.

Fwd: Made It!

Took a lot longer than it did 25 years ago but I was younger then.

J. Braun
MondayMotoMadness. blogspot. com

Fwd: Day Hike

Off to climb Half Dome today about 20 miles round trip.

J. Braun
MondayMotoMadness. blogspot. com

Another Test

This is Kasper's Hot Dogs on McArthur Blvd in Oakland. I always eat there at least once every time I'm in the area.

New Regulations

The AT fried the wiring and wouldn't charge the battery when the headlights were on. New parts are on the way.

Test of mobile posting

I tried to post from my phone during my trip to Yosemite. It didn't seem to post. This is another try with a picture.

--   J. Braun  mondaymotomadness.blogspot.com  	

A Day At The Museum

Not all the adventures in a trip depend on fording rivers and climbing mountains. Sometimes it's the little discoveries, near at hand, that amaze and delight. The Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco turned out to be one of these.

The traffic getting there was truly horrific and the facade was undistinguished so I was unprepared for the wealth of material that was lurking behind the front desk. However, walking into the first room was the beginning of a tour that Walt himself would have enjoyed. There was history, but it was all presented with the flair of a showman.

My dad examining some early history

The combination of static and moving displays was endlessly informative and entertaining. I was with my dad who knew some of the animators and was able to add details and background color.

Young and old seemed equally enthralled

As we followed the trail of Walt's life each room led to another that seemed even grander than the last. The early days led to his first successes as an artist and cartoonist. Then to the decision to break away and do things on his own.

Steamboat Willy

The first Mickey Mouse cartoon was spread across an entire wall of original drawings with highlights of animation to show how they fit together.

Walt was there to present his first great triumph, Snow White.

Not only were there shots of the movie but there was plenty of background material about how the movie was made.

Making the colors for the artists

An animator's desk - That's a still projector, not a video screen!

From there it went on to display the greater triumphs that he and his team went on to achieve. By now we had spent over 3 hours and hadn't even gotten to the Disney Land section. Overwhelmed would be an understatement. I'll leave it to you to visit and discover what joys await. However, I'll leave you with one of the things that was one of my favorites.

Not hard to guess which movie this special Oscar is for!

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Tool Time

If real estate is all about location, location, location then adventure travel is all about preparation, preparation, preparation! No detail is too insignificant to neglect. If you think about it you should do it. It's that simple.

I started with changing the oil and filter, then the fuel filter. That all went easier than it would have on my Transalp. If you haven't read my post on car vs motorcycle oil I recommend it. You can read it here.

To be really prepared I used only the tools I would be taking with me on the trip. Now is the time to find out that I'm missing something I need rather than when I'm broken down in the middle of nowhere.

This is also the time to figure out what is the best way to perform certain tasks. This is a new bike to me so I have no experience on which end of a fuel line is the best one to take off when tracking down a leak. Everything gets Loctite and tie wraps to make sure it's still with me for the entire trip.

Then began the real work, new shoes. The tires Eddy was using were Michelin Anakee II which are good tires but are 80/20 tires biased towards the street. I'm switching to Continental TKC-80 which is 40/60 in favor of dirt riding. I chose these over my favorite Dunlop 606 because I wasn't planning on anything that aggressive and I've always wanted to try the Contis.

So I found that I didn't have a valve core tool and hiked over to the parts store to get one. Then I found that the tire pump I had still works well, and still takes 200 pumps to fill the tire. Tomorrow I'll get to the back tire. That takes 350 pumps!

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Because bad things can happen to good people

Dirty hands and skinned knuckles were the order of the day as I installed the crash bars on the AT. Because the plastic panels are nearly impossible to come by and very expensive if I could find them the work was well worth it.

Looks simple but these things never go as well as I'd like them to. Let's see, just put the rear bracket under the engine bolt in back, then attach the front to the skid plate, and insert into the clamp on the frame. Hmmmm ...

This doesn't seem to line up quite right ...

Maybe a little nudge from a hydraulic lift will push it into place.

Of course the wrench won't fit so we'll have to make do with the old standby - vice grips!

Finally it all comes together.

Now it's time to go riding!

The Africa Twin with Eddy's Transalp

We went over Mt. Madonna on some paved and class 1 dirt roads to get to the shore. Tight twisty roads that really gave me a chance to see what the AT could do. Not quite a sport bike but very capable with a very willing engine.

We stopped for lunch at a bay front restaurant and watched the otters cavort around the kayakers. It was perfect weather for a ride and it was with some reluctance that we turned homeward.

Only 75 miles today but I'm very happy with the bike and ready to be on my way. But first, family matters tomorrow and another few days. I get to re-teach my dad black and white photo printing after he's been away from it for many years. Stay tuned for that one!

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