renojohn  'All Nevada'
1550 miles in 21hours
  May2007
Becoming a street pussy?  ....don't hold your breath

Those who know me, know that I've taken a little time away from "regular scheduled riding" in 2007 to dabble in this "LD" (Long Distance Riding) stuff.   An arena of motorcycling that I've never really done.  I have not done any disciplined efforts in this arena other than a couple of SS1K's.  No no rallies, etc etc.   This summer I'm knocking out some rides and doing a few rallies.  Kind of fun, -certainly interesting, and another arena to the great sport that we share.  Will it take me away from my true love of adventure touring?  Not likely, but I always have fun while on a motorcycle and this LD stuff is no exception.

This (Memorial Day) weekend's original plan was to head to Utah and ride those roads hard.  I wanted learn the lay of the land so-to-speak for an upcoming LD rally (1088) that I'll be doing.  But, a few things came up and just not enough time to do Utah this weekend.  So, I decided an IN-STATE 1500+ mile ride would be a good compromise.    I thought it would be fun to keep in the "bestest" state of Battle Born Nevada.

An auxiliary fuel cel is a big plus on  a ride like this ...and while i've got one ordered, I didn't have one for this trip.  It made it more challenging because not only more stops for fuel ...but Nevada is sparse and i'd be getting gas where I didn't necessarily need it just to get to the next spot.  Still I looked at this as a great opportunity to practice efficient fuel stops -of which I'd have plenty..
 

As noted on the map below ...TWELVE stops to get gas and/or document time/location.  blue X's represent stops for the latter -got gas for the purpose of getting time/location stamped receipt.

By coincidence, Dale (Warchild) W from the tri cities (WA) was doing some LD riding and he was staying over at  the house Saturday night.  His midpoint on a big ride.  This worked out great, as I'd be heading out very early Sunday ....as would Dale.  Dale has got a real passion and strong tenure in this arena.     Looking over his fancy LD prepared and accessorized bike, I realized how modestly I was equipped from an equipment perspective.

Dale arrived late afternoon on Saturday and after some food, errands and silliness it was lights-out for the tired one.   A few hours later we were up and ready to hit the road.  I stopped for a time/stamped gas receipt, ...and eventually caught up to Dale near Pyramid Lake.   I stayed about 1/3mile back (or about 3.5seconds at our pace).  I don't believe in Global Warming ..but if I did, I'd blame it all on Dales HID lights ...fun watching him light up the baron Nevada sky with those.

As we neared Nixon, I realized I had forgotten to rub Dale's head for good luck before we left (his luck, not mine).  As we stopped at the stop sign in Dixon  ...I thought it would be pretty ghey to ask him to take off his helmet so that I could do that now,  ......so, .instead we gave each other the secret hand gesture ...Dale headed north toward Gerlach and the Pacific Northwest -and god knows what else in between.  I turned the opposite way with a huge appetite to exploit, violate and molest the roads of Nevada.
Thanks Dale ....you've been great help -but the good sillyness ..THAT is the best quality in my book.
 
 


The sun coming up over the BATTLE BORN state of Nevada!!


and it came up while I had a nice pace going .....at 3 hours and fifteen minutes into the ride ...which is kinda weird as you'll see later.


 
 
 
The Warm Springs Intersection fell very close to the midpoint of the trip. ...just over 750miles.  Geeze 9.5hours ...I'm way ahead of schedule!!  So I decided to celebrate by taking a whiz along the side of the road ....yep, tastes clear so in good shape hydration wise.  Also opened up the vents on the stich as it was getting warm!

This intersection is also where the Extra Terrestrial Hwy starts .....the direction I'd be going.  This place is so weird that even the humans aren't human.     .....Matt from the tri-cities had mentioned his fondness for the ET hwy .  ...Hmmm, I should do something for Matt while I'm here  .....but a a souvenir from the A'LE'INN wasn't what I had in mind.

 


 
 
 
... Instead I thought I'd park the FJR on the Rev-Limiter for a while. 
I"M SO SORRY THESE PICTURES DIDN"T TURN OUT BETTER. 
Between the strong crosswind gusts and the bike lurching from bouncing back-and-forth on the rev-limiter ..and the delayed shutter of the camera ...and eating pizza ....it was really hard getting good shots of the needling bouncing back and forth 

Damn, I honestly thought these pics turned out better.
Anyway ...parked the old rust bucket on the rev limiter and she bounced off it like a bronco with quick little bucks.

I kept the obese sport bike there and  waited, and waited for the rear end to blow out ...but that didn't happen so I kept it wide open ......waited for the engine to suck a valve or something ..but that didn't happen either.  These jap bikes are pretty bullet proof. 

 I've never had a street bike that you could take to redline in top gear as easily as the FJR ..kinda cool. 

Matt, sorry you weren't here ...but I had enough fun on the ET highway for both of us!


 
 
 
The obligatory shot at the Little A'LE'INN.   Now, because I was so far ahead of schedule, I started screwing around.

Should have taken this pic while still on the pavement ...the new BT-021 was getting a rubber-shedding workout on the fast pace of the ET highway.

BTW ....as mentioned above ....There were some serious cross-winds through the valley ....had to stay on your toes or risk ending up blown out in the fields with the cows.  Steady wind with some ferocious gusts.


 
 
 
Enough with the straights ...now for some high-speed sweepers.  Easter Nevada, it's own kind of scenery and fun.

BTW:  I had originally planned to take 318 North up to Ely ....but that route was very "close" as far as the 1500miles I would need.  ....I had plenty of time so I decided to take 93 north instead -it would give me more miles should the IBA question my original route ...and besides, I was in the mood to ride.
Also, I had kinda wanted to do this as my only friend on the FJR forum (kaitsdad) would be running some of this area in a few days and I thought I'd scout it out for him.    BTW Hal:  ...I have some thoughts for you.

Damn, what beautiful day.


 
 
 
Took this picture at Panaca Junction because this spotis the furtheast east on my jaunt --wanted proof that I was here -didn't need gas but wanted a stamped time/location receipt.  And, of course, THIS pump receipt made no mention as to location ....went inside and had the attendant write the addres/ info and phone # on the receipt. 

BTW -at least half of the pumps that I hit on this ride did not print receipt so I had to get up and walk in the station, wait in line and have the attendent print one out at the counter for me.   ....that hurts time


 
 
 
This also hurts time.......

Good and bad learned on this .......I made a stupid mistake that likley cost me this LEO encounter .....but I made a good recovery -as well as learned a valuable lesson for the future.   I also got to practice my roadside negotiations -which this day worked out very well.
I'll go into all the details below (clicky)

 
 
 
I noticed I was nearing the 1,000mile mark ...at 13hours into the ride.  ...not bad! 

 
 
 
Nevada is the BEST ...from the warm dry (and windy) area around Rachel ...now up north rain showers!

 
 
 
I'm going like hell down this rural road and come on this guy very quickly.     .....!!.OOOPS !!, that "looks" like a cop .....no other cars, he knew how fast I had came from nowhere so he knows I've been going 'way fast'. 

I keep distance and continue to look hard to see if it is a cop.  This was loooong and slow and costing me time.  ...eventually see that yep, lights on top -It *IS* a cop ...I wanted to keep ths distance so I stayed way behind and it was slooow. 

Later he turned off and I see it was a federal ranger -NOT a county sheriff.  CRAP, i could have gone by ...I'm sure he wouldn't care.   In hind-sight I should have crept up on him to see the jurisdiction ...but I figured that might be pressing my luck.


 
 
 
The sun sets over the state of Nevada ......

Your mind plays weird games with you when you're on the bike so long.   This sunset occurred when I was about three hours and fifteen minutes from home ......the same amount of time that  the sun came "up" from leaving home.  [insert twilight zone music here]
At the time I was thinking "Wow, like the total YING and YANG....this ride is in perfect balance with ths sun and stars .....etc etc.

Today those are just memories of how stooopid (stupid) we get.  One thinks some weird shit when you spend too much time on a bike in the desert LOL LOL

-Clear visor back on and the vents to the stich zipped up.

Back home my love is waiting and takes my picture.   She thinks I'm crazy ...but I look much cleaner and fresher than when I come off an adventure ride.   "Street Pussy" she says.   And I wonder to myself if maybe i'm not becoming one of them.

 
Stats:
Miles:
-Odometer 1575
-Mapping Sofware 1555
-GPS 1549

Time:  21hours 10minutes (21:10) (nearly 3 hours to spare!)

Lessons Learned:

Glad I did:
-Roadcrafter was the PERFECT attire.  I love my RC and it is on my body more than not on nearly all my rides, but this ride it was especially perfect ...good protection, versatile, not too hot, not too cold and very functional
-Flip Helmet ...don't usually wear a flip but it was great for this ride and it'll be a must for any other LD rides ..just way too convenient and practical for eating ..having to run into gas stations for receipts etc etc etc.
-Planning:  Not only did I know the roads, but I put some thought into my planning.  Especially being Memorial Day weekend, this was important
-Hydration/Food, before the ride was contientious of my diet and drank lots of liquids.  Took some powerbars etc ...and a camel pack that I replentished a few times
-GPS with waypoints ..this helps immensely with routing, maps and just keeping tabs on where you are, where you're going and the status of the trip. 
-Throttle Lock I'm not a limp wristed street pussy (well until now) so never felt the desire or need for a throttle lock ...but Tobie (Mr Lisa Stevens) had told me I was crazy not to have one so I put one on.   This was very handy and I won't do any LD without from now on.  Allows you to use right hand for other things ...eating, taking notes, programming GPS, adressing Christmas cards etc
-Multiple credit cards (you use them so much the bank often puts a hold on them and you get the dreaded "See Attendent" message).  So I  keep them in my Stich's arm pocket so quick easy to get to.and i more-or-less rotate them throughout the ride.
-Tiny flashlight hooked to top zipper of the stich was a god-send for quick views of map at night and or for fumbling for stuff in the tankbag.

Improvements for next time:
-Camel Pack was good ....but not ideal.  I don't mind carrying it, and handy running in to replentish with ice and fluid ....but it doesn't hold a lot and it parially blocks the venting of the Aeorostich RC.  Next time i'll use some other sort of container with tube for hydration needs

-Enough with the powerbars ...taste like cardboard after a while.  I ate more early on when I didn't need to than later when I probably needed it more.  I need to think the food thing throug better.

-Organizaition.   I felt that I was organized and duplicated what I do on all rides: BUT much room for improvement.   I keep an ignition key in my arm pocket with the credit cards ...as to not have to take the key out of the ignition to open the fuel tank.  This works ..but there must be an easier way to get quick easy access to the tank.  Reciepts were kept in my stich leg pocket ....but again I bet there is a better solution.  Keeping them with log and other stuff in tankbag is not any better ..I need something quick and easy.

So, had a lot of fun and really glad I did this.  Learned some stuff and got some practice.  It was a challenge, but my preperation (which partly consisted of being on good roads) helped.  I felt good when it was over ...but good enough to get 2hours of sleep and do it again????  Yes, I could have ..but the next day would have been tougher.   I've had much tougher days than this while Adventure Touring.  One of the differences is that on a street pussy ride like this you know where you are ...maps are good and accurate, gps is doing calculations and for the most part, public highways with help available.

Lots of folks have been giving me suggestions and mentored me on this LD stuff -and this ride was kind of a tiny test to put some of that advice into action.  I 've got a long way to go before I'll consider my self "prime-time" in the LD arena ...and we'll see if I pursue it past this season   ...but thanks much to the guys that have giving me advice and I'll continue to bug you .

...Much more LD stuff to do this summer!! ...and I'll be having a lot of fun pursuing this new (to me) arena of the great sport of motorcycling that we share.

Thanks for the ride-along.



 
 
 
 
Let's talk about the good and bad of this LEO encounter

Heading norht on hwy93 at between 95MPH and 100MPH. 
-rolling hills make distant visibility impossible.  I use a Marc Parnes(clicky) visual indicator.  Well this is what I usually use, but sometimes in brigh daylight go with ear buds.  Earlier in the day I had been using ear buds.
-I see the cop approaching -not sure if it's a cop but not taking any chances ...I drop the throttle- lock and hit the brakes ...meanwhile scanning my radar's alert ...nothing. 
-a second or two later I can see it *IS* a cop and a second or two later he put his lights on ....now I  had dropped a fair amount of speed. -A second later we pass ...i've already got my blinker on and am pulling over ..not about to play dumb.
-So, i've got time while pulling over to unhook the radar detector and put it in the tank bag .

-I'm real positive and go through the normal routine.  Very friendly, positive and professioanl.  And, no shame when I tell him I've got a clean record and work hard at keeping it that way.  Never too early to negotiate, no need to wait until it gets to court.   ....and this time it worked.

he came back and said, "I don't want to ruin your record ....is this OK with you":
He then explains how he locked me via radar at 88MPH (and *I* knew this was after I slowed down) but he says he wrote me for just  75 in a 70 AND he's making it a NON MOVING/NON TRAFFIC violation.  I swear I wanted to kiss him. 
"OK?" I said ..".that makes us best friends".  He then proceeds to show me the ticket and explain.

This guy was great and I'm very appreciative of how he handled the situation.  Certainly he could have made my life difficult if he wanted.  Thanks!!!

I was still baffled at how he clocked me at 88MPH without my alert going off.   I put the radar back on, plugged it in ....and remote indicator didn't go off ....I then instantly realized that earlier, when using ear plugs i had turned the volume down ...but it needs to be all the way up to trigger the remote visual indicator.  I had been going about 90miles like this and should have realized!!! 

Most likely, if i had it on, i would have sniffed him out before he was right on top of me.  Lesson learned.

He had a few minutes on me when i started off .........and about 10minutes laterr I see the radar detecctor go off.....and plenty of time afterwards ....I see him coming at me ...just as before ...but this time plenty of time to react.  I had plenty of time to drop my speed to (yes you guessed it) 79MPH -like I told him earlier 
....and when he passed I gave him an enthusiastic "thumbs-up"  ...and he returned it with his own thumbs up   LOL LOL 
......Life is good I laughed to myself .......I was lucky.   Just a small fine and nothing else -well besides a lesson learned.

I also don't think it hurt to have the radar detector hidden away  ...and my maps and emergency card were in plain view -which all made it look like I knew what I was doing.


I originally had the ticket posted here ...showing the details of the "Non-Moving" violation.  However, it was politely brought to my attention that posting the ticket was a bad idea for a number of reasons, primarily, the officer was great, did me a favor.  So, I'll use this space to say "Thank You" one more time.

.

I'll have to add this picture  to my collection of this season's LEO encounters: 
Coming back from Mexico ....north of Las Vegas, south of Beatty (clicky)

Not saying where this one is

..and a personal escort out of Acapulco while adventure touring there last month

NO moving violations on the bike .....4 for 4 this season   Now, time to cool it.