Cyclerides.com Weekly
Update
7/18/12
Greetings Riders,
Welcome to the monsoon’s in Arizona, where evenings become a
meteorological adventure only being interrupted by blistering heat and the
occasional beautiful sunsets.
Riding back into the valley from a
trip up North on the weekends can sometimes be a game of chicken with
thunderstorms. Be sure to check the radar app on that smart phone before riding
directly into 1/2 inch of rain that turns into 2 feet when it hits the ground.
If you missed the newsletter last week of the overview of our Road Trip 2012,
where I give you my take on doing a 3500 mile ride without timelines or
reservations, I encourage you to Click Here to
Read and forward to your riding buddies. It
might just entice you to start planning your next road trip. Take a look at my
Top 20
Photos from the ride. There are some beauties
in here. And my favorite action shot of all time, this deer checking me out on
the side of the road trying to figure out which way to go. I was doing about 40
mph when I took this pic. Click
Here to View.
I have gotten quite a few questions over the years about how we
pack for a ride like this and how much it costs. Since I’m sure
there are quite a few of you that are leaving on rides in the next couple of
weeks, I wanted to at least tell you how we roll.
Packing:
Since Mrs. C. has graduated to riding a bagger, we now have 2 more bags
available to us on these trips. In years past, I was always the
pack mule carrying all of our clothes on my bike in the bags and in a giant
T-Bag strapped on the back. Thankfully, those days are gone and we are now able
to transport all of our 9 days of gear on our own bikes without a T-Bag or
carrier. We each got a set of the HD zippered insert cloth bags for our saddle
bags which is a great way to pack. This was a real joy for me this year slicing
through the twisties without a 50 pound cantilever changing the dynamics of the
bike. So how do each of us get everything we need for 10 days in 2 little
saddlebags?? It is really not that tough, if you just change the way that you
think.
Here are 3 guidelines that I
follow:
1. Become a "Minimalist". You
only NEED half of what you think you need.
2. Tightly roll your clothes and
put a rubber band around them. This saves a lot of room.
3. Focus on what you will be
doing. There are no cocktail parties on the road and you are not going to the
prom. You are outside enjoying nature and the elements. Live it, Embrace it,
Smell like it! Same clothes can be worn more than once, especially jeans. And
you don’t need 4 pairs of shoes.
A minimalist by definition is: "Being or providing a bare minimum of what
is necessary." That really sums it up very good. If there are 2 of
you, the first thing you need to do is lay out all of the clothing and items you
think you will need, for the amount of days of your trip. After you have done
this, you will find that what you have laid out would barely fit into the trunk
of your car, much less a T-Bag or saddle bags. Remember, we aren't programmed to
think minimal, so you will have to change your thought process.
What you do next is take what you have laid out and cut it in half. Guys, if you think you need 8 shirts and 8 pair of jeans, a fresh one for
every day, get over it. It is not illegal on the road to wear a shirt, pants and
socks more than one day, especially if you are riding in cooler country. Just
get the powder scent deodorant, that will help to make you smell fresh. Ladies,
you only need one pair of shoes on a motorcycle road trip, those are the ones
attached to your feet. You are also allowed to wear the same outfit more than
one day. Remember. . ."a bare minimum of what is necessary".
Once you have gotten over the fact that you might have to wear the same
shirt, pants and socks more than once, you can both reduce your
stack to what still looks impossible to get into the bag. Now start tightly
rolling your garments securing them with a big rubber band and position them
into the bag, preferably in categories, in the co-mingling days, I really didn't
like sorting through bras and panties to get to my BVD's. Use every square inch
of space by rolling or sliding things in small vertical areas. Now that you see
that you still have too much stuff for the available room in the bag, you will
both have to step back and revisit what you are actually packing for. Are you
going to Maui for dinner every night at 5 star resorts? Or is it 8 days on a
motorcycle with the wind in your face, communing with the elements of the road,
getting close to nature, enjoying the sights and smells of the great outdoors
for 8-10 hours a day? After you have brought yourself back to the reason you are
packing in the first place, you will now be able to purge a couple more
unnecessary items and be ready to close your bag.
Now comes the fun part of packing for an 9 day trip in a 4 day bag.
Actually getting the bag to close and zipping it up. I had once
heard that Siegfried and Roy tried this trick in their act, but could never get
it to work. Once you have made the 2 reductions in clothing, you will vow to not
take one more thing out and will be determined to get that sucker zipped up at
any cost. This is usually a 2 person job. One person needs to be the one to sit
on the bag and compress all of the things in the bag that you think you need to
take with you, and the other one is in charge of pulling the zipper to secure
the bag. This can also be quite humorous. So if it is a lot of effort the first
time around, remember that you have to do it 8 more times on an 9 day trip. But
you will probably find that by day 3 you will be able to open up the zipper a
mere 6 inches, put your arm in the bag, find whatever you want and pull it out
without disturbing anything else in the bag.
I have obviously poked fun at how to pack for a motorcycle trip, but there
is also a lot of truth to what I have said. If you are going to
take more than a couple day trip on a motorcycle, you are going to have to
change the ways that you would normally pack and wear clothes. Remember, think
minimalist, "Being or providing a bare minimum of what is necessary."
If you can grasp that train of thought, you will get by just fine. Especially if
I am going to a cooler climate, I can easily get 2 days out of a shirt and
socks, and usually 3 days out of a pair of jeans. This will cut the load on
packing by a lot. Jeans take up a lot of room. Once you get on the road, you
will be so excited to be doing what you are doing, you won't care how many days
you have worn that shirt. Hope this helps you in packing for your next
trip.
For the guys, my saddle bags consisted of the following for a 9 day trip in
addition to what I was wearing: 2 pair of jeans, 4 long sleeve
shirts, 2 short sleeve shirts to wear in the evenings, 10 pair of BVD’s, (1
extra pair in case a deer jumps out in front of me) 3 pair of socks, 1 pair of
shorts, bathing suit, rain gear, sweat shirt, jacket, gloves, 14” laptop
computer, a small bag for misc. chargers, etc. and an assortment of tools. This
leaves just enough room for whatever evening refreshments you want to take with
you. Since we always seem to pick up clothes at the dealership stops, this year
we stopped on Day 3 and Day 6 at a local post office and shipped back dirty
clothes to ourselves in medium flat rate boxes for $11.50 each. This really made
our bags easier to manage.
It all worked out great this year having our own bags without additional
luggage to carry along. And yes Ladies, Mrs. C. did just fine with
the amount of space allotted to her in her bags. We can’t wait to fill them up
again and hit the road.
Costs:
I found out that filling up 2 bikes at the gas station on these long trips
is definitely more costly than one. I have never really figured out
the total cost before, but this year I put every gas stop and motel stop on my
Amex Card to try and keep track. With 3500 traveled for each bike, the totals
were:
Gas: $670
Motels: $1130. Our motel of choice is Best
Western. 4 out of the 9 nights. These little towns do sock it to you in the
summer for rooms.
Food, Drink, Misc: $550 (The motels usually
had complimentary breakfasts)
Total: $2350 for 9 nights of lodging, food
and 3500 miles riding 2 bikes.
Next week I will start with the first couple of days of this trip
with editorial, maps and photos. If you missed the photos last week,
Click
Here. For inspiration, be sure
to read last week’s newsletter. Click Here to
read and forward to your riding buddies.
Tidbits and Updates:
**Would you like to do some research of some of our past rides? Try the
Google
Search for the Cyclerides.com Archives: If you remember something from a newsletter that you want to revisit but
can’t remember the date of the newsletter, now you can use the new Google Search
of the site. Just choose a “keyword” that is unique to the subject and click
search. It will come up with all the newsletters that have that word in the
letter. Click Here to
give it a try. Or go to the Archives button on www.cyclerides.com.
**Dehydration is a big danger for all of us that ride right now.
Be sure to know the warning signs of impending dehydration. Click Here to
read my article on the signs of dehydration and
how to combat it.
**FYI, we just switched from Sprint to Verizon for the 4G LTE service and the Samsung Galaxy S3 phone. The speed of the 4G is awesome and well
worth the switch. I have had a 4G phone at Sprint for the last 2 years and had
been promised 4G service that never came and is likely to be another year before
we see it in Phoenix. Verizon has 4G now in 235 cities and a new family plan
that is very competitive. The speed ROCKS and I am loving it! The Android Galaxy
S3 phone is also everything that you will need and more. Very glad I switched.
***Since
I sold my yellow Road Glide I now have an extra set of stretched bags that I was
going to put on it. This is a brand new set of 4” stretched bags that have frenched in LED
lights, are fully lined & padded including the lids and are painted vivid
black. These would be an easy bolt on for anyone with a black Street Glide or
Road Glide. Or you could easily paint to your color. If interested email me
at info@cyclerides.com or talk with me at
Westgate Bike Night. Click Here for
photos.
Bike Nights
Every Tuesday Night
Mad
Dog Saloon Tuesday Bike Night in Mesa. I am really excited about Mad Dog
Saloon as it is a perfect stand alone bike night location with a huge
patio.
For those of you that live in the area you will recognize it
as the former Salty Senorita’s. The patio is huge with an outdoor bar, the
inside is huge as well with garage doors that open to the outside and TV’s
everywhere you look. And plenty of motorcycle parking. There will be food and
drink specials including $1.00 tacos on Tuesday’s. Mad Dog Saloon is located at
1860 S. Stapley, just 3/10 of a mile South of U.S. 60 on Stapley. Stop by and
check it out. See you there for opening night on Tuesday, May 8th. Click Here for Details,
Map and Photos of the Mad Dog
Saloon.
This Week
Thursday, July 19th
July 26th – Hooter’s, August 2nd will be People’s Choice.
* VIP Motorcycle Parking
* Arrowhead Harley Girls
* Door Prizes
* Food Specials
Saturday, July 21st
Buddy
Stubbs Anthem Hogs & Dogs. Buddy Stubbs Anthem H-D invites you to join
them on July 21
st from 11AM to 2PM
for their scheduled
Hogs & Dogs event! This month, in addition to FREE food and drinks, they
welcome the expert trainers from T.E.A.M. Arizona for a special on-site class
devoted to the art of cornering. Learn the secrets to getting the most out of
each and every corner while riding your Harley-Davidson!! The FREE class begins
at 12 PM and is a great opportunity to gain essential motorcycling skills or
just brush up on those you may have forgotten. Registration is limited so please
be sure to RSVP to marketing@buddystubbs.com. Buddy Stubbs Anthem
H-D is located at 41715 N. 41st Drive, Anthem, AZ or on the web at
www.anthemhd.com.
Saturday, July 21st
2nd
Annual Ride for Children’s Laughter. Head North this weekend to get out of
the heat and to help send seriously ill children to camp.
Registration 10 AM at Eagle Rider in Flagstaff located at 800 W. Route
66. Stops at Mormon Lake Lodge, Cliff Castle Casino, Gold King Mine in Jerome
and Mesa Grill at Sedona Airport. $25 Single, $15 Passenger. Fee includes entry
to BBQ, Raffle and T-Shirt for first 100 register. Purchase Biker Bear for $20
and take a stuffed bear on your adventure! Biker Bear will then be sent to camp
to give the healing power of laughter to a Camper Kid! Camp Soaring Eagle
providing children with serious illnesses the chance to discover the healing
power of laughter! For more information go to www.campsoaringeagle.org or watch their video at
http://youtu.be/ZnDALD_nY2Y
Next Week
Friday. Jul. 27th - Sunday, Jul. 29th
- Morman Lake, AZ.21st Annual Too Broke for Sturgis.
Hosted
by ABATE of Arizona as our primary fund-raising event. Too Broke, is an Old
School Biker Party. You can rest assured that the money raised goes to a great cause,
fighting for your motorcycling freedoms. Everyone who attends is made to feel
like family, even first timers. The
2011 event will be an ADULT ONLY party, attendees must be at least 18 years old
to enter. Proof of age will be required, with or without an accompanying
adult/guardian. You must be at least 21 years old to drink alcohol on
premise. Just like the last seven
Too Broke celebrations, we'll be under the stars and beneath the pines in the
cool North country of Arizona. What better way to beat the heat of the Valley in
July. Too Broke for Sturgis is held at the Mormon Lake Lodge Campground and
Arena. The area offers shade, camping with hot showers available, first-class
biker entertainment, an assortment of vendors and awesome scenery. The
Saturday Poker Run will take you on a tour of that awesome scenery! Live Music
featuring Cell Phone Cowboys Friday and Saturday nights. And don't forget about
the Miss Too Broke Contest, Tattoo Contest, Poker Walk, Bike Games, Wet
Tee-Shirt Contest. Too Broke is just an all-around great old school biker party.
$30 for weekend pass, $20 for Saturday pass. Abate members get $5 off for
the weekend pass. www.toobrokeforsturgis.com
Saturday, July
28th
Buddy Stubbs
Arizona Harley-Davidson Hogs & Dogs. Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson helps
you battle the AZ heat in July with a Cooling Clinic during their monthly Hogs
& Dogs!
Join them on Saturday, July 28th, from 11AM to 2PM for
FREE food, drinks, live music, a bikini bike wash and museum tours hosted by
none other than Buddy! The Cooling Clinic will be the second installment in
their popular Educational Clinic Series taking place throughout the summer
months. Their trained H-D personnel will provide tips and tricks as well as
showcase great H-D products that are designed to help you stay cool while riding
in that Arizona summer heat. Please RSVP early to reserve your space! Don't miss
this summertime escape at Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson! Contact marketing@buddystubbs.com to RSVP
for this fresh, new clinic. Buddy Stubbs AZ H-D is located at 13850 N. Cave
Creek Road, Phoenix, AZ. You can also check them out on the web at www.buddystubbshd.com.
Extras
Mid Week Updates will be made on
the Cyclerides.com Facebook. New
Easy to remember Facebook address. Go to
Cyclerides.com
Facebook. Over 3900 FANS! Take a look at all the new photos posted on the wall.
If you are not on Facebook, you can still view the
page, but
you will not be able to post. There will be a link there for you to sign up for
Facebook if you are inclined. Click the LIKE button!
These guys went to the extreme for a practical
joke on a guy leaving early from work to play golf. Funny stuff. Click
Here to View
Video of the Week: This is one of the best 4 minutes of HD action
video that I have ever seen. Some amazing video of landscape and stunts
. Click
Here to View. Click on the Video of the Week graphic on the
page.
If you would like to sign up for the Cyclerides.com Weekly
Update Click
Here.
Until Next Week,
Blessings and Safe Riding To
All,
Barry Caraway
"The Road Is Yours - Take The Ride"
www.cyclerides.com
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LLC.
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reserved.