August 3, 2008 Prep Day.

Getting ready for my Sturgis vacation. Today I'm packing a few things. I've waxed the FJR, changed engine oil and oil in the final drive. I've added the tail bag and the tank bag, and emptied the side bags. I drove it down to the gas station and filled it up. All that's left to do is pack my clothes and the rear seat bag with camping gear.

I'll leave on Wednesday 08/06/08 around 0600.

July 2008 John gets a New Bike

I'm starting to get the FJR ready for this summers motorcycle trips. I plan to leave for Sturgis in just two and a half weeks. This will be my 10th trip there. I plan to head out on August 6 and be back in time for work on the 18th.
I also plan to attend the Yamaha FJR rally, known as CFO, which is short for central FJR owners meeting. This years CFO will again be in Custer, SD. It will be on September 11-14. I still have to put in my vacation request for that trip. I'll be going with my friend John. Last year John and I went to Custer for the CFO and had agreat time riding in the Black Hills. It's so quiet there after the crowds from the Sturgis rally clear out.
On July 19th, 2008 I went with John up to Larson's Cycle in Cambridge, MN. John bought a brand new, black, 2008, FJR1300A.

First post of 2008

On 5-16-08 I purchased a new, lime green, 2008 Kawasaki EX-250 Ninja at the Hitching Post in Hopkins, MN. On the same day, I had a new Pilot Road rear tire mounted on the FJR at Full Power Cycle, also in Hopkins. The FJR now has 15035 miles on it. Both the front and rear tire were replced last year in July. It was just before I left for the WFO in Park City UT. The tires now have about 8500 miles on them. I can probably wait and replace the front when I replace the rear again. Three weeks ago I had a new Elite-3 mounted on the front of the Goldwing. I need to change oil in all 3 bikes next weekend. I also need to get the Goldwing ready to sell. I've been thinking of selling the Goldwing this year. Nancy can't ride like she used to, she just can't take the heat anymore. The days of 2-up, long distance trips are over. I'd prefer to take the FJR if I'm the only one riding.

CFO in Custer SD

Day 1. I headed out the door at 0730 on Wednesday 9-19-07. I met up with John at 0830 at the Big Steer Truck Stop on I-35 in Rice County. On other trips to SD, I've taken I-90 all the way to the Black Hills. This time we chose a different route, SD-44. We went down I-35 to hwy-14 and stopped at the Happy Chef for breakfast. We continued west on 14 to 169. Then 169 to 60. We stopped in Windom for gas.  The next gas stop was Parker SD. We stopped at the Missouri River crossing and took a few pictures,

then it was on to Winner, where we stopped for the night. We covered 450 miles and got to see a few new places.
Day 2. Thursday 9-20, John and I left Winner and continuted west on SD-44. We stopped for gas and a pop at the Cowboy Corner in Interrior.

From there we went to Hill City and had lunch at Subway. We then went to check into our hotel, the Bavarian Inn. We were a little earlier than most of the other CFO'ers, so we sat outside and watched people arrive.
Day 3. Friday 9-21, John and I took Stan and Mike on a 300 mile guided tour of some of the best roads around. We stated by driving through Custer State Park on hwy-16, Then went north on Iron Mountian Road (16A). On 16A we came upon a heard of Donkeys.

Through Keystone, and the east on Old Hill City Road. North on 385 to Lake Pactola.

East on 44, north on 173 to Nemo Road. Nemo Road to Vanocker Canyon and into Sturgis. We stopped on Main street to by T-shirts. Then lunch at the Sturgis Burger King. From Sturgis it was onto Whitewood then 34/24 to Hullet Wy. We gassed in Hullet and kept going to Devils Tower National Monument.

The next stop was the fire tower at Warren Peak, elev 6656' , John, Stan and Mike climbed the tower and talked with the Ranger. I, being terrified of heights, sat on the bike trying to avoid looking up.

After the tower, we headed south on 585, to 85, to 16, to Custer. A 9 hour tour!


Day 4. Saturday 9-22, John and I took a short ride up Needles hwy

and spent the rest of the day chasing the 1880 train along Old Hill City Road.

Then it was off to a prime rib dinner at the hotel. Pack up the bikes and get ready to head out by 0800 Sunday morning.
I had a whole lot of fun and can't wait to go back again next year. Even John, a dedicated H-D rider wants to come along next year too. It just proves, it's all about the ride, not the bike. 5 days, 1780 miles.....

A few days to go until CFO

Tonight, I learned that John will be able to ride with me to CFO. John is one of the guys that I usually go to Sturgis with. This will be my 3rd trip to South Dakota with John this year, and my 13th trip since 1999. I think the plan will be to meet up south of the cities and head west.
Tomorrow, I have to change oil in the FJR and cut the grass. I should have no problem packing stuff for this trip. It's only 5 days and all motels so I wont need to pack camping gear.

Say Yes to CFO

I have taken the time off from work. I've made reservations at the motel in Custer. I've sent off a check for the dinner, and ordered my t-shirt. I'm all done. On Wed the 19th, I'm off to CFO and riding in the Black Hills again.

C.F.O. 9-20 to 23 Custer, SD ??

Well, I just can't seem to get enough of the Black Hills. I have to check and see if I can get the time off from work, but I'm thinking of attending the CFO (Central FJR Owners) meeting in Custer, SD. I would leave home Wednesday, Sept. 19th, and spend the night somewhere in SD. Get up Thursday morning, drive to Custer, check in, and go riding in the hills!! I'd be home for work on Monday!! I would think that the weather would be a little cooler than the 90-100 degree days of last week.

Day 16. Going Home!

I started the day with the intention of going on the Thunder Run put on by the Dakota Thunder M.C. out of Ellsworth AFB. I got up early packed all my gear and had the bike loaded by 0700. John also had his stuff packed. We went into Belle Fourche and had breakfast at Hardees and gassed up the bikes. We were going to stop at Lee and Gabi's and drop off some gear, then head for the AFB to go on the ride. We were going to meet most of the others on the base too.
As I was east bound on I-90 between Sturgis and Box Elder, I decided that I was going home. I had a nice day, cooler temps, clear skies, light winds... Time to make tracks and head home! 16 days on the road was enough. I-90 to 60-169-19-86-47-61-10-35 home. 665.0 miles for the day, 4932.1 total miles for the trip. I was home in 11 hours. I love the FJR!!!
My only regret on the whole trip, was not stopping to say good bye to Lee and Gabi. They're fantastic hosts and really wonderful people!!!

Day 11 - Day 15 Sturgis, SD

I made the short run from Douglas, WY to Box Elder, SD, picked up my camping gear from Lee and Gabi and had set up camp at Wyatt's by early evening. John was there when I got there. Lyle and crew showed up that evening, Garth too. Paul will show up Friday. All together there are 11 people in the group.
There are so many really nice roads in the Black Hills. It's too bad that it's so hard to ride them during the Rally. There are too many people that shouldn't be riding, too many bikes on the roads, too much drinking & driving... I think things might be better the week after the Rally. The t-shirts would still be available, traffic would be lighter, prices would return to normal, but most of the vendors would be gone.
Over the next 5 days I put on a lot of miles in the hills. I got to drive hwy 16A from Custer S.P. to Keystone, one of my favorite rides. I got to see Devils Tower, Hill City, Rochford, Nemo Rd, Spearfish Canyon, Vanocker Canyon... I got to have the Rancher Plate at the American West Restaurant in Belle Fourche....mmmmmmm fried beef tips, twice baked potato, salad, bread....mmmmm well worth the 665 mile drive from Prescott.

Day 10. Provo, UT to Douglas, WY

Today I did a lot of miles, 510. I just tried to put on as many miles as I could. I think I could have make it to Lusk, WY or maybe even Newcastle, but I wasn't sure I would find a room. The motels have started to rise the rates for the Sturgis rally. Last week, when I checked on a room here the rate was $20.00 less. There was a lot of Sturgis bound traffic on the highway today. I'll be in Belle Fourche by Thursday afternoon. I'll be staying at Wyatt's Hideaway. http://www.wyattshideaway.com I won't have internet access for a while, so I might not be able to update the blog untill I get home.

Day 9. Caliente, NV to Provo, UT

If Monady was my best day so far.. Today was the worst. It was already 92 degrees in when I left Caliente in the morning. I headed north on hwy 93. 15 miles south of hwy 6/50, I got stuck in a chip seal project. The Nevada DOT had only 1 lane open and trafic had to follow a pilot car. The drive wasn't bad, but the 20 minute wait on hot, smelly, black oil was. I tried to rest the bike on it's side stand but it sank into the freash road surface. I turned east on hwy 6/50. There, I fought nasty side winds for the next 80 miles. The winds would change direction and instanly change back again. It sucked! I took hwy 6/50 to Delta, UT. Then hwy 132 to Nephi. It started to rain at Nephi and the temps dropped, so I put on the rain gear. I headed north on I-15, the sky was black and it looked as if I was going to be riding in a lot of rain. A few miles later it stopped raining, but the sky stayed black, and the sun never returned. It stayed that way, all the way to Provo. By the time I got there it was 98 degrees, with black skies and no rain. I was still dressed in rain gear. I knew that if I stopped to take off the rain gear, it would pour, and if I left the rain gear on, it would never rain. There's nothing like the feeling of riding in an oven while wearing plastic clothes
I stopped in Provo for the night.

Day 8. Eureka, NV to Caliente, NV

What an awesome day! I got to satisfy my desire for being in the middle of nowhere! There were endless sections of road with NO traffic. High speeds! Warm, but not too hot. Good food.
I left Eureka and took hwy 50 west to Austin. The 6 mile section of road just east of Austin had some super nice twisty parts! I had a really good bacon cheeseburger at the Toiyabe Cafe.

After lunch, I back-tracked a little to hwy 376 and headed south. Another 118 miles of nice road and NO traffic. More high speeds!! I stopped at Tonopah for gas and headed east on hwy 6. I snapped a few pictures along the way. I finally got the picture I was looking to get, the FJR parked across the traffic lane and the road visable in the background. There was NO one around!!

The cut off to the Tonopah Test Range. About 12 miles east of town on hwy 6.

If nowhere has a middle, this is it.

The Little Aleinn

From hwy 6 at Warm Springs, I turned down hwy 375 and stopped in Rachel. I got a few more pics of the bike in front the Little Aleinn, stopped in for a glas of ice water and did a little shopping. I noticed that there were  92-KQRS  (a Mpls/ St. Paul, classic rock, radio station) stickers on the highway sign just south of Rachel.

Also on the mail box that marks the road into "area 51".

I made it as far as Caliente for the day, and had pizza at Pioneer Pizza. I stayed at the same place Nancy and I stayed 2 years ago, the Shady Motel, same room too. I think the day was the best day of my vacation so far!!

Day 7. Park City, UT to Eureka, NV

After 3 days of fantastic riding in UT, meeting lots of great people, and spending way too much money, I left Park City to head west. I drove through Salt Lake City on I-80 and saw the salt flats, it looked like ice on a lake. The salt area runs along side the hwy for miles.

I turned south on 93A in NV and drove to Ely, then took hwy 50 to Eureka. Hwy 50 is called "the loneliest road in America", but for a road that is supposed to be in the middle of nowhere, there sure was a lot of traffic. I was hoping to find a section of road where I could see for miles, and park the bike across the traffic lanes and get some pictures.
Here are 2 pictures from Eureka Nevada.
The Eureka County Court House...

The Eureka Opera House..

I stopped for the night at the Sundowner Lodge.

Day 4. Park City UT!!

Well, I finally made it to Park City. I took I-80 into UT and 40 into Park City. I-80 from the boarder to 40 is awesome. It seemed like it was down hill all the way. I stopped at the visitor information center near the junction of 80 and 40. It over looks some R/R tacks way down a hill.

There was a big white cross on the top of a hill near the edge of the parking lot. I walked up the path to the top of the hill. On the cross is the name of a Utah State Trooper that was killed in '74. There's a small info plaque on the cross that tells the story.
Once in Park City, I found the Marriott and checked in. I also got my t-shirts and ID badge. They're expecting almost 200 FJR's here. I was watching some of them as they rolled in. They are all the same bike, but all of them are very diffrent.
Park City is an interesting town. I think the planing commision has a lot of control. All the buildings look similar, there are no bright colored signs. Even Pizza Hut's red roof is a muted shade of terra cotta.

Day 3. Douglas WY to Lyman WY

I left Douglas today at 0830. I took 90 west to Casper, and WY-220 to Muddy Gap. Then 287 to Rawlins, I then hammered it across 80 to the Lyman KOA. I got here at 1430.

348 miles in 6 hours, with and hour for lunch in Rawlins at Cappy's. It's nice to have a bike that will go long distances between fill-ups. I still have to get off about every 100 miles to streach. The weather was a nice 80-85 degrees, with only light cross winds. 10 miles from Lyman is started to sprinkle. I was riding into the back side of a passing shower. The road was wet but the rain wasn't falling hard. So far tonight no more rain, but a dark sky. I unpacked and set up the cabin, then went into town for a little snack at Taco Time.

Day 2. Box Elder SD to Douglas WY

I left Lee and Gabi's at about 0730. I drove into Rapid City and filled my 2 coolers with ice and water. Took 90 to Stugis. I got off the hwy at exit 34 and drove through Sturgis. Then back onto 90 to Spearfish. I took the Spearfish Canyon down to Cheyenne Crossing then 85 to Newcastle WY.

A picture from the SD-WY line.

I took 450 out of Newcastle to 59 to Douglas. There's a huge open pit coal mine along the road, operated by the Thunder Basin Coal Company. I could see the tops of the booms of at least 3 huge drag lines or shovels sticking out above of the pits. There were miles and miles of trains, 2 engines in front, 2 in the back.

At 1430, the temp was already 99 degrees, so I stopped at Holiday Inn in Douglas WY. I got a pool side room and internet access. It was kind of a short day but it makes up for the heat I had to deal with yesterday!

Day 1. Home to Box Elder SD

I left home 7/23 at 0830. It was cloudy and a muggy 76 degrees. By the time I was at the SD border it was 99. The temp just kept climbing. It topped out at 108!!!. It was 104-106 most of the way across I-90. I made 3 stops for gas, and a stop at every wayside rest area to wet down the cooling vest and neck cooler. I drank a gallon and a half of water and powerade between 0830 and 1900. I drove 600.4 miles and the FJR averaged 47 MPG.
I stopped in Box Elder, and spent the night at Lee and Gabi's place. It was a long, hot freakin' day!!

Counting Down....

Oil's been changed. On-board coolers installed. Last of supplies purchased. Lawn mowed. Garage cleaned.
Pack on Sunday. Fill the gas tank. Leave on Monday!!

Thursday 7-19

I have only a few days left to get ready. I still have to change oil, run the drinking tubes for the on-board drink coolers, pack, and load up. I have a few things to do around the house before I go too like, cut the grass, put away a few tools, and move the cars around so Nancy can use the garage...
I have planned out a few places I really want to see, but most of the trip is not on any kind of a schedule. I plan to be in Park City, UT noonish on Thursday the 26th. I'll be there untill Sunday a.m. After that, I'd really like to go west and drive across Hwy. 50 in Nevada. I hope to be in Belle Fourche, SD by 8-4 or even 8-5, where I'll meet up with a great bunch of guys that I've been to the Sturgis rally with for the last 8 years.
Last year's trip didn't go so well. I hit an antelope 30 miles from Sturgis and spent the rest of my 3 week vacation at home. Sore and black & blue. I wasn't wearing my helmet, but I did have my jacket on. I have since become a believer in ATGATT, All The Gear All The Time.

I did get some satisfaction from it. 6 weeks later, on my trip back home from Rapid City, where picked up my repaired Goldwing, I found the crash site and the remains of the antelope. I hung the remains of the hide on a near by fence, and brought a few of the sun bleached bones home. I also bought the FJR so I could still ride, and not have to wait for the insurance company to fix my Goldwing. Now I have 2 bikes, the FJR for when it's just me, and the Goldwing when Nancy wants to come along.

Getting ready

I spent some time on Sunday learning about my new computer. I also did some more work on the bike. I installed a set of Morocycle Larry bar risers to move the bars up and back a bit. I also installed a Comagination brand headlight modulator. Both items went on without any problems. I put new tires on last week. I still need to change the engine and final drive oils on the FJR sometime this week.
I have started to lay out the items I plan to take with, it seems like the pile keeps growing. I'll be staying at motels and tent camping on this trip. This year, I won't have the luxury of riding the Goldwing and pulling a trailer behind me. Last year, I had WAY TOO much crap with me. When Nancy came out to pick me up after my accident, my CRAP almost filled the back of her car. I'm a bit of a cronic over packer. I've got to pack lighter this trip. It's been said about motorcycle touring, "put all the stuff you want to bring in one pile, and all the money you plan to spend in another." "Then get rid of half the stuff you want to bring, and bring twice as much money." I think that's good advice.