Jax' mediocre photo thread, a general waste of time.

[JaxObsessed]

There were people at almost every gas stop who were interested in the bike and the trip.
The usual conversation would go like this:
Guy: How far you going today?
me: about 400 miles....
Guy: where you from
me: Maryland
Guy(with stupid look on face): you rode that from MD? You're a long way from home!
This especially happened on the way home, when i guess i had a well worn and put up wet look about me....
A mess of folks asked about the bike....
Top 5 questions:
5) is that a crotch rocket?
4) that has 2 cylinders? (no)
3) is that water cooled?
2) Do you need so much stuff?
and the numero uno most hurtful and depressing coup de grace to my bikes ego happened at the store here in Baltimore on my way home .....
1) is that a KLR650?

[scott P]

Originally Posted by JaxObsessed

and the numero uno most hurtful and depressing coup de grace to my bikes ego happened at the store here in Baltimore on my way home .....
1) is that a KLR650?

What's so damn F'n funny............

[JaxObsessed]

[H14]

My hero, I don't give a damn what kind of bike you ride.

[JaxObsessed]

My schedule was pretty loose except for the ride from Baltimore to Tucson. I had 4 days to do that ride, so no smellin the roses. Story to follow.
Then I was meeting the conspirators in Pie Town NM to begin the CDR proper. This is where my devious anti plan really kicked into action. Story to follow.
Then I would ride from the Canadian border in Montana back to Baltimore taking a straight but not frenzied ride home. Story to follow.


As the throngs of well wishers and friends gathered to see me off, it was a scene of utter pandemonium.


Trip details:


The plan was to use my older PN40 for the road out and back, but I did load Cannonshot's R3loader. Lucky bit that.... I was planning on using my newer PN60 for the CDR.
exactly 1269 miles into the Divide my new PN60 went buggy as hell... I didn't notice for quite some time before I switched back to my PN40 .
The mileages above are approximate. The 5700 is a legitimate (if somewhat unbelievable) number for the time the 40 was on.

I ended up being the only guy who got Mexican and Canada border shots, though I have to admit that neither is the official CDR border crossing. Sometimes you gotta go with the flow!!! Right?

The Rio Grande River is just past the fence.... El Paso TX


This one is self explanatory.

[H14]

So your total mileage worked out to 6969?

Perv

[LadyDraco]

Looks like perfect numbers to me
As well.....

[JaxObsessed]

Y'all are makin me blush


The first coupla days were mostly uneventful.
Up and out the door uber early, sun didn't rise til I was nearing Harrisonburg;

Here I am ... thinking I'll need summer gear for the ride out and 3 season gear for the CDR.... well... neither was a correct assumption. I froze my ass from Baltimore to Staunton VA......

I spent the night in middle Tennessee just off 40.
So much adventure, you can hear the theme from National Geographic playing in the background.

Smartasses everywhere


Next morning 06/27/12 I had a bit of a hickup in forward progress.....
You've felt my pain before....


You know how sometimes you can just see a person who reminds you of someone you know and you feel at ease with them?
Well the LEO who got out of the cruiser reminded me of Reginald VelJohnson (you know.... the great helpful cop from the Die Hard movies)

I was too... uh... casual, I believe...
He asked me the regular LEO stuff, where you from, where you going???? etc..
I started to BS then I just blurted out the whole story fully expecting him to go "WOW COOL!!!!" After I regaled him with my awesome story he looked me right in the eye and said "Why?" You can imagine my depression....
With the term mid life crisis escaping my mind, I begin to answer, "well some guys get a hot new girlfriend" etc...... He looked at me as if I was so boring that he was about to fall asleep.
Ah well.. no accounting for taste.

[JaxObsessed]

The Mississippi River will be revisited a bit further north.

Welcome to Arkansas.

I took 3 photos in Arkansas

and the only photo taken on Wednesday:

Dripping with adventure....
This is Hope AR.
I met one person I liked in Hope AR, She works the desk at the hotel I stayed at. Good thing she was there!@!!
Being a genius, I packed up my bike and left without my new netbook. 300 miles up the road, the thought hit me that I don't remember packing my computer..DUH.. I pull over to discover that I had indeed left it in Hope. I'm AWESOME!!!!
I called the hotel and my buddy answered, they had the computer and she got me the number of the local fedex, who I called and arranged a pickup at the hotel. She then packed my computer very carefully and addressed it to Tucson where I would be spending a couple days. The package arrived in great shape before I did. This could have been a major cluster FFFFFF> but she took care of me.

Getting hot during the day now... Going over 100 at mid day. I kept leaving really early, worked to get me down the road before the heat of the afternoon.



Texas is nice...

But... what's that smell?



No really, WTF is that smell?

[JaxObsessed]

More Texas:

I figured there would be some who doubt so... here is the proof.
Thank goodness for Texas, FINALLY, a speed limit I don't need to break.


I wish these were scratch and sniff photos
Texas smells like ARSE..... Sorry to be blunt Texans, but this smell followed me from Texarkana to Odessa. It's best described as the stink that they add to natural gas and propane.
Though I was unimpressed odor wise, I was getting excited to be in the desert again.






must stop taking pictures of bike.......

[LadyDraco]

Jax .. I don't think we can make YOU blush .. After all ya know Hubcap..
So that tells me a lot...

And to bad ya missed the Bluebonnet season .. That was the only time TX really smelled good !!!!

The panhandle really makes me cry.Seeing all them cattle in fed lots.Very sad.

Funny we all travle all over this fine country and show a pic of our Bike !! !

[knybanjo]

Originally Posted by JaxObsessed

Good grief Charlie Brown! Look how that thing is packed!

It's no wonder people thought it was a KLR!

btw...ScottyP helped ya out with that, didn't he....yes, just go ahead and blame it all on him and everything will be OK.

[JaxObsessed]

Originally Posted by LadyDraco

Jax .. I don't think we can make YOU blush .. After all ya know Hubcap..
So that tells me a lot...

And to bad ya missed the Bluebonnet season .. That was the only time TX really smelled good !!!!

The panhandle really makes me cry.Seeing all them cattle in fed lots.Very sad.

Funny we all travle all over this fine country and show a pic of our Bike !! !

I'm obsessed with the bike... MUST TAKE PICTURES>>>>>>>>>>>

I feel for the critters too.... Those high density feed lots make me want to puke. Imagine, most of your life free on the range, then stuffed into hell for a month then an awful death.
Sorry .... trying to stay positive.

Originally Posted by knybanjo

Good grief Charlie Brown! Look how that thing is packed!

It's no wonder people thought it was a KLR!

btw...ScottyP helped ya out with that, didn't he....yes, just go ahead and blame it all on him and everything will be OK.

That's Gucci KLR to you mister...
Packing... and me... well let's call it a work in progress.

[scott P]

Originally Posted by knybanjo

Good grief Charlie Brown! Look how that thing is packed!

It's no wonder people thought it was a KLR!

btw...ScottyP helped ya out with that, didn't he....yes, just go ahead and blame it all on him and everything will be OK.

I'm almost embarrassed..........naaaaah. He still has plenty of room for a 12 pack and a bottle of Clamato It is a Gucci KLR!

[JaxObsessed]

Through west Texas.....
Really pretty out there.... my photos do not do it justice...


I LOVE the desert in the morning!!!


Just SE of El Paso the presence of a large amount of water was obvious



This is a reservoir created by diverting the Rio Grande RIver:

Growing a mess of different crops:
There were pecan orchards, peppers, avocados in this lush valley.
That is Mexico in the background




Up into El Paso for the border shot.