Wherever I May Roam - One Woman Livin' on a DR650

[Feyala]

Originally Posted by NomadGal

Haha, definitely guilty or riding while taking pics! But same here, I only do it when I feel it's safe to do so, or when there is no way or place to stop and I see something worth taking a photo of.

I find it amazing how many roads don't have shoulders... at the very least I need to make a tank bag soon, it takes a few minutes for me to cram the camera back into my pocket, which can be pretty sketchy.

Originally Posted by Sourjon

I'll take my chances. Thanks for the concern. Heck, sometimes I even take a hand off the bars and scratch my nose or worse while riding! Oh my!

Glad you got the bike going Fey. Feels good to figure things out doesn't it. You seem to be a very resourceful person. Admirable quality in my book.

John

I am also guilty of nose-scratching. And adjusting my mirrors, looking down to check fuel level, gawking at cool things nearby, etc.

Thanks! I try to be resourceful. Necessity is the mother of invention in my case, if things break I don't really have the budget to pay someone else to fix them. Same reason why I make things instead of buying them.

Originally Posted by Packer

A really enjoyable thread.

I was at Crater Lake (and some of the other places you travelled through) this summer and it was stunning.

I think your friend may have been in Dawson City at the same time as me

I'll skip the furry conventions though

Glad you are enjoying it! And yeah, the furries aren't for everyone... LOL!

[Feyala]

Originally Posted by Ed~

Glad to hear you are back on the road in good form. Roadside mechanics is all part of the journey and build's character in my book -aside from increased confidence in oneself and the gasoline swigging companion of course.

BTW, thought to mention that the choking-chicken sound when you hit the starter but nothing to be concerned with. Commonly due to a lack of lubrication on the ends of the armature in the starter for the DR650 and usually shows itself at the first cold start but never has been the indication of a failing starter. Checked my own to address the issue after reading a bunch about it online but takes some time to remove the exhaust manifold and oil lines that are in the way of pulling out the starter for the simple lube-job at the ends. Just a maintenance issue to keep it in mind the next time you have to dig into that side of the engine, which the less mechanically adventurous of us choose never to bother with and keep riding as is.

Definitely confidence-building for sure! Now multimeters aren't so foreign and electrical issues are not the inscrutable bogeyman they appeared to be. I figured it out by myself, and if Tal hadn't been around, I absolutely could have fixed it myself. It was nice to have the help, but it's way better to know you don't NEED it.

Eventually I am going to need to replace a bunch of gaskets, I will keep that in mind when I do...

Originally Posted by ohiomatt

The Elk story is wild!! What an amazing experience!!!!

Yeah! It was great. I knew it was used to people (otherwise it would have ran away), but it was fantastic to simply be so close.

It's like the one time I sat next to a tiger at an animal park, separated by a fence too fine to stick your fingers through. The tiger looked up at me as I sat down and resumed bathing itself. Some of its fur was sticking through the fence and I gently pet it. I must have sat there for twenty minutes, just watching and petting the big cat, enjoying the moment, before some idiots with loud children decided they wanted in. The tiger took one look at them and walked away.

The tiger was used to humans, but it was still an experience I treasure, because I shared a moment with a wild animal.

Originally Posted by Shibby!

You guys are all "city folk".

That Elk didn't move because it wasn't "wild". It's used to tourists and people feeding it.

We have a ton of "wild" animals that roam our park towns. Tourists love them, but that's not "wild". A wild animal will not stick around.

You still don't want to F**** with it:

Great story though. Enjoy keeping up with your updates. Lots of good RR to follow these days!

Those are some great photos! Yeah, when I went to Yellowstone I saw elk everywhere, and I've seen lots of deer and raccoons in cities. Even though they're used to people, they're still wild though. They have minds of their own and would probably kill you if you agitated them. (Just ask the people mauled by bears who are used to people...)

I had never been that close to an elk though. Like the tiger story above, I don't really feel like them being used to people lessens the experience. After all, if they weren't used to people, I wouldn't have had the experience!

Glad that you are enjoying the RR!

[Feyala]

Originally Posted by GISdood

Great RR and awesome pics - especially considering they're all from your Droid. (I'm a happy Samsung GS3 owner, myself)

If you have an inexpensive digital point & shoot - or even a not-so-inexpensive one - you could use a microSD card with an SD adapter as the media for the camera, then just swap that microSD card into your phone to upload your photos. This would allow you to take those 'on the fly' shots without risking dropping the Droid.

I carry my camera in my left front pocket, tethered to a clip inside the same pocket. It makes for easy access for shots on the move, and if I have to drop the camera, it only falls as far as my knee.

In any case... enjoy the ride and keep up the good work! You've got at least one more DR owner here watching and living vicariously through your travels.

Thanks! Yeah, now that I have the right applications I feel like my photo quality has increased quite a bit! I can even do panoramas now!

I have an inexpensive point and shoot, but I don't think it is smart enough to be able to handle a microsd card in an adapter. I think I had problems with that before. It might simply be too old. I'll screw with it when I get back to Phoenix, but it may be time to check some pawn shops.

It sounds like you have a pretty good set up. I'll figure something out eventually.

Enjoying is what it's all about! Glad to have you along for the ride!

Originally Posted by smash81

A little late to the party, but IN!

This is very refreshing. I find myself more and more tied to "my life is worthless unless I make this amount of money," and it seems to only get worse the older I get. I just turned 31 on Tuesday, and despite having a lot of wonderful things in my life I found the day (and most of my time recently) spent in a dark cloud due to, well, greed. I'm one of those "always busy" people you mentioned a while back, raised that way. It seems if I stop to think the dark cloud catches up...

Maybe someday. While I do not have any children, I do have commitments that keep this life change from happening. It's been a dream of mine since 2001 to do something like this, maybe I should start a serious discussion about it...

Ride safe, keep up the reports when you can!

Only you can decide where your priorities lie, but if you aren't happy with where you are and how you spend your time, it is worthwhile IMO to figure out why. Especially if it is painful. Especially if it seems like whenever you pause to consider, dark crap floats to the surface. You can't keep running forever, and the sooner you take the time to discover why you are unhappy, the sooner you can begin to take steps to bring you closer to changing your life to include more activities you consider fulfilling. You only get one life. You shouldn't spend it on what other people think you should be living for, or using their yardstick to measure yourself with.

For the most part I am broke as a joke. I spend less living this way than I would if I were paying rent somewhere, even cheap rent. If I can do this, anyone can. Obligation and commitments do put a damper on it, and I've chosen to avoid those because living this way makes me happier than settling down.

I wish you good luck in making the changes you want in your life. I would suggest that it doesn't need to be an all or nothing affair. Sometimes you might need to stay stable for a while. Work and make do with less. Reduce your dependence on your job. Start by carving out a few hours of personal time and space out of your day, a sanctuary where other people and their problems aren't allowed. Defend this space against any who would steal it from you, even those with good intentions. Give yourself room to think and dream, or learn to dream again. These things need ground and nutrients to sprout and flourish. Take more vacations and trips - camp for free, eat for cheap, and they become much more affordable.

Don't wait for someday. Someday might never come. Start now. You might be surprised. :)

Originally Posted by theWolfTamer

Just wanted to thank you for posting up your report. It has been medicine for my shingles. Great report.

-patrice

Excellent! Hope you feel better soon!

[NomadGal]

Hey Fey, as far as camera setup goes, I have a similar thing like Jim.


The camera has the other velcro half stuck to the front, so I just rip it off after I loop my hand through the strap.



Mind you though, I have a throttle lock which I turn on when I take a photo. Not feasible to do this without a throttle lock

[Feyala]

Originally Posted by NomadGal

I totally agree with you on that one! I find myself doing the same. It feels like not riding alone anymore, I find myself sharing the beauty around me in thought and say to myself, Wow, this view is gorgeous, the readers will love seeing this, or laugh at that etc. It's cool!
Was there snow in Lassen yet?
Still here in South Carolina, finally started rebuilding the engine. Yay!! Can't wait to head to the Outer Banks and then down to Florida, it's been getting into the mid thirties at night here, brrrrrrrr. Chose to sleep in my tent in my hosts's yard though, that way I am not imposing on them overly much.

Yeah, exactly! Definitely like not riding alone. In a lot of ways I really prefer to ride solo - I can stop where I want, when I want. Only managed 100 miles today, or less? No problemo, I don't have anywhere to be.

No snow in Lassen yet, at least not where I was. No snow in Truckee either, though it was near freezing that night. I got over Tioga Pass just in time, it began snowing the evening after I crossed the park - my friends in a car a few hours behind me ran into some.

I have been following along on your RR, it really sucks about the bearing situation. I hope you can get under way soon. Sleeping in that cold has gotta be draining, I hope you are warm with your equipment at least! Good luck!!

Originally Posted by Ratman

Fey, i'm enjoying your story. Very cool.

Coincidentally, I'm going to visit my dirt riding buddy in Lone Pine from the 25th for 4 or 5 days while my wife is in Hawaii. Were prolly going into Death Valley from the north end of Saline Valley for some ride-about.

My fiend, Nip Morgan, is a very interesting guy as he's retired from the cartoon industry as an illustrator. A walk thru his scrapbook is quite rewarding.

We ride slow, and would enjoy showing you around a bit as Lone pine is near Bishop. If you should find this possibility interesting get back to me. My friend has sleeping space in a mobil home on his lot in downtown Lone pine.

....or if you have a ride you want some 'security in numbers' on.....?

This is a FANTASTIC offer! I am in Oakhurst currently, I will probably try to take one of the more southern passes across to Lone Pine, as Tioga just got snow. I will warn you now - I have not had any positive experiences in sand and am a total n00b with riding in it. I have been warned that even the north route has some deeper sand? Large rocks also scare me. If you're willing to deal with that, I am totally down. I am willing to learn, just... mostly I spend time on forest service roads and other stuff you can take a passenger car on.

Let me know if you're willing to tolerate my n00bness and what your schedule is like, a PM would be preferable as I don't always check here daily. It sounds like an awesome time though!

[Feyala]

Originally Posted by NomadGal

Hey Fey, as far as camera setup goes, I have a similar thing like Jim.

The camera has the other velcro half stuck to the front, so I just rip it off after I loop my hand through the strap.

Mind you though, I have a throttle lock which I turn on when I take a photo. Not feasible to do this without a throttle lock

Interesting! It's definitely food for thought to see how different people handle this challenge. I would be terrified that the Velcro would fail!

Also, I don't have a throttle lock. Do you ever worry that it might get stuck?

[NomadGal]

Originally Posted by Feyala

Interesting! It's definitely food for thought to see how different people handle this challenge. I would be terrified that the Velcro would fail!

Also, I don't have a throttle lock. Do you ever worry that it might get stuck?

The one I have can't get stuck, it's just a lever you push up or down to lock or unlock it. Also I have occasionally just pulled the clutch, don't like doing it because it makes the engine rev too loud.

[smash81]

For a cheap throttle lock, check out the Go Cruise. Super simple to use, and cheaper than almost anything else out there. I use one on my Ninja. While I did like the Vista Cruise better, that will cost you more.

http://www.2wheelride.com/throttle_order.html (If you go to their main page, there's a nice video on how simple it is)

[Rockmuncher]

Your spirit is admirable. If I have one regret about my youth, it's that I didn't go see the world. Ride safe.

[prsdrat]

As the saying goes, Rockmuncher........youth is wasted on the young.

[Jettn Jim]

Originally Posted by Merlin III

Hmmm......Sorry, I am no saint by any means, but I don't think taking a photograph on a moving MC is a good idea. It is not much different than texting while driving. Just sayin........ sorry for the interruption.

LOI... I wouldn't have the pic rich Ride Reports without doing just that.
Txting is waaaay more distracting to me than snapping a pic. Taking a pic is one letter on a phone (and a letter you know how to find without looking at it, because your finger is on the shutter) not a whole sentence.

I'll dig up a pic of the 2" Ram mount with a 3" disc, I use to stick it/Velcro to now.

[GISdood]

Originally Posted by Jettn Jim

LOI... I wouldn't have the pic rich Ride Reports without doing just that.
Txting is waaaay more distracting to me than snapping a pic. Taking a pic is one letter on a phone (and a letter you know how to find without looking at it, because your finger is on the shutter) not a whole sentence.

+1 to that...

I take a LOT of photos while riding, and I feel more comfortable doing so on the bike than say... trying to make/answer a call while driving. Its not like we're looking at the camera display, adjusting exposure values, making subtle changes to composition, reviewing the photo and then making more adjustments all while taking our eyes off the road.

Its called a 'point & shoot' camera for a reason.

[Merlin III]

Originally Posted by GISdood

+1 to that...

I take a LOT of photos while riding, and I feel more comfortable doing so on the bike than say... trying to make/answer a call while driving. Its not like we're looking at the camera display, adjusting exposure values, making subtle changes to composition, reviewing the photo and then making more adjustments all while taking our eyes off the road.

Its called a 'point & shoot' camera for a reason.

The issue is that you are taking your eyes off the road to take a picture. Once you hurt yourself, or worse yet hurt someone else, you can't take it back. It is final! Just ask anyone who as been in that situation if they wish they hadn't done it?

There is a woman in NH right now who was convicted of reckless manslaughter and sentenced to three years of actual jail time for answering her cellphone while driving, just as someone stepped out into the street from behind some bushes and was hit by her car. It was calculated that the mere couple of seconds that she took her eyes off the road was enough to make a difference as to whether or not the woman got killed or not killed. Interesting enough, there is no statute in NH about using a cell phone while driving. Her conviction was based on the fact that her behavior was reckless and that recklessness cost someone their life.

Everyone of you know or should know that any motor vehicle is a lethal weapon and if your actions hurt someone you are going to be held responsible. If a scene is worth taking a picture of why not stop and enjoy it. Why would you want to just fly by it, point and shoot with a camera, maybe getting a good shot and maybe not?

[NomadGal]

Originally Posted by Merlin III

It was calculated that the mere couple of seconds that she took her eyes off the road was enough to make a difference.

Most of the time there are no people around when I take photos. Also I can take my camera off blindly, turn it on by feel, and still look where I am going even as I aim the camera in front of me or to the side.
So no, not a big deal at all.

Originally Posted by Merlin III

If a scene is worth taking a picture of why not stop and enjoy it. Why would you want to just fly by it, point and shoot with a camera, maybe getting a good shot and maybe not?

About 75% of the roads I ride on don't have a shoulder, so I can't stop.
Occasionally I will stop on the middle of the road if I can see in my mirror that no one is anywhere near, and take a picture.
Most places that I can stop are not worth taking a picture off, except for on overlooks etc. So to say never take pictures while riding is a bit much, I would say just be smart about it, and don't do it in crowded areas or busy traffic.

[ThumperStorm]

Originally Posted by Merlin III

The issue is that you are taking your eyes off the road to take a picture. Once you hurt yourself, or worse yet hurt someone else, you can't take it back. It is final! Just ask anyone who as been in that situation if they wish they hadn't done it?

There is a woman in NH right now who was convicted of reckless manslaughter and sentenced to three years of actual jail time for answering her cellphone while driving, just as someone stepped out into the street from behind some bushes and was hit by her car. It was calculated that the mere couple of seconds that she took her eyes off the road was enough to make a difference as to whether or not the woman got killed or not killed. Interesting enough, there is no statute in NH about using a cell phone while driving. Her conviction was based on the fact that her behavior was reckless and that recklessness cost someone their life.

Everyone of you know or should know that any motor vehicle is a lethal weapon and if your actions hurt someone you are going to be held responsible. If a scene is worth taking a picture of why not stop and enjoy it. Why would you want to just fly by it, point and shoot with a camera, maybe getting a good shot and maybe not?

People glance away from the road all the time. Do you never look at your gauges while driving? Do you never look to the sides or behind yourself? I mean be real, nobody can stay totally focused on anything 100% percent of the time. Making responsible decisions is part of life. That women was wronged. Someone doesn't know not to walk in front of cars and she is the bad guy? I call