F*ck it... I'm outta here. Or: CJ's Pretirement Trip

[soph9]

great ride, great pics...question...how does your family feel about you taking off?

[Scooterchick]

And WHAT IS THAT on your seat??? It looks "hard" like those massage thingees that you roll your feet over....


OUCH!

[Tigerpawed]

Glad you're making an extra effort to hit many of the US Nat'l Parks along your journey. They are America's Crown Jewels. Never found one yet that wasn't worthy of stopping and checking out...or staying a while and working at or enjoying!

[GhostRiderFC]

Originally Posted by OmegaRunner

I think your office is preferable to mine. However, I am leaving here in about 15 minutes to go pick up my new (to me) Thrust Blue 2009 Ulysses XB12XT. I am pretty excited. It cost me $5200 and it only has 5220 miles. 20 of those miles I put on during my test ride last night. It has an aftermarket exhaust can and EBR ECM installed but I will probably return it to stock form. I prefer it not to be so loud. If I want the loud pipes sounds, I can always take my Sportster.

Keep riding and keep writing brother!

Sweet! You're gonna love it. I left mine stock in the exhaust dept. You can have that EBR ECM retuned to the stock exhaust, so you don't have to replace it. Many say it's preferable to the stock one, but I have not chosen to spend the money yet. That's a good value, too! About a dollar a mile!

Glad you guys also enjoy the lemon pound cake. I also think it's Dy-no-mite!

Originally Posted by soph9

great ride, great pics...question...how does your family feel about you taking off?

Well, my son is in college and even though he's living back home for the summer, I really don't know that he's noticed I'm gone. My wife is coping as well as she can. I mean, how many times are you going to get a chance to do this?

[QUOTE=Scooterchick]And WHAT IS THAT on your seat??? It looks "hard" like those massage thingees that you roll your feet over....[QUOTE]

Ya know... I wasn't sure what to do about that. Last summer when I went off on my Iron Butt ride, I knew I needed something because just sitting on the stock seat was not going to cut it. I was going to buy an Alaska Leathers sheepskin cover, but I couldn't get past the idea of the warm thick sheepskin not letting my behind get any ventilation. I was afraid of swamp-ass. So, I found this dude at WalMart for like nine bucks. I figure ten thousand cabbies can't be wrong! So, I tried it on the Iron Butt ride and it worked well. It allows me to move around easily on the seat because it's a little slicker than the stock seat. And it allows water to move away from me when I get rained on because it goes through the beads and runs off the seat. It allows air to get under your butt and keep things cool/dry. And it puts many pressure points in contact, not just the two main points of your "butt bones". So, I keep using it.

Originally Posted by Tigarpawed

Glad you're making an extra effort to hit many of the US Nat'l Parks along your journey. They are America's Crown Jewels. Never found one yet that wasn't worthy of stopping and checking out...or staying a while and working at or enjoying!

I also enjoy them. I figured doing the Iron Butt Master Traveler challenge would give me a good excuse to get out and see them.

Update coming right up!

[GhostRiderFC]

I awoke around 0630 on Friday at Kings Canyon National Park, in the Crystal Springs campground. But I didn't get out of my tent right away. I did take some time in there to get things packed up and place near the door so I could just reach in and pick them up. For once, I was trying to think ahead!

It was a beautiful morning:



I'd seen and heard some deer in this direction after dark the night before:



I started with some breakfast!





My typical breakfast is a Nutrigrain bar and some instant oatmeal. It's easy since I can make it with some boiling water. And I usually have some Earl Grey tea with that.

The neighbors had a fire going in the morning.



Then, I got all packed up.



Once rolling, I took a couple pictures while moving. They don't all come out. This one is pretty typical of the views until you get out of the park.



And this is the view toward the west, where I was headed... Fresno.





And many of you saw my office in Starbucks above where I updated the report for the 19th. It was at that time that I broke my sunglasses.

Leaving Fresno toward Yosemite, it's pretty unremarkable until you get into the forest & mountains.







(As an aside, the above photo has a small orange sign in it indicating construction. Several times on this trip so far, almost exclusively in California, I ran into pavement that had been "stripped" somehow, where they carve off the top layer of asphalt and just leave. The pavement is then grooved in the direction of travel, creating a channel for a motorcycle tire to ride into, making it hard to move around in your lane, hard to go against the grain of the pavement groove, etc. I friggin hate it! And it's everywhere! )





I was entering Yosemite from the southwest, via CA41. This is one of three ways into the park from the west. I would end up using all three!









I entered near Wawona Visitor Center, but all the good stuff is near Yosemite Village, and that's the stamp I wanted, so that's where I went. It's like 30 miles away, but it takes over an hour. The 35mph speed limit is no joke, not because of LEOs enforcing it, but because that's the speed you need to go. The road is designed for it and it's a nice drive. And you can always see who's going faster because they're running wide in the turns. I had more than one camper or pick up cross the double yellow near me. And then there's the stops! You start to see all this really amazing scenery and you are COMPELLED to stop and take pictures!





And to accommodate the stopping, there are some really nice turn outs:









So, then I go through the tunnel. I took some rolling pics, but they were awful, so I left them out. Immediately upon exiting the tunnel, you can pull off into a parking area to get a view of the valley ahead. And it's JAMMED with people!





And they have a people mover!?!



This feeling of being in Disney World kept bombarding me for the rest of the afternoon. Eventually, I make it down to the valley floor and into the village. You would not believe the number of cars parked EVERYWHERE! It was so crowded, I didn't get an photos while moving because I was afraid to try. And so, eventually, I make it to the "visitor center parking area" which I'm expecting to be adjacent to the visitor center. It's not. The visitor center is about a half mile away down a walking trail. And I'm in my riding gear. And it's about a million degrees out. And I'm wigging out about leaving all my stuff unattended. I basically lock up anything valuable in the trunk and carry the jacket.

I walk the half mile or so and I get my stamp and Jr. G-man behind the counter laughingly tells me that all the campgrounds are FULL. I didn't know that this place was so damn popular. I didn't expect these kinds of crowds. And now I don't know where I'm going to sleep. He does have a listing of outside the park campgrounds, most of which are along the CA-140 corridor. I already know that when I leave tomorrow, I want to go out the CA-120 route, so I'm really trying to work out what I'm going to do.

Pretty soon, it's dinner time. It took me forever to get to this place, it's jammed and I'm hungry and getting cranky. I buy an overpriced gatorade and a couple of waters from their Disney store and walk back to the bike. I realize that from where I'm parked, I can see all kinds of cool stuff. So, I pull out the camera and see what I can get.















So... after taking some photos and knowing I wasn't going to get to camp in the park, I started toward the exits. It was going to take some time to get out. I ended up going out CA-140 as recommended, but every campground I passed was full. I eventually roll into Indian Flats campground, which is not part of the national forest, and they have one left... a "tent cabin." A what? I never heard of it. Turns out it's a wood frame thing with tenting material (heavy duty vinyl) put over it. Has a door and windows and bunks inside, but no bedding or power or whatever. I'd really rather have had a tent space, but whatever. I'm at the beggars can't be choosers stage. So, this is what I got:





And it was apparently a hit with the previous canine occupant!



I know how he felt. Just about every place I've ever camped, there were quiet hours, usually at 10pm. At this place, some folks were just arriving! And then the music started. And the kids playing. And I don't know why at 11pm, a kids voice carries so far! I had a fitful sleep. ...

[FLARider1]

Subscribed!! Just stumbled onto this today!! Looks like a cool ride.

When you make it to south FLA on your way to Key West, hit me up. I live about 7 miles NW of the last stop light on Mainland FLA, you cant get to KW without being close to the house.

Suggestion for leaving your jacket/helmet with the bike. Find a 6' non-coil combination cable lock. Target and Lowes both sell them. I hang the jacket over the windscreen, feed the cable through the jacket sleeve and then lock to the handlebar because my has a center crossbar, but you could just lock to the frame by the fork mount. I am actually able to lock both our jackets and helmets in this manner. Locks them up very securely. I also loop the cable into the handle at the front of my tank bag and put a luggage lock on the zippers. Not much security but makes it a hinderance to just grab and go for someone that really feels the need to be an ass and steal something.

Ride safe

[Tigerpawed]

Yeah, unfortunately you're getting to the big Western parks right at the peak of tourist season - between now and a few days after Labor Day it's going to be jammed up. Once the European tourists and 'mericans are back at work and school then things quiet down in a hurry.

If you have an opportunity to stash your stuff and put on some hiking gear, you can find serenity usually just a few hundred yards from any park road. 98% of visitors stay within the paved road corridors. Good luck!

[HeyWhatever]

Soooo, I don't have time right now to read the entire thread... but I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS on living your life! I did a 10 week trip in January to March of 2010 and it was the best thing I ever did! THE ONLY HARD THING was stopping and going back to a "normal life".

I was on my 2010 Buell City X and had the Hepco Becker Junior bags which worked out well for laptop, extra oil, extra fuel and extra food. No real off roading for me, but camping was the best part... except for waking up in Joshua Tree with 40 mph winds and 20 something degrees F.

Will follow along... right now I gotta hit a martial arts class... trying to get down to my fighting weight! Be careful and have fun... I am more than a little jealous!

[GhostRiderFC]

After having a fitful sleep Friday night, I awoke early at about 0630 on Saturday. I had set an alarm but didn't need it. And got up about an hour before it! I was really interested in just getting out of that campground and onto my day.

I had decided that since I only got to see a few things on Friday, I'd re-enter the park this morning, get some photos and see what's what, and then leave toward the bay area for the night. To that end, I had made a hotel reservation for Saturday night while at Starbucks on Friday. I knew I wanted to be in the Bay Area, but didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on a hotel. It's times like these that I miss those free hotel rooms from Hyatt! (And even family plan rooms! I checked!)

No pictures of breakfast, but you can see where the sun is as I approach the park:











And a couple the other way...





As you enter the park in on the CA-140 corridor, you pass through a cool tunnel. Unfortunately, this is the last picture I got with the Kodak today as the battery died. I had no power overnight to recharge things!



And there are tons of little turnouts on the route in. Lots of stuff to see on this route.













This last bunch are all taken from this turnout. You can sense the presence of the CCC at work here, right?



And a few more from nearby that area:











I then reached a cool meadow. And it had a historical marker, so I stopped to see what it was about. I wasn't disappointed. I'm a huge fan of TR.





More from that meadow: (Keep in mind that many photos will be taken from the same stop, all in different directions. There is literally things to see in all 360 degrees of view.)



















One pleasant thing about being in the park by 0800? There aren't any crowds yet. The campsites can only hold so many people, and even the ones just off the park that are full didn't have much movement in the me at 0730 when I bugged out. In this photo, you see a shoulder parking lane and it's empty. In the afternoon, it's full. There will be a line of cars for miles parked here.



Ok... that's not the best shot to demonstrate it, but you get the idea.



Maybe this one demonstrates it better:



More from near there:













I then came to an area called "swinging bridge." It has a picnic area and a small beach and a bridge that doesn't swing.













It was about this time that I started to notice an uptick in traffic. There were literally droves of cars on the road and the parking areas were filling up. Must've been about 0900. And it was getting warm! The valley floor is only like 1000ft elevation, whereas some of the high areas are almost 5000ft. This is compared to Kings Canyon where I camped at 6600ft! At one point, I was just riding in my shirt sleeves and not even bothering to buckle the helmet. I was literally stopping every 1/4 to 1/2 mile to take in all the epic scenery.

At this point, I ventured into the weeds (field) to grab a few shots. Don't know why, but this contrast struck me:





And eventually, I wound up nearby the visitor center parking area, but a little further east than I had been the previous day. I stopped to get a few shots near a field and also got out the 500mm zoom to mess with it.





24mm


70mm


500mm


















Can you see it?!?



And just some flowers:





So, then I started to move toward the exits again. It was only like 1030 or so, but the exit is many miles away and would take a while to get to. And the crowds were getting thick again. I did stop on the way for a couple more:





At the top of the hill, I stopped for gas. I didn't NEED it, but I wanted to be safe. Uly owners can relate to how small that four gallon tank really is. Unfortunately, in the park, gas is $4.83/gal.

Now, before moving on, I feel compelled to mention that all of the above is just a bunch of photos of trees and rocks and sky. It's difficult to convey the sheer magnitude of it all. When you're standing there around all this, it's powerful. You can see why these are national parks. It's breath-taking. It's a testament to God's handiwork. And it's disappointing that it's so monumentally congested with people. I mean, I get it. I was there, too! But it just felt too jammed up to really have that sort of detachment that you normally get in nature. While many of those I saw were foreign tourists, there were just as many Californians there to hike.



And so, once out of the park, I moved on toward San Francisco Bay. I had my reservation for a hotel near Berkeley. This is because I found a national monument there that sounded cool. However, I think I messed up. My "near Berkeley" turned out to be "in Oakland." And that monument turned out to be farther from the hotel than I'd initially thought. So by the time I got into the city, fought the traffic, etc. I wasn't feeling like running to the monument.

Also cool to mention: After passing through Livermore, I'm on the interstate and following a bagger when two bikes enter the freeway. One is a Ducati super moto and the other is a Buell TT. Those guys looked like they were out for a fun ride! I got the thumbs up from both of them and they lane split ahead through the traffic. I wasn't likely to do that on a three foot wide bike.... Until.... The traffic came to a dead stop. OK... I'll give it a go. I'd done it before on my Firebolt years ago, but not on this wide load! There was a nice large lane between the lanes though, so I tried.

Then, I'm going along and things move a little and so I jump in behind someone. Out of my mirror I notice another bike coming up fast, so I give room and wave him by. Turns out to be six Harleys, all from the Peacemakers MC. They are just tearing up between the lanes, riding close together, some two up with their chicks. I've seen a lot of Bandidos in my time, but first time seeing an MC like this on the road. So then, like two minutes later, here come two more harleys tearing up the middle of the lanes. These guys are also an MC, Devil's something. Can't remember. Definitely different from the previous one. The Peacemakers were dark grey patches with light grey lettering. The other guys were red patches with light grey lettering. Then about ten minutes after that, the two red patch guys are on the side of the road. One looks pissed and the other is rooting around in his saddle bags. Then about five minutes after that, here they come tearing up the freeway again! Idunno... just struck me as weird.

OK, so I enter the Oakland area and I'm following my GPS to the address of the hotel. It's mid-afternoon. It's hot. It's crowded. And some dope breaks down in his POS in the middle lane of a three lane highway. And just sits there. Way to go!

As I'm getting off the freeway, the GPS is giving me all kinds of twists and turns and then I realize, it's giving me a tour of the ghetto!! First stop, police cars and crime scene tape! Then, the projects! Then, the nearby industrial area where the bums congregate! Perfect! However, by some trick of urban planning, I literally pass under some new-ish looking freeway and am magically transported to a land of brand new stuff and a nice looking neighborhood. In about three blocks!

As I get to the hotel, it's barely three o'clock. Too early to check in. (Most hotels don't have check in until four.) I look on my GPS for nearby stuff and while it's not a national monument, I find the USS Hornet museum. This is right up my alley. I've been to the USS Midway in San Antonio, USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, USS Intrepid in NYC, USS New Jersey in Camden, USS Texas in Houston, USS Alabama in Mobile, USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor. You get the idea. So, it says it's 1.7 miles away. Off I go... Back through the ghetto!!

Now, I didn't know it, but Alameda is an island, and that's where the Hornet is. I missed the tunnel the first time and had to go around. Once on the island, it had a feel of a shore town. Mostly old-ish buildings, not quite Victorian, but not all run down. Also, as you approach the port, it is definitely an old Navy base.

Here are some photos of Hornet:









There had been some festivities earlier in the day to commemorate the anniversary of the Apollo 11 splashdown, which Hornet's crew plucked from the water. Most of that was over upon my arrival, but that didn't bother me.

Upon entry, you find yourself in the hangar deck and they have a few birds on display, like this Skyhawk trainer. (What's with the commie markings?)



And this F-14 Tomcat of Top Gun fame:



And this UH-34D. This is the original Jolly Green Giant from Vietnam.



I forget what this one is called, but it's the early dual-rotor that was used to pick up downed aviators and later early space capsule splashdowns.



And this is a Sea King which was later used to replace the dual rotor above.



And this is a TBF Avenger torpedo bomber similar to what George HW Bush flew during WWII.



And here is an FJ-2 Fury. Very rare and only in service for a short time. Basically a Navy version of the F-86 Saber, but was found to have trouble operating from carriers so was given to the Marines to use from land bases.



Remnants of the festivities:



And some shots of Hornet's sister ships in the Essex class:







This was not the first USS Hornet carrier. The original carrier, CV-8, was laid down in Sept 1939, launched in Oct 1941, and was the ship that launched the Doolittle raid of Army bombers that bombed Japan. That ship was sunk in Oct 1942, just one year and six days into her service and was the last US carrier lost to enemy action. THIS ship, CV-12 (later CVA-12 and then CVS-12) was originally laid down as USS Kearsarge, but was changed to Hornet after the CV-8 was sunk. This hull was laid down in August 1942 and launched in November 1943. (15 months!!! )

You can find that information on this handy poster in the hangar deck:



So.. to the flight deck!



Uh... where's all the planes?!?!

They do have a nice F8 Crusader:



But the aft portion of the deck is a lonely place. Nice views of San Francisco, though...







Windy, too...



What do you think they're hiding in that blister?



That's the Keystone State berthed to port. There were a few cool looking cargo ships nearby.





Looking forward, you can see a couple more planes. But just a couple.



This F4 Phantom has seen better days.



And a T-28 trainer. Yellow Peril?



I can't remember the name of this helicopter:



Or this plane:



Anyone else find it interesting that all these Japanese tourists come to check out our old ships that fought them in WWII? No, Just me?



Hey, I can see my bike from here!



And look what else you can see!



Yes... it's an old Navy base.



Downtown Oakland?



Oh, well... on with the tour.

Back down below deck, I found the flight room.



And the Doolittle display.





And some stuff about the Battle of Midway.



And then I wandered around for a while. How'd you like to be the guy who's rack is here in the work space?



That was pretty much the whole tour. I had some more photos, but indoors, the shutter speed is so slow that you have to hold the camera very still to keep the images from blurring. I must be getting Parkinsons because there's no way for me to hold it that still. Or I'm on coffee withdrawls like my buddy Tremor. I mean Trevor.

I did get a pic of my new tire, though. Even loaded, I'm leaning into things a bit. Not getting the edge, mind you. But scuffing it up a bit.



And so, back to the hotel. By this time, it's 1730 or so and I check in with no problems. Sort of... As soon as I get my shit to the room, I find a long black hair just sitting right in the middle of the white counter. How could the maid miss that? This is an Extended Stay America hotel, so all rooms have kitchenettes. I'm pretty wiped out and after a few days of camping and sweating, I'm ready for a shower. I jump in and get to it when I notice this carpetbagger hanging out.



This is a horrible cell phone pic, but that is a bed bug. I don't know what he's doing in the shower, but I'm pissed. I already had the manager in my room cleaning up the hair, and now this?!? I load up all my shit and make them move me to a new room, where as a hotel guy, I start checking for bed bugs. This one is ok, so I stay. (And I got a nice coupon for a free room out of them.)

Now I'm hungry and notice that there are some nice restaurants less than a mile away, so I walk over to Elephant Bar and have a salad and some salmon.





There really did used to be a salad on that plate. I swear!

There was also a Target between the restaurant and the hotel, so on the way back, I went in for some supplies. I was out of oatmeal and wanted some more handi-wipes. My hands get very dirty on the bike and I don't always have somewhere to wash up, so the wipes are handy!

And the internet in the room was so slow, that I was up until after 1am doing the ride report from Friday. Now it's Sunday at 0945 and I've been doing this one for two hours. Ugh... It'll be a long ride, but I'm thinking of Redwoods National Forest tonight.

See yas.

[Scooterchick]

Still hangin with ya! The museum was great....:-). Being a Veteran, I like to see things like that. Navy wasn't my branch though.

Now, the hair and the bed bugs, If you've seen our ride report..we had a similar incident where I called for the maid to come and strip our room down, right to the sheets, clean the bathroom again, sink area and vacume; all before we settled in. We were just too tired to move to another room and felt they should have done their job in the first place! . Good for you for making them fix that!

Looking forward to the rest of your trip....

[vintagespeed]

Originally Posted by GhostRiderFC

Or this plane:



Anyone else find it interesting that all these Japanese tourists come to check out our old ships that fought them in WWII? No, Just me? .

i believe that's an A6 Intruder, and yes i found the Japanese thing a little disturbing while I was at the Arizona memorial a few months back. couldn't tell if they were gloating or moved, as i was.

great report man!

[scrappyscooter]

Originally Posted by vintagespeed

i believe that's an A6 Intruder, and yes i found the Japanese thing a little disturbing while I was at the Arizona memorial a few months back. couldn't tell if they were gloating or moved, as i was.

great report man!

It's not A6 Intruder, It's a S 3 Viking.....the helicopter is Seasprite SH 2

[HeyWhatever]

Hey now... I have a good friend in the East Bay Area... a long time Buell rider... you really need to hook up with him if you can... he is a hoot. PM me if you want his info...

[GhostRiderFC]

Too late... I'm in Eureka. I got here after 8pm. It's cold and I'm tired and Redwoods is another 50 miles. So I grabbed another hotel. And their internet sucks. I'll have to update tomorrow.

Meanwhile, thanks for following along!

[HeyWhatever]

Cool beans. Keep the photos coming. I am hoping to head back out west next summer. Good for you!