Sunday, August 29, 2004

T minus six... or seven

I'm leaving in six or seven days. Six if I can find a campground or inexpensive hotel reservation for Sunday, seven if I can't. When I planned my trip, I totally forgot about Labor Day weekend being the busiest of the year. It should be much easier after the first weekend, when everyone goes back to work, and I leave the population density of California behind. I've got just about everything ready. My motorcycle is getting a small tune-up tomorrow, and I still need to buy the last few supplies: fresh batteries for the flashlight, gas containers for the stove and lantern, a first-aid kit, etc. One week to go!

Monday, August 23, 2004

11,518 miles on a moped

This guy is a true original. In the summer of 1978, Walter Muma rode a 50cc moped across Canada and Alaska all the way north of the Arctic Circle to the "End of the Road," the town of Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Riding 100-300 miles per day for 97 days, he covered 11,518 miles and spent only $106 Canadian on gas (averaging 150mpg). He didn't spend much on lodging, either, as you can see on this page. Now that is a long ride!

This is what you look like after 11,518 and over three months on a moped

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Camping, Hostels and Hotels

I'm going to use a mixture of camping, hostels and hotels. I figure that after a few days of camping, I'll be ready for a hotel room. Hotels make me lonely though, and hostels are great for meeting interesting people. Then I'll want to get out on my own and camping sounds good again. I'm just guessing here, but I think that's how it will work.

For those that aren't familiar with hostels, here's a short explanation. I've used them a lot in Europe, and a few times in the U.S. They're cheap and usually clean, but once in a while I find a bad one, just like anything. There are some great ones, too: the hostel in Seaside, Oregon, for example, was excellent. For less than $20, I got a shared room right off the beach in a clean, rustic little cabin. Breakfast is often included, and there's usually a well-stocked bookshelf and internet access of some sort. I've seen prices ranging from $5 for a backwoods location to $30 for a centrally located big city hostel. I have the Hostel Handbook, which contains every hostel in the United States and Canada in a thin pamphlet.

I plan on camping as much as possible, but I've never camped while motorcycling, so I've been reading up quite a bit, including quite a few online guides. This book looks interesting too. I'll be careful to not carry too much stuff. I don't want to weigh the bike or myself down and I don't want to worry about anything being stolen.

Then there are hotels, which are easy but lonely and expensive. I’ll save them for the rainy days.

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Seals at San Simeon

Elephant seals just north of San Simeon, California

This photo is from a ride Elena and I took a couple of months ago.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

The Best Part

Dusty enjoying the view along Forest Road 1 through Six Rivers and Trinity National Forests
I took a tour of Northern California this weekend with Pashnit Tours. The riding and roads were incredible, but this photo illustrates my favorite part: resting at the top of the ridgeline, enjoying the stillness of nature after riding through it.

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Road Trippin'

I've been reading the Road Trip USA book, but quite a bit of the content is also available on their website. The routes shown are two-lane highways, including three that I will likely use: the Great Northern (U.S. 2), The Appalachian Trail, and the Southern Pacific (U.S. 80).