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Agent Orange Cheese and the Bush Monkeys

5K views 54 replies 11 participants last post by  JeffMayfield 
#1 · (Edited)
If it wasn't for rotten luck there would be not luck at all........but different.


My name is Antonio and I thought I would add a thread in this trip theme as I have just started a major trip. The title I thought was appropriate for some of the stuff I will mention. The luck did in fact turn out good as well as for my own good. A lesson learned....I hope.....



Not sure what forum is best to post adventures. Am starting with a couple but if I should be on any in particular or not on any in particular, or not sure if any are interested in any ongoing trips. I'll continue with it if I get responses. hope someone lets me know.


The first luck was picking up Rosebud(1982 GL1100I) last summer in Calgary with Kijiji while living in Dawson City Yukon Territory. I noticed no one I know names their ride, so I'll stick with GL1100. Got it cheap and in very, very good shape. My plan is to drive it down to Nicaragua but as everybody knows plans inevitably change somewhat, and they have a bit except the destination. I arranged the buy and flew down and drove it to Edmonton where I stored it for the winter at a friends place which was the best luck of all. Carl and Cheryl allowed me to share their beautiful home while I restored the GL1100 in Carl's well outfitted shop, full of tools, harleys and boats and harley and boat parts, am using the word “restore” because it sounds good. I moved out of the Yukon and this past spring changed: wheel bearings, rotors, back brakes, installed progressive spring inserts front and rear in the stock air shocks (new seals and 15w oil).Thanks to RoadRouge for the rotors and help, as well as his patience, along the way with his design of the car alternator mod which I also installed. Thanks also for his forever resonant words “Chrome wont get you home”!! Thanks also to a few others which I terrorized for help.


I decided to build a rack on the back for all my gear and welded up a decent one out of rebar which fit nicely and looked not bad, at least to me. I was going to pack everything on the bike and take off from Edmonton, Alberta to pick up a friend, who was interested in sharing some of my adventure, at the Calgary airport, arriving from Europe, and pile her and her luggage on and it would have all fit nicely but did not even think about the weight....dahhh!


Decided to do a test run on the day of departure. Backed the bike out of the garage and rolled a bit forward and there she went, over on it's right side taking out my right mirror. Lucky it was just that!! That's not gonna work. I unloaded a lot, including all my tools, for my friend Carl to dispose of, said my goodbyes and left. Stopped at a Honda shop on the way out of Edmonton,wobbling a little as I slowed to a stop. and found that the mirrors were discontinued.....rotten-luck! Stopped in Red Deer for gas and a Honda dealer next door on the highway. Noticed I was wobbling a lot while slowing down to a stop and I still had to pack on my friend and bag(s). Seemed like a death-wish and so not going to happen. Decided on a trailer and inquired at the Honda shop for a used one. None, but buddy was nice enough to check Kijiji for me and there was one 30 minutes away, in Bently, Alberta.


Decided to grab a room, unpack and shoot to the airport in Calgary to pickup my friend more than a few hours late. Luckily for her she was a few hours late landing.


First, the mirror, Honda parts in Red Deer said it was discontinued, rotten-luck! Buddy said to checkout the counter next to his where they sold generic bike accessorizes. What kind of giraffe-necked mirror was I gonna get there? Asked and they said they had only a couple, I picked ione up and on the package read 1982 GL1100, left mirror, darn. The other package said right mirror, yea!! A brand new mirror to match my left one.


So the cowboys, and girls. and rocket women, and men who manage the “ether” looked sideways at me and said “lets give this bozo back his mirror, he has learned his lesson”..... maybe. Nevertheless it wasn't my time yet, and I have saved starting this threat until I am well into it so as I can be sure most of the stupidity has been purged....maybe...


Meanwhile back at the room, my friend with me “safely” now, on Kijiji, not a lot of trailers to be had but a nice one in Bently, Alberta. Alas no hitch and none to be found and no one wanting to put it on. Thought to go and pay for the trailer so I would at least have that and spend some time driving around looking for a hitch. Downloaded some pics and designs for a hitch for that bike. Phoned up buddy in Bently with the trailer to tell him I would be out to pay for it and leave it stored there until I got a hitch.




While on the phone with him a lady was there to buy it......Rotten-luck!! He mentioned he had seen one online in Lethbridge, Alberta similar to his. I checked and none to be found but another a bit out of my price range. A tent trailer, I phoned and told him about my hitch dilemma. Ron was a mechanic and had a shop just like Carls full of Harleys and parts. Went down and he modified a Harley hitch and installed it, sold me the trailer, his parts and labour and off we went back north to our hotel, packed everything in the trailer and off we went. Landed in Drumheller and stayed just outside at the Last Chance Saloon campground in Wayne, Alberta. A great place to camp out Canada Day and waited on a giant dinosaur to peak around one of the Badland Hoo Doos there.


We were hanging around Canada because I was awaiting some documents, to be mailed to a postal station in lethbridge, to allow me to get a lengthy travel insurance plan and also I was awaiting my new Alberta drivers license since my GL1100 had Alberta plates and insurance, I had to get an Alberta drivers license and that could have taken about 20 days, so we were hanging and that provides fodder for my next submission to this threat.


Unbeknownst to me there were those in the Gold Springs Campground in Milk River, Alberta, that did not appreciate riders with long hair and not with big expensive motor-homes and so passed on a fantasy that I was awaiting fraudulent documents to cross the border as well as holding my friend against her will to their drunken Royal Canadian Mounted Nazi (RCMN) who was camping along side them, who passed that information on to the US border gaurd, wonder how that would have played out for the Nazi's if there really was someone holding someone else, and they passed their work on to the US....no doubt another coverup.....guess that adventure will await till next time, I submit to this thread.


We are currently in Yellowstone park (after being treated like terrorists at the border) on the way to Custer and Rusmore then back south west through Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and so on. Anybody interested in meeting up for a beer, or a ride, or a campalong, let me know.




Ride safe!!
 

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#3 ·
Antonio,

My wife and I were just in your neck of the woods this summer. While traveling from north from Dawson Creek we pulled over in Fort St. John at a part store looking for a tiny screw for her helmet. We decided to switch our bluetooth devices ( hers needed charging) and it was at that moment we realized hers was missing. We went back to where we thought it might be , but no luck. Later, she needed to take a tinkle and there was no bathroom in sight so I found a gravel road between KM 370 and 371 and cut the corner to short and over we went into a ditch...we were okay but Gretta (we name our bikes) suffered a cracked right mirror...Duct tape saved the day.

On the way back from Fairbanks, between Beaver Creek and Destruction Bay ( middle of nowhere) we got a piece of the YT infamous shale in the rear tire. 5 Dyna Plugs and a bottle of Slime later and we were on our way. Thankfully the Honda dealer in Whitehorse had 1 rear tire in stock and we were on our way.

Our trip was amazing even with the spots of trouble and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I wish you the best on your trip.

Lonnie

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#7 ·
Antonio,

My wife and I were just in your neck of the woods this summer. While traveling from north from Dawson Creek we pulled over in Fort St. John at a part store looking for a tiny screw for her helmet. We decided to switch our bluetooth devices ( hers needed charging) and it was at that moment we realized hers was missing. We went back to where we thought it might be , but no luck. Later, she needed to take a tinkle and there was no bathroom in sight so I found a gravel road between KM 370 and 371 and cut the corner to short and over we went into a ditch...we were okay but Gretta (we name our bikes) suffered a cracked right mirror...Duct tape saved the day.

On the way back from Fairbanks, between Beaver Creek and Destruction Bay ( middle of nowhere) we got a piece of the YT infamous shale in the rear tire. 5 Dyna Plugs and a bottle of Slime later and we were on our way. Thankfully the Honda dealer in Whitehorse had 1 rear tire in stock and we were on our way.

Our trip was amazing even with the spots of trouble and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I wish you the best on your trip.

Lonnie

Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App
Hey yuterev,

Wow looks like good luck was on your side too. The shale might be called "chirt" and is infamous for popping tires along the Dempster highway as it did mine this past spring as I drove my van back from TUK. You can smash a piece of chirt against another or other rock and it shatters into little sharp arrow heads. At one time they graded the road up there with it and now some makes it's way to the surface....to my bad luck this past spring.

ride safe,
antonio
 
#5 ·
Great write-up! You have a good writing style... We all look forward to hearing more about your travels! :claps:
 
#6 ·
Kazaam! This is great! Keep it coming! Good luck on the road...... damn nice outfit you've evolved.....
 
#8 ·
doing the wingle rumble

Antonio here again.


First, I gotta say I will have one sore arse when I get to Central America. Those old Goldwing seats sure look nice but not rated high on the comfort level after an hour or 2. Any cheap seat top additions people are using to make the ride more bearable on the arse?


Second, I have a few adventures on the back burner and my next experience with the Royal Canadian Mounted Nazis' is almost ready to be posted. I am wondering if I should just add to the thread I have already started, though I should start a new one with a dfferent subject other than “a trip-If it wasn't for rotten luck there would be not luck at all.....but different” and keep adding to it or just start new threads each time. I tried posting on another site and got very little interest. This one I did get encouragement. Any advice?


Was driving the switchbacks in Yellowstone today and the hillsides were covered in wildflowers. I was listening to the sound of the GL1100. I fricken love that low rumble as she rides along effortlessly. It's like the rhythmic musical base just under the jazzy whine of the fat lady. Considering the noise, there are a frak of a lot of noisy Harleys around, not that many Wings and even fewer older ones. I dare say I have only seen one 1979 GL1000 back in Lethbridge. Those Harleys trying to blow the eardrums out my nose remind me of those youngins with oversized pants showing off their buttcracks, with a blaster on their shoulders expecting everyone around them to like their full volumed rap/hip hop. Fortunately its easy enough to look the other way, unless buttcracking is your thing, but not hearing those pounding, blasting Harleys is somewhat more difficult to do. Oh well, shruggg...


Ride safely,
Antonio
 
#13 ·
If you need to change the title and the date is expired, just drop me a PM and I can fix you right up.

Great thread, and please do keep all of your posts about your trip right here. If they get put into a new thread, it looses the continuity that is needed to preserve the theme.

Great writing style, really loved the read.
 
#11 ·
Both can be done.
Title change.
On the OP (original post)
Click "edit"
Click "advanced"
Change the title
You'll only be able to edit for about 30 days from posting.

I'll have to look up the email notification.
 
#16 ·
thread name change

Both can be done.
Title change.
On the OP (original post)
Click "edit"
Click "advanced"
Change the title
You'll only be able to edit for about 30 days from posting.

I'll have to look up the email notification.
I Jeff, I think I got the email notifications done. I however would like to change the name of the thread rather than the title of a post. Is this possible???
 
#14 ·
time lines and companions

I'll have to pick up some pieces along the way as I missed a bunch and so may jump back and forth a bit. Not sure if I'll every get it straight on the “time line” cause got to do some enjoying while I travel and not just writing.


I technically started this bolt to southern reaches in March this year when I took my raised roof van to the Arctic Ocean and back down to Edmonton via the Alaska Marine Highway from Haynes to Prince Rupert. My trip to the Arctic Ocean took me up the ice road along the McKenzie river. I took a 3000 watt generator with me to keep me warm and I had electric stove and toaster oven to cook with inside.


A quick story is that I worked for a few weeks in Tuk out of a dry camp, when finished I headed to Inuvik and spent the night right on the ice road where there was no traffic. Tossed the generator out about 50 feet and strung the electrical cord out on the ice to the van. Decided to have a bottle of wine or so with my meal, stepping occasionally out to pee under the dancing lights. Thought I would just load everything up in the morning and take off, Got up with an awful hangover and slowly started to pack stuff up to leave. Found that 50 feet of electrical cord had heated up enough that it melted its way down about 3 inches while freezing the top layers on the way down. Chipping 50 feet of electrical cable out of the frozen McKenzie river while hung-over was not that pleasant and it took quite awhile until I decided to pour gasoline and lighting the river on fire whilst throwing snow on the parts of the cable starting to singe. Hey, it worked!


I landed in Edmonton and put in over 3 weeks work restoring my GL1100 and then continued my bolt southbound. Most of that was covered in my previous posts.


I had advertised to rent my back seat out on a singles site but that did not go over well as most North American women feel that men should spend money on them rather than the reverse...I think they call it “treating them like a lady”. Not so in other parts of the world....It's definitely an American thing and that includes Canadians as well. We might be more polite but that's about it...I think if I ever meet a North American woman that has ever wined and dined a man they barely knew, I dare say, I would offer to eat their dirty shorts.


I taught English all over the world, more or less, and in most other cultures women are not like that. If they ask we to join them for a beer they insist on paying for it...That’s just the way it is. I was just asking for my passenger to do what it takes financially, if she was going to do it alone. Pay for the gas and accommodations. Accommodations usually include two people in North America and I am paying for my food and drink, and I am doing most of the work as a full time guide, driver, heavy labourer. We share the lighter stuff like cooking, washing, setting up and taking down the tents. Nevertheless, I don't mind putting extra into someone elses adventure....well... the responses I got.... I needed to be taking my mother rather that than a woman. I often wonder what comes out of peoples mouths...


OK, that did not work out and any North American old ladies out there that are interested in a fine adventure may still be sitting on their coaches and watching reality TV until an adventure falls in their lap. Better them than me. I'm all for doin.


Meanwhile I have travelled all over the world and paid for it, while there, by teaching English and I have always shared my email address with my students and fellow teachers, inviting them to keep in touch or come visit if my situation allowed it. Some have. My companion on this trip is Fulvia. She is Italian and lives about 20 km from the Ferrari factory. She was one of my English students back in 2007. This is the 3rd time she has taken me up on following me through one of my many adventures. This is the first time she is not sharing expenses and has to pay. She is paying for the gas and the accommodations and anything that I provided but she did not care for and so she paid to change it. We are taking $50 for the air mattress rather that $50,000 for a motor home. She likes Rosebud, accept for the sore arse thing....I'm workin on that (mind outta the gutter!!). She is however having a real big adventure. The royal canadian mounted nazis' did have a negative effect on her....but I am working on that too.


One thing I have noticed travelling the world. as well as being an Italian, is that Italians do not venture out on their own. I see lots of French, Germans, Dutch, Swiss...others on there own or couples or more but Italians are only spotted in groups of 20 or more with a tour guide. I think Fulvia is getting here moneys worth. I will be dropping her off at the airport in Phoenix in a coupe of months. Then I'm on my own again.


OK, just got into Sturgis. Didn't realize the party was next week and it wasn't on my list to do. If it was only a couple of days away, I could swing it but Fulvia is not a party girl...too bad... but I am enjoying the build up that is happening right now and for the next 4 days that I will be here to just before the prices go up at the camp sites for all that are coming for that party.... well I will at least be able to say that I was almost here!
 
#18 ·
Earth, Wind, and Fire, or is it gasoline, air, and spark?

Other titles that could stick are:


Once a bozo always a bozo,


Old age strikes again,


Glorified motorcycles and their mechs.


If it aint' a Harley, it ain't gettin fixed here.


I'm a great bike mechanic as long as it's a Harley or a lawnmower.


Harley riders welcome, Wingnuts tolerated, barely.


Sturgis is for Sturgeons??


Hey if someone comes up with a good title, I'll buy the beers should we meet along the way.


I wrote something 2 days ago about my departure from Sturgis, but as most always the Internet in these campgrounds work sporadically and I did not get to post it as I wanted. And as always writing stuff quickly and posting it is probably not the best writing one can do. And, as sometimes happens, as in this case, **** happens for a reason. And so I was meant to send this instead.


So we left Sturgis knowing I probably would not be back. I never did make it through the strip at night to take pics of the “then” craziness as I wanted to. Oh well Shrugggg....!!


As we rumbled, not pounded, out of Sturgis, we drove by the strip of venders in tents, many with tool chest and mechanics working on rows of bikes up on bike jacks. I looked over and thought, well, at least that's not me in there.


Got to Rapid City, trailer in tow, where we stopped and started a few times doing some shopping and the GL1100 heated up a bit so the fan came on a few times. On our departure from there I noticed a loss of power going up some small hills. It got worse on the highway and we had to pull into a tourist spot half way up a hill just past the Reptile Gardens. It looked like a brand new church but was a museum for the “founding fathers”. They were gracious enough to let us use their newly paved parking lot, as I dripped gasoline over it, whilst troubleshooting.


I unhooked the trailer in case the wheel bearings were pulling us back, and took the GL1100 up the rest of the hill and found that I had to drive off to the side at about max 50kph all the way until I found a safe turn around to go back, which wasn't that far. It seemed that putting any kind of strain on her would bog her down anywhere after 3500 rpm. Standing still at idle, I could do her at 7000 without a hitch. It did get worse though. The only things I did not change during restoration were the fuel filter and the spark plugs. I was sure the symptoms were the cause of a clogged fuel filter. I removed that and purged it with gas from the tank, forwards and backwards a few times. Racing the bike up and down the parking lot after each time. No change. I removed the spark plugs and all 4 seemed consistent with each other, No wet ones and I checked each plug for a good spark, all were good.


About 15 minutes after I pulled into the lot, Mr. & Mrs. Airstream pulled in with transmission problems. We chatted and I suggested that he unhook and take the truck, un-strained, up the hill for a test, like I did. The truck worked well, They phoned and found a mechanic, so they went into Rapid City, to check out their truck, and I asked to get me some spark plugs and a new fuel filter.


While I was waiting, it started to rain and so we went into the “Founding Fathers” Museum to make some phone calls. The young man at the reception was very helpful and was interested in what I was doing. He did not seem very mechanically minded, but I don't pretend to be either. I explained I was checking for Fuel, Air and Spark, much like a lawn mower.


Unfortunately I did not “hear myself” say that!


Went back out, changed the spark plugs and filter with new, and no change. I had replaced the air filter last fall before storage with a new reusable K & N filter so in my “minds” eye, I saw a sparkling pristine air filter not causing any problem. The old filter I took off last fall before storage, just after I bought the bike, was so dirty that I could not see the paper and the old girl still whined and rumbled like a dream.


New plugs, new fuel filter, newish air filter, I was lost and called up AAA for a free tow. Wasn't sure to where. From the museum, I called Rice Honda, Rapid City, but they did not work on anything over 10 years old.


Wow!! what luck, being broken down near a place full of mechanics working on bikes. I will be on the road again in no time. Got towed back to Sturgis. It was a bit embarrassing coming back into town in that state.


No one had taken up my original camp spot but prices had doubled and it was a two day minimum now. I unloaded everything and Fulvia managed to set up camp by herself while I took off looking for a fix. At 20km/hr, before she would gurgle and spit(not Fulvia), where the heck is that beautiful rumble?


As I drove into the mechs' spaces, I could see them turn white and when I asked for help, their eyes began to glaze over. Mostly the responses were, “go see a Honda dealer”, which was not in Sturgis. Only one guy was sympathetic in that he at least talked to me about the problem and suggested it was a coil even though I told him the plugs looked great, he said yea but what kind of spark.....


One guy pointed with a shrug to the Yamaha dealer down the road so I decided to go there, at the very least to see if they may have had a Japanese coil that might have fit. The sales man pointed me to the service desk to see...Raymond or Randy....not sure which and it could have been something else. Anyway, the service manager was an old Honda guy but like everyone else he or his mechanics would not touch my GL1100. I groveled and whined and explained my problem, He mentioned it sounded like a bad air filter, I convinced him it had a pristine K&N filter in it. He eventually came out and started her up to listen to the gurgling and spitting. He asked to see the old plugs and said they were perfect and that if it had been a coil, two plugs would be fouled. Also he said if it had been bad fuel or filter it would not work right in low RPM's either. I think just to appease me and get me off my one track mind, he said that sometimes air filters worked tooooo well and that I should wrap some duct tape over some of it, finally he said to take the air filter off and see if anything changes, so before he left and as I was leaving a little disappointed and wondering what I was going to do, I opened up the shelter to remove the filter for the ride back to the campground. As soon as I did that, he said, “there is your problem” as he grabbed the two gloves I stuck in the very convenient holes beside the tool tray which are the intake for the air filter. He immediately started it, revved it up and it rumbled like a dream. We looked at each other, I shrugged, he shrugged and I yelled out “thankyou” as he dashed inside to take care of business.


It wasn't ignorance since I have had this bike down to the frame and engine once as well as a 76 GL1000 a few times. I knew those intakes were there. I'll concede stupidity as I was fumbling with those gloves from one side of the fairing to the other and one time the shelter was open and whoa....! There's a spot. With the tool tray in place, you can't see the vents, well, and so, it was, what it was.


We were off again after two more nights in Sturgis. We went downtown one night to check out the strip and excitement as well as some music. When we were rumbling out of town, from behind, came an exceptionally loud pounding, and I thought, frig, leaving a moment not too soon and as he passed....there, in all its glory, was the icing on the cake. The loud intrusive noise from the hip hop boom box, complete with the visual of the Biker Chic “BUTT CRACK!!!” (from my post of “doing the wing rumble”). I thought, OK, I'm good to go now. I couldn't avert my eyes because I had to see where I was driving :). Hey, you can't make this **** up!!


One last thing about Sturgis. I would not go again and I can't say I would recommend it for any non pounders. I would however check out for a few nights a spot called Hulett, WY, It's a nice little town a hour an a half west of Strugis, 9 miles north of the Devil's Tower from “close encounters of the third kind” fame. It has some venders and some really nice bars and cheap camping.


I would go back there during the rally. Definitely not Sturgis.
 

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#19 ·
Good story..

I did almost the same weird air cleaner blocker. Checked fuel, spark, but didn't check air right away... My 67 Suzuki would idle great and run great while sitting revving. As soon as i took off down the road it would start bogging until i let up on the gas.
My air cleaner inlet is under the side cover and that is where i have my registration and tool kit in a ZIP LOCK BAG. Under heavy load the zip lock would suck up to the inlet but as soon as i let off it fall back into place. It had me scratching my head for a while on such a simple bike and then the awwwww moment when I finally figured it out. :ROFL:
 
#20 ·
Thread Subscriptions are easy...

but, you have to do it from a post, while at the post editor, click on Advanced.
Then scroll down a bit until you find:

Thread Subscription Notification Type:
Folder:

change the notification type to fit your needs, I use "Instant Email"
 
#25 ·
clitch in da hitch

OK, we rolled into Rawlins, Wy, and as I gave and took the gas off there were these pretty noticeable squeaks that I had not heard before. We were tired and late and had a bite and a drink and tomorrow was another day. Got up, shoved and poked the GL1100 around always hearing that bothersome new squeak. Took off the back trunk and kept probing around till I found the culprit.


As I mentioned before where my bad luck turned to good luck. Ron, the guy who sold me the trailer managed to modify a Harley hitch he also had for sale to fit my ride. It took most of the day and it was great that I could get on with my trip. Using that bottom brace was probably not the greatest thing to use, since it was only tubing and the sides were held on by clamps, good clamps, but clamps all the same. The upper bars are bolted to the upper strong frame the shocks are bolted to. It's just the bottom I should be worried about..I think.

I appreciated his effort and work and want to get me out of a bind. I was actually surprised it made it 6000km. I am hoping my fix will make it as long as well. In the mean time I will have to dig out some plans I found on line for a GL1100 hitch and maybe down load them again. And when I get to the next old “Goldwing safe house”, I will have to build it, or get it built....Whoa!! did I say “safe house”...? That would be nice, though it seems that is what I run into alot...people wanting to help....except not so much in Sturgis.

I broke the broom handle that holds up the top to my trailer in Virginia City, I asked the guy running the only campground in town if he had an old broken hockey stick around that I could have. He promptly said “there aint much hockey round here friend”. He was very friendly and found me a piece of 3/4 inch metal conduit that will never break. The guy at the campground in Rawlins, darn, can't remember the name but was the one furthest west next to another one, he ran around in his golf cart trying to find me rods I can use to repair my hitch. I needed some other stuff and a fellow camper offered to drive me down to the hardware store and back.


In Yellowstone, at the state park, “bakers hole” one of my tent poles broke, I asked the caretaker if I could find a store in town where I could buy one and she said doubtful but pointed to a bunch of stuff hanging from her tree, left by other campers, like tent pegs, and poles. Apparently some girls broke the elastic cord that hold them together and left them. They were a bit too thick and long for mine but I cut them down to size and widdled the ends down with my cheap multi tool. Now I have spares.


Not to mention Carl and Ron, it seems I land in all the right spots when in trouble or acting bozoish. There were still a few disappointments, like Sturgis(except Yamaha guy) and the Nazis' at Milk River which I am still going to post. Have not yet because I have just filed an official complaint against our bright and shiny Royal Canadian Mounted Nazis'. Thought I would wait a bit, but coming soon to a post near you.

Whoa, wow ...did I say “Goldwing safe house”?

Now in Moab, Utah. Started a post awhile ago trying to tie some of the trip together and adding some descriptions of the land as we pass. Gotta finish that. Yellowstone was great but I usually got off the bike and walked 50 steps before my jaw dropped. Here around Moab, starting at Cisco and driving down # 128. I really had a hard time keeping my eyes on the road. The view was fricken incredible and my head was turning every which way, well it was trying but I managed to keep it straight enough, to keep from floating down the Colorado river, to the Grand Canyon...I am hoping to ride there instead.

Here the national parks called Canyon lands and Arches are also incredible and since it would be harder to find a state that has helmet laws, it was very tempting to fly the arches with hair blowing and a t shirt on. Not that I will make that a habit, but I gone and done it!!!


Changed my oil here after about 8000km. Justified that because I have added 3 liters of new oil along the way. I am sure that was because I had 'er leaning over too much when the kickstand sunk down into the grass a few times while camping. Guess everybody knows that is a good way to loose oil on those old wings. Had a 76 GL1000(Rosebud 1), and it smoked out of the left pipe for awhile every-time I started her.

I started the trip with Rotella Synthetic 0w40 and now find myself with a liter and a half of 0w40 spare and so changed with mobil 1, 0w40 and a new filter, took a few empty apple juice containers, ready for another 6 or 8 g's

Tomorrow it's off to Durango, set up camp, and tour around there for a couple of days. Maybe finish up my other posts and start new adventures.....

Did I say “Goldwing safe-house”, what's with that!
 

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#26 ·
playing catch up

Catching up with the back ass of my GL1100. Just a few things before I get to the Nazis'. We left the motel room at Didsbury Alberta the first time with my new trailer. Went pretty much straight east passed the rosebud river and on into Drumheller where they have the amazing Tyrell museum for dinosaurs and have a T-Rex or two that were found in the area. Well worth the $11. We camped just east and south at the “last chance saloon” for $15 a night. It was great and there were lots of pounding Harleys that came and went and a few newer Honda's. Did not see any older ones. We rode around seeing the sites and making some loops while the trailer and other weight was back at the saloon. It was pretty scenic specially for someone who has never seen the badlands of Alberta, I had before and it was still incredible. I would not have been that surprised to see Dino around one or two of the hoo-doos there.


After a week and a bit, we decided to head on down to Writing On Stone park near Milk River. Got there and it was fully booked through their online reservation for months. We ran into that at the most popular and expensive spots, such as Yellowstone and expect that when we leave Sturgis on Tuesday will find that as well near Rushmore or Custer. We found a spot to stay at, just south of Milk River, The Gold Springs Campground where we had another adventure which I will post soon, the story of the nazis'.


So jumping on to Glacier National Park, after a night drying out in an expensive heated cabin thanks to those nazis' in Milk River. We got up and moved to a tent site, set up and then headed over the “Going to the Sun“ road, over Logan's Pass. In-flippen-credible!! What a ride except for the first 7 Km starting on the east side from St. Mary where road construction had us starting, warbling along, and stopping for extended waits on gravel roads. Actually the warbling was not that bad as the gravel was more hard packed than loose. I don't do loose gravel well. I do though love that Wing rumble on pavement!!


We went to the west side and came back to the east, it was great! Next day packed up the tent and headed south.


In Milk River we met up with a former Winger, John Deerborn(sp?). He invited us back to his motor home and spelled out a route that he took north and we should take going south. Through Nevada City, Virginia City, on into West Yellowstone, to Cody and on into Custer. Still didn't know I would be passing through Strugis and even very close to the time of it's bike rally.


We headed south from St. Mary, through Helena, Montana, towards Nevada and Virginia Cities. Decided to spend the night in the town of Townsend. Stoped at the local grocery/hardware/saddlery/beer/gas store and found they really meant business and only sold tall boy beers, The gal at the cash said “yup! You want beer, you get bigens here”. They directed us to a campsite about a mile back from where we came, it looked like a picnic spot with nobody there but it had free camping spots and it was great except for the gazillion mosquitoes. We set up a defensive perimeter of coils and eventually they subsided enough to get the tent set up and the fire going. Hey it was free and quiet and free, did I mention it was free and really nice if you had a bunch of coils burning?


The next day we packed up and dropped in to the tall beer and hardware store again and bought them out of Mosquito coils. We then landed in Virginia City and spent 2 nights. Saw everything and the thing that amazed me most was the stock of old entertainment machines they had there. I lived and tour-guided up in gold rush Dawson City and we had no machines there other than a play it yourself old piano or two. Guess the logistics and cost of shipping had something to do with that.


In Nevada and Virginia Cities, they had ample examples of machines that told your fortune, showed you time lapsed photos while you spin the handle as well as automatic speed, including what they called, at the time,...adult films. Wonderful music machines with seemingly full orchestration. Drop in $0.25 and the thing places with percussion, pipes, strings and so on. Amazing stuff they did in those days, Now we have mp3 players.


Found a tent site at the local RV campground in Virginia city but for only 2 nights and then kicked out because of reservations for a busy weekend coming up. No matter, we saw all there was to see including a free tour through the old gold fields on an old army truck. That was well worth it as long as you held on so you didn't get bumped off on the way down.


Left Virginia City and landed in West Yellowstone a few hours later. Camped out at the state park just before town, called Baker's Hole. The ranger inside the visitor center talked me into buying an annual national park pass since we were going to a lot of parks including Mount Rushmore...she said!. Unfortunatley there was a parking fee at Mount Rushmore even though it was a national park/monument and should have been included in the pass....I suspect she was more interested in selling the pass rather than share any sincerity she might have. I wonder how many more parks it will not work at.


The annual national park pass does “so far” work at: Yellowstone, Devils Tower, Arches and Canyon Lands National parks. I am half way there to paying it off. I am thinkin that “annual” means end of this summer rather than this time next year. Maybe...


Yellowstone was also incredible and soooo big. Amazing that it is sitting on a mega nuclear bomb ready to destroy all life on Earth. I saw it first!! Thought nothing, even the Gran Canyon, could not compare to the Yellowstone Grand Canyon....until I got to Moab. Saw Old Faithful blow her load. Once every 90 min..


Left Yellowstone and headed towards Cody, another incredible road, it was like being in a Dr. Suess filmasaurus, with twinkies holding spires and rocks from tumbling down, From Cody to Ten Sleeps it was wind city. I would have lost my glasses a few times if I did not have my helmet on...flat and windy.


It took us 2 days to get to Sturgis. Sturgis...enough said.... well maybe not. Dropped into a vendor tent where buddy was changing oil and as I was/am thinking about changing my final drive oil because of some concerns, which I might talk about later. He said yea he would change it Tuesday morning when his license takes effect. We chatted for quite a while about stuff and then I just confirmed about Tuesday morning before I took off, he looked under my rear wheel and said “ Geeeze I don't have a #10 metric wrench, sorry, no can do”.... Sturgis...enough said!! Makes me think of “Bush Monkeys”, part of the name of the thread to these posts.


Toured around some of the scenic loops there, again would stay in Hulett instead of Sturgis if I ever did that again, but won't. Went to Devils Tower...incredible! Did the going away, coming back again thing with the gloves in the breather vents. Packed up for the second time and took the long way to HotSprings, set up camp and toured around the pigtail, and needles highways, saw Mount Rushmore without paying the parking fee. It's impressive from the outside from a few places. Went to Crazy Horse and that was well worth paying to get in. It was $11 per person if in a car or bigger. It was $5 per person on a motorcycle...all the time. What a project that is. Don't think they will get that finished in the next 34 years. That will be it for me.


Packed up and headed south west. Hotsprings to Rawlins for some hitch hickups and a late start to the day. Rawlins to Meeker where we found more free camping, then Meeker to Moab of which i have already talked about and so am now current.
 

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#28 ·
What great fun you are having wish I could join you out there.

Do keep us posted and some pictures of the sights you see would be great as I may never make it out there.

I've free camping here if you end up over this way.

Great reading I like the way you've rambled it together some how makes it more fun to read.
 
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