The Trip

[nickjtc]

Another short-ish day, Ocala, Florida to Chipley, Florida. 436km/271miles. It's so nice riding along without the rear end of the bike sounding like it is sawing itself in half.  :icon_wink:

I've posted a question under the "Speaking of bikes...." heading about my rear tyre. Feel free to wade in!

And for all you lepidopterists out there, what is this? It has been sitting/perching (what do these things do at rest, anyway?) on the wall outside my room since I got here:

[Mustang]

luna moth.........................
a giant fucking silkworm
what did I win?

[Sin_Tiger]

A part used PR3 

[nickjtc]

luna moth.........................
what did I win?

I looked it up and you are right. No prize except a thank you for edumicating me

[nickjtc]

A part used PR3 

I suspect that this beastie has more life left in it than the tyre... if only by a few days.

[nickjtc]

You know when you are on a trip you sometimes end up staying somewhere that is a hole? last night was it. Pascagoula Inns and Suites, Pascagoula, Mississippi. I even got propositioned in the car park! Nothing worked etc etc (in the motel room ), so no report yesterday. Except for that it was another 'bucket list' day.

And another state line

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/64%20June%202.jpg.html)

Guess where this is. No prizes, just a pat on the back. Hint: it's another shooting location from a film I mentioned earlier on in the trip.

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/65a%20CEOTTK%20house%20June%202.jpg.html)

First in line for the ferry to cross Mobile Bay

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/66%20Mobile%20Bay%20ferry%20June%202.jpg.html)

Hard a port, or starboard, Cap'n. We don't want another oil disaster. I counted 20 rigs in the bay.

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/67%20Ferry%20June%202.jpg.html)

The only live wildlife I've seen all trip. The rest has been roadkill

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/68%20June%202.jpg.html)

Fort Morgan on the east side, and Fort Gaines on the west side of the Bay. Civil War stuff

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/69%20Fort%20Morgan%20June%202.jpg.html)
(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/71%20Fort%20Gaines%20Dauphin%20Island%20June%202.jpg.html)

Here is Bayou la Batre. A location in another one of my favourite films. Hint: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."
(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/72a%20Bayou%20la%20Batre%20June%202.jpg.html)
(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/72b%20Bayou%20la%20Batre%20June%202.jpg.html)

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/73%20June%202.jpg.html)

500km/311miles for the day. Chipley, Florida to Pascagoula, Mississippi.

[nickjtc]

The hole of a place for accommodation last night was so bad it prompted me to get my arse out of bed early and on the road while it was still dark.  Longest day yet: 1290km/802miles. Pascagoula, Mississippi to Abilene, Texas. Nothing to report. It was hot, cool, wet, dry, and involved crossing two state lines.

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/74%20June%203.jpg.html)

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/75%20June%203.jpg.html)

The end of the second week. Total distance to date 8852km/5500miles.

Off to see some aliens tomorrow.

[nickjtc]

Abilene, Texas to Winslow, Arizona. Don't know exactly which corner Glenn Frey was standing on when he wrote the song. Another longish one, 1253km/778miles.

Interesting the daft things we will do while riding.... Please do not do this at home.

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/June%204%201.jpg.html)

New Mexico beckons

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/nm1.jpg.html)

Didn't see any aliens in Roswell, but they do take the whole thing seriously

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/June%204%202.jpg.html)

This was sitting downtown. To defend from said UFOs?

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/June%204%203.jpg.html)

Who said the Kansas was the only boring place to ride?

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/June%204%204.jpg.html)

Hottest place on the ride so far, but to be expected, I suppose

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/June%204%205.jpg.html)

[JoeDirt]

Guess where this is. No prizes, just a pat on the back. Hint: it's another shooting location from a film I mentioned earlier on in the trip.
(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/65a%20CEOTTK%20house%20June%202.jpg.html)

Close encounters... did you have one? Gillian and Barry"s house...

They have two satellite dishes... the second is for contacting the mother ship.

[nickjtc]

Congrats. Good guess. No close encounters of any kind, even though I knocked on the door.

No one has chimed in about the film for the other location yet.....

[nickjtc]

God Bless America, again! Only Americans would build a road in a place where it really wasn't needed, but which provides 50+ miles of sublime twisties. More on that later.

Anyhoo, made it to the west coast yesterday. 911km/566 miles. Winslow, Arizona to Redondo Beach, California. The day started warm, then got ferkin' hot then cooled down considerably once I hit LA. I cannot understand the mentality of riders who strip off to ride when it gets very hot. Even though I was in full kit (ATGATT) I was cooler underneath than the ambient temperature outside. Every time I cracked the face shield it was like sticking my head in an oven.

Old Route 66 is prevalent in western Arizona

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/81%20June%205.jpg.html)

Yet another state line

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/82%20June%205.jpg.html)

Leaving the desert and heading for them thar hills

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/83%20June%205.jpg.html)

The view from start of the Angeles Crest Highway. 50+ miles of absolutely no straights

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/84a%20Angeles%20Crest%20Hwy%20June%205.jpg.html)

Real scenery at last

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/84b%20Angeles%20Crest%20Hwy%20June%205.jpg.html)
(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/84c%20Angeles%20Crest%20Hwy%20June%205.jpg.html)

The sides of my tyres got more of a work out along that part of the ride than in the entire trip so far! And there were as many bikes out along this short bit of road than I have seen the entire trip. There was a sphincter pucker moment when a squid pulled out of a car park right in front of me, trying to catch up with his squid buddies who had just left. I'm on a big, fully load orange motorcycle.... how much more visible do I need to be?? :icon_wink:

And finally to LaLa Land. Yes it is smoggy

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/85a%20LaLa%20Land%20June%205.jpg.html)

Today is a day off to decompress, visit with son, daughter-in-law and grandkids, then on the road again tomorrow for the last leg of the trip, north and home.

[nickjtc]

Total distance covered to date is 11016km/6845 miles.

Yesterday I got my best and worst fuel mileages for the trip: 65.6mp(Imperial)g up in the high desert, and 53mpg 'commuting' through Los Angeles traffic.

It's a tough life, but someone has to do it.

(http://s51.photobucket.com/user/nickjtc/media/86a%20Redondo%20Beach%20June%206.jpg.html)

[nickjtc]

Uneventful day today, droning up I-5. Redondo Beach, CA to Anderson, CA. 882km/548miles. It's a big state!

[Sin_Tiger]

How are you getting on with the stock saddle on the longer rides?

[nickjtc]

How are you getting on with the stock saddle on the longer rides?

I've been wearing bicycle shorts throughout. I find that when it's time to fuel up (which I do when I'm down to one bar on the gauge) it is definitely time to get off and have a stretch. But having said that at no point am I feeling crippled.

I would need to be convinced that an aftermarket seat was a LOT better before laying out the dosh.