Next generation

Over the years, all of our children have shown varying degrees of interest in riding motorcycles but none has been as intent as our youngest daughter. "Peekaloo", at 14, is not old enough for a regular license on which to tack an endorsement. But she seeks out - or invents - opportunities to ride with us. Her almost obsessive love of motorcycling led us to give her an old "fixer upper" we'd gotten from a friend. She is now the very proud (trust me!) owner of a 1980 Yamaha 250 Virago Route 66 edition.


This bike needs a LOT of repairs and even more TLC, but Peekaloo is very mechanically inclined, loves motorcycles, couldn't care less about grease stains, and has at least 2 years before she can legally ride it. For her, repairing the bike is a bonus. So now, every chance she gets, she's out in the bright sunshine, working on her baby, getting to know her, and sharing her excitement with us. I'm looking forward to the day I'll have another riding partner. I'll probably have a very hard time keeping up.

Looking back, I'm very glad Dennis convinced me to take that first step and let him get that first bike. It is great to have something we're all keen on. Not that our family is not close, but as children become adults, their interests change. Kids leave the nest, sometimes becoming geographically distant. But I've found out that one never outgrows motorcycles. Sometimes, life changes may stop us riding for a while, but it doesn't stop the shyest of us from striking up a conversation with a total stranger if there's a bike involved. If it can do that, imagine what conversations at our family table - or on Skype - can be like! =D

Shout outs! - #3

As I remember others who contributed to the fun, I will post more. 

Some may see the blog, others may not. But they were all appreciated!

In no particular order, I give you:

Noelito. My crazy bro, thanks for the blog tips, dude. Next time, come along and be our chase vehicle!


The lovely couple on his and hers bikes we met in Moab, Utah. Thanks for the tips on rider-doggie care. Next time we head to Cali, coffee is on us!


The staff at the Economy Inn motel in Ozona. Our thanks, not just because you were the only motel that had rooms available but because you were very clean, very reasonably priced, and very rider friendly.


The nice couple from the Netherlands we met at the Grand Canyon (her name was Meep [?]) who were taking pictures of our license plate. We met briefly but enjoyed our chat and hope you will visit in Louisiana. Traveling is not just about where you go, but also who you share your experience with. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Monster-making 101

When I finally gave in and said "yes" to Dennis getting a bike, I had no idea what it would lead to. I was very worried about his getting hurt or killed and, considerate husband that he is, he spent the first 10 years of our marriage hinting, cajoling, and sneakily introducing me to riding. But I was still worried for him.

After 5 years of owning a bike and no catastrophe befalling him, I decided I possibly, maybe, kinda, sorta, might want to ride my own. When I mentioned this to him, he took me to his favorite bike shop and had me choose a bike I felt comfortable with. I chose - and he vetted - a little V-Star 250. I felt it was too big, but it was the smallest available and the seat height was low enough to make me feel I had some control over this dangerous behemoth.

At this point, I had my motorcycle endorsement but I did not ride my new bike home. In our area, one can get a motorcycle endorsement on a scooter - which is what I used - and the only criteria for passing the test is that one makes it around the tiny parking lot without dropping the bike/scooter. Yeah, that makes me feel sooo safe.

Once home, Dennis, with incredible patience, set out to teach me. We drove to a large park (I drove the van) and he had me take the bike around the parking lot a few times. From listening to him, I knew the basics, but it's a long way from hearing it and actually shifting and braking. I did this a few times, until I was no longer nervous. Lesson 1: check.

Over the next month, Dennis took me to different areas, teaching me different maneuvers, pointing out possible hazards and correcting errors (we wear helmet radios) as I made them. When he felt I had mastered a particular traffic situation he took me to the next "level", e.i. riding in the park or parking lot, small town riding, surface streets, low traffic, heavy traffic. Eventually, I graduated to interstate riding and I was off! Now that I've graduated to a V-Star 650, he has a hard time keeping up with all the riding I want to do.

Yes, honey, you have created a monster!

Being invisible

Any motorcyclist will tell you this but it took experience for me to really understand and come to terms with this phenomenon. I am invisible. 


My invisibility is not random. It's also not an every day affliction. It only affects me when I am riding my motorcycle. It's true. A car driver can be behind me for many miles, pass right by me, and yet not see me when he/she decides to switch lanes. Like it happened this week on my way back from New Orleans. Good thing there was enough shoulder at that particular section of road. If we had been on the Atchafalaya Basin bridge, I would have become a Rorschach test on the concrete barrier.


As much enjoyment as I get from riding, it is now always tempered by the certainty that every time I throw a leg over the saddle, I have to become hyper-aware of everyone else around me. Does it take the enjoyment out of riding? No. But it does make me aware that, regardless of who is at fault, I will be the one hurt in an accident. Therefore, I order for me to have as many riding days as possible through my lifetime, I absolutely must make sure I do not remain invisible. Easier said than done.


Over the past year, with the invisibility issue lurking in my mind, I've been looking at motorcycles in terms of safety and have noticed that the coolest-looking bikes are invariably in dark colors. Let's be honest: a canary yellow cruiser is just not that appealing and will not sell as well as the jet-black model.


Another problem I've seen is that motorcycle apparel comes in colors to rival an invisibility cloak. Black seems to be the standard. Yes, bright colors are available. But I rarely see anything other than black in stores. Also, I bought my gear before I became aware of the invisibility affliction. I have mostly black gear, which matches my black bike.


Well, after giving this matter much thought, I've come up with several options:

1. continue wearing black, until a distracted driver abruptly re-colors my wardrobe to include a large portion of deep red
2. take out a loan to buy a new, canary yellow bike and all new, neon-bright gear
3. stop riding my motorcycle.... HAHAHAHA!!!!! Yeah, I know that's not really an option.
4. wear a bright, kapok-orange or neon-yellow safety vest over my jacket and add reflective tape to every available surface on my helmet and bike and looked like a geek

Well, coolness be darned! I'll take number 4... Until I save enough for a new Suzuki V-Strom 650. The 2012 model comes in a very visible orange! I wonder if I can get the helmet to match...

Wrap up 2 - Home again

As I write this last entry to my trip, I'm taking a good look at what we have accomplished and realize that the most important thing was the renewed closeness in our family. We have all grown even closer than before, which is great. But we have also learned to see ourselves and each other in a different light.

• Dennis and I have learned that our girls are grown up. They can handle themselves in most situations with a confidence even some adults lack. And we can trust them to solve their own problems without interference from us.
• Azoica has matured into a young adult and has the skills to handle being a "grown up." She can also hold her own in most driving conditions.
• Peekaloo's strong - sometimes fierce - personality has been tempered by close-quarters contact. But don't mess with her or her family; she's still fierce when riled!
• Indi-Mac knows how to stand on her own two feet and has learned she can tackle the toughest trail... if given enough Gatorade...ammo, some chips if you have them... (inside joke)
• Bowser is a resourceful buddy and knows how to travel well. An old dog, he learned a new trick: how to unzip the tent door.
• Dennis has learned not to stick his thumb in front of a sharp hatchet. Mallets are still optional.
• I have learned that I'm able to handle my bike in most conditions without panicking... and that a gel seat pad doesn't really help much.

Now that trip is over, I considered ending the blog. However, I have another motorcycle trip lined up for November. I also realized that a lot of odd, funny, crazy things happen to us most times we ride. So I've decided to continue the blog. I won't be posting daily - trust me, my life is not that interesting, even to me. But I do intend on posting occasionally, especially if I run across a particularly nice stretch of road.


Many thanks to all that read my blog.

Wrap up 1 - Missions

Funny: "acequia", in puertorrican Spanish, means "drought"

Now that we were in San Antonio again, it was time to get all the National Park stamps we needed. We began with the furthest one, Espada, which also has a nearby acequia (aqueduct) that was built to irrigate the mission's crops. Imagine the time and effort it took to build this long, at times elevated, stone aqueduct without modern tools or transportation. It's amazing to see the 500-year (and counting!) staying power of such low-tech workmanship. In our high-tech "disposable" society, this acequia is a sobering sight.


We also ended up "breaking in" at the Visitor Center of the Espada

Settling back

As many may have gathered by now, we made it home safe and sound and, as is usually the case after long absences, the little intricacies and interruptions of daily life took over and.... well, let's just say that time slipped by. I will soon wrap up the few details left of the trip. Nothing much exciting but plenty of thank yous to post.


Two weeks at home and we were back on the road. This time just Dennis and I. We made a mad dash to Flagstaff the first week of October to pick up

Getting to San Antonio

On our way from Big Bend to San Antonio, we had the coolest ride. Between Marathon and Fort Stockton, we saw plenty of deer and cattle but the most interesting critters of the day were a colony of prairie dogs right by the side of the road. Those little suckers can move fast as fast! I saw one do a perfect swan dive into its borrow, too. Very cool.


We also went through some more Border Patrol checkpoints. By this time,

Indi-Mac's view

(This post is from one of the teens.)

I would like to thank the following people:

Joann- My Mom

Alfred- My Dad

Irene- One of our fearless leaders

Dennis- Also one of our fearless leaders

Thank you all. Also, I would like to say ALOHA!!! to ALL of our viewers!! I know I barely posted... and I ought to be ashamed of myself... but I'm not!! I was too busy having fun and almost dying!! :D I almost died climbing... Almost died hiking the Grand Canyon... Almost died sharing a tent with Azoica and Peekaloo....*shivers* Let's just leave it at OMG I couldn't get to sleep because of their snoring. O.0 Yes girls. I blame both of you for my lack of sleep. Probably didn't help that I was up playing PokeMon... but it's mostly their fault. :3 This trip has been an amazing experience. I got to see gorgeous landscape changes. I got to ride in the mountains... IN THE SNOW!! But YoManBob and Peekaloo and Azoica didn't take pictures. The bums. But it was crazy awesome because first we were in the wilderness with mountains in the background looking all awesome! And then we were in the lush green scenery of the mountains and we drove a bit more and drove through snow. It was like TRANSITION!! That is a Toby Turner quote. If you don't get it... The terrorist win. That was a Ray William Johnson quote.  Check them out too if you're as insane as I am. :3

Oh, I forgot! - #2

This series of posts will include noteworthy things that happened on the trip but I forgot to write about at the time. I will post each incident as I remember, so they will not be in chronological order.


While we were looking for Cochise Motorsports in Sierra Mesa, AZ, we had to make a u-turn. Picture me on lead, Azoica and crew in the minivan, and Dennis riding sweep (back). As I completed my u-turn, I kept an eye on Azoica through my side mirror. And I'm glad I did.


As Azoica made the turn, she performed her favorite maneuver - a curb check. Usually, this only leads to some teasing from the rest of us but, this

Shout outs! - #2

As I remember others who contributed to the fun, I will post more. 

Some may see the blog, others may not. But they were all appreciated!

In no particular order, I give you:

Teresa and Kara, who opened their home to us at the beginning and end of the trip, giving us our jumping off and landing points, if you will. You made us feel at home. Thanks!!!


YoManBob. Dude, we really would have had a bear of a time without you the first two weeks. Thanks for the driving, the wit, and the buffer between your sisters! We really missed you after you flew home. Next time, you're in for the long haul, right? RIGHT?!!!


Mark Lassiter. Thanks for all the encouragement. My very own cheering section! Dust off your bike for when we head your way, dude.


Shannon and Brian at Houston Motorsports. Not only did Shannon get my bike in immediately for some much needed maintenance but he didn't laugh (much) when I told him about my oil-less 250 mishap. Brian - such a cool guy! - spent some time with us discussing the finer points of summer riding around NM and AZ and I wish him everything except Hope! [inside joke] Make sure you send us a line if you decide to head to Louisiana. Oh, and a quick thanks to the young lady that helped us with highway pegs. She was very nice and I'm sorry I didn't get her name. Nice shop, honest people, go visit them!


Cynthia S. Thanks for meeting me along the road. Great time chatting with you face to face - finally! - and I'm looking forward to riding with you soon. By the way, the Taster's Choice tip was just the ticket. I'll look for the cooling stuff as soon as I get home.

Ok, I admit...

When I first came up with this idea of a moto-camping trip, I was all psyched up. I just knew it would be awesome. Well, time for a reality check.


The beginning of the trip was plagued by the usual getting-into-the-groove clashes and mishaps. Nothing particularly exciting. Just 5 people, 3 vehicles, and a dog learning to be in close quarters and finding our pace. Granted, there were things we knew were going to be problematic, such as

Shout outs! - #1

There were a lot of people involved in this trip, not just the ones actually on the road. They ranged from the people back home who were involved from the beginning in one way or another, to the strangers we met on the road who shared a laugh, help, or advice. 


As I remember others who contributed to the fun, I will post more. 

Some may see the blog, others may not. But they were all appreciated!

In no particular order, I give you:

My Mom, who has been worried sick the whole time and whom I know has been driving Jehovah God crazy with all her prayers for our safety. He heard you. You can stop now. lol


Seth at Lafayette Power Sports in LA. An awesome mechanic, he had our bikes ready for the road and our Vulcan awaiting our return. He also advised us when we called from Flagstaff, as we figured out what to do about my dead bike.


Justin at Cycle Gear in Lafayette, LA. He helped us get geared up for the trip and gave us excellent advise, even when I called from Flagstaff boo-hooing about my dead bike. And congratulations on the new baby!!!


Pernell at Norhtland Motorsports in Flagstaff. He helped me pick a new bike. No mean feat, since I was sure they did not want to fix my bike just so I would shell out money for a new one. He also offered to hold my dead bike at the shop until I'm able to retrieve it. Lastly, he helped me track down Yamaha shops along our route so that I could get maintenance done through the break-in period. I hope you work on commission!


The airman (?) I met at McDonald's in Benson, AZ, who also rides (I think your last name started with a D). Don't worry, your wife will eventually want to ride. Just start her on something small. Interested in a Yamaha 250 with no engine? Thanks for checking out my blog and drop me a line if you ever head to Louisiana.

Big Bend - See ya!

Daybreak!!! I can't remember being this excited about it. Well, maybe the time we camped at Furnace Creek campground... in Death Valley... in September. We set a new camp-tear down record that day.

I must mention that, sometime during the night, a vehicle showed up at the campground. At this point, I'm not sure if other humans nearby are a good thing or a bad thing. I waited to see if they were going to set up camp but

Big Bend, finally!

Big Bend National Park. This park is so out-of-the-way that we almost skipped it. I'm still undecided as to the wisdom and worthiness of visiting it. Why? Well,....

Oh, I forgot! - #1

This series of posts will include noteworthy things that happened on the trip but I forgot to write about at the time. I will post each incident as I remember, so they will not be in chronological order.


The drive from Willcox, AZ to the Chiricahua Mountains is pretty much a long, mostly deserted 35 miles of nothing but sweeping turns, pretty views, rolling hills, and cattle. There's quite a few places that have signs warning of water on the road but, according to the locals, there had been no rain for over a week. 


We were almost at the turn for the campground when I see the 437th sign

On to Big Bend... still

As we continued on... and on... and on... on Texas' highways, we were almost positive we would run out of gas before reaching the next town big enough to support a gas station. The scenery along these roads to Big Bend are gorgeous but the lack of fuel was becoming a source of concern. Then we reached Fort Davis.

On to Big Bend!

Of course, though our destination is Big Bend National Park, there's 600 miles of cool stuff to see on the way. One of the things we found was this school. As we exited I-10, we came across this building, or what's left of it. It has a sign that reads "Kent Public School" and I thought it would be a nice backdrop to a CASA photo. I don't know how long it's been there but I was fun to stop and check it out. 

Clarification

Although posts in this blog seem to be made in real time, the fact is that most have been posted almost a week after the fact. For example, at this moment, I am writing from San Antonio on Wednesday (9/14) and I expect to be home in 2 days (Friday 9/16). However, today's regular post is about Coronado, were we were last Wednesday. 


This irregularity came about because a lot of the areas we were traveling in/through had no cell or wifi coverage (Grand Canyon, Arches, Chiricahuas, etc) so I decided to write about things on the day they happened but schedule them to post a few days later. In this way, a new post would show up on the blog each day automatically, even when we had no internet service.


So, though I will be home Friday, regular posts will continue until the story is done and you are caught up. Or maybe even after. Who knows?

Coronado

We backtracked a bit and headed back from Willcox (near the Chiricahuas) to Benson because I found a Yamaha shop that could take care of my bike's maintenance. Believe me, after my last mechanical "oops!", I'm not taking any chances.

We got a motel room in Benson, then drove south to Sierra Mesa, where the shop was located. The mechanics at Cochise Motorsports were awesome! Very friendly and, knowing we were there for a limited time, they were able to squeeze my bike into their schedule. Good rates, too!

Why do I ride?

That's easy... coffee!


Yes, coffee. I've been asked that question often and I feel coffee is a perfectly acceptable reason. Hmm... I sense your skepticism oozing unto the intertubes. Before they get clogged with disbelief, let me begin my explanation with some facts.


My brothers' preferences notwithstanding, for true puertorricans, coffee is a necessity. In fact, many of us were literally weaned on coffee. It's true! Ask my mom! And, contrary to Cajun delusions,

Chiricahua fun

We camped at the Chiricahua mountains for 3 nights, enjoying the people watching and some hiking to see whatever formations we could actually climb to. With our bad joints, only 3 of us made it just enough into it to enjoy some interesting views.


Before we went hiking, we were treated to some Harley riders showing off their rides through the campground. This one was particularly sweet.


The Chiricahua's formations are particularly interesting. A few years back, we were able to hike the upper trails. This time, even if our joints were up to it, we had a good excuse not to hike them: there was a wildfire this past June.

Happy Anniversary!

As of September 4th, Dennis and I have been married for 18 years! And how did we spend our anniversary? Camping out in the Chiricahua mountains, south of Willcox, AZ, with 3 teenage girls, a dog, and a marauding bear.


We also spent some time after meeting (Kingdom Hall) getting to know the local congregation. And doing laundry. Yes, we tend to be unconventional. Oh, you want to know more about the bear, huh?

Before the storm

Due to all the excitement of the storm, I forgot a side excursion we made before reaching Tucson.


Between Phoenix and Tucson we saw a sign for Casa Grande Ruins. Good enough reason to leave the interstate and look! 

Viewer discretion advised

After I posted about the hatchet versus thumb incident, some readers have requested pictures (morbid people!). I don't have pictures of when it actually happened but I do have some pictures of when I removed the piece of thumb that did not reattach.


If you are squeamish, PLEASE DO NOT go past this point. You have been warned!

Changes and scares

Because of the delay in the Grand Canyon (thanks to my bonehead mistake), we decided it is too late in the season to head further north. We already ran into snow and are really not looking forward to it again. Not with me on a bike I'm not familiar with.


Instead of heading to Yellowstone, we decided to head directly south. We need to break in the engine on the new bike gently during the first 1,000 miles and the drive from Flagstaff to Tucson fit the bill.

Back on the grid!

Ok, so we have been off the grid for a couple of days. You'll get details on a later post. For now, let's just say the withdrawal symptoms were horrific.

My Arches souvenir

When last I posted, we were scampering around the Arches National Park. Make that trudging under the blazing sun. The only one fit enough to scamper was YoManBob. We huffed and puffed to our minivan and drove straight back to our home-for-now-home at the Grand Canyon.

We are not very patient...

Instead of waiting - and wasting time - at the Grand Canyon for a week, we decided to head to our next two National Parks: Mesa Verde near Cortez, Colorado, and Arches in Moab, UT.


On our way to Mesa Verde, we went through Four Corners - the only place in the United States were the boundaries of four states meet: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. The area is owned mainly by the Navajo

Decisions, decisions

After spending the day discussing options with the semi-local bike shop in Flagstaff (a 2 hour drive each way), we came to a hard decision. We are leaving the little "Roadrunner" at the shop here for safekeeping until we get a chance to come back and trailer it to Louisiana, where we hope to get it repaired. Hope springs eternal.... We also made other, parallel

While we waited...

After numerous phone calls, both to my regular bike shop in LA and the local Yamaha dealer, we came to the conclusion that repairs at this point would, in effect, cancel the rest of our trip. After much consideration, we've decided to make other arrangements. I will leave it up to you to figure out what we did. Suffice it to say that the trip is still on, although an abbreviated version.

Originally, we were planning on spending just 3 nights in the Grand Canyon. After the Roadrunner died, I registered us for a week, hoping

Fourth "oops!"

It wasn't me!

My baby's last rest area before it died...

Our "oops"s seem to be coming faster. Yesterday (Wednesday) I killed my motorcycle. Today Dennis was chopping some wood into kindling. Right after he sharpened his hatchet. Funny thing about hatchets and thumbs...

Late postings

Sorry for the delays. I have no Internet service here in the middle of nowhere. I will try to get caught up soon. My apologies.

The Bike Saga....

We finally got a guesstimate for my motorcycle repairs. $2,600 to $3,600. Yeah. Right. And, bonus problem, they cannot even get started on it until NEXT month! My question is: why could they not have mentioned that tidbit somewhere along all the back-and-forth phone calls? Huh? HUH?! I could have been making other arrangements. I mean, I KNEW what was wrong. I broke it! And I was very specific when I told them I would be here for only a few days. Is the air THAT thin here that it does not reach their brain?


Phew! Ok, enough griping. I guess they think they have me between a rock and a hard place and I'll either be forced to pay some ridiculous repair price, or buy the used bike they "so kindly" offered to sell me. They don't know puertorricans. Or me.


So, what now? I have not decided yet. But I'm certainly not without options. And THEY are not in the running.

Dennis' bike is lonely...

Third "OOPS!"

Yes, this is a huge one. And not one I can laugh off. I don't even want to blog about it but, in the interest of continuing accurately chronicling this trip, here it goes.


We've been riding along nice and easy for days now, and we have not encountered any major problems. In deference to Azoica's limited driving experience and the capabilities of my little itty, bitty, teenie, weenie V-Star 250, we've been averaging 230 miles per day, 50 miles between each stop.


We've successfully tackled deserts, hills, mountains, wind, snow, hail, rain, dust, even the occasional tumbleweed. We've handled all this through 2,000 miles with no major incidents and I was starting to feel pretty cocky.


About 20 miles before we got to Flagstaff, AZ, my cockiness came back to haunt me. Big time. I had just hit 8,000 miles on my bike and was going to bring it for scheduled maintenance in Flagstaff. Just 20 more miles. That's it. Such a small distance, such a huge difference.


Before we began the trip, and through it, we've faithfully been checking the van's vital fluids and keeping a close eye on both bikes' brake fluid, my bike chain, and Dennis' bike belt. We also made sure we stopped every 50 miles or so for both our sakes' and the vehicles'.


Genius that I am, I forgot one minuscule yet EVER so crucial detail. I did not check, not once, the OIL in my motorcycle. Not that there was any to check. Not any more. My recently acquired, recently christened motorcycle met and untimely death Wednesday, on westbound I-40, mile marker 211, just shy of the Winona exit. A sudden high-pitched whine and I have thoroughly and utterly destroyed the engine on my "Roadrunner."


I called AAA and left Dennis with it to have it towed to the Flagstaff Yamaha shop while I continued in the minivan with the kids so that we could get to the Grand Canyon early enough to set up camp before dark. Plus, we had no campground reservations so, the sooner we got there, the better.


We were able to get a campsite, set up, then go to the market to pick up foodstuffs. Meanwhile, Dennis had to endure the incredulous oh-my-gosh-they-are-crazy looks because of my taking a tiny bike on such an ambitious trip. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. If I had been more careful, it would still be running. At least until we started up some real mountains....

Arizona + August = Snow

City Of Rocks

Yes, boys and girls. Believe it or not, we had another one of those temp extreme days. We started this Tuesday morning (ok, mid-morning) in the high 80°s and by mid afternoon pushing 100°, only to have it drop drastically in a matter of a few dozen miles.


We started off from City of Rocks geared up for hot weather. After all, we were still crossing arid, desert-like areas. And, yes, it was hot. and stayed hot. And

Sand and Rocks, Part 2

We left White Sands in mid afternoon and ended the day setting up camp at City of Rocks. 


Within 10 minutes of getting there, I had a close encounter with a rattlesnake. If you look at the video close enough, a bit below the "D", you might be able to see it. You can certainly hear it rattle!

And, you know that bit about snakes being more afraid of you than

Sand and Rocks, Part 1

We began this Monday morning with a visit to White Sands National Monument. It's a good thing we did not stay there last night because we

Camping foiled again

Ok, so this was supposed to be a motorcycle camping trip. This has not been the case, unless you consider Motel 6 camping. This has been through no fault of ours. Each night, we've been ready, willing, and able to set camp but the universe has conspired to keep us from it. Case in point, Sunday evening...


We arrived at White Sands National Monument at around 7pm ready to camp, only to be told that, due to nearby lightning, no camping was being allowed. I happened to agree with that decision - especially after having just avoided the storm that was producing the lightning up in Cloudcroft. 


The park ranger at White Sands NM was nice enough to direct us to another campsite, over 25 miles away. Nope! Motel 6 it is! Actually, this worked out fine, since Dennis was a bit reluctant to camp in a missile testing area. Not without a Geiger counter and some hazmat suits, at any rate.

Another night at another Motel 6 sees the six of us ready to tackle those white sand dunes. They are made of gypsum sand and are blindingly white. 

Desert-Forest-Desert

After spending a very pleasant Sunday morning visiting with the friends at the Carlsbad Kingdom Hall, we went back to the Motel 6, changed, then headed out towards White Sands.


The scenery for most of our trek was desert and more desert. Although it is dry and scrubby, the landscape has this sort of stark beauty one can really get into. I had to make a quick stop to put on my ear plugs, then had to catch up with the pit crew and Dennis. 


As I rode across this barren stretch, I was the only person for miles around. Probably. Once caught up, we took a break between Artersia and Alamogordo.

Too hot to roll!

Our plan was to leave Carlsbad right after visiting the cave. Well, that did not go according to plan. Oh, I can give plenty to reasons why we stayed in Carlsbad one more night. But the fact is, we stayed because it was hot. No, make that HOT!


As we made our way back down from Carlsbad Caverns, the heat

Carlsbad Caverns, Part 2

As uncomfortable as the heat was, it seems we all got some sleep (though sometimes interrupted by imagined creatures coming to get you, right YoManBob?). We rose fairly early Saturday - Dennis at daybreak, me at coffee break - and, after checking the local weather forecast (afternoon thunderstorms), decided it would be best to break camp and head straight to our next site after visiting Carlsbad Caverns (this time to enter the cave).

See how close Teams Alpha and Gamma's tents were?

YoManBob had his camp packed in 5 minutes. The advantages of

SPECIAL CHARACTERS

degrees = °

Carlsbad Caverns, Part 1

Friday afternoon. Carlsbad, New Mexico. Home of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Which is home to thousands of bats.

This was our first official day of camping (can you believe hotels don't count?!). We arrived in the area around 4pm and headed straight to Brantley Lake State Park, about 22 miles north of Carlsbad. We were really trying to hurry and, for our first set up, we did very well, getting set up in well under 2 hours. Not bad for 3 tents plus kitchen set up. By the end of this trip, we'll have it down to less than 45 minutes. 

Both Team Alpha's (parents), and Team Gamma's (girls) were set up next to each other. YoManBob's (Team Me!) however.... Let's just say that he

Second "oops!"

Our first stamps for Iron Butt badges!

First off, my apologies for the site being down for about 15 hours. Long story short, it's fixed.


Yesterday, we went to Mission Concepcion, one of the missions in San Antonio. We did not go to the River Walk because we've all been there before and, most importantly, it was HOT. Not a little hot. An oh-my-god-i'm-gonna-melt-in-my-tracks hot. We skipped the Alamo for the same reasons.


All things considered, it was a very enjoyable day. So, where's the second "oops!"? I got rear-ended. Yes, me. Yes, on my bike. How? Well, from the

Hi Texas! From CASA of SoLA

Remember the Alamo?

Actually, that's all we can do right now. Remember our last visit, that is. We haven't gone there yet.


Yesterday's ride was a rough one. It wasn't a matter of distance or traffic. The problem was that we slept poorly (anticipation nerves) and had much to do before we actually got on the road. A perfect recipe for being

And we're OFF!

Did you notice? I bet you didn't! Look left. See the countdown clock? No, it is no longer a count-down, but a count-up! This clock will be keeping track of our time on the road. Our target time is 35 days.


Another change is that I may not be posting as regularly as I have so far. Or, more accurately, I may have more photos than words - a relief to many -[- and the blog itself may not be as neatly set up, i.e., there may be typos, offset photos, etc. This is because wifi access will be sporadic, at best, so I will have to post mainly from my iPhone or iPad. If you notice a glaring error, please let me know. If it's a minor one, keep it a secret.

Indi-Mac Here...

After a long day of shopping for trip supplies, we are now ready for actually packing the van. That's what we are doing right now. I am very excited and tired... but mostly excited. Today, while shopping for other things, we got my boots. Very happy about that!! But not as happy as I was to get my pocket knife. My knife is silver, has a good weight to it, and has about a 3 and a half inch blade. Its pretty big for my first knife, but I am content with it. The first day I got it I wanted to practice opening and closing it. I did that so many times that now I have a callus formed on my thumb. And now it doesn't hurt my thumb. My boots fit well. Mr. D also gave me a sheath for it!! And us three girls get survival knives. So.. I will go. There is much more to be done and I'd like to be part of the packing and what not. So BYE!!!!!

My blog hates me...

In an effort to make finding my blog easier, I decided to upgrade the blogspot service. Well, little did I know that it may take up to THREE DAYS for the transition to be made. So, if you are having trouble seeing some of the links, don't give up on us! 


You won't miss much the first 3 days we are on the road, since it will be boring stuff. At least, I hope it stays boring. The beginning of any trip is when you find out what you forgot, what you should have done, what that funny noise you ignored meant, etc.


If you can't see the blog at all, you can't read this anyway. Sit tight and I'll beam this post to you using energy-efficient mind power. Just concentrate. Harder. Harder! Now, hold your breath.....

1 day and a wake-up!

We're finally there! The last few hours before we leave. Which means we actually started packing our gear. And bathed the dog. We also fixed up a t-shirt for him in order to mitigate some of his shedding. Yes, I'm a hopeless optimist.


We were originally going to head north, making our first camp at the base in Shreveport. However, in order for YoManBob to

First "oops"

Since there's only about 60 hours left till departure time, Dennis and I decided it was time to finalize our route planning. Mind you, this is something we seldom, if ever, do. Our modus operandi is to just head towards a cardinal point (north, south, east, west) and stop when we reach ocean or border... unless

NOT in San Diego!

Please ignore today's "Where Are We Now" map. Google Latitude seems to be glitchy. It will find me in Louisiana then teleport me to California. If it's not fixed by the time we set off on Tuesday, I will use a different tracking system.

PS. No, I have not been hacked. I did test some things and changed passwords, just to be on the safe side.

Tick, tock

I guess all of us have experienced this. When I first considered this trip, I thought "oh, well, a whole month to plan and pack should be more than enough." And, frankly, if it was just a regular road trip, psh! Noooo problem! We've hit the road with less than 2 hours worth of planning, if the term "ready" even applies to throwing a duffle bag in the trunk and gassing up. This, however, is a beast of a different breed.


Today, I glanced at the countdown clock. Less than 4 days to go (stupid clock!). No sense asking where the time went. I know where. It's hanging out with the missing scissors and left socks. The closer d-day gets, the more

A purpose!

When this trip was first conceived, my intent was to spend some quality time with the family, traipsing across the U.S. and getting to know the country a little better. A worthy purpose, of course. Well, it seems that this trip has a mind of its own!


One of our blog readers suggested a "donations" button for the blog. I gave it some thought, discussed it with the crew, then I thought some more. Judging by the response, many are enjoying reading my blog and that's great, but I kept thinking that more could be done with it. Then, suddenly...

Inspection time!

First off, before I forget again, I must let all know that the background photo on this blog was taken by me with a GoPro camera while riding next to Dennis. Yes, that is him on the right, with Peekaloo riding pillion (passenger). The camera is waterproof, shock proof, has a 170° viewing angle, and can be attached to the bike, helmet, or chest mount and set to take photos or video automatically. It is used a lot in TV shows like "Wipe Out." Methinks that it will come in handy in the next few weeks.


Since we had not used the bulk of our camping equipment for about 3 years (our last hurricane run), we are going through the ever-so-exciting process of

Blog changes

Pssst.... pssst..... Hey YOU! Look to the left. No, the other left. Oh, my bad. You were right the first time. Anyway, did you notice something new? No? How unobservant! I have added --- drum roll, please --- a countdown clock! Don't smirk. It took me hours to figure out how to do it. Um, yeah. Copy/paste kicked my butt. If you already knew how to do it, why didn't you offer to help me?!


Well, you can make up for it by

Dumping...

NOT what you think! Well, maybe...


There's been a small hiatus in preparations, since my son arrived a few days ago for what will now be an extended visit. Yes, I nagged him into joining our trek and I am looking forward to having an extra driver for the minivan. Since we are taking a break from prep, I decided to meander down memory lane.


One of my less-than-favorite memories was somewhat of a teachable moment for me. For those of you who do not ride,

Ideas, ideas!

Although my intention for writing this blog was just to chronicle our family's upcoming trek for the edification of our extended family, respective psychiatrists and as precedent possible insanity pleas, I have received some extremely useful information from several riders that I feel I need to pass along. Otherwise, it may inadvertently displease the motorcycle gremlins and I'll end up with a dead bike before I even start the trip!

A super cool (literally!) tip I received was to use a

Communication

Being able to communicate effectively is a necessity. Lack of communication causes many problems, from marital strife to plane crashes (some may feel those are interchangeable!). On the road, a car that ran out of blinker fluid may be your pet peeve. Or maybe it's the one that leaves the blinker on for 30 or 40 miles. Obviously, making your intentions known accurately and in a timely fashion is an effective way of saving other drivers money on doctor's visits and blood pressure meds.


On a motorcycle, effective communication takes on even greater importance. Since motorcycles have this amazing ability of becoming invisible to car drivers, most motorcyclists drive as defensively as humanly possible, so I will not cover communication with car drivers other than to strongly suggest that,

Tents and Time

Soooo, yeah, mom (codename "Irene") wanted me to post something so I figure I'd tell you what part of trip preparation we're at right now. We are checking all the camping items to make sure they are usable. We have quite a few items to be checked, and have to clean an area to check them in, making sure NOTHING is there (in the clean area) to insure nothing gets lost while being checked. This step involves a bit of work, which wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't so boring. But the step is necessary. I personally don't want to be caught in a bad storm with a leaky tent (happened before, not fun).

We still have quite a bit of time between now and departure, which adds some difficulty. I'm accustomed to "were going to Missouri" and within a few hours were out the door, or "were going to New Jersey" and we leave in a few days. Not two weeks of waiting , at a moment's notice I could have a bag for the trip packed; heck, I even keep a night bag packed and by the door. But two weeks of twiddling my thumbs and waiting? It's necessary because of circumstances, but it's odd going on with daily life and yet preparing to leave. But there will be much to occupy my mind, I only hope making myself busy will make the days go quicker.

About the heat

Unless you're lucky enough to have been hiding in the Arctic tundra this summer, what's left of you that has not melted into an unsightly puddle is now sitting under the ceiling fan, by the air conditioner, wearing next to nothing, drinking some ice cream. Any normal person in the continental U.S. is doing his best to avoid the lovely outdoors during the hottest part of summer. But we have never been accused of normalcy. We intend to begin our trip smack-dab in the middle of the dog-days of summer: August 16th. Insanity? Consider this:

Suggestions, musings

As this blog has been taking shape, some readers have made some excellent suggestions, such as adding a map widget to follow our progress - look to the left, Noelito. (Spoiler alert: it will show Louisiana for another 2 weeks). Please, please, please keep sending suggestions, from website stuff to travel tips, even campfire cooking recipes. This trip is pretty much constantly on my mind so any trip talk is very welcome!


My obsession with this trip has brought up some interesting thoughts. When I first came up with the idea of an extended moto-camping trip, it was really just a "I need to get away for a while" spark of insanity. No real plan or objective. But every day, as we get closer to our departure day (aka our d-day), I find myself looking forward to it on a different level. I've always imagined every one of us (yes, you included) having that "epic adventure" they've always wanted to take, whether to

Our wheels...

The most important pieces of equipment on our trip are our vehicles. No need for me to write everything we did or will do to the vehicles in terms of maintenance and preparation. Suffice it to say, they will be thoroughly trip-worthy before we load and go. But I just can't resist showing off our bikes. 

Specs for Dennis' bike
Specs for Irene's bike

The pearly-silver one in the back is a '10 Yamaha V-Star 950 Custom touring bike. You can see it in action on the right-hand side of this blog's background photo. That's Dennis and "Peekaloo" on our way back from Mississippi. 


This fella gets a respectable 55 mpg (never mind the specs - we tested it) and will be handling the bulk of our luggage. This is Dennis' bike. It has locking hard saddle bags, foot boards, highway bars and other goodies. Weighing in at 657 lbs, I'm not confident I can drive it... yet. Actually, I'm more concerned about

What the girls say

"Azoica" -  Been preparing to leave for a while, very excited.  Been coordinating with the rest of my team, "Team Gamma". We chose "Team Gamma" because mom wanted to be "Team Alpha" and we wanted to be in the Greek alphabet, and Gamma is the strongest type of radiation :). We've been making decisions and stuff; it's pretty cool. I have my clothes picked out, a small selection of wash-and-wear type shirts and jeans, not to mention comfy. I also have my personal items picked out (personal items here meaning anything that isn't for the entire troop or clothing/toiletries), which consist of my iPod, some pencils, my journal, my giraffe plushie, and my knives. Knives are essential. Everyone will have at least one knife on their person at all times. I will probably be carrying two for every day, and an extra for when we go hiking. I'm armed and dangerous! Especially for

Early-stage prep

Since, thanks to my wilderness-loving husband, we are experienced campers, one would think prepping for the trip would be a snap. Well, yeah, it is. However, as we begin making preparations, we realize that there are some things we don't usually have to take into account. Take our dog, Bowser, for instance. Whenever we take a trip, we arrange for his care at home or a kennel. This time, he's coming with us, since he's going to be part of the girls' security detail.


Because we are going across state lines, we need to make sure all his shots are up to date. We also need to bring his rabies certificate with us, just in case. Not having it on hand is one of those little details that are easy to miss but can quickly ruin a trip and possibly

Our route... we think

After much debate and re-routing, we have come up with a plan. The route we chose takes us to or through at least 12 different National Parks, a convenient happenstance, since Dennis and I are working toward our Iron Butt badges for National Parks. 

Most of you reading this blog (yes, you!), are not motorcyclists and probably have no idea what the Iron Butt Association is, so, if you would like to know, click here. No, there are no prizes for completing the task. All you get is a certificate, a badge... and braggin' rights!

A consideration for our route planning was,

In the beginning....

I have never had the urge to write a journal and most definitely never a blog. If I want mom to know what's new, I call her. Brothers or kids? Text or email. Extended family? Facebook and, now, Google+.


Well, the days of carefree communication are gone. No, the intertubes are not clogged. No, I have not lost my cell phone (God forbid!). As it happens, I have finally decided to have a motorcycle adventure. Or, more accurately,