15,000 km of North America, Summer 2012

viper84737

viper84737

Well-known member
Yep, I'm at it again. This time down to Miami, then up to Newfoundland to surprise a childhood friend, and back to Toronto. 15,000+ km. I'll be doing the whole ride report blog thing, too. Probably no real-time GPS tracking, though. Can't wait!

ThePlan.jpg
 
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Anyone got any pointers on keeping a DSLR safe, dry, and cool? I'm thinking to put it in my tank bag with my moto cover, but I'm willing to entertain other ideas.
 
viper84737 said:
Anyone got any pointers on keeping a DSLR safe, dry, and cool? I'm thinking to put it in my tank bag with my moto cover, but I'm willing to entertain other ideas.
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See.... http://www.lowepro.com/toploaderzoom

I have one that fits my Canon Mark II w 24-70 lens. I wear it on the chest strap of my backpack for easy access while mtn biking or hiking .

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52755149@N07/5521341622/in/set-72157629476928057

This summer I plan on packing the camera in the toploader while travellingto the west coast.
Enjoyed reading about your last trip. I am a couchsurfing host. I'd like to try couchsurfing on my trip to BC and California. Any tips??
Mike
 
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viper84737 said:
Anyone got any pointers on keeping a DSLR safe, dry, and cool? I'm thinking to put it in my tank bag with my moto cover, but I'm willing to entertain other ideas.
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I kept mine in a dry sack. You can borrow it if you want. Or buy it from CT for $15 lol
 
You gonna crash on the right side this time? ;) Looking forward to the trip reports.
 
how much time are you putting aside to do this?

nice to see you are planning all the way to the keys
 
zrxter said:
I'd like to try couchsurfing on my trip to BC and California. Any tips??

Mike
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That's awesome that you host! I met so many nice people who were gracious enough to host me. People like you are really great for opening up your homes to travellers. Tips?

  • Definitely check out the Oregon coast along the PCH. It's too nice to miss.
  • Visit the Redwoods and CA-36, but don't rush CA-36. It'd be better off enjoyed as a full day trip on its own. It will likely take you about 6 hours to go down it and then back up it, plus however much time you take as a break in Red Bluff.
  • Avoid riding it at night unless you like ample amounts of death.
  • Just south of San Francisco there are a ton of mountain roads not too far from civilization, that you can probably enjoy endlessly
  • Stop at Hearst Castle, between San Fran and LA. Ride Mulholland and the Santa Monica Mountains just west of LA, ride them over and over again, if you can.
  • Check out the Getty Center in LA, and the Getty Villa in Malibu (15 mins west of LA)
  • See the Santa Monica Pier and 3rd Street Promenade shopping center in Santa Monica (west cost of LA). Avoid pretty much all of downtown LA except Santee Alley if you want a taste of the culture. Downtown LA is useless to a traveller/tourist/etc
  • If you make it down to San Diego, see Balboa Park over 1-2 days, including the zoo. There's tons to see all over there.
  • Enjoy the piss out of lane-splitting. It's the most amazing gift to motorcycling ever!

Couchsurfing tips? Just be yourself. The people hosting you are no different than yourself. They want to meet interesting people. A dude motorcycling to BC and down the west coast is certainly interesting! I found most hosts don't like being contacted more than a week out from your approximate arrival. Also, try to have several backup hosts in any given area, just in case they flake out on you last minute.

Wheelieboy said:
I kept mine in a dry sack. You can borrow it if you want. Or buy it from CT for $15 lol
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Thanks for the offer, Frankie, I'd love to check it out. Is there a URL at which I can see something like it in the meanwhile?

klr_guy said:
You gonna crash on the right side this time? ;) Looking forward to the trip reports.
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I crashed on my right side just south of Portland, on a new rear tire. I'm running out of sides to crash on!

suzuki2000 said:
how much time are you putting aside to do this?

nice to see you are planning all the way to the keys
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Hmm, I don't know. Last year I thought "30 days" and ended up taking 86. This year I estimate 4-6 weeks? It depends on how long I stay in places like NYC and St. John's. I have long-time friends there I'd like to visit for some time and explore with, so it's tough to say at present. Miami will be ~4 days, though. Can't spend more than that there.
 
viper84737 said:
Thanks for the offer, Frankie, I'd love to check it out. Is there a URL at which I can see something like it in the meanwhile?



.
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Something like this... http://www.gear-up.com/cart_showproduct.php?pid=8637. I had a big one, that big yellow luggage thing in my pictures. Kept everything dry during rain (and snow) storms :) I also had a small one to put my camera bag in since I kept it in my backpack.
 
Cool, I wonder how many liters my camera is. I'll check out CT for sure, with that in mind, thanks.
 
I have a Canon branded Tamrac camera bag that fits perfectly inside my tank bag. Holds my 40D with regular size lens mounted, a telephoto and nifty fifty prime, can fit my flash as well though I rarely bother to take it. Great setup for me as I can pull over and pull out the camera in no time at all without getting off the bike, and can take the camera bag with me if I leave the bike.

For the most part, I don't even bother putting the rain condom on the tank bag when it rains. It has to be seriously pouring for water to start seeping inside, and then it has to get through the camera bag. Worst case, the rain condom does a good job of keeping water out when I do need it
 
Hey, thanks for your response. I'll keep my eyes peeled for such a bag.
 
Awesome to live the dream....very envious.

Circa 1982 - myself with two weeks riding experience - Key West Florida for the winter. (1979 Yamaha 650 Special).

d9dd6c27-3.jpg
 
ridermike.blogspot.com is now updated with this year's poorly-written-but-well-photographed ride story!

Hope you enjoy taking it in as much as I enjoyed the process of creating it.
 
I'm only on Day 9 but it's clear you should have whipped Marc's ***** early on in the trip to keep him in line. Next time go without him! ;)
 
Jason Bourne said:
I'm only on Day 9 but it's clear you should have whipped Marc's ***** early on in the trip to keep him in line. Next time go without him! ;)
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Yeah, I was more surprised and saddened than angered about things. We had a different perspective on WHY we were going to these places, it turned out, after we discussed things when we got back home. He wanted to visit family and ride the twisties, and I wanted to explore details of places I had never seen in my life. Marc had done a lot of traveling as a child, throughout Europe, and to him, seeing stuff like this wasn't interesting anymore. To me, everything new is an adventure, and I didn't mind spending time in cities or photographing things I had never seen.

Also it was the first and only time I had gone such a distance with anyone -- the other longest trip was to Letchworth State Park in New York State with a group of riders of various skills and endurances and ages. Would I go again with someone? Sure, provided they understood and appreciated things from my point of view, which was simply to make an adventure of all of it.

There was mention in several in-ride conversations while Marc and I were in our latter days together about a hypothetical subsequent ride, what changes would be made, what locations might be interesting, etc, so clearly he didn't hate it so much that doing another one would be out of the question for him, so who knows. People are already asking me what other rides I'm planning for the future, and some have offered to join me, but I have no idea what the future will hold, in this regard.
 
SeaBreez said:
Awesome to live the dream....very envious.

Circa 1982 - myself with two weeks riding experience - Key West Florida for the winter. (1979 Yamaha 650 Special).

d9dd6c27-3.jpg
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Great shot Seabreeze! Two weeks experience!!! Love those old school white full face helmets. If i ever have a cafe racer I'm getting one.
I'm thinking of doing this ride in Jan. 2013 when I retire.
 
It sounds like his level of adventure wasn't the same as yours. Still, he could have handled it more maturely instead of being a ***** about it.

I'm at Day 16. Great write-up and really nice pics! I'll check out your Cali trip next since that's one I've always dreamed of doing.


viper84737 said:
Yeah, I was more surprised and saddened than angered about things. We had a different perspective on WHY we were going to these places, it turned out, after we discussed things when we got back home. He wanted to visit family and ride the twisties, and I wanted to explore details of places I had never seen in my life. Marc had done a lot of traveling as a child, throughout Europe, and to him, seeing stuff like this wasn't interesting anymore. To me, everything new is an adventure, and I didn't mind spending time in cities or photographing things I had never seen.

Also it was the first and only time I had gone such a distance with anyone -- the other longest trip was to Letchworth State Park in New York State with a group of riders of various skills and endurances and ages. Would I go again with someone? Sure, provided they understood and appreciated things from my point of view, which was simply to make an adventure of all of it.

There was mention in several in-ride conversations while Marc and I were in our latter days together about a hypothetical subsequent ride, what changes would be made, what locations might be interesting, etc, so clearly he didn't hate it so much that doing another one would be out of the question for him, so who knows. People are already asking me what other rides I'm planning for the future, and some have offered to join me, but I have no idea what the future will hold, in this regard.
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What do you do for a living, if you don't mind me asking, to get 80+ days off to do stuff like this?

unless you're a teacher, then I get it.
 
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