Go West! Tour - Arrived in Colorado Springs

So tonight, while enjoying our Happy Hour at the hotel in Colorado Springs, we were visited by these two...

Amazing. Less that 20’ away from the hotel.

Go West! Tour - Reflecting Back

My first Road Call came early...

As best I can recall, I was about 5 or 6 years-old when we took our first long road vacation - from West Texas to the family farm in Wendelin, IL. My parents had made the trip numerous times, but this time we were taking the scenic route through Northwest Arkansas, where we would camp in the Ozarks.

Dad ordered the necessary state maps from AAA and when they arrived by snail mail three weeks later, he and I sat at the dining room table to strategize which roads would be best. He took my input seriously, despite the fact that he’d probably driven those roads multiple times over the years. I knew a squiggly road had to be more interesting than a straight one and anyplace with a green background must be better than white background. White = boring. Green = cool things to look at! And you just have to stop at any place named Dogpatch USA!

Our family car de jure was a 1963 Pontiac Catalina station wagon with a third seat that faced the rear. As the youngest of five boys, that was my seat because it only fit small people. The oldest brother had already left the nest. Since we had the car full of people, pets, pillows, and food, Dad had constructed a camping utility trailer to house the gear. 

The trailer looked similar to this one, though ours was probably 7’x7’. A single wheel trailer has a double hitch to the vehicle, so it tracks (and backs-up) in a straight line with the tow vehicle. Talk about a conversation starter!

Dad built and mounted a wooden box that was 5’x7’. The entire top opened on a long piano hinge and could be propped open for easy access. The box and top were wrapped in thin layer of aluminum to provide a weather proof exterior. He then built a small 2’x7’ box of similar construction that could be latched to the larger, mounted box. The smaller box could be opened from the top or the long side could fold down to form a tray, creating an outdoor kitchen that could be located anywhere in the campsite. He got the idea from his Army days (deployed during WW II) and I think he called it the mess box or mess kit. While I see elements of Dad’s design in modern day RVs, I’d never seen anything quite like it before or since.

Once on the road, I had an endless view of where we had been from my perch in the rear-facing seat. And with the maps in-hand, I could also see where we were going too!

I’ve had an affinity for the open road ever since.

Go West! Tour - Loaded

SUV and trailer mostly loaded. Just a few final items tomorrow morning.

Enclosed trailer is an Ironhorse single bike trailer. It fits the Road Glide Ultra, but I find that it is somewhat of a challenge to maneuver around the bike. If I could have a do-over, I would get a two bike trailer. That said, it trailers like a dream. Very light weight and barely noticeable when pulling. Less than a 25% drag on fuel economy. Excellent resale value.

Go West! Tour - Checklist

91 degrees and climbing quickly.

1. Antique chifferobe loaded in SUV - check.
2. Five layers of rubber paint applied to my water bottle so it doesn't rattle in the motorcycle cup holder - check.
3. Haircut - check.
4. Correct tire pressure on SUV - check.
5. Correct tire pressure on trailer - check.
6. Correct tire pressure on bike - check.
7. Loaded bike in trailer - check. 
8. Sweating like crazy - check.
9. Wipe sweat drips and smudges off bike - check.

Packing and loading of SUV to commence shortly. Dang, I sure wish we were riding the whole way as originally planned.

Go West! Tour - Route Plan

For those interested in following along, here is a map of the upcoming trip. The red waypoints represent overnight stays. 

The grey route will be done in the SUV pulling the bike in a trailer. We're doing this because we have to haul things to our daughter in Colorado Springs and taking antique furniture up to my sister-in-law in Oregon. My BIL has also made me a custom dart board case that I'll be bringing home!

The routes in yellow will be our motorcycle touring time - five days touring the Pacific Coast Highway and one day touring Lake Tahoe and the old Gold Rush towns nearby. 19 days total. Roughly 4,300 miles in the car and 1,200 miles on the bike. 

I haven't decided how much of the family time I'll document here, but I'll be checking in regularly, I'm sure.

Go West! Tour - It's Official!

Well, it's official. We are going to cut the trip down to 18-19 days, depending on return routing.

I'll save the NorCal/Yosemite portion for another day...maybe a mancation if someone is interested.

Go West! Tour - Trimming the Fat Off the Route

Now that we are back on US soil, it's time to finalize the plans for the Go West! Tour. 

To refresh, we had planned a trailer/ride excursion where we would visit our daughter and her family in Colorado Springs, then head over to Southern Oregon to visit with SIL/BIL. From there, we would jump on the bike and do the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) from mid-Oregon down to the Avenue of the Giants (big redwoods), then back to Southern Oregon. Then we would trailer down to Lake Tahoe and use that as a base to tour the old Gold Rush towns for 3-4 days on the bike. Then trailer down to Yosemite for some more saddle time, though the crowds may be unbearable.

My original routing had us on the road for 26 days. Liz is expressing some reluctance - though not yet rejection - to being out that long. We may cut the NorCal/Yosemite portion, which would bring us down to 18-19 days.

I will be consulting Evil Willie and my Dominican advisers for wisdom. Feel free to share yours as well.