Total - 3306
I went to bed last night with a plan of leaving as soon as I woke up. So I woke up at 1:30 AM. I thought about going back to sleep but I really felt wide awake so I made coffee, got ready, packed the bike, and left at 2:00 AM.
There are several problems with riding at night. Your headlights never show you all you want to see. Animals are more active at night. Lots of people driving cars at night ought not be driving. Riding on the interstate takes care of some of that - you feel protected a bit in that. But my greatest fear at night are alligators - big chunks of blown up tires laying in the middle of the road. I've never hit one and I don't ever want to. But I watch the road like a hawk when its dark.
The good thing is that it was cool (eventually it got winter coat COLD) and there was hardly any traffic. I just headed south down I-5.
Now for the best part - my new seat. When I got on my bike it felt like a different bike. I sit higher and farther back which felt strange at first. So I decided to try an experiment - to keep my feet on the floorboards as long as possible.
On the way out to California on my old seat, I would start hurting after about 30 miles. So if I rode 500 miles in a day, 450 of them were spent with me shifting my weight, changing where my feet were, and constantly trying to get comfortable. I thought it was just the price you had to pay to play. Until I started reading about the Russell Day Long.
So here is my seat review: The seat didn't minimize discomfort, it completely eliminated it. I just kept going and going. By my bike's odometer I rode 1022 miles today. South on I-5, cut over to 99 on 46, south on 99 to Bakersfield, picked up 58 to Barstow, up the interstate a bit to take I-40 East. I ended up in Winslow, AZ, 58 miles east of Flagstaff. I didn't stop because I was tired - it was only 6:15 local time - I stopped because they had a Best Western and I need one more paid night to get a free night.
The seat was perfect. Absolutely more than I had hoped for. I can't wait to ride again tomorrow.
Beyond that, nothing to report about today. I spent the whole day loving the interstate for how quickly you can get places and hating it for the constant jockeying with cars, etc. Trade offs.
One thing I did notice today was the weird thoughts that cross my head. At one point I saw a sign, "Sheriffs Detention Center" - and I wondered what is wrong with their sheriff that they have to detain him. Why not just fire him? Another time, in the middle nowhere in the Mojave desert, I see a sign "Desert Managed by Barstow District Office" and I thought, "I wonder how much management does a desert need? I'm not sure but I'm certainly happy that someone is on top of that.
I realized all the mind games I play. If it is 20 miles to the next gas station or town I just tell myself, "That's nothing. That's just a daily commute to work." 200 miles? "That's nothing, that's just driving to San Antonio." I do that sort of stuff all the time.
So to end for today - long day of riding, the seat works great, two more days of riding and I'll be home on Monday night. I didn't take a picture or video today - too crazy on the roads. But I did take one once I got here - honor the trusty steed. (Sorely in need of a bath when we get home...it is bad luck to wash your bike while you're on a trip...except for the windshield and lights which get cleaned every morning.)
No comments:
Post a Comment