West to East to West in about Two Weeks

[TimTyler]

Leaving tomorrow morning with this route in mind. Heading east to visit the mom in Maine and the dad and bro's in RI and a buddy in NY. Supposed to be back in WA around the 19th so visits will be short.

I've sort of been working up to this trip for a month or so, but it was just a couple of days ago that I discovered I had these two weeks free from responsibility. I attempted this same trip last October, but by the time I was ready to head west, the snow had started falling so I left the bike back east and flew home.  The bike was also new to me last year and was still leaking and creaking, so although I was a bit stressed, it still got me home with few issues this June. After this summer's tuning it gets 7 more miles to the gallon and is more responsive and stable to ride.  The bike is now in the best shape it's been in for probably a decade.

One of the big limitations of last October's trip was the short daylight hours. The sun was only up from about 08:00 to 17:30. The days in September are a little longer, and I have super-bright driving lights now too.

As much as I'd like to travel the back roads, time will not allow and the extra fun riding will mostly happen once I'm back east. On the way over I plan to slow down a little through Glacier National Park and then take Hwy 2 across the top of the country to the Great Lakes. I've never been up there (east of Glacier) and I hope the riding is pleasant. If I have enough time left to ride the bike home it will probably be all slab west of NY.

I'm bringing a tent, sleeping bag and mattress pad with the intention of sleeping in campgrounds to save money. Besides the bag of nuts and granola bars, road food is on the menu. If only I could find chocolate that won't melt in the tank bag. I've got waterproof riding gear and a heated vest which served me well last October. The immediate weather forecast looks very nice though, so maybe I won't need it much.

Time to pack.

Wish me luck. Follow along at spotwalla starting tomorrow.

[TimTyler]

I knew I wouldn't get on the road until at least 10am this morning since I wanted to take my youngest son to his first day of 2nd grade. The goal today was to make it to Glacier Nat'l Park. It was a slim success.

First up was to fill the water bottles with fresh Olympia well water. The same source that made Olympia Beer a hit until they sold out and now it's made in Texas I think. Then the K75 tank was nourished with Olympia's finest (and only) alcohol-free gasoline.

Uneventful slab riding across WA 90. The highway gets more fun in ID as it climbs into the mountains a bit and wraps around the north side of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

I crossed into MT at about 5pm and like magic I seemed to have the roads mostly to myself. It was nice.

At dusk I descended down to Flathead Lake. Just as I got to the edge of the lake, in near darkness with a motorhome on my ass, a family of three deer literally appeared in the lane in front of me, crossing casually from right to left.  :yow When I saw them they were about three car lengths ahead of me. It was only because of the new Rigid LED's that I saw them at all. In what seemed like two seconds, I checked the motorhome in my mirror, locked up the rear wheel intentionally (no ABS now) and slowed the front wheel as much as possible without locking it up. The bike and I skidded through the gap between the second and third deer. It was just enough room to eek through. I'm thankful that third deer decided to pause when he heard my skid. As soon as I realized I was going to make it through the opening, I release all the brakes and gunned it. I looked back in the mirror and the motorhome was slowing. I hope the behemoth did not swallow the deer.

Now totally dark, I hardly felt comfortable exceeding 40mph for the remainder of the day's riding. I re-aimed the right Rigid LED more to the right too so I can see more to the side of the road.

Stopped at a crappy motel in Hungry Horse where an old lady in a bathrobe told me all she had left was a "suite" for $140. Uh, no thanks. As I was about to drive away, she met me out in the dark and offered it for $118. To me that's still a small town hotel rate, and way too much for her dump. Off I went to the north.

So tonight it's the KOA Kampground in West Glacier with it's slow wi-fi and creepy-clean showers.

[sh00ter]

awsome!  let me know when/where you ride through minnesnowda ... depending on the time/day i'd come meet up and ride for a spell....

[TimTyler]

... depending on the time/day i'd come meet up and ride for a spell....

The GPS tracking thing is updated every ten minutes. That's the best way to find me. My T-mobile phone has been useless, especially for internet.

[TimTyler]

It rained most of the night at KOA West Glacier. In the cold morning air I packed up the wet tent and stuffed it in one of the RKA saddlebag liners, while the sleeping bag and pad filled the other one. I'm really liking these insert bags. It's much easier to stuff and zip close the liner bags than to try and fill and close the BMW saddlebags, and the liners fit perfect. My extra clothes are in the dry bag.

The day's plan was to take it slow through the park and then hammer it once out the east side. I stopped for breakfast at Lake McDonald Lodge in the park. There weren't too many tourists around at this early hour and I settled for the $14 buffet. The server encouraged the self-serve, and it seemed that ordering ala carte was frowned upon. The food was disappointing but the coffee wasn't bad so I drank a lot of it.

The last time I was in GNP the roads were a mess and the trees were green. Now much of the pavement had been beautifully redone, and the forest has been ravaged by wildfire. While things were warming up from the sun on the west side of the pass, I climbed the Going to the Sun road and it became obvious the weather was less friendly on the other side. Not long before reaching the summit I joined a stretch of vehicles for 20 minutes waiting for the one-way passage to be readied for us. The view as we waited looked over the valley at the towering peaks of Glacier. If only all traffic jams were this breathtaking.

Once over the pass the cold rain and thick fog started. Twenty minutes of first gear with visibility at about ten yards, and it was getting colder. My visor dripped on both sides and when I lifted it icy specks attacked my face at 10mph. Once down to Lake Mary the weather cleared and stayed cold and I enjoyed the uncrowded twisties to the edge of the park.

I navigated south to East Glacier and then hopped on Route 2 eastbound. The road was beautiful and traffic was light so I chewed up the miles at about 80mph. Had a surprisingly good steak and potato meal with a mediocre beer at a place called "Durum" and then hit the road again in the dark for a couple of hours. I really wanted to make it out of Montana by day's end. Unfortunatly my GPS does not display state lines or other useful info so I just continued to push it until I finally gave up at about 10pm. The one motel in town was full but the city park allowed camping and that's what I did.

[TimTyler]

Good day for riding. Awesome weather.

Ham and oatmeal breakfast at a Wild West Diner in Culbertson, MT.

Lunch and wi-fi at the geographic center of North America, about half way through North Dakota.

Stopped at an old Lutheran church that I could see in a field off in the distance from the highway. Pretty cool old prairie building from 1916 with a cemetery in the back, all wrapped in an old wire fence. Bet this place is worthy of some good ghost stories after dark.

At about 8pm I pulled into Fosston, MN and suited up with the heated vest and warmer socks preparing for some night riding. On my way through town I saw an old movie theater that was showing The Campaign and I decided to call it quits for the day. The image on the screen at the Fosston Theater looked like it was projected through a paper napkin. Time to clean the lens, you think?

Pitched the tent in the city park a block away and crashed.

[TaosBrick]

Sweeet Mtn pics Tim - keep us posted.

[TimTyler]

My sleeping bag isn't cutting the cold night temps. Didn't get much sleep last night. I'm glad I have a 3-man tent though. Plenty of room for everything. Although I am hoping to crash in a motel tonight (three nights in city parks justifies that, right?) I stopped and bought a fleece blanket in case I'm in the tent again.

Currently cutting through the Great Lakes with about 1300 miles in between me and Maine, my first stop. Hoping to get there by Sunday night. Seems like speed limits max out at 60mph up here so there's not much of a chance to make good time. Lots of hiding spots for deer too.

For much of this morning I was trying to beat the dark clouds following me east. The strong tailwind was nice though. Plenty of sun breaks ahead.

Treated the bike to some 91 octane non-oxygenated fuel today.
The pictured "pump of choices" is from another gas stop yesterday.

[TimTyler]

More meat and potatoes for dinner again. This time it was wrapped in a flaky pasty at Lawry's Pasty Shop on Highway 41 in West Ishpeming Township, MI.

I was warned there to look out for deer and even moose on the highway, but it seemed my biggest threat was the aggressive Saturday night traffic in the freezing rain near the Ishpeming mall a few mile down the road. That sucked.

Once out of town the rain stopped, all the bugs had been washed from my helmet and bike, and I had the road mostly to myself all the way to Newburry, a short ride from Canada. Got a motel.

BTW - I've been tweaking the Rigid Industries light and the best positioning so far has been to have the light beams cross each other. The right light illuminates the left side of the road, while the left light illuminates the right side of the road. This reduces direct LED light on approaching traffic and cars don't complain.

[TimTyler]

That stretch of highway in Canada through the Great lakes was B.O.R.I.N.G. Made it up in Canada and back out again in one day if you consider 9am to 2am "one day." Had three meals at three Tim Horton's restaurants. The border guard on the way back gave me the okay to pass and then chatted me up for fifteen minutes about how he wishes he had time for a cross-country ride. As you might imagine there were no other cars attempting entry at that late hour.

Once across the border I pitched the tent in the trees behind an empty dirt parking lot in Brighton State Park at 3am. A voice woke me at 7:30am in the rain and told me I "couldn't camp there", and to at least pack up the tent so people "wouldn't think it was okay to camp there." I moved the tent completely out of view and the voice returned again at 9am. Bastards! It turned out to be some goody Parks and Rec kid who was moving picnic tables around.

The twistie roads and scenery in upper Vermont were awesome. Some of the best motorcycling I've ever ridden. Into New Hampshire a little later, ehhh not so much. Maine was nice.

Left the bike parked for two days in Maine. This morning I packed up and drove two miles to fuel up and when I turned off the bike at the pump, the engine stopped but the starter was turning! It freaked me out. Hit the kill switch without effect. I started the engine again, put the bike in neutral, removed some bits and disconnected the battery ground. Did some searching online and figured it might be the starter relay to blame. I tapped the starter relay with a tool a few times and when the battery was reconnected, the starter was thankfully not turning. Buttoned her up and hit the road to RI.

I was worried that the starter might be burned out so I didn't turn the bike off until I got to the family driveway in RI. On the way, I used my spare key to open the tank for fueling. When I did finish riding for the day, the bike fortunately restarted without a problem.

Tonight I'll do a quick oil change.

[Rick G]

Keep going Tim I'm really enjoying the pics and trip.

[joepopp]

Go Tim! Enjoying the posts!

[TimTyler]

Let's see...

Spent five days in New England with the family so not much to report there. Did an overnight with an old friend and former K100-owner who is responsible for aiming me at the K's when I deciding to get back into motorbikes last year.

On Saturday around noon I hit the road going west out of Rhinebeck, NY with about 3000 miles to go until home. Was hoping to get started earlier but a fantastic breakfast full of butter at the corner store created a delay. I'm eager to see my kids back in WA so it's going to be fast slab all the way to Olympia.

Turned off the bike Saturday night at about 11pm at a Holiday Inn Xpress halfway through Ohio. The Ohio Turnpike cost me about $17 I think but it was worth it. Good condition, few exits, 70mph speed limit where everybody does 80, and no varmints. I did buy a bad tank of gas on the pike though. Nothing damaging, but it only delivered 38mpg and I nearly ran the tank dry before refilling. It took over 5 gallons. Must have been running on fumes.

I got a good 8am start on Sunday and was hoping to ride close to 1000 miles. Wishful thinking. I ran into a bunch of traffic caused by about a billion people going to the Chicagoland Speedway. I also took a detour to buy a 13mm wrench to adjust my clutch push rod. And another wasted hour riding around the Amana Colonies in Iowa. Take my advice and skip that if presented with the option.

Tonight it's back in the tent at a KOA with the sound of the highway not too far away. Tomorrow I'd love to get halfway through Montana.

[TimTyler]

Packed up bright and early 5:15am eastern time today. Looks like I am the only tent in a campground full of trailers.

Gloomy and windy from the west. Short but beautiful sunrise to the east.

Took a look at the weather map and my route takes me through Nebraska in between two rainy weather fronts to the north and south. Hoping for the best.

[Slash5er]

Great ride, but greuling!  I left Michigan  last Tuesday picking up US 2 at its start on the other side of the Mackinack Bridge into Michigan's Upper Penninsula. Have been following 2 across the northland and got through Glacier's Highway to the Sun on the last day before they closed it at 6 AM this morning for the year. Taking a layover in Kalispell, MT today with my first well-deserved motel room. Plan to follow 2 and maybe 20 to Seattle and then figure out how to get back home to Michigan, hopefullystopping at a few breweries on WA and Oregon. So, I figure cold and wet on the west side of the Cascades, right?

Would like to be posting a ride report and photos but I'mnot too computer literate.  Also, rotten internet connctions along the way.

Cheers!

JohnD

[TimTyler]

John - I'll treat you to a fine beer in Olympia if you make it there.

[TimTyler]

Looks like my GPS sent me through South Dakota instead of Nebraska. Oh, well.

As soon as I left the campground this morning the skies opened up and it poured for an hour. The sun broke free soon after though, and the rest of the day was perfect aside from the full-on headwind all through SD.

Made it to Billings, MT.

[Slash5er]

Tim,
At the rate you're travelling, you'll beat me to the coast! I'm camped in the municipal park in Coulee City, WA tonight and headed for Everett and Seattle tomorrow. Plan to camp in backyard in Seattle for a day or two and sightsee. Then head south to Yosemite or maybe follow the Columbia River back toward the east. I'll PM you my call number for that beer. :yes
JohnD

[TimTyler]

That's that. Now what do I do?  :dunno

I'll add some new pics and notes tomorrow, but for now... Some thoughts on wrapping this up:

All in it ended up being about a 7500 mile ride. Total time away was 14 days, and only about 4 of those were ride-free. I didn't experience any mechanical problems with the K75 besides the starter relay freeze.

• I camped more than I thought I would (four nights) and I enjoyed it. The three hotel nights were fine but I waste time in hotels. Hotels are expensive too.
• I only experienced about four hours of rain on the entire trip. No crazy-hot temps either.  :2thumbup:
• I need to find a helmet that does better in the rain.
• Need to get music into the helmet while riding outside of city traffic.
• I want a cruise control. The real kind. My wrist hurts.
• I like the Spitfires but still need to try the BT45's.
• The bike vibrated more than I remembered. I wonder if I need to try a different clutch plate alignment.
• Top speed all loaded is 105mph.
• The Motobrick decal remains in tip-top shape.
• I don't miss the ABS.
• Need to wire the USB phone charger into the bike, not use the accessory plug which slips loose.
• The SPOT II Tracker worked great but the batteries only last about ten days. Spotwalla rocks.

I made roughly 40 fuel stops during the trip. I bought all varieties and octane ratings. From 87 to 91, ethanol and ethanol-free, non-oxygenated, and many brands. Maybe the higher octanes squeezed a few more miles out of the tank, but overall I didn't notice any real difference from fill-up to fill-up. I think headwind and speed play a much bigger part in fuel efficiency than anything else.

Some company (Google?) should design a car that cares about protecting things outside of the vehicle. I saw too many poor drivers, texting, not paying attention, being aggressive, oblivious, etc., and they just don't give a damn. I can see the ad campaign now: "For years car companies have worked to improve safety inside your car. We're designing systems that care about keeping the world around your car safe too!"

[billday]

Great trip, great pictures, great words. I'm jealous! Thanks!

[TimTyler]

Last of the pics.