2 Days to go!

I've spent the last two nights in the garage getting things ready. John and Wendie came over last night and John helped me change the tires on my Zx-14. We put on a new set of Michelin Pilot Road 2's. Thanks John. The oil and filter have been changed, the chain has been adjusted and lubed. I just have to put on the soft luggage, pack, strap it down, and I'm ready! I'll leave saturday morning with 8300 miles on the Zx-14.

I had a good one hour meeting with the Public Employee's Retirement Association (PERA) today. They provided me with 5 pages of forms to fill out and send back. All that's left to do is pick a date and send them back. It seems like such an easy decision to make, until you have to sign your name to all the paperwork. It's more then a little scary to think that I'd be done there after 21+ years.... Now what? I guess I could spend a lot of time on my motorcycles. I told Nancy that we could get a trailer and pull a bike down to AZ or NM during the winter for a little vacation. She thought that sounded like a great idea. She can't wait for me to be through with the county so we can spend more time together. Sounds like a good plan!

9 Days Until Vacation!

I have just 9 more days until I head west with John for our annual road trip and visit to the Sturgis Rally. John and I will leave on the 31st to meet up with his cousin Paul that will be ridding up from Phoenix. We should meet him somewhere near Cheyenne, WY on Monday the 2nd. John and I have plenty of time to get there. I told him I wanted to stop in Alliance, NE and see Carhenge. We should be able to do that.

This weekend I have a lot to do. I have a set of Michelen Pilot Road 2s to put on the Zx-14. I have a Stop and Go tire repair kit to pick up from Bob's Cycle in St. Paul and a couple of extra fairing bolts to pickup from Cities Edge Kawasaki in Shakopee. I have already installed the Ram GPS mount on the Zx.

By next Friday I hope to be all set to go!

Pre Sturgis and Points West...

As of 7-3-10 There are now 8060 miles on the Zx, that means there's 7040 miles on the tires. I hope to put a few hundred more miles in the tires before it's time to head west. I have ordered a new set of Michelin Pilot Road 2's from swmototires, they should get here by the 9th. I'll swap out the tires just before the trip, so I can put many thousands of miles on fresh rubber.

I also picked up a Garmin Nuvi GPS. I have finally entered the modern age. I used it last week when we took a prisoner back to CA. There is no way I would have been able to make the 2+ hour drive from San Francisco to Jamestown in the dark without it. I'll be looking at ways to mount it on my bike.

I've talked to John and I think we have maybe picked a route. We'd leave 7-31-10 from home and go to CO to meet his cousin. Then up to Belle Fourche, SD for part of a week. Then a loop through as many as 10 western states before making for home. I hope to be gone almost 3 weeks and return to work 8-23-10.

I have not made it official yet, but I might return to work for 11 working days, work 1 day past my 50th birthday, and then retire. 21 and 3/4 years has taken it's toll on my mental and physical health. I have to leave for my own sanity.

Oil change

Zx-14, 7606 miles, 5-30-10. Tires good, just showing a flat center in rear tire. Now 6426 miles on tires!

Day 6, 5-17-10

Again!!!



We left Bethany, Missouri about 9:30 and stopped for gas in Clear Lake, Iowa at 12:50. I split off from John at hwy 19 and made it home at 3:30



Total miles = 1601
All 6 days with rain

Day 5, 5-16-10

Woke up to this.......



Then, right after breakfast...



So we waited a while and took off. We drove in a light rain most of the day. We stopped in Bethany, MO for the night.

Day 4, 5-15-10

Today, we took a ride on the bus/trolley system, then had lunch downtown. It rained all morning and into the early afternoon. We didn't get much riding in today, just a quick trip around town and then stopped to gas up the bikes.
We will head for home tomorrow.

Day 3, 5-14-10

Today's forecast... quarter size hail and 60 mph winds....crap!




OK, the weather broke. We got SUN! We took off down 23 to 16 to 21 to 62. A nice loop of rural Arkansas, south of Eureak Springs. We put on 140 miles.



This big guy was not too keen on getting his picture taken! Just after I took his picture, he turned to face me and stared me down.







After the ride we got in on the group FJR picture

Day 2, 5-13-10

We woke up to more rain. It quit about the time we went to breakfast. We had a pretty good ride down 65, but it started raining again at about Branson, MO.
If yesterday's rain storm dumped 5 gallon pails on us, today's rain was more like little kids pails full. At least there was no lightening!
We got to Eureka Springs about 3:30. 747 miles.








After getting checked in and dried off, we took part in the all you can eat buffett, then stood around in the parking lot talking to people.

SFO day1, 5-12-10

Starting miles = 23526.
I met up with John at hwy 52 and cr 42 in Rosemount at 0900.
The skies were gray overcast with a temp of 45. We headed down 52 towards Rochester. It started to rain just south of Rochester. It continued until we stopped for lunch in Waterloo, IA. It started again later and we drove in a light rain all day.
After lunch we continued down 63 to 137. Then 137 to 5. We took 5 all the way into Missouri. We continued down 5 to 139. In Hale, Missouri, the weather started to look BAD. There were pink/orange lightning strikes and black skies all around us. We thought we'd take a short-cut to 65 so we could get to Marshall. It turned out that the short-cut was't.... The bridge was out, so we had to turn around and try another route. We took YY south and we were going to take M over to 65. It started to rain, and RAIN HARD. It was so bad I couldn't see! I was surrounded by HUGE strikes of pink/orange lightning and it was CLOSE! I lost track of John, and ended up getting to 65 by way of WW. I knew that John was ahead of me somewhere but I couldn't see him. I waited at a gas station at WW and 65 hoping that John would ride by. I was there long enough for the weather to let up a bit. I figured John was still headed for Marshall, so I started south again. I met up with John a few miles down 65.
We stopped for the night at the same motel as last year. It rained all night and into the next morning.