first longish trip

[crash]

i live in atlanta and this past thursday, i decided to visit a friend in augusta.  since it's only about 160 miles each way, and the weather channel predicted 80s/90s partly cloudy, i decided to give the GS a roadtrip trial.

oddly enough i wasn't concerned with the bike's performance, as much as my own.  i wasn't sure that i was up to the mileage, considering that i get a bit tired making the 45 minute commute to work.  however, the trip went much smoother than i feared.  my back ached a little bit, and my butt was sore, but i made a short stretch break about every 70 miles, and it was not bad at all.

so during this trip, i made a few observations, and here they are in no particular order:

• earplugs are a worth their weight in gold.  i dream of an earphone that can block noise so well and still let me listen to music.  (i know there's The Plug from Koss, but i can't get it to work for me)
  
• the GS purred at 85-95mph (indicated) for about 2 and 1/2 hours and didn't even break a sweat
  
• an hour at 85-95mph makes a muffler VERY hot, and i've got the scar to prove it
  
• there is more vibration than i realized.  the foot pegs vibrated enough to make me want to shift my feet every few minutes (the left one more so than the right, for some reason).  and the vibration of the handlebar made my hands tingle when i stopped for my breaks.  is this curable, by the way?
  
• i got to a gas station at each end of the trip before hitting reserve.  gotta love that highway mpg :mrgreen:
  
• i only have a small fly screen (National Cycle F18), but the wind was not bad at all.  i just felt a steady push into my chest.  the only exception to that being the semis, which made the GS shake as i passed them.[/list:u]
  i think that is it.  i did not take any pictures, because, as those of you who've been to GA know, there's nothing to see here except for the occasional cow *;)s at Kerry*

[Kerry]

Ya gotta love it!  May you get the hankering to go again often - just for the fun of it.  

Today I actually went on my FIRST solo, just-for-kicks ride this year.  ("How are the ride-y fallen!"   )  I did do a couple of just-for-kicks rides, but not by myself.  And I did a 420-mile solo round-trip 3 Saturdays ago, but that wasn't just-for-kicks.

Anyway, today's jaunt was a "mere" 160 miles round-trip, but hey ... I didn't even get the idea for the trip until about 1:45, and I didn't leave until 2:45, so my choices were limited.

I also noticed some extra buzzy-ness on this ride.  I'm not sure whether the bike is starting to rattle apart after 32K miles, or if I was just more sensitive to it, or what....  :dunno:

I didn't take MANY pictures because of how overcast it was today.  But here are some of the more interesting ones:




Map Point #3.  Looking back the way I came.  Just before heading up the 20-mile stretch (Wolf Creek Pass) that was the whole reason for the trip.



Map Point #4.  My turn-around spot, after riding past 20 miles of exquisite pines, aspens, curves and cliffs.  7 miles up to the pass, and 13 miles down the other side.



Map Point #5: Old US Hwy 40, where it dead-ends into the earthen Jordanelle Dam.  This was THE road through the valley until ... the early- to mid-90's?  I drove this road several times back in 1981, in my (not  a typo) girlfriend's girl friend's VW bug.  Ah, memories!  I just rediscovered this road segment today after all this time.  I never got anywhere close to this area while the dam was being built.  And since then I have taken the new roads on either side many times each.  But it had been so long that I had totally forgotten what route the road must have taken before.



Map Point #6: Standing next to the Rocky Mountain State Park visitor's center in Midway, UT.  There is a golf course on the other side of the pond.  And somewhere up in those mountains is a set of dirt roads connecting the Park City, Alta and Solitude ski resorts.



Close to Map Points 1 & 10:  At the mouth of Provo Canyon, about 1.5 miles from my home.  It occurred to me that I had NEVER taken a picture of the old water-drop power generation station.  Water still drops through the pipes (shaded in the picture, unfortunately) but I don't think the power generation part is still active.  :dunno:



PS - A sportbike (or 2?) ran off the road and into the deep roadside "ditch" at the bottom-of-the-hill hairpin turn just to the right of Map Point #3.  There were several cars and bikes stopped at the scene as I went up, and police cars and ambulances as I came back down.  Be careful out there!

EDIT: Added the part about the ditch in the last paragraph.

[BK]

That sure is some beautiful country-side down around your parts.  I'd be hard pressed to stay off the bike long enough to mow the lawn on the weekends.

[mp183]

I go 250 miles on my 2002 GS without stopping.  After that it's time to get gas.  Just have to remember to shift your weight around on the seat so the butt don't get too sore in one spot.
 Went 245 miles this morning on my V-Strom 650.   Had to stop for gas because I started with a partial tank.  Also stopped to put my sweater on.  It get's cold up in the mountains.  It was a quick trip.  Had to get back before the family missed me.

[Rema1000]

It was a quick trip.  Had to get back before the family missed me.

That's how it works at our house, too.  If I'm home by 10am, then I lose zero "husband points".  Also, if I get going later than 7:30am, then I'm stuck home pitching-in to get diapers changed, baby fed, etc., and usually end-up cancelling my ride.  So I have a strong incentive to be gone by 7am.

[MarkusN]

i think that is it.  i did not take any pictures, because, as those of you who've been to GA know, there's nothing to see here except for the occasional cow *;)s at Kerry*

You gotta be kidding, man! I lived in Atlanta for six months in 2001, and I sure found many things worth photographing then! It is true though that you don't often get an open view of any landscape, the countryside being so heavily wooded and all:



I was also quite limited in radius then, a bicycle was my only transport. It did take me regularly from Suwanee to Buford dam, though. Now that's a breathtaking scenery:

[mp183]

That's how it works at our house, too.  If I'm home by 10am, then I lose zero "husband points".  Also, if I get going later than 7:30am, then I'm stuck home pitching-in to get diapers changed, baby fed, etc., and usually end-up cancelling my ride.  So I have a strong incentive to be gone by 7am.

It gets worse.  When the kids get bigger you feel guilty when you leave them behind.

[crash]

Markus, i meant more of the highway scenery.  (i was going down 20 and there was truly nothing to see but the stretch of pavement)

nice pics of lake lanier