Hello all.  I haven't posted here in a looong time.  But I just got my bike back a few weeks ago ('04 F) after a bearing blew at 3000mi.
anyway, I am moving from Grand Forks, ND to Houston, TX.  I am planning on riding out west from here a little to yellow stone, then down to zion national park, and over to Vegas.  Then start heading back east through Arizona, then new mexico (through roswell) and finally across texas to houston.
I am pretty psyched about doing this on my GS but i was wondering if anyone has any advice for long distance rides.  Things I should bring with me for mechanical emergency type stuff.  And maybe some of your experiences with long rides.

get a cup holder for your beer

There is some useful info on Kerry's site plus a lot of archived stuff that a search would uncover.

a beer holder... well I have a camelBak thing in my pack.  mayeb that would hold beer.  Might go flat too soon though.
I'll check kerry's site.  Thanks

umm a bottle for extra gas. ear plugs. a tool kit. can of fix a flat. tire plug/repair kit. cell phone for sure. duct tape. spare spark plugs. a few feet of strong wire. extra  fuse or 2. a leatherman type tool. music source. some gloves. GOOD rain gear. couple garbage bags (MILLION diff. uses).
you camping along the way?

-ash

the plan is to camp whenever I can.  Money is a little tight (I am getting out of the Air Force and god knows we don't get paid much).  Good call on the wire and trash bags.  I use wire for everything in my cars.  I had an '89 saab 900 and I used some 8ga wire to hold together a broken engine mount.  worked great.
I have a big hiking bag and a tent and sleeping bag and stove, etc.  Most of the camping stuff I need.

Since you are likely to be running wide open throttle for long distances and up hills and what not, just remember to put it on prime for a minute if you run into "fuel starvation issues."  Other than that, get a cheap windshield and take it easy, rider.