Friday, August 28, 2009

Day "1"


Day #1" of trip. Bike is loaded "HEAVY"!! After filling up with gas I'm on the road to Beaver Creek, YT.The weather god is looking out for me as it's not raining.
I will not be able to update until I get to Seattle unless I can find a computer with internet access.
I'm on the road!!

Friday, August 21, 2009

The "Mule"



Here are some pics of the "Mule"

Testing the load!!

Beautiful day up here yesterday. After eliminating items from the "to do" list, I packed the bike up to see how it would handle.I traveled Goldstream Road to Fox, then out through the S curves of the Steese Hwy to the Chatanika Lodge, then back into Fairbanks and finished up by traveling on the Farmers Loop road. MC handled rather well at speeds up to 75 mph.
I have about 10-15 pounds of misc. supplies to add, so the bike should handle well.
My biggest concern now is the weather. The long range forecast for next week is "RAIN".
I have ridden in the rain before but I prefer sunny, dry days. Safety First!!
Next step is to remove supplies and bags from mc and perform pre-trip maintenance checks, OH!! and cut the grass again. I put Scott's Turf builder on the lawn. As our grass is cool season Kentucky Blue Grass, with the misty, cool mornings and warming throughout the day, the grass is thick and flourishing.
We had some friends over for dinner that had camped out on the ferry traveling south to Bellingham. Got some great tips on where to pitch the tent and use lots of duct tape to hold it down. They also emailed Valley some pics of their setup.
Six days and a wake up!!
I'll post some pics of the loaded bike. I guess this is why this bike has earned the nickname, "The Mule"!!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Two week countdown

It's actually getting close to departure. I hope the weather gets a little better. It has rained for the past two days. Great for putting out the fires burning around Fairbanks but sucks for motorcycle riding.
It looks like it takes a lot of space to load all the maps. Please go to www.motowhere.com. Any route listed, kevin mc trip, leg # 1 thru 11 is a part of the trip to get me to Northern VA.
I will update points of interest as I get on the road.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Countdown

I have been under the weather for a few days. I have compiled packing lists and will gather all the items and see if they will fit on the bike. Sleeping bag, tent sleeping pad and new camp stool all fit in large waterproof bags. They should pack well on the back of the bike. Valley will sew old surgical towels into storage packs for tool kit. I installed a 4" PVC pipe on the lower front end of the bike and will attempt to fit as much as possible inside it. I still have a large waterproof bag to put all my clothes in.I t will be interesting to see what makes the final lists.
All food and cooking items will go in soft side bags.
If you don't know, there is a forest fire burning about two miles from the top of Murphy Dome. The fire response folks had a meeting at the Ken Kunkel Center next to the Goldstream store. They gave out a lot of information about evacuation plans if the fire srarts spreading east.
The Fairbanks Daily News Miner has been providing great stories about all the fires that are burning around us. Read www.newsminer.com.

KJ