I’m kind of jacked up about it. Looking forward to a little time in the saddle.
I had meant to go today, but I pushed it back a day. Yesterday morning I went out on the back patio to enjoy a cup of coffee, and ended up pissed off. The impomptu lawn we’d planted 2 weeks earlier just wasn’t working. I’m no farmer, and noone would ever accuse me of having a green thumb . What I saw wasn’t working. I had sprouted more weeds than lawn, and my excavating background quite honestly didn’t like the final grade of it all. We needed to make a change. Missus Zip is a sport, she got out of bed early and we rented a tiller, and plowed the whole thing up by 7 AM. I then raked that thing out properly, with a 2% grade going to the back end of the yard to account for drainage. We planted seed, and spread manure over the whole thing to hold in water for the seeds to sprout. The kids are now in charge of weed control. I think we got things on the right track now.
It looks like I’m now working from home for the foreseeable future. I just couldn’t look at a lawn with bad grading and weed sprouts, and no lawn. If this is my office now, I want to make it the way I want it.
That has absolutely nothing to do with motorcycle riding. Sorry, I’ll get back to the point.
I think I’ll head out early. It’s gonna be hot AF in the valley, and I’d like to get to Lake Havasu and up into Oatman by noon. From there, the trip should be great.
I gotta say, I love having a nav on this bike. Dammit, I’ve fought technology in riding, but its nice to pre-plan a route. I stare a lot at maps anyway, and before I had a nav I’ve rubbernecked past what I thought would be a good one as I passed it, but now I can plan them out and send them to my bike. Thats kind of cool to me. This trip, I’m going to ride some old route 66 alignments that I haven’t ever been on. I’m not afraid of a dirt road or two, so some of that has gone into the planning. I can handle an 800 pound bike on dirt.
A decent day tomorrow: 400 miles and another 350 the next day. It should give me some time to kick the feet up on a footpeg, make some miles and enjoy everything in between.
Back in 2003 BGM (before Google Maps) I bought a Rand McNally Atlas at Walmart and spent days selecting and highlighting routes I wanted to travel on a cross country ride. I was halfway across Pennsylvania when the top on my saddle bag popped open and the map became airborne on Interstate 80! In my rearview I could see the individual pages scatter to the wind! I stopped and grabbed another atlas and the trip became one that didn’t come all that close to the original route. I had a great trip and still am not hot on nav devices, but on occasion I will get out the phone and check the maps app to find out where I have been! That being said I understand nav devices are big time savers if a trip has a definite end date.
Great story! I love a good map, and always carry one. Sometimes, ya gotta get the whole view of the territory you ride. Google maps sucks for giving you options — it’s a point A to point b kinda thing. Love it mike!
“I’m not afraid of a dirt road or two, so some of that has gone into the planning. I can handle an 800 pound bike on dirt.”
Ha, ha don’t we know! Happy memories of the “road” to Ballarat!! LOL
Turns out you’re not afraid either Chris!