Wow what a day! Sitting here in Ontario, Oregon in a Holiday Inn I'm having a bitch of a time remembering all that happened today. High speeds, spectacular views, cool people...let me start from the beginning.

I started packing this morning at 8:00 and finally left the house around 9:30. I still had some last-minute items to pick up, so I stopped of in Issaquah, WA to do some shopping and have a cup of coffee. I was officially on the road around 10:45 I think. The drive over Snoqualmie Pass is familiar to me, but it was beautiful nonetheless. I love how connected with the environment motorcycling makes me feel. Riding along my body is aware of the slightest temperature change - then I look down at the console and the thermometer drops or raises a degree. I stopped off at the summit to rest and take a few pictures.































On to Ellensburg, and the SR-97/I-82 interchange. It was hot by then, in the high-80's and I really wanted to take my jacket off, but I kept thinking about Mark and how the gear really saved his life the other day, so I suffered instead.

The drive on SR-97 was great - I was ripping through that canyon at speeds I shouldn't repeat. I got a few "thumbs-up" signs along the way too. Cooking by I noticed an overheated Toyota 4-Runner on the side of the road. Why? Because he was pulling a pristine BMW GS1150 in a trailer. What the hell? Just take that Beemer off the trailer and ride it? Leave the SUV!

I ate an uneventful lunch in Yakima and stopped at the gas station to pick up sunscreen (yes, Mother) and a tire pressure gauge. Mark has me paranoid about tire pressure, something I've never really paid much attention to. Sure enough, the front was a little low, so we fixed that and pushed on. Just so you know, my breaking point is 95 degrees - it hit that by the time I was in Yakima, so the jacket was stowed. So much for having principles.

The Oregon border came sooner than expected; I was making good time. Washington and Oregon are separated in a lot of parts by the Columbia. I crossed over to Hermiston, OR and saw the mighty river...every time I do this that song comes into my head "Roll on, Columbia...", you get the point. Still burning from the heat I pulled off at the first exit and found my way to the water. I put all my stuff down under a tree, stripped down to my shorts and waded in. Ahhhhh....balance. I rested there for an hour or so, spoke with Mark (he's feeling much better), and chillaxed. It sucked to get up from that spot because it was so peaceful.















Moving on I started climbing another pass (can't remember the name now). Remember that 4-Runner? It was overheated again and on the side of the road. There was a look-out point coming up so I pulled off there, and a minute later so did the 4-Runner with the sweet GS1150.

"Rough day for you," I said. "I saw you back in Yakima, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but it's OK," he said. "Just need a new rad." Apparently that's Canadian for "Radiator". Don't worry, it took me a second too.

We chatted for a while. His name was Raymond and he was on his way to Baja, Mexico to live. He'd lived in B.C. his whole life but never felt home there. So two weeks ago he decided he was moving. He closed his business, gave up his apartment, packed up his stuff, put the GS1150 on the back, and took off. Just like that. "Mexico is the only place I've ever felt at home," he said. Cool with me.
































I needed gas so I pulled off in La Grande, OR. The attendant pointed me toward a restaurant called Ten Depot, saying it was the most expensive place in town. "We all like to go there, but since we're teenagers we usually can't afford it," she said. The most expensive thing I could find on the menu was $15.95. Good food, and a 20's-style jazz act to boot. The band was even in costume. It was a cool experience.

Boise was my destination - I'm meeting some old friends in the morning, and I figured I could knock out the remaining 200 miles. I could have ridden by moonlight tonight - it was gorgeous, hanging low in the sky, full, and orange-yellow. Passing a sign that read "You are entering Mountain Standard Time" I looked down at the console and noticed it was 11:30. Then came the yawns, the inevitable eye-blurring, etc...I knew it was time to stop. I pushed the last 30 miles to Ontario, Oregon and found a Holiday Inn. The night deskman Bob (employee of the year in 2004 his name tag told me) was super cool. "Park your bike right in front of the door - I'll keep an eye on it tonight," he told me.

I'm beat. 451.8 miles today, which is a personal best. I experienced a full range of emotions today and I'm stoked that I get to do this for another 10 days.

G' night.

P.S. a few other pictures are in the Gallery now if you want to check them out.

I'm on the road, gang...hoping to make 500 miles today. Will update at the end of the day.

Dear Riders,

I received word this evening that Mark was involved in an accident earlier today. He was released from the hospital with minor injuries and some strong medication.

I'll leave the details to him, but apparently he was struck from the side while riding at 40 mph. Several witnesses commented that he flew through the air, helmet bouncing twice on the pavement, and that they thought he was a goner. The helmet and his gear saved his life today.

The K12R is totaled, but this is the least of our concerns at this point. We're glad he's alive and safe.

The plans have changed: I will be departing on-schedule and will head directly to Denver. I'll update you from the road when I know more, and Mark will make a post when he recovers from the shock of the whole matter.

I'm sure he'd love to hear from you: rosenmeier@gmail.com.

For those of you that ride: spend the money on the gear - it was the difference today.

-pt

Three days away and I'm finally getting my stuff together. I have quite a long list of things to pack and I think I have it all covered except for the medical kit and a tire pressure gauge, both of which I intend to get today. I'm so excited to see that 65 of our friends have joined the ride! Wow!

I'm actually leaving a day early so I can visit some old friends in Boise before pushing on to Twin Falls to meet up with Mark. The past few weeks I've been see-sawing between nervousness and excitement. I'm in good shape, but am I in good riding shape? I imagine the first few days will be hell on my back & butt but after that I hope the pain will go away. We anticipated this, hence we're staying in hotels and not camping...a reliable shower goes a long way in my opinion.

I'm also thinking about missing my kids. I spent the weekend with them in Portland and we had a blast, but I've never been away from them for this long. I'll call from the road, but it just isn't the same.

Looking at the Friends list today I noticed Mike from University Place's comment: "Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul." Well said, sir.

See you on the road!

Labels: updates

• Karson Turner at BMW of Denver for taking care of things and the continued friendship.
• Dan Shoemaker for the ongoing effort in promoting Ride A2B, constant contact and encouragement and all the mailings with DVDs, and the friendship.
• John Pearson at Pearson & Pearson Marketing for entrusting me with two new Panavise Mounts.
• Wade Frank for loaning me his Nikon D70 DSLR, encouraging the vision, and the continued friendship.
  
• Orren Church at Church Tool & Die for the rapid turn around time on the custom mount adapter.
• Greg Montgomery at Denver Athletic for the rapid turn around time on the vinyl decals.
• Everyone who signed up to show your interest and support in what we're doing.

Labels: thank you

Labels: dam, mount

I called BMW of Denver to see what could be done to remove it. Suggestions of nail polish remover and oven cleaner were tossed out, but there was absolutely no way either could penetrate the thick plastic coating my pipes received. I had no choice but to get a completely new exhaust system. The estimate to replace the OEM pipes was a staggering $2,557.44! Go figure. So, I ended up filing an insurance claim.

Little did I know my luck - for once - was about to change...

I stopped to see Karson at BMW of Denver about ordering the new OEM exhaust. Karson, instead, got Helli from Remus on the phone and worked out an amazing deal so that I could get into a full lightweight Titanium Remus Racing Exhaust System for practically nothing. According to Helli, this exhaust system isn't even advertised because there are only less than five available in the U.S. and they are only seen on race bikes. Mine would be the only one in Colorado. When mapped, the power at the rear wheel is increased to 170 hp, a difference of over 20 hp from stock. As if my bike weren't powerful enough! When Helli offered me the exclusivity of that system for no more than their standard titanium pipes, it didn't take much convincing before I was sold.

My 18,000-mile service was scheduled for today and since my new Remus pipes were already waiting on a Parts shelf, the installation was on the checklist of items to be handled today. I had been anxiously waiting for this day for two weeks, partly because every time the header pipes heated up, they'd release the smell of burning plastic, and partly because of all the extra juice now on tap.

I was afraid the difference in power would be neck-snapping fast, but it is surprisingly very manageable. I love the fact that the reduced size of the Remus muffler reveals the ultra cool effect of the single-sided swingarm - the floating rear wheel. But the biggest difference is the roaring sound the new exhaust produces. I just hope the sound isn't too obnoxious to enjoy touring. I might end up needing better earplugs now or just riding faster to get away from the sound...

Labels: exhaust, service

Labels: wave

I was riding west on C470 on a clear morning last week and gave the customary motorcycle wave to a sportbiker heading east. He returned the wave and was out of sight a moment later. As soon as we passed each other I heard the sound of screeching tires over my iPod. I looked back to the rider I had just waved to and saw a large SUV behind him slamming on its brakes. The motorcyclist hadn't changed lanes, so it is my guess that the sun glare had possibly blinded the driver of the speeding SUV. I think had it not been for his outstretched arm to return my greeting and thereby making himself more visible, the motorcyclist would've been plowed over by the SUV.

Interestingly enough, I received the following email from friend, Dan Shoemaker of Cocoa, FL (Rider #22), shortly after that biker's close encounter.

Top 10 Reasons Why BMW Riders Don't Wave Back
10. New Aerostich suit too stiff to raise arm.
9. Removing a hand from the bars is considered "bad form."
8. Your bike isn't weird enough looking to justify acknowledgment.
7. Too sore from an 800-mile day on a stock "comfort" seat.
6. Too busy programming the GPS, monitoring radar, listening to iPod, XM, or talking on the cell phone.
5. He's an Iron Butt rider and you're not!
4. Wires from Gerbings is too short.
3. You're not riding the "right kind" of BMW.
2. You haven't been properly introduced.
1. Afraid it will be misinterpreted as a friendly gesture.

Top 10 Reasons Why Sportbikers Don't Wave Back
10. They have not been riding long enough to know they're supposed to.
9. They're going too fast to have time enough to register the movement and respond.
8. You weren't wearing bright enough gear.
7. If they stick their arm out going that fast they'll rip it out of the socket.
6. They're too occupied with trying to get rid of their chicken strips.
5. They look way too cool with both hands on the bars or they don't want to unbalance themselves while standing on the tank.
4. Their skin tight-kevlar-ballistic-nylon-kangaroo-leather suits prevent any position other than fetal.
3. Raising an arm allows bugs into the armholes of their tank tops.
2. It's too hard to do one-handed stoppies.
1. They were too busy slipping their flip-flop back on.

Top 10 Reasons Why Harley Riders Don't Wave Back
10. Afraid it will invalidate warranty.
9. Leather and studs make it too heavy to raise arm.
8. Refuse to wave to anyone whose bike is already paid for.
7. Afraid to let go of handlebars because they might vibrate off.
6. Rushing wind would blow scabs off the new tattoos.
5. Angry because just took out second mortgage to pay luxury tax on new Harley.
4. Just discovered the fine print in owner's manual and realized H-D is partially owned by Honda.
3. Can't tell if other riders are waving or just reaching to cover their ears like everyone else.
2. Remembers the last time a Harley rider waved back, he impaled his hand on spiked helmet.
1. They're too tired from spending hours polishing all that chrome to lift their arms.

Top 10 Reasons Why Gold Wing Riders Don't Wave Back
10. Wasn't sure whether other rider was waving or making an obscene gesture.
9. Afraid might get frostbite if hand is removed from heated grip.
8. Has arthritis and the past 400 miles have made it difficult to raise arm.
7. Reflection from etched windshield momentarily blinded him.
6. The espresso machine just finished.
5. Was actually asleep when other rider waved.
4. Was in a three-way conference call with stockbroker and accessories dealer.
3. Was distracted by odd shaped blip on radar screen.
2. Was simultaneously adjusting the air suspension, seat height, programmable CD player, seat temperature and satellite navigation system.
1. Couldn't find the "auto wave back" button on dashboard.

Labels: wave

I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting myself into or how much I was going to benefit from the seminar, especially without a practical course portion to apply the techniques. Because I was one of only 25 people accepted to the seminar and since it was too late to surrender my seat to someone else on the waiting list, I was obliged to go. I am a good rider, but I recognize there is always room for improvement and that a refresher course is always a good idea if given the opportunity. I was just skeptical about what I would get out of an abridged classroom course.

But from the moment Lee Parks, author of Total Control High Performance Street Riding Techniques, began speaking until the moment the clinic concluded almost 2 hours later, I was completely captivated. His charismatic speaking kept my attention the whole time. The seminar was jam-packed with so much worthwhile information that I'm convinced taking the critically acclaimed full 8-hour course has to be worth every penny of the $295 registration fee. The clinic was definitely worth waking up for.

Lee has been racing for 25 years and won the 2001 G.M.D. Computrack National Endurance Series Championship in the Lightweight class. He also finished 2nd in the 1994 AMA 125GP national championship in its exhibition year. For five years as the editor and chief test rider of Motorcycle Consumer News, Lee road tested every new street motorcycle available in the U.S. and became one of the top performance-testing journalists in the world. It really made me realize two things: 1) that no matter how good of a rider I think I am (or how good you think you are), Lee is better and 2) there's always room to grow.

Lee is currently touring the U.S. to speak about his Advanced Riders Clinic. Currently, the course is being taught in 9 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you are in one of these states, check it out. You'll learn something new - guaranteed.

Labels: service