NAFO Ride (dcarver)

[FJRONAMISSION]

Good job ..D... it looks a little chilly...

Lucky JB... green.. lump in throat.. thick saliva.... yum-yum......

 

[FJRONAMISSION]

The beemer dude is cool... a side car for his dog....

...nice sneeky pic to save face... ... your a fair man.. ya posted it anyway....... to be cont............

 

[dcarver]

[SIZE=12pt]Ahead lay some really nice roads before the long, hot and boring section, so I enjoyed each view knowing full well that soon I would be one miserable, hot, sweating, miserable rider.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Bryce Canyon ahead![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Bryce fotos:[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=12pt]Where I am:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]After Bryce Canyon, Zion![/SIZE]

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[SIZE=12pt]Passed a cage or two, found this couple on a BMW, decided they looked better in the frame than a car, so tagged along behind them. At a stop, we introduced each other, they are a retired couple travelling around the US with a motor home, trailer and BMW in tow. Each month, when they get their pension check, they are off to a new location! I was and am green with envy.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The rock says ‘Open Wide’..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Absolutely georgeous.[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=12pt]The nice BMW folks took my pix![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Towards the southern end of Zion.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Check out how red the road is![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Destination Rockville![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Where we are:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Well, after Zion, the ride just turned to hot, boring, droning Interstate.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]--continued--[/SIZE]

 

[dcarver]

[SIZE=12pt]Well, the nice scenic ride is over, and I have, literally, hundreds of miles to run in very heat. I had prepared for the hot by getting to bed early, hydrating early in the day, before the heat started, and being conscious of my physical condition. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]I live in hot country, and am used to riding in 100+ for an hour or two. Today, though, would be very different. At rides end, I was in +100 for over 6 hours.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Entering the hell hole called Arizona. SkooterG, BeemerDon, don’t know how you guyz do it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Now the heat begins. Here is 104F.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]106F. Note the time clock on these posts..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]108F, my glasses are burning my face.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Ok, this is getting ridiculous. 109F.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]My journey now became how long I could travel, not between a tanks of gas, but of the .5 gallons of water contained in the SkyWay drinking system. Actually, the volume is less than .5 gallons as ice consumes a major portion of the volume. Then again, the ice melt rate was very fast, producing more water. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]It got to the point I was forcing myself to drink, continuously, whether or not I felt like I needed to or not. I carried an extra 2 big bottles of water stashed in my saddle bag, insulated by clothing should I run out of the Skyway system and still be 50 miles away from water. Yes, I take de-hydration very seriously.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Now I’m up to 120. I had just shut the bike down from a 80 mph run – so this is actual temp, not ‘sitting’ temp.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Thank God, it’s back down to 113 now. After 120, 113 feels cool. Why am I not feeling the heat like I used too? ALARMS ring in my head; not feeling hot is the first sign of dehydrating. So I stop, down 1 gallon, yes, 1 gallon of Gatoraide and continue down the road. Ever try to drink a gallon of water? Burp.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Back to 116.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Now the game is on.. 117F.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The hottest I saw was 122F, at 85 mph. It lasted for over 10 minutes. I needed a CBA stop, found a restroom, and even after all that water and Gatoaide, the urine content was very acidic. Truly nasty conditions.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Speaking of hot, Vegas is in a major hot rebuilding frenzy. Seems as if money is no problem in Vegas.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Hours later, it’s still 109F in Barstow, CA.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]In Barstow, the gas station had cool flag flying, had to take a pix. And yes, I’m very proud to be an American.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Ever taken a foto of your front tire at 95 mph?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Sunset near Buttonwillow, CA. Another 2 hours and I’m home.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Beautiful Buttonwillow.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The final foto of this very long diatribe; if any of you have ridden hiway 58 west of I5, you have seen this old barn structure many times, most likely in daylight. At night, the old barn took on a whole different look, and I smiled when thinking about what a ‘strange, long trip it’s been’.[/SIZE]

 

[08FJR4ME]

Glad you made it back!

The FeeeJ could use some pampering after that trip.

 

[odot]

Carv?....how many thread are you going to create? A hundred?....a mil? This is the only one I jaunted through.

OH, and drink lots of water.

 

[FJRBluesman]

DC - I tried to wait until I thought you were done.

If this is your last post on the trip... Excellent JOB!!! [SIZE=12pt]AWESOME[/SIZE] pix! :yahoo:

If it's not your last post, Great job anyway and I'll just look at the rest. I've been looking the last few days following this, and well... I'm not sure when, or if it'll ever end.... :dribble:

Thanks for sharing, that is one awesome trip you had.

 

[cota95]

Wow, this is what kept me from attending NAFO in the middle of the summer. What were you guys thinking? Late April next year?

 

[dcarver]

Carv?....how many thread are you going to create? A hundred?....a mil? This is the only one I jaunted through. OH, and drink lots of water.

Odot? Didn't you mean BEER?! Geesh dude...

And yes, the epic adventure is over; now it's just pix and cc bills.

Oh, and Mr. Odot, sir, I had a great ride; especially the last half when riding solo. Guess I'll always be a lone wolf at heart. Like to ride with folks for awhile.. then, well, I'll just take my chances and run solo. I imagine many others are with me on this; I ran across many solo FJR pilots after NAFO. All dressed like Power Rangers, running at pace, and having a great time.

 

[James Burleigh]

Hi, Don. Just want to let you know I've been enjoying your trip posts and pictures.

Jb

 

[Cdogman]

Like to ride with folks for awhile.. then, well, I'll just take my chances and run solo. I imagine many others are with me on this; I ran across many solo FJR pilots after NAFO. All dressed like Power Rangers, running at pace, and having a great time.

Gunny+1

... I love to ride with other pilots... But I run solo most times... 3000 miles alone and a few good stops meeting friends... Yep..

I saw 116F coming down a few weeks ago (I came in town a week before we rode) and i can only imagine 122...

I actually ran OUT of water 30 minutes from Mesquite, My pack went DRY and I started feeling all the symtoms.. and was acutly aware I was in dire straights.. I was beggin for a stop that had a mudhole to roll around in.. I was trying to balance speed and my ability to concentrate to make it out of the desert.. I was getting nervous in a onsetting of brain fog sorta way.

THAT will not ever happen again. I will never be caught without water,,, and beef jerky again (I had jerky, no water)

Nice report big "D"

 

[FatNakedGuy]

curious what gear you were wearing..

I've got the Motoport (Cyclegear?) jacket and pants. They seem to keep me well insulated in cold/hot.. Haven't been in THAT kind of heat though! YOU ARE WILD!

 

[Silver Penguin]

A great series of reports and photos DC. Thanks for sharing.

We experienced similar heat on the way home, via I-40. The traffic on I-15 on the way out was so miserable through Las Vegas that we vowed to find a different way home. Thankfully, our maximum temperature was a mere 109 degrees but that lasted for several hours, with more hours at 107.

Still, it was with mucho relief that we experienced the relative chill of the ocean breezes at under 80 degrees.

Jill

 

[Fairlaner]

Good Job Don. Where to next my friend?

R

 

[Barabus]

Just say no to Arizona in August. Come ride the pacific northwest- it was 70's today! Hey, do you have any more of that Christy's 20mil windshield tape? I like that better than the blue painter's tape.

 

[Big-D]

When riding through most parts of Arizona during the summer months, you’ll quickly notice the hours of 3-5pm in the afternoon are the hottest time of day. When many of you are leaving your bikes sit during the snowy months, we Arizonians look forward to winter and reluctantly ride in the summer unless our destination is towards cooler areas. The news recently said we were experiencing a cool trend as I noticed my forecast to be 118 degrees again today.

Nice pictures by the way!

 

[Iris]

[SIZE=12pt]Ever taken a foto of your front tire at 95 mph?[/SIZE]

LOL!!! Wow, you musta had alot on your mind, huh?

 

[dcarver]

[SIZE=12pt]Ever taken a foto of your front tire at 95 mph?[/SIZE]

LOL!!! Wow, you musta had alot on your mind, huh?

True.. I tried to take the pix while at 120; the wind was too fierce. You might say I was a bit BORED at the time! Seriously, try standing on the pegs, both hands off the bars, with your entire upper torso over the front at 120... It's fun!

 

[cota95]

Great pics and report-thanks

 

[rogdeb]

Fantastic ride report and pics Don :clapping: :clapping:

Wish we could have done NAFO

Rog n Debs