Windsong of the West

[El Toro Joe]

It's been fun following along on this great adventure, Julie. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now for a little reality check...

Vacation is over...GET BACK TO WORK!!!

 

[thompsonian]

I felt my blood sugar go sky high just LOOKING at those cinnamon rolls.....but I bet they were mighty tasty

 

[deagle]

Great report Julie. First thing I read every morning for the past couple of weeks. Quite the adventure!!

 

[escapefjrtist]

Most excellent...thanks for sharing the adventure!!

--G

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Very Good Stuff. My compliments on a Ride Report well done and my thanks for the effort it took to do it.

A good RR does more than simply entertain, it is also a travel guide for the rest of us. This one delivered big time as well as making us jealous.

Like others, I am curious about the performance of the new Metzelers. Have you considered getting some of your RRs published? This was much better than most of the magazine articles I pay to read.

Now, Get Back to Work. Earn lots of money so you can afford to do some more of this.

 

[FJRfarrier]

Here's the finished map route for the trip. *** https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=11538576dac5b7dfab ***

To see the whole trip- go to the dropdown menu, click adjustments, then select ALL and ALL. Then zoom in and explore the roads I rode!

Green flags are either fuel, food, or scenery. Yellow flags are where the nights were spent.

This was all done from my Spot tracker, Gen 3. I have the ping interval set for 5 minutes.

7,080 miles from driveway to driveway. 14 days.



19 states. 10 of which are new to my collection. That really filled in a large chunk of my states map!!!

And, finally, in Bismarck, ND I managed to get Brandon interested in a states map. I just happened to have any extra one, the tinier style, in my paperwork. So we pull it out, put it on his bike, and started stickering it! He was so excited about collecting states, that he wound up zigzagging on the way home so that he could get both Kansas and Nebraska. (Maybe he will tell you about that...) Lol.

Somewhere in Kansas, on the way home, I rolled over 60k on the bike.

My longest mileage day for the trip was this past Monday, when I stretched from Denver, CO to Kingdom City, MO- 753 miles.

My shortest mileage day for the trip was the Saturday around Colorado during NAFO- 361 miles.

(I won't count the short jaunt from my home to Brandon's home that first afternoon)

And it looks like it was a pretty even distribution of 2 lane roads and highway. Ok, maybe more of 65% highway, and 35% 2 lane. Which is better than what I thought it was going to be originally. I was pleasantly surprised by both forms of travel that I encountered.

Fuel mileage dropped drastically on some of those roads, though....

Other than the lights crapping out on me, I never had any issues with the bike. It performed flawlessly, and was willing and able each morning I went to jump on. Ok, so he needed a nap there around Glacier- but that was my fault, not the bike or the ground or anyone else. As much as I will try to push blame to something else... it was all me.

Met quite a few people along the way- random guys from the internet are awesome!!! LOL!

And of course, met a whole bunch of guys and a few gals in Colorado during NAFO!

"So welcome the wind and the wisdom she offers
Follow her summons when she calls again
In your heart and your spirit, let the breezes surround you
Lift up your voice then and sing with the wind"

Thanks for following along and joining me on this adventure!!!

And just because I don't want the adventure to end... I might randomly post a picture after I sit down and actually go through the 3,500 pictures that I now have. Because with each of those pictures- a memory or a story is bound to pop into my head.

Granted, many of those pictures are a series of 5 burst photos from the Sena10c. So I will have to go through and pick the 1 picture out of 5 that I want. So that should narrow the photo count down a bit.

And also, I will get to editing some video....

 

[FJRfarrier]

I'm a big fan of "Roadrunner" - will you be submitting this adventure to them?... they might print your road report & pics in a future issue...

Have you considered getting some of your RRs published? This was much better than most of the magazine articles I pay to read.

I guess I hadn't really thought about it. For the tire test, I will have to submit a report. So they will get a recap of the trip. But I guess I don't think that my short blurbs are worthy enough for a magazine!

I did this RR thread as a way to keep my family and friends updated (since the Ride Report section of this forum is viewable to non-members...) So I just started sending out the thread link to people who wanted to follow along...

Y'all just happened to be willing viewers who are adding comments which make my parents laugh, and are also making my dad proud to say "That's my daughter!!"

 

[wheatonFJR]

Congrats on your great ride.

...And hear that everybody? Her DAD is watchin' you!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Have you ever read the RRs in any of the motorcycle mags? I know Rider in particular has actually asked for reader's stories. Much of what gets posted in the RR section of this forum is far superior to what is in print. You did a really good job here. And this is free, or at least included in our yearly forum membership dues.

I hope your Dad realizes that for the last couple of weeks you were probably the most popular member of this forum. That is not worth much in the Real World of course, but if you are ever stranded on the side of the road, it could mean a lot.

Actually, I am glad your RR is over. I am soooo tired of budgeting my "Likes" based on what you might post each evening. I cannot count the number of times my cursor has hovered over that Like button for some well deserving post and then... No, I better save that Like. The Farrier is going to post something good this evening and I will NEED that Like.

 

[LittleJon]

As others have said, I have looked forward to your most recent updates every morning when I get in to work. A wonderful trip, and a wonderful report. Thanks for taking those of us who are stuck riding a desk at the moment with you.

 

[rogdeb]

One of the best RR's I've read in a good while

Thank you Julie

 

[airboss]

It's a little sad when a good story ends, but happy to see you are home safe.

 

[hppants]

What a great ending to a wonderful adventure. I enjoyed every bit of it. Feeling the excitement in your writings was also really cool - especially since you were able to report it basically in real time (albeit same day), instead of waiting for the adrenaline to wane a little

Thinking ahead - I happen to know a few things about some of the states remaining on your map. JSNS...

 

[FJRBandit]

What a great ending to a wonderful adventure. I enjoyed every bit of it. Feeling the excitement in your writings was also really cool - especially since you were able to report it basically in real time (albeit same day), instead of waiting for the adrenaline to wane a little
Thinking ahead - I happen to know a few things about some of the states remaining on your map. JSNS...

Ditto!

 

[bigjohnsd]

Great to meet you at NAFO Julie. I have enjoyed your report too.

 

[Heen]

Two weeks on the road and much of it alone, posting every day, You are amazing. Thanks for Sharing.

 

[philellis123]

WOW !! Great ride report Julie !! It was really great to meet you at NAFO and get to ride a couple of days with you on this grand adventure !! Be sure to let the people here know when you are going to bust through the lower half of the U.S., as I am sure that MANY of us would like to follow-along/join you for that adeventure Glad you made it home safe.

 

[1911]

WOW!

 

[petey]

IMPRESSIVE

..THANKS for taking us along.

 

[Uncle Hud]

And then this was breakfast for Tuesday morning....

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! My kind of food ****, but I pack the classics: SlimJim originals and green Mountain Dew. The shortie SlimJims fit better in the topbox.

What an honor to meet you in Montrose, and I'm glad you're home safely. I respect anyone who rides that far, but ladies that do it get a big extra dollop of respect. You rock, and so does your "Yes - it goes fast ..." sticker.