I am preparing for my first multi-day trip with two or
more riders since the summer of 1972 when three riders on two bikes left my
house for what was scheduled to be a six week ride that, for me, ended as four
weeks out with a solo run home from Bass Lake. It was a great journey in many
respects and should be the subject of a multi-post series. This weekend’s trip
to Tombstone, Arizona will be different in almost every aspect and I’m not so
sure that I know how to get ready for it. There will be nine or ten riders
meeting up at different spots from Monrovia out to Quartzite, Arizona. I’ll
leave my place at 4:30 in the morning to meet Kevin at 5 a.m. in Monrovia. I’d
be yawning already except that’s not too different from dozens of long work
trips I’ve taken over the years, not to mention the personal road trips with
friends, family, and on my own. I feel at home on the road.
Mentally, I ticked off several items that I needed and/or
wanted to do prior to going; clean the bike that’s been mostly idle for six
weeks or so, see about a bike-to-bike communications system, check all my gear
including rain gear, protective gear for the heat and cold, off-bike clothes,
and rider’s group vest, and I also needed to get on the bike for at least an
hour at one stretch to make sure the bike and rider are in sync.
I started out looking into the comm. system by asking
Kevin, the trip leader, what he suggested. He uses a CB system that requires
installation; the time and money ruled that out for me for this trip. Kevin
suggested that I ask the group what they are using by going through the
Facebook message we’ve been running. Brad, Tim, Jim, and Mike all use a Sena
device. I already have a Scala Rider Q2 by Cardo Systems but I haven’t used it
in a couple of years. I decided to dust it off, charge it up, and see if I can
talk to anybody. The only problem is that when I opened the box the charge and
MP3 cords were not there; they may be buried in my spare bike gear box in a
garage that has been Wedding Central now for six months and two weddings. I may
excavate later today or I may be running silent.
I know I’m good on the riding gear, cold and hot, so I
decided to tackle the tune up ride and rider’s vest at the same time by running
out to Buckle and Belts in Calimesa yesterday. You might recall from
my previous post that I screwed up the last attempt by letting my saddlebag
flop open and losing my patch. I started out the ride by having lunch in
Montrose with some retired phone company friends and having the lunch extended
by running into some old friends I haven’t seen in years. From there I headed
out the 210 freeway and followed my Waze app directions to the end of the 210
and onto the Highway 10. The weather was just right, 72 degrees with light
patchy clouds. The roads were wonderfully clear just after noon and I was able
to keep a brisk pace in the carpool lane all the way out - 80 miles in less
than 75 minutes. This was the perfect tune-up for me.
Prior to leaving I had double checked my saddle bag with
the vest and patch, having acquired a new one from Kevin over the weekend, and
checked the bag during the run out to Calimesa every once in a while as I’ve
become a little paranoid about it. I arrived at Buckle and Belts to find a very
nice looking Harley Sportster out front, clean chrome with a gold and black
trimmed paint job, it was a pretty bike but it looked too small for me. I went
in and asked the ladies about having the patch sewn on while giving my sob
story about losing the first one. I was lucky that the right person was there
who is not usually there on Tuesdays. Whew! I shopped around while she sewed it
on after having positioned the patch for her and picked up my first personal
patch to be sewn on at a later date. Again, I recommend the place and a visit
to their website to read the owner’s story: http://www.buckle-belts.net/ . I found
great service with a large selection of patches, vests, and other riding
accessories.
I learned one thing on the way home; I should let the
Waze GPS app lead me. Waze had me going home via Highway 10 to the 57 to the
210. Thinking that I knew better and going back the way I came as soon as I hit
the junction from the 10 to the 210 traffic came to a dead stop. I jumped off the
nearby off ramp and doubled back to the 10 and had a good ride home. I feel
tuned-up for the ride to Tombstone, making some new friends, deepening other friendships,
and exploring some of the fabled scenes from an era that I sometimes feel is
where I should have been born to. With my luck though rather than being a US
Marshall I’d have been a blacksmith apprentice or running a telegraph office.
Ride safe, be well, and keep the iron side up.
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