From Insanity aaand Beyond....

[Jettn Jim]

Well I spose it's time to hit the road, fly the coup, get outta dodge... time to take off on another High Adventure... 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/_c_ARZaNuP8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/_c_ARZaNuP8</a>

 
As much as I love Sherri, my friends and family it's been long enough hang'n close to home... I GOTTA FLY!
This road trip will start the day after tomorrow and last through August and into the beginning of September if all goes as planned... (Turns out it will go until the END of October:0 ... ) If there continues to be a plan.
 
Hadn't thot of a name for this RR yet... so my brother from another mother Terry says "From Insanity and Beyond" perfect!
 
“I have lived on the lip
of insanity, wanting to know reasons,
knocking on a door. It opens.
I've been knocking from the inside.”
― Rumi
 
 
Been THRASHING for the last few weeks getting ready and jumping a couple hurdles... fresh top end, new DRZ400 forks, new Gen2 swing arm, both stator and clutch cases opened , radiator, new tool tubes, 18" rear wheel, brakes...new calipers, rotors, lines and front master cylinder, bars with HDB goodies, Vapor and all controls, luggage, and MUCH MUCH MORE!
Here's Des' 2 weeks ago, still sporting alotta old stuff...

 
 
Here she is last week (after the TOTAL make over... pretty much everything but the frame and overflow bottle have been swapped out) on a shake down ride sans stickers... gotta get those new smaller pelicans stickered up before launch.  

 
This ride will bring me into contact with lots of other folks and the Dreams they are living... a chance to step off the edge of my world and land onto theirs for a spell. It will also kinda force feed all the magnificent beauty of the land and sea (Mother Earth) as well as the energy of Father Spirit deep into my flesh and being. A new awareness always settles into me as I travel the pathways of land and air, my mind and being becoming more and more saturated with the true possibilities we all possess. All in all this ride will have changed me yet again by the time I return back to N.E. Pennsylvania... as a ride like this surely changes everyone who would step onto its trance like magic carpet.
 
 
Then on another shakedown ride last week I met Amy, she was doin' some fish'n up on Lycoming Creek north of Trout run, had to pull a U-turn and go meet her... Vava Voooooom, what a cutie.

She's from N. Eastern PA but now up in N. Central working the Marcellus Shale Gas fields gig. Bringing lotsa $$$ to the local area.... my thoughts on the Fracking are still not all ironed out.
 
Then at Kemlers Restaurant where I'm having one of my last breakfast before take off, I see two of my favorite girls.... Codie and Alanna. So inquisitive about life, people, and places to see... just beautiful:)

 
Last summer at the end of my HighAdventureTour 2011: Spills, Thrills aaand Puurrty Giirrls, I was going to do a loop through Labrador and the Maritimes, but a high speed get off that broke me up pretty good including fracturing my spine yet again, and also destroyed Desiree's entire front end put that off... yet again. I've been trying to ride that part of the World since July 2008... always being denied entry, maybe I've been forcing it too much? I hope to make it up there this summer after this Rally Ride portion is finished up... we shall see.
 
It turns out there are a few Rally's going on this summer... like 8-9 just in the West, I'll see how many I can hit as I pass through their space.
It kinda goes against my grain to have much of a plan... so to do these events is gonna take patience.. and a lot of it!
I will be hooking up with NomadGal, and Parepin for a good bit of the journey too, as all our adventures will cross paths at different times... together we'll see what kind of a summer we can create!
 
This link from last years ride will let you see who I was last year... it started out as a 6 week ride out to Spokane to get back surgery, removing a plate and screws from my Sacrum... it turned into 4 months burning 17,000 miles, and a return visit to spinal injury:0
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=671365&page=19
 
I'll leave ya with this...
If you bring forth that which is within you,
Then that which is within you
Will be your salvation.
 
If you do not bring forth that which is within you,
Then that which is within you
Will destroy you. -the Gnostic Gospels
 
Peace FF'S... see ya somewhere on the path,
Jettn Jim

[rarepartbuilder]

Jim..."Namaste"

 Best of luck in your travels ... and may only safe rides prevail.

Bill

[Bernie68]

Did you say lotsa puurrty giirrls ?????

Off to a great start Jim

I'll be watchin from a distance

All the best

Bernie

[Jettn Jim]

Jim..."Namaste"

 Best of luck in your travels ... and may only safe rides prevail.

Bill

Thanx alot Bill Wooooop Wooooop!!!  

Did you say lotsa puurrty giirrls ?????

Off to a great start Jim

I'll be watchin from a distance

All the best

Bernie

Yes Siiirrrrr.... Thanx for ridi'n along Bernie.   

[Jettn Jim]

OK was up till 4:30 this morning getting Desiree' ready and putting the required stickers all over the new smaller Pelicans with my Buddy Jenny and a couple beers.  Gett'n on the road soon and headed for Diamond Lake and Beyond.
JJ  YeeeHaaa

[ajeli]

Hi Jim.

I can't help but feel some of that pre-trip feeling with you. I love the anticipation.

Desiree' looks beautiful by the way.

~Alan 

[pwest]

Hi Jim.

I can't help but feel some of that pre-trip feeling with you. I love the anticipation.

Desiree' looks beautiful by the way.

~Alan 

She's clean too. I'd do 'er   

[Kidicarus]

   I so cannot wait for this RR.  I absolutely was enthralled by your last one.  It kept me wanting more every day.  Good luck and enjoy it as I know you will.

[Jettn Jim]

 I so cannot wait for this RR.  I absolutely was enthralled by your last one.  It kept me wanting more very day.  Good luck and enjoy it as I know you will.

Thanx Brother....


I just spent two hours typing an EDIT for the first post to say why I really do this ride... instead of "yea I'm going from Ato Z and Blaaa blaaaa blaaaambla bla"  But have lost it TWO TIMES sooo I'll post it up later whan I can... 700 mi yesterday and only 2hrs sleep ( because I woke up early feeling like I had to EDIT this thing LOL)

Well...... that'll have to wait.  But before I post again I WILL EDIT THE OPENER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let the poeple know what's really goin' on!:deal

Peace,
Jettn Jim out

[riderskate]

I'm really looking forward to following along with you JJ. Best of luck on a safe journey.

[Jettn Jim]

Thanx for the Enthusiasm guys.... been on the road 5-1/2 weeks now aaaand need to get this show on the road.  Have had some AMAZING events....
Peace,
JJ

[Captain Chaos]

Subscribed. Safe travel my friend.

[Camas]

Looking forward to more. Here's a tip, do your write up in Word and then copy/paste it. That way you won't lose anything.

  safe travels to you.

[46moo]

 

Ride safe!  Hard to tell if your trip will bring you through here, but if you're in the neighborhood and need a hand, let me know!   

[Jettn Jim]

Thanx guys......    Much appreciated.
OKAY back from the edge....

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/QCQTr8ZYdhg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/QCQTr8ZYdhg</a>
Like I said soon after starting this RR... I had to do some contemplating to see if I could put down in words what this is really all about???????
For any of you who read my last RR you can kinda get the jist of it there..... I believe I will expand on it more here.....
Just taking my time to feel how I really feel.....  Tryin' to spread Joy, Happiness, Love, Fun, Folly and Play... as well as a good Work ethic while making the money to do these fun things and while DOIN' these fun things.  Excepting negative/low energy for the balance/learning tool it can be....  It's more than this of course and I'll get to that later, but at least I've decided to get back to it.... todays news from home kinda spurred me along a bit.  

Had a longtime friend get murdered  over the weekend, shot and drug into his house not to be found for days (rural town out in the country) .... and again it got me to doin' some deeeep introspection about myself, my life, my message and how I can better communicate to the community of life as a whole....
And got me to seek more answers.... more TRUTH.....  I'll check back in with ya soon.

On a lighter note............ it's been 7 weeks on the road now and I've ridden from PA to Northern Wash and Idaho, down into Moab then back across into NorCal and Oregon........Pulled a 300lb guy out of a flip and roll over on the Extraterrestrial Highway at 3a.m., helped an ol' boy with a flat on the McGruder, helped another couple stuck in the snow  West of Troy... had to put a fawn out of her misery near Kane Creek outside of Moab etc.....  met a TON of great people and seen some crazy cooool $hit!!!!  I'll start rehashing it here now.  Been on the road with Parepin agian on and off... and we're head'n Nord 2mro for some 4th of July  MADNESS in and where...... we've no damn Idea!  But rest assured it will be goooood!   Another foray into B.C. seems iminent too.

Can't wait to post up pics of all the KLRWorld/ADVRider friends I've met along the waaaay.

Peace,
JJ  

Love of my life Sherri Lynn, not soooo happy I'm leavin'...........
Helping another seeker (NomadGal) along......

Rokklym and Collarbone outside the Motel 8...

Heather who really helped me to start taking notes again and commit to the RR.....

Carol in Alzada MT... Love fer suuure....!^)-

Aaaaahhhh......





Diamond Lake techday at Norris's place......



Me n Desiree' fix'n up Colts quad....

Relaxing with Colt's Mama, Becky and little sister Ruger....

John helping machine parts for NomadGal's Spirit....

In some sticky situations in the Black Forest..... on the McGruder.

Journey's End Revisited......



NOW we're hav'n fun..... Mick decides to ride along for 450mi including a 1hr-15min rip from Dug Bar to the Imnaha store. WooopWooop

92 and young as ever......

More snow.....

MotoMedic, Parepin and Feyela join in the fun.....
/b]
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/dO1rMeYnOmM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/dO1rMeYnOmM</a>

[HotShot]

Thank you.     

[NomadGal]

Yay, finally some news and pics. Glad it was not me stuck in the mud! I would still be there now, if I had been on my own.

[Jettn Jim]

OK back on track now.............Time to get this trip out to the masses.
 
Been on the road for 16 weeks or soooo and think I'm ready to relate my thoughts now. Things and life have taken a BIG change for me as of late....... I'll try to keep it simple and just ketch up with the MANY pics, stories, adventures and people I met.
 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/fIr1GNfKLmk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/fIr1GNfKLmk</a>
 
I pull outta the garage and point Desiree' WEST!!!!

As I posted before..... Sherri not sooo happy I'm leaving. After abouuut the 6week on the road timeline as usual she and I begin to drift apart.....

One of my closest friends and advisers Terry the Goldsmith sweeping as I leave in the rain....

Then it clears up...

Not much to report really.... due to wanting to get out to Diamond Lake, WA ASAP I was doing the Interstate drone sooo some of the only exitement was at toll booths. An example: I pull up to one in Indiana I believe and it wouldn't spit a ticket so I buzzed the toll guard somewhere deep in mission control- "Yes I'm on a bike and the sensor doesn't seem to see me... can you send me out a ticket?" "haha yeeees suure no problem sweety" we go back and forth for a few more seconds and as we talk I notice that this woman has a REALLY SEXY voice! Now I know I need to be careful of what I say but I am sometimes painfully truthful sooo I say "By the way... not to be disrespectful... BUT you sure have a SEXY voice!" ??? ooooh boy too late now. " Giggle giggle why THANK YOU!" :smooch Whoa that went alright :lol3 glad I spoke up, that seemed to spread some happiness. On we go.........................

I get out into Illinois and hold up for the night at a Comfort Inn in Earlville after 730mi on the superslab, only to notice that my masterlink clip has flown the coop as I'm testing a new 17tooth front sprocket. I grind more material off the cover, add a new clip then down the road. Also do some rain shell repair as I've crashed so many times with it that the holes need more nylon repair patch. (yup I carry that too)

Break out the tools and start clearancing.....

 

 

Next morning I get up and spend 2hrs trying to edit this R/R kinda trying to put up what I'm really up to here, only to lose it all twice.... uuuugh!!! Welp must not be time yet, need some more thought I spose.
Nice jet streaks as I roll out near Paw Paw....

I get out on I-39 N bound and by the next fuel up I see the master clip has flown the coupe again....I grind some more then put on a smaller link from a diff chain... that works and I'm goood to go. As I head North I am bucking STRONG headwinds from the NE sooo I slow up and cross the grassy median (ya gotta love an enduro!) and head back to the last exit to take some back roads, man the superslab is as usual KILLING ME!.... I head due West on a county road and now have a nice quartering tail wind instead!^)- seeing rural America and feeling alot better.
I blow past some cruisers....

 

Aaah some dirt....

Hit Amboy Illinois with some brick streets... (yea I like brick roads... Don't you?)

Pull into the station and up pulls a lawnmower... gotta love a town like that!

Then hit up the Amboy Family Restaurant for some goood home cooking, told the waitress about self power and belief (she can't quit smoking) at least that's what she believes... Nope she can!
 
Then its back roads Northwest up into Minnesota where I hole up for the night in a Super 8 where I see a DR650 and a KTM 950m loaded for a tour... I notice ADV stickers on them and that the DR has a flat and is almost falling over. I prop it up with a cement block and catch some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's.

 

 

[Jettn Jim]

In the morning I see the two guy's loading up the bikes and that the flat is fixed.... I roll out to say high and see where they've been and goin' etc..... It's Chad aka "Rokklym" and Rodger aka "Collarbone" heading home to Wisconsin from a Trans South Dakota tour........ Wooop woooop! They're gonna do a RR lata.
Chads a freelance photographer and we share a deffinate connection in our views of life/reality.
I can't believe once again we're in a gooc convo and I'm talking the Story/Truth and met these two likeminded guys.
WOW Chad is gonna send me a shirt and I've gotta send him books (note to self!!! Send books) He compares me to Hunter S. Thompson... and I tell him that HST probably doesn't have a thing on me LOL! And that's SAYING ALOT.
Load'n up..........

Chads got a leaking seal sooooo I show him the magic Motion Pro seal wipe and dry things up...............

Chads bussiness Lone Wolf Studios... funny because I sometimes go by Lone Wolf myself.

Rodger shows me a neat trick which inspires me to make my own Funder brace later at Waynes in Idaho...

 

On the road again... SUPER niiiice to meet you guys!!!

[Jettn Jim]

I buzz outta Minnesota and head across South Dakota where I see the ol' Missouri a com'n... always signals a getting deeper into the West feeling for me.

As you cross you see alotta stations and such as Al's Oasis... memories of 2010 when I came back onto the onramp here too hot after a wild thunderstorm the previous night (patch of sand and stones covering the entire road) that had me lowsliding up the ramp at 30mph.... destroyed the righthand glove and tore up right side tank pannier. A wake up call...................

As I ride on West I get into some of the toughest conditions I've EVER ridden in!

 

Yea I know I'm on a super slab on flatland how tough can it possibly be right????????
Well man/chick imagine steady quartering headwinds at 35-50mph ALL DAY LONG! for hundreds and hundreds of miles on end! And I'm running WIDE OPEN into these winds (this goes from Worthington Minnesota CLEAR to Coeur d' Alene Idaho, nearly 1,300mi... wide open the whole way... my average speed is 77.7! My fastest average speed ever!) I'm in a full tuck as low as I can lay down on the bike with the Lynx screen lowered to it's lowest position (later I see the winds had forced it back into the carbon fiber fairing, rubbing notches into the lexan)
My back is screaming from the awkward contortions I assume. I'm hanging onto the seat off to one side to best let the screen and forks block the winds. I constantly stare at the GPS inching around on Desiree' to eeeek every .10th of a mph out of her. Desiree' is tilted over so far that I must look like a Circus act to everyone I pass..... aaand EVERY rig I pass causes a VIOLENT lane swap from this lane to that.
And on topof it all I have to break outta my position every pass to use the turn signal and give a wave! :lol3 Yea I can't break etiquette ya know. Any way all the boulder strewn, muddy rides are only burst of energy... this one is FOREVER!
I'm getting more of a workout than last years 11hr ride from Souix Falls to Rapid City in the Blizzard! :eek1
 
Sooo later in the day I pull over in Kimbal SD at a fuel station that looks a bit familar to fuel up and rest a bit. I glance over and see Ditty's Doo Wah Diner... I'm hungry, I'm tired aaaaand I'm IN!

 

James Dean, Elvis, Maryline etc.... and lots memorabilia...

I meet Heather... who helps me get back into the mood to take pics and get the notebook back out again.

I start to get back into THE MOMENT... as these adventures tend to do.... I had been a bit too into my head up to this point.
Thank you Heather!^)-
After talkin gto Heather I see a woman come walking in on crutches... I go over and kneel down to ask about whether her injuries are recent or from birth. She says she broke her neck 4 wheeling in the Black Hills and usually uses a chair. Her name is Doni and she's with her husband Craig. She spent 5 months in a Denver Hospital and I can hardly hear her speak do to damage to her Larynx from the emergency tracheotomy.
I remind her how her faith and belief in herself can/will help her to heal... to talk with her body etc.....
She says they told her she'd never walk again!! But she does (note this is another place western medicine botches up.... if the patient believes this, then they won't!) They told me I'd only be 70% at best after my 1st broken back! I'd say I'm doin' MUCH better than that.... like 100% maybe. We have a pretty long and tearful talk then as we say our goodbyes Steve Miller Bands: Jungle love, is playing in the background.....
 
I can't help but to feel how perfectly fitting it is......
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/HBFXpLOslXU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/HBFXpLOslXU</a>
 
"But lately you live in the jungle
I never see you alone
But we need some definite answers
So I thought I would write you a poem
~The question to everyone's answer
Is usually asked from within~
But the patterns of the rain
And the truth they contain
Have written my life on your skin"
 
"You treat me like I was your ocean
You swim in my blood when it's warm
My cycles of circular motion
Protect you and keep you from harm
~You live in a world of illusion
Where everything's peaches and cream
We all face a scarlet conclusion
But we spend our time in a dream~"

[Jettn Jim]

OK I'll try this again... had a long response all typed up and lost it all again. :huh
I was still sruggling to focus on wether I could do the RR properly and not get taken out of theeee "moment" too far. I would meet tons of awesome people and puuurrty girls but felt like asking for a picture broke our connection, so I pulled back a bit and just went with the flow.
Was also gonna write this in third person as an observer which I tried to be as I wove myself through the tapestry of the Northwest, using pearl jams Man Of The Hour as my theme and call myself.... The MOTH.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/vXqwtUUPe0w" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/vXqwtUUPe0w</a>
 
Guess I'll keep most of those thoughts to myself and just put up pictures.......
 
Things move pretty fast through here as I was just WFO all across the plains on I-90 till I hit Whitewood which is just past Sturgis. Then I cut up across Hwy 34 to Bell Fourche and 212 taking the cut off towards Billings, ya hit the tip of Wyoming also.

I pass the Badlands Scenic byway Loop and near Deadwood the Blackhills National Cemetery...

Puts a few more thoughts into my mind as I stare into the distant expanse of roving thunderheads...

Late in the afternoon I finally start to hit some of the only rain I'll see in months...

I pull into a fuel stop in Alzada 9pmish and meet Carol... this turns into an hour and a half talk/romance and a deli dinner for me.
She's gett'n a pile a books too... this pic just doesn't do all her Beauty justice at all.

Then a late night stop at a Denny's in Billings where my suweeeet waitress Chellie lets me sleep in the back corner of the dining room until just before the manager comes in a few hours later, keeping me from waisting time and money on a Motel.
Beautiful but no pic..... it's hit and miss on the PGOD pics for a while:/
Next day its Montana cattle country beauty smacking me in the face..... aaaaaaaaaah!

 

 

 

Hmmm what is this...

aaah bucha old sleds...

 

 

 

Next thing ya know I'm getting off the super slab in Coeur d' Alene and after hearing some light engine noise at the first stoplight, doin' a quick oil change at a local Wallyworld where I see some of the cleanest oil (with no metal in it lol) that I've ever seen after such a hard WFO push as Desiree' had just put in for me. Using mineral oil again with Zinc in it...
Then we turn North toward Diamond Lake and my first Rally, where I'll meet some new friends from the forums and a couple I met last year. Also Becky is living back up this way who I met last fall in Starbuck... havta stop in and give her a hug.

 

I pull in... say high and party late into the night... in the morning I wake up with the tent right in the middle of all the bikes parking area.
It was too late to pick a good spot sooo I just threw down after the fire died out.

[Jettn Jim]

 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/r2WqzJLweu0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/r2WqzJLweu0</a>

So I'd been helping out NomadGal with parts and stuff for her KLR Spirit, as she had shown up posting here on KLRWorld as of late getting ready for her own cross country self discovery ride. I was looking forward to meeting her as well and had shipped my box of KLR goodies (85lbs worth) out to Waynes in Lewiston figuring I'd be helping out some likeminded travelers. Parepin would be swinging by too soooo I knew the parts would get used.
 
I rolled into Diamond lake just as the sun was setting, found Norris's camp on the hill and made acquaintances... Folks ask about where Ester (NomadGal) might be and I said I just received a txt saying she was holed up over near Grand Coulee for the night after a Loooonnng day and late start. After all it was the FIRST day of her new Adventure...
 
The next morning I rode down off the hill to where I had some cell signal, and waited at the turn off... not knowing when she'd be coming thru but thot I'd see. I waited then fired up Desiree' and went back toward the camp... as I near the end of the straightaway I see a single light in my rearview..... I turn around and go back... It's Esher I get to meet... Cool beans!Thot I had taken a picture of her as she pulled up... but nope.
 
So up to the camp we go and plans were made for all to go down to Norris's shop for a Tech day... now I knew that this was what this whole gathering was about... BUT I knew I had ALOT of tech to do once I got down to Waynes place in Lewiston and had a sneeking feeling I would be getting alot deeper into Esthers Spirit than just doing a Doohickey sooo as everyone made their way down off the hill, I went and found a better place to setup my tent...

Was a nice little climb with Desiree' to reach this overlook as well...
 
Everyone set up and working...
 
Thumbsup from Spokane Dave... Norris working, Debbie, Mark and Kirby (laying down) giving support....
NoSnowBob and Kirby...

Road to Adventure (Jerry), I Dunno (Shawn), and Dave S (Dave) shooting the breeze...

 
I decide to see if I can go find Becky who I met last year...
I see a nice little bar to get some grub and send her a txt... She swings by with Colt and Ruger... next thing I know I'm following her Cummins deeper into the North Idaho hills and to her place...

 

Colt and Ruger are her kids... you GOTTA love a chick who names her children after a pair of sidearms!^)- Colt comes ripp'n up on his Quad...

 

It needs some TLC and a few bolts sooo I dig into Desiree's spares and he and I gett'r done.

Becky and I share ALOT of views in this world... we sensed each other from afar last year when we had met in Starbuck and it pulled us together to share a beer, a dinner and many many thoughts.... as well as that energy we call unconditional love

Becky, Ruger and I then take a break to catch up on the trampoline... she's near the end of a divorce and shows me the BEAUTIFUL house her and her husband were building, such a wonderful thought out structure.... Dreams fading away.

Funny how we create these Dreams in our minds and then hope that they will come to pass.... only when the one your walking with shares the same Dream do they.... otherwise it was/is truly only YOUR Dream.
The time goes by too fast and I have to get back to Diamond lake... so I promise to be back in a few weeks and gear up to fly...

Colt does another couple donuts for us...

 

Then sets off to one side to say goodbye...

I ride North before turning West in this Beautiful valley.... I could spend some time here....

 
 
 
 
 
Anyway

[Jettn Jim]

As I'm riding back to the camp I see this billboard on a little backroad and laugh to myself... probably the families son posing...

 
Then it's another excellent night around the campfire with the gang in the Northwoods solitude....

Sorry I'm still not quite back on my picture taking game at this point.

Before ya know it it's daylight again...

And time to head for Lewiston with NomadGal (Esther), there we'll do some more maintenance on the bikes.. then she's gonna ride down to Moab with me to put faces to names at the KLRWorld gathering and some more riding in the Desert.

Norris say'n goodbye outta his Turbocharged Polaris...

Before we know it... were the last ones in camp and it's the begining of multi week joint oddysey for Spirit and Desiree'...

We meander down to Lewiston on the back roads and I take a few miles of dirt to help get Esther used to it....

Turns out till yesterday she had NEVER ridden ANY dirt sooo she was still TERRIFIED! You can see she's pretty focused here...

 

 

Soon we're pulling into the yard and Micks there to meet us... He's grown a bit form last year and I'm excited to work with him some more.

Esther starts in on her bike as it's started to making some PRETTY loud noises between Diamond lake and here!

Lotsa crap in the oil too....

As she rips into Spirit... Wayne is tearing into his Baja...

MANY long nights insue...

Valve adjustments, tire swap, oil-air filter swaps, and suspension tuning on Desiree'...

ALOT more on Spirit... we pull the engine planning to just get her another... pull the swingarm for some welding, add bark busters, new grips, new mirrors, throttle lock, new front tire, 2" Rox riser, try to straighten the rims (which leads me to find TOTALY SHOT rear bearings AND a missing spacer between the sprocket drive and wheel hub) I know I'm forgeting a BUNCH but needless to say we did A $hitload!

Wayne teaching her how to use the Plasma cutter for a new kickstand foot...

 

Spirits spirit on the floor...

Three projects going on at once...

Busy....

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes in the frenzy we would find time to eat...

We had ordered Esther a fresh low mile engine with only 420 miles on it from an '09.... it was spendy but I figured with her just starting a Trans Continental ride she would need it. Sooo we waited and waited....... but it never showed???? Nomad convinces me to do some checking and we find out that during my checkout with paypal I had somehow put in my PENNSYLVANIA address??!!??!!??!! aaaaah $hit!!!
Well lets rethink this.............. I call and cancel the engine and give away $300- for my mistake. Yup as my buddy Nicks Granpa us'd ta say "They cost ya either Time, Money or Your life" this was only money sooo onto the rebuild.
 
We have a PowWow and Wayne and I put our heads together and figure something simple is causing Spirits noises not something Catastophic like at first thought. So we re-install the engine and pull all the outer covers off... (we have lotsa spare gaskets in my parts kitty WooooooHooooo)
Long story short we find a stuck cam chain tensioner (which doesn't let it tighten up) , a bound up Torsion spring on the balancer chain (which doesn't let it tighten up either) and some valves way outta spec... we fix everything and the noise is................................ GONE!!!! YeeHaa
 
So we continue to button her up and prepare to roll out to Moab... by now we're running a little late! But this is when I find the loose wheel bearings (on the floor loose!) and missing spacer, as I'm trying to straighten the wheel .
I get an Idea to go next door to Bobby's and rob one off his KLR250...

 

It's a l m o s t the same just too long.... sooo John comes over, points out Waynes lathe hidden in back (Hey why didn't I see that??? )
and fixes us up...

 

Aaaah betttta nestled into its place... we're outta the woods.

I quick build a plate for her GPS using a RAM mount I had in the parts bin... (it flops all over)

And we're off...

She's still learning to pack light LOL...

[Jettn Jim]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/uxPvEJhw0fM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/uxPvEJhw0fM</a>
 
Gonna try to move thru these next weeks kinda fast... since we've got another 15,000miles to cover... then up into the Great White North.
I know Esther has covered some of this ground in her fine report but I've got pics and thots from a different perspective to share, so share I shall.
 
I lead NomadGal South toward Moab with a smile in my helmet knowing the Beauty she is gonna be seeing for the first time... it helps me to remember to see it again.... all anew.

 

 

I wonder to myself, what thoughts are running through her mind as the horizon sweeps one beautiful vista after another past her eyes.


We hit a bit of rain and construction pulling Winchester Grade but I figure it will pass quickly and don't pull over to suit up... we get good and damp but I know we'll dry quickly down on the Salmon... I want to show her that you don't always have to waste time suiting up... only to have to unsuit again a couple miles down the road.

 

It passes and we're onto the Camas Prarie...

 

 

More dirt to hone her skills on the Grangeville cuttoff road...

Then down Whitebird grade... you can barely see her helmet LOL.

 
White Bird Battlefield
 
Nez Perce National Historical Park
White Bird battlefield from the Highway 95 overlook. Most of the battle took place on the otherside of the basalt bluffs in the center of the photograph.
 
Captain David Perry, commanding officer of the First Cavalry, was ordered to arrest the perpetrators of the Salmon River raids and escort the remaining Nez Perce to Lapwai. Perry led 106 cavalry men from Companies F and H, accompanied by eleven civilian volunteers to the location of the Nez Perce camp site at the head of Lahmotta or White Bird Canyon.
As the cavalry marched down the canyon slopes, 60 to 70 Nez Perce warriors prepared to meet them. As the Nez Perce positioned their warriors along the cavalry’s expected route, they sent a small truce party to talk to the soldiers. As the truce party approached, a shot rang out as one of the volunteers opened fire, ending any possibility of a peace parley.
Within minutes of the opening shots, A Nez Perce marksman killed a Trumpeter, making it difficult for Captain Perry to communicate orders to his unit. While the cavalry formed a skirmish line, making ready to advance, the Nez Perce responded by attacking the flanks of the extended line. Unfortunately, Perry had placed the volunteers on the left flank and as volleys of rifle fire poured into their position, they panicked and broke, running toward the line of cavalry at the top of the ridge.
As the volunteers scampered up the slope, panic spread through the line. As the flanks collapsed, Perry ordered a retreat. As soldiers panicked, many dropped their weapons as they fled, leaving behind thirty-four soldiers dead on the battlefield. When the soldiers reached the top of White Bird Valley, they continued their pell-mell retreat to the settlement of Mt. Idaho where they dug in and waited for help.
The Nez Perce retrieved the fallen weapons, picking up approximately 63 carbines, pistols, and ammunition. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Nez Perce quickly broke camp and crossed the Salmon River as General Howard gathered his forces for a pursuit that would continue for the next four months.
 
 

I always remember the recent past as I roam this region...
 
The Mountains loom closer and I'm excited to lead Esther down into the twist and turns between us, Smiths Ferry on hwy 155 into Boise...

A man and his wife Salmon fishing near Lucille...

As I take the first picture I zoom in, he then senses me and looks across the river at me... all while I move upriver at 70+ and he holds position in the current.

We clear Riggins and get down near New Meadows then onto the backside of Cascade and the excellent ride along the Payette...

 

 

 

 

I know Esther must be eating this up.... cuz I know I AM!^)-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we get near Horeshoe Bend I run out of fuel again... I went on reserve 23mi or so back. I pull off the road and lay Desiree' down to get into my Reserve-Reserve... I get a blurry pic of Esther as she zips by...

I pass a buch of traffic to catch up to her always using my signals and waving as I pull in... still I piss some folks off and when I pull in for fuel near the Bend a guy rolling by in a lifted Dodge yell some Fu** you buddy stuff at me:/ oh well can't make everybody happy eh?!?!
 
This gives me a chance to meet BEAUTIFUL Annell Allen... as she had heard the guy yelling and wondered what was up...

She has a KLX in her toy hauler and turns out IS a SERIOUS rider! She has raced in Chile on the National Enduro Pro-team and is quite the HARDCORE chick... be still my heart LOL hahahahaha. She knows the folks at Carl's Cycle and a few other places I've been to. I love her vibe and the conversation we share. As I look back at the photo i think we make a good pair.. dontcha think.  
 
As night falls we get into Boise and I take the Nomad to the best Organic food joint I know of and a place where she can eat to her Vegan hearts content... The

 

Again I get the pleasure of spending time with Jennifer.... who I met on last years ride.   Two more cuties come in and tell us of their friends from Louisiana who did a fundraiser for the Gulf Restoration called the La La Ride... one of them a Hottie from the old BattleStar Galactica series...

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/yUn_LTIEozc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/yUn_LTIEozc</a>

 

We go to Carl's and just throw our bedrolls down in the parking lot next to the bikes.... no hassle and FREE!
 
Nite.....

[Jettn Jim]

We wake up just before the heat hits us and Esther makes some oatmeal....

We go inside where I say hello to the gang and we both get a pair of new gloves.... then it's off to fuel up, I need a new GPS and then south.

As we fuel up I talk with this puurty girl who's name I've forgotten... She gets it and is hungry for truth so I give her one of my books...

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/LPk-fuSKr5Q" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/LPk-fuSKr5Q</a>
 
We hit up a Cabelas and I splurge on the new Montana 650... while waiting for them to open we meet none other than a Super Fine Dude.... Merlyn Townley...

We instantly connect on a spiritual level and long talk insues..... he shows me a picture of Sai Baba who is looking THROUGH the pigeon.

Then we talk Mtn bikes and stuff. He gives me some stickers including the LuluLemon womens team sticker who he's wrenching for right now... they've won every race the've entered in the last two weeks.
He tells me of the year long Adventure race Odyssey 2000 and visiting 60+ countries plus other grand adventures etc...etc.
I know I've met someone special and when I get home I do some searching.
 
Townley Headed for Rwanda To Develop Bike/Coffee Project
By Martha Slater
 
 
[SIZE=+1]Townley Headed for Rwanda To Develop Bike/Coffee Project By Martha Slater[/SIZE]
Bicycles and volunteering to help others have been the two big passions of Merlyn Townley's life. (Herald / Bob Eddy) Normal Martha 1Merlyn Townley, son of the late Hugh Townley of Bethel, leaves next week to live in the African country of Rwanda. As part of Project Rwanda, he’ll be there for a minimum of a year developing a western style bike shop, which he notes “will be the first of its kind within 1,000 miles in any direction in that country, and will also be combined with a coffee shop.”
Townley heard about the project in its early days and the founder, Tom Ritchey, who is famous within the bicycle industry, called him about a month ago and asked him to come on board.
“I’ll work on the coffee shop and bike shop project and also teach bike mechanics to local people there, so they can build and maintain the bikes that will be given to them through Project Rwanda,” Townley explained.
Coffee is the major export of Rwanda.
“It’s all fair-trade shade-grown coffee and they just connected with Starbucks,” Townley said. “The country has such a problem with deforestation that it’s now illegal to cut down a tree. The way the farmers get their coffee from Point A to point B is on bikes made entirely of wood—even the wheels! They have no brakes or gears, so they’re treacherous. The coffee is grown in the mountains and this is their only source of transportation, so we’re importing bikes to give to the farmers to help them.”
Townley explained that, “The new bike that Tom Ritchey has designed for them is like a mountain bike, with three extra feet behind the seat so that it will carry their goods to market, but has brakes and gears so it’s an actual rideable machine.”
A small country in east central Africa, bordered by Tanzania to the east, Congo to the west, Uganda to the north, and Burundi to the south, Rwanda is said to be the most densely populated country in eastern Africa.
 
“It’s also a democracy, and the only stable government,” Townley pointed out. “It’s about 100 miles south of the equator and has a temperature range year-round of 50-75 degrees, so they have never seen snow.”
In addition to running the bike and coffee shops, and teaching mechanics, Townley will put on seven bike races, the last of which will be an international race, with all African nations encouraged to compete.
Townley has nearly 30 years experience in the cycling industry. He has worked both as a bicycle mechanic since 1982 and providing neutral support for over 1,000 national and international races.
In addition, he served as head mechanic for the Odyssey 2000 cycling tour, a one-year, world wide cycling expedition that encompassed 45 countries on six continents with 250 riders.
One of only 11 category one licensed bicycle race mechanics worldwide, Townley’s diverse work experience also includes serving as a volunteer with the American Red Cross Disaster Services since 1988 in areas such as Hurricane Wilma, the Rhode Island nightclub fire and at the World Trade Center. His volunteer work also includes helping during the Tsunami disaster relief.
 
In the Cabelas I strike up talk with the cute checkout girls and give their day a SUPER BOOST...... of course this bouces onto me to and I feel just fiiiiiiine!
 
As I go next door to grab a screen saver from the Best Buy, I see on the building front a HUGE billboard advertising Tom Clancy's newest virtual War game.... a guy all in a chemical mask waving his assault rifle...sigh.
I think to myself... in our Culture it's OK to flaunt War games and Killing on the front of a store...
BUT when I'm in a health practitioners office... it's TABOO to show the simple truth of a male and females anatomy???? Always just kinda erased as though our reproductive organs don't exist?!?!?!?!?
Really people..............
 
 
 
Anyway we roll on South again from Mountain Home and I'm feeling really gooooood despite the billboard... just thinking of Merlyn and the cute checkout girls...
 
Plus as much as Boise is an OK City as far as Cities go.... I much prefer OPEN SPACES!
 
An Exodus of our own so to speak....
 
We head into the dry zone and decide we'll meet up somewhere later tonight... gives us a chance to ride at our own paces and her a chance to get used to long expanses of lonely...

 

 

A bit of an Oasis known as the CJ Strike Reservoir which has the Ol' Oregon Trail running along it's side...

What a nice lush valley in the midst of this arid dessert...

Nice stonework...

 

 

 

Aaaah some twisties.. THANK YOU....

 

 

And the Wild Horse Reservoir... with McAfee Peak in the distance 10,443ft.

 

 

As the kids get off the bus I give a wave and think about their lives out here on this open expanse....

 

 

I decide to stop and put in my earbuds for some muzak... been just in my head most all of the ride sooo far.

In the middle of NOwhere I see this ranch and take a few pics.... as the road splits the farm.

 

 

This ranch distraction along with the music playing in my ears gets me my second ticket in 13 pull overs...while rolling 84mph doesn't hurt/help either LOL.
I'll be calling Elko to pay via Visa when the docket clears... Elko.

 

 

Things start greening up a bit near Jigs...

As I'm pulled over eating a Cliff bar I get a txt from Esther... she's holed up in Eureka NV. I decide to take a 60mi dirt road into town and meet her whenever I get there. She's found a town park a local turned her onto and we're sleeping for FREE again woohoo.

It's getting onto sundown and the Jackrabbits are THICK! Antelope too... as well as a few head of cattle.

I've gotta be SUPER on my toes as I'm railing at 60-70mph on this dirty lowlit road. The surface is hard packed so the roads not my biggest problem.

 

 

 

 

It does then get a bit looser for a few miles adding some more fun into the mix...

 

Then it's dark with just enough moonlight to keep the animals out and moving...

As I'm about 4 miles North of Eureka the road has turned back to asphault and I'm cruis'n at just over 70mph... when out of Nowhere (yea right dummy he is standing right in front of you!!!) A calf appears in the middle of the road 30yds ahead with 5/8 of his body into my lane. I always ride centerlane at night to afford a bit of cushion from critters on either side. I've relaxed now that I'm on the slab again and the nights nearly over... a fatal mistake I know better than to allow... yet here I am... I'm hard on the brakes and start to swerve right, but he's more in the right than the left and I'm slightly left, sooo I correct and go left instead which is the side he's facing which is normaly a touchy move but I've only got a little over a second to get clear at this speed and can't waste anymore time........
 
Woooosh I just cleeear him and then coast...... and coast...................................
I pull over and get on my knees for a long, long while... that was really, reaally close man.
 
I pull into town get some fuel and late night food... The guy at the register is cranky soo I leave looking for food but havta come back... it's the only place I can still eat... I go the other way and give him an extra tip and treat him kind even tho in the past I would've threatened to knock his head off.
It works and I go set out front to eat in the moonlight... glad to still be walking and chewing after the close calf call.
I find Esther in the park in her tent with Spirit a ways off in the street. I pull my bike into the fenced yard then grab hers and make a quick leanto next to Desiree' in the grass... I like to be near my girl when I sleep.
 
Nite