Hacking our way North by Northwest…

[claude]

Elmer,
Just spoke to Brian and he is in Spokane. Said he hit some snow in route. He plans to go see Jay at Dauntless to say hello if he can get in touch with him.
Hopefully you all can hook up at some point.
Keep the posts coming.Good reporting

[koifarm]

Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh, you would have posted that sushi when I was hungry.....my favorite dish, bar none.....spent some time in Tokyo back a few years ago and absolutely love that stuff....Domo Arigato Abente san.

[brosanc]

Hello Elmer & Sharon,
I made it to Spokane yesterday after 2950 miles. I traveled the entire trip across on Hwy 2 from the Machinaw Bridge in MI. Lot of head winds, rain and 66 mph days. Then I had wind, rain and snow too. When I woke yesterday morning in East Glacier Park, MT it was quite frosty, then turned to quite snowy. I trie to take the Hwy to the Sun past St Mary's but the snow was too much and the pass was still being plowed out. They say that it will take another 2-3 weeks to clear the pass. I then left East Glacier heading to West Glacier. More snow ! I considered going back and waiting it out, but kept going. The snow lasted for about 10 miles and started to accumulate on the sides of the roads and on my visor.
I'm leaving Spokane in the morning (Wed) heading for Bellingham to meet up with my son. Ian & I will hang out for a few days until Sunday when Ellie flys in. I have to go to South Sound BMW to pick up a tire I ordered sometime before Sunday. Are you folks going to be in Seattle in the next few days ? Hope to hear from you !

Brian

[Abenteuerfahrer]

Rain rain go away, come again another day!!!

We haven't seen the sun since leaving NC except for one day in Ohio visiting the grandkids. Left Siuox City, SD under sprinkling skies this morning and it was somewhere in the 40's. We donned our Gerbing heated jacket and on top of all other layers we had on we threw on our Walmart rain jacket & pants thinking that'll do. Well....about 100 miles down the road it started to rain a bit harder and harder. Not wanting to stop and change over to our full rainsuit that was tucked nice and dry in one of our compartment, we kept going.
Wearing our "BMW waterproof" gloves, Elmer's glove stayed dry until few hours later...the "wiper" on his left index finger came in handy as he wiped up raindrops from his helmet and my gloves leaked like a sieve. After the Badlands...the rain gods decided to hold off on the rain and Elmer stripped his Walmart raingear...tucked it underneath the yellow sack that was tied down on the rear seat thinking it would be snug...it was not. We thought we've seen the last of his Walmart raingear. Riding 65mph on Route 44, a rancher and his 2 dogs in a pick-up truck passed us and stopped up ahead, got out and held out the Walmart raingear saying he found it a few miles back. God bless the ranchers of SD!!!
The rain gods decided to visit us, once again while we stopped for coffee at Starbucks in Rapid City, spilling all the rain into sidecar. As soon as we checked into our motel---the sun came out. God bless the sun!!!


I love rain....come again....la de da....



can't see...bum helmet.


This one sure has got an awfully long horn!



Think we're gonna see John Wayne come out of the saloon..



Badlands in the distant rain...





Don't we look stuffed?!!


Didn't see any there...


Just imagine what it was like long ago...


Isolated Route 44..





there were trees...



and then came the Dinosaur...



Got to Rapid City for tomorrows visit to the carved in stone Presidents.
Scoured Town for a genuine Buffalo steak and some local brew...after a hard day of trenching rain....



Washed down with these...



Woman's point of view:
Getting used to riding on the sidecar was easy. The seat is comfortable although I did add the sheepskin seat pad I had. It gives me an extra cushion for my tush. Plenty of room in the sidecar for me to move about. I keep all things handy in my backpack and it stays quite dry tucked forward in the sidecar. Storage is plentiful and there is room for a few more pairs of shoe... The wind does create an "updraft" when we're on the highway and makes it difficult for me to read a book...I think we need to tinker around with the design of the windshield a bit more. I'd like to replace our HJC helmets and find one that does not "leak" when it rains or fogs up. We have to keep ours open "a crack" to keep it from fogging up in the rain...I suppose that is true for many others. ??? Glad we have our Gerbing heated jacket liner...they do keep us nice and toasty. Cheerios...Sharon

On the technical side:

The bike has been running great except some chatter in first gear when taking off. The bike has been outfitted with Hyperpro shocks that were designed for hauling a 300# sidecar and it's gear. I must admit the shocks are a bit soft even with full preload in the rear and some in the front. The front seems to be softer. The 200/350# rated Progressive spring/shock on the sidecar are superb and highly recommended. Also is recommended the dynabeaded tires. They're running true. The Tourances are doing well, although a bit of wear is evident on the tilted sidecar wheel. The pusher Torurance is slowly showing it's flat spot as expected, but still has plenty rubber left. The front is as new as it could be.
I must admit that I love the tilt actuator that Jay recommended. It is protected of course with a cover for inclement weather. Heavy sidewinds are a cinch to ride in if they are from the left...just tilt the sidecar and you're on your way. Pretty slick I must admit. Of course are crowns easily corrected on the road. So far so good..except like we all know..fuel economy..what can you do when your sidecar is as aerodynamic as a billboard!....cheers

[Abenteuerfahrer]

Hi.. Claude..thanks for the update of Brosanc's whereabouts.

YO, Brosanc..were still in Rapid City, SD. Starbucks has a hold on us in this weather, but are planning to move on today despite another full day of da' wet.

Plan to be in Seattle sometime next week..don't know when..but at least no later than Thursday to see Jay at Dauntless on Friday. Gotta see some sights around here; Wyoming...Montana..Idaho. So far all's well except the rains, cold..and you 'snow"...Guess wer'e well acclimated for what's to come up in the Great White North??? Enjoy your visit with son hope to see you guys in Seattle. If not, you'll be a week ahead of us while I suffer along with my frau in Las Vegas while she's working at a convention.

[mikepa]

Originally Posted by Abenteuerfahrer

Rain rain go away, come again another day!!!

Riding 65mph on Route 44, a rancher and his 2 dogs in a pick-up truck passed us and stopped up ahead, got out and held out the Walmart raingear saying he found it a few miles back. God bless the ranchers of SD!!!

Woman's point of view:
I'd like to replace our HJC helmets and find one that does not "leak" when it rains or fogs up. We have to keep ours open "a crack" to keep it from fogging up in the rain...

Sharon and Elmer -

Glad your motoring along in (relative) bliss, inclement weather and tornado warnings aside . As a famous Norwegian Moto-Adventurer once told me:

"There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad weather gear."

I'm not sure that gloves and/or helmets are made that don't leak at some point (especially flip-up helmets), but after many years of trying every remedy, I have found that PinLock anti-fog inserts really do work, amazingly well! They are not available for all helmets, but you might ask around when you visit motorcycle shops and see if they carry any.

My current favorite helmet is the Arai XD series, not everyone's cuppa tea, but it works for me (has even displaced my former favorite, a Schuberth). The PinLock insert has made it a good "all weather" hat for my tours. Here is the URL for the PinLock website:

Pinlock Anti-Fog Insert

In regard to losing your luggage, you really need to "lose" whatever strap you are now using (even though, I know, they are color-matched to the rig), and discover the security of ROKStaps:

ROKStrap Home Page

More and more motorcycle shops have gotten the religion and now carry the long "motorcycle" adjustable flat stretch straps. The design is brilliant, and they really work because they maintain tension on the load at all times. You shouldn't have left home without them .

And, for what it's worth, the weather here in the Seattle area has been just super for the last couple of weeks. Hope the trend holds for your visit here!

Best,

[Abenteuerfahrer]

It raineth n' raineth....we were waterboarded in Dick Cheney's Wyoming???? . Never had so much rain....

Couldn't see Mt. Rushmore nor Devils Tower...can you>>>?



Although we made our Harley friends proud by stopping and leaving our BMW mark in Sturgis. NOT a Harley in sight....
because it's rainin', he,he..... ...





Route 212



One of the best local Cafe in Broadus, MT...



The best cardio vascular clogging special Bacon/eggs/homefires west of Pecos...




There we met this neat couple from Calgary, CN. They went all the way down to Tennessee and are on their way back to Calgary. Had no rainsuits of any kind. Rode in blue jeans and chaps... Guess those Calgarians are tough...??



They presented us with a Rabbits Foot for luck and god speed. The Rabbits Foot was given to them in Tenn by another rider couple and they decided to pass it along to us. We're in search for another couple to pass the orange rabbits foot along....their journey.



Lo and behold the skies cleared...





Stopped at Little Big Horn Battlefield....








Marker where one had fallen









Spirit Warriors race eternally across the plains.





Moving on to Billings, MT..56 degrees..





In the motel room Sharon goes to work on all things wet...

These are BMW's best waterproof gloves one can buy..but of course are they made in China...oh well...after several trenchings...I must say, "China Schrott, Nein Danke!"...



$1.99 liner....

[Abenteuerfahrer]

At the foot of the Rockies....Montana





Cool Town of Bozeman; in search for some caffeinated products....









Vitamin D day.....





R+R in Butte, MT



Here's looking at you kid....

[TouringDave]

[hackman]

Abenteuerfahrer:

I just wanted to let you know I'm loving your posts. looks like a wonderful trip (despite the occasional shower). And it's a great looking setup (despite the wonky wheel).

Retirement is coming soon and my rig will be following your tracks. keep the pics coming!

Hackman

[Abenteuerfahrer]

Originally Posted by mikepa

Sharon and Elmer -

Glad your motoring along in (relative) bliss, inclement weather and tornado warnings aside . As a famous Norwegian Moto-Adventurer once told me:

"There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad weather gear."

I'm not sure that gloves and/or helmets are made that don't leak at some point (especially flip-up helmets), but after many years of trying every remedy, I have found that PinLock anti-fog inserts really do work, amazingly well! They are not available for all helmets, but you might ask around when you visit motorcycle shops and see if they carry any.

My current favorite helmet is the Arai XD series, not everyone's cuppa tea, but it works for me (has even displaced my former favorite, a Schuberth). The PinLock insert has made it a good "all weather" hat for my tours. Here is the URL for the PinLock website:

Pinlock Anti-Fog Insert

In regard to losing your luggage, you really need to "lose" whatever strap you are now using (even though, I know, they are color-matched to the rig), and discover the security of ROKStaps:

ROKStrap Home Page

More and more motorcycle shops have gotten the religion and now carry the long "motorcycle" adjustable flat stretch straps. The design is brilliant, and they really work because they maintain tension on the load at all times. You shouldn't have left home without them .

And, for what it's worth, the weather here in the Seattle area has been just super for the last couple of weeks. Hope the trend holds for your visit here!
Best,

Mikepa,
Thanks for the advice!! We're thinking about replacing our helmet as well so, will do that first then look into Pinlock Anti-Fog insert...looks rather interesting. As for ROKStrap....well, Elmer has 8 of them already but he thought it would be OK to just "tuck" em in between 2 sacks and it would stay in place... ahem, had I known that I would have strapped them down properly! We thought we'd get by with our Walmart suit....got a bit lazy while our one piece BMW rainsuit sat nice and dry in our trunk...
We're enjoying the good weather you've been having. Hope it will stay that way for the most part of our trip.

[hondachopper]

My goodness...you guys are making good time! Keep those pictures coming---I love how you are able to capture the sense of being on the open road. I am soooo freakin jealous of your adventure!!! Smile...

Ride safe and really take in the sights, the sounds and the smell of all that fresh air on the trip!!! (I actually can smell things by looking at your photos!!)

Hondachopper

[Nemo DeNovo]

Heh, smell this

[Mangoes]

Hi Elmer and Sharon, Enjoying your posts. We're even catching on to the lingo! We still do "sailor speak" you know. Sounds like you're doing well , though hope that weather has broken for you. Went to a b-day party for Donna, former owner of Magic, last weekend. Wonderful to see them, and others we hadn't seen in a long time. Remember Jan and Karen on Blackwatch??? they said to tell you hello. They are now proud owners of Baba 40, Bella. Meeting a bunch of folks on the Chester River next weekend. Your rig looks awesome. Of course, we didn't expect anything less! Have a wonderful time, be safe, and keep those posts coming. We'll talk with you soon. Love and hugs, The Mangoes

[Abenteuerfahrer]

Been a bit lazy in posting...trying to savor the sights..not having to camera everything..eh!



Picturesque barn....one of many many seen from Rt. 90


Nostalgia!! Seeing this took us back down memory lane...we had 1977 model and toured the Eastern parts with our kids when we all were young!

One of many many trains we saw...

Met this fella from San Diego who is also heading for Alaska via Whitefish. Should we drive down SD, he's invited us to crash at his pad...cool. We seem to attract HD guys??

ahhhh....good way to end the day...one for him and one for me (guess which one I downed)

Snow in June??...lots of dusting from Cottonwood trees

beautiful scenic views of mountains, bridges and vasts of land everywhere...it's a big country!!



Must have been a fire storm not long ago...

We're far from home....

oh really?!!

Wanna live here??

oh boy...more mountains!!


Came into Pinehurst, Idaho to fuel up and noticed this little espresso hut where we saw the cutest kids looking at our bike. We had to go over and strike up a conversation with them. The coffee was superb and the kids were the cutest. The kids were fascinated with our "crayola" rig they wanted to hop on. We had fun.







Lake Coeur d'Alene coming in view




Downtown Saturday car show event....we got lucky


Elmer likes this one

we oh'ed and ah'ed....some more!!

On way to our bed & breakfast place in Rathdrum, ID





We picked this place (from the internet) because it was in the mountains far from populated citiy and they had animals and grow organic vegetables on their property.








Our residents at the B&B...






Moose and Minnie loved to be greeted.,,