12,000 miles on a dual sportster via Inuvik

[johnwesley]

Before and after of the sportster






build thread is linked in my sig

Here is the newly added spot link http://share.findmespot.com/shared/f...TqR9uKOkPqZqe1


My mom and dad have raised me on the back of motorcycles; I have been on them in one way or another for 30 years. They have dragged me from one end of the states to the other; we use to do bonsai vacation runs that would be 6,000 miles in two weeks with lots of interesting stops. I have great memories of those days and they grow dearer to me as I get older. I now have a job and a family so the times of riding with my mom and dad are very rare and a cherished. So this trip is a very exciting time in my life as the first leg of my Alaska trip is two Washington State with my mom and dad.



We leave out at 4:30am on Sunday morning the 10th of July. The purpose is to beat the heat and head west as fast and straight as possible. The goal is to stay in Amarillo and to get there we still have over 100 degree weather. At that point the Roadcrafter gets packed and the airflow goes on. Our first real stop is in Oklahoma city at the stockyards for breakfast. The waiter tells us of the 110 degree high that day and hopes we stay safe on the road. I have a 3liter camelback that makes staying hydrated easy. I will have to fill it 3 times before we stop for the day.



The first piece of adventure happens on the interstate when my mom’s face shield blows off. She loses the peak as well as the shield. The screws backed out and allowed the whole event to happen. Once we’re on the shoulder and asses the issue we end up just putting her shades on. This helps on to see but does nothing for the wind and sun burn.


Just as a side note, my dad would have given his face shield to her, but just before we left he had skin cancer taken off his nose, with a skin graft to cover the whole. He is suppose to keep it out of the wind and sun with no lifting for a week. O well he is hard headed


The motel in Amarillo is welcomed as the sun has sucked us dry and tired; the room is cheap and clean. I have developed a carb leak so at the motel I tear into it and find trash in the float bowl and remove the float needle and clean the seat. Put it back together and all is well. This sportster is easy to work on, I just took the air filter off and did the rest on the bike, took about 15 minutes. Within walking distance there are two steak houses, a Road House and a mom and pop place. As standard fare we choose the local flavor and skip the chain. It was a Great steak house, decision well made!



The next day we head out at 7:30 am and head for the higher elevation. Our plan is go through Clayton and over Johnson mesa, take two lane roads from Walsenburg to Buena Vista. The ride is grand and one of my favorites as I get to see the change in country side from dessert to Mesa to the Rockies. Here are some pics that speak better than I can.







This is a neat little church up on Johnson mesa, I like to stop here just for a break and look see




Mom like to play the piano, she just can’t help it




We run up to Westcliff where Dad has a favorite restaurant they cook in a large homemade brick oven. This is a interesting town and there is normally a guy sitting on the side walk with his GSPD and tells stories. He wasn’t here this time and I missed being able to talk with him. Maybe on the way home from AK.









Tuesday should be a nice cool fun ride as we leave from Buena Vista, weather is suppose to be good and a cool ride. Once we fire up the bikes and head north to Aspen things change we end up riding in rain and lots of it. This is hardest on mom since she has no face shield and only dark sun glasses. After fighting with the weather for a while we called it quits for mom’s safety. She couldn’t see for the rain and the darkness, plus the glasses stayed fogged over, short day. We are in Vernal, Ut. This morning may hold a surprise in it for mom, We will just have to wait and see.

[ROYAL COACHMAN]

You have a neat set of parents!!!
Looks like a great trip for you ahead, enjoying this and looking forward for more

Have a safe trip!!

[JimmyTheHog]

Fantastic Trip ! The Sporty looks set up nice too with all the storage.

[Wolfgang55]

Keep the KEEPERs riding.

Good RR here john

[Marco Moto]

[C-Stain]

Subscribed to this one! Go John!

[Danger4u2]

Wish I had known you were coming thru OKC, I would have liked to see your bike. I've watched your build from the start.
Did you guys eat at Cattleman's Restaurant? If you come back thru OKC let us know. There are 3 of use that would like to look at
your bike. Maybe catch a burger or something.

[Dorzok]

where's the google map of the CONUS route?

[Ginger Beard]

Awesome...I've been waiting for this RR!! It's great that you are sharing this experience with your folks. Those rides are something that you will never forget. The times I have gotten to ride with my dad have been some of the best times in my life. Have a great/safe trip bro.

[johnwesley]

Thanks for all the comments, I'll try to get some pics up Internet is scarce right now. Tomorrow I'll be at happy-trail picking up some supplies. So I'll hold up in boise for the weekend

[larryboy]

Oh thank God...that sporty is really going someplace!!!

I'll follow this one since Vinny is too big of a wimp to ride to Alaska!!!!

The envy I feel is immense.

[jdrocks]

cool start riding with mom and pop.

that bike will attract lots of attention along the way on both sides of the border.

safe travels.

[on2wheels52]

Tuned in
Jim

[johnwesley]

We left Westcliff and headed to Aspen. This is a beautiful route that has great views, with nice curves. A perfect paved road for general riding. On the way up Independence pass we run into construction, it was the first day to start pea gravel the road. We were lucky in the fact that they hadn’t got a lot done by the time we went through, just good timing.











me and mom, yea we favor some









sometime mom needs a little help with the roadcrafter



It looks like we may be a little rain in the forecast



Not just a little, it poured buckets, so we stop and get a room and some goggles for mom. Trouble is it was a dealership, so they had new bikes there. Dad was looking for a bike that would really suit my mom. We found something that looked like it would work, but had to wait for the next morning for mom to try it on and take the test ride. After the test ride she loved the bike and for the next 6 hours they do the paper work and get the bike ready to roll . Dad unpacks the BMW and loads the Road king with his stuff and packs mom's gear in the new roadglide ultra. Now the road king will not hold near as much gear as the Happy-trail outfitted gs would so he looks like a hillbilly rolling down the road with all his gear under a bungee net.

[larryboy]

Seriously? New bike mid-trip!!!!