The Ramblings of a Uralogist- A cross country ADVenture on three wheels

[joenuclear]

Thanks to you and your wife for the wonderful Ride Report.

[Razinski]

Great trip man .... Great!!

[Rusty Rocket]

Originally Posted by #1Farkle

Hi to all!
Been home almost a week and just got on! Must be an exclusive group. ...... Love, Julie aka #1Farkle

Love your screen name choice. and, oh yeah, we're exclusive, I've been excluded from lots of places. Welcome to the asylum.

Looking forward for a first hand account from the monkey. (that's not an insult)

[DaFoole]

Originally Posted by madeouttaglass

We did a fairly quick and easy tire swap on my bike here in the hotel parking lot. You can see how these bikes were designed to make quick repairs in the field.

Mongo Fix!!



Thanks for a GREAT ride report. Really enjoyed your pics and story.

As a fellow Uralogist I salute you, sir!

[OldNewRider]

OK, so I just spent a good part of my morning reading the entire report..... THANKS for that! Brought back memories of my 1972 cross country and back tour of 10000 miles on my CB750. Two-up and camping the whole way. Course, I was much younger then. Just back to riding after 35 years off two wheels and this report has me dreaming of another trip. Dunno if the old bones are up to it but...

Have a great summer!

[madeouttaglass]

Riding the day before with Pete was great. He had never seen the Blue Ridge or Skyline Drive before. He hadn't seen much on his ride up two days before with all the thick cloud cover. Going through the tunnels with his mellow Rineharts rumbling was pretty cool too.


This is my third end to end Blue Ridge ride. I did it the first time years ago when I rode a VF1000R home from Atlanta. I always admired the bike and bought one through ebay. The seller was an aircraft mechanic down there and thought I was nuts. He said the bike would ruin me and he was right. I was so stretched out that I was popping Advil and the like the entire way home. I had a dead spot about 10" in diameter between my shoulder blades for much of that summer.
I did it again a few years ago when I bought my FJR in Sanford, FL. Great ride, and fantastic bike. I love that machine.
Last year I finally got Julie on it when we RVed to the wedding I mentioned a day or so ago. Nice to have your puppies with you on vacation. (One is snuggled next to me in my favorite chair as I write this.)
If you haven't ridden it, put it on your bucket list. You will not regret it.




Panzir was wearing this T shirt yesterday. I happen to agree.



This is another interesting couple that we crossed paths with both at Peaks of Otter and again the next night at our hotel at Front Royal VA.
Phil and Patty MacGregor (Long Way Up? ) are real travelers. (I hope I don't mangle their story. If so, I hope they join here to fix any mistakes I've made of their story.) She was on vacation with her mother and sister in Puerto Rico and was flying back home to Marquette MI. Phil had a better idea. He searched ebay for a bike and bought this one in Florida. They met down there and are riding back to Michigan together. They also make canoes and have traveled extensively by canoe. Next up is a huge sailboat adventure. I bet if they had a blog it would be epic. I was amazed by these folks. The Ural attracted many people asking questions but the best part of this ride was asking people their stories. Charles Kurault had it right.



The last time I had to pack the bike for the day. A wife, puppies, and familiar bed await me at the end of day 24.
The only bed that I slept in more than once this entire time was my sleeping bag.



Not too much to take pictures of on VA 66, I-81 or even Rt. 15 on the way home. The is the Susquehana (SP?) River in PA.



I noticed this place as we buzzed by a year or two ago. This time I wanted to stop and check it out.



The owner happened to be next door and saw us taking pictures. He walked over and said that he is restoring it but not much will be done this year as he has a couple of surgeries coming up.



The view of the river across 15. He said 15 used to be a canal back in the day.



He said that he has dated the original structure to 1739!






He also owned this old antique store next to it.



The last meal on the road. This was the second place we stopped at for something to eat. The first one had so much truck traffic that we decided to press on. (I wrote that for you Knecht.) The next stop was only slightly better. Too much fracking activity for our liking around there. Rural PA has become an industrial area. Being in the tourism industry myself, I feel sorry for those folks there. What once was beautiful now has the flavor of a busy rail yard at best. I wonder what will become of the area in 20 years. Anyway, here's the last ADVRider food shot.



Where I am lucky to call home for the past 20 years. The Bristol Hills of the Finger Lakes region come into view.



The last over the helmet shot of Knecht. Don't know the rider who happened to be behind him.

[madeouttaglass]

Originally Posted by OldNewRider

OK, so I just spent a good part of my morning reading the entire report..... THANKS for that! Brought back memories of my 1972 cross country and back tour of 10000 miles on my CB750. Two-up and camping the whole way. Course, I was much younger then. Just back to riding after 35 years off two wheels and this report has me dreaming of another trip. Dunno if the old bones are up to it but...

Have a great summer!

Hi Oldnewrider. You might not believe me but the Ural was the most comfortable long distance ride I've ever been on. The somewhat compact size fit my 5', 10+ frame perfectly. I'll be 50 in a half year.

[Patrick46]

Originally Posted by madeouttaglass

. I'll be 50 in a half year.

WOW...you're actually YOUNGER then ME!!!


Great RR, and good to hear that you're home safe & sound.



...oh, and I'm quite sure so is Julie!!


really enjoyed meeting you nice folks.

[madeouttaglass]

I made it home! And the puppies attack! "Where the hell have you been???!!!!"




My two riding buddies and the best friends a man could ask for. Pete has been there since the day I was born, and Julie has been my wife for 25 years now and at my side longer than that. I'm one lucky son of a bitch.



9,794 KMs, or 6,085 absolutely trouble free miles. Thank you to the fine people that put these together in Irbit, Russia.



The rest of the bikes. I think that I picked the right one for a trip of a lifetime.









To be able to make the time for such a trip and have the support of all around me has been a blessing. 24 days of almost perfect weather, interesting people, new friends, places that I never dreamed I'd see or maybe didn't know existed. A few days alone, most with a loved one to share it with. No calendar, no watch, no clocks, the days were honestly measured by the length of my shadow. Too long and it was either morning or time to think about where I might sleep.

I'll leave it with the final words from the best comic strip ever. My kids grew up with the books when they learned to read and have taken many of the lessons to heart.

"It's a magical world, Hobbes Ol' Buddy.

Let's go exploring!"

[going south]

I really enjoyed your RR, & the pictures are great....

I have been toying with the Idea of adding a Ural to the stable! Now I know the answer thanks to you....

Thanks for taking the time and sharing.....

[OldNewRider]

Originally Posted by madeouttaglass

Hi Oldnewrider. You might not believe me but the Ural was the most comfortable long distance ride I've ever been on. The somewhat compact size fit my 5', 10+ frame perfectly. I'll be 50 in a half year.

Yeah, you looked pretty comfortable out there and I do think the Ural is a cool beast. My GF, however, says no way she'll ride in a hack. So, we shall see. In the meantime, my 93 BMWK75RT serves as my re-entry bike and it's more comfortable than that CB750 I rode so far so long ago. At 66 calendar years but 33 mental years, I'm ready for some more adventure!

[madeouttaglass]

Originally Posted by Ivan Rider

Congratulations on a great and safe trip. We will remember your visit. How many tires did you go through?

Good morning Dennis,
I'm just starting to get my head screwed back on. I was going over the posts and saw that I somehow missed responding to yours. I threw one tire away at the Walmart around New Mexico. (I think it was NM). I spooned on one of the replacement tires which is now also bald. In VA I swapped the two rears and now the sidecar tire is shot along with the front. The pusher is 3/4 gone. So I wore out 4 3/4 tires. Three engine, transmission, and differential oil changes on the road with one due now.
Thank you again for your hospitality and lessons. I wish it had been later in the day so I could have taken you up on the oceanfront condo offer. Our pond view condo offer stands.

[madeouttaglass]

Originally Posted by OldNewRider

Yeah, you looked pretty comfortable out there and I do think the Ural is a cool beast. My GF, however, says no way she'll ride in a hack. So, we shall see. In the meantime, my 93 BMWK75RT serves as my re-entry bike and it's more comfortable than that CB750 I rode so far so long ago. At 66 calendar years but 33 mental years, I'm ready for some more adventure!

I thought that Julie would never go for a hack. You need to just get her to try one. The 40ish newlyweds we met in Bryce probably will get one. As the bride told Julie about their Road King after I gave her a short ride in the hack. "Now I know why they call it the bitch seat. I want to bitch at him after 15 minutes of riding. That sidecar is COMFORTABLE!" The groom told me that he was considering a dirtbike and Jeep, but now really wanted to test out a Ural.

[Kristof Granit]

Thank you for the report and the pictures. Nice ride...

[SparkyL]

Thank you for the great RR and pics! BTW, Julie picked a great screen name!

We are interested in a trip up to your neck of the woods, but I don't want to hi-jack your thread. So, pm sent.

Thanks again!

Dave