All our gear is BOUGHT! Finally!

The last pieces arrived yesterday and today. Stu got his new Engel 30 qt. Dry Box Cooler, he likes everything about it except the missing drain spigot. Oh well...it fits well and holds a lot more than the old one that he lost.

I got a replacement mesh jacket on clearance, $79, and it's three-season with a quilted AND a rain liner. With the liners in, it fits wonderfully. With the liners out it's a bit loose but all the adjustments make it comfortable...and when it's really hot, I'll be wearing my cool vest underneath. It's a Cortech by Tour Master LRX Air Jacket for Women. Pink isn't really the best color to match my custom paint, but it will help me stand out on the road.

With the mesh pants we bought, I needed bigger rain pants and once again, got a great buy on Tour Master Elite II rain pants for $45. They fit perfectly and have the added bonus of heat shields on the insides of the legs to protect them from hot pipes.

I tossed in a nice little helmet lock for $15 and got free shipping on everything.

Oh, wait - we also bought two pairs each of lightweight, quick-dry, spandex exercise shorts. I won't scare you with any pictures. [giggle]

So, things are winding down as we move towards the first of September when we'll finally hit the road!

Still rolling,

Stu and Donna 

Final purchases...well, almost....

With a little over three weeks left before we leave on our trip, we're fine-tuning what we'll take with us. When I toured the country in 2005, I wore all textile gear. More functional and more protective than my leather gear. I overheat easily and found mesh gear (jacket and pants) helped me stay comfortable and protected. The downside is when the weather gets cold or wet, the mesh isn't as good. So I traveled with two sets of paints (one mesh, one with rain & quilted liners) and two different jackets.

Since that time, gear has come a long way. I looked at my old mesh pants, First Gear HT Air Overpants and almost bought us those. Then I found the Tourmaster Flex pants - a great three season pant. It works like my Joe Rocket Alter Ego jacket, with panels that zip off for mesh use and a zip in rain liner and quilted liner. The have CE armor in the knees and hips, and three positions for the knee pads. They also offer the mens version in Short, a bonus for us.

 

They arrived today and both fit perfectly. These are perfect pants for our trip. In warm weather we will wear bikes shorts underneath and be much more comfortable. On the trip home or in the mountains, we will leave the panels on and even add the quilted liner if needed. Stu managed to get his jeans under his but from experience, I know this can be cumbersome and uncomfortable after a while. Me? Not unless I lose weight. I will bring long underwear/tights for layering, as I did in 2005.

We bought ours through a great company, Fly n Cycle Motorsports. We talked personally with Shawn and got a great deal on the Flex pants from them. I highly recommend them!

The other item was finding a tank bag for me that could do double duty as a purse. I had previously tried a Joe Rocket one but it was too tall and uncomfortable. So I searched the web and I did a lot of analysis in size as well as price. I didn't want it too large or too tall, plus it had to have a handle so I can snatch it off the bike and carry it. I finally settled on this one, it will replace my purse for the trip and be a handy spot for sunglasses, tissues, candy, phone, etc.

It arrived today and I have to say I LOVE it. Stu likes it so much he plans to take it over once I sell my bike in November. Will hold just enough and yet not get in my way when I'm riding. Yes, it covers the pretty artwork on my gas tank, oh well. ;)

The last item we need to get is a replacement cooler for the trailer. Stu is busily working on that. We can easily get the same cooler but it has no drain plug and that is a big negative for Stu. Will keep you updated!

Still riding,
Stu & Donna

A month away....

Finally, we are going to do it! Ride all, well as much as we can, of Route 66. We plan to leave around September first and MUST be home by November first. I'm really hoping we can keep the trip leisurely and make it home around mid-October but time will tell.

Stu went on a three week trip, parts of it with friends, and did some camping to test out our gear. He plans to write a post in here about what worked, what didn't and what he plans to change. One change from our original plans is bringing Sadie, our pup. We're not, for several reasons. She will be staying with our neighbors and their dogs - she spends every day with them now, her pack is both families and all the dogs. LOL!

He is also responsible for all the route planning. We will head to Chicago from our home base in Jamestown, TN. We will take our time, sight-see anything that piques our interest, even some things that might be slightly off our route.

When we're done, we'll be in Santa Monica, CA. From there we'll take the Pacific Coast Highway and head north to visit Yosemite National Park, the only major NP on our bucket list. I've never seen it and Stu saw it when he was a kid.

After that we will meander back to TN via a weather-dictated route. We do hope to see some friends along the way but won't be able to spend more than an overnight or possibly even just a meal.

Keep watching! Time is getting close....

Prep and Test time.....

We are finally going to do it - ride Route 66 this fall. Current plans call for leaving in early September, taking up to four weeks to go from TN to the start in Chicago, then ride as much of Route 66 as we can, ending in Santa Monica. The return route is unknown other than we'd like to see Yosemite National Park before starting home. That route will be determined by weather and how we feel at the time. Another 3-4 weeks and we should be back in TN.

Stu has spent the last week prepping his bike for a shake-down trip. He's taking 3+ weeks for a guy ride to SD and back (and maybe some surrounding states - time and weather dependent). Tuesday night he had all our camping gear spread out in the driveway. None of this has ever been used so we're hoping we've thought of everything. It all fit very neatly into BRAT with just his clothes on his backseat.

Almost ready to go...

Time to leave...

Look, a lady bug! That means good luck.

Heading out....

Camped in Mammoth Caves National Park

He finally left around noon yesterday, heading to Mammoth Caves National Park to camp. Oh, and to get his Geezer Pass for the parks (and discount camping). We'll post the results of how our gear held up and what worked, what didn't.

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

BRAT Take Two

I thought I had posted about our new BRAT but looking through the archives, I don't see anything. The original BRAT was getting refurbished by our son-in-law when we came across a deal that was too good to pass up. Thanks to several friends, the new trailer was taken from TX to LA where we picked it up in June of 2010.

Here are some photos from that day (using Stu's 2009 Tri-Glide, now replaced with a 2012 Tri-Glide).

Recently Stu took the spare tire and mounted it underneath. Previously we carried it inside the compartment, not an optimal spot. He said it mounted very easily and it looks great!

We put all our camping stuff together and it takes up maybe half the compartment, leaving us plenty of room for our luggage (clothing, etc).

We still plan to take Sep-Oct 2013 for our trip so as that time gets closer, we'll post here with further preparations.

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

Will we make it?

I know, you're wondering if we'll ever make our ride. We are determined to go Sep-Oct of 2013. I'll turn 66 that September and it would be great to ride Route 66 at age 66. If we don't make it then, I fear I will be riding on the back of Stu's trike, rather than riding my own.

Speaking of Stu's trike, he traded in his 2009 for a brand-spanking new 2012. It's gorgeous! He moved most of his accessories over and saved the faring from the 2009 for our future pole barn on our property in TN.

Here are a couple of shots of his new bike....







He still has to put the hitch for BRAT on this trike and we have to start re-acclimating Sadie to riding. She loves it but isn't as good about staying put in the seat bag. Her nails really do a job on the paint so we're looking for alternative means of restraining her.

Anyway, that's the latest for us and our plans!


Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

One more time...

Yup, our plans have changed one more time. Last May we announced that we were moving the trip to the fall of 2012 because of Stu's twin granddaughters high school graduation. That date change became even more important when we learned that Stu would be getting both knees replaced in early April 2012.

Fast forward to now....Stu's youngest daughter will be getting married in late October 2012. Soooooo, once again we delay our Route 66 trip. Current plans are for fall of 2013...and I'll be 66 so it will be fun to ride Rt 66 then. LOL! Gotta have something to look forward to.

By then Stu may have upgraded to a 2012 Tri-Glide, I'll probably still be on my SuperLow. We continue to fine tune what we will need for the trip. We recently joined a travel club that might make it more cost effective to hotel more than camp. That said, we will do some camping and we still plan to take Sadie along.

We also still plan to take our time, wander as desired, sticking to the route but with detours to see interesting sights. We have run across two different tour groups for riding the route but don't think that really suits us.

So hope you will continue to monitor our progress and we will try to blog more than twice a year as we prepare. LOL!

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

The 'guardian angel' of Route 66

They call him many things: The Father of the Mother Road. The Guardian Angel of Route 66. Sometimes, simply, The Ambassador.

His story has been related in travel guides, even on a website for a Route 66 association in the Czech Republic. He and his town were the inspiration for the animated film "Cars," but he has inspired many others, too, with a vigor that age hasn't diminished — a passion for the road he grew up on, and old with.

Read the full article...

Read about our visit to Seligman...

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

When will we go?

We had originally intended to ride Route 66 in May of this year. That changed when we brought Sadie into our home and we realized that she needed to be a little older. So we moved the date out to May of 2012.

Once again, it looks like the date will change. Stu's twin granddaughters will be graduating high school in May/June 2012. He needs to be there....these two were the apple of his and his late wife's eye, Lin's youngest grandbabies.

Soooooo, looks like we will now do Route 66 in Sept/Oct of 2012. This will be a good thing...why? Consider the recent weather...all the tornadoes in the midwest and south. Turns out that the month of May has the highest number of tornadoes. Gulp....

The next step will be making the decision on whether we travel from east to west as originally planned or go west to east. We will be in Arizona this winter and would love to do as we did over a year ago....visit UT, WY and MT in the late spring/early summer. But by early September we need to have the RV parked in a safe, secure and cost effective spot for the time we are gone. Obviously, on our own land in TN would be perfect.

So, do we not enjoy the other states and head back east? Do we enjoy them and make a mad dash back east? Do we try to find a place to park not too far from the Los Angeles/Santa Monica area and do the route in reverse? So many questions and decisions....but fortunately, there is still a lot of time to make the decision!

We did luck out and get a copy of Microsoft Streets and Trips 2011 on sale recently, actually currently $10 less than the 2010 version.

We also recently updated our Gear List. At some point we'll be adding a riding gear/clothes list as well.

We will be picking up BRAT 2 in mid-June. Then we need to get our old BRAT Rack from VA where it's stored at a friend's house. Some adjustments need to be made to it, that's Stu's area of expertise....I'll just keep blogging. LOL!

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

Denim Vest

We both have leather vests, decorated for various functions, for example our Red Knights MC patches. But they are warm...if the temperature is above 85, they can become unbearable.

So Stu has been looking for a denim vest for those times. We finally found one and it's a bargain so we wanted to pass along the information for anyone interested. Right now it's only $19.95 + shipping

http://www.leather.com/vests/mens_vests/vd1315_blue_denim_vest.php

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

Getting our butts in shape...or getting the shape of our butts!

We have been at Leesburg Bike Fest the last couple of days. Stu got his custom artwork done on his faring and we both got work done on our seats.



Stu opted to completely replace his with a full Mustang setup (except for the passenger backrest).



I opted to get mine shaped, memory foam added and a custom color insert added to the seat and the Mustang fender pad.



Our butts are going to be MUCH happier on longer rides. Can't wait to try them out! June will find us riding from TN to New Orleans area, that will be a good trial run for us both.

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

Bling with a purpose....

We've talked a lot about putting highway pegs on my bike. The issue was having already put  the fog lights on the engine guard, we weren't sure we could mount any pegs.

Yesterday we stopped at the local Harley dealer and found a pair of peg mounts that looked like they would work. We get a 20% Firefighter discount there so figured it was worth a try. I found pegs to match my current pegs, too.

We got home from our ride and Stu decided to see if they would work....THEY DID!! I am one happy camper....errrr, rider. LOL! My bike has mid-controls which means my knees are perpetually bent. On longer trips I have sometimes experienced a cramping in my hip and wished I could extend my leg to help work it out. Other times I just want to straighten my knee to help stiffness. Now I can...



The other piece of bling wasn't a must-have but it sure is a nice-to-have. I found it on eBay (surprise), but they also have a great website. We have it mounted with Loctite underneath as well as on the set screw. My odometer does have a clock function but that would require me to use one hand to click to that setting and would take my eyes off the road longer than I like. This way, it's right in front of me.



Oh, Stu got chrome bolts for his engine...pretty bling, no functionality involved. No photos yet...LOL!

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

Big Red gets dressed and Gypsy adds more bling!

Well, Stu liked my Iron Braid lever covers so much he had to get some of his own today. He picked a red that matched the bike's main color and a gold that matched the detail pinstripe. After a couple of hours of riding, looks like he'll have to trim off and inch or two.

The photo was taken from a strange angle...the fringe is much longer than it looks. LOL!

As for Gypsy, I found a great bike air brush artist and pinstriper at Daytona Speedway, Fuzzy. I had looked at work from several artists and the third one caught my eye. Not only was his work good, he had a sketch on the wall of a phoenix that grabbed my attention.

So I got that put on the gas tank, with different colors than the sample, and pinstriping to match on the front and rear fenders. I wanted to bring in the Sedona Orange that is the main color on the gas tank side panels.

Here we are just getting things set up...remember to click any photo to enlarge.

Here it is midway on the gas tank and working on the rear fender.

And here is the final product...I am VERY happy!!

Stu has decided to get some airbrush work done on the front of Big Red. We now plan to attend the Leesburg Bike Fest in early April and Fuzzy will do the work.

If anyone is interested in getting work done by Fuzzy, feel free to contact me and I'll give you his phone number to call him and get his schedule. He has no online presence. I also have his address in Oklahoma.

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

A little more bling....

We're in Daytona for Bike Week and today was our first day out. We opted to ride to the Daytona Harley dealer where we knew there were a lot of vendors. We spent the whole day there, exhausting ourselves and Sadie.

The main reason we planned on visiting there was for me to try out a Mustang solo seat. They didn't have the studded seat in stock but I got to try out the non-studded version. Nope, not going to work...puts me up much higher and is wider. Guess I will continue to ride and condition my butt to the stock seat. LOL!

I did splurge and get a little bling for Gypsy though...on both my HD Low Rider and HD Softail Deluxe, I had Kuryakyn trigger levers covered with braiding done by Iron Braid. I wanted the same for the SuperLow but Kuryakyn hasn't made the trigger levers for the newer Sportsters.

Low Rider - black and silver braid

Softail Deluxe - black and white braid

We came to the Iron Braid tent at Daytona Harley and I decided to get chrome levers with white and Aztec Brown leather braiding. Long story short...after close to three hours, it was determined that the stock levers will not work on the 2011 SuperLow. For whatever reason there is a minute difference in where the brake light button hits and it wouldn't work. Sigh...

So I ended up with the braiding I wanted but on my current, stock levers. Oh well...I love the way they look! And I've learned that fringe moving on your bike (or you) helps make you more visible...and that is a good thing!

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna