Researching an off-road touring solution...
(posted from home)
(This post covers 17 – 25 October, 2011)
------------------------------
Tuesday, 25 October -
This morning I caught up the online blog and spent a bit of time with a new web site for me -- TTORA (Toyota Territory Off-Roader's Association). Lots and lots of reading and photos here.
I helped Labashi a bit with her art project and managed to mess up. A hanger bracket had come loose on the back of it and I shortened the machine screws on some 3/8-inch anchors to resolve the problem. But I didn't shorten them enough and poked them out through the surface of the art. Fortunately it's very early on in the process and can be easily fixed. But if I had done that to a finished piece I would have been in trouble! The mistake came about because I measured at an edge which was thicker than the area where the anchors went. That was dumb!
I spent time this afternoon learning about Wassa diesel stoves and spent way too much time on them once I realized they are
That evening we watched episodes of 'The Big C' with Laura Linney.
-------------------------------
Monday, 24 October -
Today I continued with web research in the morning and then we went to see Mom and Dad in their apartment that afternoon. We went out to dinner at Pizza Grille and had a very nice time talking and enjoying each other's company.
That evening we watched the final two episodes of 'Damages' – Season Three. Not as good as the first two seasons, I thought.
We then finished up the 'Michael Palin: Sahara' series. Pas mal.
--------------------------------
Sunday, 23 October -
More web 'research' today on Expedition Portal and then long searches on SearchTempest, hoping to run into a good deal on a used truck camper or van-- but without luck. And of course my explorations took off on many side tracks-- like looking for a primo example of one of the Class C motorhomes based on a Toyota pickup chassis-- like the mid-Eighties/early Nineties Dolphins. They would be completely impractical for the off-road travel but on a space-per-dollar basis they're pretty interesting. I've talked to several guys who love them, one who lives in New York part of the year, Florida part of the year and Alaska in summer (I ran into him in the Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida). He has driven his to Alaska seven times.
I also spent a good bit of time researching Engel fridges (like the one we used in Botswana) and their new Deep Blue coolers which claim to hold ice for eight days (no way!). I was interested in Yeti coolers for awhile but I think the Engel has more of the features I'd want. But for now my Coleman Extreme Marine will do just fine. If I were able to see the Engle Deep Blue 65 in person I might change my mind but nobody carries them locally as far as I can tell.
That afternoon I rode the GS down to Rocky Ridge County Park and walked my five-mile end-to-end loop. The weather was perfect and the fall colors particularly nice today. I was also surprised how good I felt in the latter stages of the walk. I've not been getting out much and thought I'd struggle a bit but I felt great and even jogged a bit here and there.
LOVE this weather!
We finished 'Dexter', Season 4 tonight. Shocker!
--------------------------------
Saturday, 22 October -
I spent yet another day on the web, still dreaming about a long-distance backcountry trip. I found Vagabundos Del Mar today. They're a California-based RV and boating travel club that offers just what I was looking for-- a wagon-train down into Baja. Check THIS out: http://www.vagabundos.com/advent.htm .
I may have Labashi hooked with the Guatemala trip and it doesn't get any cheaper than to do their wagon train (a small group of Rvs traveling together) to Cabo San Lucas and back-- only $500!
That afternoon I had the gotta-get-outs and rode the GS down to Starbucks. I'm surprised how I can go months at a time without a motorcycle ride when I'm traveling and don't miss it. But when I'm home I have to ride every other day or so. All I need is the quick fix of a trip down to Starbucks or even over to the local grocery store.
We've been watching “Michael Palin: Sahara” episodes as well as “Lost Kingdoms of Africa”, both of them four-part series.
-------------------------------
Friday, 21 October -
I spent the greater part of the day today on Expedition Portal, reading about various expedition vehicles and expeditions and admiring the fantastic photos. Thank goodness for the development of digital photography!
I also took an hour out to paint a coat of rubber paint on the skylight/fan edges on Mocha Joe's roof. I need to do this every other year or so because the rubber dries out and cracks, allowing water in when it rains really hard.
I also took another shot at getting the Concours running. I spent about an hour but can't get it to do anything but idle. I drained two of the fuel bowls and see sediment so I think I have low-speed jets clogged up. I'll have the Cycle Tech guys pick it up and get it running for my winter season. It will soon be time to put the GS in the barn for the winter and I'll want the Concours to start and run reliably.
We watched two 'Damages'- Season Three episodes that evening.
-------------------------------
Thursday, 20 October -
I spent much of this rainy day researching my next travel vehicle and new places to go. I'm going back and forth between a 4x4 high-top van (Quigley conversion) and a Toyota Tacoma pickup with a lightweight pop-up camper, like those made by Four Wheel Campers, All-Terrain Campers, and Alaskan Campers.
I see Alaskan Campers has a new unit called the 'Mini' for the Tacoma. When we did our Oregon Trail trip in 2009 I saw the prototype for this camper at the factory in Chehalis, WA (about 90 minutes north of Portland, OR). I'm a bit put off, though, by its weight being so close to the Tacoma's maximum load capacity. I remember Dad being unhappy with the similar weight of a Sunline pop-up he had on his half-ton Chevy pickup. Perhaps the suspension could be beefed up a bit but I got a feel for an overloaded Tacoma on our Botswana trip and didn't like it. If I'm close to the limit with just the camper and still want to have all the off-road gear (like two spare tires, a high-lift jack, an air compressor, a winch, etc), I'd very quickly have no capacity for carrying me!
On the other hand, I'm not a fan of soft-sided pop-ups. A high-top van is much quieter in a noisy Wal-mart parking lot or near the occasional round-the-campfire folks who don't realize how much their voices carry late at night. If I were doing it today, I'd go with the van. As usual, though, I'm firmly on the fence on a decision like this.
-------------------------------
Wednesday, 19 October -
I drove the van over to our storage unit and brought back a load of full storage boxes today. I spent a few hours going through each, labeling them, and arranging them on the wire shelving units. All our family-history records and artifacts made it through the flood without damage thanks to our having stored them in plastic boxes. But we had made the mistake of stacking the boxes six or seven high and that made them both difficult to access and the lower boxes vulnerable to (minor) damage from the weight of the stack. Placing them on the wire shelving units is much better.
That evening we watched 'National Geographic: Relentless Enemies' on Netflix Instant. This is another special filmed in Botswana's Okavango Delta and had incredible footage of lions and Cape buffalo.
-------------------------------
Tuesday, 18 October -
I rode the F650GS over to the BMW shop in Lititz today for its inspection. I am also trying without much luck to replace my owner's manual. I had foolishly left it in a saddlebag and had stored the saddlebags on the basement floor before our South Africa trip. So of course that means the manual was ruined by our flooding problem. The odd thing about this is the BMW shop can't seem to simply order me a manual. The part number is locked out and the shop has been making calls but hasn't been able to find out why. The parts guy did say it's not unusual for manuals to not be available for awhile on new models but I bought this bike a year and a half ago and they were on the market for the better part of a year before that.
After the inspection I took a look around the sales room but didn't see anything I can't live without. I finally got to see the new K1600GT in person. It's nice but also has a price tag of more than $25,000 (yikes!). If I had that kind of money I think I'd go with the proven Gold Wing rather than take a chance on this brand-new design. I would jump at the opportunity to rent one for a few days, though.
-------------------------------
Monday, 17 October -
I caught up the online blog this morning and then assembled the final two wire shelving units in the basement and replaced the last of the five fluorescent light fixtures in the 'mud room'. We now have lights which are supposed to work down to zero degrees so they should work fine in the low 50's temps we get down there. The old ones worked some of the time-- most, actually--- but were weak, showed an odd, rolling pattern in winter, had a too-cold color temperature and for some reason also began malfunctioning when the summer humidity would be highest.
That evening we watched 'Inside Job', a good documentary about the financial crash of 2008.
********* END OF POST *******
(posted from home)
(This post covers 17 – 25 October, 2011)
------------------------------
Tuesday, 25 October -
This morning I caught up the online blog and spent a bit of time with a new web site for me -- TTORA (Toyota Territory Off-Roader's Association). Lots and lots of reading and photos here.
I helped Labashi a bit with her art project and managed to mess up. A hanger bracket had come loose on the back of it and I shortened the machine screws on some 3/8-inch anchors to resolve the problem. But I didn't shorten them enough and poked them out through the surface of the art. Fortunately it's very early on in the process and can be easily fixed. But if I had done that to a finished piece I would have been in trouble! The mistake came about because I measured at an edge which was thicker than the area where the anchors went. That was dumb!
I spent time this afternoon learning about Wassa diesel stoves and spent way too much time on them once I realized they are
That evening we watched episodes of 'The Big C' with Laura Linney.
-------------------------------
Monday, 24 October -
Today I continued with web research in the morning and then we went to see Mom and Dad in their apartment that afternoon. We went out to dinner at Pizza Grille and had a very nice time talking and enjoying each other's company.
That evening we watched the final two episodes of 'Damages' – Season Three. Not as good as the first two seasons, I thought.
We then finished up the 'Michael Palin: Sahara' series. Pas mal.
--------------------------------
Sunday, 23 October -
More web 'research' today on Expedition Portal and then long searches on SearchTempest, hoping to run into a good deal on a used truck camper or van-- but without luck. And of course my explorations took off on many side tracks-- like looking for a primo example of one of the Class C motorhomes based on a Toyota pickup chassis-- like the mid-Eighties/early Nineties Dolphins. They would be completely impractical for the off-road travel but on a space-per-dollar basis they're pretty interesting. I've talked to several guys who love them, one who lives in New York part of the year, Florida part of the year and Alaska in summer (I ran into him in the Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida). He has driven his to Alaska seven times.
I also spent a good bit of time researching Engel fridges (like the one we used in Botswana) and their new Deep Blue coolers which claim to hold ice for eight days (no way!). I was interested in Yeti coolers for awhile but I think the Engel has more of the features I'd want. But for now my Coleman Extreme Marine will do just fine. If I were able to see the Engle Deep Blue 65 in person I might change my mind but nobody carries them locally as far as I can tell.
That afternoon I rode the GS down to Rocky Ridge County Park and walked my five-mile end-to-end loop. The weather was perfect and the fall colors particularly nice today. I was also surprised how good I felt in the latter stages of the walk. I've not been getting out much and thought I'd struggle a bit but I felt great and even jogged a bit here and there.
LOVE this weather!
We finished 'Dexter', Season 4 tonight. Shocker!
--------------------------------
Saturday, 22 October -
I spent yet another day on the web, still dreaming about a long-distance backcountry trip. I found Vagabundos Del Mar today. They're a California-based RV and boating travel club that offers just what I was looking for-- a wagon-train down into Baja. Check THIS out: http://www.vagabundos.com/advent.htm .
I may have Labashi hooked with the Guatemala trip and it doesn't get any cheaper than to do their wagon train (a small group of Rvs traveling together) to Cabo San Lucas and back-- only $500!
That afternoon I had the gotta-get-outs and rode the GS down to Starbucks. I'm surprised how I can go months at a time without a motorcycle ride when I'm traveling and don't miss it. But when I'm home I have to ride every other day or so. All I need is the quick fix of a trip down to Starbucks or even over to the local grocery store.
We've been watching “Michael Palin: Sahara” episodes as well as “Lost Kingdoms of Africa”, both of them four-part series.
-------------------------------
Friday, 21 October -
I spent the greater part of the day today on Expedition Portal, reading about various expedition vehicles and expeditions and admiring the fantastic photos. Thank goodness for the development of digital photography!
I also took an hour out to paint a coat of rubber paint on the skylight/fan edges on Mocha Joe's roof. I need to do this every other year or so because the rubber dries out and cracks, allowing water in when it rains really hard.
I also took another shot at getting the Concours running. I spent about an hour but can't get it to do anything but idle. I drained two of the fuel bowls and see sediment so I think I have low-speed jets clogged up. I'll have the Cycle Tech guys pick it up and get it running for my winter season. It will soon be time to put the GS in the barn for the winter and I'll want the Concours to start and run reliably.
We watched two 'Damages'- Season Three episodes that evening.
-------------------------------
Thursday, 20 October -
I spent much of this rainy day researching my next travel vehicle and new places to go. I'm going back and forth between a 4x4 high-top van (Quigley conversion) and a Toyota Tacoma pickup with a lightweight pop-up camper, like those made by Four Wheel Campers, All-Terrain Campers, and Alaskan Campers.
I see Alaskan Campers has a new unit called the 'Mini' for the Tacoma. When we did our Oregon Trail trip in 2009 I saw the prototype for this camper at the factory in Chehalis, WA (about 90 minutes north of Portland, OR). I'm a bit put off, though, by its weight being so close to the Tacoma's maximum load capacity. I remember Dad being unhappy with the similar weight of a Sunline pop-up he had on his half-ton Chevy pickup. Perhaps the suspension could be beefed up a bit but I got a feel for an overloaded Tacoma on our Botswana trip and didn't like it. If I'm close to the limit with just the camper and still want to have all the off-road gear (like two spare tires, a high-lift jack, an air compressor, a winch, etc), I'd very quickly have no capacity for carrying me!
On the other hand, I'm not a fan of soft-sided pop-ups. A high-top van is much quieter in a noisy Wal-mart parking lot or near the occasional round-the-campfire folks who don't realize how much their voices carry late at night. If I were doing it today, I'd go with the van. As usual, though, I'm firmly on the fence on a decision like this.
-------------------------------
Wednesday, 19 October -
I drove the van over to our storage unit and brought back a load of full storage boxes today. I spent a few hours going through each, labeling them, and arranging them on the wire shelving units. All our family-history records and artifacts made it through the flood without damage thanks to our having stored them in plastic boxes. But we had made the mistake of stacking the boxes six or seven high and that made them both difficult to access and the lower boxes vulnerable to (minor) damage from the weight of the stack. Placing them on the wire shelving units is much better.
That evening we watched 'National Geographic: Relentless Enemies' on Netflix Instant. This is another special filmed in Botswana's Okavango Delta and had incredible footage of lions and Cape buffalo.
-------------------------------
Tuesday, 18 October -
I rode the F650GS over to the BMW shop in Lititz today for its inspection. I am also trying without much luck to replace my owner's manual. I had foolishly left it in a saddlebag and had stored the saddlebags on the basement floor before our South Africa trip. So of course that means the manual was ruined by our flooding problem. The odd thing about this is the BMW shop can't seem to simply order me a manual. The part number is locked out and the shop has been making calls but hasn't been able to find out why. The parts guy did say it's not unusual for manuals to not be available for awhile on new models but I bought this bike a year and a half ago and they were on the market for the better part of a year before that.
After the inspection I took a look around the sales room but didn't see anything I can't live without. I finally got to see the new K1600GT in person. It's nice but also has a price tag of more than $25,000 (yikes!). If I had that kind of money I think I'd go with the proven Gold Wing rather than take a chance on this brand-new design. I would jump at the opportunity to rent one for a few days, though.
-------------------------------
Monday, 17 October -
I caught up the online blog this morning and then assembled the final two wire shelving units in the basement and replaced the last of the five fluorescent light fixtures in the 'mud room'. We now have lights which are supposed to work down to zero degrees so they should work fine in the low 50's temps we get down there. The old ones worked some of the time-- most, actually--- but were weak, showed an odd, rolling pattern in winter, had a too-cold color temperature and for some reason also began malfunctioning when the summer humidity would be highest.
That evening we watched 'Inside Job', a good documentary about the financial crash of 2008.
********* END OF POST *******
posted by Bezabor&Labashi | 18:28
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