As seems to be the rule rather than the exception, I did not get everything done in time so I hit the road well after the crack of noon. I had wanted to be in Los Alamos by Sunday evening but it looks like it's going to be Monday evening. With this shoulder and back of mine, my 1000 mile days are likely behind me. 

It has become a tradition to stop at Bob's BMW (now "Motorcycles") to say hello to Drew.  

 

Last year when I went on the Colorado/Moab trip, I stopped by to say hello to Drew before heading out. Now it's tradition. If all goes well, I'll loop back and say hello again when I return. 

I geared up to leave and as I got on my bike, helmet on ear plugs in, a guy walked up and asked about my bike. 

"I like the vintage bikes." he said. "What is it?"

"'92 K100RS. I'm not sure how I feel about the word 'vintage'." 

He asked some questions about the bike. It is an odd bike after all with the engine laid on its side the cylinder head on the left sticking out and the lower end on the right. The look of the cylinder head when the bike is underway gave it the nickname, "Flying  Brick." Today I was thinking it has the aerodynamics of a brick so aptly named.

He then asked about all the gear. "Are you touring? Where are you headed?"

I told him I was just starting out and that my intention was to head to Los Alamos, then Moab, then Seattle, then San Diego, and so forth. He seemed interested in the trip and asked if I was documenting the trip and asked how to follow. 

People keep asking me to write, but the words have been silent for so long. Even now. There are thoughts, ponderings, insights, but the fatigue sets in ... 

Because of scheduling complications, I am not going to be able to take a meandering trip cross country. I want to ride with Bruce around New Mexico and Colorado but he has a limited time window. So despite saying I would never do it again, years and years ago, I'm heading out Interstate 70, a.k.a. the epic super slab in an attempt to make good mileage.

I suspected my view for the next four days would resemble this.

Knowing that I would soon be passing into the Outer Lands, I decided it would be correct to pay my respects to a local religious institution. Soon I will be in areas where they practice strange foreign traditions known as Wawa and Royal Farms among other lesser know sects.  

 

It has been years upon years since I've spent any significant time on super slab. I saw the brake lights ahead and pondered a slowdown. I did not expect a complete stop. I sat there for some time and eventually turned the bike off. It was ridiculous. 

After some 20 minutes, I noticed a rider stopped on the side of the road next to the long line of tractor trailers. Overheating and deciding to brave the potential ticket I rode along the shoulder passing by the stopped vehicles. A short distance up ahead was one of those emergency vehicle turn arounds.

"Have you seen any law enforcement?" I asked him as I rolled up. "Just the one that went through the turn around a few moments ago." 

He complimented my bike and then I noticed his was a very recent R1250RS. I said, "If I were to ever get a new bike, it would probably be that one." 

"It seems to be the spiritual successor to your bike." he answered. 

I agreed.

I told him I was going to risk it, so I headed to the illegal turn around and raced back to the last exit with the intention of making my way around all this nonsense. 

The first country road I came across that was heading jn the right direction had a "Road Closed" sign prominently displayed. I have learned that these are often lies so I thought I would check it out. 

As it turns out, just before the turn that would have led me around the traffic jam there was, in fact, a closed road. The bridge was under active construction.  

So I backtracked with the intention of looping North along a route that looked promising when, at a stop light, I saw the R1250RS rider pass by and wave. The light turned green and I caught up to him. I deduced he had come to the same conclusion I did.  

As is so often the case, interruptions and misdirections lead to a more interesting trip. These were wonderful side roads that then eventually merged back onto route 40 which is itself gorgeous in Western Maryland. 

The R1250RS rider was a serious disciplined rider. He was good to follow. 

It was a risk but we found an onramp and to our good fortune it was past the epic traffic jam.  

I followed the R1250RS rider for some miles when he veered off to Hanock presumably to get gas at the infamous ghetto Sheetz. I continued on to route 68 and points West.

I was using my app which displays the route I had laid out along with my current position. I find I prefer it for navigation. The routing engine I used for it is an open source project called GraphHopper. It does a really good job of calculating routes based on a set of way points but sometimes it chooses routes that differ dramatically from Google Maps. It's a feature, not a bug, because I tend to end up on interesting roads as a result that I wouldn't if I just blinding followed Google Maps. 

There is a downside, however, My app, having static routes that are used offline, is not traffic aware. 

3 miles from the exit to the hotel room I had reserved, I came across this epic traffic jam. 

I relented and switched over to Google Maps and it gave me the bad news.  

8 minutes was a lie. It was more like 40 to go all of a half mile. I ended up getting off the bike. The trucker behind me laughed and shrugged. 

We did not move for some time.  

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I got to an off ramp and was able to make my way along a service road to the hotel. It was a good thing because traffic was at a complete standstill.  

I rolled into the hotel parking lot just after 8pm. Given I spent well over an hour sitting in traffic and got a crazy late start, the fact I was able to even do 300 miles without too much pain is encouraging. My left shoulder hurts and the feeling that it is going to be much worse looms large but today was not a bad day. 

If I can get an early start tomorrow I may be able to muster 500 maybe 600 miles, which if I can do it will be longer than any day I've done since the injury.  

I approve of reserved motorcycle parking right in front of the lobby. 

I'm at a MicroTel Inn and Suites. This place is surprisingly nice for what is relatively inexpensive by modern standards.  

 

So far the bike has been running well. These new BattleAx tires are surprisingly good. I think I can get used to them. It's strange how personal a thing like tires are on a bike. Ever since I came across the Michelin Pilot Road 2's back in 2010 I've exclusively used them. Before that I ran Metzelers which I had been running since I was a teenager. They have a different profile that is much sharper, more "race track", so when you turn they tend to turn in very quickly, which is what you want on a track.

The Michelins in contrast have a more street oriented profile and provide a much more gradual lean in, which I have grown to prefer. 

I ride on the street and like equipment designed for the street. 

Interestingly, these new tires have a similar profile and provide a similar feeling of stability. And they seem to grip really well. 

Not bad. 

It was warm today but not too hot. As is the case whenever new gear is introduced, it's taking some time to get used to wearing a hydration pack with all the street leathers, but it's better. Despite having it and drinking more water than I would normally I arrived at the hotel severely dehydrated. I seem to be more sensitive to that than I ever used to be. Change is a constant.