Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 



Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 06-17-2012, 01:41 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
guybmoto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Aliso Viejo, CA
Posts: 253
Default Summer 2012 Road Tripping

Okay, here's the first half of the summer of 2012. If you've seen previous road trip stories ( http://www.lightweightcamperforum.co...797&highlight= http://www.lightweightcamperforum.co...834&highlight= http://www.lightweightcamperforum.co...048&highlight= ), you know that I follow the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships around the country for work, but I also manage to find a little fun along the way.

This year I started in Southern California, and headed to Sacramento, CA, for the first race. From there it was on to Wortham, Texas; Lakewood, CO; High Point, PA; and Mechanicsville, MD. Early next week I'll make my way back to near Chicago, so that I can fly home and cover the X Games. Then I'll be back to cover races in Buchanan, MI; Millville, MN; and Washougal, WA, before heading home. Normally my 16-year-old son accompanies me for a portion of the summer, but he has some make-up work to do in summer school this year, which is why I'm cutting it a bit shorter this time around. Normally there'd be another east coast swing. I'll just fly to those three events.

Ready? Let's do this...

This year I added a new iPhone app to the collection. This one's called Strava, and while primarily designed for runners and cyclists, you can also use it to map hikes, and even segments of your road trips. As you'll see later on, I added a new mountain bike to the collection, and have been seeing out some more riding opportunities this summer.



Headed north, near Stockton, CA. Bored. Obviously.



Following some of the team rigs into the track at the first race, held at the Prairie City ORV Park.



This is Folsom Lake, just north of where the Prairie City ORV Park track. I met up with a friend of mine, and we got in a good ride on some of the trails surrounding the lake.



This is a hiking trail just north of Flagstaff in the Schultz Creek area, where I stopped for a mountain bike ride. This was a particularly nasty section of the trail (those are mostly water bars, designed to prevent erosion by diverting water off the trail), but it was pretty technical and rocky.

The previous afternoon, I'd gone through Needles, CA, and it was about 109 degrees. By the time I got up Flagstaff (at something past midnight), it was 46 degrees. As usual, I mostly stay overnight at the tracks, truck stops, or Camp WM (Wal-Mart parking lots).



This was a cool flowering cactus up in that same forest.



You may have seen this in another post. My major problem so far was dumping the freshwater tank out of the trailer. Too much pressure in + not minding the hose could possibly = your tank sitting on the ground. After draining it and remounting the tank, I continued on.



I did add a couple motorcycle tie-downs as security. I've since replaced them with four ratcheting tie-downs. The only other problems so far are a couple leaky (brand-new) Goodyears on the trailer. I added a can of Fix a Flat on each, and they both seem fine now. While looking over flat fix products, I saw one brand that uses a flammable gas. Seriously? Who would use that?



A stop at the Cadillac Ranch, just outside of Amarillo, TX. The colorful sunset is courtesy of some of the wildfires they've had in New Mexico.



My trailer, all by itself, in the pit area at Freestone County Raceway. I usually arrive in time for press day (Thursdays), and they park the rest of the rigs the next day.



Occasionally I'm amazed at how much area is still uncovered by cell service.



While heading out from Dallas, I ran across this thunderstorm. Yeah, the iPhone photo's a little grainy, but you get the idea. I was trying to catch some of the lightning (you can catch a bit of a flash in the upper right corner), and using a wide-angle accessory lens on the phone.



The truck and trailer near Trinidad, CO. The GPS said from Dallas I should head straight north to I-70, hang a left in Kansas, and head over to Denver. I had other ideas. Instead, I went through Amarillo, across northern New Mexico, and then up along the front range. Later I heard from other people who'd made the GPS-recommended trip that they'd encountered brutal headwinds across Kansas, which I'd missed. I did see a lot of pretty scenery, though, including a ton of antelope.
2


Here's my messy bed on the truck, that includes the bike, a pair of five-gallon gas cans, and a Honda generator. The gas can that's laying on its side is empty, and ballooned up from the change in pressure at altitude. I've since added a strap that keeps both of the containers from being unruly while back there.



While in Denver, I made a stop at Coors Field, where a gear company was having an intro event. I also got the watch the Rockies beat up on the Dodgers.



The sunset was pretty amazing, and the photo doesn't do it justice. Cool viewing for the fans, though, as the outfield faces the Rockies.



The bike is a Specialized Camber Expert 29, and costs way more than I should be allowed to spend on a bike. But it does have front and rear suspension, disc brakes front and rear, and some amazing components. This is on top of Dakota Ridge, which is west of Denver.



The further south you go on Dakota Ridge, the narrower it gets up top, and the drops on each side seem to get steeper. Cool ride, though...if you're into that sort of thing.



Near the end of the ride, I found these two...about ten feet apart on the trail. I'm not sure if I was messing up someone's dinner plans, but I don't think the rattler was big enough to eat the rabbit, anyway.



Along one side of Dakota Ridge, there are these dinosaur tracks. Pretty cool to see. There's a visitor center (and shuttle) from the bottom of the hill.



This is the kind of stuff that I shoot at the races. I love shooting action photos for a living. The majority of the photos in here are shot with my iPhone. That's obviously not the case here.



Heading through Kansas City, I spotted a sign for Arthur Bryant's BBQ. I'd seen them featured on a cooking show, and figured I'd give it a try.



Apparently on weekends, the line goes out the door and halfway down the block. This is half my sandwich, BTW. Pretty tasty. One of the locals told me that the yellow label sauce (spicy, not sweet) is the one to use.



I couldn't go through St. Louis without a stop at the arch. If you want to go, there is an RV parking section along the waterfront, south of the big bridge. It is a bit of a hike to get back to the arch, but I cheated and used my bike.

__________________

guybmoto is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2012, 07:22 PM   #2
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: central, Alberta
Posts: 60
Default

Great pictures, Looks like you are having a blast this summer.
__________________

__________________
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee,Laredo, auto, 3.0L diesel
2005 Chevrolet 1500 silverado 4x4
2010 Shadow cruiser 195WBS
jeepcruiser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-17-2012, 08:58 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
guybmoto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Aliso Viejo, CA
Posts: 253
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jeepcruiser
Great pictures, Looks like you are having a blast this summer.
Just like always.

The weather this summer has been amazingly mild, compared to last year.
guybmoto is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2012, 10:18 AM   #4
roy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 303
Default

Nice! We leave out in 6 1/2 weeks for two weeks in CO, UT and AZ in our Xt-276. I'll have my Yamaha Super Tenere and Suzuki DR650 with me so I'll be all over those hills out there.

I follow MX and SX also great sport!!
__________________
2012 Fun finder Xtra XT-276, Pitbull strapless restraints
2016 GMC Sierra Denali HD Duramax/Allison 4wd

WERA Expert #826
roy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2012, 10:23 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
guybmoto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Aliso Viejo, CA
Posts: 253
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by roy
Nice! We leave out in 6 1/2 weeks for two weeks in CO, UT and AZ in our Xt-276. I'll have my Yamaha Super Tenere and Suzuki DR650 with me so I'll be all over those hills out there.

I follow MX and SX also great sport!!
Hopefully the weather's kind to you. So far it's been much milder and less humid than last year.
guybmoto is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2012, 01:44 PM   #6
roy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 303
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by guybmoto
Quote:
Originally Posted by roy
Nice! We leave out in 6 1/2 weeks for two weeks in CO, UT and AZ in our Xt-276. I'll have my Yamaha Super Tenere and Suzuki DR650 with me so I'll be all over those hills out there.

I follow MX and SX also great sport!!
Hopefully the weather's kind to you. So far it's been much milder and less humid than last year.
Can't be much worse than hot humid wet mississippi
__________________
2012 Fun finder Xtra XT-276, Pitbull strapless restraints
2016 GMC Sierra Denali HD Duramax/Allison 4wd

WERA Expert #826
roy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2012, 06:02 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
guybmoto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Aliso Viejo, CA
Posts: 253
Default

Gonna drive by the Cruiser RV factory tomorrow while going through Indiana. Anyone need me to pick up anything?
guybmoto is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-2012, 03:56 PM   #8
Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 39
Default

Very nice. How is the tacoma pulling the 189? I have the same truck and looking for a trailer of that size. Also, can you tell me what kind of aftermarket mirror on that taco?
tractng is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2012, 06:10 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
guybmoto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Aliso Viejo, CA
Posts: 253
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tractng
Very nice. How is the tacoma pulling the 189? I have the same truck and looking for a trailer of that size. Also, can you tell me what kind of aftermarket mirror on that taco?
It's worked out well. The truck has over 133,000 miles, and I'm currently getting between 10-12 mpg (depending on conditions) at 65-70 mph.

Before this year I added a set of Bilstein shocks all around, and also added Firestone airbags to the rear. The stock (non-tow package) truck doesn't have quite the springs needed for it. I added a leaf last year, and it towed fine, but was a kidney-killer when not towing. This way I can bump up the 'bags to about 45 PSI per side when the trailer's on, and drop it down to 30-35 PSI when I'm not towing for ride comfort.

The mirrors are XLR Dual Head Ratchet Series from Prime Products, and I picked them up at Camping World.
guybmoto is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2012, 03:44 AM   #10
Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 39
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by guybmoto
Quote:
Originally Posted by tractng
Very nice. How is the tacoma pulling the 189? I have the same truck and looking for a trailer of that size. Also, can you tell me what kind of aftermarket mirror on that taco?
It's worked out well. The truck has over 133,000 miles, and I'm currently getting between 10-12 mpg (depending on conditions) at 65-70 mph.

Before this year I added a set of Bilstein shocks all around, and also added Firestone airbags to the rear. The stock (non-tow package) truck doesn't have quite the springs needed for it. I added a leaf last year, and it towed fine, but was a kidney-killer when not towing. This way I can bump up the 'bags to about 45 PSI per side when the trailer's on, and drop it down to 30-35 PSI when I'm not towing for ride comfort.

The mirrors are XLR Dual Head Ratchet Series from Prime Products, and I picked them up at Camping World.
Thanks for your reply.
tractng is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2012, 04:23 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
guybmoto's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Aliso Viejo, CA
Posts: 253
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tractng
Thanks for your reply. I am near your area - Covina.
Right on, I'm actually back in So. Cal. for the X Games, while the truck and trailer stayed in the Chicago area.
__________________

guybmoto is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Fun Finder RV, Cruiser RV, or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:06 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×