Lunch with Uralisti Friends

It truly has been a long time since I got together with fellow Uralisti to shoot the shit over lunch and exchange tales.  Some blame was cast in my direction as I've been camping a lot over the last few years!

Still, I met up with three longtime Uralisti friends, all Ural riders of course, whom I've ridden more than a few miles over the years.

The organizer was John S.  Aka Spat.  He's one of the originals of the core group of Ural riders in the Denver area.  Then there was Tim L., photographer par excellence and architect.  Rounding out the foursome was Dan K., a fellow Class C camping enthusiast as well as a motorcycle rider.

Lunch was at a small restaurant in Littleton, the Platte River Bar and Grill.  The food was good but the conversation was best!  We got all caught up on each other's lives, future travel plans and family.  A great time for someone who is as anti-social as I am.

We said our goodbyes in the parking lot, the street in front of the restaurant was the scene of a three car accident so traffic was a bit chaotic.

Dan, Tim, John and I

We'll be trying to meet up again in June after I return from my overseas trip.  Tim will also be away with his family as well.

Weather was sunny but cool, and very windy.  Still, it made for some nice riding with Scarlett.  This ride also proved out recent repairs on Scarlett, I had to replace a leaking oil seal on the final drive where the pusher axle pushes out the right side of the drive.

I'm happy to report a $2 seal did the trick.

Leaving the laptop at home

I presently use a HP Omen laptop that I got from Thing 2 when she moved onto the Apple ecosystem.  It's quite a capable laptop but also quite heavy, especially since I use it mainly to process pictures while on the road.  Weight: 5.56 lbs!

Martha and I are leaving in a couple of weeks for a long trip overseas, more on that next month.  Logistics dictate of course that the less weight one has to schlep around, the better!

At first, I was going to share the use of Martha's IPad Air tablet.  Nice hardware but the Apple ecosystem's UI and I do not get along and trials proved it to be still true.  Very frustrating for me to use their "intuitive" interface!  

So, I thought I'd get my own tablet, a Samsung Tab perhaps.  Nice reviews but slightly pricey, not horrendous but being the cheap bastard that I am....it gave me pause.

Then, I thought, why not just an external monitor and keyboard?  After all, that's all I was trying for, a larger display than the one on my Samsung S24+ phone to process pictures on.

A little research, some shopping on Amazon and I got these for the trip and possibly for future camping trips as well.

First, a 15.6" external monitor which can be powered via a USB C cable from the phone or its own USB power cube.  It's not a touchscreen since I didn't have that functionality with the laptop and yes, I'm cheap.

I believe I can connect to it wirelessly as well but haven't explored that function yet, it would save the power drain on the smartphone I suppose.  Update: no, I can't connect wirelessly, however, you can use the power USB-C port for the power cube, connect the smartphone to the other USB-C port and it'll charge the phone at same time.  Good deal.

It proved larger than I thought but still fits in the laptop bag, and comes with its own cover to protect the screen while traveling; and serve as a stand when being used.  It weighs 1.36 lbs, a saving of 4.2 lbs.  Not bad.

The second thing was a foldable external keyboard with a track pad so I don't have to worry about using a mouse.  Note: it appears I could have used the smart phone's trackpad function somehow as well but that's for future exploration. (This turns out less useful than previously thought, in my case)

The keyboard connects via Bluetooth and so far, seems to be working fine.  I'm typing this post on it as you might be assuming.  It's something new to me to use the trackpad on the right side but I'm sure I'll get used to it.  It weighs 7.3 oz.

So both items come to just over 2 lbs.  Cost was almost $95 but using credit card points got it all for about $31.  Not bad and it warms the cockles of a cheap bastard's heart.

There's a learning curve here as well with these devices and the Android ecosystem but nothing frustrating so far.  The cat is playing with all the cables and packing materials so I'll end this post here.

Sold the Aluma Trailer

My Aluma 638 Aluminum Utility Trailer has been a steadfast aid since October of 2016.  Her purpose was to carry the Ural Sidecar Rig on camping trips primarily, though she'd end up fulfilling other roles as well over the years.

The beginning: Extending our Range

However, all that subsequent boondocking and dispersed camping caused much wear and tear on the poor trailer.  Aluminum just isn't the material to use for trailering heavy motorcycles such as the Ural Patrol over rough terrain.  All that bouncing and rough trails took its tool and there's been several patching/reinforcement repairs done.

Here's a listing of all trailer related posts, usually involving repairs:  Trailer 

This last camping trip, I'd started thinking about replacing it with a steel trailer for future trailering of the Ural Patrol.  Nearly lost the wheel fenders a couple of times, and ended up screwing on support brackets/panels when I got home.

So, at the start of this week, I put the trailer up for sale on Facebook Marketplace.  A flurry of pings ensued from several people, most of whom expressed interest but then I didn't hear back from.  

This morning, as I contemplated taking the trailer back to the storage yard; I got a ping from a buyer.  Celestino was very communicative and we met up at a nearby park for him to look at it shortly after he first reached out to me.

After a brief inspection, he and I agreed on a price and the deal was done.  I signed away the title to him and he Zell'ed the funds to Martha's account.  Easy Peasy.

I hope he gets years of use out of that trailer, he's going to use it to haul stuff for his auto body repair /restoration company.

Motorcycle Maintenance while Home

There's been several items on the to-do list for my motorcycles.  I've delayed them so I could do the work in the comfort of my garage at home rather than in some wind-swept and dusty campsite.  (That and parts had to be ordered)

Wednesday, March 10

I replaced the battery on Brigitta, my BMW R80 Airhead.  The old battery died on Monday when I tried to go for a ride.  I'd noticed via the voltmeter that the battery wasn't charging as I rode out of the neighborhood and so had turned around and started troubleshooting.

My battery tester said it was bad, but it's also not quite suitable for motorcycle batteries with their low Amp Hour ratings.  Must get a more suitable one in the future.  I also verified via an Autozone tech that the battery was bad.

I replaced it with the same battery, a maintenance-free unit from Amazon (it came full charged)

Installation was straight forward, no issues.  Brigitta started right up and now charges when the RPMs go above 2000.  The battery lasted about 4 years.

Since I was on a roll, I went ahead and swapped the stator on Yagi, my Yamaha TW200 Dual Sport.

Nothing wrong with the one that was installed.  I had recently received back from a neighborhood friend, a refurbished one.  The first swap I had done oh so many months ago had failed (something broken in the stator itself).  

So I had my neighbor who is good at soldering, transfer the good wiring harness from the failed stator and connect it to the known good stator that came with the motorcycle but who's wiring I'd damaged by not routing it correctly.  This had started the whole stator debacle.  Chronological order:

Home Early due to Lack of Spark

Yagi has spark once more ! Kinda... (now waiting for parts)

Boondocking near Westcreek, CO

A Paradigm Shift?

Maybe not so big a Paradigm Shift after all.....Yagi has Spark Again

So, I swapped in the refurbed stator and she fired right up when tested.  I'll keep the known and trusted Partzilla Stator as "known good spare" and ride Yagi with the refurbed one for a while to gain trust.

Great Maps for Finding Dispersed Camping Areas

This past camping trip, I got a notification in FB reels of an offering by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

It's a series of maps which show land ownership.  For instance, it shows what Federal/State agency manages an area or if it's private.  No more wondering if you're on public or private land!

Sure, the BLM and other Federal agencies have published maps both online versions and for sale as paper maps for years and years at their field offices.  Sure, there's pay apps that show land ownership.  

But, these new and free maps, not only give you info on who "owns" or manages the land you're looking to camp in, but also shows your position based on GPS!  There's no doubt as to where you are in relation to the land you're exploring.

The maps also are downloaded to your phone and via the listed app, are available offline.  Heck, you can have it running on your phone while driving letting you know who manages the land you're driving by.  

You can zoom in for road/trail details of course once you've decided to explore an area with this app.

It's what I used, with the New Mexico map, to locate a great camping spot about 30 minutes from Truth or Consequences, NM.  The location isn't on iOverlander which is the primary app I use to find reported "wild camping" spots.

The trouble with using a popular app such as iOverlander is that others can use it to find reported spots, sometimes leading to crowding or small sites being occupied and not available to you.

Here's a link to the maps and the app: Field Maps which allow you to explore in a more certain manner for dispersed camping spots.

Free National Mobile Map Package (MMPK) Program

Finally, something really worthwhile for our tax dollars that's easy to access and use.

As stated in the link above, the 18 BLM states, basically the western half of the US are covered.  Plans are to cover all 50 states eventually.

Here's an animated gif on the process of using the app to get the maps:

source: BLM MMPK Program

Given the initial success I enjoyed using it for the first time last month, I'm very confident this will lead me to other sites away from the "maddening" crowds at "known" sites.

I know, I know, more evidence of my anti-social behavior.   Still, being certain I'm on BLM land is very reassuring when setting up camp somewhere I've never been.

Back home after one more camping day at the Maxwell NWR

Saturday, March 1

I left Elephant Butte at 7AM this morning after saying goodbye to my host, Mike W.  Laura got her goodbye last night as she had to be at work early today.

Driving conditions were sunny, cold but not too cold, windy but not too gusty.  Pretty much perfect driving conditions and traffic.

Seven hours later, I was pulling into the camping area of the Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge less than an hour south of Raton, NM.  I was beat and rested the afternoon away, doing a little bit of exploring with Yagi, my TW200.

I've stayed here before, usually when enroute south going to warmer climes.  

Can you spot Uma?

Closest to the campsite, there were just a few Canadian Geese that were quite swift to take wing.  

I rode towards a farm and along the way I spotted these geese and what I think are Herons!

I managed to stop the motorcycle in time, avoiding spooking them into flight as I slowly walked closer to the fence which bordered the area above.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the sunshine, using the VRRV to block the increasing windiness. 

Sunday, March 2

I left the Maxwell NWR soon after 7AM.  Less than one hour later, I crossed the border into Colorado using Raton Pass.  A total of 4.5 hours later, I was nearing Buckley Space Force Base to drop off the trailer and Scarlett.  

Once I get the VRRV cleaned up, I'll put it into storage and return home using Scarlett.  This way, I avoid tying up garage space with the trailer while getting things cleaned up.

Overall, a very good camping trip.

Exploring an Unlisted BLM dispersed campsite site and a visit with Mike and Laura W.

February 28, Friday 

Leaving the Gila NF site I decided to drive towards Silver City, NM and from there get on AZ Highway 152 to cross the Black Range Mountains of New Mexico.

Boy, they weren't kidding when they posted a sign saying truckers should find alternate routes!  As it transits the mountains, it has a lot of twisty tight turns!  The VRRV did fine but one had to pay more close attention than usual.  I think it would be a blast on a motorcycle but again, you have to be careful.

There's several NF campgrounds along the way, probably nice to stay at in the heat of summer for it was very cool/chilly at those altitudes.

I finally made it to the highest point of the Black Range: Emory Pass.  I stopped the VRRV at a pull off next to a turn for the vista overlook.  (They really mean it when they post: No Trailers).  I found out the hard way but managed to get Uma turned around after some effort.

Slowly but surely, I made my twisty way down from the mountains and back to valley level as I approached the I-25 Super Slab.  Before I got there though, I'd been monitoring my progress with the BLM map for New Mexico using the FieldMaps app.  (I'll be writing a separate post on this very useful set of maps/system.

I decided to enter a BLM area where I spotted a cattle gate.  As with most BLM areas, the gate isn't locked.  I drove in and found a nice spot away from the road and mostly out of view as well.

There were many of the signs posted around the area:

I saw and rode over to a guy in a white pickup truck, thinking it was the BLM ranger.  Instead, he was a retired senior gentleman, member of the GPAA or Gold Prospectors Association of America.

The 160 acres of which this camping area is a small part, is part of a single mining claim.  The owner allows the GPA and its members to mine for gold, it's apparently available as very small flakes.  (he showed me a pic of previous searches).

Kind of cool but that's a lot of work for such a small amount of gold.  

Here's another view of the area, you can see Uma in the distance.

Wandering around, I spotted an unusual object:

Some kind of water dispenser apparently.  The wheels inside the rectangular slots rotate, and I think, picking up water as cattle lick the wheel to make it move?

Nearby, there was a small water hole or perhaps holding spot:

The above explorations were cut short by going further on towards Elephant Butte, NM.  I was lot docking at Mike and Laura W's driveway.  Mike and Laura are the couple whom I got to know during my Suzuki Samurai Sojourn. 

After dinner, we drove over to a couple nearby friends so I could meet them.  Another great couple: Ed and Lawana.  Ed is a retired deputy police chief from the Seattle area and his wife is quite the crafty one in terms of stitchery, quilting, jewelry, and nutritions!  

It was a great evening with good conversation.  

After saying goodnight to Ed and Lawana, we returned to the W's home and soon were off to our beds.  I slept in the VRRV as I planned an early departure in the morning.