Snowy Commute

I bet you thought it was going to be another book review huh?

Today we in the Denver Metro Area awoke to about 2-4 inches of snow on the ground and a rather messy and prolonged commute.

Hoping to skip part of the commute debacle (which gets better in snow), I snow-blowed the driveway first.  I headed out of the house at 7:10AM, a bit later than usual and got out of the snow-covered neighborhood with no issues on Yoshie, my V-Strom Sidecar Rig.  I did take the extra caution of weighing down the rear end of the tug by putting the deep cycle battery (57 lbs) inside the topcase.

The roads leading to the main roads were OK, but heavily rutted and plastered with little ice "mines" which would sometimes cause my tug's front wheel to dance in my hands.  No big deal, but it was a bit bumpy at times.  I think they put the magnesium chloride a bit too late which causes such conditions, not sure though.

Arapahoe Road traffic, never the best during rush hours, was slow and glacial today....it moved but conditions didn't lend themselves to rapid commuting shall we say.

It had been only lightly snowing east of the I-25 Super Slab, but it really started coming down when I crossed under it and neared work!  I kept having to brush snow/ice from the front of my visor every few seconds, but still, not a big deal.

The hardest part of the commute?  The intersection of University Blvd and Arapahoe Road.  It sits on top of a hill and cars were having a heck of a time making it up the slope at times.  Yoshie did fine, dodging around stuck buses which were blocking multiple lanes of travel.  I ended up ducking into the shopping center which houses the building I work in due to one particular bus who was stuck and blocking all westbound lanes of Arapahoe Road west of the intersection.

Slewing the rig around the mall's streets (not very well plowed yet), it was a bit of fun but had to pay attention to all the snow plows frantically moving about trying to clear the roads.

Finally got to the parking garage and got some photos of the scenery from the third and fourth levels:

 Lightly snow-covered Yoshie

 Treeline view from the fourth floor

 Neighborhood entrance next to the parking garage

Not too much snow got on her eh?

So, not a bad commute per se, given the conditions.  No close calls on the road, one idiot in the parking garage not paying attention to stop signs but I saw her approach and reacted accordingly.  

Hope you got a ride in today, I'm looking forward to the ride home!

Book Review: The Complete Guide to Motorcycling Colorado by Steve Farson

The cover of this book reads: "The Definitive Reference for ALL the Best roads, Rides and Trips".  Quite the goal that Steve Farson set for himself in trying to put all the wonderful riding available in Colorado into one book.  I would say though, that Steve is definitely the closest thing to that goal that I've ever read!

From motorbooks.com's website:  This comprehensive new guidebook to Colorado contains colorful in-depth descriptions of 172 different rides that can be combined in a variety of ways to create the best trips for all riding styles and interests. The individual rides have their own more detailed maps, along with route descriptions, photos, local points of interest, and historical information.  In addition, onboard videos of each ride are available at www.rmridervideo.com.  Regional maps show how the rides can be combined to form journeys from half a day to several days in length, on paved roads or into the back country, or both. Color photos for each ride introduce the incredible variety of terrain, and historical photos placed next to present day shots show how much (or how little) has changed in the intervening years.

In his years of riding Colorado and other parts of the country, Steve has pretty much covered every road and byway in Colorado reachable by motorcycle.  A lot of the rides and routes he describes so well in the book I've ridden myself and the detail, history and observations he adds to the actual route description rekindled in me a desire to revisit some of those byways again.

Also close to my own heart, he offers pictures of Colorado locales from "back then" to "now" to show the reader how things have changed or remained the same through the years.  I first saw this style of photographical history in John Fielder's Books, and I've done some postings myself but with motorcycles in the "now" picture.

As with most ride guide books, the rides are broken up into sections of the Great State of Colorado, giving the reader an fast reference to the area to be explored via motorcycle.  Not only are the routes numbered on the map, but Steve Farson has a color code system for ready finding of a specific route, very handy.

This book will become probably the top reference I use to plan daily and longer rides within my adoptive home state.  I strongly recommend this book to other Colorado riders and definitely for anyone planning to ride their motorcycle to this state to see its scenic wonders.

If you'd like to buy this book, and please tell them you read about it here, please follow this link.

Book Review: There & Back Again to See How Far It Is

When I was first emailed by motorbooks.com to see if I wanted to review this book, I thought of Gary France's epic journey through the United States and wanted to compare his travels with this fellow Englishman's writing.

Link to book on motorbooks.com

From Motorbooks:  Vultures wheeled overhead as Tim Watson found himself running out of fuel in the desert. Indeed he had many hair-raising encounters in his 8,000-mile ride across small-town America – severe dust storms, mountain snow, an angry rattlesnake and even angrier racoon, not to mention weird folk, and the novice rider’s struggles with a huge motorcycle. His account, informative and hilarious, is a must for armchair adventurers and anyone who has ever wondered what small-town America is really like.

This is quite an enjoyable and easy to read book.  Tim Watson's misadventures, experiences and growth as a motorcyclist are chronicled in short, often time humourous snippets of travel between small towns in the western third of the United States.

His travels encompass California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon and detail his encounters with "interesting" people along the way.  His wife rides along on her own motorcycle, providing not only photographic support but serving as the "voice of reason" and interpreter for the intrepid author as his English accent and dry sense of  humor was apparently a barrier at times to communication with the natives.

A very nice travelogue, he highlighted for me some destinations I'd not heard of and which have now made it into my personal "to do" list of ride destinations.

The author's self-deprecating attitude and descriptive verbiage are a highlight of this book, where he progresses from not really knowing much about riding a motorcycle and fearing instant death from his machine; to a somewhat seasoned rider more comfortable on America's highways and byways.

He does have an initial preoccupation with population and land statistics and figures but this eventually dies off as the book progresses.  Tim Watson brings to the reader little known facts of the destinations he reaches, such as the fact a firing squad used to be an option in Utah for death-penalty convicts!  The book delves into his interest with the varied Native American cultures remaining along the line of his travels.

This book is a good way to see small town Western America through the eyes of a non-native.

This would be a great read for those of you who like travelogues with a sense of humor, who prefer to wander the less-traveled roads and see more unique life experiences.

The book is available from motorbooks.com, please tell them you read about it here if you decide to buy it.

LINK to book

Book Review: Adventure Motorcycling

Ted Simon, world-renowned motorcycle rider provides the foreword to Robert Wicks' extensive illustrated, very detailed but not overlong guide to the intricate world of Adventure Motorcycling and what one should consider and know before undertaking such a journey.

Link to book on motorbooks.com

a division of Quayside Publishing

The reader's appetite is whetted by listing some of the big names of motorcycle adventure riders who've blazed the way for us as they circumnavigated the world.  Names such as Ted Simon, Helge Pedersen, and more recently Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in their "Long Way Round" ride around the world on mighty BMW GS Motorcycles.

There's three sections to the book.  Section 1 takes you through the preparations and logistics you need to consider, do, prepare and plan for before you hit the wide open road.  The six main subsections deal with:

1. Practicalities: Such as whether you'll ride solo or with a group, what routes to take, the budget and research.
2. Choice of Motorcycle:  An extensive list of "suitable" motorcycles is presented to you with their specifications and you gauge the ride based on suggested criteria or Key Factors such as Budget, Range, Load Carrying Ability, Handling and Weight and others.  Being a Beemer guy, I never realized there was such a rich choice of motorcycles to choose from, but the book does show a lot of the BMW models.
3.  Motorcycle Preparation:  What modifications/farkles are you going to add/need for the trip?  Types of tires are discussed, what type of fuel tanks should be considered, hard or soft luggage, and finally the logistics and shipping one's motorcycle when time is limited or there's an ocean between you and your destination.
4. Gear:  Documents/Finances, clothing, spares and tools you might want to carry, how are you going to know your way, supplies, camping and cooking on the road.
5. Riding Techniques: Training you should go through or consider, some details on techniques to try based on different terrains and finally, the pre-trip shakedown to make sure all is ready.
6. Documentation:  Managing the plethora of paperwork required to cross many countries, Visas, Driving Permits, Carnets, Motorcycle Insurance & Green Cards, Personal Medical Insurance and of course, Money.  This section should give you pause and cause you to prior plan as paperwork takes time.  You can't really just show up at a border and ask to be let in, not that simple.

Section 2:  

On the Road

1. Living on the Road: How to stay healthy: Common Ailments, Inoculations.
2. Some safety considerations while on the road: General security, accidents, money, routines.
3. Some things you should know about First Aid: List of things you need to know how to deal with.
4. Knowing what to eat and drink, if its not something you brought along.
5. Places to stay.
6. What to do at border crossings: Tips, information and examples.
7. Adapting to new countries and how they do things.
8. Some notes for female riders:  Personal safety, dress codes, attitude, health issues.
9. Some points on keeping in touch with family and friends while on the road: Communication means.

Navigation

1. Using a compass.  Really, you need to know.  GPS devices will fail.  
2. Maps:  Can't really do a long trip without the proper maps, can you?  How to carry them, use them and read them.
3. GPS: Technological terminlogies related to GPS and tips on how to use them.

Maintenance & Repairs: How to take care of your ride so you can survive the adventure together.

1. Engine and Chassis: Control cables, coolant, mounting hardware, clutch plates....etc
2. Electrical Systems: Terms, troubleshooting and maintenance.
3. Fuel: Filters, the quality of gas you'll find and deal with.
4. Air Filters: your engine needs air, know how to take care of the filter and replace it.
5. Sprockets and Chains: Key maintenance!
6. Suspension and Wheels.  Tire pressure, repairs of tube and tubeless tires.
7. Emergencies: Basic survival information and some Essential Equipment is discussed.

Section 3:

Typical Adventures:

Three "typical" adventures are provided by the author of riders who've actually done the ride described.

The first being a Ride from England to the South of Morocco entailing two weeks in the fringes of the Sahara Desert.

The second adventure is by a group of eleven riders who ride from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa in about 35 days, wherein they cover 7800 miles, deal with multiple issues, repairs, injuries, sickness, even jail and apparently had a marvelous time of it.

The third and last adventure was still ongoing as the book went to publisher.  Two friends left England in March of 2006, riding around the world.  Talks about the two years they prepared for it and the three years + it would eventually take for them to do it

So, plenty of stuff to read but only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the research one must acquire and understand before doing the kind of adventure motorcycling described in this book.  Just the paperwork alone is seemingly daunting but the book guides your initial steps.  I found the book well thought out and it takes you through the different phases of the adventure quite smoothly.

I would regard this book as a good starting point for your research, it gives you pointers as to further places to look and learn while its richly illustrated contents fire up the inner urge in one to explore the world on a motorcycle!

This book is published by Haynes Publishing and is readily available from www.motorbooks.com.  If you end up getting this book, please mention you heard about it here!