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The Great Trek +3
- Thread starter kentompkins
- Start date
opcorn:SpyderAnn01
Active member
Keep up the stories I'm really enjoying them
kentompkins
New member
No, it's Fredericksburg, TX. A fabulous place and wonderfully presented. Thanks for asking.
kt
kt
SpyderAnn01
Active member
kentompkins
New member
The Great Trek -- Day 7
I apologize to you all for not writing more posts; there simply isn't enough time in the day. All of our days begin at 6:30; on the hottest days (read: Tucson where the heat index was 111) we start out at 4:30. By the end of the day all of us are wrung out. After eating it's bed.
I'm in Kingman, AZ on a down day though we'll go to Oatman, AZ for dinner.
Since I last wrote, we've been to Carlsbad, Alamogordo and Tucson. We average about 375 to 400 miles per day.
Carlsbad was wonderous. I have only been in one other large cave (Mammoth) and that was 40+ years ago; not that caves change much. They offer unique experiences: walking around under the earth, seeing incredible shaped objects like nothing in our normal lives. Indeed, everything about caves is unlike our usual lives. For me, there is something a bit offputting about caves.
White Sands is something else again. It is a unique environment and there are 240 thousand acres of it. We went there during the evening to see the sun set. We were not disappointed; the glaring white sand shifts into an almost undersea blue.
The Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert are special as well. They are a bit like turning the pages of a favorite art book; each time you turn a page there is something else -- dazzling and superlative. Indeed, I am running out of them. I'm wearing mine out and can't think of new ones; I seem to be regressing back to "Gosh" and "Gee Whiz". "OMG", "Wow" and "Unbelieveable" don't come close to what I've been feeling. I have to admit that when coming to my first view of the Grand Canyon, I had tears in my eyes. Try to find words to express THAT emotion.
It was cold (55 degrees) and raining heavily when I first saw the Grand Canyon. I've noticed that, whether by design or not, the approach to these sites is frequently long. It must be 15 miles from the entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park to the first lookout. So anticipation builds as if I didn't have enough already.
As we left the park, the rain increased and continued hard until we got to the motel. Instead of going by way of I40 we took Route 66 and it would have been pleasant to ride that road again (I, like many of you, rode it for the first time at Cuba). We actually had to stop at a derelict gas station on the Havasupai Reservation so threatening was the rain and the lightening. 20 Harley riders rushed through the small town and not one had rain gear one. They were all soaked.
We hope that the weather will be great when we revisit the Grand Canyon on the North Rim.
I am taking pictures but have yet to upload any. I am having difficulty on an Ipad getting the size down to meet the requirement of SpyderLovers. If I were home I could do the extra processing in a few minuits but find it near impossible with Ipad apps.
ken tompkins
I apologize to you all for not writing more posts; there simply isn't enough time in the day. All of our days begin at 6:30; on the hottest days (read: Tucson where the heat index was 111) we start out at 4:30. By the end of the day all of us are wrung out. After eating it's bed.
I'm in Kingman, AZ on a down day though we'll go to Oatman, AZ for dinner.
Since I last wrote, we've been to Carlsbad, Alamogordo and Tucson. We average about 375 to 400 miles per day.
Carlsbad was wonderous. I have only been in one other large cave (Mammoth) and that was 40+ years ago; not that caves change much. They offer unique experiences: walking around under the earth, seeing incredible shaped objects like nothing in our normal lives. Indeed, everything about caves is unlike our usual lives. For me, there is something a bit offputting about caves.
White Sands is something else again. It is a unique environment and there are 240 thousand acres of it. We went there during the evening to see the sun set. We were not disappointed; the glaring white sand shifts into an almost undersea blue.
The Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert are special as well. They are a bit like turning the pages of a favorite art book; each time you turn a page there is something else -- dazzling and superlative. Indeed, I am running out of them. I'm wearing mine out and can't think of new ones; I seem to be regressing back to "Gosh" and "Gee Whiz". "OMG", "Wow" and "Unbelieveable" don't come close to what I've been feeling. I have to admit that when coming to my first view of the Grand Canyon, I had tears in my eyes. Try to find words to express THAT emotion.
It was cold (55 degrees) and raining heavily when I first saw the Grand Canyon. I've noticed that, whether by design or not, the approach to these sites is frequently long. It must be 15 miles from the entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park to the first lookout. So anticipation builds as if I didn't have enough already.
As we left the park, the rain increased and continued hard until we got to the motel. Instead of going by way of I40 we took Route 66 and it would have been pleasant to ride that road again (I, like many of you, rode it for the first time at Cuba). We actually had to stop at a derelict gas station on the Havasupai Reservation so threatening was the rain and the lightening. 20 Harley riders rushed through the small town and not one had rain gear one. They were all soaked.
We hope that the weather will be great when we revisit the Grand Canyon on the North Rim.
I am taking pictures but have yet to upload any. I am having difficulty on an Ipad getting the size down to meet the requirement of SpyderLovers. If I were home I could do the extra processing in a few minuits but find it near impossible with Ipad apps.
ken tompkins
Paula(Butch2025)
Memorial Member
Ken, that is exactly how felt riding on the Million Dollar Highway and just about any time we were in the mountains down in Durango. No matter what words you use, your descriptions of the places you are visiting make it feel as if we are right there with you! Thanks.
--Paula
bruiser
New member
Good to hear from you. Your descriptions bring back memories. I was stationed in Alamagordo from 1969 to 1974. Wouldn't much recognise it now. White Sands is amazing, not only is it a national park, it's a missle range as well. I spent many hours out there on the dunes. My ex (rest her soul) was from Ruidoso, another beautiful area. Her grandparents lived in Carlsbad so we spent a lot of time there as well. Visited the caverns many times and watched the bats fly out at night. There was a sci fi movie filmed in part of the caverns several years ago, The Gargoyles. Waiting for more from you. Ride safe!
kentompkins
New member
The Great Trek -- Day 7 -- Again
[I don't want my Spyder to hear this; my experience with objects is that if they know you like and are praising them, they will act out. in that way they are just children. The small type is whispering. You need to know that so far (there is the magical rub) the Spyder has performed flawlessly through long days with temperatures beyond hot and horizontal rain.]
I do have concerns. pulling a 622 trailer is taking its toll: worn brakes, down-shifting seems to be getting harder and I just added about half a quart of oil. Of the five bikes 3 are Goldwings and the other is a Harley. The GWs get about 45 mpg and their tanks hold twice what the Spyder does. This means that most of the time they stop for me.
i have had other problems: one of Tricled's fender leds has a broken connector that I have yet to find a replacement for, my tension smoother was not working well because of the trailer. I wrote to Capt. Black, he agreed and told me how to compensate for the extra weight (GREATservice,btw).That fixed it. Perhaps the most serious problem is the fact that when I get on the bike, the rear shock (original equipment) allows the trailer dip from the horizontal; thus it bumps at any low spot I encounter. I've already torn a hole in the "nose protrector" as I entered a gas station.I should have had an Elka rear shock installed at SpyderFest.
it is becoming increasingly clear that I need to plan for an RT. The Goldwing drivers pull no trailer, have plenty of space and have all sorts of capabilities I don't have and the RT has many of the ones I want. I'm going to ask Len to watch out for a used 2011 RT.
I'm very pleased so far but there is much more to come.
ken tompkins
[I don't want my Spyder to hear this; my experience with objects is that if they know you like and are praising them, they will act out. in that way they are just children. The small type is whispering. You need to know that so far (there is the magical rub) the Spyder has performed flawlessly through long days with temperatures beyond hot and horizontal rain.]
I do have concerns. pulling a 622 trailer is taking its toll: worn brakes, down-shifting seems to be getting harder and I just added about half a quart of oil. Of the five bikes 3 are Goldwings and the other is a Harley. The GWs get about 45 mpg and their tanks hold twice what the Spyder does. This means that most of the time they stop for me.
i have had other problems: one of Tricled's fender leds has a broken connector that I have yet to find a replacement for, my tension smoother was not working well because of the trailer. I wrote to Capt. Black, he agreed and told me how to compensate for the extra weight (GREATservice,btw).That fixed it. Perhaps the most serious problem is the fact that when I get on the bike, the rear shock (original equipment) allows the trailer dip from the horizontal; thus it bumps at any low spot I encounter. I've already torn a hole in the "nose protrector" as I entered a gas station.I should have had an Elka rear shock installed at SpyderFest.
it is becoming increasingly clear that I need to plan for an RT. The Goldwing drivers pull no trailer, have plenty of space and have all sorts of capabilities I don't have and the RT has many of the ones I want. I'm going to ask Len to watch out for a used 2011 RT.
I'm very pleased so far but there is much more to come.
ken tompkins
Last edited:
capt.jim
Member
Hey Ken, thanks for sharing parts of your excursion with us, that's quite a trek, especially on a GS/RS. I have been called a lot of things, but Capt. Black is a new one, has a nice ring to it though. You guys are putting in some long days, hope the rest of the trip goes well. This truly is a trip of a lifetime.
SpyderAnn01
Active member
Ken, I have a spare TricLed fender light if you want it. When are you going to Hoover Dam I could meet you there.
kentompkins
New member
kentompkins
New member
SpyderAnn01....
What a kind and caring offer! Actually, we are going to be at the dam sometime today. We'll be coming up from Kingman, AZ. I soldered it last night and it seems fine though the roads beat the hell out of me and the bike. The one from Kingman to Oatman was particularly rough.
Again I appreciate the kindness -- typical for SpyderLovers and you.
kt
What a kind and caring offer! Actually, we are going to be at the dam sometime today. We'll be coming up from Kingman, AZ. I soldered it last night and it seems fine though the roads beat the hell out of me and the bike. The one from Kingman to Oatman was particularly rough.
Again I appreciate the kindness -- typical for SpyderLovers and you.
kt
kentompkins
New member
The Great Trek - Day 9
On a number of occasions in my life I have been involved with folks working to form themselves into a community if even for a short time.
The best example is the archaeological dig I went to in England for 15 summers during the late 1970s to 1990. Each summer for six weeks up to 130 folks would gather at a VERY isolated site to work hard for six weeks and then depart. Some were major British archaeologists, some were students but most, like me, were totally inexperienced diggers. The work was hard, under appalling physical conditions, in bad English weather. But every summer for 40 years they came back.
How, then, does one instantly form an efficient community to get the work done? One way is to have few rules. There were very few at the dig and they had existed from the beginning so their importance was clear. There was also a leader with long experience at getting things done.
I've been thinking a good deal about the small group I have become a part of. There are five of us (the leader's wife recently joined us for three weeks). All of them -- except me -- have ridden with this leader before many times and all have a great deal of experience in long-distance touring. I'm the outlier.
We have worked hard to pull a community together. Long distance riding is a solitary and, sometimes, lonely activity. We see each other in the morning, at very brief gas stops, and at night before we crash into bed to repeat the process the next day. It isn't exactly easy to build connections in such a narrative.
One way is to share our riding and bike experiences. We all like to share where we have been (these posts are an example), our frustrations with our machines or dealers (I've heard a number of complaints about both Harley and Goldwing dealers), our bikes and other riders.
Another is to share non-bike experiences; there is some of this in the group though the interest is lessened because my experiences are so radically different from those of the other riders.
One author has said about eating passages in literature that "all eating is communion". I believe this to be true in our lives. Much of the community we have built has happened while we eat. Breakfast not so much because we just awoke; supper is when we really relax.
"Being there" is very important for us. Being on time, gassed up, dressed appropriately, in position is very important. Being ready suggests that you are reliable and predictable; both are important in any community.
I know that my experience here mirrors all of your experiences as well. Some, of course, ride alone but I prefer having others with me for obvious reasons.
Finally, having comparable bikes is important. When I have ridden with other Spyder owners there is a common knowledge about our bikes -- their vices and virtues. Being the only Spyder in the group puts a limitation on our common knowledge. They don't know much about Spyders and I don't know much about Goldwings.
So, it is not JUST a ride. It's a community and they are not easy to create. I think about such things a great deal. I assume you all do as well.
ken tompkins
On a number of occasions in my life I have been involved with folks working to form themselves into a community if even for a short time.
The best example is the archaeological dig I went to in England for 15 summers during the late 1970s to 1990. Each summer for six weeks up to 130 folks would gather at a VERY isolated site to work hard for six weeks and then depart. Some were major British archaeologists, some were students but most, like me, were totally inexperienced diggers. The work was hard, under appalling physical conditions, in bad English weather. But every summer for 40 years they came back.
How, then, does one instantly form an efficient community to get the work done? One way is to have few rules. There were very few at the dig and they had existed from the beginning so their importance was clear. There was also a leader with long experience at getting things done.
I've been thinking a good deal about the small group I have become a part of. There are five of us (the leader's wife recently joined us for three weeks). All of them -- except me -- have ridden with this leader before many times and all have a great deal of experience in long-distance touring. I'm the outlier.
We have worked hard to pull a community together. Long distance riding is a solitary and, sometimes, lonely activity. We see each other in the morning, at very brief gas stops, and at night before we crash into bed to repeat the process the next day. It isn't exactly easy to build connections in such a narrative.
One way is to share our riding and bike experiences. We all like to share where we have been (these posts are an example), our frustrations with our machines or dealers (I've heard a number of complaints about both Harley and Goldwing dealers), our bikes and other riders.
Another is to share non-bike experiences; there is some of this in the group though the interest is lessened because my experiences are so radically different from those of the other riders.
One author has said about eating passages in literature that "all eating is communion". I believe this to be true in our lives. Much of the community we have built has happened while we eat. Breakfast not so much because we just awoke; supper is when we really relax.
"Being there" is very important for us. Being on time, gassed up, dressed appropriately, in position is very important. Being ready suggests that you are reliable and predictable; both are important in any community.
I know that my experience here mirrors all of your experiences as well. Some, of course, ride alone but I prefer having others with me for obvious reasons.
Finally, having comparable bikes is important. When I have ridden with other Spyder owners there is a common knowledge about our bikes -- their vices and virtues. Being the only Spyder in the group puts a limitation on our common knowledge. They don't know much about Spyders and I don't know much about Goldwings.
So, it is not JUST a ride. It's a community and they are not easy to create. I think about such things a great deal. I assume you all do as well.
ken tompkins
capt.jim
Member
Long days and many miles in the saddle will do that I think, you were probably thinking how good the bed was going to feel. I wish we were there, but all we can do is live vicariously through Spyderlovers as we follow your journey. I can feel a little different riding with all my buds on 2 wheelers sometimes, as I'm the only spyder, and I know all of them, so I can imagine a long trip not knowing most of them, suppertime is about the only time you get to hash out the days events.
bruiser
New member
So, it is not JUST a ride. It's a community and they are not easy to create. I think about such things a great deal. I assume you all do as well.
ken tompkins[/QUOTE]
Long rides give us time to think about numerous things. I work alone and driving between jobs gives me a lot of time to think about things, some good, some not so good. You are correct in your assessment about creating a community but I won't hijack this thread any further. Looking forward to more reports. Safe riding.
ken tompkins[/QUOTE]
Long rides give us time to think about numerous things. I work alone and driving between jobs gives me a lot of time to think about things, some good, some not so good. You are correct in your assessment about creating a community but I won't hijack this thread any further. Looking forward to more reports. Safe riding.
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