8/11/08
As we wrap up this adventure, which is just shy of 9000 miles in 5 weeks, I want to recognize those who made it possible and to note some observations. First, I want to thank our spouses, Jackie, Gail, and Mary, whose support made this trip a success (even though they benefited too!). Obviously, one cannot just walk away from a business without great people to run it, so in that respect I want to thank Erin, Troy, Ryan and Laura for managing our rental businesses, and also my crew at Roberts Automotive, Ken, Christine, Kevin, Jim, and Dustin for their dedication to excellence and ability to carry on without me. Also, our thanks go out to Doug Saldivar, who was on the scene right after I launched off the bike at the gas station, and to Fred Mcdowell for yanking us off the freeway, getting us to the dealership, and entertaining us for the day. Personally, I want to thank Gene and Harold for their encouragement when I thought my trip was over.

If you are planning a trip like this someday, you may benefit from our experiences. The following is offered in no particular order of importance:
1.Be flexible and plan loosely. We had some general ideas about what we wanted to see and do, but did a lot of ad libing. For instance we found out about the ghost town, Bannack, from Fred.
2.Stay off the super slab as much as possible and engage the locals. People are more than willing to help and will steer you to some interesting sites, museums, etc.
3.Take a tent, but let the cooking stuff at home unless you like making campground grub. Remember, cooking and cleaning up take time. We stayed at KOA Kamping Kabins whenever possible, but mixed in some motels and tenting. If you don't know exact dates about when you will be doing something, you won't find lodging around places like Yellowstone, except for camp sites.
4.Forget individual maps. Take a road atlas and don't put all your faith in a GPS. Take a KOA campground directory.
5.Buy a 12 volt battery charger for AA batteries, and a good stock of batteries. This proved invaluable for power hungry devices like communications systems and cameras.The bike charges the batteries while you are touring around.
6.If you don't yet have a bike, consider one that will allow you to stand while riding. Your posterior will thank you profusely when you hit those torn up roads and it is a luxury to stretch your legs while riding. Besides, its fun to startle somebody in the car next to you when you stand up at 65 mph.
7.It is okay to split up, but ride with a wing man. If you don't, at least file a flight plan with the rest of your com padres and stick to it.
8.Adversity will find you in the form of wind, rain, heat, mechanical breakdowns, physical breakdowns, and ways you could never predict. Expect it and bring along a sense of humor and flexibility.
9.The bike with the least range will have determine how many breaks you get.
10.Have a communication system besides yelling and wild gesturing. We used FRS radios with headsets in the helmets. Just don't expect to be able to understand anything at 80 mph.
11.Designate someone as historian. Take lots of pictures and keep a record of your daily activities.
12.Technology may be better than ever, but don't expect to be able to communicate with the internet everywhere or get a phone connection anywhere. Campgrounds are lousy places to get a reliable connection (they seem to shut down after the office closes) and if you are tenting there is no electricity to charge the laptop. Also, you will be surprised at how little time you have to blog.
13.Get a good full coverage helmet and wear it. I like the full face variety with D ring closures, but that is just my perference. I wore them all the time when racing cars. Gene likes his flip up helmet with snap closure. Not only do they offer the best protection, they will keep your skin from looking like an alligator after thousands of miles of hard riding.
14.Finally, don't ask a homeless person for a good place to eat.