Monday, March 18, 2013

More Decisions

Weekend trip from 2009
Now that I've decided to make the Run and start in California I've got a few more decisions to make.
  • When do I head west and when do I want to arrive in Rancho?
  • Which motorcycle do I take?
  • Hotels, camping or a combination?
  • Do I need any extra equipment like a CB or extra strobe lights on the bike?
Well, the Run departs from Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday, May 15.  I should be there no later than the 13th in case I need an oil change, a tire replaced or something or the other done to the bike. It will take four days to get there so I should leave no later than May 10th.

But, I plan to leave about a week earlier and lay over in Texas visiting family for almost a week. I anticipate leaving early on May 4th, laying over in middle Tennessee (I-40) or Mississippi (I-20) then into Austin or Fort Worth, TX on the 5th.  The route will depend on the weather that weekend.  From there I'll leave on the 10th, meet my brother in Kansas, travel west into Colorado, Utah and into Ranch Cucamonga on the 13th.  Perfect timing!
California or bust!
I'm very fortunate to have two great Honda motorcycles: a 2007 VTX 1800 and a 2008 Goldwing.  I took the VTX on the Run in 2010 and had a blast but each night I had to basically strip the accessories off the bike each night and take off the saddle bags to get into the hotel.  That was a major inconvenience each night and again each morning to get ready to ride.  Having the Goldwing would allow me to lock everything in the trunks and take only one bag into the hotel each night.  Plus the Goldwing is made for comfort for the long haul.  Easy decision - the Goldwing it is.

The Stable
Next up is cost versus comfort versus convenience. Do I pack extra gear and camp, or keep it lean and  stay in motels or a combination of the two.  Well, I'll be on the road for almost three weeks so I'm really into keeping it simple and going for the convenience factor of sticking to motels.  I don't really want to pack a lot of gear so for this trip, I'm going to stick to motels for this trip.

Extra equipment:
I'm not a road guard or support staff so I don't need any special equipment for this trip.  I've got a good MP3 player, GPS, CB and XM radio on the Goldwing - is there anything else I need?  I don't think so.

So, as of now I'm leaving on the Goldwing on May 4th heading to Texas.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

RFTW Update #2


Hot off the press - Southern Route Itinerary


The Southern Route has published their itinerary for the Run.

The Southern Route Coordinator, Laurie "Airborne" Clay published their itinerary recently.  It's a downloadable PDF that provides a lot of good information, including:
  • Background and history on the Run
  • Detailed information about the activities of each day
  • Fuel stops
  • Information on the stops during the day
  • Hotels and overnight information
You can get to the Southern Route itinerary here and other Central Route information here. Be sure to check out the comments and updates from the Route Coordinator. They post lots of good information there: updates on the current Run, tips on what/how to pack for the Run and a how-to ride in formation during the Run.  This last item can be a bit tricky for many riders and is a good refresher.  The Southern Route has it's own website at: http://www.rftwsr-2013.us/

Friday, March 1, 2013

RFTW Update #1

This just in:

The Central Route has published their itinerary for the Run.

This is the 25th anniversary of the Run and Stan “Ironfish” Handley, the Central Route Coordinator, published their itinerary today.

It's a downloadable PDF that provides a lot of good information, including:

  • Background and history on the Run
  • Detailed information about the activities of each day
  • Fuel stops
  • Information on the stops during the day
  • Hotels and overnight information

You can get to the Central Route itinerary here and other Central Route information here. Be sure to check out the comments and updates from the Route Coordinator. They post lots of good information there: updates on the current Run, tips on what/how to pack for the Run and a how-to ride in formation during the Run.  This last item can be a bit tricky for many riders and is a good refresher.

Hopefully we'll see the Southern Route Itinerary soon.