New York to San Francisco on VFR’s: 7,000 miles and 18 states

[Hulked Up]

It was harder in the beginning of the ride because Doug knew how much I wanted the 50CC.  He didn't want to say anything to me, but it was obvious by his actions that he was exhausted.  By the time we started home we both felt comfortable telling each other when we were exhausted and needed to stop.  You have no choice but to respect those limits.  

Only Doug is qualified to answer whether or not he felt pushed on the ride back.  We both talked extensively about our routing before we left and had 2 days in Bozeman to discuss how we were getting home.  I believe he wanted to get home as bad as I did (his daughter's birthday was Saturday).  Doing two Iron Butt rides together, riding together for 3 years and being 2 responsible adults we did the best we could given the constraints we had to work with (time, money and vacation time).  I realize that the mileage and pace is not what most people would do, but we didn't want to do anyone else's vacation.  In the end, I don't feel we put ourselves at risk anymore than we would doing another Iron Butt ride.    

[Bigfoot]

Very impressive.    I am certainly jealous.  

[scott-sts]

I think you put your riding bud Doug in danger, often.  Obviously there were several times when his alertness, and yours, affected the trip, yet you pressed on.  I don't know if you had to be at work the next day or something, but you took on too many objectives for the amount of days you had.  Doug is lucky to have only screwed up the luggage and not something more severe, but that's not just his fault.   Also, he didn't know he was expected to ride that day and had to ride with a hangover.  By your text I got the feeling he felt compelled to move at your speed. Uncool.

In the future, perhaps making sure that both bikes are in good nick (to include chains and tires), and making sure there are several days slop just in case problems arise, would be a good idea.

Just my 2 cents.

I know Doug.  He's a man that wouldn't let little 'ole Hulkster boss him around.
It's silly to accuse Keith of endangering Doug.  Maybe Doug endangered KEITH by not saying anything?  Hmmm, did you even consider that?

[scott-sts]

About this time I got this weird feeling that not only weren’t we supposed to be there, we weren’t supposed to leave either (like the Hotel California).  The wind, poor roads and dropping temperatures all felt like a conspiracy against us.  It was a very metaphysical experience, probably the only one I’ve had on a motorcycle.  I don’t want to say it felt evil, but it definitely felt like we didn’t belong there.



This is my favorite part.  Oh, and the part where you slept behind a dumpster-that was good too.

[Bigfoot]

I think you put your riding bud Doug in danger, often.  Obviously there were several times when his alertness, and yours, affected the trip, yet you pressed on.  I don't know if you had to be at work the next day or something, but you took on too many objectives for the amount of days you had.  Doug is lucky to have only screwed up the luggage and not something more severe, but that's not just his fault.   Also, he didn't know he was expected to ride that day and had to ride with a hangover.  By your text I got the feeling he felt compelled to move at your speed. Uncool.

In the future, perhaps making sure that both bikes are in good nick (to include chains and tires), and making sure there are several days slop just in case problems arise, would be a good idea.

Just my 2 cents.

Sounds like they were both adults and they both rode willingly.  

[servicerifle]

I know Doug.  He's a man that wouldn't let little 'ole Hulkster boss him around.
It's silly to accuse Keith of endangering Doug.  Maybe Doug endangered KEITH by not saying anything?  Hmmm, did you even consider that?

Yup, I sure did, but I would say they endangered each other equally...not that that's ok.  It really does sound like Doug was experiencing a lot of fatigue.  That's not wrong in itself, but sometimes you just oughtta get off the bike and get a room for a whole night.

[naustin]

Maybe Doug endangered KEITH by not saying anything?

I feel that responsibility for overall safety is shared equally when you are riding with a partner.  If Doug makes a mistake in front of Keith, they could both go down.  Both riders need to be aware not only of their own, but also of their partner's skills, limitations, and fatigue.  There is no question in my mind that Keith was paying close attention to Doug's fatigue level the entire trip.  When it came down to it, they both made the right choices.  What is important to discuss is whether those choices should have been made a little sooner, and how a good rider can recognize as quickly as possible that the risks are increasing.

No one is trying to pick a fight, but if a newbie stumbles across this thread, it is important for him/her to recognize that fatigue is one of the most dangerous aspects of long distance riding - maybe the most dangerous aspect.  If Doug was really as exhausted as Keith makes it sound, then the risk level was reaching an unacceptable level.

Both of these guys are experienced and know what they are doing.  They way the ride report is written might make it sound more serious than it was.  They were the only ones who were actually there.  Eventually they realized they weren't going to make the 50cc and they let it go.  That was the right choice - the only issue there is whether the decision should have been made a few hours sooner.  On the way home, the bad chain, the leaking tire, the mutinous saddlebag - all were incidents that were reflective of decisions that placed getting home above safety.  Eventually, Doug insisted on getting the chain replaced.  That was the right choice - again the issue is whether that decision should have been made sooner.

It was a great ride, great pictures, and a very well written report.  I congratulate Keith on the whole thing!  Perhaps the best part is that it also raises an important issue that should be discussed and acknowledged so that we all can learn from it.

[servicerifle]

Naustin, thank you for explaining that with which I was obviously struggling.

[bizarro]

About this time I got this weird feeling that not only weren’t we supposed to be there, we weren’t supposed to leave either (like the Hotel California).  The wind, poor roads and dropping temperatures all felt like a conspiracy against us.  It was a very metaphysical experience, probably the only one I’ve had on a motorcycle.  I don’t want to say it felt evil, but it definitely felt like we didn’t belong there.



This is my favorite part.  Oh, and the part where you slept behind a dumpster-that was good too.

This was my favorite part of the account too. It's interesting though, I had a very similar experience when I did Mattole (and the same direction too), gorgeous when I actually got to the Lost Coast, and then foggy, windy and cold as soon as I started up the Wall. The difference? I felt like I was in Scotland or something and loved every minute of it.

Anyhow, amazin ride and great report!  

[November]

The store was a gathering place for all the locals.  And there were a lot of them, all sitting around their pickup trucks drinking beer, in the middle of the day.  They must have thought we were just as unusual as we were with our sport-touring bikes and full gear.  At one point a man (with a Jason DeSalvo t-shirt) and his girlfriend came up to us.  The woman asked us if we wanted to see her rattlesnake.  She had a box with a baby rattlesnake she said she had caught on her property that day.  I don’t know why I didn’t think to take any pictures of this place; I guess I was just too bewildered to think straight.  When the locals started looking at us too intently we decided to get the hell out of Dodge.

That is creepy!  

Great write up! Thanks for sharing your awesome experience. I'm glad everyone made it home safely. You guys will have a lot of memories to share for a lifetime.  

[STeve3b3]

Keith,

... and you talked me out of riding my son's VFR to California for him!  

Nice ride report!  

I've never ridden out there, but the parts of the West that I've seen are beautiful.  I'm glad that you took the time to document your ride so that we might enjoy it as well.


Steve

[Hulked Up]

...and I still wouldn't recommend it.  Well, maybe once.  

[FJRPierre]

Riding long distances with a partner is always stressful. All these shared decisions and responsibilities start to grate on you unless you are both saints. Fatigue is a killer if you are not careful. I'm in my 60's and my usual LD partner is my son-in-law in his 30s. Our energy levels and interests are a bit opposite. I found one technique to lessen strain was to agree on daily destination points and a few intermediate points/times so if you felt inclined to stop for a nap, take pics, stroll, whatever you could do so without impacting your riding partner. Just because I/he stopped does not mean the other has to (agree on an emergency signal beforehand). It's amazing over the course of 1000km days how many times I passed, caught up with, & met my riding partner at rendevous points. Even when taking different routes to the end, there are many common points.
(It's like those truckers or Greyhound tourist busses that you zip by on day 1 in St Johns Nfld, who you are still passing/leap frogging in Fairbanks on day 20. Slow and steady = fast and erratic anyday.)

Of course you have to enjoy/be able to ride alone without support for much of the day...

It seemed you were running against a clock even when you had abandoned the 100CC. I did a very similar trip to yours http://ca.geocities.com/fjrpierre@rogers.com/MyNewWeb/SpringGrandcanyon/US2004.jpg in 15 days/7625 miles and always had a decent nights sleep in a motel and never felt rushed (until the pony could smell the barn 3 days out then it became a chore to smell the roses.  ) Maybe I stretched my days/distance out more evenly.

Great ride, pics and writeup. These are memories of a lifetime.

[Heath3n]

That was an outstanding trip report! Thank you!

[dinolee]

WOW!  Hats off to ya, guys!  I'm glad you got to experience Honeydew, CA on the Lost Coast Highway.  No matter how hard you try to forget what you saw in that town, you can't...    

[STeve3b3]

...and I still wouldn't recommend it.  Well, maybe once.  

Just giving you shit, man!

In the end, HE talked me out of it, along with his tires.  
The first time I was on his VFR was when I took it out of the storage locker to put it in the driveway for the shipper to pick up.  Nice Bike!  I had to stretch a bit back for the pegs.  More than with the ST1300...

Steve

[Melcontent]

Very well done!  I'm making plans for a trip, and reading this got my heart racing brother.  Thank you.  Perhaps some details about your camera mount and camera.  I noted that you didn't get rained on!  Isn't that remarkable for a cross-country trip in July?  What are your thoughts about doing this trip solo?  Did you keep a log each day?  Did you record your thoughts and recollections on paper or a voice recorder?  Thanks again.  Great job.  Peace.

[toddrod]

Hey Hulked.....just a quick question for your opinion...

Now that you tried the cc50 from East to West (NY to SF) would you try it again in this direction...or would you consider doing the cc50 West to East instead (SF to NY). Do you have an opinion on which direction would be better to attempt a 50cc?

[Hulked Up]

Do you have an opinion on which direction would be better to attempt a 50cc?

When I talked to Daniel Cohen about it he recommended running the 50CC east to west because of the sun blindness if you go the other way.  My personal thought on it would be to go east to west so you can get the congestion and lower speed limits behind you early.  If you are ahead of schedule by Iowa you should be golden.  If you did it the other way you could do a lot of miles, yet still get kayo'ed by traffic in Chicago or NYC.  Going east to west you also gain daylight as you head west.  I thought it was pretty cool that it was still light out while it was 11pm Eastern Time (we were in Iowa by then).

Perhaps some details about your camera mount and camera.  I noted that you didn't get rained on!  Isn't that remarkable for a cross-country trip in July?  What are your thoughts about doing this trip solo?  Did you keep a log each day?  Did you record your thoughts and recollections on paper or a voice recorder?  Thanks again.  Great job.  Peace.

 

Camera is attached to a simple RAM mount.  The base is attached to the upper gas tank, which coincidently fits the bolt pattern of the RAM mount base perfectly.  





Rain...that's right, absolutely no rain at all until we got nearly home.  Most days the weather was perfect.  Just lucked out.

Doing the trip solo...I would definitely consider it.  My personal issue with it was safety if you have a problem, but I learned if you have a cell phone, medical insurance, credit card and a towing plan you can negotiate about anything.  Loneliness could be an issue, but you meet a lot of cool people on the road and the cell phone is great for keeping in daily contact with friends and loved ones.

Log...I did keep a minimal log, which the pictures supplemented.  I bought the Harley Davidson road atlas before I left, which worked out good.  It has detailed maps with recommendations for motorcycle roads.  In the front of the atlas is a trip log section and I used that to record daily mileage, start and ending points, highlights and lowlights.  I brought a bunch of AAA paper maps and even two tour books, but the HD atlas and GPS were all I needed.

[landlover]

Thank you for the write-up. Sounds and looks like one h*** of a trip.