Yosemite village...parking lot...you could save a life!

It's now been 5 minutes and I can breathe again! I will start off by telling you that I am perfectly fine...and so is Dragon...she just has a scratch and a ding.

I stood in line for 15 minutes waiting on the express shuttle to the Yosemite Visitor Center which is a half mile from the parking lot. Okay, so I'm a wimp. My foot is still killing me and my riding boots are just that, "Riding Boots." I decided I would just ride over and see it from the outside and maybe come back tomorrow for my passport stamp. I tool along through the village, checking it out, and realize that there may be some open parking spots right up close. I round a corner in the parking lot and see a white E 350 touring van stopped in the middle of the lot. I see the spot he is gonna turn into and think to myself, "That'll be tight but he can do it." Then I suddenly notice the reverse lights come on. I'm like, "Okay, he's decided to give himself a little room. Cool." Then the van begins to pick up speed. I stop Dragon in the middle of the road, but I can do nothing except try to push backward with my feet. At this moment, I am hating the fact that I have increased the suspension for a smoother ride and think, "Oh shit this is a downward slant and I'm going nowhere!" Picking up more speed as he gets closer, the driver of the van is backing up--either with no regard for what's behind him or he just isn't looking! Realizing I have to try to avoid the inevitable, I hit the kill switch, pull the clutch, set the tire perpendicular to the van's bumper, lighten the weight on my feet, and lay on the horn! The van hits me. After being pushed about 5 feet, the bike and van come to a halt. I manage to pull the bike away from the van. I'm checking the bike for damage (aside from a scratch on the bumper where the handlebar twisted and it hit the rim, there is zero damage) when a young man and woman come running back to me yelling,  "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" All I could manage to say was, "I'm fine, but I'm not sure about my bike!" After completing a thorough check of Dragon, I determine everything is fine. The young man who was driving gives me a hug, shakes my hand, apologizing profusely. I tell him, "I'm alright and so is my bike. Next time neither you nor the rider may be so lucky! Please, look twice! You could save a life!" Man, that was crap! Really? That's the best thing I could think to say to this guy who could have killed me? If I had been riding anything other than an Enduro bike, there would have been extensive damage.

I headed back to the the car and called it a day. So, I'm heading north again. All in all, it was a great day, closing with a spectacular sunset!

~Topher

,

Beautiful Ridin...

I road into the Sequoia National Forest...the roads go from gentle curving turns that you just relax into. Sitting back in my seat, the bike glides from one curve to the next. Just when I think you can relax and view the scenery, 41 jumps up and gets me involved. The road drops away to the left quickly and the bike reacts; I feel gravity plunge, the suspension and my stomach rise into my chest. Just as I get it together, the road banks hard right and the bike falls into line and the endorphins have raced into my system. The smell of dense forest decay and fresh sequoia growth fill my senses while the wind pours into my helmet. I force myself to look as far as I can through the next curve in anticipation of a new surprise and the mountain answers...the line disappears up and into the trees...along with my heart.

On my return ride to the campsite, I stopped for gas and well, you guessed it...too much time has passed since my last debacle and right after lunch, the Dragon reared her head! She started spitting and sputtering, then just cut out. I got her off the road before being run over. After coaxing her back to life, we limped back to our camp site where I began taking her apart!Apparently, a guy throwing motorcycle parts and tools around was not a noteworthy sight as no one around me seemed to notice or care. Before long, however, my next door neighbor strolled over.

"You alright over there?" he asked.

Rolling out from under Dragon, I explained my issue and that I was at a loss for how to fix it.

At this point, somewhat confused he asked, "How far do you have to go to get home?"

"Luckily, not far since I towed her just around the fence to the trailer," I said.

With a disapproving scowl on his face, he continued: "You trailered your bike? Then I guess you don't have to have it fixed immediately."

"I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out or find a mechanic somewhere who can. I just won't be able to do it without the manuals and light."

The sun was beginning to sink below the tree line as we spoke. "Well, I'm no mechanic so I won't be of any help. Besides, I just saw you laying sprawled out under the bike and I wanted to make sure you weren't hurt. Have a safe Drive Home," he said as he walked away.

Well, you just can't understand them all. You have to focus on understanding yourself and those you love. Everything else will work itself out.

After a few hours of research, I think I've found the answer. We'll see tomorrow after I rip the bike apart and disconnect the vent hoses for the gas tank...yet another story.

It's a blur...

The last few days have been a blur...working on getting the write up complete for the first couple of days and will post shortly...it's nice just sittin between two GS kicked back in my camp chair at the 40th '49er Rally. A conversation about BMW vs Japanese bikes going on not far from me. The sweet smell of cigar smoke in the air melds with the moist decaying grass beneath me and the warming spicy aroma of my Captain and Coke. The latter is to stoke the fire inside as this is the most crisp weather I have been exposed to since January in New England. Off in the distance, I can hear the joyous laughter of fellow travelers of the road. I see  fellow riders mill about looking for long lost friends and new fast ones they've encountered on the ride in this afternoon. Still others are looking at bikes that may have been theirs in year long past and harken back to earlier days. The bikes range from a BMW airhead to the newer liquid cooled models, Harley tourers, V-Stroms farkled out with the best off-road gear. There is even a bike that I could find no identifying marks on that appears to be held together with duct tape. Bikes at every end of the spectrum make everyone feel together even while being alone in this crowd. At 40, I feel as though I'm the kid at this BMW Rally.

A younger group has quietly decided they need a late night ride. Stealthily, so as not to wake those riders already in bed, they pushed their bikes to the edge of the pavement, waited for everyone to arrive and get ready to roll, and then fired up, almost in harmony. They were careful not to rev their engines more than necessary as they quietly coaxed their rides off the fairgrounds. Once on the road, however, it was a different story. Each of the bikes accelerated, rearing off the stop and down the mountain, giving it hell all the way until each of the eight riders had sped past the grounds and the tranquil sound of there engines disappeared into the night.

Delayed posting...

Sorry for the delay in posting the next installment. Today has been all about mile = smiles and I have been driving off and on since 9am. I'm still on the road and likely will be through the night! I decided a few hours ago that I'm gonna see the sun set on the pacific Tuesday evening. I'll post more at my more lengthy stop in the morning! Thanks for reading!
~Dragon Wrider

DWA Walkabout Day 1

Day 1: May 16th

After getting the all the gear I figured would be needed for a trip around the country; cold gear, rain gear, hot gear, clothes for all climates, boots for all occasions; I then loaded the bike on the trailer with all my stuff for the first time...well if you have ever packed for a big trip in a small car you know what I am about to say.  Yep, even though we moved the bike back 16" to remove the tongue weight the was still too much weight on the shocks.  So I moved the most important things as far forward as possible.   I then backed the trailer into the yard to see how much clearance I really had with a slight variation in the ground.  Turns out I only had 4" of clearance at the front of other trailer and I needed to have a minimum of 6".  Removing enough weight to raise the deck by 2" proved not difficult physically, however, the logistics and readjusting the gear I actually was going to take was painful.  In the end I lost; a pair of motorcycle boots, hiking boots, second riding jacket and pants, some everyday t-shirts, two pair of jeans, spare tire mounting bracket, second (backup) tent, inflatable sleeping pad and various and sundry other things that I deemed, at the moment, to be superfluous to the gear I already had in the vehicle.  Once all this was removed and the remaining item were moved as far forward as possible, I deemed the trailer clearance sufficient and hit the road.  The first night, I intended to get as far as I could and most importantly beyond the typical area that I and already familiar with in the south east.  Thus, I made it to Meridian, Mississippi the first night and found a room at the Days Inn.  A word of caution, although the people were nice the room were sub-standard even for Days Inn, and I for one will not stay at that location again. It still hasn't sunk in that, I am going on the road...for a while.

...And the Adventure Begins...

This years adventure is: Dragon Wrider's Walkabout

After 13 years in the computer industry, doing everything from Data Entry, project management, development (software and data warehouses), quality assurance, performance engineering, load/stress testing, capacity planning and business report design, I find myself unemployed.  So, I have decided that it is time to see the world, or at least the country while I continue to look for a job and hopefully find a career.

As some of you may know I did not begin this adventure alone.  When we hit the road on April 1st, I accompanied by my 14 year old dog named Merlin.

Merlin had been suffering with back issues off and on for years and last October paralysis started in his rear limbs.  By November the vets said that he wouldn't get any better without surgery, which he may not survive, due to his age.  Not wanting to put him through the pain of the surgery, I decided that I would find a way to help him be comfortable and see if rest and previcox would be sufficient, to get him back to health.  Well, it was and by mid January he was moving around pretty good on his own, provided he was on carpet (he still walked like he was drunk, but his tail was wagging most of the time).

In the car on the move to Georgia, I began talking to Merlin, my closest confidant, about all the places that we would see together in this new adventure we were embarking on.  I explained the smell of the Atlantic ocean off the New Smyrna Beach sands, the sound of the forest in the Smokey Mountains at night, the views of the high plains near the Grand Canyon, the colors in the Grand Canyon at both sunset and sunrise, the sounds of the Pacific Ocean lapping onto the shores of Los Angeles, the taste and smell of the Redwood Forest, the spectacular scenery of Yosemite, the Lava Fields and the magnificence of the Rocky Mountains.  All the while he would lay in the seat next to me, looking up and appearing to be listening and encouraging me to tell him more.  So, it was near the end of those many hours riding together that I began to lay out a plan, no an adventure for he and I to go and see all those things instead of just talking about them.  Every time I had an idea, I would fill him in, as a way of thinking out loud to see how it sounded.

Our first adventure was New Smyrna Beach and Moms house.  Together we smelled the beach and even took Erica with us.  To me it was another beach but, to Merlin and I it was the next step in our big adventure, which I dubbed The Adventures of Merlin and Dragon Wrider.  During that week, there was an altercation with one of Mom's dogs and Merlin was bitten, at 14 an attack can be life threatening, but Merlin was tough as ever, and soldiered on.

The weekend after Easter, I noticed that he was having issues walking again.  I had taken him off the previcox while he was on another medication and the effects had definitely worn off.  I immediately put him back on his regimen and began putting him in his wheelchair to allow him some freedom.  A week later he was needing assistance urinating and just as before, I did everything I could.  I went outside with him periodically to make sure I emptied his bladder and to walk him around so he could poo.  Periodically he would have a bowel movement and not even know, which clued me in to the fact that my efforts were not enough.  We couldn't go far because of his issues but he loved being in the car.  He would get excited when I would walk toward the car and generally meet me at his side, tail wagging and waiting for me to take him out of his chair and into his seat.  During these rides, for hours sometimes, I would explain what we would need to take with us on the trip, the food, mosquito nets for the car windows (home made and work great), what campgrounds allowed pets and which ones wouldn't, what type of trailer we would need to pull the motorcycle (Dragon) and the biggest question...how do we get both of us on Dragon?  Finally, we found a pet travel case that we could modify so that he could ride in front of me...it was all coming together.

Then, in the early morning hours of April 27th, everything went pear shaped.  Here is an excerpt from my diary:  "...Merlin pooped and urinated in his sleep but woke in a panic, seemingly worried about me scolding him...I kissed him, then got up, bathed him, changed his bed and tucked him back to bed with my hand on him...he's been rather despondent for a few days now, he's not acknowledging my existence, ans is actively refusing my attempts to give him belly rubs.  All morning I tried working with him to get a response letting me know that he was in there and wanted to continue...I got an appointment to see an acupuncturist and he seems much more aware, happy and energetic...I thought today was the day I would have to put him down...but the adventure continues..."  We had a great weekend together, he still had minor accidents but seems in much better spirits which was a key for me.

Unfortunately, Merlin passed away on May 2nd 2012, after 14 great years together.  It is in his honor that I continue this adventure and will be spreading his ashes throughout the country, at each of the sites that I had planned to taking us.  Although, Merlin won't be there physically he will always be in spirit and in my heart.  My stories will occasionally include him, as my guide.  Here is our story.

Since I purchased my first motorcycle in 2004, I have been obsessed with the desire to ride, I have since realized that the riding was nothing more than an excuse to get out and see the world.  Don't mis-understand, riding is still my passion but I no longer feel that I have to ride everywhere...it's perfectly acceptable if not preferable to tow the bike to new locations.  As you will find out this is actually the form of travel that I have adopted.  Towing the bike and then riding out of a central location actually makes life more enjoyable in the long run.  I use the car, in this a 2009 Toyota Prius that I have nickname "Tug" to pull my "Dragon" my 2008 BMW R1200GS.  Tug serves several purposes, carry the core elements of the journey like clothes, food, camping gear and other necessities; it can be used as sleeping quarters in the event of bad weather, unsafe environment or just  to get off the ground; and finally to tug or pull the Dragon down the road from one major location to another.  To accomplish the latter, I have acquired and modified a new Ultra-Tow motorcycle trailer and installed a tow hitch on Tug.  In order to make the trailer compatible with Tug we needed to keep Dragon at the back of the trailer instead of the front where the built in wheel chock is located.  The purpose of this shift is to move the weight off the tongue of the trailer and lessen the drag on Tug's rear suspension.  We then installed a wheel chock further back on the trailer to keep Dragon from rolling forward and installed additional tie downs in the rear to assist with immobilizing her.  We then added a wheeled swivel jack to allow us to take the weight off of Tug during overnights or stops in which the Dragon would not be unloaded.  The final addition was a spare tire, unfortunately, we could not find a suitable location that didn't require significant trailer modification, or adding unwanted tongue weight, so the tire is housed in Tug's backseat.

Now that Tug, the trailer, Dragon and the Wrider are ready, the story will begin...