Vacation Plan Glitch

The plan for our motorcycle vacation is for us three couples to tow the bikes west and spend 10 days motorcycling in Colorado, Utah and Arizona. Lee has mapped out some great routes. We have our MapSource files ready for our Garmin Global Positioning Systems. Andy and I have been working since April building our trailer. Bill and Barb have a three-bike trailer. The plan is for Lee, Deb and Bill to tow their bikes on this trailer. The two couples will travel together. Andy and I will meet them in Colorado Springs with our own two motorcycles in tow.


There has been some concern about Bill’s three-bike trailer. When we all saw the trailer for the first time a few weeks back, we realized it would be a snug fit. However, if bags were removed it was believed all three would fit. It would be tight, but doable. The weeks marched on and the plans were cementing nicely into place. We all made purchases of radios, mounts and various items we wanted for the trip. Andy and I stumbled along with our mishaps, spending a bit more than we bargained for in bike repairs as a result. Some discussion was made about swapping my smaller 650 with Lee’s bigger Nomad if the fit was too tight on Bill’s trailer. We needed to do a live test and soon. We agreed to meet at Bill’s. This would be a good test for our own trailer, as we would tow the bikes there to have both trailers handy in case the swap test was needed.


We hitch the trailer to the van and set out for Bill’s. We take the long way round to get a good test of braking, twists, turns and bumps. I sit in the back seat to keep an eye on the bikes. I don’t want any more mishaps. We’ve spent enough on repairs already. The bikes look good back there with minimal bouncing or swaying. I am pleased with what I see.





The others have been at Bill’s for a while already. When we arrive they look glum. Seems, the bikes won’t all fit after all. Not only that, but the swap idea won’t work either. Serious brainstorming is in order.





I’m not sure how the resolution will unfold, but everyone is doing their part in search of a solution. There are several ideas being bounced around. I believe it will all work itself out in the end, but for now, we are in a quandary.

A Day in the Life of Wild Turkey and Mother Hen

The weekend found Andy, Lee and me on the road to Center Conway to visit Whitehorse Press as we needed a few more items for the trip to Colorado this summer. Whitehorse Press is an online catalog for motorcycle enthusiast. They open their warehouse to the public on a limited basis throughout the year. This season you can visit them on Saturdays, a direct result of popular demand. I had heard and read on the NER forum only good things about Whitehorse Press so I was pleased to hear of their Saturday hours.


The folks at Whitehorse are fabulous! You are free to wander the warehouse to your hearts content. No one trails you around, but someone is easy to find should you have a question. They have free cookies and bottled water for their guests which add to the welcoming atmosphere. We picked up and examined item after item. There is nothing like touching, feeling and inspecting before buying.


One item the whole group needs is a mount for our bike-to-bike communication radios. We found the RAM mount display. RAM is a popular name in mounts for a variety of units. They are reliable and versatile. However, Lee stumbled upon a Formotion universal mount for items that have belt clips. The folks at Whitehorse let us open the package to examine the contents. Lee had the radio with him but not the clip. His cell phone clip worked well, so we each purchased one of these for our bikes. We later discovered that our belt clip was a bit wide for this clip, but since they are plastic we easily shaved the edges to fit. Andy did a great job with this and the radios fit snug and secure in the clip mount.




While I was wandering around the warehouse, I came upon the rain gear. My eyes spied the waterproof boot covers. Despite the warm day, my feet were suddenly cold at the memory of three hours in torrential rain on a ride home from Maine last season. I have been wet before, and despite the waterproof claim of my particular boot, my feet were not only wet, but spongy soggy. Not a pleasant thing. I tried on a pair with the help of one of the staff. Because of our conversation about packing for a two week trip, the clerk pointed us to another option, which proved to be less expensive. These are rubber pull on boots that fit over your motorcycle boots. They fold up nice and small and will certainly do the trick. Andy and I bought two pair.





Lee had a selection of purchases of his own. One item he found in the “discount” room was a copy of Motorcycle Journeys Through The Rocky Mountains by Toby Ballentine. Late that evening, Lee called to say what a great book it was. When he purchased it, he didn’t realize it was only $2.50 and he wished he had purchased two more, one for each couple. Just as an example of how great the folks at Whitehorse Press are, I gave them a call and asked if there were two more copies in the “discount room.” Yes there were, and with shipping two copies came to $11.00. Now that’s service!







With the mounting question for the radios behind us, it was time for Andy and me to start practicing with them. After some quick instructions in operation and icon identification, I send him outside with one in hand. A few moments later, my radio crackles to life. “Wild Turkey to Mother Hen. Come in!” Good thing I set that privacy code.

Jott is a voice to text...

Jott is a voice to text service. It does voice transcription. I joined the service, which is free to help me blog while on my vacation to the West. This particular blogging today, is a test of this service. listen

Powered by Jott