Crossing Wyoming and Airmail History

I awoke after a good night’s sleep at the Round Up Motel in Cheyenne, WY to find that everything that had been soaked during the previous evening’s thunderstorm had dried. I went about the business of pulling myself together for a crossing of Wyoming to visit friends in Blackfoot, ID. This day wouldn’t need to be the 798mi (1284 km) marathon that I rode yesterday but rather a relatively full 500+ mile (800+ km) day. Continue reading Crossing Wyoming and Airmail History

A long day with a underused rainsuit

I woke up fairly well rested and with no vestiges of the sinus headache that had plagued me the previous day. This was a good thing because I had 1300 miles (2092 km) to ride over the next two days. I also didn’t want to ride too late the night of the second day since I was going to be staying with friends and wanted to arrive early enough to be social. Continue reading A long day with a underused rainsuit

Musings on Engine Technology and the Future

Back in the mid-nineties, I began to outgrow the performance capabilities of my 1992 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail (the Cruiser). (Sport Bike riders: shut the hell up; I know Evolution Harleys weren’t high-performance to begin with.) In addition to several suspension and drivetrain upgrades, I spent a fair amount of time and money to pry more power out of the venerable Evolution power plant. Continue reading Musings on Engine Technology and the Future

Turnpike alternatives and traffic stops

One of the annual Netscum gatherings that I attend is the annual MAMMARY run. (No, it has very little to do with female breasts; search this blog for MAMMARY label for a definition.) Since the gathering is centered in the Chesapeake Bay area southeast of Washington DC, which isn’t that great a distance from the home garage in Michigan, I tend to minimize the vacation days expended to get there. That means the route to/from MAMMARY usually consists the necessary evil of turnpikes. Continue reading Turnpike alternatives and traffic stops

2013 SNIFF Run – Map and Summary

My friend Yo Adrian and I took a little ride over to Redbeard’s place for a party. Never mind that he lived on the other side of the  continent.

Route

Here’s a map of the route we took. Click the points for day number, start/end information, and daily miles ridden.

Statistics

Distance

  • Total travel days: 13
  • Total distance traveled: 5,296 mi / 8,523 km
  • Average distance/day: 407 mi / 655 km
  • Longest day: 680 mi / 1094 km (Des Moines, IA to Denver, CO)
  • Shortest day: 92 mi / 148 km (South Lake Tahoe, CA to Jackson, CA)

Fuel

  • Total fuel consumption: 152 gal / 575 l
  • Average fuel cost: $3.896/gal or $1.03/l
  • Average distance per fill: 118 mi / 190 km
  • Average fuel mileage: 34.9 mi/gal
  • Best fuel mileage: 39.77 mi/gal (Vail, CO to Fort Morgan, CO)
  • Worst fuel mileage: 29.18 mi/gal (Omaha, NE to Grand Island, NE)

 

Lessons in the art of motorcycle touring