West Coast Riders to Vermont???

[Unregistered]

Anybody from the west coast or Bay Area/San Francisco going to the rally?

James
(415) 596-5005

[Beemerdons]

Hello James,

Back on May 22 at 6 PM I had posted "Any Southern California Riders Leaving on 7/14?" Received no responses, so if your travel plans would include your stopping for the night in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Saturday, July 15 I would be interested in riding back to the Rally with you. My only criteria is that I need to be in Saratoga Springs, New York on Tuesday night the 18th. My nine year old son Seth will be staying on vacation with his Aunt and Uncle there and the four of us will be going on a bike ride on Wednesday. You would be welcome to pitch your tent in their backyard and do a motorcycle tour of the Adirondacks with them as your local guide. I will leave UpState on Thursday morning, the 20th for the Rally in Burlington.

According to MapQuest the time from San Francisco to Cheyenne is 17 hours and the mileage is 1,200. From Phoenix to Cheyene is 15 hours and 1,050 miles. From Cheyenne to Albany, New York is 1,800 miles; so three 600 miles days of riding will get us there. If you are interesed in teaming up with me please post back and I will reserve a double bed room at either a Quality or Comfort Inn in Cheyenne for July 15. My home number is 480-917-3863. My home E-mail is beemerdons@aol.com

Very Best Regards, Don Stanley, Chandler - Arizona, Cell: 602-722-0427, President - AZ Beemers, www.azbeemers.org

[Polarbear]

I'm going from Clovis(Near Fresno) and leaving for Vermont sometime around the 9th,10th July. I have no route planned, except northerly towards Canada and maybe into Canada. I have to be in Newport,Rhode Island(275 from rally)on Thursday(the 20th,Rally Day) for my daughters graduation from Navy Officer School and we plan to be at rally late Thursday or Friday morning. I'm riding my classic R100/7, '78 model year, that I rode to Vermont BMW National Rally in that same year,'78. Yep, I've owned it 28 years now and I'm looking forward to the classic riding style of yesteryear aboard the R bike. My KLT sits this one out. The R is special to me, as you can read and it sticks out a bit from norm, with its 9 gallon Heinrick tank and Parrabellum Scout fairing, etcetc. Look for me on the road. I wear all black, with black bike, red striping and I'm riding solo. Packed for camping! Happy Trails, Randy13233 :)

[kbasa]

I'm going to be a weenie this year and fly. A friend is going to loan me a nice R80 G/S

[DarrylRi]

Because my mom turns 70 on July 11, and my family will have a party for her on July 16, I will be leaving from LA late in the afternoon of the 16th. I guess I'm gonna take the interstate all the way across.

[Stockmann]

Anybody from the west coast or Bay Area/San Francisco going to the rally?

James
(415) 596-5005

James, I will be leaving Missoula on the 10th. Back to new england.
Let me know if that works for you.

Paul
BLU 02 RT

[90952]

I am surprised also, Don. I expected groups of BMW riders going across country. I rode a lot in New Zealand and rallys were crazy with riders from all over the islands. I am making my plans around people and some hikes.

Hikes depending on how safe my bike and gear will be. KBasa, I was told to contact you by Isa at SF BMW. He said you might ride. Weenie ;)

Do you know others in the Bay Area riding?

Polarbear, great story with the bike and Vermont Rally. If you want some company I'd like to see if our routes matchup. I want to go to the Idaho rally but maybe miss the CO rally. Who knows. Anyone doing the "Peaks of America Tour" are you crazy enough to hit all three?

Darryl, that will be too rushed of a ride for me but if my clients slam me I may be racing you across the US!

Stockmann, will you be at the Idaho Rally? Missoula may be the furthest up I go and then drop down. Looks like some gorgeous riding and hiking up that way.

James
415 596 5005

2000 - R1200C

[John Brase]

Anyone doing the "Peaks of America Tour" are you crazy enough to hit all three?


I am. Crazy enough, that is. The run from CO to VT will of necessity be pretty much a "slab slam." No time to stop and smell the roses, or the corn.

John

[Beemerdons]

Dear James, Randy, Darryl, Paul and John,

Hey Guys: Looks like we are forming up to be the West Coast Riding Contingent. I am very suprised that just five weeks before departure time to Vermont that we are not seeing more group ride organizational activities showing up here on the Forum. This is unlike previous years of the BMWMOA International's where you have seen riding groups forming up for months in advance.

I do have to admit as President of a 200 member BMWMOA Club here in Arizona that a lot of my group do not see any draw to going to Vermont for "mountain riding." With the Sierras of California and Nevada only being a short days ride from Phoenix, and the Rockies of Colorado being just a long days ride away; that is real mountain pass riding to we Zonies. Also, just two hours from Phoenix we have the great mountain roads of the Mogollon Rim. The real riding secret in Eastern Arizona is "The Devil's Highway - Route 666" from Alpine to Clifton; just imagine "The Dragon" being 100 miles long instead of just 15!

But I am anxiously looking forward to riding to Vermont with you to check out the "little" mountains. It looks like Michael Friedle, Rob Nye and their crew are putting on a fabulous event for our enjoyment and I can't wait to get there! There is a lot of history in that region and I did ski Stowe decades ago and remember the area as very beautiful. Plus, the entertainment lineup is wonderful! Since it seems like everyone's plans are fluid right now, please place my work number of 602-254-1191x148 in a handy location to reach me. I will not make any on-the-road room reservations until I hear from you the week of departure. I am a Project Manager for Metro Mechanical in downtown Phoenix near the State Capitol and I can be reached there until 2PM on Friday, July 14 when I put "Ingrid" my R1150RT in gear and start rolling to Vermont.

Very Best Regards, Don Stanley - Chandler, Arizona, Cell: 602-722-0427, President AZ Beemers, www.azbeemers.org beemerdons@aol.com

[DarrylRi]

It's true, I expect to do 4 700+ mile days, all on the interstate. But I just can't do it otherwise, and, having been to Vermont once before, it's worth going again.

Don, it's not so much that it's mountain riding. While the New Englanders might think of VT and NH as mountainous, we out here know that it's merely hilly. All the same, the roads are very entertaining. You don't need high altitudes to make a good riding road. It's like going to Europe -- everyone has to visit the Alps and Dolomites. But actually, you can have a great time riding in Tuscany or the area west of Cologne known as the Eifel. Both spots have low hills but the roads go around them, not through them.

I hope to take a much more leisurely route home.

[kbasa]

Hikes depending on how safe my bike and gear will be. KBasa, I was told to contact you by Isa at SF BMW. He said you might ride. Weenie ;)



It's a vacation time issue, more than anything else. I was going to make a 4 day, cross country thrash out of it (each way), but I'm trying to save time to go to S. Africa in October.

Glad to see you got registered!

[Polarbear]

When our departs get within a week away, we should start talking more serious about which way we are heading and maybe ride some together. Its probably still too far away to get too serious about meeting someone out on the open road, until we/I know exactly where I'll be, or thereabouts! Happy Trails,Randy Prez's get extra priveleges? Fly'in? R80GS waiting? Weenie'ish for sure! Sorry, Dave, you get the West Coast Weenie Award for now....... :violin

[Stockmann]

I am surprised also, Don. I expected groups of BMW riders going across country. I rode a lot in New Zealand and rallys were crazy with riders from all over the islands. I am making my plans around people and some hikes.

Hikes depending on how safe my bike and gear will be. KBasa, I was told to contact you by Isa at SF BMW. He said you might ride. Weenie ;)

Do you know others in the Bay Area riding?

Polarbear, great story with the bike and Vermont Rally. If you want some company I'd like to see if our routes matchup. I want to go to the Idaho rally but maybe miss the CO rally. Who knows. Anyone doing the "Peaks of America Tour" are you crazy enough to hit all three?

Darryl, that will be too rushed of a ride for me but if my clients slam me I may be racing you across the US!

Stockmann, will you be at the Idaho Rally? Missoula may be the furthest up I go and then drop down. Looks like some gorgeous riding and hiking up that way.

James
415 596 5005

2000 - R1200C


James, I have to be at a wedding july 8th & 9th then will be headed East, North east, South east? Are you Camping or using hotels?

Paul

1150RT

[90952]

I share Don's thoughts also. I expected to have to choose which gang of riders I wanted to ride with instead of using RV's as pylons as I make my way back east.

I will be checking back on this thread and see if we get more riders wanting to go to the rally(s). So far it sounds like I am picking up riders along the way...

Someone has to be coming from San Francisco. Push that bike past Point Reyes Station for once :laugh

Happy Friday. Time to go to the bar.

:bar


Yes I made it on, sort of. Cant change to my handle "jaztuck" but oh well.

[90952]

Stockman, I am doing both hotels and camping. I am not one of those who has to do one or the other or be all macho hardcore and camp the entire time.

I may rent some golf clubs, shoot 18, go for a hike, get a massage, hit some clubs, take a lot of photos, talk on my Chatterbox, camp on grass, dirt, or goose down. All depends on where I am and what the options look like.

I prefer to camp more than hotels, that way when I get to the hotel I can really make a mess of the place

:groovy :sick :hungover

James
4155965005

[PacWestGS]

I'm going but, you are going to have to catch up to me in Idaho. Then, it's going to be a long twisted route to Colorado. After that it's a pretty direct path with a few more special stops along the way. I'm on my own time line, and so much of it has to do with whether my SO is sitting behind me. I want to show her so much more than we have time for but I'd rather give up some 'Rally Time' for seeing America one day at time on some of the best roads there are. :D

Anyone is welcome to join me/us. My itinerary is here: My POA Tour (http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10850) :nod

As this gets closer I'll be handing out pictures (so others know what we look like) and phone #s to those who are also going to be along the way. :burnout

Doc

[90952]

SFDOC, nice timeline. I am looking at posting my iCal calendar public and then keeping a photo/text blog (but mainly photos).

I have not chosen the software yet and have the option to host it on one of my fast media servers I use for clients. If there is a group of us that may connect I can set something up that allows permissions for all of us and we can document the trip in out own sections making it a cool story when we connect somewhere along the way.

I can share my wireless account for Starby's where I will have a coffee and update photos and check in on life. The upside is that I can take the time off and the downside is that I am still tethered to work with the mobile/Chatterbox and email once in the morning.

Does anyone else have their S.O. freaking out on them for riding the Vermont or just mine?

Anyone know some good photoblog setups? I mainly use Wordpress, Expression Engine, and TypePad but they are not good for photos.

[Stockmann]

Does anyone else have their S.O. freaking out on them for riding the Vermont or just mine?

After three years taking about it she has not said much, Although all her friends says she is crazy for letting me go.

I have got a 20 day pass. :D

[90952]

cool, you got a free pass.

Does it look like this:

http://www.chatterboxstore.com/images/freepass01.jpg

Get them signed, get them signed.

[pbbeck]

I'm leaving from Long Beach in ONE WEEK!!!! I can't wait to go. I'm going through Keystone, CO to attend a conference and then on to Boston to visit family and friends. Then I meet my brother in Boston and we are taking a ferry to Nova Scotia, then on to Maine, NH, and Vermont!! :clap

I'm just waiting for the school year to end (I'm a teacher) and I'm having my RT serviced (pre-flight checked) on Saturday. I leave for CO on the 21st.

I'll be posting pics along the way at my web site.

[beamerbaker]

Hey all, My son( 18 & on his own ('97 F650) and already a BMWMOA member and I will be leaving the Seattle area on the 13th heading across to Deluth on hwy 2, up and over Thunder Bay on Lake Superior then down to Watertown NY and across Adorondacs to Lake Champlain then ferry across. We will be camping all the way so any others interested in that route are welcome to join us.

Mark Baker
Beamerbaker
#112204
00R1150GS

[Stockmann]

Anybody from the west coast or Bay Area/San Francisco going to the rally?

James
(415) 596-5005

James I'm Flying out to SF on SAT.24 Will give you a call when I'm out there.

Would like to hook up on the 10th or 11th maybe In Wyoming unless you want to go north. Anyone else in the area headed to Vermont ?

Paul
203 628 8046 cell

[90952]

Hi Paul,

I am looking at taking off on the 9th of July and try to move fast out of CA and NV up north. Glad we connected on phone earlier, great talking to you.

Looki forward to trying to connect and "smell the roses" as you said as we move eastward.

James

[Beemerdons]

I was glad to see that Paul and James were able to coordinate their ride to Vermont from the West Coast. If anyone from San Diego to Santa Barbara is leaving on Friday morning July 14 I could reserve a room in Gallup or Grants, New Mexico on Interstate 40 for that night as a rendezvous point. From there it would be four six hundred mile days on to Saratoga Springs, New York to meet up with my son Seth. Use either my cell number of 602-722-0427 or my e-mail of Beemerdons@aol.com to contact me if you are heading East from SoCal on 7/14. Thanks! Don Stanley in Chandler, Arizona

[Beemerdons]

I'm just checking in to see if any Southern California or Arizona riders were leaving for Burlington on next Friday, July 14. Best Regards, Don

[BradfordBenn]

For those of you coming from the west coast.... don't forget about the MOA North American Tour. You need to get receipts to prove the route you took....

[90952]

I was supposed to leave yesterday but leaving now to Idaho.

Will check email and forum and also post to my blog.

URL to come...

James