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HFbmw
05-12-2007, 04:57 PM
Yep its time to ride.
I had been planning this trip for 5 months. However when the rains came to the center part of our great country I decided to head west.
Howdy!
Not only a member of this great bmw owners of america but also a member of MARC (Motorcycle Amateur Radio Club) Mingling the hobbies of radio and motorcycling and doing it to help the community.
Well the mission statement is on the website. I had always wanted a good communication on a motorcycle. I had read years ago now a story in Motorcycle Consumer News about 2 guys who used 2 meters.
So anyways the MARC group has been a club for 15 years. I had done this trip when they had turned 10 years old or 5 years ago.
Living in Minnesota and part of a california club? Yep. With this club there is people all over the nation if not the world who are in contact.

Anyways I left Minneapolis on tuesday the 8th. My main goal was the 3 hour breakfast, minor goals to do at least 1000 miles in 24 hours.
Decided I wanted to ride the Rockies out of Denver during the daylight this time. So leaving at noon worked!
Battling sleep is part of the endurance. Some I admit think I am nuts... eheh
However I had my radio along and was able to talk to a few people. However we are on the bottom part of the sunspot cycle. Limited to some people hearing me.
Arrived at my sister's Wednesday afternoon. 1400+ miles in 28 hours total.
Some of the riding at night was done at 50mph. I had taken US 18 in South Dakota, lots of deer and other critters to watch for.
Left my Dove Creek, Colorado on thursday morning the 10th and rode the 700+miles to Apple Valley California in 12 hours.
Made great time. The old K bike purred along. Watched the odo go over the 131,000 mile mark.

Yep riding season is here. Well its here in California... 60 degrees weather change from the tundra of Minnesota to the Mohave desert.
Time to head home.

take care.
tim lindstrom, ab0ts
91k100LT, icom 706mkii
motorcycle mounted dk-3 screwdriver antenna...

mrich12000
05-12-2007, 10:11 PM
Keep safe Great :type Post:thumb


Michael Richard
Northshore Durham ARRES
7.3 megs.
147.120 ve3osh mirror portal GPS

PAULBACH
05-13-2007, 05:59 AM
FB

BST DX

73

de

W2USN

HFbmw
05-18-2007, 08:21 AM
Wednesday the 16th I left Apple Valley, California.
After filling the gas tank I checked the time. 4:30am. Predawn was on the east horizon as I motored up I-15 for Barstow. Happy that I woke up early and would be across the Mohave Desert early!
Semi trucks have to stay at 55mph in California. Got to be kind of hard to run so slow!

Blinding Sunlight masked the colors of the desert around me. Looking off to the shoulders of I-40 seemed to help. Some road destruction/construction also helped.
Finally made it to Needles and the need for fuel... $4.78 for regular. Thankfully I had a 25 dollar gas card along from using my MasterCard. So instead of 15 bucks to fill it was around 8.

Next gas stop was Williams, Az. Prices there was 3.57 for regular but the bike likes the premium. So i opted for the mid grade. I have a little object in my gas tank called a Fitch catalyst. Works! Refines or cleanes the fuel before it gets used. No need to find premium anymore.

Gas prices in Flagstaff was another 30 cents cheaper... if I had only known, eh?
North on hwy 89 to hwy 160 and east again.
Clouded over but still kind of hot out. Stopped in Kayente for fuel and a burger.
Not quite tourist season... However the people were there in the tourist ward robe of shorts and T-shirts.

I didn't bother taking off the 'stich', just ate my sandwich and fries and listened to the people around me. Either speaking spanish or Navajo or even English!
Soon I was back on the bike heading for hwy 191 north.

Bluff then Blanding. Did see a V-Strom at the rest area in Blanding and figured I should stop. He was coming out of the building as I was ready to head out so we talked bikes. He from california and me from Minnesota. Talking about roads and favorite rides. He talked of hitting a deer and me just shaking my head!

Too soon I was back on the beemer heading north again to monticello. Headed East on 491 and noticed over the hill a stop sign waving!
"Sorry about that!" The flag woman exclaimed!
"That's Ok!" I replied as I idled up beside her. Dark Tanned face and arms of this woman in bright orange. She walked over to the beemer, spying the antenna...
"You have a radio on this bike?"
I smiled and pointed at the icom 706mkii which sits above the instruments.
"Yep, its HF or ham radio." I replied
She then looked at the antenna.
"Right now the sunspots aren't the best for propagation but the radio is fun to listen to when riding along, I had talked to some people on the YL net earlier."
YL stands for Young Lady and is a short cut when people did CW or Morse Code.
The Flag lady called out on her uhf radio when the last car came down the single lane road. She nodded to me and turned her Stop sign to Slow.
"Have a great trip!" She calls as I move out along the orange cones road.
Finally made it to Dove Creek. Turned on Bob Street and the bike is sitting on the sidewalk in front of my sister's house.

Monday I head for Denver and then Des Moines. Hope to be home on Wednesday. Just in time for the official touring season/summer to start!

73 ( good day)
tim Lindstrom, ab0ts
91 k100lt... 132,000 miles
icom 706mkii/ dk-3 screwdriver antenna/ 2meter vhf antenna
dove creek, colorado