"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
08/27/2018 at 13:49 • Filed to: Decay mototrip, vtx1800, giant cruisers, Two Wheels Good
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"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
08/27/2018 at 13:49 • Filed to: Decay mototrip, vtx1800, giant cruisers, Two Wheels Good | 8
| 15 |
I’m hoping to do a separate write up for each day of the trip over the next week or so. Each day had it’s own personality and almost felt like a vacation in itself. But I really liked AMGtechs trip stats so I’m going to shamelessly rip it off.
Total miles: 3050
Average miles per riding day: 340
Miles off the interstates: more than 70%
Most miles between gas stops: 140 (and she was running on fumes)
Miles off pavement: 50 or so if you count salt
Miles ridden through sandstorms: 70
Average fuel economy: 35mpg
Mechanical issues: 1
Mechanical issues that stopped progress: 0
Total Days: 10
Days Solo: 7
Nights camped: 2
National Parks: 5
Favorite national Park: Zion
Highest Elevation: about 10,000 feet
Lowest Elevation: -282 feet
Lowest Temperature: 43
Highest Temperature: 114
Number of bird hits to the helmet: 1
Biggest regret: Not camping more.
Summary: I cannot put into words how amazing this trip was, I’d go to bed every night and have trouble believing that all the stuff I’d seen since that morning actually happened in a single day’s time. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
AMGtech - now with more recalls!
> Decay buys too many beaters
08/27/2018 at 13:54 |
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Copycat! Can't wait to see the rest of your posts! I was wondering if you died somewhere since I hadn't heard from you since before death valley.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> AMGtech - now with more recalls!
08/27/2018 at 13:58 |
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I used up all my data when I was still in Utah ( except for the unexplained amazing data speeds I got in the Kaibab forest), and right before death valley was the last time I had access to wifi .
HammerheadFistpunch
> Decay buys too many beaters
08/27/2018 at 14:34 |
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Can’t wait to see the next post. I’ve been waiting on your zion pics. Sounds like it was a good experience.
Mercedes Streeter
> Decay buys too many beaters
08/27/2018 at 14:35 |
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Welcome back!!!!! In the time that you’ve been gone, I sold both the Rebel and the Blast and found suitable replacements...
A GS850G
And a GL1100 Goldwing!!!
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Decay buys too many beaters
> HammerheadFistpunch
08/27/2018 at 14:37 |
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Zion will be in a couple of posts, that was on day 4. But yes, it was incredible. Nothing else on the trip took my breath away quite as much as the sights there.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> Mercedes Streeter
08/27/2018 at 14:40 |
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Wai t whaaaaa? I thought the blast was a “forever bike”?
Awesome additions! You’ll need to to some serious touring to make that goldwing happy although after my trip I do now see the draw of big tourers.
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Mercedes Streeter
> Decay buys too many beaters
08/27/2018 at 14:45 |
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The Blast may have been “forever”, but 2nd gear and the rear tyre certainly weren’t! lol I’ve moved onto loving me some 70s and 80s UJM. Forget about collecting Buells, I need ALL THE UJM!
BobintheMtns
> Decay buys too many beaters
08/27/2018 at 14:50 |
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Zion! Zion! Zion!
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HammerheadFistpunch
> Decay buys too many beaters
08/27/2018 at 14:55 |
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The nutty thing about Zion is, all the prettiest stuff isn’t on the main drag. The backcountry there...holy hell.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Decay buys too many beaters
08/27/2018 at 15:07 |
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Its funny , it never occurred to me to do a trip stats list for my cross country drive. Since that seems like fun I will do the same for mine.
Total miles: 4000
Average miles per driving day: 444 (only one day spent not driving. Many days spent making very little progress though due to fun roads taking me all over the place)
Miles off the interstates: more than 75 % (mostly day 1 and a few hours at the end on an interstate )
Most miles between gas stops: 330 (on day 1)
Least miles between gas stops: 200 (it was EMPTY after the dragon day)
Miles off pavement: About 20 in Arkansas taking a “short cut” to get to a campground
Miles driven through rain storms: About 450 miles in NC/ TN
Average fuel economy: 22mpg driving at the Dragon all day, 33mpg on boring highway sections, around 27-28 mpg the rest of the time.
Mechanical issues: 3 (light bulb socket fried itself, oil was leaking 1qt per 1k miles, brakes were super squeaky by the time I made it to AZ)
Mechanical issues that stopped progress: 0
Total Days: 10
Days Solo: 10
Nights camped: 8
States Traveled through : 13
Favorite national Park: Ozark National Forest
Highest Elevation: about 9 ,000 feet (Continental Divide in NM and Devils Highway in AZ)
Lowest Elevation: 0 feet (at home in NJ)
Lowest Temperature: ~35
Highest Temperature: ~80
Biggest regret: Not having a good camera nor getting any of it on video.
Biggest positive: Sooooo happy that I shipped most of my stuff ahead of time so that I could drive the Miata without worrying about space. I basically only packed what I needed for two weeks of camping and driving.
Summary: Awesome once in a lifetime experience that was pretty unique in a Miata. I was moving for a new job so I was also transporting as much stuff as possible making it quite cramped. But I ended up having everything I could possibly need so it was perfect. I never want to do a trip that long in a Miata again but I so wish I could teleport back to some of the places I visited just for another chance to drive and hike some more.
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/top-down-across-america-google-photos-album-1820609134
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Decay buys too many beaters
> HammerheadFistpunch
08/27/2018 at 17:13 |
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Yes! I seriously regret not having more time to spend there. I could have spent a week in any of the national parks (besides death valley) but Zion got seriously shortchanged.
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Decay buys too many beaters
> Mercedes Streeter
08/27/2018 at 17:14 |
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You need a twin...
Once you go twin, you never go back to 4 cylinders :p
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BobintheMtns
> Decay buys too many beaters
08/27/2018 at 18:26 |
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I once did a two-week climbing trip to Zion a few years back. It was during the winter- but the night I arrived, it snowed a foot. Which, when you’re planning on going climbing, on sandstone... total kiss of death for a climbing trip....
So the entire first week I was there, I couldn’t even think about touching the walls (when sandstone gets wet, it gets REAL soft- and climbing on it is a no-no because it WILL break, you’ll fall, all your gear will rip out of the soft rock, and you’ll plunge to your death, seriously)
So normally, if the weather shits on your climbing trip, YOU’RE PISSED. Which I was.. So the first week I just hiked every day for lack of anything else to do...
Hiking in zion, with a foot of snow was fucking magical. There was no one else on the trails.. and the red sandstone capped with the white snow— too beautiful. I didn’t even miss not being able to climb. One of the best ‘climbing trips’ I ever did....
(And actually got in a few epic climbs the second week, once all had dried out. Even spent 3-4 nights on the Angel’s Landing figuring out how to climb a famous route there clean. Then a guy on the route next to us took a 1000 foot fall...)
Anyway-- totally magical place.
thejustache
> Decay buys too many beaters
08/29/2018 at 14:18 |
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My family took a road trip around the country one summer when I was 15. Out of all the national parks we saw, Z ion was incredible and also unfortunately the one was had the least time in. I need to go back
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Decay buys too many beaters
> thejustache
08/29/2018 at 14:29 |
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I’d never been, the only other time I’d spent in the area I was a similar age and also on a road trip with my family where we didn’t do Zion, and hit the south rim of the grand canyon.
Same, I need to spend a good week there