beyond the dogpark: actually still a lot of pavement

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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby JimVonBaden » Wed Jul 07, 2010 9:51 pm

GOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Paul!

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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby Chiba » Wed Jul 07, 2010 10:06 pm

Yay!!!!

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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby BMWGirl » Wed Jul 07, 2010 10:10 pm

I love it!! Keep them coming!
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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby griffin738 » Wed Jul 07, 2010 10:55 pm

When riding a motorcycle it is sometimes acceptable/desirable to lock up the back wheel, particularly when riding on a lose surface (i.e. not on pavement). Locking up the rear wheel can help with braking and it can help with turning - both need to be done "just right." But in virtually no cases is it good to lock up the front wheel on a motorcycle. Bringing the front wheel to a stop when the rest of the bike is moving is a near guarantee that the bike will fall. We will return to this topic in a moment. . .

In total, six riders started together on the first day (only four were pictured in the previous post). The six of us made some good time as we knocked out the first 80 miles of the first day's 190 miles. There were some paved sections, but there was also a good amount of gravel and dirt. There were a few hills here and there and my long-held feelings were strengthened that up-hill sections are much easier than downhill. In uphill sections, you can slow the bike down merely by easing up on the throttle. When going downhill, it's all about picking the right gear and working the rear brake. Again, we'll get back to this idea in a moment. . .

Over the first 80 miles or so it became clear to me that I was riding with more experienced dirt riders. To be sure, my off-road experience is minimal, but I know that I can ride effectively in the dirt, but I just need to take my time. For me, the Trans America Trail is something I can responsibly do - but just at a pace that's right for me. Unfortunately - among five more skilled riders - I didn't take as much time as I should have. . .

Here we are at gas/snack break, just a few minutes before a different type of break . .
Image

We set out again on a gravel road. Up hill. Down hill. Up hill. Down hill. Up hill. As I rode down the next section I came upon a turn. Not hardly any more difficult than any other. But I was "coming in wide" and I was "coming in fast." I gave the bike a lot of rear brake and slowed down a bit, but I was still scooting along too fast to keep it on the road, and heading off the side of the road would have been really bad there. I can't say that I had a whole lot of time to carefully consider all my options, but I do recall thinking that it would be better to risk a front-wheel washout than it would be to go off the road. On with the front brake a little. On with the front brake a little more. Then BOOM! . . .time to hit the kill switch and stop the motor - - bikes don't like running when they're on their sides you know. . .

I had made a routine error. And I fell because of it. We picked up the bike, smacked the hand guard back into place and continued down the trail. I was a little rattled but I didn't think too much about it. I had fallen five times in one day at Jim Hyde's off-road class and it didn't phase me at all, at that was on a MUCH larger bike. Also, consider what my buddy Farrokh says - - there are two types of bikes: those that have fallen and those that haven't fallen yet. So I figured that I had gotten something important out of the way, right?

We continued to ride another 40 miles or so. I held back a bit, having been shaken by the fall - - to tell the truth, I just then started to ride with the caution I should have started with. We stopped for water and as I got off my bike, my left leg felt quite uncomfortable. It had swollen A LOT where I had fallen.
Image

At the next stop I checked again and it had gotten bigger still - it was as if a reddish-purple volley ball had been cut in half and pasted to the side of my leg.

I decided to make the 70 mile run to Nashville (home to my mother and to my brother) to get it checked out. I felt pretty bad about leaving the very short-lived riding group, but I worried more about how my leg would do if it were actually injured and not treated.

I left the hospital at about midnight with one really big fat swollen hip (bad) and the knowledge that no bones were broken (good) and a prescription for percocet (really good).

Today I've been taking it easy among family, with ice on my leg, food in my belly and pain killers in my brain. I visted the Kroger where I re-enacted the fateful fall. . .
Image

I spent some time going over the bike in detail - - it seems that I have broken one of the brackets that hold on my saddle bags - - I called the maker and I will have a replacement tomorrow (thank you Ed, maker of dirtbagz!).

At this point I think I'll hit the road again on either Friday or Saturday. The swelling will surely still be there, but it will be there no matter if I ride or not, so why not ride?

Now all I need to do is figure out where I'll go when I get back on the road. The way I see it, my options are. . .

A) continue on the trail, starting where I left off (ha! as if I had covered much at all!) a downside to this is that I'll be getting rattled around right away, and the ol' leg might not like that so much. Also, I'd be riding alone - I'm not sure if that's good or bad?
B) take some secondary roads west and find a good place to meet up with the gang and continue on the trail wherever that might be (I've been quite please actually that although I barely know them, the group has been keeping very much on top of my situation and has been voting that I rejoin the gang)
C) head west but consider just taking secondary roads and do non TAT things (pacific coast, redwoods, etc)
D) head northeast up through the Appalachians and then through New England, maybe Canada
E) return to DC and swap for the BMW and do option D
F) return home and sell my bikes because motorcycling is dangerous

So folks, any votes on options A through F (please don't give me an F!)
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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby griffin738 » Wed Jul 07, 2010 10:58 pm

Thanks Jim, Wes and Tina - - I wish the second half of the update was as fun as the first half. But more good times are just around the corner (no, not the steep gravel corner :) )

Jim, I'm real thankful now for the knee/shin guards you lent me - - yes!
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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby JimVonBaden » Wed Jul 07, 2010 11:26 pm

Paul,

Lesson learned, and maybe riding alone will allow you to be more comfortable at YOUR pace, and ride your ride. Peer pressure, even unintentional, can be a real dangerous thing.

Sorry about your fall, but as we discussed before, it may not be a bad learning experience, and get you where you need to be!

Keep up the good karma, and ride on!

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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby BMWGirl » Thu Jul 08, 2010 7:02 am

eh, you're a tough guy! :wink: I say suck it up and rejoin the group and ride together! :mrgreen: You'll slow down like you should but you'll still have others around you in case you need help. The one thing I usually keep in mind (when riding in general) is go ahead and ride ahead of me, I'll catch up! Even if you're an hour behind them, you'll catch up.

You've done a lot of prep for this trip, don't give up but please don't ride alone!

Most importantly - HAVE FUN!!!!!
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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby Flash! » Thu Jul 08, 2010 10:46 am

I'm really hoping you go with Tina's suggestion, Paul. You put so much effort into getting ready for this ride. If you take paved roads to a place where you can meet up with the group, your leg will have time to recover a bit, and as she says, you can always catch up with the group eventually.

If the leg doesn't feel recovered enough when you rejoin the group, you can always sack it in at that point and make other plans. The Trail will always be there, and you can do it later in the season, or even next summer! You might even find another rider (I almost said "nutcase"!) who wants to prepare for it next summer and could go along for company.

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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby Chiba » Thu Jul 08, 2010 10:57 am

I vote for B, with C/D as a backup.

You've done the work, gotten the time off, no sense in wasting all that effort (and time off!).

If you trust the bike, stick with the bike. If you like the guys, catch up & keep on keepin' on!!

I think you were smart to get checked out, use a day or 2 to get your head together :)

BMWGirl wrote:The one thing I usually keep in mind (when riding in general) is go ahead and ride ahead of me, I'll catch up! Even if you're an hour behind them, you'll catch up.

I can attest to Tina's walking this walk & not just talking this talk. I rode with her last weekend - she led the whole way - and I'll tell you, if I had to write a song about the excursion, I'd call it "Glimpses of Tina Through the Trees & Curves & Over the Next Hill". She was usually (always) way ahead of me, but she never lost me, not once.

A good riding buddy will always wait for you at the next stop sign/turn.

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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby timtimtim2000 » Thu Jul 08, 2010 11:50 am

Option B! Like others have said, you've put in the time and effort to make it this far. Why postpone what you've always wanted to do?? Use the time of the pavement to heal up a bit and then rejoin with your group.

Plus, some of us are living vicariously through you, so... c'mon!! We need you! =D> =D>
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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby griffin738 » Sat Jul 10, 2010 10:48 am

Thanks for the input gang. The collective wisdom is indeed wise (and collective)

Yesterday I headed southwest from Nashville, about 150 miles to Savannah. The idea being to head in the direction of the group. I took it slow but the ride (pavement) was quite the rattler on my leg and the wind grabbed my visor and tossed my head around bobble-head style.

By the end of the ride my GPS started to freak out and the screen-touch buttons got all flashy and non-responsive. Trying to set a westward route last night, the GPS would power on for about 30 seconds, then die. I did a unit reset, removed the battery for a while, etc. . . No luck.

I wake up this morning and the leg is every bit as swollen as it was before, and continuously more colorful. If interested in seeing the gore that is my leg, go to this link -> WARNING VERY GROSS -> http://griffin738.smugmug.com/2010-Summ ... 3784_Cgp6N

The rest of my group is about 200 miles ahead of me and they are on the move. I figure I could possibly ride 400 miles today (easy on my 1150, less easy on the 250). And then I could ride with then for a day (another 200 miles). But I already know that the leg is hurting. So I could ride another 600 miles west to prove out what I already think I know. That doesn't actually make much sense to me.

At this point, I'm planning for Option E above. I think I'll take it slow now toward DC, then swap out bikes for the 1150GS and go somewhere else.

This is all a little disappointing to me, but my gut is telling me that it's the best move for me now. I've had plenty of very rewarding travel adventures in my time and I will have more! This one might not rate too high so far on the fun meter, but I've learned something (not that I can articulate what it is just now).

And the summer is far from over!
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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby BMWGirl » Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:22 am

Wow, Paul, I think NOW that I've seen the pics, yeah, head back to DC and rest and try something else. No need to make the injury any worse!

By the way - little request of the picture - a little higher and to the right! :wink:

Be safe.....
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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby Chiba » Sat Jul 10, 2010 1:40 pm

Vacation is still vacation :) It's all about choices - make the ones that make sense to you. See ya in a few days then!

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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby griffin738 » Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:57 pm

Thanks for the good words Tina. More pix on MY OTHER site . . . :oops:

chiba wrote:Vacation is still vacation :) It's all about choices - make the ones that make sense to you. See ya in a few days then!

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I see that Iron Maiden is playing nissan pavilion / jiffy lube on Tue July 20. Just sayin'. . .
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Re: beyond the dogpark: this time not so much pavement

Postby JimVonBaden » Sat Jul 10, 2010 10:33 pm

Hey Paul,

Bummer about the fall, but I respect your decision. Looks like the right one to me!

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