A clean bike is a good bike

She's kind of pretty when she's clean.

Sunday was the first chance I’ve had to wash my bike since returning from my annual motocamping trip. She must have had ten pounds of bug guts splattered all over her and had to go to work for an entire week looking like that. Oh the shame!

Between having the flu and working a few 16 hour days in the last week, I haven't had time for much of anything. But now I'm on the mend and work has settled a bit so I can get back into the swing again.

The weekend before last, I went on my second annual solo motocamping trip. I decided that I didn’t need an epic journey, so I went to Burro Creek campground which is about 130 miles from my house. It's a desert campground so the temperatures are nice this time of year and the creek actually has water in it (year round according to the sign). The downside to Burro Creek is that it is off of Highway 93, which is known as one of the most dangerous roads in Arizona (many daytime headlight use signs). In the last few years they have added passing lanes and divided it for a good portion, so it’s much safer now. The only other problem I had was dealing with the sheer volume of bugs. I had to stop every 20 miles or so to clean my face shield so I could see where I was going. Unbelievably, I had another bee encounter. One made its way into my helmet and landed on the inside of my visor. Thankfully it didn't sting me and was quickly dispatched of with a spastic flip of my face shield.

The campground was surprisingly quiet seeing that it was at least 3/4 full. There was a great view of the bridge that spanned the gorge where Burro Creek crosses Highway 93.

I didn't do a whole lot once I got there. I read a bit, explored the creek and then returned to camp and read some more. I think I only talked to two people the whole trip. There was a couple that seemed intrigued with the idea of motorcycle camping. I showed them my camp and they were very surprised at how much gear I comfortably fit on my little sporty (I even had a 7" tv screen that hooks up to my iPod so I could watch missed episodes of South Park while on my trip). Overall it was a great trip. Not much excitement, but very relaxing, exactly what the doctor ordered.

Be carefull with what you say

I guess I shouldn't have mentioned riding through a swarm of bees. On my ride home today I encountered one of those aforementioned bee swarms. I'll be damned if one of those little buggers didn't make it straight down the back of my jacket and sting me square in the middle of my back. At the next stoplight I looked like I was having a seizure trying to get the bee out of my jacket. I must be some sort of bee magnet, because this is my third run in with bees while operating a motor vehicle -- twice on a motorcycle and once driving my semi at work. Ain't karma a bitch?

Pros and Cons

I mentioned wearing a full faced helmet in my last post and thought I'd make some comments on it (using the good old pro vs. con format).

Pro: Safety. Safety. Safety! If I have an accident it should keep my beautiful face intact. (ha! ha!)

Con: Reduced peripheral vision as well as reduced hearing (at lower speeds). I've had a few cages sneak up on me, especially when I first stared wearing a full faced helmet. I don't recall ever being snuck up on wearing a half helmet.

Pro: With the tinted visor I can make faces at people without inciting a road rage incident.

Con: I look like a lollipop.

Pro: Protection from road debris. In my area there's lots of construction, and there's nothing like being behind a gravel truck only wearing a half helmet (ouch!).

Con: No wind in my face -- I feel a little isolated from the world around me.

Pro: Comfort, when it's below 50 degrees a half helmet sucks (ear flaps or not).

Con: Comfort, when it's above 100 degrees a full face is down right miserable (the vents don't seem to have much effect at all).

Pro: I can listen to my iPod through my helmet speakers.

Con: I can listen to my iPod (then I really can't hear what's going on around me).

Pro: On long rides the full faced helmet reduces fatigue.

For me the pros outweigh the cons and I will probably continue to wear a full faced helmet. Next time I ride through a bee swarm I'm sure I'll be happy about my decision.