Monday, April 21, 2008

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.



6 comments:

Mr. Motorcycle said...

I have a busy schedule with wife and two kids, and they all like to camp too, so a solo camping trip would be kind of selfish for me. I'm am kind of envious though. It sounds like a good time was had, and I think I might have to find a way to pull it off some day. Glad you enjoyed the trip and thanks for sharing.

Desert MotoRat said...

Mr. Motorcycle,

I used to work as a field biologist so I would spend weeks on end alone in the wilderness. Now I go a little stir-crazy stuck in the big city. I think the whole "go find yourself in the woods" was actually my wife's idea. After my trips I always have a greater appreciation for what I have at home.

Stephen said...

It's hard for me to believe, but I will be camping via motorcycle for the first time this year. I'm planning a number of trips this summer (We'll see how many I actually accomplish), it should be interesting to see how the bike gets loaded, I imagine that I'll learn a lot from the first time camping about what to do and what not to do.

irondad said...

I have a lot of great memories of solo motorcycle camping. I kick myself for not thinking of the TV!! To think I contented myself with a can of sterno, a small rack to put a cup of water on, instant soup, and watching the river.

Desert MotoRat said...

Earl,

Packing for motorcycle camping is definitely a trial and error sort of process(I think I enjoy planning for a trip almost as much as the trip itself). This year I made room for a folding chair, and it was well worth the space it took up. Good luck and enjoy!

Desert MotoRat said...

Irondad,

I've read of your Spartan ways:) I even managed to pack a french press so I could enjoy a proper cup of coffee in the morning