Day 7 - Key West

You know how you've heard it said that getting there is half the fun? Well, in my case, getting there is 90 percent of the fun. Once to my destination, I'm already starting to think about hitting the road again. I guess I'm just funny that way. Never satisfied with what I have. Always looking over the next horizon.

Key West is a tourist town, no doubt. I went looking for a particular sea food place on Duval Street last night but there were so many people partying that I couldn't find it (it was Friday night.) I cruised Duval Street three times looking for it.

Despite the small size of this island, it is possible to get lost here. Heh, good thing I had the map I got at the front desk when I checked in. It gives you just enough information to make you think you can find your way around [grin].

I had just a few things on my to-do list while here.

One, I wanted to find the "southernmost point" buoy and take a picture of me and the bike in front of it. Once I got there, it was so crowded I was unable to park the bike near it and set up my tripod for a shot. I was lucky to get one shot with just the bike and the buoy and another shot that clearly showed the writing on the buoy.

Southern-most point buoy:


Two, I wanted to eat some fresh seafood. I found a place on Duval Street called Capt. Mario's Seafood Buffet. I finally found it on the second day and had lunch there. It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything special either.

Captain Mario's Seafood Buffet:


Third thing was to walk along the beach for a bit. I guess I should have listened to Merrilou and brought some sneakers. My riding boots are not bad but sneakers would have been better. No problem, my feet will heal.

Smather's Beach:




So I've accomplished all I set out to do. I made it to Key West on the bike and I did the three things here I wanted to. Even with all the issues along the way and the return trip still in front of me, I am declaring this journey a huge success! I am so happy I didn't decide to bag it when the luggage rack broke. I never would have forgiven myself if I had called it quits at that point. Heck, I was even considering ditching my extra clothes, I was so determined.

Day 6 Pics

Ok, got all my issues taken care of and finally got a chance to go through the 508 pics I took on the ride down Highway 1 yesterday. I'll tell ya, it wasn't easy choosing just a few pics to post. I narrowed it down to 19 then whittled that down to these few.

This first group are from the road through the everglades. I kept my eyes opened for alligators but didn't see any.



These next shots are from Highway 1 from Key Largo to Key West. This is a *great* ride. Do it if you ever get the chance. (I love the ocean. It does to me what the twisties do to Dot.)


That's it. Like I said, it was hard to decide which ones to post!

Credit card was deactivated

DCF blog post

The link above was posted to Duke City Fix. I am so disappointed in my bank.

Day 6 Pre-Post

Just wanted to quickly say that I'm here, in Key West, and the ride down through the Keys on Highway 1 was fantastic! Man, that had to be the best three hour ride I've ever had! [sigh] I will admit to more than one emotional moment as I was going through Key Largo and as I was crossing those long bridges with the sea on both sides.

More later once I go get some supper. Gonna try and find some fresh fish. (I don't think it'll be very hard to do.)

Day 5 and the top case is history

Well, today started out really well. The ride on 19 down to about Palm Harbor was nice but then traffic got heavy and speeds slowed. My side trips to see the coast today were pretty much a waste of time. Seems Florida has sold off the beach to private buyers and there are homes and hotels between the road and the beach. Can't see sh*t. Very disappointing. I think I'll hit the freeway tomorrow and fly down to 41 in the everglades rather than staying on 41 through the populated area. No sense in wasting time.

I wonder if the east side is the same way? Anyone know?

I went over one toll bridge today. It was pretty cool but I had to pay a dollar for the privilege.





The luggage rack broke completely this afternoon. I looked in the mirror and it was leaning at an angle so I pulled over and saw that one bracket was broken completely. The other bracket and the straps were holding it up. I decided to keep going hoping it would hold until I got to my motel. A few miles later I changed my mind. I thought it might cause some damage if it fell so I found a public parking lot where I could remove it and repack the bike. I left the top case there...with the key in case whoever found it wanted it. I have no way to pack it without the luggage rack. (D*mn Cobra crap.) Here's the bike repacked:



I got a sunburn today. I have a flip-up helmet and I sometimes like to ride with it up.



Yeah, the beard is coming in nicely. Tomorrow I go through the everglades then on to Key West.

Day 4...Finally get to the Gulf!

Today I rode along the Gulf for miles and miles and miles and miles. [smile]

Finally got to the sea today. I really needed that! The day started out with a minor problem at the motel but I got around it and left pretty much on time...even though I got up a half hour early. Hate it when the room is not maintained right.

Cinched up the top case on the cracked luggage rack and hit the road. Since I was so close to the freeway, I took it to Mobile then got off and took back roads the rest of the way. Once on the back roads, I managed to miss a couple turns that would have more scenic. My GPS is old and it came with only a basic map of major highways. It doesn't show many of the smaller roads. I need a new GPS. I understand Garmin makes one specifically for motorcycle use. I think that one is in my future.

Entering Alabama.



Finally got to the water.



Gas mileage was much better today. Best I got was 52 on one short run. Of course, my speeds were much lower today. This guy wanted to race me. He gave me a good run for the money considering the speed limit on this stretch.



The luggage rack held today but it might be a bit looser than it was. Once I unstrapped it I could see that it's flexing a bit more than it was. I might try to find a welder along the way. See if the rack can be braced up just to get me home. Although I can always ditch the top case, I would rather not do that.

Weather was cool and cloudy today. A little sun in spots but it was mostly overcast. No rain so far... knock, knock.

Tomorrow should be nice. Going through central Florida and along the Gulf side. No more freeways until I hit Jacksonville on the way back.

Day 3...and some problems

Well, Day 3 is finally over. I'll be honest, I had some doubts today. More on that later.

Finally got out of Texas this morning. Houston is huge. It took an hour just to get out of town...on the freeway! The guy at the front desk said I-10 was the best way to get through Houston so I hopped on and traffic quickly came to a halt. About a mile later I passed a wrecker in a center lane loading a car. It was easy after that.

Back up a bit...Houston is also humid. I worked up a sweat just packing the bike. It was kinda nice to be in humid weather for a change. Albuquerque is so dry.

Just before I left Tx I stopped at a Chevron that called itself Crawdad's.



A few miles later, I passed the last mile marker in Texas, 880. That's eight hundred and eighty miles. Think about it.



Crossing into Louisiana.



I like the bridges here. Out west, all we have are boring flat concrete bridges. These have some character.



Crossing into Mississippi.



Tomorrow I get off the freeway and onto some back roads. Really this time! I'm really looking forward to slowing down and seeing the Gulf.

Ok, now back to the issues I had today. I had three things happen today and one of them might cause me more problems in the coming days. The first thing was an unplanned detour at Lafayette, LA. I had planned on taking US-90 down through New Orleans but Mardi Gras was happening in Lafayette and the roads were blocked off for parades. I couldn't get through or around to 90. After trying for an hour, I gave up and got back on I-10 east. Oh well, so much for New Orleans and so much for getting on some back roads today. I stayed on 10 to 12 and back to 10 all the way to my end-of-day stop in Moss Point. [sigh] Oh well, back roads tomorrow.

The second issue was the zipper on my chaps. Merrilou knows the trouble I have with zippers anyway but this was different. Rather than jamming it, it came undone all by itself as I was riding down the road. I don't know how long my left leg was open but I finally noticed it right before I got back on I-10 in Lafayette. I zipped it back up but it started to come undone again after a few miles. I was able to position my leg so the wind wasn't whipping the chaps so much and the zipper stayed half way until the next gas stop. I used a length of rope to tie around my ankle to keep it from flapping so much and undoing the zipper again. It stayed good all the way to Moss Point. Tomorrow, I'll use some velcro I have so I won't look like I have a turniquette around my leg.

The third issue is the bad one. My luggage rack cracked and is in danger of falling off. I have my top case bolted to it and my clothes and bathroom bag in it. I also have a chrome rack bolted on top of the top case and my sleeping bag and ground pad are bungied to that rack. Total weight on the luggage rack is probably 25 or 30 lbs. I wouldn't think that's too much but evidently the luggage rack is pretty lightweight. (It's made by Cobra.) I noticed the problem at a gas stop and promptly strapped it up with some straps I brought just in case. These straps have spring-loaded cinch buckles and they seemed to hold the luggage rack and top case very well. I stopped again 40 miles later to check it and it hadn't gotten any worse. I think the additional straps are going to hold for the rest of the trip. They really firmed up the top case. It used to wobble up and down with bumps quite a bit and it's real solid now. I'll check it real close at each stop just in case. If the cracks do continue to get worse, I'll deposit the top case, sleeping bag and ground pad in a dumpster somewhere and move my two bags to the top of my duffle bag which is on the back seat. My straps will be more than adequate to hold everything on my back seat if I have to resort to that. I'm very disappointed in my Cobra luggage rack. I guess if I want a good one, I'll just have to make it myself.

So, the day was eventful and I'm mentally tired from worrying that my top case would fly off on the freeway and I wouldn't notice it. I gained a bit of confidence back when I saw that the cracks weren't getting worse. Maybe tomorrow will be better and I'll really believe it will hold for the rest of the trip.

Despite the problems, I'm continuing on. Wish me luck.

Katy, TX

I'm *still* in Texas! Dang, this place is big! I-10 goes across the widest part of Texas and I'm almost to the end. I had a pretty good headwind for most of the ride today. Gusts were kicking me around too. It kept my mpg down until I got to Boerne, TX where they seemed to start letting up a bit. On one particularly bad stretch, I only got 26.5 mpg! I had topped off in Ozona 'cause I wasn't sure if I could make my planned gas stop in Sonora so the short run from Ozona to Sonora was fast. I was pushing 90 most of that run and the headwinds were fierce. That short run was my all time worst gas mileage on the bike.

The winds were so bad and constant that someone has put it to work for them:



Stopped in Boerne for gas and a snack. Found a nice quiet place to sit for a bit:



This peak looked artificial from a distance. Up close I could see it was real:



Reminds me of Cabezon Peak. (Some people call it something else though.)

Well, tomorrow is my last day in Texas. Dang, this place is big! Oh, I already said that. I still need to navigate my way through Houston before they'll let me out. I think it's a test or somethin'. Fail the test and you have to do it all over from the start! Oh, no!

I did pretty good getting through San Antonio. Signage was good so I was able to just stay on 10 and grab the correct lanes and offramps to get through.

This morning was extremely nice, heading east into the morning sun was kinda enchanting. Tomorrow I get off the freeway on onto some back roads. I'm looking forward to that.

Ft Stockton, TX

Well, I'm in Ft Stockton and it's not so bad here. I have wireless Internet!

Started out on schedule at 8:30 this morning with an air temp of about 30 degrees. I-25 was all messed up this am so I hopped right back off and took surface streets to get out of town.

After 150 miles, I pulled into Truth or Consequences for gas and a break and I peeled off a few winter things. This was one of my longest freeway runs. I got about 37 mpg while keeping it at about 75. Temp there was much more tolerable.

Next stop was on the other side of El Paso. The temp was almost summer-like here so I shed the rest of my winter gear (except for my insulated boots.) I forgot to record my mileage here so don't know my mpg on this run. I used about 3.4 gals though.

The speed limit on I-10 from El Paso to Van Horn and on to Ft Stockton is 80 mph. I kept it at about 78 most of the way. I'm not a speed demon on the Vulcan and I'm still watching my gas mileage.

Van Horn. What can I say, it's a gas stop. Got 37 mpg again. This is pretty good. I was counting on at least 33 and my hi-speed freeway runs are better.

Pulled into Ft Stockton about 6 PM and cruised the main drag a couple times to scope out the eateries and find that roadrunner Merrilou wanted a picture of. Checked into the motel, got food, got my Internet running and settled in. Had a brief scare when I thought I didn't have the driver for my WiFi card but then realized that card is for a different laptop...this one has built-in wifi and I just had to turn it on. Doh!

This first day was a shakedown cruise. It gave me a chance to get used to a full day in the saddle and test my packing. All went well. I wasn't too tired at any of the stops and I'm still felling pretty hyped this evening. Nothing fell off the bike and all my bungies held. I did pack some straps in case my bungies broke or weren't enough but all was good.

Here are some pics. Not much to look at today, it was all superslab and truck-stop towns.

Pulling out of the garage:

I-10 between Van Horn and Ft Stockton:

The Roadrunner in Ft Stockton:

I think I'm ready...

...I just need to pack the bike. I should have plenty of luggage capacity and room for everything. I have large saddlebags, a top case, a rack on top of the top case and a duffle bag that will go on the back seat. All that space will be used for clothes and personal supplies for two weeks, motorcycle gear including rain gear, tools and other emergency stuff, extra space to put my winter gear once I get out of the cold weather, my camera/tripod and my laptop bag with the laptop and other electronics.

Tomorrow will be pack-up day. Sunday morning at 8:30 I pull out of the garage and head south.

Fixed the top case

Those inexpensive top cases from JC Whitney are inexpensive for a reason. The latch/lock is thin plastic and won't tolerate any abuse at all. "Snap" goes the latch if you're not careful.

I was able to cut a couple aluminum strips and bolted/them over the two broken pieces and it seems to hold pretty good. I'll ride it to work tomorrow then home and if it holds ok, I'll epoxy it all up and call it good. Either way, I won't have to replace the top case for the trip even if the repair doesn't work out. I can still strap it closed, just won't be able to lock it that way.

Broke the top case

While trying to test fit some luggage in the top case, the handle broke off. This means I can't lock it and will have to use a strap to keep it closed. I'm going to try to find another top case locally this week but I'm not optimistic. Local dealers don't stock much. I might have to just strap it closed on the trip. Bummers.

Less than two weeks

The big day is Sunday the 22nd!

Took the Vulcan on a round trip run to Ft Sumner last weekend to check the gas mileage. It's still the same it always was. I can absolutely count on 33 mpg even under the hardest riding. If I keep it under 75, I can get closer to 40. Worst case, I can go 165 miles on a tank. I've figured my gas stops at 150 so I should be fine.

I was also going to check my GPS to see if it would still cut out since I got the power cable for it but I forgot to mount it before I left! I have a Garmin GPSMAP 60CS. It's a handheld unit but can be hardwired too. It would sometimes turn off with vibration from the bikes when on battery so I got a power cable for it and wired that into the accessory circuit on the Vulcan. Maybe I'll get a chance to get in another run before I leave to test it. Although, it won't really matter, either it works or it doesn't. I won't have time to do anything about it if the problem is still there. No big deal, it's main use will be to connect to the laptop and show me where I am at the moment on the big map. The route isn't complicated except for south Florida.

Getting closer

Well, here it is, February 2 and the bike is coming along nicely. I got it back from Gumby's last week and it's running fine just as it always has. I'm now assured of a bike with fresh oil and a new filter and in good condition for the trip.

Also got all the reservations made for each night in both directions. Most were pretty easy and straight forward but Merrilou was able to find alternate choices at much lower prices than my first picks. That alone should save close to 1/3 the cost of the trip.

Here is the Trip Itinerary again (since the other link has scrolled into last month.) There are some very minor changes. Mostly to indicate the actual locations of the motels I'm stopping at but also a couple changes to more closely match the route in Streets & Trips, which is what I'll be using on the road.