Well, got my bike out of the shop yesterday. All seems in good shape. Rode over to Doug's house. We straightened a bent shifter lever and replaced a foot pad.
The front brakes had been dragging a bit, they seem pretty good now. All parts of the bike are working very well. I installed a 12v outlet on the bike to keep phones and computer charged.
I still have to fit the saddle bags and the small rear luggage rack. Then I have to figure out what goes with us. Only so much fits on a motorcycle.
The list of what goes is long, have to shorten that up a bit. We all have to sit down and figure out who will carry what. Tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, (did I mention this is strictly a camping adventure?) and any thing else we decide we can't live without. I know I'll have to bring at least half a ton of aspirin and tylenol. We're also still trying to decide on the type and amount of food to carry and what to buy on the road. My guess is we won't carry too much food, just enough to get by if we don't have time to shop.
Clothes....I know we will be running into some pretty cold weather along the way. We'll be crossing the rockies with the highest elevation around 11000 ft. I suspect that will be quite chilly. See...the leathers will come in very handy. As will long johns I bet. Can you put snow chains on a motorcycle? Are we nuts? My guess...No and Yes.
One of my other guesses is that this trip will be brutal. That's ok. Some of my best times have also been the most difficult. The Grand Canyon trip jumps right to the front of the brutal line here. Doug was along for that one also. Brutal, but awesome!
I assume this trip will be right up there.
Well, once again, it's late and I have things to do yet, so I must be off.
As we get closer I'll write more about the logistics and maybe a bit about the planned stops.

Getting Started

Well folks, this is all new to me, but it seems like the way to go. This is a test post so I can tell how things are going to appear.
As most of you know, I'm not a writer, so bear with me as I try to get the hang of this bloggin' stuff. For those concerned...this blog will be rated G...unless we talk politics. Then all ratings are out the window.

For those family members making the brave (foolish?) trek to my blog, you will recognize the name from Uncle Charlies basement bar. Just thought it might be appropriate to hang it here.
No, you won't find any tropical fish here....at least none with contact lenses. Maybe a fish story or two.
I don't fish, but I do enjoy eating them. Sounds barbaric, doesn't it? I still enjoy eating them, along with assorted poultry and a myriad of four legged beasts. "nuff about that.
Note to self....try not to wander.

Speaking of wandering, that is the whole purpose of this blog thingy. Cousin Rose suggested that I start a journal to record my upcoming motor cycle trip. As I said, I don't write, but this sounded like a good idea. So Rose, this is all your fault!

The trip.
In September, friends Doug, Jim, Pam, and myself will be taking a month long motor cycle trip across the country. We'll start in Cincinnati and follow Rt. 50 to California then tool around the west making stops as we see fit. We will try to see as many national parks as possible. Our schedule is fairly flexible so we will be making adjustments to it as we go. Jim calculates that we will probably cover around 7000 miles in 4-5 weeks. I hope my butt cheeks hold up. That's a lot of time in the saddle.
When we're on the road I will attempt to post pictures and videos when ever possible.
That's all I have time for now, so we'll see how this looks.