First camping trip for my M696 - photo

[operaflute]

I guess I'm a little late for the July 2010 moto of the month photo, but I had fun taking this picture last week on the Duc's 1st camping trip!

[philb]

That's cool. One of my favorite shots of my bike was from camping in Yosemite.

PhilB

[operaflute]

Thanks! It was a bit of a trial getting luggage capability, but "we" went on our first camping trip the end of April. Homolovi Ruins, Petrified Forest, Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, UT, Four Corners, Mount Graham and back home to Tucson. Not a bad extended weekend, although darn windy in AZ this time of year.

[philb]

Here's a pic of my traveling rig; this is me leaving to ride 2700 miles from San Diego to Cleveland in 4 days.

PhilB

[operaflute]

Yay! I love moto camping! I was going to do a big CA tour, but I'd still need a snow shovel to camp in the Sierras/Tahoe, so put that on hold and went for the shorter trip this time.
I had tail bag, tank bag, top box and did well. I saw someone selling some saddlebags (my top box rack includes saddlebag mounts) on another forum. I may pick 'em up for a little more space.

[philb]

Originally Posted by operaflute

Yay! I love moto camping! I was going to do a big CA tour, but I'd still need a snow shovel to camp in the Sierras/Tahoe, so put that on hold and went for the shorter trip this time.
I had tail bag, tank bag, top box and did well. I saw someone selling some saddlebags (my top box rack includes saddlebag mounts) on another forum. I may pick 'em up for a little more space.

If you ever head for San Diego or Los Angeles, let me know; it would be fun to meet and go for a ride. Also, in July, I and some friends are going to the MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. They have a hill for motorcycle camping, that is actually inside the track -- you can see Turn 6 without leaving your tent. We ride up, camp onsite, and watch the races. We usually camp overnight in Big Sur on the way up Wed night, spend Thurs day in Carmel and/or Monterey, and stay at the track Thurs night through Mon morning, and ride home on Monday.

PhilB

[operaflute]

Good Gawd, would LOVE to go to Laguna Seca, but my summer job keeps me in northern UT for all of July (not that there's anything wrong with THAT!). Rode out to San Diego last September (on my Kawi, while my Duc was recovering from its seized exhaust valve) - quite a slog from Tucson, but once you get there, lovely! Riding up the coast is on the bucket list for sure, along with Tahoe and wine country...

[philb]

Originally Posted by operaflute

Good Gawd, would LOVE to go to Laguna Seca, but my summer job keeps me in northern UT for all of July (not that there's anything wrong with THAT!). Rode out to San Diego last September (on my Kawi, while my Duc was recovering from its seized exhaust valve) - quite a slog from Tucson, but once you get there, lovely! Riding up the coast is on the bucket list for sure, along with Tahoe and wine country...

Alright, but think about it. The basic weekend race ticket is about $50 and is available at the last minute. Onsite camping is $150 for a space for up to two bike/four people. Figure probably about $50 per person for the weekend. Overnight camping in Big Sur is $10-15 for that night. Then it's just meals and gas to get there -- it's really a pretty cheap weekend, and you could jump in at the last minute if the chance suddenly came up.

PhilB

[brakegirl]

Originally Posted by philb

Here's a pic of my traveling rig; this is me leaving to ride 2700 miles from San Diego to Cleveland in 4 days.

PhilB

Seems like your bike has experienced so much but still manages to look tougher than ever. Very impressive!

[operaflute]

Bikes is very useful things in this busy life.

Yes. Yes they are!


Here's an index to my write up and photos of the entire camping trip. Good times!
http://operaflute.blogspot.com/2011/...rip-index.html