by Robert Lamishaw

Bahia de los Angeles at dawn
Click on photo for larger image

Visiting Mexico

Chad and I found Mexico to be an interesting place with good roads, nice people and ample security. You can read more about our trip in A Trip to Baha.  We had no problems, and I highly recommend to anyone interested that they give it a try and not be dissuaded by all the negative television news reports.  However, when going to any foreign country, especially Mexico, there are some things to keep in mind.

Mexican Insurance

As you may know your US insurance coverage isn’t recognized in Mexico.  If you are in any type of accident—your fault or not– without proof of Mexican insurance you can spend several days in jail while the authorities sort everything out, a situation to be avoided.

The simple solution is to buy special Mexican insurance from one of the many companies that offer such coverage. You can find a number of companies near the border, although I didn’t see any on the US side near Tecate, but then I had already purchased insurance on-line so I wasn’t looking.  I recommend Baja Bound Insurance, as they where quick, easy and available on-line.

You can get liability only, available from the Auto Club and many other companies, but I suggest that you get full coverage, which will take care of you as well as your bike. Many of the cheaper insurance policies only cover liability.  You should check with your insurance agent, but I think you’ll find that your comprehensive, med-pay, theft, etc. coverage, as well as the liability, are no good when traveling in Mexico.  The good news is that it is fairly inexpensive, so don’t let the need for insurance stand in your way.

Money

The currency in Mexico is the peso.  I found the exchange rate to be about 13 pesos to the dollar.  Almost everywhere you go they take credit cards or American dollars. However, I recommend you change some US dollars into pesos, it makes life much easier, and you’ll get a better exchange rate.  Using credit cards at hotels and restaurants in the cities is easy, but you should check if your credit card company charges a “transaction” and/or “conversion” fee for foreign charges, and what exchange rate they are offering.  I recommend you get pesos from your bank prior to leaving (probably $100 per day will do); just allow about a week for the bank to get you the foreign currency.

Gas

Gas in Mexico is a state monopoly and is sold though PEMEX, whose stations are readily available in cities and along most major highways.  The quality is good and no one should have any problems using PEMEX fuel.  Remember Mexico is on the metric system so fuel is sold in liters.  Costs seem to be about the same as the in the US.  I highly recommend that you fill up any time you’ve used half your tank.  Fuel is pumped by an attendant, although they will give you the nozzle if you want, and generally you pay the attendant.  Again having pesos is a great time saver and the exchange rates offered by these stations is often much less, maybe 11 pesos per dollar rather than 13.

Roads

The roads in Baja are generally in very good shape.  Easily the equal of most two-lane highways in the US, so the quality of the roads should not be a concern.  However, you can go from smooth, clean blacktop to pot-holed roads quickly, so don’t let your enthusiasm, and the lack of law enforcement, lull you into driving too fast or you could be in for some nasty surprises.  This, of course, is true in the US as well.

Driving in Mexico

There is an unwarranted feeling that Mexican drivers are not good or safe.  I didn’t find this to be the case at all.  It’s true that traffic laws in Mexico are often treated more as suggestions than rules, but it’s also true that virtually all the car and truck drivers we encountered were courteous and frequently would move over to let us pass.  In mountain areas drivers would signal, as if making a left turn, to tell us when the road was clear.  I never found any of them to be misleading; however, you need to be sure that they aren’t signaling to make a left turn at some obscure dirt road, so always pass with caution.

While the road surface was generally good and drivers considerate, always keep in mind that you are in a foreign country.  Three things that took a little adjustment on my part were:  the electric signals and stop signs; inconsistent road signage; and physical markers in the road (speed humps, etc).

Let’s start with signals and stop signs.  First electric signals are not always vertical, as in the US.  Sometimes they are horizontal and look like streetlights.  It’s easy to miss that they are there, so be careful and pay attention to what traffic is doing.  The same for stop signs (“Alto”) which often seem to be placed randomly at corners, and sometimes are not easy to see.

As for road signage, again be attentive.  It isn’t always consistent in where it is, and what it tells you.  “Alto” (Stop) may be painted on the pavement, but may not; and the familiar octagonal red sign may be on the left, right, or across the intersection. Curves are not consistently marked, either.

There is also the issue of the “tope” or speed humps which are used to slow traffic as one enters a town, and are not always clearly marked.  Generally they are marked by a series of lines that get closer together as you approach the hazard, but not always. Hitting one of these at speed can be dangerous, so when you get near a town SLOW DOWN and all will be well.

Trail Dust is a publication of happy-trail.com

In Tips on Traveling in Mexico you’ll find some specifics of traveling in Mexico, but here

by Robert Lamishaw

Click any photo for a larger image

Heading out

In early December my friend Chad McCaskill called me and asked if I would be interested in heading down to Cabo San Lucas, Baja, California in the first week of January.  After a little thought and a check of the budget I said yes and we began to plan our trip.  The original idea had been to leave on December 30^th and take 12 days, but Chad became ill, so we delayed two days.  This was a potential issue, as the route was over 1,300 miles each way (2,700 round trip) and the shorter time would require some long days to get all the way to Cabo.  Instead of leaving on Friday, December 30^th, we left LA on Sunday, January 1st.  Heading out to I-5 we made a quick coffee stop in Temecula, got fuel and continued on down to Tecate to cross the border.

I had selected Tecate to avoid the hassle of Tijuana, and it proved to be a good decision.  Tecate, where they brew the popular beer, is between Mexicali and Tijuana, and makes for a quick and easy crossing, both into Mexico and back into the US.

When going further south than Ensenada or San Felipe you need a tourist card, so we stopped at the Immigration office, paid the $15 fee, and got our paperwork out of the way in about 30 minutes.  Both Chad and I had already gotten Mexican insurance on-line so once we cleared Immigration we headed south to Ensenada, our first stop in Mexico.

The road from Tecate to Ensenada is generally in good shape and goes through some very beautiful country, including Mexico’s wine country.  North of Ensenada along Mex-3 there are a number of well-regarded vineyards and wineries.  After sampling several of these wines—in the evening, of course after the days ride, I can say that some very good wines come from this part of Baja.

Ensenada

The trip from Tecate to Ensenada is only about 90 miles and went quickly.  Once out of the urban traffic of Tecate the road was a beautiful, smooth snake of sweeping turns and lovely vistas.  Being a commercial corridor, there was a fair bit of truck traffic but the truck drivers, and slow car drivers as well, were very courteous.  They would pull over onto the ample shoulder, the only road in Baja that seems to have a shoulder, and allow us to pass.  In fact we found the drivers in Mexico to be generally thoughtful in allowing our bikes to get around them with a minimum of fuss.

We arrived in Ensenada about 3:00 PM and easily found our hotel.  It had been nearly 30 years since I had been to Ensenada, and I was amazed at the change from a somewhat run-down fishing town to a sophisticated tourist town and major port.  Relying on Clement Salvadori’s book “Motorcycle Journeys Through California & Baja”, I had selected the Bahia Resort Hotel for our first night’s stay.  The room rate was reasonable and the rooms clean, but being across the street from a carnival it was noisy.  The hotel was pleasant enough, but on our return we found a much nicer hotel down the street, the Hotel Cortez.

Baha de los Angeles

Chad at Mama Espinoza’s

Leaving Ensenada on Monday we headed south along Mex-1 to El Rosario, about 180 miles away.  I had planned to spend our second night there but due to the abbreviated schedule we pushed on to Bahia de los Angeles, a small fishing village along the Sea of Cortez.  However, we did stop for lunch in El Rosario at Mama Espinoza’s. A very well-known, and pretty good café, on the road south.  El Rosario is the last fuel stop for a long way, and I took the opportunity to fill the 4.2 gallon tank on my BMW F650GS/twin.  A good thing, as our next stop was 182 miles away, getting toward the limits of my fuel.  However, being the careful sort I was prepared and always carry an extra 4 liters of fuel in my prototype Happy-Trails fuel bottle holders.  I never actually needed the extra fuel, but having it  provided a lot of piece of mind as I got awfully close to empty on  a couple of occasions.

Bahia de los Angeles is very popular with American anglers who flock to the rich waters of the Sea of Cortez to try and catch the wide variety of game fish available.  However, the season doesn’t really start until Easter and ends in late December, so we were there just after the fisher folk had all left, and virtually had the place to ourselves.

Bahia Los Angeles

Cabo San Lucas

Leaving early we headed back to Mex-1, and continued south to Loreto, nearly 400 miles away.  This was one of the longest days of our trip but Chad was determined to visit Cabo and check it off his bucket list, so off we went.  Loreto is a very nice town, at least the better part of town is, and we stayed at the newish and beautiful Santa Fe Hotel.  The hot tub, the only one on the trip, was certainly welcome as we dragged our tired bodies into the soothing water just as it was getting dark. A good steak, a couple of drinks, the long soak in the hot tub and a good night’s sleep made it all better, and we were eager to be off to La Paz early the next morning.

La Paz is a tourist town along a very beautiful section of the Sea of Cortez.  Very popular with sail-boaters, the bay is surrounded by timeshares, condos and resort hotels.  Our hotel was right along the water, which has a beautiful esplanade that allows a quiet walk next to the bay, a walk with lots of opportunities to stop at seaside bars and restaurants.

La Paz Walkway

I had hoped to spend a full day in La Paz  but again, our abbreviated schedule required that we move on, so off to Cabo we went.  Cabo San Lucas is only about 150 miles from La Paz, so we enjoyed a fairly short day and got into our hotel, the Mar de Cortez , about noon.  A nice, small hotel with a great little restaurant/bar attached, the hotel had a nice pool, friendly staff and a room that only cost $40 a night.  A relaxing afternoon, including a massage and a visit to the “Cabo Wabo” bar only a block away, helped foster a good night’s sleep.  By morning we were set for a day of sightseeing in Cabo.

After reviewing the many options available to tourists, including some very cool looking ATV adventures, we decided to do some whale watching. Chad had never done this, although I’ve seen a lot of whales over the years.  So we booked a tour on an old (1885’s) sailing ship, the Sunderland.

Robert at the helm of the Sunderland

Leaving early in the morning, we sailed down toward the end of Baja California past the famous Lover’s Beach and arch.  No sooner did we clear the heavy harbor traffic than we came upon three humpback whales that put on a spectacular show.  The ship’s crew said that in all their whale watching tours, this was the best display they had seen and I certainly couldn’t argue.  The whales breached (jumped out of the water), tail slapped, spy hopped, fin waved and performed virtually every other behavior young mating whales can perform.  The show was breathtaking and went on for several hours.

The ship itself is a nautical historical treasure.  Built as a commercial cargo and fishing vessel for the North Atlantic, the wooden square-rigger harkens to a time of “wooden ships and iron men” and was a thrill to sail.  After a very pleasant morning on the water, we walked the mile or so back to our hotel, enjoying the view of all the mega-yachts that filled the harbor.  The harbor in Cabo is lined with fancy shops, jewelers, a Harley-Davidson dealer, restaurants, bars, coffee boutiques and all the other trappings of an upscale seaside resort.  I found the town a little touristy for me, but still a very nice place to spend a couple of days. I wish we’d had more time to explore all that Cabo had to offer.

The Return Trip

The return trip home was pretty much a repeat, in reverse, of the trip down although there were a few differences.  On the way down to Cabo we had passed 8 or 10 military checkpoints along the highway.  Being on motorbikes, they just waved us through without much thought; however, on the way north the military was careful to check every vehicle thoroughly, and while the soldiers were unfailingly polite and pleasant, they did check the side cases and all our luggage, to make sure we weren’t smuggling anything.  Still, the delays were minor, rarely taking more then a few minutes to clear the checkpoints.

The other difference was the weather.  We had been very fortunate in that the southbound weather was nearly perfect.  Cool, clear, calm, and really a delight.  However, on the way back, the wind picked up and we had strong head and crosswinds.  Both our bikes handled the wind just fine, but my poor little GS does suffer in strong headwinds as far as fuel mileage goes.  In fact my mileage dropped from a typical 45-50 mpg to about 35-40 mpg.  Now with a tank that holds 4.2 usable gallons (about 16 liters, according to the owner’s manual) and a distance of nearly 185 miles between fuel stations, the ride from Bahia de los Angeles to El Rosario was something of a cliffhanger.  Of course, I did have my four liter reserve, but that wasn’t the point, the question was if I was going to need it.  When we finally pulled into the PEMEX station in El Rosario the bike took 16.2 liters—it must have been on fumes when I finally reached the gas station.  Still, considering this was the most “nerve wracking” thing that happened, we don’t really have any complaints.  In fact, this was a great trip and one that I can highly recommend you try—just do it in January, February or March and avoid the heat.

Some final thoughts on our travels in Mexico

Shown is Bahia de los Angeles at dawn

I want to address one issue that is on everyone’s mind—security.  This is the one concern people must have mentioned to us half a dozen times about traveling in Mexico.  We see TV stories of drug gangs running rampant along the border, bandits on the highways, corrupt police and military harassing tourists, and even confiscating their cars or bikes.  Well, all I can say is that Chad and I had no more trouble in Mexico than one normally has in the US.  Yes, security is tight.  As I mentioned there are military checkpoints along the highways, and you should always be careful about where you park your bike, and your surroundings.  There are bad parts of town that only an idiot would venture into, but all this is true in the US as well.  All the hotels had good security for the motorbikes, the roads were well patrolled, the drivers courteous, the road surfaces in good shape, the people friendly, the food good and I drank the water in the major tourist cities without any problems, although we did use bottled water in small towns and roadside restaurants.

For more on Mexico travel see my Mexico Travel Tips.

The bottom line is that you should not hesitate to visit our neighbor to the south.  Traveling in Baja California can be great fun and is as safe as traveling in any rural part of the US.  Baja California relies on tourists, and they won’t prosper if they develop a reputation for crime and dangerous roads.  I know Chad and I enjoyed the trip and I, for one, plan on visiting Mexico again soon.

Trail Dust is a publication of happy-trail.com

The evening presented moto-packing from complete minimalist to full comfort

         

Left to right: Ed Hiatt, Ken Hunter, Heath Hiatt, Darrell (Merf) Murphy

Ed Hiatt packs with comfort in mind, yet still manages to do it without overloading his bike. Ed’s packing list:

1. Tent: Single man Bivey tent or a small 2 man tent (for one person)
2. Hamock: Bear Creek enclosed hammock
3. Stove: Jet Boil 1.5 liter gas stove
4. Sleeping bag: 20 degree mummy bag
5.  Sleeping pad: Big Agnus insulated pad and repair kit
6. Pillow: Half of a Tempur-pedic pillow
7.  Lighter and/or matches. Fire-starter sticks
8. Tent pad/ tarp
9. Head lamp
10. Duct tape
11. Batteries and charging device
12. Tent pole repair kit
13. Camel Back Water Pac
14. Sport@Knife
15. Towel
16. Hand wipes

Ken Hunter packs lighter than Ed, in part because he doesn’t cook on the road and eats at restaurants. Ken’s packing list for a DRZ400S is here:

1. Windshield Bag: First Aid Kit, emergency fire starter, emergency food, suntan lotion
2. Tank Bag: Tire gauge, multi-tool, knife, allen wrench and locks for panniers, TP, camera
3. Tail Plate Shelve: Mini air compressor, three tire irons, tube patch kit (includes one large patch), bead breaker, stem puller, Motion Pro chain tool, spare master line, lock tight, JB Weld, X-Treme tape, electrical tape, metal mend epoxy, duct tape, wire ties, wood saw
4. Tube Storage (left side): Chain lube, small bag of spare nuts and bolts, bailing wire, variety of hose clamps, spare air filter, rag
5. Tube Storage (right side): Custom tool kit – factory front and rear axle wrenches, spark plug wrench, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm,17mm open end, adjustable and spoke wrenches, vise grips, screw drive with interchangeable bits (includes hex head bits), Tee handle socket wrench w/ (8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm), hacksaw blade, rag and disposalable gloves
6. Spare Tire tubes: Front tube attached to front fender, rear tube attached to left pannier rack
7. Pannier (right-21 lbs): Down sleeping bag, X Ped sleeping pad, tent ground tarp
8. Pannier (left-20 lbs): Tent, poles and stakes, personal clothing stored in individual stuff sacks Personal Clothing: four tee shirts and underwear,  two pair of long pants (zip off legs), one pair of shorts, seven pair of socks, toiletry kit …no cotton
9. Tail Rack Bag (14 lbs): Riding gear: long underwear, coat and pants liner, rain gear, extra gloves, sneakers, flip flops, fleece pants

Weights: Each Pannier weighs 9 lbs, the tail bag weighs 4 lbs, Happy Trails soft bags are 4.5 lbs each. The bike without panniers is 380 lbs…………ready for Adventure…………..435 lbs

Heath Hiatt is our most minimal motorcycle packer, not even taking a tent. Heath’s packing list:

1. Kelty Noah’s tarp – 12×12’ (optional, depending on weather)
2. 4×7 foot ripstop ground cloth
3. Big Agnes Insulated Air Core mummy pad
4. REI Mojave 15 degree goose down mummy bag
5. Cooking setup -GSI Soloist cook pot, Primus Micron stove, fuel canister, spork, measuring cup
6. 2 dehydrated meals plus instant oatmeal for breakfast
7. Primus Micron stove
8. Fuel canister
9. Camp towel
10. 20’ parachute cord
11. Goose down jacket/vest
12. 2x spare bike shorts
13. spare socks for each day
14. 1x spare shirt

Darrell (Merf) Murphy gets into nature on foot. His packing list is not available, but we can safely say that he’s a minimalist even for a back-packer.

Trail-Dust is a publication of happy-trail.com

Coach Ramey Stroud is in the midst of a round-the-world motorcycle ride, long and slow, one continent at a time with many trips back home for family and holidays. He kindly sent us some photos to share. There will be lots more on his blog when he gets to it, but for now, he’s having too much fun to blog, so here’s a preview glimpse of Coach on his travels.

Happy Trails has done more than 30 countries with me so far.  Wish the bikes and tires and all the other equipment were as reliable as your bags.  Thank you.  I’ll get back to Boise one of these days to say HI.  In the meantime please, please tell everyone I wish the them the best of holidays and a great 2012.

Your Buddy,

Coach

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My Taxi.  Remember it? Hung a sidecar on it for this trip	In La Mancha, Spain

The Madena of Fes, Morocco, North Africa	Bike and sidecar from the rear

Trail-Dust Blog sponsored by happy-trail.com

Dateline: Somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic

By “moto” photojournalist Douglas Graham

I’ll  just assume that anyone riding after October has the proper riding gear so I won’t go into how to dress or electric clothing and outer wear.

If you get caught in a snowstorm like I did this week, don’t panic. Riding on snow just requires you think about your objective and then just slow down and take your time, be very smooth, and allow plenty of distance to stop. Of course if you can just pull out and not ride in the snow that is the route to take, but if you must push on like I did then take your time and pick a route of secondary roads and stay off the interstate. I added almost 4 hours to my trip home but I was safe and warm the whole way and I even did some sight seeing.

Make ultra gentle inputs with brakes, clutch, steering and throttle. I try to just not touch the front break as I don’t have ABS and without ABS the front could lock and down you will go. Make sure no one is following too closely for the reason just stated. Falling down at low speed on a slick surface probably won’t hurt you, but if the car behind you can’t stop or doesn’t know how, it could be nasty. If I get a tail-gater in snow I pull over or wave him past. Also, don’t expect drivers to recognize how precarious things are. Falling snow and driving wind pushing snow around will make you harder to see and they will cut you off, turn in front of you, and stop without warning. Unless it’s a light, brief snow or you are close to home, head for the closest motel or eatery, or the quickest way out of the storm. Start your ride late or just wait until the sun is hitting the road before pulling out;  also try to avoid any area that will have a rush hour and go after that craziness is over!

The other hazard of cold weather is ice. Watch out for those bridges that freeze before the roads do, and be alert for black ice in shady areas. More than one rider I know has crashed on unseen ice patches on winter nights. If you must cross an icy patch or even a suspected one, keep the bike slow, straight and steady, and minimize the inputs as mentioned above. Squeezing in the clutch and free-wheeling across the ice will keep you from applying either too much or too little power to the rear wheel. As a rule, you will be steadier with your feet on the pegs or floorboards than dragging them. Also watch for sand placed in corners to deal with the ice.

I’ve ridden everyday now for a number of years but if I know before leaving home that there may be snow or ice, I do take the car. I never put myself in a position of riding on snow when I don’t have to, but if I get caught out in it I know what I can and cannot handle. Know your limitations is all I’m saying. If it’s just not do-able you will know really fast and it’s no shame in throwing in the towel or calling for help.

If you have the proper gear and avoid the slick spots, riding in cold weather can be as comfortable and fun as riding on warm days. And the investment you make in cold-weather gear simply enhances your investment in your bike.

Trail-Dust Blog sponsored by happy-trail.com

Dateline: West Virginia

By “moto” photojournalist Douglas Graham

I’m always on the road for work, and being able to travel so much by motorcycle makes me a pretty lucky guy. I love what I do for a living and incorporating the motorcycle is a perfect match. But there is stress involved, like having to be somewhere on time all the time. Dealing with bad weather, deadlines, grumpy editors, events that don’t pan out and subjects that never come together as far as visuals go.  And let’s not forget managing all the gear with all its cords and chargers, cView postomputers, hard drives, wireless transmitting equipment, card readers, cameras and lens, etc. That’s why it’s called work.

 Click photos for larger images

A break on PR 151, One of the best fire roads Ive ever ridden	Morgans Ford bridge crosses the Shenandoah River close to Front Royal Virginia

Scott making his way along PR 151 in West Virginia	Asphalt back roads that look more like goat paths

However motorcycle camping and touring brings a whole new feel to the game of traveling. When I ride for fun with friends the time slips past with no stress and no deadlines. I think of the task at hand, and all those pesky little troubles that creep into our daily lives fade away. I have a hard and fast rule when touring by motorcycle for fun… there is only a loose wireframe of a plan and no real route of travel. Go as you please and stop when you want. This requires a good partner and boy, do I have one.

Scott Ferrell, now retired photojournalist, is the most laid back, fun traveling partner I’ve ever had. You know the kind of friend I’m talking about because you only make a handful of them in your entire life. Scott retired from the news business to become a pastor at his church. That’s the other reason I like him, because I need friends with power in higher places. You know, all the help I can get!!

This past year we decided to take a trip though the Panhandle and Central West Virginia and see how much mileage we could clock on the vast network of dirt roads. Well, I wanted to see how much dirt we could ride, Scott was just along for the ride in his, “whatever man, let’s just have fun” mode. When we pulled out Thursday morning it was dumping rain, and we stopped in Front Royal, Virginia to have breakfast and talk about how starting our trip.

As usual we decided to just go with the flow, and after looking at the route I had planned Scott said, “You lead, I’ll follow, stop when you see something that looks like fun and I’ll do the same.” We were off and as we pulled out of Front Royal the rain stopped and the sun came out. Within a few miles we hit our first dirt fire road up and over the Massanutten Mountain, the Woodstock Fire road.

5 miles later we came to some flooded out road. It looked like you could just ride through, but experience of past flooding convinced us to stop and walk across the giant pool, making sure the road was still under the surface. Lots of times with the mountains out here in the East the rain comes down so hard and so fast it will take a dirt road and carve a giant ditch through the middle of it. After the rain stops and the water slows, it gathers as a large pool. It looks like a big mud puddle until you drive into it and your bike disappears from under you leaving you to swim back to safety.

As it turned out the road was fine and off we went. Well… off we went after we got the BMW back on its feet. Scott had stopped quickly and the weight of the bike got the better of him and over she went. It was so heavy with gear we had to unpack her to get her back on her feet. But before I helped him right her I tortured poor Scott with my camera. Lucky for me he is a good sport. Later in the trip he also managed to get his bike stuck in a giant ditch just off of a main road entering what would be the hardest Fire Road, known as PR 151. I had a video camera for that little event and of course more torture for poor Scott.  I’ll just hold my breath, because my day will come and the shoe will be on the other foot!

Scott doing a long and deep creek crossing on PR 151	The Versys stream-crossing on Woodstock Fire Road, and people say this is only an asphalt touring bike!
Breaking camp near Brandywine in the Jefferson National Forest	Camp 4 up on Dolly Sods West Virginia

Scott has logged thousands of miles but not much on dirt and he did his first real freestone stream crossings on this trip.  I think the first one had him a little unnerved but as we did more and more he became comfortable with it, and I think he did really well with the challenge of riding a big, fully loaded touring bike on such unforgiving terrain.

We drove, camped, played and poked along for four days. Total miles traveled were somewhere over 600 and I’d say almost a quarter of that was dirt and fire road. West Virginia has hundreds of miles of improved dirt and fire roads and if you really planned I bet you could almost cross the state with very little asphalt touching your tires. We had a blast and saw some really beautiful sights. We found roads that were challenging and camped in places that were just absolutely beautiful.

West Virginia for adventure touring is really top notch and I will be going back. It’s a wonderful place to travel, being pretty cheap, and there is so much unexplored terrain that you could spend a lifetime of riding there and never see it all. Scott and I will return together soon and I’ll post up when we do. It was one of the most relaxing things I’ve done in a while. Now if I could just find a way to make money doing that?

Trail-Dust Blog sponsored by happy-trail.com

by “moto” photojournalist Douglas Graham

Like any good love affair there are always lots of photos of the “love interest” and as a photographer you can imagine I have a few photos of my bike. On any given trip it could be as many as well… crap, I’m ashamed to say, 80 to 100 photos of my bike with slightly different backgrounds! This whole voyeur thing with my bike is for my scrap book, just to remind me of my trips on the bike and all the places Ive been. But now I have a outlet and here are a few of the fun road signs I’ve encountered this year.

Click on photos for larger images

North Carolina

Maryland

Tennessee

West Virginia

West Virginia

Trail-Dust Blog sponsored by happy-trail.com

Dateline: In my backyard ;-)

By “moto” photojournalist Douglas Graham

I have a secret relationship with my motorcycle. Sometimes early in the morning when all are tucked in their beds I’ll sneak out with a cup of “Joe” and stare at my bike. Touch her, even talk to her.  I say this with no embarrassment or shame because I know you guys do it too. Hell, I know a guy who will remain nameless here who has a web camera in his garage so when he is at work he can login and look at his ladies!

You know who you are.

I know my bike so well I don’t even set the odometer for oil changes. I can tell by how the transmission feels. I know by gas mileage when its time to clean the air filter and change plugs. The Versys has a strange problem with clutch cables breaking so I keep a spare at all times. I ride her so much I just know when something is not right. It’s like being married to the same woman for a long time, you just know things.

The same thing goes for life on the road. If you do it as much as I do you just know what goes and what stays. Planning is also seasonal. It all adds up to making things comfortable or the trip being a royal pain in the butt.

Adopting a common sense approach when deciding on the gear your baby will carry is the best approach. There are certain things you definitely need and a lot of things that could be considered “nice to have” on a long adventure ride, the deciding factor more often then not being the space available. One way to do this if you’re not a seasoned pro is to get everything together that you would like to take and halve it. This might seem a little crazy, but you will be amazed at how little you need to carry to survive in comfort.

Click photos for larger images

The Versys getting packed for a week long trip in early spring. The only thing not included in the photo is a helmet and an Aerostitch Roadcrafter suit.	Photojournalist Scott Ferrell on his BMW and my Versys packed for a week plus trip in West Virginia.

It’s also imperative to buy the best gear you can afford. A guy once told me that there’s no such thing as bad weather only bad gear. He is so right. Always spend your big bucks on a helmet and protective riding gear. I’ve been down twice this year and once was a heavy fall at speed and between those two get-offs I walked away only sore and bruised. Because of my Happy Trails panniers my bike and gear survived, as the pannier took most of the force of the impact and kept the bike off the road as she slid to a stop. Money well spent indeed.

No such thing as bad weather only bad gear. In my Aerostich Roadcrafter after riding for 1.5 hours in pouring rain! A little wet around the collar, other then that I was bone dry.	Money well spent. My HT pannier after hitting the asphalt at 45 mph fully loaded. The pannier had a Nikon D3, a lens, a GoPro video camera and an external hard drive and nothing was damaged.

CC

In addition to space constraints, a lot of what you carry will be determined by the route you intend on taking. If you can afford to stay in hotels and eat out, then a tent, sleeping gear and cook kit are not needed. Think carefully about your route and plan your kit accordingly. I have a checklist that I go by and it reads something like this:

• Documents and Finances
• Clothing
• Riding Equipment
• Bike Spares & Tools
• Navigation & Communication
• Toiletries
• Med Kit (a good one)
• Camping & Cooking
• Miscellaneous

I was going to list the things I take, but it’s going to be different for everyone. Because I work as a photojournalist I always have to decide on my photography kit.  In any case, it’s best to plan ahead, write out a list and then pack and repack before hitting the road. Lastly, if you’re traveling by yourself be sure you give someone a detailed route of the places you’re going, where you’re staying, and then check in as often as possible. Above all have fun.

Dateline: Virginia to Washington, D.C.

By “moto” photojournalist Douglas Graham

Click on photos for larger images

Versys parked on Dutchman’s Creek Road north of Lovettsville, Virginia

Although I travel a lot, as a photojournalist covering national politics I also spend a lot of time in Washington. Sometimes weeks at a time bouncing from the White House, U.S. Capitol, State Department, Pentagon, Smithsonian, etc.

I thought I’d give a glimpse of my daily commute, because I found myself marveling at what a nice trip I’ve had to get to work this past week. Its an adventure ride each day! Most people heading to Washington get into their car and sit in traffic for up to two hours on a good day. I’m pretty lucky as you can see from the photos.

Views to the north west across the blue ridge into West Virginia
along U.S. route 690 north of Hillsboro Virginia

Tollhouse Road almost into Maryland

From my house in the blue ridge mountains of Virginia I take about 15 miles of dirt roads up and across the mountain and then north down the toe into Maryland and across the Potomac River. The road is a mixed bag of fire road, improved dirt and a touch of one lane asphalt. Sometimes I take a little longer route and follow the Shenandoah River north to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia across the Potomac and into Maryland. Once in Maryland I take the MARC train from the Brunswick Station to Union Station in downtown Washington.

Stoneybrook Farmers Market in Hillsboro
has the best coffee and the nicest people you will ever meet

The whole trip takes about 1.5 hours door to door and I always leave really early so I can relax and shoot photos along the way if I feel the need. I also stop at the farmers market in Hillsboro, Virginia, to have coffee and breakfast. Nicest people on the planet run the market called Stonybrook Farms and they have the best coffee, hands down, on the East Coast. You can’t often enter a store and hear your name from the proprietor and know they really are glad to see you.

Brunswick Maryland train station with the MARC train pulling in to pick up
passengers headed for points east terminating in Washington, D. C. at Union Station 

I’m pretty lucky as far as being a D.C. commuter, since I never really have to deal with the traffic gridlock because of the train. Yes, it can be a long day if I’m working downtown but as a newspaper photographer every day is a long day. Its just part of the job and no day ever repeats itself.

Dateline: Culpeper Virginia to the Eastern Shore of Maryland

By “moto” photojournalist Douglas Graham

Tuesday afternoon, as I sat in our offices on K Street in downtown Washington, D.C. the blinds started swinging back and forth and things began falling off the wall. “Crap, I’m going to die in Washington” and that’s a fate worse then death itself, I thought to myself!

In the next moments the entire photo staff, in town for planning redeployment around the country, was sent out to cover the after effects of the event in downtown D.C.  Scared people pouring into the streets and traffic gridlock is the best way to describe it.

Click photos for larger images

Workers pour into the streets along 1st Street N.E. after their buildings were evacuated

The most notable damage includes cracks at the top of the Washington Monument, leaving it closed indefinitely, and damage to the National Cathedral, the fourth-tallest structure in Washington. The Cathedral’s main damage is to the central tower, which had a 3,000-pound piece come crashing down in the quake.

Turns out a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck extremely close to Charlottesville, and only 83 miles from Washington, in Mineral Virginia at 1:51 p.m. on Tuesday. The quake was felt from South Carolina up through New England, and even in Toronto. According to the US Geological Survey, the area felt two aftershocks Tuesday night and Wednesday morning—both centered around Mineral—with magnitudes of 2.8 and 2.2.

Luckily, according to Dominion Power, North Anna Nuclear Generating Station in Mineral was designed to withstand a much larger 5.9 to 6.1 earthquake. Scary stuff when you consider what’s going on in Japan right now.

Douglas Graham follows Majority Whip Eric Cantor, R-VA., along with town officials
on a tour to see damage of downtown Culpeper, Virginia, after the earthquake.
Photo by Scott Ferrell

As events toned down in Washington, D.C. I knew that Majority Whip Eric Cantor, R-VA., would be headed to Mineral to survey the damage. A quick phone call to my editor and I was on the motorcycle and headed that way to cover it. En route my editor called—after I covered the earthquake I may as well head east and cover the preparations for Hurricane Irene that’s headed for the East Coast.

At this point I had to call my poor wife who, for the past 24 years, has been hearing these words, “Honey I’m going to be gone for a few days!” “I know, be safe.” She has the responses coming out of her mouth almost before I can break the news.

Eric Cantor, R-VA., peeks inside Bella-Mia’s Italian American Deli, condemned from damage sustained in the earthquake. Mayor of Culpeper, Virginia, Chip Coleman hugs the owner Carmine (declined to give last name) and promises him that the beloved deli will reopen

So for the next three days I rode from place to place covering events and talking to people, shooting pictures and transmitting. I saw buildings in the town of Culpeper, Virginia condemned, and the owners of small businesses crying. I witnessed acts of kindness. I rode through 95-degree heat, and cold and rain so hard that it leaked in behind my visor. I crossed the Potomac River via the Route 301 bridge in 45 to 50 mph cross winds and spent so many hours in the saddle that my legs went to sleep.

I put in the long miles each year and ride in all kinds of weather but these 72 hours tested all my skill sets, including using roadfood.com at 65mph! It was like a year compressed.  Hot, cold, hand cramps, monkey butt, sore neck, wet, parched and working like a dog behind the camera.

I love my job and know how lucky I am. Honey, I’ll be home soon.

Motorists make their way around a downed tree as the first
outer bands of the storm stirred up nasty thunderstorms

The Versys parked next to a old checkered cab from New York City at the “New York Italian Deli & Restaurant” in Brandywine Maryland. I found this deli using roadfood.com and for you nomads out there this site will keep you in good eats on the road and out of McDonalds;-)

GPS decided to flake out in the rain and I ended up off course
by about 30 miles in the worst T-storm I’ve ever been in

Rainbow at the end of the day and after the route 301 “horrifying” bridge crossing.
It’s a great bike and really planted in the wet is all I can say.