Around the world on a GS850G for a cause

[shirazdrum]

[Speedo]

shirazdrum-good stuff. good luck and let me know...could be fun...

[Big T]

Okay, I told you not to take that road!

If you're still in OR, turn right on CA 96 just north of Yreka and head back to the cost for some redwoods

[shirazdrum]

Oct,8th – Oct, 13th. The Unfettered Life

First off, I would like to thank fellow Gsers Rob and Lisa Hayward for their generous donations. The GS resources website has been a great help on mechanical issues and is still holding first place on donations. Thank you for everything guys.
My reunion in Ashland with Gib was bitter sweet. I stayed with him for 3 nights and left for California on Sunday. He gave me my last million-dollar haircut with his Hikari scissors which are unbelievably sharp and expensive. They are handmade by the Samurai people and the smallest scissor is sold for around $600!
He wanted to buy a laptop and I wanted to get a smaller one so we made a deal and I exchanged my 15.4” Dell for a 10.1” HP that he paid for. This machine is very compact and portable but it’s like an “Etch A Sketch” compared to my old one. We flipped a coin for the farewell lunch and after feeding me for the last time, I was on my way to California.
I took Todd’s advice on the California Hwy 96 and what a great route it turned out to be. California has the best roads in the world in my opinion, and 96 was no different. With all its twist and turns, it passes through the Klamath National Forest which is breathtaking. I was hoping to camp somewhere along the way but I kept on pushing toward Eureka. At around 8pm I decided I had enough and wanted to camp but there was no camp spot around and I was approaching more populated areas. In Hoopa I found a campground that was closed but I figured I would poach it anyway.
Hoopa is on an Indian reservation and the whole place looked kind of iffy but it was already dark and I had no choice. Plastic bags and trash all over the place, this campground was a true dump but if that wasn’t enough, two Indian guys in a truck rolled in and stopped where I was going to camp. They shouted something that I didn’t understand and drove off and parked about 100 yards away. They started howling and making war noises (I used to watch a lot of western movies so I know what that sounds like). After a while they got in their truck and started approaching my site still making noises. It was pitch dark and no one else around so I didn’t take their noises as a friendly gesture. I got my hatchet out, opened my Kershaw knife and got the bear spray out of the sheath. I turned on the bike headlight and stood with an axe in one hand and pepper spray in other behind the light, waiting.
The truck stopped right in front of my campsite and the guy in the passenger side started putting on black gloves! At that moment I knew I was in it for more than a friendly talk. I gripped the axe handle harder and stood still, but he never came out of the truck.
The driver stepped on the gas and the truck took off with a screeching noise and they left the area. I really wanted to camp there but I didn’t want to be surprised in the middle of the night with a truck full of angry Indians so I rode my bike like I stole it.
For the first time since the start of this trip, I rode at night and the Hwy 96 became my nemesis. With my crappy headlight I could barely see the turns let alone the flat spots to pitch my tent and the night dragged on. I was getting pretty tired and my eyes were hurting from concentrating on the road and not a single spot to camp.
I got to Eureka at 10:30 and went straight to a Super 8 Motel and checked in for $59. I was mad at myself for getting in a situation like that and risking my life when I could have easily camped out at 6 pm for free in day light. Never again.
The next day the hell broke loose and Northern California experienced its first storm of the year (it was on the front page of the San Francisco news). Rain came down in sheets and oily roads turned into skating rink. I took it easy all the way and stopped to check out the giant Redwoods of Northern forests along the way. Ranging from 500 to 2000 years old, these threes are about a size of a submarine! Standing next to them I felt like little people in Gulliver’s stories.
That night, I stayed with Harrison and Elizabeth, my couch surfing hosts and was out of the rain. I had a great time staying with these two love birds. Both smart and athletic, we talked about climbing, current politics, stupid things and drank some fine scotch out of Harrison’s collection. He gave me a picking tool and a practice lock and lectured me on how it works but as much as I tried, I never even came close to picking it. But I’ll keep trying.
I’m staying here for another night, then meeting Tom in San José for the bike maintenance. Stay tuned…

[shirazdrum]

[Speedo]

all the best in SJE. You're still welcome in MRY (monterey). take care

[cruz del sur]

Hey Chris, I see you are well on your way. I will be emailing my sister and a few friends down south in the next few. You will definitely get some places to stay there. Will see if they can get a few contacts in the rest of South America for you (this one guy went from Central Argentina to Colombia in a Chinese 150 cc to see his son, and I am sure he will not only give you a place to stay, but will have many tips for you. Plus he used to live in the US so his English is very good)

Nico

[Tom MLC]

Chris, it was a great pleasure to meet you, spin a few wrenches together, and put some rubber on the road with you. An experience my neighbors and I will speak of for some time.

Chuck, my neighbor with the Harley can't stop thinking of ways to get the word out about your mission.

Ray stopped by yesterday after I got home. He has a nasty sunburn...between his legs...from welding your kickstand while wearing short pants!. Ouch! He'll be thinking of you for a few days, at least!

I'm honored that I could contribute in some small way. Wish I could do more. I'll follow your adventures knowing I played a small role in the saga. My wife and I wish you Godspeed on your journey.

I promised you a few contacts. Here are a few GSR members who might be found along your route. I can't speak for their ability to help you out. You can contact them at your discretion.

In Santa Barbara, posplayer (Jim)

In Bakersfield, chef1366 (Bill)

These two characters are talking about a trip to Arizona next week for a big biker rally. If your timing to Arizona is right, maybe you could join them.

In Tuscon, first timer (Ryan)

If your travels take you further south, through LA.

In LA area, Salty Monk (Dan) and BassCliff (Cliff)

Many, many others in the LA area. These two are both GSR icons.

Once again, we wish you well on the adventure. Ride safe, and watch out for those banditos south of the border!

Just remembered, you asked me about the oil pressure indicator. RenoBruce is your man to ask. He should be able to get one shipped to you somewhere along the way.

[Speedo]

We ate, we drank, we sang, we danced.

Well ok, we didn't sing and dance... we wrenched, toured, bs-ed, and played some music...

Chris,
I echo Tom's sentiments wishing you nothing but the best on your mission and wishing I could have done more to help. It was an absolute pleasure to have you as our guest.

Soccer ("futbol")/esp. world cup soccer both from countries that didn't make it this time, guitar, first generation ethnic Americans still speaking a native tongue, love to laugh/poke fun at...well everything, frustrated and adventurous car/bike amateur mechanics, old Suzuki bikes, lovers of classic Porsches, and healthy heterosexual male-ness appreciating God's work with feminine pulchritude (well, not as bad as those horny deer in my yard, right Chris?).
So nah, Shiraz and I have got like NOTHING in common

One night (where the wife was sure to invite one my dear male friends over for dinner as "insurance" that we were not about to "live" one of the many horror movies she dearly loves and watches all the time) turned into 3 nights. Of pure fun, bonding, and loving being a part of this and being able to "contribute in some small way" as Tom said perfectly below.

We ate well (hey, it's a Hungarian thing), libations flowing freely (not while riding of course), got Chris out to take a small sample of awesome Monterey area, stayed up insane hours having way too much fun, accomplished much in the way of Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and well, just didn't want it to end although we both knew it had to at some point.

I hope you enjoyed your stay in Monterey and Steinbeck's "Pastures of Heaven" where we humbly live. I hope you will remember us and your stay; we will certainly never forget you and will be rooting and praying for you over the next four years!

Hanginthere, godspeed, and all that (I hate "goodbyes")....here we (well just you since I'm taking pic) are in my garage having fun wrenching and bsing until 4am holycrap! God i'm gettin' too old for that but what fun it was!:



and another one




and here's the rare but cool Monterey Sunset that welcomed you (that little round bump in the middle is your head....sorry...but hey, the sunset turned out good at least heh heh....)

[shirazdrum]

Hey Nico, thanks for popping in. I was wondering if you were still on the forum or not. How is your preparation for the grand tour coming about? Thanks for the emails to your family; I’m looking forward to it.

Tom and Andy,

Thank you both for being hospitable and giving so much of your time and resources. I had a blast spending some times with both of you and I’m indebted to you greatly. Say hello to everyone for me and stay tuned for the reports.

[shirazdrum]

Oct, 13th – Oct, 16th. San Jose, CA

First off, I would like to thank Chuck Williams and Hari Crowder for their generous donations. The month of October is almost over and the goal has not been reached. If you are enjoying these posts, please take a time to donate a few bucks for the cause.
Under the torrential rain of San Francisco, I walked through downtown wearing my rain suit and 75 liter pack. I could see a stream of water coming down from the top of my hood every time I stopped moving. A black guy approached me and offered me a sandwich, I was dumbfounded. I realized I looked like a homeless person standing under rain shouldering a backpack with no umbrella.
The rain finally stopped and after farewell with Elizabeth and Harrison I left for San Jose. In San Jose, I met Jessica Cover and stayed with her for the next two nights. Jessica was one of the most interesting people I have met on this trip. At age 27; she is an accomplished young lady with a bright future as a chiropractor. Even though she was preparing for her exams, we talked for hours and had a great time.
As I have mentioned before, Rob Eberle the owner of Cycle Recycle Parts II has sponsored this expedition and generously shipped the much needed parts to Tom Murphy’s house in Berryessa. Located in Indianapolis, The Cycle Recycle Parts stock an impressive inventory of used and new parts for classic Japanese motorcycles. Shipping is cheap and fast and Rob is a knowledgeable guy to talk to. It is nice to find a shop these days who you can actually talk to the owner rather than answering machines. The box consisted of a new high chrome fender, valve cover gasket, oil filter, inner tube, clutch cable, speedometer cable and a set of progressive fork springs.
At Tom’s house, we changed the front springs, made the new fender fit and fixed the kickstand on the bike. Chuck and Ray, two of Tom’s neighbors and bob, another GSer showed up and the party started. Over some beer and pizza, courtesy of Tom Murphy, we speculated on the best way of fixing the stand. Ray brought his welder over and welded the top surface of the bracket to raise the stand. In the mean time, Tom looked for his missing 14mm wrench for two hours and accused everyone of stealing it. It turned out he had it last and left it on the shelf!
Tom, Chuck, Ray and Bob are all great guys and their help was tremendous. We had a great time and lots of fun, but I had to be in Los Gatos for the night so I said my goodbyes and made plans for the next day to meet up in town for a ride in the mountains.
Chuck rode out with me on his Harley to show me the way. I was enjoying my new fork springs until we got to the exit ramp. I tried to lean the bike but nothing happened. I pressed on the handle bar and almost wetted my pants from what I saw. The handle bar was moving but the tire wasn’t! Somehow, between four “Certified Mechanics”, we forgot to tighten the fork pinch bolts and all that was holding it were the headlight ears.
I got off the curved ramp god knows how, and tried to catch up with Chuck (I had no idea where we were heading and didn’t want to lose him), but I couldn’t go as fast for the fear of losing control of the bike. Finally I caught up to him and flagged him to stop and we pulled over in a restaurant. Out of 6 bolts, 4 were finger tight and the other two barely hanging on. I escaped yet another fatal mistake…
I met up with Tom and Chuck in town the next day and we rode up on a twisty road going to the top of the mountain to kill some time at the Alice’s restaurant. This biker bar was a cool place and there were hundreds of bikers from all over. The ride was great and besides witnessing a motorcycle accident scene on the way, was without a glitch.
Tom treated us again to burgers and beer and we basked in the sunshine, talking and enjoying the view. Bob and chuck took off for San José and tom and I rode on highway 1 south for Santa Cruz. We said our goodbyes and I headed south as usual and tom west to San José.
I had a great time staying in Silicon Valley and made some amazing friends. California has been good to me so far. Next Stop; Monterey and Carmel…

[shirazdrum]

[shirazdrum]

Oct, 16th-Oct, 20th. Monterey, CA

I would like to thank Thomas D’Acquisto and Garrett Dulaney for their generous donations. Please make a donation of any amount for the month of October and let’s reach this month goal.
Andy Pogany, another GSer invited me to visit him if my travels took me to Monterey. Monterey is a small town just north of Carmel, on the coast of California. Famous for its fisheries from the years gone by, it was also the first capital of California.
I met Andy and his friend Dennis around 6pm at a shopping center near his house. Since it was getting dark, we exchanged a few words and started heading back towards his place. The road kept getting narrower and I started to doubt whether there was actually anything at the end of the path but sure enough, at the end of the road stood a beautiful house on top of a hill surrounded by oak trees.
After a great Hungarian dinner and lots of wine, we played Crokinole, a Canadian board game which was a lot of fun. You cannot beat Andy in that game and I was glad to be his partner. I went to bed around 2:30 and that set the precedent for the following nights.
The next day Andy took me out for a ride around Monterey and showed me much of the town. From fisherman’s wharf to local hotspots, we covered anything that was worth seeing and did some shopping for the bikes. We spent the rest of the night working on our rides, turning wrenches while listening to country music (according to Andy, a necessary activity).
We wired up a coil relay for Andy’s GS750 and fixed his broken mirror mount and later took the rear wheel off of the 850 and greased the splines which was overdue after 8000 miles of hard use. One thing led to another and when I looked at my watch it was already 4 am and we were still talking about cars and our various fruitless attempts to re-invent the wheel in our pasts.
My plan on leaving the next day came to a halt when I woke up at noon and could barely stand straight, so Jollene and Andy offered me to stay another night so we could see the State Parks and the town of Carmel.
We left for the coast rather late waiting for the morning rain to clear but still managed to see a lot of the places we intended. We toured the Carmel area in Andy’s old (1996) Porsche 911 which I was privileged to drive. Now I know what all the fuss is about when people talk about this German beauty. As Andy puts it, it’s a classic car with 6 angry Germans pushing in a trunk. My camera died when we were in Point Lobos and we were bummed that we couldn’t take more pictures and we felt really stupid later when we realized we both had our camera phones with us and didn’t even think of that.
After having dinner in a little Italian restaurant in Carmel (with a horrible “100 year old family recipe” garlic bread – Andy forced me to add this) we headed back to Monterey and made a promise to go to sleep early that night. It was all going as planned until we started talking about guitars and the last night of my stay turned into a jamming session that lasted until 3am. Andy pulled out his guitar collection and hooked up the Amp and we played everything from Persian folk songs to old blues. What a great night.
My stay in Monterey was memorable and although seemed like a vacation with no progress on the mission, it laid out a lasting friendship with a great couple. The exciting news is that Andy will be proof reading my journals which will save you some headache trying to figure out what I’m trying to say. Andy and Jollene, thank you both for your hospitality, I had a fantastic time.

[shirazdrum]

[shirazdrum]