Home from Carlsbad, CA

[Bubba1]

Long story somewhat short: Yesterday I dropped Ms. Bubba off at the airport at 0'dark 30 so she could spend the weekend with the girl child in Austin, TX. I didn't have anything I had to do so I thought "Self what would you like to do"? Well I hadn't stuck a toe in the ocean for almost a year and San Diego is only 6 or 7 hours west.....hummmm can you say road trip?

I threw a couple of changes into the T-Bags, hung 'em on the V2K and headed West. I ended up in Carlsbad, CA, stuck a toe in the Pacific (yes it is still cold), watched a beautiful sunset as I ate fish and chips, and drank a couple of cold ones. After a good night's rest I rode the coast road to L.A., hung a right on I-10 and rode it like I stole it all the way home. Made it in time to see a great Tucson sunset, I'm not sure which sunset was better. They were both pretty spectacular.

BTW, I know the picture sucks but once I strap a machine to my a** I don't stop except for fuel. Old training is hard to break .

[IMG][/IMG]

[Cluckemt]

Cool.

[Bubba1]

Here I am about 60 miles west of Phoenix, stopped for fuel and re-hydration. By this time I had been riding for close to 4 hours with the temperature over 100 F. I find when it is over 105 F I need to stop about every 70-100 miles to re-hydrate and cool my core. Even with the stops, I feel pretty beat up after a few hours of riding when the temp approaches 110 F.

I've tried evaporative vests, long sleeves, short sleeves, H20 on my do-rag, with helmet, with out helmet and so on when it gets hot, and the bottom line is you just need to stop, drink lots of water and/or iced tea, and set in a cool place for 15 or 20 minutes until your core temp returns to normal. Then you can go out and do another 100 or so miles before you have to re-cool your core.

[IMG][/IMG]

[RichLockyer]

Yup... timing is everything.
We're heading out to Red Lodge next week, and even though the guy with the shortest range had to cancel, I'm still planning fuel/hydration stops every 70-100 miles. We're leaving LA around 6, planning breakfast in Baker at 9:30 or so. That SHOULD put us into Mesquite by 1pm or so, so hopefully we'll miss the hottest part of the day on the part of the 15 known as H.E.Double-toothpicks from Baker to Mesquite.

[Cluckemt]

Yup I have a 3Liter camel back, that I fill with ice water at every stop. When either it or the gas tank is empty I know its time for a rest.

[Tucson1]

Hi ya Bubba. Glad your ride was good. Your bubba ride is looking good.

[LouTennant]

Bubba,

I have to ask: what is that bag set-up on the back of your V2K? And do they make a similar product for the 900?

Lou

[Bubba1]

Originally Posted by LouTennant

Bubba,

I have to ask: what is that bag set-up on the back of your V2K? And do they make a similar product for the 900?

Lou

Lou,

It is a T-Bag "Universal", It should fit the 900, I used it on my VTX before the V2K followed me home. BTW all the T-Bags are very nice. If I was doing it again I think I would buy the one with wheels. The Universal is not hard to carry into the hotel room but having wheels would be nice.

[Bubba1]

Originally Posted by Tucson1

Hi ya Bubba. Glad your ride was good. Your bubba ride is looking good.

Thanks Bill,

It was a fun ride. You doing anything this weekend? I'm up for a short one, maybe up the mountain to cool off or down to Sonoita for a steak. Want see if anyone else is up for it?

[LouTennant]

Awesome, thanks for the info. I'll be sure to look into those...just as soon as I get back to the states and can get a bike!!

I know, I know, one thing at a time!! My wife keeps telling me the same thing!

[Bubba1]

Originally Posted by RichLockyer

Yup... timing is everything.
We're heading out to Red Lodge next week, and even though the guy with the shortest range had to cancel, I'm still planning fuel/hydration stops every 70-100 miles. We're leaving LA around 6, planning breakfast in Baker at 9:30 or so. That SHOULD put us into Mesquite by 1pm or so, so hopefully we'll miss the hottest part of the day on the part of the 15 known as H.E.Double-toothpicks from Baker to Mesquite.

Rich,

I want to go, maybe next year. I could catch up to you'll around St. George, UT.

The central CA valley is hard to do in my truck, on a scoot it is really hard. Watch your other riders and make sure they are not pushing too hard.

BTW, living in Tucson, unless you ride at night, it's hard to miss the heat during the summer. I love to ride early AM or late PM, just don't like dodging critters and running faster than my lights.

[Bubba1]

Originally Posted by Cluckemt

Yup I have a 3Liter camel back, that I fill with ice water at every stop. When either it or the gas tank is empty I know its time for a rest.

I've thought about using a Camel Back, it could add another hour or so between stops. The only reason I haven't is because once it gets above 105 the cooling of the core temp is as important as hydration and I haven't found anything that really works to do that other being in a cool place. May do it yet.

[Cluckemt]

Ive used mine in 95 deg weather and it held up fine. But I do have the insulated one they sell for the troops in the Desert. The water in the tube heats up so that first gulp is warm, but after that its ice cold till the last bit.

Ice makes the big difference. Just putting cold water in there will get warm soon. But if you refill the Ice and add cold water at each stop no problems.

[Bubba1]

Originally Posted by Cluckemt

Ive used mine in 95 deg weather and it held up fine. But I do have the insulated one they sell for the troops in the Desert. The water in the tube heats up so that first gulp is warm, but after that its ice cold till the last bit.

Ice makes the big difference. Just putting cold water in there will get warm soon. But if you refill the Ice and add cold water at each stop no problems.

Chris,

Thanks, I will look for a insulated CamelBack.

A few degrees make a huge difference. A couple of weeks ago I rode across West Texas with the midday temps in the high 100s. I needed to get home so I was pushing the stops and by the time I made it to Deming, NM I would have given the scoot away for a ride in something with AC. I stopped at the Cattleman's Steak House (BTW, it is a great place to stop for a steak on the road) for several glasses of iced tea and to cool my core. While inside the temp dropped to 104 on the bank's sign. It was like night and day, the ride went from the ride from H*** to a blue birds singing and chipmunks playing ride in the park.

I'm sure everyone has a different comfort zone, mine's around 105 (about 40C, I forget we have people on this board from other parts of the world ) below that it is just a great day for a ride. Once the temp goes over 105 I have to go into survival mode.

ken

[Grumbler]

Originally Posted by Cluckemt

Ive used mine in 95 deg weather and it held up fine. But I do have the insulated one they sell for the troops in the Desert. The water in the tube heats up so that first gulp is warm, but after that its ice cold till the last bit.

Ice makes the big difference. Just putting cold water in there will get warm soon. But if you refill the Ice and add cold water at each stop no problems.

I ordered the Wellspring Hydration Backpack from Target (used my Amazon
account) just last week. Supposed to arrive on July 9th. It'll be used inside
my FirstGear Mesh-Tex 3.0 jacket:


Also, ordered the standard TechNiche Evaporative Cooling Vest:

[Bubba1]

[quote=Grumbler;1196894]I ordered the Wellspring Hydration Backpack from Target (used my Amazon
account) just last week. Supposed to arrive on July 9th. It'll be used inside
my FirstGear Mesh-Tex 3.0 jacket:

Grumbler,

I have the TechNiche vest, it works pretty good at High-Mid range temps, in fact it will almost chill you. At the Higher temps it will work for about 40 to 50 minutes before it loses the battle. Still worth using even at the higher temps, it keeps your core stable for the first 50 or 60 miles leaving only another 40 or 50 before you stop.

[Grumbler]

Originally Posted by Bubba1

I have the TechNiche vest, it works pretty good at High-Mid range temps, in fact it will almost chill you. At the Higher temps it will work for about 40 to 50 minutes before it loses the battle. Still worth using even at the higher temps, it keeps your core stable for the first 50 or 60 miles leaving only another 40 or 50 before you stop.

It helps that the average summertime temperature here in Boise is generally 10F cooler than Tucson. I do try to stay at the higher elevations (above 3000') during my road trips. It's cooler along the winding river roads. Early ETD in morning and early ETA helps, too.

However, long hours in the saddle on the freeways under high temperatures definately does impact the effectiveness of any product. Frequent hydration breaks in the shade are a Good Thing(tm) there.

I once made the mistake of drinking iced tea at a cafe in Vale, OR when it was 110+ degrees out, and almost blacked out one hour later. Had to open my FF visor all the way, and push my black helmet back as far as I could from under the chin to get air circulation over my head. Should've had iced water.

[Spok]

i see photo's so the trip happened

i can't wait to be "free" so that I can just pack and go on a whim like that

[Bubba1]

Originally Posted by Spok

i see photo's so the trip happened

i can't wait to be "free" so that I can just pack and go on a whim like that

Spok,

It only happened in the last year, up till then I had lived with phones, pagers (remember them ), and cell phones. Never more than an hour from the airport 24/7/52. It's no way to live a life but I did it for almost 40 years, that said it sure did pass quickly and was a h*** of a lot of fun. I'm still a "travelling man", I just do it lower and slower now and I get to choose where to go .

BTW, I'm loving the freedom, hope you can do it soon.

ken

[RichLockyer]

I picked up my insulated Camelback from a gun dealer on eBay.
Of course, it's desert camo.

It's literally just a neoprene tube that slips over the feed tube, with a rubber cap over the bite that keeps it clean and eliminates the need to work the valve.

What I like about the camo version is it doesn't use the "new" style bladder with the large blue plug... it's a regular canteen style cap with a smaller opening. The big opening is easier to get ice in, but for me it was always a hassle getting the full 100oz into it.