Watching the Weather

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A few days out from departure, and the weather has become center-stage in the run up to launch.

This year's big ride combines business with pleasure. Five days of the 2008 AORN Congress in Anaheim is the excuse to ride south for a Spring trip. The Association of peri-Operative Registered Nurses is holding it's annual Congress on the West coast. Several thousand OR nurses and I will convene is sunny California for nearly of week of professional enrichment and growth.

The trip plan calls for a three-day ride south, Thurs-Sat, Saturday night with Jill and Norm in Woodland Hills, and Sunday through Thursday at Congress. Thursday through to the next Saturday is the 10-day window to tour home.

While the return plans are very loose and comprise a leisurely paced (such as it is on a sport-touring steed) tour of California coast and coast-range roads, the southbound trip is tightly timed. The initial plan was to ride down central Oregon and the middle of Nevada via Death Valley. However, a large cold front blowing in from the Gulf of Alaska is bringing late season cold to the Great Basin. Forecasts of snow, wind and sub-freezing temperatures have me now looking at alternative routes. I can ride in rain, and I can ride in cold, but frozen surfaces are out. The soul-robbing freeway grind of the Interstate may end up being the entry price to my California vacation if I slab it down the warm side of the Cascade/Sierras.

Preparations to this point have not been rushed. I had my 2003 Honda St1300 apart for major maintenance recently, changing fluids, making adjustments, and adding accessories. Most of the ST1300's systems reside behind various body panels, so getting the body apart and reassembled is a task unto itself. A new GPS unit adds a layer of technology to the rig that will be fun to use. Refinements to my camping gear have occured and they will be put to good use.

We enjoyed running a blog last summer during the big family road trip: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Arnim-Hucks-Roadshow/
It was fun to share that trip with others, so here's to another round of What I Did On My Vacation. Beats the hell out of nodding off to your friend's slideshow! (I hope)

Stay tuned. It's off Thursday AM!

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Photos

47K Maintenance
Every 12K miles, you get to tear apart the bike. That's the dash in front!

ST1300 in the Sawtooths
Some rides are finer than others: 2006 Great West Tour

Lake Powell Dayride
When you strip off the luggage and lighten the load, she handles a little better. Lake Powell Ferry 2006